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Lucas Blair对游戏成就系统设计的建议(二)

发布时间:2011-05-14 08:40:41 Tags:,,,

游戏邦注:本文原作者是调查研究博士兼游戏设计师Lucas Blair,他在本文第一章中针对如何设计有效的游戏成就系统的一些看法,以下是第二章内容(点击此处阅读第三章)。

现在,我重述一下第一部分内容的扼要。成就系统的设计指导,应当是涵盖广泛的论题的、确定的科学研究。在本文,我会通过解析如何在游戏中设置成就系统,来共享当前游戏成就设计特点的分类标准。

标准分类的目的是从设计中总结出成就系统的作用机制。研究表明,成就系统会影响玩家的行动表现、积极性和态度。

虽然我打算把这个分类标准说得广泛全面一些,但很可能遭到争议,还面临着以后的修正。如果我们打算有效地利用成就系统的潜力,暂且认为这是一个不错的讨论起点。

本部分将涉及以下概念:

预期成就vs.意外成就

成就通告

成就持久性

成就可见性

预期成就vs.意外成就

当玩家取得一项成就,收到的成就通告的那一刻,玩家就像得到了突如其来的惊喜,或者奋力拼搏终于撞破了终点线。这种期望有赖于游戏成就系统的设计决定——可以让玩家事先知道能获得什么成就,也可以让成就出乎意料地出现在游戏中。这就是预期成就和意外成就的不同,但二者都能用于提升玩家的游戏体验。

Coolhand

Coolhand

预期成就让玩家在之前就为自己立下目标。这样做有四个确凿的好处:

第一,玩家有了具体目标就可以更好地分配自己的资源。也就是说,玩家为了达到目标,就要重新温习自己的某种技术、节省额外时间或者向朋友求助。

第二,为了目标的达成,玩家更乐意发奋努力。对游戏开发者而言,玩家的这种努力意味着他们体验游戏的时间也在延长。

例如,玩家要花许多个小时来达成《魔兽争霸》中的“Salty”成就(游戏邦注:玩家必须取得所有钓鱼成就)——我可以亲自证明这可能是个无休无止的过程。

第三,带着目标的玩家在陷入困境时也能迎难而上,而那些漫无目的的玩家更可能在困难面前轻言放弃。

第四,为了达到目标,玩家更可能致力于掌握新知识和新技术。这一点对游戏开发者同样意义重大——掌握了新技术的玩家更可能成为回头客。

除了以上好处,预期成就使玩家在体验游戏前就形成一种游戏的心理模式,或叫心智模型(游戏邦注:简单地说,心智模型就是人们接受外界信息后在脑中形成一个思维的模型号来描述或者刻画外部世界,从而对人们的认知和行为起某种指导作用)。根据这种心理模式,有利于玩家搞清游戏的运作机制和决定应对的措施。如果玩家买了一款新游戏后,查看了所有自己可以获得的成就,他们对游戏本身就会有更清晰的理解,也就是玩家形成了心理模式。事实上,心理模式的形成也经常运用于提升用户表现的训练项目。

相对而言,意外成就在电子游戏中的运用并不普遍,但对玩家同样有潜在价值。这种像挣外快一样的成就可能有助于鼓励玩家尝试性地体验游戏玩法。

在《成就解锁》中可以找到这个外快策略的典型。玩家在该游戏中几乎做什么都可能获得稀奇古怪的成就。尽管开发者料想该游戏可能戳破游戏成就系统滥用的基线,但《成就解锁》还是有效地阐明了这款metagame使玩家抱着获得所有神秘成就的目的,任意在屏幕四处上蹿下跳。

最优方案:在游戏中,预期成就占主导,这样玩家可以为自己确立目标,形成游戏心理模式。但要保证成就描述能准确地反映其对玩家的行动要求和该成就的重要性。少量的意外成就能鼓励玩家的创意玩法,建议开发者适当运用这种策略。

成就通告

成就达成后,玩家必须知道自己完成了什么。游戏开发者可以选择在游戏过程中直接告之玩家,也可以选择过一段时间(游戏的自然中断)后才公布成就达成情况。采用即时通告或者延迟通告,要根据游戏类型和玩家的经验水平来决定。

游戏过程中出现的成就通告就是一种即时通告,如《魔兽世界》中的成就通告。研究表明,即时通告可以促进玩家对游戏的了解和提高玩家完成任务的效率。当玩家的目标成就与玩家在游戏中的表现有关时,这一点显得尤其重要。

