Having played the game for some time know at friends and at my place I think the maps are too cramped. Hear me out on this one. Although the maps are bigger in this sequel, they feel a lot more cramped. In the first game there were several maps where you had much more of a panorama and a sense of looking into the far distance. Now there is obstacles everywhere und everything feels a look more cluttered. The game feels a lot more that it is geared towards close quarter combat. And personally I dont like it as much.This becomes really evident in the Garden Ops mode. In the first game the 3 gardens you were able to plant on a map were a lot more different in their position and therefore difficulty. One that was up higher a bit with more of an overview. The middle garden on Crash Course for example. Oder the middle garden for the Garden Center map. Other potential garden spots were more isolated and so on. Now it feels like every garden you can plant is surrounded by obstacles and almost in a sinkhole that is surrounded by walls and scenery. Every spot feels like an uphill battle. I don't know if anything can be down about this since level architecture would need to change or different spots for gardens need to be incorporated but please look into this. So far the maps from part 1 are definitely better than the maps from part 2.

I agree, maps in gw1 is way better!Hope they give us gw1 suburbian map

I think the op has got it pretty much spot on. I've given this game almost 40 hours now and what I have noticed is that there are certain areas of pretty much every map where everything just becomes a chaotic, unplayable mess and because of which the game actually starts to become, well, not so fun to play.What EA and Popcap tend to forget is that, due to it's cutesy nature, the game should be designed to appeal to players of all ages, but in it's present condition I really can't see many of the younger community seeing this one out for too long - it really is that user-unfriendly to get to grips with.I have two kids (8 and 10) who, like myself, absolutely loved the first PvZ so the £54 investment for the family sharing digital option did seem to be a bit of a no brainer when considering our next batch of entertainment. Although I've kinda stuck it out hoping it will win me over my kids haven't exactly been as endearing to it all and I guess after countless online 'walk 50 yards....get killed by unseen foe...walk 50 yards...get killed by unseen foe' (and so on and so on) scenarios they gave up on the whole affair and went back to playing the original.The great thing about the prequel was it didn't matter how bad you were, it didn't matter that you didn't have eyes like a hawk and it didn't matter that you didn't have reflexes that were measured in milliseconds because the main thing was, no matter how you chose to play, you always felt that you were going to get from A-B and have fun doing so. The pace of the game, the balance of the game, in fact the whole design of the game just oozed appeal and despite its glitz & glamour PvZ2 doesn't even come close to reaching the standard of it's predecessor.But....If Popcap set out to create a brutally confusing, inaccessible COD clone then they have done a sterling job because this IS Call of Duty - merry melodies style.It's funny because everyone talks about toning Rose down - but in all honesty I think the entire game needs toning down - just to put a bit of normality back into things...Me personally? Well, i'm actually putting this game down for a while and like my kids going back to playing the original until things hopefully calm down a little.Just my opinion - for what it's worth.

@TelerickIC wrote:Having played the game for some time know at friends and at my place I think the maps are too cramped. Hear me out on this one. Although the maps are bigger in this sequel, they feel a lot more cramped. In the first game there were several maps where you had much more of a panorama and a sense of looking into the far distance. Now there is obstacles everywhere und everything feels a look more cluttered. The game feels a lot more that it is geared towards close quarter combat. And personally I dont like it as much.This becomes really evident in the Garden Ops mode. In the first game the 3 gardens you were able to plant on a map were a lot more different in their position and therefore difficulty. One that was up higher a bit with more of an overview. The middle garden on Crash Course for example. Oder the middle garden for the Garden Center map. Other potential garden spots were more isolated and so on. Now it feels like every garden you can plant is surrounded by obstacles and almost in a sinkhole that is surrounded by walls and scenery. Every spot feels like an uphill battle. I don't know if anything can be down about this since level architecture would need to change or different spots for gardens need to be incorporated but please look into this. So far the maps from part 1 are definitely better than the maps from part 2. I agree, the maps are too cluttered. While I enjoy the level of detail and design, it makes long range characters useless at times.

OP got it exactly right. The first PvZ:GW felt more... intimate. This one feels more chaotic and you have less control and impact on the match.Now in multiplayer, you can get quickly mowed down when you barely leave the cover of your spawn area. In the first GW in GvG mode, you have to travel across the map quite a ways to find the action. The map felt larger and positioning felt more strategic. Encounters with enemies were often 1 on 1 and were intimate battles of skill, who had the better aim scoring the headshots? who had the better strategy? It was easier to sneak up on people and catch them completely off guard by going the long way around. I used to love playing Chomper and baiting an Engineer on a jackhammer around a corner to catch him in a spikeweed to eat him. If an encounter wasn't 1 on 1, this meant that you were fighting for a strategic position such as the teleporter, or the garden. In this one you seem to die a lot faster. This game it feels like you are getting shot from multiple angles at once way more often.Don't get me wrong, I think GW2 is a better game overall. I love the experience system, the "backyard", the fact that you can defend in GvG mode as a zombie, and play vs. the AI as a zombie, but when it comes down to the multiplayer PVP experience... the first one had a better feel. Hopefully an update can help.

