四件事情，让你的游戏角色像马里奥一样风靡
招聘信息：
最近，海外一名开发者在博客中讨论了游戏业标志性角色的问题，并且讲述了如何设计出一个容易被玩家们记住的角色，不过他也同时表示，具有标志性的艺术风格可以起到推动作用，但再好的美术也救不了烂游戏，创造具有标识性的角色只能让你的游戏锦上添花。作为一个游戏开发者和美术师，‘标志性’这个词对于我来说意义重大。所有人都希望他们自己的游戏有一天成为‘标志性’的东西，因为这意味着不仅游戏的策划非常成功，而且还非常出名，成为了流行文化的一部分，而且非常具有辨识度。这对于游戏策划们来说是非常重要的，因为如今的游戏行业，已经充满了‘标志性’的角色，比如马里奥、吃豆人、索尼克以及洛克人等等，最近还有阿泰尔（刺客信条）、战场之神（光环）、食肉男孩（超级食肉男孩）、铲子骑士（铲子骑士）和费斯熊弗雷迪（玩具熊的五夜后宫）。业内已经有太多独特而让人记忆深刻的游戏角色，但是，这些‘标志性’的角色是如何被设计出来的呢？一个具有‘标志性’的角色和普通的角色设计有什么不同？我一直都在思考这些问题，希望这里的一些浅见可以起到抛砖引玉的作用。形状设计要简单任何一个具有突破性的标志性角色都是充分考虑了简单的重要性。很大程度上说，不管你的专长是哪个方面，简单在策划、建筑、旋律以及烘焙方面的价值始终都是非常重要的。所以为什么不忠实简单化呢？当然，这或许和我们的记忆力有关。比如说，人们通常比较难以记得周五都做了些什么，更不用说去记得你的游戏角色长什么样了。简单的方式可以让人们更能够容易记得。那么，这里说的简单到底是指的什么呢？当大多数人谈到角色设计方面的简单时，他们通常指的是使用最明显、最容易识别的形状来塑造角色。但这并不意味着所有的东西都要做成完美的正方形或者圆形，毕竟，具有辨识度的形状实在是太多了。星星、白云、树木和鼻子等等，这些奇怪的形状都非常容易让人们记住，在策划的时候考虑这些东西可以让你的作品更出色。Matt Groening在角色头发设计方面非常的擅长，比如他设计的SideShow Bob作为另一个例子，我们可以看一个非常知名但设计复杂的角色，也就是《生化奇兵》里的The Big Daddy，所有人都知道他。但哪些因素是引起我们注意的呢？为了记忆，你们可以在60秒内尝试画出Big Daddy的形象，如果你和大多数人一样，而且不像某些记忆大师，可能你画出的东西很像下面的图片所以，从细节上来看，最吸引我们注意的是一些关键特点：他的头上有很多眼，而且比较像管道，基本上来说，就是一些圆形的综合体，他的大钻头基本上就是大的三角形，这些都是非常具有标志性的设计。色彩设计所以，在简单的设计风格之后，我们就要开始着手美感方面的东西了，这里要说的就是色彩的选择。和表现形式一样，色彩的选择也要简单。一个好的色彩搭配可以让你的作品从中庸变成出色，但糟糕的色彩可以让你本来就不出彩的设计雪上加霜，比如下面这个家伙：看起来就是一个秃头家一点尖尖的东西？现在，用色彩和表情的轮廓替代刚刚的人物：很容易被认作Kratos（Kratos的乐队）基本上来说，就是要保持简单。通过三种简单的颜色设计和特定的位置安排，虽然画的很糟糕，但你一眼就可以知道这是Kratos。这就是好的设计可以彰显艺术的原因，因为你不一定非得是艺术家才能做出具有标志性的角色。更重要的是，这个角色有一些关键的地方需要被展现出来，这些都是可以进行创意的，这也是所有艺术家都很欣赏的地方。在色彩的简单方面，我们说的基本上就是在同一个角色上不要选太多的颜色，这些颜色最好是相互有联系，最具有标志性的角色在设计时通常不会超过4种颜色。背景故事当然，上面说了那么多，这些设计因素如果没有对应的游戏世界或者背景，那么他们就什么都不是。或者说，游戏背景故事可以让这些角色获得了更多的粉丝。这方面，我比较想说的是《玩具熊的五夜后宫》，这个游戏的主角设计遵循了以上的原则，他的形状简单、大多数是圆形组成，而且黑色的帽子和蝴蝶结也非常显眼。色彩设计很简单，最显眼的只有2种基本色彩：褐色的身体颜色以及黑色的帽子。但是，如果不是把它放在费斯熊弗雷迪的恐怖的披萨店里，可能就不会这么具有辨识度了。加入它是每周六早上的卡通角色的话，还会这么具有标志性吗？