Game Analysis: Frozen City | Pocket Gamer.biz

By Oleg Lomakov, Lead Sport Designer, AppQuantum

Frozen Metropolis is a cell tycoon sport impressed by the PC and console hit Frostpunk, which additionally lately got here to the cell platform.

As of March 16, 2023, Frozen Metropolis had earned $11.3 million on in-apps and had been downloaded 10.8 million occasions. The RPD of the iOS and Android variations is round $1.05. The sport has achieved all this since December 2022.

So, what’s the secret of Frozen Metropolis’s success? On this article, Oleg Lomakov, lead sport designer at AppQuantum explains its gameplay, monetization, and different sport elements.

Let’s speak a little bit concerning the “muse”

Frostpunk is a harsh technique sport about survival in an infinite winter. The participant should construct a brand new metropolis round a big coal furnace and lead the struggle for a snug life in heat.

This sport just isn’t about pleasure and vibrant adventures. Frostpunk presents conditions wherein gamers should make severe choices and sacrifices for the brand new society to operate. Are wards freezing chilly outdoors? Construct tents! Yeah, then there will not be sufficient assets for enhancements to get extra meals. Do you want assets earlier than everybody starves to demise? Signal an ordinance for prolonged work shifts or begin utilizing youngster labour. By the way in which, 1 / 4 of the residents are already sick within the chilly and might’t work, and one employee should have his leg amputated. I forgot to inform you! The forecast is extraordinarily chilly immediately. And now, you are about to be hoisted on pitchforks for youngster labour and lack of tents! Stay with that! Oh, wait, not the pitchforks.

Within the case of Frozen Metropolis, you don’t have any purpose to fret as a result of the cell world of informal video games is way kinder. Or is it?

Frozen Metropolis gameplay options

The primary session could seem to be a traditional, informal tycoon sport. It takes about half an hour to finish the beginning map with out dashing, and the duties are fairly customary: construct and enhance constructions. There are a few elective (and already acquainted) style issues. Working time mode and distribution of human assets on jobs. An apocalypse is an apocalypse, however you have to respect the work-life steadiness.

On the first degree, the participant will get sufficient managers to play with none issues. They multiply the manufacturing of assets in factories and open entry to further jobs. There may be loads of evolve forex to improve them at this stage too.

There are two forms of evolve forex. One for levelling up the character and one other for elevating the upgrading restrict. Unusually, there is no such thing as a mushy forex. It’s changed by assets, amongst which there is no such thing as a most respected, and the gradation of their necessity varies from map to map. Some require different assets to supply them, which builds up a manufacturing chain. When the participant learns the right way to deal with all types of currencies and discover a steadiness, the sport will give them a brand new, extra severe problem.

The standard factor for different tycoon video games is to pump up the factories to a snug degree and watch all the pieces work, sipping your scorching cup of espresso. However on this sport, snowstorms hit the camp often, noticeably decreasing the setting’s temperature. The extra play time passes, the harsher the storms get. What we perceive rapidly about Frozen Metropolis is that it’s fairly lifelike to enter the adverse, and there is not any option to loosen up.

Some issues of individuals administration in Frozen Metropolis

1. In the event you exhaust the employees with lengthy night time shifts (which is feasible) or don’t create comfy circumstances to allow them to relaxation within the homes, they’ll run away from the camp.
2. In the event that they don’t have sufficient meals (it nonetheless must be cooked!), they’ll starve to demise
3. In the event you don’t fret about upgrading the furnace or do not accumulate sufficient gas to maintain it heat, they will get sick and keep within the infirmary.
4. If there are not any locations within the infirmary and, as a consequence, no remedy, they will even die.
5. If public dissatisfaction accumulates, the employees will go on strike.

We already know the right way to clear up the forex disaster in video games like this. Stop the sport, wait till there may be sufficient revenue offline, choose it up, and improve the constructing for higher manufacturing. However in Frozen Metropolis, the participant pays for all the pieces with assets, not gold or different acquainted forex. Furthermore, because the constructing is levelling up, the required useful resource for upgrading could all of the sudden change to utterly one other one.

As an expertise for the informal participant, it’s harsh however rewarding. As a product that monetizes by “bottlenecks,” it’s unbelievable.

