Major Nelson's blogcast for this week had Aaron Greenberg on from the GamerscoreBlog regarding the new Achievement policies the Microsoft is incorporating. Two rules covered in the show that weren't previously mentioned are regarding multiplayer content and online achievements. First off, any downloadable content that gives players an advantage must be free for download. Some EA games as well as Chromehounds are guilty of this and Microsoft is keeping it from happening again.
The second ruling is actually more of a guideline about online achievement. Gamers have stressed how they dislike multiplayer achievement that are dependent on ranked games, or result in "boosting", and Microsoft has made note of this in their "Guidelines and Best Practices" documentation. While it doesn't keep it from appearing in future games, it at least makes developers aware of the opinion of their audience.
So, that definitely clears things up a bit and it's good to see Microsoft looking out for its customers. Do you think these are steps in the right direction?
[Via QJ.net]
