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分析游戏销售采用章节模式的优势

发布时间:2014-08-12 15:43:11 Tags:,,,,

作者:Kevin Oke

章节模式的优势

当谈到游戏中的业务模式时,我们最常说到的便是免费模式,付费模式和订阅模式。然而,还有一种我们很少提到但却越来越受欢迎的模式,它就是章节模式。

在章节模式中,游戏会被分解为一些独立的章节,比起作为一款完整的游戏基于付费模式进行出售,在这种情况下每一部分游戏是分开进行出售。例如,一款24.99美元的游戏将被分解为5个4.99美元的章节。

使用这一模式的最成功的一款游戏便是Telltale Games的《行尸走肉》——现在已经发行到第二季了,但仍创造出巨大的商业效益。Telltale同样也使用章节结构致力于一款基于《权力游戏》的游戏。

The Walking Dead(from allvoices)

The Walking Dead(from allvoices)

所以是从什么时候起使用章节模式开始具有意义,并且使用这一模式的优势是什么?

降低风险,鼓励创新

比起更加开放的社交游戏,章节模式往往更适用于相对直线型,且受故事驱动的单人玩家游戏。这主要是受到多个元素的影响,如轻松的内部章节链接,以及网络效应的作用和故事作为留存机制的威力。

对于大多数开发者来说,章节模式最让人激动的一方面可能是它会鼓励更多具有创造性的游戏的出现。通过分解一款游戏,开发者可以将执行风险和成本分配到多个章节中。如果第一个章节未能取得成功,他们便可以停止进一步开发而节省下大量的时间,金钱和泪水。如此风险便会大大降低,而创造性和试验也将不再那么冒险。能够吸引更加专心的“硬核”玩家注意的更长且更复杂的游戏也会在章节模式下变的更平易近人。

这同样也将“游戏作为一种服务”方法与单人游戏和硬核游戏维系在一起,所以开发者可以通过分析去完善之后的章节并进一步降低风险。

Camoflaj便是使用这一模式将《République》带向iOS,这是一款带有深度游戏故事叙述,反乌托邦式背景以及比休闲游戏更加硬核的游戏机制的游戏。如果没有章节模式,这款游戏便不可能最初发行于手机平台上(游戏邦注:考虑到该平台的属性)。

拓宽吸引力并提高销量

iOS和Android的最大安装基础总是吸引着任何开发者,但是在这些平台上最成功的游戏都是不到5美元(甚至是免费的)。章节模式通过在不同章节的基础上匹配玩家的主流价格期许而为手机用户创造出了像《République》这样更大型且价格更高的硬核游戏。这反过来也让“保持中立”的玩家能够无需冒着财政风险去尝试一款游戏。

章节游戏同样也能够减少购买障碍,不只是通过价格,还有较少的感知时间保证(例如“我将只玩第一个章节”),并减轻了将另外的大型游戏添加到储备中的压力。

章节结构也将通过多个应用图标而提升在手机应用商店和内容管理平台上的存在感。考虑到iOS和Android上的界面和搜索问题,这点变得特别重要。

玩家利益

章节模式将能缓和开发全新理念所具有的风险,因此能够提供给玩家真正具有创造性的游戏。如此玩家所获得的额外利益便是章节模式能够从整体上为他们呈现出更棒的游戏。

我们中的大多数人并未真正完成自己的游戏,开发者也知道这点,所以他们会在计算一个项目所需时间和精力的时候考虑到这点。而章节模式能让更大型的游戏变得更容易消化且更容易完成,这将推动着开发者去确保自己的游戏会从第一个章节开始不断变得更加强大,直至最后——避免了草率的结局和杂凑的游戏玩法。

有趣的替代选择

对于所有关于付费游戏的衰败将有利于免费游戏的发展的讨论,章节模式将提供更有吸引力的方法将付费游戏和硬核游戏呈现在更多用户面前,同时还能缓解风险让开发者更好地利用分析和实时开发。

对于这一模式感兴趣的开发者应该尽早将一个项目分解成多个章节,从而根据节奏,故事叙述以及开发成本结构等明确各种改变。

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 Advantages of the Episodic Model

by Kevin Oke

The Advantages of the Episodic Model

When talking about business models in games, the three most talked about (and most dominant) are free-to-play, premium and subscription. However there is a less talked about model that is being used increasingly more – episodic.

In the episodic model, a game is broken down into individual episodes which are each sold for a fraction of the cost compared to if they were sold together as one game under the premium model. For example, a $24.99 title being split into five episodes at $4.99 each.

The most successful game to use this model is The Walking Dead by Telltale Games – a critical and commercial hit now in its second season. Telltale is also working on a game based on Game of Thrones using the episodic structure.

So when does it makes sense to use the episodic model, and what are the advantages to using it?

Mitigate Risk, Encourage Innovation

The episodic model generally works best with relatively linear, story-driven single player games as opposed to more open-ended social games. This is owing to a number of factors such as ease of inter-episode connectivity, how network effects work and the power of stories as retention mechanisms.

For most developers, the most exciting aspect of the episodic model is likely how it encourages more creatively daring and innovative games. By breaking a game up, a developer can spread out execution risk and cost over multiple episodes. If the first episode isn’t successful, they can save themselves tremendous time, money and tears by not proceeding with further development at that time. The stakes are thus lowered, and innovation and experimentation become less risky. Longer, more complex games that appeal to more dedicated “core” gamers also become more accessible and viable through the episodic model.

It also allows for a marriage between the “games as a service” approach and both single-player and core games, so that developers can use analytics to improve future episodes and further decrease risk as a series goes on.

Camoflaj used the model to bring République to iOS, a game with in-depth storytelling, a moody dystopian setting and gameplay mechanics that are decidedly more core than casual. Without the episodic model it’s highly unlikely this game would have been released first on mobile (or at all) given the nature of the platform.

Widen Appeal & Increase Sales

The massive combined install base of iOS and Android is tempting for any developer, but the most successful games on these platforms are under $5 (or free). The episodic model makes larger, pricier core games such as République palatable for the mobile audience by being more in line with mainstream price expectations on an episode-to-episode basis. This in turn allows players that are “on the fence” to try a game with less financial risk (and hopefully become hooked).

Episodic games can also reduce barriers to purchasing in ways beyond just pricing – less perceived time commitment (“I’ll just play the first episode”), and relief from the anxiety of adding another large game to one’s backlog (an increasingly common phenomenon).

An episodic structure also leads to more of a presence in mobile app stores and curation platforms via multiple app icons. This is especially important given the surfacing and searchability issues on iOS and Android.

Player Benefits

The episodic model mitigates risk around developing new concepts and thereby provides players with innovative games that might not otherwise get made. An additional benefit to players is that the episodic model can lead to better games overall.

Most of us don’t finish our games, and developers know that, putting this knowledge to work when budgeting time and energy over the course of a project. The episodic model makes larger games more digestible and easier to finish, which puts more of an onus on developers to make sure their games are strong all the way though from the first episode until the last – less hacked together sloppy endings and rehashing of gameplay.

An Interesting Alternative

For all the talk of the death of premium games in favour of free-to-play, the episodic model offers an attractive way to present both premium and core games to wide audiences while mitigating risk and allowing developers to take advantage of analytics and live development.

Developers interested in harnessing this model should look at how to break their project up into episodes as early as possible to identify changes in pacing, storytelling and development cost structure that such a move may require.(source:gamasutra)

 


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