<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Fred Tang]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://freedomkiller.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Fred Tang]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://freedomkiller.wordpress.com/author/freedomkiller/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Design disscussion about Marketland on&nbsp;Facebook]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>I play browser game Marketland in Facebook.  It is fun, and I find some way to improve the game design and user experience, so I wrote this article. What do you see about that? What is your opinion, Please give me some insight.  Thanks.</p>
<p><strong>Overall game review:</strong></p>
<p>This game is easy to learn, it provide a lot of items to build and sell, and give the grow-up fun.</p>
<p>The drawback is that it is easy to master, especially for experienced gamer.  They may be bored after having learnt the main gameplay.</p>
<p>I think the reason is lacking of a rich variety of gameplay, a good story to engage the user, distinct but fun characters, and sociality that are the basic of social games.</p>
<p><strong>Solution suggestion:</strong></p>
<p>1. Story</p>
<p>A good story can add senses of participation and immersion of users.  Why do you open a supermarket?  Just for money?  Yes, that is fine.  But how about the customer’s lives?  I think the game goal is better not only for money, but also for benefits of people.  We could add story (mainly dialogues) to below Scenes.</p>
<ul>
<li>Quest</li>
<li>Main event</li>
<li>Sale event</li>
<li>Milestone</li>
<li>Novice teaching</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/ffff.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Narrative to introduce new commodities and portray characters</p>
<p>2. Character</p>
<p>To enhance character, we can build look attraction and add personal metrics for gameplay.  There are a variety of people and they have different needs.  They have to be meet through different tools.</p>
<ul>
<li>Enrich the attraction of character</li>
</ul>
<p>Add name (no name no personality)</p>
<p>Add personal introduction (all people have backgrounds that make us fun)</p>
<p>Appearance differentiation (people of different hierarchy should be discern by appearance)</p>
<ul>
<li>Add personal metrics</li>
</ul>
<p>Prefer item: The items which people prefer, including commodities, wall papers, doors, coin ups, and decorations .etc.  Customers will add their budgets according the number of the items on store.</p>
<p>Move speed: Quick speed means short shopping time.</p>
<p>Character: means different reaction to incident.  For instance, tolerant character means reduced reaction to negative incident.</p>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/profile.png" alt="" width="646" height="513" /></p>
<p align="center">Character interface</p>
<ul>
<li>Shopping partners</li>
</ul>
<p>When we go shopping, we sometimes go with others, and interact with each other.  It is fun to include that in game.</p>
<p>Leave together: one person leave, others in the same group leave too.</p>
<p>Check out together: only the last one should check out.</p>
<p>Moods influenced together: one get happy, others too.</p>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/22.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Shopping partners (group1)</p>
<p>3. Incident</p>
<p>Like rhythms of music, incidents help to reduce boring, add depth and fun to game.  According to level, incidents could be divided to below groups.</p>
<ul>
<li>Slight incidents</li>
</ul>
<p>Thieves</p>
<p>Special guests</p>
<p>Out-space aliens (disguise in human appearance, cost eyes to discern，and player will get surprise？when click)</p>
<p>Naughty children (spoil goods)</p>
<p>Pets (spoil goods and affect customer’s moods)</p>
<p><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/33.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Some slight incident</p>
<ul>
<li>Mid incidents</li>
</ul>
<p>Mice (move fast and in bunch, must be click-on quickly.  Otherwise cause damage to goods, make customers unhappy.)</p>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/44.png" alt="" width="588" height="400" /></p>
<p align="center">Mice incident</p>
<p>Abnormal person (scare all customer to leave for a period, must be click-on for many times)</p>
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/55.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Abnormal person incident</p>
<p>Cockroach (scare all customer to leave, must put drugs for some ranges)</p>
<ul>
<li>serious incidents</li>
</ul>
<p>Power off (can’t operate for period of time, must put generator on)</p>
<p>Robbery (battle mode.  Put security to ward off robbery and they will automatically fight)</p>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/66.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Battle</p>
<p>3. Joint operation</p>
<p>In reality，the supermarket also rents its counters to other brands, then collect rent fees, those counts for a big of the operation revenue. This is an important gameplay, why not bother to add on.</p>
<ul>
<li>Brand level.  According to total sale revenue, brand has different level.  The higher the level, the better the commodities.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Rent fees.  A portion of the sale revenue of the brand will come into the rent fees.  Players should collect the rent fees in intervals.</li>
<li>Sale condition.  There are good, middle, bad, or very bad condition, according to the customer numbers in a given time.  There will be different rent revenue in different sale condition, so the players should call for more customers for more rent fees.</li>
<li>Auto manage.  The rent counter will auto manage its commodities.  The commodities will auto on shelf when the stock is below 50%</li>
<li>Brand leave.  The brand will leave when the sale condition is bad in a period of time.  If you want it come back, you should buy it back again.</li>
<li>Brand sale royalty. The more brand sale revenue, the more brand sale royalty, and the more rent fee you can collect.</li>
<li>Loss.  The brand incident loss will be compensated by player in proportion</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/66(1).png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Joint operation</p>
<p>4、visit a stranger’s room</p>
<p>In this game you can’t visit other stranger’s market because there are no stranger’s market on display list, you have to add some friends first for visit.  I think this mechanic is not very friendly.  Better allowed to visit others’ market freely, because it is hard to invite friends to play games, really.</p>
<p><strong>Interface</strong></p>
<p>1. The Build interface is hard for choosing items, it is too small, and is below the screen.  We can make it more visible and easy to change its pages.</p>
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/77.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Original interfacce</p>
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/88.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Modified interface</p>
<p>3、hover on to display thinking.</p>
<p>Seeing the customers thinking is necessary for knowing their moods, but you have to click the character to open a new interface to see that.  It is more convenient to display the thinking when just hover on the character.</p>
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/blog/245633/99.png" alt="" /></p>
<p align="center">Display thinking when hover on</p>
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