我觉得不会。因为在卡通世界里，有太多卡通造型的小熊了，而且可能都比费斯熊弗雷迪更可爱。我甚至觉得，如果他的游戏是卡通的平台游戏而不是恐怖游戏，可能都不会这么火。在恐怖游戏里，我们见到了太多的僵尸、骷髅以及奇奇怪怪的生物，就算是长得非常恐怖的布娃娃都有很多，但卡通风格的角色通常不会出现在恐怖游戏里，而游戏开发者恰恰利用了这一点，让这款游戏变得比较恐怖，具有标志性的角色还需要有对应的故事背景才能让玩家印象深刻。游戏的名声这里就说到了最难的地方。即便你按照上面的步骤做了，但也未必能够做出非常成功的标志性角色。因为一个游戏的成功最重要原因就是其传播方式。和前面故事背景相关的是，如果游戏故事非常能够打动粉丝们，那么你的游戏就可能更具有认知度，这方面有太多的例子了，比如《僵尸斯塔布斯》和《我的世界》里的Steve。我们很容易认为标志性的设计可以帮助游戏自动传播，当然这的确会起到一定的作用。但只有一个具有标志性的外观是不够的，因为你的美术设计、音乐设计以及故事背景等都是非常重要的，一个角色之所以具有标志性，最根本的原因是你的游戏具有很强的认知度。具有标志性的艺术风格可以起到推动作用，但再好的美术也救不了烂游戏。所以，创造具有标识性的角色可以让你的游戏锦上添花。
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您使用浏览器不支持直接复制的功能，建议您使用Ctrl+C或右键全选进行地址复制宫本茂谈《马里奥跑酷》设计和挑战：简单且好玩
自1981年首次设计《大金刚》（Donkey Kong），宫本茂（Shigeru Miyamoto）就获得了“现代电子游戏之父”的美誉。
《大金刚》发布之后不久，19世纪80年代的北美电子游戏市...
自1981年首次设计《大金刚》（Donkey Kong），宫本茂（Shigeru Miyamoto）就获得了“现代电子游戏之父”的美誉。
《大金刚》发布之后不久，19世纪80年代的北美电子游戏市场近乎崩塌。主机的销量从1983年的30亿美元的巅峰急剧下滑至1985年的1亿美元。而宫本茂之后参与制作的《超级马里奥兄弟》《塞尔达》《火狐》普遍被认为是北美游戏行业的新起点。
近日，Vox新闻网与宫本茂进行了一次畅聊，不仅提及了他的过往，也谈到了《超级马里奥》以及和他本人创造游戏时面临的挑战。我们一起来看看吧！
在《大金刚》之前，大多数电子游戏设计师都是不管故事情节。但是，《大金刚》一开始是根据1980年的《Popeye》改编，但无权使用电影的，因此宫本茂利用相同的主题创作了一个三角恋故事，公主、大猩猩，还有一个就是大家熟知的马里奥。
30年间，宫本茂参与了247款马里奥游戏的制作，在2016年，宫本茂接受了新挑战，首次为智能手机设计一款马里奥游戏，这也是任天堂真正意义上的第一款。
《超级马里奥跑酷》偏离了任天堂的传统，以往他们只为自家的硬件设计马里奥的游戏。在视频中，宫本茂表示，随着时间推移，玩马里奥游戏的人不如以前多，我们也在追问为什么：“通常都是因为游戏的操作太难了。”
而为触屏设备制作一款马里奥游戏，这就意味着任天堂将使用最简单的操作来保证游戏的好玩，玩家只需要一根指头就能尽情地玩起来，同时也自动省略了一些不利于玩家操作的元素，比如踩掉乌龟和蘑菇。
“最终的效果是让玩家随时随地都能玩，不管你是第一次玩mario，还是该系列的老玩家。”宫本茂说。而这也体现了这位年届65岁高龄的老牌设计师一贯的设计理念：做好玩的游戏，让所有人都能玩。（make fun games that everybody can play）
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苹果平台下载分析《超级马里奥》游戏设计的趣味性
发布时间： 09:19:09
作者：Daltrey Waters
人们经常谈论玩《超级马里奥》多么有趣。他们普遍看到的是它的简单、直观、容易上手。然而，我并不没有看到太多人把注意力放在解释为什么上。为什么《马里奥》很简单？为什么容易上手？为什么踩到乌龟会那么好玩？
