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改变产品开发模式 服务型游戏提升玩家体验

发布时间:2012-08-23 17:44:52 Tags:,,,

作者: Lars Jörnow(King.com移动副总裁兼高级制作人)

很久以前,当盒装游戏开始盛行的时候,游戏只是一次性的体验。用户们购买一款游戏,比如《超级马里奥兄弟》,兴奋地打开,然后开始游戏,他们重复游戏直到游戏不具有任何挑战性,之后就厌倦了这款游戏并投入最新游戏的怀抱。

游戏维持可玩性这一话题,开始伴随着《FarmVille》以及Zynga开发的多种Facebook游戏而出现。它们的到来被称为游戏领域的转折点(为游戏领域带来了更多的女性用户),同时也带来了另一个有意义的现象:即服务型游戏的出现。

Lars Jörnow(from consortpartners)

Lars Jörnow(from consortpartners)

数据分析

服务型游戏理念来源于玩家对新内容的需求。以前,当游戏仅仅为一款产品的时候,公司会在游戏发行后将其上架出售,并希望此游戏能成为热销品。那时公司极少得到用户的反馈信息。

对于服务型游戏而言,发行只是一个开端。

服务型游戏的引入是一块敲门砖,挖掘出了大量重要的用户数据,其中涉及玩家游戏体验的过程。Zynga、Playfish、Wooga以及King.com这类公司开始积极利用这些信息来提升用户粘性。忽然之间,开发者有机会修复游戏中存在的任何症结。通过修改,他们不仅仅改善了游戏体验,还完善了整个游戏进程,从此乏味感及重复性不再是给玩家造成困扰的因素。

Zynga对《FarmVile》的运营方式推动了服务型游戏的盛行。以前,开发者在发行一款游戏后会转而投入开发另一款游戏,然而Zynga继续在《FarmVile》投入人力和资源,以保证用户留存数量。用户经常可以注意到游戏中的一些小变动,比如母牛换了颜色,这款游戏对玩家而言不再是千篇一律的内容。

这种模式还产生了一批数据专家、分析师以及经济学家,他们会通过筛选数据,根据统计学对游戏做出调整和改善(而非单凭直觉)。一些公司通过采用新平台以及新盈利模式保持与用户的互动关系。

保持乐趣

虽然数据会改变用户与游戏互动的方式,但目前仍没有统一的公式或者数据可以测试游戏体验的趣味性。现在,游戏设计师的挑战是制作一款令人愉快且让人着迷,同时还要采用服务型游戏创新思路的产品。实现游戏设计的完美平衡(游戏开发的最有效点),几乎是每一家游戏公司的目标。

游戏的有趣程度常取决于X因素。即使是获得过诺贝尔奖的科学家也无法完全解释一些热门游戏(游戏邦注:比如《俄罗斯方块》和《宝石迷阵》)经久不衰的原因。这是游戏公司一直尝试解决的长久谜题之一,而伴随服务型游戏出现的元素则更为有形。我们更易于挖掘、处理、调整那些数据和用户反应信息,并据此调整游戏,以增加游戏成为热作,或者保持领先地位的概率。

深度是服务型游戏取得成功的关键因素。当King.com在Facebook上发行游戏时,我们一般只设置了50-70个关卡。如果该款游戏成为热作,那么我们将会在六个月内增添另外的150个关卡。众所周知,游戏上线后,就要继续开发内容,保持玩家对游戏的热情。但这不仅仅指增加游戏关卡。

bubble-witch-saga(from theverge.com)

bubble-witch-saga(from theverge.com)

《 Bubble Witch Saga》在发行初时设置了64道关卡,此后每两周添加10个关卡。当设计者开始开发新关卡时,King.com团队会研究了早期关卡的统计数据,确定了哪些关卡最吸引用户。通过合计玩家在每一关卡投入的时间,团队能够发现玩家会重复访问的关卡;甚至可以通过粉丝页面上的评论获得反馈,我们可以据此添加能够取悦玩家的游戏体验。这样游戏就能够给予玩家一种印象——它在不断推出新内容。

转向其它平台

此途径的结果是开发者可以基于用户的行为及出现的品牌来改编和调整游戏,为游戏移植到其它平台打下基础。但Facebook平台上的服务型游戏在移动领域并不是那么抢手。

由于移动运营商会继续针对数据流量收费,所以一些玩家仍不愿意通过手机访问Facebook游戏——这是游戏公司所面临的另一个挑战。这些游戏在移动平台并不像在Facebook那样,能够同终端用户建立直接联系。一些较大型的游戏,比如Zynga游戏就有稳定的网络连接要求,也许这正是《CityVille》并没有在移动平台走红的原因。

虽然用户很在乎Facebook上的个人信息安全问题,但他们相信Facebook游戏中出现的bug很快就会得到修复。玩家可以通过翻译本地语言为游戏作贡献,或者报告漏洞问题从而帮助开发者提升游戏品质。而如果任天堂的主机游戏发生类似情况,这些问题可能迟迟得不到解决,甚至可能会影响玩家继续玩游戏的热情。

扩大用户群

Facebook游戏的休闲特点是基于免费增值模式,它向用户提供了不同于《使命召唤》的体验(即用户花费60美元,获得600小时的游戏体验)。休闲游戏具有更大的吸引力,它与大多数主流视频游戏不同,不会有时间或者学习基础的要求。休闲游戏的关卡——允许用户在某一时刻玩上几十分钟,而不是每一回合都要耗上数个小时,这也是休闲游戏吸引人的地方。

随着服务型游戏的增加,女性玩家的数目也在逐渐增大。但也有些例外,比如Kabam公司的主要目标群体就是硬核男性玩家。然而,服务型游戏的大多数玩家都为女性,它们改变了传统的游戏玩家结构,扩大了游戏玩家范围。

持续改善

游戏质量以及我们回应用户的能力提升,确实能够让用户从服务型游戏中受益。就拿现在的Facebook社交游戏同一年前的相比,所有热门游戏的品质、深度、设计以及吸引力已经得到极大的改善。Zynga最近发行的游戏《CastleVile》实际上比曾经的《FarmVile》进步了很多。

一年前,我们发行了《Miner Speed》这款以高分为主的Facebook游戏,其中设置了一分钟的核心游戏循环及六种叫做“增效剂”的虚拟商品。这款游戏并非如我们预料般的成功,因此我们的团队很快就投入其它游戏的制作。但是我们从《Miner Speed》开发过程中收集到的大量数据点极大地推动了我们下一代社交游戏的设计——《Saga》系列游戏设计了更有深度和可解琐的功能。我们通过《Saga》系列意识到,只要开发团队持续增添新内容、虚拟物品及社交病毒功能,就可以不断地优化这类游戏。

两周推出一个新功能,然后在接下来一天中观察它如何吸引数百万玩家,这确实是一种难得且富有成就感的时刻。开发者和玩家之间这种新型的对话不仅可以改变游戏的制作方式,刺激开发者制作更好的游戏,还可以保持游戏对玩家的吸引力。(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 Kathy Johnson

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 Speedgame-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:consortpartners)


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