作者：Will Luton

我将出于两大私人的原因去撰写手机游戏设计的相关内容，它们分别是：

首先，以此证实我具有创造性，并不只是因为利益而制作游戏。

其次，我希望以此帮助那些特殊类型的创业者：从封闭式掌机工作室独立出来的人才。

为了能够帮助这些团队走出误区，我和好友Andrew Smith（游戏邦注：Spilt Milk Studio成员）列出那些我们曾经遇到过以及别人频繁遭遇的设计问题。

mobile game design(from developer.nokia)

1.不能将休闲游戏硬核化

很多人的基本思维是：硬核机制从本质上来看总是优于休闲机制，我们可以通过中途覆盖或包装等方式让休闲游戏玩家体验到核心机制的乐趣。请千万不要这么做！

不要再纠结于休闲还是硬核，而是更多地关注于手机游戏本身的各种局限因素和新的机遇。你要清楚现在的发展趋势并不能代表未来。

2.简单化

玩家玩手机游戏的时间总是很短，并且不会投入过多金钱。所以你应该考虑的是每分钟的收费（或者不收费）而不是每小时。

并且玩家也不会一开始就花钱玩手机游戏，并且有可能慢慢挖掘游戏，冷落游戏并在后来又突然开始玩游戏。所以你最好能够在游戏初期设置较为简单的核心机制。

3.确保游戏“长寿”

制作一款简单的游戏很容易，但是制作一款能够让玩家在一小时后仍觉得有趣的简单游戏却很难。

你应该确保你的基本机制能够持续提供给玩家巧妙，深度且灵活的游戏体验，或者你可以亲自创造一些内容去推动这种体验。

如果你希望游戏能够遵循内容路线，你就需要确保在整个游戏过程中清晰地为玩家呈现这一路线，以及游戏目标和任何允许他们重新玩游戏的机会。并研究游戏点击率会呈现出何种变化。

除此之外，玩家不会主动去搜索你的内容，所以你需要明确地为他们呈现一切游戏内容，特别标明那些他们不能直接访问的内容。

4.抛弃传统控制方式

mobile-games-controller(from techpaparazzi.com)

要考虑触摸屏的划动，轻拍，倾斜控制方式；而不是点击，按压，猛拉。说不上触屏比控制器更优秀还是更糟糕，只能说这是两种不同的操作方式。就像在触屏上设置D-pad就会显得格格不入。

除此之外，不要忘记触屏设备还拥有以下工具：定位装置，麦克风，照相机，陀螺仪，罗盘，近距离传感器，多点触控，蓝牙以及多个屏幕等。

此时你还需要问问自己：是否还有其它更棒的操作方法？不过不管你是否能够明确说出例子，答案都是肯定的。

5.不要忽略发行商

自己在手机上发行游戏总是美好的，但是这种自由却很容易让你迷失自我。你首先需要明确拥有发行商的优势和劣势。

制作任何内容都不容易，但也不是不可能（游戏邦注：也就是你有可能因此获得投资）。你所获得的投资越少，你所面临的风险也就越低，而你的游戏面貌也会反映出这一点。

你可以利用公众的意见去了解发行商可能做出的评价。公众总是能够给予你最公正客观的反馈。所以你可以在游戏正式发行之前进行封闭测试，以此听取（但绝不是服从）他人的评价。

如果你只是闭门造车地开发内容，你最终只能够创造一款垃圾游戏！

6.切忌发行游戏后置之不理

公众的行动总是比口头评价来得实在。所以你需要重视针对玩家行动的分析。

你可以根据自己所收集的数据验证自己的设计选择。

你不需要通过游戏续集去呈现更新内容，只要在游戏完全枯竭或发展达到顶峰之前不断完善现有的游戏并提供更多内容便可。

7.病毒式市场营销

在高分榜单旁设置Facebook或Twitter链接并不能创造游戏的病毒式传播。人们不会想着只与好友分享一些数字；他们更希望分享包括现实和在线世界中的所有有趣，奇特的内容。

结论

手机与社交游戏一样，是一个需要我们重新思考的全新领域。暂且抛弃那些能够推动你发挥优势的雷同内容；真正去挖掘这个领域的不同之处以及那些你所不了解的内，这样你才能够真正受益，并创造出优秀的手机游戏。（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）

Mobile Game Design 101

by Will Luton

This month I’m writing about mobile design, for two entirely selfish reasons.

