

It ultimately overwhelms a player’s patience.

In the first version of PvZ2 player plays the same stage over and over again, earning keys for a far-off goal. The Black Hat Core Drives of Plants vs Zombies 2 In the later update, this has improved, but the plant unlockable schedule is still far from perfect for motivation. Plus, the user’s rewarded with a random plant that’s seldom what they need, adding to the slow grind of gameplay in PvZ2. It’s more about scarcity and dangling rewards. In the older version of PvZ2, a player is forced to earn the achievement through unlocking a stage many times. When a PvZ 1 player unlocks a milestone achievement, they’re rewarded with the perfect plant that solves all past problems and makes them want to try more in the future. Yu-kai further identified the notable differences in Milestone Unlocks: Certainly, when a game forces a user to play in a certain way, the elements of play, strategy, and meaningful choices are lacking, consequently making the game boring. The game has to be won by using cabbage throwers and boomerangs. In the first world of mummies, if the user tries the pea shooter or even double pea shooter, chances are he will lose because of the tombs.

A gamer must use certain plants or else they’ll die. PvZ1 offers a creative process with numerous ways and combinations to seek victory in the game.

Here is an example of how the flow differs:Ĭore Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity and Feedback As a result, this makes gamers feel like they’re struggling to survive. However, when the user gets to the end of the game, the economy proportionally slows down but the user’s still trying to finish amassing their army of plants. In PvZ2, the user quickly gains 10 or 12 plants, providing a quick boost of early success and productivity. Ultimately, this gives gamers a feeling of harmony and accomplishment, matched with the magic of the beats in the music.
#Plants vs zombies 2 full#
When a user gets to the end of the game, they have a full army. They’re slowly but surely amassing a stockpile and building their economy. After one or two minutes, a user may have three or four peashooters. When a player is in the midst of danger, sometimes it feels fairly pointless.Ĭore Drive 2: Development and Accomplishment In PvZ2, the gamer’s going through pain and trouble just so Crazy Dave can re-eat a taco. This is something that even female demographics that don’t care about fighting games can resonate to. In PvZ1, a gamer’s doing something meaningful by saving their home. White Hat Core Drives in Plants vs Zombies 1 Lacking in Plants vs Zombies 2 Essentially, he discovered that PvZ 2 shifted from using white hat core drives to black hat core drives. He used his own Octalysis Gamification Framework to break motivation down into a few of the eight Core Drives. To verify his opinions, Yu-kai researched why casual gamers tended to play PvZ1 more than they did PvZ2. Game mechanics and other elements can be copied from a previously winning formula, but that doesn’t guarantee a hit. In 2014, there was a large overhaul that improved some of the issues, but still far from ideal).įor him, no game is guaranteed success if it misses the essence of the game (especially in the wake of a wildly successful game) and the motivation of its players to play the game. (Note, the analysis here is mostly based on the PvZ2 in 2013. Zombies 2 (PvZ2) is that, even though the game is essentially the same but with some new “stuff” to make the sequel more interesting, the core experience of PvZ2 is broken. Zombies 1 (PvZ1) was more successful than Plants vs. Zombies, white hat and black hat gamification, and the essential elements for engaging users.
#Plants vs zombies 2 drivers#
Yu-Kai Chou, a thought leader in gamification and publisher of the Octalysis gamification framework, gave insights into the different motivating drivers behind the wild success of mobile game Plants vs. Also, be sure to check out their Technology Conferences Calendar. This interview was conducted by Clark Buckner from (they provide coverage content on gamifying sales programs, customer loyalty solutions, employee engagement platforms and much more). Motivation Matters: An Insightful Lesson in Game Development from the Plants vs.
