WEBVTT 00:00:02.639 --> 00:00:06.910 In the earliest days of gaming, it was all about the high score. 00:00:06.910 --> 00:00:11.410 Arcade classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong couldn’t be finished because they just looped 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 00:00:15.830 --> 00:00:19.710 up before you finally screwed up and got a game over. 00:00:19.710 --> 00:00:23.260 Beating your personal best provided a goal to strive for. 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:27.810 And once Space Invaders introduced the concept of saving high scores, they also provided 00:00:27.810 --> 00:00:33.060 competition, as nearby players could jostle for the top spots on the leaderboard. 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:37.120 But as gaming moved over to home consoles, the focus shifted to titles that could be 00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:38.370 finished. 00:00:38.370 --> 00:00:43.170 Games like Mega Man and Castlevania did hold onto scores, for a time, but players were 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:47.300 more interested in fighting the end boss, saving the princess, and seeing the end of 00:00:47.300 --> 00:00:48.350 the story. 00:00:48.350 --> 00:00:53.609 And as for competition, real time multiplayer became more interesting than leaderboards. 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:59.129 The glory days of points, high scores, and personal bests, was over. 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 00:01:03.829 --> 00:01:06.610 can still be relevant in modern game design? 00:01:06.610 --> 00:01:09.600 Is there still a place for high scores in 2018? 00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:11.369 Well, the answer is obviously: yes. 00:01:11.369 --> 00:01:12.450 Thanks for watching. 00:01:12.450 --> 00:01:13.450 See you next time. 00:01:13.450 --> 00:01:17.710 Because some games straight up emulate arcade game design - like the intense twin-stick 00:01:17.710 --> 00:01:22.460 shooter Tormenter X Punisher, which simply asks you to survive against infinite waves 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 00:01:26.710 --> 00:01:27.710 leaderboard. 00:01:27.710 --> 00:01:28.890 And that’s fun. 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 00:01:33.330 --> 00:01:39.560 to chasing your personal best - these endless arcade-like games can have quite limited staying power. 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 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.220 - and find awesome advantages for doing so. 00:01:47.220 --> 00:01:51.700 Like, for one, scores can provide an additional level of difficulty. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:56.680 For example, in the anxiety-inducing rhythm nightmare that is Thumper, getting to the 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 00:02:01.530 --> 00:02:05.969 is something else entirely, and only for those with serious skills. 00:02:05.969 --> 00:02:09.700 This is cool, because it essentially gives the game multiple levels of difficulty - but 00:02:09.700 --> 00:02:12.590 avoids all the issues of having a difficulty select screen. 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 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. 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 00:02:24.690 --> 00:02:26.680 skill level you bring to table. 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:32.260 I really enjoyed this approach to difficulty in the most recent Zachtronics game, Opus Magnum. 00:02:32.260 --> 00:02:35.990 The goal of this one is to design bonkers mechanical machines that can automatically 00:02:35.990 --> 00:02:40.550 turn raw elements into potions, poisons, and other alchemical nonsense. 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:44.920 You’re given infinite money, space, and programming lines - so any machine that actually 00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:48.060 spits out the required product is seen as a success. 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:52.209 No matter how inefficient or expensive your creation is, you can finish the level and 00:02:52.209 --> 00:02:53.849 move on with your life. 00:02:53.849 --> 00:02:57.990 But - and here’s where the scoring system comes in - your machine will be marked in 00:02:57.990 --> 00:02:59.360 three different criteria. 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 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:08.560 the number of cycles your creation goes through before completion, which measures the efficiency 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:09.730 of your work. 00:03:09.730 --> 00:03:14.120 Your scores are then displayed on a histogram, that shows you how well you performed compared 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:18.360 to the average scores of every other Opus Magnum player in the world. 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:23.370 And seeing that your machine is hideously below average in cycles is just the kick up 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 00:03:26.660 --> 00:03:30.629 arms, and see the number of cycles start to drop. 00:03:30.629 --> 00:03:33.150 What I love about this is how it’s so player driven. 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 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:38.890 optimise your machine. 