This is a question with an ulterior motive, I'll admit... but what do you guys like about sub-missions and achievements in shmups?
Do you have favourite examples, or maybe ones that bore the socks off you as examples of how not to add them.
Developing for the mobile/tablet market means we have to add missions and achievements as par for the course, really, otherwise the audience thinks less of your game.
Aside from that, my gut tells me the achievements should mark key moments during expected play, while missions drive you to play in ways you'd not initially think to... does that make sense?
I'd love to hear all your thoughts, and examples would be VERY helpful indeed
Some of them gives a recognition of your skill, while others act as "to-do" lists. A couple of them requires nonsensical stuff (continue for 50 times), while a small number are for the true masters, such as Deathsmiles MBL's Defeat Bloody Jitterbug which requires a no miss through the highest difficulty, something even I can't do today.
Most games mistake achievements as chapter guides, especially those campaign or story modes. They even add some that requires you to look at the HD stuff they are trying to show off. Achievements, imo, should be something that's worth mentioning, such as multi kills in multiplayer, discovering secret locations like Tomb Raider series did. Most shmup achievements, if any, are for the sake of being there.
If you want to add them for shmups, all I can say is how the game is supposed to be played. Unlocking the true boss can be a generic one, collecting all secret drops, something that requires skills like pacifism, where you simply dodge and time out all the bosses, if possible. No miss and no bombs can be counted in too, but stay away from All Clears and score ceilings.
That's my opinion, though.
This is my signature. It's so unique, nobody else has it.
Please note: don't just read examples of sub missions and achievements and take them face value. To see why they work, find a faq that explains how they are done, play the games, and experience them yourself.
Examples of reasonable sub-missions: Armed Police Batrider (secret bosses) and Illvelo (secret areas).
Examples of reasonable achievements: 100k-point-value medal achievement in Raiden Fighters Aces; it teaches people how to make them appear, indirectly teaching them how to play for score.
Even shmups of arcade provenance benefit greatly from having ~5 minutes kind of challenges - be it boss rush or Caravan style - as well as variety of characters and routes to make runs varied. Sonic Wings Special is what I like about console shmups (although it should be played in tate).
What I dislike is grinding for upgrades in Geometry Wars: Galaxies. Things having impact on gameplay shouldn't be obtainable by mere grind.
Handhelds are begging for a Caravan collection.
The rear gate is closed down
The way out is cut off
Caravans with online leaderboards would be excellent for the mobile market, I'd certainly like to see more.
As for achievements I like score milestones, like Erppo already said. Any achievements that force the player to figure out the scoring system and understand how the game is meant to be played are great. Don't resort to "start the game for the first time" or "continue" or anything like that.
I also like weird, specific achievements here and there. Depending on the type of game it could be neat to have achievements for timing out each of the bosses or clearing stages without firing.
1CC ListTo miss is human; to rank control, divine.
Seems like the varied opinions mean I'd best try to cover most of the angles... we do a lot of missions in our game, and with iOS games you're allowed up to 100 achievements, which is a LOT. We'll save plenty for future releases, features, and new game modes, but for now I think it'll be a mix of:
Signposting - 'use this feature a few times', to encourage players to see all the game has to offer
Hardcore skill - 'get X bazillion pts' to encourage the hardcore players, give them something to improve towards
Medium skill - just lighter skill based challenges for those new to the genre, the game, or the controls
Most of the quirkier stuff is already embedded in the in-game mission system.
