DeletedUser116509
I recently accidentally deleted my level 13 Arc (unlocked to level 16). The moderator was able to recover the initial 9 blue prints and resources for constructing a new one. There was no way to get the original level or unlock back. Well, at least mine was not a level 80 Arc.
The lessons are learned...though it is desirable to not to need to learn such lessons from a leisurely played game. Played long enough, accidents do happen.
The current deletion warning is helpful. It is less useful on mobile if you are deleting a large number of cheap special buildings such as victory towers, at which point you are getting into a habit of checking the checkbox for deletion warning - which was the case for me.
In most modern games, there are a number of guardrails against such a scenario.
Current System:
https://forum.us.forgeofempires.com/index.php?threads/help-stop-accidental-deleting.13490/
Proposal #1:
Setup password deletion for buildings. This can be one of the following:
1.1 By default, have GBs/Event Buildings locked from deletion, with every deletion requiring a password.
1.2 Allow users to lock down buildings from deletion - a common feature in most MMORPGs for in-game items.
According to a moderator's comment below, we may only need this for GBs, since Event Buildings can be fully recovered by support team.
Proposal #2:
Create a timed deconstruction that can be cancelled. Realistically, tearing down a building takes time. So similar to the construction timer, put a deconstruction timer for critical buildings.
Comparisons:
The choice is really going to depend on how easy is it for any one of these given existing system design:
Proposal 1.1 is mostly a front-end change. It is also the least flexible for players. It guards against malicious deletes, and most likely slows down accidental deletes. This is a very short term feature that can be implemented.
Proposal 1.2 requires a lightweight table to for checking for locks against buildings - I assume Forge of Empires has a building ID for each building? This is the most flexible option. Though it requires more work from the player and definitely some new tables. It provides more protection for both malicious and accidental deletes since players will only lock buildings that they do not want to delete anyway. So the password prompt only shows up rarely - instead of driving players into a habit of inputting password. This is more of a mid-term feature that may require more work.
Proposal 2 depends heavily on current implementations. If we can reuse the construction timer's implementation, that would be easiest to implement. Otherwise it is desirable to build a similar back end to avoid overloading existing tables. This is a very desirable feature since it pretty much eliminates the possibility of accidental delete given long enough deconstruction period. In a way, the deconstruction period serves as a "preview" to player actions. However, since it may involve refactoring, this might be longer term if the existing system cannot readily support it.
There are some other proposals I saw from other threads relating to creating a trash-bin and what not. Those can be cheap if "deletion" is really just a flag on the building entity. Given what the moderator were able to recover, I assume that the current implementation of deleting a building really means deleting it from the database and only logging an event of what happened. So that change will require more refactoring - though it might be worth it since it generally improves the robustness of the data.
There is also the possibility of disabling deletion for Great Buildings except through moderators. However, the solution could only be temporary and would definitely increase support cost. So it is not desirable.
Conclusion:
Either one of these would work. Having all of them is even better. These solutions could alleviate both player pain and moderator work load. Putting some metrics surrounding the features - such as number of cancelled deletions - will help assess the cost savings in terms of moderator cost and player loss, allowing the features to pay for themselves in a measured manner. The timed deletion could also help driving sales for Store Building item, which is instant.
Having guardrails against deletion will generally boost player confidence, thus encouraging additional time and monetary investments into the game. For instance, knowing that a level 80 Arc can be accidentally or maliciously deleted beyond recovery discourages players from purchasing blue prints or seek high level Arcs, which in turn discourages spending.
While I appreciate the constant influx of great content, property protection features will help making the game much more comfortable for players to invest in, thus driving overall player confidence and spending.
The lessons are learned...though it is desirable to not to need to learn such lessons from a leisurely played game. Played long enough, accidents do happen.
The current deletion warning is helpful. It is less useful on mobile if you are deleting a large number of cheap special buildings such as victory towers, at which point you are getting into a habit of checking the checkbox for deletion warning - which was the case for me.
In most modern games, there are a number of guardrails against such a scenario.
Current System:
https://forum.us.forgeofempires.com/index.php?threads/help-stop-accidental-deleting.13490/
Proposal #1:
Setup password deletion for buildings. This can be one of the following:
1.1 By default, have GBs/Event Buildings locked from deletion, with every deletion requiring a password.
1.2 Allow users to lock down buildings from deletion - a common feature in most MMORPGs for in-game items.
According to a moderator's comment below, we may only need this for GBs, since Event Buildings can be fully recovered by support team.
Proposal #2:
Create a timed deconstruction that can be cancelled. Realistically, tearing down a building takes time. So similar to the construction timer, put a deconstruction timer for critical buildings.
Comparisons:
The choice is really going to depend on how easy is it for any one of these given existing system design:
Proposal 1.1 is mostly a front-end change. It is also the least flexible for players. It guards against malicious deletes, and most likely slows down accidental deletes. This is a very short term feature that can be implemented.
Proposal 1.2 requires a lightweight table to for checking for locks against buildings - I assume Forge of Empires has a building ID for each building? This is the most flexible option. Though it requires more work from the player and definitely some new tables. It provides more protection for both malicious and accidental deletes since players will only lock buildings that they do not want to delete anyway. So the password prompt only shows up rarely - instead of driving players into a habit of inputting password. This is more of a mid-term feature that may require more work.
Proposal 2 depends heavily on current implementations. If we can reuse the construction timer's implementation, that would be easiest to implement. Otherwise it is desirable to build a similar back end to avoid overloading existing tables. This is a very desirable feature since it pretty much eliminates the possibility of accidental delete given long enough deconstruction period. In a way, the deconstruction period serves as a "preview" to player actions. However, since it may involve refactoring, this might be longer term if the existing system cannot readily support it.
There are some other proposals I saw from other threads relating to creating a trash-bin and what not. Those can be cheap if "deletion" is really just a flag on the building entity. Given what the moderator were able to recover, I assume that the current implementation of deleting a building really means deleting it from the database and only logging an event of what happened. So that change will require more refactoring - though it might be worth it since it generally improves the robustness of the data.
There is also the possibility of disabling deletion for Great Buildings except through moderators. However, the solution could only be temporary and would definitely increase support cost. So it is not desirable.
Conclusion:
Either one of these would work. Having all of them is even better. These solutions could alleviate both player pain and moderator work load. Putting some metrics surrounding the features - such as number of cancelled deletions - will help assess the cost savings in terms of moderator cost and player loss, allowing the features to pay for themselves in a measured manner. The timed deletion could also help driving sales for Store Building item, which is instant.
Having guardrails against deletion will generally boost player confidence, thus encouraging additional time and monetary investments into the game. For instance, knowing that a level 80 Arc can be accidentally or maliciously deleted beyond recovery discourages players from purchasing blue prints or seek high level Arcs, which in turn discourages spending.
While I appreciate the constant influx of great content, property protection features will help making the game much more comfortable for players to invest in, thus driving overall player confidence and spending.
Last edited by a moderator:
