#the issues we have will never be addressed nothing will ever be fixed. we'll get a 5th map (returning) in 6 months and that's it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefirstknife · 9 months

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rip gambit you will be missed 😔

Don't even know what to say tbh.

For those that don't know, the big State of the Game article came out detailing incoming changes and adjustments and all the big stuff. Gambit was mentioned! But at what cost. Basically, they are ceasing any kind of support for Gambit. What we have now is what it is. We will get the Dreaming City map back in TFS and they will add Shadow Legion and Lucent Hive as enemy factions in TFS. That's all.

Full text:

As many of you have noticed, we’ve been quiet on Gambit since last year’s overhaul that launched alongside The Witch Queen. In that revamp, the team made significant changes across five categories in Gambit: core activity fundamentals, Primeval tuning, invasions, ammo economy, and rewards. Unfortunately, these updates didn’t move the needle for player engagement. Although we know our Gambit fans mostly care about new or returning maps, this is an area of the game with lower engagement that would take resources away from more popular parts of the game to shore up. While we don’t have plans to dedicate more resources to significantly transform Gambit, we do have a few updates planned for the year of The Final Shape. These include porting the Cathedral of Scars map and its beautiful Dreaming City setting into the latest version of Destiny 2, as well as adding the Shadow Legion and Lucent Hive enemy types.

I don't know how to tell you this Bungie, but the reason "engagement is low" in Gambit is because Gambit sucks. Ever since half of it was removed with DCV, it just sucked. It has no variety, the gameplay is largely busted, it's not sufficiently updated, ammo changes suck, invasion cycle sucks (why is the enemy even getting a portal when their Primeval is at 5% health and the other team is still in mote collecting phase is beyond me), there are no cool armour sets to chase (just look at Iron Banner and Trials stuff, imagine dedicated cosmetics) and finally there are simply no weapons that are worth anything. Both Vanguard and Crucible have more weapons and also adept versions. There is zero reason to go into Gambit without major changes to Gambit. And now with the further changes to how playlists and challenges will work, there will be even less reason to go into Gambit. Observe:

Before then, we’re making Gambit entirely optional to maximize your rewards unless you’re looking for a piece of gear that’s specific to the mode. Gambit will continue to serve as a source of Exotic engrams via weekly challenges, though as we mentioned above, you’ll be able to complete all your weekly challenges in any ritual you’d like starting in Season 22. If you want to stick to Vanguard or Crucible challenges without touching Gambit, now you can. We’re also reducing the number of Gambit-specific Seasonal Challenges starting in Season 22, so players won’t need to bank motes to be able to earn that big purse of Bright Dust for completing nearly every challenge in the Season. Finally, we’re adding Fireteam Matchmaking to Gambit next Season, which will replace the Freelance node and should result in faster, better matchmaking by combining both Gambit playlists. We’ll keep an eye on reception and player engagement after these additions take place, and we hope you’ll visit ‘ol Drifter next Season to get your hands on his new Void Machine Gun.

Ngl, but I don't think anyone besides like a total of 6 people will play Gambit next season. The incentive to go in there is completely removed. You won't even have to go in there for pinnacles or for challenges. The Void Machine Gun will not be enough of an incentive because the chance of that gun being better than two recently available craftable Void Machine Guns (Commemoration and Retrofit Escapade) is very low. And besides, once you get it at the end of your first match, you can leave Gambit forever.

This is the feedback loop that just reinforces the idea that people don't like Gambit. And I mean. Who would at this point. I'm pretty sure that if Crucible had stayed the same as it was at the start of Beyond Light, engagement would be low there too. But you know. Crucible has received major updates pretty much every season since with multiple new modes, several Trials overhauls, Iron Banner overhaul, competitive overhaul, new armours and weapons added and YES, even new maps. God forbid even 5% of these resources went into Gambit.

Anyway, this is the whole section about Gambit in 6500 words. It's basically a "you guys aren't playing this so we're doing the bare minimum of keeping it in the game as is, no new work will be done on it ever." Thanks I guess.

And for the record, something I also added while having a rant in my discord, I want to make it clear that I don't want anyone to spiral into a Bungie hate train. Even for this. I understand perfectly well what's the community attitude towards Gambit and what it's been for years now. People just don't like it and they're not incentivised to like it and they're actively encouraged to hate it. Spending resources into a game mode on the hope that maybe you can change people's minds would be insanity. Like, the amount of change Gambit would need to MAYBE start appealing to gamers would be beyond any reasonable time and resources Bungie can put in. And if you could guarantee that people would love and play Gambit then, fine. But you can't. Most likely, even if major changes happened, people would still just do their weekly stuff and bail. It's simply not worth it. In order for people to like it, it needs to be completely and thoroughly overhauled in a way that would need more time and effort than the entire Light subclass overhaul and it's just not a reasonable expectation, nor is it guaranteed to work. So I get it.

I'm still disappointed and annoyed about it because I believe it wasn't given a fair chance at all. I also know how good it can be and how Gambit Prime could've been improved upon over the years if they tried. Instead, it got removed and that was honestly the death sentence for Gambit. It's unfortunate. It's my favourite game mode that could've been so much better was it given even a fraction of attention of Crucible.

I'll still be playing it. You will find me in the Gambit queue waiting for 2 hours to find 7 other lunatics to play with, don't worry about it. But I'm absolutely incredibly sad about them being basically forced to axe the potential of the whole game mode that is incredibly creative and fits with the type of game Destiny is perfectly.

