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Destiny - 1 Year On, Looking back at cut content

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Liamc723

Member
Oh, it changed everything. Good Lord. It added matchmaking, more pvp modes, voice chat and varied mission structure as opposed to shooting enemies while Dinklebot spews some crap? No? Oh...

Zones still the same empty crap and enemy variety is made from the same models but with different skins. Wow.

You don't know what you're talking about. Move on.
 

Maximus.

Member
Wow sounds like what was cut is what I always wanted or expected from the game. Such a shame such cuts were made. So many people I know were so hyped for this game and we were all let down, while being initially addicted to the game. Once the story ended, everyone I know felt cheated and never went back. I really do hope they make a huge comeback with a sequel, though I will have to wait for the game to come out and shit before I consider getting it this time around.
 
Well all that and MS is letting 343 release all MP free for Halo5. So they cant be that bad in the end. But whatever.

Except this was implemented before E3 and MS's plan for Halo 5 Multi.

Edit: Sorry, misunderstood your point. Halo 5 is also incorporating Micro-transactions so... trade off?

Edit 2: Plus they need the good press after the whole MCC fiasco, and the not quite AAA reviews for Halo 4.
 

Ophelion

Member
I don't buy the "holding back cut content to sell back to us" tinfoil hat theory.

They had concept art and some rendered locations they showed off. That's not the same as those places being ready to play in.

Personally, I think they probably just ran out of time and in the last year, they realized they were not going to hit their deadline, hit the panic button and just tried to make the best game they could out of what was ready to go.

Now they're in the unenviable position of trying to re-integrate intended stuff back into the game while changing it to match the new gutted story and also changing it to suit the player feedback they've gotten since. It's a mess for sure, but until I see actual, verifiable proof of malice, I'm going to assume that they just fucked up real bad and are now trying to make the best of a bad situation.

In times gone by, the game would've just ended up a spectacular failure where the game just didn't live up to what it was meant to be and consigned to the annals of history. Like Too Human. I can't decide if Destiny being permitted to live, limp on and try to correct its stride is better or worse.

I'm hoping better. Still has some of the best mechanics and art direction of any game out there. I enjoy my time there, imperfect though it may be.
 
This is how the development of Destiny played out in my mind.

2010 Bungie finishes Reach and has a massive party with lots of blow and alcohol to celebrate the fact they never have to make a Halo game for Microsoft again.

2011 Full production of Destiny begins. It's gonna be a MMORPG, space opera, Star Wars, Halo, and Harry Potter all rolled into one.

Bungie approaches Microsoft to publish Destiny. Microsoft is like "How much is this going to cost?" Bungie is like "We have no idea, but our game is going to be AWESOME!" Microsoft passes on Destiny.

Bungie meets with Bobby Kotick in the 7th Circle of Hell and they sell their collective soul for big $$$. Bungie now has a publisher.

2012
Lots of art assets, game design on paper, and back story are created. They even get the engine working. Everybody in the studio has their own idea of what Destiny is going to be and every idea is very different.

2013
The Dark Lord Kotic suddenly appears in ring of fire. He proclaims that Destiny must ship in 2014 or he will devour the first born of every Bungie employee.

Massive cuts are made to Destiny's design. Joe Staten realizes that his vision of Destiny is being thrown out,. A fist fight between Joe and some of the studio heads breaks out, Joe loses and leaves Bungie.

Loads of content that doesn't fit the new bare bones design of Destiny is thrown out.

2014
Bungie begs Darth Kotick to give them 5 more months to finish the game. Kotick agrees on condition that Bungie funnels its share of Destiny's profits into the Republican party.

Martin O' Donnell longtime Bungie composer is fired for butting heads with other studio leads. O'Donnell wants the game to be better, the other leads want Destiny to ship.

