During the latest “This Week at Bungie” blog post, the developers dove into more Update 1.1.4 details, and gave an update on when the first Destiny 2 6v6 multiplayer event will launch.
Fortunately for eager players, 6v6 multiplayer will be available on April 10, when the new Iron Banner launches. Those taking part in the Iron Banner limited time event will be able to earn all Season 2 Iron Banner weapons through Reward Packages, or via direct purchase using Iron Banner Tokens. The event is scheduled to end the following Tuesday, on April 17.
Destiny 2 Developer Q&A
Q: In regards to Time to Kill, it’s a pretty popular opinion within the community that the TTK should be decreased. Do you have any plans on looking into this issue further? This sandbox update was called the go fast update. Will the next be called kill fast? Thanks for listening
Josh: We know this is one of the big items the community would like to see. We’re already coming at it from a few different angles. With Update 1.1.4, we wanted Guardians to feel more powerful and to get more chances to showcase that power. These changes included making weapons more lethal. The next big Sandbox update comes with Season 3 as we buff a good chunk of the Exotic weapons. These changes will be a direct response to “Exotics don’t feel Exotic enough.” Some of these weapons are getting damage buffs that can have a direct impact on the average TTK of an encounter.
Q: Will Vigilance Wing be allowed to reign supreme in the crucible or will we see any fine tuning in the near future?
Josh: While we will continue to adjust the Sandbox, we are not planning an outright nerf to Vigilance Wing at this time. We don’t believe slowing Vigilance Wing’s TTK in a world where our players are asking for a faster TTK is the right call. Instead, we should be adjusting more weapons up to a level where they can compete. I believe you’ll find a few retuned Exotics that can do that in the Season 3 Exotic update.
Q: When will we get the stream for Expansion 2 and Season 3? Liking the Go Fast Update so far. Excited to see what’s next.
DeeJ: We will be back on stream later this month to talk about the next content updates for Destiny 2. We’ll show you where you’re going next, who you’ll meet when you get there, how you’ll share new activities with your friends, and what you’ll be able to chase in the Crucible to prove your prowess.
Q: I’d like to know which elements of the recent and future updates the team have enjoyed working on the most, or which ones they are personally most excited for.
Kevin: With Seasonal Crucible Ranks, we’re looking to serve many goals. Most important to players like me, something to chase or something to set goals for every season. There is a reason to play, and there is a reason to perform in the Crucible. You’ll earn unique rewards for things like time commitment or performance. I’ll be back on a future stream to talk more about the ranking system, Valor, and Glory.
Q: I really wish D2 weapons system returns to primary/special/heavy. It was better than the current one. Is my wish reasonable?
Josh: We know that you want more control over your loadouts. You can expect weapon slot changes in the future of Destiny 2. We are actively working on a new system right now and we will have more to show and tell this summer.
Q: What is the exact design philosophy that lets you determine when a balance change is good? What testing procedures do you follow in order to implement a change? I think people in general want to know why some changes seem to take so long compared to other titles.
Josh: At any given moment, we are working on numerous Sandbox updates that follow the same pipeline. First, we set goals for what we want to accomplish with any given update. For example, the purpose of 1.1.4 was to directly affect the pace of combat and to allow for more powerful and heroic moments. In Season 3, we’ll be delivering a round of Exotic weapon tuning intended to make them feel more exotic. With our goals defined, we make the changes, playtest, and iterate for as long as we can. Destiny is a huge game with tons of different areas that may be affected in different ways (positive or negative) from any given change we may make. Our test team also plays them with us and helps us hunt for anything that we may have broken. Finally, those changes have to get packaged up into an update and certify those builds with each of our platforms before they finally roll out to you.
Kevin: It’s all priority. We have many releases, but we have a finite number of people on the team. For us, it’s all about prioritizing what we can get done and when we can get it done. So, in some cases (like weapon slots) – that’s going to take a long time. The bigger the change, the more focus and people are required to get it shipped.
Q: Any plans for the development team to get more directly involved in community feedback? Whether that be responding to feedback, or making dev posts detailing game decisions and why they were made. Might be exciting for the community to get a more intimate look.
