作者：Matthew Jarvis

从企业面板的极简设计（最适合今天的触屏）到Patrick Stewart所扮演的Captain Jean-Luc Picard对于敌对势力的反应，我们可以发现我们所深爱的科幻内容已经成为了众多工作室的尝试选择。

特别是休闲游戏设计师应该将Picard精干的命令当成咒语，即“Engage（游戏邦注：在战斗中指的是交战，但同时也指代用户粘性）。”

虽然这听起来很简单，但从概念上看这指的是，玩家玩游戏时间越长，这款游戏的成功率便越高。

如果你认为这做起来很简单的话，那么iOS和Android的畅销应用排行榜每周都应该出现全新的变化。

但事实上，像《Candy Crush》，《战争游戏》和《部落战争》等游戏却一直占据着排行榜最顶端的位置，

所以开发者到底该如何做才能带着自己的休闲游戏从短暂的幻想变成能够赚取巨大收益的强大内容呢？

也许最佳开始方法便是去定义“休闲”本身。

这一词其实有点欺骗性，因为像微交易和忠诚的奖励等休闲元素也会被整合到AAA级热门游戏中，手机设备也能够重新创造像主机内容那样的图像和机制。

《水果忍者》的开发工作室Halfbrick的设计指导Alex Richardson说道：“在过去，当提到休闲游戏时我们便会想到像《宝石迷阵》这样的内容。”

“而从技能来看，像《Flappy Bird》和《过马路》这样的游戏其实算是硬核游戏，但他们也仍然被归为休闲游戏。”

Crossy Road(from develop-online)

Richardson还补充道，在真正开发之前将你的游戏定义为“休闲游戏”有可能为其贴上死亡标签。

他说道：“当你在考虑如何设计某些内容时，考虑‘休闲’游戏并不是什么有效的方法。”

Torsten Reil是NaturalMotion（游戏邦注：2014年初被《Farmville》和《Words With Friends》的创造者Zynga所收购）的联合创始人兼首席执行官。他认为易用性是定义一款成功“休闲游戏”的关键，同时也是一种简单的检测方法。

Reil解释道：“必须确保任何人都能够玩游戏，不管他们拥有怎样的游戏经验。”

“除此之外，开发者必须确保玩家能在短时间内玩游戏。也就是我们所谓的‘星巴克测试’，即在玩家等待自己购买的玛奇朵的时候能够沉浸于游戏中的能力。”

Richardson也拥有自己的合格测试标准。

他说道：“一款休闲游戏便是你进入游戏中花几分钟去游戏并完成游戏的内容。”

“你也可以创造半个小时的游戏内容，但关键是，如果我在等公车的时候只有2分钟的空闲时间，我便会选择玩《疯狂喷气机》，《水果忍者》街机模式或者《Candy Crush》的1,2个关卡。“

当然了，你肯定不会只想获得玩家的这30秒时间。一款优秀的休闲游戏将致力于填补玩家的每一点空闲时间，并通过快速累积而达到数十个，甚至数百个小时的游戏时间。

为了做到这点，游戏的基本游戏玩法就必须提供一个稳定的基础，即拥有吸引人的外观能够快速吸引玩家的注意。

Richardson说道：“创造一款简单的游戏意味着你必须确保核心游戏循环始终都很有趣且吸引人。如果你能在开发过程中确保游戏循环足够吸引人且能够吸引玩家反复游戏，这便算是一个很不错的开始。”

这是设计的关键：如果游戏玩法太过简单，玩家便会很快对游戏失去兴趣，但如果游戏玩法太过复杂，它也将很难调动玩家的兴趣。而真正成功平衡了这两个元素的一款手机授权游戏便是《Candy Crush》。

King伦敦工作室的总经理Carolin Krenzer说道：“我们的很多玩家总是会在想要放松或者在通勤的时候想花几分钟时间轻松下时选择游戏。”

“还有一些玩家则更喜欢竞争游戏或者我们游戏中的竞争元素。例如我们便在游戏中添加了一些活动让玩家能够彼此竞争，并在有限时间内收集或实现特定目标。”

Halfbrick的产品经理Resa Liputra提供了一些更深入的内容。

他建议：“游戏的核心机制就像外包装，这是诱导玩家去尝试游戏的市场营销工具。”

“今天当你尝试着去设计能够长期留住玩家的游戏时，你就必须确保游戏的核心循环足够优秀从而能让玩家反复游戏而不会感到厌烦。这也是确保玩家不断回到游戏中继续前进的关键。”

尽管这看来好像是在突显游戏机制的复杂性，但Reil也强调需要逐步提升玩家对于游戏内部系统的理解，否则将只会吓跑他们。

他建议：“复杂性和深度必须在玩家已经熟悉了游戏时才能打开，所以它与早期的易用性并不矛盾。就像在《笨拙的忍者》中，我们连续好几个月每周三次会在大街上随机让人尝试我们的全新游戏架构以对其进行测试。”

