作者：Lähettänyt Michail Katkoff

想象有这么一款游戏，角色在拥有无限障碍的路上奔跑。角色跑得越远，就可以得到越多游戏内货币和点数。他们可以用点数攀向积分排行榜前列，用游戏内货币优化自己的角色。这种不必担心玩家“用光”内容的游戏类型，让现代游戏开发者美梦成真。

这些跑酷游戏在App Store确实大获成功。例如，由Imangi Studios推出的《Temple Run》就收获了上亿下载量，《Temple Run 2》则曾称雄iOS营收榜单前十名。Kiloo开发的《Subway Surfers》发布于2012年6月，从上线开始就开始收获不少下载量，并曾跻身动作游戏营收榜单第一名。Halfbrick Studios发布的《Jetpack Joyride》发布于2011年，虽然在营收榜单表现并不如前面两者，但确已成为计多后来的跑酷游戏的基准。

infinite runner(from deconstructoroffun)

这些游戏的成功也产生了该类游戏题材的激烈竞争。虽然《Subway Surfers》成功了，但许多其他游戏却非如此。

分析盈利情况

正如之前所言，跑酷游戏并不需要完全依赖新内容，这也是它们适合采用免费模式的原因。免费游戏的营收取决于三个主要因素：活跃玩家数量，付费用户比例以及每笔交易额的大小。

dau-conversion-arppu(from deconstructoroffun)

新玩家与留存玩家构成了游戏的活跃玩家基础。用户获取、推荐、交叉推广等一些因素会影响活跃用户基础。但在本文我将着眼于两个影响DAU的特殊因素：主题和控制方式。

在此我并不打算讨论平均每付费玩家的收益情况，因为所有的跑酷游戏都极为相似，售价也很低。我将深入讨论该题材不同游戏如何创造促使玩家转为付费用户的需求。

1.主题

在充斥大量免费游戏的应用商店中，主题显得尤其重要，原因有二：首先，主题可以让你获得下载量。想想看，你在App Store中偶然遇到一款免费的海盗游戏，你就会迅速将海盗与轮船、枪支、宝藏、鹦鹉和假肢等有趣的东西联系在一起。

第二，主题之所以重要，是因为强大的主题可以让你的游戏设计更为简便，这又可以转变为更强的留存率。我的意思是在海盗游戏中，你并不需要真正向玩家解释他们需要做什么。他们自己就懂得去航海、打海战以及抢夺。这个主题就是成为海盗。

themes(from deconstructoroffun)

（作为玩家，我会选择左边的主题，而作为游戏开发者，我比较认同右边的主题）

主题也是我们iOS和Android开发者易于失败的地方。我们经常试图制作“我们会想玩”的游戏，尽管我们可能也玩PC和主机游戏。所以，我们摒弃这种观念，应该去制作“如果没有PC或主机设备，我们应该会玩”的游戏。

但也有些时候我们确实通过一个主题获得成功。多数情况下这是因为我们将自己的怀旧情愫与“当下流行”的元素组合起来。例如《Clash of Clans》就能够轻易让玩家将其中的奇幻世界与《塞尔达传说》、《Gauntlet》或《指环王》等游戏联系起来。

我们有时也能够因心中所爱的人而开发一款成功的游戏，例如为妻儿开发一款他们喜欢玩的游戏。

2.控制方式

你可能会认为每位开发者都会充分利用这些大型、锐利而敏感的触屏。但事实并非如此，有时候我们可能因为想开发“自己想玩”的游戏，而设计出虚拟摇杆和虚拟按钮，以便游戏呈现出任天堂8式的控制方式。因为对我们来说，没有什么比任天堂8游戏更为休闲了。

Controls(from deconstructoroffun)

（让玩家能够仅以一只手玩游戏是必不可少的选项）

但除非你瞄准的是一小撮对任天堂游戏很怀旧，并且不太愿意购买你所提供的任何IAP的男性玩家（游戏邦注：因为他们认为这些手段是作弊伎俩），那就你应该考虑采用划动、箍缩和点触等方式作为主要控制机制。还要尝试让玩家仅用一只手就能玩游戏。你希望他们在上下班途中玩游戏，而让他们腾出一只手玩无疑更为安全可靠。

