Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-220.255.1.128-20131017102330/@comment-13156619-20131018135532

Optimus2861 wrote: 42.60.77.234 wrote: Damn stupid ruby bridge 8 FFB in a row .. I give up Mobage could make these ruby bridges, especially the cheapest one, so much less frustrating for players with just one change: one guaranteed pair in your first "X" pulls, let's say 3 or 4. After that it's completely random again. (I think DutchRits suggested this) So casual players could acquire a card they want as a reward for their effort, without giving the hardcore types a guarantee of grabbing multiples.

When you pull that many bots in a row, it's just no fun. It makes you feel like you completely wasted your time & effort, and makes you want to uninstall the game in frustration (I got 6 Starscream bots in a row in One Shall Fall so I got it then). I can't imagine why Mobage wants to create that feeling in its players. Optimus: I remember reading a couple papers on gambling theory, where the most addictive part of gambling was "near misses". A quote from the paper:

As expected, wins activated the reward pathways in the region called the midbrain. But so did a loss in which the second icon was right above or below the one that would have matched the icon on the first wheel�a near-miss. Since the bursts of dopamine indicated by the brain activity bring a sense of reward and keep people coming back for more, the fact that they are as intense as the bursts that follow a win suggests an explanation for the power of near-misses to keep people gambling. Although losing feels subjectively lousy, near-misses nevertheless spritz the brain with the dopamine that makes a behavior addictive