http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/5/9855638/destiny-sparrow-racing-league-gameplay-video-bungie

The driving gets better on mars, the first vids driving is pretty terrible.

One of the things that' made me less excited about sparrow racing is how easy sparrows are to control. It's not exactly a high skill vehicle to drive. They did some nice things with their track design (Which seems not to be directly from the game, but custom?) The boost/gates system looks like a great addition.

There's some physicality and interactions that seem lacking though. Sparrows dont react when slamming into each other or the walls. The effect is disconcerting (and frankly a missed opportunity).

I'm looking forward to this though, the sense of speed looks great, and it seems like a fairly casual way to lock down high level gear.

One of the things that' made me less excited about sparrow racing is how easy sparrows are to control. It's not exactly a high skill vehicle to drive.

If it makes you feel any better, the handling and feel of the racing Sparrows is much different from the Sparrow you're used to using since as you said, those didn't lend themselves particularly well to exciting races.

One of the things that' made me less excited about sparrow racing is how easy sparrows are to control. It's not exactly a high skill vehicle to drive.

If it makes you feel any better, the handling and feel of the racing Sparrows is much different from the Sparrow you're used to using since as you said, those didn't lend themselves particularly well to exciting races.

I didn't mean to bag on the concept, I figured the way the tracks were structured and the 6 man chaos would be enough to counter the sparrows ultra tight handling. Glad to hear the physics and handling are custom. I can't wait to try it.

- No text -

Did you guys play extreme g while developing by chance? ;) looks awesome btw can't wait to race

I really don't want to be a downer, and I'm sure sparrow racing will be a nice fun event.

However I think the game needs more permanent content, and things like custom games more than it needs this. Obviously a lot of effort went into this, but really it's just a mini-game… I get that the teams are separate and all, but there really could be more of a core effort to improve the core of the game.

Also after three weeks does it go away forever? Or just the event?

Still, I will probably see you all out there on the track.

In addition to the Sparrow Racing League, the update coming next week is also:

A weapon tuning update that will be:
- Bringing a 4 - 7% increase in Auto Rifle damage
- Reducing Pulse Rifle Crucible damage by 2 - 9%
- Increasing Pulse Rifle PvE damage from 1.25x to 1.3x
- Increasing Hand Cannon ADS accuracy
- Decreasing Shotgun range to within melee ranges
- Decreasing movement speed while aiming Shotguns
- Increasing reload time for all Shotguns
- Increasing ready time for all Shotguns
- Increasing Shotgun damage vs AI from 1.55x to 1.6x
- Increasing charge speed on fast charging Fusion Rifles at the expense of some damage.
- Increased ADS stability for all Fusion Rifles
- Decreased reserve ammo for all Fusion Rifles
- Increased damage vs AI from 1.15x to 1.25x
- Changing Luck in the Chamber to prevent bullshit one shot kills with Sniper Rifles
- Faster ready / stow for all Sidearms
- Changes and updates to multiple existing Y2 Exotics
- Bringing several more Y1 Exotics into Y2, possibly with new or updated abilities (see the previous dramatic changes to No Backup Plan, for example)

And a class tuning update that will be:
- Increasing melee range for all Titans
- Reducing Sunbreaker's damage resistance while their Super is active by 9%
- Reducing splash damage of hammers when Forgemaster is active by 20%
- Adding a 3 second cooldown to Cauterize to prevent Sunseakers from permanently keeping their health at maximum as they wade through an entire enemy team.
- Increasing a Striker's Storm Fist damage by 18.2%
- Adding 50% faster melee recharging when a Striker chooses the Stormfist Overload perk
- Changing discharge's AOE blast to a sphere (instead of a front arc?) and increasing its damage by 7.69%
- Increasing Super energy gained with Amplify by 30%
- Changing Headstrong to also increase max Sprint speed.
- Increasing hp of Juggernaut by 14.3% and allowing it to remain active even when airborne
- Changing Ward of Dawn to refresh melee and grenade energy upon casting.

So, for free, you are getting a major new gametype, multiple new Sparrows and a bunch of new Sparrow Racing gear, updates to several Exotic weapons and armors, as large a weapon tweak as has ever been shipped, and the first substantial class balance fix but... you can't help but be a downer?

What is it that you were actually hoping for in the few months following The Taken King? What would it have taken to keep you from being a downer? If these free updates aren't good enough what would have satisfied you?

What is it that you were actually hoping for in the few months following The Taken King? What would it have taken to keep you from being a downer? If these free updates aren't good enough what would have satisfied you?

There's just no winning, sometimes. Folks complain that Destiny is designed to force them to keep playing and feel like they can't put the game down . . . then turn around and complain that Bungie isn't giving them a reason to continue playing.

