ChefVille Aftertaste: Why are players penalized for earning too many coins?

If you're one of ChefVille's most dedicated or veteran players, you've likely earned tens of thousands of coins from serving dishes, completing quests, opening Mystery Gifts, and more. If you've ever reached the 99,999 coin mark though, you've likely thought that your game was broken, as you never earn another coin. It's not that coins stop being generated within the game, as guests still give you coins when they eat your dishes, and you still earn coins when visiting friends. It's just that those coins go to complete waste, as your total account will never tick over to 100,001 coins or more.

Why is this the case? What purpose does it achieve? From Zynga's standpoint, I suppose I can see this helping to keep the game's economy balanced, as players won't wind up with millions of "useless" coins like they do in Cafe World. In these situations, players would never feel the need to purchase coins to buy their favorite objects (ie: they wouldn't spend real money on the game). At the same time though, players would never feel the need to purchase coins in ChefVille either, since any coins they earn after that could be entirely useless once they reach the 99,999 / 100,000 coin mark.

If anything, this coin limit is a deterrent for players, as they may feel afraid to spend large amounts of coins on restaurant makeovers for fear of not having enough coins left over for their next expensive land expansion or cooking appliance. The last thing Zynga needs in any of its Facebook games is an upset player base, and yet the majority of its games include features such as these that are practically slaps in the face to players. Whether it's the inability for casual players to finish limited time events like the Halloween Ball or County Fair, or now this attitude that players don't deserve to be rewarded with coins for their hard work, there are definitely issues that need to be addressed in ChefVille before it's too late.

For all of that though, the game still remains really fun to play, and even this gamer is starting to not understand why. Maybe one day it will be more clear, but for now, I'll keep staring at my 99,999 coin total and hope for more.

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Have you ever reached the 99,999 coins mark in ChefVille? Do you think players should be able to earn an unlimited amount of coins in ChefVille, or has this limit not altered the way you play the game? Sound off in the comments!