作者：Radek Koncewicz

不久前我深入研究了《Scary Girl》这款游戏（并不是很有趣），我们也因此讨论了如何才能创造一款优秀的2D平台游戏，而今天我想更详细地阐述这一话题。以下我将列出一些经典平台游戏所具有的3大常见元素。这些元素不仅是造就这些成功游戏的关键，同时它们还是反复出现的共享基础。

1.动作设定

soniccddash（from significant-bits）

《Sonic CD》添加了额外的碰撞，从而导致Sonic比旋转冲刺时更容易受伤，但是这么做却能够让他立即加速前进。

动作设定是一个较为模糊的术语，围绕着所有玩家角色的能力和属性。包含了标准的奔跑和跳跃，并也涉及了其它机制，如滑行，以及各种行为的规则——如需要多久才能获得最大速度，当角色被撞击时会做出何种反应等。一些临时的道具，如《马里奥》中的Starman，以及永久的武器，如《洛克人》里boss武器等也属于这一范畴。

所以我们该如何创造最佳动作设定？

首先，我们必须确保动作设定足够清晰，准确。没有什么比跑过可收集的道具但却未捡起它来更糟糕了。除非该道具遭到敌人（不会碰触到你）的撞击。没有什么比这种情况更让玩家受挫的了，这会让他们觉得自己被游戏所欺骗了。

megamanxslide1（from significant-bits）

《洛克人》中沿着墙壁滑行并跳跃的机制便为该系列游戏添加了许多游戏元素。

只要我们并不打算离开用户，我们便能维系起玩家与游戏之间的联系。

一开始，游戏界面必须足够快速且灵敏。玩家输入的内容必须能够直接影响到角色，从而创造出一种完整的控制感。除此之外，间隔以及不同的控制技巧，如按压，轻敲以及手握等都非常重要，因为这能够让玩家更清晰地感受到自己的移动。

我们必须注意的是，许多8位体和16位体对游戏都是基于每秒60帧的速度运行着。虽然许多动画只是由2至5帧的画面组成，但是精灵的移动却能够非常顺畅。这不仅能够呈现出一种物理现象，同时也能够创造出非常动态的移动感。

yoshisislandegg（from significant-bits）

《耀西之岛》便拥有我非常喜欢的动作设定。

如今，平台游戏的精确度总是与像素相关联，如果不能有效设置像素，游戏便算毁了。尽管有时候的确如此，但是精确度也是这类型游戏中始终存在的重要元素，例如跳上移动的平台，飞快驶过一个狭窄的隧道，朝着漂浮的敌人射击等等。

所以，我们该如何做才能确保动作设定足够有趣？

我们可以设置一个敏捷的忍者，并让他执行一些不可能在现实生活中看到的军事演习。不过说实话，我认为真正的“乐趣元素”是将动作设定与关卡设计中的各种元素整合在一起。

2.层面

如果游戏是由各种区域所构成，并且每个区域都有自己独特的外观，这时候图像层面便非常重要了。当然了，独特性总是伴随着各种互动对象，能够添加多样性并提升速度，但也有一个需要注意的小细节，即前景与背景的分离。

donkeykongcountry（from significant-bits）

虽然在这几年里《超级大金刚》遭遇了一些后起之作的冲击，但它仍是最主要的平台游戏，即带有轮廓清晰的游戏层面。

这似乎并不是什么大问题，但是如果不能有效解决的话，便有可能让玩家感到困惑与挫败。困惑并不是什么好事，这时候，即使再华丽的图像也不能带给玩家安慰。

就环境本身而言，其中充满各种滑梯，桥梁，蹦床，梯子等都不是一种巧合。从某种程度上来看，这只是玩家所接触的游戏场地（游戏邦注：不管是从表面来看还是象征性的描述）。它们能够迎合动作设定，并巩固游戏的进展。

bonksadventure（from significant-bits）

《Bonk’s Adventure》虽然速度较为缓慢且较为直接，但它却包含了一些非常特别且有趣的层面。

巧妙的游戏场地设置也能够让玩家去使用自己的各种能力。也就是游戏将利用现有资源而提供给玩家大量的体验。渠道本身也非常微妙——预示着玩家必须收集一系列的内容，并需要翻墙才能继续前进。

draculax（from significant-bits）

《恶魔城》中根本的游戏场地元素便是非常棒的例子，即设置了一条通向旱地的长长水滑道，紧接着便会出现一艘小船，而船上站着摆渡者。

当我们在设计关卡时，引导型方法能够帮助我们创造出某些特定的设置，即关于玩家是如何进入并离开某一特定领域。举个例子来说，布满收集品的小鹿便能够将玩家引向一个包含有效的升级装置的独立区域。而为了到达该区域，玩家就需要不断地跳跃并翻墙，通过一件件收集品并最终到达目的地。而当他们往回走时，收集品也都消失了，如此他们便不需要重复之前的行动，并且能够更轻松地前进。

