Achievement Grinding Griefers; Leave the poor mugs alone!
It’s become a bit of a fashion now to head over to achievement farming servers… But not with the intentions of getting yourself some achievements. All over the ‘net now you’ll see dozens of videos of some random Engineer setting up a sentry on Achievement Box, while Medics/Pyros/Heavies all fall to their knees without putting up much of a fight, trying desperately to ignite that cloaked Spy, to get three Ubers going at once… You get the idea. All the comments are the same, too. ‘Haha, silly noobs!’, ‘lol u rly showd dem dat time m8 lol’. This got me thinking; What’s the big deal?
I understand that people don’t like others getting the KGB, the Axtinguisher or the Ubersaw in ten minutes without much skill, especially those who consider themselves to have ‘mad skillz’ in that particular class, they think it’s some sort of moral sin to use achievement servers. But really, why do people get so annoyed at this? If the player who got all the new unlocks in ten minutes is completely useless with that class, it’s not going to make much difference whether or not they have them because they probably won’t be able to use them effectively. And c’mon, look at some of the Medic achievements; You want me to Uber a Scout?! I would be asked ‘politely‘ to leave the server if I did… Oh sure, I don’t need to get them all, but it’s not as if the other 35 achievements are much better… But that’s not the point. The point is, at the end of the day, you’ll end up getting the unlocks whether you get them ‘legit’, through grinding, or otherwise.
In my opinion, I couldn’t care less if somebody got the unlocks all by themselves or with friends on Achievement Box. I don’t find grinding the most thrilling of things to do with my time on TF2, but sometimes if you get in with the right crowd, grinding can actually be fun. Yes, you heard me use the ‘f’ word. Having fun grinding achievements. And really, that’s what the game is all about; having fun. People shouldn’t have a bee in their bonnet about it.
Some don’t like grinding because they don’t get the same satisfaction of getting the weapons in normal games as they would if they farmed. Hey, that’s fine. Good for you! But then you’ll get somebody who will believe this so much they want everyone to do the same, so they find an achievement server and kill everyone in it. In my opinion, this says something more about you than it does the farmers. Infact, it makes you look just as ‘bad’ as the farmers. It isn’t cool. It doesn’t show that you have ‘mad skillz’, it just makes you look like a jerk and force the farmers to leave the server and find another map to grind on. It’s futile to try and stop them. ‘But mistah Pyrit’, I hear you cry, ‘I is havin sum fun keeling dese guise! You says games fo’ fun, dat wut am doin”. Well, that’s a different sort of fun. That’s ‘ruining the fun for others to have fun for yourself’, which is selfish. Which I don’t believe in. Don’t think is right. Wrong. Opposite of good. Nae Guid. Etc.
To conclude; If you don’t care about grinding, don’t let it upset you. If you do, don’t go out of your way to stop others from grinding. If you hate them so much, just stay away from them and let them do what they want; go on a server which bans grinding (The UC server is like that… hint hint nudge nudge wink wink). Just mutter under your breath when you see achievement servers filling up and go have some fun on a real server. Just think; it’ll be them missing out.
Stumble it!
n00bie51 responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 8:32 pm #
I don’t approve of going into Achievement servers and unlocking them because you didn’t earn it so they have no real significance, and since Valve made them easier to unlock, I would recommend that you simply play for them; don’t stage. If you do it, it’s your loss because you tainted the experience.
However, I don’t blame players for doing this, especially since I don’t like the introduction of class packs; I don’t like self-righteous dicks that think lesser of all the other players who didn’t earn their Achievements legitimately that go into these servers to grief. They’re much worse than the players who didn’t really earn the Achievements.
General Balls responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 9:02 pm #
I don’t like grinders, but I don’t like griefers either.
Bah, let them fight, it doesn’t really bother me.
Neuromante responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 9:25 pm #
Well, I had to admit that I had went into some achievement server just to kill some ppl.
Why?
It’s fun.
The fun usually last five minutes, moment when I leave the server,but that “get in, cause a little madness, get bored and leave” it’s nice to do to time to time. Just to make a little laugh.
Then I went into normal servers and get some real great time. And that’s all.
Live and let live. But have a laugh in the middle
Zorgulon responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 9:36 pm #
Hear, hear. While I personally soldier on trying to get ridiculous achievements, I can see why many opt for the easier (though not if you and your grinding comrades are repeatedly slain by a chuckling engineer with a level 2 sentry gun, I admit) option of achievementbox.
I am very much in the ’satisfaction’ camp- it is a whole lot more frustrating, yes, but incredibly satisfying to get the taunt-kill servers in a real game as Chris @ 1Fort and Tom Francis @ James put so well in their blogs which I can’t be bothered to link to as everyone here has probably already read them.
