Game Development Giant

Jester naturally saw Itagaki Tomonobu's thoughts.

This does not require any mind-reading skills. You only need to look at Itagaki Tomonobu's face at this time to make a very clear judgment.

I said before that we are discussing this, so let me say something first to serve as a starting point.

Jester said with a smile.

Itagaki, have you ever discovered that many very difficult games actually have very good reviews or sales, such as Ninja Dragon that you participated in. You have participated in this game. For its You should know how difficult it is.”

Yes.

Naturally, Tomonobu Itagaki of Ninja Dragon is very familiar. After all, he has participated in the development of this game from beginning to end.

And his interest in game difficulty was also inherited from the development of Ninja Dragon.

He really likes this hard-core game.

To be honest, I can confirm that I am not a masochist, and no one I know or in the company is, but we all like this game very much. Sometimes when we are resting in the lounge, They will all choose this game, and while playing, they will even shout, What the hell! Why did I die again?! But I can't stop, holding the controller, resurrecting again and again, and starting again, again and again. Let’s keep playing.”

It was an indescribable experience. I'm sure you must have had it too.

But this time Itagaki Tomonobu's answer surprised Jester. He shook his head and said in a very affirmative tone: Boss, I have to say that you have guessed wrong. I am the kind of experience you are talking about. No, because when I played Ninja Dragon I passed the level very smoothly. I think the difficulty of this game can only be said to be a little challenging at best, but not too difficult.

Hearing Itagaki Tomonobu's teasing words. Jester was also speechless for a moment.

Unexpectedly, at this time, the other party was still mocking him for being a handicap.

But let it be what you have. Anyway, this type of game is not what I am good at, so I might as well talk about the things I am good at.

Jester quickly reopened the topic.

Let's not talk about the difficulty of Ninja Dragon for now. In fact, when I say the above, I just want to express one of my opinions. I am not a twitter, but why do I have to play such a game? ? I felt that there must be some reason for this, so I analyzed it, and finally I found out. There may be two points, which are crucial to me.

When Jester said this, Itagaki Tomonobu's expression became serious.

The first is the subject matter of the game, and the second is the quality of the game.

These two points were only general in nature. From these two points, Itagaki Tomonobu could not distinguish what Jester wanted to express. Therefore, he did not interrupt, but quietly listened to Jester continue to speak. .

The theme of the game may be the primary factor when a player decides whether to get into a new game. When I got into Ninja Dragon, I wanted to know more about it because it was my own company's game. I also felt that the dark ninja style The style is cool... Yes, it's that simple, but it is very important. Excellent game themes will make players curious about the game. Curiosity will be greater than fear of the difficulty of the game. I have heard countless people say this before It’s hard to get through this game.”

But I play this game definitely not because of its high reputation. Almost everyone who plays it. Whether they are abused, vomiting blood or not, all people say that this game is very good. Let me give you another example. At one point, the development team of Ninja Dragon made a golf game. Even if the reviews of this game are blown to the sky. Regardless of the difficulty level, I will not play it because I am not interested in this subject matter. interest.

But in my eyes, the ninja theme should be so difficult, because if it wasn't difficult, it wouldn't be so cool.

After hearing Jester's analysis, Itagaki Tomonobu nodded.

But Jester's analysis is obviously not over yet.

he continued.

Then there is the quality of the game. In this regard, you have participated in the development of several games, so you should have a deeper understanding of it. Therefore, I also said in detail that in my opinion, only games with very high quality can be qualified. Improve the difficulty level, otherwise, the player may just feel disgusted and not feel that it is cool to do so.”

If your difficulty doesn't make players feel cool, then it's a failure.

But Itagaki Tomonobu remained silent. He listened and nodded thoughtfully.

