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分析能量管理系统对游戏平衡及趣味性的影响

发布时间:2012-02-06 17:10:17 Tags:,,,

作者:Glen Cooney

《杀出重围3:人类革命》是2000年问世的《杀出重围》续作之一,其玩法类似于典型的科幻第一人称射击游戏,巧妙结合了RPG与动作元素,但我们将关注的是其能量管理系统的设置特点。

杀出重围3:人类革命(from blog.mad4flash.com)

杀出重围3:人类革命(from blog.mad4flash.com)

能量条

在这款游戏中,玩家健康条下有1至5个能量单元(这取决于升级情况),使用技能将逐渐耗损或者彻底用光能量。如果玩家耗损部分能量,它过后会逐渐自行填充,但如果用光了所有能量,就只能借助特定道具重新填充能量。

energy bar(from gamasutra)

energy bar(from gamasutra)

最初我觉得这种系统设置有点怪异,花了相当一段时间才开始习惯,但仔细思考过后,我发现这真是一种绝妙的设计。

这种能量管理系统支持玩家以有趣的方式管理能量,玩家可短暂使用自己的隐身法或穿墙法并且基本上无需耗损能量,也可以通过潜行将扫清整个房间的障碍,用掉所有能量。

能量系统类型

这让我想起其他游戏管理能量系统的方法,以及它们对玩家游戏体验的影响。在我所玩过的游戏中,主要有以下几种能量系统设置类型:

*传统魔法池(Mana Pool):这个系统中设置了一个可让玩家频繁使用的能量来源,但其能量损耗速度也很快,要求玩家使用更多魔法药水,或者休息一段时间后才能恢复功力。这个系统对那些偶尔使用能量的玩家来说很有优势,但不对过度使用者甚为不利。几乎每个版本的《最终幻想》游戏都使用了这个系统。

*稀缺资源(Precious Resource):玩家每使用一次能量,就会损耗一些难以重新填补的资源,或者需要很长时间后才能再次恢复。这会迫使玩家在使用前谨慎考虑,让他们事先想好是否要在某次交战中使用能量,或是留下来后来再用。《星际争霸2》中的施法者就使用了这种能量系统。

*紧急能量(Clutch):它与稀缺资源类似,但一般仅适用于特定的技能。通常情况下,它是指玩家在每次遭遇战中只会使用一两次(游戏邦注:例如《质量效应》中的Biotic Powers),或者每天只使用一次的威力(例如《上古卷轴5:天际》中的种族威力)。它们多为足以扭转局势的强大威力,但也很容易损耗。使用这些技能不但需要玩家事先考虑周全,掐准时机,而且还需要把握策略,弄清当前战局是否值得使用这种技能。

*爆发能量(Burst):它支持玩家连续快速使用技能,但之后要经历一段冷却时间。最明显的例子就是《英雄联盟》中基于能量的champions角色,例如Kennen、Akali或Shen。与紧急能量类似,这种系统也强调时机的重要性,但其冷却期并没有逐渐耗损资源系统那么漫长。

akali(from fanup)

Akali(from fanup)

优劣对比

每种能量系统都有其优劣之处,要保证游戏平衡性就需要谨慎考虑其设置方法。在《英雄联盟》这类游戏中,我们更容易逐一比较这些系统的不同特点(这里以50级以上的champion角色为例)。

增加能量成本

一般来说,使用传统魔法池的champion角色刚开始时的威力最为强大。但其劣势之一就是他们最后会比其他角色更需要重返特定路径补充魔力,这样就会形成更长的冷却时间,迫使他们采用魔法补充道具或可最大化提升魔力的道具,而这种做法却可能影响其攻击力。

另一方面来看,在游戏后期他们会有许多可自由使用的魔力,甚至可以无度使用其魔力。虽然这在《英雄联盟》这类游戏中并非什么重大问题,但却并不适用于单人模式的游戏,因为它最终可能导致玩家拥有过多能量。许多RPG游戏会通过增加高级魔法的施咒成本(即增加其能量损耗)来协调这个问题,但这并非理想的解决方法。

能量不足

传统魔法池和稀缺资源系统很容易遇到玩家缺乏足够的资源,因此无法完成任务的问题。这在《英雄联盟》中的表现并不明显,但我在《最终幻想7》中曾遇到过一种情况:我有次忘了购买足量的乙醚(其出售地点极为有限),为了杀死最后一个boss,我不得来跑遍整个地图到处找买主。在此类情况下,这可能会让玩家极为抓狂,这也正是许多现代版游戏一般都采用了被动补充资源机制(游戏邦注:或者提供其他可随时补充资源的方法)的原因。

