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阐述《XCom》是优秀免费游戏的5大理由

发布时间:2012-11-12 11:06:12 Tags:,,,,

作者:Nicholas Lovell

游戏设计师Adam Russell在他的个人博客上刊登了一篇名为《XCOM Should Have Been Free to Play》的文章,但却招致了各种反抗声。

让人奇怪的是:《XCom》的游戏玩法基本上是建立在免费游戏机制的基础上。Adam的文章便指出了这一点,我也认为这是值得我们深入思考的内容。

XCom(from mirror)

XCom(from mirror)

(需要明确的是我并未玩过现在的《X-Com》,所以我的评价都是基于早前的《X-Com》,可以说我是游戏的忠实粉丝。我甚至在去年又重新玩了这款游戏。)

1.《XCom》是以时间为基础

《X-Com》中的许多内容要么是直接涉及时间消费,要么就是基于逻辑原理:

研究新的技术

制造新的设备

升级你的基地

训练你的团队成员

搜索外星人

执行任务

任何以时间为基础的游戏机制也都适合于免费游戏机制。也就是玩家可以用时间去换取金钱,基于如何消费刷任务所获得的货币去制定战术策略,并根据自己所期待的游戏内容而进行研究或升级过程等。可以说几乎所有的游戏节奏都能与免费游戏相呼应。

2.《X-Com》是以升级为基础

《X-Com》中有许多等待玩家去升级的内容,包括士兵,装备,交通工具,基地,知识等等。这在策略,游戏玩法和盈利方面都呈现出了一种灵活性,为拥有技能的谋划者提供了更加广泛的选择角度。

3.《X-Com》能够创造一种情感共鸣

我不知道现在的游戏是否还能体现出这一点,但是以前的《X-Com》游戏总是能推动玩家去关心自己的团队成员。虽然这一点没有多特别(远不及《铁血联盟2》,《博德之门》或《异域镇魂曲》等游戏中的角色情感共鸣),但是它的确能让玩家真正关心其他角色,即装备,培训,定制并帮助角色。而这便是推动玩家继续游戏,保持前进并投入更多金钱的主要动力。

4.《X-Com》从未结束

游戏需要达到用户粘性的最高峰,但是在此与外星人间的战斗却是一个非常漫长的过程。

5.《X-Com》需要新用户

游戏一直在销售各种单位。但是它同样也需要延伸向新用户,新设备,而免费模式便是一种非常有效的市场营销工具。

真正让我感到奇怪的还是对于Adam文章的各种回应。甚至其中还包含了许多宗教言论。对于那些认为免费游戏是邪恶,讽刺或具有操作性的抱怨,我想说的是:免费游戏能让90%的玩家免费经历并感受到整款游戏的乐趣。它让玩家们能够感受到(创造者投入高额资本所创造出来)游戏的真正价值。当然也存在其它负面因素,但是却会被更棒更有趣的游戏体验所掩盖过去。所以请抛弃这种条件反射性偏见吧。

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

5 reasons why XCom is the perfect F2P game

Nicholas Lovell

Game designer Adam Russell posted a short piece on a his personal blog entitled XCOM Should Have Been Free to Play.

The howls of protest reverberating across my Twitter stream were deafening. Some of the milder ones:

You can basically determine whether someone loves games or money by their reaction to this article http://bit.ly/TyJz91 – @LewieP (Lewie Proctor of Savy Gamer)

I feel bad about giving this any traffic, but here is the most awful thing on the internet, ever http://bit.ly/TyJz91 – @bonzrat (Alec Meer of Rock Paper Shotgun)

STOP TRYING TO RUIN NICE THINGS – @danthat (Dan Marshall of Size Five Games)

The weird thing is this: XCom’s gameplay is almost perfectly structured for F2P mechanics. Adam’s post pointed this out. I think it’s worth considering.

(Note that I haven’t played the current X-Com. My comments are based on the X-Com universe, of which I am a huge fan. I even replayed the original last year.)

1. XCom is naturally time-based

Many things in X-Com either do take time or logically could:

Researching new technology

Manufacturing new equipment

Upgrading your bases

Training your squad members

Searching for aliens

Scouting missions

Any game which has time-based mechanics is a shoe-in for an F2P mechanic. It allows you to trade time for money. It allows you to make tactical choices on where and how to spend your grind currency. It allows you to set up research or upgrade processes depending on when you next expect to be able to play. Almost all of its gameplay rhythms match those of successful F2P games.

2. X-Com is naturally upgrade-based

There are so many things that you upgrade in X-Com. Your soldiers, your equipment, your vehicles, your bases, your knowledge and so on. This provides flexibility in strategy, in gameplay, in monetisation. It provides so many angles of choice for a skilled designer.

3. X-Com naturally builds emotional resonance

I don’t know if it’s true in this game, but previous X-Com games make you care about your squad members. It’s not brilliant at it (nothing like the emotional resonance of the characters in Jagged Alliance 2, Baldur’s Gate or Planescape Toment – and yes, I know I’m old), but it does have characters you care about. Characters you want to equip, to train, to specialise, to help. All of these are strong motivations to keep playing, to keep progressing and keep spending.

4. X-Com never has to end

The game needs to have peaks of engagement, but fighting the aliens is a very, very, very long storyline

5. X-com needs a new audience

The game is doing great, selling lots of units. But it also needs to reach new audiences, on new devices, and free is a great marketing tool for that.

The strange things is the responses. They have all the fervour of a religious mania. It is not hard to hear overtones of “heretic” or “blasphemer” in the furious tirade unleashed against Adam’s post for what was just an interesting thought experiment.

For all those complaining that F2P is evil, cynical or manipulative, I have this to say to you: F2P lets 90% of players experience and enjoy and entire game for free. It lets those who love what the creators do spend lots of money on things they truly value. Sure, there are bad examples, but those are dying, being replaced by better, more enjoyable, more entertaining experiences. Let’s lose the kneejerk hatred.

I do accept Dan Marshall’s argument. It seems to me that he is saying “I don’t want to play X-Com F2P because I like it how it is”. Which is totally fair enough.(source:gamesbrief)


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