/achievement-watchdog

Achievement Watchdog provides real-time achievement notifications for games using the Goldberg Steam Emulator, allowing users to view their achievements offline and locally without needing the official Steam client, internet connection, or Steam API keys.

Primary LanguagePythonMIT LicenseMIT

Achievement Watchdog

Achievement Watchdog is a program designed to provide real-time achievement notifications for games using the Goldberg Steam Emulator. It allows users to view their game achievements offline and locally, offering a seamless experience without the need for an internet connection, the official Steam client, or any kind of Steam API keys. Currently, it only supports Goldberg Steam Emulator, as other emulators may use different achievement formats.

This program was originally created for personal use, but I welcome feedback and suggestions. Feel free to use it however you wish! If anyone is interested in adding a GUI for the Achievement Viewer, that would be great, as I won't be focusing on that yet.

Disclaimer: This software is provided "as is" without any warranties or guarantees. I can't guarantee it will work perfectly in all cases, so use it at your own risk.

Features

  • Real-time Achievement Notifications: Get native Windows toast notifications as you unlock achievements while playing.
  • Offline Achievement Viewing: View achievements for your games locally, even when you're offline.
  • Custom Notification Sounds: Easily customize the achievement notification sound.
  • System Tray Support: Run in the background with a system tray icon for easy access and management.

Setup Instructions

1. Download and Configure Goldberg Emulator

  1. Download the Goldberg Steam Emulator from Detanup01/gbe_fork.

    • Download the file emu-win-release.7z.
    • Extract it and locate the emulator inside the experimental folder (either steam_api.dll or steam_api64.dll).
    • Download generate_emu_config-win.7z from the same page and extract it.

  2. Generate the steam_settings folder for your game:

    • Navigate to the folder where generate_emu_config.exe is located and open a terminal there (Command Prompt or PowerShell).
    • Run the following command (replace <game_id> with your game's ID, you can find the game ID of any game through SteamDB): 
      generate_emu_config.exe <game_id>
    • This will generate a steam_settings folder inside a folder named output.

  3. Apply the emulator to your game:

    • Go to the folder of the game you want achievements to be enabled for.
    • Locate the existing steam_api.dll or steam_api64.dll file.
    • Replace it with the emulator version from the experimental folder (or keep a backup of the original in the game by renaming it).
    • Copy the generated steam_settings folder to the same location.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: If the game has any alternative emulators (often found in "NoDVD" or similar folders in repacks), they need to be either removed or zipped. Having multiple emulators present can confuse Achievement Watchdog and cause issues with achievement tracking.

  4. Troubleshooting: If the game doesn't start or there are issues with the emulator (Especially if the game didn't have any steam emulator prior), check this guide for additional setup instructions, as you might need to bypass SteamStubDRM for certain cases.

2. Set Up Achievement Watchdog

  1. Download the latest release of Achievement Watchdog from the releases page.

  2. Extract the files to a folder of your choice.

  3. Open the .env file (using Notepad or any text editor) and edit the settings as you wish. The file looks like this by default:

    LOCAL_ACHIEVEMENTS_PATH=%appdata%\GSE saves\
GAMES_PATH=C:\Games\
LANGUAGE=english
    • LOCAL_ACHIEVEMENTS_PATH should not be changed if you followed the Goldberg setup steps.
    • GAMES_PATH should point to the folder where your games are installed, you can add several paths seperated with a ;. Example: GAMES_PATH=C:\Games\ ; D:\Games ; C:\OtherPath\Games\
    • LANGUAGE is the preferred language for the achievement descriptions. If the selected language is not available for a game, it will automatically default to English.

  4. You can also customize the notification sound by replacing the achievement_sound.mp3 file (keep the same filename).

3. Using Achievement Watchdog

  • To view achievements: Run Achievement Viewer.exe. This opens a terminal where you can view your achievements.
    • You can add -nohide as an argument (either in a shortcut or via the terminal) to reveal hidden descriptions of certain achievements.
  • To enable achievement notifications: Run Achievement Watchdog.exe. This will launch the program in the background, with an icon appearing in the system tray. As you unlock achievements, you'll receive notifications on your desktop.

Usage Notes

  1. Disable Do Not Disturb (Focus Assist on Windows 10): Ensure that Windows notifications are not blocked while gaming. Go to:

    • Settings > System > Notifications
    • Disable "Turn on do not disturb automatically when playing a game."
    • Notifications will not appear if this setting is enabled.

  2. Achievements Viewer Requires At Least One Achievement Unlocked: The Achievement Viewer might or might not display achievements for a game until you have unlocked at least one achievement.

  3. Notifications Work Independently: Achievement Watchdog does NOT need to be running to unlock achievements. It only serves to send notifications when you unlock achievements during gameplay.

Requirements

  • Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11.
  • Notifications: Uses native Windows toast notifications for real-time achievement alerts.