持续时间

比起采用传统魔法池的champion,采用紧急能量和爆发能量的这类champion拥有一个显著优势,那就是他们战斗状态的持续时间更长,无需投入过多金钱补充或增加魔力。这就有利于他们省下钱购买更高级的道具,

快速增加黄金和经验值。为了平衡这种优势,设计师会让基于爆发能量的champion的攻击力逊于基于传统魔法池、稀缺资源的对手,并明显增加基于紧急能量的champion的冷却时间长度。

在《质量效应》等其他游戏中,其能量系统与其游戏发展节奏相得益彰,同时还为动作游戏增加了更多决策性元素。玩家无需担忧耗尽魔法池或者在参战时何时使用强大威力的问题,而是想法制定最佳战斗策略。

考虑因素

能量管理系统与玩家游戏体验影响甚大,它可以提升或者阻碍整体游戏或玩家角色的效果。设计师设计此类系统时需考虑以下因素:

自给自足 vs 激励措施

如果将第一人称射击游戏(FPS)中的弹药存量想象成一种能量管理系统,我们就很容易理解老式FPS为何将健康包和弹药包散布于各个关卡中的做法。这种设置有助于鼓励玩家为探索秘室或关卡中的各个角落,以便找到更多健康包和弹药包。现代游戏一般不会让玩家大费周章地寻找健康包和弹药,多数FPS已采用与《光晕》一样完整的健康再生系统,并支持玩家拾取敌人倒下时掉落的弹药,而原先隐藏手榴弹或火箭弹的角落已不再是玩家的必须选项。

在探索类型的游戏中,这种设置可以鼓励玩家探索游戏区域,并保持游戏的新鲜感。例如《上古卷轴5:天际》中含有一个系统要求玩家使用灵魂石补充魔法道具,这种方法的干扰性较小,不过玩家还是常会遇到打开箱子后却只发现其他并非急用的灵魂石这种情况(游戏邦注:这种灵魂石仍然有用处,有助于激励玩家继续探索游戏)。

避免能量失衡情况

假如能量系统设置失衡,那么就有可能导致玩家由策略性地使用技能转向随意使用技能。尽管魔力值增加可以提升玩家自我强大之感,但也很容易让玩家觉得自己已经战无不胜,从而削弱了游戏的挑战性。

我发现《星球大战之共和国武士1》及其续集2都有一些类似的问题,例如在游戏尾声,玩家拥有大量可随意支配的Force Points,并且不存在冷却时间,这样他们就可以肆意使用最强大的咒语在数秒内将整个房间中的敌人清空,甚至不费吹灰之力就能把一个极具威胁的boss放倒。

knights of the old of republic(from gamasutra)

knights of the old of republic(from gamasutra)

即使你瞄准的是那些无意寻找太多挑战的休闲玩家,这种设置也仍然存在一个错乱的难度曲线问题。玩家在游戏早期都会比较关注能量、命值等问题,并以此制定自己的作战计划,但到了最后却发现自己面临的唯一的选择就是到底该召唤出超级恶魔慢慢将敌人折磨至死,还是放出一个强闪电把他们一网打尽。

总结

能量管理的创新已从平衡游戏机制的方向,逐渐转向增加游戏本身的趣味性。例如,我在《天际》中打造了一个强大的法师角色,并拥有一个可排放Magicka的魔法弓。当我因施咒而用光Magicka时,就可以用魔法弓发箭取而代之,一直到恢复原来的魔法值为止。尽管这种方法并不能增加Magicka,但却极富趣味性,并且可让我节省一些魔法药水,并施放更多咒语。

桌面角色扮演游戏在能量管理系统方面也许更为有趣,其范围已超越了魔法/能量资源系统。例如《Mage: The Ascension》中的Paradox系统,玩家若对凡人施咒就会受到惩罚(增加其施咒成本),如果他们在该系统中积累了过多点数,也会产生一些奇怪的“副作用”,例如角色的脸上出现一个黑洞,或者陷入一个重复的时间循环,或者被一个恶灵所困。

简而言之,设计能量管理系统时需综合考虑其对玩家行为、游戏节奏、游戏故事氛围等因素的作用和影响。(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

Ability Management and the Human Revolution

by Glen Cooney

The following was originally posted on Glenalysis, a blog devoted to examining trends and game mechanics across multiple titles and genres. Originally posted January 12, 2012. All images and related media are used under Fair Use for Educational purposes.