We should always pay tribute to the builders as a result of when designing a degree, they instantly plan which useful resource will probably be briefly provide. On the identical time, the correct manufacturing facility will want an “elite” supervisor, which may be very troublesome to get from the standard chests. A degree ends when the participant completes all of the quests on the present map. The participant additionally receives an “elite” chest with the suitable supervisor and units of evolve currencies as a reward.

Meta

As for the meta, Frozen Metropolis combines parts from gacha, battler, and journey mechanics.

1. Managers. Discovering a cell tycoon sport with out this mechanic is tough. Nevertheless, Frozen Metropolis may be handed solely with managers you want, not utilizing all of them without delay. Spoiler, it gained’t be straightforward as a result of managers assist in manufacturing and take part in battles (about that a little bit later). Every of them has their very own function in factories and fight, so sending a medic someplace apart from the infirmary will not work. Additionally, the supervisor’s degree determines the manufacturing facility’s effectivity and the out there workstations.
2. Battler was a logical continuation of the gacha system. You’ll need characters from accrued playing cards with their very own degree, function, and faction for battle. By gathering 4 characters of 1 faction in a squad, the participant will get a bonus within the type of lots of minion-helpers. Why struggle in any respect? Every accomplished battle will increase the passive evolve forex revenue.
3. Journey. Not a battle, after all, however it’s important to struggle! An journey consists of a long-distance raid the place your squad encounters enemies. For successful, you will get assets and add a brand new ally to the staff. Every such journey has 20 phases, for which you obtain a prize. After finishing 50 phases from totally different raids, the participant can open a chest with any character card. Nevertheless, you possibly can solely take part in an journey as soon as per day.

Influence of meta-activity on the sport and customers

• First, the participant has one thing to occupy themself with whereas ready.
  
• The participant turns into extra acquainted with the stats of the characters and their benefits, studying extra about their worth.
• Along with creating bottle-necks for monetization, gacha playing cards permit the developer so as to add variation to ranges and management the rise in issue.

LTE

Frozen Metropolis has totally different time occasions. Why are they wanted right here and the way do they have an effect on the gamers? First, let’s take a look at some LTEs and their options.

For the Grampa’s Farm occasion, the builders did not simply do a reskin, they reassembled the sport circulation. This manner, the sport turned extra just like the acquainted tycoons. One common mushy forex (cash), and the method is constructed round multiplying earnings, with meals at all times in abundance and you don’t have any probability of freezing.

For finishing quests, the participant receives particular tokens for the slot machine, the place you possibly can win numerous bonuses, together with ability factors. These factors are spent to extend the price of promoting items, the quantity of truck shipments, cheaper constructing upgrades, and so forth. LTE has rewards for passing the cash milestones and a leaderboard with further rewards for top rankings. The rivalry right here isn’t any small factor.

For an additional LTE, Fish Farming, the builders selected a circulation just like Grampa’s Farm, however right here the ability factors are changed by playing cards obtained from chests (like with the managers’ mechanics).

The Final Autumn occasion’s core has the least distinction in visuals and gameplay from the bottom occasion: assets as a substitute of currencies, a furnace, and a chilly setting. The main target is totally on individuals administration: solely 16 staff may be on the map, with the assistance of which it’s essential construct a multi-threaded manufacturing in 3 days. Rewards for passing milestones will not be centered on chests and playing cards however on forex to extend the utmost degree of the characters.

How do these LTEs have an effect on the sport and the participant?

1. The participant will get a authorized alternative to choose up many rewards totally free that must have been paid for within the retailer.
   
2. The participant challenges himself. Can he achieve success with acquainted entities however in several circumstances?
3. The developer will get an viewers that’s extra more likely to play the sport through the LTE emergence interval (by the way in which, they’ve a minimal break). The leaderboard gives further rewards and fuels aggressive pleasure. Even when the participant wasn’t planning on shopping for any further bonuses from the LTE retailer, the sensation of “I used to be good, however not sufficient. Others have been higher” is conducive to changing to a paying participant.

Visible / UI

The sport’s visuals deserve particular person consideration. The sport is gratifying visually, because the builders spared no effort on its property. It is simpler for the participant to really feel their progress when it is seen. Frozen Metropolis has applied this strategy in two methods.

