Verify Achievement Attainablility / Disable Broken Achievements From Player Stats

[chootracks]

I know quite a few games that release new achievements with the intent to make them work later and never do, or they're so buggy that the discussion boards are filled with complaints. I think that Steam should verify the achievements work, and/or broken achievements should not count towards perfect games and player stats.

The rough idea is to implement an automated verification system that verifies the attainability of achievements and disables them from negatively affecting players stats and perfects games if they are not.

Specifics:

One way is for the verification system to place new releases/updates into a pre-release state (if achievements are being added) until a dev/playtester is able to get the achievement to trigger (preferably multiple times). Else, they can always fix it or just delete the part where the achievement is Steam-recognized. The verification system would then approve it for release.

If the developer decides the pre-release thing is unnecessary they can skip verification and opt for their achievements to be proven attainable within the release. In that case, new achievements will be labeled "Unverified" and will not count towards perfecting the game until the achievement is triggered x amount of times (without SAM ofc). However, this way alienates smaller games and difficult achievements as it requires a larger player base to trigger the achievements enough times, thus the original method would be preferred.

- Devs can include a (likely artificial) save that is on the brink of reaching the achievement for its playtesters so the verification process can be hastened.

- For games with existing achievements, the fact that so many people have already successfully triggered them proves the achievements work to the system. If not, they will be marked "Unverified" and devs will be prompted to fix it via automated message.

- If an existing achievement was only possible for a limited time, the system will recognize that no one has been able to trigger it in recent times while playing and will label it "Limited-Time" (possibly after checking with the devs via automated message) and it will not count towards perfecting the game.

- For future limited-time achievements, dev should specify this to the system upon release (likely via checkbox: including the time it is available or specify it is unavailable after the fact, else the system will use the method mentioned in the last bullet point). Maybe a special achievement event badge or extra xp can be awarded for those who achieve it within the time it is available (that way nothing is awarded if you cheat it afterwards).

- If an achievement is meant to be a cheater achievement, devs can specify this to the system (via checkbox again) and playtesters will be expected to make a small alteration to the game files and it will be verified upon triggering via this method.

- Steam could additionally add a "Report Broken" button beside achievements.

Feel free to list your own ideas. I'm sure there are better ways that are less or more complicated; this is just off the top of my head. None of this is required for something like it to be implemented.

[Ben Lubar]

引用自 chootracks：

- Devs can include a (likely artificial) save that is on the brink of reaching the achievement for its playtesters so the verification process can be hastened.

This sounds like a lot of work, and I can't think of a single achievement in my game that this would even be possible for: https://steamcommunity.com/stats/563560/achievements/

引用自 chootracks：

- For games with existing achievements, the fact that so many people have already successfully triggered them proves the achievements work to the system. If not, they will be marked "Unverified" and devs will be prompted to fix it via automated message.

Game development is hard. The only thing that will come from an implementation of this proposal is a bunch of busy work for game developers that will either result in them not being able to update their games as frequently or them leaving the platform.

引用自 chootracks：

- If an existing achievement was only possible for a limited time, the system will recognize that no one has been able to trigger it in recent times while playing and will label it "Limited-Time" (possibly after checking with the devs via automated message) and it will not count towards perfecting the game.

So an indie game that gets a few concurrent players tops will constantly be sending the developer demands to set their achievements as no longer obtainable? That sounds like hell.

引用自 chootracks：

- For future limited-time achievements, dev should specify this to the system upon release (likely via checkbox: including the time it is available or specify it is unavailable after the fact, else the system will use the method mentioned in the last bullet point). Maybe a special achievement event badge or extra xp can be awarded for those who achieve it within the time it is available (that way nothing is awarded if you cheat it afterwards).

Valve is not going to give you profile XP for having an achievement.

引用自 chootracks：

- If an achievement is meant to be a cheater achievement, devs can specify this to the system (via checkbox again) and playtesters will be expected to make a small alteration to the game files and it will be verified upon triggering via this method.

What playtesters? Who is paying for people to playtest achievements for every game on Steam?

引用自 chootracks：

- Steam could additionally add a "Report Broken" button beside achievements.

If a video game has broken achievements, you can simply tell the developers through their preferred method of bug reporting. Valve is not the game development police.

[chootracks]

引用自 Ben Lubar：

This sounds like a lot of work, and I can't think of a single achievement in my game that this would even be possible for: https://steamcommunity.com/stats/563560/achievements/

It looks like it would get verified to me under the third bullet point.

引用自 Ben Lubar：

Game development is hard. The only thing that will come from an implementation of this proposal is a bunch of busy work for game developers that will either result in them not being able to update their games as frequently or them leaving the platform.

This would not halt updates and developers are under no obligation to do anything if they don't wish. All "unverifying" an achievement does is stop it from negatively affecting a player's stats.

