Merit/Achievements

[DSxGIIR]

IDK if there's another post about this, but are there going to be a merit/achievement system in PS2 like there was in PS1. I really enjoyed putting all different merits on my shoulder to show off what I've achieved. So do anyone know if their adding this in PS2?

[captainkapautz]

Most likely, dunno if you can actually show 'em though, sure hope so.

[Soothsayer]

I recall Higby saying that you can get earn some certs through acquiring merits/achievements, so there is a system in place that goes beyond just a picture with a description.

I'd like to see a very in depth system for rewards for minor, significant and major achievements.

[Crator]

From PS2 Info Thread (http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=37350):

Question: Merits/achievements?
Higby: We've got a system like merits that will be extremely robust

[DSxGIIR]

I really enjoyed how they had get X-amount of kills with HA and had tiers for that specific merit/achievement, which forced you to become a better player and understand your weapon...

[DSxGIIR]

From PS2 Info Thread (http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=37350):

Question: Merits/achievements?
Higby: We've got a system like merits that will be extremely robust

Thanks for that link.

[Crator]

Thanks for that link.

You're welcome. It used to be a sticky on the topic of this section of the forum. For some reason they moved it to the 'PlanetSide 2 New Player Questions' section (which is fairly new itself). I guess they can't sticky it in both places or something. I actually had to get the link to it from my sig cause I didn't know where they moved it.

[NCLynx]

Glad to see some clarification on merits. I loved going after merits in the original.

[Hamma]

Merits were an awesome system. Better than "Achievements" we see constantly.

[captainkapautz]

Merits were an awesome system. Better than "Achievements" we see constantly.

Huh?

Only difference I see is that you could display some of your merits on your shoulder.

[LayZ]

Not just that but being a stat junkie in baseball, I can see how PS2 is going to benefit outfit commanders with the added stat metrics they're planning on adding. It will allow outfits to play to strengths and weaknesses and further deepen the tactical aspects of the game.

If used properly, its going to get interesting.

[Hamma]

Thats my point, it was an awards system that allowed you to display them like a solidier rather than just flashing this huge message on your screen and looking at some long ass boring achievement list.

[captainkapautz]

Thats my point, it was an awards system that allowed you to display them like a solidier rather than just flashing this huge message on your screen and looking at some long ass boring achievement list.

Are you kidding right now?

It DID flash a message on your screen AND it had the very definition of a boring list, literally the only differnce was the shoulderdisplay.

[Hamma]

No I am not kidding. It's called an opinion. Welcome to a forum where people discuss their opinions.

The merit system was 100x better than the generic achievement systems we see in every other game and that is how I feel about it. ;)

[captainkapautz]

No I am not kidding. It's called an opinion. Welcome to a forum where people discuss their opinions.

The merit system was 100x better than the generic achievement systems we see in every other game and that is how I feel about it. ;)

I'm sorry, Hamma, but stating that the merit system is way better than other achievement systems, because it doesn't have a pop-up on screen and a long list when it DOES, is an opinion based on misconception.


P.S.: It's like me saying "I think BFRs were cool, because they were balanced in my opinion.".

That's an opinion.
But still doesn't make it true.

P.S.2: Meh, I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

[Landtank]

I'm sorry, Hamma, but stating that the merit system is way better than other achievement systems, because it doesn't have a pop-up on screen and a long list when it DOES, is an opinion based on misconception.

Re-read what he posted.

He said that it does more than JUST flashing a message. It also allows you to display your achievements.


:usa:

[captainkapautz]

Re-read what he posted.

I did.

Didn't change my point of view.

He said that it does more than JUST flashing a message. It also allows you to display your achievements.

So does Diablo III, yet I still wouldn't say it's 50x as awesome as the merit system.

[Landtank]

I did.

Didn't change my point of view.



So does Diablo III, yet I still wouldn't say it's 50x as awesome as the merit system.

I wasn't trying to change your point of view? Apparently that's all you care about.

All I was stating was that you must have misread his post.

You get awfully defensive awfully fast.

:nodrama:

[Zulthus]

I think he meant that PS1 merits were actually fun to work for and you could take pride in displaying them, instead of the generic "OMFGWTFBBQ YOU JUST KILL'D 5 DUDES!!! HOLY SHIT!!" +500 XP all over your screen.


And I'd agree. PS1's merit system > easyasfuck boring achievements

[captainkapautz]

I wasn't trying to change your point of view? Apparently that's all you care about.

All I was stating was that you must have misread his post.

You get awfully defensive awfully fast.

:nodrama:

I have no idea what you even want now.

I don't think Hamma needs you to defend his opinion.

I think he meant that PS1 merits were actually fun to work for and you could take pride in displaying them, instead of the generic "OMFGWTFBBQ YOU JUST KILL'D 5 DUDES!!! HOLY SHIT!!" +500 XP all over your screen.


And I'd agree. PS1's merit system > easyasfuck boring achievements

That is the point I was making, the merit system is in essence an achievement system.