为了解答，必须先理解“游戏设计分析”的概念。所谓的“游戏分析设计”就是，研究游戏的机制和结构，以确定如何组合以产生理想的游戏体验。游戏设计师一直以此作为职业工具。
本文的主要内容是分析《超级马里奥》的玩法，以及介绍游戏开发者通常如何分析游戏。我的目的不是全面而深入地探讨这款游戏的玩法，而是将其作为一个案例，使读者们通过我对它的分析了解游戏的设计过程。
super-mario()
评论者通常把《马里奥》定认为平台游戏。这是因为玩家的大部分游戏时间是花在从一个地点跳到另一个地点上。尽管这么描述为没错，但我想更具体地指出，它首先是一款以空间力量轴为中心的游戏。
说到角色周围的空间轴，《马里奥》有三个主要的参考点——以上、以下和两边。游戏中的一切，几乎一切都是以这些参考点为中心的。我为什么要这么强调参考点，你之后就会明白了。力量物品除了给马里奥带来特殊的技能，但更重要的是，改变了以马里奥的空间参考中心的力量元素。让我更详细地解释一下。
在一开始，这时候还是小马里奥的马里奥在两边上是很弱的。如果两边的敌人碰到他，他就会马上挂掉。游戏中的大多数敌人都是在两边上移动的。它们行动模式都是按照相同的参考点——马里奥的弱点设计的。乌龟和栗子头都属于这一类，因为他们都是在两边上移动的。然而，小马里奥可以跳到敌人头上，这意味着他强大的地方是以下。当敌人从这个轴上面对马里奥时，不能对他构成威胁。为了抵消这一点，游戏出现了带刺栗子头，玩家跳到它头上就是找死。这不是巧合；这是设计师的设计，这样敌人才能在玩家的空间轴上形成对应。另外请注意，怎么才能让玩家理解跳到带刺栗子头上很危险，而跳到乌龟头上却没事呢？这无须多费口舌，因为太明显了——刺是尖的，而壳是圆的。你在《马里奥》的其他玩法机制中也可以发现这些特征。
继续往下说，小马里奥向上跳无法破坏障碍物，这意味着他的空间范围是很小的了。
当小马里奥得到蘑菇，他就会变成大马里奥。尽管当他受到敌人攻击一次时又会变回小马里奥，但他的空间力量轴并没有改变。他在两边和向上是很弱的，但向下是很强的。这改变了他在游戏关卡中的活动范围。他现在可以破开障碍物了，意味着他可能进入之前无法进入的区域。但他也无法再通过小马里奥能通过的狭窄路径了。
玩家很容易发现这些改变，因为他们很容易理解为什么游戏玩法元素改变了。玩家不需要背景故事或额外说明就能理解为什么他不能通过某个点。游戏展示在玩家面前的规则是很清楚、很符合逻辑的。大物品不能进入小地方，大马里奥可以破坏阻碍物。再者，这归功于《马里奥》的玩法结构上的直观设计。
看起来可能没有那么明显，但力量道具蘑菇是一个相当直观的好设计。为什么？
假设《马里奥》的开发者没有使用能让马里奥变大的蘑菇，而是使用绿色的力量手套。给这个手套做特效是不切实际的，因为它太小了。为了解决这个问题，我们需要UI来告诉玩家这个绿色手套的作用—–当玩家有了这个手套，他就可以跳起来破坏障碍物，再也没有能阻碍玩家的障碍物了。
将力量手套与蘑菇相比较。尽管它们产生完全相同的玩法机制，但它们提供的体验都相当不同。首先，马里奥拾取力量道具后，外形变大了，这显然是告诉玩家现在的马里奥比之前的强大了。更大的马里奥意味着更强的马里奥，这是玩家很容易理解的概念。然而，绿色的力量手套需要UI和完整的背景说明来解释其作用。而对于蘑菇，UI就是马里奥自己，因为他现在变大了。这个明智的做法将UI与玩法改变结合成一个方面——马里奥本身。
马里奥吃到火之花后，他就可以释放火球。这个设计再一次与空间力量参考相结合，不过方式比较微妙。有了火球技能后，马里奥在两边上也不弱小了，而是变强了。尽管敌人在两边上仍然对他有威胁，但他可以用火球消灭它们。如果这个技能允许马里奥向下释放火球，那么就等于没有改变当前的玩法机制。马里奥本可以用这个技能对付带刺栗子头，但这些敌人在游戏中很少出现。总之，如果马里奥只能向下扔火球，那么玩家的空间力量参考就会原封不动，力量实际上也没有增强。
你之前可能不会有意思考这一点，但可能已经无数次感觉到这一点。
你有没有玩过一款提供50种武器和各种不同能量道具的游戏？玩家通常只会挑选两三种武器，并全程使用。所有这些武器，尽管外观不同，但在玩法功能上其实是一样的。也就是说，如果某一种武器适合当前的游戏规则，那么玩家就会一直使用它，而不考虑其他武器。其他武器的存在意义呢？归根到底，只是成为玩法的累赘，并不能增加游戏的深度。
