作者：Ohad Barzilay

我最近拜访好友的游戏工作室，就他们应该如何管理若干新项目给予几点建议。这些新项目基于包含微交易的免费增值模式，而他们之前的作品主要瞄准主机设备。从产品型游戏转向服务型游戏这一过程会带来若干方法及问题。其中之一就是游戏设计，我将在文章中谈及这一话题。

传统&社交游戏设计师

在多数传统游戏中，设计师都无需考虑其中的商业问题。只要题材确定，项目获得批准，设计师就可以自由设计最具沉浸性和趣味性的体验。就是这样。“繁琐的销售工作”由营销和业务开发人士负责。

这和负责免费模式项目的设计师截然不同。追加销售元素是游戏设计的组成要素。设计师需要找到沉浸玩法和创收需求之间的平衡点。游戏需要鼓励玩家进行消费（游戏邦注：虚拟货币/更优质的道具/更多游戏时间），同时确保非付费玩家不会因此感到沮丧，否则这会促使他们放弃游戏。免费游戏的设计师还需要熟悉衡量-优化循环，编写能够迅速开发的小型功能，从A/B测试中收集信息——主机游戏设计师不存在这些职责。

在社交游戏中，你无法将二者区分开来。社交游戏设计师需要基于商业视角，熟悉数据，而不仅仅是成为纯粹的“趣味工程师”。

设计师的角色和职责

如下是社交游戏设计师的基本角色和职责：

* 创造新的游戏功能，实现目标KPI（关键绩效指标）

* 分析即时反馈信息和参数，调整游戏设置，以达到既定目标

* 编写及保持清晰的游戏设计文档，确保公司所有相关人员理解其中内容

* 和制作人、开发者和美工共同合作，指导和监督设计执行工作

* 定义及传递游戏的长远目标

* 持续更新游戏设计文档及最佳举措，且将内容传递给团队人员

KPI应由管理人员设定。确切来讲，KPI优先次序应由公司CEO决定。只要设计师有确切目标，着眼于设计能够实现目标的功能就变得容易许多。共同达成准确的参数目标非常重要（游戏邦注：例如，将ARPPU提高至X美元，或是将第2天的留存率提高至Y%）。

设计师还得是一线分析师。他需要每日查看数据，确定优化内容，找出测试理论的方式。

最后，虽然我们鼓励所有团队成员都体验游戏，但这是设计师的职责所在。他需要体验同类题材及题材之外的游戏作品，从书籍、电影及热门文化中获取灵感，将这些知识分享给团队。

开发阶段的设计

各工作室都有略微不同的方法模式，所以下面是简单的阶段划分。

* 预制作阶段

—活动内容：研究及高级层面——概念、游戏类型、核心机制、初期美术风格、撰写设计框架及建模等。

—文档：概念文档/HLGDD（高级游戏设计文档）。从根本来说，就是基于架构模板的文档——格式具有灵活性。

—持续时间：制作前的2-4周

* 制作阶段（发行前）

—活动内容：和开发工作并行的深层次设计工作，建模，计算所有等级/经济数据/其他表格数据，必要时候重新撰写设计内容，定义发行版本（发行所需的最少内容）。

—文档：更新和填充GDD（游戏设计文档）架构，制作Cycle Design Doc——根据设计文档封装每个周期的内容。

—持续时间：直到初期发行阶段

*游戏上线（发行后）

—活动内容：分析日常运作，添加新功能，调整既有功能，实现既定目标。

—文档：基于功能模板的功能设计。

—持续时间：游戏寿命

功能模板

当然，各工作室的模板都略有不同，但在我看来，所有模板都应基于这一架构：

* 功能名称

* 概述

* 目标

受影响的KPI，预估结果（质量&数量）

* 风险

社区留存率，通货膨胀/通货紧缩加剧，第三方依赖关系，玩法变更（FAQ/Tutorial）/保持默认值

* 详细描述

前端（游戏邦注：包含线框/模型）、后端、管理模式、算法式、美术&音效资产

* 参数&报告

发送条目，所需报告

* 结果

发行日期，达成目标，成败，可能截图

设计文档的范围

投入过多时间编写细节内容与让开发者疑惑内容运作方式的快速草案之间总是存在冲突关系。各团队需要找到自己的平衡点，即便这需要团队频繁做出变更。如下是几点效果显著的基本指导方针：

