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巧用“刷任务”机制有助于延长游戏寿命

发布时间:2011-10-19 22:52:29 Tags:,,

“我恨《魔兽》。”

“啥?你玩过么你?”

“玩过。”

“你几级了?”

“60级左右。”

“那你有什么不满意的?”

“没,我就是讨厌。”

我有个朋友连续几周都在疯玩暴雪的《魔兽》,令我吃惊的是,他居然觉得这游戏没意思。他觉得自己像是被“骗”进游戏里似的,因为他一直在“刷任务”。他一边在游戏的战斗中欲罢不能,另一边又在自己的心里进行激烈的思想斗争——就这么纠结地玩下去,痛却并不快乐着。

world-of-warcraft(from puzzles-gallery)

world-of-warcraft(from puzzles-gallery)

大多数玩家都知道何谓“刷”,比如“刷”怪、“刷”副本、“刷”任务等等,但基本上可以这么定义:当玩家出于某些目的必须重复地、不断地、一次又一次地做同样的事,这就是“刷”(游戏邦注:《Dragon Quest》貌似就是一款“刷”出来的经典RPG)。在游戏中,如果突然蹦出个15级的玩家才能放倒的某怪,可是此时玩家只有12级。怎办?好吧,拉回去再练练——砍同级怪一直砍到15级。

“刷”当然不是件好事。除了抱怨,我们是不是该站在游戏开发者的立场来看待所谓的“刷”?什么时候该“刷”?什么时候不该“刷”?

设计师的那把“刷”

对游戏设计师来说,如果“刷”是游戏的必要部分,那么条件有二:

1、长期动机对玩家的吸引力无比强大

2、玩家已掌握基础机制奖惩系统

玩家能坚持不懈地“刷”下去,可能是因为玩家已经为游戏付出了太多,不玩到底不甘心。《FarmVille》的“农场主”们种了好几星期的菜了,眼看着“谷仓”要到手了,此时放弃,以前的努力不是付诸东流了么?这就是一个强悍的长期动机——当下吃尽苦头为的是日后的“甘”来。

但无论长期动机本身多么强大,也不能把玩家沦为“粉刷匠”。玩家不仅必须重复做相同的事,而且是做早已烂熟的事。穿过玄关,开门看你朋友在不在“刷怪”;穿过玄关30次,开门30次看你朋友在不在“刷怪”——你朋友在“刷”,你也在“刷”,走几步开个门的事你不是早会了么?

“刷任务”有理?

“刷”存在自有其合理之处。首先受益的游戏的寿命,简单到只要让玩家重复相同的事。这确实是增加游戏时间的最廉价的方式了。如果你希望游戏时长20小时,目前才过半,那么让玩家把时间“刷”出来吧。尽管系统和内容不变,还是够玩家“刷”上好一阵子。

这就是为什么“刷”这么受MMORPG和Facebook社交游戏的亲睐——这些游戏的成功本身就是玩家日复一日,年复一年地“刷”出来的。对游戏开发商来说,游戏要hold住一段比较长的时间,与其制作新内容,还是“刷”更划算。

“刷”当然也有负面作用,那就是,玩家讨厌“刷”。“刷”本身是件很无聊的事,还会拖跨游戏的质量,使游戏变质。另外,如果“刷”得太过分,消极影响就会把积极作用掩盖掉。不要说延长游戏寿命,可能会把许多玩家“刷”到丧气,最后直接“刷”出游戏。

farmville(from geekologie.com)

farmville(from geekologie.com)

“刷”得健康

小心地安排“刷”,能保证游戏平衡。如果需要延长游戏时间,增加一点“刷”往往效果显著。技巧在于保证玩家能以“刷”的方式接近新的基本机制和奖惩系统,且“刷”的速度不会让玩家丧失兴趣。

例如,玩家“刷”了50只野猪就想退出游戏或表现出无聊的样子,那么你就要考虑在第40只野猪倒下的时给玩家换换口胃——该让新怪出来救场了。这样就灵活地“刷”长了游戏时间。

只有在“刷”行为安排得不合理时,玩家才会抱怨。如果游戏总是细水长流般地给玩家新内容,保持玩家的兴趣,那么玩家不仅会感谢游戏的长度,还会为不断地学习新内容而兴奋。无论是摘星星、打野猪还是种番茄,只有认真地按排“刷”,才能留住玩家的心。(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

A Necessary Evil: Grinding in Games

by Brice Morrison

“I hate World of Warcraft.”