I'm not saying you do this Cody. There is a difference between the loot and grinding system designed to keep players plugging away and adding substantial content that would make players want to revisit the game, I understand that.

I'm just saying, in general, it seems like Bungie cannot win over the vocal minority. For the past year we've heard all about how many want some sort of racing gametype. They finally deliver it, and all people can do is bitch about it (Yep, even I'm guilty of it). It's just unfortunate. I really think that Bungie tries to do the right thing more often than not, but they just can't satisfy everyone. Seriously, I can't even imagine what it's like to be a game developer. It must be absolutely heartbreaking like 90% of the time. People just tear your hard work apart like it's nothing.

On a related side note: I feel really bad for the folks over at Crystal Dynamics. I just started playing Tomb Raider a few days ago, and it's really good, but it's been largely ignored, I feel like. And that's a shame.

Seriously, I can't even imagine what it's like to be a game developer. It must be absolutely heartbreaking like 90% of the time. People just tear your hard work apart like it's nothing.

I'd guess that if you looked at usage stats and ignored online forums, the picture might be slightly different. :)

(I'm not saying they ignore online forums. They have an entire team that's dedicated to interacting with the public, that studies what fans are saying. I'm saying that if you're on a different team at Bungie, you might be able to avoid that vocal minority and focus on the actual data, and have a non-heartbreaking view of public perception. :) )

Seriously, I can't even imagine what it's like to be a game developer. It must be absolutely heartbreaking like 90% of the time. People just tear your hard work apart like it's nothing.

I'd guess that if you looked at usage stats and ignored online forums, the picture might be slightly different. :)

(I'm not saying they ignore online forums. They have an entire team that's dedicated to interacting with the public, that studies what fans are saying. I'm saying that if you're on a different team at Bungie, you might be able to avoid that vocal minority and focus on the actual data, and have a non-heartbreaking view of public perception. :) )

I don't doubt that's true, but I imagine it'd be hard (at least for me, personally) to avoid going online and seeing what folks are saying. I mean, logically you know all that negativity is the vocal minority, but it'd still be hard to see. Although, maybe that'd be a convincing enough reason to avoid seeking out online opinions . . .

Plus, I'm sure meeting fans at things like PAX would paint a much better picture (for the few devs that make it to those events, anyway).

I'm sure it's extremely rewarding at times, but I'm struggling to think of a job were you can work so hard on something that's really amazing, and still be shit on by your "fans" for it. I hope it's really not as bad as I'm imagining . . .

What is it that you were actually hoping for in the few months following The Taken King? What would it have taken to keep you from being a downer? If these free updates aren't good enough what would have satisfied you?

Paid expansions. More actual game content and not mini games that last 3 weeks. I'm sure it will be entertaining, but not as much as say, a new raid would be.

I'm just saying, in general, it seems like Bungie cannot win over the vocal minority. For the past year we've heard all about how many want some sort of racing gametype. They finally deliver it, and all people can do is bitch about it (Yep, even I'm guilty of it). It's just unfortunate. I really think that Bungie tries to do the right thing more often than not, but they just can't satisfy everyone. Seriously, I can't even imagine what it's like to be a game developer. It must be absolutely heartbreaking like 90% of the time. People just tear your hard work apart like it's nothing.

People on the internet bitch and tear apart movies and music all the time. It's no different. It's just that the majority of film makers are too busy making movies to worry about who says what on Twitter. I'm sure there are some game developers like that too.

But, I think we should wait for the paint to dry before complaining. Or I mean to even get painted, I guess.

We did. Halloween. Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks. Oh and that bad Crucible map that came with it. I'm with Cody. Let's get some more meaty content, preferably with a story and focus on the Light for a bit. And Pikes to race with in the meantime.

What is it that you were actually hoping for in the few months following The Taken King? What would it have taken to keep you from being a downer? If these free updates aren't good enough what would have satisfied you?

Paid expansions. More actual game content and not mini games that last 3 weeks. I'm sure it will be entertaining, but not as much as say, a new raid would be.

For some folks, like say me, who's Raided something like 6 times and has spent many more hours jacking around with their Sparrow, this free mini-game could be potentially funner than some of that 'actual' game content that cost money. :)

Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks....

Uhhmm...anyone who actually read the description text on said Rare/blue masks? It told you they would go away if you didn't 'glue' them into Legendary versions...Nevermind, there I go answering one of your rhetorical questions with actual information....my bad...

The rhetorical question was in relation to paper, not mask type. Paper doesn't just collapse in weeks. Cody's point, and my own, is that the meaningless, temporary filler isn't meaty or worth much. I'm aware of the difference between Rare and Legendary filler. But thanks for getting my back on clear and obvious reading comprehension!

