1 00:00:02,639 --> 00:00:06,910 In the earliest days of gaming, it was all about the high score. 2 00:00:06,910 --> 00:00:11,410 Arcade classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong couldn’t be finished because they just looped 3 00:00:11,410 --> 00:00:15,830 around forever - and so the challenge was to see how high of a score you could rack 4 00:00:15,830 --> 00:00:19,710 up before you finally screwed up and got a game over. 5 00:00:19,710 --> 00:00:23,260 Beating your personal best provided a goal to strive for. 6 00:00:23,260 --> 00:00:27,810 And once Space Invaders introduced the concept of saving high scores, they also provided 7 00:00:27,810 --> 00:00:33,060 competition, as nearby players could jostle for the top spots on the leaderboard. 8 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:37,120 But as gaming moved over to home consoles, the focus shifted to titles that could be 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:38,370 finished. 10 00:00:38,370 --> 00:00:43,170 Games like Mega Man and Castlevania did hold onto scores, for a time, but players were 11 00:00:43,170 --> 00:00:47,300 more interested in fighting the end boss, saving the princess, and seeing the end of 12 00:00:47,300 --> 00:00:48,350 the story. 13 00:00:48,350 --> 00:00:53,609 And as for competition, real time multiplayer became more interesting than leaderboards. 14 00:00:53,609 --> 00:00:59,129 The glory days of points, high scores, and personal bests, was over. 15 00:00:59,129 --> 00:01:03,829 But the question I want to explore in this video, is whether or not this old school relic 16 00:01:03,829 --> 00:01:06,610 can still be relevant in modern game design? 17 00:01:06,610 --> 00:01:09,600 Is there still a place for high scores in 2018? 18 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,369 Well, the answer is obviously: yes. 19 00:01:11,369 --> 00:01:12,450 Thanks for watching. 20 00:01:12,450 --> 00:01:13,450 See you next time. 21 00:01:13,450 --> 00:01:17,710 Because some games straight up emulate arcade game design - like the intense twin-stick 22 00:01:17,710 --> 00:01:22,460 shooter Tormenter X Punisher, which simply asks you to survive against infinite waves 23 00:01:22,460 --> 00:01:26,710 of demons for as long as possible, and then compare your score with others on an online 24 00:01:26,710 --> 00:01:27,710 leaderboard. 25 00:01:27,710 --> 00:01:28,890 And that’s fun. 26 00:01:28,890 --> 00:01:33,330 But unless you’re really good, or have very competitive friends, or just get a bit addicted 27 00:01:33,330 --> 00:01:39,560 to chasing your personal best - these endless arcade-like games can have quite limited staying power. 28 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:44,640 So I’m more interested in games that lay retro score systems on top of modern design 29 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,220 - and find awesome advantages for doing so. 30 00:01:47,220 --> 00:01:51,700 Like, for one, scores can provide an additional level of difficulty. 31 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:56,680 For example, in the anxiety-inducing rhythm nightmare that is Thumper, getting to the 32 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:01,530 end of the stage is one thing - but doing so with a high enough score to earn an S rank 33 00:02:01,530 --> 00:02:05,969 is something else entirely, and only for those with serious skills. 34 00:02:05,969 --> 00:02:09,700 This is cool, because it essentially gives the game multiple levels of difficulty - but 35 00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:12,590 avoids all the issues of having a difficulty select screen. 36 00:02:12,590 --> 00:02:16,040 You know, like how you have to choose your own level of skill, before you’ve played 37 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:21,020 a second of gameplay, and with no real context for what “hard” actually means in this game. 38 00:02:21,020 --> 00:02:24,680 Instead, you just play the game as well as you can, and you’re rewarded for whatever 39 00:02:24,690 --> 00:02:26,680 skill level you bring to table. 40 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:32,260 I really enjoyed this approach to difficulty in the most recent Zachtronics game, Opus Magnum. 41 00:02:32,260 --> 00:02:35,990 The goal of this one is to design bonkers mechanical machines that can automatically 42 00:02:35,990 --> 00:02:40,550 turn raw elements into potions, poisons, and other alchemical nonsense. 43 00:02:40,550 --> 00:02:44,920 You’re given infinite money, space, and programming lines - so any machine that actually 44 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:48,060 spits out the required product is seen as a success. 45 00:02:48,060 --> 00:02:52,209 No matter how inefficient or expensive your creation is, you can finish the level and 46 00:02:52,209 --> 00:02:53,849 move on with your life. 47 00:02:53,849 --> 00:02:57,990 But - and here’s where the scoring system comes in - your machine will be marked in 48 00:02:57,990 --> 00:02:59,360 three different criteria. 