Changes to Destiny will introduce micro transactions but ensure free new content

Taken from the Guardian:

All the new story content for the next year of Destiny, Bungie’s first new franchise since it launched Halo in 2001, will be free, as the company continues with a major overhaul of the multiplayer online game following its troubled first year.

To make up for the lost revenue from giving away the content for free, Bungie has announced plans to introduce microtransactions to the game for the first time, letting users spend real money to buy cosmetic items such as character gestures and visual changes to their “Sparrow” hover bike in game.

Microtransactions are often viewed with suspicion by players, and Bungie seems keen to emphasise that the purchases, from the in-game Eververse Trading Company, will have no effect on the broader game. “If you’re not interested in what [the in-game vendor] has to offer, you won’t ever be forced to pluck an item off of her shelf,” the developers wrote. “You’ll still receive updates to the game, and you won’t lose a Crucible encounter or fail to clear a Raid because you didn’t have the right Eververse Trading Company emote equipped.”

The revenue model established throughout the first year was a major release, followed by two smaller minor releases, and leaked slides suggested that the initial plan was to continue that model into year two. Instead, the company seems to have decided that the minor releases – which retailed for £20 each in the UK, and were widely criticised for being overpriced given the content contained within – are best delivered in bits and pieces, free of charge.

Bungie says the microtransaction revenue will fund those expansions: “Our plan is to use these new items to bolster the service provided by our live team for another full year, as they grow and create more robust and engaging events that we’ll announce later this year. It has been, and continues to be, our goal to deliver updates to the game. Going forward, our live team is also looking to grow beyond vital updates and improvements to focus on world events, experiences, and feature requests.”

In doing so, the change takes Destiny closer to the model of World of Warcraft, the ground-breaking massively multiplayer online game which entered its second decade last year. Warcraft offers major new content in paid-for expansion packs, and then drops smaller “content patches” periodically, which progress the story of the game world. Unlike Destiny, however, Warcraft still charges a monthly subscription fee for players – although that fee can be paid using in-game currencies.

Interesting change in focus. Plenty of detractors over micro transactions but as long as they only relate to cosmetic items and not infer a pay to win structure, I am happy with this. Given new content is being funded by it, everyone playing now with TTK wins

Sounds interesting, provided like you say it doesn't become pay to win

I don't have an issue with paid for cosmetics but pay to win would be another story.

The Taken King DLC has added some nice new ideas to quests and public events. While playing through the new DLC you might pick up an item and think wtf is that for? Runes are used to initiate a public event in an arena, different runes have different differculties, there's also rumoured to be a Raid rune. You can also pick up keys, encryptions, etc which activate different scenarios.

totalgizmo wrote:I don't have an issue with paid for cosmetics but pay to win would be another story.

Completely agree. Lets see how long they keep it to shaders, emotes etc.

I am really enjoying the game again, the new strikes are great and a much better challenge than the old ones and the next multi stage quest chains are an improvement. Court of Oryx is good fun, especially if there are a handful of randoms and you pop a reciprocal rune. Havent even touched the new raid yet either

I am playing it a lot but don't feel like I am constantly repeating the same stuff over and over.

Have you had the challenges to complete the reciprocal rune event in under 1 minute 30 seconds and another in under 90 secs? I've done them both but the rewards were disappointing to say the least. Also got the key for the chest under the Court of Oryx platform, something teeth key, again naff all rewards worth talking about.

There are also stolen runes which I've had a few of and then a third tier but not found any of them or know how to get them. I have been at the court when a randomer has opened the third tier which was three high level bosses and loads of spinning orbs shooting millions of projectiles, all you can do is stay behind the rocks and whittle them down and a shit load more spawn. Any idea on how you get the third tier runes?

The third tier runes, Antiquated runes drop during the raid and nightfall strikes.

Some people have far too much time on thier hands, brilliant though

totalgizmo wrote:under 1 minute 30 seconds and another in under 90 secs?

Isn't that the same ???

FWG Unky Al wrote:

totalgizmo wrote:under 1 minute 30 seconds and another in under 90 secs?