For the Uninitiated…

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex released back in 2000. It follows the story of Adam Jensen, the chief of security for Sarif Industries, a massive corporation on the cutting edge of human augmentation (aka making cyborgs). Following a particularly gruesome brush with death, Adam is revived thanks to cybernetic “augmentation” technology, making him better, faster, stronger… with a few extra toys the 6 Million Dollar Man could only dream of.

This is all set to a backdrop of intrigue and conspiracy, staples of the series, centering largely on the ethical quandary of whether human augmentation (ie slicing off limbs to replace them with robotic parts, enhancing the brain, etc) should be regulated.

The game plays like your typical sci-fi first person shooter, with a heavy emphasis on stealth and using your augmentations to get an edge on your foes. It is well executed and blends its RPG elements well into the action.

But forget all of that, lets talk ability management.

Always pack a few Energy Bars!
Of all the things to stand out about DX: HR’s mechanics, I found its energy system the most unusual.

In DX:HR, you have a set of energy cells below your health bar, between 1 and 5 depending on upgrades. Abilities will either deplete your energy slowly, or cost an entire cell. If you have a partially depleted cell, it will replenish over time, but if you use up a full cell, it can only be restored by using items.

At first I found this system odd, and took a little while to get used to, but after thinking about it for a little bit, I realized this is actually a very elegant piece of design.

This kind of ability management system allowed for a player to manage their energy in interesting ways. Players could choose to use their cloaking or see-through-walls ability in short bursts to use them essentially for free, or blow through all their energy to stealthily clear out a room, but be tapped out afterward. It added a new dimension to the energy bar in a way that went beyond what I expected, adding nuance without being overly complex.

Going Deeper

Looking at DX:HR’s energy system inspired me to look at how other games deal with ability management, and how those design choices impact the player’s experience. Regardless of whether they use mana, energy, or some other sort of resource, there are a few paradigms that show up frequently across the many games I’ve played.

• Traditional Mana Pool A system where a player has a resource that is sufficient to allow players to use abilities fairly frequently, but eventually cuts them off or forces them to invest in mana potions or take a break before being at full capacity. This system rewards a player that uses their abilities occasionally, while punishing a less frugal player. Almost every Final Fantasy (I through X) uses a system like this.

• Precious Resource An ability management system where every ability used diminishes a resource that is not easy to replenish, or takes a long time to replenish. This forces players to consider each ability used carefully, forcing players to be strategic and think ahead and decide whether to use an ability during a particular engagement, or save it for later. The energy system of caster units in Starcraft 2 are great examples of this.

• Clutch Similar to precious resource, but usually only applies to a few specific abilities granted to the player. Generally these are the once or twice per encounter abilities (such as Biotic Powers in Mass Effect) or once per day powers (such as the racial powers in Skyrim). They are usually very powerful abilities that can turn the tide of battle, but can just as easily be wasted. They rely not only on timing and forethought, but also skill in accessing an encounter and determining if it warrants using such an ability.

• Burst Where you are able to use abilities in rapid succession, but with a period of downtime afterward. The clearest example of this comes from the energy-based champions of League of Legends, such as Kennen, Akali, or Shen (shown below). Similar to clutch, this kind of system also emphasizes timing, but also allows a player to go all-in with everything without as much downtime as in a Diminishing resource system.

Consequences and Tradeoffs

Each ability system has its benefits and tradeoffs, which much be taken into consideration when it comes to game balance. It is easiest to compare these systems side-by-side in a game like League of Legends, which features a huge variety of different ability management schemes for each of its 50+ champions.

The Real Cost of Mana

Champions that use a Traditional Mana Pool are generally the ones with the most powerful abilities right out of the gate. The main drawback for them is that eventually they have to return back to the nexus to replenish their mana more often than other characters. This leads to more downtime, and forces them to invest in mana replenishing items or items that boost their maximum mana, which can hold back their damage potential.

On the other hand, by late-game they can end up having so much mana that mana use becomes a non-issue, as they can spam their abilities with impunity. While it isn’t a huge deal in the session-based play of League of Legends, it can be a problem with single-player games, as by the end of the game a player may well have the ability to use their abilities with impunity. Most RPGs compensate for this by having higher-level spells cost more, however, but that isn’t always enough. (see my Knights of the Old Republic example below)

Not Enough Mana!

