Changed levels, changed game

Kathy_Shattuck

@Xarly It's too bad they couldn't offer two versions of the game for download, a "social" version where you can have Soda Squad and MTF, and a "solo" version where you could have the Quests. Then people could decide on their own whether they want to play with others, not be forced to. 

candysodacrusher

After my lengthy post about my frustration with changes to the game, I thought I should post something about why I enjoy this game.
CCSS is one of only three “entertainment” apps that has held my interest for an extended period of time.  Since the others are a trivia app, a card game app, and a Sudoku app, they are nothing like CCSS.  And there are MANY that have been downloaded and deleted within a few days or weeks.  I did play the original Candy Crush, but quit that when I got to the levels where the time bombs came into play.  It was about the same time as CCSS was introduced and I fell in love with the game as soon as I started playing it.  I thought the design of the game was sheer genius.  Sprinkle Shell, the green soda that generates the fish, the way the candies move in different directions on different levels, those purple jelly beans—all awesome.  Okay, I’m not thrilled about the way the chocolate multiples on you, but...
I love the features, especially Bubblegum Hill and the Quests.  The rocket races added a little fun without being a distraction.  Rainbow Road is another great feature as is the daily bonus.  The game was challenging and entertaining.  It was fun!  I loved being able to play if a had a few minutes to spare without having to worry about timing my play to take advantage of timed boosters.  I love the varied types of levels. I keep hoping to to see some new ones introduced or maybe a new type of candy.  

Xarly

Hi everyone,

I've been up to a lot lately but have come always to read this thread, as I find that, for us, it is of great interest to hear what the veterans have to say, especially when it's done in such a mature and in-depth manner. The level of insights that you share with us, the way you feel and also your understanding of how the bigger picture might or might not be what you had expected is all very interesting and insightful.

And to your points, I am very happy we could provide such levels of fun and entertainment to you @candysodacrusher. In the end, all of us here have been enjoying this game for quite some time now and are passionate about it (or else we wouldn't be here). The game is not derailing but I agree that Soda, getting 5 years old in some months, is undergoing some thoughts regarding making this game as successful as it has been and is, for the next 5 years or more. Which brings me to that point @HellsBelle made. I want to confirm that this game is not dying or closing at all. Candy Crush Soda is one of the most successful "match 3" games in the history of video games and we all intend to keep it that way and work hard to make it happen.

I understand that the studio need to keep the game fresh to attract new players, but, does it really need to alienate the long time players at the same time? This forum particularly seems to value and appreciate the knowledge of experienced players.

This point made by @Clover_7 is one I also find very interesting. In general, forums such as this, tend to be a space for the most veteran and passionate players, with thousands of casual forum users lurking. That's the usual nature of forums. That said, finding the balance to appeal to both the new and the veteran is a very difficult task, especially in an industry and genre that changes so fast. At King we constantly try to navigate that by focusing greatly on innovation while maintaining games like Soda, that are appealing to millions of players on a daily basis. As hard as we try, we not always get it as right as we wish.

@Xarly It's too bad they couldn't offer two versions of the game for download, a "social" version where you can have Soda Squad and MTF, and a "solo" version where you could have the Quests. Then people could decide on their own whether they want to play with others, not be forced to. 

This is feedback that I want to re-emphasise that is being sent to the studio, @Kathy_Shattuck. The ability to opt out is one that I agree should be there, and it's coming at some point soon. Making two versions would not work for the technical complexity of running two different apps, but the option of not playing socially is something that the team is looking into and is feedback that is definitely being passed on to them.

And that's it! By all means, keep sharing your thoughts on the changes to the game and how, in general, you feel about the game. If you can add how long you've been playing and how often you do, it helps make the picture of your feedback a more solid and real one, when passing it on to the rest of the team.

Cheers,
Xarly

LauraLMason

Thank You for your response, @Xarly. I have been playing Soda for @ 3 years and made it to level 2400. I try to play every day. I have played other King games but have stayed with Soda the longest.

candysodacrusher

@Xarly, I’m not sure whether you can answer this, but I’m asking anyway.  It seems that one of the results of all the changes to the game is that it has become more random or unpredictable.  Is that the intention, or merely an unintended consequence?  

