4:56 AM
9 hours later…
1:38 PM
that player upon receiving the gift (aka the loot box) will redeem it for random items. After that, the game shows a "gift back" button that one can use to send one of their available gifts to the sender.
Player A gets a gift and sends it to Player B
Player B gets some items from the gift. At this point **IF** they also have a spare gift to send in their inventory, they can send it back.
If Player B sent back a gift, A will then receive it.
Player B gets some items from the gift. At this point **IF** they also have a spare gift to send in their inventory, they can send it back.
If Player B sent back a gift, A will then receive it.
@Derpy Ah, thanks for the clarification. That is an important detail of the mechanic. I suppose it's an attempt to enforce the . . . I'm not sure if the West has an equivalent saying, but literally something like 'gifts are not gift-aways', i.e. it is rude to gift something to person B if you received as a gift from person A, as that turns gifts into a depersonalised commodity-like thing. But of course this game already automated gift to a depersonalised commodity-like thing.
1:53 PM
Yesterday everyone was given as an Update special giveaway 10 common gift (gift have "types"). Obviously, almost everyone sent the 10 gift during the day to 10 friends (you can't send more than one gift in a day to the same person - remember this , will be important later).
The update notes said that a player could get more gifts to send to friends randomly when doing thins like fulfilling villagers requests but from what player have reported so far, the rates must be ridiculously low.
Some report doing hundred requests in a day (using special items to "refill" the request gauge - usual mobile stamina mechanics, you get about 12 requests every three hours normally) and getting none
Common -> low chance to get a cookie from it (as I said, cookies are items that give you a special random furniture from a set, there are multiple types of cookies), some random craft materials
Special -> guaranteed to give a RANDOM cookie type.
Typed -> guaranteed to give a cookie of a specific type.
Special -> guaranteed to give a RANDOM cookie type.
Typed -> guaranteed to give a cookie of a specific type.
Well, apparently the few lucky player that got some more cookies from request got mostly special/typed cookies.
To be able to give a special/typed gift to a player, you are required to have sent at least 10 gifts to that player before.
Some time ago, I read of a game that instead of giving players the ability to buy lootboxes with real world money, gave the boxes for free during events or for clearing missions.
Seems the same, but if you thing about it you will notice that this approach is more subtle... you feel like you already have the item but can't use it.
You get a lootbox, but to send the lootbox to someone you need another lootbox... and then you have a chance for them to give something back and get a lootbox for yourself.
Wouldn't be surprised if they "listened to the feedback" from angry players and added an option to "send back a gift for 20 leaf tickets when you haven't got any spare gift".
2:15 PM
Furthermore, I would like to make you notice that now the feature is pushing you into two directions.
On a side, the social pressure and the game UI are built to encourage the player to gift back when they receive something.
But gift are very rare. And as we said before, to give someone the better gifts- the ones that contain a cookie - you have to first send a certain number of "common" gifts to the same player.
So, basically.... in order for someone to claim the gift that really contain something worthy getting (=>the cookie ) the sender has to focus on that person and give them more "normal" gifts before. On the other hand, if you focus on a person then you will "waste" all the few gifts you have on that person... thus not being able to give anything back for the gifts others may be sending you.
The system makes you feel bad for not giving back, but by giving back to everyone you "diluite" your resource and won't be able to give the real precious rare gifts to anyone.
So, at the very best the system is built to guilt trip you and also tricking you into a playstyle that will ensure the "better" gifts won't be given out to anybody.
(remember, cookies are normally bought with premium currency outside of special giveaway, so being able to get one from a gift you received means one less cookie you may want to buy in the store)
In the worse case the "guilt" will soon be used to push people into buying gifts for real cash, maybe even while pretending to be "adding this option because many player requested it" (that would make the initial unclear rules and the resulting backslash precalculated - make the player angry, claim you are listening and then adding something you planned from the start)
to be able to send the "lucky tangerine gift+" to specific friend you need to send 10 gifts to that specific friend before. Not a 10 gift to 10 players, same or not like everyone assumed.
Furthermore.... only the ones that got a gift from the drops doing request actually managed to see the lock on the first day of the update.
The first day, everyone was given 10 regular tangerine gifts to give away. And almost everyone gave those away during the day.
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Not a bar, but plays one on TV
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