MS patents its own Super Guide system

By Oli Welsh Published 25 November, 2009

Going for in-game, user-written FAQs?

Nintendo isn't the only platform-holder working on an in-game guide system. A Microsoft patent turned up by Siliconera (via GameSpot) outlines a "User-Powered Always Available Contextual Game Help" system for a games console.

However, the system - patented back in February 2008 - seems somewhat different from Nintendo's Super Guide, which made its first appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii last week. The Super Guide features a recorded playthrough of a given level, created by developers, which the player can jump into at any point.

Microsoft's answer is a database of help entries. When players get stuck, they can ask the game for help and it will automatically analyse the current context of the challenge, using a tagging system, and return a list of appropriate entries.

GameSpot suggests the guide would be installed on the console, whereas Siliconera reckons it would be available through Xbox Live, and the tips and guides would be submitted by other players.

According to Siliconera, the community-driven, FAQ-style approach would allow for the capture and annotation of screenshots and video clips by guide authors - even adding audio commentary if they wish. Entries would be rated by other players, and developers would naturally be able to contribute their own guides to be ranked above user-written pieces.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Quint2020 #1 2 years ago

    Huh, that's kind of a cool idea, hopefully it'll see the sticky end of GameFAQs as well!

  • youhavenomail #2 2 years ago

    "User-Powered Always Available Contextual Game Help"

    Catchy!

  • the_dudefather #3 2 years ago

    yeah screw Gamefaqs, it has thousands and thousands of useful guides in a simple format for free, but it's got some BAD users in there

  • Apostle #4 2 years ago

    I like this. Could come in handy on Trials HD with a tag on the box in Goin' Up. That definitely needs a tag, many tags!!

  • wizlon #5 2 years ago

    When players get stuck, they can ask the game for help and it will automatically analyse the current context of the challenge, using a tagging system, and return a list of appropriate entries:

    "I'm sorry but there are no matches for WHERE THE F**K IS THE KEY!"

  • NotSoSlim #6 2 years ago

    Tomorrow Sony patents super guide that differs from MS and Ninty :o)

  • altitude2k #7 2 years ago

    I would find this much more useful for finding collectibles than points where I'm stuck.

  • LHH #8 2 years ago

    I'll keep my gamefaqs and it's unique community thank you but otherwise I think it's an interesting idea that I'll definitely check out on things like hidden packages etc.

  • ignatiusjreilly #9 2 years ago

    I'll definitely check out on things like hidden packages etc.

    Surely if you just read the answers then they are no longer hidden packages. Just packages.

  • miiiguel #10 2 years ago

    A collectible tracker... ah! That's a great idea!

  • LHH #11 2 years ago

    Yeah but collecting all say 100 of them (using gta vice city as an example here), it's just something I didn't do in my spare time as I had other games to play and people to see but dammit! I wanted those respawning weapons at my mansion!
    I will do the same when I get round to collecting the intels on MW2

  • Sniper_007 #12 2 years ago

    Doesn't everyone simply use Youtube these days.... not that I ever get stuck looking for that last orb of course... lol

  • flaming.carrot #13 2 years ago

    Doesn't this kind of take the challenge out of games though, if you can have your hand held throughout.
    Saying that, I did need to use GameFAQ to help me get through Demon's Souls so maybe not such a bad concept really.

  • interceptor #14 2 years ago

    I loved the help system they used in The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition - the problem was it was just too damn tempting to use. When you know the answer is just a button press away, you really have to have mega strong discipline not to just cheat at every opportunity.

  • Killerbee #15 2 years ago

    Interesting... but surely everyone just uses this thing called the "internet" if they really need tips or video guides or walkthroughs? it's not hard to save and quit your game, load your browser up and do a search if you need that level of depth...?

    Otherwise for simple pointers, in many ways, it sounds quite similar to the system used in Demon's Souls where users can leave in-game tips for other players to read.

  • 52pickup #16 2 years ago

    Sony's digital reader for PSP could easily be modified for PS3 and then be used to launch professional written guides by Prima,Brady etc... but they would have to make this work in game via XMB, and then i would find it useful, as i always either buy the book, since my PC is in another room, running back and fore rooms gets tiresome real quick. I only find them useful for collectibles mainly.

  • Markusdragon #17 2 years ago

    I saw mentioned this in a survey I answered a month or so back. Had it been more interesting I'd have bothered breaking the NDA for it.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 10:52

  • mingster #18 2 years ago

    I will stick with gamefaqs thank you.
    How you can want to see an end to a free website that has helped me out hundreds of times is baffling.
    Demon Souls user generated help tips was good enough

  • davisorle #19 2 years ago

    Why would it be collectible tracker to earn an achievement if you are practically cheating for it by pointers? If I understand correctly most of you are asking for this and find it usefull... Sad, but anyhow.Tihs is cool. Hopefully activated only on demand and also they dont exploit the feature for reasons like asked in the comments so far :S Cause if it starts giving results of the kind without really wanting to check for those it will suck.

