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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This is a good point. I find The Tower very limited. I want to travel the world or solar system looking for the best gunsmiths; have more choice where I find or buy my gear. All other similar games have this (Borderlands 2, Final Fantasy). The vendors' stock should rotate more often so there's a real chance of finding something truly vish that few others will have. Xur is too easy to find. Whose bad idea was it to have him show up in a certain location at a certain time? He could go anywhere in the solar system at any time and service a limited number of players then relocate. This might be a small improvement, but abstractly what the game lacks is a story; I don't feel immersed in it.
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I am curious about where Xur comes from and who The Nine are. Xur looks to be a whole new race. Will we be fighting against him? Will we be able to create a character in that race? He is the odd man out and his grim is not sure if they can prevent him from entering and leaving the tower. I don't want to knock the work already put into it. Destiny is beautiful and thrilling. I squealed like a girl at my first thrall siting... wait... I am a girl. We are providing valuable feedback to Bungie. If they are a company (which they are) and they value their clientele (which they do) they will be gathering feedback from every avenue to help improve the experience! See everyone out there!
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This is a good point. I find The Tower very limited. I want to travel the world or solar system looking for the best gunsmiths; have more choice where I find or buy my gear. All other similar games have this (Borderlands 2, Final Fantasy). The vendors' stock should rotate more often so there's a real chance of finding something truly vish that few others will have. Xur is too easy to find. Whose bad idea was it to have him show up in a certain location at a certain time? He could go anywhere in the solar system at any time and service a limited number of players then relocate. This might be a small improvement, but abstractly what the game lacks is a story; I don't feel immersed in it.
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Xbox one nightnightfall msg me gt: x elite scopezz
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Dude lets do it soon.
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[quote]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.[/quote] -blam!- you this game is the best
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I very much enjoy it...
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Xbox one nightfall msg me gt:x elite scopezz
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It's way a little prick go back to galo
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It's way to cool
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Completely agree I suppose what I've found though I've made alot of friends even outside of UK that I play destiny with day in day out and that's just though the raids but I think the things that need improving are LOOT system STORY MATCHMAKING IN STRIKES AND RAIDS YOU NEED A TEAM FOR if I can matchmake on devil's lair on lowest level in should be able to matchmake on level 30 raid
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Excellent Comment!!! This is exactly my take on this game
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I've already moved past this point...this is destiny and I probably will not see the version I expected till destiny 2.
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You plan to give them the opportunity to fool you again? If Destiny isn't made into the awesome game that was promised, Destiny 2 doesn't deserve to exist. Bad movies don't get sequels, games shouldn't either.
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Edited by LordFirebrand: 11/21/2014 10:44:29 PMWell considering this game was made for last gen consoles they to some degree had their hands tied. I'm sure Destiny 2 will be bigger in scope, or at least it should, using next gen power. Though if we can't carry over characters to destiny 2 I'm out.
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That was already said by the devs. You will be able to bring your characters to the others worlds.
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From what I heard Destiny 2 will take place during the Golden Age before the fall. So I highly doubt you'd be able to carry over your character. I'm sure we'd all get a bonus if we have saved data from the first Destiny but that won't amount to anything spectacular I bet.
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Bungie has already confirmed that you will carry your character across all games
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I haven't seen that anywhere. But if that really is the case that is remarkable. Being that this is a 10 year plan with Bungie I cannot even imagine what levels we will reach.
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Thanks for writing this brilliantly articulated note, it echos my feelings perfectly and im sure the same goes for countless other players too, regardless of how many of them cant be bothered to read it yet feel the need to complain about its length.
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I would suggest playing others games too, there are thousands out there, and getting a life outside of gaming too. If you are doing strikes 5000 times and spending days at a time online playing Destiny, you need some fulfillment in your life other than a video game. I would suggest girls, they are fun. :). Or take in a movie or two... Or take up guitar.
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[quote]I would suggest playing others games too, there are thousands out there, and getting a life outside of gaming too. If you are doing strikes 5000 times and spending days at a time online playing Destiny, you need some fulfillment in your life other than a video game. I would suggest girls, they are fun. :). Or take in a movie or two... Or take up guitar.[/quote] So what you're saying is I can't do that AND play Destiny?
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I highly doubt it. :)
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I've got a girlfriend, and she also also plays the game. I play COD AW now and then, and love the MCC. Playing a couple of days worth of Destiny over the course of a month isn't a significant addiction, considering the playtime a lot of other people log. Also, I was referring to playing the game daily, not for days and days and days of combined playtime. Clarified? :)
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So....anyone else read the first few words than scrolled down into the comments of this comment?