Destiny - Bungie's Next Big Project

[novicius]

100

[Continued from here (http://gtxfrefuge.freeforums.org/post78190.html#p78190).]

Bungie tabs Destiny worldwide launch for September 2014 (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/bungie-tabs-destiny-worldwide-launch-for-september-2014/0125500)


Bungie's upcoming multi-platform FPS Destiny will launch in September 2014, the studio has announced. The Activision-published title will release September 9th, 2014 on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

"Destiny has always represented a new beginning for our team. It was born from brave possibilities," Bungie's announcement post states (https://www.bungie.net/7_Destiny-Launch-Date/en/News/News?aid=11318).

"We dreamed of a renewed and independent Bungie. We found partners willing to bet big on some crazy new ideas with us."

Bungie is also planning multiple beta runs, with PlayStation console owners getting first crack at it. The developer is aiming for 1m beta testers to “crash against” the game ahead of official release.

[Schnell]

*Patiently waiting for the PS4 beta to start......*

[novicius]

When it does, please post your impressions! I'm hoping this game doesn't turn into another Brink (great looker, cool story, shitty code). :(

[21Kid]

:? You think Bungie's going to drop a stinker?

[novicius]

Nah, it'll be fine, it'll all be fine I'm sure. :) #whatcouldgowrong #moneyhats

[Schnell]

I was soooooo disappointed with Brink :(

I can't imagine Destiny will be anything like that (at least what I've seen looks amazing). I haven't heard when the beta will be open, other than "early 2014"

[novicius]

It does look amazing -- I just wish they'd release more info and quit being quite so secretive. NEED MOAR INFO.

[novicius]

Complain and ye shall receive! :lol:

Destiny Gets Fresh and Impressive Screenshots (http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Destiny-Gets-Fresh-and-Impressive-Screenshots-416987-2.jpg/)

http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/Destiny-Gets-Fresh-and-Impressive-Screenshots-416987-8.jpg

There's only half a dozen but it's something. Would be cool to see the UI but oh wellz. :up:

[Nick T]

Did I miss the impressive pics somewhere? Or...?

[novicius]

Yeah, it's not that impressive. :lol:

[JSGeneral]

What I did notice in that link was screenshots of players with capes!

Maybe they'll have Dynamic Cape Physics... and all the ways one can perish with a cape:

- Cape snagged on a missile fin!
- Cape caught in a jet turbine!
- Express elevator!
- Snagged on takeoff!
- Sucked into a vortex!

[Kchrpm]

NO CAPES!

[novicius]

I guess what's really frustrating me about the game is that if it's just a shooter separated by loading screens, then yeah I'm going to be underwhelmed. If it looks gorgeous but is otherwise sterile with low levels of interaction with the environment, I'm going to be frustrated. Additionally, the number one fact that I'm irritated, fully understanding that A.) it was my own fault for getting my hopes up for, and B.) was brought crashing down to earth about, was the declaration that we won't be able to pilot spacecraft!


Modelling and animating a spaceship is the most basic challenge of 3D animation. Most development studios state quite clearly that they do not want to see any examples of spaceships in your demo reel. Why? Because it's too easy to animate a 3D object "flying through space". Yet we have ancient game consoles that can map mouth animations to speech, ffs! Rare is the game where we actually get to fly a spaceship. What sense is that??

After shooting/assassinating everything at a hot LZ like y'do, I want to walk up to my spaceship, << cue loading screen >> and then take off for the stars. Chart my way through bad weather and pursuing bad guys, monitor how much energy/fuel I use flying into low planetary orbit and then race to the closest Lagrange point around any dangerous objects or interstellar enemies before going FTL and << cue loading screen >>.

Mass Effect should have done this, Destiny should do this, a shit-ton of games should offer this. Instead... nothing but dead space. :angry:

[Kchrpm]

My guess is they think flying won't actually be that fun, so they don't bother modelling the resources.

And/or they don't want you to be able to fly away from a huge planet and then go back wherever you want, meaning they can't just preload (unless they figure out a docking/landing/takeoff procedure that jumps you from orbit to landed).

Flying in 3D space is simple (though some would argue not that fun, how many flight combat games are there period anymore?). Walking around on the ground is easy. Transitioning between the two? I can only guess hellish. There's obviously great desire for it, and what would be a more impressive demo reel, yet no one has done it.

[novicius]

I fully agree: for reasons I cannot fathom they think sci-fi fans do not want to fly spaceships. :smh:

As to the flying whereever, well Skyrim and GTA both handle the "open world" illusion quite well on the PS3/360 so I firmly believe that this particular illusion can also be accomplished with ten-year-old tech (much less the new consoles). It's all in how a dev packages it.

[Kchrpm]

Sci-fi fans would love to fly spaceships, as long as there is stuff to do while flying. I don't think a mass-market game of any sort would do well with spaceship flying that is just spaceship flying, going out into a large black nothingness following nothing but a star map. Microsoft Flight Simulator is more interactive than that, and it's far from a mass-market product.

The issue with spaceships+open world isn't that you can go anywhere, it's that you can go anywhere quickly. Skyrim and GTA greatly limit the speed at which you can get places (even the fighter jets in GTA seem quite slow), and therefore the system has plenty of time to grab all the necessary information off the disc, and it can randomly generate anything that needs to be randomly generated before you see it. Toss in something that flies fast enough to get around an entire globe, and can get out of orbit and travel between planets, and you're talking a LOT of speed and major loading requirements. They could find a workaround (transition animation from space travel to in-orbit flight as a loading screen), but then you're back to the question of how compelling can you make the space flight itself, and is it worth the costs considering the market you're actually aiming for (fans of shooters).

[novicius]

Stuff to do while flying:

Chart my way through bad weather
pursuing bad guys
monitor how much energy/fuel I use flying into low planetary orbit
race to the closest Lagrange point around any dangerous objects
interstellar enemies
going FTL

Of course 3D models of spaceflight would be slow, it's an illusion of speed and crossing vast distances. Furthermore, there are all sorts of solutions one can come up with for simulating atmospheric flight (hell, the 1987 SEGA arcade game After Burner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Burner) had simulated atmospheric flight! :lol:), landing at only specific points or spaceports, etc. Confronting challenges and building the illusion is what game devs do. Improvise, adapt and overcome!

Also, Bungie's Halo: Reach title already had spaceflight that was slow-simulated-as-fast, and using that simplified flight engine in Destiny would be fine by me.

[Kchrpm]

I would argue that the market they're aiming for would only have any interest in 2 and 5, and anything in the middle would be a big waste of their time.

I have no doubt that they COULD do it, I'm just guessing that they (and many other devs, considering no one is doing it) don't consider it worth it. Which sucks, but maybe an indie will get it right on a small scale and then others will copy.

[novicius]

Yes, luring in the "shooting for the sake of shooting" crowd is where the big money is, no argument there. But what little we know about Destiny seems to say that they're catering pretty heavily to the xp/exploration/quests crowd, too.


I have no doubt that they COULD do it
That's all I'm sayin'. :up:

[Schnell]

I thought that was Halo DLC

[Mortavian]

I dunno... I want to like this - and there are elements that I do like, don't get me wrong - but it just seems so bland every time I see a gameplay trailer that I just find myself unable to get into the hype. The character and monster designs are just so meh, while the gameplay itself looks like Elder Scrolls with guns. That latter isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself, but gimme a beefy FPS system with weight to it any day (Halo, Gears, etc.); Destiny just looks really floaty right now, but maybe that estimation will change with hands-on play. Tell me more about why I'll love this. What's the deal with vehicles? What sort of awesome party shenanigans can I get up to with people online (anything about the party interface I should know of other than user friendly drop-in/out capability)?

[novicius]

Understandable. We'll find out more presumably in June @ E3 2014.

[novicius]

Destiny Gets Some Gorgeous New Screenshots (http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Destiny-Gets-Some-Gorgeous-New-Screenshots-418284-2.jpg/)

Destiny Gets Two Screenshots Showing More Character Customization Options (http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Destiny-Gets-Two-Screenshots-Showing-More-Character-Customization-Options-423619-2.jpg/)

[es nes]

Tbh, I don't care about space flight as j plan to make a hunter and set off into the distance to get lost and explore much like I did in skyrim. I'm hoping for an es: halo and nothing more. What worries me most is the potentially forced social interactions they'll be leading us into.

[GreatScawt]

http://www.bungie.net/en/News/News?aid=11485

Quite the emotionally charged update today. Looks like we'll have plenty of gaming coverage from the alpha to dive into soon.

[Alan P]

PC version still not confirmed?

[novicius]

New screenshots released (http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Destiny-s-Hidden-Screenshots-Show-a-Lot-of-New-Weapons-Abilities-and-Enemies-439239-2.jpg/) -- look like 360/PS3 screenies. :lol:

[Kchrpm]

I wish they were Wii U screenies :( #onlyoneworkingconsole

[Kchrpm]

http://kotaku.com/i-played-45-minutes-of-destiny-and-it-was-kind-of-bori-1568127899

[GreatScawt]

It's basically a guided tour of the alpha... we know Bungie can make fast moving, intelligent enemies that are fun to fight. And about the emptiness... does she expect the vast areas to be packed dense with enemies? And the hub will be packed at launch. It won't be in an isolated environment. Assuming all goes to plan and the servers hold up :lol:

I don't know, I'm biased. I feel like this will be a good game and nothing can change that :D

[GreatScawt]

New trailer


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeDaevD7cEo

[Alan P]

That looks quite good fun. Shame it's not coming to PC. Apparently.

