MS sets guidelines for achievements

[The Old Man]

Looks like MS is starting to listen to us after all.

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/02...rom-microsoft/

Major Nelson's blogcast for this week had Aaron Greenberg on from the GamerscoreBlog regarding the new Achievement policies the Microsoft is incorporating. Two rules covered in the show that weren't previously mentioned are regarding multiplayer content and online achievements. First off, any downloadable content that gives players an advantage must be free for download. Some EA games as well as Chromehounds are guilty of this and Microsoft is keeping it from happening again.

The second ruling is actually more of a guideline about online achievement. Gamers have stressed how they dislike multiplayer achievement that are dependent on ranked games, or result in "boosting", and Microsoft has made note of this in their "Guidelines and Best Practices" documentation. While it doesn't keep it from appearing in future games, it at least makes developers aware of the opinion of their audience.

No more putting up with the ignorant teenagers that ruin Live. We can look forward to getting achievements in private games now.

[Pez_555]

good news yet again. its good to hear about the free downloadable content. hate EA for this.

[WhatRuOn]

Playing ranked match for gears to get achievements is horrible...the people suck. At least in Rainbow Six most achievements can be done in one match, so I could just do a quick game without my mic on, kick everyone's ass, get the achievement then go back to private matches.

[Jabjabs]

The first rule makes me very happy good work Ms.

[Sparc]

Excellent news on both points! I don't play a single ranked game because I worked out that's where 99% of those who crawled out from the bottom of a pond somewhere congregate. Player matches are much much friendlier.

[AnimalFather]

i like multiplayer achievements.

[Sparc]

They are not saying you won't get multiplayer achievements, just feeding back to the developers that a lot of people want those achievements to be available in normal Player matches and not just Ranked matches.

[Xaor]

Its not the fact that people want them in player matches is it? I thought it was the fact that people hated the restrictions of ranked matches.

For me, I like playing with my friends on GeoW, I can't do that on Ranked Matches.

I used to be able to do that + get achievements

As a further problem I like playing with two friends who use the same console.

I've NEVER been able to do that + get achievement



The only achievement I have is the chainsaw one, cause I never play ranked anymore...

[Sparc]

Actually you could be right with your perception of what they meant. The problem with allowing friends to arrange and play ranked matches is that you end up with people boosting all the time. I think achievements should be doable through standard player matches - it doesn't really matter if someone boosts an achievement, but it does matter if someone boosts their true-skill and leaderboard ranking in my book.

[AnimalFather]

having friends on ranked matches u could easily cheat to get the achievements.

so at least be honest and say u want the ability to cheat to get achievements.

[Sockpuppet]

It's hard for some people to get ranked achievements and a good game at the same time.

I've recently been playing Gears of War in ranked matches and it's the biggest pain in the ass as finding a game with a good connection is near on impossible being Australian. The latency is just far far too high and causes massive amounts of lag. Coupled with the fact theres always going to be one ******* in the room at any given time and the fun quickly dissipates.

In my opinion a move to allow achievements to be achieved through player matches or atleast ranked games that allow you to invite a few friends would be a godsend.

It does of course mean a few people just boost for achievements and if they want to do that, I personally don't give a crap, I would rather there were a minority out there boosting for achievements than for those after a geniunely fun and interesting match while allowing for achievement requirements to be met to simply miss out or put themselves through the torture of a game filled with lag from international players and / or screaming morons.

[Sparc]

having friends on ranked matches u could easily cheat to get the achievements.

so at least be honest and say u want the ability to cheat to get achievements.

Clearly that's the way you think so I can understand why you would say that. For me though, and while I do like achievements, I really don't get hung up on them. If I did then I would play the ranked matches. If they make this available in player matches then I would be quite happy to grab a few more. No biggy though at the end of the day (as my gamercard will attest)

[AnimalFather]

well i have no problems entering matches these are all poor excuses and if u cant get into a online match u dont get the achievements so what? there are suppose to be hard to get thats the whole point!!! i hope non of the devs listen to this BS.

[Sparc]

lol you sound exactly like one of those in the ranked matches 95% of us look to avoid. Still, you are welcome to your opinion.

[AnimalFather]

allowing achievements on playermatches is going to make people cheat. thats why Epic removed the host name. so if u want to get achievements for playermatches (to cheat) just ask for the achievements for free instead. hey dont even play the game and ask MS to give u free achievement points. The reason players are bitching is cause they cant cheat to get the achievement points and im dissapointed by this major nelson character that he didnt pick up on that.

