Abilities, Mods, and Rolls

[1.1a] Abilities, to me, were the heart of what made Dest1ny stand out as a shooter. The core gameplay loop and shooting were solid, but the abilities were what brought in the character. I will admit, the implimentation led in many ways to a reliance on abilities for a lot of players, but Des2ny swings too far in the opposite side. Acknowledging that these numbers are the best information I have available, consider the following:

[1.1b] In Dest1ny the baseline ability cooldown for Grenades and Abilities was 60 seconds. Within that there were 5 tiers to improve your cooldown, and each one was roughly 10-11% of a cooldown. Tier 1 to I believe about 54 seconds and Tier 2 was about 49 seconds. Tier 5 was 25 seconds. In Des2ny the baseline cooldown is 83 seconds, about a 37% increase, while you can apply up to two mods for a specific offensive ability, reducing your ability cooldown to 69 seconds, a 15% increase from Dest1ny's Tier 0.

[1.1c] The decision to slow cooldowns across abilities (numbers vary among certain abilitys, such as Firebolt grenades and Hunter thrown melees) has a highly detrimental effect to gameplay by limiting options available to players. The class perks and exotics that will return abilities faster if you specialize your playstyle help alleviate this to a small degree, but not enough to keep abilities tactically viable as they are unavailable in a vast majority of engagements. I definitely don't feel that going back to a grenade every 25 seconds is reasonable (even if enjoyable) however I would consider that a timeframe more in line with D1's Tier 0-2 would be an appropriate middle ground.

[1.2a] Mods were a system I was super excited for when I first heard about them. The potential of any system like that will almost never be lived up to, though. No, I wasn't expecting anything as involved as Diablo 2 socket systems. But I was hoping for more than damage type swaps and a small selection of character boosts. This area leads to a much more involved volume of change I will cover along side my concerns for fixed rolls. However, I did like that I could apply Legendary mods to improve my overall power and to directly manipulate my own gear progress. The inclusion of Counterbalance, Handling, and Reload mods that are weapon agnostic is also appreciated.

[1.2b] However, the specialization of mods led pretty quickly to irritation in the system. As an example, having a +1 Resilience Mod that I can't equip on my leg armor because it is explicitly for Warlock Bonds felt arbitrary in the worst way, especially when you start filling up your 50 slot inventory. Unifying the mods in the inventory and allowing them in whatever slots they are designed for would go a long way to a less bloated system. Which also ties into how I would retool mods in light of fixed rolls, immediately refilling the inventory.

[1.3a] Fixed rolls are a blessing and a curse. Even with learning that archetypes will have hidden perks built into them (such as Precision having native Counterbalance) they still feel disappointing. My D1 comparison (selected in part for the fixed roll) here relates to everyone's favorite Hand Cannon, Fatebringer, and the D2 favored PvP Hand Cannon, Better Devils. Their biggest difference is integrated synergy. Fatebringer has 3 perks which were popular to bring about a highly focused and enjoyable weapon - Firefly, Explosive Rounds, and Outlaw. Two of these trigger on precision kills and two deal AOE damage. In contrast, Better Devils has Explosive Rounds.

[1.3b] This, more than anything, is why I feel the fixed rolls miss the mark. Many people complain that they don't feel that chasing weapons is exciting anymore. I tend to agree with them. However, I don't think it is just because repeat drops lack variety (they do, but that's identified) or that once you find a few weapons that work for you the rest are for breaking down. Even with my desire to collect gear I don't get excited for new weapons. It is the fact that there are not any refreshing loops to be found like what Fatebringer brings to the table. Armor is mostly just aesthetics, depending on how much you chase the 2/4/9 meta (or whatever is popular these days) or what have you.

[1.3c] So I have a pretty major change up suggestion which retains fixed rolls and expands the mod selection and purposes. That crazy change? A second mod slot for each weapon and piece of armor. How mods get used for power boosting could be retained, where only one slot actually allows for the +5 power, but then we expand to have mods for weapons that are a set of 3-5 per archetype that can be used, with overlap as appropriate, allowing you to synergize perks (such as having a weapon with Rampage allowing a High-Impact Reserves mod) for weapons, and expand functionality (such as the old grenade throw distance, energy for orbs, or faster melee) for armor, while retaining the existing flavors. This allows both fixed rolls and a degree of random drops, even if there are only a handful of possible options, while also allowing players agency in the perks of their gear if they drop with something they don't like as much.

Matchmaking, teams, and modes

[2.1a] Matchmaking is a separate beast when it comes to killing fun. The combination of matching parties against individuals and randomized playlists is probably the biggest offender here. In past games, D1 included, I used to be able to solo queue and have a good time. I have not had the experience on either XBO or PC for D2. Sometimes Join-in-Progress feels broken, getting thrown into losing matches with insufficient time to turn them around (and no super energy so that's fun) or never even topping off a match when someone leaves within the first 30 seconds. Anecdotally I played a game where my team of 3 loaded in with a single and a pair. It put the single on our team, and never loaded in new players for the enemy team. I felt bad.