马里奥得到的最后一种力量道具是星星，它与游戏剩下的玩法机制结合得非常完美。它是一种非常平衡的力量道具，使马里奥在所有空间轴上都变强大了，可惜有时间限制。对于新玩家，星星是非常实用的，因为可以解决难度较大的区域。
通过对马里奥的空间力量分析，我们顺便解答了为什么大家都讨厌Hammer兄弟。Hammer兄弟扔出斧头带弧度，这意味着它们利用了马里奥不止一个空间上的弱点。我看到其他人的评论说，Hammer兄弟难对付是因为他们的斧头速度太快。尽管这么说可能没错，但忽略了这个重点——它利用了两个轴上的弱点，所以导致玩家无法防御。这是一个艰难的挑战，因为马里奥在面对超过一个轴上的危险时并没有适合的防御办法。Hammer兄弟是我对马里奥的玩法的唯一不满，因为我认为《马里奥》的开发者本可以更好地设计它们。如果它们是通过两边扔斧头，也就是像马里奥的火球，这样就符合我在上文中描述的空间轴了。如果马里奥的火球可以也可以反击斧头，那就再次增加了火球技能的价值。
通过力量轴，也轻易地解释了为什么水下关卡的难度那么大——马里奥没有空间力量参考，他在所有轴上都是脆弱的。不过，开发者确实意识到了这个问题，所以让敌人移动得更慢，或更有规律。
我们来看看《马里奥3》是如何改进游戏的力量轴的。《马里奥》是第一款允许玩家同时在垂直和水平方向上玩的平台游戏。这款游戏的制作者本可以通过无数种做法开发这个新技术，但他们选择了最简单的一种——让马里奥飞。
Super-Mario-Brothers()
马里奥有了飞行技能，就以各种方式增加了空间参考点，所以制作者为适应这一新情况而调整了游戏设计。
给马里奥带来浣熊装的叶子道具解决了《马里奥3》面临的大部分新设计问题。有了浣熊装，玩家可以向上飞，也可以从高处落下。后一点尤其重要。因为浣熊装降低了玩家下落的几率，这样玩家就能更好地控制马里奥的行为。这意味着，玩家不再害怕从高处落下；甚至从不熟悉的地方落下也没关系。尽管设计师可以把玩家丢进任何处境中，但玩家有最大的控制权。
这个设计完全符合力量轴。有了跳跃和下落的能力，玩家对如何伤害敌人就有更大的控制权。结果是，敌人与玩家的互动方式更丰富了。现在，你在游戏中可以看到更多对角攻击，但并不像《马里奥1》中的hammer兄弟那么棘手。这是因为玩家有适合的道具来应对这种局面。
浣熊装也是对火球技能的平衡。火球技能增加了马里奥的攻击范围，但浣熊装却没有。如果浣熊装也能远程攻击，那就强悍过头了。火球本来对玩家是没有真正意义上的好处的，而只是玩法上的累赘。力量道具的平衡意味着玩家在两种不同力量道具之间的切换，并不会有什么损失。
再看看《超级马里奥世界》，我们又一次看到力量轴概念的演进。尽管这一次是体现在Yoshi的出现上。 Yoshi给了玩家新的移动方式。玩家现在可以双跳了。
使用Yoshi作为双跳机制是很明智的，体现在两个方面。一是，玩家很容易理解双跳的概念；二是玩家很容易理解为什么只能双跳一次。想像一下这个相同的机制，但不是Yoshi，而是绿色的力量靴子。假设这双绿色的力量靴子在玩家双跳一次后就会“消失”。因为太小了，绿色靴子只能通过UI和背景说明来解释为什么它消失了。
尽管绿色靴子体现了相同的玩法机制，但并不如使用Yoshi来得直观。绿色靴子的UI提供的信息并没有多过Yoshi。使用Yoshi作为双跳机制，我们再一次看到将玩法机制与游戏设计相结合的巧妙做法。
更重要的是，Yoshi创造了带着朋友一起闯游戏的概念。人们会在乎像Yoshi这样的同伴，却不会对绿色的靴子抱有多少同情心。这表明，游戏设计不只是关于机制，还有玩家体验的建设。
《马里奥》的另一个重要元素是探索。玩家不只是穿过游戏世界，还要探索它。《马里奥》不只是多个关卡的集合，它是一个完整的蘑菇王国。在原版游戏中，最能刺激玩家探索世界的莫过于管道了。它们打破了游戏的线性，这对刺激玩家的探索欲望是极其重要的。任何管道都可能是通向另一个充满新玩意的区域的入口。管道本身也是障碍物，所以在游戏体验中实际上具有双重作用。
