New Fireworks Remix Game

[KrazyPete]

Emphasis added:

Interesting fact: The Gold Pin from Fireworks (achieved by winning 10 times in a row) is tradeable.

Are you serious? Have the requirements for each pin been posted in one place yet?

 

[AmberDaze]

Got my gold fireworks pin (by winning 10 games) and now I'll be saying goodbye to fireworks and hello to my old ghostie friends! Woot! Mama's comin' home...

 

[SorcererDonald16]

I got the chance to play a few more times before close. The game kept freezing every single round for a good 5 seconds at a time, and I never could do better than I think around 3,800. It also crashed my internet twice. So, as I suspected, the new version makes my computer go haywire.

As my dear mother who loved fireworks as much as I do can attest to, I was in tears. Fireworks was it for me; not for the credits (except around Halloween and Christmas ), but because I loved the game. I'm sure some people love the new version. I, however, personally cannot stand it. As others said in the game, it's not really something you can work towards like the old game. Since this is all random, it just requires extra fast reflexes and for your brain to be able to remember the order of the symbols even faster.

On top of that, each time I played tonight, I wound up with terrible pain in my eyes and my head. Especially the first two games, I thought I was going to pass out because I was so dizzy and the pain was so bad. I posted here and then I felt like I was going to fall out of my chair, so I had to leave my computer for almost an hour and lie down. I can't and won't risk my physical well being for a game. I was pretty sure I'd be upset with the new game, but I wasn't expecting to end up in pain because of it.

Please, VMK... bring back the old game as an option for those of us who wish to play that. I do not see why that has to be thrown in the trash and why we can't just having the old and new games available. Or better yet, just the old game with a revamped payout and elimination structure and new fireworks repetitions. That would be different without completely changing the game. Or put the old game up on another Disney website so we can at least still play it.

All I know is y'all won't be finding me on VMK nearly as much as I used to be, seeing as fireworks was where you could usually find me. I'm sure some will think I'm overreacting, but I am very upset at the moment.

 

[AmberDaze]

I got the chance to play a few more times before close. The game kept freezing every single round for a good 5 seconds at a time, and I never could do better than I think around 3,800. It also crashed my internet twice. So, as I suspected, the new version makes my computer go haywire.

As my dear mother who loved fireworks as much as I do can attest to, I was in tears. Fireworks was it for me; not for the credits (except around Halloween and Christmas ), but because I loved the game. I'm sure some people love the new version. I, however, personally cannot stand it. As others said in the game, it's not really something you can work towards like the old game. Since this is all random, it just requires extra fast reflexes and for your brain to be able to remember the order of the symbols even faster.

On top of that, each time I played tonight, I wound up with terrible pain in my eyes and my head. Especially the first two games, I thought I was going to pass out because I was so dizzy and the pain was so bad. I posted here and then I felt like I was going to fall out of my chair, so I had to leave my computer for almost an hour and lie down. I can't and won't risk my physical well being for a game. I was pretty sure I'd be upset with the new game, but I wasn't expecting to end up in pain because of it.

Please, VMK... bring back the old game as an option for those of us who wish to play that. I do not see why that has to be thrown in the trash and why we can't just having the old and new games available. Or better yet, just the old game with a revamped payout and elimination structure and new fireworks repetitions. That would be different without completely changing the game. Or put the old game up on another Disney website so we can at least still play it.

All I know is y'all won't be finding me on VMK nearly as much as I used to be, seeing as fireworks was where you could usually find me. I'm sure some will think I'm overreacting, but I am very upset at the moment.

Aww, hugs!! I feel the same way -- my brain was mush by the end of the night! I wish they would have left the old game up for those who enjoy playing that. You can never have too many games.

 

[cowboys_girl]

I will pop in and say I had a terrible headache tonight after being on VMK. I don't know if it had anything to do with fireworks or not. Considering Donald's problems I'm just throwing it out there.

My DD had homework so she did not get to play today however I told her about the new pay scale and she was very excited that she will now get some credit for playing.

Out of curiosity she is 9 almost 10 and has a hard time with all of the games. Is she just not quite old enough for them yet? She did pass the win ship battle part of which ever quest for me so maybe that's her thing she just doesn't do it enough yet to be really great.

-Stacey

 

[SorcererDonald16]

to you too, Daze. I'd join you in Mansion, but that hasn't worked well at all on my computer since around March 2006.

Stacey, I don't know if fireworks gave you a headache too or not, but it wouldn't surprise me. The screen (for me anyway) kind of glows and flashes a lot more than it used too as well, and I think that also bothered me.

