This exists in Elder Scrolls online. (Destiny)

by Ragashingo , Official DBO Cryptarch, Monday, June 22, 2015, 20:58 (3681 days ago) @ Kermit

I have never used it because I don't like people, but it exists. The question is, is it possible to implement with Destiny's set up? It sure would be swell! Even if it was a ping all friends playing this game right now button, so we see "Funkmon needs help on *mission or whatever*" pop up at the bottom line contacting Destiny servers is on, that would be swell. My primary motivator for playing this game is friends anyway, I'd help whenever I could.

I'd take this option, too, but for making Destiny more like how it was initially described, I like the active in-game option best. Of course, they first need to solve the problem of you not being able to join the person standing beside you in the Cosmodrome without going to orbit.

I'm not sure how easy it is to fix the go to orbit thing. If I understand correctly, based on that networking talk a while back, you can kind of think of that person beside you as playing Two Betrayals while you play Assault on the Control Room. There are stretches of the two levels where the two of you might be able to follow each other just fine, say across the side by side bridges, but even if you ignored all the enemy differences between the two levels, eventually one of you will come across a locked door that opens on Assault on the Control room but has no scripting and so remains shut for Two Betrayals.

In Halo, if you want that door to open you need to stop playing and load the other mission. Destiny, for all it's wonder and advancements, probably works the same way. While you are in a public area the two of you share the same mission scripting but when you cross into your mission's Darkness Zone you are now running the scripting for your particular mission and your friend isn't. And since Destiny is a lot like Halo, engine wise, the only (current) solution is to stop playing (go to orbit) and reload the mission. That's a bit simplified from what I think is actually going on, but I hope it gets the point across. Destiny, like Halo, probably can't load new mission specific scripting without exiting the player from the simulation.

That said, I want a distress beacon feature even if I still have to hit orbit. :)