Hmm, interesting thing on the latest Gamespot article (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-bungie-s-destiny-is-not-coming-to-pc-at-least-not-right-away/1100-6419265/), 'Another reason why a PC version of Destiny is tricky is that all versions of the game connect to a singular persistent world, and this would require a significant amount of legwork to get right, Parsons said.'. Does that then mean all console versions connect to the same game world? As in if I bought this for PS3 I could play with anyone else who bought it on any console, Next-Gen or not? In which case I can see their reasons not to bring it to PC because the last game that had cross platform play (Shadowrun on Xbox/PC) the PC mouse and KB crowd defeated the Xbox pad players very easily I heard) didn't do very well.

[GreatScawt]

I want to say that quote is badly worded by Parsons. Ultimately that would be neat, but I'm pretty sure he means the player choices between all the worlds are shared. IIRC, the game has like a 10 year (real-time) story arch that follows a path dictated by the players. I think THAT is what's shared. And possibly some other odds and ends (maybe a marketplace? - ala purchasing a weapon from a 360 user when you're on PS4).

[Mortavian]

I just saw an ad for Destiny on xbox live. Am I totally out of the loop? I thought Destiny was going to be a Playstation exclusive. Or was that supposed to mean Playstation exclusive "content?" I guess it's all kinda moot at this point.

[Kchrpm]

It was shown at Sony's press conference at E3, the beta will be on PS3 and PS4 first, and they will also get exclusive content, but it will indeed be on on all four major platforms.

[novicius]

Destiny Dwarfs GTA 5's Development and Promo Cost With a $500 Million Budget (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/destiny-dwarfs-gta-5s-development-promo-cost-500-million-budget-expected-be-activisions-1447399)


For those of you who were floored by GTA 5's massive development and marketing budget of roughly $265 million, Activision Blizzard Inc has dwarfed that amount by announcing a $500 million budget to develop and promote Destiny, the publisher's upcoming sci-fi role-playing title.

[Kchrpm]

And the game still is struggling to build excitement comparable to its contemporaries.

[novicius]

The spill of info is slow. *shrug*

Destiny Gets Fresh Video About Weapons, Armor, and Loot (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Destiny-Gets-Fresh-Video-about-Weapons-Armor-and-Loot-440903.shtml)


Sony also highlighted the crafting component inside Destiny, which allows players to break down their guns, armor, or loot into raw components and use it for various other things.

"Helpfully, you can break down unwanted gear into raw components that reinforce your favorite weapon with new effects, including elemental damage in the form of Arc, Thermal, or Void damage that can stack on top of your weapon’s base damage and introduce new strategic wrinkles."

Destiny is set to debut later this year, on September 9, for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Crafting? Hoo, I hope this includes armor at least! :up: :up:

[Kchrpm]

But the info they have come out with ("Three man teams! Post apocalyptic sci-fi! Random boss battles with other people!") have not really garnered much excitement.

That crafting sounds like the runes you could put in stuff from...Torchlight? Good stuff.

The fact they're spending half a billion dollars on the game, but it's got nowhere near the buzz that Titanfall had from releasing similar amounts of information about what it was going to do, seems like a bad sign for Activision. Not for the game, mind you, I'm sure it will be fun no matter what, Bungie makes fun games.

But people that played 45 minutes of Titanfall were hooked and couldn't wait to play more. People that have played 45 minutes of Destiny seemed to be pretty underwhelmed. We're all still waiting to find out what makes it special, I think, and if there's going to be any real buzz they need to stop hiding that.

[novicius]

Yep, definitely agree that there should be more buzz and hopefully this E3 shows *everything*... but the reality is that there might not be that much to show, compared to GTA Online. Hell, even GTA Online is boring if you're not into the customization side of things (and even then...). But Los Santos is a living, bustling city where you can watch the A.I. interact with each other, it's the Matrix right now, and that's an incredibly high bar to get bored with.

If Tower (The City) in Destiny isn't a living, thriving A.I.-powered city, if there aren't A.I.-animated urban centers in each planet/zone, if it's as sparce as Phantasy Star Online was then yeah, Destiny is going to be an epic Duke Nukem-level of fail... :|

[Kchrpm]

Agreed on all points :up:

[novicius]

But people that played 45 minutes of Titanfall were hooked and couldn't wait to play more. People that have played 45 minutes of Destiny seemed to be pretty underwhelmed. We're all still waiting to find out what makes it special, I think, and if there's going to be any real buzz they need to stop hiding that.
Truth. :up: :up:

Making a non-stop strategic fragfest with 1,000's of multi-role missions set in a new interstellar realm populated by clever A.I. (both civilian and antagonistic), if that can't be done with 500-man dev teams and half-a-bil USD riding on a ten-year-plan then somebody just made a terrible, terrible mistake and they should pull the cord on Jason Jones' golden parachute. :smh:

[novicius]

Quick Look: Destiny Alpha (PS4) (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Quick-Look-Destiny-Alpha-PS4-446487.shtml)


Destiny, the highly ambitious multiplayer-only first-person shooter from Bungie, is finally getting close to its September release and, as a special treat for PS4 owners, the studio has organized a "first look" alpha stage that lasts until the end of the week on the new Sony console. This is the first semi-public taste of the upcoming game outside of specialty trade shows like E3 or Gamescom, as well as the first one in which a larger number of people could participate. Does it manage to deliver the hyped up experience it promised or should we forge our own destiny with another game? Let's have a quick look.

Destiny kicks off the experience straight with the character creation portion, which allows players to select from one of three classes: Titan, Hunter, or Warlock. Titans are your somewhat basic soldiers, Hunters specialize in long range guns and close range melee attacks, while Warlocks are adept in the use of magic-based attacks. Next you can pick from three different races, in the form of Human, Awoken, or Exo, and proceed to customizing your gender and looks.

Afterwards, you're dropped pretty much into the game, with the alpha focusing on the Earth region of Old Russia. Here the fun really begins and you start to see the sheer scope of Destiny as a whole. The level alone is huge and filled with all sorts of smaller areas, from wide open enclaves surrounding ancient machinery to caves, underground facilities, or abandoned buildings filled with lots of different nooks and crannies. Enemies are present in many of these zones but the aggro system is quite good and, if you get some distance between you and your foes, they'll go back to their standard zones.

Destiny's action is split between multiple situations. There are story-based encounters, like the one right at the beginning that acts more as a tutorial, in which it's more or less you against the enemies, with a few other human players possibly crossing your path. Then there's the Explore portion, in which you go around the environment and look for beacons from the last city on earth, which relay small goals that can be completed in that area. From killing enemies to chronicling the structure of certain areas, to collecting various items, these missions can be easily started and easily completed. Last but not least, there are Strike encounters, in which you need to have a PlayStation Plus membership, because you enter the matchmaking system and are paired with allies of similar skill, and are tasked with defeating different enemy bosses.

Blend all these encounters together, not to mention the wide open areas offered in this alpha, and Destiny definitely feels impressive as a first-person shooter. Throw in the pretty great weapons, the special abilities wielded by the three different classes (especially their super ones) and you'll have a lot of fun.

Where Destiny really shines, however, is the fact that you don't feel alone against the enemy world. You'll see other fellow players moving around the environment, on their own missions or errands, and you can even work together to take down enemies for shared loot and experience. These moments are fun on foot and even better when riding around in your Shrike, which are basically futuristic hoverbikes.

The Destiny alpha paints a fun picture of the upcoming multiplayer game and it's going to be interesting to see the bigger experience in July's beta and the full one this September, when the game appears on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
:up:

Nervous that there's no description of the Hub/Tower/main city. I don't know how I'll feel if there are no NPC A.I. :|

Anyone here get a chance to play it?

[novicius]

There looks to be merchants of some sort but I guess I'm not going to get my hopes up that we'll see an animated A.I. community like on the Citadel in Mass Effect. :|

649

[21Kid]

They don't want people mulling around the city in a demo... ;) They want to show off how exciting and fun the game is. :D

[GreatScawt]

TBH, I'm completely with you Carlo. It is kind of a trivial thing, but yeah, I'd love love love to see animated NPCs around town sandwiched between the masses of Guardians. I want *life*. It's part of the immersion.

I watched some alpha footage from the BF commentator I normally watch, Levelcap. Good stuff. He really likes it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-xtNLgb5y0

[novicius]

Exactly; they gotta give us the families we're fighting for, the kids playing, dogs & cats living together, etc. :up: :up:

[Tom Servo]

So, I never applied for anything or filled out any forms, to be honest I didn't know shit about this game. However, I got a notification that I am part of the Alpha program for it. Hooray!

Too bad I'm leaving the country tomorrow and have no time to play it tonight.

[GreatScawt]

For what system? The alpha on PS4 is basically ended already, but apparently Bungie is letting it go "extra time".

[Ali]

:up:

Nervous that there's no description of the Hub/Tower/main city. I don't know how I'll feel if there are no NPC A.I. :|

Anyone here get a chance to play it?

