Accolade Devices

With the Accolade device, you can set up your islands so players will earn Battle Pass XP when they interact with your island. Accolades are achievements or accomplishments that players can complete to earn XP.

There is a sample island that includes multiple accolades, which you can visit to see how they work. The island code for this sample island is 2034-7205-6925. To play through this island, from the Creative lobby click CHANGE to open the Discover screen. Click the ISLAND CODE tab, then enter the island code for the sample Accolades island in the box and press Enter. The window will display information about the island. Click PLAY to launch the game.

In general, the Accolade device is designed to work with other devices, and players can't interact with it directly. To grant XP to your players, other devices must send signals to the Accolade device when the players do certain things.

The Accolade device takes very little memory. The first Accolade device placed uses 88 memory; each one placed after the first uses 8 memory.

Understanding XP Award Weights

When you place an Accolade device, you are able to set the XP Award amount to Very Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Very Large. The amount is not a set amount of XP. Instead it is weighted. This means a different amount is granted depending on a set of criteria. This happens in the background and is not something creators can customize.

The amount of XP granted is based on how many Accolade devices you have on your island plus how frequently an accolade is awarded. High-frequency accolades result in smaller XP amounts. Low frequency accolades result in higher XP amounts. For example, if you have an accolade with a Very Large XP Award and high award frequency, and you have an accolade with a Very Small XP Award with low award frequency, then the Very Small Award may actually give more XP to a player than the Very Large Award.

When you set up your accolades, think about the complexity of the accolade and how often it can be achieved. This will help you determine what XP Award weight is appropriate for that accolade.

When your island is published, it will go through a calibration process to evaluate how often players receive each accolade compared to how long they play. The calibration system requires a number of play sessions over time in order to make the calculations it needs to accurately calibrate the island. Once calibration is complete, the weights for each level of XP award are determined.

Finding and Placing the Device

1. From Create mode, press the Tab key to open the CREATIVE inventory screen.

2. Click the DEVICES tab. You can scroll to select the device, use the Search box to look up the device by name, or the Categories in the panel on the left.

3. Click PLACE NOW to place immediately, or put the device in the QUICK BAR to place later.

4. Press the Esc key to return to your island in Create mode. Use your phone to position the device, then click to place it. Press the Esc key to detach the device from your phone.
   

5. Point at the device with your phone. If the CUSTOMIZE popup doesn't open immediately, move closer until it does, then press E to open the Customize panel.

Contextual Filtering

Some devices are affected by a feature called contextual filtering. This feature hides or displays options depending on the values selected for certain related options. This feature will reduce clutter in the Customize panel and make options easier to manage and navigate.

However, it may not be easy to recognize which options or values trigger contextual filtering. To help you identify them, in our device docs we use italic for any values that trigger contextual filtering. All options will be listed, including those affected by contextual filtering; if they are hidden or displayed based on a specific option's value, there will be a note about that in the Description field for that option.

Device Options

Basic options provide a way to name, describe and weight your awards. Other options control visibility, how the device is triggered, and who can trigger it.

You can configure this device with the following options.

Basic Options

All Options (Additional)

Icon List

Channels

When one device needs to "talk" to another device, it does so by transmitting a signal on a specific channel. The receiving device needs to be set up to receive the signal on the same channel.

A channel is identified by a number, and channel numbers are customized for a device under the option that uses the channel. Most devices will also pass the identity of the player who triggered the device with the signal.

This device has receivers that perform a variety of functions when receiving a signal over a channel. Also, this device can transmit signals when certain conditions are met.

Receivers

Receivers listen for a channel and perform an action when they hear any device (including themselves) send a signal on that channel.

Transmitters

Transmitters send a signal on the selected channel when triggered.

Option	Value	Description
Would Have Awarded Transmit On	No Channel, Pick a channel or enter a channel number	Use this transmitter to test the accolade and make sure it awards XP properly. When you prepare to publish your island, make sure to set this to No Channel. This option only works with an unpublished island.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices for using the Accolade device.

• Make it clear how accolades are awarded. Name them well, and consider providing a list of accolades in your game's lobby.

