Auto Hustle developer Metrogames revisits the fashion genre with its newest game, Coco Girl, for Facebook. The game launched at the end of September and has already overtaken Fashion World as the developer's top title, thanks to improvements in graphics and aggressive viral sharing features.
According to our traffic tracking service, AppData, Coco Girl currently enjoys 1.8 million monthly active users and 350,000 daily active users.
Like other fashion games on Facebook, Coco Girl's core gameplay loop involves obtaining clothes that can be mixed and matched to form outfits. Players control a female avatar that functions like a 2D paper doll posing in various environments that the player navigates using the mouse. Also like other fashion games, the bulk of the play session is spent in virtual shops that offer different styles and pieces of clothing in exchange for virtual currency (Rubies) or Facebook Credits. Players can dress their avatar in two outfits per day, creating a Daily Look and a Quest Look that the game stores each day for other players to vote on. Once worn, an outfit is sent to the cleaners, temporarily removing it from the player's inventory and forcing them to craft a new outfit with different pieces the next day.
The voting system in Coco Girl is incentivized with Rubies. As part of a daily checklist that can be completed for additional Rubies, players are invited to vote on a number of looks available from a Fashion Expert magazine in the player's virtual home. Most votes involve a star rating, but there are also alternative votes for "best out of these three" or "thumbs up, thumbs down." The more closely the player's vote align with other players' votes, the more Rubies they earn for participating. Top-voted outfits are made visible to all players from the home location and in the Hall of Fame location.
Where Coco Girl gets interesting is in the player-driven economy, to which the voting process contributes. Aside from the in-game store front and a "catalogue order" location, players can obtain or sell items for Rubies at a marketplace where players determine the price of goods. Prices tend to fluctuate based on which items turn up in the top voted outfits. The developer takes a 10% selling fee, which also impacts price. As many players will sometimes try to offload the same item, the store often features the same item for a variety of prices (see below).
In addition to the fashion economy, Coco Girl also offers a series of mini-games like a slot machine simulation or a connect-the-two-sides puzzle. Players can play these games for free up to three times a day each to earn Rubies as part of the daily checklist. The mini-games also award the player Prize Tickets, which can be spent on bundles of Rubies or on special customization items for your avatar, like a smartphone or guitar accessory.
Social features include an outfit posting system that encourages non-players to vote on Coco Girl outfits both on Facebook Walls, Friend Requests, Twitter, and anywhere the player can post a URL. The player economy is also supported by sharing Wall posts that name which players are ranking with which outfits — and who is buying from or selling to whom. Additionally, players can visit in-game friends' homes to help speed up their laundry load for outfits at the cleaners.
Coco Girl is primarily monetized through the sale of premium fashion items, which are mixed in on store racks with items available for in-game currency. Players can buy discount cards for Facebook Credits that take a certain percentage off the next 10 items the player buys, regardless of which currency the game charges for that item. Decoration items for the player's home are also available for Rubies or Credits. Lastly, additional mini-game turns can be purchased for Facebook Credits.
We've seen the fashion genre grow quite a bit in the last six months as Facebook game graphics have improved, making for more interesting visual choices. The social aspect of the genre, however, relies on players expression their opinions to other players on what looks good. Coco Girl provides more avenues for expression than most social games — but at times, the steady Wall post and Friend Requests prompts feel oppressive and distract the player from other gameplay objectives.
You can follow the game's progress on AppData, our traffic tracking service for social games and developers.
Source: Inside Social Games
Monday, October 24, 2011