作者：Mike Jungbluth

在游戏中我们总是会碰到一些收集品，包括铜币，弹药，魔法球或者飞马的羽毛等，所以很难找到一款不含收集品机制的游戏。

这些收集品可以用来代表货币，生命值或者分数。有时候玩家很难找到收集品，但是有时候收集品却遍布游戏的许多角落。有的收集品能够增强游戏的乐趣，但是有的却只会让玩家感到厌倦。

所以，让我们讨论怎样的收集品才是真正对游戏有帮助的。你可能曾经在GameDesign网站上就看到许多这类型的游戏，在这些游戏中你必须收集到许多特定的物品才能够继续前进。

将收集品作为一种奖励和货币形式

这应该是大多数玩家最期望收集到的吧。如果他们拾起这些收集品，便能从中有所收获。很多情况下，游戏把这类型的收集品当作给予玩家的奖励，玩家可以使用它们立即提升能量，或者通过积累更多而购买对他们有帮助的道具。

而如果收集品不具备任何统计价值，那么玩家便会希望能够从中获得一些成就感。这时候收集品就像是玩家在历经各种艰难探索后而获得的一种纪念品，或者一种推动力能够激励他们找寻更多隐秘空间。

但是如果收集品不能体现上述任何意义，那么玩家也就会对此失去兴趣，甚至不愿意继续玩游戏了。

《刺客信条》中的旗帜，《心灵杀手》中的水壶，以及《黑色洛城》中的金色胶卷都是一些没有意义的收集品。“意义”自然非常关键，因为如果只是简单地在游戏中安插一些无关紧要的收集品，那将让玩家的核心游戏体验大打折扣。

而只有当你能够清楚地描述出收集品的数量时，你才有可能创造出真正有价值的收集品。这需要我们去讨论并学习游戏中的经济系统，玩家的游戏进程，道具的能力等因素之间的平衡，而比起主观感受，游戏体验更能够有效地解释这些观点。

在很大程度上，收集品的数量以及它们是如何分配等因素都将影响玩家的感受。让我们以《塞尔达》，《Ratchet & Clank》以及《乐高哈利波特》为例，并从我妻子的角度进行分析。

塞尔达(from gamasutra)

在《塞尔达》中，她会不顾一切地摧毁所有瓶罐，切开每片草地，举起每块石头，以找寻游戏中随机分布的卢比。但是在《Ratchet & Clank》中，当她打算摧毁任何物体时就会出现许多飞舞的bolt阻碍她的行动。

在《塞尔达》中，卢比并不是玩家用刀剑击中每一个目标便能得到，而是作为一种色标以呈现它们的不同价值。这两款游戏的随机属性都是让玩家去寻找“金钱”，而正是这种属性让卢比更显特别。

不同的是，《Ratchet & Clank》中无数的bolt会让玩家在挥舞刀剑的同时感动筋疲力竭，从而导致这些bolt的价值大大下降。但是因为玩家需要购买更好的枪支，装甲以及弹药，所以他们便不得不摧毁更多的bolt，尽管这种过程很折腾。

《乐高哈利波特》的收集品与《Ratchet & Clank》类似，但是它利用色标区分了不同收集品的价值。这种设置一方面能够让玩家感受到一种紧迫感，另一方面却也让他们容易去忽略那些没有价值的收集品。

所以在游戏中，我妻子总是会奔向那些价值较高的收集品，再而收集次等收集品。而这种机制有可能会导致她不能完整地享受游戏体验。在我妻子的这些例子中，如果是把收集品当成货币使用的话，她总是坚持物以稀为贵的道理。

按我看来，这其中还要牵扯到玩家特征因素，例如年龄，因为不同年龄层的人对于游戏中不同数额收集品的看法也是不同的。对于年轻玩家来说，《Ratchet & Clank》以及《乐高哈利波特》的收集品设置更加深得他们的喜爱。

