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Portal configuration of event-based Challenges

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Note

If your title uses event-based Achievements (formerly called Achievements 2013), and you want to support multiple platforms going forward, you must continue to use event-based Achievements. This is required so that users can retain their achievements across all platforms.

Note

This topic describes the features that are available only with proper permissions. For details, talk to your account manager or another contact at Microsoft.

This topic describes how to add and change challenges in the Partner Center service configuration for a title. Challenges are similar to achievements but can be unlocked only during a specified time period. Like achievements, challenges are unlocked according to the logic that you define in the service configuration. This logic is based on player stat values in the service. The challenge is unlocked automatically when the player stats meet the specific requirements during the specified time period.

For an introduction to Xbox services configuration, see Xbox services configuration IDs for Managed Partners.

For an introduction to the event-based Data Platform, see Event-based Player Data overview.

This topic covers the following:

How challenges work in Xbox services

Challenges are achievements that are available only during a specified time period. For example, you might want to create an achievement that's available only on three consecutive days that begin and end at midnight. Because of the time limitation, this achievement would be considered a challenge.

Like achievements, challenges can be either visible (in the list of possible achievements) or hidden. Unlike achievements, challenges can't be configured to grant gamerscore to players upon completion.

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Configure a challenge

  1. Sign in with your account on Partner Center.

  2. Select your title, and then select Services > Xbox Live.

  3. Select the link to the Challenges page.

  4. Create and manage the challenges for your title on the Challenges page.

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Create a challenge

  1. On the Challenges page, select New challenge. The New challenge page appears.

  2. In the Challenge name box, enter the name that players see. The maximum length of the string is 44 characters.

  3. In the Locked description box, enter the description that players see when the challenge is locked. The maximum length of the string is 100 characters. If you select Secret, this description isn't displayed in the list of achievements.

  4. In the Image icon box, specify the achievement icon that's the visual representation ("badge") of the challenge. Ensure that the icon is formatted as a .png file and is 1920 × 1080 pixels in size.

    The icon is visible to players. Xbox automatically scales it to a thumbnail size when a player views the list of achievements. However, selecting any individual achievement sets the icon as the background image. If the Hidden checkbox is selected, the icon isn't displayed in the list until the player unlocks it.

    While developing your title, you can select use placeholder image to use a default Xbox icon until your final image art is ready to replace it.

  5. In the Promo icon box, specify the promotional icon. It must be 424 × 424 pixels in size and formatted as 1:1 PNG.

    While developing your title, you can select use placeholder image to use a default Xbox icon until your final promotional art is ready to replace it.

  6. Under Time frame, specify the Start time and End time of the challenge. The challenge can only be unlocked during the time period that's specified here. The end date can't be later than three months after the start date. Times are based on Coordinated Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time).

  7. Under How should the details be treated?, select from the following options.

    • Public
      Indicates that the challenge and its details are visible to all players.

    • Secret
      Indicates that the challenge and its details are visible only to players who have unlocked the challenge. This is useful for avoiding plot spoilers and rewarding players for experimenting.

  8. Optional: in the Challenge deep link box, specify the in-game location where players are immediately redirected to so that they can attempt this challenge. For example, in ms-xbl-11aa99ff://default?trackId=18, 11aa99ff is the TitleId. default?trackId=18 is the code that your title uses to redirect players to a particular location in the title.

  9. To grant an additional reward (art or in-game) for unlocking the achievement, do the following:

    1. Select Add reward.

    2. On the Achievement rewards page, select either Art or In-game.

    3. In the Display name box, add the reward's name that players see.

    4. In the Description box, add the reward's description that players see. The maximum length of the description is 90 characters. It should include details such as the reward's duration (if applicable) and instructions for redeeming the reward.

    5. Do the following, according to the reward type that you selected.

      • If you selected the reward type Art, use the Art box to specify the art reward that the player gets when they unlock the challenge. The reward must be 1920 × 1080 pixels in size and formatted as a .png file. While developing your title, you can select use placeholder image to use a default Xbox image until your final reward art is ready to replace it.

      • If you selected the reward type In-game, do the following:

        1. Use the Image box to specify an image that represents the reward that the player gets when they unlock the challenge. While developing your title, you can select use placeholder image to use a default Xbox image until your final in-game art is ready to replace it.

        2. Use the In-game value to specify a value or code that's passed to your title. Ensure that your title can use this code to unlock a reward.

    6. Select Add to add the reward to the challenge, or select Cancel to cancel and return to the New challenge page.

  10. Select an Unlock logic that determines how a challenge is unlocked.

    • Do something with incremental progress
      Select a single player stat. When the player stat meets the specified criteria, the challenge is unlocked. Players can then see their progress toward unlocking the challenge.

      To meet the criteria, a stat must be greater than or equal to the specified value. This doesn't apply to a stat that's configured with the min operator. Such a stat must be less than or equal to the specified value.

    • Do multiple things, cumulatively
      Select multiple player stats that are configured with the sum operator. When all the player stats that you've selected meet the specified criteria, the challenge is unlocked.

    • Min/max one of several things
      Select multiple player stats that have been configured with the max or min operator. When at least one player stat requirement is met, the challenge is unlocked.

    • Do something once
      Select a player stat. When its instance is created as a result of triggering a stat rule, the challenge is unlocked.

    • Custom logic
      To create a complex condition for unlocking the challenge, select Add stat and add a stat condition to the current condition. To add a new condition clause, select Add condition.

      • All stats in a single condition clause must be of the same operator type and must meet the same criteria for satisfying the condition.
      • If the stats use the min or max operator, the clause uses the OR logic to meet the condition.
      • If the stats use the sum operator, the clause uses the AND logic to meet the condition.

      When all conditions are met, the challenge is unlocked.

  11. Select Save to save the challenge, or select Cancel to cancel and return to the Challenges page.

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Change an existing achievement or challenge rule

Important

After a title passes Final Certification, existing achievements in that title can't be changed or deleted.

  1. In the list of challenges on the Challenges page, select the Name for the challenge you want to change. This opens a page whose title is the name of the challenge.

  2. Make changes to the challenge.

  3. Select Save to save the challenge, or select Cancel to cancel and return to the Challenges page.

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Delete a challenge

Important

After a title passes Final Certification, existing achievements and challenges in that title can't be changed or deleted.

  1. In the list of challenges on the Achievements page, select Delete next to the challenge that you want to remove.

  2. In the Confirmation dialog, select Delete to confirm the deletion; otherwise, select Cancel.

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