DevCAT celebrated the 100-day milestone of Mabinogi Mobile on the 3rd by announcing that their 'Chance Encounter' system has been officially patented. The patent is even registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), meaning the intellectual property is recognized globally.

The 'Chance Encounter' system offers a different approach compared to traditional MMORPG party-matching systems. In most MMORPGs, players typically search for parties manually or use specific interfaces to join others. In contrast, Mabinogi Mobile's 'Chance Encounter' system is designed to automatically handle channel switching and merging during gameplay.

In practice, players simply need to activate the 'Chance Encounter' button before entering a dungeon. As they progress, they will naturally meet other players at a similar stage of the game. No extra effort is required to form a party, and players can naturally part ways based on their combat contribution. While clearing dungeons with other players provides bonus gold, the difficulty scales up as the number of players increases.

According to the published patent, the 'Chance Encounter' system utilizes pre-set 'merging points' within the game space. When a player's character reaches these points, the system evaluates the current channel's population and game progress to decide whether to switch channels. It then automatically selects the optimal channel and merges the player into it.

The patent also includes technology to ensure that channel switching does not disrupt the player's immersion. When a character passes through a merging point, a 'visual obstruction graphic effect' is displayed. This gives the impression of entering a new area, allowing the player to continue playing without realizing a channel change has occurred.

The patent focuses on the number of characters in a channel and game progress as key factors. If the current channel's population is below a set minimum, or if there is a channel with a matching progress level, the system triggers a channel change. This is intended to prevent players from playing alone in instances and to support natural encounters with others at similar progress levels.

The experience of merging is also covered in the patent. When a channel switch occurs or a new character joins, the system sends a notification to the players involved. Furthermore, after merging, the system provides positive incentives such as adjusted monster difficulty, attack/defense buffs, and additional rewards upon clearing the dungeon to encourage a positive perception of the 'Chance Encounter' system.

Beyond improving user convenience, this system offers advantages in operational efficiency. By reducing the need for unnecessarily fragmented channels and maintaining an optimal number of channels based on the total player count, it is expected to reduce server load and manage resources more effectively. This allows game operators to manage channel balance more easily.