Destiny is an incredible game, I think if anyone is here reading this, you probably agree. However, as I think about what would take Destiny to a new level, in a word, I think it needs a radically massive sense of scale. Something we learned from No Man’s Sky is that scale itself is not enough, but combined with the deep customization, purposeful story and awesome challenges Destiny offers, it could be quite powerful. Here are a few details of how scale might play out. 1. [b]The Frontier[/b]- If Destiny introduced procedural generation, then there would be limitless surroundings to explore. The further you venture from the city, the greater the difficulty and the greater the reward. There would be entire cities to explore the depths of, rather than just decorations you buzz by on your sparrow. I imagine that there would always be a frontier, that no matter how high your level there would be enemies nobody could beat, the Frontier would always push back. Also, a space frontier where you actually have to fly your ship and better pilots are rewarded would be amazing too. 2. [b]The Outposts[/b]- As guardians expand outwards, they can reclaim outposts on the border to return to them later. The outposts are equivalent to the social zones now, but only players who have ventured that far can spawn there Rather than the same old sorry enemies standing around perpetually shooting at each other, there could actually be movements and tides of enemies. Patrolling would actually be meaningful. 3. [b]The Loot[/b]- If procedural generation were applied to weapons, you could introduce truly unique items. Not in the way of Borderlands where it is essentially the same gun, but with randomized stats. But things like the Mythoclast and Sleeper Simulant could come about on their own. There could be chests randomly hidden in rooms in skyscrapers, the loot system could operate within parameters that allow more exotic gun characteristics to occur the more difficult the boss, remote and obscure the chest, or the more complex the puzzle. Also, The Division’s model of loot sharing was really good: loot is able to be traded between members of the group that completes whatever mission or boss for an hour after the loot is won, and then it is locked after the time expires. Many times we get repeat items, or something your fireteam member was looking for specifically, and it sucks to not be able to trade and share. 4. [b]The Missions[/b]- I imagine the frontier as a series of concentric circles, where story missions take place between your starting point and the border to the next level of difficulty. Strikes exists somewhere along the borders between two regions and represents the only way to progress into the next level of difficulty, and raids at every fifth ring. Essentially Patrol, Story, Strikes and Raids would be united into one shared persistent and massive world. The mechanics of stories and strikes and raids could be procedurally generated as well in order to grant people the freedom to have unique encounters. In the same way that Raids feel ripe with opportunity, challenge, mystery and scale, the whole world would be open in such a way. Much less direction and guidance, less of a single path forward, and a system that rewards bravery and skill. 5. [b]Individual Accomplishment[/b]- Along the lines of individual skill, if a total beginner with terrible gear ventured way far out, and was able to defeat a boss nobody had encountered, or find a box nobody had found deep in enemy territory, he could find something incredible and unique. It motivates players to strive and explore. 6. [b]The PVP[/b]- Each ring would have its own PVP arena and game mode and be considered a way to level up, practice and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. RNG rewards are fine, but definitely skew in favor of rewarding skill. I don’t know how I feel about The Division’s element of PVP mixed with PVE, it was interesting, but I don't think it has a place in Destiny, PVP is pretty perfect as is right now. 7. [b]Persistent World:[/b]- Something I think the game Helldivers did well, was an overall mission that everyone’s individual missions contributed to. You could see the progress everyone had made, and depending on how much people played, and how well they did, the would reclaim planets one by one and either win or lose the galactic war. This is something I think Destiny could use. It doesn’t make sense that we are all the same legend, we all ran exactly the same missions, saw the same cut-scenes, defeated the same bosses over and over again. I know that mechanic is typical of RPG’s, but if it were a real alien forces that we were all collectively struggling against, we would all come away with unique stories, be heroes in different ways and find different treasures from our adventures. Is it possible to build a universe that could support the dynamic of an RPG, but with unique and new challenges for every single mission? I think that should be the goal. 8. [b]The Weekly and Daily Events[/b]- As the players seek to reclaim the universe, the enemies continue to struggle to reclaim outposts and fight back in masse. Public events wouldn’t be tame things that happen every once in a while, but rather, incredible onslaughts that everyone has to rally together to ward off, maybe they are small in zone one, but by zone 12, thousands of enemies seeking to reclaim the outermost outpost would be an awesome battle that would require hundreds of guardians to join in and defend the stronghold. 9. [b]Character Builds[/b]- Right now, it is fairly easy to switch back and forth between the different classes and adjust your perks. but there is a definite end-point to your advancement. I would like to see skill trees extend indefinitely, encouraging people to strive to unlock more and more. I think characters should be more unique and locked in, so people make more permanent decisions. I don’t know if all decisions are permanent, but some should be to introduce greater diversity and uniqueness among character builds and defined play styles. I definitely love how the new Iron Lord’s Artifacts are so dramatically affecting player builds and think more things like that should be in place to find powerful combinations etc. 10. [b]Guided Procedural Generation[/b]- I believe procedural generation is still fairly risky as an approach to making brilliant missions, challenging bosses, amazing loot, compelling stories etc. But if the development team’s effort were able to leverage procedural generation to do more of the work for them in world-building, and help guide the process by designing more diversity, raw materials for the system to work with so to speak. Perhaps using AI/Machine Learning tech could help guide procedural generation as a check and balance to make sure that it is still playable and fun by running playtests and making adjustments to ensure things like jump distances are not impossible etc. I hope that some of this resonates with the rest of you, feel free to add to it, or critique it. But as a player of Destiny, when I see the amazing art they did and see far off into the distance from the small area we are allowed to play in on Earth, Mars or Venus, I long to explore, to set off and find better gear, new challenges. I want to find something new. I want to be unique. I want to be the author of my own adventure in an open and ever expanding world without limits on my stats, gear, or accomplishments. I think Destiny is a really groundbreaking game, but I think it could stand in a category of its own if Bungie accomplished this vision. Please post comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I spent a lot of time thinking about this, and I know some of you have as well ^_^ -Savage P.S. Playstation VR capability would be pretty epic as well.