3.进步感

快速跟进游戏进程正是免费游戏的盈利来源。在一个良好的开端之后，玩家进程应该急剧下降。为适应快速的进程，以及跟上目标，玩家一般会使用真钱来加速自己的进程。

SS_progress(from deconstructoroffun)

（日常任务，解琐新角色以及升级内容可为游戏创造一种进步感）

在游戏进程方面，跑酷游戏几乎如出一辙。玩家每回奔跑都可以获得游戏内货币，并用这些货币加强玩家属性或解琐新角色。

JJ_shop(from deconstructoroffun)

（如果能够赢得FREE-O-MATIC这种道具，玩家怎么可能不奋力奔跑？《Jetpack Joyride》的主题可能欠点火候，但在营造进步感上却十分成功）

4.竞争

创造快速跟上游戏进程的一个好方法就是鼓励玩家与他们比较自己的成就。你在《Subway Surfer》中获得多少高分并不重要，这只是一款你不时会玩的游戏。但如果看到自己的好友分数，你就会产生一点超越对方的念头……

competition(from deconstructoroffun)

（每回在《Subway Surfers》中奔跑总能看到好友的高分。在奔跑结束之后，我可以看到自己在好友中的排名）

5.广告

有时候你的活跃玩家中只有不到1%的人会掏钱，那你就得想出让在这些非付费用户身上盈利的方法。有一个可靠的方法就是广告模式。

ad(from deconstructionoffun)

（一般而言，玩家在《Subway Surfers》一次只会看到一则广告，因为这些推广其他游戏的插页广告盈利甚为理想）

但要记住不要植入过多条幅广告和插页广告，要选择一两屏播放广告，并限制广告大小。你还可以设置推广墙，为观看广告的玩家提供游戏内货币等奖励。

Angry Birds(from deconstructoroffun)

（在游戏顶端设置条幅广告不但会阻碍游戏玩法，而且效果也不理想。为什么玩家应该在玩游戏中途按下广告？）

为何不选择F2P模式？

即使大量跑酷游戏采用了免费模式，它们也还是难以进入或保持营收榜单前列的位置。多半是因为它们没有任何限制机制，没有能量机制，没有计时器。

通常而言，游戏开发者认为玩家讨厌限制机制——他们说得没错。对此我想用蛋糕来打个比方。如果你有一块大蛋糕，你明天还会想要。但如果你一整天都在吃蛋糕，你明天还会想吃吗？

把你的游戏当成一块美味可口的蛋糕，一次只给一小块，不要整块都送出去，不让迟早让用户生腻。（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）

Monetizing an Infinite Runner

Lähettänyt Michail Katkoff

Imagine a game, where a character runs an infinite obstacle path. The further the character gets the more soft currency and points players will get. With points they can boast about their top scores and with soft currency they can improve their characters. With no fear of players ‘running out’ of content these types of games are a dream come true for modern game developers.

In fact these infinite runners are making it big in the AppStore. For example Temple Run by Imangi Studios has been downloaded 170 million times and Temple Run 2 has been a top stay in the top10 grossing on iOS. Or how about Subway Surfers by Kiloo. The game was launched on June 2012 and since then it has established itself one update at a time as top grossing action title. Then there’s Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick Studios launched in 2011. It might not have hit those high grossing numbers but the game sure served as a benchmark for most of the infinite runners to come.

Because of the success in the titles above have had there’s a serious competition within the genre. Some, like the Subway Surfers make it but many other, such as my personal favorite Storm the Train, don’t.

Breaking down monetization

As said before, infinite runners aren’t overly tied to new content, which makes them perfect for a free-to-play model. Revenue of a free-to-play title is dependent on three major factors: amount of active players, percentage of paying payers and average size of a purchase made.

The combination of new players and retained players make the active players base of your game. There are several factors that affect this such as user acquisition, featuring, cross promotion etc. But in this post I’ll concentrate on two very specific issues affecting the DAU: Theme and Controls.

I’m not going to talk about average revenue per paying player as all of the infinite runners have very similar and thus very low price points. Instead I’ll take a deeper look on how well different games in this genre create demand that drives players to convert to pay.

