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分享抢占苹果应用收益排行榜的技巧(3)

发布时间:2013-09-13 15:48:17 Tags:,,,,

作者:Jens Peter Jensen

资源管理多人策略游戏——前100名中占据了19%

资源管理多人策略游戏包含了那些主要游戏机制是聚集并管理资源,然后使用资源去创造一个玩家基础并推动它们参与PVE和PVP模式的游戏。(请点击此处阅读本系列第1第2篇

这种游戏类型存在两种主要变量,即“部落”类型和“犯罪”类型。

“部落”类型是源自游戏《部落战争》,这是最早一部以利用这类游戏机制而出名的游戏之一。这类游戏是围绕着一定建筑工地和建筑类型进行设计。随后玩家将建造并升级,同时创造军队与敌人相抗衡去保护自己的城市。这里存在全局地图,玩家与玩家间具有一段相对的距离。“部落”类游戏的主要盈利策略是缩短建造时间,让这些内容能够更快速地完成。而升级则会花费更长时间,所以玩家在等待的时候通常没有什么事可做。

“犯罪”类游戏包括《Arms Cartel》和《Crime Inc.》,并拥有一个能量类经济,即玩家可以花费能量去参与PVE和PVP模式。玩家同样也必须购买道具去完成任务,这里存在一种宽松的建筑设置让玩家能够建造并升级。“犯罪”类游戏的主要盈利策略是重新填满能量让玩家能够继续挑战任务并与其他玩家相竞争。

资源管理多人策略游戏的例子:

hobbit(from gameanalytics)

hobbit(from gameanalytics)

“部落”类型:《霍比特人》,《亚瑟王国》,《神秘的帝国》,《Clash of Clans》,《君主与骑士》,《斯巴达战争》,《国王帝国》(豪华版),《银河帝国》,《帝国:四国演绎》,《BattleNation》

“犯罪”类型:《环球军火商》,《Crime Inc.》,《IMobster》,《战争王国》,《混乱时代》,《现代战争》,《罪恶都市》,《黑社会帝国》,《文明战争》,《城堡时代》,《Zenia – Age of the dragon king》

宠物,装扮和房子—-前100名中占据了8%

宠物,装备和房子类游戏是指那些包含玩具屋和电子宠物相关元素的游戏。游戏玩法是关于获得“玩偶”,为该“玩偶”建造住所,并与他一起游戏。着眼于游戏例子,玩偶也有可能是“龙”这样的角色。

这类型游戏与之后要描述的社交轻敲经济类游戏非常相似,但是主要的区别在于,前者是专注于“宠物”,而后者则是围绕着城镇或基地。不同的关注点也会影响着游戏的最佳盈利策略,即使它们有再多相似处。

campus life(from gameanalytics)

campus life(from gameanalytics)

游戏的主要盈利策略是打开新的角色和配件。这些游戏类型将随着玩家收集角色而发展,并会通过玩家获取新角色而获取盈利。第二种策略便是缩短建造时间并获得货币去创建和购买新内容。

宠物,装扮和房子游戏例子:

《龙之谷》,《龙的故事》,《移动的龙城》,《飞龙在天》,《Campus Life》,《模拟人生》,《怪兽公司》,《嗨皮精灵》

玩耍——前100名中占据了3%

玩耍类是指,比起“游戏”更加强调“玩耍”。手机设备允许玩家通过用手指在屏幕上敲打,拖曳并猛击去操控游戏内容。这是一种非常开放的方法,即玩家无需遵循严格的规则设定。这种游戏类型的盈利策略便是提供更多内容让玩家玩耍。

玩耍(利用手指)游戏的例子:

《Draw Something 2》,《踢他一脚》,《Flow Free》

技能射击——前100名中占据了4%

技能射击游戏是指主要或唯一的游戏玩法包含瞄准特定目标进行射击,每种射击技能决定了玩家的成功和分数。这类游戏中最突出的便是《愤怒的小鸟》,但是在此之前它已经存在于浏览器游戏中很长时间了。其游戏玩法非常简单也很容易学习,即游戏会使用现实对象和物理元素去传达游戏玩法。就像《愤怒的小鸟》的弹弓和《狙击射手》的狙击兵射程。玩家已经知道这些游戏对象会做些什么以及如何利用它们。

关于这类游戏主要存在两种盈利策略,一种便是购买升级道具而让游戏变得简单些,另一种则是打开更多内容。内容方法是现今最多人使用的。这类型游戏主要是免费游戏,所以如果玩家愿意花钱的话,这便是一种很好的模式。玩家总是可以看到各种内容,但却只能使用部分内容。

技能射击游戏例子:

