2016年1月23日 星期六

Traversal Level Design Principles _ 穿越關卡設計原則


原文出處 :  

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.


In 2010 I started at Crystal Dynamics to work on the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot.  Within my first two weeks, I was entered into a “Thunderdome” exercise in which I had two days to revamp a traversal level, competing against a senior level designer who had worked on Assassin’s Creed 2.  A winner would be chosen after the time expired and that level used in the game. 
在2010,我開始在Crystal Dynamics上班,製作2013古墓奇兵:重啟。剛開始的兩個禮拜,我進入一個 “Thunderdome” 活動,我有2天時間去翻新一個穿越關卡,去和一位做過刺客教條2的資深關卡設計師做挑戰。贏家在時間屆滿之後被選出,並且在遊戲裡使用他的關卡設計。
Prior, I had never designed a level for a game using more than a simple jump mechanic where the player could only land on their feet.  You can probably guess that I lost, but what started was my education into the intricacies of laying out levels that use complex player traversal mechanics.
在此之前,我從來沒有為遊戲設計過,使用超過一個單純跳躍方式(玩家只能用腳著地)的關卡。你可能猜想我輸了,但這開啟我的訓練,進入設計關卡的錯綜複雜,使用複雜的玩家穿越方式。
For the purposes of this article I define Traversal Gameplay as any gameplay where the player is actively moving around a space.  Stepping up / down, hurdling, mantling, climbing and swinging are all examples of traversal gameplay (but there are lots more!).  Before we dive into talking about principles, we need to identify the types of traversal level design which these principles apply to.  Then I will dive into the meat and potatoes of this article.
為了這篇文章的目的,我定義Traversal Gameplay為:在任何遊玩,玩家是積極地移動整個空間,走上/走下,跨欄,覆蓋披風,攀爬和游泳都是Traversal Gameplay(但還有更多!)  在我們更深入討論原則之前,我們需要認定穿越關卡設計的種類,是使用這些原則。然後我將深入這篇文章的肉和馬領薯(應該是重點的比喻)

Types of Traversal Level Design

穿越關卡設計的種類
Linear – Setups where there is only one main path.  These can be action moments, story moments or just a simple down beat in the level intensity ramp.  Think Nathan Drake climbing up a cargo net hanging behind a plane in Uncharted 3 or climbing up a radio tower in Far Cry 3 or 4. 
線性 - 場景設置只有在一條主要路徑上,這些在關卡強度坡道(一款遊戲的興趣曲線)上,可以是活動的過程,故事過程或只是一個簡單下擊。試想Nathan Drake(秘境探險主角)在秘境探險3中,爬上掛在飛機後面的貨櫃網上,或是在極地戰壕3或4中爬上無線電發射台。

Open – Setups that have multiple branching paths.  Open setups allow the player to choose one of many branching routes to get to the objective.  Examples include hubs in Tomb Raider or any of the big cities in the Assassin’s Creed Series.

開放 - 場景設置有多重分支路徑。開放場景允許玩家選擇需多分支路徑之一,而取得目標。舉例包含在Tomb Raider 的核心或任何在刺客教條系列的大城市。



Enemy Encounter Traversal – Either an open or linear traversal path that has enemies in it.  When enemies are present, you need to adhere to a few extra rules to make sure their behaviors play out correctly and the space allows for smooth fluid engagements.  Think of bounty hunts or assassinations in the Assassin’s Creed Series or any of the Tomb Raider and Uncharted levels that use lots of verticality and combat.

遇敵穿越 - 不論是開放還是線性穿越路徑,都會有敵人在裡面。當敵人出現,你需要採取一些額外的角色,確定他們的行為正確地撥放,並且空間允許可以順暢的流動交戰。試想賞金獵人或在刺客教條系列的暗殺或任何蘿拉和秘境關卡,都使用很多戰鬥。

