作者：Matt Allmer

游戏可玩性设计是个混乱的过程，充满着失意和矛盾。多数情况下，游戏设计的要求是创造出能够确保获得成功的内容。这意味着，解决方案必须趋向于那些已经在行业在确立成功地位的方法。

但是同时，产品又需要有与众不同之处，方能在竞争中突出重围。这使得设计师陷入两难的境地。

而且，无论采用何种解决方案，都必须以项目资源为基础，更不用说还存在执行方面的时间压力和战略变迁。

游戏设计的时间很紧，不要过多地考虑工具的缺乏。你需要做的就是，勇往直前。

游戏设计就像是在驾驶一艘船身尚未完工的轮船！这种节奏就像是在降落伞未准备好之前从飞机上跳下。

正因为游戏设计中存在如此紧迫性、冲突性和不确定性，所以必然有某种安全措施。我特别关注准备工作和已确立有效的原理，这方面得研究让我能够更清晰地了解哪些规则可以打破，哪些规则必须深思熟虑。

我在大学期间修传统动画设计课程，开课首日教授便阐述了由Frank Thomas和Ollie Johnston提出的“12个动画设计原理”。

刚开始，我觉得这12个原理很难完全理解。但是，在学期结束之时，我发现自己应用到作品中的原理越多，设计出的动画就越好。想起这段经历，我觉得游戏设计应当也存在相似之处！

因而，我和George上网浏览信息。不幸的是，我找到的都是不连贯的理论、战略、方法和信条。大量理论的主题并不集中，比如趣味性、奖励玩家的选择、控制思维活动、心理多任务化以及对“简单化”的呼吁。

我也找到了某些清晰明了的原理，比如了解你的受众、不要打破玩家的信任感、让玩家做出选择、了解你自己等。但是，我依然无法从中发现价值。

这令我感到十分困惑。我找到的原理都无法帮助游戏设计师日益成长。所以，我决定从其他领域和行业开始探索。

“12个动画设计基础原理”便是探索的起点。我找到可以适用于游戏设计中的原理并将其添加其中。你可能会注意到，有些原理的描述很相似，有些甚至连名称都完全相同，但这些都适用于游戏可玩性设计。

这些原理的目标是从基础上对游戏设计进行改善。或许你自己拥有设计原理，但这些原理随后可能在新机会出现之时给你带来灵感。你可以将这些原理作为参考选项。

方向

前3个原理关注的是玩家体验的引导和方向。即便这个媒介的主要基础是个人化的互动发现，但是其仍然是个艺术媒介。

必要低估艺术引导的重要性。正如画作引导视线、书籍引导想象、电影引导叙事那样，游戏也必须要引导互动行为。

1、关注点

不可让玩家去猜测应当专注哪个地方。同时，游戏中总是要呈现次级主题，但是在整个游戏进程中清晰提供主要关注点是设计师的工作。这项原理可以运用到游戏可玩性的视觉和内在层面上。

关卡设计范例

创造清晰明了的视线。

系统设计范例

在游戏进程和用户体验过程中，清晰定义情节点和目标。

2、预期

预留时间通知玩家某事即将发生。在设计和执行时间和行为时，要将预期的因素计算在内。

关卡设计范例

在玩家看到火车之前听到火车的音效。

系统设计范例

在闪电般攻击发生前先积蓄能量。

3、宣布改变

将所有的改变告知玩家。这个简短的步骤居于预期和事件发生之间。

需要铭记的重要部分是，要维持对显著改变的控制。

如何呈现通过事件的稀有性来定。如果某种改变在1小时的时间内发生上百次，那么或许并不需要这种宣布。但是，如果改变在整个游戏体验中只会发生5次，那么就需要呈现视觉提示。

这个原理很显而易见，人们经常认为这是理所当然的事情，有时会被忽视。你应当深入了解在适当的时间和事件中玩家应当注意到何种改变。

关卡设计范例

玩家登船时会触发NPC准备开船的动画。

系统设计范例

任务（游戏邦注：比如“为农夫Bob消灭10个小妖精”）完成时在屏幕上呈现通知。

行为

接下来的4项原则处理的是行为中的重要层面。这会在有意或无意间处理玩家期待问题。诸如玩家选择、奖励和惩罚之类的常见设计理论关注的也正是这个方面的内容。这些原理也可以进一步扩展，可以将它们应用到其他类型的设计中，比如UI和故事。

