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分析搜集元素在游戏设计中的运用及注意事项

发布时间:2012-04-22 08:54:26 Tags:,,

作者:Steve Bromley

我最近在玩《心灵杀手》(Alan Wake)这款恐怖生存游戏,但却难以忍受其中过量的搜集道具和任务(完成这些任务可赢取一定的成就分值)。这种感觉对玩家游戏体验造成的影响不容小觑,而这并非游戏的设计初衷。我将在此探讨搜集元素在游戏中的运用,及其潜在的问题和改进方法。

stamp-collection(from stevebromley)

stamp-collection(from stevebromley)

何为搜集物品?

现代游戏中的搜集物品一般是隐藏在整个游戏世界的道具,它们可以作为玩家在游戏预设任务中的一种调剂元素。它们一般与游戏故事的主题颇有关联,可以用于解琐成就,或作为游戏中的一种奖励。

《心灵杀手》中的主要搜集内容就是分布于整个游戏世界的100个咖啡瓶。它们对玩家并无实际意义上的好处,但玩家集满这些道具就可以解琐一项成就。

但这款游戏中的搜集物品并不只是咖啡瓶,其中还有50页左右的Manuscript手稿,每一页手稿都可以用来解琐与游戏情节相关的部分故事。如果玩家找到了散布于整个游戏世界的所有电视节目、广播内容以及游戏历史文本资料,还可以获得其他成就的奖励。

现在让我们来分析诸多搜集物品在这款游戏中的运用是否合理。

为何采用搜集元素?

多数游戏设计融入搜集元素的一大原因就是,这些内容可以通过拖延玩家进程而直接延长游戏寿命。游戏在每个关卡中撒下一些隐藏道具,并且不给予任何提示,玩家就只能缓慢前行,进行地毯式搜集以免遗漏任何一个物品。

心灵杀手(from tap-repeatedly.com)

心灵杀手(from tap-repeatedly.com)

此外,这种设置还可以额外增加游戏的重玩价值。完美主义者在第一回合时错过某物,总会希望回头再次找到遗漏的东西,以便“功德圆满”地完成所有任务。

在Bartle玩家模式中,搜集元素可能较符合“成就者”以及“探索者”的追求,因为前者希望展示可为人所见的技能(游戏邦注:例如自己完成挑战所解琐的成就点),而后者则喜欢探索整个游戏世界。

搜集元素的问题何在?

《心灵杀手》的开发者似乎并没有考虑到植入搜集元素对玩家行为带来的影响。与沙盒游戏(此类游戏也采用搜集元素)不同,《心灵杀手》是一款以故事为驱动的“恐怖生存”游戏,叙事元素才是游戏体验的根本。

而植入搜集元素却破坏了其叙事体验的流程和时序安排,它迫使玩家搜遍各个区域后才能继续前行。更糟的是,玩家如果离开某地就不能重访故地,这导致他们不得不吃透每个房间后才转向下一地点。这种设计对游戏节奏带来了巨大景响。

这100个咖啡瓶的所在位置并无任何指示,因此玩家极易错过其中一些咖啡瓶,而如果玩家之后才发现这一点,但却不能回头再找回遗漏的东西,他们无疑将更加受挫。这样他们之前跑遍整个游戏世界的行为也变成了无用功,而他们往往只有经历了漫长的十多个小时,接近游戏尾声时才会发现这一点并懊恼不已。

最后,这种设计还会破坏游戏世界中的“真实感幻觉”,想想看,Alan Wake可以随身携带30枚左轮手枪的子弹,这已经够多了吧?那他还有空间装下这100个咖啡瓶吗?这种感觉很失真。

曾有人在《蝙蝠侠:阿卡姆之城》这款游戏的评论中指出,搜集元素在故事驱动型的游戏中意义不大,它还会给游戏体验带来消极影响。要知道蝙蝠侠只有几小时的功夫去拯救Gotham,他还会有时间去搜集战利品吗?

如何运用搜集元素?

在《蝙蝠侠:阿卡姆疯人院》中,Riddler在游戏世界中隐藏了大量可搜集的战利品。但为了避免出现与《心灵杀手》类似的情况,该游戏采取了不少措施以降低战利品对玩家体验的影响。玩家在自己所处的位置上会获得大量提示信息以获知战利品的隐藏地点,例如谜语、地图提示等。

这种设置可让对故事驱动型游戏受益匪浅。通过向玩家提示他们该何时寻找搜集物品,这可以缓解他们集满99个道具时才突然发现自己错过了一个战利品时的受挫感。最重要的是,这种设计有助于维持游戏节奏,玩家只有在获得提示时才会寻找战利品,并且可以自然应对其他部分的游戏内容。而《心灵杀手》的做法却与此大相庭径,玩家在游戏中总要不停地搜索每个房间,以免错失任何一个战利品。另外需要指出的是,玩家在《蝙蝠侠:阿卡姆疯人院》中还可以折回旧路寻找自己错过的战利品。