supermariobros3（from significant-bits）

《超级玛丽兄弟3》便拥有非常棒的动机渠道设置。当马里奥笔直前进并跳起收集朝着天空排列的金币后，他便能够获得升级。

3.状态

场景：你的角色跳向了天空，敌人正瞄准他，一颗失去方向的导弹爆炸了，并摧毁一堵砖墙。这一画面揭示了多种状态，包括跳跃，瞄准以及爆炸/破碎。

状态是一种逻辑型说法，它包含了“游戏对象”的各种行为和属性。它也赋予了一般的敌人和最终的boss基本的智能以及玩家能够理解的挑战。如此便让这些角色也能具有自己的个性，并再次鼓励玩家使用各种技巧去打败他们。

megaman3rollers（from significant-bits）

每一款《洛克人》游戏都带有许多敌人，并且这些敌人都具有独特，且受状态驱动的行为。

然而，对于被影响者来说，状态和层面本身一样重要。尽管我们能够很容易从表明上区分敌人和互动对象，但事实上，他们都是一样的。弹簧，传送带，摆动的蔓藤以及脆弱的墙壁等充满游戏场地的事物能够帮助游戏将原本静态的画面转变成生动的环境。

在最初的攻略中，状态总是会鼓励玩家进行尝试。尽管这些状态都是可预见的，但却都能增强游戏的重玩价值。掌握游戏机制和模式将能够推动玩家更擅长玩游戏。并且在某些情况下，这也能够提升游戏的运行速度。

如果你不相信使用状态下的游戏会具有多大的活力，那就点击下面的游戏按钮进行尝试。

smballstarspiranha（from significant-bits）

测试临时的跳跃时间，你便能够以最快的速度通过这一层面。

现在，我们可以将这三种原则整合在一起，并去发展这些能让玩家记住的有意且意外的时刻。

具体是什么时刻？

就像在《Sonic the Hedgehog》中投掷弹球碰撞杆，并想办法避开boss的攻击；在《超级银河战士》中，因为拥有特殊能力，所以玩家能够在底下洞穴中进行探索；或者在《超级玛丽兄弟》中，玩家可以顺畅地穿越各个层面而无需停下来，并且漂浮在上方的食人鱼都不会轻易去碰触他们。

如果开发者能够结合动作设定，层面以及状态机制，他们便能够创造出真正有趣的平台游戏。就像我们在《夺宝奇兵》的开头便看到这三大元素的结合，如此谁会不喜欢这款游戏呢？

（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 Made Those Old, 2D Platformers so Great?

By Radek Koncewicz

A little while ago I dug into Scary Girl for not being a very fun game. This brought up some discussion about what actually makes a good 2D platformer, so I decided to expand on the topic. Below is a list of what I see as three common aspects of many classic platforming titles. These point are not the only things that made those games great, but they’re a shared base that appears again and again.

1). The Moveset

Sonic CD saw the addition of the dash move. It left Sonic more vulnerable than his spin dash, but it lasted longer and was a great way to instantly build up speed.

The moveset is a nebulous term that encompasses all of the player character’s abilities and properties. These include the standard run and jump, but also other mechanics such as sliding, and the rules of various behaviours, e.g., how much time does it take to accelerate to a maximum velocity, how does the character react when he’s hit, etc. Temporary powerups such as Mario’s Starman and permanent modifiers like Mega Man’s boss weapons also fall under this umbrella.

So what makes a great moveset?

Well, let’s start at the beginning. First of all — and it’s hard to believe that this needs to be explicitly stated —  the moveset should be very clear and accurate. There’s nothing worse than running over a collectible and not picking it up. Well, unless it’s getting hit by an enemy that’s clearly not touching you. This kind of stuff is incredibly frustrating, and it makes the player feel cheated by the game.

Mega Man’s wall-slide and wall-jump mechanics added a lot of gameplay elements to the famous series.

As soon as we’re sure that we’re not actively pissing off the audience, we can build a connection between the player and the game itself.

To start off, the interface needs to be quick and responsive. Input should have an immediate effect on the character in order to foster a sense of full control. Granularity and different control techniques, i.e., pressing, tapping and holding, are also important as they provide a level of precision to the movement.