引用自 Ben Lubar：

So an indie game that gets a few concurrent players tops will constantly be sending the developer demands to set their achievements as no longer obtainable? That sounds like hell.

I said "possibly." But no, just once asking if it was meant to be a limited time achievement, which is not requiring an answer if there were no response.

引用自 Ben Lubar：

Valve is not going to give you profile XP for having an achievement.

I said "maybe;" it doesn't matter if they don't.

引用自 Ben Lubar：

What playtesters? Who is paying for people to playtest achievements for every game on Steam?

It's only if the devs care to do it. Verification can always be skipped.

引用自 Ben Lubar：

If a video game has broken achievements, you can simply tell the developers through their preferred method of bug reporting. Valve is not the game development police.

The game I'm talking about the devs have been alerted by many players and they just don't care about fixing it. And Valve can do whatever they want as the host.

This whole thing would have little to no effect on developers or the time in which their update are released. It's purely affecting player stats and whether or not broken achievements influence on them.

[JPMcMillen]

All this sounds like something that would discourage developers from even bothering with achievements. They aren't going to want to bother with all that. Make it retroactive to older games and devs may patch achievements out of those older games as well.

[chootracks]

Once again: it would not affect developers in any way. There are no extra steps required of them at all. It is 100% for the players.

[AustrAlien2010]

People say they just use software to unlock them all.

Having obtained an unobtainable achievement is odd.

[chootracks]

Yeah, there's a program that can do that called SAM. It's pretty dumb.

[Ben Lubar]

引用自 chootracks：

Once again: it would not affect developers in any way. There are no extra steps required of them at all. It is 100% for the players.

If you want to make a third party website that tracks which achievements in Steam games are unobtainable, I could potentially see that being a thing people find useful. I don't really see any reason for Valve to implement this on their end.

[chootracks]

Fair enough

[HikariLight]

Achievements are not as important as you think.
They are also handle by the devs, Steam simply provides a way to track your achievements without launching the game.

[76561198407601200]

引用自 chootracks：

I know quite a few games that release new achievements with the intent to make them work later and never do, or they're so buggy that the discussion boards are filled with complaints. I think that Steam should verify the achievements work, and/or broken achievements should not count towards perfect games and player stats.

The rough idea is to implement an automated verification system that verifies the attainability of achievements and disables them from negatively affecting players stats and perfects games if they are not.

Specifics:

One way is for the verification system to place new releases/updates into a pre-release state (if achievements are being added) until a dev/playtester is able to get the achievement to trigger (preferably multiple times). Else, they can always fix it or just delete the part where the achievement is Steam-recognized. The verification system would then approve it for release.

If the developer decides the pre-release thing is unnecessary they can skip verification and opt for their achievements to be proven attainable within the release. In that case, new achievements will be labeled "Unverified" and will not count towards perfecting the game until the achievement is triggered x amount of times (without SAM ofc). However, this way alienates smaller games and difficult achievements as it requires a larger player base to trigger the achievements enough times, thus the original method would be preferred.

- Devs can include a (likely artificial) save that is on the brink of reaching the achievement for its playtesters so the verification process can be hastened.

- For games with existing achievements, the fact that so many people have already successfully triggered them proves the achievements work to the system. If not, they will be marked "Unverified" and devs will be prompted to fix it via automated message.

- If an existing achievement was only possible for a limited time, the system will recognize that no one has been able to trigger it in recent times while playing and will label it "Limited-Time" (possibly after checking with the devs via automated message) and it will not count towards perfecting the game.

- For future limited-time achievements, dev should specify this to the system upon release (likely via checkbox: including the time it is available or specify it is unavailable after the fact, else the system will use the method mentioned in the last bullet point). Maybe a special achievement event badge or extra xp can be awarded for those who achieve it within the time it is available (that way nothing is awarded if you cheat it afterwards).

- If an achievement is meant to be a cheater achievement, devs can specify this to the system (via checkbox again) and playtesters will be expected to make a small alteration to the game files and it will be verified upon triggering via this method.

- Steam could additionally add a "Report Broken" button beside achievements.

Feel free to list your own ideas. I'm sure there are better ways that are less or more complicated; this is just off the top of my head. None of this is required for something like it to be implemented.

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/4339860450393305833/

You have a topic regarding this.

[Shinoskay]

I feel like there is a group of people trying to spam the forum with things about achievments to try and increase its exposure and make it look like more people want 'improvements' to that system based on what THEY want the achievements to do or look like.

this is 2 of 4 or 5 threads I see

[chootracks]

Huh I don't know about that, but I did have another thread I abandoned to elaborate a bit more here.

[chootracks]

引用自 The Living Tribunal：

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/4339860450393305833/

You have a topic regarding this.

True?? I wrote in the description of the old one that I was making a new one rather than editing it. I know I have an old one you don't need to tell me that lol