Support NeoGAF

[Deleted member 30609]

I hate to be that guy, but come on guys, do these Steam achievements actual do anything? Don't they technically do less than the already useless 360 achievements, as they don't add to a total user score?

Or am I misinformed?

 

[Shake Appeal]

An achievement.

Cool to know that Wing and a Prayer is player-dependent, not team-dependent.

 

[Twig]

They're fun.

I think that's all that matters.

Plus the fact that they don't add to some meaningless score actually makes them better than 360 cheesemints.

 

[gregor7777]

Aw that sucks.

Well, it's not like cheesemints are hard to get (unless you got Expert Realism in that short time period, in which case you're too hardcore for cheesemints anyway).

I didn't have anything special. Mostly stuff you get in your first 5 hours or so, so no big loss.

It's annoying though, because I really do like seeing my stats and stuff and knowing it could all just disappear again one day is a bit frustrating.

At least they have the play times sorted.

Looks like they updated the way play times are displayed on profile pages also. It shows (two week time/ total time) now. I wonder if that update was the culprit.

I hate to be that guy, but come on guys, do these Steam achievements actual do anything?

Nothing at all.

But they have become this little meta-game for me, and I enjoy them.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I hate to be that guy, but come on guys, do these Steam achievements actual do anything? Don't they technically do less than the already useless 360 achievements, as they don't add to a total user score?

Or am I misinformed?

They are fun to get, and add variety to the way you approach the game.

If anything, that is a purer pleasure than adding points onto a near-meaningless "gamerscore".

 

[Twig]

Yeah I agree I love stats tracking. It's the bees' knees. I guess I just got used to Valve failing at it after L4D1, so it's not as big a disappointment this time around. ):

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

An achievement.

Cool to know that Wing and a Prayer is player-dependent, not team-dependent.

OH. I just got that!

"Cheesemint"!

 

[Nabs]

I do realize that. I guess I should be blaming it more on the interface they've set up. I wish it was like Heroes of Newerth, where you get to choose the dedicated server you're going to play on.

I always see tons of empty servers in "openserverbrowser", but for some reason, the matchmaking tool just doesn't give them to me.

you can choose the server you play on. before you start the lobby, find the server you want and type "mm_force_dedicated_server" followed by the IP Addy.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

They're fun.

I think that's all that matters.

Plus the fact that they don't add to some meaningless score actually makes them better than 360 cheesemints.

right, and that's all well and good, but doesn't that mean that the wiping of them is sort of meaningless? you know that you've done it, and got the fun out of doing it, so why does it matter? they still tasted nice, right?

I'd be more pissed if my total playtime stat was wiped, to be honest.

oh, and I'm not defending achievement wipes, that's really fucking shitty on a principle level. I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from. I have nothing against achievements. I have friends who are half-achievement.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Some of the Versus achievements are the sorta things that shouldn't just be one-time achievements, but actual point bonuses that you can get over and over.

 

[Twig]

Yeah that'd be kinda neat. A different approach to scores.

right, and that's all well and good, but doesn't that mean that the wiping of them is sort of meaningless? you know that you've done it, and got the fun out of doing it, so why does it matter? they still tasted nice, right?

I'd be more pissed if my total playtime stat was wiped, to be honest.

oh, and I'm not defending achievement wipes, that's really fucking shitty on a principle level. I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from.

I like to have the pretty pictures lit up. O:

 

[Blue Geezer]

Some of the Versus achievements are the sorta things that shouldn't just be one-time achievements, but actual point bonuses that you can get over and over.

yeah was discussing this with a mate last night. something to emphasize staying until the end should get you something that can be totalled up.

on a side note my stats have been wiped as well.

 

[BlazeHedgehog]

If nobody noticed, Midnight-riders.com went live today. Lots of amusing tour banter on the blog.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

If nobody noticed, Midnight-riders.com went live today. Lots of amusing tour banter on the blog.

