Heroes Charge: Mechanic review. Part II

The article originally appeared on the pages progamedev.net , blog of Alexander Shtachenko. With the kind permission of the author, we publish it on our pages.

All game mechanics (techniques) can be divided into 2 types:

• mechanics for a variety of farming — so that it would not be boring;
• mechanics to increase the motivation of farming and pumping — to keep the player more active.

In the first part, I described the mechanics of Journey, which belongs to the first type, just below is an analysis of the second mechanics.

Character Development

The stronger each character is (the more pumped he is), the closer the cherished game goal is.

In order for the process of achieving it to be infinitely long, a lot of characters have been added to the game, pumping each of which is necessary to achieve the goal. Each of the characters has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Despite the fact that the mechanics of the game, in fact, is hardcore, at the first stages the user is not “lost” in the game, since familiarity with the project occurs gradually.

For example, at the beginning of the game, the heroes need to download only one skill, and to collect enough for the evolution of a dozen stones. And I’m not talking about things for vestments – they are given in abundance at the first stages.

As you progress, the heroes have a need for rare “clothes” that need to be farmed for several days. New skills appear, the need for “stones” that qualitatively improve the basic characteristics of the hero increases.

The structure of character leveling mechanics

As can be seen from the diagram above, the Hero is a complex mechanism consisting of variables and formulas.

The result of the battle is influenced by the overall level and characteristics of the entire team.

The latter are determined by the sum of the hero’s characteristics.

In turn, each character consists of a number of its own characteristics:

1. Hero level — improves for experience points, which are given for fights, and when using a special potion. There cannot be more than the maximum level of the team, and the level of the team cannot be greater than the maximum level of the player.
2. Hero skills — swing to the maximum level of the hero. The number of upgrades is limited by a timer and costs money.
3. The basic characteristics of the hero are a set of parameters used in formulas for calculating resistance, damage, mana recovery, and other variables.
   – Hero stars (maximum 5) — make a qualitative increase in characteristics. Each star is assembled from a set of hero stones (10, 50, 80, 100, 150)
   – Special sets of clothes — increase the characteristics of the hero. The sets consist of simple and complex clothes, which, in turn, are assembled from rare attributes that fall out extremely rarely (depending on the level).

The game has a special mechanic that allows you to improve the characteristics of the clothes — Enchantment. To do this, you need a simple outfit, improvement potions and coins. The degree of improvement is shown by the stars on the wardrobe items.

Special mechanics of pharma

As I wrote above, the farm in the game is represented by several different mechanics. Heroes Charge consumables can be obtained in different mechanics and modes:

• the experience of heroes is farmed in the mechanics of travel;
• ordinary things — in the mechanics of travel;
• Hero stones — in elite travel mode;
• rare things — in elite travel mode;
• gold — farmed in the portal of time;
• the potion of rapid leveling of the hero’s experience is farmed in the second time portal;
• gold, crystals — in excavation mode;
• super rare items — in boss battle mode, in challenge mode;
• a lot of money, various goodies and a few stones — you can get once a day in the Crusade mode.

Test mode and time portal (daily events)

A standard battle against a certain set of enemies opens on different days of the week, which encourages you to play every day so as not to miss rare items. All farming modes are available on Sunday.

Often modes limit tactics for victory: in some it is necessary to focus on physical damage, in others – on magic, and in others only female characters participate at all.

Obnoxious bosses

Every day there is a duel with bosses who have a huge number of lives and require a unique approach to win. For example, the Northern Dragon can only be attacked by flying heroes.

This mechanic stimulates the purchase and pumping of heroes with different characteristics and abilities.

Excavations

This mode consumes its own energy and is a PvP with the possibility of continuation.

What’s the point: each user sends 2 stacks to dig up money and crystals. Any other user can also go to plunder the same excavations.

In the latter case, the chosen heroes must protect the good that they dug up in the process. In this mode, you can call your guild friends for joint excavations and treasure protection.

The Crusade

15 levels, 15 fights. Coins, stones and rare items are given for each battle. It would seem to be an ideal mode, but there is a feature — the lives of heroes are not restored after the battle, and fallen warriors are not available in the next battle. Crusades are available 1 time per day.

How to motivate the user to swing?

In order for the user to farm constantly , the following three mechanics are integrated into the game:

Leaderboards and ratings

The rating system in the game displays the current position of the player on various grounds, constantly adjusting it up. A good UX allows the user to set short-term goals, monitor the dynamics of growth and compare their progress in the game with other users.

PvP: Two arenas

The player puts the best five in defense of his Arena rating, and 5 times a day has the opportunity to improve it. To do this, he challenges other users. In case of a victory over a player of a higher rating, the loser goes down, and the winner rises in the ladder of the Arena.

The second type of Arena requires winning 2 out of 3 matches. To keep a place in the ladder, you need to have THREE stacks of pumped heroes. This mod encourages you to have and develop 15 characters to the maximum.

PvP battles can be watched in replay an unlimited number of times, study mistakes, and also show friends the games in the chat.

Killers and social workers can get maximum satisfaction in this mode: it is here that they can get high from dominating other players, share their achievements, enjoy praise from other users.

Guild

By joining a guild, the player seems to promise its members to actively play and grow the guild rating. Following the herd instinct, the player strives to have the same level as the leaders, to become a clan leader, or at least an officer. Leaders can be admired: the player — replenishment of energy, the leader — coins.

Also in the guild, you can rent your best heroes so that other players can use them in any Geroes Charge modes (except PvP). For the rental of heroes, gold falls. You can also view and evaluate the heroes of other players.

The guild opens the third Travel mode — the Guild Raid, in which each member of the clan fights with very cool NPCs, taking a bite out of them with each fight.

The guild is a powerful motivator to play a lot, well, and even pay. This is where the feeling of real interaction arises.  Praise and criticism of real people are extremely important for all types of players (of which, we recall, there are four).

***

After level 60, it takes about 4.5 hours a day to complete all available events, Arena battles and a crusade.

***

Learning mechanics and stimulation to play each of the events.

Tasks and promotions — they direct the user, tell him what is relevant to do at the moment.

• The daily set of promotions consists of tasks that encourage the player to complete each of the modes a minimum number of times, collect all the bonuses and win in the arenas.
• The tasks are compiled in a special way, showing the work of each of the mechanics. They describe ways to collect hero stones and level up characters. They also stimulate the passage and improvement of the characteristics of the entire squad.

During the game, I went through a full cycle of immersion in gameplay, chasing Trax stones, regular farming and boss raids. The mechanics are implemented successfully and harmoniously complement each other.

What can you learn from Heroes Charge from this material:

• Understand the goals of each of the mechanics in games, their value to the user and the product component.
• Diversify the game with different body kits and modes that allow you to spend time with pleasure.
• Gradually immerse the player in complex mechanics, give the opportunity to understand them as needed.
• Use quests to train the user.
• Use quests to stimulate the user to play more every day.
• Use daily repetitive quests to accustom the user to a certain sequence of actions every day.
• Use all methods of motivation aimed at different types of players in order to achieve maximum profit.

In the next, final part, I will talk about monetization of the game, control of the length of the session and their number, ways to return to the game and a couple of additional points.

Source: http://progamedev.net