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使用美术元素和设计原则制作游戏关卡

发布时间:2014-06-18 11:45:10 Tags:,,,,,,

作者:Wesley Rockholz

首先我要声明一下,我并非美术家,但作为游戏设计师很有必要触类旁通,并兼具对开发过程的技术和创意层面的理解。如果你是程序员,不要因为害怕游戏设计的美术层面而限制了自己的发展。了解艺术和设计的核心属性不同于能够绘图或建模,并且你可以在较短时间内学习到一点皮毛。

在我的游戏设计和开发课程中,有一名学生提问如何才能学习更多关卡设计,这让我想起了自己从美术元素和设计原则中所学到的一些关卡设计知识。关卡设计中的一切都可以划分成设计的核心技,了解这些知识有助于克服许多障碍,让你创造出更具流动性和吸引力的关卡。

美术元素

美术元素对设计原则作出了贡献。换句话说,你要使用美术元素来执行设计原则。你使用线条来创造移动,使用色彩来创造对比。

线段

line(from gamecareerguide)

line(from gamecareerguide)

线段作为一种美术元素可定义为两点之间的一个标记,这两点之间可以组成任何形状。线段是你构图中创造移动的最佳元素之一。

色彩

色彩是一个相对不言自名的词语,但也是最重要和复杂的美术元素之一。它涉及到一个构图标记中的色相、色值和饱和度问题。色彩理论是一个独立但同样重要的讨论话题。在这种表面性的讨论中,只要理解互补色彩是创造对比的优良工具就足够了。请观察色轮以及色彩之间的对比和交叉。

color wheel(from gamecareerguide)

color wheel(from gamecareerguide)

空间

空间是为特定目的而在构图中分配的空间。空间包括构图的背景、中景和前景,也可能包括图中事物周围和内部的距离。空间可根据画面空白区域所布满的标记呈现积极或消极性。

space(from gamecareerguide)

space(from gamecareerguide)

纹理

纹理涉及一个表面的品质,它是触感的视觉表现。

texture(from gamecareerguide)

texture(from gamecareerguide)

形状

形状是2D空间中所使用的区域,通常由边缘来宝义。这可能意味着使用像圆形或三角形等几何图形,或者有机图形。形状是由其他所有的美术元素所决定。

shape(from gamecareerguide)

shape(from gamecareerguide)

设计原则

设计原则是具有艺术审美性和有效向观看者传递其所指信息的合理视觉设计的指导规则。我将在本文提供一些设计原则如何在游戏关卡设计中有效运用的例子。

平衡

平衡是设计中的一种均衡状态。如果一个构图完全平衡,它就会唤发平静而安详的情感,否则就会激发一种嘈杂和混乱之感。这个术语也运用于游戏平衡设计,其概念与关卡和视觉设计中的平衡相似。

对称是一个创造平衡的简便方法。多数MOBA/ARTS游戏(如Dota和《英雄联盟》使用对称性游戏地图来创造两个竞争阵营之间趋于完美的地形平衡:

balance(from gamecareerguide)

balance(from gamecareerguide)

这些竞争阵营会从地图右上角或者左下角入手,如果你将地图斜角对分划成从西北到东南的角落,地图就会趋于对称、有利于玩法的平衡。

虽然对称性平衡可以让双方阵营享有相同的竞争目标,但非对称性地图却可以让他们转向彼此目标不同的游戏类型。《战争机器》的多人模式地图Escalation则是一个非对称性平衡地图的绝佳典型:

Escalation(from gamecareerguide)

Escalation(from gamecareerguide)

在《King of the Hill》这类游戏中,这种地图会包含玩法流,例如控制了楼顶的阵营要抵御楼底的玩家攻击。而顶楼上的阵营拥有占据至高点的优势,处于底部的阵营则有足够的掩护和多条攀爬路径,从而创造一个极为线性但却富有平衡性的玩法地图,尽管这个地图是非对称性的。

注意,非对称性地图仍然可以补充平衡玩法。《光晕3》中最受欢迎的多人模式地图之一Guardian就是非对称性地图:

Guardian(from gamecareerguide)

Guardian(from gamecareerguide)

Guardian操控了线视,具有优势的武器布局,流和阻塞点来创造平衡性地图,并迫使玩家根据自己在地图上的位置适应不同风格的玩法。这需要大量的关卡设计直觉,以及对其他设计原则的深入理解,才能创造出兼具平衡性的非对称性地图。平衡的非对称性地图会创造出难以理解和布置战略,甚至难以精通的关卡。

平衡也可用于引导眼球,并由此引导玩家通过关卡。如果玩家看到对称性平衡的场景,就会知道他们应该直接通过关卡。屏幕上所呈现的构图平衡会促使他们前进通过关卡。

在这个频谱的另一端,即你的关卡并没有对称性,你并没有以平衡来引导玩家。在非平衡性的场景中,你的玩家潜意识中会去查看其他设计原则来寻找指导。如果没有任何指示,你的玩家就会在场景中不知所措。这种情况会在无意中导致玩家困惑无措,但如果在场景中有效使用这种缺乏平衡的设计,则可鼓励玩家进行探索(如果你的游戏拥有更开放的目标,或者你想让玩家自己探索世界)。

对比

对比是以视觉暗示构图中两个独立元素相似或不相似的概念。对比在关卡设计中使用非常频繁,常用于指示区域或氛围变化。《魔兽世界》中的夺旗地图Warsong Gulch通过颜色对比有效地区分团队区域:

contrast(from gamecareerguide)

contrast(from gamecareerguide)

