[quote]I think Bungie made the right call, if they bit of more than they could chew we would either end up with a poor flight system and watered down ground combat, or possibly even worse having the game delayed for X number of months.[/quote] There's no reason why it would have to water anything down. It's a big developer, and would have had a whole separate department doing the space side of it. My way of looking at it, is if your gonna do something, then do it, and do it with commitment, not settle for less. Don't hint at something and not do it. I'd rather wait longer for something that's better, than through impatience get something that could have been better(personally).

If they had the spare man power just lying around I'm sure they would have done it. Since they didn't, that likely means they would have sacrificed something else in order to free up the manpower needed. And that would have degraded some other aspect of the game, or delayed it for some time. Secondly I don't remember them ever explicitly saying there would be space flight. They did say you could have your own ship, but that does not man you could fly it. How many games do you have your own ship that you can't fly? There are plenty. It was the fan base that misinterpreted Bungie's statement, so it really isn't Bungie's fault. This has happened with a number of things, personally I'm not that upset. Bungie is a developer of kick ass FPS games, not a Dev of good space simulators. You could bring up that reach level, but frankly that was one of the worst space/flight Sim battles I've ever played. It was fun, but not that well done.

I thought the space mechanics in Reach were pretty decent actually, with many wishing it was used more in the game and in multi player.. Destiny has a big budget, the biggest in game history in fact, so budget isn't the problem, it's more a case of they didn't think of it or couldn't be bothered. Yes, they spoke about ships(and suggested much about it in the process), and yes they never said in so many words that ships would be flyable, but they never quashed perceptions created by their suggestions either until late in the day when they were asked directly about it. Again, why even make a song and dance about it at all, when it's essentially nothing in the game, which is only going to make people think there's more to them in the game. Yes, there are a few games that have non flyable ships also, but the difference there is, those games didn't make a song and dance about you having your own ship, tell you about being able to buy different ships and releasing loads of concept art relating to the ships and personal hangers. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, all this was cumulatively very suggestive, that ships played a larger role in the game, perhaps not for you, but it has been for many, and I personally believe this was a deliberate impression they gave, because they want people to believe the game is more expansive than it actually is. The game they are pushing as some great massive space epic, that is increasingly looking smaller than the hyperbole would suggest.. Those other games you hint of would also have been better with flyable ship combat/exploration in my opinion, so I also see it as a missed opportunity in those games, but like I say, at least they didn't give the impression that there was more to them than actually was, unlike Bungie as with Destiny. Don't get me wrong, it still looks like a good game and plays well, and I will be getting it. However, None of that changes the fact that Bungie very much gave the impression that ships would play a much larger role in the game.

Firstly, while I'm sure Destiny had a healthy budget. It was by no means "the largest in gaming history" I do hope you are not referring to that $500 million number that is floating around. That number is wrong, it is not the budget of Destiny, but a figure put out of a possible investment over the entire lifetime of Destiny. Meaning 10 years of content being constantly churned out. Secondly, while it is possible that some of Bungie's statements on ships may have been suggestive. It is likely that they meant them as a way to define yourself. Cosmetic, rather than as a gameplay mechanic. Regardless of the intentions, so far there has been no concrete evidence to suggest flyable ships, so there was never a good reason for fans to get up in arms about it.

[quote]Firstly, while I'm sure Destiny had a healthy budget. It was by no means "the largest in gaming history" I do hope you are not referring to that $500 million number that is floating around. That number is wrong, it is not the budget of Destiny, but a figure put out of a possible investment over the entire lifetime of Destiny. Meaning 10 years of content being constantly churned out. Secondly, while it is possible that some of Bungie's statements on ships may have been suggestive. It is likely that they meant them as a way to define yourself. Cosmetic, rather than as a gameplay mechanic. Regardless of the intentions, so far there has been no concrete evidence to suggest flyable ships, so there was never a good reason for fans to get up in arms about it.[/quote] Firstly, http://www.cinemablend.com/m/games/Bungie-Destiny-Most-Expensive-Video-Game-Ever-Made-63887.html Yes, as it eventually transpired, ships are a mere ascetic in the game, but that's not the point. The point is, they were suggested to be far more than that, they just were, and that's what it comes down to. There is no 'concrete evidence' that the ships were flyable, and no-one said there was, because they are not flyable, but I can't help feeling your missing(or avoiding) the point, which is that it was very much insinuated that there was far more to the ships than merely ascetics, from things they said, to the emphasis they were putting on them, all 'suggesting' that there was more to them in the game. Deny it as much as you want, it makes no difference, because many people felt they were given the impression of this from what was said and shown about the game. Regarding getting 'up in arms' about it, with all due respect, speak for yourself.. You may not be bothered about the ommission of that aspect, but many of us were excited for it, after all the suggestions and talk about it, insinuating there was more to it than there actually was.

