On Authenticity (Destiny)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Sunday, June 28, 2015, 21:50 (3217 days ago) @ Durandal

Leveling mechanics are all the rage in games, and to complain that Bungie put them in cynically to pad out the content is a bit harsh and undeserved.

Leveling mechanics can work and cause no problems in games that have an end. I get that some people like to watch their guns get stronger (Claude and Leviathan have said this). I do too. However, in a game that has an end, your weapons are getting stronger as the challenge level rises, which is where I feel the satisfaction is. You're not going to be getting a weak gun at the end of the game, but your once weak gun might now be upgraded and capable of the challenge.

When you are at the 'endgame' of Destiny, the enemies no longer get stronger and top out. Thus, getting a gun and not having its perks leveled is bad, because now it is simply ineffective against the challenges you are facing until you level it. You are not watching your gun grow stronger and enable you to tackle foes you couldn't before. You're taking a crippled gun and bringing it up to par. See the difference? This wouldn't happen in a game with upgrades and exp that is given out as you progress through the game, which eventually ends.

None of that means that the people working on this game were not giving it their all.

That is what I acknowledged. It's frustrating that there ARE people there right now who are in fact giving it their all and doing the best job they can. But there are also people there who are sabotaging the rest of the game for decisions ultimately related to finance.