GreXXL I’d like to emphasize once again that large forums usually use the Font Awesome–based approach. The implementation on my forum, where badges are rendered as images, is a much rarer case.
In any case, I’ve received feedback on both extensions, and people especially appreciated the following things: a separate profile page where you can see the rewards a user has earned, and a separate forum page where you can browse all badges and achievements, see the requirements for earning them, their rarity, and who has obtained them.
At the moment, both extensions are implemented using a classic system. That means earning badges or achievements doesn’t grant any extra points or bonuses — it’s purely profile decoration and motivation to obtain something other users don’t have.
You could take the simple route and merge badges and achievements into a single entity. Or you could separate them and, for example, make achievements visible only on a dedicated profile page, while badges could be displayed on the UserCard