General Principles

Principles that can apply to any of the three above types.  My focus is on third person and first person games, some of these may not apply to side scrolling games.
一般原則
原則可以應用在以上三種任一。我重心放在第三和第一人稱遊戲,它們有些可能無法用在捲軸遊戲。
1. Utilize 3D Space
1.運用3D空間
When I lost in the Thunderdome exercise, my big mistake was only making a path the player could climb up, down, left and right.  Great traversal setups let the player move around a space, inside the space, on top of the space and even under it. 
當我輸了Thunderdome 比賽時,我最大的錯誤就是只做一個路徑,讓玩家可以爬上爬下,往左往右。好的穿越場景設定可以讓玩家移動整個空間,空間裡面,空間上方,甚至空間下方。
Think of a cabin in the woods.  For it to be “great” to traverse around, you need to be able to climb the outside walls, into the cabin, out of the cabin, onto the cabin roof and even under the cabin through the crawlspace. 
試想森林小屋,它是"最好的"穿越四周的場所,你需要可以爬上外面的牆,進去屋子,離開屋子,到屋子屋頂,甚至屋子下穿過地下室。
Utilizing all the space makes the setup feel more natural, encourages choice and promotes replayability.  Even if a path is linear utilizing the 3D space will freshen up the gameplay path and make it feel more exciting.
使用所有的空間讓場景攝置更自然,促使選擇並提升重複可玩性。即使路徑是線性,使用3D空間將煥然一新遊戲路徑並讓它感覺更刺激。
2. Variety is the Spice of Life          
多樣化是生活的香料
Most games with traversal these days have a lot of traversal mechanics: ledge climbing, hand hold climbing, drain pipe climbing, pole swings, etc, etc.  The last thing you want to do is use the same move over and over again when there is such a large bucket of moves to choose from.  A general rule is to never use the same traversal mechanics more than two or three times in a row.  Please note, this is a general rule.  Certain mechanics like monkey bars are fine to use more than that because the move is so quick.  When in doubt, feel it out through play testing.
大部分有穿越的遊戲,這陣子有很多穿越機關:框台攀爬,手握攀爬,排水管攀爬,條柱擺盪式等等。最後一件你想做的事,就是當可以從一大桶的動作可以選擇時,一而再,再而三使用同樣的移動。有一條通則:絕不使用同樣的穿越力學,超過2到3次在同一條路徑上。請筆記,這是一條通則,某些機械力學像是單槓不錯使用,因為移動快速,如果有疑問,透過遊戲測試去感受它的效果。
Another general rule is to not go in the same direction for too long.  Another way to think of it: “Is the player pressing the same inputs over and over again in my level?”  An example of this is a ledge the player is shimmying along.  A designer could0 layout a long straight ledge that takes thirty seconds to scoot down, like in the below drawing.

另一個通則就是不要往同一個方向太久,換個方式想:"玩家是否正在我的關卡,不停地按同一個輸出(指令)?"這種例子就是玩家沿著框台擺盪。設計師可以布局一個很長的框台,花費30秒快速著地,像是下面的草稿

That can be very dull.  Spice it up by breaking the ledge and making the player go up or down to continue.  For example, in the drawing below, we can break the ledge and insert climbing between ledges and handholds as well up and down movement.  By taking one action and breaking it into six different actions, you get a more varied and fun feeling to the path.
這會很無趣,讓它變的刺激,可以藉由破壞框台和讓玩家往上或下持續運行。例如:下面草稿,我們可以破壞框台並置入爬行在框台和手握攀爬之間,也可以上下移動。藉由一個行動過程,並且分出六種不一樣行動,你會在這條路徑上,得到多變和樂趣。
Open setups can have long straight paths because they are architecturally necessary.  For example, Assassin’s Creed has them all over the place, but it works because the player can break out of them at almost any time.  This can be seen in the image below, where the player is not locked into a long straight path while shimmying along the roof.

開放場景設置可以有一條直線路徑,因為他們是建築結構上的必要。例如,刺客教條讓它們遍佈整個地方,但它還是有效,因為玩家可以隨時中斷路徑。這可以從下方圖片看出,當沿著屋簷擺盪時,玩家不會被鎖住在單一路徑上。
3. No Vague Traversal Geometry

3.沒有含糊不清的穿越幾何體
If the player can climb on it or perform any other traversal move, it needs to be crystal clear that it is a traversal path.  If it looks like you can traverse something, players will try.  If they think they can traverse and cannot, then they will get frustrated.  This usually becomes a problem when a level goes from being block mesh to being arted.  Keep an eye out for it yourself and in play testing.

如果玩家可以爬上它或執行任何穿越動作,它需要是淺顯易懂的,而它就是一條穿越路徑。如果它是看起來你可以試著穿越,玩家會嘗試。如果他們認為他們可以穿越但是不能,之後他們會感覺困惑。這通常會變成麻煩,當關卡從一開始的一堆網狀物到被美術改造,你自己要保持注意並在遊玩中測試。
Take a look at how other games deal with this.  Last of us uses the color yellow and in their traversal primitives to draw the player along.

看看其他遊戲如何處理這件事,最後生存者使用黃色並且在他們穿越的原始環境,伴隨玩家繪製。
Uncharted places special blocks for handhold climbing that are different than the wall they are placed upon so they stand out.  Look at how the red handholds pop against the blueish grey wall.

秘境探險為手握攀點爬行,放置特別的磚塊,這和他們放置在牆壁不一樣,他們比較突出。看這紅色的手握攀點如何突出於藍灰色的牆。
Most of the climbable ledges in Tomb Raider have an element of white in them for the same reasons.

