Why Klei won't add achievements to DS/DST

[Astraia]

Before you start complaining that this topic has been discussed many times in many threads, I want to share my stance on this issue.

I've seen many console players complaining lately about why DS/DST doesn't have more achievements. Well, Klei was forced to add achievements to the console editions (both PS and Xbox).
Many console players I see on the DST Club complain over and over about why Klei won't add more achievements...Dear console players, why do you think there aren't achievements on Steam? Well, if they were forced to make achievements for both console editions, why would it make sense to add more, while completely not putting achievements on Steam at all?

I was chatting with some friends on the DST club on Saturday. One of my friends was complaining why there weren't more achievements on DST console edition. I honestly was just like, "what?". Me (ShadowQueen2116) and CAP0319 were showing them (CAVIERO) why achievements weren't necessary to DST and DS, and why Klei wouldn't add them, that's what inspired me to make this thread.

The Reason:
The reason why achievements aren't being added to Steam on DS/DST is that Klei simply thought achievements were harmful towards their survival game. If they weren't forced to make achievements on console, then there wouldn't be achievements on console editions at all!
You might be wondering why Klei thinks achievements are harmful to their game. Well, I believe it's because Klei doesn't want the player to figure out the whole game through achievements, and Klei wants the player to figure out the game themselves because achievements would give the game away, and in a game like this, Klei just wants the player to figure out the whole game without any help. Why do you think you're thrown into a world without any instructions given when you launch your first world? Exactly, Klei wants the player to do random things to learn, not just look at achievements to know what to do right away.

My conclusion and stance on the issue:
Therefore, Klei will not add achievements to steam since they were forced to on Console.
I believe Klei shouldn't add achievements to a game like Don't Starve, and I don't mind that, I honestly don't want achievements in a game like DST.
Klei only believes that achievements hurt the game.

Thanks for reading this, g'day

[Mike23Ua]

They added as few achievements as they possibly could for Solo DS (10) and two of those 10 were added out of spite for Achievements (Accomploshrine, And activating it 725x in a Row)  the others for Solo DS are just unlocking all the playable characters and all but two of those you will unlock passively just through playing the game, Unlocking Wes and Maxwell however require Chapter 3, and Epilogue in Adventures Mode.

but when it came to DST they added a Whooping 36 Achievements to that game which will help guide the player without giving them any hints at what to do, for example: Turtling- Where the player needs to wear Snurtle Shell Armor and Shelmet at the same time.. these two items are a very low % chance drop.. but the description at least informs the player that they need to find both parts of this armor set (and doesn’t tell them how..) 

it also will teach how to craft bee boxes, grow flowers etc, without any Hints, except that the achievement says you CAN grow flowers (I actually figured out how to do this from an inspection Quote of Maxwells..)

Thats another thing I should touch on, klei adds a ton of inspection quotes into this game to “Guide” the players and give them “Hints” at what they need to do: I learned how to Summon Bee Queen because I just happened to be playing as Willow with a Hammer in hand and I took her up on her inspection Quote dare & immediately regretted it afterwards.

It is absolutely essential that if you want to learn secrets about this game you MUST play as every playable character (except Wes cause he has no inspection quotes..)

For example: I learned when I could summon the Eye of Terror from Wurts quote about the Tiny Tree missing.

Klei spends countless hours adding those inspection quotes to the game to give the player “hints” at what to do.. the very least we can do as players is appreciate them.

I think the REAL reason Steam doesn’t have achievements where Consoles DO is because Klei openly allows use of Mods & Console commands on PC.

What would be the point in achievements when you can just unlock them through illegitimate means?

[Owlrust]

For the most part, there's just no reason to have achievements in DST. There's no set objective in the game with a definable ending outside of "just don't starve", and all that achievements would do is encourage specific playstyles. I mean, what kind of achievements could you have outside of winning certain boss-battles anyway?

• Make it through a year?
• Build a campfire/torch?
• Cook a crock pot food good/bad?
• Farm?
• Survive a hound wave?
• Go to the ruins?

[kuroite]

 

[Mike23Ua]

1 minute ago, Owlrus said:

For the most part, there's just no reason to have achievements in DST. There's no set objective in the game with a definable ending outside of "just don't starve", and all that achievements would do is encourage specific playstyles. I mean, what kind of achievements could you have outside of winning certain boss-battles anyway?

• Make it through a year?
• Build a campfire/torch?
• Cook a crock pot food good/bad?
• Farm?
• Survive a hound wave?
• Go to the ruins?

https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Dont-Starve-Together/achievements

[Take_Off_Hoser_]

As a former console player, I used to like getting the trophies as my avatar is the ps4 platinum for dst!