之前我去消灭那些bolt的时候总会觉得头昏眼花；但是就像万圣节的糖果一样，如果放任不管，你将会在最后发现它们一堆一堆长出恶心的霉迹，让人作恶。

将收集品作为指南以及时刻表

把收集品当成是诱饵，怂恿玩家进入下一个区域是很早就在使用的方法。同样地，很多游戏都告知玩家收集东西并不是游戏的主要目的，而只是他们获益的一种方法。

你是如何将这些理念与收集品的价值直接联系在一起的？如果收集品是有价值且罕见的，那么玩家追逐这些收集品也就意味着他们在追求甜头，而非主要目标。但是当收集品变得没价值或者较普通时，利用它们做标识也不失一个好方法。

《Tony Hawk》是我最喜欢的一款以收集品为指南的游戏之一。游戏中的“Hidden Tapes”以及“S-K-A-T-E”（游戏邦注：是指游戏中的两种收集品）都是用来指明下一个区域，并指引玩家尝试着去抓取更多道具。这些收集品所分布的位置都是用来强调玩家完成游戏的内部奖励以及他们个人成就的外部奖励，并让他们感觉自己就像是一位资深的滑冰选手。

Tony Hawk(from gamasutra)

收集品同样也能够用来增加或者减少游戏中的紧迫感，并且调慢游戏内部的“时刻表”设定。如果玩家必须按照游戏叙述快速前进，但是同时却需要面对遍布的收集品，他们不得不放慢脚步去收集这些道具，这时候问题就出现了。因为这将导致游戏设置与游戏故事情节相矛盾。

《Enslaved》便是一个非常典型的例子。按照游戏故事的设置，角色必须带着一种紧迫感快速前进，但是游戏中遍布的一些红色魔法球却能够帮助玩家提升自己的能力。

所以为了能够在后来完成更重要的任务，我便选择到每一个区域收集这些魔法球。只要我看到魔法球，我便会忘记紧迫感。特别是当游戏要求我重新回到之前的某个关卡重新玩游戏时，我也会乐意这么做的，因为我可以再次收集到更多魔法球。

将收集品与角色挂钩

当你设定了收集品的功能以及位置后，你也许可以停下来，为其添加一些语境意义，让它们真正融入游戏世界中。这是利用收集品提供给玩家有趣的游戏体验的最后一步。有些游戏在这点上做得不错，但这却是基于不同程度而言。

让我们再次以《Enslaved》为例。红色魔法球并未明确告诉玩家它们有何意义，只有当玩家，也就是游戏中的猴子角色收集到足够的魔法球后他们才能发现这些魔法球的新能力。此外，为了提高猴子的能力，玩家还必须与游戏中的AI，即Trip进行沟通，而她会帮助你利用魔法球打开更多升级关卡。

Enslaved(from gamasutra)

但是非常有趣的是，Trip并不能够收集魔法球，即使意识了到它们的存在。所以说游戏叙述在这里就有点不协调了吧。因为整体看来游戏设置是如此呆板，玩家通过收集魔法球并在汇聚到足够数量后而获得升级，但是对于游戏来说，推动角色和叙述相协调却是一件很困难的任务。所以我们需要如何做呢？

Trip明确说明了如果玩家使用红色魔法球，也就是一种潜在能量去提高他们的技术，便能够让猴子获得升级，从而挑战更多的冒险。同时，Trip也能够吸收附近的一些魔法球，特别是那些玩家漏掉但却不希望再往回跑去收集的魔法球。

当Trip开始关心猴子的成果以及自身利益时，玩家与AI间的关系将能够得到进一步的加强。如果你是因为一些技术问题而不让AI去收集魔法球，那你也必须在一开始就详细指明，即因为这些技术能够帮助猴子进行升级，所以Trip不能介入。但是如果Trip发现了魔法球的存在，她便应该大喊“魔法球在此！”

在本篇文章的一开始所提到的《心灵杀手》中的“水壶”并没有任何真正的价值，只是为了满足角色以及游戏叙述需要罢了。这正是受到《Twin Peaks》的启发，以及人们习惯用咖啡去提神的习惯。

虽然这是一个很好的例子，但是即使是对于收集品的描述也不足以弥补那些缺失的价值。而且因为厌倦了絮絮叨叨的叙述，我很快失去了对这些收集品的兴趣，除非它们能够展现成就价值，要不我将不再费心去收集它们。