The rhetorical question was in relation to paper, not mask type. Paper doesn't just collapse in weeks. Cody's point, and my own, is that the meaningless, temporary filler isn't meaty or worth much. I'm aware of the difference between Rare and Legendary filler. But thanks for getting my back on clear and obvious reading comprehension!

I tried to buy some construction paper the other day but it was all wrapped in brown packaging and didn't say what color it was.

I ended up with three 200 Light packs of purple and blue.

That's hilarious! That also sucks, sorry dude. lol

Also, use it quick, it'll die out in a few weeks. :P

We did. Halloween. Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks. Oh and that bad Crucible map that came with it. I'm with Cody. Let's get some more meaty content, preferably with a story and focus on the Light for a bit. And Pikes to race with in the meantime.

Ok... Who is against you and Cody on that point? Players? No. We all want new story content. Bungie? No. It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet. Really, what I think it comes down to is whether or not you really believe there are multiple teams at Bungie able to work on different pieces of content concurrently or not. How much did the Festival of the Lost really slow the next paid expansion? How much did the upcoming balance tweaks really slow the next expansion? How much has the Sparrow Racing League really slowed the next expansion?

Probably not enough to be down on the release of free events and updates...

We did. Halloween. Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks. Oh and that bad Crucible map that came with it. I'm with Cody. Let's get some more meaty content, preferably with a story and focus on the Light for a bit. And Pikes to race with in the meantime.

Ok... Who is against you and Cody on that point? Players? No. We all want new story content. Bungie? No. It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet. Really, what I think it comes down to is whether or not you really believe there are multiple teams at Bungie able to work on different pieces of content concurrently or not. How much did the Festival of the Lost really slow the next paid expansion? How much did the upcoming balance tweaks really slow the next expansion? How much has the Sparrow Racing League really slowed the next expansion?

Probably not enough to be down on the release of free events and updates...

The fact that Sparrow Racing League contains Playstation exclusives, which have been limited to DLC and I expect are contractually obligated, suggests to me that this and future events like Iron Banner are somewhat being considered by Bungie to be expansions.

Wasn't the figure for direct employees around the 400 mark right before release? I'm pretty sure it would be counter-productive to have all 400 working on the exact same thing. Much nicer to have smaller teams doing their own things.

We did. Halloween. Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks. Oh and that bad Crucible map that came with it. I'm with Cody. Let's get some more meaty content, preferably with a story and focus on the Light for a bit. And Pikes to race with in the meantime.

Ok... Who is against you and Cody on that point? Players? No. We all want new story content. Bungie? No. It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet. Really, what I think it comes down to is whether or not you really believe there are multiple teams at Bungie able to work on different pieces of content concurrently or not. How much did the Festival of the Lost really slow the next paid expansion? How much did the upcoming balance tweaks really slow the next expansion? How much has the Sparrow Racing League really slowed the next expansion?

Probably not enough to be down on the release of free events and updates...

The fact that Sparrow Racing League contains Playstation exclusives, which have been limited to DLC and I expect are contractually obligated, suggests to me that this and future events like Iron Banner are somewhat being considered by Bungie to be expansions.

The Undying Mind wasn't DLC. Neither was The Dust Palace. Both came with Destiny 1.0 and were PlayStation exclusive for a year. So, you're factually incorrect to begin with. Then, every actual expansion has both been termed as such and cost money. Let's not mix definitions and confuse terms or try and second guess is and isn't an expansion. By next expansion I meant the next major paid DLC release.

Paid expansions. More actual game content and not mini games that last 3 weeks. I'm sure it will be entertaining, but not as much as say, a new raid would be.

You know they're probably working on a raid anyway, right? I mean, It'll probably be part of the next DLC/expansion/whatever rather than TTK, but still, it's probably happening already. Perhaps they have enough people to do both at the same time.

Also after three weeks does it go away forever? Or just the event?

From what they've said so far, I think they genuinely haven't decided yet. Probably depends how popular it is, and also how close to ideal it turns out to be. Meaning whether it turns out to work really well with only minor changes needed, or is a huge train wreck that needs a LOT of work to fix its issues. So basically how much development it would need to get to a point where it would work well as a repeating event.

The rhetorical question was in relation to paper, not mask type. Paper doesn't just collapse in weeks. Cody's point, and my own, is that the meaningless, temporary filler isn't meaty or worth much. I'm aware of the difference between Rare and Legendary filler. But thanks for getting my back on clear and obvious reading comprehension!

What you lump into the bucket of "meaningless temporary filler" is a bit broad, i.e. Anything not "paid DLC" (and you don't seem that happy with THAT stuff either), honestly I wonder sometimes why you even play this game...