通过世界布置，《马里奥3》拓展了这个概念。开发者本可以通过让玩家在页面上选择关卡达到相同的目的。许多游戏就是这么做的。然而，管道概念使玩家觉得自己更像在探索世界。管道的另一个作用是“休息室”，玩家可以站在管道上使用刚得到的道具，为下一场战斗做准备。这是一个让玩家放松和思考接下来要怎么做的“安全区”。轻松与紧张相结合，是使玩家产生我们所谓的“流状态”的关键。
在流状态下，玩家与游戏形成一种亲密无间的关系。正是在这个时刻，玩家所处的世界消失了，只有游戏体验存在。《马里奥》说明了，甚至选择页面也可以体现游戏体验的机制。
《超级马里奥世界》甚至更进一步拓展探索玩法：世界随着玩家的探索而改变。高山会改变，平原也会改变。世界响应玩家的行动。探索作为玩法元素的经典例子正是出现在《超级马里奥世界》的开头。游戏向玩家展示如何爬山。之后玩家俯视他将探索的世界。这不只是下一个玩法元素的伏笔，更是玩家将得到的体验的铺垫。
这对玩家的影响极大，让我来举例说明。在山的一边，有一个靠近大陆的岛屿。在我年轻时，我经常与朋友讨论岛屿上是否有什么东西。我们花了很多时间试图的揭开岛屿的秘密，可惜岛屿上什么也没有。我们探索的渴望是游戏设计的副产品。游戏邀请我们去探索，所以我们就去探索了。相反地，有多少次你看到细节丰富的游戏世界，却全无探索的欲望呢？那是因为游戏从来没有让你看到探索的价值。有时候，精心构建的游戏世界甚至无法与《超级马里奥世界》中的可望而不可及的简陋岛屿相提并论，这真让我惊奇。
对玩家来说，空间参考和探索是很清楚的玩法元素。然而，《马里奥》的玩法还让简单的元素本身也成为体验的一部分。这些有益的元素以不同方式散落在整个游戏中，当把它们放在一起时，就形成了愉快的体验。
以带问号、内藏金币的障碍物为例子。玩家必须一直跳才能得到所有隐藏的金币。为什么制作者要这么做？它似乎没有给游戏增加任何直接的价值。当玩家撞到障碍块时，制作者本可以简单地让所有金币一起弹出。
然而，不停地撞障碍物，一个一个地得到金币，这本身就是一种乐趣，因为这是玩家的本能行为。重复按跳跃键，不停地得到奖励，这种感觉非常棒。与《大金刚》的香蕉浆相比，玩法元素是一样的：玩家得到大量香蕉而不只是一个。现在你问自己，二者是否产生相同的玩家体验？显然不是。
另一方面是游戏的结束关卡。《马里奥1》中有旗杆，让玩家跳到最高。达到最高点本身就是一种令人愉快的成就，因为玩家可以很实在地看到自己的成就。《马里奥3》有转变卡，类似于老虎机元素。卡片的神秘进一步强化了玩家的整体体验。《超级马里奥世界》有一个结束的大门，作用类似于《马里奥1》的旗杆。玩家想得到最高分不只是因为奖励，更因为成就感。
《大金刚》只有一个出口表示关卡结束。玩家通关成功后没有任何宣泄兴奋感的时刻，就好像只是结束了一个普通的任务一样。如果结束关卡却不能收获快感，那么为什么还要通关？必须让玩家产生一种战胜某物的快感，如果做不到，那么整个游戏体验都被破坏了。
使《马里奥》这么好玩的元素有很多，逐一分析是没必要的，毕竟游戏不是简单的各个元素之和。使《马里奥》充满乐趣的不只是吃到蘑菇或撞带问号的障碍物。组合式的体验才是让玩家感到快乐的原因。
希望通过本文，读者能了解到做好游戏设计的各个方面和元素。（本文为游戏邦/编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）
Super Mario Bros Game Design Analysis
by Daltrey Waters
People usually talk about how cool playing a Mario game is. Common highlights are that it is simple, intuitive, and easy to learn. However, I do not see a lot of focus on why that is the case. Why are Mario games simple? Why are they easy to play? Why does it feel so rewarding when you jump on a turtle?