[Sparc]

The problem with your synopsis is that you think everyone thinks like you. I, and many others, really couldn't be bothered to cheat for achievements at the end of the day. I would gladly go in and grab some of the online achievements if it wasn't for the fact that to do so I had to meet up and play with the trash talking, low-life cretins which often permeate the ranked matches. There are many like me who are simply in it for the game. If achievements are there for the taking I will take them but I won't bust a gut to get them, nor bother myself with cheating for them either.

You don't have to like it, but you do have to accept not everyone thinks like you

[The Old Man]

lol you sound exactly like one of those in the ranked matches 95% of us look to avoid. Still, you are welcome to your opinion.

If anyone is annoyed by the people being described in this thread and you want to game with fun adult people who like to play on Live, check out www.geezergamers.com . It's a great community and after joining, you'll never have to enter matchmaking games again.

[Sparc]

I'm a member of a smalll community called UK1 (for mature UK gamers). It's not a clan or anything of the sort, just a few peeps who get on well and get on in the evenings playing each other. Of course that doesn't include ranked matches (the subject in question) as you can't arrange to play with known good people in ranked matches - therein usually lies the problem.

[AnimalFather]

what sets the n00b and pros apart are the AP. Im nowhere close to getting "Seriously..."(10k kills) on Gears of War but i admire those who have and i look up to them. Thats what AP are about to begin with bragging rights! If you simplefy them then everybody is going to have them which goes against the original idea. And as for people talking smack boo hoo wah wah...i didnt know a bunch of pussies were playing the 360. who cares what an inbred slob says over the internet on the other side of the globe u should really try to have some tougher skin.

[Sockpuppet]

well i have no problems entering matches these are all poor excuses and if u cant get into a online match u dont get the achievements so what? there are suppose to be hard to get thats the whole point!!! i hope non of the devs listen to this BS.

Clearly you live in America and have no problems finding one of millions of multiplayer ranked matches going.

You try and find / join random matches from Australia and let me know how many lag free games you find. Every time we play a ranked match we're guaranteed to get atleast 1 or 2 American's join, proceed to bitch incessantly about lag and then quit leaving the teams uneven. Not alot of fun or competition in that.

[Sparc]

what sets the n00b and pros apart are the AP. Im nowhere close to getting "Seriously..."(10k kills) on Gears of War but i admire those who have and i look up to them. Thats what AP are about to begin with bragging rights! If you simplefy them then everybody is going to have them which goes against the original idea. And as for people talking smack boo hoo wah wah...i didnt know a bunch of pussies were playing the 360. who cares what an inbred slob says over the internet on the other side of the globe u should really try to have some tougher skin.

hey if you want to go round putting those who have high gamer scores on a pedestal and worshipping the ground they walk on - then fill your boots. It's obviously very important to you and perhaps is how you show people in this world you've achieved something. I tend to do things in real life for that, but each to their own.

I am not particularly fazed by the low-life pond scum types who trash talk through every ranked match and cry if "the flag is captured too early", but given a choice I will let them play with others of their ilk and go and play with the better class of player. You may not like it and it's clearly upsetting you, but to be honest, hard luck matey - you appear to be in the minority it would seem, but I guess that's a position you are perhaps used to being in.

Happy gaming

[AnimalFather]

first of i live in sweden not in usa. and if u do "important" things in real life then why do u bitch about APs being hard to get? arent u contradicting yourself right now?

APs are awesome how they are only the people who want to cheat to get them are bitching about it. All APs arent meant to be unlocked by everybody.

[Sparc]

Hmm...I think you need to go right back to the beginning and read the entire thread again. I never once "bitched" that AP's were hard to get. I am all for difficult AP's. I supported the second argument in the first post which stated that AP's should be attainable through Player matches, as well as Ranked Matches. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's not me contradicting myself, it's you not following the topic.

[Hotice]

Its to easy to get achievements in player matches, your right next to youyr freinds and its also easier to cheat, a ranked match is more tournament like and organized, as well as more fairly regulated.

[Sparc]

I know what you are saying but seriously, if people were really interested in maxing out AP's in that way then there would have been many more cases of the save file glitching - and yet it was pretty rare for that to occur. Most people don't want to cheat getting AP's, most people want to see if they can get an achievement but do it in a friendly, no-pressure atmos. At the end of the day this is just gaming, not the end of life as we know it, which is what appears to be when you are in some Ranked matches. Player match games are much more enjoyable tbh.