The developers of Destiny 2 are already playing the new game at home. Game Director Luke Smith spent 35 to 40 hours in Destiny last week – outside of working hours. However, the version is still a bit rough.
After more than 3 years, there was once again a “Bungie Podcast.” The last Bungie Podcast was in January 2014, before the release of Destiny 1. In the current podcast, the team talked about Destiny 1 and Destiny 2.
Okay, these aren’t the only topics. The podcast starts with a conversation about “peanut butter and jelly” sandwiches (PB&J). Luke Smith seems to be obsessed with this type of sandwich.
Destiny 2 with a Dynamic Duo: Luke Smith & Mark Noseworthy, the Creators Behind “The Taken King”
In the podcast, the “old team” from the expansion is back: Luke Smith as the Creative and Mark Noseworthy as his Producer. They were also the dynamic duo behind “The Taken King.”
They describe their collaboration over the past 3 years like this:
- Luke Smith has the ideas
- Mark Noseworthy tells him whether it works or if he should stay grounded. He takes care of the “practical things.”
- The two constantly talk about Destiny, discussing the direction the game should take – Noseworthy’s wife finds that crazy
Luke Smith Played Destiny 2 at Home for 35-40 Hours Last Week
An interesting piece of information: The team has a version of Destiny 2 that they can play at home. Luke Smith spent 35 to 40 hours in Destiny 2 last week.
This version is not completely finished yet. It is said: The version is “not yet polished,” does not wear evening attire yet, but rather, it is as if it just came from the gym and smells a little. Some icons and item names are still missing. “But the smell of sweat is okay.”
They Have Been Playing Destiny Since Christmas
The team has been playing the version since the Christmas season of 2016. Back then it was significantly more “rough around the edges.” It is said that the fun of Destiny 2 in this version has roughly doubled every 2 weeks recently.
What has changed is how many decisions are made. It is said that at the beginning, it could take weeks to make a single decision. In the current phase, they make 100 decisions daily. And in three weeks it will be 300 a day and in July 1000.
It is all about finding the balance:
- Those who are too conservative stay on schedule, but create nothing truly relevant
- On the other hand, those who behave like cowboys and take every risk create a lot of work for everyone else and blow every schedule – they build “all the wrong things”
- There is no “right or wrong” here, only countless decisions.
Battleships, Births, and the Chili
People compare working on Destiny to a battleship. Once the course is set, it is very difficult to turn the ship around. When at full speed, you can still launch some boats to solve isolated issues.
Luke Smith compares Destiny 2 to a baby and its birth. But he quickly realizes that he has no idea how a birth actually works and stops the comparison. “I don’t have kids,” he apologizes.
In addition to a battleship and a birth, the work process on Destiny 2 is compared to cooking. It’s like having a chili on the stove. All the ingredients are there. Now it’s about seasoning and getting the fine-tuning right.
You taste a bit of the chili and then say, “Hmm, I need a little more of that, which I actually thought I wouldn’t need.”
Destiny 2 at Home on the Couch
Having the game at home further motivates the developers. They play Destiny 2 like crazy on a private test server.
At home, one can clearly see how fantastic what they are currently working on is, and they recognize countless possibilities. They still have some work ahead. But having a version that they can see on the couch at home on the TV feels completely different than playing at their desk at work.
Smith shares that he then goes to a colleague’s desk and says, “Dude, that thing you’re working on. I played that over the weekend. It’s just amazing!” Just recently he had 5 of those moments in one day. Destiny 2 is coming together and it is fantastic.
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