Rumor: Sony 'mandating' some unique Trophies in 2009
by Jason Dobson 
{ Jul 17th 2008 at 11:00PM }
This isn't entirely unexpected given recently-revised comments by PSN director of operations, Eric Lampel. What's more interesting, however, is that the developer, which is currently working on an early 2009 release, is also hearing that Sony may be enforcing some measure of uniqueness between spoils earned on its console versus the Xbox 360. Commented to developer, "We've heard some things that make it sound like we will have to do some unique to PS3 Trophies...this is all very new to us." While unconfirmed, we can't wait to see to what extent Sony will try to separate its virtual accolades from those on the Xbox 360, or if the idea will simply be enough to make completionists' heads implode.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mitsuo @ Jul 17th 2008 11:07PM
picture would have been better if they photoshoped a PS logo over the Xbox logo.
Sora @ Jul 17th 2008 11:54PM
You mean like these two?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/Sora267/joystiq-playstation-achieve.gif
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/Sora267/joystiq-playstation-achivem.gif
I take full credit for each.
Justin @ Jul 18th 2008 12:21PM
heh, nice!
Draco @ Jul 17th 2008 11:08PM
Interesting. Sony starts to push developers softly, all we want is 1 trophy, no one will decide not to produce a game for 1 trophy, and Sony gets a win,
Kamizar @ Jul 17th 2008 11:28PM
Its 6 min and 1000 points total for 360 games...
Brian @ Jul 17th 2008 11:14PM
Isn't this a no-brainer? Or rather, a Massive-Damage Crabber?
dark_inchworm @ Jul 18th 2008 1:23AM
Every game should require a massive damage achievement and a crab trophy. This is what Sony needs to win the console wars.
Tim The Enchanter @ Jul 18th 2008 1:22PM
It would be Microsoft's weak spot'
Achievement unlocked: found the weakspot
100000000000000000000000000000g damage
FSK405K @ Jul 17th 2008 11:15PM
Every multi-platform game should give you an ---achievement--- trophy just for buying it on PS3 instead of X360...that's a hard thing to make people want to do!
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:30PM
Not really. After my 5th console failure (sans accurate acronym) I stopped buying any multiplatform exclusives for the 360. I will probably get Madden for the 360 but thats only if the PS3 version suffers from the same frame rate issues as before. I suspect I am more the exception than the rule in terms of my bad luck but the only 360 titles I buy are exclusives.
I have just grown to loathe the console. In the majority of cases the differences in the versions are very insignificant.
GoonieGooGoo @ Jul 18th 2008 1:33AM
spoken like a true Fanboy
John @ Jul 18th 2008 3:58AM
John, you're an asshole, nobody cares about your console failures.
Funny you were claiming 9 about 4 months ago.
You are a hater, we get it.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 10:00AM
LOL... you guys are tools. I'd probably be bitter too if I lost that many consoles. Fortunately, my original system didn't RRoD until after I sold it and bought an Elite.
deaftly @ Jul 18th 2008 10:17AM
Its a different number every time he friggin posts, we get it McPoop.
Knight Marquise @ Jul 18th 2008 11:53AM
Yes, yes Mcpoop....you've gone through 465,899,932 xbox360's, they burned your house down, made advances towards your wife and molested you as a child in another life.
Did I forget anything?
Leobebes @ Jul 18th 2008 1:18PM
If I had a nickel for everytime I heard the tripe Mcpoop says about giving up on the console on the internet I'd be a millionaire. I have sent my console in twice. One week of no 360 gaming didn't make me want to hurl it in the trash and scream obscenities at it.
I'd hate to see when someone close in your life drops the ball every once in a while. "Hey Richie you showed up late so we can go check out The Dark Knight, later brah I don't know you!"
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 2:38PM
OK, McPoop may complain about the 360 quite often, but you guys act like dying consoles isn't a good reason to choose to buy the same games for a different console. I mean, WOW, that's a very legit reason and to say otherwise is, quite frankly, stupid. And it's not like he just dropped this comment out of the blue, he was responding to a comment that was very trollish in nature to begin with.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 18th 2008 2:58PM
Go look up my posting history. I have always said I had 5 console failures because I have. 3 of them were natural RRODs and two of them I had to force a RROD with a towel because of the disc read error.
I have never said anything other than I have had 5 console failures.
I do not even count the last time they sent it back and the console had a different regions DVD drive thus not allowing me access to my American games and movies. That would be 6 but like I said I DON'T EVEN COUNT THAT ONE.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 18th 2008 3:27PM
I have always been consistent in what I have said in regards to the 360. The truth of the matter is I have had extremely bad luck with the console. As I even said in first post in this reply chain I am more the exception than the rule. If you guys want to take it personal or try and spread FUD about what I have said in the past it just shows your feeble attempts to silence me. You can't handle the truth when it comes and smacks you in the face.
@Knight Marquise
Anytime I post you come and spat off your typical rhetoric and hyperbole. I have come to expect this type of behavior from you. Judging from your post you must have some unresolved issues related to your childhood.
