Achievements

[Spartwo]

With the PS4 edition of KSP launching in mere hours I feel this is the best time to bring this up. Flying tiger has removed images of almost all achievements coming with the PS4 edition bar this one.(later found more on facebook)

The PS4 edition is shipping with achievements and most likely the Xbox version. This takes me to the suggestion itself of bringing these achievements to both PC versions or at the least enabling steam achievements for the game. The nature, name, detail, requirements, and image of these achievements are now already created courtesy of FTG. Steam achievements were shelved long ago before either console port were announced, it's time to reconsider this.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Spartwo

[Gaarst]

Achievements, yes. Steam, no.

There are some people who bought the game through the store. And since we can't have pre-releases, I hope we can at least get achievements.

[Spartwo]

Optimally they would be part of the game itself but just having them on steam would likely take much less effort.

[WWEdeadman]

+1 on that. If there's already trophies in the PS4 version, and the XOne version has achievements too, then adding steam achievements would just be logical. And yeah, ideally also in-game, so non-steam people can have them too.

Really, with the console versions having them, any argument against them on PC is invalid.

[Spartwo]

Game has just released, time to check out the achievement list.

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/kerbal-space-program-ps4/

 

EDIT: Apparently it released 3 minutes before my original post, I just hadn't noticed.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Spartwo

[Wjolcz]

I don't need them, but if they become can become a thing then why the hell not?

[klesh]

There are 4 ways to purchase the game and play it (PS4, XBox, Steam, KSP Store).  2 methods have achievements/trophies and the other 2 don't.  

That seems weird to me.  

 

Could a system be built where once you make an achievent (lets say flyby the Mun), that the game checks whether PS, XBox, or Steam has been triggered to award it and if not the game itself (for the KSP store folks) will award it? This way every platform would get their respective achievement.  

[Gaarst]

3 minutes ago, klesh said:

There are 4 ways to purchase the game and play it (PS4, XBox, Steam, KSP Store).  2 methods have achievements/trophies and the other 2 don't.  

That seems weird to me.  

GOG.com is also an official way to buy KSP and does not contain any achievement. So right now it's more: console has achievements, PC doesn't.

[klesh]

27 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

GOG.com is also an official way to buy KSP and does not contain any achievement. So right now it's more: console has achievements, PC doesn't.

Would it then be easier to create PC-only achievements and not tie them into Steam? 

If achievements were to be added to the PC versions, it seems like they should be Steam achievements for those on that platform.  I suppose this would have GOG, and KSP store people with a 4th set of achievements that are only displayed in their game?

[Gaarst]

2 hours ago, klesh said:

Would it then be easier to create PC-only achievements and not tie them into Steam? 

If achievements were to be added to the PC versions, it seems like they should be Steam achievements for those on that platform.  I suppose this would have GOG, and KSP store people with a 4th set of achievements that are only displayed in their game?

Easier I don't know (Steam probably has a common achievements base so that they are really easy to make) but fairer yes.

TBH, no one really cared about achievements in KSP before the console versions: now that they are there, people want them on PC as well.

[adsii1970]

I cannot speak for all PC players, but I, for one, do not want them...

[Mjp1050]

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

I cannot speak for all PC players, but I, for one, do not want them...

Seconded. Part of the appeal of KSP is that all the achievements are self-enforced, and completing one of those is far, far more satisfying than completing a computer-generated achievement.

Also, the PS4 trophies for KSP are here, and the majority of them are "land on [x]" or "flyby [x]", nothing noteworthy at all for experienced players. Adding these achievements would do nothing for gameplay.

3 hours ago, Gaarst said:

TBH, no one really cared about achievements in KSP before the console versions: now that they are there, people want them on PC as well.

Sony and Microsoft both have an "all games must have achievements" policy that SQUAD and Flying Tiger couldn't get out of. They didn't put achievements in willingly, I don't think.

[adsii1970]

35 minutes ago, Mjp1050 said:

Seconded. Part of the appeal of KSP is that all the achievements are self-enforced, and completing one of those is far, far more satisfying than completing a computer-generated achievement.

[edited by adsii1970 for relevant content]

For me, I tried career mode when it first came out. Not at all impressed with it. If you want achievements that have been around AND actually have some purpose, use the mod Final Frontier, as it has a system that has realistic achievements and can easily be modified to fit your individual style of play. It actually makes career mode fun and challenging rather than simply achieve the goals of this or that contract.