    One way or the other I dont use walkthroughs or whatever that "gamefaqs" is ( I take it its a site with guides ) but always great to know about more and more features. :)

  • Quak #20 2 years ago

    Interesting... but surely everyone just uses this thing called the "internet" if they really need tips or video guides or walkthroughs? it's not hard to save and quit your game, load your browser up and do a search if you need that level of depth...?

    No-one said it was hard to do, but getting that information from the game itself is obviously quicker, easier and therefore more convenient.

    It's not that difficult to spend 2 hours manually cleaning your clothes with a mangle either, but you'll find that the vast majority of people prefer to use washing machines.

  • alasdairm #21 2 years ago

    Haven't Microsoft also patented something with recording gameplay ala Halo 3 ??

    Could be a good combination with an ingame user generated FAQ with annotated video walkthroughs / pics, etc all done over Live

  • sneetch #22 2 years ago

    @Quak

    Agreed, also it's easy to forget that not every game player has easy and convenient access to a PC and web browser. Kids for example may have an Xbox with a net connection but the "family PC" may be in use or in an entirely different place; if you've been looking for the red key in the blue maze for an hour already then having the tips available in the game could be a godsend.

  • JonFE #23 2 years ago

    Well, there is a demand for tips and pointers -the existence of YouTube game-helping videos and popularity GameFAQS kind of proves that- so why not integrate support for them in the system? It does make sense and people who object to them can simply ignore them altogether, so it's a win-win situation.

  • FooAtari #24 2 years ago

    Next, Microsoft registers patent to have someone play the game for you.

  • Razz #25 2 years ago

    Microsoft & Sony: "What Nintendo create, we take!" ;o)

    Aww well, it's not the end of the world. It should at least become a benefit for those ultra hard missions in GTA.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 12:52

  • miiiguel #26 2 years ago

    Next Live update will feature a youtube alike system, I bet. What Sony did with HW (Blu-Ray), MS is doing with Xbox Live, "trojan horsing" (not in a bad way mind you, neither by MS or Sony, it's even good) their gaming systems into mainstream crowd. Even my father starts talking about Live, and how it's usefull to have a centralized hub to his stuff on his PC.

  • secombe #27 2 years ago

    It will be interesting to see how this sits with online leaderboards etc. I think Forza 3 nailed it with the rewind system, yes it's always there to use, but personally I loathe to actually use it because you automatically get a black mark against your lap time.

    A help system is good, but for certain games you ideally need some sort of incentive not to use it.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #28 2 years ago

    This could be really effective if they tie it into the Guide.

    Thanks to the "Rich Presence" feature Xbox games are mandated to have anyway (it's what generates the phrase which tells you what your friends are up to in a game in your live friends list), automatically guessing what you need help on ought to be possible without any extra work for devs, and could work with all the xbox games already made.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 13:25

  • M4RKYB #29 2 years ago

    Games could award you an achievement for not using it, that would make the gamerscore whores think twice before diving in. Although that kind of ruins the point if you're using it to get those extra achievements in the first place. Back to GameFAQs in that instance then.

  • spekkeh #30 2 years ago

    Seems to me kind of flow breaking, when you have to sieve through lots of sticky notes, half of them probably redundant, the other half certainly aggravatingly dumb, whenever you're stuck in a game. I'd rather just pause it and go to gamefaqs and keep the two worlds separate.

  • FortysixterUK #31 2 years ago

    Both seem like good ideas...

  • Machiavellian #32 2 years ago

    This would be great for Fighting games like Tekken. Instead of pulling up your laptop for juggles, you can get in game videos showing you step by step.

  • Machiavellian #33 2 years ago

    this is a sad day for gaming, when you have to watch someone else play a game to finish a level. I think difficulty levels should be the sole choices afforded to gamers indefinetly . I have a feeling this is the WII's casual effect clouding msofts judgement in their pursuit of a slice of nintys market share.

    I believe what you are fogetting is that there are a lot of people who get to a point in a game where its really tough and just quit. As a developer I can see that you would like to keep a good learning curve and difficulty but you do not what the gamer to get fustrated and not finish the game. For the people that take pride in beating difficult games well thats good for you. For the people who just want to finish a game and get to the end, then something like this can be golden.

  • Bravestinsane #34 2 years ago

    Wow people become more and more stupid.

