ch4.mht

游戏设计大师Chris Crawford的大作《The Art of Game Design》唯一不足的是英文版的

  special odds and ends (they call them "features"). These people design =
with a=20
  shovel instead of a chisel. They confuse magnitude with magnificence,=20
  intricacy with insight. <FONT size=3D-1><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html#=
top">Top</A>=20
  </FONT></P>
  <P><A name=3D"PRECEPT #5: STORE LESS AND PROCESS"></A><B>PRECEPT #5: =
STORE LESS=20
  AND PROCESS MORE</B></P>
  <P>(Our idiot is juggling. Beside him another man is juggling five or =
six=20
  numbers comfortably and happily. The idiot is staring upward in stark =
terror,=20
  arms outstretched in a futile attempt to catch an avalanche of numbers =
that=20
  will simply crush him.)</P>
  <P>The role of information storage in a computer is often =
misunderstood. A=20
  computer is not primarily an information storage device; it is instead =
an=20
  information processing device. Information storage is a necessary =
precondition=20
  for information processing, but it is not an end in itself. Greater =
amounts of=20
  stored information permit greater amounts of information processing, =
but if=20
  the processing capability is insufficient to realize the full =
potential of the=20
  storage, then that storage is wasted. The ideal program strikes the =
optimum=20
  balance between storage and processing. Most game programs I have seen =
are=20
  long on storage and short on processing. This is because data for =
storage=20
  facts are easier to come by than process-intensive material-program =
code. In=20
  taking the path of least resistance, most game designers end up going=20
  downhill.</P>
  <P>Thus, a game that sports huge quantities of static data is not =
making best=20
  use of the strengths of the machine. A game that emphasizes =
information=20
  processing and treats information dynamically is more in tune with the =

  machine. Relegate all static information to a rules book; paper and =
ink are=20
  still a better technology than personal computers for storing static=20
  information. Information that lies around and does little, that must =
be dusted=20
  off before using, has no place inside the microcomputer. As you look =
over your=20
  program listing, you should inspect each byte and ask yourself, "Am I =
getting=20
  my money=92s worth from this byte? Is it working hard for me, doing =
useful things=20
  frequently? Or is this a lazy byte that sits idle for hours and is =
used only=20
  rarely?" Fill your program with active bytes that do things, not lazy=20
  bytes.</P>
  <P>Lazy bytes are often associated with dirty rules (they like to hang =
out=20
  together in sleazy pool halls). Dirty rules are special cases that =
occur=20
  rarely. If they occur rarely, the bytes associated with them are not =
used=20
  often, hence they are lazy bytes.</P>
  <P>Another argument in favor of this precept arises from more =
fundamental=20
  considerations on the nature of game play. Interactiveness is a =
central=20
  element of game enjoyment. As mentioned earlier, the computer=92s =
plasticity=20
  makes it an intrinsically interactive device. Yet, the potential =
inherent in=20
  the computer can easily go unrealized if it is programmed poorly. A =
program=20
  emphasizing static data is not very dynamic. It is not plastic, hence =
not=20
  responsive, hence not interactive. A process-intensive program, by =
contrast,=20
  is dynamic, plastic, responsive, and interactive. Therefore, store =
less and=20
  process more.</P>
  <P>One last argument has more to do with games than computers. (You =
will=20
  remember from Chapter One that a game is distinguished from a story by =
the=20
  network of options that a game has, as opposed to the single =
richly-developed=20
  thread of a story. Much of the quality of a story is derived from the =
richness=20
  of the information it contains. A story is thus all information and no =