But grinders don’t affect me at all- the day after the Heavy Update came out, there were numerous Heavies with KGBs- no way could they have got them in real games. Just don’t let it bother you.
With the Spy update seemingly on the horizon, however, and the daunting prospect of a dawn-of-the-Spies, real servers may well be as hellish as the achievement box. But hey, it builds character.
Idlehands responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 10:05 pm #
Meh grinders never really bugged me, the weapons are too well balanced to create an unfair advantage. I prefer to slowly get them through my play time (not specifically playing to get them), it adds a nice surprise when I get them mid game. Only just got the Kritzkrieg the other day, though I’ll probably never use it.
Funny thing is that steam went wacky a few days ago, I only noticed due to my connection getting messed around. Didn’t notice a change in gameplay without the unlockables.
Griefers are griefers at the end of the day. A griefer with a moral crusade in mind, to teach grinders a lesson? That’s like a clown mocking MC Hammer’s trousers. Hypocritical, unnecessary and a tad ridiculous.
yer mum responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 10:12 pm #
I’ve been getting the achievements through “legit” play; it’s the kind of challenge I like. It’s interesting to see them as the opportunity to play in a different style; I realised that I was making no progress on the Pyro’s combined fire achievement because I simply don’t play Pyro like that (and now I usually equip the flare gun anyway). After reading the post on Don Newman I’ve been going for Clear Cutter and Lumberjack, and having singularly failed to get either I realise just how good Don is. Still, only two achievements to go before I get the Axestinguisher, and I really hope one of them will be the taunt kill.
slardeki responded on 03 Oct 2008 at 11:32 pm #
I’m thinking when the engie achievements come out. Then you can grief and grind at the same time. oi!
Also, grind griefers in a match, that’s points in my book. Grind griefers on an achievement server? I’m glad I don’t go there to deal with that.
Zorgulon responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 12:48 am #
Yer mum- for the taunt kill I recommend simply playing all-out trying to get it. You will die a lot, and probably come very close to throwing in the towel many times, but the chances of an opportunity to taunt kill coming up in a real match, and you successfully pulling it off are very slim.
This is what I did for the Heavy’s Pow! taunt, and many poor Heavies were mercilessly slaughtered under my foolish command. But if you’re lucky it will take only a few rounds of being absolutely-no-credit-to-team, dominated-by-many-opponents and lip-bleedingly-frustrating Hadoukening to get your prize.
*You take this advice at your own risk, and I am in no way responsible for any smashed hardware or mental anguish caused by following this advice.
James Freeman responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 2:40 am #
For all 3 achievement sets so far me and a couple of friends have started our server and had tons of fun getting the new weapons, I actually found it more fun getting the unlocks then using them (with the exception of the sandvich omnomnomnomnom). I do hate big groups of farmers because, unless you know them or an admin is on, it gets out of hand.
Basically grinding achievements with friends = fun.
Misanthrope responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 2:47 am #
Heeeeeeere we go again!
Cheating is bad. It’s not the least bit complicated.
It doesn’t take “mad skillz” to earn your achievements. They’re all fairly trivial. maybe you just suck?*
Griefing these servers is a great idea. Thanks for the tip.
* – You do. If you play TF2 as well as you write, just uninstall now.
n00bie51 responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 4:34 am #
That’s great, Misanthrope, self-righteously griefing those who stage their Achievements isn’t hypocritical whatsoever. (This is the part where you smugly shrug off my sarcasm and say, “Yeah, I know.”)
Dark Master responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 4:44 am #
This use to be a lot more of a problem back when you had to get all the medic acheives. It was really annoying for me when I only needed 3 more of them (uber scout, uber soldier and big heal in one life) to get the uber saw (the others where from fair play) and I could not find an acheivement server to get them that wasn’t filled with griefers…
Pyrit responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 5:03 am #
Misanthrope; I think you need to chill if you take games so seriously, especially if you get offended by people ‘cheating’ for achievements. Stand outside and take in some fresh air, for God’s sake.
If you don’t have anything else better to do with your time but go into achievement servers and annoy people, well, that says more about you than them.
KoreRat responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 6:07 am #
You said ‘bee in their bonnet’, that’s awsome!
When the Medic achieviements came out I did grind for a few of them. I went to the server to get the pain in the arse ones, but ended up getting over half, still there are a few I don’t have. I never grinded for Pyro or Heavy, and don’t plan too.
I think a lot of it has to do with Valve. The Medic achieviements were just crazy stuff that was way too uncommon in normal play. So people went and grinded them. Now with the rest of the classes, it’s like the norm for them. They liked/got used to the quick aquiring of the new weapons, and keep joining the servers.
Misanthrope responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 6:12 am #
I haven’t griefed anyone on an achievement server. I just think it’s a good idea since cheaters bug me and they *should* be inconvenienced.
