In what universe can that possibly be considered a good quest? Is the mission well designed? Are the objectives fun or interesting? Is the story compelling or entertaining in any way? Does it do anything at all that we haven't done a million times already in the same locations?

Destiny's core gameplay is fun as heck. But this quest does nothing to justify its inclusion in the game. It does absolutely nothing above the usual Patrol experiences aside from the boss at the end of the strike.

As I said in my OP, I actually enjoyed the strike. It's not great, but I think the sheer number of low-level enemies they throw at you is kind of fun in the same way The Abyss can be lots of fun (although The Abyss is way more exciting). But the quest is so bad that it actually deflates the experience for me. Worse than that is the level of hype Bungie tried to build in anticipation of it.

If the quest had just appeared as an icon in the director with no mention or fanfare from Bungie, I would have played it, rolled my eyes, and never thought about it again. But the level of marketing geared around this update feels completely unnecessary to me.

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I need to break out Universal Remote and turn my regularly devastating Cloaky Hunter into a Blink Shotgun Cloaky Hunter of Infinite Infinitly Annoying Doom. Once more. :)

I would love to start using universal remote again. Not to mention, Shotty sidearm domination anyone?

Even with no changes, I'd still like to see sparrow racing return every so often. Make it a rotating weekly event like the iron banner maybe? Heck I'd even be happy for a random daily featured playlist that was SRL.

I can only imagine that they're holding a new season of Sparrow racing in reserve for the long gap between now and the end of the year.

...but what happens at the end of the year? Destiny 2?

In general, the idea behind light leveling in PvP has always been a bad one.

Either:

1. Max level is so easy to get to it becomes a mere formality, and the advantages don't matter because everyone is the same level (House of Wolves).

2. Max level is hard to get and confers a significant advantage, so it requires grinding to play PvP.

3. Max light is hard to get and confers little advantage, so why bother (Taken King).

All of these scenarios are bad. The idea is stupid and always has been.

To me, the biggest problem with this update is that the 1 thing they stayed fairly quiet about, the quest, is so insignificant that it can barely be considered "content". They didn't keep it mysterious so that we'd have fun digging into it ourselves, they stayed quiet because there is no way they could have told us anything without revealing how pathetically minimal it is. It feels like lying-by-omission to me.

I think they should have never even mentioned the word quest. Than we would have experienced it like the Sleeper quest. Nothing particularly amazing, but something that leads to a new strike/piece of content. No one would have had the expectations of it that we associate with the word quest. I don't think it's lying by omission. That seems too harsh- especially when we're talking about free content. I think it was just presented in the wrong manner.

All good points.

To me, the biggest problem with this update is that the 1 thing they stayed fairly quiet about, the quest, is so insignificant that it can barely be considered "content". They didn't keep it mysterious so that we'd have fun digging into it ourselves, they stayed quiet because there is no way they could have told us anything without revealing how pathetically minimal it is. It feels like lying-by-omission to me.

You need to temper your expectations a bit. Prior to Destiny's release, I expected much more because it was being hyped as such, and because the game had been in development for 4 years. There wasn't any indication it couldn't happen.

Now we know the tools have major problems and content creation is simply very difficult for them. We also know that it is in general time consuming and hard to make FPS content anyway. It's not possible for really cool new stuff unless it is worked on for a long time and you pay for it. The game is also set up in such a way that generally precludes long involved story missions.

78 days and counting, and I couldn't be happier about my decision. I don't know about everybody else, but I really feel in my case that stepping away then coming back when we get a large drop is going to make me more fond of the game and more willing to play it.

All good points.

To me, the biggest problem with this update is that the 1 thing they stayed fairly quiet about, the quest, is so insignificant that it can barely be considered "content". They didn't keep it mysterious so that we'd have fun digging into it ourselves, they stayed quiet because there is no way they could have told us anything without revealing how pathetically minimal it is. It feels like lying-by-omission to me.

I see it the other way: it's honesty. The thing they talked the very least about is the most insignificant thing.

Similarly, I don't understand how these streams were a hype marketing train. They were all pretty matter of fact and straightforward. They showed a trailer. They showed live gameplay. They explained the changes they would make. They did some terrible "surprise" reveal reactions, but at the end of the day it was just saying there is a third page of the vault.

I was expecting very little and felt no hype from bungie (I literally forgot it was update day until the day of when I say a post. I even scheduled an unrelated fire team event for last night.)

I remember from January they have been downplaying these filler updates, right?

I skipped the TW@B posts since I spent so much time watching the stream so maybe they were more bombastic?

I think it's because we expect them to be showing us the tip of the iceberg, rather than the whole thing. Sure, they could have toned down the marketing and the hype (did we really need three highly publicised streams?), but they were doing what we've demanded of them for so long.

This paragraph sums up exactly how I feel.

This song is dedicated to the Destiny Community:

I'm not so sure I agree with this. The community wants to know what's coming in general terms, yes. The community wants to know every tiny detail when it comes to weapons/balance tweaks, absolutely. But I don't agree that the community wants to know every last detail of every new addition that is coming. I think the community wants to know the scale of what's coming, simply so we can set expectations accordingly.

