作者：James Batchelor

在过去几年里，模拟游戏的发展机遇迅速壮大着，但开发者该如何适应这样的机遇呢？

只要你能说出口的东西，任何人都有可能创造出它的模拟—-我们也不是在谈论飞机，火车和汽车的三位一体装置。

在今天的市场中，模拟游戏比比皆是，包含各种职业和交通，如农业，渔业，外科手术，卡车驾驶，船舶运输，航空管制，紧急服务等等。

这些游戏过去只专注于打斗内容，并只出现在PC上，但现在它们已经扩展到各个平台上了。所以到底是什么元素推动着它们的普及？

Dovetail Games的副总裁兼执行制作人Rob O’Farrell解释道：“模拟游戏能够实现爱好者的梦想。它们能够让人们有能力去做到他们满腔热情想要实现但却在现实生活中做不到的事。不管是成为一名列车驾驶员，学习驾驶飞机，还是驱动一辆大型卡车，这类型游戏之所以会受欢迎便是因为它让人们能够控制一些现实生活中的情况。”

合理的模拟

大多数游戏是可以理解的，但《外科模拟》，《模拟山羊》，以及最新的《模拟石头》却是例外—-不过它们也获得了大量的追捧。

Goat Simulator(from develop-online)

O’Farrell说道：“一些与众不同的内容总是能够出现在新闻头条。任何媒体中的每一种成功的类型都享受着各种版本。但这却不是件坏事，因为这能够保持内容的新鲜度。如果这能够吸引人们去注意同一种类型中的不同产品，这对于所有人来说便是件好事。”

《模拟山羊》和《模拟石头》便是如此，它们的出现意味着模拟市场变得更加多样化，同时也讽刺了该类型，它们是否通过推动无数充满热情的粉丝投入无数时间于自己喜欢的游戏而公然讽刺它？

O’Farrell说道：“我想肯定有一些纯化论者不愿给这类型模拟游戏任何时间，也许也有些人会嘲笑这类型游戏。但是在我看来，这只是关于多样性和选择。只要人们能够找到他们想要玩的产品，不管是严肃还是轻松的，我都觉得其它的一切一点都不重要了。”

注意细节

尽管这些模拟游戏似乎是突然间冒出来的，但事实上这并不是随便都可以尝试的类型。它呈现了独特的开发挑战，可能比其它类型更强，不仅其最终体验必须是有趣且可行的，它同样也需要表现出尽可能的现实感。

尽管《Destiny》的摇把的处理可以说是忠实于虚构技术，但是在模拟器的机制中最轻微的矛盾也有可能引起许多硬核玩家的愤怒。

幸运的是，引擎和中间件技术的优势并不只是帮助开发者创造更科幻的科幻世界；它们同样也提供给Dovetail等工作室工具去完善它们的模拟游戏，从而使它们更加接近现实。

O’Farrell解释道：“使用最新且最前沿的技术是我们关注焦点的一大部分。这将帮助我们创造空前未有的视听效果和物理模拟感。”

“例如在Dovetail Games的《模拟钓鱼》中，Unreal Engine 4便帮助我们创造了适当的投掷机制，而这刚好是游戏的一个基础元素。”

Microsoft Flight Simulator(from develop-online)

现在Dovetail有机会去赋予其游戏全新的活力了，也就是利用微软的Flight Simulator。在与微软的全新协议下，这家英国公司将能够使用这一新技术去发展其开创性游戏系列，不仅能够尝试全新的微软Flight Simulator X，同时也能够够基于同样的技术开发全新游戏。

他说道：“从头开始创造任何游戏将给开发者带来更多挑战。我们与微软的最新授权协议便帮助我们避开了这些挑战。这不仅让我们能够直接进行飞行模拟业务，同时也提供给我们一些非常有帮助的技术，并且更重要的是，它让我们有机会能够与已建立且充满热情的社区进行交流与联系。”

考虑到现在模拟市场的规模与范围，我们可以说它是不会轻易缩减的。“严肃的”模拟游戏可能仍是那些热衷于这类型游戏的玩家的主要选择，但一些更加古怪，有趣的游戏将进一步扩展这类型游戏。不管下一波热潮是飞行模拟，农场模拟还是佛卡夏（游戏邦注：意大利面包的一种）模拟，O’Farrell都相信在不断发展的模拟游戏市场中总是会有用户等待着去尝试一些全新的内容。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转功，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The art of making simulation games

By James Batchelor

The popularity of simulation games has grown dramatically during the past few years, but how can developers adapt to this opportunity?

