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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Haha I'm not sure why people are doing that. It's a popular thread, so maybe they think they'll get some answers.
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Yep. He hit the nail right on the head with this one. Didn't realize it was a sense of loneliness until he articulated here.
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Hear Hear. I think TwoBeersMears should be the players representative in all matter Destiny.Now if only we could get someone at destiny to actually listen to what we are saying.I couldn't have put it into better words if I tried,it makes absolute sense.
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All hail TwoBeersMears, voice of the people. I elect you to represent me in parliament.
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You put it into words. Great job!
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One level 30 for the hard raid Atheon only Ps4 Add bulletbait121
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Agreed. If the alien races could be fought so their numbers actually dwindled from planets/locations we would feel like we are making an impact on the world. Rather than having story that sits (and honestly doesn't impact the world), our effort could change the live logistics of the planet to where we actually clear sectors. Having zones where there is constant endless fighting for n00bs to level and fire teams to go after wave and wave of enemies would be awesome. Having to actually fight an invasion off of a base (with actual numbers in the thousands/hundred thousands) that can be tracked from the hub of the tower. Man that would rock.
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There are just too many people on the same page as the person who made this well constructed comment to not change the game for the better. It's too repetitive and obvious the story that it could have been based on was rushed to be replaced at the last minute when Joseph Staten decided to leave for whatever reason, thus making any of his brilliant work unusable.
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Somebody at Bungie hire this guy he's got some good ideas
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I'm applying to Bungie in the next couple of weeks!
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It would be cool if we can go into the city fight off fallen and other creatures and protect the last city on earth that would be way cooler than patrol.
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i agree, as much as i enjoy the game...it really needs a feeling of desperation. i have though the same thing about all out war at the city.
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Exactly. Well said
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Word. You are right. If Bungie Hired you, it would be the first step.
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I actually plan to apply to their writing team. I'm a creative writer, and almost finished with my master's degree. Maybe they'll be interested?
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Yeah, this is what we want! A constructive criticizing comment that expands the feel of Destiny! And matchmaking for raid!
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Bumpity bumpity bump
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Best comment and really true #bump
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Very well done. Honest, thoughtful and respectful criticism. I really think the comments about nerfing hard earned rewards and punishing human ingenuity / exploration strike the most important chord when detailing and articulating peoples frustrations with a game that is so enjoyable, could be really great and has such potential.
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Best constructive criticism I've read so far. This is how you rant people! Take notes on this one. Thank you sir!
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Wow 2600 comments im glad you're getting so much support. I completley agree with you on most of your points (excluding the Templar bug fix comment). I for one think that Destiny should focus more on making players feel they are a part of something greater, not temporarly pushing back enemies only to wake up the next day and see that nothing changed, we affected nothing. Everything that has been said would help this game so much: battles for the wall, city exploration, an everexpanding influence of the tower spreading across planets, and finally NPCs in the world itself. Not only could NPCs help save the story they could also help us feel needed. I would live to one day be in a fireteam that stumbles across a ravaged village where the remaining villagers need our help in escprting them to a point where we can arrange evac to the city. A final point would be the expansion of the patrollable areas in Destiny, and to eventually reach that open world feel (like on Skyrim, as cheezy as that may sound) where there are no forbidden zones only an adventure around every corner.
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BUMP!!! It's about time someone ripped them a new one... Though they're getting away with people grinding endlessly on this game, I think it's time they made a change that actually made this game worth playing rather than just an in between game that you play while you wait for better games to come out
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That idea sounds pretty awesome to me. It would take a bit of work to come up with ways to keep expanding on it though. I think however in periods where the players are dominating an area that we take back, then the developers could be amassing and invasion point that would be ridiculous to defend against. That way there is more of an incentive to actually attempt to getting your gear to level 30. Also I'd make another way to get resources and probably raise the glimmer cap. 25000 is low in every state of currency known to man. And of course trading needs to be implemented (I don't think Guardians would be hording weapons to themselves when the fate of humanity is at stake). I guess #bump.... I hate hashtags.
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but guys though its a great plan there is one thing they would need to add for it to even work a human hold on the planets. humans hold nothing on those planets we have lost every thing but the city. if there is land to be taken bungie should start out by creating a hub or small fort like area in every planet as you beat them. because what's the hive going to do or the vex for that matter once we stop their armys before they are even built we killed and atheon next crota we aren't giving them a chance to form up and attack. so a full mounted assault on the walls wouldn't be more then a few thousand whilst we have gun turrets and cannons. plus we the guardians so to do all this we actually have to see the enemy control pace and the humans have a hold.
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Ok, i get what you mean, but you have to remember, this is supposed to be a 10 year franchise, do you think krota is the last to be seen of the hive? If so, I pitty destinys future, but remember that they are expanding the enemys span, so (hopefully) new enemys will be showing up left and right. Don't worry so hard, is all im tryin to get to ya.