I will agree that "meaningless temporary filler" isn't meaty or worth much, but by definition it was not designed to be. However, I disagree that the SRL is in that same bucket. I would argue that it's quite clear this is an experiment, and how it is received will determine its future fate (they basically said as much in the Vidoc).

Also, paper sitting on a shelf may last for a very long time, but a paper craft that you play with on a daily basis definitely will not last more than a couple weeks. I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a couple days. (I can't believe I just typed that...me continuing to argue on the comparison of real life papercraft to a digital versions "life span" is almost as ludicrous as you drawing the tangential parallel to begin with)

Oh yeah, you're welcome.

Space combat mini-game.

That is all.

Move along.

What is it that you were actually hoping for in the few months following The Taken King? What would it have taken to keep you from being a downer? If these free updates aren't good enough what would have satisfied you?

Paid expansions. More actual game content and not mini games that last 3 weeks. I'm sure it will be entertaining, but not as much as say, a new raid would be.

What makes you expect ANOTHER Raid, mid-TTK? We GOT a new TTK Raid, and a new Hard-mode, and now new "Challenge Modes"...I swear, if I look up "Monday Morning Quartback" there will be a picture of you there, with a caption-bubble of you explaining why the term itself is in adequate for some reason.

Space combat mini-game.

That is all.

Move along.

Don't call it a mini-game, Cody won't like it, no matter how much fun the rest of us have.

We did. Halloween. Who knew paper masks just die out after a few weeks. Oh and that bad Crucible map that came with it. I'm with Cody. Let's get some more meaty content, preferably with a story and focus on the Light for a bit. And Pikes to race with in the meantime.

Ok... Who is against you and Cody on that point? Players? No. We all want new story content. Bungie? No. It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet. Really, what I think it comes down to is whether or not you really believe there are multiple teams at Bungie able to work on different pieces of content concurrently or not. How much did the Festival of the Lost really slow the next paid expansion? How much did the upcoming balance tweaks really slow the next expansion? How much has the Sparrow Racing League really slowed the next expansion?

Probably not enough to be down on the release of free events and updates...

The fact that Sparrow Racing League contains Playstation exclusives, which have been limited to DLC and I expect are contractually obligated, suggests to me that this and future events like Iron Banner are somewhat being considered by Bungie to be expansions.

The Undying Mind wasn't DLC. Neither was The Dust Palace. Both came with Destiny 1.0 and were PlayStation exclusive for a year. So, you're factually incorrect to begin with. Then, every actual expansion has both been termed as such and cost money. Let's not mix definitions and confuse terms or try and second guess is and isn't an expansion. By next expansion I meant the next major paid DLC release.

I was actually trying to respond to you in good faith and express a sincere idea, but clearly I forgot who I was talking to.

Good call on saying Undying Mind and Dust Palace aren't DLC, BECAUSE THEY AREN'T AND I DIDN'T SAY THEY WERE.

My point still stands: Playstation exclusives have been exclusively paired with expansions (Crota's End, House of Wolves, Taken King), until now. I forgot to include the launch of the game in my previous post, but that's irrelevant and should be obvious. The inclusion of exclusive content with these "freebies" may indicate a change in how content is delivered for this game. The traditional paid DLC release may not resemble what it did in year 1.

What you lump into the bucket of "meaningless temporary filler" is a bit broad, i.e. Anything not "paid DLC" (and you don't seem that happy with THAT stuff either), honestly I wonder sometimes why you even play this game...

Taken King rocks, and I've stated as much. The meaningless, temporary filler doesn't need to be temporary. The masks don't have to disappear. The racing league doesn't have to leave.

As for why I play the game, it's a fun time to play with my friends and such! You would know how much I love and enjoy the game if you played with me more, but you only show up when you need people to carry you through the things you can't beat by yourself or with other people. And you usually show up after we've already been on for 6+ hours playing all of the fun and awesome things of the day once or multiple times, yet there we are still willing to help you, even if we were all about to go to bed! Sometimes I wonder why I even...

I will agree that "meaningless temporary filler" isn't meaty or worth much, but by definition it was not designed to be. However, I disagree that the SRL is in that same bucket. I would argue that it's quite clear this is an experiment, and how it is received will determine its future fate (they basically said as much in the Vidoc).

So you're agreeing that it's not designed to be worth much? Then why are we even having this discussion if we're in agreement on my key point? Even if it's not meaty, it could stick around! But hey, if it's not designed to be worth much, and you're in agreement, I guess we're good on this point.