You name it, someone’s probably made a Simulator out of it – and we’re not just talking about the usual trinity of planes, trains and automobiles.

Simulation games are abundant in today’s market, covering a multitude of occupations and transportation including (but not even remotely limited to) farming, fishing, surgery, truck driving and shipping, air traffic control, , the emergency services and, yes, goats.

Such titles used to be dedicated solely to flight and found only on PC, but now they have spread to all platforms. So what has driven this rising popularity?

“Simulators fulfill hobbyists’ dreams,” Dovetail Games’ vice president and executive producer Rob O’Farrell explains. “They give people the ability to live out something that they’re passionate about but might not be able to do in everyday life. Whether it’s becoming a train driver, learning to fly a plane, or powering a huge truck, what makes this genre great is that it puts people in control of a real-life situation.”

SENSIBLE SIMULATION

Well, that makes sense for the majority of titles out there, but the notable exceptions of Surgeon Simulator, Goat Simulator and the recently announced Rock Simulator (no, really) have garnered cult followings of their own.

“Something different or unexpected will always grab the headlines,” says O’Farrell. “Every successful genre in any medium enjoys satirical versions of existing best-sellers. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it helps keep things fresh. And if it also helps to draw more attention to the diverse range of products within the genre – then that’s great for everyone.”

Goat and Rock Simulator in particular are responses to how diverse the – for want of a better word – ‘serious’ simulation market has become but in satirising the genre, do they not also openly mock it, and by extension the dedicated and enthusiastic fans that pour hundreds of hours into their favourite titles?

“I daresay there are some purists out there that wouldn’t give these types of simulations the time of day, and perhaps there are some people that feel they poke fun at the genre,” agrees O’Farrell. “In my opinion, it’s all about variety and choice. As long as people can find the kind of product they want to enjoy, be it serious or light-hearted, then I can’t see why anyone needs to feel aggravated.”

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

However, while these kind of simulators have come seemingly out of nowhere, simulation is not a genre that can be entered into lightly. It presents a unique set of development challenges, perhaps more than any other genre, as not only does the final experience have to be enjoyable and accessible, it also has to be as realistic as possible.

While the handling of Destiny’s speeders can be explained away as true to a fictional craft, the slightest discrepancy in a simulator’s mechanics can provoke the wrath of many hardcore enthusiasts.

Fortunately, advances in engine and middleware technology don’t just enable devs to create fancier fantasy worlds; they also give Dovetail and similar studios the tools to refine their simulations to bring them even closer to reality.

“Working with the very latest and most cutting edge technology is a big part of our focus,” explains O’Farrell. “It allows us to achieve unparalleled audiovisual fidelity and physical simulation.

“In Dovetail Games Fishing, for example, Unreal Engine 4 has been fantastic for helping us to get the casting mechanism just right, and this is very much a fundamental part of the game.”

And now Dovetail has the chance to revitalise the title that arguably started it all: Microsoft Flight Simulator. Under a new deal with Microsoft, the UK firm will now have access to the technology that powered this pioneering series, enabling them to not only redistribute the last release, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, but also to develop brand new games based on the same tech.

“Starting to create any game from scratch brings so many challenges for developers,” he says. “Our new licensing deal with Microsoft has enabled us to bypass some of these challenges. Not only has it allowed us to get straight into the flight sim business, it’s provided us with some superb technology to build from, and importantly, it’s given us the opportunity to connect with an established, enthusiastic and thriving community.”

Given the size and scope of the simulation market now, it’s safe to say there’s no danger of it diminishing. The ‘serious’ simulators may remain the closely-guarded domain of dedicated enthusiasts, but the wackier, more humourous entries can help broaden the genre. Whether the next hit is a flight, farming or focaccia bread simulator, O’Farrell believes there will always be an audience waiting to try something new in the ever-growing simulation market.(source:develop-online)