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席德一席谈

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发表于 2005-1-9 11:20:54 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
<P> </P>
<P>在这篇访谈中,席德除谈论了《海盗》外,还对以后几年的游戏业发展作了预测。</P>
<P>Wednesday, December 22, 2004
"Game God" speaks
<B>Sid Meier On Pirates!, The PC and Console Markets, and the Future</B>
</P>
It's not so often that we get to speak to someone in this industry as highly regarded as Sid Meier. The man who basically put computer gaming on the map chats with us about his latest remake of Pirates!, the development process, the differences between PC and console markets, the future of games and more.

<B>GameDAILY BIZ</B>: You've taken us from the dawn of civilization to the far reaches of Alpha Centauri--what was the motivation behind remaking a classic like <I>Pirates!</I>?

<B>Sid Meier</B>: <I>Pirates!</I> is a game people have loved for over 17 years now (amazingly, some people are still playing the original). All of us at Firaxis have had so many requests over the years to make a new version for today's gaming platforms, and we finally decided that the time was right and that technology had advanced to the point that we could really bring the world of <I>Pirates!</I> to life in a whole new way, and make significant improvements to a game that is already so well liked. PROFILE Sid Meier
Partner and Director of Creative Development
Firaxis Games <B>History: </B>Sid began his legendary career in game making in the early '80s, as a founding partner at one of the industry's first successful game companies: Microprose Software. Sid put computer gaming on the map with Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and Pirates.<B>Highlights: </B>In 1999, Sid was the second person ever to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science's "Hall of Fame", and in 2002, he was honored with an induction into the Computer Museum of America's Hall of Fame. <B>Currently: </B>As Director of Creative Development at Firaxis, Sid continues to take game development to new heights. He's recognized around the world as the "Father of Computer Gaming."

<B>BIZ</B>: Which technological advancements most directly benefited the recreation of the <I>Pirates!</I> game?

<B>Sid</B>: Firaxis licensed NDL's Gamebryo engine and we used it as a base to build the 3D engine for <I>Sid Meier's Pirates!</I> 3D technology had an enormous impact on the visual appeal of the new <I>Pirates!</I> We created a gorgeous world full of interesting places to visit and characters to meet. We added new story elements and quests, upgraded duelling, reinvented land battles and ship battles to give the player more options and control, and added new action sequences like dancing and sneaking in and out of towns. 3D has allowed us to bring the pirates world to life like never before and deliver a visual experience to gamers that makes the gameplay even better. Our hope is that we've delivered an incredibly fun and compelling game that will give the fans more than what they've been waiting for, and show a whole new generation of gamers how much fun it is to live the life of a pirate!

<B>BIZ</B>: How did you approach remaking the classic game from 1987--what elements from the original could be easily integrated into modern-day gaming and what had to change for the game to be successful?

<B>Sid</B>: The challenge was making sure we stayed true to what made the original game so much fun, while upgrading, improving and in some instances, reinventing features that make the game appealing to die-hard fans as well as people who are new to <I>Pirates!</I> We kept the basic gameplay the same. It's an open-ended game that allows players to create their own exciting adventure on their quest to become the most revered Pirate captain in the 17th century Caribbean. Players are challenged to make choices and decisions throughout the game that will impact how they live their life as a pirate. So, each time they play it's a whole new experience. Clearly the most dramatic change is in the graphics. 3D has elevated <I>Pirates!</I> to a whole new level.

<B>BIZ</B>: How do you think technology has affected the game developer's ability to capture players' imaginations?

<B>Sid</B>: When I made the original <I>Pirates!</I> in 1987, the graphics technology was so rudimentary that we had to completely rely on the players to use their imaginations and immerse themselves in the pirate world, while looking at flat iconic images on the screen. With today's technology, we can create a compelling visual world that comes to life on the screen in front of the player, making it much easier for them to take on the role of a pirate and sail around the beautiful Caribbean. Game developers today have the big advantage of being able to draw players into the game with life-like visuals that not only capture their imaginations, but are entertaining as well. It makes for a much more powerful experience when coupled with great gameplay.

<B>BIZ</B>: Will we see any sort of <I>Pirates!</I> expansion packs, possibly with new design techniques?

<B>Sid</B>: Well, right now we're focused on developing <I>Pirates!</I> for the Xbox, which is due to be released in the spring. We'll keep you posted on any plans for expansions.