Same concept, same execution.

You can't say it's harder/easier, because there are games with harder achievements, just as there are ones with easier ones.

[GreatMazinkaise]

I think he meant that PS1 merits were actually fun to work for and you could take pride in displaying them, instead of the generic "OMFGWTFBBQ YOU JUST KILL'D 5 DUDES!!! HOLY SHIT!!" +500 XP all over your screen.


And I'd agree. PS1's merit system > easyasfuck boring achievements

Well, there was the Exploration ribbon... though I'm not sure it was entirely boring.

[Sirisian]

If you focus on the leaked content there are hundreds of these for classes, vehicles, outfits etc:

Aircraft: Deal 100,000 damage using aircraft
Aircraft: Use a liberator to shoot down 5 liberators
Outfit: Hack a base with a full squad of Outfit members
Outfit: Get 5 people to join your outfit
Ground Vehicles: Run over 100 infantry using a vehicle
Medic: Revive 50 medics
Social: Get 100 kills in a Liberator with a friend as the pilot
Social: Get 50 assists while grouped with a friend

I could list them off, but needless to say their system is robust for handling achievements.

[Revelator]

Yes, Planetside 1's awards were better than the usual "Do this and get 50 gamerscore!" not just because you could display the awards, but because you could also choose the awards you wanted to see and anyone who walked by you could visibly see them, unlike achievements where no one actually bothers to look, and your left alone, just you and the achievements.

That and the uniform appearance change at certain BRs made me happy always, plus it lets me know if someone has been playing a long time.

[GuyFawkes]

That and the uniform appearance change at certain BRs made me happy always, plus it lets me know if someone has been playing a long time.

I still hope there is BR in the game (although will there be any need with the cert tree as is? ) and we get the changing of model from grey>red /blue>yellow>dark blue etc .You would still notice the difference with even the camo styles.

Oh, and I hope ps1 vets get the beret and goggles as exclusive claimable reward .

[qbert2]

The idea of the shoulder display is interesting but I'd like to see it expanded to merits give you some customized armor, skins, weapon attachments, etc. Things that can be more visible and help you create a unique looking character.

[GreatMazinkaise]

The idea of the shoulder display is interesting but I'd like to see it expanded to merits give you some customized armor, skins, weapon attachments, etc. Things that can be more visible and help you create a unique looking character.

They'd rather sell that stuff to you.

[Mr DeCastellac]

I REALLY hope they let you display your awards in some way, hopefully like PS1 had it. I used to love doing crazy things to get achievements that I can show off.

[exLupo]

The merit system was 100x better than the generic achievement systems we see in every other game and that is how I feel about it. ;)

In what way are merits not a sub-category of the greater category of achievements? In general theme they complete the same set of criteria and, in focus, PS1 merits are just more specific in detail.

Look at a list, Do X, Get Y checked off on the list. Merits let you show it in game? WoW achievements give you titles and cosmetic changes. Merits pop up on the screen in game? BF medals pop up on the screen.

Not trying to be pedantic but you're labeling reason based fact (the arguable point that merits are a subset of achievements) as subjective opinion.

ex: Oranges are a subset of fruit because they contain fruit aspects. They do not stop being fruit because they are orange being fruit doesn't require it's subsets to be orange.

Not to derail, it just bugs me when people misapply "opinion".

[captainkapautz]

In what way are merits not a sub-category of the greater category of achievements? In general theme they complete the same set of criteria and, in focus, PS1 merits are just more specific in detail.

Look at a list, Do X, Get Y checked off on the list. Merits let you show it in game? WoW achievements give you titles and cosmetic changes. Merits pop up on the screen in game? BF medals pop up on the screen.

Not trying to be pedantic but you're labeling reason based fact (the arguable point that merits are a subset of achievements) as subjective opinion.

ex: Oranges are a subset of fruit because they contain fruit aspects. They do not stop being fruit because they are orange being fruit doesn't require it's subsets to be orange.

Not to derail, it just bugs me when people misapply "opinion".

This, pretty much.

To clarify I didn't say, nor did I intended it to sound like, merits are bad, neither by themselves nor in comparison to achievements in other games.

I just stated that there really isn't much noteworthy difference between merits and achievements.

[Pella]

There will be. As the music file i have of the PS2 audio has about 100 Tracks for Achievements . Specific for TR/VS/NC.

[Zulthus]

Well, no matter how you put it, PS1 merits *are* different from general achievements, because there *are* differences between the two. In other games, achievements are easy as shit, few in number, and generally unsatisfying. PS1 merits took a long time to obtain, especially Auraxium, which you could be pretty damn proud of. They aren't there to say "hey, you're doing a damn good job. Here's a huge popup and fireworks for killing five wolves" they're simply there to show you achieved a goal you were working for and allow you to display them on your character.

Regardless, there are differences between PS1's merit system and other achievement systems, so no matter how you put it, people can say they like this system a lot more.