The hub, to me, feels like Mass Effect's Normandy. Lot's of NPC characters to interact with and decode blueprints, buy upgrades off and get bounties from. It's also hugely pretty. And, although I don't know the conditions that allow it, but I've had other actual players appear in my hub as well.

Overall, I'm hugely impressed with this. The Crucible (PvP) mode is superbly realised and reminds me of Halo crossed with Shadowrun 360 (hugely under-rated in its day). The only issue is a slight delay between you finishing off a player and them falling down so you waste more ammo and a second or so more than you should. But their alpha is playing better than DICE's released and patched game! The actual campaign mode is amazing. Slick and simple drop in co-op, either invited players or just randoms you meet along the way, much like Journey. The area provided is truly open world and the missions are just added in, cleverly, to both the open areas and the tunnels and rooms that connect them. A truly superb alpha and game. I'll be head of the queue to pick up the full thing!

The alpha is still ongoing though connections were patchy last night as Bungie are fiddling with it a little at the server end. I'm hoping they're adding a few more test areas. Though last night there were certainly a whole bunch of new enemies I hadn't ever seen before, including armour plated ogres and giant knights, as well as new factions of NPC enemy!

[novicius]

:up: :up:

Sounds good, Ali -- thanks!! :D

This Is Destiny's Companion App – with Screenshots (http://news.softpedia.com/news/This-Is-Destiny-s-Companion-App-with-Screenshots-447472.shtml)


Destiny developer Bungie is also releasing a companion app to go with their upcoming online first-person shooter, offering an experience that's more in line with what the future has to offer. Although the possibility to make a quick phone call could have averted many movie and game catastrophes, the ubiquitous nature of a handheld communications computer is not lost on the former Halo developer.

Although the company has been reluctant to offer the full scoop on the official companion app, a player from the recent alpha test has captured the app's user interface and some of its features, and has revealed the screenshots for the entire world to see. Gamer Vrumpt has posted a screenshot gallery (http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/This-Is-Destiny-s-Companion-App-with-Screenshots-447472-2.jpg/) showing the Destiny companion app in action, with its multitude of menus, statistics-tracking features and library of enemies, weapons and gadgets. The app will sync with your gameplay to track your kill/death ratio, progress through various missions, statistics with all the weapons and much more, including maps for all the hotspots to facilitate your navigation through Destiny's world.

Destiny is slated for a September 9 release, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms, and a beta test will take place sometime in July.
Neato.

[Drachen596]

watching some youtube videos of this game.. it looks amazing and i'd like to play it..

[Alan P]

I would like to play it but I'm not paying £50 for it, and then paying for XBL Gold on top of that. And I'm so out of practice with a pad I'd be a bullet sponge. I tried Battlefield 4 on my brothers PS3 and I was terrible.

[GreatScawt]

Alan, aren't you part of the PC master race (fo lyfe!!1) ? :shocker:

[Blerpa]

Alan, aren't you part of the PC master race (fo lyfe!!1) ? :shocker:

That's why he does not have to worry about this.

[GreatScawt]

Oh... for some reason I was under the impression it was coming out for PC... I must have had another game in mind.

[Blerpa]

Everyone says they *have to*... meanwhile Bungies keeps trying to avoid the discussion.

[Kchrpm]

Listening to a podcast from Joystiq, they played a level 8 boss at level 6, and it took them 30 minutes to beat it as a group of 3. Boo.

Leveling up weapons seems nice, though.

[Alan P]

I am indeed a member of the GLORIOUS PC master race. So much so that I'm getting a new graphics card within the next few weeks. :) This does look like fun though so I want it on PC.

[Ali]

I would like to play it but I'm not paying £50 for it, and then paying for XBL Gold on top of that. And I'm so out of practice with a pad I'd be a bullet sponge. I tried Battlefield 4 on my brothers PS3 and I was terrible.

Don't judge your abilities based on BF4 m8. BF4 is still pretty screwed up, mainly thanks to a ridiculously row 10Hz tick rate!

[Ali]

Listening to a podcast from Joystiq, they played a level 8 boss at level 6, and it took them 30 minutes to beat it as a group of 3. Boo.

Leveling up weapons seems nice, though.

3 of us did come across a high level boss, and I suspect I know the one they mean, but it took maybe 15 minutes or so, and he sends other minions at you as well, plus you're constantly having to revive fallen team mates which adds time.It never felt unfair.

[Alan P]

Don't judge your abilities based on BF4 m8. BF4 is still pretty screwed up, mainly thanks to a ridiculously row 10Hz tick rate!

This was single player! So used to M&K I really cannot play with Pad anymore. My Battlelog profile (http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/soldier/Tesslacoil/stats/180640797/pc/)

[Drachen596]

interesting question i've come up with watching youtube videos...

in the multiplayer missions is ammo dropped by enemies separate for each person? i watched a playthrough of the Devils Lair mission and a coop teammate ran across the primary weapon ammo an enemy dropped but didn't pick it up, i can't decide if it was cause his was full or because its separate for each player.

[Kchrpm]

All drops/loot are unique for each player.

[Drachen596]

probably the best way to do it. i remember the arguments i've had with friends playing co-op Halo split screen.

this game looks really good.... it may be a system seller like GT was for the PS2.

[GreatScawt]

http://www.bungie.net/en/News/News?aid=11643

XBox'ers will only get beta access from July 23rd to July 27th.

...not to chuffed with that news.

[Drachen596]

A 4 day beta?

I assume that means they think they have everything sorted yet there will be hundreds of bugs on release day.

[GreatScawt]

Welp, they got done with maintenance early so PS users could jump back in and the Xbox crowd could finally rip into it late yesterday. Played about an hour and a half last night before bed. Dis gon be good.

Only did the opening "tutorial" mission, and farted/danced around the Tower. The Tower is 3rd person and feels a lot like WoW in the sense that you have non-moving shopkeep/mission-giver NPCs with some generic hero talk that triggers when you interact.

Carlo, you'll be happy to know the Tower does not feel.... dead. Between players running around the "civilian" NPCs that walk around (non-collision). Some will comment to you specifically about your character/class (example from last night: "It's an honor, Warlock").

Shooting feels good. But I'm STILL getting used to the XB1 sticks, I simply don't play enough.

[novicius]

:up: :up:

Fantastic. I didn't get my shizz together to get into the beta but I'm not sweating it. Looking forward to it!

[GreatScawt]

For every Beta pre-order code, users were given THREE Beta keys for their respective console's marketplace. So if you know someone in the 360 Beta, hound them to see if they used their other keys. It closes Sunday. And you apparently get something worthwhile for being active on Saturday evening.

http://www.bungie.net/en/Legend/1/4611686018429797789/2305843009218026558#gear
Does this link work? My current Warlock. Hit the level 8 cap last night. Still some more to do and better gear to get :up:

[novicius]

Heh, ok, I'll poke around. :D

[GreatScawt]

No need now, it's open to the public :)

[Alan P]

Please come out on PC, Please come out on PC!

[Cam]

I set my console to download it last night. Haven't fired it up yet though.

[Cam]

Tried it out and played the intro. Looks and plays good. Loading times seem long. Interface is confusing at the moment, although I'll probably get used to it.

[novicius]

My hurried thoughts:

The environments are pretty limited right now (obviously) -- but I do hope that they open up more. It plays a lot like Borderlands (not a criticism!).

The Tower is small and limited (gotta keep the Guardians away from all the civilians, I guess) and of course you have a ship that you can't fly.

Start by dropping down to a century-old spaceport launch site in Old Russia and begin hunting Fallen (which are like Grunts & Jackals). They drop mostly Normal & Special Ammo that only you can see/pick up. You can run into other players down here but they can't shoot/harm you. But you can share battles with them -- not sure if you can join Missions on the fly. If you don't join up with them or wander too far away, they will disappear as the Matchmaking logic peels them off onto their own instance.

The action is decent; Halo: Reach-feeling. You have the usual Halo controls and then a few different Special Ability combos. Looks like there is decent variety to your Specials that you can select once you unlock them. Your reloading/firing speed changes depending upon weapon, if not also Class; I original started with an Awoken Hunter and was pretty quick. Tried an Exo Titan and that guy is (literally) a machine with the action. The "Normal" setting is extremely easy. The D-pad controls your animations: bowing, pointing, sitting and dancing.

Grinding is grinding and there isn't anything else to do at the moment, which is to be expected. Here's hoping we eventually see clubs/bars to dance in and chat, player marketplaces to make and sell customized gear, a way to exchange Glimmer (money; shared between all your 'toons) between players, and ship interiors. Customizable, configurable ship interiors. Maybe some missions would only be possible with certain interior configurations? Shizz like that. #notholdingmybreath

Ah well, we've got 10 years to find out, right? :lol: :up:

[novicius]

Playing Crucible now -- fast, action-y, no lag yet, liking it! :up:

EDIT: Keep in mind that your different ranks/gear/powers come into play, too. So if you have a party of 8's, you're gonna roll hard on mixed company.

Also, you can occasionally earn random gear/weapons/etc. while playing. Don't know if it'd ever be good gear but you can at least disassemble it for Glimmer.

[novicius]

So I've run through quite a few sample 'toons (the Beta limits you to 3 characters) and deleting them. I'm currently sitting pat with my Pompadour'd Awoken Hunter (Lvl. 5) and a rusty Exo Titan (Lvl. 3). Still trying to figure out what I want to do with a Warlock build -- probably just a grey-haired ragged old Human male.

