quarter spiral ethan levy-遊戲設計是商業設計演講簡報

www.QuarterSpiral.com

Game Design is Business Design

digital taipei | sep 13 ethan levy | cofounder @quarter spiral | consultant @famousaspect

http://www.quarterspiral.com



about a boy

• 10 years experience as a game developer• 30+ shipped games, multiple awards and nominations

game design game production

metrics & user testmonetization consultant




desired takeawayswhat do you want to get out of this session?




better freemium design better communication

my motivation for giving this talk




KingsRoad by Rumble Entertainment




emotion is key




“I'm one of those guys who has a voice constantly jabbering at him in his head. And it's usually not very pleasant things that voice is saying. And the games have that way short of having any chemical alterations to quiet that voice. I find it very relaxing and centering to play them.”

Ken Levine on the Active Design podcast




Farmville 2 by Zynga

relief




Clash of Clans by SuperCell

relief




Injustice: Gods Among Us by NetherRealm

curiosity




Bubble Witch Saga by King.com

accomplishment




Puzzle & Dragons by GungHo

pride




The Last: Stand Dead Zone by Con Artist Games

exhilaration




Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap

mastery




framework




general monetization framework• identify the core loop

• identify emotions you wish to monetize

• identify opportunities to monetize the core loop

• make the ability to spend money present




evaluating smb3




super mario bros. 3

WorldChoose branching levels,

play mini gamesSink timeTap items

PlatformFinish the obstacle course

before time runs outSink lives, items

Tap lives

GateLives

GateBoss castles

Pay

Gat

e: $

5




delight

We can build off of the slightly linear nature of Super Mario Bros. 3 to build a system dependent upon earning stars instead of pure level completion to unlock new areas and abilities. Taking queues from games like Candy Crush Saga and Jetpack Joyride, we will build in systems of achievement that will motivate players to use a variety of consumable boosts.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a masterclass in surprise and delight. The player is introduced to novelties throughout the game that keeps the experience constantly fresh. In order to monetize emotion, we will introduce elements like a crafting system that allows the player to unlock new characters for use with slightly different powers which allow for more novelty.

achievement




metastructure changes• Each level is a social leaderboard

• Earn 1 to 3 stars per level based on score

• [bonus stars for completing w/other characters]

• Unlock new worlds based on star totals

add achievement focus and social competition to game to allow for monetization




time based elements• Lives regen at 1 per 30 minutes

• Mini games are playable 1 per 24 hours

• EOL reward pays out once 1 per 24 hours

• Add new daily scratcher return mechanic

add time based gating to encourage daily returns




coins as currency• Coins no longer grant free life at 100

• Spend coins on entrance to mini games

• Spend coins to buy consumables pre level

• Spend coins to buy mystery box of craft components

• Spend coins to complete crafting tasks

players can grind for coins, but can purchase them in packages for $$$




toad the craftsman• EOL reward and Toad mini games grant craftables

✦ Scripted, public facing payout for each

• Craftables + gold turned in for consumables

• Rare craftables + gold to unlock new characters✦ Princess Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Samus, Link, Wario...

crafting will be the major coin sink




standard requirements• Starter pack for straight cash ($20 of value for $5)

• Boost upsell dialog before entering each level

• Contextual upsell on not enough coins, out of lives

• Notifications

standard elements to make purchasing and returns present




new feature - survival mode• A weekly high score challenge

• Randomly generated level

• Receive rewards based on making certain distances

• Costs coins to enter

• New level/refreshed leaderboard each week

coin sink + a piece of infinitely replayable content to keep players engaged




super mario bros. 3

WorldChoose branching levels,

play mini games, craftSink time, coins, craftables

Tap boosts, craftables

PlatformFinish the obstacle course

before time runs outSink lives, consumables

Tap coins, craftables

GateLives

GateStars earned

crafting

lives

consumablesmini games

characters




on accessibility




Dragon Age Legends by BioWare

ease of access




War Commander by KixEye

be present




Zuma Blitz by PopCap

teach spending




unleash your power




Temple Run by Imangi Studios

possibility of in!nite monetization




social elder game

Life is Crime by Red Robot Labs




luxury goods




currency package pricing

The Last Stand: Dead Zone by Con Artist Games




Fifa Ultimate Team by EA

weekly events




theory into practice




• Classic score based arena shooter re-imagined for Mobile• Bite sized levels played for high score• Compete against friends’ scores, earn achievements and medals

smash tv saga




x statement• Single sentence that describes the essence of the

game

• “Razor” used to make decisions

• Punchy & memorable

Meaningless X statementReturn of the arcade classic

Meaningful X statementCompete and cooperate in an over the top, reality TV shooter.




