[quote]D1 vanilla through HoW was the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. The MMORPG style of play appealed to a TON of people. It appealed to more folks than D2’s bland standard FPS has (see destiny tracker numbers)[/quote] So, pre-random rolls? :) Yes, it was a superior experience - and I would argue D2 got THAT part of the experience right as well. The gameplay itself is no more bland than D1, they're practically identical (with a few expected tweaks, as all games have). As for the infamous "Destiny Tracker" numbers, your nostalgia clouds your memory. Here on these very forums, in the middle of the Y3 TTK "glory days" in late 2016, there were posts about how D1 had sold 25+ million units, and was still selling nearly 2 million copies EVERY MONTH, and the player numbers were steady around 500K, right along with all the "Destiny is dead, there's no way to save this stupid game, Bungie sucks" posts. There are about as many people playing D2 [u]right now[/u] as there were playing D1 during its "best period." [quote]If destiny was able to claw its way back to a near exact replica of the HoW days then I know I would come back. It may even bring back at least 70 of my Xbox live and PlayStation friends networks. I am not the only one that knows or thinks this. The HoW participation was so much greater than this equivalent time frame of D2.[/quote] Sorry your friends bailed on you - there are a ton of new players in D2 who would love to team up with an experienced Guardian! [quote]If bungie’s [b]only[/b] goal is to create a game for profit sake, then they have succeeded so far. If bungie’s goals also include the attempt to create an immersive experience with fun to seek out loot and appeal to the hardcore gamers today, then they are failing at an important portion of their goals.[/quote] And they succeeded with D1 as well! I think the "hardcore" gamers make up a lot smaller portion of players than you think, and the majority of players are enjoying the game (whether or not they play 8 hours a day every day). I know D1 turned into more looter-shooter than FPS/RPG, but that "grind for loot" wasn't the primary aspect of the game for many players...which, I imagine, is why it was simplified somewhat for the sequel, both to get it back on the more-FPS/RPG track and to avoid putting off people who don't enjoy being on the wrong side of RNG. [quote]No company is ever in business only for money when their primary product is for customer pleasure and enjoyment. There is a concept of customer satisfaction, and there are links to customer satisfaction and the success of future business. Bungie has done well on the money portion of D2, but they are failing on the customer satisfaction and marketplace appearance.[/quote] If you're using the forums as a gauge for "customer pleasure and enjoyment," your numbers might be slightly skewed...I think a lot more people like this game than threads around here might suggest (after all, it's much more common for someone to seek a public forum to complain than to say "good job, I like what you've done"). As for future success, I suppose the next paid DLC and next year's expansion will tell a lot...if I were a betting man, I'd put money on just as many people buying and playing then as bought and played D2 from launch. [quote]I don’t know how to get D2 into the d1 gameplay style, as I am not a programmer or developer, but I know that it would be a successful rebranding of D2 if that were the case.[/quote] Bungie, by their own admission, agree with you to an extent...but I wouldn't hold your breath for a full-blown "rebranding" of a game that a lot of players don't think is broken. The changes from D1 weren't pulled out of thin air, they were based on feedback and careful examination of what did and didn't work in D1...despite the current nostalgic atmosphere, D1 had a lot of problems too, and some of those things that really appealed to certain players didn't work for others. [quote]Random rolls[/quote] Not everyone liked this. I'd much rather see static drops with the OPTION to re-roll, rather than get forced into fighting with RNG (I mean, really, Third Eye and Underdog again? Super-useful combo for a ranged Hunter with Memory of Gheleon and/or Knucklehead Radar...). Or, better yet, go with something entirely new and different - don't drop weapons, drop weapon PARTS. Keep the Foundry system (Suros, Veist, Omolon, Hakke, Daito, even Tex Mechanica if you want), and drop different barrels, different stocks, different scopes, different frames, different mags, different Foundry-specific perks that can be installed (e.g. maybe only Hakke gets Outlaw, or Suros gets Lightweight, each foundry has their own set), earn rep by using each Foundry's weapon, and at each Level-Up for each Foundry you can assemble one weapon using the parts and perks