Since I'm such a fashionista online, I'm really opting to keep gear based on how it looks vs it's number values. Find a new, stronger helmet? Does it make me look like I have a beak between two saucer-sized cheeks? Disassemble into Glimmer. :lol:

::

Also, the Normal setting is easy but the Hard setting will quicken your pulse, if you travel alone at least! ;)

[GreatScawt]

Have you tried the Devil's Lair? In terms of difficulty jump, that'll be a wake up call. Holy shit. Went in with a friend. I was a 6, he was a 7, and a random level 4/5 joined. It took a while but we got through (even though the randy left at the last boss).

Tried the Level 8 variation last night with 2 other level 8 buddies. Blew through it - minus a couple of server hiccups and one wipe. :up:

I got my ass pounded online. I only played one match, at least we won.
But I've since upped my sensitivity, gear, map awareness, and a couple weapons. Want to jump back in soon. :up:

[novicius]

Nope, haven't got that far -- I've spent my time more on building 'toons, Crucible, exploring, etc.

Tonight & tomorrow should be good, obviously there are a lot of 360 players on. :up:

[Drachen596]

Sounds like the 360 beta is the same as the ps4 alpha....

[Cam]

Some straight-shootin' with novi tonight. I still don't really get it fully yet. I'm confused by the merchants and what advantages I get by purchasing stuff. Most of the time I don't even know what they're selling, let alone what it does.

[GreatScawt]

What are your questions?

The crytpoarch merchant, as you know, will decrypt your engrams for free (telling you the stats and type of weapon / armor when you pick up the green 12-sided dice things). You can also buy engrams and have him decrypt them. Of course this is a gamble... because you don't know what you're actually buying. But it's a way to use your glimmer to get loot without constantly exploring.

The gun merchant... he usually doesn't have anything worthwhile, especially if you have a green weapon at your level. But you may occasionally run into something nice.
And - in my experience - same goes for the class-specific Vanguard in the basement in the center of the Tower.

Also, some gear will give strength, discipline and intellect bonuses. Strength decreases your melee special ability cooldown. Discipline decreases your grenade cooldown. Intellect decreases your super ability cooldown. I believe. :lol:

You can keep earning skills once you unlock the main tier of them. I just unlocked my second grenade and the first glide modifier after I hit the level 8 cap.

[Cam]

You are assuming I know what engrams are. You have to make it a little more basic for a complete noob.

[GreatScawt]

They will occasionally drop as loot from an enemy (or found in a chest). When they drop as loot, they look like a D&D die (1st pic in spoiler tag). They show up in your inventory as an unknown weapon/armor piece with a green square and a generic, dimmed-out image (2nd pic - see his inventory).

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140626055122/destinypedia/images/8/8d/Engram.png
http://i.imgur.com/fnzPe1c.png


You'll never see white engrams because apparently the guardian can decode them on the spot. He cannot decode the "uncommon"/green or higher, though.

[Cam]

I think this game broke Xbox Live yesterday afternoon. :lol: I was having problems getting to xbox.com and consistently staying signed in.

[Alan P]

PC Version apparently March 2015. I can wait.

[Phil_SS]

After playing the demo. I haven't been this excited for a game in a long, long time.

[Cam]

I think it's because you were rolling we me and novi. :p

[Phil_SS]

I think that is a big part of it. Getting to hang out with my friends is priceless.

The other part is that I was a big fan of Star Frontiers in my younger years and this is as close to it as I have seen.

[novicius]

Alright the Destiny Beta has ended, scotch has been drank, a cigar smoked and so here are my thoughts on the beast: as a console-based FPS it's poor; as an Open World FPS it's decent.

It's poor as a console-based FPS due to the extreme amounts of auto-aim dialed into the gameplay. I can't imagine that MLG test players wanted this feel?? It's crazy how far away you can be from the head and still score a headshot, the pull is immense. For me, I love it of course. :D But this can't be the action they submit in the final build if they want MLG players competing in Destiny... but Bungie did make a big hullabaloo about hiring MLG pro Bonnie "Xena" Burton for helping with tuning the action. Maybe it's still up in the air?

It's decent as an Open World FPS because it's graphically pretty, the framerate was rock solid 90% of the time and it offers a serious draw distance. Picking up swag is easy and low-stress since everyone gets their own gear drops. The downside of this low-stress situation is that you can't share gear with lower level characters. There is no sharing of anything between User Accounts on any console. This effectively kills any potential market (much less any gold-farming operations). So we're all locked into our own glass cases of emotion, watching each other run, dance and die. Borderlands, this is not.

::

For my part, I had a fantastic time playing with Cam & Phil this weekend. Cam & I rolled around in our high level 'toons and then we enjoyed a good run of low-level scrubs when Phil jumped on. I play for flavor, Cam plays for power, Phil enjoyed the exploration and we all got our customization-swerve on.

Rocketing around the dusty landscapes on jetbikes, listening to the birds as I zero in on a plundering band of Fallen, watching Cam's Exo wash down baddies with whatever pulsating fire hose he's using at the moment, silently willing my fearboner down every time Phil cries out that he's SUPERCHARGED, these are the sorts of things that Destiny offers. It's a game that can play fast -- but for me, I find playing it slower makes it better. :up:

[Kchrpm]

Ok, so aside from how it fits in boxes, you like it very much?

[novicius]

Definitely. :up: :up:

[Phil_SS]

I wish I could have saved a replay of me SUPERCHARGE punching the Hallowed Knight off the backside of the board at the end The Last Array. :popcorn:

[GreatScawt]

I really wish it was September :(

I've got a few clips uploaded. Though most of it is shenanigans at the tower with my buddies. But the one really shows off the fantastic in-game voice chat. It has proximity when nearby, it echoes appropriately indoors, and when you're far away it simulates the walkee-talkee effect. Very, very fucking cool. I'll see about uploading it later.

[Cam]

I play for power? :? If you say so. I simply equip what I feel is my best gear, not what is the best-looking gear. :lol:

"Come on in, you fuckers. Come on in. Ol' Painless is waitin'." :twisted:

[novicius]

I say it with admiration (and alliteration!), Cam -- no worries.

It takes a special kind of gamer to delete their best gear on the basis of it being ugly! :D

[Phil_SS]

So, I've just read that the disc install on the X360 will be 20GB, plus that doesn't include expansions etc. Woof! I'm gonna have to clear some space on my little 60GB drive. I do have a bit of music on there that I hardly listen too and don't need since I can probably just plug my phone into it. Forza 4 is around 12GB and a few other games can be uninstalled. Gonna be tight though.

This game has given me a slight inclination to buy an XBone. First time I've really felt the itch. Though I wonder if it would be worth it since my TV only does 720P.

[novicius]

I'm glad I upgraded my HD to 320GB last year. :up:

[Phil_SS]

I have an old "Duke" X360 so I can only upgrade to 250. I was lookin and Gamstop has refurbished 120GB drives for $40. Maybe I'll pick one of those up.

[Phil_SS]

Hold me Carlo.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFRQlCX3Ygs

[21Kid]

:eek:
:popcorn:
:rawk:

[21Kid]

I wish I had more XBONE friends to play with... :hint: :hint:

[novicius]

Big bosses look cool... but I still want there to be more fluff! :D :up:

[21Kid]

You can change the color of every piece of armor. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?!?!

[Kchrpm]

You can change armor color?!

*goes to Best Buy*

[Phil_SS]

I'll just leave this here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hElv-c0ew0

[Random]

The clouds aren't animated. FAIL.

[21Kid]

It is a beautiful game... :cool:

[Phil_SS]

Anybody else notice the Aurora Borealis? Must be winter down there in the northern hemisphere :)

And for the first time ever I have preordered a game for the purpose of getting it at a midnight release. :D

[novicius]

:up: :up:

[21Kid]

If I had a bigger HDD, I'd get the 360 version instead so I could play with you guys. :( I can't justify buying a bigger HDD on an old system that I probably won't be using much though. :|

[novicius]

It's like $60!! (http://www.amazon.com/320GB-Hard-Drive-HDD-Xbox/dp/B00656HLGO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1407529817&sr=1-2&keywords=xbox+360+hard+drive)

I know that's not super-cheap but it's still doable... :up:

[21Kid]

Yeah... :| But, it looks so much better on the Xbone too. :D
And I bought the thing. I might as well use it. :P

[novicius]

Yeah, if you have an XBONE then get it for that.

Make new friends. Explore the galaxy. Save Earth! #resurrectedspaceknights

[Kchrpm]

Beta characters won't transfer over to the full game. That's normal for betas, I thought, but it's being reported so maybe not?

http://kotaku.com/destinys-beta-characters-arent-transferring-to-the-fina-1619311172


Since the Beta, we've continued to tune and adjust the game. The way you earn experience has been adjusted up and down a bunch of times. Items have been added and removed. New features toggled. Although there's no single monumental change, the sum of the tweaks leaves characters from the Beta Build in strange shape that would be confusing at best, broken at worst.

[GreatScawt]

If this were a couple weeks ago I'd have been disappointed, but I understand it and actually want to reboot my character.

