For a while, I was really into playing the claw crane game otherwise known as UFO Catcher. As I played more, and accumulated my winnings, my house rapidly became a plushy paradise. These are all the plushy's i've won from playing various games, the smaller ones are all won from UFO Catcher
有一段时间我特别沉迷于抓娃娃，慢慢的我的家变成了娃娃的世界。这些都是我在英国和中国玩游戏赢到的娃娃。这些小的娃娃都是通过抓娃娃机抓到的。
Most of you will probably have had some experience with UFO Catchers, whether in China or Abroad, any arcade or theme park will have plenty of these games.
说起抓娃娃机，应该很少有人没有玩过，无论是国内还是国外，大的游戏厅，游乐场都有抓娃娃机的身影。
So, can you really catch a toy from these UFO Catchers? The answer is a definite YES! However, if you had hopes of trying to game the system and profit from winning these toys and selling them on ebay then you will be disappointed.
所以抓娃娃机真的可以抓起来娃娃吗，答案是可以。但是如果你想靠抓娃娃来挣钱，比如说抓来的娃娃拿去ebay上卖，那么你可能会失望了。
In my experience, UFO Catchers are about gaming the probability and not as much about skill. Every machine has a payout quota that requires a certain about of money to be paid in before the claws are tight. Once this quota is met, the claws will be fully tight and the only thing you have to worry about is aiming precisely. When the the claws are tight, it doesn't matter if the toy is far, or heavy, as long as you have aimed the claws well, then once the toy is up, it won't fall.
以我的经验，抓娃娃机其实没有什么技巧和机关，一切都是概率的问题。每台机器都设有一个“最大币出娃娃值“。比如说这台抓娃娃机设定当玩家投到100个币的时候，爪子的力量会达到最大值，那么只要你对准了，爪子可以抓起最大最远最重的那个娃娃。也就是说如果你凑巧碰上了抓力最强的一次，不管你多么不懂抓娃娃，只要对准了都可以抓到。
So, knowing that the system works on a min deposit to payout probability, we can focus on how to ensure maximum opportunity in securing a toy each and every try so that when the claws are tight, we can be successful.
I. Take a look at the UFO Catcher machine.
- Observe the machine and try to see if other's have tried to win a toy. If the toys seemed to be left there and nobody has won, then the payout percentage may be too low. Machine payouts are adjusted by the operator and low payout percentage machines you can generally avoid.
- Take a look at the exit gaurd panels, if they are quite high, you can also think about avoiding this machine.
- Observe the players before you and see how much they have deposited into the machine. If they have put alot into the machine but not won a toy, then the machine is being 'pumped' prime for you to win a toy. They would be charging up the machine to reach the minimum deposit for payout and then leaving it to you.
- Take a look at the way the toys have been arragned. If the toy you like is obstructed by another toy or the part of its body that you can grab is very small, then you can give it a try another time. Go for ones with with the best likelihood for a clean grab. The toys with a large head, aim the claws at the head, if the toy's hands and feet allow the claws to fixate easier, then aim the claw towards the body of toy.
所以我们在这样的概率下，只能研究，当爪子比较紧的时候，怎么样尽可能多的抓到娃娃。
I. 观察抓娃娃机
- 来到抓娃娃机面前，先了解一下你前面有没有试过这台娃娃机，如果它很久没有抓起来娃娃，可能是这台娃娃机的最大抓力的比例太小了，所以你可以忽略这台娃娃机。
- 观察一下，如果挡板过高，也可以考虑放弃这台抓娃娃机。
- 如果你前面有人花了很多钱，也没有抓住娃娃就放弃了，这时候你的机会就来了，因为也许到你的时候，正是第100次，也就是抓力最大的一次。
- 先观察一下娃娃的摆放情况，如果你喜欢的娃娃被压在其他娃娃下面，或者摆放的姿势位置是小的部分处于被抓范围，那么最放弃这个娃娃，去抓其他没有被阻挡的，离出口近的。头比较大的娃娃要抓头，如果娃娃的手脚位置比较好固定爪子，那么就抓娃娃的身体。
II. The Claw's final placement has to be accurate.
I usually use my phone as a rule of measure when aligning the claws to my target. When moving the claws, you should move them smoothly and steadilyy, for example, as you move the claws horizontally, even when you stop the claws with the joystick, the claws continue to shake as a result of it's moment of inertia. Wait, then continue perpendicular motion when the claws are stationary. Of course, you must do all this whilst keeping an eye out on the count down timer. If the timer runs out, the claws will automatically descend. (Some guides will say that you should push the 'go' button again when the claws reach the head or body of the toy for maximum claw strength, but from my own experience, this has not been conclusively true. It may be better to adopt this strategy on items close to the gaurd panels)
II. 爪子最后安放的位置要准确。
我通常都会用手机当作尺子在玻璃上比划，因为这样子更容易看清楚爪子该在什么位置停下来。移动爪子的时候要尽量平稳，比如说如果通过水平移动后，爪子不停的来回摇摆，就需要等爪子停下来之后，再进行垂直方向的移动。当然整个过程你需要密切关注所剩下的时间，当时间耗尽，爪子会自动下来抓。（虽然我看到有抓娃娃攻略说，当爪子下到娃娃身体或者头部一般时候，再按一次下抓键，有助于增加抓力，这个方法我试过了，并没有觉得很管用，也许抓离出口最近的娃娃比较适用）。
III. Maintain a happy and positive attitude.
In important part of playing UFO Catchers is to maintain a positive attitude and be happy. Whether you catch 1 , 10 or none at all, the point of the game is to have fun. Of course, the easier alternative to obtaining the toys is to just buy them, but then where is the fun in that?
III. 保持开心的状态
最后一点当然就是心态要好，抓到1个和抓到10个娃娃的开心程度应该是一样的，抓到娃娃就是为了更开心的，不然我们可以直接去买娃娃，就丧失了抓娃娃的意义和乐趣了。
I hope my tips and small guide will help you to winning your favourite plushy's, either for yourself, or your loved ones!
希望我的抓娃娃小攻略可以帮到你们，祝你们抓到自己喜欢的娃娃或者送给爱的人。