Destiny ships to mixed reviews and massive sales. Bungie is relieved that their game is out and that their first born children are safe .... for now.
 

gatti-man

Member
Yeah according to the Destiny app I have played a total of 1536 hours. Sheesh! This is really the first time I've checked the numbers and done the actual math and I'm kinda disgusted with myself. As I said in an earlier post work has been slow but MY GOD what have I become. In the first six months of Destiny's release I gained 20 pounds (I've since burned it off plus some due to upcoming wedding) from sitting on my ass playing, and anyone that knows me knows that I'm a fitness nut. Yeah I probably should definitely skip TTK lol.

Holy shit dude. That's like 2 months of non stop destiny. Lol
 
Martin O' Donnell longtime Bungie composer is fired for butting heads with other studio leads. O'Donnell wants the game to be better, the other leads want Destiny to ship.

I don't remember the source for this, but I recall that the reason for Marty's departure is he absolutely refused to include audio options in the game. He wanted his music to play at specific volumes at specific times, period.

This didn't mesh with Bungie wanting to include options to mute the in-game music and allow players to play music directly from their consoles.
 

Compsiox

Banned
This is how the development of Destiny played out in my mind.

2010 Bungie finishes Reach and has a massive party with lots of blow and alcohol to celebrate the fact they never have to make a Halo game for Microsoft again.

2011 Full production of Destiny begins. It's gonna be a MMORPG, space opera, Star Wars, Halo, and Harry Potter all rolled into one.

Bungie approaches Microsoft to publish Destiny. Microsoft is like "How much is this going to cost?" Bungie is like "We have no idea, but our game is going to be AWESOME!" Microsoft passes on Destiny.

Bungie meets with Bobby Kotick in the 7th Circle of Hell and they sell their collective soul for big $$$. Bungie now has a publisher.

2012
Lots of art assets, game design on paper, and back story are created. They even get the engine working. Everybody in the studio has their own idea of what Destiny is going to be and every idea is very different.

2013
The Dark Lord Kotic suddenly appears in ring of fire. He proclaims that Destiny must ship in 2014 or he will devour the first born of every Bungie employee.

Massive cuts are made to Destiny's design. Joe Staten realizes that his vision of Destiny is being thrown out,. A fist fight between Joe and some of the studio heads breaks out, Joe loses and leaves Bungie.

Loads of content that doesn't fit the new bare bones design of Destiny is thrown out.

2014
Bungie begs Darth Kotick to give them 5 more months to finish the game. Kotick agrees on condition that Bungie funnels its share of Destiny's profits into the Republican party.

Martin O' Donnell longtime Bungie composer is fired for butting heads with other studio leads. O'Donnell wants the game to be better, the other leads want Destiny to ship.

Destiny ships to mixed reviews and massive sales. Bungie is relieved that their game is out and that their first born children are safe .... for now.

7/10 too much bungie
 

a.wd

Member
Nope, Halo had a rubbish story...your hear to defend Halo and its deep story...I played it and cant remember anything of it other than the alien you play coop to chief and the naked blue bird.

Stop moderating and being elitist. I say halo and destiny had rubbish stories...you seem to think Halo is some prize winning novel...my sides...I could give you a link to the Destiny lore...if I could be bothered...probably written by the same guys...they must have a good laugh....

We beg to differ, but stop with the elitist crap. I have 2 degrees if you want to pull the reading comprehension drivel.



Never picked up much of that in game...was not in the cut scenes....maybe it was on the grimore cards or you had to read it on screen in the credits...That info the fans might lknow, but ask your average guy who plays through a Halo game what the story was and lore...and you wont get much back....

Destiny has the same type of lore...you read both its pretty obviously made by the same bunch..same world saving pretentious nonsense, but you are the hero to drive back the evil flood / darkness / hive...whatever...in earths most darkest hour....You are the chosen one with special powers....and .....LOL

Not being funny, but you say "hear to defend" then talk about your reading comprehension.
 

KageMaru

Member
I'm still willing to give both Bungie and Activision the benefit of the doubt... Everyone hated the game during early play testing. What would you do? They did what they could...