To provide an answer, one needs to understand a concept called ‘Game Design Analysis’. It is when you look at a games mechanics and structure, while trying to determine how that combines into creating an experience. Game developers do this all the time as a tool of their trade
I decided to create this video analyzing Mario’s gameplay then to share with others how game developers usually analyses their games. My goal is not to have a complete and thorough analysis of Mario’s gameplay. It is just an attempt to give viewers a sneak peek into the design process that these games take.
Axis of Power
Reviewers generally define Mario as a platforming game. This definition comes from the fact that players spend most of their time jumping from spot to spot. Although it is a fair description, I would say Mario games, more specifically the first one, centers on what I refer to as Mario’s spatial axis of power.
Mario has three main reference points when it comes to the spatial axis around him. Above, below and on the sides. Everything, absolutely everything, around the game centers on these references points. I cannot emphasize this enough and you will soon understand why. Although power ups give Mario special abilities, they more importantly change the elements of force around Mario’s spatial reference. Let me detail that a bit more.
Mario in his initial stage, little Mario, is weak on the sides. If an enemy on the sides touches him, he will die. Most enemies in the game exploit that. They all possess a pattern of moving on the same reference point that Mario is weak on. Turtles & goombas fall in that category, since they move from side to side. However, Little Mario can jump on top of some enemies, meaning he is strong from below. Enemies do not pose a threat to Mario when being faced from that axis. To counteract that, spiked goombas play with concept, since they are an enemy that can harm the player when jumped on. This
this is a design so enemies comply with the spatial reference around the player. Notice also, how easy it is for the player to understand why the spiked goombas are harmful when jumped on, but turtles are not. There is no need to explain this component to the player since it’s self-apparent – spikes are bad, shells are not. You see these characteristics in other areas of Mario’s gameplay as well.
Continuing, little Mario also cannot break blocks when he
meaning his spatial reach on the game level has diminished.
As he gets a mushroom, Little Mario then transforms to big Mario. Although the player can take, an extra enemy hit, and return to the little Mario form, his spatial axis of power are still the same. He is weak from the sides and on top, but strong from below. What this changes then is his reach on the game level. He can now break blocks, meaning he has access to areas he did not have before. He also can no longer access narrow paths that only little Mario could.
These changes are easy to learn because it is easy for the user to understand why the gameplay elements have changed. There is no back-story or extra context required for the player to understand why he cannot access a particular point. The game presents to the player rules that are clear and logical. Big objects cannot go through small places, and big Mario has the strength to destroy blocks. Again, another implementation of intuitive design into Mario’s gameplay structure.
It might not seem that obvious, but the mushroom power up is a really good and clever design trick. Here is why.
Assume the creators of Mario, instead of using a mushroom that increases his size, used instead a green glove of power. Rendering the glove of power is unpractical, since it is too small. To address that, we would have user interface that indicates the player when he is in possession of the green glove of power. With it, he is capable of breaking blocks when hitting them from below. In addition, with the green glove of power, force fields that were not visible before now appear blocking the player’s path.
Compare the gloves of power with the mushroom. Although they produce the exact same gameplay mechanic, the experience they provide is quite different. First, seeing Mario growing in size as he collects a power up is a clear empathetic way of telling the user that he now is stronger than before. A bigger Mario implies a stronger Mario, a concept that the player can easily understand. Meanwhile the green glove of power requires user interface and a whole background context explaining what they do and how they work. With the Mushroom, the user interface is Mario itself because he is now bigger. It is a clever way of combining both the user interface & the gameplay changes into one aspect – Mario itself.
As Mario catches a fire flower, he is now able to throw fireballs. Although it is a very neat effect, this element combines again with the spatial reference of power. With the firepower, Mario is no longer weak on the sides, but strong. Although enemies still pose a threat to him on the sides, he can tackle them accordingly. Had the power up allowed Mario to throw fire straight down for example it would have not changed any of the current gameplay mechanics. It might have served as a good counter measure against the spiked goombas, but these enemies are far and few throughout the game. In short, the player’s spatial power reference would be intact and no actual ‘power up’ would have occurred if he could only throw fire straight down.
