It seems that regardless of player feedback, Bungie really wants you to play Destiny the way they want you to play. I feel like any time there's something players figure out or do in the game, that was originally unintended by Bungie, they patch it to their liking. And then, if there's something players really want, they simply ignore it. I know this is a blanket statement, and it's probably a little exaggerated as past patches have done good for the game, but I honestly believe players are getting fed up with some of the changes Bungie implements. I know I am at least.
The latest move from Bungie, which will arrive in update 1.1.1 (sometime this month), will prevent you from soloing the Weekly Heroic. According to this week's post, update 1.1.1 will change the Weekly Heroic Strike to a matchmade activity. That means no more soloing for you. No more playing with just a friend. Now you'll be at the mercy of Destiny's matchmaking algorithm.
Here's why Bungie is making the change:
We wanted the Weekly Heroics to be a challenge that pushed you and your buddies, but what we observed was that these strikes don’t demand the same cooperation of a cohesive pre-made group. The overwhelming community response was such that many players didn’t have the numbers on their friends list to experience the activity on a weekly basis.
Can I still solo the Weekly Heroic?M.E. No, this change applies to all levels of the Weekly Heroic.
Bungie's reasoning for the switch makes sense. It certainly benefits players that don't have friends who play. But why not just give players the option? Why force everyone to play by your rules?
The Nightfall won't be affected by this change, but what's really confusing to me is why Bungie is only half-committing to this whole idea. If Bungie is so concerned about players without friends, then why are they not adding a similar matchmaking feature for Raids? They keep saying raids require "groups of communicative players," but I think at this point a lot of the Destiny playerbase knows how the Raids work.
Here's what Bungie said on the issue:
So, no matchmaking for Raids neither?M.E. No, but we are keenly aware of the issue. We think good Raid sessions rely on groups of communicative players who are invested in each other, but we know that it’s challenging for many players to find groups for Raids and Nightfall today. We are thinking hard about how we can help make that an easier experience in future releases.
The problem with all of this boils down to one thing: Bungie wants you to play the game they want. There's absolutely no reason why they can't give us choice in the matter.
Would now be a good time to point out that update 1.1.1 will also bring a ton of weapon nerfs?
