Challenge based Rankings

[VaNilla]

If a ranked mode is being made, another interesting category in the rankings could be a 'challenge' section. This would be based upon how many points you have gained from completing challenges. Completing a challenge could give the player a set number of points, which would vary on the difficulty of the challenge. Every time the player completes a challenge, their ranking would increase. These challenges could be completed more than once, allowing the rankings to increase forever. Challenges such as 'complete a round without losing any lives', 'complete all the objectives by yourself', 'disable all defences (hackable cameras etc)' and 'remain undetected' would add replay value to the game, and give players something more to aim for (which may also motivate players into trying different play styles).

Spy Challenges

Artistic (Roll through 100 laser defences)
Betrayal (Ledge grab a mercenary, and throw him onto his team-mate)
Brute Force (Complete a total of 100 objectives)
Commando (Neutralise 25 mercenaries)
Disgrace (Kill a mercenary with his own Mine)
Electrified (Shoot 200 mercenaries with the Sticky Shocker)
Hangman (Perform 25 inverted neck breaks)
Heart Breaker (Detect 25 mercenaries with the Heartbeat Sensor)
Manipulation (Plant 50 Alarm Snares)
Ninja (Remain undetected throughout the match)
Panther (Neutralise a mercenary from a Walljump)
Saviour (Grab a mercenary who has pinned down your team-mate)
Sedatation (Gas two mercanaries with one Sticky Camera)
Snap, Crackle & Pop (Perform 50 neck breaks)
Stalker (Hack 5 mercenary voice-communications)
Strike! (Strike attack a crouching mercenary)
Team Player (Perform 50 co-op interactions)
Technician (Disable all defences - hackable cameras, mines etc)
Till Death Do Us Part (Choke a mercenary to death 5 times)
Vertigo (Perform 25 ledge grabs)

Mercenary Challenges

Beserk (Kill 25 spies with the Beserker move)
Boom, Headshot! (Kill 50 spies with a headshot)
Charge! (Charge down 25 spies)
Double Nade (Kill two spies with one Grenade)
Hero (Kill a spy who has your team-mate in a choke-hold)
Humiliation (Kill 25 spies with the Finisher move)
I See Red... (Detect 25 spies with the Laser)
Laserdeath (Kill 50 spies with the Laser Mine)
Multi-Kill (Kill two spies with one Bullet)
Poison (Kill 50 spies with the Poison Mine)
Proxify (Kill 50 spies with the Proxy Mine)
Resourceful (Refill the supplies of 25 team-mates with the Backpack)
Spy! (Track 25 spies with the Spy Trap)
Turbulence (Detect 100 spies with the Motion Tracking visor)

Global Challenges

Baby Steps (Win 25 rounds)
Blur (Complete a match within 3 minutes)
Godlike (Stay alive throughout a match)
Medic (Heal 50 team-mates)
Unstoppable (Win 2 rounds in a row)

Note: Each progressive challenge can be beaten again, just multiply the number by two. For example, the 'Medic' challenge can be beaten again after healing 100 team-mates.

[frvge]

My opinion is that achievements/ranks distract from pure gameplay and are an artificial way to lengthen the life of the game, while the latter should be standard by means of good gameplay design.

[Cronky]

My opinion is that achievements/ranks distract from pure gameplay and are an artificial way to lengthen the life of the game, while the latter should be standard by means of good gameplay design.

From what I read, it sounded more like say... The Medals in Halo.

That seems like a pretty good idea. Kind of a stat tracking element within the game for more than Wins Vs Loses. While things such as an actual leaderboard Rank can make a needless reason for people to try and play. Simple little extras for doing a specific "Thing", such as:

-Win in X Amount of time

-Win Without Losing a Life

-Win Without Hacking X

A bunch of little things that will accumulate at the end to make even the losers of the match feel like they did something. Merc's having FPS equivalents like:

-Headshot a Spy

-Blow up Two Spies with one Grenade/Mine

-Kill Two Spies within X amount of seconds of eachother (Shouting out DOUBLE KILL ;) (Not Really))

Again, Little things. Some easy, some hard. Everyone likes a virtual assessment of what they've done. Whether win or lose it's nice to see you got SOMETHING, and each of your games isn't just the same thing over and over again. Doesn't mean that you have to get anything Legit for it (Rank), but a notification or "Achievement Collection" within your profile would be more fun to look at than just your Kill to Death Ration, Or Win Vs Loses... Or how many games you've played.

[Spark Mandriller]

My opinion is that achievements/ranks distract from pure gameplay and are an artificial way to lengthen the life of the game, while the latter should be standard by means of good gameplay design.

You should make gadgets unlockable.

1 unlocked per 100 hours played.

[frvge]

Causes idling servers. Other stuff causes achievement servers, like in TF2.

Statistics are fine, as long as there's no actual reward.

[Cronky]

Causes idling servers. Other stuff causes achievement servers, like in TF2.

Statistics are fine, as long as there's no actual reward.

See and that's what I believe Ston3 was talking about. At least in my rendition of it. Medals like in Halo (Though some could bash for using that as an example). There is no PLUS to getting any. Double Kill just gives you a visual representation of something you did in that Match.

Same could be done with PS but obviously with different "Medals".

Just gives the player the illusion that they did more than they did, and people who lost something they can talk about other than: "Well... We'll get you next game..."

[Spark Mandriller]

Causes idling servers. Other stuff causes achievement servers, like in TF2.

Statistics are fine, as long as there's no actual reward.

Mang, for some people, stats are the reward. Like fast turbo or whatever his name was.

