No Steam Achievements?

[LethalDose]

The wiki says that it's been confirmed that there won't be Steam achievements included in the final game.

Did the dev's provide a rationale for this? I don't have a problem with the decision, it just struck me as being a bit odd, and I was curious why they did it.

Thanks!

[RocketTurtle]

KSP was never meant to be a Steam game. So many people wanted it though. They probably don't want to waste time making achievements... consider your forum ribbons achievements.

[Dizzle]

Here you go.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/achievements/

[El wonso]

I do not understand this decision as well, steam achievements don't seem to require significant amount of time to create.

Here you go.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/achievements/

You missed the "Steam" part.

[blizzy78]

I do not understand this decision as well, steam achievements don't seem to require significant amount of time to create.

I think you seriously underestimate the work that goes into making achievements.

[astropapi1]

They didn't want to give steam users an "advantage" over store users.

I remember HarvesteR said they wanted to have in-game archievements, but they didn't want them to be stuff like 'first launch!' or 'EVA master!'. They wanted archievements to be something you would earn for doing special stuff, like (for example) an Apollo 13 mission, in which they used the LEM's engine as a main thruster for orbital maneuvers because of the damaged service module. It'd be stuff you can go for, but not necessary to accomplish the final goal.

[El wonso]

I think you seriously underestimate the work that goes into making achievements.

It's probably easier for a dev team than for a mod creator.

[Sirrobert]

The rationale is very simple: The devs don't want achievements. End of discussion

Those little badges are meaningless anyway, if you need it to feel good about a game, than the game is boring

[astropapi1]

The rationale is very simple: The devs don't want achievements. End of discussion

They do. I think they mentioned it in one of the weekly's from April this year. Good look finding it.

[blizzy78]

It's probably easier for a dev team than for a mod creator.

I'd say so, but I don't think it would take an "insignificant" amount. Unless you're okay with only a handful of achievements.

[El wonso]

The rationale is very simple: The devs don't want achievements. End of discussion

And you think it's a reason? Shouldn't Squad listen to the community and explain some things?

Those little badges are meaningless anyway, if you need it to feel good about a game, than the game is boring

Let's take that deeper. KSP is meaningless. Why should you land on Duna? It's poinless!

Getting achievements is fun. Thousands (maybe millions?) Steam users are proof to that.

[fatfluffycat]

Yeah, landing on Duna is real boring.

But wait, if I land on it I get a achievement? (A little badge on steam ) Oh boy, I better go there right now!

Who thinks like this?

[Sirrobert]

And you think it's a reason? Shouldn't Squad listen to the community and explain some things?

Let's take that deeper. KSP is meaningless. Why should you land on Duna? It's poinless!

Getting achievements is fun. Thousands (maybe millions?) Steam users are proof to that.

Yes I think that's a reason. It's their game. If they deceide they don't want a feature, they don't put that feature in. You can suggest a feature, and if they like it they might adopt that feature, but it's still their game.

Fun fact on achievement: The original goal of an achievement is to abritrairy lengthen a game without actually putting any effert into lengthening the game. Instead of putting in more contend, you just give some people a title for doing the same thing in a funny way. Not something I would call an awesome advancement in game development

[blizzy78]

Yeah, landing on Duna is real boring.

But wait, if I land on it I get a achievement? (A little badge on steam ) Oh boy, I better go there right now!

Who thinks like this?

Discussing this is rather pointless. There will always be players who find achievements fun, and players who don't. For those who don't like them, they are free to ignore them.

[Sirrobert]

Discussing this is rather pointless. There will always be players who find achievements fun, and players who don't. For those who don't like them, they are free to ignore them.

That may be true when they are there anyway, but in this case the implention of achievements would take away time to develop actual content. Which is the part everyone who is against achievements is against

[blizzy78]

but in this case the implention of achievements would take away time to develop actual content.

Actually I personally am against the KSP devs implementing achievements because of that

[Faark]

1. I admire KSPs developers for not adding platform (in that case steam) specific features. Thats part of their evil strategy to capturing new users and in the end acquire world domination.

2. Even the Steam version of KSP has to be able to work without steam. I have about 3-5 different installs, consisting of different mod/part configurations.

3. I would not be surprised if the developer will actually introduce an (cross platform!) achievement system in the future. But for now, there are other priorities... performance, career mode, a launcher, spaceport, and so on...

[magnemoe]

Yes I think that's a reason. It's their game. If they deceide they don't want a feature, they don't put that feature in. You can suggest a feature, and if they like it they might adopt that feature, but it's still their game.

Fun fact on achievement: The original goal of an achievement is to abritrairy lengthen a game without actually putting any effert into lengthening the game. Instead of putting in more contend, you just give some people a title for doing the same thing in a funny way. Not something I would call an awesome advancement in game development

True, however I suspect that many games uses online achievements for getting player statistic, how many of the players has landed on all of Jool's moons is relevant knowledge.

[Luckless]

Yeah, landing on Duna is real boring.

But wait, if I land on it I get a achievement? (A little badge on steam ) Oh boy, I better go there right now!

Who thinks like this?

I take it that you haven't looked at the kind of profits Valve is generating by selling Hats in Team Fortress 2, have you?

People are weird. Very weird.

[MR4Y]

My main question is...

Why are you expecting an alpha release to have achievements?

[regex]

Steam achievements, or really achievements of any kind, are a waste of time. I'd much rather have some real content added to KSP than some dumb "bucket list" items.

[Kerb Johnson]

Yeah, landing on Duna is real boring.

But wait, if I land on it I get a achievement? (A little badge on steam ) Oh boy, I better go there right now!

Who thinks like this?

I do.

[Deadweasel]

"Achievements"...? Really?

You need Steam (or XBox or whatever) to TELL you when you've done something noteworthy? Look, when it's part of the gameplay mechanics (like GTA's little stunt jumps etc), that's one thing, but I've always believed that the real attraction in KSP was the fact that it doesn't restrict or suggest what I can or should do in any way.

Are the snowflakes really that hard up for compliments in their lives that it's necessary to have a GAME tell them "good job"? Nobody gets a sense of satisfaction out of setting their own goals and accomplishing them, no matter what they might be?

The nice thing about NOT having those stupid achievements is that there's nothing built into the game to usher me in a particular direction or flat out tell me what I've done that is particularly noteworthy.

Also: who decides what those should be... in a SANDBOX game? Just think about it seriously for a moment. Are the folks who get warm fuzzies over "official" achievements really so disconnected as to believe that everybody has the same particular goals in this game as to require a standardized set of them?

That is... unless we're talking about exceptional feats of riduculous craziness here... You know, the kinds of things you wouldn't normally run into in the course of just playing the game otherwise.

((Your 1,218 part vessel has unlocked the WHACKJOB-LEVEL COMPLEXITY achievement!))

[Madrias]

About the only reason I could see achievements as "useful" is tracking your own personal progress in game. Oh, wait, that's what the map view is for.

[katateochi]

I can't see the point of achievements in a game where it is really up to you to make your own goals. Some of my best achievements are so quirky that I don't think they'd be recognised by an achievement system. I also find achievements popping up really kills immersion.

If they do add steam achievements it will be another reason I'd be glad to not be a steam user. If I was trying to film a cinematic shot of something and a little window pops up to pat me on the back I'd be really annoyed.

edit;

there is an achievement system (sort of), have a look in your persistent.sfs file, in the SCENARIO there is a Progress section which tracks a small subset of things which you have achieved for each body. But its very limited, for example it doesn't have a separate achievement for making a working SSTO.

Edited November 16, 2013 by katateochi