作者：ARTBANE

有多少人曾说过想开发游戏但从来没有做出来？或者做了一个项目让它烂在自己的机子里从来没有发布出来？这样的人应该不少吧。许多人都想过做游戏，但问题是，他们只是想，而不是真的做出一款游戏。

也许游戏项目的头号杀手就是，时间。项目拖得越久，最终完成的可能性越低。我可以理解有些人想做出30个小时的史诗级游戏（相信我，我做过，且花了6年时间！)。我不打算阻止人们去做那样的游戏。你想做什么样的游戏就去做吧。但你首先应该做出一款允许其他玩家试玩后评估你的想法的游戏。

个人认为，我不会在短期内尝试任何大游戏。这样的游戏通常会随着我的灵感的枯竭变得越来越膨胀和混乱。我最近的一个项目历时一个月，也许是我做过的最连贯的作品了。

开发得快，游戏就面世得快。你获得的不只是即时的反馈，还有完成某物的满足感。随着你制作游戏的信心增强，做大项目对你来说也会越来越容易。或者，也许你像我一样，只想做更短小精悍的游戏。

快速开发的过程也通常更保证品质。当时间紧迫时，你会更愿意接受下意识的想法，更少受到外界干扰，你不会过分析某物。就好像，游戏在做自己。

如果你想达到目标，那么就保持专注，迅速开发。如果你从地图编辑器开始，每小时做几个贴图变化，那样效率就太低了。

本文旨在给帮助读者培养一个游戏制作的新思路——快速开发高品质的游戏。我不是介绍捷径，该做的事还是要做的。但一旦你掌握我所说的过程，游戏制作就会更加容易、迅速和有趣！

接下来，我将介绍一些帮助你启动项目的灵感。

快速开发的关键之一是激活灵感！当你产生一个好想法时，不要错过它！否则，你的兴奋感会很快流失，激情会很快蒸发。灵感可以让游戏制作变得毫不费力。我现在写这篇文章正是受到灵感的驱动啊！

但如果你没有灵感怎么办？以下是我自己常用的刺激灵感的办法。

motw-title(from rpgmakerweb.com)

玩其他游戏

显然，你玩的游戏越多，你的创意来源就越多。但不要只是玩游戏，你要一边玩一边思考如何把该游戏的某部分结合到你自己的项目中。当你看到某些可能用得上的东西时，别忘了记下来！

不要局限于玩与你自己的项目类似的游戏。你的思维要开阔一点。他山之石可以攻玉。你玩的甚至也不必局限于电脑游戏。在我的上一个项目中，游戏的许多谜题灵感来源于我在当地书店看到的一本关于迷宫的书。

inspiration(from rpgmakerweb.com)

涉猎各种材料

游戏想法不只是来源于游戏。听音乐、看电影或读书都可能激发你的灵感。昨天，我读了一本自助的书，突然想到一个游戏主题，而且现在就在制作中。

横向思维好处多。如果你的灵感来源太单一，你的眼界就会比较狭窄，这可能限制你的创意。探索其他媒体和领域可以让你从不同的角度看待事物，从而产生更多灵感。

尝试新东西

有时候我们会习惯于墨守成规。这会导致我们的想法变得越来越陈腐。这时，我们应该改变一下。走出你的安全区，尝试新东西。去陌生的地方旅行，参加新的活动。

你所尝试的新事物甚至不必很大。也许只需要你随时改变最微小的习惯。比如，换一条路线回家。如果你总是打字，那就试试手写，甚至是换一只手写字！

你的目标就是用不同的方式做事。这有助于刺激新想法。

运动和睡眠

sleep(from rpgmakerweb.com)

运动可以增加大脑血供和减少压力。大脑清醒了，思绪也就清楚了。这时灵感也更容易找上门。你不必去健身馆或跑马拉松，每天散步15分钟就很有效了。

如果你总是处于疲劳的状态，那么你就别想提高开发效率了。缺少睡眠会影响你的效率和创造力。所以请确保你的休息充足。

练习：写下10个想法

阅读可以激发灵感。但有时候，你必须真正地写下一些东西才能获得灵感。

这就是我开始做的事，帮助很大。比如，当我在思考一个地下城的谜题时，我会把写下10个想法作为任务。

为什么是10个？而不是1个真正的好想法？我发现想出10个想法比想出1个想法要容易得多，因为那10个想法不必个个都是精华，所以要想10个。这10个想法会打开你的思维闸门，让你的灵感源源不断地涌出来！

我觉得这个练习应该经常做。如果你不断地练习，你就会把自己变成灵感机器。

最后，做你想做的游戏。我知道我说得太轻巧了，但我已经看到太多业余开发者违背这条原则了。如果你做的游戏只能取悦他人，那么开发它会让你觉得痛苦。当你在做的是自己有热情的东西时，那就容易多了。

在下一篇文章中，我将介绍一些可以提高你的开发效率的好习惯。（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）

HOW TO MAKE A RPG IN LESS THAN A WEEK PART 1: COMMIT

BY ARTBANE

How many members here have talked about developing a game but never did? Or started a project only to have it rot on their hard drive never to be released? Probably more than a few. Many members here do have a game in them. The problem is many want to have made a game, but not many want to actually make one.