I would give them the benefit of the doubt if they didn't continue to screw gamers with overpriced DLC. What happened recently with the dances and skins is proof they have learned nothing. $20 for so little content is straight bullshit.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought Danny's argument in that video is that Destiny was designed from the start to take advantage of certain psychological traits and get the player addicted. But I think you're saying that after Joe left and Activision stepped in (possibly because of budget problems) the game was released anyway because their fallback plan was to take advantage of human psychology? That's a hell of a gamble.

I think the point is how they take advantage of this addicted combination to provide less game for the same price because they know people will pay to have more of it.

I like destiny more than halo. Not everyone shares your opinion. For me the value of destiny has been huge. Haven't bought nearly as many games as I normally do. It's saved me probably $200 or more.

I won't argue that you shouldn't enjoy the game or which is better between Halo or Destiny. However I think few would argue that Destiny launched with a joke amount of content for a loot game. All I'm asking for is for Bungie to provide enough content for the asking price. Would you really complain if the two DLC packs were included in the game and we were given a real, engaging story like we were promised?

I have no issue with the fun that could be had in Destiny. I easily put in 60-100 hours myself. However I can't support their bullshit development practices. The success of destiny is not healthy for this industry.
 
Bravo.

Am I remembering wrong or was all the reviews kept hush until release.
I remember reading (leaks?) that the game wasn't what was to be believed and you should low expectations?

Before the game came out Bungie told us that the Cosmodrome was 1 of 4 destinations, and given the missions we could already play on Earth, it was pretty easy to guess the "size" of the game.

Then the Moon was available for a day, and even though we couldn't see all the missions on it, we COULD explore about 90% of the destination.

This meant that the Beta had probably 20-25% of the entire game in it. Didn't need a reviewer to tell you that. Players were catching on themselves.

That said, most of us didn't care because the competitive/co-op was so fun, we still enjoyed ourselves.
 

gatti-man

Member
I won't argue that you shouldn't enjoy the game or which is better between Halo or Destiny. However I think few would argue that Destiny launched with a joke amount of content for a loot game. All I'm asking for is for Bungie to provide enough content for the asking price. Would you really complain if the two DLC packs were included in the game and we were given a real, engaging story like we were promised?

I have no issue with the fun that could be had in Destiny. I easily put in 60-100 hours myself. However I can't support their bullshit development practices. The success of destiny is not healthy for this industry.

I would love a real story. The fact that destiny lacks story is my biggest complaint about the game. It's not a bad story, it can't be bad because there is nothing there. The biggest non story AAA game I think I've ever played. It's the weirdest, most confounding thing that they haven't even patched in some story cutscenes or anything to push some kind of story narrative.

Yeah it's pretty gross. :-(
Hey it's your life. I'm not any better and I'm getting TTK but I am setting hard rules for myself about turning it off. Let's see if I can stick to it lol.
 

lifa-cobex

Member
Before the game came out Bungie told us that the Cosmodrome was 1 of 4 destinations, and given the missions we could already play on Earth, it was pretty easy to guess the "size" of the game.

Then the Moon was available for a day, and even though we couldn't see all the missions on it, we COULD explore about 90% of the destination.

This meant that the Beta had probably 20-25% of the entire game in it. Didn't need a reviewer to tell you that. Players were catching on themselves.

That said, most of us didn't care because the competitive/co-op was so fun, we still enjoyed ourselves.

I see,
I played the Alpha but not the Beta.
At the time I believed the Alpha was a chopped up version of the game to test. After that I went on censorship mode for the game. No spoilers an all that. I just remember my friend ringing me and saying something is up with the reviews not going out or something. Also (leaks?) were saying to lower expectations.
 
I would love a real story. The fact that destiny lacks story is my biggest complaint about the game. It's not a bad story, it can't be bad because there is nothing there. The biggest non story AAA game I think I've ever played. It's the weirdest, most confounding thing that they haven't even patched in some story cutscenes or anything to push some kind of story narrative.

Seriously watch this. It's a great recap of Destiny's Story. It does exist, and it's in-game. It's just that everything else in the game is such a distraction from the actual story that it's hard to follow.
 