“What?  Have you ever even played it?”

“Yes.”

“How far did you get?”

“I got to about level 60.”

“And you didn’t like it?”

“No.  I hated it.”

I was amazed to find that a friend of mine had put in weeks of time into Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, and yet he felt like he didn’t have any fun.  He described the experience as though he was being tricked into playing, that he was “grinding” all the time.  He kept on playing, but for some reason, had an internal struggle that pulled him forward without providing excitement or enjoyment.  He was miserable.

Most gamers know the term “grinding”.  Grinding can and has been called many things, but generally it is defined as when the player needs to do the same thing over and over again in order to progress, seemingly for arbitrary reasons.  Dragon Quest was one of the classic RPG’s that seemed to be defined by grinding.  Enemies would suddenly appear that required the player be at Level 15 in order to beat, when currently the player was probably around Level 12.  The result?  In order to go further, the player needed to go back and fight the same old monsters over and over again, until their Level was high enough.

Grind is generally viewed as a bad thing.  But rather than just complain about it, how can a grind be understood from a game developer’s perspective?  Is there ever a time a grind should be used, and how can it be avoided?

A Designer’s Definition of Grinding

For a game designer, grinding can be defined as a part of the game that has both:

1.    Incredibly strong Long Term Incentive to keep the player going forward

2.    Base Mechanics and Punishment and Reward Systems that have already been mastered by the player

In a grind, the player wants to keep going.  This is probably because they have already put a substantial amount of effort into the game, and they would like to see it through to the end.  If a player has been planting veggies in FarmVille for weeks, and they are very close to being able to afford the barn, then they will be compelled to continue in order to make their previous effort worthwhile.  This is an incredibly strong Long Term Incentive; a reward that will come to them in the future in exchange for action in the present.

But a powerful Long Term Incentive on its own doesn’t make it a grind.  In addition the player must be performing the same actions over and over, actions that they have already mastered.  Walking down a short  hallway and opening a single door to find your friend isn’t a grind.  Walking down the hallway for 30 minutes and then opening no less than 10 doors is a grind, because you will have already masted the activity long before you complete the challenge.

Pros and Cons of Grinding in Your Game

Grinding exists for a reason.  The length of a game can be increased to an incredible degree by simply layering on higher systems to get the player to repeat the same performance.  When grinding solves the problem of adding time to the game in a cheap way.  When a game is expected to take 20 hours but currently only takes 10, then often adding  a grind will get it there.  By needing the player to continue doing the same actions, the player will continue to play the same amount of systems and content for a longer period of time.

This is why grinding typically shows up in MMORPG’s and Facebook Social Games, because the success of these titles depends on players continuing to engage with the game not just over a day or two, but months or years.  The game needs to hold up over a long period of time, and for the developer, it is much cheaper to manage player grinding than to create more content.

The con of grinding in a game is, of course, that players often hate it.  It is boring and can bring down the overall quality of the game, causing it to become stale.

Additionally, if the grind is intense enough, then it will have the opposite effect of what is desired.  Instead of lengthening the time players will play the game, they may become frustrated, quit, and never come back.

Using a Grind Responsibly

Grinding can be used carefully in a balanced manner.  When a game needs to be extended, then adding in a light grind can often be a good choice.  The trick is to make sure that the player is reaching new Base Mechanics or P&R Systems at a pace enough to keep them interested.

For example, if you find that players are either quitting the game or getting bored after they kill their 50th boar, then consider adding in a new enemy that appears after they kill their 40th.  By doing this, you can extend your game using a grind in a smart way.

Players only recognize and complain about grinds when they are used irresponsibly.  If a part of the game is slowly feeding the player new content at a pace that’s fast enough to keep them interested, then they will appreciate the length of the game and also be excited about the new things that they’re learning.  Whether it’s clicking on stars, attacking boars, or planting tomatoes, a well designed grind can be a useful way to keep players engaged.(source:thegameprodigy


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