4、可信的事件和行为

每个事件或行为的发生都必须符合玩家的逻辑和期望。每个动作、反应、结果、情感和传输都必须符合玩家的潜意识想法。

关卡设计范例

在爆炸物旁放置可破坏的物品，这样会让爆炸显得更加逼真。

系统设计范例

当玩家处在有利地位时，较弱的敌人便会逃跑。

UI范例

玩家濒临死亡会影响到HUD元素。

故事范例

玩家屠杀龙之后村民显得更加乐观和积极。

5、重叠的事件和行为

如果每次只发生一种改变的话，就会使游戏的动态性丧失。寻找在游戏任何时间段应当发生的事件数量。

关卡设计范例

让玩家有能力构建适当数量的建筑物。

系统设计范例

后卫球员向自己的队友指明方向，同时防御方做出应对，四分卫便指明方向便说着暗语，观众大声呼喊，所有这些在游戏中同时进行。

UI范例

点数计入总分中，同时独立计算每场战斗的点数。

故事范例

在叙事体验中同时呈现多个剧情。比如，国王在战争进行期间即将病危，他正在宣布自己的继承者，同时有人正在策划军事政变。

6、物理

玩家逻辑的主要基础原理便是物理学。将重力、重量、质量、密度、力量、浮力和弹力这些因素考虑在内。将此作为出发点和基准点，但不要受到这些内容的限制。

关卡设计范例

确保地板上的洞的大小与其作用相符，无论它属于关卡进程中的一部分，还是只为了增添视觉效果。

系统设计范例

玩家所驾驶的车辆擦到墙壁时产生火花。

UI范例

GUI主题可以参考剪贴簿原理。在这种情况中，动画过渡和强调等都要遵循纸张的物理特性。

7、音效

询问如下问题：当事件发生时应当有何种音效？这种音效是否准确？是否有必要出现音效？音效是会深化还是影响体验？如果玩家闭上眼睛的话，音效也仍然能够产生想要表达的效果。

对于是否应当包含这条原理存在一定争议，因为音效设计不属于游戏可玩性设计。我之所以将其包含在内，是因为音效对游戏很重要，而且会轻易被忽略。对音效考虑得越多，玩家的体验就越好。