搜集元素很适合沙盒游戏,因为玩家总能返回原路搜索战利品,但这种设计却并不适用于许多其他类型的游戏。所以设计师在非沙盒游戏中植入搜集元素时需要谨慎,要避免该元素对整个游戏体验造成不良影响。

游戏邦注:原文发表于2011年11月10日,所涉事件及数据均以当时为准 。(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 effect of collectables on the player experience in gamesby Steve

by Steve Bromley

I’ve recently been enjoying Alan Wake, the story-driven survival horror game. However it does suffer from an overabundance of collectable items and tasks, which are used to earn achievement points. This has a significant effect on the player experience, and unfortunately often not for the reason intended. Today, I’ll consider why collectables are used in games, the problems inherent with their use, and potential ways to fix them!

Finally, the fun of stamp collecting on your console!

What are collectables?

Collectables in modern games are usually items hidden throughout the game world, found when the player deviates slightly from the game’s intended course. They are often thematically linked to the main story of the game, and can unlock achievements, or in game rewards when collected.

In Alan Wake, the primary collectable are coffee flasks, 100 of which are spread across the game world. They give no tangible benefit to the player in game, however collecting them all unlocks an achievement.

These are however not the only collectables in the game. Throughout the game, there are also 50 or so Manuscript pages, each of which unlocks part of a written story linked to the game’s plot. Achievements are also rewarded for finding all of the TV programmes, radio broadcasts and in-game history text scattered throughout the game world.

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Let’s look at the reasons why so many collectables have been implemented.

Why are collectables used?

The key reason why the design decision is usually made to implement collectables is because they can directly extend the game’s life span, by slowing the player’s pace. By hiding items throughout every level, with no indication of where they are hidden, the player is required to travel slowly and explore fully to find the collectables.

It also opens up additional replay value in the game, as completists who miss the collectables on a first run through have the additional challenge of replaying the game while getting all the additional achievements.

In Bartle’s player types, collectables seem to appeal to ‘achievers’, who are interested in visible displays of skill (such as the achievement points unlocked for completing these challenges), and ‘explorers’, who like to investigate the game world, by incentivising them to fully explore their surroundings.

What is the problem with collectables?

In the case of Alan Wake, it seems that the developers hadn’t considered the extent of the effect on player behaviour that the implementation of collectables would have. Unlike Sandbox games, which have also embraced collectables, Alan Wake is a story-led ‘survival horror’ game, where the narrative is crucial to the experience.

By implementing collectables, this disrupts the flow and timing of the narrative experience, by forcing the player to explore each area before moving on. This is exacerbated because the player cannot return to an area once they have left, forcing the players to extensively scour each room before moving onto the next.

This has a huge effect on the pacing, and ensures that the ‘experience’ isn’t received as designed.

The 100 coffee flasks suffer from having no sign-posting as to their location, making it incredibly simple for the player to miss one, which is cause endless frustration if the player was attempting to collect one, due to the aforementioned issue of not being able to return to an area. Their entire ‘run through’ of the game would be wasted, and this oversight would only be discovered at the end of a run, which can take 15+ hours.

Finally, the atmosphere and ‘illusion’ of the game world suffers from the implementation of collectables. Alan Wake can only carry 30 revolver bullets – fair enough. However he also has space for 100 flasks of coffee? Strange priorities!

As has been noted in reviews of Arkham City, in story-driven games collectables can often make little sense, negatively altering the experience. Batman only has a few hours to save Gotham – should he really be spending his time searching for trophies?

Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

How should collectables be implemented?

In Batman Arkham Asylum, the Riddler had hidden a number of collectable trophies around the game world. To prevent similar issues to those identified with Alan Wake from occurring, a number of steps were taken to mitigate the effect on player experience of these trophies. The player was given a number of clues as to their location, both through a riddle, and through an indication on the map of the general area in which the trophy was hidden.

For a story-driven game, this helps immensely. By indicating to the player when they should be looking for collectables, it reduces the frustration of the player potentially missing a trophy, and only finding out when they reached the end of the game with 99/100 collected. Perhaps more importantly, it ensured that the pacing of the game during story sections was maintained, since the player would only look for trophies when indicated, and could act naturally for the rest of the game. This is in contrast to Alan Wake, where the player is continually required to search every room, for fear of missing a trophy. It’s also worth noting that in Arkham Asylum the trophies were hidden in areas the player could return to at the end of the game.

Collectables work well in Sandbox games, as the player always has the option of returning to an area. In many other game types, this isn’t possible. Caution should therefore be used when implementing collectables in non-sandbox games, as the effect on player experience will be greatly increased, at the possible detriment to the overall gameplay experience.(source:stevebromley


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