[novicius]

That's fine; I'm going to make my Purple Pompadour Awoken Hunter a Warlock this time. :up: #warlockshavemorefun #spacemagic

[GreatScawt]

I <3 the jumping Akuma hadouken.

[novicius]

Yep, I can't wait for more -- looking forward to participating in games where 3 Warlocks go through missions using only spacemagic. :rawk:

::

Scawt, you should invite Kid into your reindeer games on the XBONE. #helpahomie

[GreatScawt]

Oh yeah, there will be proper squading up on full release.

We also need to make a GTXF group on Bungie. Everyone can join up from all consoles.

[Alan P]

I take it this is single platform play? As in 360 owners play with 360 owners, PS4 with PS4 etc?

[Kchrpm]

Correct.

[JSGeneral]

New Competitive Multiplayer Trailer... with new outfits you can win and wear!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20opyh1pLYg

[novicius]

My body is ready. :up: :up:

::

So the narrative is going to be delivered via missions & cut scenes, got it. Still wish there was more kibitzing we could do (player-to-player) whether that would take the form of mini-games, crafting, marketplace or posting in-game player-to-player objectives & bounties even. I am completely fine with limited terrain to traverse but there has got to be more variety in the non-campaign missions for longevity's sake.

Also, here's hoping that we get to actually go into The City itself at some point! :lol: (Unless The Wall was also meant to keep out the Resurrected Guardians... #hmm :erm:)

[21Kid]

I thought it was fun running around doing the side missions and having a huge boss drop down in the middle of it all, and everyone converging on it.

I assume it will be similar on the moon, Venus, and other locations as well. Along with the daily missions... there seems to be plenty to do, to my untrained eye.

[novicius]

...says the salty dog with one level 22 GTA Online 'toon. ;) <3 <3 <3

[21Kid]

How do you know I only have one??? ;)




I do. :(

[JSGeneral]

Venus looks a lot like a darker version of a Halo ring... not that I'm complaining...

http://youtu.be/RIr4DRtnG_E

[21Kid]

must...
not...
watch...

[JSGeneral]

Well then you're gonna have a tough time not watching this then 21Kid... The Activision Marketing Machine is in full force. :)


http://youtu.be/jv7vqCmt6wY

[novicius]

Phil Spencer Wants to Make Sure Destiny Runs in 1080p on Xbox One, Bungie Says (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Phil-Spencer-Wants-to-Make-Sure-Destiny-Runs-in-1080p-on-Xbox-One-Bungie-Says-455943.shtml)


Destiny's beta test, the biggest such event to take place on next-gen consoles in the 9 months since their concurrent release, was enjoyed by 4.3 million gamers from all across the globe. The game was running in native 1080p on the PlayStation 4, but the client was reported to only run in 900p on the Xbox One platform.

Bungie pledged to have the game running in 1080p on the Xbox One as well, by the time Destiny comes out in September, and now it seems that Phil Spencer himself is taking an interest in how things are going.

"Phil Spencer is a great friend of ours, and has been putting great effort into making sure that the Xbox One edition of Destiny hits 1080p and is a great experience," Bungie's Director of Production Jonty Barnes stated in an interview with Edge Magazine (http://www.edge-online.com/).
It's going to become even more purty, Kid! :D :up:

[Kchrpm]

"We'll just take out some of the graphical flair and deal with the framerate dip".

[GreatScawt]

Indeed

http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/19/6045141/diablo-microsoft-resolution

[21Kid]

Can't...

Wait!!!

:(

[novicius]

An article on Forbes.com that addresses my fears from before the Beta dropped and that still stand now.

How Bungie's 'Destiny' Should Spend Its $500M Budget (http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/08/18/how-bungies-destiny-should-spend-its-500m-budget/)


From what we’ve seen so far, the game struggles to produce actual characters. Even with five or so story missions complete, your character utters exactly two lines of dialogue, and the only NPC who ever seems to have something to say is your AI. But even he’s focused just on the mission at hand most times.

Destiny is missing major cutscenes and characters yes, but I’ll admit perhaps there will be more of those as the story goes on. But what I’m more concerned about are the minor details. You almost never encounter NPCs with anything interesting to say in the Tower, as most simply exist as vendors. You certainly never find any out in the wild while exploring.

You can search every inch of one of the sprawling maps of the game, and you’ll definitely find some cool hidden chests or beastly enemies. But that’s all you’ll find. There are no side-quests with anything approaching depth. Only a voice ordering you to kill 10 enemies or hunt down a troll. You complete the tasks and you’ll get a dose of XP, and if you’re lucky, a Grimoire entry.

Really, the only detail of the game’s story is contained in the Grimoire, but relying only on a codex to add richness to your universe isn’t the most effective way to build a world. Especially not when 80% of Grimoire entries are related to skill trees or weapons, and the story-based ones aren’t more than a sentence or two most of the time. In short, story needs to be a more important part of the budget.

There’s little point creating a big, beautiful world if there’s nothing to find in it but loot and loot alone. Lore has always been an important part of MMOs, and even in the loot-heavy games Destiny tries to emulate like Borderlands and Diablo, there are still bits and pieces of stories to be found in town or in the wild. Destiny would be wise to not neglect its narrative in the pursuit of fine-tuning gameplay alone.
He also mentions the need for minigames. :up: :up: Here's hoping Bungie fills out their beautiful worlds.

[Kchrpm]

But it's not an MMO :assclown:

[novicius]

Yeah but MMO-qualities can still translate successfully to smaller MO's, tho'.

[Kchrpm]

Well yeah. that's why it was :assclown: There are so many games that are relying on light MMO stuff coming out for this new generation of systems, and I wonder how many of them will realize that just having other people in the world with you doesn't mean you're off the hook for making interesting content inside your world.

[novicius]

The wave of "open world" games still feels like a lot of single-player (nearly on-rails shooters!) games that are simply now supporting an enhanced multiplayer (read: non-lobby) element.

But it's not the "MMO" so much as the "RPG" that I'm missing -- and to be fair, I don't think Destiny was every much hyped about that. :| #wishfulthinking

(But if not then what is GTA Online? :assclown: )

[Kchrpm]

The wave of "open world" games still feels like a lot of single-player (nearly on-rails shooters!) games that are simply now supporting an enhanced multiplayer (read: non-lobby) element.
Yep! I think that's why I'm not as excited as I normally would be about buying a new console for The Division, which looks totally in my wheelhouse of "I miss Freedom Fighters."

[21Kid]

I dig the feeling of the 'connected' single player, or co-op of Destiny. MMO's always seem to be overwhelming to me. But, having other people playing their own game in single player or whatever this is called, makes it feel more alive to me.

[JSGeneral]

https://www.destinyplanetview.com/en/home

[Phil_SS]

Saw that. Just ridiculously cool.

[JSGeneral]

Live Action Trailer. :up:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOsu-vm4Dg4

[novicius]

:up: :up:

::

Is it a bad thing that I want Destiny to feel like the first Fable game? I want ragtag street urchins to whisper "There goes Chicken Chaser...!!" behind my back as I pass! :lol:

[GreatScawt]

Carloooooo

http://kotaku.com/last-gen-destiny-comes-with-a-free-current-gen-upgrade-1631183985

[novicius]

January 15th?? Dammo! :lol: :up:

[Cam]

"Live Action Trailer"? Most of it is digital effects. :erm: :lol: Pretty cool though. :)

[Phil_SS]

:up: :up:

::

Is it a bad thing that I want Destiny to feel like the first Fable game? I want ragtag street urchins to whisper "There goes Chicken Chaser...!!" behind my back as I pass! :lol:

As long as you have a comfy chair and your blankie.

[novicius]

Oh baby, you know I got this!! :hard:

[novicius]

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!! :D

Anyone going to a midnight release? Is standing in line too old school for most of us now? I know I'm going to enjoy my last night playing GTA5 for awhile and pick my copy up at lunchtime tomorrow.

[21Kid]

Nope. Getting it mailed to me by Amazon...

[GreatScawt]

MSStore. It should be waiting for me tomorrow when I get home from work. But I legit feel like shit today. So.... maybe I'll be on earlier.

[novicius]

The servers have been officially turned on and you can watch Twitch users playing the game now (http://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Destiny), FWIW.

::

Destiny Will Be Played on PS4 by 63% of Gamers, on Xbox One by 24% – Survey (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Destiny-Will-Be-Played-on-PS4-by-63-of-Gamers-on-Xbox-One-by-24-Survey-457958.shtml) (of Reddit users only)


Players seem to favor Auto Rifles to every other weapons in PvE (35 percent) and even more so in PvP (57 percent), and 73 percent of those interviewed declare that they prefer Primary Weapons to Special and Heavy ones.
Duh -- the fact that Auto Rifles can be used by everyone waters down the differences in classes. Should have made them Titan-class exclusive. :thppt:

::

Destiny Truly Begins After Reaching Level 20 Cap, Bungie Explains (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Destiny-Truly-Begins-After-Reaching-Level-20-Cap-Bungie-Explains-457953.shtml)


Getting better gear is crucial in Destiny

Once players reach level 20, they'll start earning points towards their Light level, which can be done only through attaining better gear.

"Strikes and Crucible matches can award powerful gear and currencies which you’ll use to buy Legendary (purple) gear from the Tower. Players can choose to champion one of our three Factions (New Monarchy, Dead Orbit, or Future War Cult) in both cooperative and competitive activities. This allows them to rank up and purchase gear from a particular Faction."