49 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,250 There’s the cost of the components you’ve used, the surface area of your machine, and 50 00:03:04,250 --> 00:03:08,560 the number of cycles your creation goes through before completion, which measures the efficiency 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:09,730 of your work. 52 00:03:09,730 --> 00:03:14,120 Your scores are then displayed on a histogram, that shows you how well you performed compared 53 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:18,360 to the average scores of every other Opus Magnum player in the world. 54 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:23,370 And seeing that your machine is hideously below average in cycles is just the kick up 55 00:03:23,370 --> 00:03:26,660 the arse you might need to go back in, rethink your approach, put down some more tracks and 56 00:03:26,660 --> 00:03:30,629 arms, and see the number of cycles start to drop. 57 00:03:30,629 --> 00:03:33,150 What I love about this is how it’s so player driven. 58 00:03:33,150 --> 00:03:37,379 It’s up to you whether good enough is good enough, and then it’s down to you how you 59 00:03:37,379 --> 00:03:38,890 optimise your machine. 60 00:03:38,890 --> 00:03:42,880 Maybe you find it really fun to make small, tightly contained machines. 61 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,560 Or mechanisms that work with the cheapest parts possible. 62 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,370 Or the most efficient machines. 63 00:03:47,370 --> 00:03:50,489 Or perhaps something balanced across all three criteria. 64 00:03:50,489 --> 00:03:54,439 Zachtronics could have put a strict goal on each level - you know, you must finish this 65 00:03:54,439 --> 00:03:59,180 stage in under 200 gold or with fewer than 60 cycles - and some players will need that 66 00:03:59,180 --> 00:04:00,450 to push them to play better. 67 00:04:00,450 --> 00:04:04,659 But, for me, seeing my crappy performance ranked against the world’s averages was 68 00:04:04,659 --> 00:04:10,050 more than enough motivation to get back in there, optimise my awful creations, and challenge 69 00:04:10,050 --> 00:04:11,840 myself to be better. 70 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,140 But a scoring system is not just about making the game more difficult. 71 00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:18,380 Because scores can reveal completely new ways to play. 72 00:04:18,390 --> 00:04:22,800 In a Platinum brawler like Bayonetta, getting a high score doesn’t just mean making fewer 73 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:28,300 mistakes - it means playing in a fundamentally different way to a novice, button-bashing scrub. 74 00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:33,000 Getting Pure Platinum medals means using those complex combos (that novices can ignore). 75 00:04:33,010 --> 00:04:35,290 It means fighting quickly to chain together enemies. 76 00:04:35,290 --> 00:04:38,440 It means using complex moves like the taunt, and dodge offset. 77 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:43,940 Now I don’t really know, or - to be honest - care all that much about the medals in Platinum games. 78 00:04:43,940 --> 00:04:48,240 But there is one series where I have totally internalised the scoring system to the point 79 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,580 where I could write a dissertation on its design. 80 00:04:53,580 --> 00:04:56,180 It’s the Tony Hawks Pro Skater games. 81 00:04:56,190 --> 00:05:00,220 So here, most of the goals require a very basic understanding of the game’s moves 82 00:05:00,220 --> 00:05:01,350 and mechanics. 83 00:05:01,350 --> 00:05:05,900 You don’t need to know how to do a variable heel-flip to knock a foreman into water, after all. 84 00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:08,060 Or at least I hope that’s water. 85 00:05:08,060 --> 00:05:12,220 But if you want to go for a high score - then you’ll suddenly need to use the full skateboarding 86 00:05:12,220 --> 00:05:13,300 system on offer. 87 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:17,330 You’ll need to chain together multiple moves - using the revert and manual to keep your 88 00:05:17,330 --> 00:05:21,780 combo going across the level - to gain a score multiplier that massively boosts your points. 89 00:05:21,780 --> 00:05:26,510 You’ll need to use lots of different tricks, because you’ll get fewer and fewer points every time 90 00:05:26,510 --> 00:05:28,190 you repeat the same move. 91 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:32,320 You might want to add in spins and stance switches, because they give you more points, too. 92 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,180 And you’ll want to move around the level, because special gaps between bits of the stage 93 00:05:36,190 --> 00:05:37,840 offer big point bonuses. 