Dear Bungie,
Destiny simply isn't what I expected. I've had great respect for the work you guys do from the first time I played Halo with my friends, and I followed the Destiny buildup until its release with edge-of-my-seat anticipation. To me, there's no story more compelling than that of humanity's very survival, and no pursuit more noble than fighting for the preservation of our species. It's what drew me to Halo, and what drew me to Destiny. It's teams of artists such as yourselves, who recognize the inherent nobleness of this concept and seek to bring it to millions, that inspire me, that give me something to look forward to after a long day at the office, that offer me the chance to escape a reality where the difference I make is marginal at best, and enter a reality where I have the chance to make a difference that feels like it matters, if only for a couple of hours every night.
You brought me that sense of purpose and inspiration with Halo. But I don't feel this anymore. In Destiny, with a full loadout of legendary and exotic gear and having played through the full story, experiencing what the Crucible has to offer, battling my way through countless strike missions, finishing every bounty 100 times over, and exploring the complete extent of every map, I'm...bored. But it's worse than being bored. I don't feel anything. I've stuck with the game all these hours, whole days, desperately seeking to feel what I expected to when I first read about Destiny so many months ago. It isn't there.
Although I initially thought that the lack of story was the problem, I've come to realize that the lack of story is only the tip of the iceberg. It's the part that's visible, that every Guardian who's also searching for that sense of purpose and fulfillment in Destiny can readily point to and say "That must be it". And it's a very valid concern. But the core problem with Destiny runs much deeper. The core problem, as far as I see it, is that you're utterly alone in the game.
I'll attempt to expand as best I can. The reason the raid works so well (and is arguably the most successful part of the entire Destiny endeavor) is that it requires massive amounts of teamwork. It provides, upon beating Atheon, a sense of reward and togetherness that no other part of the game currently gives you as a player. I feel as though the team at Bungie would like to bring this experience to the wider majority of the game, but is confused as to how to do so, or is otherwise very conflicted as to how to go about doing so. I want to assure you that doing this would be exceptionally easy, and would make Destiny the game you want it to be and the game that we, the players, want it to be.
My suggestions operate on the assumption that most Destiny players care about the notion of fighting for humanity. It is the premise of the entire game, the reason anyone who enjoys PvE wanted to become a Guardian in the first place. With that in mind, Bungie needs to begin addressing the issue of feeling alone in the game by giving players a shared experience outside of the raid. Sure, if you have enough friends with the game, you can link up a fireteam and do some of the same 4 strikes (now a staggering 5 strikes for only $19.99 on Xbox) you've done 5,000 times over, but the only emotional appeal to this is that you're doing something with your friends for a while, until you get bored, and let me assure you, killing the Archon Priest for the zillionth time is boring - boring enough that the friends I used to play with have quit the game. I feel that many can relate to this situation. In order to make your players feel something deeper and continue to invest in Destiny, we need to be able to actually fight for the very survival of humanity.
Other people have left comments regarding this, and I'm mirroring their ideas and sentiments and not claiming them as my own, though I've had the very same thoughts as them for some time now. Bungie needs to actually put humanity on the brink. As Guardians, we need to be able to get an alert from The Tower while we're out collecting Spinmetal that The City is under a massive attack by The Fallen. We need to be able to see all the players around us disappear, heading to orbit just like we are, mashing our controllers to take us all back to defend The City. Upon arriving, we need to see droves upon droves of enemies marching to the walls, and have a way to get out in front of the walls to fight them in the plains before they reach the gates (troop transport ships on a loop that fly you over the city and drop you into battle, anyone?). We need to see dozens of other Guardians fighting tooth and nail to defend the last bastion of humanity alongside us, and we need this on at least a weekly basis. These kind of encounters can play out all over the solar system, and last a day at a time, giving many players the chance to enter the fight. Ground must be gained and lost, territories threatened, The City seen teetering on a precipice before you and your fellow Guardians prevail (or don't, which leads to many other, ridiculously interesting options for the game, and opportunities to fight for what is lost).
