Description
Assets may be Upgraded to improved versions.
Discussion
Upgrades share many characteristics with Discounts (ECO-10) but with some distinctions. Typically, they are implemented by first representing the action or ability with a card or tile and then replacing it with a better version or adding another card or element to it to show its improved status. Implementing Upgrades can nudge players to specialize, particularly if it is much more expensive or even impossible to go directly to the upgraded resource without the lower-level resource. As such, this can also be used to implement a Tech Tree (ACT-16). A specialized form of upgrade is seen in train games such as 1830 and other 18xx games. Early in the game, players place yellow tiles, which have simple single-track sections. Later, they may place more complex green or brown tiles that include overpasses and junctions. However, when upgrading a tile all existing tracks must be preserved. This limits the types of upgrade tiles that can be used and creates competition and bottlenecks for certain limited key tiles. Some games force upgrades through obsolescence. At certain points, the game advances to a new stage (ACT-15), and some items may become obsolete and be discarded. The 18xx games use this mechanism by having trains go obsolete, constantly forcing players to reevaluate their board position and future growth. The physicality of the upgrade is typically done by replacing a card or tile; however, sometimes it is done by rotating or flipping. Maiden’s Quest and Flip City make full use of this option by having players rotate or flip cards within a deck to increase (or reduce) their strength. While this gives designers a lot of flexibility in a small space, it places a burden on players to shuffle properly
and maintain orientation. Other means for upgrading include adding a new card or card portion. Mystic Vale does this with clear plastic cards, each of which is populated in its top, middle, or bottom third. Layering the cards together enables all three sections to be seen at the same time. Cards are not the only elements that can be upgraded, nor the only way to show upgrades. In Monopoly, a property can be improved by adding houses and, eventually, hotels to it. In Catan, settlements can be upgraded to cities, each represented by a different token. Upgrades are a common mechanism outside of the specific economic lens taken in this chapter. From promoting pawns in Chess to leveling up characters in a dungeon crawl to adding a fortification to a territory or hex, Upgrades represent a means of investment that increase player power, contribute to the narrative, and help players create connections to elements in the game.
Sample Games
1830 (Tresham, 1986) Attika (Merkle, 2003) Brass (Wallace, 2007) Catan (Teuber, 1995) Chess (Unknown, ∼1200) Flip City (Chen, 2014) Maiden’s Quest (Shannon, 2018) Monopoly (Darrow and Magie, 1933) Mystic Vale (Clair, 2016) Trough the Ages: A Story of Civilization (Chvátil, 2006)
描述
资产可以升级（Upgrade）为改进版本。
讨论
升级与折扣（ECO-10）有许多共同特征，但也有一些区别。通常，它们的实现方式是首先用卡牌或板块表示行动或能力，然后用更好的版本替换它，或向其添加另一张卡牌或元素以显示其改进状态。实施升级可以推动玩家专业化，特别是如果直接获得升级资源而没有低级资源要昂贵得多甚至不可能的话。因此，这也可以用于实现科技树（ACT-16）。升级的一种专门形式出现在火车游戏如《1830》和其他18xx游戏中。在游戏早期，玩家放置黄色板块，它们具有简单的单轨道段。稍后，他们可以放置更复杂的绿色或棕色板块，其中包括立交桥和交叉口。然而，升级板块时，必须保留所有现有轨道。这限制了可以使用的升级板块类型，并为某些有限的关键板块创造了竞争和瓶颈。有些游戏通过淘汰强制升级。在某些点，游戏推进到一个新阶段（ACT-15），某些物品可能会过时并被丢弃。18xx游戏使用这种机制，让经过淘汰，不断迫使玩家重新评估他们的版图位置和未来增长。升级的物理性通常通过替换卡牌或板块来完成；然而，有时它是通过旋转或翻转来完成的。《Maiden’s Quest》和《Flip City》充分利用了这一选项，让玩家在牌组中旋转或翻转卡牌以增加（或减少）其强度。虽然这在狭小的空间内给设计师提供了很大的灵活性，但它给玩家带来了正确洗牌
和保持方向的负担。升级的其他手段包括添加新卡牌或卡牌部分。《Mystic Vale》通过透明塑料卡来实现这一点，每张卡都在其顶部、中部或底部三分之一处填充。将卡牌分层在一起使所有三个部分都能同时被看到。卡牌不是可以升级的唯一元素，也不是显示升级的唯一方式。在《大富翁》（Monopoly）中，可以通过添加房屋，最终添加酒店来改进房产。在《卡坦岛》（Catan）中，定居点可以升级为城市，每个都由不同的标记表示。升级是本章特定经济视角之外的一种常见机制。从《国际象棋》（Chess）中的兵升变到地牢爬行中的角色升级，再到向领土或六角格添加防御工事，升级代表了一种增加玩家力量、有助于叙事并帮助玩家建立与游戏元素联系的投资手段。
游戏范例
1830 (Tresham, 1986) - 《1830》 Attika (Merkle, 2003) - 《Attika》 Brass (Wallace, 2007) - 《工业革命》 Catan (Teuber, 1995) - 《卡坦岛》 Chess (Unknown, ∼1200) - 《国际象棋》 Flip City (Chen, 2014) - 《Flip City》 Maiden’s Quest (Shannon, 2018) - 《Maiden’s Quest》 Monopoly (Darrow and Magie, 1933) - 《大富翁》 Mystic Vale (Clair, 2016) - 《Mystic Vale》 Trough the Ages: A Story of Civilization (Chvátil, 2006) - 《历史巨轮》