• All players should get accolades when playing a full game. It is appropriate to reward skill and winning tactics, but the awards granted should not be too uneven. It's good to have some awards that all players can get. You can do this with a passive award, such as playing time, or it could still be a skill-based option if all players are likely to be at the same skill level. For example, having an Elimination accolade in a game mode where every player is likely to get some eliminations is fine.

• Accolades should be awarded for the main gameplay element of your game. A death match should give awards for eliminations. A game where you race around a course should give awards for completing the track. You might have some separate awards for other elements, but the main award should line up with the game.

• One type of action should correspond to one Accolade reward. Don't set up an Accolade device to be triggered by multiple possible actions.

• How frequently accolades should be awarded depends on the type of game. An accolade that awards XP with a frequency of less than one second is too frequent, and might seem like spam. Every 2 to 10 minutes on average is suitable for most games. A game that is expected to last more than 45 minutes could award them even less frequently. An action-packed game where every elimination is awarded, such as a team Free-for-all, might have more frequent rewards.

• In general, players should not get several accolades at once. An exception to this is at the end of a game. In that case, a player might receive one accolade for the action ending the game, one for winning the game, and one for participating.

• Make sure the accolade is rewarding an achievable goal. Accolades that trigger infrequently may grant high XP rewards, but may result in less efficient XP payouts overall. For example, if there is an accolade for completing level 300 in a 300-level Deathrun, most players will not be able to reach that level and the accolade might be triggered too infrequently to register during calibration.

• Make sure the accolade can be awarded within a few hours of play. It can be cool to have accolades that are more rare, but keep in mind that during the initial calibration of the game, accolades have to be triggered by players before any XP values can be assigned. Players should be able to achieve most of your accolades within a few hours of play.

• Keep in mind that XP gains have diminishing returns. When a player reaches a certain threshold of XP gained across all Creative games, they will get less and less XP for each accolade earned. This happens no matter what the set XP weight of a particular accolade is. If a player repeats the same actions, or plays the same game over and over, this also triggers a steady decrease in the amount of XP earned each time. This is called "diminishing returns" and happens automatically. It is not something a creator can customize or affect.

Design Examples

Here are some examples of how you can use the Accolade device.

Example 1: Using the Tracker Device to Trigger Accolades

The Tracker device is great to use when you are getting started with the Accolade device, because the Tracker already has a large list of built-in conditions and objectives. This means you can get started awarding XP to players right away because you don't need to create your own achievements or goals.

To establish the connection between the Tracker and Accolade devices:

1. Open the Customize panel for the Tracker device, and select the Stat to Track option. Pick a stat you want to use for your accolade.

2. Select a value for the Target Value option. This sets the number of times the player must perform the action in order for the Tracker to complete.

3. In the Tracker's channel options, select an unused channel for the When Complete Transmit On option. This means that when the Tracker completes, it sends a signal on this channel.

4. Now open the Customize panel for the Accolade device, and select the Award When Receiving From channel option. Select the same channel as the one you chose for the When Complete Transmit On option in the Tracker device.

5. When the Tracker completes, it sends a signal to the Accolade device to indicate the criteria for the accolade is met. When it receives the signal, the Accolade device awards the triggering player with XP.

Example 2: Use Multiple Trackers for Complex Goals

You can also use several Tracker devices that feed into another single Tracker device that signals the Accolade device. With this setup you can create more complex accolades. For example, you can set up an accolade for eliminating 5 players and 5 NPCs. Here's how:

1. Set up Tracker A by setting the Stat to Track option to Eliminations, set the Target Value option to 5, and set the Player Eliminations Count option to Yes.

2. Set up Tracker B by setting the Stat to Track option to Eliminations and set the Target Value option to 5. Set the Player Eliminations Count option to No, and set the Non Player Eliminations Count option to Yes.

3. For both Tracker A and Tracker B, set the When Complete Transmit On option to Channel 1.

4. Set up Tracker C by setting the Stat to Track option to Channel, the Target Value option to 2, and the Increment Progress When Receiving From option to Channel 1. Set the When Complete Transmit On option to Channel 2.