Each Faction offers a certain flavor of gear, with Bungie exemplifying the Dead Orbit group as one that focuses on Discipline and Strength, so classes with such a focus should try and get the faction's Legendary set to further improve their Light level.

New Heroic challenges also await level 20 players

Besides repeating the same tasks they did before, players will unlock Heroic mode progressions for Daily Heroic Story chapters and Weekly Heroic Strikes. These have recommended Light levels and feature modifiers in terms of difficulty, to make them a true challenge.
I think Phantasy Star Online did something like this also (in addition to other MMO's, I'm sure)...

[Kchrpm]

Pages on Twitch that show all the people playing a certain game? Nice.

*goes to Forza 5 page*

[21Kid]

Can I just start downloading the day 1 patch now? :assclown:

[Phil_SS]

I'm headin out for midnight release. Guess I'll have to bump around alone.

[Yobbo NZ]

Teach me for buying from the US xbox store,have to wait until its midnight wherever it is over there.Saved me about $30 though.

[Cam]

I plan on getting it, but it looks like I'm too busy to get it until the week-end.

[Yw-slayer]

Waiting for PC release. In fact, I'm still waiting for the PC release of GTA5.

[Cam]

/me awaits favourable reviews from his peers to justify the game's purchase to the primary bread-winner of the household.

[Kchrpm]

I want to it be so great that you are all really happy, but not so great that I fall prey to the Xbox One.

[novicius]

If it was WoW in Space, I don't know that I'd want to be on the hook of convincing you to buy an XBONE, Keith. :lol:

Heading out mid-afternoon to pick it up and play. :cool: #spacemagic

[GreatScawt]

Someone make a group/clan yet? We should get on that.

[21Kid]

It's on PS4 too Keith. :assclown:

[novicius]

Someone make a group/clan yet? We should get on that.
Sounds good -- I'll generate one and send out some invites/post the info here, etc.

[novicius]

Made a basic GTX Forums Clan (http://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Detail/200970) -- see if you can join up.

I did try to set it to automatically let you join but I don't think it's taking the changes. Also, the site is moving pretty slow for me (to be expected).

Also to repeat what Scawt said, it will accept Playstation & Xbox members.

[GreatScawt]

Nice! And thanks! I requested a join. I would have done it, but - as you have proven - you are much more creative with such endeavors. :lol:

Yeah the site's been slow. I've been inputing all these of Bungie codes from earlier. You just gotta let it sit and think a bit.

Anyway, here's all the known codes:
http://imgur.com/gallery/w1vkP
Check the first comment and expand. The guy typed everything out so all you have to do is copy and paste here: www.bungie.net/sr/User/coderedemption

[21Kid]

requested

[21Kid]

Nice! And thanks! I requested a join. I would have done it, but - as you have proven - you are much more creative with such endeavors. :lol:

Yeah the site's been slow. I've been inputing all these of Bungie codes from earlier. You just gotta let it sit and think a bit.

Anyway, here's all the known codes:
http://imgur.com/gallery/w1vkP

Check the first comment and expand. The guy typed everything out so all you have to do is copy and paste here: www.bungie.net/sr/User/coderedemption

Can you paste here? I don't want to sign up just to copy/paste...

[GreatScawt]

They are in the sub-comments in first comment on Imgur. Do you have to sign up for Imgur to see them?

[Cam]

I went and bought a copy of the disc at my local game store. I was shocked and chagrined to find out it has to download the game anyway and I could have just bought it online instead. :rolleyes:

Yeah, I can't see the comments either.

[novicius]

Yep, I see the notification -- now if only the page for me to accept it would load...

Heh, Cam I was just coming back in here to say that so far it's exactly like the Beta, so if that didn't blow your skirt up, there is nothing new (yet).

[21Kid]

They are in the sub-comments in first comment on Imgur. Do you have to sign up for Imgur to see them?

Yes. :(

[21Kid]

Wait, the "disk" just has a code to download the game?

I bought the disk to save HDD space. :mad:

[GreatScawt]

For XB1, ALL games get installed. Disc or not. Is that the case for Destiny on 360?


Yes. :(

Ah, didn't realize!

Double Banshee: 7MM-VPD-MHP
Oracle 99: RXC-9XJ-4MH
Sign of the Finite: 7F9-767-F74
Binding Focus: FJ9-LAM-67F
Illusion of Light: JD7-4CM-HJG
Ab Aeterno: JDT-NLC-JKM
Field of Light: JNX-DMH-XLA
Lone Focus, Jagged Edge: 7CP-94V-LFP
The Fallen: 69R-F99-AXG
Red Death: 69R-VL7-J6A
The Cabal: 69X-DJN-74V
The Devastated Coast, Venus: 6A7-7NP-3X7
Vex Minotaur: 6A9-DTG-YGN
Gjallorhorn: HC3-H44-DKC
Duke MK.44: 69P-KRM-JJA
The Tower: 69P-VCH-337
The Hive: Ogre 69R-CKD-X7L
Valley of the kings, Mars: 69R-DDD-FCP
Titan: MVD-4N3-NKH
Rixis: TCN-HCD-TGY
Old-Russia: HDX-ALM-V4K
Hive: 473-MXR-3X9
Moon: JMR-LFN-4A3
Warlock: YKA-RJG-MH9 Hunter: 3DA-P4X-F6A

[Cam]

It would seem so. I had to do a ~5 Gb download.

[21Kid]

Is there two separate discs? GTA5 had a 5gb install disk and a "play" disc.

Thanks Scott! :cool:

[Cam]

No, there is not two discs.

[Cam]

Goddammit, why can't I shut off the music or skip the cut scenes? It's a feature of every other game ever. :? :mad:

[Drachen596]

weird about the imgur thing. i dont have an account and could see them just fine down in the subcomments.

[21Kid]

Mad Cam is scary... :(

[novicius]

Hey-hey, I was able to approve folks to the GTX Forums clan! :up: #checkyoshizz

[Cam]

Invite me to the clan... or something.

I played it long enough to start three characters and get them past the opening BS that you can't skip.

[Cam]

Mad Cam is scary... :(
You shut yer pie hole! :mad:




Aww, who am I kiddin'? I can't stay mad at you when you look at me like that.

[21Kid]

Congratulations Cam! You have passed your US citizenship test. :mad:

P.S. The XBone version doesn't have the large HDD upload. Just the normal Day1 update. :rawk:

[Yw-slayer]

No cross-platform support = :down:

May still buy it and install it. Just like the 50+ Steam games I've installed and never played (or played only to finish the intro level), but better than the 15-20 that I've bought, but never even installed.

[JSGeneral]

Invite me to the clan... or something.

I played it long enough to start three characters and get them past the opening BS that you can't skip.

I discovered a nice (probably unintended) feature about the tutorial mission that would of helped Cam... but can help anyone making a new character. After you get your first weapon, the Assault Rifle, you eventually end up in an open area where Covenant Fallen dropships appear and a large group of enemies drop from the ship and attack you.

You can skip this whole part.

Once you enter the open area... bring up your Ghost... and you will find that you can Summon Your Vehicle (your speedbike) before you've ever officially played the mission to unlock it! Hop aboard and zoom through this area and past all those enemies. Saves a good couple of minutes instead of trying to sprint/fight through that place. Maybe it's not much... but when re-doing the tutorial and trying to just get to a playable/joinable state... it could be useful.

[novicius]

Yep, I also just ran all the way through the intro mission last night when making a 2nd 'toon to play with Denetti. It leveled me up to 2nd level automatically, too. :up: :up:

The only fight I had to do was clearing out your initial ship's hangar.
It IS annoying to have to run through this extended intro every time you make a new character, fully agreed on that. :rolleyes:

[JSGeneral]

Yep, I also just ran all the way through the intro mission last night when making a 2nd 'toon to play with Denetti. It leveled me up to 2nd level automatically, too. :up: :up:

The only fight I had to do was clearing out your initial ship's hangar.
It IS annoying to have to run through this extended intro every time you make a new character, fully agreed on that. :rolleyes:

I just found out another tidbit that is going to make me wait at starting new characters. It appears that after you get one toon to level 15... then any new toons you create after this will already have the Subclass unlocked! :eek:

(I have not tried this out yet myself to verify. Read it on reddit.)

[Cam]

I was already sprinting through and not fighting bad guys, like novi. The five-minute-long cut scenes are what I want to skip.

[novicius]

Also, keep in mind that inasmuch that the Classes are similar, there are some distinct differences:

Titans: Starts with an Auto Rifle, a Shotgun and the highest Armor Rating. Beginning Supercharged special is a short ranged area-effect attack. Titans are the best for dealing with mobs of baddies but since most bosses kick out a lethal amount of damage in close-quarters combat, they're potentially not as useful against the Big Bad (but easier to do big damage with).

Warlocks: Starts with an Auto Rifle, a Shotgun and the weakest (???) Armor Rating. Beginning Supercharged special is a medium ranged area-effect attack. Warlocks are better for mobs as well as team support.

Hunters: Starts with an Auto Rifle, a Sniper Rifle and a standard (???) Armor Rating. Beginning Supercharged special is a long range single-target attack. Hunters will eventually deal out the single highest damage totals in the game, good for Bosses (but this will require aiming skills and the right perks). Hunters are on top of the Crucible Leaderboards as well.