  processing. A game derives its quality from the richness of the =
network of=20
  options it presents. These options are only accessible through the=20
  process-intensive aspects of the game. Games that are information-rich =
and=20
  process-poor are closer to stories than to the ideal game. <FONT =
size=3D-1><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html#=
top">Top</A>=20
  </FONT></P>
  <P><A name=3D"PRECEPT #6: MAINTAIN UNITY OF DESIGN"></A><B>PRECEPT #6: =
MAINTAIN=20
  UNITY OF DESIGN EFFORT</B></P>
  <P>(Our hero is now a pole vaulter handcuffed to a high jumper. They =
are=20
  attempting to leap; their attempt is obviously going to collapse in a =
tangle=20
  of limbs. Their facial expressions indicate that they are aware of the =
likely=20
  outcome.)</P>
  <P>Games must be designed, but computers must be programmed. Both =
skills are=20
  rare and difficult to acquire, and their combination in one person is =
even=20
  more rare. For this reason many people have attempted to form design =
teams=20
  consisting of a nontechnical game designer and a nonartistic =
programmer. This=20
  system would work if either programming or game design were a =
straightforward=20
  process requiring little in the way of judicious trade-offs. The fact =
of the=20
  matter is that both programming and game design are desperately =
difficult=20
  activities demanding many painful choices. Teaming the two experts =
together is=20
  rather like handcuffing a pole vaulter to a high jumper; their =
resultant=20
  disastrous performance is the inevitable result of their conflicting=20
  styles.</P>
  <P>More specifically, the designer/programmer team is bound to fail =
because=20
  the designer will ignorantly make unrealistic demands on the =
programmer while=20
  failing to recognize golden opportunities arising during the =
programming. For=20
  example, when I designed the game ENERGY CZAR (an energy-economics =
simulation=20
  game), I did not include an obviously desirable provision for =
recording the=20
  history of the player=92s actions. During the final stages of the =
game=92s=20
  development, virtually everyone associated with the project suggested =
such a=20
  feature. From technical experience, I knew that this feature would =
require an=20
  excessive amount of memory. A nontechnical designer would have =
insisted upon=20
  the feature, only to face the disaster of a program too big to fit =
into its=20
  allowed memory size.</P>
  <P>Another example comes from EASTERN FRONT 1941. While writing the =
code for=20
  the calendar computations, I realized that a simple insertion would =
allow me=20
  to change color register values every month. I took advantage of this=20
  opportunity to change the color of the trees every month. The =
improvement in=20
  the game is small, but it cost me only 24 bytes to install, so it =
proved to be=20
  a very cost-effective improvement. A nontechnical game designer would =
never=20
  have noticed the opportunity; neither would a nonartistic =
programmer.</P>
  <P>There is no easy way to produce good computer games. You must start =
with a=20
  good game designer, an individual with artistic flair and a feel for =
people.=20
  That person must then learn to program. The opposite direction of =
development=20
  (from programmer to designer) will not work, for programmers are made =
but=20
  artists are born. When eventually you get that rare individual who is =
both=20
  designer and programmer, then you can subordinate designers and =
programmers=20
  underneath her, so as to multiply her creative power. In the process, =
the=20
  subordinates will receive valuable training. In all cases, the =
creative=20
  process must be unified in a single mind. Committees are good for =
generating=20
  red tape, deferring decisions, and shirking responsibility, but they =
are=20
  useless when it comes to creative efforts. <FONT size=3D-1><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html#=
top">Top</A>=20
  </FONT></P>
  <P><A name=3DCONCLUSION></A><B>CONCLUSION</B></P>
  <P>In this chapter I have discussed the computer as a technology for =
game=20
  design. Discussions of computers and their impact on society tend to =
become=20
  polarized between the "gee whiz school and the cynical school. The =
former=20
  group sees a rosy future of countless triumphs wrought by the computer =
--=20
  "Every day in every way, better and better." The latter group sees =
computers=20
  as a dehumanizing threat, a waste of time, or yet another vehicle for =
the=20
  expression of human perfidy. In this chapter, I have tried to present=20
  computers as just another technology, like hammer and nails, clay and =
stone,=20
  paper and ink. Like any technology, they can do some things well. Like =
any,=20
  technology, they do some things poorly. The artist=92s role is to =
deviously evade=20
  their weaknesses while capitalizing their strengths to greatest=20
advantage.</P></UL>
<UL>
  <CENTER>
  <P><FONT size=3D-1><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html#=
top">Top</A>=20
  &nbsp;|&nbsp; <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html=
">Return=20
  to Table of Contents</A>&nbsp; | Chapters: </FONT><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter1.html"=
>1</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter2.html"=
>2</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter3.html"=
>3</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html"=
>4</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter5.html"=
>5</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter6.html"=
>6</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter7.html"=
>7</A>=20
  - <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter8.html"=
>8</A>=20
  </P></CENTER>
  <P>
  <HR width=3D"100%">

