Play Geometry Wars today ... scoring is still a big deal.
To stiiiii-nky nerds, yes. :P Scoring got new life with online rankings.
Really? Do the vast majority of players -- who will never get anywhere near the top of the leader-board -- really care about their rank? Or is it actually an elitist, excluding device just like the convoluted scoring systems that one is required to master in order to get a look-in?That's a genuine question -- I don't know the answer -- but, mainstream appeal being such a vital facet of the modern business, I would be thinking of ways to bring some sort of parity between on-line scores and the undeniably popular 'achievements' system (ie place people on the leaderboard for doing interesting, fun things, not for simply being persistent social retards).
In short, I think there's a danger of getting carried away with fancy-pants scoring systems and potentially ostracising the majority of players in the process. The real question isn't 'How do we do this?' but 'Should we do this?'