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Leaked footage from the ongoing Destiny alpha test has forced Bungie to issue a post on NeoGAF explaining exactly how the the sci-fi shooter is structured.
“There’s a lot of confusion here, and we haven’t done the best job ever of explaining the game or its structure,” wrote Destiny lead designer Luke Smith.
“First, Destiny is structured into Activities,” he added. “We’ve attempted to build a suite of activities that can suit a variety of moods (I want something challenging! I want to chill out with my friends! I want to see where the story goes next! I want to shoot other players!, I want the game to be a cruel dominatrix! et cetera)”
These activities can be split into five distinct sections:
Story missions – soloable activities (you can still play them in groups of up to 3), often with ties to the main story arc of Destiny (the campaign). These activities appear at various Levels (numerical, relative to the player) and choosing a higher level (relative to you) means you’re opting in for some additional challenge.
Strikes – 3 player activities, with bosses and loot at the end. Their goal is a highly replayable activity that will – at higher levels – lead you into the loot game.
Explore – cruise around the surface of a planet in Fireteams of up to 3, taking odd jobs and tasks for the City. You can find minerals and resources out in the world that you’ll have some use for as you find weapons in Destiny that you want to stick with. This is a lower intensity activity
Raids – 6 player, cooperative required, communication required gameplay. High challenge. We haven’t talked much about this yet and I’m not going start that conversation here on NeoGAF
Multiplayer – This is for the “shoot other players” mood.
Destiny is meant to feature a world full of players, but how exactly will this function?
“We’ve structured Destiny’s world to have places where you will probably intersect with other players, and places where you won’t,” explains Smith. “We’re not going to have players drop into the climax of a mission, but the common landing zones for a given planet? That seems like a great place to see other players running amok in the world.”
He adds: “Regardless of what activity you’re playing (PVP aside), you’ll see players on their own activities, i.e., players beginning a Strike might see a guy collecting Relic Iron on Mars, and a Public Event begins and suddenly everyone is distracted to take down a key Cabal target for a chance at powerful gear and materials to upgrade your best weapons and armour. “
Smith says the alpha test is ongoing and the team is already seeing things which can improve the game, something he’s sure will continue into the beta.
Expect to see much more on Destiny during Sony’s E3 conference which begins 2am tomorrow morning.
Follow E3 2014 live with VideoGamer.com this evening from 5:30pm when Microsoft kicks off a night of conferences.
Source: NeoGAF