00:03:38.890 --> 00:03:42.880 Maybe you find it really fun to make small, tightly contained machines. 00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:45.560 Or mechanisms that work with the cheapest parts possible. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:47.370 Or the most efficient machines. 00:03:47.370 --> 00:03:50.489 Or perhaps something balanced across all three criteria. 00:03:50.489 --> 00:03:54.439 Zachtronics could have put a strict goal on each level - you know, you must finish this 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 00:03:59.180 --> 00:04:00.450 to push them to play better. 00:04:00.450 --> 00:04:04.659 But, for me, seeing my crappy performance ranked against the world’s averages was 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:10.050 more than enough motivation to get back in there, optimise my awful creations, and challenge 00:04:10.050 --> 00:04:11.840 myself to be better. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.140 But a scoring system is not just about making the game more difficult. 00:04:15.140 --> 00:04:18.380 Because scores can reveal completely new ways to play. 00:04:18.390 --> 00:04:22.800 In a Platinum brawler like Bayonetta, getting a high score doesn’t just mean making fewer 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:28.300 mistakes - it means playing in a fundamentally different way to a novice, button-bashing scrub. 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:33.000 Getting Pure Platinum medals means using those complex combos (that novices can ignore). 00:04:33.010 --> 00:04:35.290 It means fighting quickly to chain together enemies. 00:04:35.290 --> 00:04:38.440 It means using complex moves like the taunt, and dodge offset. 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. 00:04:43.940 --> 00:04:48.240 But there is one series where I have totally internalised the scoring system to the point 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.580 where I could write a dissertation on its design. 00:04:53.580 --> 00:04:56.180 It’s the Tony Hawks Pro Skater games. 00:04:56.190 --> 00:05:00.220 So here, most of the goals require a very basic understanding of the game’s moves 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:01.350 and mechanics. 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. 00:05:05.900 --> 00:05:08.060 Or at least I hope that’s water. 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 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:13.300 system on offer. 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:17.330 You’ll need to chain together multiple moves - using the revert and manual to keep your 00:05:17.330 --> 00:05:21.780 combo going across the level - to gain a score multiplier that massively boosts your points. 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 00:05:26.510 --> 00:05:28.190 you repeat the same move. 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. 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 00:05:36.190 --> 00:05:37.840 offer big point bonuses. 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 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. 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 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:54.540 actually find yourself playing the game in the way the designers intended. 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:58.140 Because the things you’re given points for actually encourage you to play Tony Hawks 00:05:58.140 --> 00:05:59.970 in the most interesting way. 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:03.650 The degrading points on repeated moves makes you play with more variety. 00:06:03.650 --> 00:06:07.590 The bonuses for racking up combos puts you at higher and higher risk of bailing. 00:06:07.590 --> 00:06:10.430 And the use of gaps pushes you to move around the level. 00:06:10.430 --> 00:06:13.940 Because scores can encourage you to see the intended experience. 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 00:06:17.760 --> 00:06:21.780 - from being a sneaky, stealthy snake in the grass - to simply calling in a big attack 00:06:21.780 --> 00:06:23.600 chopper to mow down waves of enemies. 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 00:06:27.290 --> 00:06:28.440 specific way. 00:06:28.440 --> 00:06:31.700 But if you’re interested in getting high rankings, then you might want to shift the 00:06:31.700 --> 00:06:32.900 way you approach things. 00:06:32.900 --> 00:06:37.220 After every mission, you’re given a score - with points added for accuracy, 00:06:37.220 --> 00:06:42.720 speedy gameplay, and rescuing prisoners - but points deducted for getting spotted or taking damage. 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 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:51.340 - but you are rewarded for being more sneaky and Snake-like. 00:06:51.400 --> 00:06:54.700 So scores are not just a relic of the arcade era. 00:06:54.710 --> 00:06:58.360 And not just for nostalgic games that try to capture that coin-op feel. 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:02.080 They can jive with modern design for all sorts of advantages. 00:07:02.080 --> 00:07:03.900 But they’re not foolproof. 00:07:03.900 --> 00:07:07.640 Many players have complained about feeling discouraged when - at the end of a seemingly 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. 