Isn't that the same ???

Yes   but there are two different challenges, one stated in minutes the other in seconds, I can't remember if one was for a reciprocal and the other for a stolen rune though, but I agree they are indeed the same.

There's also an Agonarch Rune which is a 7 part challenge which can only be completed 1 part per day. If you get this challenge and wondering what the hell to do, all you need is to find the grey floating orbs on the Dreadnaught (there are numerous ones about), hang around them until the Taken spawn, kill the couple of waves of Taken until the yellow health barred mini boss spawns, kill him and thats one part complete, repeat for 6 more days, get your reward. I'm currently 5 of 7 so no idea what the reward will be.

Currently working on an Agonarch Rune and should have that completed later today

I have only done tier 3 once successfully on the Court. It was pretty mental but the fireteam of 3 I was in was joined by at least 3 other level 40's and we did it pretty quickly. I dont recall any of the rewards being that great though with the exception of a 300 relic.

Can you not buy antiquated runes from Eris as well? I think I got gifted one from her for levelling up to rank 5 with her too.

N1NJA FWG wrote:Can you not buy antiquated runes from Eris as well?

Think its just the lower tier runes she sells. She does sell another item that gives you better rewards during the raid but you need a minimum of 20 to be of any use and they cost hell of a lot of resources for 1.

All my recent gameplay has been on my new character, the Titan I started a few days before TTK DLC was released. I started to level my Warlock up last night, my original character from day one. I prefer the Titan class, the jump boost is shit on the warlock in comparison, no wonder I kept dying during the canyon crossing in the last raid, but it does have the self revive and quick buddy revive trait which is handy.

N1NJA FWG wrote:Currently working on an Agonarch Rune and should have that completed later today

I've a fully charged Agonarch rune now but need a fire team to do the next part as its not easily soloable by the looks.

Its not that bad Giz, I solo'd it last night. Took a lot of running around to reload and whittle down the mobs but I did it first time

N1NJA FWG wrote:Its not that bad Giz, I solo'd it last night.  Took a lot of running around to reload and whittle down the mobs but I did it first time

Is there no time limit? I found the spot where you use the rune but thought there might be a time limit on clearing it, didn't want to waste the rune .

If there was, it was generous Giz as I didnt exactly hurry through it

I've tried to use it this evening but its been disabled due to people exploiting it.

How have they been exploiting Giz? I know you could apparently fully charge a 6 out of 7 rune of you tackled it with someone using a completed rune but that doesnt seem like a huge deal tbh.

Something about removing the rune from your character using the mobile app, you could then keep opening the chest, or something on those lines. The rune is also transferable between characters so you could get 3 parts done per day solo.

I knew you could shift it between characters and gain a part per day with each. Figured that was a deliberate design choice and a benefit to having all 3 characters levelled up. That exploit with the mobile app sounds dodgy though, hopefully they sort it asap so that you can crack on and finish off that rune of yours

totalgizmo wrote:I've tried to use it this evening but its been disabled due to people exploiting it.

fuck i wondered why mine wouldnt work, destroyed it in in the end and started a new one wouldnt mind but i need the calcified fragment out of the chest to complete the touch of malice quest

Had a go at the TTK raid last night, 4 first timers and 2 with limited TTK raid experiance , headless chickens spring to mind . It took us awhile to form some sort of pattern for each section but once we'd learned the sequances and started to gel it went reasonably well. We had loads of team wipes, I mean loads but thankfully all the team were patient and not rage quitting. We got to Golgoroth before calling it a night. I must of had about 30 or so blue engrams to decrypt by this point and on decrypting only had one item that had higher stats than I already had , I did get the 310 raid ghost in a chest though .

Nice Giz

I am hoping to have my first run at KF either tonight or tomorrow. Fingers crossed

After a few weeks of trying I actually beat Kings Fall today. Had a great group from the100 which helped, worked together really well.

Great fun for a Sunday afternoon - took the best part of 4 hours!

I'm at the final boss now.

Got to Gorgoroth last night and am hoping to finish it off tonight