Also, paper sitting on a shelf may last for a very long time, but a paper craft that you play with on a daily basis definitely will not last more than a couple weeks. I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a couple days. (I can't believe I just typed that...me continuing to argue on the comparison of real life papercraft to a digital versions "life span" is almost as ludicrous as you drawing the tangential parallel to begin with)

It won't? Never had that problem, and I actually have a few paper crafts and masks that I've had for years and use(d) quite frequently. Go figure. Maybe you need to get your BR up on your arts and crafts so that they'll last longer. Also, I can believe you just typed it. It's like when you show up on Xbox Live and we help you even when your requests are ludicrous. There's just this compulsion, mostly because I enjoy doing things in Destiny. Frankly, I'm glad you responded, because hey, it's not like every subject or debate is gonna be meaty or worth much.

Taken King gets infinitely better with some added chicken, preferably with some honey BBQ sauce. :D

The best.

It's a bit unclear. They definitely said this is a three week event. But they also very clearly said the popularity and feedback they get will determine if the Sparrow Racing League is something that gets continued development time. I'd guess this first event is a trial run and the plan is for Sparrow racing to go away for a bit then to bring it back with improvements based on feedback or to scrap it if the feedback is intensely negative.

Well, the event included instructions to make some real life masks, so there's that. :)

- No text -

I don't log on late at night just to troll everyone; I only play after my son is asleep because he's 2.5 and his mind is not ready to process the pretend monsters of Destiny.

I don't make crazy ludicrous demands; I REQUESTED your help the other night with Oryx-Heroic, to which you declined, and I said "OK". I didn't throw a fit and whine "why don't you play with me?!"

Did the masks HAVE to go away? No, absolutely not. But they did, and it wasn't your decision (which is probably the source of the problem), but you know what; they'll probably come back next halloween and be just as temporary, and just as fun. Probably MORE fun than if they had been around ALL FREEKIN YEAR. (even though they still CAN be around all yea, in Legendary form).

Does the SRL have to go away? NOPE. And for all we know, the three week event could turn into a more frequently recurring event, more than once a year. Do you complain about IB not being a permanent thing? (I'm actually asking, I don't know your stance on it). Or Trials? Why isn't THAT always here? Why just the weekends?

Because if you had everything at your fingertips all the time, it wouldn't be long before you didn't like ANY of it. But I can tell that you're a personality who won't believe a statement like that until you experience it for yourself...so good luck with that.

Does the SRL have to go away? NOPE. And for all we know, the three week event could turn into a more frequently recurring event, more than once a year. Do you complain about IB not being a permanent thing? (I'm actually asking, I don't know your stance on it). Or Trials? Why isn't THAT always here? Why just the weekends?

I don't care one way or the other as far as Iron Banner goes. I feel Trials should be permanent and adhere to the weekly reset. The lack of competitive gameplay in general throughout the week is unfortunate, especially when Iron Banner isn't around for a whole week.

Because if you had everything at your fingertips all the time, it wouldn't be long before you didn't like ANY of it. But I can tell that you're a personality who won't believe a statement like that until you experience it for yourself...so good luck with that.

I played Halo practically everyday for years and years from 2001 and on, and I never tired of it. It was always at my fingertips. Weird... unless you're on to something! Maybe I stopped playing Halo because I don't like any of it since it was always at my fingertips! It's not 343's fault after all! They don't totally suck! Well, I'm glad I could get the whole Halo thing figured out. This discussion proved to be meaty and worth something after all.

Also, you're wrong about my personality, and you're also pretty wrong about having something at your fingertips all the time. But before I seriously reply to you, I may not have a child, but I eat chicken all the time. It's always at my fingertips. One could say it's finger-licking good. I'm not even close to disliking even part of it! Well, you caught me, I don't like raw chicken, but that doesn't count.

But on a more serious note, you know that thing where Bungie had playlists in Halo 2, 3, and Reach that never cycled out or anything? They were always there. If I got sick of playing Team Slayer, I could go play Team Snipers or Big Team or Rumble Pit or whatever else I wanted at any given time for a month if I wanted to before going back to Team Slayer. Keeping the Sparrow racing around permanently only provides me, my friends, you, and everyone else yet another option for when going on Destiny at any given time. This would hold true for Trials, too.

My point still stands: Playstation exclusives have been exclusively paired with expansions (Crota's End, House of Wolves, Taken King), until now. I forgot to include the launch of the game in my previous post, but that's irrelevant and should be obvious. The inclusion of exclusive content with these "freebies" may indicate a change in how content is delivered for this game. The traditional paid DLC release may not resemble what it did in year 1.

It's an interesting point. A few thoughts come to mind:

- This is the first instance of exclusive content being attached to free content, isn't it? I'll certainly take note if this become a trend.

