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服务型模式让Facebook游戏更具吸引力

发布时间:2012-04-13 18:08:00 Tags:,,

作者:Lars Jörnow

很久以前,游戏只是拥有包装的“一次性用品”。用户在购买了《超级马里奥》之类的游戏会欢喜地打开包装开始玩游戏,直到他们不能再忍受游戏中反复的任务为止。那时候,除了需要面对不断出现的蘑菇,玩家还需要不断重复一些类似的游戏任务直到游戏中没有其它更复杂的挑战,所以当新游戏类型出现时,前者便迅速被取代了。

最近,游戏势头开始转向《FarmVille》之类的游戏。这些游戏的到来被称为一大转折点——将更多女性带入游戏世界,同时也让游戏开始呈现为一种服务形式。

从数据中寻找答案

游戏作为一种服务形式让玩家不再只是重复一些无聊的游戏任务。以前,当游戏还只是一种商品时,游戏公司只是遵循发行游戏,将产品推向商店并祈祷游戏热卖这一过程。但是那些购买了游戏的用户几乎不能对产品做出任何反馈评价。

而作为服务型游戏,游戏发行则只是一个开端。

游戏作为一种服务能够为开发者创造一些重要的用户数据,即告诉他们用户是如何体验游戏。很多游戏公司如Zynga,Playfish,Wooga以及King.com都开始积极地利用这些信息以保持游戏的用户粘性。如此开发者便能够找到并调整游戏的问题。通过这种调整,他们不仅能够进一步完善游戏体验,而且也能够改正游戏中乏味或重复的毛病。

Zynga在《FarmVille》中所做出的任何完善都深刻影响了这种游戏服务。早前的游戏模式是,开发者在完成游戏后便立刻转向下一款游戏,但是Zynga却并未这么做,而是继续维持对《FarmVille》的完善。所以玩家将会注意到这款游戏中的任何小细节的改变,如奶牛颜色的改变,从而使这款游戏避免单调乏味。

可以说做出这些游戏调整的人就像是数据专家,分析家以及经济学家,他们能够通过筛选各种数字让任何游戏改变取决于统计学原理而不是凭借个人直觉。游戏公司也能通过调整新平台以及新盈利方式推动自己与用户的进一步交流。

保持趣味性

尽管这些数据能够改变用户与游戏的互动方式,但是却没有任何明确的公式或数据能够测试游戏的趣味体验。所以现在对于游戏设计师来说,最大的挑战便是使用创新方法构建一款有趣且吸引人的游戏——并始终坚持游戏的服务性。可以说,达到完美平衡(即游戏开发的最有效点)是任何游戏公司的最大目标。

不过现在对于如何判断游戏的乐趣还是一个未知数。即使是诺贝尔科学奖项获得者也无法解释为何《俄罗斯方块》或《宝石迷阵》等游戏能够持续带给玩家各种乐趣。虽然这是许多游戏公司一直难以解决的一大谜题,但是游戏的服务性质却越来越明显了。我们可以将各种数据和用户回馈储藏在大脑中,并对其进行开采与管理,以此推动游戏的进一步发展并保持游戏长期受欢迎。

游戏的服务性深度是影响游戏成功的关键因素。当King.com将在Facebook发行一款游戏时,我们通常仅推出50至70个关卡,但是如果我们发现这是一款大受欢迎的游戏,我们就会在接下来六个月内再添加另外150个关卡。的确,在游戏发行后继续添加新关卡能够让玩家更加沉迷于游戏中;但这却不是这种方法的唯一优点。

bubble-witch-saga(from social-gamer)

bubble-witch-saga(from social-gamer)

对于《Bubble Witch Saga》,我们最初发布了64个关卡,并在之后继续保持每两周添加10个关卡。当关卡设计师开始创造新关卡时,King.com开发团队便会就早期关卡中的相关数据进行研究,以判断哪些关卡更深得玩家喜爱。如计算玩家在一个特殊关卡上共花了多少时间;观察玩家最常访问哪些关卡;或者研究玩家所做出的各种评论,从而根据这些内容去添加新关卡以进一步满足玩家们的需求。如此便能够在玩家心中留下一个深刻印象,即游戏总是在不断地给予新内容。

