Happy launch day! (Destiny)
by Anna Komnene, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 05:58 (652 days ago)
- No text -
And to you!! Hoping to catch up with everyone.
by Malagate , Sea of Tranquility, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 07:13 (652 days ago) @ Anna Komnene
As is my custom, I will grind out my Dredgen before anything else, but I'm pretty hype about all the changes we have in store. If you see me on, don't hesitate to shoot me an invite!
Love y'all,
<3
Mal
And to you!! Hoping to catch up with everyone.
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 07:30 (652 days ago) @ Malagate
Anybody stay up late and play the campaign? I want details people!
And to you!! Hoping to catch up with everyone.
by cheapLEY , Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 09:10 (652 days ago) @ Cody Miller
There will probably be a “Lightfall All Cutscenes” youtube video up somewhere in a few hours. That’s what I’m going to look for after work tonight.
And to you!! Hoping to catch up with everyone.
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 10:58 (652 days ago) @ cheapLEY
There will probably be a “Lightfall All Cutscenes” youtube video up somewhere in a few hours. That’s what I’m going to look for after work tonight.
In 1080p.
And stereo.
And crappy youtube compression.
I've failed you all with the cutscene library.
And to you!! Hoping to catch up with everyone.
by cheapLEY , Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 11:00 (652 days ago) @ Cody Miller
It’s okay. Destiny’s cutscenes aren’t good enough to be worth all that effort anyway.
First impression of Warlock Strand is good!
by Anna Komnene, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 13:33 (652 days ago) @ Anna Komnene
Liked HIYA-ing enemies.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by INSANEdrive, ಥ_ಥ | f(ಠ‿↼)z | ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ| ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 19:50 (652 days ago) @ Anna Komnene
-I've played with Strand once now on my Warlock, but it's obvous that I'm going to need to play with it a few more times to turn the vibe I get from my first play with it into words.
-I still absolutely think that "Neomoonuh"... geeze, It's... it's so not Bungie par. And yet... with some of the looks and designs INSIDE, there seems to be some semblance of an identity. It's very rough, but my first impressions are a mix of 60's and what the 40's thought the future would look like. It's... interesting, actually.
-The introduction of the... what are their names? The... Silver Surfers? Whatever. Just... ugh. ... ... it's like someone at Bungie got a little TOO inspired at Burning Man. That's... all I'll say about that for now.
- Pour one out for The Farm. ;_; Woof. I'm actually ACTUALLY sad about it.
...the rest shall come in time.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by cheapLEY , Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 20:11 (652 days ago) @ INSANEdrive
I admittedly have not played (and likely won’t), but I did watch streams of a lot of it and tried to find all the cutscenes.
It seems pretty bad as a story expansion, even by Destiny standards. I won’t spoil anything, but jeez.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by bluerunner , Music City, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 20:22 (652 days ago) @ cheapLEY
I haven't got that far and I have already lost the desire to finish it. It's a mix of confusing, boring, and cringe.
Ace and Gary with their surfboards feel like some weird crossover from another game.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 23:37 (652 days ago) @ bluerunner
I haven't got that far and I have already lost the desire to finish it. It's a mix of confusing, boring, and cringe.
I played through the obligatory story mission so I could start the seasonal stuff, and... Just the story mission burned me out, and I couldn't even bring myself to hit the launch button on the EDZ Heist after visiting the farm. Like I told Fooch, as much as I know I want to get the ornament set for my Warlock, just knowing that I was about the launch the first of 500 Heists to grind that stuff out, knowing there's a weekly lockout that'll keep me from seeing anything of substance... I just sat there for a minute, messed with my only Loadout, then shut the game off and Sammy and I went off for a drive instead while we waited for Genshin's server maintenance to end.
Ace and Gary with their surfboards feel like some weird crossover from another game.
Between Not-Rohan having a (literally?) phoned-in voice actor and even lazier writing (Woo-hoo? Stay Frosty?), I feel like I dodged a bullet this expansion. Bungie's been bad at dialogue since day 1, but I wish one day someone would look at a storyboard, doctor a script, punch up some dialogue, and tighten up the graphics on Level 3 when it comes to storytelling.
I can NOT believe that something as abysmal as Atomic Heart has more cohesive and layered storytelling than Destiny's big expansion. Like... Jesus Bungie.
Have any of their writers ever heard a real conversation between two people? Are these people that introverted?
I dunno. I'm pretty checked out of the main story until next year. The grind up to power level without the campaign boosts is gonna suck, so I don't even know how much time I'm going to dedicate to Destiny before the final month of the season (especially since I just accidentally bought NieR: Replicant, lol. Beware your wishlists on PS5! They apparently get automatically added to your Cart when the item goes on sale!).
