Weâve probably all been there at least once before. Youâre innocently going about your business, shooting around corners and throwing grenades to cover your teammates when a high-pitched voice on the other end lashes out: âWhat the f!@#, man! Youâre such a !@#$!â In-game socializing doesnât have the greatest reputation, but that doesnât mean itâs a lost cause or that it isnât still incredibly useful.
It was with that risk in mind, though, that Bungie decided to limit voice chat options in Destiny to Fireteamsâwhich are groups of three guardians/playersâonly. You are grouped into a Fireteam either by invite or, in the case of the instance-like Strikes, matchmaking. If you want to play missions, patrols, or bounties with other players, youâll have to track down your Fireteam yourself. The only other form of communication you have with players you meet out in the game is to approach them and click through a series of prompts to invite them into your Fireteam and initiate said voice chat. While this does minimize how much vitriol and shouting youâre likely taking in on a daily basis, not having the option to activate a wider proximity-based chat actually hinders what the core of Destiny is all about.
Weâre only a few days into Destiny and Iâve already demolished the entire campaign (Kirk will have your review next week), including almost 100% of the patrols and strikes as well as a bunch of bounties. I have taken on the same boss battles multiple times over, with different agendas andâin the case of Strikes where matchmaking comes into playâdifferent teammates. But I spent a lot of my mission time alone, and I wasnât the only one. There are threads of tons of people lamenting their lonely experiences in this multiplayer game. Thereâs even a petition that started last night and has since grown to over 3,000 supporters as of this writing.
It wasnât for lack of trying, either. I set my Fireteam settings to public, in the hopes that someone might randomly jump in and help me take on a few story missions. But without better organization or prioritizing, thatâs about all the agency I have in the matter. Iâve danced with a lot of other Destiny players but Iâve never asked them about their last run. Iâve never asked if someone was about to go on the same mission as me and maybe wanted to team up and do it together.
Anyone who is familiar with MMOs will remember seeing something like âlfgâ pop up in general chat. The Looking For Group players represent the most obvious need for some kind of more readily-accessible communication in Destiny. Though you can âinteractâ with players to send them an invite to your Fireteam, by the time youâve approached them, clicked in on the right stick, and then hit options and then the invite button, theyâre probably long gone, already forgetting about the dance you two once shared together under the Traveler upon first meeting. (Incidentally, Iâd also suggest more matchmaking options to help players get grouped together on missions. This would likely come in even more handy once six-player raids open up next week.)
In-game social interactions are tricky. Sometimes theyâre just noiseâpeople shouting to be heard, or leaving their music on too loud for the mic to pick up the audioâbut sometimes theyâre useful. Sometimes we like to share ideas or stories. Maybe we want to ask about each otherâs gear or if someone can extend a hand in this mission you canât seem to beat on your own. Or maybe youâre just engaging in a round of volleyball or soccer back in the Tower and you want to cheer your newfound friend on. Or yell at them for missing that last lobby.
At its heart, Destiny is about taking on instance after instance, defeating tougher and tougher enemies while improving your gear and mastering the fight. Thereâs a story in thereâif you care, but I frankly couldnât bring myself toâand some really pretty scenery, but thatâs not what kept me up for 24 straight hours playing through the game. It was beating a Strike boss, going into town to equip my new gear, and going back in to demolish that Strike boss more efficiently than the last time. But itâs not quite the same without a few teammates, and Iâve found myself playing through many missions mostly by my lonesome.
I want to share my world, but Destinyâs shared-world shooter is very specific about how I can go about that. Giving players the option to open up communication as they see fit could make a world of a difference.
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