15 December 2009

Audio attaboys

One of the admirable features of Quake Live are the audio achievements given to players.  Fragging two opponents within two seconds earns you an audio award which is a resonant voice intoning the word "excellent."  Two successful consecutive shots with the rail gun (a sniper weapon requiring some good hand/eye coordination) earns you the audio award "impressive."  The coolest audio award in the game is bestowed upon the player that prevents the pending capture of the team's flag.  It's a phrase which I shall not publish here, but suffice to say it's stronger than "good golly!"

These awards don't impact the game.  They're not power-ups that bestow special abilities nor do they boost existing abilities.  Collecting them does not improve game play.  They're just attaboys: an audio pat on the back for demonstrating good game play.

I would love to see these types of achievement awards within Clan Lord.  Perhaps a unique horn sound is played for the chainer who dodges X number of monsters while chaining Y number of fallens, or perhaps another unique horn sound is played for the healer that heals X amount of fallens in Y amount of time.  These awards are separate from experience rewards; they are not the same as bravery and compassion experience, or skinning experience.  These would not involve experience.  No experience.  None.  These would be simple recognitions for good game play.

An obvious issue is that Clan Lord is a very different game from Quake Live.  CL has such an emphasis on hoarding – collect experience! Collect coins! Collect good karma! – that I wonder if there is any point in issuing meaningless audio awards that do not translate into some form of in-game currency.  I may be entering SACWAG territory.

But still, who doesn't appreciate the occasional attaboy?

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