What would an SL achievement system look like?

[Arwyn Quandry]

I was listening to a podcast that mentioned how when SL started, it had an achievement system which was quickly scrapped. That got me thinking, what kind of achievements would such a system have today? How do you think your activities would be reflected in those achievements?

I think they'd probably be stuff like

* Rez it! - Rez an object / 10 objects / 500 objects / ... 

* Login Streak - Login 3 days in a row / 7 days / 30 days / ... 

* Wanderer - Walk 500 meters / 5k meters / 50k meters / ... 

* Super seller - Earn 100L from other users / 1k L / 10k L / ... 

* Taxi Please - Teleport to 5 sims / 50 sims / 500 sims / ... 

* Stuck on You - Attach 10 items to your avatar / 1k items / 100k items / ... 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

9 minutes ago, Arwyn Quandry said:

I was listening to a podcast that mentioned how when SL started, it had an achievement system which was quickly scrapped. That got me thinking, what kind of achievements would such a system have today? How do you think your activities would be reflected in those achievements?

I think they'd probably be stuff like

* Rez it! - Rez an object / 10 objects / 500 objects / ... 

* Login Streak - Login 3 days in a row / 7 days / 30 days / ... 

* Wanderer - Walk 500 meters / 5k meters / 50k meters / ... 

* Super seller - Earn 100L from other users / 1k L / 10k L / ... 

* Taxi Please - Teleport to 5 sims / 50 sims / 500 sims / ... 

* Stuck on You - Attach 10 items to your avatar / 1k items / 100k items / ... 

These all seem pretty reasonable -- but I'm not clear on the intended function of such a system.

Do you think that anyone who has been in SL for more than a month or so is going to continue to be interested in "leveling up" by, say, walking 50k metres? Do you think that's going to be perceived as an accomplishment by most long-term residents?

What is achieved by this? What "happens" if I level up?

[Persephone Emerald]

2 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

These all seem pretty reasonable -- but I'm not clear on the intended function of such a system.

Do you think that anyone who has been in SL for more than a month or so is going to continue to be interested in "leveling up" by, say, walking 50k metres? Do you think that's going to be perceived as an accomplishment by most long-term residents?

What is achieved by this? What "happens" if I level up?

Visit 20 stores, Visit 20 Adult sims, Own a Home - LH or otherwise, create & photograph 10 original looks, "hook-up" with another avatar (not afk)....

Those might be more advanced goals, but they'd be boring for someone who's been in SL for longer than a year.

Create your own house - not premade. That would be a good challenge.

Outfit a new avatar for $L 1000 or less. Once that's been done a few times, that gets boring too.

Make an avatar that looks like a celebrity or well-known fictional character. That could be interesting.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Persephone Emerald said:

Visit 20 stores, Visit 20 Adult sims, Own a Home - LH or otherwise, create & photograph 10 original looks, "hook-up" with another avatar (not afk)....

Those might be more advanced goals, but they'd be boring for someone who's been in SL for longer than a year.

Create your own house - not premade. That would be a good challenge.

Outfit a new avatar for $L 1000 or less. Once that's been done a few times, that gets boring too.

Make an avatar that looks like a celebrity or well-known fictional character. That could be interesting.

I think that these are all, in their own right, interesting enough activities! Although they'd need to be things that could be detected directly by code, if they are to apply to the whole platform: LL isn't going to assign staff to determine that you've created a Brad Pitt lookalike.

I'm just not sure of the point of incorporating them into a formal "levelling up" system. I don't think anyone in my circles is likely to be very impressed by my having achieved a certain "level" in these things. And hence, probably not very interested in undertaking it themselves.

I think that for noobs, something like this might work incorporated into a tutorial system of some sort. I just can't imagine the vast majority of longer term residents caring, unless there is a tangible "reward." And that's a whole different kettle of fish.

[Aethelwine]

Travel from Lordshore Docks to Frostar without crashing.

