Plants vs Zombies II

[RedCoyote]

Yes, I'm a casual. Yes, I'm so casual that I can't even beat PvZ2.

There's nothing to find on gamefaqs last I checked, and the only YouTube videos I could find are so monotonous and grating that I had to turn them off. I tried asking /v/ for help, but they hate video games.

Has anyone played this? I'm having a hell of a time with this one. It started off easy enough, but I have come across a level that is having me pull my hair out. I could really use some guidance from a true green thumb.

Wild West, level 19.

Restrictions:

Only allowed to use 2000 Sun total
Can't lose more than 2 plants (shoveling plants counts as losing them (yeah, I know, wtf))

The stage has regular zombies, traffic cone zombies, zombies with a 1/3 or 1/4 chance of having a metal plate on (essentially like a buckethead zombie... possibly a little stronger), and the zombies with the TNT jetpack thingy behind them that shoots them to the back of the yard.

This really makes me mad because PvZ never gave me too much trouble. I've been stuck on this level for quite a while. I get close, but I feel like every strategy I do, even if executed perfectly, won't hold up the entire time.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some advice. Also we can discuss the franchise if anyone is interested in using this as a general thread.

No matter what I do, I cannot hold them long enough. My usual strategies are all unfeasible because they involve using potato mine/chili bean. You can't use these in this level because you can only lose 2 plants. So, essentially, any plant that has to die to be effective is off limits.

[Katsuki]

That level's really hard and rage-inducing...

Spoiler: How to plant a coyote...

Sunflower, watermelon, pea pod, tall nut.
Beat with 4 mowers in place, and 175 sun left over (300 if rely on another mower at very end). I lost 2 sunflowers but that's probably due to poor placement (not a big deal if you lose them. In hindsight I would recommend putting them behind the cart in the middle 3 rows, might keep them from dying).
Plant 2 sunflowers. Then plant pea pod on cart. Plant until you have 3 (or 4, i forget, prob was 3). Plant watermelon (I planted 2nd row from bottom first). Max pea pod. Plant watermelon 2nd row from top, then middle. Use plant foods accordingly (had to use a lot when I only had 1 watermelon). You will have 300 sun left over for discretionary use (be it tall nuts or other plants of your choice).

The key is probably the plant food timings for the watermelon imo. Don't waste plant food if losing a side mower is inevitable. Died first time due to most likely a combination of bad cart micro/watermelon misplacement/possible plant food misuse-age, so watermelon must go in last row, and probably best if planted in order given above.

Happy zombie hunting.

[RedCoyote]

Thanks, Kat! I will give it a try tonight.

How do you stop the TNT jetpack thingy zombies though? Plant food on the watermelons?

[Katsuki]

They tend to die before they get a chance to jet off. I had one jet off on that run, but it died upon landing so no harm was done.

[RedCoyote]

Thanks, Kat. That actually worked the first time I tried it. I can't believe it was so simple.

[xRECKONERx]

I boycotted PvZ2 after realizing EA took over and made it a microtransaction based system.

[RedCoyote]

It's insane how many ways they try to nickel and dime you. You can buy Gems, Powers, Plants and Coins. I wouldn't mind so much the Powers/Gems/Coins because that's all to do with the Zen Garden crap that is just a crappy distraction for non-gamers and young children anyway. It does suck though that there are supposedly certain plants that can only be unlocked through purchasing them. It doesn't prevent you from actually beating the game, but the idea of having to pay $4.99 for access to the Jalapeno plant seed, for instance, is sad.

But, like hats in TF2 or whatever other game with similar "pay for this add-on/color/extra power/shiny gun", I ignore it because I don't lack self-control. Nor am I ever particularly interested in accessorizing my character/avatar/player/what have you.

What pissed me off more is that it's a mobile only game. I had to download this piece of software called "Blue Stacks" to play it on my PC. It essentially just emulates an Android environment on your PC, but it's laughably broken and crashes very frequently.

But, yeah, I'd just as soon have paid 10 bucks for it and not had to deal with all the microtransaction nonsense.

[Umbrage]

I boycotted PvZ2 after realizing EA took over and made it a microtransaction based system.

p sure they fired the entire original team that made 1 as well

[Katsuki]

At least the plants for sale are useless.

I don't mind micro transaction games so long as it doesn't disrupt the balance of power (multiplayer games etc.).

[RedCoyote]

Great. I finally take the time to move forward in this game and... it's stuck. I beat the first four areas and I'm stuck. It won't reveal the fifth area. EA... what a joke. Ancient Egypt, Pirate Seas, Wild West and Far Future are all at 25/25, I've got 2 "keys" and yet the fifth area is still shaded out and says "???". I tried googling and it turned up nothing.

Sure, I didn't pay for the game and I'm playing it through a mod of sorts, but that's not because I was deliberately trying to pirate it. I'll gladly pay for it if they released it on something I could play it on.

Ugh.

Well, I guess I'm off to YouTube to see what happens in the last area.

[Le Cupcake]

I'm pretty sure the last area has yet to be released. I was incredibly confused about it too to begin with, thinking it was some sort of secret area before realizing there was this ??? place when there were only 3 areas too...

[RedCoyote]

How odd! I figured out the issue. This software doesn't update the apps automatically. I'm updating it now.