作者：NGamer Staff

好游戏为何可以在众平庸之辈中脱颖而出？这其中当然与它们一些内在元素相关，例如出色的关卡设计，或者游戏风格到位，以及一些时常容易被忽略的细节。但即使是最棒的游戏，也可能因一些偷工减料或者漫不经心的设计而自毁前程。

在本系列文章中，我们针举例盘点几种常见的游戏设计失误之处，并对其进行“审判”。在这些审判中，我们是法官、陪审团和执行者。（请点击此处阅读第二、第三部分内容）

Rubberband AI

Mario Kart Wii(from nintendo.com)

被告：《马里奥赛车Wii》

指控：执行称为“rubberbanding”的机制来改变比赛的结果。也就是说，无论你在表现得有多好，你最强劲的对手总会在最后的转弯中以反常的速度超过你。

原告：这种做法在被告的家族中有着悠久的历史。rubberbanding欺骗玩家，完全破坏了游戏进程中的潜藏技能和技术。

辩护理由：你认为这是rubberbanding，但我们把它称为“动态游戏难度平衡”。我们已经玩过大量在30秒的时间里就可以把AI甩在5英里之外的竞速游戏。这有什么乐趣呢？通过这种方式，我们至少可以保证你在没段赛程中都可以体验到竞速的快感。我们当然应该受到奖赏，因为《马里奥赛车》系列游戏已经有所演变，我们对固有的rubberbanding依赖性已经减少了。

裁定：有罪

审判：尽管《马里奥赛车》的罪行极其恶劣，但是法官承认在多人游戏部分不得不多次休庭，因为这个部分确实受到玩家的欢迎。在自我控制方面，rubberbanding本身并非是邪恶的事物。正如被告方所声称的那样，它可以保持竞速过程的新鲜感，如果使用得当的话可以使游戏大大获益。

但是这并不代表可以不负责任地胡乱使用这项机制，出于这个原因，我们判决《马里奥赛车》进行300小时的劳作，然后让一只趿着高跟鞋的猿猴在这期间不断踩踏被告的脚踝。

再犯可能性：9/10。rubberbanding是种很流行的开发捷径，而且其使用量正在不断增加，尤其在竞速和运动模拟游戏中。

无法跳过的过场动画

Metroid：Other M(from 411mania.com)

被告：《Metroid: Other M》

指控：强迫玩家坐着观看冗长的过场动画。

原告：我们能够理解，有些玩家注重游戏中的故事。但是客观上来说，游戏中99.999%的脚本质量不高，而且我们还无法跳过。无论如何，当代开发者没有理由不在过场动画中添加跳过功能。

辩护理由：我们花了大量的时间和金钱来制作这些过场动画，所以你应当要看看。而且，你只需要看一次而已，玩第二遍游戏时你可以直接跳转到核心内容上。

裁定：有罪

审判：这种做法反倒降低了游戏的质量。你已经知道有些玩家会想要跳过动画，但是你仍然故意置之不理。我们本来打算给你减轻判决的罪行，但是我们注意到你甚至都没有添加暂停的功能。我们判决你坐着观看121集《Lost》，不可起身。期间要有导演的评论，而且有大号的爱沙尼亚语字幕。

再犯可能性：5/10。幸亏这种做法已经大量减少，但是《Samurai Warriors 3DS》依然是挑战人们忍耐力的典型案例。严肃地说，玩家根本不需要那么多的过场动画和剧情来激发他们畅玩游戏。

玩法转变过快

Rayman-3D(from nintendo3dsgamer.com)

被告：《雷曼3D》

指控：强迫玩家跃入未知领域中。下面等待他们的是什么？由于劣质的视角设计，玩家根本不知道自己将进入怎样的地域。

原告：当你想起《雷曼》系列游戏时，两件事情会立即跃入你的脑中：暴力谋杀和信任跳跃。现在，GBA的《雷曼Advance》应当为他的罪行接受死亡判决。

法庭或许可以回忆起，该系列游戏中的无意识死亡屡见不鲜，而且这种做法在游戏中被滥用。向3D的转变丝毫不能满足《雷曼》的杀戮欲。

辩护理由：你知道为什么自己会出现这种问题吗？你根本不了解《雷曼》。你根本不理解我的角色设计手法。你根本不理解我在游戏中完美地融合了史努比和《Steps》中的H这两种角色。

众人对DSiWare版本中添加的小地图大加赞扬，难道你觉得这不能解决玩法转变过快的问题吗？因为这才是《雷曼》，对于那些无法理解游戏设计的人，自然什么都不会体会到。

裁定：有罪

审判：《雷曼》有1047条罪宗，此外还应对玩法转变过快而造成的大屠杀负责，终生监禁是唯一合适的审判。而且，我们偶尔还会在你的牢房中巨人食鸟蛛。祝你好运！

再犯可能性：4/10。这种问题在2D平台游戏中很常见。不过，业内严谨的游戏测试已让这种情况在今日较为少见。

游戏邦注：本文发稿于2011年5月14日，所涉时间、事件和数据均以此为准。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Gaming’s most frequent design crimes

Part 1: Cut-scenes, blind jumps and AI…

Well, we’ve had enough of these crimes against humanity, particularly as some of them have already shown their face on 3DS, mere days into the new console’s lifespan.

