The Oh So Depressing Tale of BFN and the FOMO!
Well, I suppose this sums up about everything im about to say. 🤭 At this point, about everyone here knows how BFN is, almost arrogantly, preying on the fear of missing out. I thought I would ju...
Forum Discussion
I don't get this outcry about cosmetics. What else do you want? Like what options do developers have?
Also don't forget this is a tiny franchise. Popcap barely exists and it would not be the first time if EA closes its doors forever.
You will understand that the devs work hard to keep this game alive without the funds other games have just lying around. Somehow they need funds to have servers running 24/7 across the entire planet.
If there would be an easy answer to just lift up the game to the likes of Fortnite, CS:GO and Overwatch i am sure Popcap would have already done it. And you can see they try with the new design that shares similarities with Overwatch.
I literally hate the shooting mechanics in this game, i feel severely handicapped, but i also respect Popcap for trying something new mixed with important changes. Its a slow learning process developers have to go through until something for whatever reason attracts lots of players. Like they could have tried to go open world battle royale instead. But as you can see the leadership was against that.
And all they want you to do is play the game for reasons that don't affect game balance. So i don't get why cosmetics are a problem.
I know people talk about looking forward to GW3 but it's pretty obvious, to me at least, that the long awaited GW3 somehow became BfN while we all waited.
I don't really want to criticize BfN for being different from GW2 because GW2 itself was very much different from the original GW.
Looking back to PvZGW it's pretty obvious that PopCap was trying something different - a very asymmetrically balanced variant on the Hero shooter genre with a level progression system which I absolutely hated and which had no effect on the development of the characters since new abilities came from card packs and not by leveling up.
GW2 changed all that as they tried something different again; now we had a level progression system which wasn't asking you regularly to do insanely specific and impossible things and which actually affected the character progression by unlocking new perks. They introduced the elemental variants, the Gnomes, Rux, the hidden features and new areas, the ability to play any game mode at all solo with the use of AI,and then ultimately the Trials of Gnomus. They also had thousands of things to collect (even if the majority of them were hideously ugly palette swaps) and you could do it all in-game by just playing.
BfN obviously continues in the vein of trying new things- the variants are gone, character abilities have been changed across the board, a new Perks based "Build your own Variant: system introduced and a new selection of characters plus new PvE areas to explore and they gave us the Prize Maps to have something to work on outside of our own personal goals.
But GW2 was a big, expansive, and fun game to follow.
The solo options have been drastically paired down by comparison once you complete the PvE open areas, the daily quests cut way back, OPs are shoved into a small corner of the menu and reduced to 5 rounds instead of the 10 rounds of GW2, the lobby system is also different and somehow less satisfying. We're all together in one big Hub instead of our own private Backyard Battlegrounds (but we might as well not be since interaction is largely limited).
Looking back to GW2 there just seems to be a lot missing.
GW2 took the time to introduce you to the game, having you spawn as a Sunflower in the Zombie controlled regions and fight your way back but BfN just spawns you in the hub to figure it out on your own. It's a little thing but that intro sequence was nice, especially for new players.
.In GW2 the new characters were all given backstory and individual quests. In BfN they're just there.
The little touches are largely gone which I would speculate can probably be attributed to a shorter development cycle and/or data mined from GW2 being used to focus development by cutting features which people may have enjoyed but which didn't see players revisiting after completion.
Of course the "live service" landscape has changed over the years.
Previously you bought the game and then maybe you also bought the new DLC which dropped periodically after that which expanded the game but that's the old monetization system. Now every game has to be a "live service" designed to run for a decade as a cash cow with microtransactions.
At least BfN avoided the really predatory system of designing the game to be a terrible grind so that the company can then sell you the solution later one for a chunk of cash.
What we did get however is the "limited time". cosmetic only, completionist gamers get ready to empty your wallet, system which we have now with Rux. I don't have a problem with selling cosmetics and costumes, I really don't, but the problem here is the way the store is designed using so many psychological hooks which are proven to prey upon people with poor control over their spending impulses; a fake "sale" right out of the gate, a short window of opportunity to purchase, an unclear rotation of items so you can't know if they'll ever be available again, and a laughably inadequate trickle of in-game currency earned in game which can't possibly allow you to get those items just by playing during the time you see them.
