We’re now on the final stretch before Dying Light 2: Stay Human heads to players’ consoles next week on Friday, February 4th. The game has been six years in the making, and in anticipation of the game’s release, Techland designer Michał Dudziak shared some insight behind implementing the game’s achievements. While achievements are shiny unlocks to those of us playing the game, for the team at Techland, the challenges are an important tool for measuring player engagement.You might have read recently that Dying Light 2: Stay Human will take around 500 hours to complete if you want to experience absolutely everything the game has to offer, although playing through the story will set you back around 20 hours, and 80 hours if you’re looking to finish all of the side quests. That’s a whole lot of content to cover with achievements, and a very fine line to tread when you’re attempting to cater to a wide range of player types. “We encourage players to check out all that we have to offer in the game,” Dudziak says. “But we also don’t intend to create impossible achievements which force players to do something they wouldn’t want to do.” There are two factors that determine Techland’s approach to achievements, which ensures that the achievement list’s scope fits with the team’s vision for the game: “Firstly, that they reflect the game and all its pillars,” says Dudziak. “Secondly, that they reach all different types of players — both those who want to get to know the game 100% and find all the secrets, as well as those who are looking for new, demanding challenges.”The pillars that Dudziak is referring to are Dying Light 2’s vast open world, choices and consequences, creative and brutal combat, and the day and night cycle. These pillars are fundamental to the game’s character and “form the foundation on which we build the majority of the achievements, but of course not all of them,” Dudziak says. “For example, some achievements are created ad hoc during production.” Achievements by their very nature are a rewarding aspect of playing games, but they’re also a great motivator for players to try out different aspects of a given game. That’s something that is highlighted by the TrueAchievements community regularly, and a sentiment that Techland shares: “The most important purpose of the achievements is to show players, in percentage, how well they are doing in the game so far and how much they still have left to discover, both in terms of the main story, as well as the other various aspects of the game,” says Dudziak. “By being able to see what percentage of players have earned each achievement, there is also the added motivation to step out of your comfort zone and try something different, like a new weapon or skill, and put it into practice.” Dying Light 2: Stay Human’s achievement list looks to be representative of the team’s commitment to ensuring that players have an incentive to experience almost every aspect of the game. “We want players to feel inspired to try playing at night, to use ranged weapons, to get off the main path and explore our vast open world in order to see what we have hidden in Dying Light 2: Stay Human,” Dudziak continues. “Moreover, the achievements can put players’ skills to the test. Can you make a combo? Can you hit an enemy as you land a jump? Can you attack enemies without being hit? How well do you know the game mechanics?”Dudziak also gave us some insight into a few of their favourite achievements in Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which includes Bing Bang Boom!, Lightning Reflexes, and Can’t Touch This! “For all of these, the player has to demonstrate their skills and the achievements are both challenging and fun to obtain,” Dudziak says. “I also believe that players have the most fun whilst they get the achievements which test their skills. For us as developers, it is so rewarding to see.”While the game’s achievements are a great way to test a player’s skill or to incentivise them to tackle more challenging aspects of a game, they also serve as another way for developers to express themselves, or even indicate which way player engagement is leaning. “The coolest thing [about achievements] is certainly the fact that even in a serious game, like Dying Light 2: Stay Human, or in serious missions, we have the opportunity to show players our sense of humour and what inspires us. You can see it, for example, in all the references to pop culture and the wider world of gaming.” Dudziak also notes that “the achievements are a great indicator for us as to how engaging players are finding our game and what activities are most popular. For us, it’s a really useful tool.”You can find all of the game’s achievements on our Dying Light 2: Stay Human page, but as a parting word of advice, Dudziak says: “I ask that you perhaps do not read the list of achievements before you play the game, as then you will be able to experience the excitement of discovering them yourself. So, try not to spoil it for yourself and wait until launch, because, trust me, some achievements are hidden for a reason! Discovering these on your own is what the fun is all about.” Dying Light 2: Stay Human launches on Friday, February 4th for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC, with Nintendo Switch (Cloud Version) following in around six months’ time. If you’re itching to find out a bit more about the game before its launch next week, then our hands-on preview should help answer some of your questions. Alternatively, Techland recently revealed the post-launch roadmap for Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which will be supported for “at least five years.”Are you dying to play the game? Let us know down in the comments!
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