On a final note, While the Buildcrafting system was very straightforward, it feels more limiting than ever. Breaking apart mods to all use the same timed Armor Charge timer and stored charges, and making them all Element and Armor-piece specific has severely neutered versatility. Adding an arbitrary use-it-or-lose-it timer to the entire build process has also thrown unneeded anxiety into the mix. It's honestly the single biggest misstep in recent memory. Like, are we doomed to monitor the bottom left of our screen every five seconds forever now?
Happy launch day thoughts!
by bluerunner , Music City, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 05:20 (651 days ago) @ Korny
I haven't got that far and I have already lost the desire to finish it. It's a mix of confusing, boring, and cringe.
then shut the game off and Sammy and I went off for a drive instead while we waited for Genshin's server maintenance to end.
That was a much better use of your time.
Adding an arbitrary use-it-or-lose-it timer to the entire build process has also thrown unneeded anxiety into the mix. It's honestly the single biggest misstep in recent memory. Like, are we doomed to monitor the bottom left of our screen every five seconds forever now?
I feel like a little kid at an Easter egg hunt scrambling around for orbs. I have a feeling this timer is going to be frustrating during raids with everybody trying to time orb pickups before DPS.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 09:21 (651 days ago) @ Korny
Between Not-Rohan having a (literally?) phoned-in voice actor and even lazier writing (Woo-hoo? Stay Frosty?), I feel like I dodged a bullet this expansion. Bungie's been bad at dialogue since day 1, but I wish one day someone would look at a storyboard, doctor a script, punch up some dialogue, and tighten up the graphics on Level 3 when it comes to storytelling.
I can NOT believe that something as abysmal as Atomic Heart has more cohesive and layered storytelling than Destiny's big expansion. Like... Jesus Bungie.
Have any of their writers ever heard a real conversation between two people? Are these people that introverted?
Ok, so caveat: I haven't played this game in over 4 years.
But, from what I see and hear, I think it all goes back to Destiny not really being about anything. Like, it has stakes. It has stuff happening. But it just always seems like the characters are there to give you the plot, rather than being an inseparable part of the narrative. So they probably have terrible dialogue because they genuinely do not have anything to actually talk about.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by ManKitten, The Stugotz is strong in me., Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 09:54 (651 days ago) @ Cody Miller
But, from what I see and hear, I think it all goes back to Destiny not really being about anything. Like, it has stakes. It has stuff happening. But it just always seems like the characters are there to give you the plot, rather than being an inseparable part of the narrative.
Just the other day I was wondering what all the Vanguard people do during the day. Ikora has yellow eye shadow. Does she wake up each morning and turn on a podcast while she is putting her makeup on? Does she have to go shopping for said makeup or have it delivered?
Does Zavala go back to an apartment somewhere, take off his armor and poor a glass of brandy?
Shaxx never takes his helmet off...but how does homie eat? Imagine Shaxx eating a bowl of soup but it's too hot and he's blowing on the spoon.
What about Amanda? She just a regular ol' human. Does she take PTO to go to Burning Man?
Happy launch day thoughts!
by cheapLEY , Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 10:00 (651 days ago) @ Cody Miller
That’s exactly the problem. There’s lots of plot in Destiny, but there is no story. Lightfall has me more convinced than ever there has never been and will never be an actual plan. We were told explicitly that their story was so grand they had to add an extra expansion here to tell it correctly. As far as I can tell you can watch the first cutscene and the last cutscene and lose basically nothing in terms of any actual plot or story development.
I get that making games is hard, but I seriously hope at least someone at Bungie has enough self-awareness to feel embarrassed by putting this out and expecting people to think it’s great.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by ManKitten, The Stugotz is strong in me., Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 12:29 (651 days ago) @ cheapLEY
edited by ManKitten, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 12:37
That’s exactly the problem. There’s lots of plot in Destiny, but there is no story. Lightfall has me more convinced than ever there has never been and will never be an actual plan. We were told explicitly that their story was so grand they had to add an extra expansion here to tell it correctly. As far as I can tell you can watch the first cutscene and the last cutscene and lose basically nothing in terms of any actual plot or story development.
I get that making games is hard, but I seriously hope at least someone at Bungie has enough self-awareness to feel embarrassed by putting this out and expecting people to think it’s great.
The way this season has arrived it makes me wonder....what was the point/plot of the last 8 years? Lots of stuff has happened, but none of it seems significant. Has anything that has happened not played out yet?
For example:
The stranger.
That black heart in the garden.
Siva and Iron Lords.
I still want to know how the Vex fit into things.
How do the Taken fit into things.
That cranky old guy who was the planet vender that is turning into a Vex.
That Exodus AI that's going crazy.
Osiris and his infinite universes and the Vex seeing the past and future and our sun being dead.