Again, I don't claim such ideas and sentiments as my own, but I wanted to articulate them here in the hopes that someone with a voice inside Bungie HQ might raise these ideas that I very much believe thousands of players yearn for. If ideas like this were baked into the game, this crippling sense of solitude that one often feels while playing would effectively disappear, because we'd all be fighting for something together - something tangible, that we could see and feel and believe in.
While you, Bungie, continue to release patches nerfing hard-earned exotic weapons, killing loot caves, restructuring the raid to prevent players from beating it with human ingenuity, and announcing DLC content that is quite honestly very lackluster and addresses none of the deep, even psychological ineptitudes within the Destiny universe, I assure you that even if the current numbers say otherwise, you are not building a 10 year franchise. Or a 5 year franchise. I'll be curious to know what those numbers reveal once other games are released through the holiday season. Somehow, I don't think they'll be very promising. Not considering what you gave us at launch, and how little you continue to give us. Destiny was a promise of something incredible that never was and still isn't. It could still become that, but my hope is waning, and that's a real shame, because this world you made for us, this repetitive, empty world - it's very pretty.
Thanks for your time. I hope I get the chance to thank you for your efforts in the future.
English
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Edited by jj1042: 11/21/2014 7:47:33 PMJust read... Or don't comment, either way.
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You put a smile on my face today ... LOVE IT
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I'm really glad I could do that :)
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Edited by CyclopsReapR: 11/20/2014 10:30:18 PMI really enjoyed reading your post, and with so many bumps I'm sure bungie has noticed..... I feel like your onto something great with the defense of certain things from a certain horde that last several hours or maybe even super boss' attacking certain planets, kinda like an EVENT mission that broadcasts to all guardians like u mentioned, and could handle as many guardians as possible. I really feel though that to make this experience truly worth fighting for and winning, there should be something at stake for all guardians based possibly on the percentage of wins the entire destiny community achieved. Losing would result in possibly a reputation loss, or the designated planet the EVENT was on, if lost being blocked to guardians for a day or week. Another consequence could be xur not showing up due to the "war". Maybe even add destructible environments or altered environments if a loss occurs, like the tower being damaged or disheveled, filled with injured guardians "npc" of course. Things like that. Sorry I ranted lol......
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Excellent ideas, man! You took my thoughts a step further. That would be amazing.
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Hear hear...excellent post
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Had to dig for this so I could bump it. Not ready to let this sink yet.
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true, so another bump :)
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Sorry but I think the games pretty fun. I was Bored with the new call of duty in like 3 days.
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I also think the game is pretty fun. I just believe it can be made incredible. Advanced Warfare is super boring.
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Agreed
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Agree! I have now had to stop playing as my entire friends list says "blah blah played assassins creed" or "blah blah is playing cod aw" I tried to carry on with pug's but it was hit and miss resulting in logging in once or twice a week for a few hours :-(
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Yea maybe they will add global public events other than small ones that most mid to high level people do solo. Something that calls all people patrolling on that one planet to an area for either a raid style challenge or a horde with decent rewards
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Sorry man!
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Don't be I'm just busting your chops. I'm a reader at heart and got about halfway through your post when I realized how much more there was to read. Sadly I'm at work and couldn't stay on to finish it but I got the gist of it. Overall I enjoyed what I did read. You a have talent to write and hope to see some more (shorter) post from you.
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I need this
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I love this. For those of you who want to write a MEANINGFUL post about what the problems are with Destiny, take notes from this guy. Your feelings speak for many of us. This post is clear, concise, and well written. Nicely done!
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Thanks man!
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Your totally right on point! Maybe a public event that calls all guardians to the front line or even a raid event that's more like a 6 man random strike or something along those lines.
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2 mins of my life I'll never get back reading that bollocks.
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Vitawa STFU it was a waste cause you have a 2nd grade reading level and you couldn't comprehend it. Your like the @$$hole that eats his whole steak before he decides to complain about it. Idiot
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I'm What? You're a fagot.
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And he is the one writing bollocks right? Listen to yourself...
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Hush puppy. No one cares for your 5 pence.