:lol :lol

OUCH!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2009
R.I.P. Riggs Donner
Posted by Jake at 9:22 AM

Today of course marks the anniversary of the tragic death of Riggs Donner, the late great Riders bass player I replaced. 24 years ago today, Riggs put on his motorcycle helmet, hopped on his hog, changed his mind about the helmet and took it off again, then headed out to Sugar Bares, his favorite local strip club. He never made it. Why he took that helmet off is anyone’s guess—Ox says he was always complaining it chafed—but one thing none of us have to guess at what happened next. That eighteen-wheeler dragged poor Riggs the better part of a mile. Miraculously, his skull was the only part of his skeleton not damaged in the accident—you can read whatever you like into that.

Now sure, you could make the case that yer old pal Jake's been in the band five times as long as the great Riggs. You could also make the case that yer old pal Jake's appeared on all of the important albums the Riders've ever made, that he wrote the band’s only number one hit, and that the great Riggs was constantly drunk and barely ever played his own instrument in the studio, and live they turned his amp off and had a roadie play his stuff behind the scenes. but still: Riggs Donner was a Bass Legend. And let me tell you, the other Riders'll never let me forget how impossible it's gonna be to follow in his boots.

So raise your glasses, brothers and sisters, to the late, great, Riggs Donner. Maybe someday I'll be honored enough to be considered his official replacement, and get the full one-fourth of the royalties on all the songs I helped write instead of half my share going to his widow. But until that day, let's give it up for Riggs. He played on the first Riders album (officially) and that is the only album he’s appeared on, but as the guys are always so keen on telling me, he left some pretty big boots to fill.

All you ticketholders in Baton Rouge, Georgia are in for a treat at the show tonight—the boys’ve put together a concert tribute for Riggs, with his son, Thad Donner, taking over the bass duties. So yer old buddy Jake’ll be manning the merchandise booth tonight, signing t-shirts, CDs, and anything else all the ladies out there might want signed. (Fellas: only signed t-shirts and CDs, please.)

Much love,

Jake

 

[gregor7777]

That's really funny :lol

I just wanna say that we totally support our pal, even though officially the Midnight Riders do not endorse any of the opinions voiced by Dusty last night, nor condone his actions afterwards, when a journalist asked him why he loved cancer and Dusty knifed him between the ribs.

Hold on. Ox says he wants to type something at all you Riders fans out there. Take it away, Ox:

JAKE EATS FARTS HAHAHDAHAHA

According to Ox I can’t delete that or I’m kicked out of the band. We’ll see you in Fort Worth, Midnighters.

 

[Brainboy]

If nobody noticed, Midnight-riders.com went live today. Lots of amusing tour banter on the blog.

I think I really want a Midnight Riders t-shirt...

 

[EmCeeGramr]

If nobody noticed, Midnight-riders.com went live today. Lots of amusing tour banter on the blog.

So Dark Carnival is set in Griffin? That means that Ellis must have been driving them northwest to Atlanta down I-16 and they got on I-75. If they were that close to Atlanta, I can totally understand why there were miles of cars backed up.

Yeesh, thinking about it, they were probably lucky for that. Heading into the heart of the Atlanta metro area (and it would have been fucked up) would have been insane. Now I want them to release a "non-canon" campaign for that.


Now we just need to know where Swamp Fever and Hard Rain take place, and we can map out the Survivor's entire journey!

 

[fistfulofmetal]

I played the first and second part of Hard Rain yesterday.


holy shit

 

[snack]

Yesterday, I wad playing Carnival campaign and our gnome got stuck under a set of stairs and we couldn't grab it. So sad.

For that game where you try to hit as hard as you can, is it true that only one person can play per campaign?

 

[Raydeen]

Anyone having any problems? My L4D2 has stopped starting up. Plays the movie...trys to LOADING and stops and takes me back to Steam. EDIT: No matter - Steam validate found a file missing (probably false trojan alert on my virus scanner I ran this morning) and has reaquired the file. I WUV YOU STEAM!

Oh and the return trip on Hard Rain ROCKS!! But The Parish server bombing out 1/2 across the finale bridge didn't....heartbreaking after over two hours getting there on EXPERT.

 

[Rubashov]

So Dark Carnival is set in Griffin? That means that Ellis must have been driving them northwest to Atlanta down I-16 and they got on I-75. If they were that close to Atlanta, I can totally understand why there were miles of cars backed up.