I also find the new maps cluttered. I preferred the more open maps of GW1. I felt they suited the long range characters, which I prefer. I suspect there are effective fire lanes in the new maps but, I just haven't found them yet.

Maps too cramped and cluttered | EA Forums

24 Replies

Anonymous
10 years ago
I feel this way about some maps, but some maps also have breakable cover like fences and boxes.
Currently the only paranoia I'm experiencing is when I see several rose icons in the far distance. With a lot of competitive MP shooters, the long range game seems to reign supreme, encouraging players to engage in mid to CQC makes for a more fun and challenging experience in this case only because of how colorful and visually entertaining each class/variant is...except when you see several roses in the far distance. haha.
The cluttered/cramped feel in this case helps to elevate the drone abilities of Dead beard and Cactus more.
I have no played GW1 so I can't make any comparisons without talking out of my tater.
Anonymous
10 years ago
I agree, maps in gw1 is way better!
Hope they give us gw1 suburbian map
I_AM_H0LLYWO0D
10 years ago
No, just no
Anonymous
10 years ago

@TelerickIC wrote:
Having played the game for some time know at friends and at my place I think the maps are too cramped. Hear me out on this one. Although the maps are bigger in this sequel, they feel a lot more cramped. In the first game there were several maps where you had much more of a panorama and a sense of looking into the far distance. Now there is obstacles everywhere und everything feels a look more cluttered. The game feels a lot more that it is geared towards close quarter combat. And personally I dont like it as much.

This becomes really evident in the Garden Ops mode. In the first game the 3 gardens you were able to plant on a map were a lot more different in their position and therefore difficulty. One that was up higher a bit with more of an overview. The middle garden on Crash Course for example. Oder the middle garden for the Garden Center map. Other potential garden spots were more isolated and so on. Now it feels like every garden you can plant is surrounded by obstacles and almost in a sinkhole that is surrounded by walls and scenery. Every spot feels like an uphill battle. I don't know if anything can be down about this since level architecture would need to change or different spots for gardens need to be incorporated but please look into this. So far the maps from part 1 are definitely better than the maps from part 2.
I agree, the maps are too cluttered. While I enjoy the level of detail and design, it makes long range characters useless at times.
hops911
10 years ago
I also find the new maps cluttered. I preferred the more open maps of GW1. I felt they suited the long range characters, which I prefer. I suspect there are effective fire lanes in the new maps but, I just haven't found them yet.
AWMaxSterling
10 years ago
http://answers.ea.com/t5/PvZ-Garden-Warfare-2-Beta/GW1-maps-vs-GW2-maps/m-p/5119746
Anonymous
10 years ago
@AWMaxSterling wrote:
http://answers.ea.com/t5/PvZ-Garden-Warfare-2-Beta/GW1-maps-vs-GW2-maps/m-p/5119746
Not to be rude or anything but I think you are wrong. On the new maps are plenty of bottlenecks where there is pretty much a constant back and forth. And as I said, especially when playing the Garden Ops mode it is noticeable how the plantable gardens are almost always surrounded by obstacles and don't offer the versatilty in setup of part 1.
AWMaxSterling
10 years ago
Garden Ops has plenty of bottlenecks, but that's PvE and doesn't count. The Turf maps are much more 2 dimensional in game play than GW1 maps for G&G.
hops911
10 years ago
MaxSterling you're spot on. What you described in your post is exactly what I like about the g&g maps from GW1.
B0RiS_THE_FR0G
10 years ago
I think the op has got it pretty much spot on. I've given this game almost 40 hours now and what I have noticed is that there are certain areas of pretty much every map where everything just becomes a chaotic, unplayable mess and because of which the game actually starts to become, well, not so fun to play.
What EA and Popcap tend to forget is that, due to it's cutesy nature, the game should be designed to appeal to players of all ages, but in it's present condition I really can't see many of the younger community seeing this one out for too long - it really is that user-unfriendly to get to grips with.
I have two kids (8 and 10) who, like myself, absolutely loved the first PvZ so the £54 investment for the family sharing digital option did seem to be a bit of a no brainer when considering our next batch of entertainment. Although I've kinda stuck it out hoping it will win me over my kids haven't exactly been as endearing to it all and I guess after countless online 'walk 50 yards....get killed by unseen foe...walk 50 yards...get killed by unseen foe' (and so on and so on) scenarios they gave up on the whole affair and went back to playing the original.
The great thing about the prequel was it didn't matter how bad you were, it didn't matter that you didn't have eyes like a hawk and it didn't matter that you didn't have reflexes that were measured in milliseconds because the main thing was, no matter how you chose to play, you always felt that you were going to get from A-B and have fun doing so. The pace of the game, the balance of the game, in fact the whole design of the game just oozed appeal and despite its glitz & glamour PvZ2 doesn't even come close to reaching the standard of it's predecessor.
But....If Popcap set out to create a brutally confusing, inaccessible COD clone then they have done a sterling job because this IS Call of Duty - merry melodies style.
It's funny because everyone talks about toning Rose down - but in all honesty I think the entire game needs toning down - just to put a bit of normality back into things...
Me personally? Well, i'm actually putting this game down for a while and like my kids going back to playing the original until things hopefully calm down a little.
Just my opinion - for what it's worth.