An INSANEdrive Update: Before 2023 Edition (Destiny)

by INSANEdrive, ಥ_ಥ | f(ಠ‿↼)z | ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ| ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, Saturday, November 19, 2022, 15:30 (734 days ago)

Category: Destiny, DBO, Criticism, & Gameing? Ah... I'll just stick this in with the Default.

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At this point, the ups and downs and the smatterings of my calls and my rants are dried up like an ancient sea. Dried up like a sea and twice as salty, crumbled to dust with the moment sucking ticks of time. Desiccated. A moment's context is lost, showing only the bones of frustrations that have been long forgotten, or worse, occasionally repeated. Everlastingly there. Different, but the same. In those cases, someone at Bungie missed a pattern, I guess. And due to that (or more likely they or those) someone(s) in Bungie missing this implied pattern that was always there but wasn't (apparently) seen as clearly, I get to make a post rambling about how water is wet, fire is hot, and the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow in Europe is at max 14 meters per second. You know. Obvious stuff.

All this because, perhaps, the conditions didn't amplify it enough. Well, than it really is a wonder to think about who is really making the game in the first place. Is it the lore? The game developers? The weak foibles of humanity? The Community? SUPER PRO STREAMER BROS!?... most likely a little of everything. And yet, I can't help but wonder if whatever "knowledge" I've had to give has really been worth a darn, useful only to the practice of writings and rambles I've given myself. I mean, at least screaming into an actual hole would give me some sort of reply, right? And I'm sure there are easier ways to talk to myself. Is what I've found to be so obvious, really so hard to see? Which brings us to the first babbling ramble I have to tell; WHY IN THE FLYING FUDGE MARKET DO WE HAVE ANOTHER SEASON THIS YEAR?!

For the last two years, if memory serves me right, it's been two "three month seasons", and then at the end, a third "six month season". And it was all so... HEALTHY! We come in, we play Destiny, all the new hotness. It's Great! Then... things temper down. Now there is space. Now there is time. Go play other games, go do other things, six months meant the community didn't get burned out. If you wanted to play, great, if not, no FOMO.

...and it was good. Really really good. Look, here's me talking about other games, and movies... it's HEALTHY! Granted, the movies are in an intermixed timeframe, but the playing other games deal totally was only possible because of the six month season. One can only dedicate so much time.

Which brings me to a question. What has been the pulse of the community in these recent-ish weeks? As I understand it, it was pretty gosh-darn low before Bungie started whipping up some gimmicky carrots out of the ground. And even if it turns out that the little data I've seen proves to be insufficient, I can surely say that I myself surely feel it, this "low." I'll go into more detail later, but for now I have to ask as well: Is that really a surprise? The community aspect, that is. This "down" feeling about the game has been true for about the same time every year. I say this off recollection, but such is from someone who's been rolling Destiny 2 as the "main hub" of a game for basically the entire 5 years it's been rolling along. It's just kind of how it all happens. Still too far for the next expansion, but also so far from the start of the "Modern" one that even the spoiled leftovers lack any funk. Ain't got no jive, you feel?

The community by and large gets burned out AROUND this time every year. EVERY YEAR. Slight differences because of the state of the game here and there, but every year, the rocks of tedium start to show above the oceans of hype. Difference now, with this year, is instead of having any breathing room where this low doesn't matter, we're now going to get SOME-SORT of lead up season for...uh what is it called again? The next expansion? Hyper Color Fun time something something? ...ah.

So now... between this perfectly healthy apathy of the game, there is an unnecessary conflict. And EVEN IF this was the only thing I had to say, this spoils the freshness of what is to come. Let's put it in a way that a game dev might comprehend. If you're a game dev whose getting the love of the craft whored out through the power of 35+ hours of unpaid overtime, or some other disgusting crunch nonsense, what the fuck does it matter if you've been assigned to a fresh project straight after the crunch? "Dead" is "dead" y'all! A fresh seal of Skippy don't mean jack if you're dead to the world, and swapping a worn out battery into an new vessel isn't suddenly going to bring the lights back on very long.

Things just don't work that way.

Just... do I expect too much? Does it not make sense that, with Bungie apparently understanding how bad CRUNCH and BURNOUT is for their employees, that they would understand how bad BURNOUT would be for their most dedicated of fans as well? Cuz, apparently... a lot of the community is or was feeling it, and I'm just sitting here going... uh, YEAH! ...DUH!

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So... that's where I am, but, also not. I said there is more, and there is.

...

...

...

I've... I've been watching this wall build since, oh, somewhere in the summer I think. Factors both in-game and out-of-game. And try as I did to see if I could manage it, 'cuz man this isn't the first time I've been just flat checked-out with the game, I... this one, this one is feeling pretty different folks. BOTH because of factors in-game, and out-of-game. Lots of self discussions on where I would like best to put my time. "What do I want to do?" with plenty of "How shall I do, and manage that time..." etcetera etcetera etcetera.

So let's start with what I'm not going to be highly vague about; I am a Warlock main. D2, D2 Beta, D1, D1 Beta, D1 Alpha... I, am a WARLOCK MAIN. Even before I touched the alpha, and I had but words on a page, yep, you guessed it. Warlock Main. And while I do moonlight at times the Arcstrider Hunter, it's always just a visit. Frankly, it's got some very Warlock play to it, but...anyway.

