RPGs are all about barriers (Destiny)

by Durandal, Sunday, January 25, 2015, 06:27 (3382 days ago) @ Kahzgul

And barriers to play are the one area Bungie does not have experience with.

Pathways into Darkness was the only game Bungie did prior to Destiny with a real progression system, and it wasn't a multiplayer psudo MMO. The areas that Bungie has lots of experience with, gameplay, art, sound, and background are all there in spades. But I don't think Bungie has had much corporate experience with level grinding and in game economies. All the Halo games had were slow grinds to cosmetic changes that never impacted gameplay. 343 brings out Halo4 and implemented a pretty atrocious grind system to get all the perks and armor. CoD also has a pretty annoying grind factor, compounded by their belief that once you reach the finish line the first thing you want to do is start over wearing a different shirt.

I have no explanation for Bungie's poor story implementation. I thought they did that well during the Halo and Marathon games. If anything, Destiny reminds me of the first Marathon game, where you really didn't interact much other then some terminals here or there, which are similar to the load screen voiceovers in Destiny.

The point is Bungie as a corporate entity did not have experience with leveling systems and leveling economies. They brought in some talent to create those systems, but talent alone won't always work. Bungie is getting some hard earned experience now, and it heartens me that they recognize it and are using it.