{{
`${userDetail.user.displayName}${userDetail.user.cachedBungieGlobalDisplayNameCode ? `#${standardizeBungieGlobalCode(userDetail.user.cachedBungieGlobalDisplayNameCode)}` : ""}`}}
{{getUserClans()}}
8/31/2015 4:27:49 PM
4
[b]The Sources of Power Creep[/b]
I can actually see both sides of the coin here. As new expansions or updates are released, new game mechanics, units, equipment and/or effects are introduced, usually stronger than previously existing content. Game developers use this to push the new content, as it gives an incentive to buy it for competitions against other players or as new challenges for the single player experience. As new content with more power is introduced, the average power-level within the game rises, making it increasingly difficult for older content to remain in balance without changes. This means older content becomes regressively outdated or relatively underpowered, effectively rendering it useless from a competitive or challenge-seeking viewpoint. In extreme cases whole parts of the game will be avoided by the players, as they are overshadowed by newer content.
So the question becomes. How will Destiny prevent large portions of the game from becoming outdated or irrelevant due to the power creep that is occurring in the taken king? But to combat Power Creep we must understand its nature.
[b]The Origins of Power Creep[/b]
Some power creep is inevitable because expansions are meant to be played with the previously released content. In many games, especially video game RPGs, the content of expansions generally raises the level cap and introduces more powerful items to the game. The majority of the expansion is "tall," where your character and items become more powerful. There are also some new things, like extra abilities, new trees, or new areas to explore, but they is there to house the new more powerful items. The upside is that it is easy to direct your players on why they should experience the new content (MORE POWER!), the downside is that many of the items they may have spent days or weeks attempting to get are quickly outmoded by the more powerful equipment.
On the other hand, some games tend to expand its content "wide." That is, the focus is on giving you new and different things to do that are of around the same power level of the previous content. Looking at a format like the house of wolves, you can see items from just every expansion seeing play. That load-out you liked a year ago? There is a reasonable chance that some or most of it is still playable competitively, even if it isn't top tier. Some items have, of course, held up against the test of time much better than others (fatebringer) and therein lies the problem with the second type of power creep. Some items game mechanics, units, equipment and/or effects are going to be strictly better than others. Thus regardless of the diverse options, gameplay becomes stale.
The strongest set thus far has been the originally released game. You have G-horn, Vex, Ice Breaker, Suros and Fatebringer, just to name a few. In that sense, you could question just how much power creep could exist in the game. It wouldn't be fair to hold the first set ever up to today's rigorous standards in terms of balancing. Considering that before it there was nothing, I'd say the overall power level of the original set was pretty good, albeit a bit over powered.
[b]Handling Power Creep[/b]
If power creep to some extent is inevitable within Destiny as a whole, the question is not how to stop it totally, but how to best manage it to keep the game going strong, ad infinitum. By far, the most important thing that can be done is the creation of a Standard format. Any further attempt to keep up with the sheer power in regards to those all-powerful items would led us to a game totally unlike what we have today, if it still even existed. Trying to constantly push items in different directions only works if you are creating items of similar power levels to those you have made the year before. It doesn't matter how interesting the newest items are if it can't compete with DPS of a G-horn or the infinite ammo of an Icebreaker. Something had to be done for the overall health of the game.
It appears that the concept of a rotating format has been introduced that only uses the most recent items and let rerelease "fixed" versions of many original items that had more appropriate power levels; trying to correct past mistakes. Of course, many of those fixed version are still at a higher power level than they may actually generate items today, but it was a step in the right direction. Creating a balanced Destiny is actually a pretty difficult job, and will likely take a few years for design and development to really hit their stride.
Thank you reading my babble. Please comment below if you would like to continue the conversation.
