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Lucky Lady游戏工作室的“乐趣”理论

发布时间:2013-02-21 14:26:03 Tags:,,,,,,

作者:Sandra Wong

在Lucky Lady游戏工作室,关于游戏设计,我们认为最重要的问题是“有趣吗?”。你的游戏中可能有最精美的画面、最动人的音乐、最强大的技术、最深刻的情节等,但没有任何有趣的元素,这样的游戏并没有成功地发挥它的全部潜能(如果有的话)。

乐趣是玩家留存率、流行/推广价值和赢利的基础,所以如果你想制作一款成功的社交游戏,你必须首先专注于乐趣,其他一切都不能比乐趣来得重要。事实上,乐趣实在太重要了,以致于玩家甚至可以无视其他并不太突出的方面仍然继续玩某一款游戏。

have-lots-of-fun(from minimalwall.com)

have-lots-of-fun(from minimalwall.com)

如何在游戏设计中实现乐趣?

乐趣因素绝对不能够轻易得到的东西,并且这个问题也没有标准答案。找到乐趣与游戏玩法的和谐点是所有游戏设计师的目标。为了达到目标,我们建议在游戏设计过程中尝试大量a/b测试。你觉得这款游戏有趣吗?为什么有趣或无趣?你还要补充什么?你希望看到什么?

那些从书面理论上“看似”有趣的东西,可能无法完美地转化到现实成果中。根据你所设计的游戏类型,“乐趣”元素具有不同的形式。游戏实现平衡的秘密就是,将所有“乐趣”元素放游戏中并不能保证游戏变得更加“有趣”,但适合游戏玩法。

“游戏乐趣”的心理学与“游戏成瘾”的非常类似。

以下是游戏设计中普遍的“乐趣”元素/陷阱:

击败最高分

击败最高分是最容易识别的手段之一。玩家击败最高分(即使最高分就是他自己创下的)的渴望会支持着玩家一直玩下去。

击败游戏/升级

击败游戏的渴望或升级也能保持游戏对玩家的吸引力。

角色扮演

游戏情节使玩家暂时逃避现实生活,也是吸引玩家的上乘手段。

发现

在RPG中最常见的元素,如《WOW》,玩家在游戏中的很多时间都用在探索这个幻想世界。这种发现的兴奋感(即使那个地方其实并不存在)对玩家有相当大的吸引力。

关系

在线RPG使玩家之间建立起某种关系。对于某些玩家而言,这个在线社区成为他们最认可的地方,吸引着他们一次又一次地回归游戏。

元游戏

有时候,真正的游戏玩法可能并不是游戏中的乐趣元素。例如,《Farmville》的元游戏就是社交活动。“邀请朋友”和赠送道具,可能比游戏本身的农场玩法更有趣。

动作

移除障碍、躲避飞弹、旋转……所有游戏都需要某些类型的玩家互动。

随机

收集道具、点数、积分榜……人类喜欢收集东西,因为这使他们觉得自己达到了目标,从而产生某种成就感。

控制

玩家选项、解锁场景、进入新关卡……使玩家感觉到自己在游戏中的地位和对游戏世界的影响力。

自定义

角色外貌、服装、武器……角色的个性化使玩家觉得自己掌控着游戏世界,进而产生归属感和对游戏的忠诚。

平衡

游戏挑战和流程。游戏的进展必须合理:例如,如果你没有通过第3关就不能进入第5关。

幽默

笑总是有趣的,在游戏中添加幽默元素可以使玩家开心。毕竟,现实世界太严肃了……

最后,希望你在设计游戏时努力增加“乐趣”元素!(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Behind the Scenes of Lucky Lady Games Studio

by Sandra Wong

At Lucky Lady Games, the most important question we believe we can ever ask about a game design is ‘Is it fun?’. You can have the most amazing artwork, sound engineering, technology,story line etc. but without the fun factor, the game is not going to succeed to its full potential (if at all).

Fun is fundamental to player retention, social buzz/share worthiness and monetization, so if you want to make a successful social game, focus on fun first, and everything else secondary. It is so critical in fact that all else can be overlooked to a degree and people will still play.

So how do you achieve fun in a game design?

The fun factor is definitely not something that is easily achieved and there is no one-fit-all type answer. Finding the sweet spot of where ‘fun’ meets ‘game play’ harmony is what every game designer should aim to achieve. To get there, we recommend lots of a/b play testing during all stages of the game design life cycle. Is it fun to you? Why and why not? What can you add? What would you like to see?

What may ‘seem’ fun in theory on paper, might not translate well in real time production. Depending on the type of game you are designing, different elements of what would be considered ‘fun’ varies.The secret is in game balancing… throwing every ‘fun’ game design element into a game will not guarantee more ‘fun’, it needs to make sense to the game play.

The psychology behind ‘fun’ is very similar to asking ‘what makes this game addictive’?

Here are some common game design ‘fun’ elements/hooks:

The High Score

The high score is one of the most recognizable hooks. Trying to beat the high score (even if the player is trying to beat his own score) can keep a player playing for hours.

Beating the Game/Leveling Up

The desire to beat the game or level up keeps players wanting to keep playing.

Role-Playing

Story line & escapism is a great way to engage players.

Discovery

Used mostly in RPGs (role-playing games). EG. World of Warcraft – a good portion of the game is spent exploring beautifully designed imaginary worlds. This thrill of discovery (even of places that don’t really exist) can be extremely compelling.

Relationships

Online role-playing games allow people to build relationships with other players. For some, this online community becomes the place where they’re most accepted, which draws them back again and again.<br />

Meta Games

Sometimes the actual game play might not be the fun element of the game. Eg. Farmville, one meta game is the social aspect. ‘Ask friends’ for help and items to build your Barn, might be more fun than actually farming.

Action

Moving blocks, dodging missles, spinning the reels… all games require some kind of player interaction.<br

Randomization

Opening boxes, rolling the dice, flipping the next card… the element of surprise is much more intriguing and engaging than known rewards.

Variables

Collecting & items, points, score board… people love to collect things. Give them a sense of achievement and purpose.

Control

Player choices, unlocking doors, new access levels… give them a sense of status &amp; recognition for their efforts in the game.

Customization

Character appearances, dress up, weapon choices… personalization of characters makes players feel like they have ownership over the game and in turn a sense of belonging and loyalty.<br />

Balance

Game challenges and flow. Game needs to make sense: E.g, You can’t get to level 5 if you haven’t beat level 3.

Humor

Laughter is always fun so adding a little humor can lighten up the mood. The real world is too serious as it is.

Do you have a game/app design you would like to get feedback on for production and don’t know where to start? Feel free to send it to us at Lucky Lady Games and we will get you sorted out!

Until next time, try to add more fun to your life game!

Happy designing & playing.(source:luckyladygames)


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