I will pray that your daughter does not have to suffer the same injustices you had to as a small boy. Its not your fault. Let it go.
@Deaftly
Keep making up arguments to suit your own bias. I guess if you believe something enough times in your own head it might just come true. Let me know how that works out for you.
@Leobebes
If everything I say is so predictable simply do not waste your time reading or responding. The truth is the truth. I loathe the 360 because I have had extremely bad luck with it. My opinion is based off of experience and not just a blind hate. If you can't accept that or if you are tired of hearing about it just skip over my post's.
You should be more upset about the trollish post I responded to in the first place.
@John
Go through my post history and show everyone where I was claiming 9. You are the one hating here not me. Keep on drinking your haterade. Whatever makes you feel better.
I should start calling you Mr.Faux News for distorting the facts with lies and exaggerations.
@Vidikron
I appreciate the kind words. Whether they want to believe it or not it is the truth. Attempts to marginalize my opinion and suppress the truth and are all to common on this blog. The real injustice hear is the extremely trollish post I responded to in the first place has gone unnoticed to these attackers. Its pretty par for the course on here for people to shit on the PS3 for no good reason. I have a reason to hate the 360. If they do not want to listen to reality and distort the facts because of a preference they have then they can live in denial.
Again, thanks for the kind words.
el serpiente @ Jul 18th 2008 6:21PM
Here, Poop, have a cool drink. You must be tired from doing all that bitch-slapping...
el serpiente @ Jul 18th 2008 6:24PM
Wow, John, Deaftly, Knight Marcheese, AND Leobabies all in one place.
It's like the Rat Pack of stupid.
J.Goodwin @ Jul 17th 2008 11:20PM
FSK405K, indeed.
No problem for me, any multiplatform titles are getting purchased on 360 only from here out.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:26PM
I can't say that I blame Sony for wanting a unique trophy experience. I think the best approach for Sony to take in this situation is integrating trophies with Home. For example, for each trophy unlocked give me some sort of exclusive content within Home to choose from. Maybe with a bronze trophy you can select from a handful of items that qualify as a bronze purchase. Maybe some of the smaller items can be stuff to decorate your Home with and as you get into the Gold and Platinum trophies you can actually select from items to manipulate your avatar with. For example, they could have 3 or 4 ratchet and clank "mask's" that you can choose from for your platinum trophy spending token.
You would still keep your trophy total but each trophy would represent a virtual spending token for content within Home. Thats the real way to do this correct.
Same goes for Microsoft. If you have 1,000 gamer points that should also function as 1,000 virtual token points for exclusive game specific avatar items. Otherwise gamer score and trophies are extremely pointless.
There needs to be incentive to earn the trophies other than just to bag or for gamer credibility.
Noshino @ Jul 17th 2008 11:29PM
dude, you need to find a way to summarize your comments, have you ever had a comment on Joystiq that is less than 400 characters?...
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:31PM
Don't read it. I am just expressing my opinion. I do not try to make them long on purpose.
Mitsuo @ Jul 17th 2008 11:32PM
Sorta like how Valve has it where you unlock so many achievments you get a new weapon. And the rest are left up to you to do it.
Noshino @ Jul 17th 2008 11:38PM
Oh, and...
"There needs to be incentive to earn the trophies other than just to bag or for gamer credibility."
Gamer credibility? Achievements/Trophies just prove that you accomplished certain challenges set by the developer, it doesn't really give you any kind of cred, for some reason people think that the higher your gamescore is, the better gamer you are
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:39PM
Noshino
Don't know if this is a double post but here it goes ...
Don't read my comments if the length bothers you that much. It is not intentional on my part to make my comments extremely long. I am just voicing my opinion (you know the purpose of this website).
Quality over Quantity (I like to think so anyway but I am sure some would beg to differ)
tl;dr = your friend
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:45PM
@Noshino
"Gamer credibility? Achievements/Trophies just prove that you accomplished certain challenges set by the developer, it doesn't really give you any kind of cred, for some reason people think that the higher your gamescore is, the better gamer you are"
All I am trying to say is they need to give Me (the gamer) an incentive to do these accomplishments/trophies beyond for the sake of doing so. Give me some virtual content that has some value to me. I think Home is the perfect place to integrate an idea like this. I feel that I laid my idea for trophies perfectly in the first post in this reply chain.
I want something more than a number or a level. Give those numbers a value within the avatar/Home experience.
Am I alone in this thought?
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 17th 2008 11:48PM
@Mitsuo
Not quite what Valve did in that circumstance. More like have the trophies also function as virtual monies to spend in Home. That is in addition to them also functioning as an achievement tracker from pre set developer challenges.
Noshino @ Jul 17th 2008 11:51PM
oh, I do agree with you on the point of giving more incentives, I was just commenting in regards of the gamer cred part of your comment
"There needs to be incentive to earn the trophies other than just to bag or for gamer credibility."
when trophies/achievements, as of now, are just for bragging.
Snowblind @ Jul 18th 2008 5:56AM
I don't really buy that. Even if you unlock a special item in Home for getting a certain achievement, it's still basically going to be for bragging purposes.
