The evolution of the Xbox gaming system is still ongoing, and it is especially evident in the latest Xbox One. In the new video gaming system with a quickly approaching release date, players will experience a change in the way they acquire Achievements. According to Xbox LIVE's principle group program manager, Chad Gibson, players will be able to receive a steady stream of updates that can monthly or weekly add Achievements to games.
Instead of giving players Achievements with the game and then offering more with DLC, Gibson said, "We want game developers to be able to offer Achievements and interesting opportunities throughout the life-cycle of a game. So, you know, 14 months after the game's shipped, you're still offering interesting Achievement opportunities, because users are still playing the game and the game is still evolving and growing."
So, how exactly does this work? Well, it involves a new update system that is easier to use than the one that is already installed in the Xbox 360. Gibson explained, "So, the general guidance we give to Achievements on how they're utilised - conceptually, that's the same, but the big decoupling we did is that on Xbox 360, your Achievement is actually a bunch of client code you write in your game, and that's still largely true on Xbox One, but the client code is instrumentation." To simplify, he said that "you instrument your game with all these events and then you go to a web tool and say, 'oh OK, I want a new Achievement when this event crosses this threshold'. You can add an achievement without ever updating your game client."
These changes will allow game developers provide an ever-changing product to the fans, and it will make games more appealing so that the players will have more goals to complete and a better gaming experience.
While that is true, what about those that think the new games will be unbeatable with these constant updates? Plenty of gamers are completionists, and they make it their goal to complete all of the Achievements and bask in the glory of their own skill. Gibson admits, "We're mindful of it, and the corollary is that with a lot of games today, three updates later it's a nice evolution of that game - it's a different game that's been modified and adjusted, based on what people are enjoying and having fun with. And we think that Achievements should match that."
If users feel overwhelmed with the endless supply of Achievements, then Microsoft will take action to prevent further developer and publisher abuse of the system.
The ever-evolving next-gen system will grow and add Achievements over time in response to how people use it. The developers themselves aren't required to add these gaming tasks after the release of a game, but the goal for Microsoft is to have a steady diet of additional Gamerscore, which is a crucial aspect of the next generation Live experience.
Mo Mozuch of the International Digital Times remarks that the move is "a good one for Xbox LIVE. It'll help keep games feeling fresh and could likely give players a reason to hang on to games instead of trading them in (something devs are increasingly worried about.)" He further notes, "Instead of a static relationship with your console, the Xbox One looks to be analyzing how you play so that it can implement changes to make you play even better."
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