Keen Koala explains/debunks "Ghost Bullets" (Destiny)

by electricpirate , Tuesday, September 13, 2016, 16:53 (2791 days ago) @ someotherguy

One other random thought, why did so many playes assume that design decisions they don't agree with are bugs? TripleWreck originally cast this as a hit registration bug, and there was a reddit post that amounted to "When bungie says this is a design decision, don't believe their lies!" I think a little design literacy goes a long way in these discussions.

Maybe it was a different post, but if you're referencing the one Im thinking of, it was more "Bungie will say this is working as intended. It probably is, but here's why it's still bad design".

Same post.

I think if you are going to critique something, running with the "Whatever they tell you, you shouldn't listen to them." and the "Treat this design issue as a technical one because it's so self evidently bad" are just like inherently shitty ways to understand design better.

I mean, I don't like this solution either, but their feels like it exists less to educate, and more to score points by generating anger.

FWIW, I thought Bungie's response was spot on

"Hello Destiny community!
Due to a recent resurgence in feedback about “Ghost Bullets” we wanted to take a minute to explain how and why the weapons in Destiny behave the way that they do…
“Ghost Bullets” is a community-coined term that is being used to describe the frustration of missing the intended target due to weapon stats. The bullets aren’t disappearing, they just aren’t hitting the bullseye. Internally, we would call this specific aspect of a weapon “Accuracy,” which is one of the values embedded in the Range Stat of every Destiny weapon.
When looking at Destiny weapon archetypes, we wanted players to be able to assume a weapon’s traits through visuals and an intuitive understanding of how weapons work. Players can make the assumption that barrel length, and stability (stock) will affect the accuracy of a weapon class. These types of distinctive behaviors make for fun and interesting choices within the action simulation.
In short, Hand Cannons, with a relatively short barrel and no stock, are not intended to be long range precision weapons like a Scout Rifle or a Sniper Rifle. Instead they are big, heavy, pistols that pack a large punch. If you can control the kick, and close on your targets during combat, you will likely (as our friend Variks says) “Kill them dead.”
We want to very sincerely say that this communique is not meant to be argumentative or belittle any of the consistent feedback we’ve received on the subject. Regardless of how “correctly” the game systems are working, the core message is that shooting a Hand Cannon during high skill gameplay can feel inconsistent and/or frustrating for people. We hear you, and we are always looking to improve on that experience.
While it’s unlikely that we would completely remove Accuracy as a concept from Destiny weapons, we will investigate alternative options to balance Hand Cannons vs. other weapon archetypes. Destiny is a game that will evolve as players push, pull, and build the world.
You are wonderful people, the best community, and passionate about this game in a way that pushes us to always be our best. Thank you for playing, and thank you for reading."