作者：Nicholas Lovell

我和许多前《Farmville》的玩家一样，将注意力转移到《Cityville》上。对于公司将社交游戏玩家需要进行的基本行动优化得如此精致，我感到十分惊奇。

四大要点

玩《Cityville》时经常要做出选择，为在游戏中继续发展下去，你需要选择的是：等待；传播；付费；赞助。通常事态并非如此简单，但以下是我对这四个重要选项的分析，以及公司如何利用这些选项来施展获取-留存-盈利战略。

cityville-guide(from cityville-strategy.com)

等待

许多Zynga游戏采用能量这个概念，你可以使用有限的能量来收集产品、收获作物或建造房屋。能量用光后，你可以选择等待能量回复、向好友索取“能量”或掏出信用卡（游戏邦注：指付费购买能量商品）。

如果你选择等待，那就正中Zynga下怀。社交游戏是否成功的关键度量是用户“参与度”或“留存率”，可用DAU/MAU来衡量。用户参与度很重要，因为全心投入游戏中的用户更有可能购买虚拟商品，更有可能对外传播你的游戏，更有可能去看广告。也就是说，首个选项会推动Zynga游戏的用户留存率。

传播

这个选项无需多做解释，当你用光能量值后，可以通过索取来获得。如果你邀请未玩过游戏的好友，那么就带动了“获取”。如果你向正在玩游戏的好友索取能量值，那么就会提高“留存”。

达成这项的的方式很多。当你索求能量时，好友就会收到你需要更多能量的消息。如果他们把能量给你，就等于为你提供帮助。这会让许多人产生责任感，带动你对朋友的帮助给予回报。于是便生成无尽的送礼循环，推动用户留存率。此过程还相当于你向好友提醒自己仍在玩某款游戏。社会认同是种强大的力量，能够鼓励用户做某些事情。玩家看到好友仍在玩游戏，这会鼓励他们继续玩你的游戏。

付费

不能产生利润的社交游戏寿命很短。在向玩家提供购买能量值的机会中，Zynga利用了多种不同的心理作用，比如：

无法耐心等待——我想马上升级，不想等到明天。

竞争心态——如果我购买更多能量，就能赶上Bob（游戏邦注：作者假设的玩家好友），他只比我高1级。

完美主义——我就快要建完这栋房屋，只要再有两个能量就可以完成了。

玩家想要更多能量值的理由很多。你可以自行尝试这些游戏，就会明白诱因出自何处。

赞助

这种诱因与付费相同，但并非要让玩家掏钱，玩家可以利用Tapjoy和Offerpal之类公司推出的服务赢取游戏货币。这种方式适用于那些资金不充裕的人，他们可以用时间或关注来“购买”虚拟商品。

优势

《Cityville》的优势在于平衡处理这四个要素。玩家会选择等待、传播还是付费呢？事实在于，不同人会做出不同的选择。这些偏好可能因玩家玩游戏的频繁程度、玩家的财富多寡、玩家的好友是否在玩游戏甚至玩家所带情绪等而存在差别。无论玩家做出何种选择，Zynga都会从中受益。这种设计真不错！（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

SP-ELLING IT OUT. HOW BALANCING YOUR PLAYERS ON AN “SP” KNIFE EDGE IS THE SECRET TO SOCIAL GAMES SUCCESS

Nicholas Lovell

Like many former Farmville players, I’ve migrated to Cityville. I’ve been marvelling at the elegance with which they have honed the fundamental tradeoffs a social gamer needs to make.

The four SPs

As you play Cityville, you are frequently based with a choice. To advance further in the game, you have to: Spin your wheels (i.e. wait until tomorrow); Spam your friends; Spend money; Engage with Sponsors. It’s not always quite as elegant as this, but here’s my analysis of the four SPs are so important, and how you can use them to deliver on the all-important Acquisition-Retention-Monetisation strategy.

Spin your wheels (or “wait until tomorrow”)

Many of Zynga’s games have the concept of energy. You have a finite amount of energy which you can use to collect run, harvest crops or construct buildings. When it’s gone, you can choose to wait until the energy replenishes, ask your friends for “energy” or get out the credit card.

If you choose to wait, Zynga wins. One of the key success metrics for a social game is “engagement” or “retention”. DAU/MAU is a great proxy for this. It’s so important because an engaged user is more likely to buy virtual goods. They are more likely to spread the word about your game. They are more likely to see ads. So the first of Zynga’s choices – to spin your wheels and wait, a.k.a come back tomorrow – drives Retention for their game.

Spam your friends

This is pretty self-explanatory. When you run out of energy, you can ask for more. If you invite friends who aren’t playing the game, you are driving Acquisition. If you ask friends who are playing the game, you are driving Retention.

How are you doing this? In several ways: When you ask for energy, your friends get a message saying that you would like some energy. If they send it to you, they have done you a favour. For many people, this creates a sense of obligation, triggering your need for Reciprocity. This can create an endless cycle of gift-giving, driving Retention. You are reminding your friends that you are still playing the game. Social Proof is a powerful technique for encouraging customers to do something. If your players see that their friends are still playing, it encourages them to keep playing your game.

Spend money

A social game that can’t generate revenue will be a short-lived social game. By offering the player a chance to buy energy, Zynga is tapping into several different play styles:

the impatient: I want to level up. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow

the competitive: if I buy some more energy, I’ll catch up with Bob, who is one level ahead of me the completist: I’ve nearly finished that building. Just two more energy points and it will be done

There are many more reasons to want more energy. As you play these games, look inside yourself and see what your motivations are.

Sponsorship

The motivations here are just the same as for spending money, but instead of reaching for the wallet, a gamer can undertake any of the offers put forward by companies like Tapjoy and Offerpal. It’s a way for people who are short of money to buy virtual goods with their time or their attention.

The knife-edge

The simple trick that Cityville pulls off well is to offer players this balance. Do I want to wait, spam my friends or spend money? The reality is that different people want to do different things. Those preferences might vary with how often they play the game, how rich they are, whether their friends are playing and even just what mood they are in. Whichever of the options are chosen, Zynga achieves one of its core objectives. That’s good design. (Source: Game Brief)