关卡设计范例

在沼泽地关卡中，当苍蝇靠近镜头时会产生音效。

系统设计范例

音效的音量取决于游戏物体与镜头的距离的系统。

UI范例

只要对视觉突出的图像配备音效，只要不影响到玩家的体验。

以下三个原理各自关注的是其他的主要设计成分。

进程

8、节奏

关注游戏中的紧迫感、事件发生的频率、所需要的集中程度以及事件的重复频率。分散过于集中的事件、混合游戏中的紧迫感，改变的目标是让游戏产生适当的效果。

关卡设计范例

创造出让玩家称赞的有着扩展化视野的区域，与那些能让玩家感到幽闭恐惧的区域相对。

系统设计范例

创造漫长且强有力的攻击，与较短的轻量级攻击相对。

环境

9、空间

理解屏幕上和游戏世界中的可用空间，识别元素间的空间关系，考虑修饰这些空间的效果。

关卡设计范例

为适当数量的敌人布置适当的空间，使其具有足够的机动性。

系统设计范例

当AI角色在堵塞的区域内移动时，在AI角色无法向前移动时步行循环转变成站立不同，以此来呈现角色正“等待”通过狭窄的空间。

方法

10、线性设计与组件细分

线性设计指的是在挑战来临时将其解决。所有的解决方案和可能性有着同样的价值。使用这种方法可能会使关注点丧失，但是能够提供创造性和自发的解决方案。

组件细分指的是对所有的解决方案进行系统化的分类并形成逻辑化的阶层。这种方法会限制创新性，但是能够保持主要设计目标的清楚呈现。

在这个原理中，并不是说设计师必须从二者中做出选择。在开发过程中，有时某种方法会比另一种方法更加合适。

比如，预生产阶段提供了大量细分事件的时间。但是，当发行商在预生产阶段过后提出某种必须进行的改变，那么线性设计能够迅速提供更能为人所接受的解决方案。

关卡设计范例

典型的是在开发早期阶段打破关卡几何学，随后调整该关卡中的某块小区域以执行之后想到的想法。

系统设计范例

识别所有的主要系统（游戏邦注：如打斗、AI和输入等），然后逐渐注入各种层次的细节。相对的是，构想首批关卡然后根据线性玩家体验提取可能的系统。

基础

最后3项原理是游戏可玩性设计的基础，这些都是为人所熟知的内容。

11、玩家

玩家在这项设计中扮演何种角色？玩家如何同已经设计的这些内容进行互动？不可只进行设备上的输入动作，你应当注重的是玩家如何为体验的提升做出贡献。如果想法很棒而且你能够正确地传达这种想法，但是玩家无法理解，那么就应该进行改变或者彻底抛弃。

关卡设计范例

尽量让玩家感到惊讶。

系统设计范例

精心策划游戏过程，让玩家感到坚定和焦虑等。

12、交流

团队成员是否正确理解游戏目标？开发者是否清楚理解解决方案？如果想法很棒但是你无法正确地进行交流，这或许也只能算作是很差劲的想法。

关卡设计范例

使用环境元素强迫玩家朝正确的方向行进。

系统设计范例

使用视觉暗示，这样玩家才会知道何时应当拳击而不是脚踢，何时应当跳跃而不是用机枪扫射。

13、吸引力

当你处理所有问题时，提出“这样做能否吸引用户？”这个问题。这可以应用于但不限于玩家、观众、你的开发同伴、发行商以及他们的营销团队。如果不是个很棒的想法，那么在它成为优秀想法或者被其他更好的想法替代之前没有必要继续进行下去。

关卡设计范例

在大街上奔跑并不有趣，但是被政府密探追逐着在大街上奔跑就要有趣得多。

系统设计范例

拳击很有趣，但是如果镜头随拳击而抖动会显得更加有趣。

结论

这便是13个游戏设计原理。这些原理显著地改善了我的设计，迫使我从所有的角度来思考游戏成分。我相信，它们也能够帮助你摆脱困境。

游戏邦注：本文发稿于2009年2月27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）

The 13 Basic Principles of Gameplay Design

Matt Allmer

Gameplay design is chaotic and full of frustrations and contradictions. More often than not, the request is to come up with something guaranteed to be successful. This condition steers solutions towards the established — which means solutions that have been done before.

But in the same breath, the product must separate itself from the competition or stand out in some way. This immediately pulls the designer in conflicting directions.

Then, whatever the solution, it must fit within the confines of the project’s resources. Not to mention scheduling pressure and strategy changes coming from executive positions.

Hup hup! No time for analyzing the previous paragraph! We’ve got a title to ship! Never mind your lack of proper tools! Quit your sniveling! Don’t you know?

Game design is like sailing a ship while still building the hull! Jump out of a plane while still sewing your parachute and you’ll get a good sense of pace in this business. The horse is never put before the cart. We race them side-by-side to see which one wins!

With so much urgency, conflict and uncertainty, there must be an anchor somewhere. Call me boring, but I’m a fan of preparation and established fundamentals. They give me a better understanding of which rules I can break, and which rules I should think twice about.

I took a traditional animation class in college and on the first day, the professor handed out the “12 Principles of Animation”, introduced by Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston. If you’re not familiar with these two, they were part of the Nine Old Men: The legendary Disney animation crew responsible for the studio’s timeless classics, such as, Snow White, 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, and others.

At first, these 12 principles were difficult to fully grasp. However, by the end of the semester, I noticed the more principles I applied to my work, the better the animation. Remembering that experience, I think to myself, “By George! Game design should have something similar!”

So, George and I scoured the Internet. Unfortunately, I was disappointed after finding so many disjointed theories, strategies, approaches and creeds. There was a lot of broad subject matter like theories on fun, rewarding players’ choices, controlling thought activity, mental multi-tasking… and calls to “simplify” (whatever that means. I’m a designer for crying out loud).