Verano

Reads Ace as Lace. May God have mercy on their soul
I still wanna go to Saturn. Also would be great if factions had missions for their guardians to add more background story about the faction and how it involves the traveler
 
the original story was grand and cohesive but predictable and cliche and likely having trouble running on old tech. the publisher execs told them they werent going to risk spending more money on delays for a new IP so they were forced to downscale and do something different. by the time a plan was laid out, there wasnt much time to repurpose all of the content, so they had to throw things together and put the rest aside to buy time. and this is when the guy who spent all these years writing this story walks away.

now instead of the generic story with a cohesive narrative and large world, we got a more orginal story with no narrative and smaller world. and because that is inherent to the progression in the game, it threw everything out of balance. so they then designed the game in a way that would sustain player retention while they worked to tie up the ends.

the lore behind Destiny is extensive like Halo and clearly going after Star Wars - it just isnt in the game because they ran out of time.

No one factor led to this mess, but i think it ultimately comes down to the lack of a cohesive vision and the limitations of last gen. At that point, activision stepped in and made decisions to get a product out and keep it alive.

i hope the sequel is a reboot. they really ought to wipe the slate clean, drop the old tech and start over.
 
Oh, it changed everything. Good Lord. It added matchmaking, more pvp modes, voice chat and varied mission structure as opposed to shooting enemies while Dinklebot spews some crap? No? Oh...

Zones still the same empty crap and enemy variety is made from the same models but with different skins. Wow.

Have you even played? This is just wrong.

14 minutes!? How do you make a 14 minute long video on Destiny's "story"?

So funny!

I wish Destiny was a current gen exclusive, my one issue. It looks fantastic, but the scope is too limiting. Did the sales data for PS360 make it worth the sacrifice in the end?
 
I would give them the benefit of the doubt if they didn't continue to screw gamers with overpriced DLC. What happened recently with the dances and skins is proof they have learned nothing. $20 for so little content is straight bullshit.



I think the point is how they take advantage of this addicted combination to provide less game for the same price because they know people will pay to have more of it.



I won't argue that you shouldn't enjoy the game or which is better between Halo or Destiny. However I think few would argue that Destiny launched with a joke amount of content for a loot game. All I'm asking for is for Bungie to provide enough content for the asking price. Would you really complain if the two DLC packs were included in the game and we were given a real, engaging story like we were promised?

I have no issue with the fun that could be had in Destiny. I easily put in 60-100 hours myself. However I can't support their bullshit development practices. The success of destiny is not healthy for this industry.

yup their post game support has completely turned me off of the game.
 

Z3M0G

Member
14 minutes!? How do you make a 14 minute long video on Destiny's "story"?

I wasn't expecting much but the video kinda blew me away. Worth a full watch.

It actually made me respect Destiny's plot more, but the game's delivery of that plot even less...
 

frizby

Member
I'm 800 hours and $80 in, and I'm absolutely done. Not one more penny for this mess of a game.

I picked up the Borderlands Handsome Collection a few weeks back and have been playing BL2, and I feel like Destiny is basically trying to be a more serious BL game, and it's really really sucking at it.
 
I'm 800 hours and $80 in, and I'm absolutely done. Not one more penny for this mess of a game.

I picked up the Borderlands Handsome Collection a few weeks back and have been playing BL2, and I feel like Destiny is basically trying to be a more serious BL game, and it's really really sucking at it.

Where is that bingo card...
 

Euron

Member
I'm 800 hours and $80 in, and I'm absolutely done. Not one more penny for this mess of a game.
Look I'm a pretty big critic of Destiny and all but...dude...I'm hard pressed to think of a game that I've put 800 hours into, hell I think I can count the number of games I've put more than 250 hours into on one hand. I'm trying to think of games I've played that have come anywhere close to your time in Destiny. Maybe Smash Bros Melee over like 10 years? If I bought Halo 3 at release instead of a few years later then maybe that? Same with Dark Souls.

But in my mind, anybody who puts over 100 hours into a game has no right to call that game garbage. If a game is hooking you for that long then it can't be garbage.
 