DeeJ: On the community team, we are always looking for new ways to get designers socializing with players. Moments like the Bungie Bounty are a good chance to swap some chatter. You can expect to see them quoted on the blog whenever their work is in a place where they can go on record. Last week, we sat Josh down to talk to us about his motivations for Update 1.1.4. We also help you find them online so you can follow their dialogue about their day to day.
Josh: You’ve been seeing a hearing from me a good bit lately. I hope that my candor helps show that we are serious about our commitment to communicate more clearly and more often with you. If you need EVEN more, look for me on Twitter @Josh_Hamrick or Kevin at @Tocom11.
Kevin: We’ve heard the feedback that the community wants more involvement, or at least more of a conversation. We’re actively looking at ways to do that, with this stream, and even in game. We know there is a big desire for testing builds early, and that’s something we’re thinking more about.
Q: When can you tell us about your solutions for the loot system? Like random rolls, perks/mods, depth to weapons and armor and stuff like that?
Josh: I’m no Investment Designer but I can tell you that we, as a team, know that you want more reasons to play. We know you want to be excited about the possibility of any given drop again. We know you want to look forward to hopping on night after night for a shot at something you want to get your hands on and that you look forward to the adrenaline rush when it finally happens. We are actively working to get there, together. We’ll talk more about our plans when they are in a playable state that we think is stable.
Q: Are there any set plans to introduce new elements, classes, subclasses, or weapon types to the game in the near future?
Josh: Yes, to some of these. From my desk, right now, I can look around and see new hotness on several people’s screens. We’ll be showing off a lot of this stuff in the months to come.
Q: How did the Crucible Team decide on random game modes, instead of letting players choose what mode they want to play like we had in D1?
Kevin: The biggest driver of that conversation was trying to improve matchmaking times and connection quality. Additionally, it allows us to better supply certain moods. As you’ve seen with 1.1.4, we’ve reinforced those moods. Quickplay is now delivering the 4v4 low intensity that we intended for that playlist. Competitive is now driving further the 4v4 high intensity. The biggest driver is connection quality and connection times. More people in the pool means more good connections.
In May, Private Matches are coming. At any point when you want to get a game of Control together, you can do that. In terms of players asking to “make Rumble permanent,” we’ve absolutely heard that feedback. To be more specific, we’ve heard that, we understand that, and we’ve been having conversations every day since the launch of 1.1.4 about that. Hopefully we’ll have more to say soon.
Q: Are you looking back at Destiny 1 for inspiration, or are you trying to find a new way forward? What do you currently consider to be a high priority for PvE and PvP? Any hints for random rolls or special slot… pretty please.
Josh: Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 are two unique and helpful data points. Neither game is perfect. Both have plenty of room for improvement. It’s hugely helpful to be able to directly compare and contrast the two and see what worked and what didn’t. Ultimately the goal is just to make Destiny 2 be the best Destiny we’ve ever made.
Q: Why can’t the mobility stat increase sprint speed? I’m a Hunter, I need to ninja.
Josh: Our goal with 1.1.4 was to get back to more of the Destiny 1 style of movement, especially the movement you’re working with mid combat. Sprint speeds weren’t changed for D2 and therefore it wasn’t crazy high priority to hit those. That being said, we called it the “Go Fast” update for a reason and it was absolutely one of the potential changes to test with on our list. As we dug into making changes to it we ran into some technical challenges that kept it from being possible to get up in time to test with. It’s something we will continue to consider in the future though. What I can tell you is we buffed standard movement quite a bit.
Fun Fact: Any Mobility value over 5, after 1.1.4, is faster than max Mobility base speed values in D1.
We also returned (increased) Air Acceleration back to its D1 values, as well.
What do you think of the changes coming in the Destiny 2 1.1.4 update? Let us know.
In other Destiny 2 news, several top Destiny YouTubers have lessened their support of the game, Bungie is hiring a new community manager, and the developer explains the faction rewards throttle and incoming adjustments. It also seems like the next DLC will be Destiny 2 The Fallen Warmind, if these leaks are to believed.
Source: Bungie.net