作者：Damon Brown

游戏邦注：本文发稿于2010年11月19日，所涉时间、事件和数据均以此为准。

id Software的传奇游戏开发者约翰·卡马克（John Carmack）于1年前跟我说iOS是他最喜欢的系统，当时这听起来很像马丁·斯科塞斯（Martin Scorsese）说他想要用Flipcam拍摄下部影片。卡马克甚至不讳言他极度期待的《雷神之锤》续作《狂怒》将首先出现在手机上。iPhone/iPod游戏《Rage: Mutant Blast TV!》于本周三发布，目前已在排行榜上位居第二。它的成功为控制器游戏公司提供了范例，游戏便宜、简单、推广迅速且存在盈利潜力。

rage-iphone(from iphonefreakz.com)

便宜：《狂怒》的标清版售价为99美分，高清版售价1.99美元。首先，游戏为玩家提供了选择的余地，他们可以多支付1美元获得更良好的视觉效果，也可以选择省下这1美元。其次，游戏遵从Chillingo的《愤怒的小鸟》（游戏邦注：这款游戏售价99美分）等巨作设定的低价原则。

简单：手机版《狂怒》是备受期待的控制器游戏的先行篇，玩家只需倾斜控制器并向进攻的异形射击即可。这更像是某种奇幻旅程，而并非是即将在控制器中出现的成熟完善的后预言时代冒险，这种题材让玩家愿意花上1美元。虽然其他开发商想尽量让手机游戏带来复杂和多层次的体验，《狂怒》凭借其在控制方式稀少的iPhone/iPod上的有趣游戏方式获得了成功。

为最终项目提供资金：视频游戏平均需要花三年时间和数百万美元来制作。如果将部分开发资金投入到更为廉价的手机领域中来开发手机应用，收回成本后该应用就可以为最终的大项目提供资金。事实上，手机版可以使用与最终版游戏相同的图像、音效和设计，因为制作小型游戏需要花费比全版本关卡制作更多的精力。

Rockstar Games游戏巨作《侠盗猎车手：血战唐人街》的架构为《侠盗猎车手4》的研究和开发提供了支持。此类游戏帮助《雷神之锤》和《毁灭战士》的开发者约翰·卡马克等少数设计师解决原本可能遇到的资金问题。而且，小游戏支援最终版游戏这种模式对所有视频游戏开发者来说都很不错。

手机游戏也相当于向那些付费用户做了个广告，《狂怒》无可否认地吊足了玩家的胃口，刺激他们花费59.99美元购买该游戏在9月份推出的微软XBox 360或索尼PlayStation 3版本。id Software尽量简化玩家的购买过程，支持他们登录苹果iPhone游戏菜单，点击链接转到GameStop网站提前10个月预订游戏。

这些都是精心安排的计划，随着游戏销售量的下滑，我们可能会看到推广时间逐渐延长，就像现在好莱坞会提前数年展示电影样片。比如，用户两年前就看到了下个月将在圣地亚哥动漫展上首映的《创：战纪》。但《狂怒》的定位则更为独特，介于花哨样片和完整视频游戏体验之间，这正是低成本和满足主流诉求的手机游戏所特有的特点。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

John Carmack’s Rage: Why the iPhone Game Is a Success

Damon Brown

Legendary game creator John Carmack of id Software told me a year ago that the iPhone was his favorite system right now, which is akin to Martin Scorsese saying he wanted to film his next movie with a Flipcam. Carmack was even bold enough to say his highly-anticipated Quake follow-up Rage was coming to the mobile phones first. The iPhone/iPod game Rage: Mutant Blast TV! came out on Wednesday and already sits in the number two position. Its success will become the blueprint for console game companies because it is cheap, simple, promotional, and potentially profitable.

It’s cheap: The standard definition version of Rage runs for 99 cents and the high definition version is $1.99. First, it gives the user a choice between saving a dollar and paying to see some of the best visuals ever on the iPhone/iPod. Second, it follows the low cost blueprint set by massive hits like Chillingo’s Angry Birds (price: $.99) — the only game blocking it from the Top Grossing Apple Store spot right now.

It’s simple: Considered a prequel to the highly-anticipated console game, mobile Rage is all about tilting the controller and shooting the mutants attacking you. It’s closer to a carnival ride than the full-fledged post-apocalyptic adventure promised in the home version, exactly what one would expect from spending a dollar. While other games are trying to bring the complex, multilayered home experience to the mobile, Rage succeeds at creating a fun game for the controller-less iPhone/iPod.

It’s funding the final project: The average video game takes three years and cost several million to make. If a portion of the development money is put into a much cheaper mobile venture, then the mobile app, once it recoups, can help fund the final, bigger project. In fact, the mobile precursor could use the same graphic, audio, and design assets as the final game, making the smaller game require a bit more effort than creating a level within the full version.

Depending on how it is structured, Rockstar Games‘ runaway hit Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars could easily support the R & D for Grand Theft Auto V. Quake and Doom creator John Carmack is one of the few designers who would have few, if any problems getting financial backing. However, the minigame-funding-the-final-game is a great model for all video game creators.

It’s advertising the consumer pays for: Rage admittedly is meant to whet the player’s appetite for the $59.99 MSRP Microsoft (MSFT) XBox 360/Sony (SNE) PlayStation 3 game coming this September. id Software has made purchasing as easy as possible: Go into the Apple (APPL) iPhone game menu and a link sends you to the actual GameStop website to preorder the title 10 months before it arrives.

This is some serious planning here, and, as gaming sales slump, we will probably see promotional lead times get longer, just as Hollywood now shows trailers for movies literally years in advance. For instance, audiences got a peek at next month’s Tron: Legacy at the San Diego Comic-Con two years ago. But Rage sits in that unique place between a fancy trailer and a full-fledge video game experience, something that mobile games are uniquely apt to provide because of their low cost and mainstream appeal. (Source: BNET)