转向其它平台

如此开发者便可以根据用户体验而不断调整并改善游戏,从而推动着游戏在其它平台上取得成功。话说回来,手机平台上的服务型游戏还未像Facebook游戏那般成熟。

因为移动运营商仍然向用户收取数据流量费用,从而阻碍了很多玩家尝试游戏的想法——这也是游戏公司所面临的另一大挑战。这些游戏必须进入一个与Facebook完全不同的领域,在那里它们不能与终端用户建立直接的联系。但是一些大型游戏,如Zynga的某些游戏便要求保持连网状态,也难怪《CityVille》在手机平台的表现并不出彩。

尽管很多人在讨论Facebook游戏中存在的一些问题(游戏邦注:这里是指游戏需要玩家在游戏中暴露自己的个人信息),但是玩家仍然坚信如果一款Facebook出现漏洞,开发者定能够快速解决这一问题。玩家可以通过即时报告问题而让开发者快速解决问题。但是如果相同的问题出现于任天堂掌机游戏中,它不仅无法快速解决,甚至有可能阻碍玩家的进一步游戏体验。

引进新用户

基于免费模式且具有休闲性的Facebook游戏为玩家创造了与《使命召唤》完全不同的用户体验(游戏邦注:例如,《使命召唤》要求玩家必须花费60美元并投入600个小时于游戏中)。休闲游戏拥有更加广泛的吸引力,并且不像大多数热门掌机游戏那样要求玩家投入大量时间或必须深入学习游戏。休闲游戏关卡,即让用户只要花几分钟时间便能够完成游戏(而不是好几个小时)也是这类游戏的一大吸引力。

随着服务型游戏的崛起,女性玩家的数量也越来越多了。但是也有例外情况,如Kabam便仅针对于男性硬核玩家开发游戏。不过不管怎样,休闲游戏的主要玩家群体就是女性,这一事实将进一步改变传统意义上的玩家格局。

持续改进

用户能够从服务型游戏中受益,特别当游戏质量得到保障且我们对于用户的反馈能够持续完善时。拿现在的Facebook游戏与几年前的游戏相比,你会发现不管是游戏质量,深度,设计还是吸引力都得到了显著的提高。就像Zynga现在推出的《CastleVille》较比之前的《FarmVille》便完善了不少。

Miner Speed(from online-station)

Miner Speed(from online-station)

一年前,我们发布了《Miner Speed》,这是一款侧重分数的Facebook游戏,其中只包含一分钟的核心游戏环节以及6种升级虚拟道具。但是这款游戏并未取得预期的成功,所以开发团队便迅速投入下一款游戏的开发中。不过我们通过《Miner Speed》游戏玩法而收集到的各种数据点将能够帮助我们更好地开发King.com的下一款社交游戏,即具有更多深度和解琐功能的Saga系列游戏。而当我们真正意识到Saga游戏能够变得非常流行时,我们便会进一步推动开发者往游戏中添加更多新内容,虚拟商品以及社交病毒功能。

对于任何开发者来说,花两周时间创造新功能并看到无数玩家兴奋地再次开始玩游戏是一件非常让人兴奋的事。开发者与玩家之间的互动不仅能够改变游戏的制作方式——激励开发者制作出更多优秀的游戏,同时也有利于提高游戏的用户粘性。

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

What’s Not to Like? Service Games Just Keep Getting Better

By Lars Jörnow

There was a time that now seems eons ago when games were one-off affairs for which the published package reigned supreme. Consumers bought a title, such as Super Mario Bros., gleefully cracked it open and played it until they couldn’t bear another jaunt through the super mushroom kingdom. More than just a case of fungus overload, the game, played repeatedly until there were no more challenges to master, soon would become a tired title eclipsed by the latest gaming sensation.

The issue of games retaining their staying power has more recently been turned on its head with such titles as FarmVille and the assorted Facebook gaming fixtures by the likes of Zynga. While their arrival was often hailed as a watershed moment for bringing more women into the world of gaming, social games also blazed a trail for something equally significant: the emergence of games as a service.

Learning from the Data

The idea of games as service is built on the notion that players want more than the same ol’ same ol’. Previously, when games were simply a product, companies would launch a title, ship the game to stores, and hope for the best. There was little, if any, feedback from users who made a purchase.

With a service game, the launch is just the beginning.

The introduction of games as a service pried open a trove of vital user data about how players experience a game. Companies like Zynga, Playfish, Wooga and King.com began actively using that information to keep users engaged. Suddenly, developers had the opportunity to fix any sticking points in the game. With a tweak here or a tuck there, they could not only significantly improve the gaming experience, but they could also alter the game so that tedium or repetition was no longer a factor.