"Hey look at me, I have a t-shirt for completing FFXIII"
KarlW @ Jul 18th 2008 10:00AM
What your incentive idea fails to take in to account are the fact that games are useless. They're trivial. They're there for your own fun and enjoyment. The trophies are there as an incentive for you to persevere and try out new things (like the damn 'Late Boomer' trophy). They themselves are the incentive.
If you don't want trophies, just ignore them. Games are about having fun, and this is meant to increase the lifetime of your games.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 18th 2008 3:45PM
@Karlw
I just want some sort of a value attached to the trophies/gamer score. Maybe it does not have to be items within Home. I just thought that would be an ideal place to implement something like I mentioned. Microsoft could do something similar with their Avatars.
I could also agree with letting us convert out trophies/gamer score into some sort of virtual monies to spend in the marketplace. Maybe 1,000 gamer points converts into 100 Market Place points. You still have your total tally of all points you have got since the start but they also can be converted into spendable virtual monies.
It would add something more to the entire thing.
LiquidJ @ Jul 17th 2008 11:29PM
Yay!!! Something else to fight over. Which version has the better achievements/trophies.
Sora @ Jul 17th 2008 11:56PM
Meh, at least this actually affects the gameplay, versus which version has more HD quality graphics than the other.
MrEverdred01 @ Jul 17th 2008 11:41PM
I'm surprised that people aren't patching their games like crazy right now. I bet Super Stardust HD felt a huge surge in sales when it became the only game to support trophies. If I were a video game publisher, I'd take advantage of that and make a patch for my game too which allowed for trophies.
Alexander @ Jul 17th 2008 11:54PM
I know! I noticed that the price of Uncharted has gone up slightly on ebay too. Undoubtedly due to the incoming Trophy patch.
Brodie-san @ Jul 18th 2008 3:29AM
Yep, I bought SSHD for two main reasons. I wanted to check out the trophy system and, considering I had yet to purchase anything from the Store, I wanted to see how that went as well. Two birds, one stone.
And I don't regret it one bit. Even if SSHD didn't have trophies it would have been worth the coin.
Residentevil72501 @ Jul 17th 2008 11:47PM
DOOOO EEEET
Tyler Jones @ Jul 18th 2008 12:48AM
So...now the game has to reward you? Having the game, and playing it, enjoying the experience, and having fun wasnt enough. And now not even being able to brag to your friends that you did this in whatever game isnt enough. Now the game actually has to provide you with virtual goods in order for you to want to play it?
Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous? What happened to "playing the game because it was fun" not "playing the game so I can buy a shirt for my avatar" or "playing the game so I can shove my e-peen into someones face."
why not the LS2LS7? @ Jul 18th 2008 3:17AM
You're right. But have you been asleep for 3 years? MS debuted this (plus the even more whorey gamerscore) in November 2005.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 10:07AM
Something wrong with adding to the experience? Not everyone is going to care about the achievement/trophies, but the great thing about them is they can be ignored if you don't care about them. But for other people they are to the replayability of the game. They can give you extra goals to shoot for beyond what the game may normally require for completion.
Jarret @ Jul 18th 2008 12:59AM
That's why I bought SSHD.
TrojanGuy @ Jul 18th 2008 1:33AM
If true, this seems pretty ridiculous. Why would they want to put an extra strain like that on developers who chose to do multiplatform games?
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 10:10AM
Meh... surely it's not that difficult to think of a different goals to earn a trophy. You could probably have intern come up with some good ones in a single afternoon.
TrojanGuy @ Jul 18th 2008 1:01PM
I doubt thinking up new goals is the hard part. You do realize that they have to build the trophies into the code, though, right? That takes more than an intern and 10 minutes.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 1:24PM
I thought you were talking about making the trophies different from the 360 acheivements? If so, they are going to have to put trophies in there either way so I doubt changing the goal is that much work.
Now, if you're talking about trophies in general, then I also have to disagree. They should be mandatory for new games or the whole system is pretty pointless. Besides, MS makes achievements mandatory too.
TrojanGuy @ Jul 18th 2008 1:27PM
I AM talking about making them different. If developers could just make PS3 trophies the same as XBL Achievements, I don't think it would put much extra pressure on developers at all since (as you mentioned) 360 games already require them anyway so developers would already have planned them out and built the "hooks" for them into the game. My point is that if Sony forces developers to put DIFFERENT goals into PS3 games for trophies than the developer was already going to put in for the 360 version's achievements, then the developer is going to have to spend extra time (and money) planning out those trophy goals and building the hooks for them into the game. I doubt it's a huge extra expenditure, but it's still extra time and money the developers are going to have to spend for a pretty lame reason.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 18th 2008 2:43PM
Like I said, I disagree completely. If you're going to have to code in trophies either way, I don't see how changing the hooks is a major change. I mean, we're talking about changing an achievement that says something like, "Get 500 kills in a ranked CTF match" to "Get 750 kills in team deathmatch". Again, all you have to do is just think of a different hook. I really don't see this as all that time or resource consuming.