- With the addition of micro transactions, I'd think the shape of future paid content is very much up in the air right now. (At least for our point of view) I can imagine a future where the next paid content is initially a good deal smaller than The Taken King, and more like House of Wolves, but is far better supported. Like, what if we got a new Destination (Io, Old Chicago, whatever) and a House of Wolves length story but new missions and quests kept popping up over the next two months? Perhaps a smaller initial batch of content could be made to feel much more substantial if it seemed to just keep going and going?

- One of my older arguments against Playstation exclusives is: I don't like paying the same amount of money as a Playstation player but getting less content. Something like the Undying Mind strike is a good example. Sure, I have it now, but why did my $60 not get it for a year when the Playstation user's $60 did? That sort of thing. It'd be interesting if Bungie has found a way around some sort of "There must be x amount of Playstation exclusives per year" clause by attaching the exclusive content to free events and releases. That way, we'd all get the same amount of content when we spend money.

I was actually trying to respond to you in good faith and express a sincere idea, but clearly I forgot who I was talking to.

Come on, there's no need for this. :(

- No text -

FYI; I'm not arguing SRL should go away, if love for it to be a permanent thing. I was referring more to the seasonal stuff, in regards to the "fingertips" issue.

You're right; I DON'T know your personality, I never should've started down this rabbit hole... :-/

I never should've started down this rabbit hole... :-/

Ahh, the classic two-replies-in-to-an-Avateur-thread regret. Seen it a hundred times.

It's a bit unclear. They definitely said this is a three week event. But they also very clearly said the popularity and feedback they get will determine if the Sparrow Racing League is something that gets continued development time. I'd guess this first event is a trial run and the plan is for Sparrow racing to go away for a bit then to bring it back with improvements based on feedback or to scrap it if the feedback is intensely negative.

Events like this are something that I really wanted, but not the way I wanted them... But that's not a bad thing...

I wanted limited-time events that employ new mechanics or missions, with exclusive rewards (even cosmetic), that would be something that folks would be able to talk about and reminisce down the road. The first Queen's Wrath was much like this, with modifier-based story missions, exclusive gear and weapons (I still have my Supremacy), and it was a one-time thing.

In other games with similar events, the unique mechanics might show up again much further down the road, presenting players another opportunity at unique rewards, or they get expanded upon and become permanent additions.

The only thing that I wanted out of Destiny's events that I've yet to see is permanence; none of the events have had any long-lasting effect on the game world. Is the Sparrow League the first step towards rebuilding the Golden Age? Is it the first stage of a panem et circences decline?
Who knows? I hope it gets a bit of story expansion down the road, but I'm more than happy to enjoy it for what it is now, which is a fun new way to enjoy the Destiny Universe.

Well, the event included instructions to make some real life masks, so there's that. :)

I made one, but it crumpled into a wad of paper after two weeks . . .

I really don't want to be a downer, and I'm sure sparrow racing will be a nice fun event.

If this is what the microtransactions are funding I'm definitely for it. I love the idea of this.

However I think the game needs more permanent content, and things like custom games more than it needs this. Obviously a lot of effort went into this, but really it's just a mini-game… I get that the teams are separate and all, but there really could be more of a core effort to improve the core of the game.

I'm not sure if events like this will be enough to keep me satisfied. I still have 2 characters to take through the major quests of TTK, and I still have some side quests to finish off with my Titan, so I have plenty of content to still consume, but I really really would like a new expansion at the end of 1st quarter next year.

Also after three weeks does it go away forever? Or just the event?
Still, I will probably see you all out there on the track.

I expect it'll be a quarterly event (with it being a whole 3 weeks long and all).

See ya tarmac side!

- One of my older arguments against Playstation exclusives is: I don't like paying the same amount of money as a Playstation player but getting less content. Something like the Undying Mind strike is a good example. Sure, I have it now, but why did my $60 not get it for a year when the Playstation user's $60 did? That sort of thing. It'd be interesting if Bungie has found a way around some sort of "There must be x amount of Playstation exclusives per year" clause by attaching the exclusive content to free events and releases. That way, we'd all get the same amount of content when we spend money.

You aren't getting less. You're getting delayed access. That should make you feel better =]

Edit: OR, you could think of it as Xbox getting the base game, and PS4 getting a years worth of early access. =]

On a serious note, to date, most exclusive gear hasn't been that great. The maps were/are pretty bad (Exodus Blue anyone?), the weapons aren't much to shake a stick at, but they are cool. Hawkmoon was nice on PS for awhile, now it sucks for everyone. I would agree with your statements that having paid the same, youre getting "less". Which is not right (Primarily a PS4 player here).

On the flip side, its nice to have the exclusives/early access for a change, after years of Xbox having them. Take that Xbox!

