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#feedback

Edited by NLS W0lf: 8/21/2018 3:54:18 PM
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It was a stated goal of Destiny to move away from Halo-style maps and missions, but it's a challenge Bungie's still struggling with

[quote]"The real Tragedy - especially if you're an artist - is your content really only gets used once. Players charge through all that beautiful stuff you've made - this narrow pipe - devouring all your hard work, and you really have very little reason to return to those spaces. And we didn't want Destiny to work like that. We wanted to build a big world that encouraged you to explore off that path; a world that evolved and was always giving you new reasons to come back to all that art we made." [url=https://youtu.be/vUxRTCTr7ic]-Chris Barrett, 2013[/url] [/quote] Playing through the objectives for Solstice of Heroes has given me a renewed appreciation for the art and effort that went into each of the excellent Redux missions (both before and after the Live Team treatment), and it struck me as odd that for the vast majority of D2Y1, not only did the game provide almost no reason to return to these areas, it actively made it very difficult to do so. Venture away from the public patrol zones, and you'll very quickly find yourself running into gates that bar access to the deeper sections of maps, and where access [i]is[/i] allowed these areas are often empty. Sometimes the solution is just to hop into a strike, but without a dedicated fireteam this hardly allows for much sightseeing or poking around. Even further out of reach are the areas exclusive to campaign missions. Forget adding new reasons to explore, these maps cannot even be accessed unless they make the narrow list of Ikora's weekly Meditations. With these limitations, some of Destiny 2's greatest maps are [i]less accessible[/i] than any of Halo's ever were. Case and point to this is the fantastic mission 1 AU (which, as an unrelated aside, occurs at very much less than 1 au). The increased challenge and slower pace of the Redux mission encouraged me to really pay attention to, and make the most of, the wonderful map around me. Two particularly well-placed Heavy Ammo packs piqued my sense or exploration, and had me wondering if the Live Team had edited the maps, or if these interesting hidey-holes had really been present all along, just waiting to be discovered. It was an experience I've relished, and I have been actively re-running the Redux missions well past any progression benefit or reward just to spend more time in them. Why has access to these particular areas been so restricted? The Almighty is HUGE, with unique architectural and environmental features that could make for an exceptional explorable space. Adding to the oddness are similarities the Almighty shares with one of Destiny's past great zones: the Dreadnaught. Both are immense vessels from beyond our solar system - Super Weapons we had to make desperate plays to neutralize. Both ended up dormant, temporarily incapacitated, but while the Dreadnaught was immediately identified as a priority for establishing an ongoing Guardian presence (at the time anyway, hopefully D2 hasn't forgotten/doesn't forget it exists), the Almighty is still completely neglected. We made an express effort to disable the Cabal sun-demolisher's primary weapon and [i]not[/i] destroy it - surely it would be sensible to establish some sort of oversight to ensure they are unable to simply get it up and running again? Sadly, the trend throughout Destiny has been to [i]not[/i] return to areas and maps of past content. What the Live Team has done with SoH and its Redux missions is excellent and commendable, but without a dedicated, ongoing effort to really giving old content new life, so much of the incredible art and assets of this game will continue to languish. I would love to see a more concerted effort in the direction of revitalizing old (and current, really...) maps. A first step in my opinion would be the removal of unnecessary barriers to access. Why only allow us to see a map in a strike? Why can't I try to reach for the Future beyond the Infinite Forest without an objective? What harm could possibly come by letting us delve further back into some of the deepest and most mysterious reaches of the world? I enjoyed being able to push all the way down to the SIVA Replication Complex - even if I couldn't get inside, and needed to go to orbit to escape. My favourite thing about the Will of the Thousands strike (aside from the incredible soundtrack) is the level of access we have to the Alton Dynamo afterwards and the fact that things like Sleeper Nodes, Latent Memories, and the Hephaestus Index adventure send you back inside. A key move in this direction I'd like to see is the creation of a small 'In-Fill Team". Where the Live Team delivers moderately sized events with new content like Solstice of Heroes and the gorgeous Whisper mission, the purpose of the In-Fill Team would be to re-examine what assets already exist, and add some meat to these empty and unused spaces in small bites with minimal new development. I got so excited when I first received one of those D1 chain patrols ("Hang on Guardian, I'm getting an encrypted message from a source I'm not familiar with..."), and while they didn't ultimately lead to much, it was certainly a step in right direction for making the patrol experience more interesting and engaging. The Splicer Keys in RoI's Plaguelands, and the scattered emblems and lore rewards on the Dreadnought were other features that had high potential and just needed a little bit of extended support to really shine. Removing unnecessary barriers and supporting ongoing In-Fill efforts - expanding existing systems, adding small, hidden pieces to hidden places, or simply filling holes there wasn't enough time for before initial release - could be a great avenue for storytelling and reward, and give some love and limelight to some very deserving zones. This world is big - the Redux missions have served as a great reminder for just how big - and there are lots of ways of making its exploration rewarding, so it really does seem a tragedy that so many of these spaces are still visited once and rarely again.

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