作者：Alistair Aitcheson

面向每种设备创造游戏从未如此重要。

将自己定位为手机游戏开发者将会让你失去威信——特别是在2013年，一些新平台不断涌现出来的时期。

我们已经看到Ouya的发行，GameStick和其它微主机设置也即将问世。同时，主机市场中的巨头们也开始蓄势待发，面向这三个新一代平台落实独立发行业务。

甚至是一些小型工作室也通过使用Unity等跨平台技术而接近各种平台。忽视了这一引擎，你便会在之后错失更多机会。

尽管在每个市场中创建影响力具有一定的潜能，但是平台不可知论的开发是否会限制你们工作室的设计机遇？

触及新用户

面向多个平台创造一款游戏并不只是关于提高用户的规模。同时也是关于推动属性的多样化。

PC和主机游戏玩家总是充满激情。比起手机用户，他们会编写博客，会在论坛上聊天，制作视频并积极地关注各种新闻。这是硬核玩家和休闲玩家行为的区别。

在手机上创建市场营销势头较为困难。

热情的早期PC使用者能够帮助你推广之后的手机发行。的确，微主机能够创造出狂热的追随者并引导着他们成为游戏的忠实玩家。

但是简单地出现在所有平台上与突显于任何平台上却是不同的。你仍然需要一些杀手锏并突显于至少一个平台上，从而才能创造出牵引力。

创造一种跨设备体验

你是如何找到两全其美的方法？最大的挑战便是面向两种按键和触屏创造合适的界面，而无需向硬核玩家所追求的复杂性妥协。

指向点击冒险和策略游戏便脱瘾而出，即同时使用了触屏和鼠标控制，但是这里的控制器却略显笨拙。

如果没有虚拟方向键，基于控制器的游戏便很难移植到手机平台上。手势和多点碰触既不能转化到控制器上也不能转化到鼠标上。

但是在所有的这些输入类型中，简化并不是成功的关键。例如触发式游戏应该与每种输入系统产生兼容，但却因为简单的外观而不能迎合硬核玩家的喜好。

《Super Hexagon》则是例外（游戏邦注：在PC和手机平台上都大受欢迎）。尽管这是一款具有强大易用性的游戏，但却具有非常复杂且快速的节奏，所以能够有效吸引好竞争的硬核玩家的注意。

superhexagon（from pocketgamer）

教训：一款成功的跨平台游戏并不只是关于界面设计。它也需要在每个平台上获得忠实用户的信任。

设计限制

在我自己的工作中，我一直专注于共享平板电脑多人游戏。也就是玩家可以在同一个触屏上共同游戏，并鼓励身体上的互动。

像《Slamjet Stadium》（我最近面向iPad发行的游戏）等游戏便不可能使用控制器。

我并不后悔使用这一方法。游戏让我能够获得不一样的社交游戏体验。最终我的冒险获得了奖励，即最终游戏被苹果选为61个国家“全新且值得推荐的游戏”—-而触屏的使用毫无疑问是一大推动元素。

如果每一款游戏都趋向平台中立性，我们便不可能获得《Fingle》或《Draw Something》（即基于触屏操作）那样独特的游戏体验。作为设计师，错失特定设备界面所提供的创造性是件可耻的事。

而面向某一种设备的独特功能的游戏将会局限于该设备的用户中。这便意味着它只有获得平台所有者的推荐才有可能赚取足够的利益。

单一设备的优势

尽管如此，并不是每一款游戏都需要把直接利润转变成有效的业务发展。

当你的工作室因为一款游戏出名后，你们也将迎来更多投资，并推动平台拥有者更加重视你们的品牌。这也将为你的下一个项目造势。

因为《Slamjet Stadium》广受好评，我积攒了一定的信誉，从而能够帮助我更好地推广下一款游戏。游戏的成功给我印上了有趣多人游戏体验创造者这样的身份，这的确是个非常有价值的宣传标志。

slamjetstadium（from pocketgamer）

如今除了涌现出更多全新游戏平台，一些新的控制界面也随之出现，如Leap Motion以及面向一体机PC的大型触屏。

与此同时，博物馆以及越来越多公共游戏展会提供给开发者更多传达特殊游戏体验的机会。

即使这不能到达一个较大的用户基础，但是基于创造性方法使用特殊技术的工作室可以利用这些空间将自己突显于媒体和用户面前。

向跨平台世界移动

作为一名开发者，当同时面对两种可行的开发方法时，最佳策略便是混合这两种放哪广发。

如果你想要在新的市场机遇出现时抓住它们，你只需要将其变成跨平台游戏便可。

即使是对于那些依赖于某一设备的特定功能的游戏来说，使用跨平台引擎将让你能够将游戏变成一些全新的内容。

但是专注于一个平台进行设计也没什么错。这也许不存在广泛的收益潜能，但是使用设备的独特功能去呈现团队的创造性能够帮助你们更有效地取得成功。

（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）

Full Indie UK: Are the days of the mobile-only developer over?

by Alistair Aitcheson

It’s never been so important to build your game for every device.