Spindrift responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 6:52 am #
Didn’t we just have a post about griefing the other day, that kind of came down to “it’s just a harmless bit of fun”? I mean, I know there isn’t an Official Ubercharged.net Editorial Position that the original authors need to adhere to or anything.
It just seems like the two articles are receiving somewhat conflicting reception in their comments; Why would it be alright to grief people playing the game as it was intended, but not as okay to grief people who are grinding on an achievement server?
I’m not really trying to defend one behavior over another, I’m just curious about a perceived discrepancy in standards.
n00bie51 responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:40 am #
Cheating bothers me too, Misanthrope, but I don’t blame them because as I said before, I don’t approve of Valve releasing the class packs in the first place.
Spindrift, there’s a difference between humorously annoying grief and really bad F10/ragequit-inducing grief, and the latter is assumed to be prevalent in these Achievement servers.
Baejung92 responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 9:46 am #
Misanthrope: but why do you care? If you got your achievements all legit, good for you, but I don’t see why other people getting these achievements in whatever way they want should bother you. This is only a game, after all…
Anonymous responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 9:50 am #
>>Misanthrope
My, you seem like a real shut-in, don’t you?
n00bie51 responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 10:42 am #
Baejung92, it’s because they don’t deserve them. They didn’t earn the Achievements, and I would find it reasonable that it would bother other players that actually did because they may not think it’s fair. For this particular issue, I wouldn’t blame them.
goosemonger responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 11:13 am #
I go into achievment servers only when I have as many achievements as I can get in regular servers.
Just because I want the axtinguisher, why should I have to stop doing my part for the team, and die over and over again while I try to get a taunt kill?
I used to be a puratin, thinking the only proper way to do it was on regular servers, but some are almost impossible. Plus, it IS fun to earn achievments with your friends without bringing down your team.
General Balls responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 11:41 am #
>>”Just because I want the axtinguisher, why should I have to stop doing my part for the team, and die over and over again while I try to get a taunt kill?”<<
I got the axtinguisher long before I taunt-killed someone…in proper games…just doing what I normally did as Pyro. The only real difference, at the release of it, was that there were a lot of other Pyros as well. That was the only thing that postponed some of the achievements.
yer mum responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 7:53 pm #
“Just because I want the axtinguisher, why should I have to stop doing my part for the team, and die over and over again while I try to get a taunt kill?”
I’m just looking for the opportunity to come up: I’m guessing it’ll be a less-than-attentive sniper. To be honest if I think I’m going to be playing like an idiot whilst trying something out I always do it in a 2fort server; there’s rarely any team-play or plan on those. Anyway, it’s far more likely that I’ll get a couple of the other number-based achievements before that deaf dumb and blind sniper turns up in my cross-hairs.
eranmane responded on 04 Oct 2008 at 9:12 pm #
2(Heavy) + achievementbox_pyro = Achievement Unlocked: “Soviet Union”.
That’s the math for how you get Heavy achievements. Go to a Pyro server.
—
I generally grind until I get Milestone 1, then play normally.
For example, last week I started playing Pyro again… and I got Milestone 2 and 3 in one match on cp_toy_fort. That’s because I’ve got so far in the numbers-based that I could actually unlock them in normal play.
Also, at one stage when I was grinding Medic, RED stopped co-operating for some reason. Angry BLU achievement farmer builds sentry, chaos ensues. It’d be BETTER if he didn’t, because NOBODY could score achievements after he did that.
BathrobeAssassin responded on 05 Oct 2008 at 1:41 am #
I ubered a Scout once. It was actually pretty funny watching RED run around confused as the Scout ran circles around them having a heyday with his Bat.
SAC responded on 15 Oct 2008 at 8:01 am #
You’re defending grinders!
But yeah, I don’t believe that it unbalances the games or anything. With the exception of Natascha and the Blutsauger, all unlockables require more skill on the part of the player to use effectively. Take the axtinguisher, for one. And the kritzkrieg.
And as long as that’s in place, I’m a-okay.
A Sense Of Achievements (part 1) | ubercharged.net responded on 31 Oct 2008 at 8:02 am #
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Eat it fatty! responded on 01 Mar 2009 at 6:04 am #
I’m just glad they dropped the get ‘em all approach. And for those who hate grinders, I’m sure you hate it just as much to have someone in your game doing some of the ridiculous things necessary to get the unlockables. When the medic update came out I didn’t play for a month because of all the bs medics in game. I used bots for the scout pack and got everything in an hour. I don’t even play scout. I hate the class and doucheyness of everyone who plays it. Even now people are whining about getting help. “PLs hlp me get xxx”…probably some of the folks claiming to get them legit! Besides sniper, it’s the next most favorite class for hackers. Not to mention mic spammers. In any case if I buy a game and use the built in features to get achievements that’s my business. Can’t grief me if I’m the only one in game!