对比可通过强调目的地和弱化场景中无关事物、纹理,或者通过在一个和谐环境中引进一些截然不同而独特的东西来引导玩家通过关卡。在《上古卷轴4》中,Oblivion Gates出现在邪恶敌人重生的世界,并且可将玩家带到Mehrunes Dagon的湮灭之翼。注意这里的恶魔形状、岩石纹理和鲜红色与草地和绿树、苍翠纹理以及森林场景的纯绿(红色的互补色)所形成的对比。

Oblivion(from gamecareerguide)

Oblivion(from gamecareerguide)

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

Level Design Using the Elements of Art and Principles of Design Part I

- Wesley Rockholz

I’ll start this post by saying that I’m not an artist, but it’s important as a game designer to be well-rounded and understand both the technical and creative side of the development process. If you’re a programmer, don’t limit yourself because you’re intimidated by the artistic part of game design. Understanding the core properties of art and design is a different thing than being able to draw or model or texture, and can be learned at a surface level in a short amount of time.

In my Game Design and Development II class, another student asked how he could learn more about level design, which made me to realize that everything I know about level design I learned from the elements of art and principles of design. Everything in level design breaks down to the core techniques of design, and understanding them can shatter a lot of barriers in making your levels more fluid and engaging.

The Elements of Art

The elements of art contribute to the principles of design. In other words, you use elements of art to execute the principles of design. You use lines to create movement and use color to create contrast.

Line

A line as an element of art is defined as a mark between two points that takes any shape between them. The line is one of the best elements to create movement in your composition.

Color

Color is relatively self-explanatory, but is also one of the most important and complex art elements. Color refers to the hue, value, and saturation of a mark in a composition. Color theory is a separate but equally important discussion. Just understanding that complimentary colors are good tools for contrast is enough for this surface-level discussion. Observe the color wheel and how the colors compare and interact:

Space

Space is the allocation of area in a composition for a particular purpose. Space can include the background, middleground and foreground of the composition and can include the distances between around and inside of things in the composition. Space can be positive or negative depending on which areas of the empty canvas are filled with marks.

Texture

Texture refers to the quality of a surface. It is the visual portrayal of the sense of touch.

Shape

Shape is the use of area in 2D space, usually defined by an edge. This can mean using geometric shapes like circles or rectangles, or they could be organic shapes. Shape is defined by all the other elements of art.

The Principles of Design

The principles of design are guidelines for proper visual design that is aesthetically pleasing and effective at communicating the intended message to the viewer. In this section, I’ll be providing examples of how the principles of design are effectively used in level design in games.

Balance

Balance is the state of equilibrium in a design. If a composition is completely balanced, it evokes tranquility and calmness, otherwise it evokes a sense of chaos and confusion. The same term is used in game design for game balance, and the concept is similar for levels and visual design.

Symmetry is an easy way to create balance. Most MOBA/ARTS games like DotA and League of Legends use symmetrical game maps to create near-perfect terrain balance between the two competing teams:

Teams start in either the upper right or bottom left corners of the map, and if you divide the map in half diagonally from north-west to south-east corners, the map is (nearly) symmetrical, facilitating gameplay balance.

While symmetrical balance works in games where both teams share the same competitive objective, asymmetrical maps lend themselves towards game types where one team has a different objective than the other. Gears of War’s multiplayer map Escalation is a great example of an asymmetrically balanced map:

In a King of the Hill game type, this map warps the flow of play such that the team that controls the top of the staircase defends the “hill” from players at the bottom of the staircase. While the top team has the advantage of high ground, the low team is provided with sufficient cover and multiple routes of ascension to create a map with a very linear but nonetheless balanced state of play, despite the fact that the map is asymmetrical.

Note that asymmetrical maps can still supplement balanced gameplay. One of the most popular multiplayer maps in Halo 3, Guardian, is an asymmetrical map:

Guardian manipulates line of sight, advantageous weapon placement, and flow and choke points to create a map that is balanced and forces the players to adapt to a different style of play depending on where they are on the map. It takes an enormous amount of level design intuition, and a deep understanding of the other principles of design to create an asymmetrical map that is also balanced. An asymmetrical map that is balanced creates a level that is challenging to understand and strategize and even more difficult to master.

Balance can be used to guide the eye as well, and thus guide the player through the level. If the player sees an environment that is symmetrically balanced, the implication is that they should move straight through the level. The balance of the composition portrayed on the screen drives them forward through the level:

On the other side of the spectrum, if your level does not have symmetry you are not using balance to guide your player. In a non-balanced environment your player subconsciously looks to other principles of design for guidance. If there aren’t any present, your player is loose in your environment without a guide. Unintentionally this can cause your player to get lost and confused, but if used effectively lack of balance in an environment can encourage exploration if your game has a more open objective or you want the players to discover the world for themselves:

Contrast

Contrast is the concept of implying visually that two or more separate elements of a composition are similar or dissimilar. Contrast is used very frequently in level design to imply a change of areas or tone. World of Warcraft’s capture the flag map Warsong Gulch uses contrast through color to effectively differentiate team territory:

Contrast can also be used to guide a player through a level by emphasizing the destination and de-emphasizing the extraneous props and textures in the environment, or by introducing something radically different and unique in an otherwise homogeneous environment. In the fourth Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion Gates appear throughout the world that spawn demonic enemies and can take the player into Mehrunes Dagon’s plane of Oblivion. Notice how the demonic shapes, rocky texture, and bright red color contrast the vertical grass and trees, lush textures, and flat green (red’s compliment) of the forest environment.(source:gamecareerguide


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