  <P></P>
  <CENTER>
  <P><FONT size=3D-1><A href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/">WSUV Home =
Page</A> |=20
  <A href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/peabody.htm">Prof. =
Peabody's=20
  Home Page<BR><BR></A>Copyright &copy; 1997 Washington State =
University. All rights=20
  reserved. REV.5.27.97<BR><I>Comments and questions: <A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">mailto:[e-mail]=
u</A></I></FONT><BR></P></CENTER></UL></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C4FB03.0C5C3660
Content-Type: image/jpeg
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Location: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/marble.JPG

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/7QE0UGhvdG9zaG9wIDMuMAA4QklNA+0AAAAAABAASAAAAAEA
AQBIAAAAAQABOEJJTQPzAAAAAAAIAAAAAAAAAAA4QklNJxAAAAAAAAoAAQAAAAAAAAACOEJJTQP1
AAAAAABIAC9mZgABAGxmZgAGAAAAAAABAC9mZgABAKGZmgAGAAAAAAABADIAAAABAFoAAAAGAAAA
AAABADUAAAABAC0AAAAGAAAAAAABOEJJTQP4AAAAAABwAAD/////////////////////////////
A+gAAAAA/////////////////////////////wPoAAAAAP////////////////////////////8D
6AAAAAD/////////////////////////////A+gAADhCSU0EBgAAAAAAAgAA/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSA
AAAAAf/bAIQAEg4ODhAOFRAQFR4TERMeIxoVFRojIhcXFxcXIhEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM
DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAEUExMWGRYbFxcbFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwM
DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM/8AAEQgAVwBgAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEB
AAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYHCAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQC
BQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQhEjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKy
gyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXiZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3
h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIEBAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLh
coKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKygwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1
VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dXZ3eHl6e3x//dAAQABv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A7ZKYTAkdjPgnIkBJSiZE
SmAAMlOONBqNEiDOnHfVJTEnXXQeCUEwToOwSJ10nTxT8mO440SUoiDqdB2SBA+A8ExgkAnUpGAY
CSVEmSANPFOBOsz3USEgCCew8AkpcjWR3T9gmmEgZGgn4JIf/9DtTJEFIEgQExM8pwRGiSlwTKYm
dOD2SJ000KiJJJJ4PKSlSQCT280gTMqRBIkapiCEkqAJM9kiIk8nsnB0MKPIkkyElLggSDoQmJBi
OPBIgEz4+KQGqSlzoJPyCQJPGiYyTqnBISQ//9HtSNeeU4EAymA4KcgnnhJTEpgCDI+acgSlEJKX
DiTAEBKBwUwGvgnSSoAR80iADCcBRI180kLghMOdNfFISBKcEAT49klKPgAmGsHiE/Jk6pAaEpKf
/9LtASNE5MCSkQAIHJ5KbQpKXEEyUiNUwKcHSD96SlACQnj7k09xykSeOAElKJ8tEo7pEyYJ1SGv
wSUoiBqmMg+XYJ0xEg6capKUSeEjIA80gZOmpHIUtHAjhJT/AP/T7Z0AAKIHgkTOp7pwO6SliITp
RJTE6wkpWpCcGSZ08CmMgApwJgkn4JKUB3nUpAGUgQDr4J5AB00SUskZIjgJzqJBCYyNSElKAmT3
PdOABI7pgQdQkSQZCSn/1O1EJ14gkkp9vMwYURzqvEkklPtxgeYTajjULxJJJT7aSZ4EKXnrHgvE
EkkvtpGsz8ASnBOoI08V4ikkp9rG7WJhTHmvEUkkP//Z

------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C4FB03.0C5C3660--