EDIT:
Ol' whats-her-face vanguard with the 3 eyes on the moon and all of her ghost projections and finding that statue in the pyramid in the moon and it made her green orb glow.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 12:54 (651 days ago) @ ManKitten
I am legitimately trying to think of ANY conclusion to these ten years that would be satisfying at all. Precisely as you say, because what was built? How can something end when there wasn’t much there to begin with as a narrative?
I remember criticizing the piecemeal storytelling years and years ago, but was met with “just give them time you’re expecting too much right away”.
Have… they had enough time yet?
Happy launch day thoughts!
by bluerunner , Music City, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 12:56 (651 days ago) @ ManKitten
I bet we never find out who the Stanger was talking to in D1.
I don't know what the writing team dynamic is at Bungie, but it feels like they either have a lot of turnover or outsource a lot of the writing without having clear guidelines and layouts for the story. It seems like things just pop up or disappear depending on which team is writing.
Happy launch day thoughts!
by cheapLEY , Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 14:31 (651 days ago) @ bluerunner
It seems like they have narrative priorities backwards. All the good stuff goes into the lore books while the main narrative could barely be considered an actual story.
The people writing the lore books all seem like they're on the same page (or at least of a similar level of actual writing competence), while the people writing the supposed narrative for the video game we actually play don't have a clue what's supposed to be happening. I get that writing some short stories is on the whole much easier than writing the story that must fit gameplay constraints of a live service game, but, c'mon.
There are flashes of good storytelling in Destiny. Building our relationships and forming an alliance with the Cabal and the Eliksni is good stuff, if not particularly novel or brilliant. But it's solid and interesting. That's obvious forward progress in some sort of actual plot. But the Light and Dark saga hasn't moved forward at all in however many years. "The Darkness is here" has been a selling point for three or four years now, and it's only just now actually true, and in a way that doesn't actually mean anything.
Spoilers for Lightfall, I guess:
What did the Witness actually do? Did he kill the Traveler? Zavala and Ikora specifically state the Traveler is gone when you talk to them after the final cutscene, but it was still there in that cutscene. What actually happened? I get leaving a cliffhanger for further storytelling, but it's not really actually a cliffhanger when it's not even clear what happened or what the stakes are. As far as I can tell, the Witness opened a portal and just left. Problem solved! You can't try and sell me some high stakes narrative and then do absolutely nothing to actually build and make clear those stakes. It reeks of them just winging it and doing whatever they think seems cool in the moment and figuring out what it actually means later. It's like watching LOST again, only that was far more compelling moment to moment. That actually had characters I was at least somewhat invested in.
We still don't have any actual answers for just about anything. Why did the Traveler give the Light to Savathun and her Hive? I thought they might use the seasonal model to answer that question and follow on the actual main narrative thread, but instead we got to fight Ransaaks the punny pirate Servitor or what the fuck ever it was.
I don't know, I guess I'll shut up now. I don't want to be the guy that just hangs around here and bitches about the game, but this expansion seems extremely disappointing in basically every regard I can see, and that's a bummer. I watched a bunch of streams trying to convince myself that I should continue to play Destiny, but instead I walked away feeling completely justified in cancelling my preorder a week or two ago. This was supposed to be the beginning of the final confrontation and instead it felt like a diversion in a clown car.
😬
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, March 02, 2023, 08:32 (650 days ago) @ cheapLEY
edited by Cody Miller, Thursday, March 02, 2023, 09:18
Lightfail?
2 cents
by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 07:23 (651 days ago) @ INSANEdrive
1 cent. Dislike the new characters. The young guy especially. Reminds me a Shaw. Too chipper for this context. On the other hand, the serious tones of Zavala and Ikora no longer have the effect they once did. Not digging the 80s neon aesthetic (complete with Ninja Turtle armor). For the first time ever, I don't like Bungie's modern environments. The main thing is Neomuna just seems underbaked, as compared to say, Europa. There's a lack of detail, and I almost feel like I'm playing on draft maps. When everything is lit up like a tropical resort, it feels empty and dead.
2 cent. Gameplay is very fun. I've really enjoyed the missions and seasonal activities so far, and strand is cool.
Extra cent. Cayde gets a monument NOW? Not too soon.
For shame
by ManKitten, The Stugotz is strong in me., Wednesday, March 01, 2023, 06:32 (651 days ago) @ Anna Komnene
Once again, while in game and you click the the button to buy the expansion, you're only shown the $100 annual pass with no other options.
To me, this is just suuupppper shitty tactics. The $50 expansion only version is available in the Xbox store and comes with the Season of Defiance pass.
I started the campaign with my son and we are only a few missions in. It's fine. It's still the same enemies with the same mechanics, just different makeup.
It seems ridiculous that it starts us out at 1600 light level and within 2 missions it's dropped enough gear to get me up to 1635 or so. What's the point?
Despite my blatantly negative takes here...it's still fun and I enjoy playing the game. It's good! It's fine! For the way I play games, it's perfect. It's worth the price for sure.