* 设计稳固（但不会过分膨胀）的Admin Dashboard。游戏设计师&美工要能够调整游戏功能，在无需依靠开发者的情况下给在线游戏添加内容。

* 所有算法的细节设计非常必要。添加Excel文件。

* 针对目标情况提供指导方针，但罗列边缘情况及行为具有选择性。

* 腾出空间，供团队成员出谋划策（动画、特效等）。

* 设计需清晰、简短及通俗，包含线框/模型。撰写冗长内容毫无意义，没有人会进行阅读。

通过Balsamiq Mockups或其他适当工具，设计师可以轻松完成模型的制作，但功能需要具有视觉表征。从其他游戏/网站/电影/扫描文档中粘贴图像也具有可行性，前提是视觉效果足够清晰。

分析及游戏设计

参数和分析数据在社交游戏中至关重要，在此设计师是前锋战士。可以说，免费模式领域的设计师首先需要是半个商业/销售人士，方能取得成功，他们需要兼任财务人员，同时又要富有创造性。在此，颇为重要的是，游戏设计师要将自己的探究方向局限在数据信息上，这样他们就能够以合理节奏完成工作。

深入分析及找准模式是分析师的工作所在。他们会提取原始数据，或是结合众多来源的数据，发现更深层次的模式，形成新见解。但基于这些认识设计出可行功能是设计师的职责。分析师是有统计学背景的人士，他们采用SPSS Clementine之类的“重量级”数据挖掘工具，投入较长时间想出很棒的构思。游戏设计师无法完成这一层面的分析，即便他们有空余时间。

设计师能够利用杰出可视化工具非常重要，这样他们就能够清楚把握日常数据。曲线图、饼状图等是节约时间的重要工具，所以如果你能够负担这些服务，这些工具应该要随时触手可及。令人惊讶的是，设计师通过凝视数据所得出的些许认识可能会给KPI带来显著影响。

总结

游戏设计师显然是游戏成功的关键要素。他们能够在初始发行阶段正确把握核心玩法至关重要，更重要的是，他们要清楚游戏上线后应该如何进行测量-测试-优化。你无法将玩法设计同商业和分析元素区分开来，这使得社交游戏设计变成极具挑战性的工作。（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）

Game Designers in the Social Space

by Ohad Barzilay

I recently visited a friends’ game studio to bounce some ideas on how they should manage several new projects they have. These new projects are based on the freemium model with micro-transactions while their previous titles were mostly for game consoles. The shift from games as a product to games as a service brought up several methodology and processes issues. One of those issues raised was the game design aspect, which I’ll touch in this post.

Traditional vs Social Game Designers

In more traditional games (Games as products), the game designer is mostly free from ongoing business concerns. Once the genre was decided and the project got a green light, it’s up to him to design the most immersive and fun experience he can. That’s it. The marketing and bizdev guys (or rather, the publisher’s marketing and bizdev guys) are the ones tasked with the “dirty sales work”.

This can’t be more different with designers working on freemium titles. The upsell points needs to be completely part of the game design. The designer needs to find a balance between the immersive gameplay and the need to monetize. The game needs to encourage players to buy (virtual currency / better items / more game time) while not being too frustrating for the non paying players (the majority) which will cause them to leave. The designer of freemium games also need to be fluent with the measure-optimize cycle, write small features that can be developed quickly and gather information from A/B testing – responsibilities console game designers never have to face.

I believe you cannot separate the two in social games. A social game designer needs to be very business oriented and fluent with numbers, beyond being a “Fun Engineer”.

(This subject definitely deserve it’s own post. Maybe the next one I’ll write..)

Designer Roles and Responsibilities

These are the basic R&R of a designer in a social games studio:

* Create new game features to achieve target KPIs

* Analyze real-time feedback and metrics, and adjust game setting in order to reach set goals

* Write and maintain clear game design documents, accessible to all relevant personnel in the company.

* Work with producers, developers and artists to direct and oversee the implementation of the design

* Define and communicate the game’s long-term vision.

* Remain up-to-date with Game Design literature and best practices, and bring that knowledge into the organization

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) should be set by management. To be precise, the KPI priorities should be set by no other than the CEO. Once the designer has a set goal, it’s much easier to focus on designing a feature that will hit target. It’s important the exact metric goal be in agreement – eg, increase ARPPU to $X or increase 2nd Day Retention to Y%.