#roughdescriptions

[Phil_SS]

I think all the classes play pretty much the same in the early levels and I feel that once subclasses become important; that each class will be crucial to achieving success in the mission. Could you rock 3 hunters for missions or 6 for the raids, sure. But I'm willing to bet you will have more success with a properly worked out group with all classes represented.

For example, I plan on going the defender route with my Titan so I can protect the group during big battles. Just a little breather can help a lot. Eh Carlo? (I'm still sweating from last night, woof!)

[novicius]

The fight in the mines between the Hive and the Fallen is always a good time -- just steady waves of reinforcements, ammo-running-low, spacemagic-save-me action! Good times with Phil & Cam! :D :up:

(Sorry I wasn't more chatty, my throat was hurtin' me something fierce! Seems better today tho'.)

Destiny missions do intensity really well. Keeps the mobs coming and they coordinate well with their bosses. Makes for a fight where everyone has something to do and can feel important -- and that's what it's all about. :up:

[Cam]

The 360 is where it's at. Suck it Xbones! :hard:

It didn't help that I was several levels below you guys.

[21Kid]

:( Tried playing with people last night and no one accepted. :( Probably because I was lv 2. :(

[novicius]

Kid, I'd play wit' choo! :D #manhugz

[21Kid]

:sniff:

:(

[GreatScawt]

Sorry Bill, I got your invite. I was bouncing around a lot last night. My coworker and I were in the process of grouping up for a couple missions.

[21Kid]

Likely story. ;)

I saw that you were in a party later. I figured that's what happened. I'll probably be around more this week if you want to join up. JP just ignored me. But, you know what we say about JP. ;)

[novicius]

Last night's action was good, intense -- and at the end, overpowering. :twitch: Couldn't believe it, actually, as it reminded me of the original Team Fortress level "Dustbowl" where one team had to slog through a single entry meat-grinder to cap the next point and move on. Just... intense! #flashbacks #thehorror

I did some solo work this morning and leveled up to 13 with my Awoken Warlock. A Defensive Rating of 244 ain't too shabby for a spacewiz, right? :lol:

[Yw-slayer]

I like this. Headsets, schoolmates, and killing. What more could you ask for? I guess Titanfall style fun, but this is good enough.

[Phil_SS]

Yeah that was rough. Just gonna have to wait til we are higher level before taking on Phogoth again.

My defensive rating is kinda lacking. I've been using what looks good and has bonuses but it makes me more vulnerable against some of the big hordes. Once I get to Level 14 I can use my new piece of chest armor that has a 132 rating by itself + gives me some insane bonus in discipline.

Of course after I bought that new chest armor from the Vanguard and couldn't use it cause I wasn't high enough level, what do I get during the Phogoth mission? Another one just like it. :|

[novicius]

132?? Yeah, my best armor is only 70. :D

Also, I'm not going to be online tonight after 6 PM CST so you, Denny & Cam should roll. :shocker: #philhasabigmic

[Cam]

Why would you buy stuff? I don't know about you guys, but I pick up new gear off the ground on a regular basis. :?

[novicius]

Eh, why not? If you see a good deal (either a high Armor or Damage Rating unlocked at a low level), things are cheap enough, why not buy it when you see it?

I will say that it's too bad character levels happen so quick -- it does feel like I'm constantly upgrading gear. I'd love it if my gear lasted more than 2 missions before being surpassed by a drop. :|

[Cam]

I guess I'd rather spend my spacebucks on a useless new ship. :lol:

"Ten thousand? We can almost get a new ship for that!"

[21Kid]

Yeah, I bought something only to find a better piece within 5 minutes. I'm going to save my $$$ until I'm lv 15 at least and I'm holding on to stuff longer than 30 minutes. :|

Even upgrades seem pointless on the lower level gear. Why spend money upgrading something that you aren't going to keep very long?

[Phil_SS]

Why would you buy stuff? I don't know about you guys, but I pick up new gear off the ground on a regular basis. :?

I do also. But this appeared to be something really special and I thought I could wear it and I didn't think something like it would be dropped by baddies. But I missed the level restriction. From now on I'm not buying a thing til I get to level 20 and can wear the Vanguard armor. At that point I would think we would have to buy the Vanguard armor, I would be surprised if baddies are going to be dropping it.

The only other thing I bought up to that point was a new jumpship. #howdoesmyhairlook

[novicius]

Yeah, the relentless gear improvements were definitely not balanced well. Slowing down the leveling would fix all that.

I will say that when you do find something sweet (such as Hand Cannon with 91 Attack @ Level 6), that sucker I'm investing in and saving for future 'toons. :D :up:

[Kchrpm]

What was the game where your equipment leveled up with you? I like the idea of swapping weapons for different perks and styles, not just because some numbers got left behind when I got enough XP.

[21Kid]

Indeed Carlo.

[GreatScawt]

This may have been said already, but you guys know where the Vanguard armory is? Shipwright area.

Anyway, the vanguard weapons kind of suck. :|
They have reasonable damage for their level, and they are green items. But you can't upgrade them in any way (no bonuses, no attachments, no damage buffs).

[Cam]

Played some Crucible matches. I got slaughtered. :lol:

[novicius]

Yeah my Crucible stats (http://www.bungie.net/en/Legend/1/4611686018430365172/2305843009216777337#context=crucible&section=none) are pretty sad, too. 0.95 K/D ratio? Turrible! :lol:

[Cam]

Much better than I did.

[Yw-slayer]

http://www.ign.com/wikis/destiny/Trading_Card_Redemption_Codes

[Phil_SS]

Much better than I did.

Same here. I'm running at about .5. But that has always been my fate with Bungie games where headshots are king over dropping a whole clip into someones torso. Though I did do better on the deathmatch gametypes where I was closer to 1 K/D. On Control, I'm too busy trying to win the game to care about my K/D.

[JSGeneral]

Yeah my Crucible stats (http://www.bungie.net/en/Legend/1/4611686018430365172/2305843009216777337#context=crucible&section=none) are pretty sad, too. 0.95 K/D ratio? Turrible! :lol:

Is it bad that I haven't even played Crucible yet? I think I'm just going to focus only on one aspect and work on building my PvE reputation instead of trying to mix and match the different game types and carrying mixed bounties as well.

I'm also doing this because I KNOW I'd be bad at PvP as well.

[Cam]

I was just playing Crucible for the bounties. 0.25 K/D that last game. :sadbanana:

[novicius]

Yeah, playing Control ("Territories" for the benefit of others) does mean that there is a certain amount of sacrifice involved.

OTOH I'd probably kill more if I didn't use the Hand Cannon/Sniper Rifle exclusively. Makes it challenging to take down a raging Titan! :lol: #boom #headshotz

::

Played a little bit again late last night; bounties, mostly. I finished "Kill 25 Hunters in Crucible" bounty, "Win 5 Control matches in Crucible" bounty, and a pair of Old Earth and Moon bounties. Completing the "Kill 25 Titans & Warlocks" bounties are going a little slower. ;)

It helped that I kept running into the same Hunter over and over again, match after match. It wasn't like we were specifically targeting each other but when we'd encounter each other at a cap point, we definitely zero'd in on the other. I'm sure I helped them complete the "Kill 25 Warlocks in Crucible" bounty. :D

[21Kid]

Need more Xbone friends. :sadbanana:

[JSGeneral]

The weekend coin vendor who gives special rare loot to high level players...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVasQ2xdUA4

[Cam]

Need more Xbone friends. :sadbanana:
Can't you install it on your 360 as well if you've already bought it for the Xbone? I think Rypien did that.

[Yw-slayer]

My friends and I are rocking out on PvE. YEAAAHHHH

[novicius]

Yeah my Crucible stats (http://www.bungie.net/en/Legend/1/4611686018430365172/2305843009216777337#context=crucible&section=none) are pretty sad, too. 0.95 K/D ratio? Turrible! :lol:
1.03 K/D, officially not a drain on my teams! :D

::

I went home at lunch today for some Crucible & sammich. Logged on and chatted with Cam for awhile as I played my first Strike match. Bleh, as expected, if there are no objectives it's *really* lethal for a Hand Cannon/Sniper Rifle combo.

'Nuff of that, switch to Control and boot-up; immediately start getting pwn'd by a Hunter using a shottie. Fine, I get it: my PvE combo is a good time but it's no match in PvP. Switch to Hand Cannon/Shotgun/Heavy MG and now my enemies' bodies start to fall. Most Control maps in Destiny have small confines and it was high time I switched to a more close-combat-friendly loadout. It really works. :twisted:

[21Kid]

Can't you install it on your 360 as well if you've already bought it for the Xbone? I think Rypien did that.

I didn't download it. I have it on disc. :(


I am a little disappointed in the lack of gun type. There's not SMG or semi-auto pistols? I hope they add them eventually.

[Cam]

FIGURE IT OUT.

[Cam]

I didn't realize until just now that you can share weapons with the rest of your characters using the vault thing in town.

[Cam]

Need more Xbone friends. :sadbanana:
There's an ad on the 360 dashboard for Destiny that says, "Play Destiny Now, Get Xbox One Verson Free." I wonder if it somehow works the other way around.

