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当代玩家的游戏技能水平已经明显退化?

发布时间:2015-04-28 11:09:05 Tags:,,

作者:Jaime Dominguez-Blazquez

自2013年10月面向Android和OUYA平台发布《Beekyr》以来,我们就一直在查看游戏数据以调整玩法,令其更适合休闲游戏玩家。

我们多次降低游戏难度:令游戏从极为困难变为简单易上手。数月之后,我们又降低难度,令游戏刚开始有点无趣,以免玩家卡在某些关卡中。但我们也增加了一些新的难度关卡,以吸引那些喜欢接受挑战的玩家。

以下是我们令游戏更具用户友好性所做的一些措施:

1.我们最初发布这款游戏之时,它的难度应该刚刚好:不会太难也不会太容易,就像90年代的标准外星战役游戏一样属于一般难度。

2.然后我们创造了一个新的标准模式。将之前的标准模式移到了困难模式。

3.之后我们创造了简单模式。

4.因为还是有许多人死得很快,我们就添加了一个简单的操作指南……但根本就没有人看。我们甚至还专门提供了一个指导视频,以提示那些长期被卡于某个环节的玩家!

5.我们决定创造2个新手教程关卡,而不是制作人人都会觉得无趣的首个关卡……但它们却分别成了0-1和0-2关卡。

6.玩家还是很容易死,他们还是不肯去看教程。

7.我们只好在新手教程关卡中强行令操作指南覆盖整个屏幕2秒。这样可以让50%的玩家去看操作指南。

8.但玩家的死亡率还是很高,所以我们最后只好让标准模式更容易一些,让简单模式更简单……对我们来说这游戏真是太简单了,但数据显示结果还是一样……玩家还是不看操作指南。

9.之后我们又增加了3个更困难的关卡以满足技能较高玩家的需求。

tutorial level 2(from gamasutra)

tutorial level 2(from gamasutra)

教程关卡2:有2秒钟迫使玩家阅读操作指南。

level 0-1(from gamasutra)

level 0-1(from gamasutra)

关卡0-1:初学者(没有子弹但新手还是屡屡中招)

level 0-2(from gamasutra)

level 0-2(from gamasutra)

关卡0-2:标准难度(有一些子弹)

level 0-2 beginner(from gamasutra)

level 0-2 beginner(from gamasutra)

关卡0-2:初学者(没有子弹)

我们不得不采取这些操作以降低玩家在游戏中的死亡率并增加菜鸟玩家的乐趣……我们一直在调整游戏,直到2014年7月10日向PC和iOS平台发布游戏时才发现,PC游戏玩家(以及一些OUYA用户)的水平远高于智能手机上的休闲玩家。除此之外,休闲玩家真的是很糟糕的玩家。

用数据说话

我们通过数据发现,《Beekyr》最简单关卡(新手)对于已经拥有一些经验的玩家来说实在无趣。但对于那些休闲手机游戏玩家来说却还是很困难。

以下是2014年7月的数据:

game stats(from gamasutra)

game stats(from gamasutra)

(需要注意的是,这是我们进行调查的两天之后才截取的图片,所以图中数据与下文数据并不一定匹配,但可以看出大致情况)

玩家开启游戏8050次。

发生了16037起Game Over事件。

有6500人次死于第3级(旧版的第1级)。

新手教程关卡的情况如何?

新手教程关卡几乎就没有什么敌人或者障碍……但还是有玩家在此栽跟头。我们原以为没有人会卡在这些关卡,但数据结果却是相反的:

新手难度(最简单)的情况:

*游戏在第1级结束733次。

*游戏在第2级结束476次。

标准难度的情况:

*游戏在第1级结束466次。

*游戏在第2级结束1434次。

也就是说总共有3109人次死在我们所认为极为简单的新手教程关卡中。

这就是说20%的游戏结束于新手教程关卡(玩家在此失去了所有的4条命)

但在游戏第1级中我们至少令game over事件减半——从最初的6500次降至3100次……但这仍然是个糟糕的结果。

这意味着什么?

困难游戏宣告结束的时代来临了?我们是否应该面向手机平台制作超级简单的游戏,只向PC和主机制作真正的游戏?

人们已经习惯于体验那些不断出售道具,授权产品,DLC或续作的商业游戏?通过不断降低难度以实现更多销量的做法,对电子游戏行业来说真的是好事吗?

大家还是去玩玩更困难的游戏吧,毕竟这些游戏更有趣味!并且有利于训练我们的脑力!