That's kinda what I don't understand. Exactly how hard is it to plop down some units and make a couple of scripts that say "when units in wave 1 are dead: Spawn wave 2"? Because that's all we really got... and we only got one of those.

Maybe there really is some horrible technical issue that prevents Bungie from rapidly making even the simplest missions?

Confession: I kind of find the streams (at least the hype-centered ones) boring. I don't really want to know much about what's coming.

I'd like an approach that treated Destiny more like a place that's alive--where things happen that you don't see coming (except perhaps for hints and teasers that seem to come from within the universe) rather than Destiny the Game, this year's model on the car lot (which is better than last year's model because of x and y bullet points), with DeeJ often having the unfortunate job of company sign spinner.

Of course this approach requires a long view, a plan, seeds planted early, and the patience to see them sprout. It might also require the mighty Oz aka Bungie to stay behind the curtain more often. I still like to think Bungie does have a plan and seeds have long been planted. What are you going to do, though, when so many of your fans want constant transparency and do treat Destiny as merely a service that must be responsive to their ever-changing wants and desires? Maybe transparency doesn't make people as happy as they expect it to.

I've had zero interest in Warframe, but after watching the reaction video Korny posted, I'm interested, or wish I had been interested from the start. I want that--a reason to care about the universe, and a chance to be surprised, delighted, and have my mind blown.

I've got plans for this summer. In the morning, walking to the bakery and buying bread and Rock & Rye while listening to The Fountainhead audiobook. In the afternoon, I'm going to sleep. At night, I'm going to do telemascopes. At 2 AM, I'm going to stand outside the bar in a dress to see if someone will take me home. Then start it over again.

Hopefully Destiny's got some updates that will take enough of my time that I don't have to resort to doing astronomy and can concentrate on my true passions.

You and Kermit are both making great & similar points, so I wrote 1 reply for both of you :)

It's getting beautiful outside in my part of the country. If you are disappointed with not having enough to do in Destiny, I totally suggest (non-facetiously) that you try to get some fresh air instead.

First of all, I live in Toronto... the weather here is not so good at the moment ;p

2nd, you're assuming I don't already do other stuff :) I say this lightheartedly; but saying "if you don't like it, go outside" isn't exactly the most constructive line of conversation, is it :) I've got more than my share on my plate these days (as I'm sure many of us do). I don't think it's bad or unfair to expect more from our video games (or movies, or books, or tv, whatever). Some people can just play a game or watch TV and say to themselves "I'm not completely bored, so this must be good!". I'm not one of those people. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. I just can't help but think about all the time and effort that goes into a release like this, all the excitement and hope from fans (even while keeping expectations in check). And I look at the final product and can't help but feel "this really should be better, coming from Bungie". It's not a big deal at all. That's just how I feel about it, and I share those thoughts. Maybe I shouldn't ;p

I appreciate your post and squid's. I'll say this, though. If Bungie fails in making Destiny compelling enough to be my daily hobby that's a good thing in my book. Life is short. I don't want Destiny to be my daily hobby. I've got other games I want to play for one thing, but beyond that, other, dare I say, more important things to do. As does everyone, I assume.

I want to reply to your post as well as squid's at the same time here, because I think you are both making great points and my response lines up to fit both.

Destiny has become something unique for me, both because of the nature of the game itself and how it fits into my life at the moment. Specifically speaking, my life as a new dad. I love being a father, but there are certain elements that I have found particularly difficult to deal with. Above all else, it has been a very socially isolating experience for me. Opportunities to go out and see friends are few and far between. I might go out socially once every 4 or 5 months at best. And when I do see my friends, much as we love each other, there is a bit of a disconnect because I am in such a completely different life space than any of them. That's issue number 1.

Next: All my life, I have enjoyed competition. I was fiercely into sports all through highschool, and continued to find ways to be both active and competitive as often as possible in the years after. Since having a child, that has come to a grinding halt. I manage to get to the gym 2 or 3 times per week, even if its just so I can run for 15 or 20 minutes. It's not as much as I'd like, but at least it is a bit of physical activity. However, that does nothing to scratch my competitive itch.

Final issue: my "me time" is all but non-existent. From the moment I wake up at 7:30am, I've got my hands full taking care of the little one, then going to work, then coming home to take care of the little one again, putting her to bed, then watching a little TV with my wife so she doesn't feel completely ignored. I honestly don't get a moment to myself until about midnight. I've always loved videgames... they have consistently been one of my favorite ways to blow off steam and escape the pressures of real life. So when I do get a little time to myself, playing a videogame is often near the top of my list.

What makes Destiny so special for me is that it helps me deal with all 3 of these issues at the same time. For the most part, Destiny is my social life. It's literally the only time I get to spend with friends for weeks or even months at a time. Playing Trials and Iron Banner may not be physically demanding, but it scratches my competitive itch. And finally, hour or two with Destiny each day is the only "me" time I really get, and I find I really need it. That bit of fun and fantasy helps me greatly when it comes to getting through the rest of my day.

All of this to say, I absolutely hear what you and Squid are both saying, and I generally agree with you. I just want to explain why Destiny has become a more important part of my life than I ever really thought a videogame could :)