Post-Beta thoughts: how Destiny can reach its full potential (Destiny)

by RC , UK, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, 08:42 (3562 days ago) @ kapowaz

Have you played any other MMOs? There's so much more richness and fun that can arise in shared (non-combat) social spaces like cities than just emotes. Give people the tools and they'll surprise you.

Isn't that exactly what happened in 2004, though? When Bungie released Halo 2 with proximity voice and open team chat and "created a monster."

In my experience, the majority of people don't even use voice chat (for whatever reason). The next biggest proportion of people were in party or private chat and couldn't hear you anyway. A large group had obnoxious interference or feedback from their TV sets, or I could hear everything going on in their house - earning an instant mute. Many were chatting with their friends or otherwise not engaged with the game. Then there were the trolls and assholes.

Times where people were pleasant and helping out the game, without me already knowing them and being in a party, were rare and I find difficult to recall.

I'm quite content with the idea that voice chat is off by default.

Yes, I think in-game non-verbal signalling could use some work but, voice chat isn't a magic bullet.

FWIW, it also makes the game less bandwidth hungry :P