作者：Konstantin Sashchuk

开发一款成功的免费硬核社交策略游戏不容易。它必须吸引了解这类游戏的资深玩家，同时保证持久的乐趣，以便刺激玩家每天上线，长期留在游戏世界中。那么要怎么做呢？如何长期保持游戏的生命力和吸引力？靠什么刺激玩家日复一日地回归游戏？

硬核策略游戏的成功很大程度上归功于开发者如何解答上述问题。这些问题可以归结于四个关键方面：采用“开放世界”的游戏结构、保持持续性和即时性、开改结局的故事，以及最重要的，利用社交玩法保持社区的高度活跃。

hardcore game(from reinstein.tv)

“开放世界”

在社交游戏的语境下，“开放世界”是指，学习完基本的规则后，玩家可以自由地冒险，以任何你所选择的方式体验游戏的许多特征。

当然，具体的“开放世界”会有不同的侧重。例如，你可以强调合作玩法；也就是玩家可以通过合作来推动游戏进展。另外，要考虑不断地给玩家提供新工具和新玩法——如果游戏世界不新鲜了，我们就要补充新的玩法。通过消除限制，玩家会觉得自己就是游戏的主人，并期待尝试新东西。

即时玩法

硬核社交游戏的即时动态创造了一个无论玩家在不在线都不断变化的环境。当你在睡觉或工作时，游戏世界仍在变化：新玩家加入、新公会成形、力量平衡转移……这些事每天都在发生。这种即时动态，再加上高层次的社交玩法，往往让玩家把游戏当成自己的真实生活的一个重要部分。这正是让玩家不断重返游戏世界的主要原因——看看在他们离开的时候，错过了什么。

叙述方式

社交即时策略游戏根植于经典PC游戏，后者大多有三种玩法模式：任务、PVE和PVP。对于MMORTS，因为把这三种模式结合到一个玩法中，所以游戏就会更加吸引玩家。因为这样的游戏不仅是即时的，而且是持续的（游戏邦注：即游戏世界永远不会重置或暂停，玩家不停地实践自己的决定）。

这对叙述构成特殊的挑战。新来的玩家必须能够简单地中途进入始终在发展、无止境的游戏剧情。

一个解决办法是把玩家放在一个大的、首要的大环境中。游戏剧情的主要作用是提供一个大背景和大冲突的语境。也就是说，没有“做这个，然后做那个”的线性故事进程。有些玩家非常沉迷于故事，但许多硬核玩家并不关心故事，只要知道大背景就够了。如果他们想做支线任务，他们可以进一步探索游戏世界，但不那么做也不影响他们体验游戏的主要玩法。背景故事把各个游戏主题串起来，除此之外，玩家可以自由行动和选择。

下一步是在游戏主世界中用分支剧情构成更多支线任务。随着玩家进展，奖励会越来越大——获得更多经验点，得到以前拿不到的特殊道具。这其实是给现有的机制增加故事性，但提供给玩家的选择越多，越好。

社交玩法

毫不意外，这是硬核社交游戏的最重要的吸引力。玩家普遍认同的一点是，社交玩法是最能刺激他们回归游戏的东西。一旦玩家加入一个游戏公会或团队，与之产生的关系就会非常牢固密切——通常发展成真实的关系。玩家在游戏公会或家族中找到归属感、认同感和友情，开始与他人竞争——这是玩家在游戏中达到高层次的沉浸感才会产生的东西。

我很喜欢两个玩家的故事，姑且叫他们A和B吧。A和B分别是两个不同家族的长期成员。B家族的成员与A家族的成员产生冲突，作为族长的A和B被要求去想办法协商解决矛盾。几个月后，B给A发了一个圣诞问候，最终两个家族合并成一个。又后来，游戏对话发展到Facebook聊天，然后是Skype，最后是真实世界的见面。6个月前，二人表示目前已经愉快地订婚了。

在游戏社区，大家族中玩家通常会在餐厅或旅店举行自己的聚会。有时候，玩家会通过游戏与住在世界各地的家人和朋友保持联系。这样的例子不胜枚举，正是这些把游戏当作“自己的”的活跃玩家，能忠于游戏，长年累月地玩它。

结论

硬核社交游戏的开发者在促进留存率时，应该考虑到这些元素。这些元素是玩家自由地沉浸于游戏世界的基础，让玩家觉得自己是游戏的主人，进而激烈玩家不断地返回游戏看看接下来会发生什么。（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）

The real driving forces behind hardcore social games

by Konstantin Sashchuk

Developing a great free-to-play hardcore social strategy game isn’t easy. It has to appeal to an experienced audience that knows what it wants while also managing to remain consistently fun enough to draw players back each day for months (or even years) on end. So how do you do this? How do you keep a game alive and engaging for that long? In the end, what will keep your players returning day after day?