[2.1b] With all games being the "more competitive" 4v4, one player is not as much of a drag as it is with 3v3, but it is noticeably more than it was in a 6v6. I already have issues with the push to make all PvP "more competitive" instead of "more enjoyable" because I'm getting older and less sweaty as time goes on. But that doesn't mean I can't get into a competitive game. Titanfall 2 and Lawbreakers can attest to that. However, the fact that it is the only way to play means that I am not necessarily super happy to play an inherently more competive style of play. This lends itself to pretty substantial matchmaking changes.

[2.2a] So how would I change this up? In 3 ways, specifically. First, move from the 2 playlist structure to a 4 playlist structure. Two "chill" and two "sweaty" modes per week, not counting Trials or IB events. Second, Include FFA, 3v3, 4v4, and 6v6 playlist options. 6v6 would only be on the chill side, 3v3 would only be on the sweaty side. Third, shift the baseline experience to either Mayhem, Core, or Trickle. With the prior suggested ability changes (specifically cooldown) that would be Core. Trickle would better resemble our current ability charge rates and would be tweaked to better suit more competitive, team oriented play for all the folks who enjoy MIDA team shooting (I joke) as the height of fun. Mayhem would be Mayhem. Lists can be mix bags of modes or dedicated modes as desired. This would keep it from becoming a dozen playlists, but allow for rotating playlists, hopefully always having something that will scratch an appropriate itch.

Sandboxes

[3.1a] The last part I'll touch on is sandbox balance. Overall there are very few abilities I have issues with so I'll focus more on the weapon side of the sandbox. Mostly only power weapons, actually. I really enjoy the Kinetic/Energy dynamic. However, Power weapons pretty much all feel off to me. Shotguns really feel like they should be more reliable at their longer ranges because they've been moved to that slot. Rockets generally feel really inconsistent on their actual splash damage. And for how easy sword kills seem to be I'm not sure the ammo drop is very balanced. Anecdotally, most power weapons don't feel powerful. I will admit, it is possible all of my experiences are due to latency issues (can we get dedicated servers, please?) but I definitely feel like the whole power weapon slot needs to be looked at.

[3.1b] And speaking of, Power Ammo as the only map draw is kind of disappointing, actually. Especially with how it works in clash to draw everyone to one part of a map and then abandoning half the map to stick the other bricks off in other corners. For Clash specifically, rotating or randomized Power Spawn locations could improve the overall map flow experience, as for the most part it is just pretty stale tug-of-war. The real objective modes (Control and Countdown) both suffer from what feels like a desire to push the team combat into a competitive format, similar to Overwatch, without actually taking the focus that makes Overwatch engaging on a competitive level. For those unaware, there is only ever one objective at a time in Overwatch and there is always an objective. This really supports the high level team coordination. Whereas the distributed focus of Des2ny would better support more individual skill (available abilities and map design with more mobility options in mind) which has been downplayed in the overall design.

[3.1c] I would propose one way to encourage wider map usage would be to bring in ability charges on the maps. Just as grenades were on-map in Halo. Allow a player to pick one up and have a 10 second debuff before they can pick up another, but you get 1/3 of the charge of your abilities. These can be kept to the peripheral but high traffic areas to allow for motivation for higher map usage without just putting power ammo spawns everywhere. For more competitive purposes I would also consider dedicated power weapona ammo points. Perhaps one where you can only pick up shotgun ammo or rocket ammo. This could allow for more dynamic power ammo spawns and varied cooldowns based on the ammo type. These are a little more spinfoil-hatted ideas, but I think playing up some of the Arena Shooter roots could be nice.

[3.2a] Map design has ups and downs. Most maps tend to work well for their main gametypes. And different areas better supporting different weapons based on engagement ranges are pretty nice. Some maps feel like they were built for 6v6 and some feel like they'd work better as FFA or 3v3. But we don't have those. Change ups to items available (classic power ups maybe) on the maps or even Forge-styled modifications (such as closing off the center tunnels in some maps or such) could lead to much more gameplay variety depending on the mode being played or volume of players. I'd love to have a Forge mode anyway. And a theater mode. But I digress.

[3.2b] Maps could use more variety in heights and level of design interest. Most maps are 1-2 layers at most. The most tactical map usage in many matches is camping a corner with a sword. That's an exaggeration. But still. I know quite a few people who have expressed similar disappointment. The maps aren't bad by any stretch even if some are unbalanced for certain modes, but it would be nice to have more variety in landscapes and number of layers.

[3.3a] The Core gameplay loop is enjoyable, if sluggish. The higher TTK leads to team fights, but the objectives imply individual skill that isn't supported by available abilities and mobility options. The objects of interest on maps are intermittent but consistent. It gives a nice amount of flow, but like with mods and fixed rolls, I think that it leaves me wanting. I don't personally feel like any weapon or archetype is over powering from a mechanical standpoint. MIDA is popular because it is comfortable. High Caliber Rounds is blown out of proportion, though it definitely helps in many fire fights.