同要道理,大部分在古墓奇兵可攀的框台,會有白色物體在上面。

4. Forbidden is Desirable
禁止通行是令人渴望的
The coolest places to traverse are the places we fear to be in real life.  That’s one reason why climbing on tall buildings is fun in the many games that have that type of experience now.  When you need to spice up your level, add a dangerous feeling place for the player to go.  You don’t have to add extra gameplay for it to be special, just the feeling of being in that place will be meaningful and fun for the player.
最棒的穿越地點,就是我們在現實中懼怕的地方。這就是一個理由,為什麼爬到高建築上,在現在許多有這種經驗遊戲中是件有趣的事。當你要調味你的關卡,增加危險感的地方,讓玩家前進。你不必增加額外的遊戲體驗,讓它不一樣,只需感受在那個地方,就會對玩家有意思和有趣。
For example, in Batman Arkham Knight there is a level where the player must glide on top of a zeppelin.  I spent ten minutes just walking around on top of the zeppelin, looking around and soaking in how cool it was to be a dangerous place with an awesome view.  For me, it was one of the coolest moments in a game filled with awesome traversal moments and all I did was one glide move and then walk around.

例如,在阿卡漢騎士裡,有一關,玩家必須滑行置飛空艇。我花了10分鐘,只是在飛空艇上走走,看看四周並且沉浸在這酷到不行的危險地方,還擁有驚艷美景。對我而言,在這遊戲中,這是一個很酷的時刻之一,充斥許多經驗的穿越體驗,而我要做的只是滑行並四處走動!
Another similar example is the Synchronization Viewpoints in the Assassin’s Creed series.  You do the same traversal moves as you do elsewhere in the city, but it feels great because you travel up so high.

另一個類似的例子就是在刺客教條裡的同步視點,你同樣做穿越的動作,如同你在城市其他地方所做的,但這感覺很棒,因為你是在穿越到最高點。


Naughty Dog is the king of these with examples like the train hanging over a cliff, hanging behind an air plane, climbing along moving trucks and trains.  All of these are spectacular because they put you in a place you fear in real life.

頑皮狗是這類型的箇中高手,像是火車懸掛在懸崖,懸掛在飛機後面,攀爬在移動中的火車和貨車。這全都是驚人之舉,因為他們把你置於在現實中你恐懼的地方。



5. When in doubt, Move it About

當有疑問,去移動試試。
Adding movement is a great way to make an aspect of your traversal more exciting.  Something static in the environment can become fun moments with just a little bit of movement.  Uncharted 3 had a cool example with two chandeliers the player swings back and forth on in the Chateau level.

增加運動是讓你穿越方面更刺激的好方法,有些靜物在環境中,可以變得有趣片刻,只需一些運動。秘境探險3有一個
很酷的例子,在酒莊關卡中,有2個吊燈,玩家要向前向後擺盪。


Assassin’s Creed Syndicate added a super fun element when they allowed the player to climb on moving horse-drawn carriages.  The movement took what could have a been a simple set piece and turned it into an exciting adventure.

刺客教條:梟雄增加一個超級有趣的物件,當他們允許玩家可以爬上移動中的馬車,這個行為採取可能只是單純的動作組合,而後轉變成一個刺激的冒險。

6. 180 Degree Turns are bad. 
6.180度轉向是不適當
When the player gets to the next step in a traversal path, try really hard not to have them turn 180 degrees around to continue along the path.  It is not intuitive for the player’s next path to be directly behind them, a lot of players look 180 degrees in front of them for the next path.  Also, the 180 degree turn usualluy must be done in a small space in these cases, when a larger space is needed for the turn to feel fluid and smooth.  For example in the drawing below, if the player jumps up to a ledge, pulling himself up, do not make him turn all the way around to make the next jump.
當一個玩家在穿越路徑上,要接著下一步,真的試著努力不要讓他們在持續的沿著路徑上,轉向180度。對玩家的下個遊玩路徑是直接背對玩家,是不直覺的,許多玩家回頭180度看他們前方的下條路徑。並且,180度轉向通常在一些專案上,是用在小空間裡,當一個大空間是需要轉向,要感覺流動和順暢。例如下面草圖,如果玩家跳到一個框台,拉自己上去,不要讓他自己轉向去做下一步地跳躍。
7. Leave Room for the Camera
留些空間給攝影機
The camera lets the player see all the cool traversal moves the player is doing.  Problems with the camera mostly occur in third person games because the camera is on a track behind the player.  Because the camera follows behind the player, it can knock into geometry in the environment.  When that happens the camera can jerk or pop.  Notice in the image below from Shadows of Mordor how there is lots of room for the camera to move around the player as they travel along the ropes, allowing for smooth camera movement.
攝影機讓玩家可以看到,所有玩家正在做的酷炫穿越動作。攝影機的問題,大多發生在第三人稱遊戲上,因為攝影機是在玩家後面的軌跡上。因為攝影機要跟隨玩家,它會撞入環境中的幾何體。當這發生,攝影機會抖動或彈開。注意下面中土世界:暗影魔多,有多少空間給攝影機在玩家附近移動,當他們沿著繩索穿越,允許攝影機平順的移動。

