We started out with 1 currency in our F2P games (Triple Town, Steambirds Survival) and have switched over to multiple currencies.
Several reason for this (of which obfuscation is not one) (thread...)
Several reason for this (of which obfuscation is not one) (thread...)
1. Easier economy balancing. Each currency maps to a functional area of the game. If one area of the economy is imbalanced, you can tweak sources and sinks for that unique currency. And not imbalance other areas.
2. Better player goal setting. You want to clearly signal player goals and progress towards those goals. A specialized currency enables:
A. Players see thing they want
B. Grok currency needed
C. Do the activity to gets the currency.
D. See progress as currency accumulates.
A. Players see thing they want
B. Grok currency needed
C. Do the activity to gets the currency.
D. See progress as currency accumulates.
3. Player agency through a few key paths. Currency = progress towards goal. Multiple sources for that currency = player choice (and strategy). Too many choices = confusion, so player's economic choices are much muddier with 1 currency.
4. What you lose here is some elegance and learnability. But game-as-a-service a meant to be played for hundreds of hours and the economic loops are for avid, long term players. And learning about the economy can become a community activity. So not necessarily a net negative.
