Courtyard.io has a new mechanic on their site that is worth checking out. It's essentially loot box/hit pack mechanic. I love this for several reasons:
1) Collectibles integrating more game systems from F2P
2) Testing out different systems at different collector cohorts -- this one is $25 and has a lower ceiling, floor and average price
3) Provides some great insights on what F2P game companies can learn from
The new mechanic is called vending machine. Its instant vs their prior drops where its a limited time event (lasts days), provides immediate FMV offer to get cash back at 70% FMV, and you see the cards and the odds, which allows collectors to decide more effectively their risk aversion level and when to quit or, in my case, keep on rolling!
I've mentioned in the past that collector behaviors and motivations are quite aligned to the classic gamer behavior profiles, not just the achievement, but several others.
What I liked where mobile f2p can learn from is the instant buyback and liquidity. Collecting has a big friction in a collectors cash liquidity. The typical flow is break, get card, send cards to PSA to get graded, then get it back, to then send to a marketplace like PWCC, eBay or Goldin, wait for it to sell, then wait to get cash back. This can take over a month + or depending on the grading service, MONTHS.
Getting instant liquidity, albeit at a discount is a HUGE deal in my view.
What they could do better are in some basics from F2P (see photo of mark up), but it centers mostly around creating call to actions for the collector to re-engage in the mechanic. While there are many more I didn't call out, but these are the big ones.
1) Global shout box showing the 'activity' of who hit what big hit, or how many are using the vending machine -- this creates a sense of activity action and FOMO
2) The big hits -- great they show them, but show the value, the importance of them and how many are still "live" which creates again, a sense of urgency
3) Use the empty space to communicate how much time is left or what is left, rotate images to show case items on a dynamic carousel.
Suggestion for improving: Consider a progressive pull where each time you pull in a period of time improves your odds, but again, it depends on what their goals were, which I suspect was to engage a lower collector price point, drive more inventory to then engage in the marketplace to get liquidity and marketplace fees. Right now, there is very little reason for collectors to use the marketplace to buy/sell, which I believe the game systems come into play long term.