[3.3b] However, of note, is that the differences between PC and Console are pretty vast and in some regards definitely not in favore of console play. I normally prefer to play on consoles for most games. The tactile experience of the controller, the living room setting. It's fun. But the game is hurt by having a higher reliance on reticle and bullet magnetism to counteract overblown recoil than what I feel it needs to be. Playing KBM on PC makes weapons that are barely manageable on console into weapons that are fun to use. I feel like I am just trusting the Random Number God when I use an SMG on console while I feel like I am actually in control on PC. Fusion Rifles, too. I honestly think a tone-down of recoil systems on console with a reasonable reduction in aim-assisting features would benefit the overall experience on consoles.

Other thoughts

[4.1a] There are many other things that can be brought into Destiny to make it competitive. Curated playlists with rotating gear sets is an example I've used for years now. As well as having Trickle modes if you want to focus your play on gunfights over ability plays. I think that Destiny would benefit from that more than trying to be Halo 3, BRs only, no grenades. I don't want it to be like competitive Smash.

[4.2a] Not touching too big on events or economies as I tend to interact with them on minor levels, but I did want to mention that my motivation to play Iron Banner was higher due to the dedicated gametype. I know that we will be seeing changes to how we get gear, and I am hoping that in regard to activities like IB and Faction Rally that they go the route that D1 IB went with a selection available to purchase of both armor and weapons.

The end result is that D2 has a lot of promise. And I understand the arguments people make that it isn't Destiny, it's Destiny 2. However, I think the overall loss of character that D1 held in the overall field of shooter games is of detriment to D2. When D1 released, "Ults" and abilities on cooldown weren't super popular. But they're everywhere now. Minimizing those aspects of Destiny to make it more competitive, however, leaves it a husk of its former self. I played a lot of D1 crucible, even when I had complaints about the Meta, because I got to make plays and feel like I really was becoming a Legend. Now I get compared to Ikora by Shaxx because I team shot a guy. I sorta miss the former.

Well put and well articulated. The PvP is the major drag of D2, just as it was the major draw keeping me playing D1. The absence of advanced player control in particular is damning (titan skating, blink for hunters, warlock skating).

Overall, however, I think the fact that in D1 it was possible (however unlikely) to 1v3, whereas in D2 it's simply not, makes a big difference. I don't feel powerful like some kind of space magic god. Rather I feel like just a guy who is really only effective with my other guys around. That would be okay if the rest of the game played like a squad-based combat game, but it doesn't. You can't take cover (not really) and you don't control your spawns. It's incredibly easy to own the middle of some maps and force the enemy spawns to split, which is a huge detriment to the split teams. Somehow the sandbox of D2 got completely borked, probably by trying to be too many things to too many people, and the result is that it's boring.

Uriels, and to a lesser extent ARs, are too good across range bands.
Hand Cannons struggle in a area where Subs, Sidearms, and ARs all compete.

Mobility is useless. I went all in on my hunter and have to be very smart about how I play. My Resilience 10 Titan just punches all the things.

Pulse grenades are really good, followed by void grenades. All others seem to be weak, and require some setup to work effectively. Flash, Suppression, Skips, Sticks, Incindearies and such are not capable of killing a player, don't last as long, and are hard to hit with. They all need a shorter cool down or a revision.

Ark Strider melees are too short of range, and don't really have any advantage. In the case of the stun punch, it does not work at all.

Melees auto target through hunter dodges. Hunters still take damage through dodges. It still takes 3 melees to kill players, even if two of those are charged melee hits via the dodge. The Dodge is slow.

Arkstriders are too slow in the super to run down players. Targeting in the air is difficult. Dodging doesn't move you close enough and burns super time.

Warlock melees are still like hand shotguns, where as Titan and Hunter melees pull them into close range.

Rift and Shield abilities are pretty good compared to dodge.

Why are warlocks the only ones with blink?

I've leave the in-depth analysis to others, especially in regards to gunplay and the Crucible, but I have some nit-picks about small flaws in D2.

There are other things like this in game, I'm sure, but I could remember three, and thought that together they might be worthy of a post.

• The initial loading animation shifts midway through the process. This is a tiny thing, but I notice it every time I log on, and it irritates. (Speaking of loading screens, remember the awesome Halo 3 loading screen? More like that, Bungie.)
  
• On the character screen, hunters float like warlocks, then don't, then do.
  
• Fast travel in the tower shouldn't be a thing (unless it works). Right now activating fast travel makes it so you can't view what's at the postmaster.

The last one is the only bug that isn't aesthetic.

Again, these are tiny issues, but I work on software. These little things affect impressions of quality, especially when it contrasts with D1. I love D2 BTW, and think it's a superior game in many respects.

Kermit

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The length of these posts put me off of reading them at first, but I'm glad I did. I'm mostly on-board with a lot of what you've said in here, so I don't have a lot to add or contradict, but just wanted to say "thanks" for taking the time to write up your thoughts!