Super Chargers: Is the benefit real or an illusion?

christinewupp

It seems so obvious: The Super Chargers do their work twice and combos gives you two combos, of course they must be a great help! Who is this stupid person even asking this question, you may wonder.

Well, I decided to carry out a controlled experiment on the benefit of super chargers.

I have two almost identical games which started to play last weekend and which get the same events and benefits.

This is the set-up so far:

I played levels 276 to 350 today after the Prize Palooza event started

I played all levels on both devices with both colour bomb and wrap + stripe starting boosters

I played all levels on both devices to pass, either by using boosters at the end or pay 10 gold bars for added moves

I used the same strategy for both devices, which is my usual playing style.

The super charger was gained halfway through the first episode and I lost it at the end of the episode. Luckily I immediately got the win streak boosters back because of King's retrieval offer, so the two games were perfectly controlled by the start of level 291.

Results to follow.

christinewupp

I have played several more episodes to compare the two games now, one with the super charger, one without.

I must conclude that any beneficial effect of the super charger is largely an illusion. The only exception is the chance of winning leaderboard competitions: The super charger does confer a speed advantage, and the last round of live leaderboard competitions is about crushing speed. These events require a "sprint" finish. So yes, the super charger, enabled at the right time, can confer an advantage to those seeking to win live leaderboard competitions during the sprint phase.

However for the vast majority of players the benefit is illusionary.

I have played level ranges up to level 620 now, using a variety of playing strategies/styles and comparing two devices, one with and one without the super charger. Overall in these levels ranges I found that if I use starting boosters and aim to keep a win streak I require almost identical amounts of gold and boosters with or without the super charger. There is no perceptible difference in level outcome in some episodes. Other episodes outcome seems to be different, but tends to even out over time: There are some episodes where the super charger group is at an advantage but also some where the super charger group is disadvantaged and has to spend more gold to keep the win streak than the other group.

Level design can be controlled by King in a way that may either aid or hinder players with the super charger and also those same levels can and are controlled to give players with no super chargers easier boards. Today I found that this level was a good example:

There is a double colour bomb combo on the opening board, so players with the super charger would think they are at an advantage from the start. The double super charger clears two layers of blockers.

However: In this level my game without the super charger had a double colour bomb combo drop from the top after the first two moves. So the game gave me the missing combo as a gift, making both players equally lucky and both finished this level equally easily and quickly.

The above level is an easy to see example. Anyone playing this would think "Great that I have the super charger for this" and that is why I am running a controlled test. You assume that if you lost the super charger you would fail more levels or have to use more strong boosters and gold. I have not found this in my tests.

Overall the new episode design helps see the patterns and analyse the game better, since "you will pass" levels are now grouped in the middle of episodes and "you will have to pay" levels are grouped near the end. I have found that the account with the super charger active has to pay as much as the one without the super charger when it hits the end of episode levels, but both players pass the middle section easily just with starting boosters.

christinewupp

I have played several more episodes to compare the two games now, one with the super charger, one without.

I must conclude that any beneficial effect of the super charger is largely an illusion. The only exception is the chance of winning leaderboard competitions: The super charger does confer a speed advantage, and the last round of live leaderboard competitions is about crushing speed. These events require a "sprint" finish. So yes, the super charger, enabled at the right time, can confer an advantage to those seeking to win live leaderboard competitions during the sprint phase.

However for the vast majority of players the benefit is illusionary.

I have played level ranges up to level 620 now, using a variety of playing strategies/styles and comparing two devices, one with and one without the super charger. Overall in these levels ranges I found that if I use starting boosters and aim to keep a win streak I require almost identical amounts of gold and boosters with or without the super charger. There is no perceptible difference in level outcome in some episodes. Other episodes outcome seems to be different, but tends to even out over time: There are some episodes where the super charger group is at an advantage but also some where the super charger group is disadvantaged and has to spend more gold to keep the win streak than the other group.

Level design can be controlled by King in a way that may either aid or hinder players with the super charger and also those same levels can and are controlled to give players with no super chargers easier boards. Today I found that this level was a good example:

There is a double colour bomb combo on the opening board, so players with the super charger would think they are at an advantage from the start. The double super charger clears two layers of blockers.

However: In this level my game without the super charger had a double colour bomb combo drop from the top after the first two moves. So the game gave me the missing combo as a gift, making both players equally lucky and both finished this level equally easily and quickly.

The above level is an easy to see example. Anyone playing this would think "Great that I have the super charger for this" and that is why I am running a controlled test. You assume that if you lost the super charger you would fail more levels or have to use more strong boosters and gold. I have not found this in my tests.

Overall the new episode design helps see the patterns and analyse the game better, since "you will pass" levels are now grouped in the middle of episodes and "you will have to pay" levels are grouped near the end. I have found that the account with the super charger active has to pay as much as the one without the super charger when it hits the end of episode levels, but both players pass the middle section easily just with starting boosters.