Roguelike Radio Episode 41: Score Systems
Jul 17, 2012
In this podcast, Darren Grey, Keith Burgun, and John Harris discuss score systems in Roguelikes. They explore issues with global leaderboards, scoring exploits in NetHack, adaptations from other games, scoring systems in video games, scoring in Crawl, and the concept of scoring systems in games.
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Global Leaderboards Lose Meaning
- People stopped caring about score because modern global leaderboards feel abstract and easily gamed.
- Local, opt-in, or small social leaderboards make score meaningful again.
Opt In For Global Boards
- Make global leaderboards opt-in and reserve them for committed players.
- Show local or friends-only boards by default so casual plays don't skew results.
Players Must Own Their Points
- Players must feel they 'own' the points they earn to care about score.
- Clarity on why points are awarded is essential for emotional investment.