Again, that number is for the [b]entirety[/b] of Destiny, [b]not[/b] the first installment. And that 'source' confirmed what I just said. Meanwhile Bungie said already that the development costs of Destiny, excluding marketing and such, even with all the pizza the team ate didn't come come anywhere near the fabled $500 million. Secondly, I'm not avoiding anything. I only didn't misinterpret what Bungie was hinting at. They hinted at a personal ship that would carry you around your adventure and I, unlike many it seems correctly guessed that it would be a personalization option as opposed to an in game vehicle. Sure, I would have loved to fly the damn thing, but I'm also reasonable. The only experience I know of that Bungie has with space combat is Reach. And that one small map pales in comparison to what people were foolishly expecting. I think he odds of it appearing down the road are likely, but for now I'm glad Bungie focused on what matters. The core game and setting the story.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/06/22/the-most-expensive-video-game-in-history-activisio.aspx

I don't know what point your trying to make, but Bungie themselves have stated that the $500 million dollar price tag is wrong. That is not remotely the cost of the first installment of the game.

This should really be at the bottom of the comment below, but I want to stress that I'm sure the game will still be good, and I'm still getting it, was just expecting it to be more from what they themselves said.

I can understand that. We all had high hopes. But you need to remember that this isn't a game. Its a [b]series[/b] Bungie is planning for the long haul. Which means everything isn't going to be in at the start. They need to prioritize the core gameplay first, so that everyone for the next nine years is just adding on and improving. Have hope. From here on in, everything is only going to get better.

My point is, as has been all along, is that money wasn't an issue.

Money is always an issue. Bungie has a budget. It may be a good budget but it is a budget all the same. That means decisions need to be made. They worked to make the most out of what they had, and get the most bang out of their buck. That means if you want something that's not in the game already, then something else would have been sacrificed to accommodate. I'd doesn't matter how much funding they had, what matters is that there was a limit. And when they planned they planned to make the most of that limit. If you don't like it, then petition for ships in an expansion. Then its possible. Instead of blaming Bungie for being ambiguous, which is what they have done for decades as it is their style, and instead ask them for change. Since they do listen to their fan base.

Yes, but it is a huge budget, the biggest of all time no less. Also, it was far beyond ambiguous, so on that we'll have to agree to disagree, for the sale of going round in circles lol

Indeed. I feel like we're both right in some cases. And all our remarks will likely be obsolete soon anyways.

Yeah lol. Hopefully mine obsolete because it's bought in later on lol. Either way, enjoy the game come the 9th, I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot. I wanna find out more about the Traveller :-) Also, thank you for the debate, it was interesting, and you gave me food for thought..

[quote]Again, that number is for the [b]entirety[/b] of Destiny, [b]not[/b] the first installment. And that 'source' confirmed what I just said. Meanwhile Bungie said already that the development costs of Destiny, excluding marketing and such, even with all the pizza the team ate didn't come come anywhere near the fabled $500 million. Secondly, I'm not avoiding anything. I only didn't misinterpret what Bungie was hinting at. They hinted at a personal ship that would carry you around your adventure and I, unlike many it seems correctly guessed that it would be a personalization option as opposed to an in game vehicle. Sure, I would have loved to fly the damn thing, but I'm also reasonable. The only experience I know of that Bungie has with space combat is Reach. And that one small map pales in comparison to what people were foolishly expecting. I think he odds of it appearing down the road are likely, but for now I'm glad Bungie focused on what matters. The core game and setting the story.[/quote] Well if anyone did misinterpret anything, it was not the publics fault, it's directly down to what Bungie had said and shown, and we took what they said and showed at face value. Well done you for getting it right, but ultimately no-one outside of Bungie(not even you)knew for sure until they fairly recently confirmed it when directly asked, and that's the whole point, no-one knew. Did they insinuate they would play a bigger role? Definitely. Did they confirm they were flyable? Definitely not, but did they make suggestions they might be but failed to clear up what they were talking about early on? Also definitely, without question. Could they have easily put some space missions in easily(didn't need to be open explorable space)? Definitely. All people wanted, was to have what was unquestionably suggested and hinted at by Bungie themselves. If they had no plans in that area, then they shouldn't have hinted otherwise, and been clearer about it, it really is as simple as that. You seem to have an impression yourself, and perhaps an incorrect one, that the game is expansive as it is, and doesn't need anything else. Well, this should give you much room for thought on that assumption. By the way, the piece also confirmed what I said, in that Destiny is the most expensive game ever made. http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/07/28/bungies-destiny-might-be-smaller-than-everyone-thinks/

I have a good idea of what Destiny's size will be. And frankly I'm satisfied for now, I unlike many don't have unrealistic expectations. I'm looking forward to raiding and competing in the crucible with friends for months to come. As for the ships, it all boils down to what someone expected. If they had really high expectations then they were likely to be disappointed regardless. If you keep your hopes in check. Then you usually end up pleasantly surprised instead of disappointed.

Also, unless you've played the game already, or are a reviewer on on the development team, you can't possibly have an idea as to its size. It's not like it's the latest game in a series to base it on and make comparisons to. Now who's making assumptions?..

I'm basing it off what Bungie has said about the comparable size of the game from the beta. And they put forward a rough percentage and I was happy with that. It was like 10 percent of the main game or something. Now add in multiplayer, end game raiding and new content in a few months and its more than enough.