Now, let me start off by saying I'm well aware that we don't know if Destiny will or will not have space exploration; we just know that we will have our own customisable ships and be able to travel to other planets and moons. However, how do we get there?
Is it just one simple loading screen we face, getting into our ships in a dock and then appearing off-planet? Or will we get into our ships as a player in the docks, able to then explore the world we are on, with the ability to creep out of the atmosphere and into the deep abyss of space?
Personally, and I would imagine many others will agree, I hope to high heaven it's the latter. Take the embedded video, for example. This is a huge project which has been in the works for many years, and likely will continue to be a work in progress for years to come. But it has the right idea. The level of exploration is incredible, giving you a truly immersive experience. Granted, I imagine the technology behind it is a bit much for say, the Xbox 360 or PS3 (who knows, maybe it's within reach), and would heavily impact on the storage space on the disc(s). But let's say, through some witchcraft with technology, we do have the ability to cram this incredible feature onto the disc(s), along with the rest of the game content... what would be the benefit for the players?
Well, isn't that obvious? The ability to explore our own solar system, grouped with friends in a squadron of custom ships, galavanting around with all sorts of wild and upredictable adventures ahead. Just imagine it: [quote]You and some friends are travelling together from an adventure on Uranus, having successfully defended a stronghold from a Vex attack. Your destination is Titan, where word of another Vex attack has spread. On your travels, you come across a stray asteroid, steadily gliding past you a number of miles ahead. Your group notices another, large ship moving with the asteroid, and so you decide to check it out. You arrive at the asteroid, landing in a large impact crater. You disembark, feeling light from the very low gravity on the ancient rock. Above the crater, over the rim of the impact site, you see another group of Guardians, scavenging for valuable materials to sell back on Earth. You approach and, seeing that they are friendly, start talking to one another about the Vex attack. The group was unaware, having been tracking the asteroid for some time. They offer to join you, to which you accept.
The larger group then leaves the asteroid, cargo bays full of valuable minerals, with a common destination: Titan. As you leave the surface of the asteroid, Neptune swings into view, shining bright with the radiance of the Sun, and you continue towards Titan...[/quote]The simple fact is, encounters and adventures like this could not exist without space travel in the game. Without it, I just feel that Destiny would not have lived up to its potential. In my eyes, it is a feature the game needs. It doesn't want it. It needs it. Bungie have displayed that they are more than capable of making a space environment in which to move a ship in Halo: Reach, so is it too much to think the same might happen again, only on a much larger scale?
Another factor which would have to be implemented to appeal to everyone would be the option to fast travel by accessing a display within the ship or a HUD menu. This means that if you really want to, you can take the long route to your destination (ala Skyrim or Oblivion's travel systems), but if you're in a hurry you can just jump to the orbit of your destination planet.
How do you imagine it would work? Do you agree with what I have mentioned?
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I agree 100%. Space travel is something that has to be in Destiny, and the level of exploration would be so much more intense if planetary transitions were seamless.