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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He cares about what we as gamers and as a community recieve after years of working together and building up what our dreams are made of. I like the direction he wants this to go and i agree. We do missions on each planet for the population yet see no change.. no update showing the buildings being rebuilt or cities being restructured. No community event that actually can have a negative outcome on the world we fight in every day. No group parties on servers per planet that can support more than 16 players.. etc. I want to see us fight for this world. Give me a sense of desperation.. one i felt years ago just by looking at concept art and early design videos. We need this, better yet, DESTINY needs this. I am waiting but my hopes are waning.
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I'm just saying. I'm not against it it's just that's very long.
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Slow clap... could not agree more, i work alot and have other things to do but i love to jump on and see if there is anyone about and to be honest im getting bored of doing the same thing a number of times even with different characters, well said my friend, the battle was litterally in my mind playing as i read this, what a great idea and even territorial clan wars of some sort would be great, like how about a group owns cosmodrone and another a different area but for each planet, that would be great for the masses!!! I think bungie need to open ears and eyes rather than being blinded by money and activision.
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Bump!!
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You my friend have way to much free time !
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You, are also on a game forum. We all have that equal amount of spare time.
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I'm a writer. This took me less than 15 minutes to pound out on my phone. Maybe it would take you a lot longer, but it was nothing for me but a good way to fill the time on the way back from work.
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Bump if you care.
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I agree. It's sad I feel that the DLC will bring ( wash , rinse, repeat)
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Remember in mass effect 3 multiplayer, where different factions would take over certain territories if there weren't enough people playing that map to defend it...just a thought...
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Bump m9
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Bump it up guys!!
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Edited by WildTurkeyCO: 11/1/2014 7:15:04 AMmoar bump
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El bumperino
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Edited by RosStick: 11/1/2014 5:23:54 AMI think around a few hours ago I've hit an emotional maybe anti addiction wall. After searching cave after cave for chests/spirit bloom, maxing my raid gear. All effort just drained. Now for the first time in weeks "cough" months, I am questioning why I should play destiny again. Very odd. Well worded sir. EXTREMELY ENGLISH BUMP!
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I know the feeling.
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You speak well. I am thankful for someone to have said it so.
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Standing up applauding! Excellent excellent ideas ! I was literally imaging the battle unfold as you described it. Please someone in bungie listen to this.
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Thank you.
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Falcon BUMP!
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Keep the bump up if you want it heard!
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*** MOST IMPORTANT POINT *** Quoted from 'twobeersmears' - '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 release 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.' 🔰Do us all a favour Bungie and listen to the masses, there needs to be drastic changes if you plan on keeping our attention. Right from the start there wasn't enough content, so on xbox we only have 5 strikes (ps have 6) and With this dlc (which xbox have to pay the same as ps) the playstation gamers will get an extra strike, so thats 8 strikes on ps and just 6 on xbox?! You must be in a dream world to think that isn't going to put us xbox gamers off buying this dlc. Or any others for that matter! The exclusivity is for a whole year to, bit harsh? There's a few big titles coming out soon, can safely assume you'll lose a lot of traffic if you don't address the issues staring you in the face.🔰 If you agree with this, feel free to share it!
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Edited by SleepyGod: 11/1/2014 4:02:48 AMVery eloquent. I think my friend hit the nail on the head the other day: Developers are very self-entitled and lazy nowadays. Most of them are older, and don't have anything to prove--they just want to retire early. Developers don't want to EARN the renown that they did even a decade ago--now they just buy it with $500M. Still, Destiny is mediocre even by the precedent set by mediocre developers of late, both in PVP and in PVE. They're only afforded the attention they get because of the lack of competition at the moment. As soon as better PVE action/adventure/RPG or better racing/fighting/shooting PVP games are released, Bungie won't be able to rely on that anymore. Destiny's light [i]will[/i] fade; it's just a question of when. I mean, when's the last time a bunch of people talked about ESO? Destiny faces the same oblivion if Bungie doesn't do something different while they still have the stage and everyone's attention.