You also reminded me of another beef I have with this. If VMK is really geared towards children first and foremost, how in the HECK is the average 9 or 10 year old going to be able to play anything like this well and/or not get upset by it? If I, at the old (*snort*) age of 23 wound up crying over this, how would the average child feel? It's frustrating. A lot of us were complaining earlier tonight, and one person kept saying we'd get used to it and should keep playing. Sorry, I'm not going to "get used to" playing a game of fireworks and winding up with a headache and almost passing out. No thanks. I'll try it a few times tomorrow to see if the same thing happens, and if it does, I'm done. Either way, I'm not playing a fourth of as much as before unless they change it back or drastically modify it.

And as someone said earlier elsewhere, I'd rather see the problems that already exist in the game get fixed before new, more confusing things are added. Lag, crashes, weird purgeable castmember error messages, foul language run amok, no response (usually) from Contact Us... why can't they fix that stuff before they go fiddling with adding more things? I feel like I'm in Animal Kingdom, back when the infamous Chester and Hester's section was first added... the mentality of "Hey, this park doesn't have much in it, let's add this to it just to say we changed something!" And the Disney purists like myself all flipped out upon seeing carnival games there, but oh well.

And now I'm off to take some Tylenol.

 

[darkacre]

Scoring system is fine. It's the credits no one is happy about. Except maybe you. I want credits. I need credits. How do they expect anyone to actually be able to buy anything with earning only 300 credits a game? Especially when they have rooms priced at 2000 credits and complete costumes at over 2000 and pins at 500?
I guess I have to spend every bit of my time playing games now.

Oh, believe me, I'm not the only one happy about it. Saw a lot of rejoicing in POTC and HM lobbies today to go along with the grumbing by players who used to enjoy a big advantage over us HM and POTC players.

How can they expect anyone to be able to buy anything earning only 300 credits a game? The same way they expected people who couldn't play fireworks well to play buy stuff. The same way I've had to play the game for a year and half. Now, everybody has a more even chance to earn.

Unless they upped the credits. This is why I don't get why people are now happy that fireworks gets less credits because it "brings it more in line with the other games".
Baloney. Then just increase the payout of the other games.

Bottom line, players who depended on the fireworks game for income are completely speechless. Sure we can say we hate it or we can live with it or we love it because people are now hindered (quite a reason I must say, can you say true colors?) from it. Fact is, what took 12-14 minutes to earn, will now take 45-50 minutes.

Those people are now just like the rest of us have been all along (I say "us" because I didn't play fireworks much, even though I most often could get 675 credits playing it, and every so often got 1300 credits). Saying that VMK should raise other game payouts rather than lower this game's ignores the underlying "economics" of the game. Whether you raise the payouts in other games or lower it in fireworks does not matter. Either way, rewarding all of the games similarly lets players have the same sort of fun as long as they can become good at any one game.

Raising the other payouts wouldn't make things much better. The more credits people get, the more they horde, or the more VMK makes us pay for stuff (e.g., all the 1,000 credit items for the holidays, and the snowman magic going up from 2000 to 5000 credits). Or both. How fun is it that cowboy hats are treated like junk in the game because lots of people bought 50 of them when they came out last time? Not that fun, if you ask me. How fun is it that my youngest daughter -- the only one in our house who is in the ostensible target age group for this game -- had to play 250 games of Jungle Cruise, rather than 100, to earn a snowman magic without asking her parents to win the credits for her. She actually likes earning her own stuff rather than asking mom and dad to win it for her. When grownups playing fireworks can earn about 1000 credits a minute playing fireworks, while she makes about 2 credits a minute playing jungle cruise just plain sucks.

So again, the only thing that would make this change better would be if they increase the JC payout. Plenty of kids still have to play that game at 20 credits per game to win credits. They need a break, too.

If that's showing my true colors, then behold my true colors. I didn't like it that VMK arbitrarily rewarded one game so much more than others. I think it's kind of ugly for players who used to enjoy a big advantage over other players to grumble about it like this. It is good that better players get some extra credits, but it was never good that top players in one game were better "paid" than top players at another game. I think it's a great change. Awesome.

 

[sleepingbeautymama]

Got my gold fireworks pin (by winning 10 games) and now I'll be saying goodbye to fireworks and hello to my old ghostie friends! Woot! Mama's comin' home...

You're amazing! I think no matter how they change fireworks, you'll be up at the top. Congrats on getting your gold pin. I have 9 games to go and it will probably be a little while.