Much of the success of hardcore strategy titles is due to the ways in which developers approach these questions, which can be boiled down into four key elements: employing an ‘open-world’ game structure; maintaining a persistent, real-time format; using an open-ended narrative for game environments, and – most importantly – leveraging the social aspects of gameplay to foster a highly engaged player community.

‘Open world’ structure keeps it fun

An ‘open world’ in a social gaming context means pretty much what it does everywhere else – that after learning the basic rules, you’re free to venture out in any direction and proceed through the game’s many features in any way you choose.

You can add your own twists to this. For example, you can add a heavy emphasis on co-operative gameplay. That way, players can collaboratively experiment and push the boundaries of the world. Also, consider throwing new tools and features for people to play with – if the world gets stale, we add new ways for players to work within it. By removing limitations, you enable your players to take ownership of the game and look forward to trying new things.

The real-world benefits of real-time gameplay

The real-time dynamics of hardcore social games create an environment that is constantly changing while players are away. While you’ve been sleeping or at work, new players join in, new clans form, and the balance of power has shifted. This happens on a daily basis. This real-time aspect — combined with the high level of social gameplay — often results in players choosing to make the games a large part of their real lives. This is a major part of what brings players back – seeing what they missed each time they come online and the knowledge that they’re missing out on the action while away.

Narrative approach fosters community

Social real-time strategy (RTS) games all have their roots in classic PC titles, which mostly had three gameplay modes: campaign, player vs. A.I., and Multiplayer. In massively multiplayer online real-time strategy (MMORTS) games, it makes it that much more appealing to players when you can find a way to combine all three into a single gameplay experience. This results in games being not only in real-time but also persistent (meaning the world is never reset or paused, and a player is committed to playing out whatever decisions they make).

This presents some unique challenges in terms of narrative. New players coming in have to be able to easily jump in midway through an ongoing, unending game narrative. There is no center to the story arc or conclusion.

One way to get around this is by putting players in a large-scale, overarching set-piece. The story primarily serves as a background and setting within the context of a larger “global” conflict. That way, there’s no “do-this, then do that” linear story progression needed to move through the game. Some players get really invested in the story, but many hardcore players don’t care about it any further than how it fleshes out the setting – and that’s OK. They can dive further into the world if they want to through side missions and content, but opting not to do so won’t penalize them in terms of the actual gameplay. The background narrative is what holds each game theme together – outside of that, the players are free to pick and choose.

The next step is to add more mission branches with their own smaller plotlines that exist within the larger world. As the player progresses, the rewards get larger; they get more XP points and gain access to special game artifacts they can’t get elsewhere. This is really adding a narrative to an existing mechanic, but the more options we can offer the players, the better.

Social gameplay has to draw players in

No big surprise here, but this is the single most important draw of hardcore social. One of the few things that players agree on is that, ultimately, the social gameplay aspect is what brings them back more than anything else. Once players join an in-game clan or team, the connection can be incredibly strong – often resulting in very real relationships. Players have found love, highly organized peer groups, meaningful long-distance friendships, and started multiyear rivalries – something only possible through the games high level of long-term daily engagement.

One of our favorite stories is about two players – let’s call them Michelle and Steve. Michelle and Steve were longtime players in two different clans. One of Steve’s clan members had broken a truce with Michelle’s clan, and Steve and Michelle were tasked with negotiating a diplomatic solution. Several months later, Steve sent Michelle a Christmas greeting, and eventually they ended up on the same clan. Over time, game conversation moved to Facebook chat, then Skype, and finally a real world meetup. Six months ago, they contacted us to let us know they are now happily engaged.

In game communities, players within large clans regularly organize their own gatherings at hotels or restaurants. Other times, players use the game to connect with family and friends worldwide. The examples go on and on, but it’s these heavily social players who view the game as “theirs” and who stay loyal to a game after two or more years of playing it.

Putting it all together

Hardcore social game developers should aim to complement all of these elements with a broad toolbox of retention mechanisms. This formula provides players with the freedom to engage the game in their own way, gives them ownership of the game by making it about real people, and offers them a long-term world design and that keeps bringing them coming back to see what’s next.(source:venturebeat)