Traditional Mana Pool and Precious Resource systems can also fall prey to attrition, where the player doesn’t have enough of the resource they need to do anything. Generally this is not a huge deal in League of Legends, but I can recall a time when playing Final Fantasy VII when I neglected to buy enough ethers (which can’t be bought in most places) and thus ran out of MP before being able to kill the final boss. In these kind of situations this can lead to tremendous frustration for players, hence why more modern versions of these systems usually have some system of passive regeneration of these resources, or some other means of replenishing these that is always available.

The Sustain Pain Train

Clutch and Burst-type champions have a significant advantage over Traditional Mana Pool champions, as they are able to remain in their lane longer, and don’t have to waste money on replenishing or increasing their mana allowance. This translates into more money for better items, and the ability to remain in one’s lane longer to farm gold and experience. To compensate for this advantage, burst-type champion’s abilities usually do less damage than their Traditional Mana and Precious Resource counterparts, while Clutch abilities tend to have significantly long cooldowns.

In other games, such as Mass Effect, this system works excellently in keeping a steady pace to the game and complements the more tactical decision making action games of its kind leverage. It frees players from having to worry about some mana pool running out or when to use a powerful ability so players can enjoy the thrill of the combat, rather than scratching their head while they draw out their battle plans.

Final Thoughts

Ability management systems have a huge impact on how a player interacts with a game, and can help or hinder the overall feel of a particular game or playable character. When designing such systems, there are a number of things a designer should consider:

Self-Sufficiency vs Incentives

If we think of ammunition in a First Person Shooter as a type of ability management system (which it is), then we can easily make sense of the old FPS convention of having health and ammo packs scattered around levels. This encouraged exploration by rewarding players for finding hidden rooms or other nooks and crannies in the level. Modern games put less of a reliance on going out of your way to find health and ammo, with most FPS adopting a fully regenerating health system akin to Halo and plenty of ammo dropped by fallen enemies, making nooks and crannies more of an optional venture for those that want a few extra grenades or rockets.

But having a good system that rewards and encourages exploration for an exploration-based game can be a very important tool to keep games fresh. Skyrim, for example, has a system where a player must use soul stones to recharge their magical items after they have been used up (essentially a less annoying version of having to repair damaged equipment games like Fallout 3 have). This system is done in a way that is not intrusive or much of a hassle, while still making opening a chest only to find yet another common soul gem still be something useful to the player, and a subtle incentive to keep looking.

Avoid Mechanical Obsolescence

If an ability management system is not balanced properly, then using an ability can go from being tactical to trivial later in the game. While it can add to a player’s sense of growing power as their mana allowance grows, it can just as easily make the player feel nigh-invincible and strip any challenge out of the game.

I found Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 to be some of the most egregious offenders, as by the end of the game the sheer amount of Force Points at your disposal combined with no cooldowns on abilities made it possible to spam your most powerful spells to clear entire rooms of enemies in seconds and turn even the menacing boss into a joke.

Even if you are thinking in terms of a casual player who isn’t looking for a lot of challenge, this still creates an upside-down difficulty curve. Early game the player would have to pay attention to their energy, health, etc and plan their actions accordingly, but by the end the only choice they have to make is whether to summon an ultra-demon to crush enemies slowly or kill them all outright with lightening bolts.

Put a New Twist on an Old Mechanic

Innovations in ability management has gone a long way toward turning what started as a balancing mechanism into a fun component of the game in its own right. For example, in Skyrim, I have made a powerful mage character and equipped him with a Magicka-draining bow. Thus, whenever I run out of Magicka from casting spells, I can switch to my bow for a few shots until I’m back up to full again, then lay down the firey pain once again. While not the usual means of regaining magicka, it is nonetheless far more enjoyable that chugging a few mana potions and casting more spells.

Tabletop roleplaying games have perhaps some of the most interesting takes on ability management, which go beyond a mana/energy resource. The Paradox system of Mage: The Ascension, for example, penalizes players for casting spells in front of mortals (on top of the cost to cast the spell normally). If they accumulate too many points in Paradox, some strange effect might occur, from a character’s face turning into a black hole, a getting trapped in a repeating time loop, or becoming possessed by an evil spirit. Not only does this make the system more interesting but also reinforces the overall theme of the game.

Conclusions

In short, ability management systems should be designed and looked at in terms of how they will impact player behavior, reinforce game pacing, and complement the atmosphere of the game’s narrative.(source:gamasutra


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