[i][b]PREFACE:[/b] If you're against this idea I'd love to hear why, but the argument is ultimately intended for consideration by Bungie employees, not the forum.[/i] Destiny 2 pvp. Maybe you played it in the beta test. If so, you've heard a lot of Lord Shaxx. More to the point, you've now probably heard [i]almost everything[/i] you're ever likely to hear him say in pvp [i]for the next several years.[/i] Here's my proposal to Bungie on how to address that inevitable repetition. If you care about the topic and have an opinion on the solution I'm proposing here, then feel free to vote and let your voice be heard. ********************************************************************************************************* So look, [b]Bungie[/b], @Lars and @Luke in particular, how about revisiting this Shaxx guy? Two things can be done here to improve the experience for a lot of your players: [b] 1. Give players a volume slider just for the PVP announcing. 2. Give players a setting to choose between "Verbose Shaxx" and "Restrained Shaxx". [/b] So how do you make Shaxx play the damn objective? In short, you split his PVP audio into two channels, let us mute one of them, and let us control how loud the other one is. Start by going through all the Shaxx commentary intended for pvp, and slotting it into one of two discrete buckets: one is emotive, the other is informative. [b]Restrained Shaxx[/b] would only give us the information relevant to the state of play. Points captured. Powerplays. Lead changes. You get the idea. [b]Verbose Shaxx[/b] would provide that information AND can give players the feel-good audio triggered by medals, or the nattering about how he could watch this kind of fighting forever. Let's look at your own words here folks, and [i]please[/i] do a little rethinking: [quote]...we wanted to create a PvP that more players can master at a variety of skill levels, and that means better information communication. [/quote] [url=http://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2s-luke-smith-on-pc-features-pvp-new-subclasses-and-more/2/]Luke Smith[/url] [b]Communication:[/b] Better communication, right? Not just [i]more[/i] communication. Shaxx belting out the same content-free lines over and over, without taking a breath in between, is [i]not[/i] better communication. It's information saturation. With no volume control, it's just noise. Right now I'm going to tell the forum that today is opposite day and if they like this proposal they should actually vote [i]against[/i] it, but because that information is buried - because I've saturated this post with too much of what they consider noise - many of them will never see this and so the poll results will be unfit for their purpose. [b]Mastery:[/b] Shaxx's commentary exists for two reasons: To give feedback to players that generates an emotional response, and to provide information that is actually relevant to the state of the match. Mastery requires information. Mastery requires feedback, yes, so give us that, but it has to be [i]useful[/i] feedback. You're probably familiar with overly emotional feedback, since you run this forum. If you're still not convinced there is a difference, look at the number of people who voted against or downvoted this proposal without explaining why. [quote] Part of the fantasy of Destiny is building your character and taking him or her across all the modes, so that consistency is really important to us.[/quote] [url=http://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2s-luke-smith-on-pc-features-pvp-new-subclasses-and-more/2/]Luke Smith[/url] [b]Consistency:[/b] Why shouldn't this apply to the audio experience as well? Presumably we're not going to be running around pve with a sweaty cheerleader shouting the same fifteen canned lines into our ears for the next however-many hunded hours. So by all means, yes give us an option to make that part of the experience [i]more consistent[/i] by letting us choose to restrain Shaxx. [quote]For players that are uneasy, I want them to know the entire changes are built around players first.[/quote] [url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/gaming/630308/Destiny-2-Bungie-Crucible-Beta-Multiplayer-changes-Lars-Bakken]Lars Bakken[/url] [b]Players First:[/b] If you want players to believe that changes are built around them, that their agency is the primary concern, that this game experience is intended [i]for them rather than for you as developers[/i], then offering us more control over the audioscape is a no-brainer. Put us first. Let us decide how much cheerleading we want to experience. [quote]In the Crucible in Destiny 2 we’ve been working closely with the audio team. There’s a unique audio mix that only exists in the Crucible. We take every single sound in the game and we compartmentalize it to be either friendly or enemy. Everything enemy related is brought up in the mix and everything friendly related is brought down to the point where you won’t notice it.[/quote] [url=http://www.gaming-age.com/2017/05/destiny-2-interview-with-bungies-lars-bakken/]Lars Bakken[/url] [b]Violated Compartmentalization:[/b] Shaxx is a friendly. You're crossing the streams here. Don't cross the streams. Not only is Shaxx subjectively the loudest noise in the room, very frequently he's objectively the [i]least important[/i] noise in the room. On occasion he's so busy emoting that he's actually [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHwndoyLML0]wrong[/url] about the state of play. [quote]...we wanted to create a stronger sense of discipline and focus so that its a more watchable experience. It's something that you can follow as a spectator or learn from as a combatant...[/quote] Deej [b] Watchability:[/b] Streamers are [i]already[/i] talking over Shaxx. Their only solution right now is to turn ALL the game audio down, to bring their voices up in the mix, to drown him [i]and the rest of the game[/i] out. Why not make it easier for them to bring their personalities to the table without pushing that part of your product into the background? You folks put a ton of work into the audio, so why not do a little extra work [i]now[/i] to give your streamers, and whatever esports announcers may eventually latch onto this, the tools to treat your baby right? You're pretty particular about [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/AboutUs#!page=styleguide]how people treat your logo[/url]. Let them treat your audio with just as much respect as you like to see in print. [b]Summing up:[/b] I could go on finding justifications for this change request, I'm sure, but you folks can do your own thinking here. Look, I know this may not be a trivial development challenge, but neither is it overwhelming. One switch setting, a few dozen audio triggers, one volume slider, some hours spent doing housekeeping. Unless you're actually working at the limits of consoles already (as regards the number of audio channels you can use), then this isn't an outrageous ask. I know it won't be done at launch because you have more important stuff to do, but [b]please[/b], if you read this, consider your own words, your own goals, and how you intend the player to fit into them. I cant speak for anybody else, but I for one will be more inclined to participate in and watch Destiny 2 pvp if we have more control over the audio experience. Thanks for your time.