So court is now in session! Over the next few weeks we’re going to take to task 12 of the most commonly repeated design faux pas seen in today’s games. We’ll hear the cases both for and against, and then we’ll decide on a suitably ironic punishment.

But remember one thing: in these courts, we’re the judge, jury and executioner, and defendants are always found guilty…

Rubberband AI

Defendant: Mario Kart Wii

The charge: Fixing the outcome of races by implementing a mechanic known as rubberbanding. That is to say, no matter how well you race, your biggest rival will always be lodged up your exhaust pipe, ready to fly past you at a preposterous speed on the final corner.

Case for the prosecution: There’s a long history of chequered flag-thievery in the defendant’s family, your honour. Rubberbanding cheats the player and completely neuters any underlying element of skill or technique the game might possess.

Case for the defence: You call it rubberbanding, we call it ‘dynamic game difficulty balancing’. We’ve all played a racing game where you’re five miles out in front of the dozy AI pack within 30 seconds. Where’s the fun in that? At least our way, you’re guaranteed racing thrills and spills from flag to flag. And surely we deserve time off for good behaviour – as the Mario Kart series has evolved, we’ve become less dependant on natural rubberbanding, with the items serving to level the playing field.

Verdict: GUILTY

Judgement: Although Mario Kart’s crimes are heinous, the jury acknowledges that we’ve repeatedly had to adjourn court for multiplayer sessions and this does stand in its favour. Rubberbanding in itself is not a bad thing in moderation. As the defendant states, it keeps races fresh and exciting and if used judiciously can greatly benefit a game.

But it cannot be allowed to run unchecked, and for this reason we sentence Mario Kart to 300 hours hard labour, during which time an ape in high heels will repeatedly tread on the defendant’s ankles.

Chances of re-offending: 9/10. Rubberbanding is a popular developmental shortcut, and its use is on the rise, particularly in arcade racers and sports sims. Sure beats all that laborious playtesting and balancing palaver, right?

Unskippable cutscenes

Defendant: Metroid: Other M

The charge: Forcing the player to sit through an endless procession of interminable cutscenes.

Case for the prosecution: Oh look, it’s Samus! And here she is again, being all introspective and angsty! And now a panoramic sweep of her metallic buttocks! And now it’s time for another unintelligible internal monologue! And now… OH GOD MAKE IT STOP!

Look, we understand some people play games for the story. That’s their prerogative. But objectively speaking, 99.999% of gaming scripts would get laughed out of an amateur dramatics theatre, and we can’t bypass them quick enough. Either way, there’s really no excuse for developers not putting in a skip function in this day and age.

Case for the defence: Look, buster, we’ve spent a lot of time and money rendering Samus’s crevices, so you can bloody well sit there and watch our cutscenes. And anyway – you only have to endure them the once. On the second playthrough, you can skip away to your heart’s content. You big babies.

Verdict: GUILTY

Judgement: But that just makes it worse, doesn’t it? You were aware that it was something that sane people might want to do, and yet you deliberately withhold it from them. Tsk. We were going to let you off with a slapped wrist, but then we noticed you didn’t even put in a pause function, so in light of this new evidence you’re sentenced to watch the entire 121 episodes of Lost in one sitting. With the director’s commentary turned on. And the large print Estonian subtitles.

Chances of re-offending: 5/10. Thankfully this practice is in sharp decline, but there are pockets of resistance Samurai Warriors 3DS is a topical case in point. Seriously, how much context does a player need to have before they’re sufficiently motivated enough to slice a feudal warrior in half?

Leaps of faith

Defendant: Rayman 3D

The charge: Forcing the player to take a leap into the unknown. What awaits them down there? A nice, comfortable ledge, or a stalagmite up the unmentionables? Thanks to shonky camera work and/or poor design, it’s impossible to tell.

Case for the prosecution: When you think Rayman, your honour, two things spring immediately to mind: violent murder, and leaps of faith. The GBA’s Rayman Advance is currently serving a life sentence for its crimes.

As the court might recall, unforeseen insta-death was so frequent, and so indiscriminately applied, that several members of the jury openly wept as the court played footage of the Mr Skops level. The transition to 3D has done little to satisfy Rayman’s bloodlust.

Case for the defence: You know what your problem is? You just don’t get Rayman. You don’t get my awesome character design. You don’t get that I’m the perfect blend of Snoopy and H from Steps. You don’t get that the Rayman Advance port was so mind-bendingly authentic that we didn’t even attempt to scale the visuals down from the original.

Where’s all the praise for the DSiWare version adding a mini-map, which all but took leaps of faith out of the equation? That’s right – because it’s Rayman, who you don’t get, there is none. You lot can go jump.

Verdict: GUILTY

Judgement: Defendant is found guilty of 1,047 counts of being Rayman, and several lesser charges of leap-of-faith-facilitated mass murder. Life imprisonment is the only suitable course of action. Also: we’re going to occasionally hide goliath bird-eating spiders in your porridge. Good luck with that, you hateful freak.

Chances of re-offending: 4/10. This was more often a problem with 2D platformers. Rigorous play-testing means that nowadays, it’s relatively rare (if not unheard of). (Source: Computer And Video Games)