确保玩家能够长期沉浸于游戏是休闲游戏存活的关键。与玩家事先付钱并能够决定自己要花多少时间与游戏的全价PC游戏和主机游戏不同，免费游戏是基于相反的逻辑：玩家投入多少时间将影响游戏最终所创造的收益。

早前的休闲游戏经常忘记用户留存与收益的对等性，即总是尝试通过将玩家置于游戏玩法劣势中而强迫他们购买提高性能的游戏道具。幸运的是，现代的盈利方式让开发者们能够更加宽容地对待那些潜在的玩家。

Halfbrick的首席游戏程序员同时也是产品经理的Adam Wood说道：“如今的开发者可以更轻松地摆脱付费获胜机制，因为他们可以进一步转向广告内容。”

“虽然一开始的横幅广告或全屏广告会突然出现在你眼前并让你感到厌烦，但现在出现了全新的奖励性广告。”

“这种类型的广告以及激励性的视频之所以很有用是因为70%的休闲游戏用户基础都是没有信用卡的青少年。”

Liputra也认为，使用得当的话，经常被误会的广告可以为开发者和玩家创造双赢的结果。

他说道：“这与作为孩子的你在周六早上看动画片的时候出现广告的情况一样。虽然这具有强迫性，但是它们是出现在预定的时间间隔里，你也清楚它们何时会出现。”

Krenzer提供了一些有关《Candy Crush》对于微交易的使用的看法，即保持玩家不断游戏比潜在但却具有破坏性的现金获取方法更有价值。

她说道：“我们的所有关卡都是不需要购买游戏内部提升工具便能够完成的。比起短期利益，我们更看重长期的玩家留存。”

现代游戏的发展状态意味着开发者仍需要做出各种改变。也许增加游戏现有的用户数充满诱惑力，但是Storm8的首席执行官兼联合创始人Perry提醒我们，保持平衡更加重要。

他解释道：“即使拥有经验，你也必须听取玩家的反馈并不断改变现状去保持游戏的新鲜感。”

“游戏发行只是开始。当你在更新游戏去完善玩家体验时，你必须确保保持核心且有趣的游戏玩法不变，且不要添加那些只能吸引特定玩家群体的不必要的复杂性。：

Tam表示，手机游戏这头猛兽的吸引力将持续延伸着，所以开发者在将游戏带向市场前需要更努力去完善自己的设计。

他认为：“与几年前相比，今天的不同在于很多用户会玩一款或多款手机游戏，所以如今的新游戏很难将玩家从自己当前喜欢的内容中拉出来。”

“如今的质量标准已经提高了很多。全新开发者需要创造更多独特的内容才能获得玩家的注意。”

（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）

Harder than you think: Exploring the hidden depth of casual games

By Matthew Jarvis

From the minimalist design of the Enterprise’s panels – ideal for today’s touchscreens – to the measured reaction of Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard to hostile forces – an allegory for effective community management if there ever was one – the beloved sci-fi show is ripe with ‘how to’ examples for studios.

Casual game designers, in particular, should consider taking the pithy command of Picard as their mantra: “Engage.”

It sounds simple and, in concept, it is: the longer gamers play, the more successful a game becomes.

If it were as easy in practice, however, the iOS and Android top-grossing charts would offer a fresh set of names every week.

Instead, podium staples such as Candy Crush, Game of War and Clash of Clans have become exactly that, with contenders left to scrap over their 15 minutes in the spotlight.

So how can developers help their casual game cross the thin rope between fleeting fancy and financial powerhouse?

“Thinking about games as ‘casual’ isn’t useful in figuring out how to design something.”

Alex Richardson, Halfbrick

Perhaps the best place to start is with the definition of ‘casual’ itself.

It’s somewhat of a deceiving term, with casual tropes such as microtransactions and loyalty gifts bleeding into triple-A hits, and mobile devices able to recreate the graphical and mechanical prowess of console efforts.

“In the past, when we thought of casual games we would think of stuff like Bejeweled,” observes Alex Richardson, design coach at Fruit Ninja studio Halfbrick.

“Games like Flappy Bird and Crossy Road are actually hardcore games in terms of skill, but still feel like casual category.”

In fact, Richardson adds, considering your game as merely ‘casual’ can sign its death warrant before development even begins.

“I don’t think that thinking about games as ‘casual’ is useful in figuring out how to design something,” he says.

Torsten Reil is co-founder and CEO of NaturalMotion, which was acquired by FarmVille and Words With Friends creator Zynga in early 2014. He sees accessibility as the defining feature of a successful ‘casual’ title – and has an easy way to check.

“The game needs to be playable by pretty much anybody, regardless of their game playing experience,” Reil explains.

“In addition to that, the game needs to be playable in short chunks. We call it the ‘Starbucks line test’ – the ability to be immersed in a game in the time it takes for you to order your daily macchiato.”

Richardson has his own eligibility test.