My favorite game style is sandbox and I prefer the freedom to assign my own goals (according to my style of game play) and to be honest, there are times I think my own goals are extremely more difficult than some of the ones in-game. For example, I am trying to come up with a small electric propeller powered drone that can fit inside an in-line fairing (1.25 m) that will actually fly in the Duna skies. It must be able to be deployed from a lander after touch-down and it must generate its own power through two solar panels (it's actual diameter is going to be .625 with a wingspan of 6 meters; the wings will be folded while the craft is stowed for the journey to Duna).

 

[razark]

Achievements?

Why, whatever for?  If you're having trouble remembering what you've done, keep a pencil and pad of paper near the computer.

Edited July 19, 2016 by razark

[AlamoVampire]

Couldn't care less if we have em on PC. I think Microsoft and Sony mandate that games have em so the console ksp has em. If we get em can I or we toggle em back off? If yes let PC have em too.

[Alshain]

On 7/12/2016 at 0:19 PM, Gaarst said:

Achievements, yes. Steam, no.

There are some people who bought the game through the store. And since we can't have pre-releases, I hope we can at least get achievements.

It's possible to have in-game achievements that are simply mirrored on Steam (for those who have Steam).  The only difference is Steam's are permanent, while at most in-game achievements could only persist out to the current install.  I own a few games that do this.

 

8 hours ago, Gaarst said:

TBH, no one really cared about achievements in KSP before the console versions: now that they are there, people want them on PC as well.

That's definitely not true.  It was requested so many times, they added it to the WNTS list to get people to stop requesting them.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Alshain

[Matt77]

I'm not bothered about achievements but I'd like the World Firsts to be expanded upon, maybe achievements could be an extension of that.

I'd like to be able to view my Firsts in a 3d environment with certificates and screenshots on the wall, trophies and artifacts in cabinets, and maybe even scale models of my rockets...

[Gaarst]

11 hours ago, Alshain said:

That's definitely not true.  It was requested so many times, they added it to the WNTS list to get people to stop requesting them.

It was suggested many times, but when you compare it to the number of suggestions for dv readouts, more planets, more parts... then you find that pretty much no one cares about achievements.

Also, it was put on the WNTS also because of Steam and store (and GOG) differences. Most requests were made for Steam, and left the store version apart; so that was labelled unfair and thus the debate was avoided.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Gaarst

[suicidejunkie]

Aren't they called "world firsts"?  I'm pretty sure I've gotten money and rep for doing those things mentioned.

All you need to do is close the message popup instead of deleting it, but having a tab in one of the KSC buildings to show them in a better-organized form would be nice.

[cantab]

The stock game already includes "progress tracking" code, with a part of the save file to cover that. So on one level adding Steam achievements ought to be easy. On the other hand, the stock game currently makes no effort to prevent "cheating" that progress tracking feature. Would Steam consider this an issue? Would they consider the availability of the F12 menu 'cheats' an issue? I don't want to see PC KSP end up more locked-down as it were just to facilitate some meaningless trinkets.

[klesh]

43 minutes ago, cantab said:

Would Steam consider this an issue? Would they consider the availability of the F12 menu 'cheats' an issue? 

 

Steam doesnt seem to care.  For instance using the console commands (cheats essentially, godmode etc) in Skyrim on Steam doesn't effect the awarding of achievements, I'm pretty sure. 

Edited July 20, 2016 by klesh

[legoclone09]

Those achievement patches (I guess) look awesome! I would like achievements in the stock game, and those direct patch images so I can make some nice embroidered ones for me.

[klesh]

I would buy patches if they were quality and proper sewn ones.  I'd buy some of that 3D printed stuff if it werent made of sand. 

[legoclone09]

Just now, klesh said:

I would buy patches if they were quality and proper sewn ones.  I'd buy some of that 3D printed stuff if it werent made of sand. 

The 3D printed stuff is actually very high quality (I have some of the Eucl3d prints, they are made out of the same material as the Shapeways I believe), it's made out of sandstone, not sand.

[Alshain]

My only concern about Steam achievements would be the fact the KSP doesn't require Steam, even if you bought it there.  I don't know if there is a way to 'detect' Steam's presence or not before attempting to send it achievement code.  That may be the largest issue to overcome, because locking KSP into Steam would be KSP heresy.