 

[aliceblue]

Oh, believe me, I'm not the only one happy about it. Saw a lot of rejoicing in POTC and HM lobbies today to go along with the grumbing by players who used to enjoy a big advantage over us HM and POTC players.

How can they expect anyone to be able to buy anything earning only 300 credits a game? The same way they expected people who couldn't play fireworks well to play buy stuff. The same way I've had to play the game for a year and half. Now, everybody has a more even chance to earn.

Now, how could their loss possibly be anyone's gain? So what if the rest of us are used to socking it away 200 credits or so at a time with pirates or mansion? That's no reason to rejoice over our fireworks-playing friends' reduced ability to earn credits. I'd be pretty disappointed in their place, too.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Although credits are far from my biggest beef with the new fireworks, I have to say again that it only makes sense that the top fireworks scores would get at least somewhat of a better payout than Pirates or Mansion, strictly because (on average) the fireworks game takes longer than the other two.

Now you spend 10 minutes to get a bit more than you would in 1 good game of Pirates Capture the Flag that could take around 3 minutes, total. Maybe less, even. That makes zero sense to me.

Sure, the payout per game is more similar, but again, the time spent playing each of these games are all different. The average pirates game does not even take 5 minutes in my experience (most of mine are 3 minutes or less), and a three round HM game takes what, 7 and a half minutes or so? The longer the game, the higher the top payout should be, IMO.

 

[Adventuredaz]

Now, how could their loss possibly be anyone's gain? So what if the rest of us are used to socking it away 200 credits or so at a time with pirates or mansion? That's no reason to rejoice over our fireworks-playing friends' reduced ability to earn credits. I'd be pretty disappointed in their place, too.

It bothers me that so many in VMK take pleasure in others losing a benefit or being taken down a notch or losing a privlage or having their stuff become no longer rare. I don't understand why people who make less and will still make less would be happy for lower credits for the people who make more. Frankly If you are good at any of the 3 major games they are all work and all pay about the same if you are good and fast. When I am playing I have no trouble making 10 grand no matter which game I choose. If i won Fireworks before I was paid about what I can get now, maybe 350 credit. Maansion most games average at least 350 credits on 2 rounds and pirates rolls in 100 - 200 easy but goes faster. So its all the same to me. How anyone pulls of that Jungle cruise thing I'll never know, that 20 credits for me no matter what but if I crash boats for an hour I can also get about 400 credits and even the music game is good for close to 100 credits an hour, but now I went way off topic.

 

[Diznygrl]

Out of curiosity she is 9 almost 10 and has a hard time with all of the games. Is she just not quite old enough for them yet? She did pass the win ship battle part of which ever quest for me so maybe that's her thing she just doesn't do it enough yet to be really great.

I don't think age is a big factor in any of these games, unless you're way below the target age range. Practice, patience, and a good computer/connection is what it mainly comes down to, IMHO.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

I am with KrazyPete in that I found Fireworks was fun again. I actually enjoyed the new version as far as it's method of play. There's some neat new features, and a couple usless ones, but all in all it's cool to play. But I also agree with the comments made by cteddiesgirl, tigressjewel, Tampa, bevgray, and SorcererDonald to name a few. They really broke the credit structure of this game. Some other people seem to like the new credits saying it's more balanced or even? That is brings FW in line with the other games. Well let's do the math:

I haven't timed the new FW game, but it seems a little faster, maybe 10 minutes. I considered myself an elite FW player. 99% of the time I could score 240k+ points in the old game and based on the handful of games I played today I shouldn't have too much problem getting about 4k in the new game. That's 400 credits or 40 credits per minute of play.

Mansion. I think if we look at credits we have to look at an equally skilled ghost catcher who should get 30+ ghosts per round (and I think that's low - I can get that most times and do not consider myself elite). And I think this player should win at least half the time. A two round game takes about six minutes. ((30*5*2)+(40/2))/6 = 53 credits per minute of play. And that doesn't account for the bonuses for every 10 wins and 10 games played of between 175-2000 credits which can add 2-33cpm.

Pirates. Again, an elite player should be able to pull about 250-280 credits per game, which last about 3 minutes? That's about over 80cpm. And as with Ghosts, Pirates gives bonuses.

* Mansion = 53cpm + bonuses
* Pirates = 80cpm + bonuses
* FWRemix = 40cpm + ??? Has anyone received any credit bonuses for this?

Explain to me how this new version is balanced with Mansion or Pirates? No way! They took it to the other extreme! Sure it's great that the lower skilled players can now earn something. Just like in Mansion, if you stink and only get one or two ghosts per game you still get your 5 or 10 credits (and if you keep playing they'll still throw small bonuses at you). My Mom who's never made a dime at FW was thrilled today to get 24 credits from the game. And I say Yay for her. I have no problem with this part of the new payment plan.