要说哪一款游戏能够合理地安排叙述与机制的分量，我们不得不提到《Infamous》。在游戏的一开始玩家将引起爆炸，因此导致整个城市遍布着爆炸后散落的蓝色发光碎片，而玩家便需要去收集这些碎片。

如果玩家能够收集到越多碎片，他们便能够获得更大的能量。所有的环节都紧紧地扣在一起。碎片的能力从一开始便与玩家联系在一起，以此来解释为何它们会散落在城市的多个角落也就不足为过了。而这样的游戏设置和叙述都让整体的游戏更加紧凑自然。

收集品的意图

收集品是电子游戏中的一种制度，而如何在游戏中使用这种制度则与玩家和设计者的直觉有关。但是很多时候这些收集品却未得到人们应有的关注。

如果你在下次玩游戏的时候注意到了这些收集品，先仔细观察它们，判断它们的价值，以及它们对于玩家的潜在意义是什么和它们对于你所创造的游戏世界有何意义等。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Opinion: Collectible Intent

by Mike Jungbluth

Collectibles are everywhere. Be it coins, ammo, orbs or pegasus feathers, it’s hard to find a game that doesn’t have them littered throughout.

They can serve as currency, health, or points towards a high score. They can be hard to find, or generously scattered everywhere the player looks. They can add a lot to a game or just as easily detract and pull the player out of the experience.

So let’s look at what collectibles can really add to a game. You have already found your internet display device, this article, and the +1 stat token that can be slotted in GameDesign, so you have collected everything you need to move forward.

Collectibles As Rewards And Currency

This is the one players have most grown to expect when they see shiny things laying about. If they pick it up, they assume they will get something from it. Most often times, that is some in game reward, be it a power-up they can use instantly or some form of currency they can amass towards some fantastic purchase.

If the collectible has no statistical worth, then players hope to feel some sense of achievement for collecting them. It could be a keepsake to prove they made it to the end of some hard to reach navigation puzzle, or as a gag for finding some hidden room.

If a collectible doesn’t deliver on one these points, the player is going to lose interest in not just the collectibles but possibly the game, for not having a meaningful in game purpose.

The flags in the first Assassin’s Creed, the thermoses in Alan Wake, or the gold movie reels in L.A.Noire are perfect examples of collectibles that are lacking in meaningful rewards. Meaningful is of course the key word, because simply attaching achievement points only shines a light on how frustrating and meaningless they are to the core experience of the game.

You can’t establish an honest value to a collectible, of course, until you dictate the quantity of the collectibles. This definitely falls into the discussion and study of balancing a game’s economy, player progression, and an item’s abilities, which is a topic best explained by those more experienced than I.

Something worth mentioning however is that the quantity of collectibles and how they are visually categorized can affect the feel or mood of the player in a big way. Let’s look at Zelda, Ratchet & Clank, and Lego Harry Potter, using my wife as the case subject.

In Zelda, she doesn’t mind smashing every pot, cutting every piece of grass, and lifting every rock in search of random rupees. Yet, when playing Ratchet & Clank, she is put off by having a million bolts fly about every time she smashes anything.

With Zelda, the rupees aren’t a guarantee from every object you hit with your sword, and when they do, they are color coded to show how much value they have. The random nature of both make even searching for money a game. It also makes each rupee found special.

Contrast that with the countless number of bolts Ratchet & Clank gives out for every swing of your wrench, and suddenly each bolt feels less special. But since they are needed to purchase better guns, armor, and ammo, it feels like a requirement to smash and run to every bolt, even when the value of each turns it into a grind.

Lego Harry Potter has the explosion of collectibles like Ratchet & Clank but adds the color-coded pieces to show which are worth more than others. This adds in a sense of urgency to collect some, but makes others feel even less valuable.

So as they spewed forth, my wife would run after the high value onesfirst, but still felt compelled to pick up even the less important ones. Again, it resulted in her being turned off by the whole experience. In my wife’s case, less is more when it comes to using collectibles as currency.

If I had to guess, I would say certain demographics, such as age, probably have different appreciations for the quantity of collectibles in their games. Being skewed towards younger audiences, Ratchet & Clank as well as Lego’s explosion of goodies is probably a part of the experience that they love.