94 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:42,340 Basically, to get a high score in Tony Hawks, you need to fully understand every part of 95 00:05:42,340 --> 00:05:46,900 the trick system - and approach the game in a different way to those who are playing more casually. 96 00:05:46,900 --> 00:05:50,740 And then - here’s the cheeky bit - when you’re ready to go for high score, you’ll 97 00:05:50,740 --> 00:05:54,540 actually find yourself playing the game in the way the designers intended. 98 00:05:54,540 --> 00:05:58,140 Because the things you’re given points for actually encourage you to play Tony Hawks 99 00:05:58,140 --> 00:05:59,970 in the most interesting way. 100 00:05:59,970 --> 00:06:03,650 The degrading points on repeated moves makes you play with more variety. 101 00:06:03,650 --> 00:06:07,590 The bonuses for racking up combos puts you at higher and higher risk of bailing. 102 00:06:07,590 --> 00:06:10,430 And the use of gaps pushes you to move around the level. 103 00:06:10,430 --> 00:06:13,940 Because scores can encourage you to see the intended experience. 104 00:06:13,940 --> 00:06:17,760 In a game like Metal Gear Solid V, you can play the game in pretty much any way you like 105 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,780 - from being a sneaky, stealthy snake in the grass - to simply calling in a big attack 106 00:06:21,780 --> 00:06:23,600 chopper to mow down waves of enemies. 107 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,290 It’s up to you how you play, and the game doesn’t do much to force you to act in any 108 00:06:27,290 --> 00:06:28,440 specific way. 109 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,700 But if you’re interested in getting high rankings, then you might want to shift the 110 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:32,900 way you approach things. 111 00:06:32,900 --> 00:06:37,220 After every mission, you’re given a score - with points added for accuracy, 112 00:06:37,220 --> 00:06:42,720 speedy gameplay, and rescuing prisoners - but points deducted for getting spotted or taking damage. 113 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:46,920 This means that you’re not exactly punished for playing in a gung-ho, Rambo-kinda way 114 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,340 - but you are rewarded for being more sneaky and Snake-like. 115 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,700 So scores are not just a relic of the arcade era. 116 00:06:54,710 --> 00:06:58,360 And not just for nostalgic games that try to capture that coin-op feel. 117 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,080 They can jive with modern design for all sorts of advantages. 118 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,900 But they’re not foolproof. 119 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:07,640 Many players have complained about feeling discouraged when - at the end of a seemingly 120 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:12,400 successful run through a level in a Platinum game, they’re slapped down with a crappy grade. 121 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,080 Oof, that doesn’t feel very good. 122 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:18,440 And because scores are completely optional, there is the risk that some will never see 123 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,380 the real experience. 124 00:07:20,380 --> 00:07:24,170 If you can button bash your way to the end of Bayonetta, plenty of players will see no 125 00:07:24,170 --> 00:07:29,500 reason to explore the full combo list, keep chains going, or use that dodge offset. 126 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:34,620 But there is a game that goes some way to solve these two issues: the cheeky, twin-stick 127 00:07:34,620 --> 00:07:37,780 shooter Assault Android Cactus. 128 00:07:37,780 --> 00:07:41,600 So in this game, it’s totally possible to progress through the game simply by killing 129 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,070 all of the enemies in each level. 130 00:07:43,070 --> 00:07:46,620 That’s classified as a win, and it’s enough to get you to the end of the game. 131 00:07:46,620 --> 00:07:51,060 But you can also aim to win enough points to finish the stage with a higher rank. 132 00:07:51,060 --> 00:07:54,880 This is done through completing the level more quickly, avoiding getting knocked down, 133 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,000 and - most importantly of all - killing enemies in quick succession. 134 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,990 You see, every time you kill an enemy you start a chain - and if you can kill another 135 00:08:01,990 --> 00:08:04,840 within a couple seconds, you’ll keep the chain going. 