《愤怒的小鸟星战版》,《迷你高尔夫对抗战》,《超级高尔夫》,《方块枪手》,《狙击射手》

社交经济类游戏——前100名中占据了7%

“社交经济类游戏”是指支持平板电脑平台的游戏。游戏玩法包含了在玩家建造环境中建造并执行任务和杂务。之所以说是“社交”是因为游戏主要专注于玩家与其他玩家间的交流,不管是通过游戏还是通过社交媒体平台。当玩家通过社交媒体平台与别人交流时,他们同时也是在推广游戏,即会创造出大量的免费宣传。

通过建筑生成某些输出内容,如金钱或资源,玩家需要管理这些内容并获得更多资源,如此游戏便能够刺激经济的发展。这便是所谓的“点触经济”,因为尽管这些内容需要花时间去建造,它们也只会在玩家点触屏幕时才会真正完成。这便意味着经济只会在玩家一天点触内容多次才会发挥作用。这便是为了确保玩家能够一直积极地玩游戏。

这类游戏的主要盈利策略便是缩短建造时间并提高玩家的可能性范围。社交经济类游戏提供给玩家一个有限的领域。如果玩家想要更多,他们便需要从刷任务和付钱中做出选择。最有可能的便是在一开始刷任务,但是之后价格会不断上升,并且刷任务时间也会从几个小时延长到几周。这便是为了鼓励玩家去使用游戏内部货币,而不只是刷任务。

社交经济游戏例子:

《卡通农场》,《Metropolis》,《Tiny Towers》,《像素人》,《部落》,《辛普森一家》,《城堡物语》,《蓝精灵村庄》

桌面游戏——前100名中占据了5%

“桌面游戏”包含那些基于现实世界的桌面游戏和聚会游戏的游戏。它们将现实的桌面游戏整合到了手机游戏中。这类游戏很容易理解与尝试,因为玩家通常都认识它们。游戏给予了玩家与好友在网络上(而不是面对面)一起玩知名桌面游戏的机会。

这类游戏的主要盈利策略便是呈现广告,并让玩家选择是否愿意花真钱。这里也存在一种内容打开策略,但却是第二选择。这对于那些大多数人已经购买了的游戏来说是个盈利挑战,所以开发者们更愿意选择传统的广告方法去获取盈利。

桌面游戏例子:

《Scramble With Friends》,《4 Pics 1 Word》,《Scramble With Friends Free》,《Dice With Buddies》,《Emoji Pop》,《Heads Up》

塔防游戏——前100名中占据了1%

“塔防游戏”很早就出现了。游戏玩法包含了建造“塔”去阻止攻击者的进攻。攻击者将在预先设定好或随机模式下四处行走,可能是自上而下或从四周,而玩家将设置自动防御去阻止敌人到达某一特定位置。这里也存在一个变量,即玩家将能控制射击攻击者的武器,不过自动防御塔就普通多了。

这类游戏的主要盈利策略是升级和内容解锁。“塔防”游戏经常伴随着不断提升的难度,所以游戏可以通过销售道具使玩家变得更加强大以及游戏变得更加简单而盈利、

塔防游戏例子:

《猴子塔防5》,《王国保卫战》

进入排行前列的规则

在这些游戏类型中,有些已经存在很久了,而有些则是刚刚出现,但是它们都非常适合用于描述前100名畅销游戏列表中的游戏(游戏邦注:即App Store最近所使用的定义)。

如今,游戏开发的规模已经大大超过了当前App Store的项目模版了。他们所面临的情况就像一个老妇人在公园里带着100只狗在散步一样。这一大群狗在奋力移动着,但是老妇人却很难去控制它们。现在App Store的运行方式就像:这个老妇人不会喂养不听话的狗,她拥有食物的控制权。

通过着眼于当前有什么而不是之前有什么,开发者们能够更好地理解App Store市场。通过理解不同类型的游戏机器运行与盈利方法,开发者能够更有效地打败使用旧理念和术语的竞争者。App Store市场是以极快的速度移动着。从那时起关于美国前100名畅销游戏的研究便一直持续着,该列表也一直在发生着巨大的变化。如果能够了解游戏类型及其处境,开发者便能够明确全新的设计方式或复制最成功的游戏类型与方法了。

强大的IP是强大的快捷方式

当着眼于前100名畅销游戏时,你便会清楚到达前列的快捷方式便是使用IP。像《钢铁侠3》和《海绵宝宝搬来了》等游戏便在发行后1天内窜上了畅销排行前列。IP本身便是数百万下载量的保障,所以如果开发者与一个强大且热门的IP合作,成功便是必然的,至少是暂时的。但是IP只适合拥有上百万成本的大型工作室,所以对于大多数开发者来说IP并不是最佳选择。

成功盈利的关键

不同游戏类型适合不同盈利策略。在前100名畅销游戏排行榜上表现出色的所有游戏都使用了最适合自己的盈利策略。有些开发者复制了其它盈利策略并用于自己的游戏中,但却未曾获得较好的结果。游戏玩法和盈利必须紧密维系在一起。许多小型和中型游戏开发商更加专注于游戏,并选择之后盈利方式。这便减少了赚钱了机会。如果你的目标是赚钱的话,那么盈利最好趁早。

