Some thoughts, then some questions for all you DBOers (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Thursday, March 31, 2016, 14:52 (3253 days ago)
edited by CruelLEGACEY, Thursday, March 31, 2016, 14:58

In the wake of our discussions since this week's live stream, a few questions have been floating around in my head. It seems to me that any time the topic of acquiring gear is raised, some dust gets kicked into the air around here (and anywhere else where people talk about this game). In particular, it seems the nature of "leveling up" combined with an RNG loot system is always a hot topic, even a sore spot for many people who otherwise love this game. Add the slightest hint of microtransactions seeping into this system, and things get noticeably more volatile.

So I've been trying to pull back a bit and nail down exactly how I feel about these issues, both in relation to Destiny as well as other games. The first questions I asked myself is:

"do I enjoy leveling up in Destiny?"

I understand that "leveling up" is generally seen as a core aspect of RPGs, and Destiny does have 1 leg deep into the RPG side of things, but I don't think I actually enjoy the dynamic it brings to this game. Leveling up often plays into the idea of building a character, increasing their skills and abilities... essentially its about becoming more than we were at the start of the game. I like all of that. But I don't think having a light level tied to our gear or our guardian is really in service of any of that.

Imagine a version of Destiny that existed without any form of rank or light levels. Our guardians could still unlock new abilities in our skill trees as we play. We could still acquire new, better gear that is more powerful or has unique perks or abilities. We could still "become more than we were" over the course of the game without having a 3 digit number assigned to all of our stuff.

This leads me to ask myself:

"what does the rank and light level system really add to Destiny?"

This is where things get sticky for me. I can't think of a single positive thing that this system brings to the game (for me personally... that's part of what I want to hear from you all about). I know there is a basic reaction in our lizard brains that makes us happy to see numbers going up... but is that really all it accomplishes? I mean aside from the arguably negative aspects? It helps reinforce the idea that we should treat this game like running a treadmill. It encourages players to replay activities they might not actually want to do, because that activity is the only available way to get their numbers up higher. Some of us fall deeper into this trap than others, but I'd say it's something we all consider or think about as we play the game. The whole question of "What do I feel like doing" vs "what activity will actually help me level up/progress". I bet that for most of us, this question is at least a part of our thought process fairly frequently. Am I wrong about that? Am I the only one who feels like perhaps the game would be more fun if that questions wasn't part of the equation?

Of course, I can't think about leveling up and progressing in Destiny without thinking about RNG. So I ask myself:

"In what ways is Destiny better thanks to RNG?"

I love the gear in Destiny. I love the way a new gun or piece of armor can transform the way we play. I love the way building a wide and diverse arsenal plays into the feeling of becoming "more than we were" over the course of the game. And now, after 18 months with this game, I am 100% convinced that RNG does nothing but interfere with this process. So much of the way we acquire and upgrade gear in this game is so clearly designed around the goal of "keeping us on the treadmill" rather than "giving us fun stuff to play with". Setting aside the completionist tendencies that some players fall into, I can't think of a single positive effect that RNG-dependent gear acquisition has on the game. As MacAddictXIV said in another thread, "you have to remember that for some people, getting items is the achievement". Except all too often in Destiny, it isn't. Winning the lottery is not an achievement. Black Spindle is an achievement. Sleeper Simulant is an achievement. Only a handful of other weapons can be "earned", the rest are pure luck.

Imagine if every gun, every piece of gear in Destiny could either be purchased from Vendors or earned through guaranteed, direct in-game actions and accomplishments. Bungie could still add random drops into the mix... they could exist as a nice little "icing on the cake", while we could treat the vendors as our main source of gear acquisition (if you go back to interviews in late 2014, that is precisely the dynamic that Bungie said they were aiming for). "But if people could easily get the gear they want, they'd stop playing" is the common response to this issue. Nonsense. Did picking up a BR in Halo make any of us say "well I've used that now, guess I don't need to play anymore". I've said this many times before: having a gun isn't fun, using it is. If we didn't need to replay certain activities countless times just to get the gear we want to use, then we wouldn't be so burned out on them and we'd have more space to actually use these fun tools and toys doing things we're still excited to do for the fun of it.

What I'm driving at here is that perhaps the reason these and other forums get so contentious about issues regarding gear and leveling up is that Bungie has brought these systems into Destiny in a way that is inherently contentious? I constantly see people arguing over how bad or not so bad some of these systems are... but I rarely see anyone say they actually like them. That's where I'd really love to hear from any of you willing to share your thoughts. Do any of you enjoy the RNG-based loot system (enough to say that you would prefer it over the more direct alternative I suggested above). What are your thoughts on the 1-40 progression and light levels? Do you enjoy what they bring to the game, and if so, why? I'd love to hear some different perspectives on this.