Just make a lobby system that doesn't always tell people the ping of servers they're joining so I can troll people by hosting and lagging people to death, wouldja? Cooool. Assuming the game's gonna keep track of wins/losses, that is.

[Farley4Fan]

I remember that we discussed stats and stuff a long time ago.  Don't remember the verdict if there was one, but a stat tracking system would be fine for me.

[Spekkio]

Given that you guys are a small team and stressed for time, I'd prefer that you spend yourself on something other than a benign reward system. The only people who care about that stuff are silly 12 year olds anyway.

Stats would be cool and probably not very difficult to program. Beyond that, a reward system is one of the last things that you could throw in there.

If a ranked mode is being made,

Rank is silly in most games as it's artificial. The only way to have a true ranking system is to include a robust auto-match function, which would probably take a lot of man hours to complete and would fall apart due to the small and international nature of the game's initial player base.

[LennardF1989]

I remember that we discussed stats and stuff a long time ago.  Don't remember the verdict if there was one, but a stat tracking system would be fine for me.

Why do you people always kill discussions like that, who cares, time has passed, new people have joined, maybe the view on it changed. Let it evolve and just post a link to the old topic asking if people agree with the verdict and otherwise why not.

[AgentX_003]

Given that you guys are a small team and stressed for time, I'd prefer that you spend yourself on something other than a benign reward system. The only people who care about that stuff are silly 12 year olds anyway.

Stats would be cool and probably not very difficult to program. Beyond that, a reward system is one of the last things that you could throw in there.

If a ranked mode is being made,

Rank is silly in most games as it's artificial. The only way to have a true ranking system is to include a robust auto-match function, which would probably take a lot of man hours to complete and would fall apart due to the small and international nature of the game's initial player base.

well sir I wouldn't say the player base is gunna be small because once this becomes full steam ahead then there will be more then just your average 200 players that you may have saw in chaos theory, Look at how many people are watching this mod / have signed up on the forums , the numbers don't lie and aside from that the 500 + on mah xfire list are all waiting on this mod..so guaranteed there will be no shortage of players.

[LennardF1989]

...and we're also not a mod anymore.

[CurdyMilk]

I actually want more objective types other than disk, explosive and hacking... I'm open to suggestions.

Hmm...I cannot think of any more good objective types other than these three.  However, you could possibly incorporate a teamwork objective.  Obviously teamwork is needed in all objectives such as distraction, necking, coop locations to reach objectives, etc.  But there could be potential in having one spy hack one of the panels (one that looks like the steam pressure, electrical, and glass ceiling in clubhouse) on one side of the map which enables new computer/disk/bomb objectives for about 5 seconds.  Then, the other spy at a different location could be able to initiate that objective for that short span of time.  If it is hacked, then it can continue to be hacked until either stopped by the merc or completed.  When there is an interruption (or the objective was not attempted in the time span), then the panel must be re-hacked before it can become available again.  This way, the spies can have team work tactics when they are far away as well.  I don't really know if it could work or be pulled off, but it could be used to add new possibilities.

Never thought about that, it would actually be pretty cool if one teammate has to hack an objective to say stop a ventilator from spinning in a vent so you can get to the next objective, security system will kick in and only give you 5 seconds to walk through it.

Yeah this thought of being able to temporarily bug/jam a fan to enter a new objective like you mentioned is one thing I had in mind.  Another similar idea would be the hack could temporarily open a secret passage/trap door such as a library bookshelf to an office with a computer or safe with a disk in it.  There are many creative routes that can be taken with this option.

[Farley4Fan]

I remember that we discussed stats and stuff a long time ago.  Don't remember the verdict if there was one, but a stat tracking system would be fine for me.

Why do you people always kill discussions like that, who cares, time has passed, new people have joined, maybe the view on it changed. Let it evolve and just post a link to the old topic asking if people agree with the verdict and otherwise why not.

On the contrary, I provided my opinion which is as good of an action as any for continuing a discussion.  I also hate it when people do that.  I was only saying I don't remember what people thought.

[Cronky]

Given that you guys are a small team and stressed for time, I'd prefer that you spend yourself on something other than a benign reward system. The only people who care about that stuff are silly 12 year olds anyway.

Stats would be cool and probably not very difficult to program. Beyond that, a reward system is one of the last things that you could throw in there.

The idea of a "Rewards" system (If meant to include the "Medals-like" idea and not just Rocket's deal) is obviously a afterthought. Not something Hugely important to the point of, "FINISH THIS INSTEAD OF THE SPY'S RUNNING ANIMATION!!!". Just something to link into the Stat tracking.

I know I logged into Bungie.Net more times that I probably went onto Halo. It's fun to see all the little Icons representing special things you did. Even if they mean nothing. A little "Medal" for PS for Headshotting a Spy when he's got my partners Neck would just be fun to see.

Again, Bungie isn't the only example of these types of things, but I believe they did it the best So far. So I'll keep using them as an example.

If a ranked mode is being made,

Rank is silly in most games as it's artificial. The only way to have a true ranking system is to include a robust auto-match function, which would probably take a lot of man hours to complete and would fall apart due to the small and international nature of the game's initial player base.

The good part I see about rank is the fact that you get to see just what you may be getting into. Getting into your first game and playing against someone who has been playing since it came out is kind of a sucker punch. Leaves a bad first impression as you get your ass handed to you.

Something simple like it recording the amount of hours you play, or your game count could make it even out a little bit. In the end though, everything can be hacked, cracked, and/or abused... So it's not like you can guarantee 100% Legit-ness when it comes to Ranking no matter how it's done.