Destiny has long been hailed as a social game, one which uses a three player “fireteam” as its basic squad, and allows for friends to connect and play virtually all of the content together, from menial patrols and impromptu soccer matches inThe Tower, to meat grinder raids meant to test skills to the limit. Yet lone wolf players still find it a struggle to access much of the high level content, simply because very little of it can be played alone, and the game purposely limits matchmaking options. Bungie seems firm on this point, and with only a few weeks until the launch ofThe Taken King, there has been no announcement to the contrary.
Of all the Destiny debates to persist through Year 1, none is as polarizing as issues of matchmaking. Both sides make strong arguments of support either way. Opposition is usually framed by the fact that some content, notably Temple of Osiris andraids, would be brutally difficult to play in squads with no communication. Support for more matchmaking options counters with a simple question: what harm is there in offering it as an option to anyone not affiliated with a clan or with a large core of friends playing?
Lone wolf players still find it a struggle to access much of the high level content, simply because very little of it can be played alone.
While LFG sites offer options for those who are feeling lonely, they certainly do not represent a panacea solution without problems. Ask any casual player and they’ll tell you that for every good group of players they land with, there’s another with players that bicker, rap, and go AFK to make a sandwich. It’s easily argued that these same types could be matched up with an in-game queue, not forcing anyone to get off the sofa and go to their laptop.
As a gamer, I play a lot. But I’m also a casual player. Until the emergence of Destiny a year ago, the word casual seldom had negative connotations in gaming circles. It simply referred to people who either didn’t have time to sink into keeping up with a clan, or who simply played for fun. While not directly Bungie’s fault, Destiny has developed a particularly ugly underbelly of discrimination against players not fully decked out in all the go-to weapons and gear, or with an acceptable grimoire score. Imagine being scolded for this in a public forum…the gaming equivalent of being dressed down for not studying for a test.
Destiny’s lack of matchmaking is well documented. Currently (three weeks prior to the release of The Taken King) you cannot find matchmaking in:story missions, nightfallstrikes, Prison of Elders (beyond level 28),Temple of Osiris, and raids. Having sampled raids, I can give them a pass on this. They are not just difficult, but complex, requiring virtually everyone to be on a mic, or at least be listening to the team. However, Bungie’s refusal to add matchmaking to other modes listed above seems like some of the most backward design philosophy in modern gaming.
The word casual seldom had negative connotations in gaming circles. It simply referred to people who either didn’t have time to sink into keeping up with a clan, or who simply played for fun.
They want to sell Destiny to a wide demographic, yet in truth the endgame content is restricted to those who have a wide circle of friends who play. I had five friends who played regularly at the time. Just enough to do a raid. We’re also grown adults with careers, kids, families, and other commitments. Getting everyone on at the same time was a nightmare. We were always one or two short, and aside from an outside site, had no option for picking up a spare. Bungie’s own stats indicate that 80% of players have not done a raid. It is likely that the same percentage of people have never done nightfalls, or high level PoE missions. All for the same reason. Not a lack of skill, but simply because there is no in-game tool to assist them.
It’s unfortunate that Bungie doesn’t give more credit to its own players for being able to come together as strangers and just make it work. Demon’s Souls andDark Soulsplayers have known for years that matchmaking between strangers does not have to be prohibitive to success in overcoming some of the most difficult content in gaming. Even average players have an innate ability to learn from experience and observation how to work together for a common goal. Certainly, raids feature more complex gameplay involving coordinated actions that lend themselves to the use of mics. But I have to believe a large percentage of the 80% “non-raid” players might prove themselves quite adept after acquiring a bit of experience through trial and error, a “baptism by fire” if you will.
I can’t even understand why Bungie didn’t offer some sort of matchmaking for story missions. Not because they are difficult to solo, but because people might like the dynamics of another human player tagging along on a harder setting.
Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls players have known for years that matchmaking between strangers does not have to be prohibitive to success in overcoming some of the most difficult content in gaming.
If fear of “radio silence” is behind Bungie’s reluctance to add matchmaking in raids, perhaps they could have found compromise in allowing two pre-existing fireteams, which one assumes is made up of friends using mics anyway, to connect online. Group matchmaking, for lack of a better term. Make it abundantly clear at the outset that if fireteams do not communicate and strategize, they will find it difficult to get complete a raid, but leave the onus on players to heed that advice. Players normally shy about speaking in groups of strangers might be more inclined to chime in occasionally as long as they have friends with them.
Other modes simply need to be opened up for matchmaking across the board. It seems counterintuitive to allow matchmaking in level 28 Prison of Elders, but nothing higher. Players who are deeply invested in Destiny, and committed to making themselves better, will undoubtedly learn to use matchmaking in a way that leads to success. Ultimately, they may also find people whose styles gel with their own, including both skill and personality, and eventually not need matchmaking at all.
Destiny is a great game, and with the release of each newexpansionBungie seems intent on evolving the game in positive ways. The Taken King’s reveal shows us that myriad changes are being implemented, and if the hype turns out to be real (and accurate), then Year 2 may actually start on a positive note. However, by persistently dismissing calls for better matchmaking, Bungie risk coming off as arrogant, sending a message that their game is not meant for Sunday afternoon casuals with the bad luck of not having many friends on the Destiny bandwagon.
So, again, we arrive at my original question: what harm is there in offering matchmaking as an option for those who just want to try the endgame content?
Give me a compelling answer to that, Bungie, and I’ll let it go.
