Fireworks is Ticking Me Off

[tinkamom]

DD was playing fireworks all day yesterday and getting very fustrated! She was having the same problem as the OP!

 

[LoriR]

Hey kids -- play hard until the end and then just sit there!! Laugh when you cheat people who do their very best all the way through the game out of credits!

I think that's the ethical problem: don't do your best = rewards

Yeah, I could have twice the amount in my bank account and I'd feel lousy about it, because it feels like cheating to me. Play the game: hit the most fireworks, let the chips fall. That's a good game.

Another side to consider. In Pirates, the object of the game is to sink the most opponents for the highest score which equals more credits. In Mansion, the object is to catch as many ghosts as possible for the most credits. It appears the object of Fireworks is to stop and not be the highest scorer. If, as in most games, the winners receive the highest rewards, maybe this is how the game was designed. In Fireworks, the people who stop the closest to 240,000 win the most credits.

I will check out the instructions when the game opens, but why does the object have to be to hit the most fireworks and acheive the highest score? We are accustomed to this being the norm, but does it always have to hold true? Some games do contain unusual twists.

Perhaps the game's design is flawed in your opinion, but people playing to the game should not be thought of as cheaters.

 

[aengus]

Ok, so you are making fun of me in general, not my ethics?

Nope. Just made a joke, lets be honest. You are tough enough to speak your mind against an obvious majority. Therefore I concluded you could handle my joke.

You might have even smirked before you mouthed a word towards me that you cant use on these forums

I dont question your ethics, or even your character. I question why anyone is worried how someone else is playing the game. Not even directed towards just you. Even many of the sandbaggers have claimed guilt over it.

 

[qruthie]

I have an unusual philosophy about life. I believe I should always try to be second or third in things. The reason is, when a person is first in something, everyone is always trying to knock them off of their pedestal. They end up putting their effort into trying to stay on their pedestal instead of whatever it was they were doing. If a person is second or third in something, the rest of the world seems to not notice them. The person in second or third in something gets to focus their energy on whatever got them to second or third without having to put energy into staying on their pedestal. In addition, they don't have to expend energy trying to knock the person in first place off of their pedestal. I want to spend my time doing whatever I like to do so I aim for second or third place. Sandbagging fits into this philosophy quite well.

 

[MiakodaWDW]

I was going to say something, and I think LoriR kind of hit on it. I was going to say, I consider "winning" fireworks as getting over 240,000, but not getting the highest score. Because that is how you get the most credits. If I get the highest, I don't consider myself the winner. I consider the person who came in second with 240,012 the winner. Get it? It's the way it's designed. Is it unethical to sink someone's ship in pirates when you are on a quest, and they say "Im on a quest please let me win?" You are on the same quest, so you are going to try and beat the other team. Or even if not on a quest, you will sink them, or catch them when they are a ghost, so YOU can get more credits. It's the same in fireworks, just a different game and therefore, different strategy to "win", i.e., get the most credits.

~M~

 

[zeniff]

when i was playing fireworks tonight i got 46043 on the first level of the game and i was 5th place at the end of the fourth level i was at 202,078 and i was kicked off because my score was too low, then i went in to play again and i was yelled at by everybody because i stopped at 240,000!

 

[MiakodaWDW]

when i was playing fireworks tonight i got 46043 on the first level of the game and i was 5th place at the end of the fourth level i was at 202,078 and i was kicked off because my score was too low, then i went in to play again and i was yelled at by everybody because i stopped at 240,000!

WOW. 202K at the end of level 4? I'm happy if I get that by the end of level 5, round 1! I can't beleive you didn't make it to 5. there are some hardcore players out there this month. Makes me wish I was any good at the other games for credits.

 

[ForeverWDW]

Add me to the list of people you would call "sand baggers".

I play my best each and every time. Up until Level 5, I try to get perfect on each of those darn fireworks and score as high as I can. But when it comes down to the last level I am stopping as close as I can to the 240 mark. Am I really good? no. Many more people out there are better than me. Can I get to level 5? Yes almost everytime. But I think my two best scores to be this 268,000 AND 240,001. Both I am equally proud of. Actually I take that back the 240,001 I am more proud of. It takes a lot more work to get as close as you can to the 240 mark then it does to never look at the score WHILE you are shooting the fireworks. Don't believe me? Try it sometime. It took a lot more concentration and determination to learn to stop at the 240 then it did to shoot wildly at fireworks to make it to first place. Do I like the way VMK has it set up that first place gets less credits? No, and I dont think you will find any of us "sand baggers" that think it is fair either. But dont blame us and dont blame VMK. It's just a game after all. It was meant for fun and instead of the typical the best gets the most VMK made their own rules.