Yeesh, thinking about it, they were probably lucky for that. Heading into the heart of the Atlanta metro area (and it would have been fucked up) would have been insane. Now I want them to release a "non-canon" campaign for that.


Now we just need to know where Swamp Fever and Hard Rain take place, and we can map out the Survivor's entire journey!

Would you bother passing through Atlanta going from Savannah to New Orleans? I forget at what point the survivors decide to head to NO. Like someone said earlier in this thread, the game doesn't take advantage of the Savannah setting at all; that campaign could be anywhere. I'm sure most people think this all takes place in one area.

I figured the Swamp is some of the bayou area in the vicinity of New Orleans, since the Mississippi gulf coast doesn't have much of that, but that's too close. Is there swamp in the Florida panhandle? That'd make the most sense, because then Vergil could drop them off at any number of small towns on the gulf coast before sailing into the parish.

 

[Rahk]

I hate to be that guy, but come on guys, do these Steam achievements actual do anything? Don't they technically do less than the already useless 360 achievements, as they don't add to a total user score?

Or am I misinformed?

You are right. They need to introduce Steamer Score!

For that game where you try to hit as hard as you can, is it true that only one person can play per campaign?

Correct. It's not that far from the beginning, so you could just die after one person gets it and restart.

 

[snack]

You are right. They need to introduce Steamer Score!


Correct. It's not that far from the beginning, so you could just die after one person gets it and restart.

Cool, thanks!

 

[Stallion Free]

I have been having a blast with the usual Gaf group in L4D2. The games I have played always end up being really close in score which makes them pretty intense. I bummed that I will be away this weekend missing atleast 15 games

I really want Valve to add-in support for L4D1 campaigns before they do any DLC. I already miss those campaigns and I'm afraid that when we do have L4D1 nights we won't be able to get a full group of 8.

 

[JRW]

Played through most of the Dark Carnival campaign on expert last night, Pretty awesome stuff

This zombie just stood there frozen for awhile after I shot it and I noticed her shadow cast on the building behind it from my flashlight.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

I'm up for lots of versus/scavenge/realism over the weekend . Steam ID is theshinespark (ZAiiiN).

 

[1up]

Hmm, beta Francias could have been a Midnight Rider...

 

[123rl]

Seriously...wtf

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1033664

This is the most stupid thing I've read on the web this week

 

[TheExodu5]

Achievements wiped again.

 

[Zeliard]

I'm loving the shit out of the new dismemberment and gore effects on the zombies, along with their improved animation. Gives the guns and other weapons much more of a kick when you see them ruining the shit out of zombies, and it's pretty visually spectacular at times. The dismemberment is awesomely accurate, too.

And due to all of this, L4D2's Magnum may be the most glorious new weapon of recent times.

 

[gregor7777]

Achievements wiped again.

I can see mine from last night. I believe they were wiped once, two or three days ago.

 

[JRW]

Achievements wiped again.

Well crap you're right .. I have 0 statistics and 0 achievements as of now.(Steam) Been playing the game since launch.

Why are they doing this?

 

[Twig]

I'm still good.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/theoneguy/stats/L4D2

Stupid stats though. I survived a much higher percentage of finales than 42!

 

[Hylian7]

What do you guys think of the Midnight Riders site?

http://www.midnight-riders.com/

My guess is that it's about a new campaign, possibly called "No Salvation" (The name of their tour) featuring of course, the Midnight Riders. I love how this site is much like the teaser stuff they have used for TF2 updates. You can even buy a Midnight Riders t-shirt now, one of the ads links to it on the Valve Store.

 

[Wrekt]

I just played my first night of Left 4 Dead yesterday. It actually pissed me off that I skipped the first game. It was so good.

I simply cannot find a use for the Boomer though. The puke range isn't quite as long as the animation leads me to believe and I tend to die instantly after my failed attempt to puke. I love playing any other infected but I'd rather they just add another 20 seconds to my respawn than give me a boomer.

 

[vazel]

I simply cannot find a use for the Boomer though. The puke range isn't quite as long as the animation leads me to believe and I tend to die instantly after my failed attempt to puke. I love playing any other infected but I'd rather they just add another 20 seconds to my respawn than give me a boomer.