Nydius

Gold Member
But in my mind, anybody who puts over 100 hours into a game has no right to call that game garbage. If a game is hooking you for that long then it can't be garbage.

Someone can put 100 hours into Destiny before they realize they're being played by the skinner box mechanic. Some people put several hundred hours into it because of the skinner box mechanic. There are people who have spent money monthly playing expansions for MMOs they legitimately dislike because they're addicted to the process, not because the game is quality.

Bungie knew damn well they were making a game that would keep some people addicted through psychological manipulation. Just like video poker and slot machine makers do.

Dismissing legitimate quality issues simply because some people displayed addictive tendencies only tells game developers to continue marching down this path. After all, if you put in 100 hours, clearly the game was good - even when it was barebones and openly hostile towards your time investment?

Time spent is not an adequate metric to determine overall product quality, especially of a game like this. Or, bluntly: quantity =/= quality.
 

geordiemp

Member
Even they knew it was utter shit and that no one wanted it

I always remember your avatar in every destiny thread giving the game what for.

You really got more than a little grudge man...

Take a deep breath and go and enjoy some games.

Had 3 really clutch flawless runs in trials this weekend...it was all close stuff and was great fun.
 
Someone can put 100 hours into Destiny before they realize they're being played by the skinner box mechanic. Some people put several hundred hours into it because of the skinner box mechanic. There are people who have spent money monthly playing expansions for MMOs they legitimately dislike because they're addicted to the process, not because the game is quality.

Bungie knew damn well they were making a game that would keep some people addicted through psychological manipulation. Just like video poker and slot machine makers do.

Dismissing legitimate quality issues simply because some people displayed addictive tendencies only tells game developers to continue marching down this path. After all, if you put in 100 hours, clearly the game was good - even when it was barebones and openly hostile towards your time investment?

Time spent is not an adequate metric to determine overall product quality, especially of a game like this. Or, bluntly: quantity =/= quality.

We're straying way off topic of the OP at this point. This disucssion has happened in every other Destiny thread. If you want to read up on the opinions of other forumers, please feel free to dig up one of the older Gaming-side Destiny threads.
 

KageMaru

Member
I would love a real story. The fact that destiny lacks story is my biggest complaint about the game. It's not a bad story, it can't be bad because there is nothing there. The biggest non story AAA game I think I've ever played. It's the weirdest, most confounding thing that they haven't even patched in some story cutscenes or anything to push some kind of story narrative.

I'd rather them not spew bullshit to the degree like they do. I'll happily trade any story for a game with an appropriate amount of content. I was an idiot to believe them when they said the beta was only a small part of the game. It was damn near a quarter of the game! The two DLC packs should have been included, no doubts there. What's worse is IIRC, that leaked picture revealed there are two more DLC packs planned after TTK. How much do you want to bet they stripped content from that "expansion" to use in those overpriced DLC add-ons.

Bungie still has so much skill and talent. Which is why I'm so mad that they've turned into this sleazy PoS studio so comfortable with fucking over their fanbase.
 

RSB

Banned
I like to outplay people. Standing completely still and firing at targets doing the same definitely reduces the skill gap.
These games with high movement options and forced ADS just seems like a missed opportunity.
So true.

Seriously, why do they include all those cool movement options and then force us to stand still on the ground to hit anything? Destiny would play so much better without those awful movement and accuracy penalties for everything... IDK why Bungie decided to sabotage their own game with that filth.
 

ryseing

Member
Oh, it changed everything. Good Lord. It added matchmaking, more pvp modes, voice chat and varied mission structure as opposed to shooting enemies while Dinklebot spews some crap? No? Oh...

Zones still the same empty crap and enemy variety is made from the same models but with different skins. Wow.

But HoW did all of those things? With the exception of raid matchmaking which is never going to happen.
 

cakely

Member
Someone can put 100 hours into Destiny before they realize they're being played by the skinner box mechanic. Some people put several hundred hours into it because of the skinner box mechanic. There are people who have spent money monthly playing expansions for MMOs they legitimately dislike because they're addicted to the process, not because the game is quality.