Firstly, to prove that I am a creative and not just some money-hungry suit (which the regular reader may think).

Secondly, I want to help a specific type of start-up: The talent that comes out of a shuttered console studio.

These new teams make the development community a more exciting place to be. Welcome, my friends.

However, sometimes, teams come out laden with ego and peacocking around the press, huffing and puffing words about ‘console pedigree’ that translate as: ‘amateur hour is over, move aside shit munchers’.

This will not win you friends. But, more importantly, these teams release rubbish games.

Wanting to help, I called my buddy Andrew Smith of Spilt Milk Studio, and we came up with a big list of design mistakes we’ve made and the ones we see others making constantly.

YOU CANNOT CORE-IFY THE CASUAL

The thinking is like this: core gaming is inherently better than casual and you can transfer new casual players to the joys of core with some half-way house or by dressing one up as the other. Don’t do it.

Forget casual, forget core, but instead focus on the restrictions and the new opportunities in mobile. The way things always were are not the future.

SIMPLICITY

Players play mobile games in very short blasts and they pay very little money for them. Think minutes and minutes for 69p (or nothing at all), not hours and hours for ￡40.

Players aren’t invested from the start, so they will ditch, negative rate and move on in an instant. Choose one simple core mechanic and make it great from the first minute.

LONGEVITY

Making a simple game is easy. Making a simple game that is fun beyond the first hour is tough.

Either your base mechanic throws up continued nuance, complexity or dexterity requirements, or you build lots of content which produces it.

If you decide to go down the content route, make sure you present it in such a manner that shows an obvious route through the game, clear goals and where there is replay opportunity. Study how the hits have accomplished it.

Players will not search for your content, so sign post everything you’ve made for them. Especially if they can’t get access to it yet.

FORGET STICKS, BUTTONS AND PADS

Flick, tap, tilt; not click, push, yank. Touch screen is not better or worse than a controller, it’s just different way of doing things. D-pads on touch screens are square pegs in round holes.

Plus, don’t forget the rest of the toolbox: Location, microphones, cameras, gyroscopes, compasses, proximity sensors, multi-touch, bluetooth and multiple screens.

Ask yourself: Is there another way to do this better? The answer is yes, even if you don’t know how yet.

DON’T FORGET PUBLISHERS

Self-publishing on mobile is a dream, yet the freedom can blind you. The constraints and advantages of having a publisher needs to be in your mind.

Make something that would be hard, but not impossible to get funded. Your investment is low and your risk is less, so your game should reflect it. It needs something exciting but not excluding.

Replicate publisher reviews by using the public. The public give the most honest feedback because they don’t owe you shit. Run a closed Beta before launch and listen to – but not bend to – every comment.

If you stay in a vacuum you will end up releasing crap.

DON’T FIRE AND FORGET

Even more honest than the voice of the public is the actions of the public. Analytics is a big topic; half art, half science.

Every single design choice you make can be validated or otherwise with the data you gather.

You don’t need a sequel, react with an update. Keep improving and giving more until your game is dead or a hit.

WHAT VIRAL MARKETING IS NOT

Putting a Facebook or Twitter share link next to a top score is not making your game viral. People do not share arbitrary numbers with their friends.People share the cool, the incredible, the weird and funny, in both the real world and online.

TO CONCLUDE

In the two days in which I have taken to write this piece, two console studios have shuttered and others have trimmed staff in the UK alone. As sad as this i-s, it’s forcing a huge, brilliant change.

Mobile – and social too – is a new world and it requires new thinking. You can probably find exceptions to all of the truisms I’ve written here, so what I hope you will take away is a set of thinking.

Forget forcing similarities in order to apply your advantage. The real benefit is found in looking for what is different, what has changed -and what you don’t know. There you can flourish and go on to make great mobile games.

If you think the trials of making console games equips you for mobile, history will repeat itself.(source:develop)