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地址：http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/06/26/40-ways-to-be-a-better-game-designer/#more-552
40 ways to be a better (game) designer
Blue squares
Prototype with abstracted graphics or stolen graphics. Or pen and paper, cards, and dice. Art enhances, multiplies, improves. It does not replace missing fun. If you can get to something fun with minimal presentation, it will get more fun with good presentation.
Metaphors
Deciding what your game is “about” can help you cut out the extraneous stuff. Think about simpler games, board games, if it helps you cut to the quick. “A bidding game.” “A territory game.” “A timing game.”
Compartmentalize
If you’re working on a big game, perceiving your big game as actually being a collection of smaller games that share a setting can help a lot. Excessive interdependence between systems makes a game really hard to balance anyway.
Summarize
You should be able to pull out key verbs and phrases from your game design concept, and boil down the idea. If you can’t do this, somewhere you’ve gone awry.
Brand
The best game is going to have a marriage of theme, mechanic, and presentation. This is what makes a brand strong. Don’t look down on the exercise of branding.
Long meetings suck
Particularly creative meetings, where you want people to leave energized, not tired and cynical. Long meetings trend to groupthink and overcomplication. Keep design meetings tight and relatively brief.
Use a sketchbook
Sketches are an extremely powerful tool for game design. So much information about game state is conveyed via the screen or board that doing quick sketches of user experience early is critical. Draw a quick pic of what the player will see and do. Doodle logos in the margins.
Don’t design in the code/with the pieces
Design on a bike, riding down the street. Or in the shower. Or on a canoe. Design somewhere else. Worry less about what you might lose because you cannot write it down, than about keeping the core essence of what excited you. A change of scenery drives creativity.
Talk and listen
Fresh ideas colliding, or even old ideas colliding in unpredictable ways, is where creativity comes from. You get these new things to rub together by listening. You trade by giving ideas of your own. Ideas are cheap, don’t hoard them.
Every snowflake is different
If you assign twelve people to create “a space-based game about intergalactic trading” you will get twelve different games — it doesn’t matter how specific the idea is.
Assets
Think about assets early; doing the exercise of calculating how many sounds, graphics, and so on you’ll need for each given game or system is often eye-opening.
Steal and borrow
Mechanics are not sacred. They are tools towards an eventual game. If open draw card piles is a useful mechanic, use it even though you have seen it in other games. Nobody but you cares if you are sick of the health bar.
Playtest early and often
If your first control mechanic is briefly entertaining even before you have a game, great. If not, worry. If it’s entertaining to lay out the pieces on the board even before the rules are settled, cool. If not, worry.
Different players play differently
Don’t playtest with only the same old group of people. Mix it up.
Shut up
Don’t say anything when watching someone else play. Just watch and note down all the stupid things they are doing because you were stupid and didn’t make the right thing to do really obvious.
Play
You don’t have to finish the games people are talking about. But you do need to try them. Ten minutes is often enough, but through the first boss is better.
KISS
If you have a lot of systems, make each one simple with simple data. If you have one simple system, spend on the data.
Algorithms, not static data
The best games have an algorithmic style of variation, where gameplay emerges out of the possible permutations; this is as opposed to games which rely on a supply of static puzzles you supply. Shoot for the former — you may not make it (which is fine) but you’ll probably be forced to be cleverer.
Save everything
The sketches, the early draft docs, the old prototypes, the boardgame version, the alternate ruleset. You never know when you will need it.
Don’t marry any art
Once the game is fun, try out an art style on it. Then try another. And another.
Don’t use lossy data
Photoshop layers are your friend. High res is your friend. The link to the website with the free textures. The screencap you cut up. Save the originals!
Have an editor
Someone who can tell you when you are full of crap even though they are a fan.
Comment
Six months later, you won’t remember why the magic number is 37.5. Put a comment in the code and explain the logic in a design doc.
Giant design docs are useless
They are usually overelaborated piles of daydreams that nobody will actually implement. A bulleted list of specifics is far more fruitful.
Back to the beginning
Every milestone you hit, go back and compare against your original vision, your original theme, and your original goals. It’s OK to say you want to change them because you really do want to change them; it’s not OK to say you want to change them because you drifted off without realizing it.
Know when to stop
It’s easy to spoil something by adding too much. One more mechanic, one more axis of variables, even an extra row on the game board, and it might all break apart.
Eat your own dog food
Play your own game. If you find yourself playing it for enjoyment, you are onto something.
Learn abstraction
Learn to see the underlying mathematics of your design, rather than the dressing. See the projection of force, the spheres of influence, the hidden slot machine and the number of keystrokes per second. You will understand the actual play much more deeply.
Learn art. And coding. And marketing.
The more you understand what other disciplines bring to the table, the better you will design. You don’t need to master these — just acquire some degree of basic competence.
Don’t argue with players
They are always right about their experience. Telling them that it isn’t actually that way is a waste of time. The question is why they think it is that way.
