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听Will Mallouk讲述如何通过云端发展游戏业务

发布时间:2015-10-19 16:11:05 Tags:,,,,

Pixel Squad的首席执行官Will Mallouk将在此谈论他们通过云端所进行的游戏集资,盈利和更新的过程。

我是从13岁便开始编写程序,即面向MSX系统编写一款非常简单的游戏。而那已经是20多年前的事了。之后我又在18岁的时候基于Assembly语言编写了一款小型游戏,现在你仍可以在sourceforge.net上下载这款游戏。

Pixel Squad的核心团队包含三名成员,并且我们三个人都拥有主机开发背景。在创建Pixel Squad之前,我是面向Xbox和PlayStation开发游戏的引擎程序员,与此同时我也与名为Mike Amerson的好朋友联合创建了另一家手机游戏工作室WET Productions。到现在为止我们已经发行了3款较受欢迎的游戏,它们分别是《My Virtual Girlfriend》,《My Virtual Boyfriend》和《Dark Breakers》。此外我还与别人一起创建了另一家名为FunGameCo的工作室。

在编写本文时,我们正致力于全新游戏《Crime Coast》。我认为这款游戏是《侠盗猎车手》与《部落战争》的结合,并添加了一些更独特的幽默元素。

Crime Coast(from develop-online)

Crime Coast(from develop-online)

而其他Pixel Squad的全职成员是Krysztof Nowak和Paul Trenchard,他们之前都效劳于Crytek。我们还有一些合约工全职或兼职致力于《Crime Coast》,并主要负责像概念艺术,音乐,音效,装备,动画,建模等工作。

Greenshoots

我从很多地方听过Greenshoots,而Nowak则在适当的时候提起了它。我知道它能帮助我们启动项目,并让所有事情都变得更加简单,所以我们便选择了它。

说实话,一开始我并未期待能够获得如此水平的帮助。对于一开始的我们来说,Greenshoots提供给我们设备,Azure服务以及所有我们所需要的微软软件使用权。不管我们提出什么请求他们都会帮助我们。

我认为这样的帮助是非常重要的,因为这可能决定一家公司的成败。

我们着眼于从其它与我们基于同样定价模式的游戏中寻找灵感,而我们现在所主张的盈利模式是通过微交易销售虚拟货币。我们同时也考虑在之后的更新中添加视频广告。

需要注意的是玩家可以无需花任何钱便访问我们游戏中的所有内容。我们主张同时迎合消费者和非消费者玩家,因为对于游戏及其成功而言他们都很重要。

我们尝试着将应用内部广告作为一种盈利方式。基于不同游戏类型,广告有可能提供给你最大份额的收益。而基于广告游戏去开创业务也是可行的。

使用云端

我们游戏最初的后端是基于亚马逊网络服务。让我惊讶的是我们可以在Azure上找到我们所需要的所有东西,并且它所提供的服务也是无穷无尽的。我们使用了SQL服务器,Redis缓存器,数据储存器,虚拟机以及推送通知服务。同时我们也发现比起AWS,这个平台更容易使用,并且也非常好转换。

你可以在微软的网站上找到如何使用Azure去做到这些的说明。

保持事情的简单看似很简单,但事实却不是这样。请记住你的每一天的生活,因为即使是资深开发者也很容易忘记这一点。确保你能在开发的时候直切要点。

其次,深入学习相关技术。如果你的工作是编程,那就努力获得计算机科学学位或学习算式和3D数学。虽然我自己从未获得计算机科学学位,但是我一直在学习着这些内容以及数学,我也知道它们对于一名程序员来说有多重要。

最后,如果你开始进行一个小型业务,请确保你能够选择一个竞争较少的领域。不管你身处怎样的产业,这都是一个非常重要的建议。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转发,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Microsoft Spotlight: Making crime pay

Pixel Squad CEO Will Mallouk talks about funding, monetising and updating your game via the cloud

I started programming when I was 13 years old, writing very simple games for the MSX system. That was more than 20 years ago now. I then wrote a small game in Assembly language when I was 18, which can still be downloaded from sourceforge.net.

Pixel Squad’s core team consists of three members, and all of us have a console development background. I used to be an engine programmer making games for Xbox and PlayStation before starting Pixel Squad, but I’ve also co-founded another mobile games studio called WET Productions with a friend of mine called Mike Amerson. We have released three reasonably popular games already; My Virtual Girlfriend, My Virtual Boyfriend, and Dark Breakers. I also co-founded another studio called FunGameCo.

At the time of writing, we’re currently working on our new game: Crime Coast. I thought that mixing GTA with Clash of Clans with a bit of added humour would make something unique.

The other full time members of the Pixel Squad team right now are Krysztof Nowak and Paul Trenchard, ex-Crytek employees. We also have contractors working full-time or part-time on Crime Coast with us, doing things like concept art, music, sound effects, rigging, animation, modelling, etcetera.

Greenshoots

I heard about Greenshoots from many sources, but Nowak reminded me about it at the right time. I knew it was what we needed to take the project off the ground, so we applied. It’s a great help, and I’m glad to be a part of it as it’s making it easier for us.

To be honest, I didn’t expect this level of help. For starters, Greenshoots has provided us with devices, Azure credits and all of the Microsoft software licenses we could have asked for. But more importantly, there is a team backing us there. We can ask for anything and they will help us.

I think that initiatives like this are very important for the region and country, simply because they could make the difference between the success and failure of a company.

We looked at other games for inspiration regarding our pricing model, and the main monetisation method we are looking at right now is the sale of virtual currency through microtransactions. We are also considering adding video ads in a later update.

One important thing to note is that all the content in our game is accessible without the need to spend money. We are focusing on pleasing spending and non-spending players equally, as both are very important to the game and its success.

We’ve tried in-app ads as a way to monetise before and they do work. Depending on the game type, ads can provide the largest share of income. It’s possible to build a business solely on advertising-based games.

Using the cloud

The original backend of our game was hosted on Amazon Web Services. I was surprised to find everything we needed on Azure, and the number of services that are provided there is incredible. We use SQL Server, Redis cache, data storage, virtual machines and push notifications. Also, we found the platform more friendly and easy to use than AWS, and were surprised by how easy the transition was.

You can find the full script on how to use Azure to do this on the Microsoft website.

Keeping things simple may seem easy, but it’s not. Be sure to remember that every day of your life, because even veterans seem to forget this rule at times. Make sure you get straight to the point when you’re developing.

Second, dig deep to learn your craft. If it’s programming, do a CS degree, or learn about algorithms and 3D math. I haven’t got a CS degree myself, but I studied all this, including a lot of math, and know how important it is for a programmer. Go deep in the subjects. Start and finish simple projects.

And finally, if you’re starting a small business, make sure you choose a segment where there’s little or no competition. This is important advice irrespective of your industry.(source:develop-online)

 


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