Hopefully some people will actually read this, because I hate feeling like I typed all this out for nothing. I really enjoy Destiny, and I'll probably keep playing it for awhile. The gameplay is fun, completing strikes and finding loot is fun, upgrading things is fun and rewarding and most of all co-oping with friends is fun. That being said, the story is awful and the game tries to incorporate the best of the MMO world and misses the mark on many things. Here is how I would have designed Destiny. [b]Humble Beginnings[/b] You choose your race and you start in a sector of the Last City dependent on that race selection. In other words, Human, Awoken and Exo all have their own areas of the city they belong to and start in. These would be small areas, with a few shops selling basic gear (common and maybe an occasional uncommon). There would also be a leader NPC whom gives missions and guides you through the origin story. This leader NPC sits on a city council with the speaker, and not only provides you with some background motive for your particular race, but overall background on the story and universe of Destiny. [b]Race Backgrounds/Motives[/b] Human - Obvious. To reclaim what they've lost. To restore glory to the human race and return to the Golden Age. Exo - Always feeling second class to biological life forms, the Exo have something to prove. To prove they belong in this world. What better way than to earn glory saving the Last City and the universe? Awoken - A myterious race. They have somewhat hidden motives/history, yet it is clear they know more about the situation than the other races. This however, is unknown to you, being a low caste Awoken. Your protagonist's ambition is to rise up from nothing and become a Guardian, a protector of the Last City, a savior of all benevolent Life. To become Legend. After searching the Last City, your Ghost finds you at the beginning of your journey, claiming he believes he senses something in you. The potential for greatness, to become a Guardian. One cannot simply walk into the Tower and become a Guardian though. Alternatively, you could just be assigned a Ghost when you become a Guardian, but that seems less exciting. In order to become a true Guardian and gain access to The Tower, you must first make a name for yourself. You must prove yourself worthy. This can be done in two ways: [b]1)[/b] Venture into the Cosmodrome and complete story missions for your NPC leader. [b]2)[/b] Fight for glory in the Crucible Upon reaching level 10 and completing your origin story arc, the NPC leader of your race believes you are ready to become a Guardian and sends you on to the Speaker. First, he leaves you with a parting gift for all you've done for your race thus far. First Rare item awarded, you know...because now you can use it to fight the Darkness, unlike being given it at the end of the game. You now gain access to the Tower, higher level gear shops, factions, more missions, and the beginning of the main storyline. Fight back the darkness, save the Traveller, etc etc. Level 10+ content starts here. At this point I'll just list other elements of the game I would have designed differently. Some of them from the start, some added later. [b]Level cap[/b] - Raised it to 40, made each successive level take a little longer to reach than the previous. This draws out the game and content a little. [b]Social features IG[/b] - a message board for posting things to, easy chatting options (voice or text), LFG features, Clan features/lists with member rank options, clan vault, trading in some capacity. [b]Vehicles[/b] - make the ships mean something. Stats, upgrades, ability to pilot them in mini-game battles, etc. More variability in on-planet travel (i.e. more Sparrow designs or similar vehicles, also a flying personal vehicle (banshee anyone?)). [b]Loot[/b] - randomized loot drops from appropriate level spawns. Rare and especially Legendary/Exotic would be much more difficult to find (no random drops off level 4 mobs). Specific loot tables for Strike/Raid bosses (e.g. Legendary Auto Rifle X has 5% chance to drop from Y Strike boss on Heroic mode). Bind on equip/pickup loot for trading (biometrics fuse to your guardian). I'm probably forgetting some thoughts. [b]Other[/b] - Make the Nav Mode of our Ghost more interactive. It's supposed to be a high tech companion. Add a semi-transparent Map, ability to turn Ghost Light on/off, HUD status of armor, weapons, health, ammo, etc. (even if it's cosmetic). If you made it this far, thanks for reading. If you disagree with me, that's okay. I don't make video games, I just play them. If you want to add constructive criticisms and ideas for how you would have designed Destiny, or done something differently, please share.