PC vs. console (Destiny)

by Malagate , Sea of Tranquility, Thursday, July 24, 2014, 05:48 (3572 days ago) @ kidtsunami

The problem with those is they're outside the game, and that kind of social interaction really ought to happen inside the game. Viewing stats and having lengthy written conversations make sense as things for a companion app or website, but clan recruitment is one of the pillars of social interaction in a game like this.

Sure, and the Halo games had insignia and nameplates that could only be activated by going outside the game (or by even playing entirely different titles!), as well. This is a non-issue. Expecting players to go outside the game to use additional functionality isn't enough of a barrier to entry that it's going to keep people from joining clans.

Edit: forgot to mention; the other purpose of the clan banner is that it reverses the usual recruitment process — rather than catering to players who want to join a clan, it's a mechanism for players who want to recruit people to join their clan. I think the game needs both.

I wonder if this could be resolved with a bespoke place outside of the normal path in the Tower (like the couch basement area). You walk up to one of a few available stands and press 'X' to recruit. On a screen behind where you'd be standing it shows your Clan Name, # of members, and provides you an interface for managing voice chat. Then someone can walk up and press X to engage you and you can start chatting. The recruiter can subsequently silence anyone to keep people from just harassing others interested in joining a clan.

But wouldn't that limit the clans you could join by who is in the same instance with you? Some clans would get more exposure simply by having more members or simply members in the right places (geographically).

~m