But I would have played this game anyways even if it didn't, if a game is fun then that's all it needs.

I played several games for hundreds of hours like MAG even though I had platinumed long ago. It didn't bother me at all that they didn't add more trophies and it is ok that their are no achievements here.. 

I just like the skins :) 

[ArubaroBeefalo]

1 hour ago, NightfallsCurse said:

Well, I believe it's because Klei doesn't want the player to figure out the whole game through achievements

no, is because people focus their gameplay on completing the task at the cost of fun

if one achivement is "suvive 100 days" you might not leave your base until reaching that day instead of wanting to discover things

there was a video explaining all the problematics about the alpha dont starve, i think these ones includes it but cant remember:

edit. nvm kuroite already posted it

[Ohan]

In the games I play that do have achievements like undermine, slime rancher and stardew Ive only focused on the achievements after many many hours of normal playing/learning. And then only as a fun completionist/challenge thing, thus extending my enjoyment of the game.  

I have no idea who is buying a game and letting steam achievements guide their play from day 1. That always sounded ridiculous to me. 

slime rancher and stardew are both about as sandboxy as dst. No specific goal besides make money and not really even that if the player doesn’t want to do that. 

[ArubaroBeefalo]

2 hours ago, Owlrus said:

outside of winning certain boss-battles anyway?

could help to give hints about obscure things like poisoned canary or the atrium but i think any hint should be an in game thing rather than some steam exclusive

[Cheggf]

If there was an achievement for relocating all the slurpers to the Florid Postern I would be really good at unlocking it.

[luvu2bits]

If they added achievements to the game people like me would just seek out unlocking every achievement and then leave

[abrocator]

 

[Ardcrumb]

I like achievements cause it gives another meta reward when you defeat a boss or something else for the first time

[maradyne]

I personally love achievements for hidden things.
In this game's case, that would be stuff like Fuelweaver...being a thing at all, or the Metheus puzzle. Things that you're almost certainly never going to realize are a thing without digging into a wiki/code, or someone spoiling it for you.

I think it's right that they were hidden behind as much digging as they initially were, but now that we know what we know, more hints for the general playerbase would be good.

 

The issues people mentioned above are the problem. Adding basic gameplay achievements...leads a certain demographic to think of nothing but those achievements. Which can actually be fine...if you can add more achievements to the game constantly. Which is an investment of time, and devs participating more in the game/community to figure out everything that's possible, and probably also some dev time to add more ways to find hidden bits of the game without needing commands/mods/ect.

Spoiler

That said though, it sounds like console already has achievements...so that's an interesting group to experiment with.

Is there info somewhere on how player retention compares between PC/Console DST?

[Echsrick]

i think the only way achivements work for this game would be if they are all hiddin, wich actualy exist, you cant see what you need to do for taht achivement untill you unlock it, taht way the mystery of things still exist, because the achivements dont tell you what to do

[hhh2]

I think Klei has changed their stance on achivements in recent years, gorge/forge had achivements.

[JoeW]

The "stance" on achievements was a design philosophy as part of the development of the original Don't Starve and wasn't meant as an overreaching statement about all games in all circumstances. 

Except for maybe @Kevin - I am pretty sure he just hates achievements. 

[minespatch]

Achievements make sense in Griftlands and Blasphemous, Don't starve, not so much.

[ArubaroBeefalo]

4 hours ago, minespatch said:

Achievements make sense in Griftlands and Blasphemous, Don't starve, not so much.

and less when you can edit your world to get the achievement easier like setting every danger off and tame a beefalo, the achievement of taming a beefalo is doing it while you manage everything else (nothing wrong with learning stuff by diseabling other things to be focused on learning the thing tho)

[SinancoTheBest]

On 1/18/2022 at 11:31 PM, NightfallsCurse said:

Many console players I see on the DST Club .....

I was chatting with some friends on the DST club on Saturday...

My main takeaway from this post is that there is a DST Club that we're blissfully unaware of :O

[Astraia]

8 hours ago, SinancoTheBest said:

My main takeaway from this post is that there is a DST Club that we're blissfully unaware of :O

I'm laughing so hard rn, but no lol, it's an xbox club where we post stuffs

[DolphinWing]

12 hours ago, SinancoTheBest said:

My main takeaway from this post is that there is a DST Club that we're blissfully unaware of :O

A boy with a dog wasn't invited? Got dated with the twins?