I realize that this has been tossed around before, but it seems to me that developers don't really understand the constrictions they place on overachieving gamers when they include an online achievement in a game.
Many gamers will argue that online achievements are only included in games with some multiplayer/coop/online component, for your enjoyment of course. That point is valid but i'll address it further in a moment.
Another point some gamers will argue is that no gamer has a right to achievements.
They will point out the fact that they are only included as extras, having no real bearing on the game or gameplay.
This point is valid as well but only to an extent. Online achievements have indeed impacted the way some people play games.
A quick example is the Pistol Man achievement from the recent hit Battlefield Bad Company 2. It requires that every handgun in the game be used to kill 5 people in the online modes.
I would never have used the low range, low damage handguns were it not for this achievement because most of the time i use my tracer dart.
So one without online would never get this particular award, therefore invalidating that second point.
However, it seems like i'm stringing you since the largest majority of people who bought BFBC2 intended to play it online, right? That might be, but this is circumstantial.
Somewhere in the world, there is a gamer who bought BFBC for the virtues of it's single player campaign.
Just hear me out, since i know a guy like this.
This gamer cant afford or just doesn't want to use the online services available.
Considering that he paid the same amount as i did for his copy, is it right to say he shouldn't be able to max/platinum the game?
Since he chooses not to indulge in those extra expenses/services, should his own, personal enjoyment of the game be stunted? The answer in my opinion, ladies and gentlemen, is no. While social in nature, achievements/trophies are also a thing of vanity. He might plat the game to compete with a friend, but she might do so for the personal satisfaction involved with "mastering" the game.
So this brings me back to my first point. Including online achievements in multiplayer games is fine until that high achieving person comes along (who paid the same admission price as you did mind you) that doesn't game online. Their money should buy them the same opportunity for 1000 GS/a Platinum trophy that it bought me, regardless if i pay for xbox live or they don't.
It also isn't valid to say PSN is free since its variable whether they even pay an Internet service provider.
The point is moot.
Whether anybody has a right to anything, that developers can include whatever they want, that gamerscore and trophy count is depreciative of the gaming experience entirely. But i'm certain that that distinction should be left for the gamers to make.
Another factor that i nearly forgot is that practically all online achievements have a...statute of limitations. After so much time, no one will play the game online anymore. So if you don't earn all of the GS while the game is popular, you will never get it. I realized this recently attempting blazeblues voyeur trophy. You must spectate 20 player matches. When i went to try it, there were just 3 private rooms, all of which had spectators disabled. It took days to find rooms that allowed spectators for longer than a few rounds and i found it quite daunting, because someone else allowing me to spectate their fight is something i had no control over. But plenty of patience and a week later, i pulled it. It was really a situation.
But, if something doesn't help, it hurts. So i've come up with a solution that isn't perfect but is functioning. Include more than one way to earn online achievements. For example, that Pistol Man achievement could have been transferred to offline gamers with a little amplification. Like, using every handgun in the game, kill 25 enemies in campaign mode. It may take more work than its online counterpart, but at least no one gets left out.
Bottom line, my $60 provided me with more content than my friends provided him because i have online and he can't afford comcasts' high priced bundle. This is blatantly uneven and not fair to one of us.
I'd like to hear your take on the matter, thanks very much for reading.
The main pic is the 10 Years too late achievement from street fighter 4. it requires winning 50 online ranked matches. the picture above is blazeblues warrior trophy, earned by participating in 150 online player matches.
The pickings are slim in this entry as well, but are still worthwhile to own and play in Irem Collection Volume 2.
It was previously hinted that Xbox has stopped selling the physical disc of video games. Further proof of the gaming giant abandoning physical media has appeared as Cronos: The New Dawn will not be available on a physical disc for Xbox Series S|X.
Atp I'm not surprised I think nintendo will be the only ones due to consumers going to be physical media folks imo respect
Atp I'm not surprised I think nintendo will be
the only ones due to consumers going to be physical media folks imo respect
Atp I'm not surprised I think nintendo will be the only ones due to consumers going to be physical media folks imo respect
So much for that games preservation team they set up
How can you go on about it games preservation but abandoned physical media
5 years and physical media exists only as special collector items. cds, dvds, blurays will be completely gone from the shelves. Sadly.
The rumored 2025 Xbox layoffs are expected to impact anywhere between 1000 to 2000 company employees, leading to studio closures.
I'm wondering if Compulsion Games is on the chopping block. They've always been a small studio and the only things they've developed under Xbox were We Happy Few and South of Midnight. Neither of them were heavy hitters and 7 years of development between the games. Also, Ninja Theory with Hellblade II not being as big as they wanted either. I hope I'm wrong. I feel like we just went through this when they closed studios last year.
There will always be some form of unlocks or achievements for online - it just might not necessarily be tied to actual achievements. It's just a psychological thing. If you can't play online you're missing out on half the game anyway, and online trophies do reward you for playing a lot and help keep you interested.
On the other hand trophies often change the game online. Everyone's running around with pistols just to get that trophy, so it's only superficially balanced. Once everyone gets the trophy, you realise that the game is not as balanced as you thought. This is certainly a bad thing because there are features of the game that are not even used except by people wanting a trophy. Games should be fun and balanced without achievements or unlocks.
your position i think may be the best thought through, however where you say that your missing half of the game not playing online, that point is arguable. so what your saying is i have to pay for xbox live to fully enjoy my games? From my perspective, unfair. Thanks so much for the read!
I do agree with you.
I'm not a 100%-searching player, I ain't got no Plat Trophy yet (Ps3 user), but I can tell you are right. Too much trophies are linked to the online game, and as a PC gamer, I can't stand the way the console are meant to be played online.
The Idea of changing a trophy for the offline, even with more "work" behind it... I like it, I find very interesting. You got to suggest it to Sony and Microsoft.
Sorry for the english, I'm a self-taught Italian "english speaker".
I find it hard to believe that there are many people out there hardcore enough to want all the achievements/trophies for a game but cannot afford or do not want online gaming services. Why people should even care that much about achievements this much is an issue in itself.
I agree. I live in the middle of nowhere. Broadband isn't available. I've almost got the Platnium for Uncharted 2. The only thing stopping me is 2 online trophies. Is it fair that I can't get it? No, but as long as most people do play online, the minority that don't will be forgotten.