00:07:12.400 --> 00:07:14.080 Oof, that doesn’t feel very good. 00:07:14.080 --> 00:07:18.440 And because scores are completely optional, there is the risk that some will never see 00:07:18.440 --> 00:07:20.380 the real experience. 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 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:29.500 reason to explore the full combo list, keep chains going, or use that dodge offset. 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 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:37.780 shooter Assault Android Cactus. 00:07:37.780 --> 00:07:41.600 So in this game, it’s totally possible to progress through the game simply by killing 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:43.070 all of the enemies in each level. 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. 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. 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:54.880 This is done through completing the level more quickly, avoiding getting knocked down, 00:07:54.880 --> 00:07:58.000 and - most importantly of all - killing enemies in quick succession. 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 00:08:01.990 --> 00:08:04.840 within a couple seconds, you’ll keep the chain going. 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 00:08:09.590 --> 00:08:12.070 of points, for a chain of 10 or more foes. 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 00:08:16.380 --> 00:08:19.620 and earn an S+ rank. 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:21.650 Keeping that chain going is a tricky challenge. 00:08:21.650 --> 00:08:25.820 You’ll need to play much more aggressively, prioritise enemies, and think more carefully 00:08:25.820 --> 00:08:27.810 about using your special weapon. 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:31.790 And these red enemies - who generally take more than two seconds to kill with your standard 00:08:31.790 --> 00:08:35.780 weapon - need to be dealt with carefully to keep your chain going. 00:08:35.780 --> 00:08:39.620 So this means that Assault Android Cactus uses its scoring system to give players an 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:43.479 additional level of challenge, a fundamentally different way to play, and a way to experience 00:08:43.479 --> 00:08:45.360 the game at its absolute best. 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.480 But developer Witch Beam did a couple clever things to skip the most major downsides of 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:50.760 scoring systems. 00:08:50.760 --> 00:08:55.130 For one, the designers ensured that the core experience was available at every level of 00:08:55.130 --> 00:08:58.570 play - not just for those who dived into high scores. 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 00:09:02.020 --> 00:09:06.101 and must constantly top up your juice by killing enemies and picking up dropped power cells. 00:09:06.101 --> 00:09:10.840 And so this means that the new player experience - of frantically killing enemies to pick up 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.690 batteries - neatly mirrors the veteran experience - of frantically killing enemies to keep your 00:09:15.690 --> 00:09:17.020 score chain going. 00:09:17.020 --> 00:09:21.340 Both put you in a high intensity panic, where every split second of gameplay counts. 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 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:27.340 a perfect run. 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 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 00:09:36.140 --> 00:09:41.060 break your chain - only unlocks after you chain together all the enemies in a single level. 00:09:41.060 --> 00:09:45.880 Until you get there yourself, you might never know that this extra mode exists. 00:09:45.880 --> 00:09:49.580 Hiding this away until players prove their worth is a neat way to stop players becoming 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:54.640 demoralised when they’re hit with crappy medals at the very start of their experience. 00:09:54.640 --> 00:09:59.170 So through this design, Assault Android Cactus ends up being a game that is accessible and 00:09:59.170 --> 00:10:03.430 thrilling for new players - but also hides a secret second game for those who really 00:10:03.430 --> 00:10:04.670 want to prove their skill. 00:10:04.670 --> 00:10:08.580 And you don’t even need to change difficulty modes - you just need to play differently 00:10:08.580 --> 00:10:11.000 and better, than everyone else. 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:13.360 CACTUS: Oh no problem. I do that kind of thing all the time. 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 00:10:19.760 --> 00:10:22.120 real benefits for game designers. 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 00:10:26.510 --> 00:10:30.720 of chasing down high scores is still alive and well in modern game design. 00:10:32.640 --> 00:10:33.740 Hey! Thanks for watching! 00:10:33.750 --> 00:10:38.000 If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve started recommending cool YouTube videos during this end screen 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:41.090 so go check them out for more interesting content. 00:10:41.090 --> 00:10:44.950 Patrons get a lot more recommendations every month in their reading list. 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!