Interesting reading after sleeping on it (Destiny)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, October 08, 2015, 16:54 (3430 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY
edited by Cody Miller, Thursday, October 08, 2015, 17:01

I've touched on this in my response to Beirn's OP, but I think these limited time events are at least partially done for practical reasons. With all of TTK's new quest lines and special versions of various strikes and missions, the player base is spread out across a huge range of activities. To me, limited-time windows for quests seems like a way to focus the community towards them so players can easily find others to play with (either organically or through matchmaking). Obviously, this system is causing a few new problems, but I think there is room for Bungie to tweet the way they roll out these events to allow everyone to experience them within a reasonable amount of time.

If matchmaking were completely removed (except for crucible), and every single activity has to be done with a fireteam you know, similar to Raids, then I have a feeling there'd be no need for these timed events. It seems to me that matchmaking has such a huge negative impact on the game:

1. Strike playlists designed to be played repeatedly.
2. People quitting out of strikes, or running through as fast as possible to just get loot.
3. Levels designed to facilitate seamless matchmaking rather than a compelling play space.

If I think back on all of the best times I've had with Destiny, exactly zero were with a matchmade party. Literally everything that's the most enjoyable has either been solo, or with a fireteam.

If there were no matchmaking, you'd have to find friends with whom to play the game, and you'd do the quests together and play as a group. They could design the game so that there is lots of stuff that can be done solo or with a fireteam, yet have a bunch of the cool stuff require a group. If you are playing and your group isn't, you hit up the solo stuff. When your group gets together, you hit the group stuff. There'd be no need to time things so everybody does them at once in order to facilitate matchmaking. You organize yourself when you and your friends are ready. The Thorn strike didn't have it, and it was fine!

I'm not sure a game has ever tried to be primarily co-operative without matchmaking, and there would be some resistance, but it might end up being a better experience. It would certainly be less repetitive.