[i]TL;DR:[/i] Given that Lars has stated kill times are much quicker than in previous Halos, I’m concerned that they are too short and decrease the skill gap of Destiny's Competitive Multiplayer. The trend in the industry has been to make games noob-friendly with less of a learning curve. This makes games incredibly fun for new players who get to win more than they should, whereas it makes games frustrating for skilled players who have to deal with losing more than they should, thus increased sales with decreased replayability. I believe Destiny is going to be able to fill several different roles of player needs, from the casual to the competitive to the short game to the marathon long raid. I just hope that Destiny’s Competitive Multiplayer’s target audience are experienced players and it strikes the perfect balance of kill times allowing for an unprecedented skill gap to thrive. [quote]I sat down with Bungie's Lars Bakken, the multiplayer lead for Halo 3 and one of the creators of Firefight, to dive into details on Destiny's competitive multiplayer. Bakken stresses this in the interview as well, but we want to note that details on Bungie's design are constantly shifting so the specifics mentioned in the interview are not set in stone. ... [b]GameInformer:[/b] Would you say multiplayer matches are faster than Halo games... or how would you compare the speed? [b]Lars Bakken:[/b] Definitely faster. If we're to talk about lethality; it's certainly more lethal than Halo. When you catch a guy with his pants down, you can take him out really quickly. And that's not even including using a heavy weapon or a Super to do that, but generally your primary assault class weapons are going to do a little more damage than what we had in Halo. [b]GI:[/b] What's the reason for that? [b]LB:[/b] Combat resolution is fun, right? Getting into combat and having it end is fun. It's satisfying for both sides. And it's not all the time, you know. Good players are still going be able to get away some of the time, but it's a little harder now.[/quote] These two answers [url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/12/09/revealing-the-details-of-destinys-competitive-multiplayer.aspx]from the interview with Lars Bakken[/url] regarding Destiny’s Competitive Multiplayer kill times (or lethality) peaked my interest. In my opinion, the impacts kill times (the average length of time for an engagement) have in Competitive Multiplayer FPS are: 1) If kill times are too long, more fights end in a draw, which is slow paced and frustrating, especially for new and casual gamers. Echoing what Lars states, it reduces the number of engagements that actually matter. Halo: Reach’s Armor Lock (temporary player invincibility ability) increased kill times to a point I didn’t find enjoyable, especially with insta-locking (turning it on and off multiple times mid-fight). I typically didn’t engage players with AL without a significant advantage, because of how long it took to take them out. Thus, I had to take even more time to engage in another player. The ability’s cost was eventually increased and AL became more tolerable. 2) If kill times are too short, engagements are over simplified and repetitive. It reduces the opportunities for higher skilled players to set themselves apart (skill gap). It places a greater emphasis on who sees who first, who has less lag, and who holds the power weapons. The Call of Duty series or the Halos’ Team Swat are great examples. I’ve had loads of fun with these games, but the replayability aspect isn’t there for me, especially when there’s any noticeable lag. I’ve always joked that it’s why CoD is on a one year cycle, because gamers can’t stand playing it for any longer! 3) A careful balance of kill times must be struck. Kill times are an attribute of a video game that is rarely promoted, but is one of the most important X factors that helps make an FPS enjoyable years after its release.