The way Zynga handled FarmVille had a huge impact on games as a service. The old model had developers move onto the next game after the launch, but Zynga instead maintained a staff to continue working on FarmVille. Suddenly, a user would notice small alterations, such as a cow changing color, so that the game was anything but monotonous.

As well as those making slight revisions to the game was a corps of data experts, analysts and economists who sifted through the numbers so that any improvement or change was based on the science of statistics rather than on some gut feeling. Companies could interact with users like never before by adapting new platforms and new ways to monetize.

Keeping Things Fun

Though this data has changed the way users interact with games, there is no formula or data to test your way to a fun experience. Now the challenge of game designers is to craft an enjoyable, addictive game that also employs all the new innovations that come with gaming as a service. Finding that perfect balance— that game-developing sweet spot—is the aim of nearly every gaming company.

Determining how fun a game is will always remain the X factor. Not even a Nobel Prize-winning scientist can fully explain why a beloved title such as Tetris or Bejeweled is an evergreen. But while that’s one of the enduring mysteries gaming companies will always try to solve, the elements that come with gaming as a service are something more tangible. It’s far easier to wrap your head around data and user response, which can be mined, managed and tailored to increase the chances that a game will become and, more importantly, remain a hit.

The depth of games as service has become a key factor in their success. When King.com launches a game on Facebook, we typically have 50 to 70 levels, with the understanding that, if the game is a hit, within six months we will add another 150 levels. It’s no great secret that the prospect of constantly experiencing these new levels, developed after the game has gone live, keeps gamers hooked. But this is far more than just augmentation.

For Bubble Witch Saga, we launched with 64 levels and have added 10 additional levels every two weeks. When the level designer begins work on those new levels, the team at King.com studies the statistics on the earlier levels to determine which ones have engaged users the most. By adding up the amount of time players have spent on a specific level; seeing what levels have been visited repeatedly; and even drawing insights from comments on fan pages, we can add levels that mirror the experience of those that have kept players satisfied. The result is a game that, in the minds of users, keeps on giving.

Moving to Other Platforms

As a result of the way developers can adapt and tailor games based on user behavior, brands emerge—paving the path for a title to become a hit on other platforms. That said, service games on mobile have yet to establish themselves like they have on Facebook.

Mobile carriers continue to charge for data, so some players are hesitant to remain connected—a fact which poses yet another challenge for gaming companies. And these games have to work in a space where, unlike Facebook, there is no direct connection to the end users. Some of the bigger games, such as the Zynga titles, require a constant connection, which is perhaps why CityVille has not taken off on mobile.

While it’s in vogue to chatter about some Orwellian threat associated with having personal information available via Facebook, users embrace the idea that if there is a bug in a Facebook game, it can be fixed quickly. Players can actively contribute to the game by translating it into local languages or by reporting an issue and seeing it quickly resolved. If a similar problem arose on a Nintendo console game, that issue could linger and perhaps even discourage a player from continuing.

Broadening the Audience

The casual nature of Facebook games based on the freemium model offers a very different type of engagement from a Call of Duty, which might cost $60 and engage a user for 600 hours. Casual games have a broader appeal and don’t require the time or the learning commitment of the most popular console games. That casual engagement level—which allows a user to kill a few minutes at a time rather than committing innumerable hours per session—is also part of the appeal.

The number of female gamers has continued to increase with the rise of service games. There are exceptions, such as Kabam, which generally target hardcore male gamers. However, the majority of the players on casual games are female, which has continued to alter and help diversify the profile of the typical gamer.

Ongoing Improvement

Users can only benefit from games as a service, especially as the quality of titles and our ability to respond to users continues to improve. Compare the social games now on Facebook to those from a year ago—all the top titles’ quality, depth, design and ability to engage have vastly improved. Zynga’s more recently released CastleVille is substantially more polished than FarmVille ever was.

A year ago, we launched Miner Speed, which is a high score-focused Facebook game with a one minute core game loop and six virtual goods called “boosters.” The game was not the huge success we had anticipated, and the team quickly moved on to other games. But the millions of data points that we collected from Miner Speed game-play were immensely helpful when we designed the next generation of social games at King.com: the Saga titles, which feature more depth and unlockable features. When we realized the Saga games were going be smash hits, we could easily justify having development teams continue enhancing these games with the addition of new content, virtual goods and social-viral features.

There are few moments as fulfilling as working on a new feature for two weeks and then witnessing the following day how three million players are happily delving into an instantly revitalized game. This new dialogue between developers and gamers is not only changing the way games are made—and motivating developers to make even better games—it’s ensuring that players will stick around.(source:gamezebo)


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