Run along the roads from Mosh to Voidicus with no clothes on

Edited July 12, 2023 by Aethelwine

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Get through a day on the forums without getting into an upsetting tussle with someone!

[Persephone Emerald]

1 minute ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Get through a day on the forums without getting into an upsetting tussle with someone!

In other words, feel validated without feeling challenged or disapproval. 🙂 

[Aethelwine]

The Bellisseria passport stamp collecting is sort of like an achievement system.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Aethelwine

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Aethelwine said:

The Bellisseria passport system is sort of like an achievement system.

Actually, that's a really good point. And it's somewhat successful, isn't it?

There was a suggestion in an early thread on a related subject by someone, I can't remember who offhand, for something similar to this.

I really like the idea of encouraging people to visit places around the grid. And I think it's the kind of activity that people would undertake without reward.

[Nika Talaj]

7 minutes ago, Aethelwine said:

The Bellisseria passport stamp collecting is sort of like an achievement system.

Belli's passport stamp collecting system now extends well beyond Bellisseria. It seems very popular, and I'm glad if it encourages people to explore.

For me, it utterly ruins the joy of exploration to find a stamp kiosk in some seemingly remote spot of natural beauty, or odd corner that I've blundered upon where a resident has created something interesting. 

But they do serve the greater good.  I'll try blacklisting them. 

[diamond Marchant]

How about generating traffic to a build you did or an event you hosted? Assumes the traffic metric actually works.

[Caeruleiae]

This type of achievement thing wouldn't appeal to everyone-I don't think there is a single thing in sl that does appeal to everyone actually. But it could help drum up interest in areas that maybe not everyone knows about or has participated in.

Something like that should never-ever-be opt out or a default-but something people can do on the side or if they choose. Maybe where that whole interests thing in the profiles was something could be put in with little icons on that indicate which tasks we've completed. I really don't know how ll could incorporate it exactly-but maybe something like that. Or if they intend to fix the mysecondlife thing they can incorporate it there for people who want it there. I don't know-spitballing I guess. They could add a monetary incentive if they really wanted-not a high one of course-but something. The realms prove that ll isn't exactly against that sort of idea-compensation in small amounts for people who want to put those kind of side activities in their sl. 

I think this was mentioned in one-probably more-of the other threads that discussed gamifying sl and adding game qualities to it to both help with new user-nd old user-retention but also gaining some new users too. I'm sure things like this are feasible. I can't see it causing any harm-as long as it's opt in of course-and that everyone can do it if they so choose they don't need to be premium or a certain age or whatever. I sort of like things like that sometimes. It's why gtfo is kind of fun-even though there really isn't anything other than your own motivation to keep you going-no incentives beyond that. It does make me explore sl a bit more which is cool. 

[Jaylinbridges]

You would need to wear an SL Achievement HUD to keep track of your tasks.  The early HUD versions would have bugs and would need beta testers.

Wearing 100K items doesn't seem like an achievement to me.  I assume that's not all at once.  This would also discriminate against men, where it's hard to even find 100K items to wear, after 10 years.

For a newbie, the low number achievements seem reasonable.  But there needs to be an incentive to spend all this time doing things you might not care about.  A 1000 $L award for completing all these "quests" would be the least LL could offer.

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Jaylinbridges

[LykanXEclipse]

"Baby steps" - Complete the tutorial island

"Chirper bird" - start your first IM (conversation)

"One with the pack" - Join your viewer help group 

"Traveller" - Visit 30 regions

"Explorer" - Fly or sail in Blake Sea mainland/continent

"A Thousand Miles? kilometers?" - Walk, Fly, Drive, Sail in all SL mainlands/continent https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/List_Of_Continents

"Do$h bank" - Recharge or buy linden dollars for the first time

"Fresh style" - Buy or get a new head, hair, clothes or body for your avatar

"Move, resize, rotate it" - Use SL building tools in a sandbox

"Here is my number" - Add your first friend

"Home sweet home" - Set a home location inworld

"Is this working?" - Use voice chat for the first time

"You got the moves" - Use a dance ball/hud for the first time

 

[shireena1]

6 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

Travel from Lordshore Docks to Frostar without crashing.