Special Enemy Encounter Principals

特殊敵人相遇的原則

These are specific to when there are enemies in the traversal level.
這些特定於當有敵人在穿越關卡中
1. Quick Paths are Good
1.快速路徑是好事
When the player gets attacked by enemies, they need fast traversal escape routes to allow them to get to get out of harm’s way.  A fast route would be a traversal path that the player may maneuver through quickly.  If all you have are long traversal routes that leave the player exposed, then players will get frustrated because you are leaving them open to attack for too long. 
當玩家被敵人攻擊,他們需要快速穿越逃跑路線,讓他們遠離傷害。一條捷徑會是一條玩家可以演練快速通過的穿越路徑。如果你只有長程穿越路徑,會讓玩家曝光,然後玩家會沮喪,因為你留下他們開放而攻擊太久。
Not all your paths need to be quick, but enough so that when the player assesses (makes their combat plan), they can easily find a quick way out.  The Shanty Town level in Tomb Raider 9 is a good example of lots of quick traversal routes to get the player out of danger.
並不是所有的路徑要快速,但要足夠,因此當玩家評估(製作他們的戰鬥計畫)他們可以容易找到快速通關的方法。在古墓奇兵9的The Shanty Town 關卡就是一個有許多快速穿越路徑的例子,讓玩家離開危險。
2. Allow Enemy Attacks Everywhere
2.讓敵人從任何地方攻擊
Sometimes when a level is created or enemies added to an existing level, the layout may have places where the player cannot get attacked.  This is bad not only because it makes the enemy AI look unintelligent, but also because it can break the 4th wall for the player.  Also, the player does not have to move, breaking the basic combat loop of assess -> move -> attack.  That breaks the intensity of the encounter.
有時候,一個關卡被創建或增加敵人到一個現有的關卡,布局一些也許需要讓玩家不會被攻擊到的地方,這不止不合適,因為這會讓敵人AI看起來沒有智商,也因為對玩家而言,這會破壞第4道牆(玩家會因此跳出遊玩體驗)。再者,玩家不需要移動,破壞了基本戰鬥循環 偵查->移動->攻擊。這破壞了遇敵密度。
A flushing behavior can be anything that harms the player and forces the player to move.  The easiest solution in most cases is to modify the layout just enough so the enemy can throw aㄒ or perform a flushing behavior to get the player out of the safe spot and back into battle.  In Tomb Raider 9 I inherited a level with raised platforms certain enemies could not climb up and I didn’t have art cycles to change it.  If that certain enemy type was the last type alive, things could get wonky because the enemy did not have a behavior to force the player off the platform.
一個清場動作可以是任何事件,危害玩家並強迫玩家移動。大部分最簡單的方案就是修改布局,只足夠敵人可以丟擲手榴彈或執行清場動作,讓玩家離開安全點或回到戰鬥。在古墓奇兵9我承繼一個關卡,有上升平台而某些敵人無法爬上來,並且我沒有(美術時間,不知道怎麼翻)去改變它。如果某些敵人種類是最後一種生存下來的,事情可能會不穩,因為敵人沒有一種行為迫使玩家離開平台。

Rules are Meant to Be Broken

規則意旨在被打破

Please keep in mind that these are all general rules and that special case situations or mechanics can change that.  For example, The glide and grapple combination in the Batman series is one of the most fun traversal combinations ever made and feels great to repeat often. 
這些通則請牢記在心,並且特殊例子的情況或機關是可以改變通則。例如,在蝙蝠俠系列裡,滑行並鈎抓的組合,是目前最有趣的穿越組合之一,而且感受極好而經常重複遊玩。
The same can be said of web swinging in Spider Man. 
同樣道理,在蜘蛛人中的蜘蛛網擺盪。
These principles may apply to most of your game’s traversal mechanics, but always feel through your layout and watch play testers to decide when something is a special case scenario.  Thanks for reading!
 這些通則也許大多可以利用在你的遊戲穿越機關中,不過要時常透過你的布局去感受,並觀察遊戲測試員,當在特殊場景裡做的決定。感謝閱讀。