analogs, antilogs and leaps of faith• Idea taken from Getting to Plan B

• Analogs: successful games you want to be like

• Antilogs: similar games you want to avoid

• Leaps of faith: elements unproven in the marketplace



http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Plan-Breaking-Through-Business/dp/1422126692

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Plan-Breaking-Through-Business/dp/1422126692


smash tv analogs • Ratchet and Clank

✦ Leveling weapons

✦ Fast and furious gunplay

• Bubble Witch Saga

✦ Short, rewarding levels

✦ Leader board competition

✦ Earned currency and boosts




smash tv antilogs✦ Smash TV Arcade

✦ Don’t be a quarter monster

✦ Engagement not frustration

✦ Simcity Social

✦ Social network integrity

✦ Multiplayer not friend gating




leap of faithmobile/tablet

CRAVE synchronous multiplayer




monetization philosophy doc• Identify player types

• Identify a small # of monetization emotions (2-3)

• Don’t try and do everything, make a small number of distinct choices

• Each emotion should be a razor you use in the future to evaluate monetization moments

• Razors are used when writing feature briefs

• Define core loop, sinks and taps




Smash TV Saga has multiple achievement systems to entice the player. Each level, he can earn a number of predetermined levels. In addition, there is a global achievement system similar to XBLA. Points earned by completing achievements and earning medals are used to purchase powerful weapon upgrades.

dominanceSmash TV Saga is a score based game where each level is a unique leaderboard that the player competes to dominate against his friends. Leaderboards are heavily emphasized in game: they are shown before and after levels, in-game notifications show when you’ve passed a friends score and the game encourages you to brag on your friend’s wall after topping his score.

achievement




core loop• Simple diagram that lays out core experience

• What are the sinks (player spends consumable)?

• What are the taps (player earns consumable)?

• What are the gates (what gates progress in each section of the game)?




smash tv saga

KillKill hordes of enemies

Sink ammo, timeTap stars, money, xp

GunsPurchase and upgrade

Sink gold, starsTap guns, ammo

GatePlayer level

GateLifetime Stars




feature brief• High concept

• Success metric

✦ Monetization, engagement, virality, retention, quality

• Single screen mock up

• Sinks and Taps

• Description




proposed feature - smash pad• During each round the player picks up money and

home goods

• In between levels, the player can visit his SmashPad to decorate it with items earned

• The player’s friend can visit his SmashPad, choosing to “Bro Out” or “Blow Out”

• Monetization: The player can buy premium home goods using the game’s purchased currency.




using our razor•Feature rejected!• Proven mechanic – houses in Sims Social

• Based on emotion – Jealousy/Vanity

• Social interaction with “Bro Out” vs “Blow Out”

• Does not map to our key emotions.




proposed feature - phone a friend• In level, there are buttons to “Phone a Friend”

• Each type is a super ability with a cooldown time

• Example: “Lifeline” fills you to 200% health

• Using “Phone a Friend” costs a Smash Token

• Smash Tokens are earned on level up, but can also be purchased in large quantities




using our razor•Feature accepted!• Super abilities will help the player earn high scores

• Super abilities will help the player earn medals

• Super abilities are consumable based

• Super abilities are available to free and paying players




forecasting




Gasketball by mikengreg




Punch Quest by Rocket Cat Games




ask yourself• How many players will I get?

• How many will convert to payers?

• What LTV do I expect from the average player?

• How much will I pay to platform holders?




super simple forecast




http://apps.facebook.com/forecastquest

forecast quest






continue the conversation...• Tools and templates blog.quarterspiral.com

• Follow @QuarterSpiral

• Contact [email protected]



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quarter spiral ethan levy-遊戲設計是商業設計 演講簡報

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