136 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,590 A big chain will multiply the score you receive for killing enemies- up to 10 times the number 137 00:08:09,590 --> 00:08:12,070 of points, for a chain of 10 or more foes. 138 00:08:12,070 --> 00:08:16,380 And if you chain together every single enemy in the stage, you’ll go one step further 139 00:08:16,380 --> 00:08:19,620 and earn an S+ rank. 140 00:08:19,620 --> 00:08:21,650 Keeping that chain going is a tricky challenge. 141 00:08:21,650 --> 00:08:25,820 You’ll need to play much more aggressively, prioritise enemies, and think more carefully 142 00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:27,810 about using your special weapon. 143 00:08:27,810 --> 00:08:31,790 And these red enemies - who generally take more than two seconds to kill with your standard 144 00:08:31,790 --> 00:08:35,780 weapon - need to be dealt with carefully to keep your chain going. 145 00:08:35,780 --> 00:08:39,620 So this means that Assault Android Cactus uses its scoring system to give players an 146 00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:43,479 additional level of challenge, a fundamentally different way to play, and a way to experience 147 00:08:43,479 --> 00:08:45,360 the game at its absolute best. 148 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,480 But developer Witch Beam did a couple clever things to skip the most major downsides of 149 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:50,760 scoring systems. 150 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:55,130 For one, the designers ensured that the core experience was available at every level of 151 00:08:55,130 --> 00:08:58,570 play - not just for those who dived into high scores. 152 00:08:58,570 --> 00:09:02,020 You see, the game has a cool death mechanic where you’re always running out of battery 153 00:09:02,020 --> 00:09:06,101 and must constantly top up your juice by killing enemies and picking up dropped power cells. 154 00:09:06,101 --> 00:09:10,840 And so this means that the new player experience - of frantically killing enemies to pick up 155 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:15,690 batteries - neatly mirrors the veteran experience - of frantically killing enemies to keep your 156 00:09:15,690 --> 00:09:17,020 score chain going. 157 00:09:17,020 --> 00:09:21,340 Both put you in a high intensity panic, where every split second of gameplay counts. 158 00:09:21,340 --> 00:09:25,850 It’s just one is on the razor’s edge of failure, and the other is on the edge of ruining 159 00:09:25,850 --> 00:09:27,340 a perfect run. 160 00:09:27,340 --> 00:09:31,470 And then, while scores do show up at the end of levels, just like Bayonetta, the special 161 00:09:31,470 --> 00:09:36,140 Pro Mode - where an S+ medal appears on the screen, and then falls apart as soon as you 162 00:09:36,140 --> 00:09:41,060 break your chain - only unlocks after you chain together all the enemies in a single level. 163 00:09:41,060 --> 00:09:45,880 Until you get there yourself, you might never know that this extra mode exists. 164 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,580 Hiding this away until players prove their worth is a neat way to stop players becoming 165 00:09:49,580 --> 00:09:54,640 demoralised when they’re hit with crappy medals at the very start of their experience. 166 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:59,170 So through this design, Assault Android Cactus ends up being a game that is accessible and 167 00:09:59,170 --> 00:10:03,430 thrilling for new players - but also hides a secret second game for those who really 168 00:10:03,430 --> 00:10:04,670 want to prove their skill. 169 00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:08,580 And you don’t even need to change difficulty modes - you just need to play differently 170 00:10:08,580 --> 00:10:11,000 and better, than everyone else. 171 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,360 CACTUS: Oh no problem. I do that kind of thing all the time. 172 00:10:14,340 --> 00:10:19,760 So scores might not fit into every game in 2018 - but when used carefully, they can provide 173 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,120 real benefits for game designers. 174 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,510 We may be long past the days of writing rude words into coin-op leaderboards, but the thrill 175 00:10:26,510 --> 00:10:30,720 of chasing down high scores is still alive and well in modern game design. 176 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:33,740 Hey! Thanks for watching! 177 00:10:33,750 --> 00:10:38,000 If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve started recommending cool YouTube videos during this end screen 178 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,090 so go check them out for more interesting content. 179 00:10:41,090 --> 00:10:44,950 Patrons get a lot more recommendations every month in their reading list. 180 00:10:44,950 --> 00:10:51,460 And it’s those Patrons who keep GMTK alive, free, and without adverts all over the videos! Cheers!