The advantages of positioning oneself as a solely mobile developer are arguably losing their power – certainly in 2013, with new platforms appearing all the time.

We’ve already had the launch of the Ouya, with GameStick and other micro-consoles set to appear soon. At the same time, the big daddies of the console market are gearing up for their major launches, with self-publishing initiatives on all three next-gen platforms.

Even small studios can get on these varied platforms by using cross-platform technologies such as Unity. Ignoring this engine – which seemingly exports to everything current and yet-to-come – risks resulting in missed opportunities in the coming years.

But despite the potential of building a presence in every marketplace, does platform-agnostic development limit your studio’s design opportunities?

Reaching new audiences

Building one game for multiple platforms isn’t just about increasing the size of your audience. It’s also about diversifying its nature.

PC and console gamers are passionate. They’ll blog, chat on forums, make videos and follow press more actively than we expect mobile audiences to. This is the split between core and casual behaviour in action.

Building marketing momentum is difficult on mobile – a typically casual platform.

Enthusiastic early adopters on PC could give your game a publicity boost for a later mobile release. Indeed, micro-consoles may develop cult followings that become a fast-track to an enthusiast crowd.

However, simply being on all platforms isn’t the same as making your mark on any of them. You still need some kind of killer attraction on at least one platform to make any traction at all.

Making a cross-device experience sing

So how do you find this best of both worlds? The biggest challenge is in creating great interfaces for both buttons and touch-screens, without compromising the complexity core gamers look for.

Point-and-click adventures and strategy games stand out as genres where touch and mouse control go hand-in-hand, but where a controller could be awkward.

Controller-based games are often tough to translate to mobile without a virtual D-pad. Gestures and multi-touch will translate neither to controller nor mouse.

However, the key to success among all input types isn’t simplification. One-touch games, for example, should be compatible with every input system, but often fail to grab the hearts of core gamers due to their simplistic appearance.

An exception to the rule would be Super Hexagon, popular both on PC and on mobile. The game, while remarkably accessible, is ruthlessly difficult and frantically paced, attracting a hardcore competitive mentality.

What’s more, its creator Terry Cavanagh had already built up credibility with the PC audience from core platformer VVVVVV. This meant his releasing an iOS game on PC was met with a level of trust that most mobile developers would not receive.

The lesson: a successful cross-platform game isn’t just about great interface design. It needs to earn the trust of enthusiasts on each platform.

Restrictions on design

In my own work I’ve been focusing very strongly on shared-tablet multiplayer. That is, games where a touchscreen is shared between players and physical interaction is encouraged.

Games like Slamjet Stadium, my most recent iPad release, simply wouldn’t be possible on a controller. Not without some serious design changes.

I don’t regret doing things this way. The game allowed me to experiment with social play in a way I couldn’t do otherwise. My gamble was rewarded, as the game was selected by Apple for New & Noteworthy in 61 countries – its unique use of the touchscreen was no doubt a contributing factor.

If every game tried to be platform-agnostic we wouldn’t get unique experiences like Fingle or Draw Something, which rely on touch to operate. As a designer it’s a shame to miss out on the creative possibilities that device-specific interfaces offer.

However, a game that fully exploits the unique features of one device limits its audience to users of that device. This means it may need to get featured by the platform-holder to be financially successful.

The advantages of single-device

Despite this, not every game needs to turn a direct profit to be a good business move.

A game that puts your studio on the map can pave the way for investment, and build respect for your brand in the eyes of platform holders. It can also give you a great press footprint ready for your next project.

With the acclaim received by Slamjet Stadium, I have a level of credibility that could help build publicity for my next game. The game has marked me out as a creator of surprising multiplayer experiences, which is a valuable banner to have.

Not only are new gaming platforms emerging, but new control interfaces too: Leap Motion, for example, and large-scale touchscreens on all-in-one PCs.

Meanwhile museums, and the growing range of public gaming showcases, provide an opportunity for developers to deliver unusual experiences that use these in exciting new ways.

Even if it cannot reach a large user base, a studio that uses unusual technology in innovative ways can use these spaces to mark itself out to tastemakers, press and clients.

Moving forwards in a cross-platform world

Ultimately, as a developer, both approaches to development are possible, and the best strategy could be a mix of the two.

If you want to open yourself up to new market opportunities as and when they appear, it’s a no-brainer: make your games as cross-platform as possible.

Even for a game that relies on the specific features of one device, using a cross-platform engine gives you leverage to morph it into something new further down the line.

However, there’s nothing wrong with focusing design on one platform. It may not have wide revenue potential, but using a device’s unique features to showcase your team’s creativity could pave the way for future success.(source:pocketgamer)