Achievements

[TheOneFreeMan]

The popularity of achievements has been bugging me for a while. I don't understand them, personally.

What is this obsession that developers are capitalising on for people to acquire all the possible achievements? You can't tell me that getting them all is fun ... I've tried it, and playing through some things again just to get certain achievements is straight-up tedious, and not much fun at all. But by implementing them, some games have managed to get people replaying far beyond what they normally would have just to get achievements.

So ... can anyone help me understand? Why are achievements successful?

 

[jimbo118]

*in b4 Garg.

 

[2Fast4U]

Because they give you the sense of achievment most gamers like? I, personally, don't care for them either, but i kinda understand the appeal.

 

[15357]

I dunno, maybe it gives people a purpose. I don't bother with them, although I seem to achieve most of them nevertheless.

 

[Remus]

Achievements, the most pointless addition to gaming EVER!

 

[Shem]

Achievements are popular because players feel like they have accomplished something by completing an objective, and so they can brag about it to their friends. Also, as we've seen with Team Fortress 2, achievements unlock items for players, which encourages people to play a lot, which is good for VALVe.

 

[VictimOfScience]

*in b4 Garg.

Hahaha! Me too! He must be busy getting more achievements. Poor guy.

 

[Absinthe]

While you may not care for achievements, I don't know how anybody can construe them as a bad thing.

 

[kupocake]

They're ok in certain types of games. I think they're perfect for casual and multiplayer titles, games in which you're constantly trying to outdo the last experience you had in that map or task. The more outrageous ones have a place in replaying even the most straight-faced single-player titles, but progression based achievements beyond full-game completion are idiotic, even stuff like 'kill your first enemy with X weapon', and I don't enjoy them popping up in game to pat you in the back at the expense of immersion.

 

[Nomad]

I didn't even expect most of the ones I got.

 

[Tyguy]

some people need others to know they are a serious gamer...

 

[YROC]

^ This. Also, I like to have something that shows I went through HL2 episode 1 only firing one bullet.

Spoiler

It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

 

[Escaep]

It gives people something to work towards.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I'm not much of a fan of achievements. The only game I like them in, is L4D, although I haven't bothered trying to get the Crash Course achievements, apart from one involving the tank.

They don't give me much of a sense of achievement when I attain them. But by not attaining them, I am left feeling like I'm just not accomplishing things. I feel bad, like I should get those achievements or I'm not getting the full experience. Even though that's not why I play games. I want to enjoy the game without worrying about statistics and achievements. I could just decide to ignore those, but it's difficult.

A lot of achievements, I think, are just cheap ways for developers to claim "replay" value. Something which is overrated in the first case, and just completely inane when it becomes about killing X amount of units, etc. For me, replay value is about being able to take a different path, or being able to enjoy the story again, like I would with a good book or film.


Of course, on the other hand, people have always bragged about these things, and achievements give them a way of doing that, now that we're playing more online and less on split screens.

 

[dfc05]

I don't enjoy them popping up in game to pat you in the back at the expense of immersion.

This. When I played through Episode 1 (or did achievements start in Ep 2? I can't even remember what happened in either episode) and saw the achievements pop up for the first time, I was like "What is this crap?? :|" although I eventually just ignored them. I don't care at all about getting achievements so they do nothing for me.

 

[Blackthorn]

My opinion on achievements and trophies is simple and can be divided into two parts:

1. Achievements are great in single player games. They make you play for longer and try some fun things you may not have done otherwise.

2. Achievements are awful in multiplayer games. They cause dedicated achievement servers and make you try some mundane things you would never do out of common ****ing sense.

 

[YROC]

My opinion on achievements and trophies is simple and can be divided into two parts:

1. Achievements are great in single player games. They make you play for longer and try some fun things you may not have done otherwise.

2. Achievements are awful in multiplayer games. They cause dedicated achievement servers and make you try some mundane things you would never do out of common ****ing sense.

Not to mention some people join games asking for help getting achievements.

 

[the cow says moo]

Maybe Garg got tired of complaining?

Achievements give gamers a sense of competition between other players and a sense of pride when they get that one difficult achievement in a game that they can show off to their friends. It also gives games more replayability to the gamers that do try to get every achievement. My friends and I used to feel a little competitive about achievements, but I've started to not caring lately.

Also, that little satisfying sound that usually accompanies an achievement is supposed to make you feel good, not annoy you.

 

[Gargantou]

*in b4 Garg.

Oh no you didn't!!

Anyway, Achievements can be a great way to extend the life of the game, sadly most aren't, most devs are uninspired morons that think making an achievement like "Kill 1000 enemies!" is a fun achievement.

I far prefer achievements like "Kill 5 enemies using one molotov" and such things, things that don't require grinding in other words.

Anyway, personally, I would remove the whole achievements-system from XBL if I could, but that's just me, because my OCD and the XBL Achievement-system are gangbanging me mentally.

It sucks.

