作者：Ievgen Leonov

Renatus Media团队根据自己在创造名为《Bubble Chronicles Diamond Edition》的续作的经验而为游戏开发者分享了一些诀窍。这也成为了所有在考虑是否该创造续作的游戏开发者的前进指南。

game(from gamedev)

修复漏洞

在着手创造一些新内容前，你应该先理解之前项目中哪些做法是对的而哪些又是错的。分析所有的主要参数你将能够找到一些缺陷。你必须避免在续作中重复走进相同的陷阱中，这也是完善你的第二款游戏的最佳方法。你可以将续作当成是修改在最初游戏发行时漏掉的所有“漏洞”的独特机会。

以下是你在最初游戏中经常能够找到的缺陷列表：

糟糕的设置

图像风格并不适合用户

错误的解决方法

无效的盈利系统

游戏发行时选错了平台

当你明确了问题所在，你需要一步一步地思考问题的解决方法，列出你期待得到何种结果的细节。不要相信像“成功”这样的字眼，你应该像个商人那样思考，寻找真正能够支撑你的计划的数值—-如续集的ARPU，终身价值以及1天/3天/7天/14天/30天的用户留存。

假设你发现问题出在游戏风格上，即它并不适合你的目标用户。那么你需要做的下一件事便是修改游戏图像，并观察游戏参数的变化。这是最有可能情况，因为图像是获得用户关注以及忠诚度的关键元素之一。你需要牢牢记住这点。

同一价格的两款游戏

续作便是关于两款游戏能够受益于一次发行。

你会惊讶于从头开始执行一个项目以及开发并营销一款续作之间的预算差距。首先，你可以使用最初游戏的忠诚用户基础去推广续作。其次，后续游戏的发行将让最初游戏再次收到关注，并且也会吸引那些充满好奇心的玩家去比较这两次的体验。还有一个能够省钱的地方便是开发方面：你只需要稍微修改游戏引擎，服务器和图像内容便足以创造出一款很棒的续作，这能够为你节省很大一笔预算。

利用最初游戏的粉丝是市场营销策略中最有效的解决方法，但你应该适度而行。寻找能够传达你的新游戏拥有玩家所喜欢的关于之前游戏的所有内容的文字和工具。你应该想办法说服这些粉丝这是一个更棒的游戏版本。

同时你也不该低估那些不喜欢最初游戏的玩家。他们有可能会喜欢上你的续作，所以你值得一试。你可以鼓励他们去尝试你的第二款游戏—-让他们知道你已经优化了游戏，并删除了所有的缺陷。

我们的主要建议是：千万不要吝啬。总是存在一些关于你的续作的新内容。

并不是有了新内容就要遗忘过去

新旧的结合才能成就一款真正成功的续作。

玩家很难会喜欢一款公然复制之前游戏的新游戏。要记得：每一款游戏都必须是独特且不可取代的，它能够吸引适当的用户并且证实你的努力和投入是合理的。

创造独特的游戏体验需要对最初游戏做出一系列修改。它们可能会被划分成一些不同的类型：

1.结构式

问自己：我的游戏的结构是否匹配游戏类型？它的功能是否得到充分的利用？任何否定的回答都意味着你需要更新游戏结构。

在修改结构方面不要做得太过：每种类型都有其标准。如果忽视它们你便会失去大批用户。用户会更喜欢玩带有熟悉界面的游戏。但如果你足够勇敢去计划一些根本性的改变，你也需要确保能够向用户清楚地解释每一个新功能/机制。

想象你是一名玩家，并且遵循作为玩家的你会采取的做法并添加一些必要的功能。不要害怕在教程中呈现过多细节—-你的目标只是为用户创造一些内容。之后他们便会忠实于你的游戏。

Renatus的《Bubble Chronicles Diamon Edition》便是根本性的改变造福于游戏续作的典型例子。该团队用全新的能量替换掉最初游戏中的经典能量系统。储库中无限的能力将让用户能够用能量随时将其填满，并在拥有能量的时候一直挑战游戏关卡。该工作是一开始将这一系统整合到射击泡沫的游戏中。基于该系统，续作游戏获得了比最初游戏高出2，3倍的参数。

2.游戏玩法

对于游戏玩法的修改是创造一款续作的另一种好方法。这里的要点在于保持产品的平衡：游戏玩法应该足够灵活且适合目标用户。

存在一些能够帮助你创造平衡的续作的替代选择。

选择1：整合额外的功能（游戏邦注：新的助推器，额外的游戏模式，综合的游戏机制）。例如续作《Two Dots 2》便突出了全新的游戏模式，即玩家需要把砖块降到最底端。

选择2：混合一些游戏机制。是的，你可以尝试一些机制去遵循最新的游戏产业趋势。完美的混合可能会让你的游戏大受欢迎，但是你该如何判断怎样才是完美呢？我们的建议是从一系列对于同一群组的用户来说具有意义的机制中做出选择。否则你原先面向“所有人”创造一款续作的目标将变成是面向“不为任何人”创造续作。

此外你需要在改变游戏玩法的同时始终记得保持游戏的平衡。你的游戏既要简单也要复杂。如果游戏太过简单或者太难精通，玩家便会很快失去兴趣。

3.技术性

我们生活在一个技术快速发展的时代。在发行第一款游戏后你可能需要花费6个月或更长时间去发行一款续作，而你的第二部作品需要基于更先进的技术进行优化。你必须确保能够改掉所有主要的问题。最重要的是，你应该专注于游戏创造的技术性：尝试着缩小规模并提升游戏的加载速度。

以下是一些进一步延伸最初游戏成功的高质量续作典例：《割绳子2》，《FarmVille 2》，《Candy Crush Soda Saga》。

（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）

How to Make a Good Sequel to Your Casual Game

By Ievgen Leonov

The team of Renatus Media shared tips for game developers based on its own experience with creating a sequel called Bubble Chronicles Diamond Edition. This formed a solid base for a guide meant for every game developer who is considering whether to make a sequel or not.