I can live with all of the other changes because I'd rather get an iteration of the game which does something different instead of having the previous game sold to me again with new box art attached but the predatory store tactics are just too much.
I find myself wondering if all of the legendary costumes from the Prize Maps will eventually rotate through Rux priced at 1000 Rainbow Stars each and if the coin-purchased cosmetics were only ever planned to be a fixed number with all new items coming through Rux.
I played a lot of GW2, a couple thousand hours, and I only left after the content of the sticker packs changed in what was a transparent attempt to force me to grind even harder if I wanted my Book to reach 100%. I don't mind grinding when it's fun and I feel a sense of progression and like it's something I want to do, but once grinding clearly becomes something the developers want to force me to do and the sense of progression feels artificially drawn out the game loses the fun and, ultimately, fun and a sense of progression is what keeps me playing.
I'm still having fun right now despite the issues in the game, but I am prematurely wondering what the next game I'll be playing will be because while I can see myself running the characters up past Master level there's no way I'm sticking around only because of a need to collect 100% of the cosmetics because that's obviously designed to be an impossibility.
@realitysquared wrote:GW2 took the time to introduce you to the game, having you spawn as a Sunflower in the Zombie controlled regions and fight your way back but BfN just spawns you in the hub to figure it out on your own. It's a little thing but that intro sequence was nice, especially for new players.
Hey don't get me started. It was awful as i had to go through that every time i started the game.
You have to give me more information here. How does a cosmetic - as a result of massive backlash and feedback from the gaming community which accepts cosmetics as opposed to pay to win microtransactions - have an impact on game balance? How does the presence of a bit of colour and shape make people win?
I also have to point out that your desire to get certain cosmetics has nothing to do with game balance. People always find a reason to play character X over Y and Popcap actually encourages all of us to do exactly that. It is intended by design; so to speak.
As to why people are afraid of missing out is really not important here. I know the Steam market and how much people can value childish looking assault rifle skins with the investment of hundreds if not thousands of dollars. That market exists because the demand is there, while at the same time companies appreciate that additional income. So buying a gingerbread skin for 10 USD is really nothing special.
About GW2 i can actually say a lot. But what really matters is that it had and probably still has Corns BBB ability locked behind a paywall. Rux also demanded a lot of grinding to get additional impactful abilities that would just so happen to be purchaseable with real money. Not to forget the buggy event chests with modes like Cats & Dinos nobody ever asked for only to grind for rare items that take ages to unlock with an ever increasing sticker book plagued by bling. If you think BfN has more grindage than GW2, you never really played GW2.
Not to forget that i payed 30 EUR for BfN as Founder, while i payed over 62 EUR pre-order for GW2 of todays money - excluding later DLC. And they did avoid the Unicorn Chomper scheme this time around, which even demanded more of extremely ugly and buggy grindage.
I for example already have unlocked all the winter items in BfN. The Engineer swag is already mine. And as that happened i occasionally looked at Rux to end up buying a couple cheap expressions and emotes. Would those extra taunts and skins be cool? Sure! Do i want to spent money on them? No.
And the thing with those free cosmetics you have to work for is the created value which i actually like. Other than just spending some real money on something, that journey to the Engineers outfit is mine. And with one month it can be rather long. So "missing out" really just mean to not play the game. But then why do you have the game?
In the end all i can do with that outfit is show others that i have been here in December 2019. Nothing more from a rational standpoint. And i have to decide if i want to do that.
And i don't know about you, but i play this game to place that gnome bomb and capture that area.
I would actually support additional quest areas. As so far i rate the single player experience higher than the competitive multiplayer one. Nothing is truly in good shape once again just like before but that progress through the PvZ universe i liked. But that would not solve the problem for Popcap as these would be one-time purchases with a larger investment beforehand.
- @Screion I paid a full 60EUR for BfN and I think I got the GW2 for 30EUR. GW2 was definitely more fun for me. More grinding and better gameplay in my opinion. MTX-wise I don't think it's a good idea to pay for MTX if you already have to pay for the full game. Today's popular games are F2P and if you want to support the company, you buy MTXs. On the other hand, if you wanna pay for a skin ingame, go ahead. Why should others be bothered by it? Everyone can make their own choice.
