"In order to relieve players' fatigue, it is recommended to adopt the design of long and short levels. For example, the prologue is a short level to guide players to adapt to the gameplay, which can be completed in about 10 minutes; the first level is a long level, Before defeating the boss, you need to complete complex puzzle content, which takes about an hour to play; the second level is another short level, you can directly enter the boss battle, and then mix several stages of solving the problem in the process of chasing the boss. Puzzle elements, the game time is about 30 minutes; the third level is another long level, the time is extended to 1 hour and 15 minutes, there will be more complex puzzle content..."
"Through this design, It can adjust the emotional flow of players in different levels, creating a relaxing effect."
"Furthermore, based on the length of the level we finalize, we can decide which scene to use for a certain level. Combining elements such as boss battle gameplay, level background, and level duration can leave a deeper impression on players."
Wu Zhicheng blinked: "Yes, there is. It makes sense!”
He actually didn’t think so much before. He just planned 10 levels for the game with a different background packaging.
But according to Xi Hao’s analysis, there are so many ways to do it?
The length of the level can control the player's game emotions and achieve a relaxed effect. Then the player will not suddenly feel boring and boring in the middle of the game, which can lead to better games. experience.
Moreover, the length of the game also determines the form of a certain level: Is it a boss battle after a long period of solving puzzles? Or a direct boss fight? Or is it a boss battle divided into multiple stages, with puzzle elements added when changing stages?
Different forms of levels bring completely different gaming experiences to players.
After Xi Hao's analysis, Wu Zhicheng instantly felt that the previously very vague content had become much clearer, and the places where there were no clues became traceable.
Wu Zhicheng hurriedly recorded it in his notebook, fearing that he would forget it later.
Xi Hao reminded: "I am just making a suggestion, not that we must follow this. If you think it makes sense, you can plan like this. If you have other ideas, we will We can discuss it again."
"In the final analysis, "Ink Clouds and Smoke" is a game designed by you, and you have the final decision. We just make suggestions from other perspectives, and it is up to you whether to adopt them or not. Freedom."
Wu Zhicheng nodded: "Understood."
Wu Zhicheng was also very satisfied with Xi Hao's attitude.
Obviously, Xi Hao has several years of experience in the game industry, so he can provide a more professional perspective than Wu Zhicheng when looking at many issues.
Of course Wu Zhicheng will readily adopt these better suggestions.
But "Ink Clouds and Smoke" is after allThere is no doubt that he should have the final say in the game designed by Wu Zhicheng.
Xi Hao has no intention of interfering with Wu Zhicheng’s design, which reflects the most basic respect for the creator.
Xi Hao looked at the contents recorded in his notebook and said: "Do you have any expectations for the approximate resource amount and development time of the game?"
Wu Zhicheng was still shaken. Xi Hao shook his head: "No."
Xi Hao did not show any contempt, and said in a normal manner: "Then let's make a simple plan first, and some details can be followed up Improve it further."
"According to the previously estimated 10 hours of game time and the length of the levels, there are roughly 9 levels of different sizes. In addition to the prologue and the final chapter, there are also 7 in the middle. Level."
"There are about 15 kinds of mobs in it, 8 of which can be used as basic mobs, and the remaining 7 can be used as monsters that appear under special conditions or environments. Special monsters."
"The same kind of mobs can also be reused and made into different colors or skills. However, this reuse needs to be restrained and must conform to the characteristics of the level and not allow players to fight repeatedly. "
"There are a total of 8 levels from the first level to the final chapter. We design 8 different boss battles. You can choose one of the bosses in the prologue to reuse and make a weakened version. Boss, used to complete the plot."
"In this way, the map size of each level can be roughly estimated."
"The art resource list is determined based on these needs. , finalize the approximate workload. The editor is ready-made, and horizontal action games are also very common, so the production time can be relatively fast..."
"The overall construction period is estimated to be about 6 months. ."
"Although you have initially completed some of the content, you still need to leave sufficient time for subsequent revisions, so we can tentatively set two deadlines."
" A deadline is two months later. We will strive to complete the game content before the third level. We can test the players' feedback through trial play. If the feedback is not good, we can make timely modifications;"
"The second deadline is five months later. We will try to complete the game, fix all the bugs, and polish all the details. In this way, the game can be officially released."
"Related art resources such as maps, characters, monsters, special effects, etc. must also be completed within this deadline."
"If we estimate the development cost based on the current amount of resources... apply for one first The funding limit is 1.5 million. The art of this game is very important. We need to contact a few more excellent painters to choose the most suitable style. If we don’t have enough money, we can apply again later.”
< p>"Do you think this is okay?"Xi Hao looked at Wu Zhicheng and asked for his opinion.
Wuzhi was establishedHe nodded: "Okay!"
Wu Zhicheng only felt one thing about Xi Hao's speech, and that was professionalism!
When chatting with Qiu Hong before, Wu Zhicheng had no idea about the development time of the entire project, how much money it would cost and other details.
This cannot be blamed on his poor professional skills. The key point is that he is just a wild man and has never worked in a regular game company. How can he understand this?
In this case, Qiu Hong decided to invest money, which shows that he really appreciates the gameplay of "Ink Clouds and Smoke".
But now with Xi Hao’s help, these more detailed problems can be solved immediately.
Wu Zhicheng is quite satisfied with the current plan, and even feels that this plan has changed his thoughts on the game "Ink Clouds and Smoke" and become clearer.
And this plan can be changed at any time, with a high degree of freedom, so you don’t have to worry about being restricted in your design.
Xi Hao continued: "Well, we will seize the time to make the entire development plan, art resource list and demand list for you to take a look at. If there are any problems, you can communicate and modify them at any time."
p>"As for you, just focus all your energy on game design. If you encounter any problems, just come to us at any time."
"We will also, based on the type of game, Go to the Internet to collect some information or similar ready-made games, provide them as reference materials, and keep updating them."
"When you feel no inspiration, you can take a look and get some inspiration."< /p>
Wu Zhicheng was pleasantly surprised: "Okay, okay."
He couldn't help but sigh, this is really a nanny-style one-stop service!
There are people who help formulate game development plans, people who help make requests for game art resources, and even people who help collect game inspiration!
Obviously, the mission of this three-person team is to help independent game producers complete various time-consuming but essential tasks, while serving four independent game producers.
As long as the time is slightly staggered, the manpower of the entire team can be fully utilized.
Soon, the meeting was over, and the originally uncertain content had been initially finalized.
Xi Hao attended this meeting mainly to set a general direction with Wu Zhicheng, and then left the specific work to his subordinates.
In two or three days, the development plan, preliminary level planning, art resource list, requirements documents, etc. of "Ink Clouds and Smoke" will be uploaded one after another, and there will be dedicated personnel responsible for promoting the relevant work.
As for Wu Zhicheng himself, he only needs to do a good job in design.
On the one hand, it regulates and guides his original wild path, so that he can make games more efficiently within a certain framework, instead of continuing to crash like a headless fly;
On the other hand, it greatly reduces the burden. Wu Zhicheng no longer needs to do those inefficient tasks.But for the repetitive work that has to be done, you only need to focus all your attention on the game design work that requires the most creativity.
Wu Zhicheng returned to his work station and took a sip of milk tea, feeling a lot more excited.
Why are you suddenly so motivated?
He immediately began to redo the level planning of the entire game according to the details that had been finalized before.