You might not have consciously realized this before, but subconsciously you probably have many times already.
Have you ever played a game with 50 weapons and all sorts of different power ups? Most often than not, players generally just pick 2 or 3 sets of weapons and use them throughout the entire game. All these weapons, although have different aesthetics, they still have the same equivalent gameplay functionality. Meaning one of them is best suited for the current rules of the game, and players just generally stick with them, disregarding all other weapons. How useful are the other weapons then? In the end, this just becomes noise to the gameplay and do not really add any depth to the game.
The star is the last power up Mario can get and it fits in nicely with the rest of the gameplay mechanics. It is a well-balanced power up, meaning that Mario is now powerful on his entire spatial axis, but only for a limited amount of time. It is useful for new players to pass challenging areas, and gives a nice cathartic element of power for the players.
The spatial analysis of powers around Mario also serves as a mechanism for describing why everyone hates the Hammer bros. The hammer brothers throw their axes in an arced ways, meaning they exploit more than one spatial weakness. I have seen comments from others stating that the problem with the Hammer Brothers is that their axes go to fast. Although it might be true, that argument still misses the point that by exploiting two axis of weakness, the player has no proper way to defend himself. It is a tough challenge, since Mario does not have a proper defense against incoming threats from more than one axis. The hammer bros are my only criticism of Mario’s gameplay, since I believe Mario’s creators could have designed them in a better way. If they threw their hammers via the sides, meaning they would bounce and move just like Mario’s fireballs, they would fit in nicely with the spatial axis I have been describing so far. If Mario’s fireballs could counter act the oncoming axes as well, this would also serve as another additive element to the value of the firepower.
The axis of power are also an easy tool to explain why the underwater levels were so challenging – Mario has no spatial reference of power, he is weak on all sides. The developers though realized this and presented the player either with enemies that moved slowly or in a rhythmic movement.
Let us move to Mario 3 and evaluate how this game improved the axis of power the original game created. Mario was the first platforming game in which the player could scroll both simultaneously vertically and horizontally. The game creators could have explored this new technical in numerous ways, but they choose the simplest to use – allowing Mario to fly.
With Mario’s new flying ability, this enhanced the spatial reference point in all sorts of manners and the creators adapted the game design to this new condition.
The leaf power up, which gives Mario a raccoon suite, mitigates most of the new design challenges a game like Mario 3 has. The raccoon suite allows players to explore by either flying upwards or from falling from great heights. This last point is incredibly important. Since the raccoon suite lowers the rate at which the player falls, the player than has greater control of what Mario is doing. This means that the player will not feel intimidated from fallin even where he is unfamiliar. This allowed the developers throw the player in all manner of situations, while allowing the player to retain control.
The tailspin also fits nicely into the axis of power. With the ability to jump & tail spin, players have more control on how they can inflict damage onto enemies. As of consequence, enemies now can interact in more ways with the player. You see a lot more diagonally based attacks in this game, but they are not as obtrusive as the hammer bros were in Mario 1. That is because the player has the proper powers ups to deal with these kinds of situations.
The raccoon suite also counterbalances well with the firepower. The firepower gives Mario a great deal of reach on his attack, while the raccoon tail is does not. If the raccoon suite had a ranged attack, it would be too overpowered. The firepower would have no true benefit to the player at all and it would just be noise in the gameplay. Having a balanced set of power-ups means that the player is never at a true loss when switching between different powers.
Moving on to Super Mario World, we see an evolution of the axis of power concept once again. This time though, it comes via the presence of Yoshi. Yoshi enables the player to move in a new way: the player can now double jump.
Using Yoshi as the mechanism for the double jump is clever in two ways. One is that it is easy for the player to understand the concept of jumping off something, it is easy for the player to understand why he can only do it once. Imagine having the same gameplay mechanic but instead of Yoshi, there are the green boots of power. Assume that the green boots of power “dissolve” after the player uses the double jump mechanic. Since they are too small, the green boots would require UI and a background context to why they would dissolve.
Although the green boots present the same gameplay mechanic, it is not as intuitive as using Yoshi.
The user interface for the green boots of power doesn’t present any extra information to the player that Yoshi couldn’t. Using Yoshi as the double jump mechanism, we see once again a clever way of combining gameplay mechanics with the games design.
