Microsoft Adds Achievement Points to Windows / Live For Windows Pricing

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Tired of being a PC gamer with a low gamerscore? Welp, it looks like Microsoft is going to start giving achievement points to PC games. Sorry, I mean Games for Windows. First up, is Halo 2 Vista.

 

 

Designing Achievements for "Halo 2" for Windows Vista

The Xbox version of "Halo 2" obviously predated the era of the Gamerscore, so this represents one of several compelling reasons to give "Halo 2" another spin. For the team, designing fun and significant rewards in a game that is already well-established was a bit challenging. This was accomplished with the help of the talented staff at Bungie Studios and Hired Gun, with a watchful eye on the latest trends in the gaming community. The achievements were designed with some fundamental goals in mind - keep the game fun, encourage beginners to join our "Halo 2" community, and provide a new challenge with a few tough or interesting achievements for our most dedicated fans.

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GDC 07: Microsoft Reveals Live For Windows Pricing

 

While Microsoft was quite quiet about Live for Windows Vista, today during a press event prior to the Game Developers Conference the company revealed to Game Informer Online the exact pricing structure for the service. Live for Windows Vista will actually be the same exact price for Vista as it is for the Xbox 360. Just like with the Xbox 360 there will be a free Silver package as well as a Gold package which retails for $49.99 for a year subscription, $7.99 for one month, and $19.99 for three months.

Good news for gamers who already have an Xbox Live Gold Membership – youʼve already subscribed. Your Live membership works on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Live for Windows. Your gamer tag and achievements will be used across both Xbox and Vista PCs. Upcoming Vista games like Halo 2 and some exclusive Vista casual games will include achievements and will be able to add to your gamer score.

 

We'll have more on this as it becomes available.

[xrest]

Microsoft's Live on PC: An Identity Crisis

MS believes you'll pay for Live on PC. Why?

As previously reported (but not confirmed), Microsoft's Gold Live service on PC will cost $49.95 per year, and, as it is on Xbox 360, the Silver service will be free. However, unlike the Silver level on Xbox 360, the PC Silver feature set includes free online play.

 

Yet, in Halo 2 Vista, which ships May 8, players can only unlock multiplayer achievements with a Gold subscription. The reason behind this? It involves being consistent across PC and Xbox 360 platforms. On Xbox 360, players can only unlock multiplayer achievements if they can play with them -- and therefore have a Gold subscription -- so, in an effort to be consistent, Microsoft mandates that MP achievements (like those in Halo 2 Vista) be enabled by Gold accounts.

 

Additionally, achievements will be unified across the two platforms. If a player completes an achievement in the PC version of Shadowrun, that same achievement will be unlocked in the Xbox 360 version -- and appear on the achievement lists accessible via Xbox.com.

 

Players using Xbox Live Silver on the PC, though, will not have the ability to make friends-only invites to their games. What does that mean for custom gametypes? Will this render Halo 2 Vista's custom gametypes completely impotent, then?

 

The inability to arrange games with your friends seems like a tremendous inconsistency introduced by Microsoft. They've conceded that Live Silver should let gamers play with their friends on the PC, but at the same time, it would seem that they've gimped functionality in order to drive Gold subscriber numbers on the PC (keep in mind, if you have a Gold subscription on your Xbox 360, the two are one in the same, you have a Gold subscription on PC, as well).

 

Further, in an effort to create a unified platform for gaming -- one friend's list, one set of achievements, et cetera -- Microsoft has splintered the feature sets across two different platforms. Simply put, players can play for free (albeit gimped) on PC but they must pay to play on Xbox Live via Gold subscription.

 

Microsoft's attempts at offering a unifying product with Live on PC and Live on Xbox 360 have run the company into a rough spot. The vast differences between the platforms and user expectation (PC users expect to game for free, console gamers expect to pay) make it almost impossible to come up with a single strategy that doesn't involve taking a major revenue hit. With six million Live subscribers on Xbox Live (assuming a best case scenario of 100% of them being Gold accounts [which they are not]), Microsoft would be leaving $300M on the table each year. That's not revenue Microsoft Game Studios can afford to let go (the division has still only posted one profitable quarter). However, with mixed messaging in the feature set being offered to consumers, Microsoft needs to find some solution for the identity crisis facing their users -- alienating the 200M people playing games on PC certainly won't help further their Games for Windows branding nor will different platform-specific functionality grow the userbase on the Xbox 360.

[privateer]

Microsoft has announced that the long awaited PC-Windows Vista exclusive version of Bungie's Xbox shooter Halo 2 will be released on May 8 which will also be the debut of Microsoft's Games For Windows Live service. With Games for Windows - Live, PC gamers can finally mingle with Xbox 360 gamers, play on Microsoft's dedicated servers and earn Achievement Points to prove their worthiness. Microsoft has also confirmed that Shadowrun, the multiplayer shooter based on the RPG pen-and-paper game from developer FASA Studio, will be released in June. Shadowrun will be the first game that will allow PC and Xbox 360 owners to play each other in multiplayer. The Xbox Live Arcade card game UNO will also be released for the PC sometime in 2007 and will also allow for cross-play between PC and Xbox 360 owners.

 

Members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows -- LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list at no additional cost. For a single, unified service, the pricing of the LIVE services across both Xbox and Games for Windows is identical. In addition, Games for Windows -- LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as in-game voice chat, integrated achievements and dedicated servers. The offering of both Silver and Gold memberships will remain in place for gamers on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. There is no cost associated with signing up for a Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience for $49.95 (U.S.) per year. Current Xbox LIVE Gold members will automatically have access to Gold features on Games for Windows -- LIVE titles.

 

Silver Membership Features

-- Single gamertag

-- Common gamer profile

-- Common gamerscore

-- Single player achievements

-- Private chat via text and voice

-- Common friends list and online presence

-- PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games

 

Gold Membership Features

-- All Silver membership features

-- Multiplayer matchmaking with friends

-- TrueSkill matchmaking

-- Multiplayer achievements

-- Cross-platform gameplay

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