This thread is in response to the community focus article on Destiny LFG (http://www.bungie.net/7_Community-Focus---Destiny-LFG/en/News/News?aid=12454) [b]Make me a Match[/b] The reason why LFG sites such as this one have appeared is because Bungie has failed to include this feature within their social based game. They want us to socialise with fellow Guardians from all over the world, but don’t provide the means for doing so. Now that is the definition of madness. Why not have an in-game LFG forum/lobby/lounge for raiders to find teams? The fact is finding a six man fire team can only be done outside of the game itself. That is a major flaw, especially for casual gamers who want to access all the content for which they paid good money. In short, there should be matchmaking for the higher level strikes and an in-game LFG forum for the raids. [b]Objections and Answers[/b] Let’s consider the common objections and show how shallow they are: [b]Objection 1:[/b] ‘But it will be impossible to play with randoms’. [i]Answer: [/i]The people on the forums and third party websites are randoms. So what is the difference between this and a random matchmaking or LFG system within the game itself? [b]Objection 2:[/b] ‘The raid will be too hard for teams formed via MM and in-game LFG’. [i]Answer:[/i] I highly doubt that people would find it 'too hard'. It may take a while, but methods for success will spread across the community as a whole. The YouTube guides are already in place. Most people will have watched them by now, and if not, they will do once given the chance to play. [b]Objection 3:[/b] ‘Matchmaking won't create the teamwork needed to finish the raid’. [i]Answer:[/i] 1] Firstly, matchmaking/in-game LFG wouldn't be an issue for those who prefer to form groups with friends or with teams made online via forums. They don't have to use matchmaking/in-game LFG if they don't want to. 2] Secondly, it is impossible to know what the effects of matchmaking/in-game LFG on teamwork will be without testing them. I think that players will naturally work well together as they do on strikes. Naturally, headsets will be compulsory. No head set, no raiding. And, of course, only higher level players will be able to access the higher level strikes and raids via matchmaking/in-game LFG. [b]Objection 4: [/b]‘Grrr I don't want matchmaking’ *said in angry cave man voice*: [i]Answer:[/i] Matchmaking would certainly be desirable for the higher level strikes. It makes no sense to not have this in place already. It is simply a way to slow down players and make them play for longer to reach the highest levels. For the raids, I am advocating an in-game LFG system, so that players don't have to leave the game to play it. [b]Objection 5:[/b] ‘Loads of people have done the raid via groups made on the forums’. [i]Answer: [/i]In fact, only a small fraction of Destiny's vast playerbase have completed the raid. Gamers who don't have an army of hardcore geeks on hand should at least be given the chance to complete the game for which they paid good money. Do the math. Only a handful of people have completed the raid. We know that Destiny has a 9.5 million playerbase. The man on moon even knows. Crota's scrota knows. Now in October, Bungie revealed that only 472,082 players had defeated the Raid on normal. They also revealed that only 36,181 players had defeated the Raid on hard. Provided my math is correct (and maths isn't my strong point), this means that only 1 in 20 (5% approx.) players out of the total playerbase have completed the raid on normal. And only 1 in 250 (0.4% approx.) players from the total player base have completed the raid on hard. This means that the vast majority of players haven't played the whole game. Tbh, you can see that without the fractions. Granted, the data is a little old because Bungie hasn't released anything for a while. Nevertheless, the fractions will probably be roughly the same now as they were then because a) Bungie has not implemented a matchmaking and LFG system, and B) the playerbase has probably increased as the game has improved and gained popularity among gamers. Bungie, ‘Make me a match’ (http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/76789157) (tl;dr: Give us matchmaking for higher level strikes and give us an in-game LFG system for the raids). LIKE and BUMP if you agree!