Highly difficult games will make players die/fail constantly, so players need a reason to keep playing. I want to call this reason the core attraction of the game. You must make players feel that there is a reason to continue playing. They like things very much to help them overcome the psychological difficulties. Of course, the sense of accomplishment you mentioned is indeed one of them. For example, I once received a letter from a primary school student. This primary school student’s name is James. .Duncan Rover, he said that what motivated him to persist in beating the game Contra was because he wanted to be the first person in his school to clear Contra. In fact, he did it. …”

That's a bit far. Let's get back to the topic. This attraction is not limited to difficult games. Any game should have an element to keep players interested when it is produced.

Core attraction can be expressed in many forms. For example, I have summarized a lot from my many years of experience. There are about five, six or seventy-eight points. I will just talk about them casually and say whatever comes to mind. I have said it before I haven’t made an outline. If there are any omissions, I will tell you in detail when I have time. These are some of my experiences in the past six years of development career.”

Jester stopped talking here.

He thought for a while, probably sorting out his logic and organizing his words. Maybe what he was going to say next was not something casual like what he said.

And Itagaki Tomonobu's expression had never been more serious.

First of all, immersion. Players should care about everything that happens in the game world during game play. A good game will allow players to concentrate on subtle changes in gameplay. To sum up this theory in one sentence, it is: I have to pay attention, otherwise I will Lost.

Second, meaningful choices. The choices players make during the game should affect the outcome of the game. The more responsive the game is to player behavior, the more immersive the player will be in the game, and people tend to pay more attention to what they can exert. Something with a greater impact. To sum up this theory in one sentence, that is: everything I and other players do is important.

third……

Boss!

When Jester said this, Itagaki Tomonobu suddenly interrupted Jester. Just as Jester looked at Itagaki Tomonobu with doubtful eyes, Itagaki Tomonobu blushed and said, Boss, can you please tell me what you said before? I repeat the two points, I didn’t write them down...

At this time, Jester discovered that Itagaki Tomonobu actually took out a stack of white paper, and like a primary school student taking notes while listening to a teacher's lecture, he was quickly writing down what Jester had said before.

This made Jester feel a little funny, but he ignored him.

Jester repeated the two points he had said before, and then asked Itagaki Tomonobu if he had written it down. After receiving a positive reply, he continued.

Moreover, in order to allow Itagaki Tomonobu to record better, Jester also deliberately slowed down his speaking speed.

Third, purpose, people like to do things with purpose, and it's the same in games. Players will ask questions like: Why am I doing this? Why is this important? Any ambiguity will make players play the game. Distraction, a good game should provide clear goals. People don’t like to waste time and energy on doing things that don’t get meaningful results. It can still be summarized in one sentence, that is: I know what I have to do. , and what I do is important.”

After saying this, Jester added: This point is very similar to the second point, but they are different.

Seeing Itagaki Tomonobu nodding, Jester continued.

“The fourth point, depth, is to constantly provide players with things they can learn, whether it’s about the game, the players themselves, or other players. Being proficient in a certain skill or a difficult method of operation is very valuable to the players. The goal of attraction, because it makes them feel that they have an advantage over others. Good games have depth and always give players something to study. Still in one sentence: Playing this game makes me feel powerful.

The fifth point is that players express that everyone is born unique. Games allow players to display their personalities and talents to tap their innate tendencies, thereby reflecting the value of social beings. People like games that allow them to express their personalities, or a saying To summarize: chess masters must have very strong logical thinking.

When he said this, Jester glanced at Itagaki Tomonobu. Sure enough, Itagaki Tomonobu laughed as he said.

Okay, don't laugh yet, let's continue.

The sixth point is flexibility. A good game can adapt to various game modes of players. The balanced mechanism forms an automatic adjustment system, which always makes players feel that the experience is not only interesting, but also unique. In one sentence, it can be summarized as: game It always amuses me.”

When he said this, Jester did not continue.

Instead, he emphasized the sentence with emphasis.

Itagaki, you have to pay special attention to this. Others can't teach you how to make a game interesting. What others can teach you is your own experience. (To be continued...)