Challenges FAQ

Q. What is a challenge?
A Scoreloop challenge is where 2 players compete against each other for the best score. In many games, there is a “bet” of in-game currency that can be won as a prize.

Q. Do they compete against each other in real time?
No, players do not compete against each other simultaneously. First one player starts the game and earns a score that is submit to Scoreloop. Then the second player plays the game, gets a score, and submits it to Scoreloop. The player with the best score is declared the winner!

Q. What is the challenge stake?
In games that incorporate in-game currencies, the stake is the amount of in-game currency that both players must place on the challenge in order to take part.

Q. Who decides how big the stake should be?
The contender (that is the player who starts the challenge) decides the size of the stake. The stake options available to the contender are dependent on their balance of in-game currency: the larger the balance, the larger the minimum stake will be. So, for example, a user with a balance of 10 units might be able to place a minimum stake of 1 unit, whereas for a user with a balance of 100 units the minimum stake might be 5 units.

Q. What happens to the stake?
The challenge winner gets the challenge ‘prize’, which is an amount of in-game currency. The challenge prize is calculated depending on the Challenge Sink that the developer has chosen to use.

The Challenge Sink represents the cost of a challenge as a percentage of the total virtual currency pool of a challenge. (ex 1. When the 25% sink is in place: Both players contribute 5 coins to play a challenge and the winner is awarded 7.5 coins, while 2.5 coins would be taken as the challenge cost) (ex 2. When no sink is in place: Both players contribute 5 coins to play a challenge and the winner is awarded 10 coins)

The following examples demonstrate the currency wallet during a challenge:

25% Challenge Sink

- Player’s balance before challenge: 10 units
- Challenge stake: 5 units
- Player’s balance after paying stake: 5 units, (i.e. 10 – 5)
- Challenge prize: 1.5 x stake = 1.5 x 5 = 7.5 units
- Player’s balance after winning challenge: 12.5 units (= balance after paying stake + challenge prize)

0% Challenge Sink

- Player’s balance before challenge: 10 units
- Challenge stake: 5 units
- Player’s balance after paying stake: 5 units, (i.e. 10 – 5)
- Challenge prize: 2 x stake = 2 x 5 = 10 units
- Player’s balance after winning challenge: 15 units (= balance after paying stake + challenge prize)

Q. Are there different types of challenges?
There are two types: ‘open’ and ‘direct’. An open challenge is one that can be accepted by anyone. A direct challenge is one that has been assigned to a specific player. In a direct challenge only the user to whom the challenge has been assigned may accept it.

Q. Who decides whether a challenge is ‘open’ or ‘direct’?
The contender (the user who starts the challenge) decides whether it is to be open or direct.

Q. What if a challenge is rejected?
When a challenge is rejected, the challenge is cancelled and the stake is returned to the contender.

Q. What if an open/direct challenge is not accepted?
In case a challenge is not accepted within the “challenge expiry” time, the challenge will be cancelled and the stake will be returned to the contender. By default challenges expire after 72 hours, though each game developer can modify this duration.

Q. Does Scoreloop do anything to try to promote fairness in challenges?
Yes. Scoreloop calculates a ‘skill level’ for each player. This skill level is dependent on how well a user has performed in past challenges, (how many they have won and lost). The skill level for a player will change over time. When a player requests a list of all open challenges, Scoreloop only displays open challenges from other players with a similar skill level. This is to ensure that new or weaker players aren’t unfairly matched with more experienced ones.

Q. How can I keep track of what challenges I have taken part in?
The Scoreloop Challenge Menu displays your challenge history, which is a record of challenges played, won, and lost by you.