然而,对于游戏老手,从即时反馈中得到的益处并没有像菜鸟玩家那样多。随着玩家经验的增长,更多地使用延迟通告反而更实在,因为这样老玩家才有机会自我评估表现。

即时通告有一个潜在的干扰作用,这是需要慎重考虑的。这种干扰打断游戏状态(玩家通常称游戏的流畅状态为“the zone”),进而对玩家产生不良影响。

当玩家陶醉于游戏时,玩家的注意力完全集中在游戏里,游戏之外的时空早已置之度外——这种体验对于玩游戏,特别是玩自己最喜欢的游戏的人来说,应该不陌生。

在游戏世界中流连忘返的玩家,会更有动力继续玩下去、体验更多乐趣。所以那种扑面而来的成就通告就直接干扰了玩家的状态,可能并不讨喜。

为了避免分散玩家的注意力,那种费心思的游戏(例如即时战略游戏)最好使用延迟通告。对于《星际争霸》这类环节界定清晰的游戏,在游戏自然中断后给予玩家成就通告则更合适。

这种类型的通告有着类似延迟反馈的益处——增强对新知识的记忆。所以,在新游戏中首次一展身手的玩家,如果记住了第一次的技巧,更有可能在以后的游戏环节中温习技巧。

最优方案:在过程中缺乏自然中断的游戏中采用弹出式即时通告,且通告上顺带更详细的成就解释。而对那些环节界定明确的游戏和需要高度集中精神的游戏来说,延迟通告比即时通告更可取。给新玩家即时反馈,给游戏老手延迟反馈。

Achievement Unlocked

Achievement Unlocked

成就持久性

玩家取得某项成就,过了很久以后,可能会打算重温历史。永久性成就允许玩家回顾辉煌的往昔,而临时性成就对玩家而言犹如过眼云烟,转瞬即逝。

永久性成就分为两类:有形奖励和储存清单。前者指的是达成某项成就后获得的奖品,后者指的是成就描述的目录表。有形奖励是个抽象概念,因为这种奖励只存在于虚拟世界。但是,像宠物或装备这类有形奖励可以为玩家所用,还能像实际物质奖励一样获得其他人的羡慕。

注意:如果运用于现实世界的奖励法则也被运用于虚拟世界,那就要当心滥用有形奖励的问题。有形奖励会减少玩家的内在动机(游戏邦注:intrinsic motivation—–个体发展的一种内在的愿望,渴望去做某件事情,并且很自然地认为做某件事是有益的),降低玩家自我决定的意识,还会减少玩家重返任务的可能性。

有了成就的储存清单(例如Xbox Live中的功能),玩家可以随时回顾自己获得成就后的表现,从而温故知新。

临时性成就,就像第一人称射击游戏中的“Unstoppable”或“God-Like”,相当于口头褒扬。不像有形成就,这些口头赞扬增加了玩家的内在动机,也不会破坏玩家的自决意识。临时成就会随着通告的消失而消失。

最优方案:采用某些储存清单来满足玩家想回顾游戏史的愿望。有形奖励对玩家有极大的激励作用,但玩家获得这种成就后,它就不再有吸引力了。

成就可见性

在单人游戏和多人游戏中,玩家的成就栏通常是对其他玩家开放的,不同游戏成就栏的开放信息也不尽相同。一些游戏将决定权交付玩家的手中。这些托管式的设定使成就变成了昭然若揭的事。玩家自定义的成就设置,如在《FarmVille》和《星际争霸2》,使玩家可自行决定公开哪些内容。

社会认可是玩家玩游戏的一大诱因。把成就公之于众,可以鼓励玩家为了认同感而努力获得成就。研究表明,社会认同感可作为内在动机,从而对玩家表现产生积极影响。

同级的玩家通过查看他人的成就,可以定位自己的成就目标。成就的奋斗过程和最终达成能促进玩家的自我效能(游戏邦注:self-efficacy,是许多人对于自身能否完成特定任务的能力的认知,它可以将影响行动结果的因素转化为先行因素,对于行动发生效用),从而有助于完成其他游戏任务。

成就的可见性就像一种游戏简历。一个玩家能当共同奋斗的队友还是不耻下问的老师,看看他的成就获得情况就心知肚明了。

然而,这种对外公开的成就,也潜藏着缺陷。如上所述,简历般的成就可能把一些玩家排挤出其他玩家群体。

在MMO游戏中,这种现象司空见惯。在这类游戏中,其他玩家在允许入组前通常会被查看其成就情况。这就造成一种两难困境——玩家要获得经验,同时本身又必须有经验。过分依赖作为动机的社会认同感还产生了另一个问题:一旦这种认同感减少或得不到,玩家仿佛失去了预报器,以后的游戏表现就堪忧了。