5. In the Accolade device, set the Award When Receiving From option to Channel 2. When Tracker A and B are completed (when they both reach the Target Value), they each send a signal to Tracker C, which completes when it receives both signals. Tracker C then sends a signal to the Accolade device and the accolade is awarded.

Example 3: Creating Location-Based Accolades

You can set up Trigger devices to award accolades when players reach particular locations in your island.

1. Place a Trigger device at the location you want players to reach.

2. Set up the Trigger by setting the Triggered by Player option to On.

3. Set the Trigger's When Triggered Transmit On option to an unused channel.

4. In the Accolade device options, set the Award When Receiving From option to the same channel the Trigger's signal transmits on.

Gameplay Examples

The pages listed below provide examples of how to use the Accolade device with other devices to create interesting gameplay you can incorporate into your island.

• Accolade Device Gameplay Examples

Upgrade Devices

The upgrade device conversion includes a number of improvements:

• Updated UX across all devices.

• Improved UI for selecting colors and entering numeric values by adding the Color Picker flyout and direct-entry numeric input to devices with those kinds of options.

• Some updated devices will have additional options, or have previous options split into multiple new options to give you more detailed control over the device's behavior.

• Completely new functionality has been added to some devices.

• All devices that were previously equipped as Traps (for example, the Sequencer) will instead have a prop version that you can manipulate with the Phone tool.

Currently, the device conversion is an option, but will be the default for devices in the near future. Once you opt to convert an island you cannot revert the conversion.

Before opting in to the updated devices, you should first create a backup of your island. Using the backup island, thoroughly test the converted devices to make sure they work the way you want. Once you're satisfied,, you can safely convert the original island.

To convert your island, follow these steps:

1. Select an existing island or a new island.

2. Select a device from the list and place on the island. (This step only applies to a new island.)

3. Select My Island > Tools > Upgrade Devices > Convert and Reload.

4. Confirm your selection by clicking Confirm. Your island automatically reloads with the Upgrade Devices. You'll be sent back to the hub, and can enter the golden rift to go back to your island.

Below are the following changes made to the device options:

New Option	New Value	Description	Replaced Option
Triggering Player Only	Off, On	If set to On, then only the selected player is considered when granting this accolade.	Updated values
Selected Team	Any, Pick a team.	Determines which team can activate the device.	This replaces the Team option.
Invert Team	Off, On	If set to On, the device will count all teams except the selected team.	This replaces the Affects Team option.
Selected Class	Any, No Class, Pick a class	Determines which class can activate the device.	This replaces the Class option.
Invert Class	Off, On	If set to On, the device will count all but the selected class.	This replaces the Affects Class option. This is a new option that enhances the Selected Class option.

Direct Event Binding System

Direct event binding allows devices to communicate directly, making your workflow more intuitive, and giving you more freedom to focus on your design ideas. Switching to this system is the next step in creating more complex and diverse game mechanics.

The direct event binding system eliminates limitations inherent in the channel communication system because the devices communicate directly instead of on channels. You no longer have to worry about reaching the maximum channel limit or preplanning your channel allocation when designing an island.

When you copy-paste devices, you no longer need to edit them to change the channel assignments — the events and functions set in the original carry over to the copies.

To convert your island, follow these steps:

1. Select an existing island or a new island.

2. Select a device from the list and place on the island. (This step only applies to a new island.)

3. Select My Island > Tools > Event System > Convert.

4. Confirm your selection by clicking Confirm. The Direct Event Binding System is automatically added to your devices.

Below are the following direct event binding options for this device.

Functions

Direct event binding uses functions as receivers. A function listens for one device's event to tell another device to perform a function.

Option	Value	Description
Disable When Receiving From	Add	Disables the device.
Award When Receiving From	Add	Awards the accolade to the player when the accolade criteria is met.
Enable When Receiving From	Add	Enables the device.

Events

Direct event binding uses events as transmitters. An event tells another device to perform a function.

Option	Value	Description
Test Award Send Event To	Add	Use this event to test your accolade set up prior to publishing. The event only transmits when the island is not published.