I did a proff of concept video - showing King's Quest with added Achievement support.

Search for ScummVM+Achievements on YouTube - since it seems I am not allowed to post links - yet.

And no it is not a late April's fool, manipulated image/video or a special build of ScummVM.

Let me know if there is any interest in this kind of feature - then I will put more energy into it. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGDRNyC4eqM

Link to youtube =)

Thanks, I have posted the video on the ScummVM forums - and I do understand if some might take a more purist look. They recently changed their approach on support for games bought through Steam. I guess the April Fool's joke where a couple of manipulated images, that actually showed what I had wanted in ScummVM 3-4 years back - but then due to lack of time I only contributed to the ScummVM project as a translator - my C writing skills being very rusty :-)

The example I did is "just" a external launcher that then hooks into the ScummVM process to look for when "things" happens. So it is nothing like an API or messing with the original game data - but other "launcher" like Steam/GOG could add the code/method and use the "Achievement" data - which is the hard part.

I will do a blog post later this week/next week that has the technicals behind the example. But I would like to hear people opinions about this.

I think that by adding the option for Achievement in some of the oldest games like the AGI/SCI games, you might actually enjoy playing them more - with the old "familiar" story - but getting reward for doing the extra things that didn't earn you any point in the original.

Precisely. And don't forget that ScummVM also supports a few less linear games like Eye of the Beholder.

Yeah see that's the kind of achievement I can get behind. What I don't like is when it's an achievement for managing to press the button it told me to. I'm not a two year old. Or if it's an achievement that pops up when you're doing something story related and it ruins the immersion with a massive popup and the sound of a marching band,

The achievements I do like are the ones that require doing something interesting that's maybe off-script or really difficult but not part of the required gameplay or something that's just really odd and amusing.

Of course some people will not like achievements no matter what so of course this feature will always have to be optional. And, as GOG's announcement of a client has shown, you really do have to make this point clear to hostile people. It's an option for people who like it.

Yes - it will be different "trigger" methods depending on "engine" - I have it conceptual working with AGI, queen, sky for now - but the oldest games has priority. So I will surely not do all the games ScummVM supports :-) That should be done within ScummVM itself.

Might be a fun way to replay some games, but isn't GOG getting achievements with galaxy (not sure if it was just a rumor, or true)? Ifso then half the games would already be taken care of.

I couldn't agree more - there are Easter eggs - and non-story related "funnies" - that don't add to the score but you shouldn't miss :-)

Yes Achievements should be like "subtitles" - something you can toggle.

My "conceptual achievements" where a bit "heavy" - that was because of the video - I wanted it to be noticed :-D I also had to remove the slide effects - because of the Recorder.

A bit OT, but does the current ScummVM version support original dos savegames? (I mean in general, for all covered titles)
I remember that it never did in the past, so I was quite annoyed with it..

I actually missed the announcment of Galaxy (just saw the video) - that is actually promissing.

A year back I did a private Games Library/Launcher - that did support metadata game info/art/trophy - listed my games from Steam/GOG/PSN and a couple of others - because I was tried of not being able to have one overview on which games I had where - and maybe in multiple copies (bundle junkie) - I had a dialog with GOG support about their API and mentioned my project :-D now THEY make the ultima cllient I want :-D

GMG's PlayFire and some of the others spend too much on the social/achievement stuff, and are too slow - a local client that has all the info gathered from the various providers is what I want - I do not alway need to "share" my achievements. Just me being a grumpy old gamer :-D

Thanks, well that's gonna be great then. :)

It's not a bad idea actually, and I don't usually even care abour achievments. With older games like these it could actually add one more fun factor, especially in the case of King's Quest 1, where there's so much optional stuff you can do and different means of solving puzzles.

Also from the announcement: "...and GOG.com has already begun working with developers to implement the technology in their games." - so if the ScummVM team would then plug into the "optional client" as a option that would be great :-D

It still leaves the huge task of finding good "achivements"-candidates in the older games - that could be done by suggestions over PM.
Yes - many of the old AGI/SCI based games had many "side-references" and easter eggs. King's Quest has at least 15-20 "documented". Things you never went hunting for because you wasn't aware that you missed something.

Well maybe I will finish the KQ1 "launcher" - even if the Galaxy client will fullfill many of our needs.