Fuck Subclass 3.0.

Figured I'd just rip the bandaid off here. Fuck Subclass 3.0. And... fuck you devs for being such butchers with my subclass. Perhaps even so far as cowards. I mean no malice in that, it's simply a fan upset by the defiling cast upon my main. A main which I've... well, no... !is!, is my interface to the Destiny Universe. You've adulterated and unclarified my subclass and it deserved no such treatment.

And, this is an INSANEdrive post, so know I'm about to fill it all in best I can, but... notice something different? I... I'm so apathetic at this point, so... just over it, that in what must be a first for this sort of post of mine, there is far less than my usual formatting "emphasis" at all. So yeah, serious business. Or, eh... as serious business as this goofball gets for this sort of ultimately tertiary deal. I mean, this shit doesn't matter. But I've been on this fucking game for short of a decade, so fuck it, I've earned some say me thinks.

...

In Lore, the first Titans built the Wall, and gave their lives to defend it. Steadfast and sure, the Titans heritage are rooted in strength, sacrifice, and mercilessness. The Hunters, in so many words, are free spirits. They make their own luck, through the skill of their daring, their guile and their ingenuity.

And then... there are the Warlocks. Which, by the way, not sure if I mentioned. Uh, I Main Warlock, just so you know. It'll be important later. So... Warlocks. They are, in Lore, those who have long studied the Traveler. They are the seekers of discovering truth, and are driven by this search to all corners of the unknown. If the truth can be known, the Warlocks will find it, and maybe even be able to comprehend it. As a result of this search, be it a hunger or journey, they wield the energy of light (and dark) with a greater degree of fluidity and capacity in ability, than the other two classes. Sometimes even going so far as breaking the rules, often to the envy of many a Hunter. In a sense, they can Breath "life" into any-sort-of things. Do you understand how POWERFUL that is!? Be it the paracausal energy, or the very weapons wielded, it's all done in a very fluid way. That's... THE FEEL. That's what DESTINY THE GAME gave to me. My Warlock breathed like a star, exhaling out it's gasified plasma shell, only for it to come back through the gravity and magnesium of its power. Of its fusion.

Eat a grenade. Change the rules of my health. Charge a Grenade and BLAST all who dare corner me. In one moment, my solar grenade is damage, but in the next, it's health... or at least... these things were. The unique things we can, or at least could do with grenades was a fantastic example of what I mean. Warlocks were unique, because they knew things others did not or could not know. And how they INTERFACED with that power in game was a BIG BIG DEAL, towards the feel of play. With Warlocks, all power is extremely malleable. Again, do you even lore bro?

...But I get ahead of myself. ...

It is an EBB of play, which in turn is why I say Arcstrider has some Warlock elements to it. Still very hunter, yes, but... it's fine. It is very Hunter to bend the rules. Or even flat out learn new tricks from Warlocks, as I recall in lore. These clips above, by the way... are some favorite Warlock moments. Not the best examples in what I mean, and indeed far too few styles of moment, but... close enough. And obviously, of them all, nothing in this game was so close to perfection in Warlock play, offensively, then when "Middle Tree" Void AkA "Attunment of Fission" first came about. That's what the very first embedded clip at the top shows. But unfortunately it was also a time of "Go Fast" update, so the ability spam on top of the totally justified power of it meant that the scale of its ability pushed things too hot. If the cool-downs were increased, but the power stayed, that would have been fine. Classic risk-reward deal, where the skill is makeing sure you don't miss. A misjudgement in range or speed. But no, instead of high risk and high reward, everything got watered down SO harshly that it's basically, if I may be so bold to say, much like how half the Hunter exotics feel after they get "fixed." See; useless or so niche that they become such, however such observation may be too harsh on Hunter exotics.

This is where I think it started, by the way. This is where the Devs learned fear, but in all this time never learned the wisdom to wield that fear. To understand it, like, well... like a Warlock. And certainly, Stasis didn't help much either. And then... and then we get to Subclass 3.0.

---

The idea is simple. Make abilities, the core ability facets of each class, build-able. No small feat, but also has multiplicative risks. Things needed to be carefully calculated, so to not come into the game "too hot". And, for that much, I understand. Y'all remember when it was found that (as I understand it) Warlock Stasis super could overload the server calls by the number of Warlocks in super, causing ultimately big 'ol 999999999 style damage numbers? Multiplication is no joke.

But, as I was calling out from the beginning... something was off about Subclass 3.0. And I basically said as much with both Void, and Solar, and even Arc too in a way. Arc is particularly special, as we get to look back and see the whole of the Subclass 3.0 endeavor.

For Warlocks, it's not been good. Warlocks were carved up like a poultry, and their skills spread across the table. And in return? A few party favors. Cool ideas that lacked the cohesion of the former 2.0 skill trees. And I feel it. It's not the same. To me, Hunters still feel like Hunters, Titans still feel like Titans (sans a certain arc grenade), but Warlocks?