最优方案:成就对其他有强烈动机的玩家可见。为了防止菜鸟玩家受排斥,肯庇护他们的其他玩家将获得某种成就。让玩家展示一些引起为傲的成就,从而增加他们的游戏积极性,同时突出其游戏操作风格。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,转载请注明来源:游戏邦)

The Cake Is Not a Lie: How to Design Effective Achievements, Part 2

[In the second part of his three-part series, PhD researcher and game designer Lucas Blair continues to present underpinnings in contemporary research which will help formulate best practices for designing in-game achievements. You can read part 1 here.]

Now, to recap. As I wrote in the original piece, there is an established body of scientific study covering a wide range of topics, which should guide the design of achievements. In this article series, I will be sharing a taxonomy of achievement design features created by deconstructing how achievements are currently used in games.

Canada Game Conference

The goal of this exercise is to distill mechanisms of action out of achievement designs, which have been shown by research to affect performance, motivation, and attitudes.

This taxonomy, although intended to be comprehensive, is likely to be subject to debate and future revisions. For the time being however, I think it is a good jumping off point for a discussion that must be had if we are to ever effectively harness the potential of achievements.

Now, onward to the new content. In part two I will be covering the following concepts:

* Expected vs. Unexpected Achievements

* When Achievement Notification Occurs

* Achievement Permanence

* Who Can See Earned Achievements?

Expected vs. Unexpected Achievements

When a player earns an achievement, the notification they receive can come as a total surprise or as the finish line they were striving for. The expectation that a player has when starting a game stems from the design decision to let them know what they can achieve. Players either know what achievements can be earned before they play a game, or they come upon them unexpectedly during play. Expected and unexpected achievements have different effects on players and can both be utilized to improve player experience.

Expected achievements allow players to set goals for themselves before they begin. There are four well-established benefits to having players set goals for themselves. First, goals will allow the player to have objectives and allocate their resources to complete them. This could mean brushing up on certain skills, setting aside extra time, or asking a friend for help. Second, having a goal increases the amount of effort someone is willing to put into something. For game makers this will directly translate into more play time.

As someone who spent many hours pursuing the “Salty” meta-achievement in World of Warcraft — in which a player must earn all fishing achievements — I can personally attest to what time-sinks they can be.

Third, players who have goals are much more likely to not give up when facing a difficult task in a game, as compared to players without such goals who quit playing once the going gets too tough. Fourth, players who establish goals for themselves will acquire new knowledge and skills in order to meet those goals. This is also important to game makers, because those players who obtain new skills will in turn want to play your game more.

In addition to the benefits of goal-setting, expected achievements also allow players to create a schema, or a mental model, of gameplay before they begin. Players then refer to this schema in order to make sense of how the game is structured, and what actions they need to do in order to succeed. If a player purchases a new game and looks over all the achievements they can earn, they will develop a better understanding of the game itself. In fact, schema creation is often similarly used in training programs to help increase user performance.

On the other end of the spectrum are unexpected achievements. Unexpected achievements are relatively uncommon in video games, but can also have potential benefits to players. One such perk would be encouraging experimental play.

An extreme example of this strategy can be seen in the game Achievement Unlocked, in which players can earn quirky achievements for almost everything they do. Although the developers intended it to be a jab at the overuse of game achievements, Achievement Unlocked effectively illustrates the metagame that can be created through convincing players to run and jump around the screen randomly in hopes of earning all the mystery achievements.

Best Practice: Primarily use expected achievements so players can establish goals for themselves and create a schema of the game. Make sure achievement descriptions accurately reflect what needs to be done by the player and why it is important. Unexpected achievements can be used sparingly to encourage creative play.

When Achievement Notification Occurs

After an achievement is earned, the player must be made aware of their accomplishment. Players can be notified immediately while play is still ongoing, or after some amount of time has passed — at a natural break in the action. The decision between using immediate and delayed notifications should be influenced by game type as well as the player’s level of experience.

Achievement notifications that occur during play, like those in World of Warcraft, are a form of immediate feedback. Studies have shown that immediate feedback can improve learning and efficiency. This is especially important when using measurement achievements that directly relate to player performance.