Bungie knew damn well they were making a game that would keep some people addicted through psychological manipulation. Just like video poker and slot machine makers do.

Dismissing legitimate quality issues simply because some people displayed addictive tendencies only tells game developers to continue marching down this path. After all, if you put in 100 hours, clearly the game was good - even when it was barebones and openly hostile towards your time investment?

Time spent is not an adequate metric to determine overall product quality, especially of a game like this. Or, bluntly: quantity =/= quality.

There are people here that enjoy Destiny, and you're telling them that they're just weak-minded victims of psychological manipulation. They're too stupid to know any better but not you: you're here to show them the light.

Can you see how some of us might find that insulting?
 

gatti-man

Member
I'm 800 hours and $80 in, and I'm absolutely done. Not one more penny for this mess of a game.

I picked up the Borderlands Handsome Collection a few weeks back and have been playing BL2, and I feel like Destiny is basically trying to be a more serious BL game, and it's really really sucking at it.

Get back to us when you have put 800 hours into borderlands. Im betting you won't even get half that far.
 

geordiemp

Member
Someone can put 100 hours into Destiny before they realize they're being played by the skinner box mechanic. Some people put several hundred hours into it because of the skinner box mechanic. There are people who have spent money monthly playing expansions for MMOs they legitimately dislike because they're addicted to the process, not because the game is quality.

Bungie knew damn well they were making a game that would keep some people addicted through psychological manipulation. Just like video poker and slot machine makers do.

Dismissing legitimate quality issues simply because some people displayed addictive tendencies only tells game developers to continue marching down this path. After all, if you put in 100 hours, clearly the game was good - even when it was barebones and openly hostile towards your time investment?

Time spent is not an adequate metric to determine overall product quality, especially of a game like this. Or, bluntly: quantity =/= quality.

Sigmund,...give it a rest...we heard all that crap lots of times before. Its one of the best, if not the best, coop shooter that you can buy right now on consoles.

I have everything I need or want, been to Mercury 16 times....but I still play it...because I enjoy it. Skinner box - crap talk by journalists looking for dem clicks.
 
Up till halo 3 maps would go free after a month or so. Part of what made Halo 2 so great. You weren't fragmenting your player base.

I think Halo 2 easily has the best maps in the Halo franchise. There are only 2 out of 23 Xbox version maps I don't enjoy. Those being Elongation and Gemini.
 

Compsiox

Banned
I always remember your avatar in every destiny thread giving the game what for.

You really got more than a little grudge man...

Take a deep breath and go and enjoy some games.

Had 3 really clutch flawless runs in trials this weekend...it was all close stuff and was great fun.
You obviously don't actually know me at all. I used to be pro bungie. I can have a grudge because of all the lies and the years of waiting for what released.
 

frizby

Member
Look I'm a pretty big critic of Destiny and all but...dude...I'm hard pressed to think of a game that I've put 800 hours into, hell I think I can count the number of games I've put more than 250 hours into on one hand. I'm trying to think of games I've played that have come anywhere close to your time in Destiny. Maybe Smash Bros Melee over like 10 years? If I bought Halo 3 at release instead of a few years later then maybe that? Same with Dark Souls.

But in my mind, anybody who puts over 100 hours into a game has no right to call that game garbage. If a game is hooking you for that long then it can't be garbage.

No right? LOL.

If you've given a game every chance and every benefit of the doubt that the devs will eventually fix their shit, you have every right to criticize.

And as a point of fact, I didn't call the game garbage. I said it was a mess, which it clearly and obviously is. The story is a mess, the loot is a mess, the social aspects are a mess, and the business model is...well alright...the business model is garbage.
 
The funny thing is that had Bungie not blown out of proportion how ambitious and expansive Destiny was supposed to be, we'd instead have a really good game with a forgettable story but ridiculous replayability on our hands.

But instead they decided to oversell the shit out of it and hilariously failed to deliver.
 
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