Do I need Steam online when I play to record achievements?

[Kyroshill]

I play in offline mode as a rule.... but I just finished a game with a win (Time if you can believe it... I started alone on a continent) plus threw around a few nukes ...

So I should have achievements for "Continents," "Monty," plus map size and level as well as "I Can Has Nukes?" but none of them registered....

Only thing I can think is that I played in offline mode.... ideas?

 

[SuperJay]

Yeah, you have to be online for Steam to register achievements.

 

[stormerne]

I play in offline mode as a rule.... but I just finished a game with a win (Time if you can believe it... I started alone on a continent) plus threw around a few nukes ...

So I should have achievements for "Continents," "Monty," plus map size and level as well as "I Can Has Nukes?" but none of them registered....

Only thing I can think is that I played in offline mode.... ideas?

Yes that would do it! The game notices locally (on your PC) that you've got the achievement, but it appears to need to communicate with the Steam server for it to register on your Steam profile. It seems that the pop-up is from Steam, not directly from the game.

So how to fix? Take a mid-game save just prior to your getting the achievement and play it online. Everything except "I Can Has Nukes?" should be playable from a just-prior-to-winning save. "I Can Has Nukes?" will need to be played just before you drop a nuke. (The game, and Steam, has to see you make the achievement; it won't work in retrospect.)

 

[Kyroshill]

Take a mid-game save just prior to your getting the achievement and play it online. Everything except "I Can Has Nukes?" should be playable from a just-prior-to-winning save. "I Can Has Nukes?" will need to be played just before you drop a nuke. (The game, and Steam, has to see you make the achievement; it won't work in retrospect.)

That's a good idea... I do have a save game from just before that final war that I started 8 turns before 500 just to drop some nukes to see what the animation was like (pretty cool.... even in DX9)....

I'll give it a try later then.... thanks

 

[PieceOfMind]

If Steam servers are down for some reason (you can check http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=784745&goto=newpost), achievements might not register.

 

[Maniacal]

As said you have to be online for the achievements to be registered, but (although I'm not sure about this) I've heard that Steam can record them when offline and updates your achievements when you go back online.

 

[kendo3]

As said you have to be online for the achievements to be registered, but (although I'm not sure about this) I've heard that Steam can record them when offline and updates your achievements when you go back online.

I thought this too but doesn't appear to be the case. I turned steam off for a couple of games and have since turned it back on. none of the accomplishments achieved in the two games off-line have been recorded

 

[kendo3]

I thought this too but doesn't appear to be the case. I turned steam off for a couple of games and have since turned it back on. none of the accomplishments achieved in the two games off-line have been recorded

I could be wrong in this comment. just learned of another twist to getting credit for steam achievements. you cannot be running any mods, even something that doesn't change actual game play, like some of the mods that add a clock to the screen or change the way the UI displays certain things.

 

[Maniacal]

I could be wrong in this comment. just learned of another twist to getting credit for steam achievements. you cannot be running any mods, even something that doesn't change actual game play, like some of the mods that add a clock to the screen or change the way the UI displays certain things.

Yep this has been known since people started playing, mods disable the achievements. Though this depends on the game/developer though, as afaik you can still get achievements in Fallout: New Vegas while using mods (it also uses Steamworks).