Bungie Weekly Update - Sep 26 at 5:20:22 PM

In the Developer Notes that we released yesterday, the design team said it best:

We traded late nights building Destiny for late nights playing Destiny with all of you.

We're working every day to support what the world of Destiny has become now that you're a citizen of it. Building those worlds wasn't the end of our work, it was a first step. The real job is understanding the game through millions of fresh eyes, and reacting.

Working with the community to make the game better has always been the plan. Part of that agenda means reacting to feedback. At the same time, we're still striving to understand every obstacle that prevents any one of you from joining us in the Tower, and providing what you need to make the trip.

There will be more of these. For as long as you play, we'll be here to keep the journey lively. We're watching. We're listening. We're making the tough decisions for the betterment of the experience for everyone.

We're into this for a long relationship so keep talking to us.

What's on the menu these days?

Carnage. Adventure. Battle. Loot.

You know. The usual - only we're serving up the feast in ways that will keep you from eating the same thing every time you fire up your box.

Anyone else miss Lord Saladin? He's on an inbound vector to the Tower, and his banner will burn brighter than ever.

What's That Sound?

With the right tunes, you can export your favorite gameplay moments to your real life.

Before I became your friendly neighborhood community manager, I was already an avid player of Bungie games. On the battlefields of Halo, I was a getaway car driver of the highest order. I can still remember the time I received a speeding ticket while listening to familiar anthems of war in my personal vehicle (strategically selected for its resemblance to a Warthog) on the streets of Chicago.

Now is the time to infuse the headphones of a new generation of gamer to keep them feeling brave all the time.

Like all artistic creations at Bungie, the music that drives you forward into the dangerous unknown is the product of a team effort. Before their work becomes available, here's what two of their fearless leaders would like to say to you.

Since I started writing music for Destiny over three years ago, I've looked forward to the day when we could share it with our fans. That day is now here. Enjoy!
Michael Salvatori, Audio Design Lead

I'm ecstatic to be releasing the Destiny Original Soundtrack to our fans today. Thanks for listening and stay tuned... there is more to come.
C Paul Johnson, Audio Director

They also compiled a heroic medley to whet your appetite. Have a listen! We'll let you know when and where you can find the entire soundtrack next week.

Warning: Bungie music has been known to unleash your inner hero when you least expect. Be safe out there.

Raiders of the LAST Ark

Remember when the Raid was easy? No?

The Vault has been raided again. This time, on hard mode.

The loftiest and most difficult peak of our landscape has been ascended. The first to reach that summit was a dark horse in the running. They have made themselves a Clan to watch. Let's get acquainted with these elite Guardians.

Who are you? State your business!

Invigorate: Leader Patrick "PaIindrome" Krull and Co-Leader Nedal "Nerdiist" Ghamrawi. Our Clan name is Invigorate Gaming. You can find us on Twitter, Twitch and YouTube.

How long have you been uniting gamers online?

Invigorate: We've been playing competitive FPS titles together since 2006. LtJohn5 was more of a lone wolf just like his dead corpse after defeating Atheon in the Raid.

Those PRIMEGUARD guys beat you across the first finish line. How did you catch up and beat the Hard Tier finish?

Invigorate: We would like to congratulate PrimeGuard for being world's first at completing the Raid. They set a high bar. Our main goal was to get world's first on hard mode because Bungie issued the challenge. We viewed it more of as a marathon than a sprint.

Who were the brave heroes in your triumphant Raiding party?

Invigorate: LtJohn5, Ewaktapus, Nicktizziebear. LuckyCharms343, LolitsKirBy, xHawk-eye is the team that finished the raid. Unsung Heroes: IoveII and llsKampll. They both brought in expertise and are equally responsible in helping with the completion of the Raid.

How was the harder mode... harder?

Invigorate: The main difference was it was much more unforgiving, you could not revive teammates. Everyone had to play flawlessly to pass each segment. Communication was key.

What would you suggest to anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Invigorate: I suggest that any team looking to follow would need to find a dedicated team that is willing to put in the hard work and the time required to succeed. You will need to refine your strategy and adapt it to any situation. With no revives your strategy must change instantly without panic. Everyone needs to have an understanding of each person's role. Even if you execute your game plan flawlessly there is still a chance of failure. This is why you need to have strong chemistry based team that knows how to have fun.

What is your next goal as a clan?

Invigorate: Our plans for the future are to become a premier household name in the competitive FPS scene. One day, we'd like to compete against other top tier clans in private matches in Destiny.

Those are pretty big plans. You did beat the Raid on hard, so you're probably feeling like you can accomplish anything right now. Any parting words before you carry on with your campaign against the darkness?