请记住KaleidoGames,我们以后再也不制作简单的游戏了!(本文由游戏邦编译,转载请注明来源,或咨询微信zhengjintiao)

Are actual players less skilled than 20 years ago?

by Jaime Dominguez-Blazquez

Since we launched Beekyr for Android and OUYA in October 2013. We continuously were checking the game-stats to tweak the game-play and make it more playable for casual gamers.

We reduced the difficulty many times: we made the game from something very hard to something easily playable. A few months after, we reduced the difficulty to something that was a bit boring at first, just to avoid the players getting stuck in some levels of the game. Just to let you know, we added new difficulty levels keeping the original hard game-play for those who are good at shmup or similar hard video-games.

In other words, this is what we did to make it more user friendly:

Initially we had just released the game, the difficulty was supposed to be just right: not easy and not too hard, just normal hard like standard shmup games from 90s.

Then we created a new Normal mode. The previous Normal, was moved into the Hard mode. By then Locomalito (a famous neo-retro games developer) finished the game on the OUYA version, but thats about it.

Then we created the Easy mode.

As people still was getting killed fast, we added simple instructions*…. but nobody was reading them. We even got a video reviews where the guy was stuck playing wrong for a very long time!

Instead making the first level boring for everybody we decided to create 2 tutorial levels… but they became level 0-1 and 0-2.

Players still got killed too soon and they still didn’t read the instructions.

We forced the instructions to cover the entire screen for 2 seconds, for just the tutorial levels. That was a way of making about 50% of the people read the instructions.

Still, there was plenty of deaths so we finally had to make Normal mode a bit easier and the easy mode was a lot easier… It was for us far too easy but stats say otherwise… Please, keep reading.

Then we added another 3 harder difficulty levels for some PROs out there, like this video (played by the hardcore gamer Meterre) proves…. But that’s a different history. :)

Tutorial level 2 : 2 Forced seconds to read the Instructions!

Level 0-1 : Beginner (No bullets but hell for novices)

Level 0-2: Normal difficulty, (Some bullets)

Level 0-2: Beginner (No bullets)

We had to take all these steps to reduce mortality in our game and increase fun for those who are not that good playing… We did this till we released the latest version of Beekyr on the 10th July 2014 (for PC and iOS) we have learned that PC gamers (and some in OUYA) play far better than smart-phone casual gamers. Not only that, casual gamers are terrible players!

How do we know this? Behold the DATA!

We have some crazy unexpected stats that reveal that Beekyr played in the easiest level (novice) seems to be terribly boring to gamers with some experience. But seems to be really hard for those who are casual mobile gamers.

We gathered some stats of July 2014:

This screen-shot is not from the same moment we did the study but a couple of days later. That’s why the numbers don’t match exactly but you can get the idea.

8050 times the game was opened.

There was 16.037 Game Over events.

From which, 6500 people died in Stage 3. (the old stage 1)

But what about the tutorial levels?

Tutorial levels hardly have any enemies, or shots and no obstacles to be crashing into…. But players can still get killed. We really though nobody would get killed in those levels but stats say otherwise:

Playing in NOVICE (EASIEST) difficulty:

733 games ended in stage 1

476 games ended in stage 2

Playing in NORMAL difficulty:

466 games ended stage 1

1434 games ended stage 2

That makes a total of 3109 players died in the TUTORIAL levels in, what we think, easy modes.

That is the 20% of the games played are finished in the tutorial levels. (When players loses all 4 lives.)

At least we halved the game over events in Stage 1: we went down from the initial  6500 to 3100… Still pretty bad for first levels.

What does it mean?

Is this the end of the era of difficult games? Shall we just make silly games for mobile-phones and stick with the real games into PC and consoles? Will at least the indie studios respect this factor with the games?

Is people getting used to commercial games where they want you to keep playing to sell you later add-on items, merchandising, DLC or sequels. Is it good for the video games industry to keep lowering the difficulty to unreasonable levels to just sell more?

We, mostly the indie devs, come to make challenging games!

Go on, try to play harder games, it is, overall, a lot more fun! Plus they’re good for your mental skills! Play and challenge a game like Beekyr!

Get it from Desura (is like the STEAM for indies)

Or download for Android or OUYA here.

Or you might be lucky and get the iOS version before is taken out on the 10th MAY 2015!

We believe that before the money comes fun and challenge.

Remember us, KaleidoGames, we will never make easy games! You want hard fun games? Then play our games. We won’t disappoint you.(source:gamasutra


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