For a thread like this, I really wish I was more tech-savvy so I could put together a comprehensive visual to organize my thoughts. Unfortunately, though, I will have to continue with just my words and several links to pictures/art/etc. [i][b]TL;DR[/b] - To make players truly feel like legends -and therefore make Destiny a place that people will want to return to day after day- players must have purposeful/meaningful identifiers and customization that follow their Guardian.[/i] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [u]From the beginning[/u], Bungie has stated that they desire to give every single player a chance to make them self a legend, and that a big part of this mission was to give the player a unique identity in the universe. While games often strive to do this, it is rarely accomplished because either: [quote]A) the items that "set you apart" are too minuscule and are therefore not noticed[/quote][quote]B) there is a lack of difficult unique identifiers, leaving one final destination that all players eventually reach (eg. Inclement Weather in Reach).[/quote] [b]The following are ways that I believe will help Bungie succeed in the goal of making us all feel like legends:[/b] [i]Disclaimer: Most of these things are already being done by Bungie; these are not necessarily original ideas.[/i] 1. [b]Meaningful Social Identifiers[/b]: [spoiler]Over a year ago, Bungie started dropping visuals of that we quickly learned were factions within the game. Since that time, we have seen many additions to this list that are not necessarily limited to factions. At this point, we have confirmed symbols for: factions, enemy races, Guardian classes, guilds, gun manufacturers (okay, that one's not confirmed), and personal symbols (like in Halos). Much like real life, identifying yourself with a group of people or ideals is as simple as wearing a shirt, necklace or insignia. Many people also go to extremes like tattooing or branding their skin as a sign of dedication. In Destiny, I believe that Bungie will need to (they probably already are) create meaningful social identifiers that allow for infinite visual possibilities with my Guardian. [/spoiler]2. [b]True Armor Variation/Customization[/b] - [spoiler]This is one area that I feel has lacked in Bungie's history with the Halo games. I know there has been drastic improvement over the years, but I never truly "bought in" to armor customization (with the exception of Recon, which I will touch on next). I always thought: "I'm gonna look so BLAMin' awesome once I get this armor" until one day I realized that I NEVER looked at or noticed my opponent's armor. Occasionally I would glance over before a match started, but all that really mattered at the end of the day was Red or Blue. For Guardians to feel truly unique in this new universe, armor variation/customization must be OFF THE CHARTS. Creating a few things here or there that [i]technically[/i] give hundreds of thousands of possibilities is not what I'm talking about either. Guardians in Destiny need the chance to say they are literally one-of-a-kind in a sea of thousands. I cannot begin to understand how they will pull this off, but from what I have seen so far, they are well on their way.[/spoiler]3. [b]Prominent & Impressive Consequences[/b] - [spoiler]This last point is more of an overarching theme for all visual identifiers, but I wanted to set it apart because of it's importance. As games become more social, it becomes drastically more important for identifiers to have real meaning. Throughout the Halo's, we saw many identifiers, but not all of them were necessarily meaningful: In Halo: Reach, if you saw someone with Inclement Weather, it simply meant they played A LOT of Halo. Or maybe someone had a flaming helmet, so you knew they downloaded the Bungie app or purchased the legendary addition of Reach. In Halo 3, if someone had Recon, you knew they were patient and skilled enough to dominate the campaign ViDoc challenges with some buddies. In Halo 2, the rank system seemed to be a key indicator of skill, but it didn't really follow that soldier onto the battlefield. It became quite easy to lose track of who was who when you were actually in the fight. It almost seems like Bungie was testing out these identifiers separately over the last 10 years. However, for Destiny to truly create legends, I believe one look at a character should show me all of these things. We need events/achievements/stats to immediately reflect upon our character in a way that gives people a true and full representation of how we play this game.[/spoiler] [b]Let me paint a picture of meeting a true legend in Destiny:[/b] [spoiler][i]Dust spits about everywhere and I back up slowly to give room for the magnificent craft landing mere feet in front of me. This ship is nearly four times the size of my own, and you can tell that it's seen its share of warfare. As the dust settles, I notice 15-20 battle insignia's under the cockpit window, three of them look familiar; I fought hard in those battles as well. The blood-red Cabal Skull brings goosebumps as I remember how heated and intense the battle was and how close we were to failing our mission and foregoing this prize for good. My thoughts are interrupted by the opening of the cargo bay hatch. In perfect unison, the Seven Seraphs BloodLust guild walks out with guns slung over their shoulders, moving with purpose to the Tower Shop where I imagine they will be trading in substantial loot from their last raid. At the rear of the group is the guild leader, signified by his stature, but also by his BloodLust founder cape and Seven Seraphs Sargent chest piece. I also quickly realize that this Guardian is quite proficient on the battle field, for he hosts a trail of black particles dissipating feet behind him, marking him as a Warlock who holds total MP k/d spread of 2.0 or more. What I'm experiencing is not rage towards a player who simply has more time than me, but respect for a player who has invested deeply into this universe we share, and who has kicked some ass along the way. As he leaves my sight, I take one last look at his battled war horse and decide quickly that it is time once again to leave the safety of the Traveler and venture out to earn the legendary status that awaits me.[/i][/spoiler] So what do you think? Do you think we will have the chance to become legends in this new universe? What are some ideas you have that would make YOU feel unique and awesome as you interact with people all over the world? [u]Don't forget to [b]LIKE[/b] the thread so we can bring more people in on the conversation![/u]