It should be noted, however, that newer players will benefit more from this type of feedback than more experienced players. As players become more experienced, giving them increasingly delayed feedback will be more effective, as it gives them an opportunity to evaluate their own performance.

Another important consideration when giving players an achievement notification during play is the potential obtrusiveness of the alert itself. A disruptive alert could break the player’s flow state, or what they often call “the zone”, with unfavorable results.

When in a state like this, the outside world melts away, time becomes irrelevant, and focus is increased — this is probably a common experience you’ve experienced when you play your favorite game.

Players who are in a flow state have increased motivation to continue playing and experience more enjoyment, so disrupting this sensation with an in-your-face achievement may not be ideal.

In order to avoid distracting the player, games that require a lot of mental muscle (such as those in the RTS genre) will delay when they notify the player about earned achievements. Games like StarCraft which have clearly-defined play sessions tend to give players achievement notification after a natural break in play.

These types of notifications also have the benefit of acting like delayed feedback, which has been shown to produce increased retention when learning something new. So a player who performs an action for the first time in a new game and recognized for it a little while after the fact is more likely to remember how to perform it in future game sessions.

Best Practice: For games with no clear break in play, give immediate feedback with an unobtrusive popup accompanied by a longer explanation available after play. For games with clearly defined play sessions and those that require a greater deal of concentration it is better to use delayed notification. Try to give new players immediate feedback and give more experienced players delayed feedback.

Long after a player earns an achievement, they may want to reflect on the experience. Permanent achievements allow players to relive their former glory while impermanent ones exist only when the player is first notified.

Permanent achievements come in two varieties: digitally tangible and stored lists. These terms basically reflect the difference between the reward you get for earning an achievement and a catalogued description of the achievement. The tangibility of a digital item is an abstract concept, because the item only exists in a virtual world. However, an item that is “digitally tangible”, like a pet or a tabard given as a reward, can be manipulated by the player and admired by others just like a physical reward.

Be careful: if all of the same rules that apply to rewards in the real world apply to rewards in a digital one, there should be some concern about the overuse of digitally tangible rewards. Rewards have been shown to decrease intrinsic motivation (one’s natural desire to do something), lower the player’s sense of self-determination, and decrease the likelihood that a player will return to a task.

Stored lists of earned achievements, on the other hand, like those featured on Xbox Live, allow players to reflect on their accomplishments long after they have earned them. The act of reflecting on past events will give the players a greater understanding of the experience through recall.

Temporary achievements, like the phrases “Unstoppable” or “God-Like” in first person shooters, amount to verbal reinforcements. Unlike tangible achievements, these verbal boosts increase intrinsic motivation and do not infringe on the player’s sense of self determination. After the notification is gone, any record of the achievement disappears.

Best Practice: Give players the opportunity to go over their earned achievements using some kind of stored list. Digitally tangible rewards are a great incentive, but won’t keep the player around after the reward is earned.

Who Can See Earned Achievements?

Achievements that a player has earned are often visible to others in single player and multiplayer games. What information is shared varies by game. Some games take the decision out of the player’s hands. These mandatory systems make an individual’s achievements an open book. Player-defined achievement settings, like those in FarmVille and StarCraft II, give the player the ability to decide what they want to share.

Social approval is a big part of why people play video games. Making earned achievements visible to others will encourage players to earn them for recognition. Social recognition has been shown to have a positive effect on performance when used as an incentive.

Canadian Game Conference

Making earned achievements visible also gives the player’s peers the opportunity to see the reward and decide if they want it for themselves. Striving for and eventually earning those rewards will improve their self-efficacy, their belief that they can accomplish other in-game tasks.

Having visible achievements can also act like a gaming resumé. Another player’s earned achievements might reveal that they would make a good teammate or someone to ask for help.

Earned achievements that are visible to the community have potential downsides, however. Earned achievements that act as a resumé, as discussed above, can have the unintended consequence of excluding players.

This phenomenon often takes place in MMOs, where players ask potential teammates to link a completed achievement before allowing them to participate in game events. This creates a Catch-22 situation, where players must have experience in order to gain experience. Another problem with relying on social recognition as a motivator is that it is not a good predictor of future performance, once the recognition has been doled out or is no longer available.

Best Practice: Making earned achievements viewable to other players is a powerful incentive. To prevent players from being excluded because of their lack of experience, create achievements for players who take other players under their wing. Let players display a few achievements they are proud of to increase motivation and highlight their play style.(source:gamasutra


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