While writing my piece on Gamerscore addiction for today's Technology section, I wondered if Microsoft placed any controls on how developers implemented gamer points. After all, Xbox 360 gamers are always discussing titles that give away points quite cheaply - could unscrupulous publishers use this to tempt Gamerscore addicts into buying games they may have otherwise avoided?
So I asked two Xbox 360 developers, Sarah Chudley of Bizarre Creations and Jonathan Smith of Traveller's Tales how they allocated gamer points in their projects. Here's what they had to say...
Sarah Chudley - Bizarre Creations
PG3 is credited as being one of the games that implements gamer points really well, encouraging players to really get the most out of the title. How much did you think about gamerpoints while designing the game? We were heavily involved in the development of gamerpoints with Microsoft. As a MGS launch title we wanted to set the benchmark for how gamerpoints are given out so we thought a lot about them, probably more than any other launch title.
We always make sure there are achievements in there for everyone. The majority of your achievements are either skill based (do this race at platinum, get this lap time etc) or time based (complete the game, play 100 race etc). These appeal to the gamer who wants to show off their skills online or brag about how much they've played the game. But we also have quirky achievements like finding the Geometry Wars cabinet, watching Gotham TV or building custom routes. It's a good way to introduce players to features they might not have used otherwise
We also held back a few gamerpoints for downloadable content so we could have some achievements for playing the new game modes and qualifying for tournaments
Have you any new ideas of implementing gamer points in forthcoming XBox projects? Yes! But we're keeping these ideas to ourselves...
Does Microsoft police how developers make gamer points available? Is there a temptation to give away loads of easy points in order to attract gamer point-addicts? Not really, other than you must give out 1000 points and they have to be possible!! Microsoft use PGR3 as a 'Best Practice' example for giving out achievements, but they really leave it up to the developer.
We find it's actually more tempting to make the achievements too hard. We had ideas for achievements like 'Be world number 1 online' or 'Be in the top 10 on the Nurburgring leaderboard'. These are obviously out of reach for 99% of our players so would only annoy people!
Jonathan Smith - Traveller's Tales
How much thought has Traveller's Tales given to gamer points in your Xbox 360 projects? What are some of the more interesting/offbeat uses in, say, LEGO Star Wars II?
As 360 gamers ourselves, we know how compelling the Achievement Points system is, so we've had a lot of fun planning our allocations for LEGO Star Wars II, and also for our new game BIONICLE Heroes. LEGO Star Wars II, for example, is a game which we've very deliberately made easy for young gamers to play without getting frustrated; it brings your characters back to life after only a very short pause when you die. With the Achievement Points system, though, we've been able to offer a substantially harder level of challenge in the game for older players, with 20 points on offer for the completion of any level without dying.
Do you think the growing obsession with gamer points is going to have an effect on the way games are designed, with developers adding specific secrets and challenges to entice point-hungry players?
Very definitely - this is already happening, and I wholeheartedly welcome it, both as a games producer (it enables us to add new layers of depth to the gameplay), and as a games player (being offered a wider variety of challenges to engage with).
Does Microsoft have any say over how you use game points? Is there a temptation to give away loads of easy points in order to attract gamer point addicts?
Microsoft has a very light touch in this area - they produce and support a platform which it's up to individual games development teams to exploit however they see fit. And to the second part of your question: that's not a temptation we've felt at all. The Achievement Points culture is already sufficiently evolved that clever, interesting and challenging allocations will receive more attention and appreciation than an unsophisticated attempt at bribery.
