作者：Pat Flannery

现代电子游戏创作提供了一个让你实现自我表达、赚取酬劳甚至在经济上自力更生的世界。技术的发展已经使开发者有能力实现几乎所有他们能想象出的事情，这似乎是所有人都想要实现的目标。然而，无限的可能性或许会对人们的创造性产生不利影响。如果没有框架，开发者往往止步于电子游戏创作的头脑风暴阶段，或者花大量时间尝试将所有东西都变得“完美”。有些人或许会忽略这个开发者已经解决的问题，他们只是试图不断前进，并没有考虑当时和现在的开发之间的重要差别。

think inside the box(from gamasutra)

过去的限制条件

你小时候所玩游戏和你现在想要制作的游戏之间的重要区别在于限制元素。考虑下宫本茂和手冢卓志在制作原版《超级马里奥兄弟》时面临的限制条件，包括技术和主题层面。比如，NES上的存储容量通常约为300KB，系统的RAM为2KB，正是这些限制条件产生了许多现在认为“经典”、“永恒”和图标化的游戏风格。开发者最可能以怀旧的眼光审视这些最值得记忆的游戏，从现代许多像素化的怀旧独立游戏可以看出，开发者对这些早期电子游戏的喜爱和尊敬。但是，开发者必须记住，当时的开发时并没有无尽的可能性，人们只能选择制作256X240的2D游戏。他们在硬件和软件面临重重限制的条件下将想法变成游戏产品，而这些限制元素帮助他们将游戏构建成目前我们敬佩的经典之作。

想到这一点，我们就必须认识到，在限制条件内工作是制作任何游戏媒体作品的可行方法。我们都能够理解，优秀的画作之所以令人印象深刻，原因在于它们是用少数种类颜色手工绘成的结果，这样我们就能感受到艺术家在限制条件下的创作能力的确令人惊叹。音乐也依赖于限制因素（游戏邦注：比如拍子和乐谱），它同样也是在限制条件下创作而成。所以，优秀的游戏设计和开发也是在类似的限制性框架中产生，唯一的不同之处在于，在现代无限可能的环境中，你必须自行确定限制条件。只要你开始这么做，你的产品质量就能够获得提升，你的自我满足感无疑也会不断增加。

方法

现在，我们已经认识到在限制条件下工作的重要性，是时候阐述开发者应当如何使用这种方法。限制性可以施加到项目的每个层面上，从视觉效果到游戏玩法设计。这并不意味着你应当给游戏的所有层面施加限制因素，而是选择那些你存在专注难度的区域。以下是可以帮助你在游戏各个层面保持专注的限制元素。

设计：

1、找到你的“核心”

2、计算游戏玩法动态，移除不需要的层面

3、将执行方向铭记在心（我能制作这个东西吗？）

视觉效果：

1、确定哪些属于必要和无用元素

2、2D游戏的工作要求更简单更少（我是否需要使用第三维度？）

3、Unity3d中的弱分辨率脚本

4、抽象（我能否用基本形状、线条和颜色呈现这项内容？）

音频：

1、“8位”音乐+简单的歌曲

2、简单，不令人讨厌，图标化音效FX

3、移除对话配音

4、尝试自行完成（如果可以的话就不雇佣作曲人）

故事情节：

1、仍需要避免平庸的故事

2、带有简单动机和目标的简单主角

3、完善主线内容后再添加支线

4、不要过于担忧“陈词滥调”的问题

5、使用简单的结构

结论

如果你发现自己不断受限制条件困扰，那么可以将其拓展，但是不要迷失自己的核心。如果你不能接受以上想法，就要认识到所有流行媒体内容制作者都是在限制条件下工作，甚至包括那些你极为尊敬的人。所以，不要让现代高清数字化媒体的无限可能性阻挡你创新的步伐。限制条件的要点在于，只要你接受了设定的边界，你就不再会感到自己的游戏内容贫乏，还可以让游戏更漂亮、更大以及更吸引人。（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）

Thinking Inside The Box: Using Limitations To Make Better Games

Pat Flannery

Modern video game creation offers a world where you can express yourself, earn recognition for your abilities, and even support yourself financially. Technology has promised developers the ability to do nearly anything they can imagine, which seems to be what everyone wants; on the other hand, having unlimited possibilities might just have a detrimental effect on one’s productivity. Without some kind of structure, developers can often become riveted in the brainstorming phase of video game creation, or spend eternity trying to make everything “perfect.” One might be inclined to dismiss this as one of many problems that developers have overcome in the past, and simply attempt to continue pushing forward without considering an important difference between development then and development now.