Bug fixing

First things first. Before getting down to something new, you should get a clear understanding of what was right and wrong with your previous project. Analyze all the main metrics that you’ve got to find the weak points. It is essential to avoid stepping on the same rake twice with your sequel and the best way to improving the quality of your second game. Think of the sequel as a unique chance to fix all “bugs” that slipped out of your sight during the launch of original title.

Here’s a check list of flaws that are most often found in an original game:

bad setting

style of drawing doesn’t match the audience

wrong architectural solution

weak monetization system

ill-chosen platform for game launch

As soon as you know the problem by face, proceed to step-by-step planning of its solution, outlining in detail what you expect to get afterwards. Do not trust words like ‘success’, think like a businessman and find real numbers to support your plan – estimate ARPU, lifetime value, and 1/3/7/14/30 day retention of your soon-to-be sequel.

Say you’ve blamed it on the style of your game, concluding it does not quite match the target audience. The next thing you should do is have art properly redrawn, and watch the game metrics fly up high. That’s the most probable scenario, as art is believed to be one of the key components in winning users’ affection and loyalty. Keep that in mind.

Two games for the price of one

A sequel is the case when two games can benefit from one release.

You’ll be surprised to see a huge gap between the budget of a from-scratch project and a sum you’d spend on development and marketing of a sequel. First, you can use an old base of loyal users from the original game for promotional purposes. Second, the launch of a sequel will bring attention to the original title as well and there will always be curious players who would want to take a shot at the original game to compare both experiences. Another money-saving aspect is development: slight modifications of game engine, server side and art will be enough for getting a good sequel and perfect for your pocket.

Addressing the fans of the original game is the most efficient solution in marketing strategy, but you should do it properly. Find the right words and tools which would convey that your new game has everything they’ve liked about the original one and even more. Convince them that your sequel is a better version of it.

And don’t discount players who disliked the original title. There’s a chance they might like your sequel, so it’s definitely worth a try. Encourage them to test your second product – let them know you’ve polished your game, and all flaws are gone now.

Our main advice is: resist the temptation of over-skimping. There always has to be something new about your sequel.

Not everything new is well-forgotten old

The right combination of old and new is what makes a successful sequel.

Players will hardly enjoy a blatant duplicate of the original title. Remember: every game must be unique and irreplaceble, in which case it will reach the right audience and justify all your efforts and investments.

Creation of a unique game experience requires a series of modifications in the first game. They can be conditionally divided into several types.

1) Structural.

Ask yourself: Is the structure of my game a perfect match for the genre? Is its functional used to the full extent? A ‘No’ answer to any of them means that the game structure needs to be updated.

Don’t get too far in modifying the structure: every genre has its standards that must be respected. Ignore them and you’ll lose the bulk of users right away. Users feel more comfortable playing the games with a familiar interface, ways of interacting with other users, and things like that. But if you’re a daredevil planning some fundamental changes, please make sure to explain every new feature/mechanic to your users.

Imagine you are a player, follow the same way as he will for many times and add necessary functionality. Don’t be afraid of overburdening your tutorial with details – your goal is to make things simple for your users. Then they will stick with your game.

Bubble Chronicles Diamon Edition by Renatus is a good example of how fundamental changes can be good for your sequel. Here, the classical energy system of the original game (1 life for 1 level) has been substituted for a bank of energy spent on making shots. The unlimited capacity of the bank gives users an opportunity to refill it at any time, with any energy amount, and playing levels for as long as they have it. The studio was first to introduce this system into a bubble shooting game. With it, all main metrics of the sequel got 2-3 times higher as compared to the original title.

2) Gameplay.

Modification of gameplay is another good way of creating a sequel. The main thing here is to maintain the balance in your product: gameplay should be flexible and appropriate for the target audience.

There are a few alternatives that can lead straight to a well-balanced sequel.

Option #1: integration of additional features (new boosters, additional game modes, complications of game mechanics). For example, the sequel Two Dots 2 features a totally new game mode, where the player needs to get anchor tiles down to the bottom.

Option #2: blending of several game mechanics. Yes, you can experiment with mechanics to follow the latest game industry trends. A perfect blend may make your game a hit, but how can you tell when it’s perfect? Our advice is to choose from a range of mechanics that are meant for the same groups of users as the original one. Otherwise, your pursuit of making a sequel ‘for everyone’ could end up with a sequel ‘for no one’.

And always remember about the game balance while changing the gameplay. Your game should be equally simple and complicated. Players will quickly lose interest in your sequel if it’s too easy to play or too hardcore to master.

3) Technical.

We live in the time of rapid technology advancement. Considering that it’ll take you 6 months or more to launch a sequel after the original game, your second product should be optimized in accordance with state-of-the-art capabilities. And make sure to correct all major issues. Most importantly, pay attention to the technical properties of game build: try to reduce its size and speed up loading.

And here are some more examples of high-quality sequels that have augmented the original title’s success: Cut the Rope 2, Farmville 2, Candy Crush Soda Saga. (source:gamedev)