If I can speculate off of 404 and some of the play tester feedback, I suspect that the rift began with the play test stuff. I think that Bungie got nervous about doing a true MMO, and burned by negative reactions in the play tests ("They're fucked", etc.) they decided to massively scale back to something simpler and less MMOish, while also cutting the poorly received story. They didn't have time, so they cut any major MMOish feature, planning on players communicating via console party chat as well as excising as much of the story they could.Seriously makes no sense, gutting the story maybe I can understand but why go in and remove voice chat, player trading and economy stuff?
that's the one thing about 404 that raises an eyebrow. Like he knows those are the things the fanbase wants most.
I never understood why the press were so happy to have their schedule (and ultimately businesses) time wasted. Bizzare moment.
I understand. However - and that's just my personal opinion, nothing more - being believable is not enough for me to actually believe in something. If, for some reason, evidence cannot be provided to sustain claims and arguments, I'm sorry, but I can't assume such claims as truth.I actually think his story is pretty believable. The fact that the final Destiny was so different from the ambitious vision of a massive world that Bungie seemed to have last year is suspicious enough.
And if anyone is suspicious regarding the age of the reddit account, it's an obvious throwaway. If an existing account was used, this person would be easier to track. Saying all this stuff is a pretty ballsy move. This individual certainly hasn't said enough to warrant jail time in Bungie/Activision's eyes yet if this person is still at Bungie, they might be putting their job at risk.
Although I'd like to believe 404Architect's claims - because, in some sense, it'd bring "closure" to my disappointment with Destiny - I just can't, until evidence is provided.
If I can speculate off of 404 and some of the play tester feedback, I suspect that the rift began with the play test stuff. I think that Bungie got nervous about doing a true MMO, and burned by negative reactions in the play tests ("They're fucked", etc.) they decided to massively scale back to something simpler and less MMOish, while also cutting the poorly received story. They didn't have time, so they cut any major MMOish feature, planning on players communicating via console party chat as well as excising as much of the story they could.
This would also explain why they were so insistent that they're not an MMO; The new vision was to run as far from that stuff as possible.
It really would make a shitload of sense. Game was testing horribly and they panicked. I wonder if they had something a lot more substantial for that initial announcement but due to the direction change, couldn't show anything off.
When exactly did Staten leave? I'm curious when his departure date is compared to that empty press announcement.
It really would make a shitload of sense. Game was testing horribly and they panicked. I wonder if they had something a lot more substantial for that initial announcement but due to the direction change, couldn't show anything off.
When exactly did Staten leave? I'm curious when his departure date is compared to that empty press announcement.
Maybe you're right. It does feel like it was simplified down to be accessible. PVP being so primitive is the most obvious sign of that.
Either these "leaks" are true or not, at least they spring conversations about why Destiny ended up being so....simple, instead of just shitting endlessly about the game. I for one believe what he says, my only wish if he could shed more light on the actual reasons behind the gutting.
Evidence is important, especially if you are not satisfied with peddling a self-fulfilling prophecy.People that are waiting for 'evidence', really, why is that so important?
Nothing being claimed here in this story is extraordinary. This does not fall under the whole 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence' category. Everything that's been posited as what happened seems like exactly what anyone would assume based on the game as it is, as it was, and as it was talked about.
Skepticism is good, but really, there's nothing here that seems unlikely...
Staten was the one doing the demo at E3 where they went through the intro level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXTXPe7JIUk
9/24 last year was the announcement that he left.
While Im enjoying the game for what it is, I also cant help but feel incredibly dissapointed by the lack of story or its incredibly terrible delivery method.
Glad to see that Bungie is catching flak for this...they certainly deserve it.
This story was more interesting than Destiny's story was
"Probably" and "mostly"? You sound convinced!
This story was more interesting than Destiny's story was
Why are some people denying the reddit rumors? If they aren't true does that mean Destiny as we have it was Bungie's original vision? There's just no way. Any mission from any Halo is probably more interesting than any mission in Destiny. Enemies were placed strategically and there were enough enemy types to keep combat interesting. The enemies I've seen so far are elite style enemies from Halo.
This doesn't suggest overambition at all, though. It suggests a shift in development direction/vision. Those two things are distinctly different.I believe parts of this. Bungie did it before with Halo 2. Shoot higher than they can realistically perform, and grossly underdeliver.
Sure, Activision probably put pressure on them to meet a deadline, but to be fair they dont have forever to wait around on this game. Bungie over-promised, under-delivered, and now we get to pay for missing content in the form of DLC.
God damn did Bungie ever shit their pants on this game. I think the franchise is still salvageable though, given that most of the uproar is contained online, as it usually is. Everyone essentially bought the beta, funded their framework, and now they can take their time in creating polished content for the sequel. Then slap on a bigger marketing budget and call it a day.
I can't say I'm surprised, but judging from the storyline that is getting talked about for the game originally, I actually prefer the direction they went in. I would've liked a more fleshed out story, but the one they had plannedseems like something a teenager would come up with.the traveler is eeeevil, zomg so original... not
We're gonna have to see about the longevity of the "casual" market when it comes to this game. Will they be willing to get the expansions, or will they move on before they are released? How much goodwill was tarnished? It's not just the hardcore that are giving backlash. This isn't a situation where a month after "THE BEST GAME EVER" came out people forget about the hype and critically analyze specific parts.
This game was panned from many people from the start, not even the hype could prevent or delay it, which I think says something to the quality of the game in general.
Can anyone share more about this?The cutting of the Rasputin content breaks my heart, that disembodied voice when they first discover him is fantastic.
It's interesting that you seem to find a lack of certainty notable in this situation, as opposed to how persuaded many are that 404A is saying the complete truth.
Anecdote but some of the guys at work were talking and one said "you getting Destiny" and another said "nah hear its kinda boring" and the others agreedIs there a backlash against this game in the mainstream? I honestly don't know. If there is, that's pretty interesting. Do you have any specific examples or anecdotes? I'm genuinely curious...
no way to know without Bungie telling us really.Is there a backlash against this game in the mainstream? I honestly don't know. If there is, that's pretty interesting. Do you have any specific examples or anecdotes? I'm genuinely curious...
Anecdote but some of the guys at work were talking and one said "you getting Destiny" and another said "nah hear its kinda boring" and the others agreed
*shrug*
Fascinating stuff, even if it can't be verified. Assuming even a fraction of that is true, what a colossal clusterfuck. It seems as though Bungie veterans like Joe Staten were right to jump ship when they did. (I'm sure some people were forced out too.)The story so far with alleged Bungie insider 404Architect.
The interesting part about this whole thing is how different it is from other high-profile development clusterfucks.
Look at Daikatana, or Duke Nukem Forever. The two examples that come to mind, and both were financial disasters after all was said and done.
Destiny however has already made back all its money and then some (in a few days) and broken sales records. It'll be interesting to see how damaged the brand is in the long run, or if people will even care.
no way to know without Bungie telling us really.
Game sold 4.5 million copies across platforms though.
So there is a large audience. We just dunno if people are still playing it or not. Personally, I don't think the backlash is as critical for more casual gamers, but there's no denying, no matter how much games you play, the obvious lack of story compared to other sci-fi shooters.
This doesn't suggest overambition at all, though. It suggests a shift in development direction/vision. Those two things are distinctly different.
Very interesting.
I'll wait for a Steam sale of the PC port.