My own little thoughts on all of this? Think of this as a job. If your boss told everyone Whomever puts in 240 hrs will get a bonus pay BUT the person who puts in the most hours over 240 will get an award and half the bonus pay. Which would you choose? Somedays I want the award but most of the time I just want my money

 

[AllisonY2K]

And for the people who are working really hard to earn their first fireworks magic, they finally manage to get past 240,000 only to find out they ended up in first because the four players ahead of them stopped? Meh, no thanks. I'll just keep playing.

Since my fireworks magic is 5-star, any time I get another pin, I give them away to people. I'll go down to the Sci-Fi drive in and blanketly ask if anyone wants a 1-star fireworks pin for free.

 

[AllisonY2K]

oh and I sand bag. some games I sit through level 5 round 3, other games I stop 3/4 of the way through the last round.

Every now and then I'll get the idea of really, really trying hard and seeing how high of a score I can get...then the temptation of coming in 2nd and only getting 240K and getting a better reward taunts me and I give in to the pressure. it's a shame, really.

 

[Mnementh]

I wish I could score high enough to have the option to sandbag... I've only reached that level once. My average is about 229K.

 

[MiakodaWDW]

oh and I sand bag. some games I sit through level 5 round 3, other games I stop 3/4 of the way through the last round.

Every now and then I'll get the idea of really, really trying hard and seeing how high of a score I can get...then the temptation of coming in 2nd and only getting 240K and getting a better reward taunts me and I give in to the pressure. it's a shame, really.

LOL I do the same thing, in fact last night I was doing my best game ever and I wanted to see if I got over 250K if I would get anything special. But I stopped. And instead of watching my score in the final round and stopping at the end of the finale, I actually was able to stop BEFORE the finale and just watch all those fast little blue fireworks fizzle out! I also do the same thing with fireworks magic: if a new person wants something free and they are nice about it, or if a new kid says they have no rare and I can see that they are wearing NPC and the free magic (Kelloggs) pins, I'll give them fireworks. I think I have 3 5-star fireworks pins and a few one stars left, but at one point I had about 12 one stars so I was handing them out like candy. It does feel good b/c I remember when I wasn't very good and never made it to the 5th (and a lot of times, even 4th) level, and said I would never be able to win the pin. So I like helping those that are in the position I used to be in, new players and people that fireworks just isn't their game (like pirates is just NOT my game ).

Also,

I wish I could score high enough to have the option to sandbag... I've only reached that level once. My average is about 229K.

That's really good...I used to struggle to reach over 200K. You just have to keep setting goals for yourself and practice! Now try to hit 230, then 235, then 240. It took me about 6-8 months before I could hit 240K. And it hasn't been very long since I've been able to! I still can't even do it every time. I know if I don't have at least 203-205K by the end of the first round of level 5, there is no way I'll hit 240K. So I just go for the best I can. I still remember the first time playing fireworks and I was like "there is NO way I'll ever get this, I can't even see the fireworks shooting up b/c of the previous fireworks explosions!". You get used to it. I should tell myself this about pirates now

~M~

 

[DemonLlama]

Since my fireworks magic is 5-star, any time I get another pin, I give them away to people. I'll go down to the Sci-Fi drive in and blanketly ask if anyone wants a 1-star fireworks pin for free.

That's cool. I give away tons too. But there are people who want to earn it themselves. I know I did. So when I finally got 240,000 and found out I didn't earn the magic, that kind of turned me off to sandbagging.

I don't want to sit there and watch all those fireworks just go by for two rounds. And it's a lot of fun to play with someone whose scores are like mine throughout to see who ends up just ahead. Well, it was when I could find people like that.

If they start awarding first place with the most credits, I kind of doubt everybody will want to play the game within the game anymore. It's all about the $. I got it.

Just don't like it. . .

 

[BraveGhostOfYou]

I personally stop at 240,000 every time. Its my way of getting credits.

the only reason for going over is if im competing with my uncle or I am in one of those green car pin moods.

 

[Since1971]

I stop at a little over 240,000 but it is only because that is as high as I have been able to get. It isn't intentional I was having my best game yet today and would have gone a lot higher than 240,000 so I did stop and felt so guilty afterwards, I don't think I will do it again if it should happen.

I understand how people feel when they can't get into the last level. The other day I had over 200,000 in the Frontierland level and it STILL wasn't good enough to get into the top five. I could always consistently get into the last level, but over the last two weeks, I don't always get in. For me Fireworks is the best way to earn credits so it is really frustrating not to be able to get into the last level.