Also they can kill you as your puke begins to come out and they won't have been puked by it. Really annoying.

 

[Twig]

yeah boomer fucking sucks i hate it

 

[1up]

Boomer in Left 4 Dead 2 is usually the best start to launch a coordinated attack. I found that Boomers really shine at the new rolling crescendos. I boomed a group at Parish 2 right out the gate and they were so disoriented.

Another good boom spot is the Sugar fields in Hard Rain. Boomed, got a jockey to ride a survivor right into the middle of the sugar field and he was just abandoned there.

 

[Nabs]

killing a tank with a guitar is satisfying. :lol

oh and boomers are absolutely deadly. a decent boom (3/4) + spitter = deadly combo.

you need to practice how to boom properly, and how to spawn. boomer spawning is really important.

 

[wayward archer]

I just played my first night of Left 4 Dead yesterday. It actually pissed me off that I skipped the first game. It was so good.

I simply cannot find a use for the Boomer though. The puke range isn't quite as long as the animation leads me to believe and I tend to die instantly after my failed attempt to puke. I love playing any other infected but I'd rather they just add another 20 seconds to my respawn than give me a boomer.

Boomer is really good at killing people who are incapped or when the survivors are already distracted.

A lot of times boomer players feel the need to lead the attack which usually ends up getting themselves killed with no effect, you have to get them when they are focused on something else.

 

[vazel]

A lot of times boomer players feel the need to lead the attack which usually ends up getting themselves killed with no effect, you have to get them when they are focused on something else.

It can work both ways. The vast majority of people I've played with in L4D1/2 think the Boomer has to go first to blind them then the others attack.

 

[Ikuu]

Charger on the bridge in The Parish is awesome managed to knock two people off it earlier.

 

[Firestorm]

I just played my first night of Left 4 Dead yesterday. It actually pissed me off that I skipped the first game. It was so good.

I simply cannot find a use for the Boomer though. The puke range isn't quite as long as the animation leads me to believe and I tend to die instantly after my failed attempt to puke. I love playing any other infected but I'd rather they just add another 20 seconds to my respawn than give me a boomer.

You find the best infected from the first game (haven't played Versus L4D2 yet) useless?

 

[Twig]

it is complete anti-fun to be fat man

If I could hand it off to someone else with the penalty of having a longer respawn time I would do it in a heartbeat. I never enjoy being the boomer and always try to kill myself as fast as possible (while also trying to be useful of course but that is a secondary objective not a primary).

 

[Firestorm]

Gotta love Valve's inability to properly record stats and cheesemints.

Funnily enough I don't remember any of these sorts of problems with Team Fortress 2. Maybe it was just too long ago. (I do remember there being a button to reset stats that didn't work, but then they took that button away, so...)

My cheesemints at least were saved. Once I went in-game and played for a bit, they all reappeared on my community page. Stats are still borked though.

I do know Stalin Free's cheesemints disappeared in-game as well as on the community page, though. So it's possible they're lost forever for some people!!! ):

Without me. ;_;

Team Fortress 2 didn't have issues a the beginning, but there was a period of I think at least a month where stats and stuff weren't saving. I got 35 points with Engineer in a round and 60 points with Medic (along with a crapton of other personal records) but nothing saved after I closed the game. It was like that for a while. Nothing went up including playtime iirc. I was so annoyed =( When you live as Medic for the entire defense of Dustbowl 3 you expect it to be saved for eternity!

I think the stats are being broken with their new implementation of the Overall Time stat to Steam Community.

 

[theMrCravens]

I've given up on those stats and achievements.

They keep getting reset, and also the stats can be screwed up when you join custom maps.

There's no point in earning them on the PC anyway.
At least you get gamerscore on XBOX.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

I just got over 1000 points as a Hunter on Scavenge in one round :lol . They didn't get a single gas can.

 

[Stallion Free]

Guys, boomer is incredibly useful. In our Gaf games, the boomer is the most important part of a successful attack. In fact, most wipes couldn't happen without the aid of a good boom on 3+ people.

 

[Twig]

useful != fun

Sad but true.

 

[d0c_zaius]

how long is the carnival?

We played forever, got to what we thought was the end, and died running to the merry-go-round