Probably one of the biggest killers of game projects is time. The longer your project is in production, the less chance it has of being finished. I can understand that some people want to work on epic 30-hour productions (Believe me, I’ve done it and it took SIX YEARS!!). And I’m not going to dissuade people from doing that. Make the game you want to make. But consider first working on a vertical slice of your game that you can get out to players to help validate your ideas.

Personally, I don’t plan on making big games (again) anytime soon. They become bloated and messy as production goes on and usually by then my inspiration is long dead. The last project I worked on took about a month and it’s probably my most cohesive work yet!

Developing a game fast gets it out to other people faster. Not only do you get feedback earlier but also the satisfaction of having something completed. As you boost your confidence in game making, it will become easier to tackle bigger projects. Or maybe you’ll be like me and want to produce more shorter games.

A fast development process also is usually good for the quality of your game. When you can just flow your subconscious mind starts to take over. Distractions just melt away. You’re no longer overanalyzing things. It’s like the game is making itself.

If you want to make your goals, then stay focused and develop quickly. Staring at the map editor and making a few tile changes per hour is simply not productive.

This article series will be about helping to foster a new outlook on game making. The goal is to develop fast and quality games. I wouldn’t consider these shortcuts. You still need to do the work. But once you have a process, game making should become easier, quicker and even more fun!

In the next article, I’ll cover inspiration to help get you started. In the meantime, why not share about some projects you’re working on or want to work on in the comments section below.

HOW TO MAKE A RPG IN LESS THAN A WEEK PART 2: INSPIRATION

One of the keys to developing quicker is to act on your inspiration! When you are struck by a great idea, don’t ignore it! If you do, your excitement will start to pass and that emotional fuel will evaporate. Inspiration can make developing a game seem almost effortless. I’m running on it right now writing this article!

But what if you actually need inspiration first? Here’s a few things that have helped me in the past when I needed to spark an idea.

PLAY OTHER GAMES

Obviously the more games you play, the more sources you have to pull ideas from. But don’t just play the game. Think about how you might be able to incorporate part of it into your project. When you see something you think you can use, write it down!

Don’t just limit yourself to games that are similar to yours either. You want to think laterally. Sometimes that’s where the best ideas come from. It doesn’t even have to be a computer game. For my last project, Labyrinthine Dreams, I picked up a book on mazes at a local book store (those still exist?) that helped inspire a lot of the puzzles I actually used in the game.

SOAK IN A VARIETY OF MATERIALS

Game ideas don’t just come from games. You can get inspired while listening to music, watching a movie or reading a book. Just yesterday I was reading a self-help book and suddenly the theme of one of the games I’m working on finally materialized.

This is more of that lateral thinking. If you’re just getting your ideas from one source or subject, you might start to develop tunnel vision, and this can limit your creativity. Exploring other mediums and fields can give you a different perspective on things and lead to more ideas.

DO NEW THINGS

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. Our ideas start to become old and stale. When this happens, it can help to change things up. Get out of your comfort zone and experience new things. Travel somewhere new. Try a new activity.

It doesn’t even have to be something major. Maybe you just change something slightly that you do all the time. On your way to work, maybe you take a different route. If you always type, maybe you write on paper instead. If you’re feeling crazy, you can even try writing with your non-dominant hand!

The goal is to experience things differently. It can open up your mind to new ideas.

EXERCISE AND SLEEP

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and reduces stress. It clears the mind so that you can think clearly. This might just be what you need to get that lightning bolt of inspiration. You don’t have to hit the gym or run a marathon. Just a 15-minute walk every day can help.

You won’t be able to develop efficiently if you’re always tired. Lack of sleep will affect your productivity, as well as your creativity. Make sure you’re well rested.

EXERCISE: WRITE DOWN 10 IDEAS

Reading about inspiration can be… inspiring. But sometimes you need to actually do something to get the creative muscle pumping.

Here’s something I started doing that’s helped immensely. If I’m working on something and I’m drawing a blank, such as coming up with puzzles for a dungeon, I try to list at least 10 ideas for the task at hand.

Why 10? Why not just 1 real good idea? I find there’s less pressure to come up with 10 ideas rather than 1. The ideas don’t have to be good. That’s why there’s 10 of them. But it will get things onto paper and out of your mind, so that you can have even more ideas!

I find it best to do this regularly. Like exercise, if you keep doing it you’ll become an idea machine.

One last thing: make the games you want to make. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve seen a lot of amateur developers violate this rule. If you’re just making a game to appease someone else, then it’s going to be a struggle to develop it. When you’re actually making something you’re passionate about, it will be a lot easier.

In the next article, we’ll work on building good game developing habits to help increase your productivity. In the meantime, I’d like to hear what inspires you guys. Please share in the comments what activities you do to get inspiration for your projects.(source:rpgmakerweb part1 part2)