 

[Dr.Pluto]

to get the space pin you have tio get 75,000 right i got 167,45and i was at the bottom of the list the person on the top of the list had a score of 150,008 i was so mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PirateDaisy]

Yup, the point is well taken; it's all about the benjamins. LOL Doesn't matter what analogy or how you try and justify saying it's a game within a game; it's wrong. Using the other games as examples does not help any. Pirates, Ghosts and Jungle Cruise are all set up the same, whomever receives the most points wins the game; therefore gets the most credits. You never see in the Top Scores who received the most credits, you see those players who scored the most points. It just so happens fireworks scoring system is in serious need of a change. No, the idea of the game is not to get the most credits, it's to score the most points plain and simple. If you're going to sandbag accept for what it is, don't try and justify your actions.

Those of you who say it's "just a game", don't hold fireworks near and dear as I do. Scamming people is taken very seriously though "just a game", friendships people take seriously though "just a game" etc. I have worked very hard to get to the level where I'm at and it is very frustrating to see that my hard work goes unrewarded, vmk likes to reward those who purposely lose. I can very easily reach 240K in the 2nd level of the last round, therefore giving me plenty of time to try and get as close as possible to 240K but I chose not to do it; it's just not fair to me and those players who have been working so hard to reach that level only to see their efforts go unrewarded.

And for the record, I also give out my fireworks magic all the time, it just doesn't make up for all the other hundreds of players who go without it despite their best efforts. Llama has point, if the credits are back to what they used to be; you most definitely would not be a playing a game within a game; it's all about the credits, no doubt. I play to be the very best, no matter how the credits are rewarded.

I just wish Halloween and Christmas are over and done with, I want my fireworks lobby back. LOL

 

[SorcererDonald16]

I see where you're coming from Daisy, and Llama as well. I personally just don't see it as wrong; I don't like doing it because I'm competitive, but I just feel like VMK set up the scoring this way and they know many play it this way. If they thought sandbagging was against the values, they would have changed the scoring by now. Before Halloween would've been the perfect time to do so to stop people from getting credits. So either they don't see the problem, or they just haven't come up with another plan yet or have one but haven't implemented it yet. For me, when I win during times like this when I need credits badly, I feel like I lost. I feel like the goal is to get 2nd through 5th, and avoid 1st. But that's just how I perceive it, and it's JMO of course. We all look at things differently.

I do have a question though about quests such as the new one where the requirement is as low as 75,000, or others where it's 125,000. Is it a problem to stop after you get to that point requirement so you can hurry up with the quest? For the record, I keep playing unless the quest timer's literally about to run out, but I was just wondering how you all viewed this. Not a similar situation in terms of credits, but it's still stopping before the game ends. A ton of people do it all the time, but I don't think I've ever seen it discussed.

 

[PirateDaisy]

Hey Donald! I don't know everyone elses feelings on that subject but I can give you mine. I personally do not stop at the required amount because I feel as if I spent all that time in fireworks, I might as well finish it. But I do not see a problem doing it. As long as it doesn't affect the other player's points and credits. If anything by dropping out early on, you allow more players to continue on to the next level, therefore allowing them to able to reach that needed score. I see no harm in that method, mainly because it does not affect the other players in a negative way. HTH

 

[MiakodaWDW]

I dont think VMK sees the fireworks scoring as a problem. It's done on purpose. You see, 5 players make it to the end. So 4 people, not 1, have the chance to get 1,300 credits instead of 675. And ONE person gets the chance to get only 675 credits, but possibly be in the top score list. It's giving an option: if you are really rockin' at FW and can get a great score, you can either sandbag and get credits, or rock your best score and get the glory of walking out of the #1 flag spot in the castle, and maybe getting on the Hi score list! VMK also wants to give ppl as many ways to get credits as possible, especially for when they put out a bunch of new stuff at once that is really expensive, like, ahem, NOW. This way, up to FOUR people can get 1,300 credits in a fireworks game instead of just one. Only ONE person can be the "best", so it would stink if only ONE person got the most credits. How many of you out there have gotten first place in fireworks before? (raises hand...more than once). Now, those who raised your hand: do you think you would have, if nobody ever sandbagged? If the best credits were given to the winner, and everyone did their best, how often would "ok" players like me actually win? For me, NEVER. For Navimap, a LOT. (LOL). So what I am saying is, this is a smart way for vmk to reward fireworks players. In other games, like HM and pirates, more than one person wins, b/c it's a team effort. Fireworks is the only "every man for himself" game, so vmk rewards up to 4 people instead of one. It also makes it harder b/c if I sandbag, I have to stop somewhere near the end of the final finale b/c I ain't that good (I can't stop for 2 rounds like someone said, I think DemonLlama) so I'm watching my score AND trying to click. Like we have all said, that is not easy. Whew ok thought I made my point with my last soapbox speech, but I think that's it for me. We will see

~M~