Wearable Achievements for Avatars?

By Robert Purchese Published 28 April, 2009

Microsoft has grand plans for mini-you.

Microsoft is asking Xbox 360 owners what they want for their Avatars in the future.

The survey (reproduced on Kotaku) spills some interesting ideas, like special Avatar clothing handed out for in-game Achievements.

There's also talk of a virtual world for Avatars to interact in (a place they can call Home) as well as the possibility of pets and vehicles for the virtual clones.

Other suggestions include using Avatars more in games, whether people are controlling them or not; one idea has the AI use your friends' Avatars to populate your games with.

Clothing and animation creation tools are mentioned, as are ways for your Avatar to express your current mood. There's also an intriguing suggestion for an automated make-it-look-like me Avatar-creation tool, plus another automatic feature to make Avatars wear game-themed attire such as pirate costumes.

Integrating Avatars for use on Facebook is another idea on the list.

Microsoft also asks how keen people are on buying items for their Avatars, or if they want to be able to look like celebrities. Kotaku's list "strongly disagrees".

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Quint2020 #1 3 years ago

    EVERYONE saw this coming.

  • daz_john_smith #2 3 years ago

    I want a Vault 101 suit

  • Toothball #3 3 years ago

    It was sounding good until they got to the part about Facebook.

  • ScaryBeasties #4 3 years ago

    Not exactly new ideas.. Albeit on smaller online flash games and avatars the Lunaverse has been doing all those things for some time

  • insincere_dave #5 3 years ago

    You can already integrate them into Facebook unofficially...

    http://apps.faceb ook.com/xbox-live/

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #6 3 years ago

    So microsofts turn to copy sony and so the cycle continues.

    If you dont know what im talking about singstar trophies unlock t shirts for your home avatars, and this is now available to any PS3 developer

  • Xerx3s #7 3 years ago

    "I want a Vault 101 suit "

    You took the words out of my mouth. ;p

  • metalangel #8 3 years ago

    Is anyone that bothered? Both the missus and I had five minutes of amusement making them, and that was it. Because they DON'T DO ANYTHING. Meanwhile, LOADS of fun has been had with the character creator in Saint's Row 2 because you can do tons of stuff to your character and then - shock - go out and control them in a game!

  • Xerx3s #9 3 years ago

    "So microsofts turn to copy sony and so the cycle continues."

    I wish everybody would stop banging on about this. Everybody copies everybody. The entire games industry is build on nothing else but evolution. It's just how the world works.

    "If you dont know what im talking about singstar trophies unlock t shirts for your home avatars, and this is now available to any PS3 developer"

    Yes and they copied that from live where some games unlock gamer pictures and other gimmicks by getting certain achievements.

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    This is something that makes sense in Home where your avatar's are actually "out and about". But the avatars on the 360 don't really seem to serve much purpose.

    I admit that I still tit about with the clothing on mine from time to time, but that is usually just when I am waiting for a download to finish. Day to day they simply don't serve any purpose, and I never get close to being interested what clothes my friends' avatars are wearing. Would I even notice if the clothing was in some way related to an achievement?

  • kangarootoo #11 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    +1

  • Apostle #12 3 years ago

    NOT paying for clothing. Not ever.

  • GamesConnoisseur #13 3 years ago

    Clothes should be free as currently, but unlocking certain clothing or accessories from getting achivement can work. I would not mind getting Dante's outfit plus his guns and sword! Suprised no one mention Spartan outfit?!

    However the problem would become what would third parties publishers get out of this? Their copyrighted iconic features get used for free? No likely just look at LBP for a fee get themed MGS etc.

    Keeping it free is a must whatever happen, once the fees start then it would just get tiered up, the haves would be far fewer than the have nots.

  • metalangel #14 3 years ago

    Soon as a Spartan outfit comes out, two thirds of avatars will be Spartans, defeating what little point the avatars had in the first place. As it stands the majority of them are podgy men with goatees or guys with short brown hair.

  • jonsaan #15 3 years ago

    It would be nice to have the ability to edit the scene that stands behind your avatar when you view who is online on your friends list.

  • daz_john_smith #16 3 years ago

    I wouldn't mind seeing avatars and those from my friends list intergrated into more games, maybe just hanging around in the background, as spectators or as AI controlled opponents. Only problem is their style and look, unlike Mii's which are easily intergrated into most Wii games, avatars only really fit into games with a very similar matching art style.

    I'm normally against paying for crap like themes and gamerpics, but I think that's primarily down to their insane pricing. However if I could grab a unique costume for my Avatar for 50pts I'd be willing to take a punt, perhaps even multiple punts.

    Costumes I might be pursuaded to buy would be:
    Vault 101 Outfit
    Master Chief Oufit
    Halo 1 (Aliens style) Marine Outfit
    Gears of War outfits, COG and Locust
    Chicken Man Outfit
    Jedi Robes and Lightsaber (with multiple lightsaber colours and styles)
    Sith Robes, makeup and Lightsaber (with multiple lightsaber colours and styles)
    HEV Suit (Half Life 1 & 2)
    Comic Book Hero Costumes

    Ultimately these sort of things should be either free, included with games or unlocked with achievements.