To to be clear, I’m not talking about the game levels themselves.  The algorithms should be, and are, at least to me, mostly unpredictable.  That’s the nature of the game.

What I am talking about is the randomness of the rewards in the new features as well as the randomness of the team configurations.  That assumes that the team configurations are random, and I’m not so sure about that.  

With the Quests, you always knew what you were playing for, and even with the rocket races you had a choice of a prize.  No so anymore.

I have found that not being able to pick and choose if and when to use a booster makes the game much more challenging.  I also feel as if I have less control over how I play the levels.  Given that in the redesign of the first few episodes the levels became significantly less challenging, it seems counterintuitive to me that the changes to the other feature make the game significantly more challenging.

Xarly

Hi @candysodacrusher , I'll do my best to try!

First, I would like to confirm that the unpredictability of the game is indeed true. Regarding the randomness of the rewards, the reason behind it is because now rewards are pulled from a pool, which is why you don't know what you are going to get. This wasn't any evil plot from King, before somebody draws that conclusion, but based on the element of surprising the players. However, I am noticing that some rewards are better than others, which leads to frustration rather than surprise when the reward you get from that pool is not the one you wanted the most.

Regarding teams, it is indeed absolutely random (besides the active or inactive element that I explained for Soda Squad). Mr Toffee's Fair and the Soda Squad are two brand new team features and there is a lot that can be done regarding them. There is currently very little balancing around the team element of it, and it's mainly random (although it takes into consideration low level players vs high level players). I know you are all trying to find patterns in your teams (and don't get me wrong, I love the passion and level of scrutiny you guys put) but the truth is that there isn't much to dig into there, for now, as we are just starting these features and need to improve them on the way.

Your feedback on how it feels to play the levels is of great value as well, so thank you for that and I encourage you all to keep discussing it and sharing your thoughts with us.

Cheers,
Xarly

candysodacrusher

Thank you @Xarly for the response.  

As for the random rewards, I don’t think it is an evil plot, but I do wish I’d paid more attention when we were learning about Skinner in psychology class.  😁

Pickles123

The game is corrupt, all they care about is ££££££s


https://www.gameskinny.com/1b054/candy-crush-represents-everything-thats-wrong-with-mobile-gaming

candysodacrusher

Quarterly earnings report for Activision stock was released August 8.  Been reading through some of the news relating to that and found two interesting pieces of info to share.  The first is a comment that I believe related to some of the changes in the game we’ve seen in the past few months, and the second is the report on MAUs (monthly active users) during the second quarter.

“Our second quarter results exceeded our prior outlook for both revenue and earnings per share,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “In the first half of 2019 we have prioritized investments in our key franchises and, beginning in the second half of this year our audiences will have a chance to see and experience the initial results of these efforts.”

In the second quarter, Activision had 37 million monthly active users, Blizzard had 32 million, and King had 258 million. That’s a drop from three months earlier. In the first quarter, Activision had 41 million monthly active users, Blizzard had 32 million, and King had 272 million.

Yosca

What I can't understand is that there are so many variations of 1 game. First everyone had Quests and then new features. Some got them, others didn't. Some may watch advertisements to get an extra booster or extra attempts for a level, others not. Now Rainbow Road has changed too; you will not receive extra boosters if you have a streak of 6 gold pins in a row. The rewards you receive with MTF or Squad are in no way comparable to the Quests. I understand very well that you are developing new challenges in a game but why not together with the old things. You then have the same options for each player to play a game. When it is decided to continue with the new features, take everyone's old path, such as Quests. Now there are so many differences that not everyone can play the same way. If you only have team games, no more Quests, but someone else still has this, it frustrates many people. You do not really have opportunities to get free boosters. This is possible with Quests, watching ads and with the earlier Rainbow Road. Sorry to keep repeating, I'm pretty frustrated.