EricHiggin said:
VAMatt said:
I enjoyed grinding in Destiny. In fact, once they removed most of the grind, the game became less enjoyable to me. I was just really into spending time in the game world, and I liked to be able to do casual stuff some of the time.
In Destiny 2, there really is no grinding to be done. Consequently, I play a lot less of the game.
In general though, I don't like to do a whole lot grinding. I think some is okay, to pad the playtime. But, for the average game, if I'm spending more than 10% to 15% of my time grinding, I'm likely to lose interest and stop playing. |
Shadow1980 said:
Meanwhile, I dropped Destiny because of all the grinding used to make it seem less shallow than it was. While I applauded Bungie's art direction and the game's core combat mechanics, which were just as good as what existed back in their Halo days, I quickly got bored once the game was finished. I was simply traversing the same areas, killing the same bosses and searching for materials over and over again simply to acquire better gear to do Raids with, or simply to keep up with other people I played with. I realized that the grind was the entire point of the game, that the game was not respecting my time by giving me an experience with actual depth but rather with bogging me down with busy work. While I never liked the idea of online-only games, I made an exception for Destiny because it was Bungie, and in retrospect I never should have given them a single dime. |
Destiny 1, way too much grind. Destiny 2, not near enough grind. What Destiny 3 needs is to split the difference when it comes to grinding, as well as a few other things like loot. Plus add more map space, more content within that space with average grind levels, more less powerful bullet sponge enemies, and a longer better written campaign than what D2 had.
I was one of the D1 fans that really thought less grind would be the answer. I didn't expect next to no grind though. Bungie made a huge mistake by going from one extreme to the next. It's too bad because the way the game feels is unlike any other, but that is not enough in today's world to get by. I almost didn't buy D2, and won't be buying the expansions. I rarely play anymore. I don't even see a revert back to D1 grind and loot in a Taken King type expansion bringing me back. D3 and it's reviews will be make or break for good.
If I had a choice between the two, I would choose D1, but would end up putting so many less hours into the game this time around. I don't care how good your game is or what your studio did in the past, the level of grind needs to feel like another worthwhile step in the journey, not simply a chore to be rewarded for.
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Well, this conversation highlights one of the big difficulties that developers face. One issue, three players, three opinions. We all recognize grind is a problem. We all want different things to "fix" it.
To make it even hard, consider this: If Bungie surveyed me about grind before D1 came out, I'd have told them I wanted as close to none of it as possible. I thought I hated grinding. Then, they made a game with tons of grinding, and I loved it. They changed it later to be in line with what I "told" them I wanted in that fictional survey. And my opinion of their game dropped.
With all of that in mind, I appreciate that Bungie (and others) keep trying. In some respects, it really is a thankless job.