The designer also needs to be the first line analyst. He needs to look at the numbers daily, identify points to optimize and come up with ways to test his theories.

Last, while it’s encouraged that all team members will play games, it’s the designer official responsibility. He needs to play games in and outside of the genre, draw inspiration from books, movies, popular culture and bring this knowledge into the team.

Design within development stages

Every studio has a slightly different methodology, so the following is just a general breakout of the stages.

* Preproduction Stage

—Activity: Research and High Level – Concept, Game Genre, Core Mechanics, Initial art style, writing the design skeleton, prototyping etc.

—Documents: Concept Doc / HLGDD (High Level Game Design Doc). Basically, one document based on the Skeleton Template – format is flexible.

—Duration: 2-4 weeks before production

* Production Stage (Pre-Launch)

—Activity: Deeper design in parallel with development, prototyping, calculating all level/economy/other tables, re-writing design where needed, defining Launch Version (minimal content required for launch).

—Documents: Updating and filling the GDD (game design document) skeleton, producing a Cycle Design Doc – Encapsulating content per cycle based on design document

—Duration: Until initial release

* Live Game (Post Launch)

—Activity: Analyzing daily performance, adding new features and adjusting existing ones to reach the set goals.

—Documents: Features design based on the Feature Template

—Duration: Game’s lifetime

Feature Template

Of course, every studio will have a slightly different template, but I think all those templates should be based on this skeleton:

* Feature Name

* Overview

* Objectives

KPI affected, estimated results (quality & quantity)

* Risks

Community reaction, increase inflation/deflation, 3rd party dependency, Gameplay change (FAQ/Tutorial) / None. (Make it short – points only)

* Detailed Description

Frontend (inc. wireframes/mockups), Backend, Admin, Algorithms, Art & Sound Assets

* Metrics & Reports

Events to be sent, reports requested

* Results

Release date, goals achievement, success/failure. Possible screenshot

Scope of Design Documents

There is always a conflict between wasting too much time on writing every little detail and making a quick draft that leaves the developers puzzled on how the bloody thing should work. Every team needs to find it’s own balance, and even this will keep changing frequently. The following are the basic guidelines I found to work best for the teams I managed.

* Design a strong (yet not bloated) Admin Dashboard. Game designers & Artists should be able to tweak game features and add content to the live game without using developers time.

* Detail design of all algorithms is required. Add Excel files.

* Provide guidelines for end cases, but giving a full list of edge cases and behaviours is only optional.

* Leave space for team members’ contributions (Animations, effects etc)

* Designs need to be clear, shortest possible, easily read and with wireframes / mockups. There is no point to write something long no one will bother to read.

Mockups can easily be done using Balsamiq Mockups or any other tool the designer is comfortable with, but there must be a visual representation of the feature (if it is, indeed, a visual feature). It’s also fine to paste images from other games/websites/movies/scans, as long as the visual look is clear.

Analytics and Game Design

Metrics and analysing stats are key in social games and the designer is the first line soldier in this. I would go as far as saying that designers in the freemium space need to be half business/sales guys to be successful, and they certainly need to be numbers people as well as creative. Still, it’s important that game designers will limit their digging into numbers so they could actually get work done in the right pace.

Deep analysis and finding patterns is the work of the Analysts. They will take raw data, or combine data from several sources to discover deeper patterns, and bring up insights. It will be the designer’s job, however, to design actionable features based on those insights. Analysts are people with degrees in statistics, they use “heavy guns” data mining tools like SPSS Clementine and others and take a long time to come up with some pretty cool insights. Game designers cannot (and should not) perform this level of analytics, even if they have the time (and they never do).

It’s important the game designers will have access to good visualization tools so they could get a clear picture of the daily stats. Graphs, pie charts etc are important time saving tools, so if you can afford the services, these should be available to designers at all times. You’d be surprised how a small insight your designer came with by just staring at the stats can make a significant impact on the KPIs.

Conclusion

The game designer is obviously a critical element in the success of a game. It’s critical he’ll get the core gameplay correctly at the initial launch and even more critical he’ll know how to measure-test-optimize once the game is live. you cannot separate the business and analytics aspect from the gameplay design, which makes designing social games a very challenging (yet very interesting) job.（Source：gamasutra）