1. Enhancing the visuals of buildings after upgrading. Every new degree of building is a unique mannequin that appears “richer” and “extra strong” than the earlier ones. Even particular person parts can change their look after minor enhancements to constructing parameters.
2. Interface. All sections are terse, with no button muddle and no screaming ideas. The participant will not get confused or uncomfortable due to the visible noise.

The visible rewards have a pleasing impact on the sensation of the sport. On the finish of every degree, the participant sees statistics along with his achievements and a small clip displaying which manner of growth the town has overcome.

Monetization

Frozen Metropolis’s monetization contains in-app, arduous forex, and Rewarded Video (RV). Normally, all the pieces is customary. However, as we mentioned at first, the sport earned $11.3 million on in-apps alone. What in-apps of this challenge are included?

1. Packs. for newbies, seasonal and some with supervisor playing cards for every degree to get uncommon managers. At larger ranges, particular units comprise chests as a substitute of particular playing cards.
2. Arduous forex. Customary arduous forex bundles present the extra revenue from their buy.
3. Subscriptions with three units of advantages: Gems+ (a set quantity of arduous forex), Adverts+ (customary NoAds), and Essential Metropolis+ (ubiquitous enhancements).
4. LTE-VIP. It’s a one-time buy that doubles your revenue and offline time earnings in LTEs. Bought individually for every occasion.

The participant additionally has 4 spots of use for arduous forex: chests, further playing cards and evolve forex, setting up acceleration, and time skip. Regardless of the well-balanced gameplay, in the end, it would be best to enhance your circumstances, for which the builders are well-prepared.

For instance, you will get a chest with a assured supervisor card as soon as each 8 hours, however the probability of getting a uncommon card is tiny. Nevertheless, you should buy higher crates and enhance the possibility accordingly. If the participant doesn’t have sufficient playing cards or forex to lift the extent restrict, they will purchase the lacking gadgets with diamonds. The lengthy building interval of buildings can also be decreased by the acquisition of on the spot completion. Do you want assets however don’t wish to wait too lengthy? Buying a time skip will clear up the issue!

What concerning the RV? The participant can get a random useful resource and an additional chest utilizing them. Within the first case, a small placement seems, permitting you to choose up lots of assets for constructing enhancements (which may be very helpful!) after watching an advert. As we mentioned earlier than, you will get a free chest as soon as each 8 hours, nevertheless it’s additionally doable to get an additional one by watching a industrial as soon as each 8 hours.

We have now analysed the gameplay and monetization of the sport intimately. Now it is time to reply the primary query.

What are the participant’s motivations and the explanations for the success of Frozen Metropolis?

Elevated empathic attachment of the participant to the world. They care not solely concerning the consolation of their wards but additionally about their survival. In fact, the sport is informal and doesn’t punish the participant a lot for miscalculations, nevertheless it looks like a problem for this type of challenge.

A well-recognized theme. The sport will certainly curiosity Frostpunk followers and survivalist lovers unfamiliar with this title. Apart from, a freezing post-apocalypse continues to be a contemporary form of post-apocalypse. There is a purpose why we expect that the snowy apocalypse setting performed a big function within the challenge’s success. The writer of Frozen Metropolis has one other challenge with which it’s normally in contrast, White Out Survival. In keeping with our data, this challenge was initially examined available on the market in several settings, reminiscent of “survival within the desert,” “sea world,” and “growth of civilizations,” however one of the best efficiency was proven by, clearly, the identical frozen world.

Simplified logistics. The builders discovered a steadiness between conventional informal tycoons and simulators with advanced financial chains. Doubtlessly, it’s doable to achieve the viewers of each genres.

Completely different ranges are totally different introductions. Every degree just isn’t “status” within the classical sense, neither is it a repetition of beforehand seen, however different challenges throughout the identical theme. What sort of manufacturing will seem at that degree? That is how curiosity is maintained.

There may be at all times one thing to do within the sport. LTE and mini-games complement the core gameplay.

AppQuantum intends to proceed to share particulars on essentially the most attention-grabbing tasks out on the cell market and analyse the explanations behind their success.

Edited by Paige Prepare dinner