Achievements

[buggeer]

Achievements:

Some hate them and consider the ultimate immersion breakers.

Some love them and like the ability to compare their play-throughs with others.

Some don't care.

 

I know there are a lot of people who hate achievements. As the game is going to be released on Steam I think the way the achievements will be handled (as I think that there will probably be at least some) is something worth discussing.

Do you want "generic achievements" like "kill 50 x", "have 25 successful y attempts" or "get z completion rate"?

I personally prefer the achievements that actually mean something. I like to check how many players chose the same faction, how many completed the same quests and how many finished the game. They also provide some valuable information to the devs.

[PsychoBlonde]

I find Achievements can be interesting if they're odd enough. Remember what they did in Arcanum? Those were pretty cool. (If you haven't played Arcanum, basically you acquired titles for doing some odd things like running around naked in town.)

 

However, they should *definitely* have a way to turn off the notifications for people who hate them.

[Entropious]

I can't stress enough how much I hate achievements. These turn a game which should be immersive into "Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen". Go ahead kids, win the challenges and win a rewards.

The game itself is supposed to be one, giant reward in the form of fun and immersion. If achievements need to be added, it simply means that the game is somehow lacking, and the developers are trying to cover it up.

Unless they are something akin to the aforementioned titles found in Arcanum. But, if such a thing were really implemented, I'd like to see various people actually referring to me by that title, depending upon which of them they should, logically, be familiar with.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Entropious

[casa]

Useless cr*p.

[Undecaf]

Achievements... Pfft... Completely useless fluff.

[BasaltineBadger]

I can't stress enough how much I hate achievements. These turn a game which should be immersive into "Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen". Go ahead kids, win the challenges and win a rewards.

The game itself is supposed to be one, giant reward in the form of fun and immersion. If achievements need to be added, it simply means that the game is somehow lacking, and the developers are trying to cover it up.

Unless they are something akin to the aforementioned titles found in Arcanum. But, if such a thing were really implemented, I'd like to see various people actually referring to me by that title, depending upon which of them they should, logically, be familiar with.

The achievement are a mean of impalementng self-imposed goals like naked run, pacifist run etc. for people who are too uncreative to think of it and too lazy to keep track of it.

[Thraxen]

I like them, though it gets a bit annoying when there's an achievement for completing each chapter (or equivalent) of a game. As long as they're interesting to try and achieve, that's the main thing. Something like "Beat the final boss using only hand to hand combat" or something like that. They're even better if they unlock something in-game, nothing major. Just a new cosmetic item or something. E.g. "Beat a combat encounter using only ranged weapons - Unlock Robin Hood's hat"

[hackdirt]

Pointless enticement for the xbox babies.

[Ink Blot]

I voted 'none of the above'. I don't really give a rat's bottom about achievements, but I know others love them. So I don't care if they're in the game or not, so long as there aren't notifications popping up in my face like "Achievement unlocked: Opened door".

 

If they're set up so you can look at them afterward, but there aren't a bunch of annoying in-game notifications, I have no issue with them.

[kirottu]

Doing something hard and getting that extra pat on the back in form of an achievement can be fun.

[Wintersong]

Not needed.

 

If they were to be added: no Steamworks, go and create your own system; don't do stupid achievements like "You started your first game"/"You moved your character"/"You finished the game" and stuff like that, if you are going to add them make sure that they are for important stuff.

[Lucas]

IMO, they're useless in CRPGs; you already chase achievements (see "quest rewards", solution of plot lines etc.) in them, without needing more, "artificial" ones. But on the other hand, I don't understand why they were included in any game in the first place, so.... I'm totally uninterested in them (again, simply my opinion).

[Progressive_Stupidity]

I find Achievements can be interesting if they're odd enough. Remember what they did in Arcanum? Those were pretty cool. (If you haven't played Arcanum, basically you acquired titles for doing some odd things like running around naked in town.)

 

However, they should *definitely* have a way to turn off the notifications for people who hate them.

 

I wouldn't mind them if they were similar to Arcanum, noted in an in-game journal. I never did become the pervert of Tarant, but it was cool to gain reputations for befriending the Molochean Hand or putting Bessie Toone to rest. I'd like to see something like that.

[buggeer]

Not needed.

 

If they were to be added: no Steamworks, go and create your own system; don't do stupid achievements like "You started your first game"/"You moved your character"/"You finished the game" and stuff like that, if you are going to add them make sure that they are for important stuff.

As long as there aren't any "achievement" notifiers while I'm playing the game I'm fine (pop up window notifier, an added line in my game/dialogue window). Sure, have it in a list on a separate party screen, so that anyone who is interested can take a look. Like the kills and reputation screensin Fallout. :D

 

So there is no way to turn off achievement notification on Steam? I've never looked into it as they do not bother me but if that's the case I can understand your pain.

[Merin]

"Achievements" as trophies you unlock to share with friends, the kind that include stupid, meta-gaming stuff, is only really fun for something like Saints Row the Third and silliness, IMO.

 

That said, I love getting titles or such in games like Fallout. LOVE IT.

 

So how Steam or XBOX or PSN does them? No. How games like Fallout or Arcanum did them? Yes.

[True_Spike]

I really hate achievements. They have no place in a RPG, because they shatter immersion.

[Monte Carlo]

I am going to compile a list of things that absolutely, utterly, unambiguously are gaming poison for a project like this. And achievements are right up there with having poorly pixellated orgasms with an elf wearing a Diaper (TM Bioware).

[buggeer]

I hope to see the list soon. Compiling the list of bad things is sometimes even more important than proposing good ones.But please make it a poll. More often than not things can be fixed by making them optional. A "turn-offable" pop-ups and list display would be a win-win in case of achievements.

[Nakia]

Achievements? Voted #1. I ignore them. If I want to replay the game it is because the game itself makes me want to replay it.

[Zoraptor]

Achievements per se are (usually) rubbish as they're (usually) trite make work for obsessive compulsives and epeen wavers.

 

On the other hand gaining traits/ reputations/ whatever from your actions in game are good, if handled well.

[Tychoxi]

couldn't give a hump.

 

I can say, though, that I prefer achievements to be 100% unknown beforehand (of course you can go to the 'net and look 'em up, but that's your problem), so don't list them in the game/STEAM or wherever before earning them, or if they are listed don't tell me what is needed to achieve them. This kinda neglects the "achieving" part of achievements.

[evdk]

Don't want them. Not planning on playing this on any platform that would make use of them either.

[Infinitron]

No pop-up achievements please.

 

But, the "custom feats" that you could get in NWN2 were kind of cool.

[evdk]

No pop-up achievements please.

 

But, the "custom feats" that you could get in NWN2 were kind of cool.

Yeah, but those were for actually interesting things, not successfully mastering the art of left click.

[TMTVL]

It doesn't have to be achievements, but some type of recognition for (for example) playing through as a pacifist would be interesting. While in-game reactions (think Iji) would of course be the most interesting, I'd be happy with even something as small as an achievement. Looking over gained achievements can also lead to a sense of nostalgia (ah yes, the "defeating the Great Wyrm of Tyria" achievement, I remember fighting that thing like it was yesterday...) and they could also be used as a way of letting people know what kind of options they have (an achievement for getting five different endings? I thought there were only three!)

 

On the other hand: achievements really don't mesh well with the whole "taking things back to yesteryear" theme of the project...