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

This. When I played through Episode 1 (or did achievements start in Ep 2? I can't even remember what happened in either episode) and saw the achievements pop up for the first time, I was like "What is this crap?? :|" although I eventually just ignored them. I don't care at all about getting achievements so they do nothing for me.

It was EP2, I believe. I find it curious that Valve, who build their entire reputation on making single-player games with awesome immersion techniques, threw it all away with those achievements in EP2. Mood killer.

I do claim they're a bad thing, because they're placing importance on areas of gameplay which are not fun. Who can say they honestly have fun collecting achievements on the same level as actually playing the game?

 

[13LACKBISHOP]

Anyway, Achievements can be a great way to extend the life of the game, sadly most aren't, most devs are uninspired morons that think making an achievement like "Kill 1000 enemies!" is a fun achievement

.

This

Most achievements are silly and a waste of time. In tekken 6 when you are playing the first level you get an achievement called learning is fun and if you smash so many crates you get crate smasher or something like that. Ugh. Get to round 50 on survival mode or beat nancy on ultra hard with a perfect. Now those are achievements.

 

[ríomhaire]

It was EP2, I believe. I find it curious that Valve, who build their entire reputation on making single-player games with awesome immersion techniques, threw it all away with those achievements in EP2. Mood killer.

Play in offline mode. Problem solved.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I don't like 'grind' achievements, where you have to do x amount of something, but I do enjoy a spot of 'wacky' achiements; doing stuff which is outside the context of normality in a particular game.

For instance see if you can deflect an incoming grenade in Ep3 by hitting it back with the crowbar.

 

[Dog--]

I don't mind any achievements, I think they are all about fun having them is cool, the only ones I hate are the ones you get for simply playing the game "You beat the tutorial, here's an achievement". The hell is the point, that's not really an achievement.. But, for example, killing 52,000 zombies in Dead Rising - THAT is an achievement. (I have this one and couldn't' be prouder) Actually Dead Rising is a good example of a game with good achievements, most revolve around ****ing with the zombies, and the mission related ones involve actually doing something hard like killing a boss, not just beating the intro.

 

[the cow says moo]

I wish they would give you an option to easily turn off the achievements from popping up onscreen.

I do claim they're a bad thing, because they're placing importance on areas of gameplay which are not fun. Who can say they honestly have fun collecting achievements on the same level as actually playing the game?

Who are you to say what's fun and what isn't? What you see as an annoyance and an immersion killer, others might see as a good source of fun, maybe even to the point that they like getting the achievements more than playing the game.

 

[Viperidae]

Worst of all is achievements you know you got earlier, but since they can only be unlocked in sequence (or they come in a later patch), you have to start all over again.

Worst offenders are TF2 kill/damage ones (Pyromancer/Year to Remember, my god) and CoD4 with it's NAH-AH YOU AIN'T LEVEL 50 YET SO YOUR 25 KILLSTREAK DOESN'T COUNT.

 

[Darkside55]

Achievements came directly out of gamers' needs to challenge themselves--and brag to their friends. Before achievements people were still trying to kill x amount of enemies, get through the game under a certain time, not take a hit, or collect all the coins and secret power ups. With consoles now allowing people to have online profiles to showcase their bragging rights, developers are just putting in 'trophies' to show that you've completed these things.

Of course, the fact that damn near everything has an achievement ("You started the game, here's a reward") probably comes off the fact that some developers are either retards or are throwing a bone to casuals. Achievements are great for things where you have to go out of your way to achieve them, or for being particularly skilled or clever.

 

[ríomhaire]

I don't like 'grind' achievements, where you have to do x amount of something, but I do enjoy a spot of 'wacky' achiements; doing stuff which is outside the context of normality in a particular game.

For instance see if you can deflect an incoming grenade in Ep3 by hitting it back with the crowbar.

Indeed. Also ones that encourage you to try different things. Some of the ones in GoW2 are good. Although kill 20 enemies with X is a tad annoying Variety is the Spice of Death encourages you to try everything and I wouldn't have realised you can beat people to death with a boomer shield if there wasn't an achievement for it.

 

[Bakurei]

I just wish there was an option to turn off the achievements on the first playtrough... Nothing anoys me more when I'm totally immersed to the game then suddenly "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED LOL U TA MAN"

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

Who are you to say what's fun and what isn't? What you see as an annoyance and an immersion killer, others might see as a good source of fun, maybe even to the point that they like getting the achievements more than playing the game.

You show me one person who likes the achievements more than the actual game (unless the game is unspeakably crap) and I'll chew on a horse's backside.

The game is what is meant to be fun. Instead of implementing gameplay devices which create good, fun replay value, we're now just encouraging designers to forget those things because good olde Achievements will take their place. That's a bad road to go down, design-wise.

 

[Raziaar]

I don't care for achievements. Like Gargantou said, achievements needs to be interesting things.

Too often I see games where I gain an achievement for doing something trivial. I completed part of the story that everybody is also going to complete within their first two hours of playing? Greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat...