游戏邦在:
杂志专栏:
gamerboom.com订阅到鲜果订阅到抓虾google reader订阅到有道订阅到QQ邮箱订阅到帮看

盘点关于游戏设计认知的7大误区

作者:Juuso

误区1-总是想着制作一款比“热门大作”更棒的游戏

我曾经想要创造出类似于《魔兽世界》以及《暗黑破坏神》但却比它们更棒的游戏,但是我却总因为带着这种想法而做不好游戏,因为:首先局限于原有的题材导致我失去了创意。其次,别人已经占据此类游戏的设计以及商业优势。设计一款与别人类似的游戏不仅是缺乏创意的表现,而且也很难为你带来经济效益。

mistake(from getperspectives.com)

mistake(from getperspectives.com)

误区2-复制其它游戏的设计

在某些情形下,公然山寨一些热门游戏的设计不失为一种好策略(如果你能够利用它快速创造出属于自己的好游戏),但是如果其他人也同样能够快速制作出类似的游戏,那么你的游戏便不可能长久地生存下去。如果你只是单纯地模仿其它游戏设计但却未添加任何具有深度的新内容,那么这种做法对你来说真的一点帮助都没有。

但有时候,“制作出比热门大作更棒的游戏”或者是“复制其它游戏”都是可行的,而且我也真心希望看到开发者们能够使用这两种方法制作出真正优秀的游戏。

误区3-完全不参考别人的游戏设计

我认为完全忽视其它游戏设计,尝试自己创造出100%的创意设计也是个错误的观点。游戏设计基本原理能够帮助你创造出更优秀的游戏,所以为何不好好利用那些优秀游戏身上的杰出理念?

你也可以从其它游戏类型中“借鉴”设计理念。以桌面游戏为例:很多优秀的回合制桌面游戏理念也同样适用于即时战略游戏,只要你能够适当添加一些深层次的内容。我们必须努力从其它游戏身上借鉴经验。

误区4-留下太多开放性设计

我认为,比起留下大部分未完成的设计,还不如尽量完成一些小设计。我很惊讶于许多设计者总是会留下许多开放性设计,甚至告诉我,在游戏中“一切皆有可能”,而他们也想以此说明游戏拥有足够的改进空间。改进当然是必须的,但完全遗留大片设计空间最后总会变成“几乎完工”,开发者之后很可能不会再对其进行完善。

误区5-严格限制设计

另外一个误区便是让严格的设计规则限制了改变。当然了,我们总是需要确立并遵从一定的设计原则,但是如果玩家并不喜欢你的设计,你就需要做出一些改变。而如果你的设计不允许改变,那么你就需要想想如何解决玩家不喜欢这种设计的麻烦事。

误区6-遗漏一些细节

我们都应该向日本人学习,特别是一些日本动漫(游戏邦注:如《钢之炼金术》)中对于细节的重视,甚至连抽屉里的东西也描绘得非常清楚。即使只有2秒钟镜头的风景,他们也会仔仔细细地进行描绘。他们会花大把的时间去刻画那些并没有多少实际价值的内容:但是就是这种细节吸引了很多观众的眼球。虽然细节并非核心,但是却能够让观众感受到,的,制作人员是真正用心地制作这些动画。

而在游戏设计中这种细节也同样很重要。包括一些能够给你加分的蝴蝶,或者与游戏设置没有多大关系的特殊动画形象等,虽然它们在游戏中并未有多大作用,但是却能够用于体现游戏精工细做的特点。细节很重要,千万不要遗漏掉它们。它们能够让玩家感觉自己正在玩一款匠心独运的优秀游戏。

误区7-遗漏一些大内容

虽然小细节也很重要,但是我不会让自己的游戏设计只关注于一些小内容。我们必须先完成那些用于定义主要游戏设计的关键内容,它们是游戏的核心,所以必须具有乐趣。我在设计游戏时总是会先切入“collecting rocks”(主要是用于介绍游戏玩法,但是往往却会遗漏掉一些大内容)以及“piling boxes”(基本概念,并且会因为玩家的行动而变得有趣,这里主要凸显大内容),而这两方面也存在着差异。

结语

关注于大内容,但同时也不要忽略小细节。比起盲目地复制其它游戏,我们更应该从中获得学习。明确游戏设计,并留下改变的空间。

游戏邦注:原文发表于2007年6月12日,所涉事件及数据以当时为准。(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

The 7 Worst Game Design Mistakes

By Juuso

Mistake #1 – Designing a game like “hit game” but better

I’ve guilty of this. I remember wanting to create games like “Warcraft or better” or like “Diablo but better” (10 years ago) and there’s couple of reasons why this is bad: first of all it hardly brings much innovation in the genre. And secondly, that design (and business opportunity) has already been taken. Designing a game that’s already been seen won’t simply bring creating innovative games – and might not be financially intelligent.

Mistake #2 – Copying design from other games

Blatantly cloning some hit genre can be a good strategy in some situations (if you are fast, and can make it work), but it won’t work for long since others are going to do that same faster than spam spreads in the Internet. If you simply copy some other game, without adding any depth into it, you are simply cloning something that won’t help you much.

While sometimes “making bit better games” or even “cloning games” might be okay, I really wish to see some things made really good and polished.

Mistake #3 – Not copying design from other games

I think it’s also mistake not to copy something from other games, and trying to come up with totally 100% creative design. I think the groundwork for designing games has been done to help you design better games – so there’s no reason why not take something that works, and build on that.

You may also “borrow” design from other game types. Look board games for example: there’s lots of turn based board games that would make fine real-time strategy games, if you add some depth into them. There’s lots to learn from other games.

Mistake #4 – Leaving too open design

I think that it’s better to get something small finished, than leave something big unfinished. I’ve seen people designing games by leaving the design so wide open that it scares me. They tell (and I’ve been guilty of this as well) that in this game “everything is possible” – and they want to make sure that game design is open for changes. While changes are necessity, leaving big design totally open will most likely belong to category called “almost finished” – something that probably won’t ever be done.

Mistake #5 – making too strict design

The other mistake to do, is to make too strict design that isn’t open for changes. There might be reason for having certain design and stick to it… but if for some reason players don’t like the design – then it needs some changes. And if you don’t allow changes in your design, you are facing a big problem as people simply won’t like your design.

Mistake #6 – Forgetting little things

We all should learn from Japanese. Just watch some anime series (like Fullmetal Alchemist) and pay attention to the details the drawers do. They draw beautiful scenes that might be seen like 2 seconds. They spend a lot of time for something that has no pretty much practical value: There’s all kind of details that please the eye. While these details aren’t the core of the series, they show that these people are dedicated to bring quality work – and it shows.

Similarly it’s good to put some effort to making details in the game design. They can be anything from butterflies that give you extra points, or special animations that might have nothing to do with the actual gameplay… they might be anything in the design that really doesn’t matter in terms of points – but matters in terms of seeing a polished games. Tiny details are important, don’t forget them. They can give your player the feeling of playing a polished game.

Mistake #7 – Forgetting big things

While tiny details are important… I wouldn’t base my game design on small things alone. The big or major things that define the main design must be finished first. That’s the heart of the game – and it must be fun. I’ve started designing games from points like “collecting rocks” (still have open ideas what to do with this game – and the big thing might be missing here) and “piling boxes” (very basic concept, yet pretty fun according to players – the big thing was remembered here) and that makes all the difference.

Bottom line

Concentrate on big issues, but don’t forget tiny details. Don’t clone games, instead learn from them. Have a clear design that’s open for changes. (source:gameproducer


上一篇:

下一篇: