This document discusses how social network games use energy to balance leveling up and earning gold. It compares leveling in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) versus social network games. In social network games, leveling provides access to new content and acts as a monetization point, while earning gold allows players to engage with more gameplay elements. The document proposes that energy, which limits gameplay time, is an elegant way to balance progression in both leveling and earning gold.

1. Balance in SNS using
Energy

2. Agenda

3. Agenda
• Level
– MMORPG vs. SNS
• Goals
– Level vs. Gold
• Energy
– How does energy help to balance level and
gold?

4. Level

5. CityVille vs. WoW
9,165,100
80,308
1,178,673
-
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
9,000,000
10,000,000
1 21 41 61 81 101 121 141 161 181
TotalXP
Level
WoW CityVille

6. Level
MMORPG
• Mastery in months
• Epic goal(s)
• Level as
– Mastery time
– Gateways to Mastery
(skills, talents, bosses,…)
SNS
• Mastery in minutes
• Daily goal(s)
• Level as
– Playing time
– Gateways to content
– Monetization point
– Ranking

7. Goals

8. Goals
XP/Level
Invest
Time
XP
Gold/Value
Invest
Time
GoldDécor

9. Goals
XP/Level
• Progression
• Limited
– In monetization
• System-related
• Steps ranking
Gold/Value
• Goal
• Unlimited
– High-end content
• Content-related
• Granular ranking

10. • CityVille – Level
• CastleVille – Castle Points
• TheSims Social – House Value

11. CityVille vs. CastleVille
2,153,900
143,322
-
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91
TotalXP
Level
CastleVille CityVille

12. Energy

13. Energy
• 1 day = 1440 minutes = 288 energies
– 1 energy = 5 minutes
• 1 energy = 1 XP
– Control playing time
• 1 energy = xx Gold
– Control gold source
– More monetization potential

14. Time vs. Level
72
504
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81
Daysintotal
XPperLevel
Level
XP per Level Days

15. Time vs. Gold
10.00
3.00
1.00 0.4550 90
180
650
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Gold
Gold/Minute
Minutes
hyperbol gold per minute gold

16. 50 90 120 140 160 180 200 250 300 400 450 500 550 650
Tools 00:05 00:15 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 24:00
1 14,400 8,640 5,760 3,360 1,920 1,440 1,200 1,000 900 800 771 750 733 650
2 14,400 17,280 11,520 6,720 3,840 2,880 2,400 2,000 1,800 1,600 1,543 1,500 1,467 1,300
3 14,400 25,920 17,280 10,080 5,760 4,320 3,600 3,000 2,700 2,400 2,314 2,250 2,200 1,950
4 14,400 25,920 23,040 13,440 7,680 5,760 4,800 4,000 3,600 3,200 3,086 3,000 2,933 2,600
5 14,400 25,920 28,800 16,800 9,600 7,200 6,000 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,857 3,750 3,667 3,250
6 14,400 25,920 34,560 20,160 11,520 8,640 7,200 6,000 5,400 4,800 4,629 4,500 4,400 3,900
7 14,400 25,920 34,560 23,520 13,440 10,080 8,400 7,000 6,300 5,600 5,400 5,250 5,133 4,550
8 14,400 25,920 34,560 26,880 15,360 11,520 9,600 8,000 7,200 6,400 6,171 6,000 5,867 5,200
9 14,400 25,920 34,560 30,240 17,280 12,960 10,800 9,000 8,100 7,200 6,943 6,750 6,600 5,850
10 14,400 25,920 34,560 33,600 19,200 14,400 12,000 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,714 7,500 7,333 6,500
11 14,400 25,920 34,560 36,960 21,120 15,840 13,200 11,000 9,900 8,800 8,486 8,250 8,067 7,150
12 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 23,040 17,280 14,400 12,000 10,800 9,600 9,257 9,000 8,800 7,800
13 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 24,960 18,720 15,600 13,000 11,700 10,400 10,029 9,750 9,533 8,450
14 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 26,880 20,160 16,800 14,000 12,600 11,200 10,800 10,500 10,267 9,100
15 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 28,800 21,600 18,000 15,000 13,500 12,000 11,571 11,250 11,000 9,750
16 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 30,720 23,040 19,200 16,000 14,400 12,800 12,343 12,000 11,733 10,400
17 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 32,640 24,480 20,400 17,000 15,300 13,600 13,114 12,750 12,467 11,050
18 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 34,560 25,920 21,600 18,000 16,200 14,400 13,886 13,500 13,200 11,700
19 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 36,480 27,360 22,800 19,000 17,100 15,200 14,657 14,250 13,933 12,350
20 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 38,400 28,800 24,000 20,000 18,000 16,000 15,429 15,000 14,667 13,000
21 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 40,320 30,240 25,200 21,000 18,900 16,800 16,200 15,750 15,400 13,650
22 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 42,240 31,680 26,400 22,000 19,800 17,600 16,971 16,500 16,133 14,300
23 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 44,160 33,120 27,600 23,000 20,700 18,400 17,743 17,250 16,867 14,950
24 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 34,560 28,800 24,000 21,600 19,200 18,514 18,000 17,600 15,600
25 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 36,000 30,000 25,000 22,500 20,000 19,286 18,750 18,333 16,250
26 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 37,440 31,200 26,000 23,400 20,800 20,057 19,500 19,067 16,900
27 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 38,880 32,400 27,000 24,300 21,600 20,829 20,250 19,800 17,550
28 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 40,320 33,600 28,000 25,200 22,400 21,600 21,000 20,533 18,200
29 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 41,760 34,800 29,000 26,100 23,200 22,371 21,750 21,267 18,850
30 14,400 25,920 34,560 40,320 46,080 43,200 36,000 30,000 27,000 24,000 23,143 22,500 22,000 19,500

17. Takeaways

18. Takeaways
• Levels in SNS are a gateway to new
content.
• Gold/value ranking is a new trend.
• Monetization on Gold has more
potential.
• Energy is currently an elegant solution
for balancing level/gold.