8 ms·

I played Clash Royale for several days and the insistence on payments to progress was really off putting. The gameplay itself was quite addicting so I presume t

I played Clash Royale for several days and the insistence on payments to progress was really off putting. The gameplay itself was quite addicting so I presume they're trying to avoid players burning out from binging. But the fact you either had to pay money or wait three hours to do anything of value was just too much to bear. The entire game design is genius in how it funneled you toward purchases.

mfoy_ 10y ago
I'm 99% sure most mobile games are designed to psychologically drive players to spend as much money on microtransactions as possible. That, and now they are specifically targeting whales, so there's less "a little goes a long way" on IAP and now you really have to shell out to get anywhere. I know that I've personally spent more on in-app purchases that I care to admit just to get an edge on other players in some of those games. T_T
- gambiting 10y ago
  Clash of Clans had a revenue of 1 BILLION dollars in 2015 alone. That's insane. I'm sure they measure every single metric that can be measured in that game and make sure it's as engaging as possible by optimizing their interfaces and looking at the psychology of players.
  - mfoy_ 10y ago
    Some odd non-specific trends I've noticed across various games: * There are usually 3 currencies. Usually a "f2p" currency, a "p2p" currency and a "social" currency. * There are at least 3 distinct ways to progress a unit, for example "level", "stars/quality", "gear/items" and each way requires a different activity or minigame to progress. * Playing the game requires "energy" or something similar which recharges slowly over time but can be refilled by paying p2p currency * There are "ratings" on your performance which usually are measured as 1, 2, or 3 stars. * The number three comes up a LOT in the game design. Like 3 stages per level, 3 abilities per character, 3 milestones per achievement, etc. * Bring the player to the store as often as possible to pick up little freebies and force them to look at the paid offerings It's like every big mobile game studio is designing off the same playbook.
    - Vaskivo 10y ago
      > It's like every big mobile game studio is designing off the same playbook They, in fact, are. Every one of those trends serve a specific purpose or were highly studied to provided the "best" outcome. I.E - Energy forbids you to explore the whole game in a couple of days (unless you pay) and plays with your min-maxing head to return to the game several times a day (you energy usually takes 4 to 6 hours to fully replenish)
      - edgarweto 10y ago
        They've probably read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Social-Game-Design-Monetization/dp/1466598689 http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Social-Game-Design-Monetization... I did, but I try to do games that I like to play, trying to minimize obstacles for the players. This doesn't mean that the book should be burned; it has some great articles on how to improve usability or minimize friction.
Qworg 10y ago
There are companies whose sole purpose is to encourage addictive design and IAP - see http://vungle.com/ http://vungle.com/
Avernar 10y ago
My friends and I play Clash Royal, Clash of Clans and Boom Beach. Out of the three it's Clash Royal that has made us come this close to smashing our tablets in rage. But it's not the IAP that's the cause. It's the skewed matchmaking and the mysterious loosing streaks that occur very frequently. You'd be playing and winning some and loosing some and then all of a sudden you hit a losing streak of 6-12 losses or more. One thing for sure is my friends and I are not spending a penny on this game because of that regular frustration. We've spent a little on the other two games to get past a point of tedium but that gave us something concrete. In Clash Royal spending money just gives you a chance to get the cards you need. No thank you. If the game mechanic wasn't so addictive we'd have stopped playing it long ago.
- csours 10y ago
  It's the cheesy cards that make me rage. I'm looking at you balloon and ice potion. I've wanted to break my phone in half more times than I can count. Also, good luck if you want to switch decks, or decide one of your cards is worthless; or if they nerf your favorite card.
csours 10y ago
Clash Royale would be so much more engaging if you could: Queue up chests to unlock Earn "keys" when you win and your chest slots are full: Silver chests take 10 keys, etc. Still enables whales to spend their money, but makes it feel like you can earn *something* by playing. I think even with this it would still be decently monetized, while increasing the feeling of player agency and engagement.

mfoy_ 10y ago

I'm 99% sure most mobile games are designed to psychologically drive players to spend as much money on microtransactions as possible. That, and now they are specifically targeting whales, so there's less "a little goes a long way" on IAP and now you really have to shell out to get anywhere. I know that I've personally spent more on in-app purchases that I care to admit just to get an edge on other players in some of those games. T_T

gambiting 10y ago
Clash of Clans had a revenue of 1 BILLION dollars in 2015 alone. That's insane. I'm sure they measure every single metric that can be measured in that game and make sure it's as engaging as possible by optimizing their interfaces and looking at the psychology of players.
- mfoy_ 10y ago
  Some odd non-specific trends I've noticed across various games: * There are usually 3 currencies. Usually a "f2p" currency, a "p2p" currency and a "social" currency. * There are at least 3 distinct ways to progress a unit, for example "level", "stars/quality", "gear/items" and each way requires a different activity or minigame to progress. * Playing the game requires "energy" or something similar which recharges slowly over time but can be refilled by paying p2p currency * There are "ratings" on your performance which usually are measured as 1, 2, or 3 stars. * The number three comes up a LOT in the game design. Like 3 stages per level, 3 abilities per character, 3 milestones per achievement, etc. * Bring the player to the store as often as possible to pick up little freebies and force them to look at the paid offerings It's like every big mobile game studio is designing off the same playbook.
  - Vaskivo 10y ago
    > It's like every big mobile game studio is designing off the same playbook They, in fact, are. Every one of those trends serve a specific purpose or were highly studied to provided the "best" outcome. I.E - Energy forbids you to explore the whole game in a couple of days (unless you pay) and plays with your min-maxing head to return to the game several times a day (you energy usually takes 4 to 6 hours to fully replenish)
    - edgarweto 10y ago
      They've probably read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Social-Game-Design-Monetization/dp/1466598689 http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Social-Game-Design-Monetization... I did, but I try to do games that I like to play, trying to minimize obstacles for the players. This doesn't mean that the book should be burned; it has some great articles on how to improve usability or minimize friction.

Qworg 10y ago

There are companies whose sole purpose is to encourage addictive design and IAP - see http://vungle.com/ http://vungle.com/

Avernar 10y ago

My friends and I play Clash Royal, Clash of Clans and Boom Beach. Out of the three it's Clash Royal that has made us come this close to smashing our tablets in rage. But it's not the IAP that's the cause. It's the skewed matchmaking and the mysterious loosing streaks that occur very frequently. You'd be playing and winning some and loosing some and then all of a sudden you hit a losing streak of 6-12 losses or more. One thing for sure is my friends and I are not spending a penny on this game because of that regular frustration. We've spent a little on the other two games to get past a point of tedium but that gave us something concrete. In Clash Royal spending money just gives you a chance to get the cards you need. No thank you. If the game mechanic wasn't so addictive we'd have stopped playing it long ago.

csours 10y ago
It's the cheesy cards that make me rage. I'm looking at you balloon and ice potion. I've wanted to break my phone in half more times than I can count. Also, good luck if you want to switch decks, or decide one of your cards is worthless; or if they nerf your favorite card.

csours 10y ago

Clash Royale would be so much more engaging if you could: Queue up chests to unlock Earn "keys" when you win and your chest slots are full: Silver chests take 10 keys, etc. Still enables whales to spend their money, but makes it feel like you can earn *something* by playing. I think even with this it would still be decently monetized, while increasing the feeling of player agency and engagement.