未来

激进盈利的未来处于悬崖边上,即有一些国家已经开始制定游戏内部购买的相关法律了。英国可能是最先对游戏购买制定规则的国家,即基于自身的儿童市场法。如果游戏购买被框定在法律中,App Store和手机游戏开发者便不得不发生改变。但是就目前看来,激进盈利还是帮助游戏进入畅销排行榜单的有效方法。

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

A Guide to the Top Grossing Games on the AppStore (Part 3)

Jens Peter Jensen

Resource Management Multiplayer Strategy – 19% of top 100

The Resource Management Multiplayer Strategy type consists of games where the main gameplay mechanic is the gathering and managing of resources, then using the resources to build a base and participate in PVE and PVP.

There are two main variations of this type, the “Travian” type and the “Crime” type.

The “Travian” type is named after the game Travian, which was one of the first well known games to make use of such gameplay mechanics. This type of game is designed with a fixed number of building sites and building types. The player then builds and upgrades, while generating troops to fight enemies and protect the city. There is a global map available and players are positioned within relative distance to each other. The main monetization strategy in the “Travian” type is shortening build times, making things finish faster. Upgrading takes a long time and the games are designed so there is very little to do in the waiting time.

The “Crime” type consists of games like Arms Cartel and Crime Inc. and have an energy type economy where the player spends energy to participate in PVE and PVP. The player also has to purchase items to complete missions, and there is a looser set of buildings to build and upgrade. The main monetization strategy in the “Crime” type is to refill energy so the player can keep doing missions and fighting other players.

Resource Management Multiplayer Strategy examples:

Travian type:  The Hobbit, Kingdoms of Camelot, Arcane Empire, Clash of Clans, Lords & Knights, Spartan Wars, Kings Empire(Deluxe), Galaxy Empire, Empire: Four Kingdoms, BattleNation

Crime Type: Arms Cartel Global (Before Modern War), Crime Inc., IMobster, Kingdoms at War, Age of Chaos, Modern War, Crime City, Underworld Empire, Civilization War, Castle Age, Zenia – Age of the dragon king

Pet, Dress Up and House – 8% of top 100

The Pet, Dress Up and House type are games that have borrowed elements from dollhouse play and the tamagotchi games. The gameplay is about getting “dolls”, building places for the “dolls” and playing with them. Looking at the game examples, the dolls could easily be “Dragons” as there are more examples of that than any other type of doll.

This type is very similar to the Social Tap Economy type described below, but the main difference is that the Pet type is centered on the “pets”, while the Social Tap Economy games are centered on the town or base. The difference in focus also affects the optimal monetization strategies, although there are a lot of similarities.

The main monetization strategy is to unlock new dolls and accessories. As this game type revolves around collecting dolls, it is natural to monetize the acquisition of new dolls.  A secondary strategy is to shorten build times and get currency to build and buy new things.

Pet, Dress Up and House game examples:

Dragonvale, Dragon Story, Dragon City Mobile, Dragon Skies, Campus Life, The Sims?  FreePlay, MinoMonsters, Haypi Monster

Play Around – 3% of top 100

The Play Around type is, as the name suggest, more “play” than “game”. The mobile devices allows for playing around with stuff by tapping, dragging and swiping around a finger on the screen. The “Play Around” type consists of games where the gameplay is about dragging around objects, drawing or otherwise “playing”. This is a very open approach as the player doesn’t necessarily follow a strict set of rules. The monetization strategy for this type is getting more things to play with.

Play Around (with one finger) game examples:

Draw Something 2?, Kick the Buddy: Second Kick, Flow Free

Skill Shooter – 4% of top 100

The Skill Shooter is a game where the main or only gameplay consists of shooting something at a specific target, and the skill of each shot determines the success or score. This type was made famous by Angry Birds, but has existed inside browser games for many years before that. The gameplay is very simple and easily learned, as the games use real world objects and physics to convey gameplay. Like the slingshot from Angry Birds and the sniper scope from Sniper Shooter. Players already knows what these game objects do and how to use them.

There are two main monetization strategies for this type, one is buying power ups and such to make the game easier, the other is to unlock more content. The content approach is the one most uses today. Games of this type are mostly freemium games, so they are a sort of demo of what the game could be like if you spend money on it. There is usually a lot of content visible, but only very little usable.

Skill Shooter game examples:

Angry Birds Star Wars, Mini Golf MatchUp, Super Stickman Golf, Guncrafter, Sniper Shooter by Fun Games for Free

Social Tap Economy – 7% of top 100

The “Social Tap Economy” type is the game type most identified with the tablet platform. The gameplay consists of building and doing tasks and chores in the player build environment. Its called “Social” because the games focus heavily on the players connecting to other players, either through the game or more often through social media platforms. When the players connect through social media they also promote the game, at the same time creating an enormous amount of free publicity.