Run along the roads from Mosh to Voidicus with no clothes on

Challenge accepted!

[ValKalAstra]

8 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I'm just not sure of the point of incorporating them into a formal "levelling up" system. I don't think anyone in my circles is likely to be very impressed by my having achieved a certain "level" in these things. And hence, probably not very interested in undertaking it themselves.

I've pondered the question about achievements since decades ago when they popped up in gaming. I still don't understand it and have since learned that there are people, that "farm" achievements by buying *****ty one dollar games with easy achievements to inflate their achievement score on their profile and I have learned that people absolutely riot if something has got unattainable achievements that break their 100% score and...

Achievements be weird.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

10 minutes ago, ValKalAstra said:

I've pondered the question about achievements since decades ago when they popped up in gaming. I still don't understand it and have since learned that there are people, that "farm" achievements by buying *****ty one dollar games with easy achievements to inflate their achievement score on their profile and I have learned that people absolutely riot if something has got unattainable achievements that break their 100% score and...

Achievements be weird.

Yeah, it's not something I understand. But, although I've played games that had achievements, I am not a "gamer" really, so it's not to be expected, maybe, that I would.

But . . . as you note, there are people for whom this obviously matters a great deal. So, maybe it's not a bad thing to have these as an option?

As I'm not in the slightest bit interested in arbitrary and artificial milestones, nor in "competing" for them, I'll just ignore them, myself.

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

Oh, here's a few common achievements that deserve a medal, or at least an honorable mention on a leader board:

• Attached plywood box on right hand
• Made plywood box say "Hello, avatar."
• Being caged and orbited in sandbox
• Can't stop dancing after TP
• Detached rigged hair upon adding wearing freebie ***
• Bitten by a vampire
• Being adopted
• Feet in ground
• Ran away from family
• Joined vampire clan
• Witnessed vampire clan disband after drama
• Friends faking their RL disease/death (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Nude beach *** trap dodged
• Married (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Unpartnered (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Given birth to twins (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Paid L$5000 for 'rare' breedable
• Sitting inside a chair until someone tells you to turn off your AO
• Double-click TP & land at fixed landing point blues
• Suffered irretrievable loss of valuable No Copy objects
• Clicking 'x+' and then 'y+' and then 'z+' and then 'z-' before avatar moves in correct direction upon adjusting position
• Group slot ceiling reached
• Making 'bonk bonk bonk' sounds while trying to fly
• Encountered 12 year-old boys with nude female avatars being loud and obnoxious on Voice
• Receiving 'constructive criticism' pertaining appearance from complete stranger
• Bonus achievement: finding furniture with actual poseballs on non-abandoned land

Oh man, I could go on all day. So many achievements to unlock.

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Arduenn Schwartzman

[Arwyn Quandry]

To be clear, I'm not suggesting this be an actual implemented thing. I'm speculating on what the system would look like if it had been kept, with a healthy dose of *****posting. You don't need to think about the actual implementation or what the point would be. It's a fun thought exercise. 

[diamond Marchant]

(attempt at actual serious answer) Short answer: NO achievement system.  I believe that residents should find joy here, whatever that means to them. An achievement system suggests external validation, which in my experience, is hard to come by and consequently, might lead to disappointment. For example, if you like to build, then build and enjoy what you did. Any strokes you get for building (or whatever) would just be icing on the cake.