Invigorate: On behalf of all of Invigorate members we would like to thank Bungie and its amazing team for this game and giving us an opportunity to become legends. Destiny has been Invigorating.

We see what you did there! Please don't thank us. We love seeing what the community is capable of accomplishing in our game.

As for the rest of you, the Raid will wait until you're ready to step through the door.

Don't Fear Change

This Tweet caught my eye the other day.

That is the question. Isn't it?

How many more of them do you think someone here secreted away in the Tower?

I'm putting a Bounty on those things. The first of you to post a picture of all of them in the comments of this article wins a player emblem that only we can assign to you.

Speaking of which...

Technical Knock Out

The second Bungie Bounty was claimed last night.

The game was Skirmish. Our posse of Technical Artists was just as stingy as the Crucible architects who put up a good fight the week prior. That's a nice way of boasting that we surrendered victory to only one team (even though we failed to return to orbit in time and had to lose to them twice).

These triumphant players are entitled to become a unique snowflake with the reward of a special player emblem.

The question becomes: Will they show up here to collect their winnings?

Congratulations, Guardians. You gave us some lumps and earned your reward.

As great as it felt to address a lot of your curiosities yesterday, we know we've just scratched the surface. Just like supporting the game we've wrought, the conversation with the community is never finished.

Good thing we can always open the Sack.

bigdirtyphil09 Any info on when a major content/bug fix patch will be dropping? Maybe a timeframe?

Timeframes are tricky things. Those are dangerous promises to make. We know all too well that some of you forget none of what we say. What we can say right now is that we talk about you every day at Bungie. We listen to you more than you might think, and there are plans we can't disclose fully yet that will change your experience as a Guardian.

Also, it's a safe bet that you'll have something new to read here very soon. I make that bet because I'm editing it.

pookersthedruid What is Bungie's stance with in game communication?

When you look at the Dev Notes we published, you can glean a lot about our philosophies for voice chat. We've always wanted for Destiny to be a social game. One thing we also wanted was to protect you from the people whose favorite activity is to inflict grief on other Guardians. How we do that going forward will be less restrictive:

"Destiny's near-term solution will be to allow players to opt-in to voice communication during matchmade activities. Work on this feature was underway at launch and should be rolled out this year in Strikes and the Crucible."

Near-term is not now. Near-term is more like soon.

Gauze What are you doing to combat the loot cave?

Our Dev Team is currently working faster than the Mail Sack. The fix is in. And it's hot!

Ravens Nexus Can you be banned for farming?

Well of course not! We didn't ban anyone for staring longingly into the Holy Cave - or for shooting into it for hours on end. The last safe City on Earth needs more hunters than farmers, though, so we'll do what we can to inspire you to complete missions of variable difficulty under new, challenging circumstances.

ukas Is it possible to get some kind of transparency as to what is happening behind the scenes regarding the issues surrounding Destiny, the current state of the game, etc?

While you were asking this question, we were doing just that. Sorry you felt like you had to ask for it. It's not that our plans were a secret. Sometimes, we just need to put our heads together to formulate.

Let me assure you of one thing: When the game designers stop what they're doing to talk about their plans in their own voice, it's a pretty good sign of how important you are to them.

StarSyde How much pride do you guys take in making the game difficult? The Raid is pretty tough and seeing everyone try so hard must make you guys happy.

You should have seen us gathered in our own kitchen to watch the firsters beat their head against the Raid on the day when it first went live. Destiny is designed to challenge players of many different skill levels. We want everyone to have a chance to feel powerful. Right now, we're looking at some of the data to make sure there's a good variety in the Director. Some Strikes are too long. Some Crucible matches are too short. The nice thing about being connected to every Guardian is that we know more about all of you than ever before.

matt You should make a semi auto handgun. That would make me very happy.

If you did have a semi-automatic hand cannon, would you consider it the last word in personal defense?

Asa I love the game... But some don't. Can you shed some 'light' on your feelings toward these negative reviews and feedback?

Sure. Bungie thrives on feedback. Never feel like you need to stick up for us when you see someone expressing an honest opinion about our games. We're harder on ourselves than anyone else.

MrSwier Why are Warlocks the best class in the whole world?

You can't judge a book by its cover, but to discover a Warlock in your immediate vicinity is to behold grace and strength sheathed in a regal cloak of honor. Warlocks are a noble species. They're not given over to explosive temper tantrums, pounding their crackling fists against the Earth. They don't wear capes like attention-starved fashion victims. The Warlock is the player class that signifies an unwavering sense of self-respect on the part of the player. It was a pleasure answering this question. Ask me again sometime.

There will be many chances for us to swap ideas and opinions about Destiny. That's what this post-launch world is all about. Stick around. We have much more planned to share.

See you in the Tower, and in the wild.