[GreatScawt]

Did the Moon's Strike mission last night to finish off everything there. It was me (lvl 13 Warlock), my buddy (lvl 15 Titan), and a level 14 matchmade random. And well... we pretty much burned through it. Phogoth took a beating but he wasn't bad.
The only times we really got overwhelmed were defending the door and when a bunch of knights and wizards spawn in by Phogoth as he's running around.

[Cam]

I discovered that running into the room and taking cover on the sides is more effective than staying outside the room and shooting in. I finished it with two randoms. I was a level 12 hunter and the other guys were level 12 and 13. It was tough. Phogoth is weak in the belly, just in case you didn't know.

Played the Earth Strike mission earlier with two randoms. We were just about to finish the final servitor prime guy and I discoed. :angry:

[novicius]

I think Phil was a level 12 Awoken Titan, Dennis was *maybe* a level 9 Exo Titan and I was rockin' a level 12 Awoken Warlock the first and only time we tried taking on Phogoth (listed as a Level 10 challenge). Obviously at Level 18+ now, any pair that joins me will stomp his ass into pan-fried steak.

It's an interesting conundrum: do you take on missions when they first come available to maximize the challenge or do you grind up levels and then come back in and roll hard with swagger? Is this how World of Warcraft does it? I find the cakewalking to be less entertaining -- and even last night playing with a new Hunter, just having access to sweet gear makes the challenges too easy. I was playing real sloppy, fooling around with Scout and Auto Rifles, Shotguns and Heavy MG's and purely focused on how my 'toon looked when it comes to armor, and we still rolled everything hard last night.

What can I say? I like the ragged, desperate gunfights and missions that take an hour and are barely-but-thrillingly won! :rawk:

[Cam]

I thought the Phogoth strike was level 12. Admittedly, the missions are more exciting when they're a bit of a challenge.

[GreatScawt]

Yeah. For sure it was definitely a challenge for us, but still went through everything without wiping, which was satisfying. And yeah, we were over-leveled, which is why I mentioned it.

I had just purchased a new auto-rifle (Shingen-C) and upgraded it appropriately with the new sight and damage upgrade. Usually I would snipe the Knights in the head (one-shotting them pretty easy), but the waves were a bit too close quarters, and the new auto rifle is so stable and devastating it would take them down so quick anyway. Very satisfying. REALLY fun fighting waves of them. :up:

[Phil_SS]

I think Phil was a level 12 Awoken Titan, Dennis was *maybe* a level 9 Exo Titan and I was rockin' a level 12 Awoken Warlock the first and only time we tried taking on Phogoth (listed as a Level 10 challenge). Obviously at Level 18+ now, any pair that joins me will stomp his ass into pan-fried steak.

It's an interesting conundrum: do you take on missions when they first come available to maximize the challenge or do you grind up levels and then come back in and roll hard with swagger? Is this how World of Warcraft does it? I find the cakewalking to be less entertaining -- and even last night playing with a new Hunter, just having access to sweet gear makes the challenges too easy. I was playing real sloppy, fooling around with Scout and Auto Rifles, Shotguns and Heavy MG's and purely focused on how my 'toon looked when it comes to armor, and we still rolled everything hard last night.

What can I say? I like the ragged, desperate gunfights and missions that take an hour and are barely-but-thrillingly won! :rawk:

I think the Strike Missions will give us the challenge at higher Guardian levels. The lowest level for the Strike playlist is a Level 18 mission. And I can only imagine how difficult the Vault of Glass will be at Level 26. I've heard statements like you better have a few hours set aside etc.

But I know what you mean. A couple of guys and I rolled The Devil's Lair strike mission today in about 15 minutes. I still died a few times being an asshat but it was damn fun just trying new ways of pummeling the enemy.

[novicius]

Obviously at Level 18+ now, any pair that joins me will stomp his ass into pan-fried steak.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Dennis (level 20), a random (level 18) and I (level 19) took Phogost down a few minutes ago and it was still incredibly challenging! Kill a the underlings first, dodge the Big Bad and save him for last -- and good luck!!

[Denetti]

In reference to our in-game weapon damage type discussion: Elemental Weapon Damage (Solar, Arc, Void) Explained (video) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTLosBMLt3Q)

It's the glow around the unit that gives the answer.

Hive Wizards (orange) = solar vulnerability
Fallen Captains (blue) = arc vulnerability

Plus (mentioned in the video) you can't get a headshot without removing the shield first. Something I didn't know previously either.

This also helps with determining which types of weapons to carry. For example, on my Titan I deal Arc damage with my abilities (strike and arc grenade) so I should probably carry void and solar guns, so I can deal all damage types.



Class
Solar
Arc
Void


Hunter
Gunslinger
Bladedancer
n/a


Titan
n/a
Striker
Defender


Warlock
Sunsinger
n/a
Voidwalker

[Cam]

After finishing the last story mission, I'm left with a disappointed feeling. I don't get it. I was expecting more, I guess. Maybe the mixed reviews are accurate in saying there's nothing to get. I didn't feel like I had a purpose for playing. I didn't care about the characters or their situation. Yeah, it's fun rolling with my Destihomies. Alas, that is the only thing I find endearing to the game and I can get that in any game with multiplayer. The PvP is solid, I'm sure, but I'm just not interested in that. I much prefer co-op.

Good to know about the damage type weaknesses.

[GreatScawt]

I haven't gotten to the end yet, but if Bungie hasn't changed things, this game has a 10-year story arch. So there will be more content released. This is simply a different kind of game than a traditional Halo or CoD in terms of story and progression.

[Kchrpm]

But will that content be predominantly premium DLC? That's Activision's modus operandi.

[GreatScawt]

Yeah, it likely will, honestly. But I can also see Bungie chucking things in here and there. We'll see.

[novicius]

I was expecting more, I guess.
Having rolled with you & Dennis yesterday, I can completely empathize with your sentiment; we zoom/sprinted past more baddies and interesting areas without stopping that I lost count. Good (but fast) times. ;)

The end mission was appropriately epic, I thought. A nice stopping point for now. Looking forward to learning more about each culture (and improved AI!) in Destiny II.

During the end battle, I couldn't help but be reminded of the ending to Morrowind. ;)::

Yesterday's intense action taught me that I love rocking out with the shotgun in battles, wielding spacemagic with reckless abandon to wipe out scores of enemies -- and then quickdrawing the revolver to finish off a particularly large foe. :D #spacecowboy

::

For new users, the austere sights of Destiny are probably best enjoyed on foot. You will encounter more action, see more things, and definitely find more secret chests. You will explore more. Running out of ammo, dealing with obstacles, watching other veteran Guardians tear up an alien campsite, fighting with ragged and breathless action against overmatched foes (by always playing on Heroic difficulty and playing story-mode missions with lower level 'toons), this is the best way to enjoy Destiny. #$0.02 #playitlikehalo

[Cam]

Took a page from novi's book last night. Decided to slow down and take in the sights. Hooked up with JSGeneral, Denetti and we all had female warlocks using hand cannons, all dressed the same. We were like space marshals. :lol: At one point we were doing a mission on Venus and a random public encounter showed up next to us. All of a sudden, there's about eight guardians fighting shoulder-to-shoulder, including a few mid-20s-level dudes. They were doing serious damage. :eek: :up: Good time. :)

[Kchrpm]

:up:

[JSGeneral]

Took a page from novi's book last night. Decided to slow down and take in the sights. Hooked up with JSGeneral, Denetti and we all had female warlocks using hand cannons, all dressed the same. We were like space marshals. :lol: At one point we were doing a mission on Venus and a random public encounter showed up next to us. All of a sudden, there's about eight guardians fighting shoulder-to-shoulder, including a few mid-20s-level dudes. They were doing serious damage. :eek: :up: Good time. :)

This.

Thanks for that fireteam Cam and Denetti! I hadn't played all weekend (was away) and have still only the one toon (lowish level) whom I still have not taken into PvP yet. In fact, I had only completed ONE Moon mission so far... so I hadn't even unlocked Venus yet. It's nice to know that I wasn't blocked from going there (nor did I block the team) when Cam selected it as the fireteam lead. It's also nice to me that Venus is still LOCKED so I'll have to complete the Moon missions. So no skipping. Everyone has to go through the same missions. (Sorry to make you sit through the Venus-unlock cutscene again though, Cam.)

That public encounter in particular was incredible. I felt I was low level (and pretty lost because this was my first time on Venus) but we all held this hill and just covered ridge after ridge as more and more waves came. It felt epic! Like how Custer would of felt if he had won.

I really like the public encounters. They really spice things up. I still am not super-familiar with what encounter happens where... so when they do occur... it totally throws and unexpected twist. FUN!

[GreatScawt]

I think the public events are by far my favorite. I love how the screen goes dark... and everybody just stops what they're doing and homes in on the objective. And you'll usually get something neat.

I'm getting to the end game soon. Level 18 right now with some missions left on Mars. Can't wait to start working on obtaining light gear and doing the higher level strikes :up:
Haven't had a whole lot of time... I have to dedicate my weekend evenings to the lady :lol: :D

[novicius]

I feel your pain, brother -- the only way I get to play is if I'm chatting with my girl instead of these guys. My headset only comes on after she's gone to bed! :lol:

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, the public event I just had was awesome. As was teaming with my mate and some random dude who was actually pretty good to FINALLY finish the Russia Strike.