“A casual game is something where you can go in, have a play session that’s only a few minutes long and that’s it – you’re done,” he states.

“You could do a half-hour session, but the point is that if I have two minutes to wait for this bus, I could do a run of Jetpack Joyride, Fruit Ninja’s arcade mode or a level or two of Candy Crush.”

Of course, you’re not looking to capture just 30 seconds of someone’s time. A well-made casual game is designed to fill every free space, quickly totalling up to tens or even hundreds of play hours.

To achieve this, the gameplay fundamentals of the title must provide a solid foundation – an aesthetically-pleasing wrapper will quickly disintegrate under the intense scrutiny of dedicated players.

“Having a simple game means making sure that the core game loop is always fun and engaging,” says Richardson. “If you can make that loop engaging enough that people are playing it over and over internally while you’re developing, that’s a really good start.”

This is the crux of the design: if gameplay is too simplistic, players will quickly lose interest, but if it’s overly complex, it will appear impenetrable and fail to gather momentum. One mobile franchise to have successfully balanced the two seemingly opposed forces is Candy Crush.

“A lot of our players choose to play when they want to relax and unwind or just want to spend a few minutes having fun while they’re on their commute,” says Carolin Krenzer, who is general manager of King’s London studio.

“Others are more engaged and enjoy the competition or the more complex elements of our games. For example, we run events in our games that allow players to compete against each other, collaborate or to achieve a certain goal in a limited amount of time.”

Halfbrick product manager Resa Liputra expands on the necessity to offer something beyond the surface.

“The core mechanic of the game is just packaging – it’s a marketing tool for someone to get enticed and check out that game,” he advises.

“When you’re trying to design games today that retain players for a long time, the core loop needs to be good enough that you do that action over and over without getting bored. It’s the meta stuff that keeps you coming back and progressing.”

Although it may be tempting to advertise the complexities of a game’s mechanics right away, Reil highlights the need to gently ramp up players’ understanding of in-game systems – or risk scaring them off.

“Complexity and depth should only unfold once the player is familiar with the game, so it’s not necessarily contradictory to early accessibility,” he suggests. “With Clumsy Ninja, we did ‘man on the street’ testing with new builds of the game three times a week, over several months.”

“It’s critical to listen to player feedback and challenge the status quo to keep the game fresh.”

Perry Tam, Storm8

Keeping players engaged for as long as possible is uniquely vital to the survival of casual games. Unlike full-price PC and console releases, where gamers pay upfront and decide how many hours to invest, the freemium model works on contrary logic: the number of hours invested by players dictates the revenue generated by the product.

Early casual games often forgot that retention runs parallel to revenue, attempting to coerce players into paying for performance-boosting in-game items by placing them at a gameplay disadvantage. Luckily, modern advancements in monetisation have allowed developers to be more lenient with their prospective audience.

“It’s a lot easier for developers to not be pay-to-win, because they can shift back further to the advertising front,” says Adam Wood, lead games programmer and product manager at Halfbrick.

“When that first came in, it was banner ads or full screen ads and was really in your face and annoying, but there’s now a new approach to it where it’s rewarded advertising.

“The advertising and incentivised video route is extremely good because 70 per cent of the casual games user base is teenagers that don’t have a credit card.”

Liputra agrees that the oft-maligned presence of advertising can be a win-win situation for developers and players, as long as it is treated with respect.

“It’s not very different from Saturday morning cartoons when you’re a kid and you watch commercials during the ad break,” he suggests. “It’s forced upon you, but they happened at scheduled breaks and you knew when they were going to occur.”

Krenzer offers some insight into Candy Crush’s own use of microtransactions, indicating that keeping gamers playing is ultimately more valuable than a potentially damaging cash-grab.

“All of our levels are possible to complete without having to pay for in-game boosters,” she reveals. “Our priority is long-term retention of our network of players, rather than short-term monetisation.”

Even when the stars align and a game is simple yet deep, monetised yet fair, attractive yet substantial, it’s still not time for a developer to breathe easily.

The ongoing state of modern games means that changes will need to be made as time drags on. It may be tempted to double-down on the audience that already exists for a title, but Perry Tam, CEO and co-founder of Storm8, warns that balance must be maintained.

“Even with experience, it’s critical to listen to player feedback and challenge the status quo to keep the game fresh,” he explains.

“Launches are only the beginning. When updating games to improve the player experience, it’s critical to remain true to the core, fun gameplay and not unnecessarily add complexity that may only appeal to a limited set of players.”

Tam concludes that the magnetism of mobile behemoths continues to grow, making it vital that developers perfect their design before they hit the market – or risk becoming another name in the long footnote of casual gaming history.

“The difference now, compared to several years ago, is that a good portion of the audience has likely played one or more mobile games, which makes it even harder for new games to pull users away from their existing favourites,” he observes.

“The quality bar has gone up tremendously. New developers really need to bring something unique to be noticed.”(source:develop-online)