However, if they're going to reward the lower skilled masses they shouldn't take away from those that master the game!! Did the old FW credit system have issues? Yes. But this new FW is broken also and in a worse way as everyone gets shafted now. But VMK can fix it. All they have to do is add on level bonuses, for example:

Level 2 = +50 credit bonus.
Level 3 = +100 credit bonus.
Level 4 = +200 credit bonus.
Level 5 = +400 credit bonus.

Something like that anyway. I had more of a rant on how I can't believe the bitter people celebrating the downgrade of FW. It's pitiful, really, especially if you look at the numbers. Anyway, I erased it since it's unnecessary and probably wouldn't have made any sense as it's late and I'm tired. Heh. Good night all and sweet Mint Julep dreams to all!

 

[Disneyfan_77]

I know someone mentioned not being able to win fireworks magic anymore, but what about the PDF for pink nemo chairs? I was on the top ten list quite a few times and nothing special was given. I am sort of disappointed that they are moving away from PDF rewards, or at least it seems that way.

On a side note . . .


Yay! No more hackers on the all time high scores list!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Goofy_Bob, THANK YOU for your post. That is exactly my point-- it doesn't matter if the single game pay out is similar to HM and Pirates games. The time spent playing is still different (aka longer) and the bonues are now different (aka nonexistent for FWs). I have been trying to explain that to quite a few people today and not a single one would listen or believe me.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Not sure how far into the fire I want to step on this one, and I'm not in the best miin-set at the moment so I probably shouldn't right now, but...

To touch on a very very few topics mentioned here:
- I like it
- Makes me think more as I play: There is more than 1 way to succeed in the new fireworks. You can just play it straight, go for the flawless bonus, go for the combo bonus, calculate your odds with "explode all," etc... It's a thinking game now.
- It DOES close the incredibly drastic gap of credit differences that existed
- Previously, many players walked away from fireworks with ZERO credits. No more.
- As for, "How can I survive in VMK on such reduced credits?" Many many many of us have, forever. Those of you asking this question now understand the VMK the rest of us play every day.
- From watching the high score board today - if you were good before, you will still rise to the top once you get the hang of it.

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

I like the new fireworks game. It is the first time since I started playing that I have been able to receive credits for 2 games in a row. I do understand the complaint from the Uber Elite FW players about reduced credits and feel sorry for them, but i think the FW remix gives us less the stellar FW players a better chance at earning at least a few credits

 

[cowboys_girl]

I am like grumpy. I'm glad that when you have a bad go at it with fireworks you still get credits. That's something that needed to happen. Even on Mansion you got paid even if you only got a couple ghosts.

I was also going to point out what Goofy did. Making Fireworks payout in line with Pirates and mansion was good, however you still get bonuses from the other two in forms of credits and the keys I have heard about for the treasure room which I have never earned.

I will be the first to admit I need to practice the games more. I only even routinely got over 200,000 in old fireworks. Only beat 240 once. I've never been stellar at any of the games.

I think there is potential for improvement on the new fireworks game and I believe Yavn said they are still looking at it and how it will be accepted by VMKers. The biggest potential for improvement in my case is myself. The opportunity is there if I just keep at it on all the games more than I have been.

Practice makes perfect and all that.

-Stacey

 

[TLinden16]

After spending last night playing the new fireworks game, I have to say that I like it. I don't know all the ins and outs, and tricks of it yet, but it's a refreshing change from the monotony of the old game (I had days when I couldn't stomach playing anymore). It's challenging, and it takes time to get used to and do well with new things.

Yes, I miss the big credits of old, but I figure I should consistently earn at least 300-400 credits per game for the time being, and more as my skill level improves.

And for someone like my nephew who wasn't good at the game, and seems to have a hard time earning credits, it's nice that he will be able to earn some on his own pretty easily rather than waiting for Auntie Rolls to do it for him.

Two very good things about this new game:

1. It's nice that you don't have to stop to earn top credits in this game. I always hated that.

2. They made the green car a lot easier. I just earned mine about 10 days ago on the old game, and worked my butt off to get it. I think that people who consistently scored in the 240,000 range in the old game should have no problem getting up to the 4,500 in this game with a little practice.

Rolls

 

[GoofyGeggy]

Emphasis added:
Are you serious? Have the requirements for each pin been posted in one place yet?

Oops - my fingers typed without my brain. No, the 10 wins don't have to be in a row...just 10 wins. My mistake.