Scoring Points: Difference between revisions

Good, no? What, you mean you don't think points matter that much, especially when they are just given away for no reason whatsoever? You get excited over [[Experience Points|XP]], [[Hit Points|HP]], [[Mana|MP]] or [[Global Currency|GP]], what about just plain old P?

 

 

The point is, it seems media believe that high scores are still not only a relevant aspect of gameplay, they are the most relevant. When games were [[Endless Game|impossible to "win"]] and had to be played on a quarter-by-quarter basis in the arcade, that made some sense, as people would want proof they played, and played well. That proof usually was putting their initials ([[Video Game Perversity Potential|or a dirty word]]) in the oh-so-coveted number one score.

 

 

While today many games don't even keep track of score - and the ones that do keep track do it for no reason whatsoever - most [[Muggles|outsiders to the gaming world]] still believe points are our coke. The truth is, score was never a big deal. Even ''[[Pacman]]'' players were more interested in what the new fruit in which level was.

If a scoring system is implemented outside of a gaming context, this is referred to as "Gamification". It's more common than you may think.

 

 

== [[Adventure Game]] ==

* If you use the cheat code to win in [[The Secret of Monkey Island]], the game tells you you scored 800 out of 800 points. This is the only reference ''ever'' the game makes to your score.

 

* ''[[Mad World]]'' uses points to determine your progress in a level. At certain score plateaus, new areas or power-ups will be opened in the level. You need a minimum score to face the level's boss. The score itself is justified as being the scoring system of the [[Show Within a Show]] lethal game, ''Deathwatch''.

* The port of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles in Time (Video Game)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles in Time]]'' [[Embedded Precursor|included in]] ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare'' removes the score counter, reflecting how useless it was.

* ''[[Blaz Blue]]'' has a scoring algorithm that can lead to [[Pinball Scoring|scores ranging in the trillions]]. It's very easy to score a billion points before the end of the ''first round'' of your first battle.

 

* Return of scoring points in first-person-shooters appeared in ''[[Serious Sam]]'' series. In Serious Sam XBOX and Serious Sam II and in certain co-op modes in ''III'', score actually provides the player extra lives.

* Points are used to determine the winning and losing team in VS mode in ''[[Left 4 Dead]]''. The infected team also gains points as they attack the survivors, but in the first game they contribute nothing to the competition, thus they are mostly for show.

 

== [[Puzzle Game]] ==

{{quote|If you were able to solve all the screens before the final battle without ever having to continue, you could theoretically beat the boss in a ''couple of seconds''. Good luck.|[http://www.jenniverse.com/boppin%20instructions.html How to play Boppin', complete instructions]}}

* ''[[Tetris the Grand Master]]'' uses points as the basis for its grade system. TGM2, however, only takes points into consideration in its Normal mode; its Master mode (the ''de facto'' main mode of the game) use a hidden "grade points" system to determine your grade, and the other modes use completion and/or how many levels you complete to determine your ranking. In TGM3, score is just outright useless, being shown only at the end of the game and even then it does nothing to your grade. It's even useless in Easy mode as well, where the game sets off fireworks when you clear lines and the object is not to score points but instead score as many fireworks as possible.

** Most expert players value a reasonably low score, indicating efficient play - to these, high scores mean you over-prepared, a mark of inexperience.

** Certain players go for the highest possible score, to the extreme ends of farming for items and kill-count until their score is at the absolute maximum.

** And the large majority of players don't care about score at all.

 

 

== [[Shoot Em Ups]] ==

* ''[[Geometry Wars]]'' is entirely about how far can you crank up your score. No less, no more. Actually addictive thanks to its blazing fast pace.

** Its derivative game ''[[Grid Wars]]'' actually granted powerups and extra lives based on getting to certain score amounts.

* ''[[Giga Wing]]'' is a shmup in which the scoring system is a major attraction of the game...because the scores get [[Pinball Scoring|freaking huge]].

* ''[[Touhou Project]]''. Most all of the games have fairly robust scoring systems, and they all have in-game scoreboards to encourage players to improve. The fandom, by and large, only begins to care if it's one of the games that gives extra lives for points.

* Later games in the ''[[Star Soldier (Video Game)|Star Soldier]]'' series have modes that let you test how many points you can score in just 2 or 5 minutes. These are the ''only'' modes that can be played in ''Star Soldier R'' (not counting a 20-second minigame).

* ''Computer Space'', probably the earliest to calculate score.

* ''[[Backyard Sports]]''. In most games, the reason is obvious, as they are sports games. But in the minigames and ''Backyard Skateboarding'', the amount of points can unlock new things.

 

* The third-person-shooter ''[[The Club]]'' has been unfavorably compared to other more action-focused shooters by some. However, as discussed in a PA podcast (link at the bottom of [http://www.penny-arcade.com/2008/1/25/ this page]), the aim of the game is more about finding the right pace, maintaining a combo and trying to get a perfect 'lap' in order to maximize your score, making it more comparable to other games by Bizzarre Creations, such as ''[[Geometry Wars]]'' and ''[[Project Gotham Racing]]''.

* [[Gungrave]].

 

== [[Visual Novel]] ==

 

== [[Wide Open Sandbox]] ==