More importantly, Yoshi created the concept of a friend you carried along the way throughout the game. People care about their companion and players would not feel as much empathy for the green boots of power as they do for Yoshi. This highlights that game design is more it is the construction of an experience for the player.
Exploration
Another important part of Mario is its exploration aspect. In it, the player is not simply traversing a world but he is exploring it. It is not just a collection of levels — they are the Mushroom kingdom. In the original game, the greatest catalyst for this are the pipes. They break the linearity of the game, which is crucial in creating a sense of exploration for the player. Every pipe can now be a gateway to another area, filled with new things to explore. The pipes themselves also serve as obstacles meaning they can serve a double purpose in the games experience.
Mario 3 expands the exploration concept more broadly by including the world layout. The developers could have achieved the same mechanic via a selection screen where the player chooses which levels he wants to go. Many games possess this pattern of simple level selection. However, the over world made it clear to the user that he was indeed exploring a world. It also served as a ‘waiting room’ where players could use items they have acquired to prep up for the next battle. It was a ‘safe spot’ where players could relax while contemplating what was coming ahead. This mixture of relaxation and tension is critical for creating what is known as ‘flow’ state in the player.
Flow is a state where the player connects seamlessly with the game. It is that moment where the world around the player dissolves and only the games experience exists. I will go into detail on flow design in another video, but Mario serves to display that even the stage selection screen can present a mechanism of experience in a game.
Super Mario World expanded exploration even more. The world would change as you explored it. Mountains would change. Plains would form. The world reacted to the player and his actions, creating a sense of awe. A clear example of exploration as an element of gameplay is right in the beginning of Super Mario World. The game presents the player with the possibility of climbing a mountain on the side. As he does so, the player sees a first glance the rest of the world he is about to explore. It is foreshadowing of not only the next gameplay elements, but also the experience the player will have.
This has a tremendous effect on players. Let me give you an personal example of this. On the side of cookie mountain there is an island that stands closely to the rest of continent. I have had numerous discussions with friends of mine, when I was younger, wondering if there was something on that island. We spent countless hours trying to find that islands secret, even though in the end there was nothing there. The desire of exploring my friends and I had was a byproduct of the games design. The game invited us to explore, and in doing so, we explored it. In contrast, how many times have you seen a game with a fully detailed world, and yet you never even bothered to explore it? That is because the game never gave you any value in terms of experience in order to do so. It still amazes me how sometimes the most beautifully constructed worlds, cannot compare to a single unreachable island in Super Mario World.
Spatial references and exploration are gameplay elements that are clear to the user. However, Mario’s gameplay also invites the user to enjoy simple elements that are still rewarding in themselves. They are scattered throughout the game in many ways and they creates an enjoyable experience when put together.
Take for example the questions blocks with multiple coins. The player must keep jumping in order to get all coins hidden within. Why would the creators do that? It does not ‘actually add any immediate value to the game from what it seems. The creators could have simplified this by having all 5 coins pop-out together when the player jumped on the block.
However, jumping on the coin blocks and getting coins one by one is fun since it is a visceral action. Tapping the jump button repeatedly and getting rewards feels good. Compare this to Donkey Kong’s country multiple banana starches. It is the s the player gets a bunch of bananas instead of just one. Now ask yourself, do these present the same experience for the user? It clearly is not.
Another aspect are the end level quick games. Mario 1 had a flagpole, which invited players to jump as high as they could. Reaching the top was a satisfactory accomplishment just in itself, since the player could see his achievement in a physical way. Mario 3 had the shifting cards, which is similar to a slot machine element. The mystery of which value they would get would add to the player’s overall enjoyment. Super Mario World had the end gates that acted similarly to the first game. Players wanted to get to the highest score not just because of the bonus round, but because of the sense of accomplishment.
Compare this to Donkey Kong Country, which has only an exit sign at the end of the level. There is no cathartic moment of victory as the player finishes the level. It just happens like any other ordinary task. If finishing a level has no element of gain, then why play the level at all then? It is important to give the player the sensation that he is conquering something, and when that is subdued, the experience as a whole gets lost.
There are hundreds of elements that make Mario games fun to play. Attempting to analyze all of them is pointless since game play is more than the sum of its parts. It is not just getting the mushroom or hitting the question blocks. The combined experience is what makes it an entertaining ride for the end user.
I hope with this video I managed to display to you the various aspects and elements that come into making a good game design. I would love to read your feedback, so feel free to send me an e-mail at daltrey. or drop a comment down below. Like and share if you enjoyed the video as well J
Thanks for watching, until then. Cheers.()
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