The only thing that I wanted out of Destiny's events that I've yet to see is permanence; none of the events have had any long-lasting effect on the game world. Is the Sparrow League the first step towards rebuilding the Golden Age? Is it the first stage of a panem et circences decline?
Who knows? I hope it gets a bit of story expansion down the road, but I'm more than happy to enjoy it for what it is now, which is a fun new way to enjoy the Destiny Universe.

There's something about building our in-game actions and behaviour into Destiny's canon that really amuses me. My favorite grimoire card is the one written from the Cabal's perspective, where they're talking about the Guardians being this perplexing group of wreckles maniacs who obsessively hoard equipment and stop mid-combat to dance with each other. The SRL plays into this idea perfectly. What must the Vex or Fallen be thinking as we enter enemy territory to race our sparrows? We don't even stop to shoot back as they try to murder us :)

- No text -

For the Staff of Primus Ta'aun, Legion Commander
From Skyburner V Cohort/Auxiliaries/Strategic Intelligence Maniple
A Tactical Outcomes Analysis

I: Records, Materials, and Attributions Pursuant To Analysis

Sand Eater II Cohort/Century 1/Maniple 8
2 Squad [LINE INF]
TASK:
- sweep urban area grid 071x145 to screen BL I/3/3/5 intelligence op
OUTCOME:
- unit ambushed by solitary Guardian. no survivors

Sand Eater II Cohort/Century 1/Maniple 8
3 Squad [TAC INF]
TASK:
- reinforce II/1/8/2 in disarray grid 071x145
OUTCOME:
- unit engaged by Guardian and Vex units. no survivors.

Dust Giant IV Cohort/Century 4/Maniple 1
4 Squad [AIRMOBILE]
TASK:
- secure grid 071x145, destroy guardian target
OUTCOME:
- target Guardian temporarily destroyed. target re-engaged with Guardian reinforcements. no friendly survivors.

Dust Giant IV Cohort/Century 4/Maniple 1
Harvester Dropship [TAC AIR]
TASK:
- support IV/4/1/4 operations in 071x145
OUTCOME:
- dropship shot down. crew reported Guardians operating elaborate totem rocket weapons.

Blind Legion I Cohort/Century 3/Maniple 3
5 Squad [HEAVY INF]
TASK:
- defend Psion intelligence ops 071x146
OUTCOME:
- overwhelmed by Guardian fireteam/Vex pressure. few survivors. survivors reported Guardians foraging for equipment, dancing, and performing acrobatics with light vehicles.

II: Analysis

This is an archetypical engagement. It represents many hundreds of failed operations.

Guardian activity in the Freehold AO has exploded across recent campaign seasons. Tactical attrition exceeds both frictional projections and our ability to regenerate losses. New tactics are necessary.

The primary threat is the Guardians’ individual counter-attrition capability.

Guardians can be rebuilt after even total disintegrative trauma. This capability is provided by a small autonomous drone unit called a Dead Person [trans. unclear]. The Dead Person conceals itself during combat. It is not a viable target for direct fire. Saturation attack by artillery/heavy air/orbital fire may have good effect (although Guardians transmat frequently and refuse to assemble into large formations).

Solitary Dead Persons have been observed in all areas of operation. The relationship between solitary and paired Dead Persons remains unclear.

Psion analysis indicates that specific areas are inimicable to Guardian counter-attritional reconstruction. Phobos Command has initiated an orbital survey. BL I/2 will attack the Vex gate artifact in Meridian Bay to secure possible related intelligence.

Flayer analysis suggests that the Hive have developed unconventional counter-Dead Person capability. The capture of Hive leadership might yield vital strategic intelligence, including weapons or tactics capable of defeating Guardians permanently.

We advance that the Hive fleet group near Saturn presents a strong target.

For the Primus,
Our highest duty done,
Unflinchingly loyal,
Skyburner V/A/SI

Cracks me up every time :)

This kind of thing almost makes we want to see a Halo 2-style perspective switch with Destiny 2, where we'd get to see the way the Cabal or Fallen react to the Guardians. From their perspective, the Guardians must be quite horrific. Imagine facing a foe that is virtually un-killable, armed to the teeth, spewing god-like magic powers, and most of all seems to be having a blast the entire time. Laughing, dancing & taunting, doing sparrow flips, celebrating over loot... we're monsters! lol

What was it the Skolas considered us? "The dead soldiers that hoard the Great Machine and come out crusading to wipe all hope away." Yeah, we're pretty scary!

I saw the post ID had gone past 100000, and I clicked on one from the morning, and saw it was in the 9s. I then started scrolling through the forum, clicking on posts between the two, hoping they would be the right one, so I could post that garbage NM reply above.