    Yeh it's a reasonable idea but when ever i get stuck and look for help the answer is often staring me in my face and i feel stupid after.

    Games are becoming less and less of a challenge other than collecting 300 hidden fucking orbs there isn't much that's hard.

    Even the hard difficulties are not hard any more i remember Halo 2 i gave up after trying the second level on legendary it was so damn hard. Now on Halo 3 i breezed through it on legendary.

    Yeh this is decent idea and will do no harm to anyone not even me i welcome it but it does make me think how other people see games.

    For me all you need to complete any game 100% is not skill as that comes naturally its the fucking patience to find hidden objects and persevering the torture of playing through on every damned difficulty just to unlock the hardest one -.-

  • miiiguel #35 2 years ago

    Now on Halo 3 i breezed through it on legendary.

    Did you breeze through it, solo? I mean, it's not as hard as Halo 2 (which had major unbalanced dificulty spikes, tbh), but as far as being "breezable on Legendary, solo" is quite a stretch, I think. I'm not doubting you did, but let's be fair, it's not *that* easy.

  • Alkeno #36 2 years ago

    Seems like a brilliant idea to me, even better than Nintendo's approach of making the game play itself. This very morning I was trying to find some missing Serpents in Brütal Legend... I didn't have my laptop nearby and I ended up using my iPhone to display a world map (yes, it's as unconfortable as you expect, or worse).

    This system would be invaluable to those like me that like gaming and enjoy watching most of what a game has to offer but don't have the time to just wander around open worlds for hours hoping to find "those last 12 out of 120 hideously hidden statues".

    By the way, we all know by now that some gamers love to be punished to death by extreme difficulty and impossible to find pickups (old school) but I see no reason why they expect the rest to adopt their hardcore way of doing things... A little respect, not all of us miss Megaman's way of self-torture!

    Edited for typos and format.
    Edited by 2 at 25/11/09 @ 17:11

  • YourMessageHere #37 2 years ago

    Giant excuse for bad game design. If I can't find the last collectible thingie but have found the other 99, or can't find the red keycard on level 18 but have got to level 18 on my own effort, that's not a problem with me, it's a problem with the game. Having an in-game tips thing isn't ever going to make anything more fun, it will simply make it less shit. Put the effort into not letting it be shit in the first place. Looking at GameFAQs is not hard, time consuming or expensive - this is a pointless convenience too far.

  • Amblin #38 2 years ago

    lol another pointless and unenforcable patent.

    This has already been done, it's called an in-game web browser.

    If this patent holds water then i'll give up the will to live....

  • smelly #39 2 years ago

    LOL! Typical microsoft!

  • monkeywithnoeyes #40 2 years ago

    "The Super Guide features a recorded playthrough of a given level, created by developers, which the player can jump into at any point." - that could be a really cool feature offered to gold subs.. but whats the betting that they'll place seperate charges on it.

  • metalangel #41 2 years ago

    The next step as games get increasingly mass market so talentless cuntwits can still feel like they're instantly good at something and are therefore 'l33t' or 'uber' without any practice or ability. People don't want a challenge, they just need to be constantly rewarded without earning it.

    There's plenty of real-life parallels to this rot, but to be succinct just think of that Simpsons when the school is divided by gender and the girls' math class is not about actually doing math so much as touchy-feely 'everyone is just as good as everyone else at everything' bullcrap.

  • hiddenranbir #42 2 years ago

    Text on the 360? Bitch to type with the joypad.

  • Jelly_Head #43 2 years ago

    youhavenomail: ""User-Powered Always Available Contextual Game Help"

    Catchy!    "

    UPAACGH

    You-paaaa-kgh

    You-paa-kuh-guh

    You-pa-kuh-guh-huh, you-pa-kuh-guh-huh, you-pa-kuh-guh-huh...

    No, I can see this catching on.

    EDIT: Although it's straying dangerously close to the remark that got Anton De Breke in trouble recently. ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/09 @ 10:57

  • Bravestinsane #44 2 years ago

    @miiiguel

    Sorry for the late reply

    Yes i did do Halo 3 Solo on Legendary at the time it was released i only had a 512kb connection (still do in my old house at uni i have 8mb down 10+ up) so playing in co op was impossible i lagged continuously and not a small amounts either it was literally chaos and i could do it.

    So yeh solo on legendary never tried to do it on co op all though i have to for this vidmaster achievement at some point but havnt played it in months.

  • VMerken #45 2 years ago

    Help is always nice, as long as it is fully optional and doesn't present itself to the user any chance it gets - rather, it should be presented when the user specifically needs it, and be as spoiler-free and case-specific as possible.

    Personally, I'd like to turn such systems off completely and face the challenge alone, armed with knowledge about the controls only.