1. Theme

Theme is very important in an app store filled with free titles because of two things. Firstly theme helps you to get that download. Think about it. You stumble upon a free pirate game in the AppStore and you instantly relate pirates with ships, guns, treasures, parrots and wooden legs aka. the fun stuff.

Secondly theme is important because a strong theme will make your game design so much easier, which will convert into stronger retention. I mean in a pirate game you don’t really need to explain to a player what to do. They are there ready to set sail, do battle at sea and pillage. Kinda comes with the theme of being a pirate.

As a gamer I’m going with the themes on the left.

As a game developer I’m going with the themes on right.

Theme is also something we developers working on iOS and Android titles tend to often fail at. See we too often strive to make games “we would love to play” even though we might play PC and console titles in the real life. So instead of making games we’d love to play we make games that “we would play if we wouldn’t have PC or a console”.

But there are also times when we actually succeed with a theme. Mostly this occurs because we combine our nostalgia with what’s “in”. Like Clash of Clans, where you can easily relate to the fantasy world that kind of reminds you of Zelda, Gauntlet or Lord of the Rings.

We also sometimes succeed when developing a game with our loved ones on our mind. Nothing like making a game your wife our child loves to play. Even if the game comes out without machine guns, dragons and mech-warriors.

2. Controls

You’d think that every developer takes full advantage of those big, sharp and sensitive touch screen. Yet this isn’t the case. See sometimes we got so into “developing games we’d love to play” that we end up doing virtual joysticks and virtual buttons. You know, to get that Nintendo 8 thing going on. Because for us you just can’t get more casual in gaming than Nintendo 8.

Being able to play with one hand only is essential

But unless you’re targeting a small segment of male players who feel nostalgic about Nintendo but who also won’t likely buy any IAPs you’re offering (because they consider boosters as cheating) you should really consider swiping, pinching and pointing as a primary control mechanics. Also try to make it so that players can play your game with one hand only. You want them to play your game while commuting and having one hand free makes it a lot safer to do so.

3. Sense of Progress

Fast tracking progress is what monetizes in free-to-play games. Simply put after good start in a game players progress should slow dramatically. Accustomed to the rapid progress and driven by the goals, which lie ahead in the game players tend to use real money to fast track their progress.

Daily missions, new characters to unlock and upgrades create the sense
of progress in the game

When it comes to progression infinite runners are pretty much all clones. Each run earn player soft currency, which is the used to enhance players attributes or to unlock new characters.

How could you not play further when you can earn items like FREEZE-O-MATIC?

Jetpack Joyride might miss with the theme but nails it with the sense of progress.

4. Competition

A great way to create demand for fast tracking the progress is to encourage players to compare their progress with one another. In the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what’s your top score in a Subway Surfer is. I mean it’s only a game you play now and then. But once you see your friend’s score and beat it just to see her beat your new top score things start to get serious…

During each run in Subway Surfers I can see the top score of a friend to beat. After the run is over
I can see where I stand among my friends. Superb execution.
5. Ads

With sometimes only less than one percent of your active player base paying you need to come up with ways to monetize those non-paying users. One solid way is to use ads.

Normally player sees only one add per session in Subway Surfers.

But these interstitials promoting other games are high earners.

Now be sure not to go crazy with the ads shooting banners and interstitials turning your game into a Christmas tree. Choose a screen or two and limit your ads there. You can also think about offer walls, where you’ll reward player with in-game currency for watching an ad.

Putting a banner ad on top of the game view is not only hindering the gameplay but also inefficient.

Why would player press on an ad if they are in the middle of the game?

Why not go all the way to F2P?

Even though the majority of infinite runners are free-to-play they have still hard job in hitting and holding on to top grossing position. Mainly this is because none of them have any restriction mechanics. There’s no energy mechanics, no timers.

Usually game developers say that people hate restriction mechanics – and they are right. But I like to use the cake metaphor. If you a piece of great cake you’ll want more tomorrow. But if you eat the whole delicious cake today, I doubt you’ll want more of it tomorrow.

So look at your game as a delicious cake. Offer pieces of it but don’t give the whole cake at once. That will only make your customers sick.（source：deconstructoroffun）