The games simulate some kind of economy through buildings generating some kind of output, either money or resources, and the player has to manage this and make more resources. Its called “Tap Economy” because even though things take time to build, they are only finished when the player taps them. That means that the economy is only functioning if the player returns to tap things several times a day. This is to keep the player invested and motivated to do things all day long.

The main monetization strategy is to shorten build and production times and to expand the cap of the player possibilities. The Social Tap Economy type games have a restricted area for the player to use. If the player wants more, the only two options are to grind or to pay. Most make it possible to grind in the beginning but then the price of expansion rises exponentially, raising the grinding time from hours to weeks. This is to encourage the use of in game currency instead of grinding.

Social tap economy examples:

Hayday, Metropolis, Tiny Towers, Pixel People, The Tribez, Simpsons Tapped Out, Castle Story?, Smurfs’ Village

Tabletop Games – 5% of top 100

The “Tabletop Game” type consists of games that look like and are based on real world board games and party games. They copy or emulate real world board games into mobile games. The games in this type are easy to understand and play, as they are already commonly known. The games gives the player the possibility to play well known board games with friends over the internet instead of face to face.

The main monetization strategy for this type is showing commercials, with the option to use real money to make them go away. There are also a content unlocking strategies, but that is secondary. It is a challenge to monetize games that most people have a copy of in the closet, so most developers use old school commercials and ads to monetize this type of games.

Tabletop Games examples:

Scramble With Friends, 4 Pics 1 Word, Scramble With Friends Free, Dice With Buddies, Emoji Pop, Heads Up

Tower Defence – 1% of top 100

The “Tower Defence” type is also a well established one. The gameplay consists of building “towers” that damage attackers as they try to reach something. The attackers either travel in predetermined lanes or in random patterns, either top down or side view, and the player places automated defences to keep the enemy from reaching a specific spot. There is also a variation where the player actively controls something that shoots at the attackers, but the automatic fire defence towers are more common.

The main monetization strategy of this type is power ups and content unlocking. The “Tower Defence” type usually has levels with increasing difficulty, so the games can monetize by selling items to make the player more powerful and the game easier.

Tower Defence game examples:

Bloons TD 5, Kingdoms Rush Frontier

The rules of the top

Some of these types are already well established while others are new, but they are much suitable for describing the games on The Top 100 Grossing list that any definitions the App Store currently uses.

The sheer mass of games being developed have outrun current item templates in the App Store, its vocabulary and terminology. They have been left behind like an old woman walking 100 dogs in the park. It is the dogs that have the power of movement, while the old woman is unable to control all of them. The way the App Store works now can be approximated by the following metaphor: it is the old woman that controls the dogs by not feeding the ones that don’t behave, and the old woman has monopoly on food.

By taking a closer look at what is there, rather than what was, developers can get a much more nuanced understanding of the App Store market . By understanding the different types and how they work and monetize, it is possible to get a leg up on competitors that use old concepts and terminology. The App Store market moves with lightning speed. From the time this type study on the top 100 grossing in United States was made to the time this blog article was fully published, the list has changed significantly and might even merit a new type study. By knowing the types and their topography, developers can identify new avenues of design or copy the most successful types and methods.

Powerful IPs are powerful shortcuts

When looking at The Top 100 grossing chart for a while, it becomes clear that an quick and easy way to get to the top is by using IPs. Games like “Iron Man 3” and “Spongebob Moves In” skyrocketed to the Top Grossing in only one day from launch. The IP alone ensures millions of downloads, so if a developer teams up with a strong or hot IP, success seems certain, at least for a while. But IPs are mostly only available to the big studios with millions to spend, so using IPs is not even an option for most developers.

The key to good monetization

The different game types work better with specific monetization strategies. The games that perform best on the Top 100 Grossing chart are all games that use the best possible monetization strategy for their specific type. Some developers copy other monetization strategies and apply them inside their games, but that never gives good results. Gameplay and monetization has to be tied into each other. Many small and medium game developers focus on the game and only afterwards on the monetization. That reduces their chances to earn money. Monetization has to be involved in the very early stages of game development, if the goal is a top grosser.

The future

The future of aggressive monetization stands on a precipice as there are several countries that are looking into legislating in-game purchases. The UK might be the first to rule on in game purchases, based on their own children marketing laws. If legal requirements are created on in games purchases, the App Store and mobile game developers might be forced to reinvent themselves, as aggressive marketing and monetization is more the rule than the exception on App Store. But for now, it seems that aggressive monetization is absolutely necessary to get to the top of the Grossing charts.(source:gameanalytics)


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