<B>BIZ</B>: What marketing methods are being used to advertise <I>Pirates!</I> and how much are you counting on nostalgia for the original to boost sales?

<B>Sid</B>: Atari is vigorously supporting the launch of <I>Pirates!</I> with a strong marketing campaign involving print and online ads in gaming as well as main stream media. We also have in-store displays at the retail outlets, and ads in circulars for some of the larger consumer outlets like Target and Wal-Mart. The fans are certainly great evangelists for <I>Pirates!</I> and we know they're spreading the word, but since a large number of today's gamers weren't even born when the original <I>Pirates!</I> was released, this new version needs to stand on it's own as a great game. Our most powerful marketing has come from the fantastic reviews and articles that have been written about <I>Pirates!</I> since it's release last month (http://www.atari.com/pirates/pirates/home.php?lg=1). It has made the top 10 games of 2004 lists on most of the gaming sites, received numerous awards from the industry, been featured on Barbara Walter's day time talk show, The View, as one of the best games for the Holiday season and was chosen by Time magazine as one of the coolest games of 2004.

<B>BIZ</B>: Do you think the success of pirate-themed movies like <I>Pirates of the Caribbean</I> might help sales of <I>Pirates!</I>?

<B>Sid</B>: I think pirates have fascinated people of all ages for centuries, which is evident in the plethora of pirate themed toys, books, games and movies that have been made throughout history. <I>Pirates of the Caribbean</I> is a terrific movie that has certainly brought pirates back into popular culture and we welcome the increased interest.

<B>BIZ</B>: What are some of the most difficult challenges you're faced with when designing a game--do budgetary constraints affect certain design choices?

<B>Sid</B>: Fortunately, we're able to make design decisions based on what's best for the game, not what's best for the budget. The challenge for us is staying focused on the fun and not getting carried away with the technological bells and whistles that may look or sound really cool, but don't add anything to the gameplay experience. It's also challenging working with such large development teams now. Keeping everyone in sync is critical...and takes tremendous team work. I'm very lucky to have such a talented group of professionals to work with at Firaxis.

<B>BIZ</B>: What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind when developing a title?

<B>Sid</B>: At Firaxis our goal is for people to have fun when they play our games, so we keep the focus on creating layers of great gameplay that deliver hours and hours of fun. We try to put the player in a situation where they can be something really great—King, Pirate Captain, Tycoon, Entrepreneur—and present an interesting world in which they can have an adventure, build an empire, conquer the world etc. Through decisions they make as they play the games, each player will create his or her own story...a story that is all their own. A nice "side effect" of some of the games we've made is that people learn things as they play...world history, science, geography, economics...which is really exciting.

We have an iterative process for developing games in which we start development with a playable prototype, and then play and improve, play and improve over the entire development cycle, until we've made a really fun and compelling game. As a result, the entire dev team at Firaxis has been playing the game for 2-3 years before we release it, so it has to be fun!

<B>BIZ</B>: What in your view are the major differences between the PC gaming market and the console market?

<B>Sid</B>: Clearly the console market is growing at lightning speed and those platforms can now support more expansive games, which is good news for developers like Firaxis. The console market is in need of some great strategy games. We're releasing <I>Pirates!</I> for the Xbox this spring (have I mentioned that?) and plan to develop some other games for the console arena in the near future, so stay tuned.

<B>BIZ</B>: Is the PC market headed towards convergence with the console market as console technology approaches levels of high-end PCs?

<B>Sid</B>: The next gen consoles are pretty powerful and will certainly rival PCs in their technical capabilities. I think there will continue to be a market for games on all platforms...PCs and consoles...which is exciting for us. Our plan moving forward is to continue to make fun games and deliver them to players on any platform that makes sense for the game.

<B>BIZ</B>: There's only so much entertainment one can get from increasing graphical technology--what do you think will become major aspects of future games?

<B>Sid</B>: I definitely have my eye on the massively multiplayer, persistent world online games. I think online gaming will come on strong over the next several years. As for the future of PC and console games, we're just at the tip of the iceberg in technological advancements. Things like voice recognition, real language processing, motion sensors will push virtual reality and interactive entertainment into vast new realms.

<B>BIZ</B>: Thanks very much for your time, Sid.
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