I could have just typed the number.

Ok... Who is against you and Cody on that point? Players? No. We all want new story content. Bungie? No. It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet. Really, what I think it comes down to is whether or not you really believe there are multiple teams at Bungie able to work on different pieces of content concurrently or not. How much did the Festival of the Lost really slow the next paid expansion? How much did the upcoming balance tweaks really slow the next expansion? How much has the Sparrow Racing League really slowed the next expansion?

Probably not enough to be down on the release of free events and updates...

Yeah... you know that thread going on now about how these little meaningless throw-away events would be the thing, and DLC packs and such wouldn't be? How's that 99.999% looking?

Yeah, this is basically an "I told you so" post.

The entire point being made by one side participating in that thread is that none of us really know Bungie's future plans. You certainly don't. So your "I told you so" is the second stupidest, most petty thing I've seen posted this week. Please never reply to me again.

The entire point being made by one side participating in that thread is that none of us really know Bungie's future plans. You certainly don't. So your "I told you so" is the second stupidest, most petty thing I've seen posted this week. Please never reply to me again.

My original post was about wanting meatier content. Your entire reply was about how you doubted stuff like this slows the next expansion, and that you were nearly perfectly sure about what's being worked on. You're undermining your own premise with the "no one knows" when you were just 99.999% certain. You sure changed that tune quickly! Oh, I'm Pot (aka idiot), btw. Nice to meet you.

- No text -

The entire point being made by one side participating in that thread is that none of us really know Bungie's future plans. You certainly don't. So your "I told you so" is the second stupidest, most petty thing I've seen posted this week. Please never reply to me again.

My original post was about wanting meatier content. Your entire reply was about how you doubted stuff like this slows the next expansion, and that you were nearly perfectly sure about what's being worked on. You're undermining your own premise with the "no one knows" when you were just 99.999% certain. You sure changed that tune quickly! Oh, I'm Pot (aka idiot), btw. Nice to meet you.

If we don't get another expansion, what makes you so certain that it'll be because of these events? Maybe Bungie decided that it'd be smarter to have everyone focusing on Destiny 2, with a smaller team working on stuff like this so we have a few new diversions?

I'm am 100% sure they're working on new substantial content in one form or another. His point was that these events aren't the cause of us possibility not getting HoW sized DLC. For anyone to say so is asinine, unless that person works at Bungie and knows the plan.

My original post was about wanting meatier content. Your entire reply was about how you doubted stuff like this slows the next expansion, and that you were nearly perfectly sure about what's being worked on. You're undermining your own premise with the "no one knows" when you were just 99.999% certain. You sure changed that tune quickly! Oh, I'm Pot (aka idiot), btw. Nice to meet you.

I said: "It is 99.999% certain they are working on new story content and it isn't ready yet."

Do you believe that The Taken King was the last of Destiny's story content ever?
Do you believe that Bungie has finished new story content but for some reason isn't releasing it?
If so, then you have a point. If not...

Now, once again I'll request that you please stop. That you please leave me alone. That you please go bother someone else. I feel you are both twisting my words and meanings and being unkind for no good reason and I want nothing more to do with it or you.

If we don't get another expansion, what makes you so certain that it'll be because of these events? Maybe Bungie decided that it'd be smarter to have everyone focusing on Destiny 2, with a smaller team working on stuff like this so we have a few new diversions?

All I said was I wanted meatier content. Cody pointed out that the priorities appeared to not be in that direction. I agreed with him. I never claimed to be 99.999% (or any %) sure of anything one way or the other. I've called it temporary, meangingless throw-away filler. I also never claimed that these particular events would slow anything down. Ragashingo made it about that. Again, what I did say is that I see an issue with this type of content, especially since it's temporary, and would prefer something meatier.

I'm am 100% sure they're working on new substantial content in one form or another. His point was that these events aren't the cause of us possibility not getting HoW sized DLC. For anyone to say so is asinine, unless that person works at Bungie and knows the plan.

I think the key here is the "in one form of another" that you mentioned. I don't believe that "one form or another" has anything to do with Destiny (this game). You may be right in that Bungie may have decided to pull all the things to work on a big blowout awesomeness that will be Destiny 2. In the same way that I do not view Halo 3 as the same game as Halo 2, I do not view a potential Destiny 2 as the same thing as Destiny. If this year two is to be filled with nothing more than events and temporary substitute content instead of continued story/beefy expansions, I find that unfortunate. All signs appear to be pointing in that direction. I could be wrong on that. I've never claimed to have a high amount of certainty or percentage that I would be right on this fact. Gut feeling says I will be, but I'd love to be wrong prior to Destiny 2.