  • Thalanos #17 3 years ago

    However the problem would become what would third parties publishers get out of this? Their copyrighted iconic features get used for free? No likely just look at LBP for a fee get themed MGS etc.

    Well in theory it's another form of advertising for third parties. If they make a cool accessory for an avatar, friends are going to start asking how you got it, so people are talking about the game.

    Since everyone has head shots of their avatars as their gamer pics now, I expect to see plenty of game themed hats. :)

  • Fab4 #18 3 years ago

    What do I want for my avatars in the future? Hmmm...swine flu with a 99.9% mortality rate?

  • chubster2010 #19 3 years ago

    re .'The survey (reproduced on Kotaku) spills some interesting ideas'

    Don't get me wrong, but I don't think you should label

    'talk of a virtual world for Avatars to interact in'
    'using Avatars more in games, whether people are controlling them or not; one idea has the AI use your friends' Avatars to populate your games with'
    'special Avatar clothing handed out for in-game Achievements'

    as 'interesting ideas', as they're all patently borrowed from elsewhere. Obviously MS have as much right to do this as anyone else (Sony and Nintendo have certainly learnt a lot from MS over the years - Sony in particular), but credit where credit is due and all that!

    I definitely think that MS should go ahead and embrace those kind of things though. Live has already won the hearts and minds of a lot of the gaming audience, further augmenting it would be a good thing for Xbox users and MSs PR.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/09 @ 10:36

  • smernicki #20 3 years ago

    daft punk outfit

  • Spekingur #21 3 years ago

    I'd like to know if XNA programmers have access to any Avatar code - meaning, could they make Community Games where you play with your Avatar?

    I would also love to see how MS would create their version of Home.

    @metalangel: Wait, are you suggesting that Saint's Row 3 makes your avatar a playable character?!? :o ;D
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/09 @ 11:01

  • Gnort #22 3 years ago

    @metalangel

    That's probably because the majority of Xbox users are podgy men with goatees or guys with short brown hair.

  • rprince #23 3 years ago

    My first thought at "Wearable Achievements for Avatars" was something like Scout badges! lol

  • zuljin #24 3 years ago

    @farticusmaximus
    Why the hell are you proclaiming your fear of Home in a thread about 360 avatars and achievements? Not to mention you don't have a PS3, much less is anyone forcing you to use Home.

    Oh thats right. Sorry I forgot.

    @Xerx3s
    "Yes and they copied that from live where some games unlock gamer pictures and other gimmicks by getting certain achievements."

    I think that was the point, the cycle just continues on. I agree though - it is a good thing companies just iterating over ideas and features.

  • Uncle_Fishboy #25 3 years ago

    I want to be able to teabag my mates avatar

  • Zomoniac #26 3 years ago

    Soon as a Spartan outfit comes out, two thirds of avatars will be Spartans, defeating what little point the avatars had in the first place. As it stands the majority of them are podgy men with goatees or guys with short brown hair.

    Which is why the achievements thing could be cool. If you got a Spartan suit only for finishing H3 on Legendary then that wouldn't happen. Maybe an Elite costume for doing it on Heroic. If I could wear a football kit thing that only people who'd 1kd FIFA could get it would be cool.

  • Benyboyuk #27 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    +2

  • Kikizosan #28 3 years ago

    All sounds good. If some people want the option to pay for premium clothing they should be able to. I think most people wouldn't ever choose to do that, though. Exclusive Achievement-based clothes would be awesome, though - show off that Mile High Club cheevo... ;)

  • M4RKYB #29 3 years ago

    I want a T-shirt with "I took that sodding gnome all the way to the rocket ship" printed on it. Not that I did, but I would give it another try if I could get the T-shirt.

  • Spekingur #30 3 years ago

    @beemoh: Support is good. That means that MS did think about allowing Avatars in Community Games.

  • SharksInYourMouth #31 3 years ago

    Pfft, don't bother. Do something useful instead

  • spidermanalf #32 3 years ago

    When the 350 came out you sometimes got to unlock little Avatar pics and things like that, so I can see this just been a follow on from that. I wouldn't mind a Crackdown suit or when MvC2 comes out a couple of costumes from there.

    But LBP or Home style where you are paying over the odds for licensed bits and bobs.

  • jeebthegreat #33 3 years ago

    enclave power armor yes? :)

  • cyber_nicco #34 3 years ago

    It seems like some of you are commenting on this as if Microsoft said these things are coming. Unless I read the article wrongly, it says that according to a survey, these are some of the things that people would like to see.

    The only thing that seems contrary to that is the bit at the bottom about purchasing items for their Avatars...
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/09 @ 16:38

  • metalangel #35 3 years ago

    @Zomoniac: Who hasn't finished Halo 3 on Legendary? Get two or three friends together and it's ridiculously easy.