Past Constraints

The critical difference between the games you grew up playing and the games you’d like to make now are limitations. Think about the amount of limitations Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka worked within to create the original Super Mario Bros., both technologically and thematically. For example, cartridges on the NES were commonly about 300kb and the system had 2kb of RAM, which led to many stylistic choices that are now considered “classic”, “timeless”, and iconic. As a game developer, one most likely looks back on the most remembered games of yesteryear with a nostalgic eye; the pixelated, “retro” stylings of many recent indie games demonstrates a deep-rooted love and respect for early video games. As a developer, however, one must keep in mind that developers of yesteryear didn’t sit down with unlimited possibilities and choose to make a 2D game at 256×240. They were forced to guide their idea into fruition through the filter of hardware and software constraints, which helped shape their games into the masterpieces many of us consider them to be.

With this in mind, one must confront the fact that working within limitations is the way to make good media of any kind. We all understand that good paintings are impressive because of the fact that they are indeed painted by hand, using a small batch of colors, and as such we are amazed at the artist’s ability to work within those limitations. Music also pointedly relies on limiting factors (scales, time signatures, instrumentation) and is judged by how exciting it can be while remaining within those limitations. It follows, then, that good game design and development occurs within similarly limiting structures – the only difference is that in today’s realm of (seemingly) unlimited possibilities, you must define and enforce your own limits. Once you begin to do so, all aspects of your development process will show a marked improvement in quality, and your own satisfaction will undoubtedly grow.

Methods To Madness

So, the importance of working within limits has been expressed and now it’s time to get down to what this literally means for you, the developer. Limitations can be imposed in every aspect of your project, from visuals to gameplay design; this is not to say that you should be imposing limitations on all aspects of your game, but that you should instead choose areas where you’re having trouble focusing. Listed below are a few things you can do in each aspect of your game (and there are many more) to help you stay focused.

Design:

- Find Your “Core” (http://ow.ly/9UNan)

- Count Your Gameplay Dynamics and Remove Unneeded Aspects

- Keep Implementation In Mind At All Times (Can I make this?)

Visuals:

- Lower Poly Models (What Is Needed vs. What Is ‘Fluff’)

- 2D Games Are Quite Simply Less Work (How am I using my third dimension?)

- Deresolution Script In Unity3d (http://ow.ly/9UNhh)

- Abstraction (Could I represent this with basic shapes? Lines? Colors?)

Audio:

- “8 Bit” Music + Simple 3 Part Songs

- Simple, Non-Annoying, Iconic Sound FX

- Remove Spoken Dialogue

- Try Messing with a D.A.W. Yourself (Skip hiring composer if possible)

Storyline:

- Normal Writing No-No’s Still Need To Be Avoided (http://ow.ly/9UNjE)

- Single Protagonist with Simple Motivations/Goals

- Cover All Bases Before Adding Extras

- Don’t Be Too Afraid Of Cliches

- Use A Simple Arc

The Perfect Fit

If you find yourself constantly being frustrated by the limits, by all means push them, but never let competition with multi-million dollar projects stifle your progress or lose sight of your core. If you’re having trouble keeping your ideas contained, keep in mind that working within limitations is what almost all popular media makers do. Yes, even ones that you yourself respect. So don’t let the infinite possibilities of modern, HD digital media prevent you from getting into the groove of creation. The point of this limitation, again, is that once you accept the boundaries you’ve set, you no longer feel unfulfilled or like you could be making something prettier, larger, more immersive, etc. A feeling of satisfaction can and should be a part of working on your project, and that feeling won’t happen as long as you’re thirsting for more; take this advice and get to it! (Source: Gamasutra)