Be frivolous
Frivolous bits that are there just because they are cool are often what puts a game over the top, making the player feel the enjoymentand passion that went into something.
Tell a story
A prospective player or a prospective funder — either way, you need to sell them on the game, and the way to do that is with a story.
Limitations are good
A lot of creativity comes from working within limits. If you’re stumped, try giving yourself some more limits and see what pops out.
Let go
Once it’s out there, it’s not yours. Abandon all notions about how it “should” be played.
Do the work
A lot more people talk about making games than actually make games. Anyone can make a game with some cut up paper and a few crayons. Whatever excuses you are making for yourself are bad ones. You just put one foot in front of the other until you cross the finish line. And once you make one, make another. And another. Keep doing it.
Don’t settle
It’s all too easy to be tired and frustrated and accede to something dumb and lower your standards. The impact can be truly massive on the final product. It’s one thing to compromise: compromise is inevitable and will often improve the product. Settling, however, is frequently fatal.
See out of player eyes
When you work on a system, picture the movements the player makes. Envision the path they take. Practice the sequence of actions to reach a goal. Visualize the route they take to reach that goal. See from the player’s point of view, not from the point of view of “it should take 30 kills to reach the next level.” You design for them, not you.
Reward
When a player does something right, give them a reward cue. A splash of light, a cheerful sound, a bit of feedback that sticks out.
Use the list
Check against the list of key pieces required for fun: preparation for a challenge mattering, territory/environment mattering, choices in how to solve a problem, variations in the nature of the challenge, risk to loss, skill in execution, no bottom-feeding, and multiple possible success states. You may have your own list, but this is the one that has worked for me.
Eliminate marking time
Anything you do in the game “because you have to do it” should be cut or at the very least get a seriously hard look. Tedium is the enemy of fun.
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尝试翻译了一下，有疏漏错误的地方请指出来：
1，蓝色条框
仅有着粗糙画面，甚至借用来的画面的游戏原型；或者使用纸、笔、纸牌和骰子。艺术手段可以加强、翻倍、提高，但是并不会代替游戏所缺乏的乐趣。如果你用最少的表达手段就能做出有趣的东西来，那么在拥有更好的表达手段时，它将更加有趣。
2，暗喻
决定你的游戏是“关于”什么的可以帮助你裁除无关系的内容。把游戏想得再简单一些，比如棋牌游戏，如果它能帮你迅速认清游戏的本质。“一个下命令式的游戏”、“一个抢夺地盘的游戏”、“一个把握精确时间的游戏”。
3，划分
如果你正在制作一款大型游戏，能认识到你的大型游戏实际上是再同一个背景下的一堆小型游戏的组合，可能会帮助你很多。而各个系统之间过于独立的内容将会使一款游戏很难平衡。
4，总结