The play it owned is... is gone. Or rather, what made the Warlock play-style all its own is lost, given to the other classes. Leaving, on top of all the nerfs, Warlocks feeling SO HALVED, so watered down... it's just, gross. But it's worse from there. And it's worse because of how grossly piecemeal it's all been tended to. It's like the Devs broke every bone in the Warlock play, it's body, and then had the audacity to throw some wood and say "here's some wood for a splint, we'll throw you some rope later!"... gee. Would have just preferred the rope.

That's what the forthcoming buff to arc souls feels like to me right now. Sure, cool. Great memes, and if you build into it, it'll be fun. No sweat. But... the bones are still broken. And you broke them Bungie. They didn't even fix "the solutions" of a past style, during their "3.0" changes, which makes no sense. But hey! Broken bones aside, I still LOOK like a Warlock, right? That's gotta count for something! The Magnetic Grenade, which is what you MUST use to use "Handheld Supernova" now, has a longer base AND requires a second part (whatever the name) to even DO IT, but it CAN'T ONE SHOT! WHY IS IT LOCKED BEHIND ALL THIS CRAP, but when you get in the safe, instead of cash money it's...

... ... you know what. I'm griping. Sorry. ... This. This really is strangely upsetting to me. And... it's not like any of my input matters anyway. SO, TL;DR my Main isn't what it was, and it seems clearer and clearer to me that the ability folks seem to have just, fucking, lost the plot at this point. What even is a Warlock for at this point? A "nerf this next" punching bag? The Well guy?!-for FUCK sake. From one end to another, collective community to Devs, man I'm just feeling a touch like Dangerfield over here. And even if the Ability folks eventually figure out what and how to make Warlocks the gosh darned Space Wizards they are supposed to be, and not just a repository of neat gimmicks or two... fuck. Just, fuck. Even if they figure this shit out, how long is that going to take? How many months shall I have to endure these whole-cloth game play insults in the LIGHT of my main. And y'all don't even get me started on that "Sentient Grenade" crap that Titans got. Christ on a Cracker.

So let's get to the next part, shall we?

This is the part where I am going to be highly vague about. The factor... out-of-game. 2023. Something very important for my life as-I-can-see-it, changed, in the last few months. My heath is fine (far as I know), so let me stop any such thoughts there, this is nothing so grim. But... a door which was closed to me has opened. And I need to push myself though that door. 2023, with all its noise and fury yet writ into our collective stone, may very well be one to define my next decade. Geeze, ain't that a thought. Existential in a real hurry. Surly life will cooperate with me right? (LOL...lol....ROFL*SOB*...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...lol.)

Man, I've been consecutively in the Top 5 or so with our clan in Time Played for... a great many number of seasons. Alright, so here's the pattern: it'll be WU first (cuz... good lord Wu. Get ANOTHER hobby, geeze. ;P), then some super pro we have in our Clan Roster, hulululu or something like that will be there, and then, often it'll be me for a time. Give or take. But I can't both play Destiny as I have, and... ACTUALLY do things that matter (by whatever unknown amount). These last few weeks have been a test to that, and JUST a test. Full deal needs more time, more effort. I don't even know if I'll even have time for games. All I know is that I, as ever, do not know, and I just need to dive in and get to swimming.

...

...And even IF I should find some time to chill... man, what a backlog I have. Probably due to Destiny, as I think of it. CD PROJEKT RED has the next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt dropping on December 14th, so I'll be jumping back onto that game.

Red Dead Redemption 2 might get another look at, despite how infuriating the sudden control scheme change is. Might give Titanfall 2 another run around. And HOLY CRAP! Ubisoft admitted Splinter Cell is a thing. It's about DARNED TIME! And possibly a few other smaller games.

TL;DR

• I've hit a wall with this game, aided by a feeling of "repetitive burnout". But unlike past times where my creativity and resilience could smooth over the pitted flaws, and find the fun lost in the rough, there are choices, both in game and out that ask of me to consider other things.
  
• Warlocks have been so watered down, that it's hardly an idea of play. More merely a "slot 3" in play, then anything completely unique as it once was, short a few gimmicks here and there. Not sure I can speak more of "feel" in a TL;DR.
  • I'm tired of the "damage control" style Bungie uses with abilities, the... "we can fix it later" outlook used to justify why things are broken for so long. And for something as pivotal as a feeling for a class, man, it's just not going to do.
• Real life, or whatever this nonsense is I'm wearing right now, requires my attention. And by Heaven, I must heed it.
  
• You'll still see me on Destiny, and even around here, but it's going to be far far different than what the main lot of you may have become used to in these last few years. Might jump on with weekends, might not. You'll hear more "No, sorry" then you've heard before, as I've been up for helping folks with whatever, but...
  • (At the very least, gotta spam the form with my gameing exploits, right? ;D Which, might I add I have... quite a backlog of. >_>)

...well. Gotta go help myself now.

With ALL OF THAT, it's the universe just saying... man. It's time. And oh the irony(?) of this happening just as the forum got all reinvigorated with some new yet old blood. Something like that. And hey, I'll still be around, just... instead of being a staple, I'm a drifter.

Cheers folks.