Heck, the first few times I break open a crate bursting at the seam with bolts I get a little giddy. But like too much candy on Halloween, if left unchecked, it can cause some upset stomachs.

Collectibles As Compass And Clock

Using collectibles as bread crumbs, to entice the player to new areas is an age old trick. Likewise, many games have trained players to know that going towards the collectibles isn’t the main path, but a side room with a stash of goodies.

How you use this directly ties into the worth of the collectibles. If they are valuable and rare, then going after one often means it is a side path meant only to lead to goodies, not the main objective. But when they are less valuable and more common, using them as markers to lead the way makes sense.

One of my favorite use of collectibles as a compass is in Tony Hawk games. The Hidden Tapes and S-K-A-T-E collectibles point out areas and runs that can lead to big points as the player tries to grab each item. Their placement highlights the internal reward of completing the objective and the extrinsic reward of personal achievement for feeling like a master skater.

Collectibles can also add to or detract from the urgency of the game, and slow down the internal play style clock. If the player is being told through the narrative that there is a dire need to move quickly, but there are collectibles littered about, with nothing to keep us from collecting them all, you have a problem. The gameplay is at complete odds with the narrative.

Enslaved is a perfect example of this. Often times the story and characters projected a real sense of urgency in needing to move forward and continue onwards, but there would be red orbs lying all about, which are needed to upgrade your abilities.

So instead of continuing on my important quest, I ran into every corner of the area collecting little orbs. As soon as I saw orbs, I lost all sense of the urgency the characters projected. Especially if it required me to run back an alternate/branched path my AI had been started on.

Collectibles As Characters

You have established what your collectibles will do and where they will live throughout your game. But why stop there? Add a bit of contextual meaning to them, to make them feel like an honest part of the world. It is that final step towards making them a strong part of the experience. Many games get this right, but to varying degrees.

Let’s look at Enslaved again. The red orbs say nothing to how or why they would allow the player, Monkey, to suddenly unlock new abilities when enough are collected. Furthermore, in order to upgrade Monkey’s abilities, the player must interact with the companion AI, Trip, who then uses the orbs to unlock the upgrades.

Interestingly enough, Trip is unable to collect the orbs, however, even if she runs through them. So narrative wise, this is all rather dissonant. It all works mechanically, collect the orbs as the player to purchase upgrades through a menu when enough are amassed, but for a game that tries so hard to push character and narrative, it falters in this regard. So, how could we fix it?

Have Trip explicitly mention that if the red orbs, a latent energy used to power their technology, are picked up, she can upgrade Monkey to help on their adventure. Then, let her also absorb orbs she is near, especially on branching paths where it feels odd that the player would run all the way back to where she was just to get orbs she initially deemed necessary.

This will add a further connection between the characters, as it appears she is as much looking out for Monkey’s well being as he is hers. If for some reason there is a tech problem that keeps the AI from collecting the orbs, add into her explanation at the beginning that only the technology that absorbs the orbs can be upgraded, so she can’t pick them up for Monkey. But if she is near them, she will call out “Orbs here!”

Alan Wake’s thermoses, called out at the beginning of this article as having no real value, do have character and fit with the narrative of the game. Thermoses are a nod to Twin Peaks, an inspiration to the atmosphere of the game, as well as fitting with the idea of a person chugging coffee in hopes of staying awake.

This is a perfect example, however, of the narrative of a collectible not being enough to make up for its lack of value. While not pulling me out of the tapestry of the narrative, I quickly lost interest in searching them out when the only value they served were achievement points.

When looking for a game that gets the narrative and game mechanic just right, let’s look at Infamous. The player collects blue glowing shards, which were scattered all over the city after the explosion caused by the player at the beginning of the game.

When enough shards are collected, they give the player more energy. It all ties together so perfectly. Their power source is tied to the players from the outset and their reason for being littered all over the city makes sense. The shards serve the gameplay and narrative perfectly.

Intent Collected

Collectibles are a video game institution and much of how they are used is almost second nature to both players and designers. But that can often lead to them not getting the proper attention they deserve.

Next time a collectible shows up in the game you are working on, look at it and decide on its value, what it is subconsciously telling the player, and how it fits into the world you are creating.（source:gamasutra）