你应该能够从你的游戏设计理念中抽出一些关键的动词和句子，以此来描述你的创意。如果你做不到，你在某个地方一定出了错。
5，风格化
最好的游戏应该是主题、系统和表现方式的完美结合。这样将使你的游戏更具风格。不要小看风格化的制作。
6，冗长的会议无用
尤其是创意讨论会，你希望人们在散会的时候个个踌躇满志，而不是精疲力竭和愤世嫉俗。冗长的会议将导致集体考虑和过于复杂化。保持创意讨论会的紧凑和简短。
7，使用草图本
草图是游戏设计的一个非常强大的工具。通过屏幕或者画板可以传递如此多的信息，在早期把玩家的游戏体验画下来是及其有用的。画一幅关于玩家将看到和要做的事物的草图，做好重要的标记说明。
8，不要在代码里/纸张上策划
在自行车上策划，一边顺着大街骑下去；或者在洗澡的时候；或者在一个独木舟上。在任何其他地方策划。不用太担心你因为无法写下来而丢掉什么，专注于那些令你激动的核心精华。环境的改观激发创造力。
9，说和听
新鲜的点子互相碰撞，甚至老旧的点子也会以不可预知的方式互相碰撞，由此产生创造。你通过“听”获取这些新的东西，并以“说”来交换。点子是廉价的，不要藏着它们。
10，每片雪花都不一样
如果你分派12个人来创作“一个关于银河贸易的太空游戏”，你将得到12个不同的游戏－这些点子究竟如何，这并不重要。
11，资产
早点考虑资产问题；做做关于一个游戏或者系统需要多少声音、图片等的计算，往往会令你大吃一惊。
12，偷和借
系统并非神圣不可侵犯。他们只是实现最终游戏的工具。如果某个系统很有用，就拿过来用，即使你在其他游戏中看到过。除了你没有人注意到你感到恶心的生命条。
13，尽早试玩，经常试玩
如果你的第一个系统甚至在游戏出来之前就很有趣，太棒了；如果不是，当心。如果规则确定之前把东西排列在纸板上就很有趣，酷；如果不是，当心。
14，不同的人玩得不同
不要一直用同一伙人进行试玩。打乱他们。
15，闭嘴
看别人玩的时候不要说话。只是看，记下来他们所有愚蠢的行为，因为你够愚蠢，没有把该做的东西做得更加明显。
16，玩
你不用通关人们正在谈论的那款游戏。不过你应该去玩一下，10分钟一般就够了，但是打过第一个boss更好。
17，K.I.S.S.(keep it simple,stupid)
如果你有很多系统，用简单的数据使每个系统简单，如果你有一个系统，花点儿时间在数据上。
18，算法，而非固定的数据
最好的游戏在算法上变化无穷，玩法也由此多种多样；反面的例子是依赖于你提供的固定迷题的游戏。争取做到前者－你可能无法达成（这是可以理解的），但你总会由此变得更聪明些。
19，保留一切
草图、早期的文档、旧原型、纸上游戏版本、后备规则。你永远也不知道什么时候就会用到他们。
20，别跟任何艺术联姻
等游戏有趣了，试试一种艺术形式，然后试试另一种，然后再试试另一种。
21，不要使用lossy的数据
Photoshop的层是你的朋友，High res是你的朋友。通往提供免费结构的链接，你保存下来的screencap。把原型存好！
22，找个编辑
那些当你做了一堆垃圾的时候可以提醒你的人，即使他们仅仅是业余爱好者。
23，注释
6个月以后，你不会记得为什么那个魔术数字是37.5。在代码旁写下注释，在策划案里解释这段逻辑。
24，庞大的策划案无用
他们都是些没有人会去执行的，过分细节化的白日梦。一个关于重要条目的列表会有用得多。
25，回到开始
每次你达到一个里程碑，回头比较一下你起初的版本，起初的主题和起初的目标。你说你想改变他们是可以的－如果你真的想改变他们；你说你想改变他们是不可以的－如果你并没有意识到已经偏离了他们。
26，知道何时停止
加入太多很容易会破坏一些东西。再多一个系统，再多一个变量，甚至在游戏板上多画一排，就可能会让它轰然倒塌。
27，自己的狗粮自己吃
玩你自己做的游戏。如果你觉得那是一种享受，那你真的做出些东西了。
28，学会提取
学习从你的设计中看到底层的数学内容，而不是外表装饰。要看到发射的源动力、影响的范围、隐藏的变化和每一秒钟键盘的敲击数。这样你将更深刻的理解实际游戏的过程。
29，学习艺术。以及编程。以及市场营销。
你对相关的其他学科了解的越多，你设计的东西就越好。不用精通他们－只需获得基本的能力。
30，不要跟玩家争吵
他们永远最清楚自己的体验。告诉他们实际上不应该那样玩是浪费时间。问题在于他们为什么要那样玩。
31，注意细节
细节化的元素仅仅是因为“酷”而留在那里，常常可以让一个游戏脱颖而出。他们可以让玩家享受到快乐和激情，从而进一步游戏。
32，讲个故事
不管是一个潜在的玩家，还是一个潜在的投资者，你需要把游戏推销给他们，办法就是讲个故事。
33，局限是好事
很多创意来自于局限。如果你卡住了，试试给自己提供更多的限制，再看看有什么点子出来。
34，走吧
一旦游戏做出来了，就不是你的了。抛弃任何关于“如何玩这个游戏”的想法。
35，去做
更多的人是在谈论如何做游戏，而不是真正的去做。任何人都能用几张纸和几个彩笔做一个游戏。不管你有什么借口，他们都是糟糕的借口。你只要比别人多迈出一步，直到到达终点。如果你完成了一个，就再做一个，接着再做一个。不停的去做。
36，不要迁就
如果感到疲惫和挫败，很容易就降低你的标准来迁就一些东西。这对于最终产品的影响将是巨大的。这跟妥协不同，妥协是不可避免的，常常可以给产品带来好处。而迁就，一般是致命的。
37，以玩家的眼光考虑
当你工作于某个系统，描绘一下玩家的行动，想象一下他们用的方法。练习一下达成目标的步骤，想象一下玩家达成这个目标的路线。从玩家的角度考虑，而不是从“应该采用30种技巧达到下一层”的角度。你为他们设计游戏，而不是你自己。
38，奖励
当玩家做对了一件事，给他们奖励。一道光，一阵欢呼，一个明显的反馈。
39，使用列表
检查游戏乐趣所需要的重要内容：为迎接挑战而做的准备；领土/环境问题；解决问题的多种选择；挑战的变化；失败的风险；执行的技巧；no bottom-feeding, 以及多样的可选性成就。你可能有你自己的列表，而这是对我有用的一套。
40，除去不好玩的内容
任何你“不得不”在游戏中做的东西都应该删除，或者放在最后。厌烦是乐趣的敌人。
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发表于 2006-6-28 18:16:00
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