Provide Players with Rewards Necessary for Progression
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Players require certain rewards to continue playing the game, complete scenarios, or finish the entire game. These rewards may include the following:
All rewards outlined in the sections below, with the exception of levels:
Enable the completion of primary objectives.
Delay the occurrence of a “Game Over” state.
Primary quests: Provide the main objectives that drive players closer to the end of a scenario or the complete game.
Levels: Represent in-game locations where primary missions and quests are carried out.
The following rewards may be essential for progression:
Characters and Roles
Some games necessitate that players obtain access to specific characters or roles in order to advance within the game’s story or complete certain sections.
Example:
In Mass Effect 2, players must recruit Garrus, Grunt, Jack, and Mordin in order to begin the Horizon Mission—a mandatory mission that signifies the conclusion of Act 2.
Currency
In-game currencies form the foundation of many in-game economies. These can take various forms, including:
Gold
In Stronghold Crusader 2, players utilize gold to construct military buildings and train new units, which is essential for defeating the enemy. The amount of gold available is displayed in the top-right corner of the screen.
Credit: Firefly Studios. Screenshot captured by the author.
Money
Money frequently serves as a medium of exchange, particularly in games simulating modern economies.
Example:
In the mission “Felix” from Scarface: The World Is Yours, players must earn a minimum of $10,000 in order to reclaim the protagonist’s mansion.
Resources
Resources may be organic or inorganic substances found within the game world. To obtain these, players typically need to mine, gather, or harvest them.
Example:
In Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, resources such as wood, food, gold, and stone are essential for constructing buildings, training units, and advancing through historical ages.
Gear
The acquisition and use of appropriate gear enable players to progress through the game. Gear encompasses a wide range of objects with various functions.
Example:
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, players must obtain a PSI helmet to deactivate the Brain Scorcher.
Healing Items
Healing items are critical for recovering from injuries sustained in combat, environmental hazards, or other sources of damage. These items may be based on real-world or supernatural concepts.
Examples:
Bandages (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series).
Med-kits (Call of Duty).
Potions (Estus Flasks in the Dark Souls series).
Syringes with medicine (Far Cry 3).
Water (Subnautica [Survival Mode]).
In Sniper Elite 4, players must use med-kits or bandages to recover from injuries.
Credit: Rebellion Developments. Screenshot captured by the author.
Keys, Access Cards, and Access Codes
In Gone Home, players must find various keys to uncover the full story.
Credit: The Fullbright Company. Screenshot captured by the author.
In Strange Brigade, players are required to locate Scarab Keys, which are used to unlock restricted sections of the levels.
Credit: Rebellion Developments. Footage captured by the author.
Example:
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, players must locate access codes for two doors within Laboratory X-18, after which they must retrieve documents for Barkeep.
Levels
Access to certain levels is sometimes restricted until players fulfill specific prerequisites, such as completing required quests. In such instances, levels themselves serve as rewards.
Example:
In the American campaign of Company of Heroes, players follow a historically ordered campaign, where each mission takes place in a new level. New levels become accessible only after the completion of preceding ones.
Example:
In Need for Speed: Underground 2, players unlock different districts of the fictional city Bayview—such as City Core, Beacon Hill, Jackson Heights, and Coal Harbor—by progressing through career mode and completing races and challenges.
Primary Quests
Refer to Primary Objectives for further information.
Score
Some games require players to attain a particular score to unlock new areas or progress in the game.
Example:
In the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, players perform tricks and combos within a time limit to earn points. Achieving specific scores in a level unlocks new areas and challenges.
Structures Including Buildings
Constructing specific buildings is often necessary for overcoming certain challenges.
Example:
In Company of Heroes, to gain access to American anti-tank units, players must build a Supply Yard. Upon construction, players are granted access to build additional structures—Motor Pool and Tank Depot—which enable the production of anti-tank weaponry.
Time
In some scenarios, time itself can be earned as a reward, thereby delaying failure.
Example:
In Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour, China Mission 3, the game requires players to destroy GLA victory statues. A timer, represented by International Opinion, decreases throughout the mission. However, each time a statue is destroyed, the timer resets, granting players more time.
Units
Access to specific units is often required to complete certain objectives. While multiple unit types may be available, only certain ones may be indispensable.
Example:
In the fourth mission, Jewel in the East, of the Russian campaign in Empire Earth, players must produce priests to complete the mission. These units must convert at least eight Chinese Cyber Factories or Laboratories, which must then be defended until the mission concludes.
Vehicles
Progress may be blocked until players acquire necessary vehicles. Once obtained, these vehicles enable players to fulfill additional objectives.
Example:
In Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed, players need to have specific cars to access more prestigious events. The game features a tiered system where different events are locked behind certain car classes. As players progress through the game, they will unlock various events that require cars from specific tiers (e.g., Tier 1, Tier 2, etc.). To participate in higher-tier events, players must own and upgrade cars that meet the requirements for those tiers. Additionally, some events may have specific car restrictions, meaning players need to use a particular model or class of car to compete.
Vehicles may also be crucial for completing tasks that cannot be accomplished by any other means.
Example:
In Command & Conquer: Generals, when players take command of USA forces, they must have at least one dozer to be able to construct, for example, production facilities, which is indisponsable for production of the army.