Edited July 13, 2023 by diamond Marchant

[Persephone Emerald]

4 hours ago, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

Oh, here's a few common achievements that deserve a medal, or at least an honorable mention on a leader board:

• Attached plywood box on right hand
• Made plywood box say "Hello, avatar."
• Being caged and orbited in sandbox
• Can't stop dancing after TP
• Detached rigged hair upon adding wearing freebie ***
• Bitten by a vampire
• Being adopted
• Feet in ground
• Ran away from family
• Joined vampire clan
• Witnessed vampire clan disband after drama
• Friends faking their RL disease/death (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Nude beach *** trap dodged
• Married (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Unpartnered (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Given birth to twins (5 = Level 1, 50 = Level 2, etc.)
• Paid L$5000 for 'rare' breedable
• Sitting inside a chair until someone tells you to turn off your AO
• Double-click TP & land at fixed landing point blues
• Suffered irretrievable loss of valuable No Copy objects
• Clicking 'x+' and then 'y+' and then 'z+' and then 'z-' before avatar moves in correct direction upon adjusting position
• Group slot ceiling reached
• Making 'bonk bonk bonk' sounds while trying to fly
• Encountered 12 year-old boys with nude female avatars being loud and obnoxious on Voice
• Receiving 'constructive criticism' pertaining appearance from complete stranger
• Bonus achievement: finding furniture with actual poseballs on non-abandoned land

Oh man, I could go on all day. So many achievements to unlock.

I love your suggestions and envision them being part of a Second Life Bingo game (like the one on Star Trek: Lower Decks). There would have to be multiple versions of the Bingo cards (multiple lists of tasks and experiences?), because the possible experiences are so many. Maybe 3/4 ths of these could be things users should learn to do, but 1/4 could be the weird stuff we don't expect but learn from anyway, such as being partnered and unpartnered, being bitten by a vampire, or attaching a whole folder of items.

[Love Zhaoying]

The discussion reminds me of the "good old days" when people learned how to build and would challenge themselves and others.

People would literally go to a sandbox and build a "thing" just to do it.  And in doing so, they would learn.

The fact it was a "contest" (who can do it first / better) made me feel uncomfortable, but I also don't like "hackathons" (coding "contests").

Anyway, "building achievements" is high on my list.

ETA: WITH PRIMS.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Love Zhaoying

[Persephone Emerald]

12 hours ago, LykanXEclipse said:

"Baby steps" - Complete the tutorial island

"Chirper bird" - start your first IM (conversation)

"One with the pack" - Join your viewer help group 

"Traveller" - Visit 30 regions

"Explorer" - Fly or sail in Blake Sea mainland/continent

"A Thousand Miles? kilometers?" - Walk, Fly, Drive, Sail in all SL mainlands/continent https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/List_Of_Continents

"Do$h bank" - Recharge or buy linden dollars for the first time

"Fresh style" - Buy or get a new head, hair, clothes or body for your avatar

"Move, resize, rotate it" - Use SL building tools in a sandbox

"Here is my number" - Add your first friend

"Home sweet home" - Set a home location inworld

"Is this working?" - Use voice chat for the first time

"You got the moves" - Use a dance ball/hud for the first time

A bird theme could work for some of these.

Baby Bird 🐦  = learning the basics

Chirper = talking in text and voice with another person

Fledgling = flying and teleporting 

Join a Flock = joining a group

Fly, Be Free = visiting 20 sims not on a list

Flaunt your Feathers = create a new look

Build a Nest = obtaining and decorating a home

 

[Love Zhaoying]

Achievements idea for "Creator":

- Make a Thing

- Put the Thing in the MP

- Sell the Thing

 

[Evah Baxton]

1 hour ago, Arwyn Quandry said:

To be clear, I'm not suggesting this be an actual implemented thing. I'm speculating on what the system would look like if it had been kept, with a healthy dose of *****posting. You don't need to think about the actual implementation or what the point would be. It's a fun thought exercise. 

I get what you are trying to do. It is fun.

I do want to say ...

I would love to look through a list of achievements in SL. So long as it didn't hold things back or reward you. and could be ignored.

An achievement system would be perfect for people that ask, "What am I supposed to do in this game?"

If the achievements were visible to everyone it would create a new set of cliques. Good or bad?

Would be annoying when someone creates an alt.

Would need to be able to use inventory and movement history to grant achievements to current players. ( <- This would almost certainly not happen. )