I do like the rewards system, similar to a battle pass. You earn an ingame currency (prize bulbs) and you can use it to purchase various MTXs.
Imo single-player aspect is weak compared to GW2. What I do like, are the different new areas for each faction. That gives variety and those areas were not that bad, but I think they can definitely improve on that. Also, maybe Popcap can add nice easter eggs as they did in GW2. And ofcourse, they have to listen to the community and based on the feedback improve the game. - @Screion Interestingly, I personally didn't find it a grind getting the coins in GW2 to purchase abilities from Rux at all - a max of 500k for the ability, 25k for an average game of turf, so 20 games give or take in 3 - 5 days. Given that GW2 turf was enjoyable, I found that no hardship.
Working your way through the BFN prize map is a LOT better now, with the changed xp for bulbs & the daily challenges are better than they were - but the weekly event challenges which are your only method of earning those rainbow stars for Rux items are not at all enjoyable, easy or particularly well thought out, so I do think that becomes the worst kind of grind if you want to get them.
We're all aware that devs need income to pay for costs involved so far & for future development of the game, but this is a HUGE change from how the GW games operated & one that we'd not been given any warning of in the months prior to Rux turning up. People MIGHT have been more accepting of this if it'd been known in advance this was the plan to financially support the game - it certainly would've meant being forewarned, anyway!
Having in past years gone through my son wailing "But I NEEEED that skin, everyone has it!!!" I know full well what kind of upset can be caused by game monetization - adults may be able to make more rational decisions about whether something is really essential or value for money, but many kids can't & this is a game aimed at kids. And the customisations have been pushed in a time-limited, once-only kind of way, which may not be the case at all if the items recycle through Rux, but no one has explained that to ease any feeling of pressure to buy.
There's also the fact that this has caused upset by going live at a time when we've been struggling through bugs, performance & balancing issues and many have been questioning whether they're really enjoying the game or not.
Idk! I think this is one of those areas where we all just need to accept we all have differing opinions 🤷♀️- @ToastedSarnie And yes I agree about GW 2 being less grindy. I'm sure if someone did the math, it would take far less grinding to get 500k coins compared to completing a prizemap. Also I should add that leveling up in general seems to take longer in BFN. Quests being super unfun could also be lumped into this too. It also should be said that in GW 2, you would be able to actually buy Rux's items for free. It is... quite literally impossible in BFN. You can't even grind for Rux's items in BFN. It would take like a year!
- @Screion I never stated cosmetics affected game balance, but they affect gameplay for the reasons I listed in my first response. Neither did I say it makes others play certain characters, unless I'm misunderstanding what you are saying here.
Also it seems like you are implying we have to choose between the horrible system we currently have and pay to win microtransactions... What is this some kind of pick your poison kind of deal? There is a solution here, there are ways to monetize the game without being extremely egregious. I also hate the logic that its fine because another company is doing it worse. I don't care if its worse over at CSGO, its bad here too!
Its great that you are able to set enough time aside to complete the prizemap. Its also great that you aren't really feeling the effects of the FOMO. But... its unfair to not consider how this is affecting others. Other people are susceptible to the fear of missing out, even if they are missing out on "just cosmetics". A lot of people also just don't have the time, even if you think a month is long enough.. it just isn't for many. Just look at some of the replies here. Its undeniable that this has had a negative impact on others.
And to everything you said about GW 2, yes... its not perfect. But its better than what we have now. GW 2 was also just a much better shooter in my opinion, so there's that too. To me, BFN is the worst of the 3 games, and it has by far the worst monetization. Like others have said, BFN really shouldn't be pushing the FOMO, or any monetization for that matter, when the game is in such a broken state. I think we can all agree on that, at the very least.
But yeah @ToastedSarnie is right, this is something we will just have to accept not everyone can agree on. I am put off by this, you aren't. People are susceptible to different things. You just have to keep in mind even if it doesn't affect you, that it probably affects someone else.
And uhh... sorry had to remove this reply for a bit! No idea why the font got so messed up, or why I couldn't fix it no matter how many times I tried!