you've collected. Take, say, the open-bodied Omolon frame (I like it more than the enclosed frame), add a Heavy barrel for range, a Flash sight, recoil-dampening barrel, phase mag for slower ROF but more damage, with an Omolon-specific perk that allows missed rounds to stay active on the ground for 5 seconds and delay-detonate if an enemy touches them, with reduced damage for every second they're on the ground (since Omolon weapons fire fluid-based energy rounds). Don't think "backwards," think "forwards" - D2 is a sequel, let's do something NEW! [quote]Unbalanced pvp (this is a pve original game. Stick with that)[/quote] Agreed. This has been coming up a lot lately, and I hope it gets taken into consideration. Shaxx is crying with all this nerf-and-mattresses nonsense, we go into the Crucible to show our STRENGTH, not our political correctness and concern for others' safety. [quote]Godlike pve weapons[/quote] Agreed again. I'm no fan of Wardcliff Coil (from the moment it was an option, I've always been a Sword player), but that thing should drop Thresher ships in one hit - I mean, we are talking Gjally 2.0, aren't we? And let my Scout punch holes in things like it used to, not make them bend over and scratch their knees (I'm looking at you, Goblins). [quote]Difficult to acquire gear[/quote] Some, but not tons. I think this is already accomplished by Raids (PvE endgame) and Trials (PvP endgame), which well under half of players did even in D1. Appealing to the hardcore while deliberately shutting out the majority of the player base falls under your "keeping customers satisfied" comment - the raid gear (weapons/armor/unique shaders) plus one Raid-specific Exotic (per Raid), and a non-Exotic set of Trials gear (weapons/armor/unique shaders) is plenty for those who need to be elite, if the rest of us put in the time and effort we shouldn't have our hand slapped away. That's the model D1 used, that's the model D2 [u]is[/u] using, and that's fine. [quote] max light level through end game only[/quote] Nope. Wasn't a thing in D1, shouldn't be now (although Max Light is much harder in D2 than it was in D1). Players who put in the time enjoying everything else Destiny has to offer deserve it just as much as those who get carried through a Raid/Trials. [quote]Godlike endgame rewards[/quote] Sure, why not. I won't even get *too* mad when some Raid gun becomes the new PvP meta and anyone who doesn't have it just gets annihilated. If you beat a Raid, feel good about it and kick some ass with your cool new toys. [quote]Light level matters[/quote] Wish they'd have done this in D1 (getting stomped in a LL240 activity as a LL400 gets kinda old...even with a Heroic modifier, at least make it mean SOMETHING). That said, I actually like the scaling level system, simply because it keeps early-game and open-world stuff interesting, and allows newbies and veterans to play together without a mountain of difference between their experience - and, frankly, it makes more sense than a LL400 getting torn apart by a Dreg that actually has a marker saying "Level 1" above its head. [quote]Less participation trophies[/quote] Not sure what you mean here - seems like a slippery slope into "if you didn't win (PvP)/get the most kills in a Strike/Nightfall/Raid (PvE) you don't get anything." I don't think there's a "fair" way to make this work in PvP, especially if you take the power caps off (let's face it, not everyone's a 2.0+ player, doesn't mean they're not in there every day taking their lumps), and if you think the bitching's bad now just wait until only the guy who gets the most kills in a Strike or the final blow on Calus gets any drops... :D [quote]Revamped POE or other horde mode[/quote] Meh. These weren't a big deal for me in D1, Strikes filled that role well enough. I'd play them if they were there, right along with a public Court of Oryx/Archon's Forge-style arena - hell, open up the Infinite Forest and turn it into a free-for-all with boss-tier enemies dropping in every few minutes (servants-of-Oryx style), but the majority of players didn't bother with these in D1 often enough to justify dedicating a ton of time and resources into it. [quote]Overpowered and super rare exotics Overpowered and rare legendaries[/quote] Sure! In fact, don't focus so much on Exotics at all and put more awesome, unique, one-of-a-kind Legendaries in the game so we're not relying on a single Exotic so often. There was a cool discussion the other day about Strike-Specific Exotics, and I thought a fun way to go about it would be unique, specially-perked Strike-Specific Legendaries that had an optional quest to turn them Exotic with an additional OP perk, but the Legendary would still be awesome in its own right. [quote]Anywho. Feedback is feedback.[/quote] Agreed. (Ran out of room, didn't have much to say about PvP...)