I also found principles so apparent, Captain Obvious would roll his eyes: “know your audience”, “don’t break the player’s trust”, “give players choice”, “know thyself”, “one mechanic in the engine is two in the bush”. Alright, the last two were made up, but nothing I found really did it for me.

I was perplexed. None of what I found would help a designer on a day-to-day basis. So George, Captain Obvious and I have decided to throw our proverbial hat into the muddled picture. (And quick! For god’s sake, before I collect any more metaphorical personalities!)

The 12 Basic Principles of Animation was my starting point. I took the commonalities and added to them based on what I’ve identified as the different compartments of gameplay design. You’ll notice some are described similarly and some even have the same name, but all apply to gameplay.

The purpose of these principles is to cover all your bases before presenting your designs. You might have a principle fully covered in the beginning, but these principles may spark a thought later when circumstances present a new opportunity. Think of this as a reference sheet. And now, without further ado…

Direction

The first three principles have to do with leading and directing the player’s experience. Even though this medium is heavily based on personal, interactive discovery, it is still an artistic medium.

Do not underestimate the importance of artistic direction. Just as a painting leads the eye, a book leads the imagery, a film leads the narrative, so too must a game lead the interactivity.

1. Focal Point

Never allow the player to guess what they should focus on. At the same time, always allow secondary subject matter, but it is the designer’s job to clearly provide the primary focus at all times. This applies to both visual and visceral aspects of gameplay.

Level design example

Creating clear, apparent lines of sight.

System design example

Clearly defined plot points and objectives during game progression/user experience.

2. Anticipation

Time is needed to inform the player that something is about to happen. Always factor in Anticipation when designing and implementing events and behaviors.

Level design example

A train sound effect occurs before player sees train.

System design example

An energy charge builds before the lightning attack occurs.

3. Announce Change

Communicate all changes to the player. This short step occurs between Anticipation and the event itself.

The important part to remember is maintaining a hierarchy of notable changes.

A good rule of thumb is degree of rarity. If a change occurs a hundred times in an hour, the announcement may not be required. However, if the change occurs five times throughout the entire game experience, a number of visual cues could be needed.

This principle is so obvious, it can be taken for granted and sometimes overlooked. Be diligent in knowing what changes the player should be aware of at the correct time and on the correct event.

Level design example

“Cast-off” animations trigger for NPCs when the player’s character boards the ship.

System design example

An on-screen notification occurs when quest criteria have been completed (i.e. “Slay 10 goblins for Farmer Bob”)

Behavior

These next four principles address the very important aspect of behavior. This tackles the player’s expectations, both conscious and unconscious. This is where common design theories are addressed such as player choice, reward and payoff, etc. These principles are also broader, so they can be applied to additional types of design like UI and story…

4. Believable Events and Behavior

Every event or behavior must occur according to the logic and expectations of the player. Every action, reaction, results, emotion and conveyance must satisfy the players’ subconscious acceptance test.

Level design example

Place destructible objects near an explosive object. This way, the explosion looks more believable.

System design example

Weaker enemies run away when the advantage shifts in the player’s favor.

UI example

HUD elements are affected when player’s mech is near death.

Story example

Villagers are more upbeat and react positively after the player has slain the dragon.

5. Overlapping Events and Behavior

Dynamic is lost if only one change occurs at a time. Discover the right amount of events to occur at any given moment of time.

Level design example

Providing the player the ability to build from an appropriate list of structures.

System design example

The linebacker points to direct fellow players, the defensive end shifts over, the quarterback points and calls out football jargon and the crowd cheers louder because it’s third down. All this occurs before the snap.

UI example

Points accumulate in the score while each kill is individually tallied on screen.

Story Example

Multiple plot points are at the forefront of the narrative experience. Example: the king is on his deathbed while his war is being waged and he has yet to announce an heir — all while an unknown saboteur orchestrates a military coup.

6. Physics

The player’s primary logic operates within the known possibilities of physics. Keep in mind gravity, weight, mass, density, force, buoyancy, elasticity, etc. Use this as the starting point, but do not be limited by it.

Level design example

Ensuring a hole in the floor is the correct size for the correct purpose. Whether it is part of the path of level progression, or simply for visual aesthetics.