-Battlecry
English
-
Power Creep has never been a problem. From a developer point of view, its a matter that people simply put way too much time focusing on instead of taking stock of all the other factors. Yes, with new content and as time goes on, new and more powerful enemies will begin to appear. This is common in any game designed with attributes/stats. Now, there are two ways to handle continued progression for the players who will obviously be needing to grow in strength to face these increasing odds. 1) [b]Content Driven vs. Loot Driven Game Design.[/b] Power Creep is easily taken care of on its own when you have a model which is geared towards being content driven. Meaning that there is next to no grinding in the game and the player is consistently being exposed to new things. (Story, Characters, Challenges/Enemies, Puzzles, Items, etc.) A prime example of this would be The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in which you are just being showered left and right with content. It is EXTENSIVE in the game, with non-stop voice acting, a HUGE world which actually rewards and encourages you to explore every nook and cranny and plenty of quests/story to keep you engaged. You care less about trading up old gear for new because of everything else that there is for you to do in the game. You might think it crazy, but in reality a game such as Diablo III: Reaper of Souls as another example, is actually considered a Content Driven game. Simply put, its classified as a Dungeon Crawler which is a niche all its own, but as the player is going through the game they are CONSTANTLY being exposed to new things. Dungeons are randomized in layout and they are relentlessly being showered by newer more powerful weapons and armor and provided great customization options. This is called [b]"RNG Done Right."[/b] Destiny is an example of a "Loot Driven" game design because it significantly lacks content. After about 10-20 hours, a new player is likely to have completed the bulk of what is available to do before entering the "Endgame" portion. Now, in terms of PvP? This has never really been a problem. Multiplayer is the same for any other game, just need to keep adding new maps with new game modes. But as we saw from TitanFall? PvP ONLY does not a game make. This is where PvE comes into play. HOWEVER! The PvE content is horribly lackluster. PvE in Destiny is centered around the hunt for new and powerful weapons and armor. You will grind and repeat activities and missions that you have already beaten countless times in order JUST to get said items. In other words, the value of Destiny's time investment is directly related and attached to the weapons and armor being acquired. Proof of your hard work and hours spent. As a developer? YOU CANNOT DISRESPECT THE TIME INVESTMENT OF PLAYERS. Not everyone who plays your game will be willing to accept that and you WILL end up losing customers as a result of such decision. Its not good, which can clearly be seen by how so many have reacted to the matter thus far. 2) The second option of how to deal with Power Creep is for the game itself to EVOLVE. How does one evolve a Loot Driven Game Design? BY ADDING MORE OF EVERYTHING. Weapons, Armor, Enemies, Challenges, Elements, etc. EVERYTHING. You provide new challenges that reward the player which allows them to continue upgrading their older weapons and armor. (Like with the Etheric Light from the Prison of Elders) In doing so, you also introduce NEW weapons that compliment what players already have available to them. Example, we currently only have one Arc Damage Hand Cannon (Fatebringer) and one Void Damage Hand Cannon (Word of Crota) presently available in the game. We still don't have a SOLAR Damage Hand Cannon, however. Another example of how to evolve Destiny would be to add an entirely new element to the game. From a traditional comparison? Void = Arcane Arc = Electric/Lightning Solar = Fire There are a slew of other elements that are just ripe for the picking. And with them we have the potential for brand new enemies with whole new defenses and ways of fighting. Then we have the weapons themselves. Instead of making 10 new versions of the Fatebringer, why not just KEEP the Fatebringer and instead introduce an entirely new type of weapon? They're already doing this now for TTK by adding SWORDS to the game as actual player weapons. And with new weapon types comes NEW PERKS that no one has ever seen before. Brand new perks that cater to the new weaponry being added allowing for a greater depth of customization for players. Its not that the old weapons are "too powerful" for the new content. The PROBLEM stems from a lack of innovation and new ideas. Not including the perks? You can ONLY make just so many different variations of an Arc Damage Hand Cannon before it begins to get repetitive and at which point, you're just recycling the same thing over and over again with an increase to damage. Personally? They kinda shot themselves in the foot with Reforge because they are basically saying "here guys, you just keep re-rolling until you get the perks you like best for these weapons." That takes ALL the pressure off of the developer to create new and unique weapons and it also limits greatly their potential pool for new ideas if they give up control over a weapon's elemental attributes and listed perks. Destiny needs to grow and expand. Not insist upon itself like it has been.
-
I understand what you're saying, but me not being a developer in my simple mind if I were to create a game like destiny I would want to keep all the content relevant to new and old players throughout the life of the game thus keeping people interested. I'm guessing there would be technical issues with this idea???
-
To be clear I’m not advocating against the retention of content. I’m saying it’s not as simple as people may think. I will be there in year ten clutching my precious gjallahorn. [i] Shhh my precious, deej... deej wants to take the precious. Precious is mine, deej must go.. never come back, leave precious alone![/i] But, it is absurd to think that is going to be viable. I try to consider the taken king on its own merits, and haven’t forsaken items of the past. It is likely that either for nostalgia, recruitment or both. We will use some of them again…and yet for me, I don’t know how many more times I can play VOG or CE before my eye’s bleed. I have collected nearly everything. I’ve seen every glitch, run every piece of content 100 times over. It’s going to take more than a few new guns of equal power to keep me interested. Destiny has said that year 2 will be like a new game… I hope they deliver. [i]We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little developers. Wicked, tricksy, false! [/i]
-
Well I hope they deliver because I was maxed out with everything and I mean everything 4 weeks after HOW came out on all three characters, which left me very disappointed. I know there is a lot more to TTK, but I would of really liked a reason to go and do the older raids like a higher level to challenge me and maybe some gear like in ToO to keep me interested until TTK. I can only judge bungie on past expansions and HOW was junk for pve. I have to wonder why they haven't shown off any new awesome weapons in the streams yet? Weapons are a big part of what makes this game, this is why people want to keep their raid weapons because HOW offered nothing. When I help new players through content they ask where did you get that gun, how do you get, I want that, it's moments like that which make day one guardians legends, why take that away, at least let us choose to give our hard fought for gear up. You may think it absurd to hold on to gear but I think it would be great to have a really awesome collection of gear at the end of destiny, a bit like a trophy cabinet.
