I just got Plant Tycoon (and Fish Tycoon) the other day, and I have two n00b questions.

1) Does it matter which plant is the "father" and which is the "mother"? That is, if I use the pollen from a Spotted Maranta to pollinate a Citrus Ball Cactus, will I get the same plant as I would if I used the pollen from the Cactus to pollinate the Maranta?

It SEEMS to work this way, but I'm curious to know if it ALWAYS works this way.

(I also have the same question about Fish Tycoon, so if you know the answer to that one, let me know!)

2) Are the plant (and fish) genetics randomized with each new game? That is, right now, in my current game, if I:


Will that combination always give me that result in every game of Plant Tycoon? Or will that combination potentially produce a different plant in a new game?

The order of pollination doesn't matter; you'll get the same results from the same combination of plants, regardless of which is the 'father' and 'mother.' The same is true of Fish Tycoon.

The genetics of both games are fixed, so once you learn a specific combination, you'll be able to apply that knowledge to any future breeding, no matter how many times you play or start over.

Hrm. That's...faintly disappointing, I must confess. Part of the appeal for me is investigating which plant combos create which new plants. I made up a little spreadsheet and everything. Kind of a bummer to know that once I get it all filled out, I'm done, and future games will simply be me consulting my spreadsheet.

On the other hand, I may feel differently after filling out the spreadsheet with 500+ fish!

Are the plants and/or fish which are the Magic Plants/Fish randomized with a new game? Or will the same species of Plant/Fish always be Magic in every game?

The magic species are always the same, too.

Huh.

Seems like it would improve replayability if they were randomized. Otherwise, once you figure out which are the magic plants and how to get there, new games are just a race.

Anyhow, thanks for your replies so far. Two more questions: When I water the plants, the water gauge goes up and is blue up until somewhere between the letters "A" and "W", after which it becomes red.

Am I overwatering the plants when the gauge turns red? If so, what are the disadvantages of overwatering?

It depend of the plant, I think. The cactus plants, for example, doesn't need too much water.
I noticed that when a plant is overwatered, it may be infested easier.

Speaking of watering, in the statistics, I am rated 999. And it does not change. Does the ranking lower when you use more or less water? And if it is less... HOW DID THEY GET 1st PLACE??? Did they not water? And on a side bar which I did not find in any of the other forums, why is the large green bottle of fertilizer $175 for 25 uses and the smaller is only $75 for 15 uses... Seems the large one is ripping us off! I just will keep buying the smaller ones... unless the larger bottle has more oomph per usage???

The large green bottle of fertilizer is for more flowers on the plant. The smaller green bottle is a general help for both flowers and foliage. The best one is the small yellow (for 150).
As for ranking, the water ratio bar does not change - I'm not sure why, as it's been that way for the years I've had the game. I played the game a few years ago, and now have come back to play again. You could play on easy, than try hard. Still, to come up with over 500 species of plants will take some time - enjoy the journey

Thanks for the info, Kathryn! Also have played this game many times in the years before but came back to it while awaiting the new LDW game to arrive and just noticed these things. Funny how no matter how many times one plays LDW's games, there is always a reason to come back and try again! EXCEPT for Virtual Families. Thank the gods, i FINALLY got the final two bugs for my collection and took the game off my task bar> will never play that again as it was BORING the last 650 BILLION dollars before the bugs arrived in the yard. Wish there were a way to BUY the missing collections!

Am also back to PT after having moved on to VV series and then my computer died, so had to re-download. Really enjoying PT, seems I forget everything so it is like new!

Maybe I am off, but I use the fertilzer bomb right after seeds are planted. Before the plant matures, i.e. flowers, I first used the narrower green bottle ($65?)until I had enough money to use the organic larger green container. I have gotten pretty good results. But could be I am being too anal.

Question - If I use any fertilizer or plant food while the game is in "stop", am I getting the benefit of them, or does the game have to be at least on "slow"?