[Soothsayer]

Killing five wolves in Planetside 2 will be damn near impossible! :)

I am a big fan of merits giving tangible rewards above and beyond a visual identifier that others can see. I think that with the public profile of players that if someone is interested in seeing who has what, in terms of merits/achievements, that will be easy to find out.

I love leveling up, I love character progression. Use based achievements and awards related to the skills used to acquire them are awesome.

[captainkapautz]

Well, no matter how you put it, PS1 merits *are* different from general achievements, because there *are* differences between the two. In other games, achievements are easy as shit, few in number, and generally unsatisfying. PS1 merits took a long time to obtain, especially Auraxium, which you could be pretty damn proud of.

That is bullshit, there are other games with "hard" achievements, with "hard" meaning "How much time are you willing to spend on it?"

Regardless, there are differences between PS1's merit system and other achievement systems, so no matter how you put it, people can say they like this system a lot more.

I don't really give a shit if anyone thinks merits are superior, what I give a shit about is when people tie their opinion together with some "fact" they come up with.

It's the same narrowminded view that I see in a lot of threads when people bring up stuff from other games.

"Could something like X work in PS2? It was nice in Y."
"NO, because Y is crap and therefore X is crap as well and will never work."

Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean it's not viable/"good".

[Werefox]

It all depends on how much effort is put into the achievement/merit selection. There are a lot of games that just tack on achievements which is where you get an achievement for login in for the first time (for example).

I quite like the idea behind merit/achievement/insert name of choice systems if they are implemented well - I find they can add a nice framework for sub goals. The Extra Credits guys (currently hosted as part of the Penny Arcade TV) have a very good episode on achievement systems, the different types, and is well worth watching (http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/achievements)

[RandomNPC]

I don't really give a shit if anyone thinks merits are superior, what I give a shit about is when people tie their opinion together with some "fact" they come up with.

It's the same narrowminded view that I see in a lot of threads when people bring up stuff from other games.
:rofl:

Why do you care at all? All you're doing is saying "FUCK NO, YOU'RE WRONG, AND YOUR OPINION IS SHIT" when they're saying "This is what I think, even if you disagree".

Even if it you think their opinion isn't rooted in reality, why are you raging so hard? Does what they think really affect you in any way (apart from inexplicably making you mad)?
Maybe you need to take a time out; go outside and see some real people. Move on with your life, it'll be okay.

[Sirisian]

The only thing hard about merits in Planetside was the killstreaks at the end of some of them. I think the last MAX one was like "Kill 6 max in a row"? That kind of stuff was insanely difficult even as a VS. They get to the point where it's more about luck than actual skill. :lol: (Especially the BFR one, which I don't believe I ever got).

[exLupo]

In other games, achievements are easy as shit, few in number, and generally unsatisfying.

Demon's Souls (ps3 quasi-mmo), FFXI (pc/xbox/ps2 full mmo), Binding of Isaac (pc single player), Chromehounds (xbox quasi mmo) among many other games want to have a talk with you.

[RNFB]

Demon's Souls (ps3 quasi-mmo)

I don't understand what you mean by "quasi-mmo". Demon/Dark Souls are pretty standard RPGs and don't have any MMO traits (because it's 99% single player with a bit of crummy multiplayer)

[exLupo]

I found the multiplayer to be more than just tacked on. While you could run around solo, the communication between other players and grouping with them is something that you and I see differently. I found that it added a necessary social context that games like Skyrim and the Zelda series lack. Getting to watch non-grouped players death experiences play out added a nice touch. Dark Souls grouping system made interaction with this body of players even easier. This says nothing for the PvP invasions which, themselves, provided a level of tension that I've yet to experience in another game.

I say "quasi" because, while you are playing directly with thousands of other players, it's not in the same "Lets sit in Stormwind and do nothing while we wait to group with 4-9 other people." style like the traditional graphical chatroom design that's been the primary example since people were queueing for camps in EQ1.

Regardless of whether or not these are mmos, my response was to someone implying that "achievements" are always few and easy. His statement was either wildly uneducated or a blatant lie. I can't be sure which.

RNFB, I'm a huge nerd for games design so if you'd like to take the "what is an MMO" discussion to PMs I'd be glad to talk but it's probably going to derail the thread otherwise. :)

[captainkapautz]

:rofl:

Why do you care at all? All you're doing is saying "FUCK NO, YOU'RE WRONG, AND YOUR OPINION IS SHIT" when they're saying "This is what I think, even if you disagree".

Even if it you think their opinion isn't rooted in reality, why are you raging so hard? Does what they think really affect you in any way (apart from inexplicably making you mad)?
Maybe you need to take a time out; go outside and see some real people. Move on with your life, it'll be okay.

Maybe you need to not flame-bait me.

[Saifoda]

You serious dude?



Is this guy for real?

[Crator]

Which one? :P

[DSxGIIR]

Well my post just got Butchered...

[captainkapautz]

You serious dude?



Is this guy for real?

Are you?