It’s important to note that the majority of 8-bit and 16-bit games actually ran at 60 frames-per-second. Sure, many of the animations were composed of only 2-5 frames, but the actual motion of the sprites was very smooth. This not only aided the physics, but also created a very dynamic sense of movement.

Yoshi’s Island has one of my favourite movesets of all time.

Now precision in platformers is often associated with pixel-perfect leaps that — if not properly executed — result in game death. While that is sometimes the case, precision is an ever-present facet of these titles that’s experienced at virtually all times, e.g., jumping up to a moving platform, dashing through a tight tunnel, firing shots at floating enemies, etc.

So how do we actually make the moveset fun?

Well, there’s something to be said for vicariously living through a speedy, agile ninja that performs maneuvers one would not likely do in real life. However, what I consider even more important to the “fun factor” is the integration of the moveset with the various facets of level design itself.

2). The Levels

On largely aesthetic level, it helps a great deal if the game is composed of various zones that each have their own unique look. Of course that uniqueness is often accompanied by numerous interactive objects that add variety and help with the pacing, but there’s one small detail that occasionally falls through the cracks: the separation of foregrounds and backgrounds.

Donkey Kong Country has experienced a bit of a backlash over the years, but it was a stellar platformer with clearly outlined levels.

This might seem like a relatively small issue, but if not handled correctly, it can confuse and frustrate the player. Confusion is rarely a good thing, and pretty art is a poor consolation for jumping on phantom platforms.

Now as far as the environments themselves, it’s not a coincidence that they’re often filled with all sorts of slides, bridges, trampolines, ladders, etc., In a way, they’re simply playgrounds for the player, both literally and figuratively. They cater to the moveset and enhance the flow of the game.

Bonk’s Adventure was relatively slow-paced and straightforward, but it included some truly bizarre and entertaining levels.

Smart playgrounds also funnel the player into using his various abilities. Once again, this is to provide a wide array of experiences by fully utilizing existing resources. The funneling itself can be subtle — indicating a path through a series of collectibles — or forced — requiring the player to scale a wall in order to proceed.

A great example of organic playground elements in Akumaj? Dracula X. The long water slide ends with a leap onto dry land, quickly followed by a boat ride with the ferryman.

When designing levels, a guiding approach also helps with creating specific setups for how the player enters and leave a specific area. For example, a path of collectibles can lead to an isolated spot that contains a useful powerup. Getting there requires a series of leaps and wall jumps that take the player through the lines of collectibles and deposit him at the desired destination. On his way back, the collectibles are gone, removing the need to retrace steps and making the descent itself easier and more enjoyable.

A good example of incentive-funneling in Super Mario Bros 3. A flight-leaf powerup is followed by a straight runway that ends with a path of coins leading up into the sky (where more collectibles await).

3). The States

Picture this scene: your character is jumping through the air, an enemy is homing in on him, and a stray missile explodes and destroys a brick wall. A snapshot of this scene reveals multiple states: jumping, homing in, and exploding/crumbling.

States are basically logical denominations that encompass various behaviours and properties of “game objects.” They give standard enemies and end-level bosses a rudimentary intelligence, and challenge the player to decipher and exploit their patterns. This imbues them with personality, and once again encourages the use of various techniques to defeat them.

Every Mega Man game is filled with enemies that all have unique, state-driven behaviour.

However, states are just as important to the levels themselves as to their inhabitants. Even though it’s easy to visually separate enemies and interactive objects, they’re largely the same thing. Springs, conveyor belts, swinging vines, breakable walls, etc. fill out the playground, and they do a tremendous job of turning a static image into a living, breathing environment.

On the initial playthrough, states encourage experimentation and improvisation. Despite the fact that they’re entirely predictable, they also enhance the replay value. Learning the mechanics and patterns of a game guarantees that the player — at least to a certain extent — will continuously get better at it. In some cases, this can even lead to the creation of speed runs.

And if you really doubt how vibrant a game can be largely through its use of states, click the play button below.

Time the occasional jump, and you can blast through this level at top speed.

Now as you start putting all three of these principles together, chances are you’ll also foster those intentional and emergant moments that players tend to remember.

What moments, exactly?

Well, it’s stuff like using pinball bumpers to dart around in Sonic the Hedgehog while avoiding the boss’ attacks. It’s exploring all new underground caverns in Super Metroid thanks to a special ability. It’s running through a level of Super Mario Bros. without stopping while piranha fish sail above you, but never quite touch you.

The flow created by intelligently combining movesets, levels and state mechanics is a large part of what makes platformers fun.

And as a final point, the combination of all three of these aspects can actually be seen in the intro to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and who didn’t like that?(source:significant-bits)