While Bungie has officially revealed details to their next game, Destiny, a lot of questions still remain surrounding the game. We are not much closer than we were a year ago to knowing what the game really has in for us. For a while now we’ve known that it was going to be a first-person shooter with a unique take on online play. With today’s reveal we’ve learned a few more details but there are a lot that still remain unanswered.

Cost

It was revealed at a press event last week, and reiterated on Bungie’s website, that Destiny will not feature a subscription cost. The lack of a subscription cost brings up the question of how Activision will get a return from a game that’s probably costing them a pretty penny.

The cost of maintaining servers for massive online games have always been higher than those of standard games and the cost differential needs to be recouped somehow. The majority of MMO-style games that are available on the market at no subscription fee often feature micro-transactions or an in-game auction house in which the publisher receives a percentage of each transaction.

In the unsealed contract between Activision and Bungie, Bungie is set to release expansion packs to their Destiny games (a total of 4) every year after a game’s release. Rather than release a new version of Destiny every year like the Call of Duty series, Bungie is contracted to produce an expansion pack a year after a games release, most likely a fraction of the cost a new game. It is possible that the contract has been ammended since then, but it’s a good talking point.

How will Activision / Bungie Recoup Development and Server Costs?

• Game Sales Alone 
• Micro-Transactions
• In-game Auction House
• Expansion Packs
• Downloadable Content (DLC)
• Premium Model (think Call o Duty Elite)

Discuss what you think in our comments!

Persistent Online World

We already knew that Destiny was going to be an online game, although how exactly it will play out is still a mystery. It was confirmed on Sunday that players will jump in and out of your game depending on where you are in the game world. Public areas will be populated by other players and going “solo” won’t be an option on some quests. The always-connected nature of the game however allows for some interaction away from the TV. We’ve seen glimpses of notifications but what else will be offered is still a mystery.

The one quality and feature the studio has promoted on their press day was the ability for players to jump seamlessly in and out of another’s game. Say you’re on a mission with a friend and are having difficulty completing it. All of a sudden a third player may show up, not someone whom you have invited, and will be playing alongside you and your friend in an attempt to complete the mission together. As soon as that mission is over the random player will leave and you are free to go your separate ways.

In their ViDoc, some screenshots showed references to raids and factions, further solidifying the MMO-like qualities even though Bungie refuses to call it a MMO. Can we just call it a MMO and get it all over with?

In what ways is it NOT a MMO?

• We just don’t know..
• It’s all semantics
• No servers to hassle with / not tied up to a single server
• It’s more than just a MMO, it’s a lifestyle

Customization 

Part of the seven pillars of Destiny (Bungie’s guidelines for developing the title), the third talks about giving players rewards they will care about. This includes earning, making and finding unique items to enhance your characters appearance and performance. Now usually I’m all for this.

I despised games that had you pick up “cool” weapons and armor and subsequently failed to change your characters appearance. However Destiny is slated to be a first-person shooter, a game in which you yourself will rarely see your full character. While other players will regularly see how much time and effort you put into gearing your guy, you simply won’t.

What do you think about this conundrum? 

• Customizing our characters with different gear is nice, but will we even be able to fully enjoy it?

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