Creating a world doesn't require story - Thoughts on Destiny (Destiny)

by Dagoonite, Somewhere in Iowa, lost in a cornfield., Friday, February 06, 2015, 23:12 (3375 days ago) @ Kahzgul

I actually agree with everything you said except for the first paragraph.

The world building is atrocious in this game. None of the "characters" you encounter have any personality other than the Cryptarch, and he's a prick.

Cayle-6 has plenty of personality, as much as Sgt. Johnson did in the first two Halo games. (If you include supplementary materials, then Johnson wins just because of the massive boost to his characterization in First Strike alone.) Eris gets plenty of characterization, especially at the end of the Urn quest, and damn is she creepy in that. Both get more characterization than Miranda Keyes ever did. Hell, Banshee-22 gets gobs more than her. I think he's my favorite vendor. They even work his story into his design -- he looks as much like he has a thousand yard stare as you can with an Exo.

I'm not saying that they didn't drop the ball with most characters. Eva has more characterization than Commander Zavala. Eva. And how often do you interact with her?!

I also don't get the whole "Cryptarch is a jerk" thing people are saying. The RNG? Total jerk. The characterization? I just don't see it. Lemmie explain how I see him.

He's a researcher that's constantly being provided with the most wonderful data in the universe. Put him with other Cryptarchs and you'd practically hear them squee with delight over things. A man very, very focused on the data and the wonders it holds. But he also knows that you can't spend your life in the Archives, as you miss out on the contextual details, so he deals with the people who bring him things.

Those people who bring him the engrams? He values and likes them. Interact with him as a Hunter and you'll occasionally hear him say "You Hunters bring me such wonderful things!" Kudos to the VA on that one, because he sounds professional yet excited. Leave as a Titan and he'll ask you to give his regards to the enemy. IE, "PUNCH THEM IN TEH FAEC!!111!!fifteen!!!"

Often, he offers words of appreciation for the engrams you grab. "You don't see many of those any more, even in our vaults!" Yeah, he issues surprise when you do certain things, but I take it more as musing surprise than sneering surprise.

To summarize, I think that most people think the Cryptarch is a dick because they're misplacing their annoyance with the RNG rather than he actually is one.