Difference between revisions of "Achievements"

Revision as of 16:10, 23 December 2010

Goals whose fulfillment is stored outside the scope of individual game sessions.

Examples

Achievements schemes are often developed by platform developers rather than individual game developers, and supporting them may or may not be required to be allowed to release games on them. Both PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 console platforms provide Achievement support through PSN trophies and Gamerscore system respectively (the latter also working with Games for Windows titles), and require the developers use them. Valve Software uses Steam Achievements to provide similar functionality but does not require games to make use of it.

As of late 2010, Left 4 Dead 2 in the Left 4 Dead Series supports 65 Achievements but based on earlier history this is likely to increase with further expansions. While several of these are rewarded for completing campaigns (e.g. Midnight Rider, Torch Bearer, Weatherman), others can be gained by completing ephemeral goals many times (e.g. Cache Grab, Dead in the Water, and Shock Jock). Some goal related Achievements require specific weapons to be used (e.g. Chain of Command, Head Honcho, and Tank Burger) while others require especially good successes (e.g. Dismemberment Plan, Long Distance Carrier, Violence in Silence, and Wing and a Prayer) or doing actions in specific circumstances (e.g. A Spittle Help from my Friends and Kill Bill). Others still make gameplay more difficult by adding additional goals (e.g. Gong Show and Guardin' Gnome) or requiring a self-imposed handicap (e.g. Confederacy of Crunches and Bridge over Trebled Waters). To motivate players to explore some of the alternative ways of playing th game, there are also several achievements for this (e.g. Mutant Overlord and Port of Scavenge).^[1]

Assassin's Creed 2

Team Fortress 2 has

^[2]

Fallout: New Vegas provides both Achievements for completing quests (e.g. Ain't That a Kick in the Head, Arizona Killer, and No Gods, No Masters) and for performing certain actions enough times (e.g. Jury Rigger, Lead Dealer, and Master of the Mojave). To encourage players to test the gambling mini-games within the main game one Achievement for each exists (Little Wheel, Double Down, and One Armed Bandit). The Achievement Ol' Buddy Ol' Pal, which is awarded for recruiting a companion, could be seen as a reward for reaching a goal but since the goal is easily achieved when a player is made aware of the possibility, it is arguably more a reward for being willing to test having a companion. Those electing to complete the game with additional demands on handling sleep deprivation and a need to consume food and water are rewarded with the Hardcore Achievement.^[3]

Torchlight ^[4]

Assassin's Creed 2

World of Warcraft introduced Achievements

^[5]

Using the pattern

Linked to point systems

Several sub-categories of Achievements exist. Goal Achievements are those that are awarded by successfully completing Optional or Enforced Goals. Testing Achievements are those that are given simply for players trying some action in the game, and can be a way for game designers to encourage players both to learn how to play and to engage in Experimenting. Handicap Achievements are those given to players for completing goal with self-imposed penalties, e.g. having the Difficulty Settings as difficult as possible or using a limited range of disadvantageous weapons. The Left 4 Dead Series have both these types of Handicap Achievements in the second installment: Still Something To Prove for completing all Campaigns on the expert Difficulty Setting and Tank Burger for killing the Boss Monster known as a Tank using only melee weapons.

Most Achievements (where Goal Achievements most typically are the exception) can be modified by simply requiring that an action or goal needs to be done several times for the achievement to be rewarded. In contrast, Grind Achievements are those that players eventually will get through Grinding rather than some level of Game Mastery.

Ephemeral Goals

High Score Lists (← links) Unwinnable Games (← links) Challenging Gameplay (← links) Open Destiny (← links)

Freedom of Choice Handicap Achievements Single-Player Games Ephemeral Goals

Unwinnable Games

Diegetic Aspects

Achievements can work against Engrossment in a game's Narration Structures since it draws attention to an optional Meta Game. This is typically compounded by a culture of having cross-referential jokes or word plays (e.g. The Incredible Hulk in World of Warcraft; Armory of One, Price Chopper, and Kill Bill in L4D2; Ain't That a Kick in the Head and Veni, Vidi, Vici in Fallout: New Vegas; and Marxman and Rasputin in Team Fortress 2).

Interface Aspects

Secondary Interfaces

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

The presence of Achievements can provide clear goals to Unwinnable Games.

Optional Goals

Achievements provide a Value of Effort through giving Rewards than can give Game-Induced Player Social Status.

Public Player Statistics

Collection

Meta Game.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Can Modulate

Can Be Instantiated By

Goal Achievements, Grind Achievements, Testing Achievements, Handicap Achievements

Can Be Modulated By

Possible Closure Effects

Potentially Conflicting With

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

1. ↑ Valve Software's list of L4D2 achievements and percentages of gamers receiving them.
2. ↑ Valve Software's list of Team Fortress 2 achievements and percentages of gamers receiving them.
3. ↑ List of Fallout:New Vegas achievements in the Steam Achievements system and percentages of gamers receiving them.
4. ↑ List of Torchlight achievements in the Steam Achievements system and percentages of gamers receiving them.
5. ↑ WoWWiki's main page regarding achievements in World of Warcraft.