System design example

A spark particle effect occurs when the player’s vehicle scrapes the side of the concrete wall.

UI example

The GUI’s theme references scrapbook elements. In which case, animated transitions, highlights, etc. follow the physical characteristics of paper.

7. Sound

Ask yourself, “What sound does it make when ________ happens?” “Is the sound appropriate?” “Is the sound necessary?” “Does it benefit the experience or hinder it?” If players close their eyes, the sound alone should still achieve the desired affect.

It’s debatable whether this principle should be included since Sound Design can be considered separate from Gameplay Design. I’ve included it because sound is crucial and can easily be neglected. The more it is considered, the better the experience is for the player.

Level design example

Flies in swamp level make a sound when close to the camera.

System design example

A proximity system where sound effects volume fluctuates depending on distance of game assets.

UI example

Only visually prominent graphics have sound effects attached to them, so as not to muffle the auditory experience.

The next three principles individually touch on other major design components.

Progression

8. Pacing

Keep in mind the desired sense of urgency, the rate in which events occur, the level of concentration required and how often events are being repeated. Spread out the moments of high concentration, mix up the sense of urgency, and change things wherever possible to achieve the proper affect.

Level design example

Create areas for the player to admire the expansive view, versus areas where the player feels claustrophobic.

Create long, powerful attacks versus short, light attacks.

Environment

9. Spacing

Understand how much space is available both on-screen and in-world, recognize the spatial relationship between elements and take into account the effects of modifying those spaces.

Level design example

Lay out the appropriate amount of space for the appropriate number of enemies to maneuver correctly.

System design example

When an AI character moves through a bottleneck area, walk loops switch to standing idle when the AI character is not moving forward, to show that the character is “waiting” to move through the narrowed space.

Method

10. Linear Design versus Component Breakdown

Linear Design involves solving challenges as they come. All solutions and possibilities hold the same institutional value. Focus can be lost with this method, but it provides creative and spontaneous solutions.

Component Breakdown involves systemic categorization and forming a logical hierarchy of all solutions. This method can restrict innovation but preserves clarity of primary design objectives.

This principle does not mean designers must choose one or the other. There are times during development where one method is more appropriate than the other.

For instance, pre-production provides plenty of time for breaking down a sequence of events. However, when the publisher drops a “must have” change after pre-production, linear design can provide an acceptable solution quickly.

Level design example

Typical blocking of level geometry in an early stage of development, versus adjusting a small area of the same level to implement an idea that wasn’t thought of until later.

System design example

Identifying all major systems (combat, AI, input, etc), and progressively filling in various levels of detail versus conceiving the first couple of levels and extracting possible systems based on a linear player experience.

Foundation

The final three principles mark the foundation of gameplay design, which are listed in reverse order of importance. These should be a surprise to no one.

11. Player

How does the player factor into this? How does the player interact with everything that has been designed? More than just device input, address how the player contributes to the experience. If it’s a good idea and you’re able to convey it correctly but the player is not into it, change it or scrap it!

Level design example

Setting up the player in hopes of making them jump out of their seat.

System design example

Orchestrating progression so that the player feels empowered, determined, anxious, etc.

12. Communication

Is the appropriate team member correctly aware of the objective? Are the appropriate developers clear on the solution? If it’s a good idea but you can’t communicate it correctly, it might as well be a bad idea because it’s very likely to be received as such.

Level design example

Using the elements of the environment so the player is compelled to travel in the correct direction.

System design example

Using visual cues so the player learns when to punch rather than kick, jump rather than strafe, etc.

13. Appeal

When addressing anyone, ask yourself, “Does this draw the audience in?” This applies to (but is not limited to) the player, the spectator, your fellow developers, the publisher, and their marketing team. If it’s not a good idea, there’s no need to continue until it becomes a good idea or is replaced by something better.

Level design example

Running down the street is not fun, but running down the street while being pursued by government secret agents is.

System design example

Punching can be fun but when the camera shakes on impact, it’s even more fun.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. These principles have noticeably improved my designs and forced me to think of components from all angles. I thoroughly believe they will give you an edge on all those impatient carts. So, stick that in your horse and race it! (Source: Gamasutra)