There's other interesting stuff in the article and some upcoming really cool improvements and changes to the game. But if you're a fan of Gambit in any capacity, this is a death certificate for the mode. I suggest coming to terms with it quickly because Bungie changing their minds about this is highly unlikely.

#destiny 2 #gambit #ask #long post #says 'don't know what to say' at the start. writes an essay. FHKSJHFKJS #i won't go too much into it outside of this. we all know what this means no need to beat the dead horse #i'll still play it and the mode is still there but i expect a drop in quality and population significantly #the issues we have will never be addressed nothing will ever be fixed. we'll get a 5th map (returning) in 6 months and that's it #yay. I guess.#don't think there will be anyone in the playlist anymore by that point so I'm not sure why even bother with that alone #but still. if that does happen at least new people will be able to see that map now. it was very pretty #unfortunately not good gameplay wise. but at least it will help to not get deep six 17 times in a row #anyway. sad situation for gambit enjoyers. please don't turn into crucible bros to harass devs though

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sagebodisattva · 5 years

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Improve Your Illusion?

Speaking on the subject of delusion and illusion, more people tend to speak free and easy about it nowadays. They say:

“Yeah, it's an illusion, it's a dream, it's the matrix, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm in it. It still doesn't change the fact that I am struggling to make the proper changes in my life that will bring me happiness.”

And that's just it. One of the most common misunderstandings, when it comes to what's referred to as spirituality, is this notion that some kind of personal change is required in order to be better prepared for spiritual growth. Or that, the goal of spirituality is self improvement, transformation, or a metamorphosis into something other then what we already are. This notion in itself causes most of the problems people struggle with when seeking an awakening. The issue is, that you are not that which you seek to change. It's a misidentification. The trouble is, you are not sure where the illusion starts and where the illusion ends. So the question should be asked: who are you? And what needs to be emphasized in order to self recognize?

Getting into great shape, exercising, doing lots of cardio, expanding your biceps, pecs and gluts, losing the gut and obtaining a six pack, isn't it.

Studying, doing research, obtaining knowledge, and building up an impressive intellect and high IQ, isn't it.

Engaging in martial arts, yoga, or any other practices that promise to balance the body and brain, isn't it.

Eating vegetarian, vegan, organic, gluten free, low carb, no carb, high protein, low fat, calorie free, vitamin enriched diets, isn't it.

Prayer, attending religious services, rubbing beads, reciting scripture, doing rituals and observing holy days, isn't it.

Seeking to find out the TRUTH about your external world by sifting through history, politics, symbolism, conspiracy theories, and corruption, isn't it.

The moment you move beyond the seeing, you are in the wrong place.

It's not an external environment, it's not a narrative, it's not a concept, it's not an object, it's not your ego, your persona, or your physical body. All of these are beyond the seeing, and are part of the passing show.

So what good does it do to improve on an illusion? This is why I say, self improvement is masturbation, no matter what form it comes in. What does "improved" mean anyway, other then just being a subjective opinion? How would such an opinion fare in the grand scheme of the spiritual spectrum? Focusing on the seen disempowers oneself, no matter how self improved one feels.

But how does de-emphasizing the drive for extrinsic improvement help at all, right? How would such a philosophical application lend tangible utility? It wouldn't improve our bodies, our community, medicine, schools, job opportunities, family life or our country. It makes one self oriented, right?

Seeing as how anything in the seen is a projection of the inner condition, a better way to, quote, “IMPROVE”, these things, would be found in establishing inner serenity. Inner peace brings peace to the outer. Inner health brings outer health. So, as ironic as it may seem, bringing about inner happiness is the most unselfish commitment you could make. It helps so called "other people" also find inner peace.

If inner tranquility is not a foundation within, no amount of external fixes or improvements will amount to any real lasting world peace. Ignoring the internal, and only focusing on the external circumstance, is much akin to overlooking the root cause of disease and only treating the symptoms. If one can find inner happiness, then they become some of the most selfless people in the world.

Detachment doesn't mean that you don't love, care, fulfill responsibilities or become a self oriented individual, all it means, is that one is ceasing to indulge in the desire to sustain certain circumstances or the desire to avoid certain circumstances, whatever those circumstances might be. Peace, happiness and freedom from suffering, is not found within grasping or pushing away circumstances. And the primary reason why, is because circumstances constantly change.

What is most present, real and lasting, is the now of awareness. The now of awareness is immune to the pleasures and pains of circumstances. It isn't awareness that is the recipient of ecstasy or suffering. These transactions take place beyond the seeing, in the array of the seen. These passing transient nonpermanent phenomena are the stuff of illusion. And nothing that takes place within illusion can ever improve or degrade awareness.

Yes, BUT, right? Isn't this where the “yes but”, comes in? That everything I'm saying may very well be the case, but it doesn't lessen the suffering. We still have to navigate our lives and wade through the pain, anguish and discomfort. The fact that it's all illusion doesn't negate our place in it, and the philosophy I speak is just a coping mechanism that only helps us lie to ourselves and pretend that it's better then it really is, or that we are somehow above and beyond it all, right?

All of these ideas are constructed on a foundation of desire. When you keep addressing the particulars of navigating illusion with desire as your steering wheel, and the ego in the driver's seat, of course it's not going to seem very practical to think you recognize the illusion and the methods to circumvent the pitfalls by way of intellectual notations. Obtaining knowledge isn't a useful way to address the visceral, or to realize the nature of illusion.

Deconstructing the conditioning of identification with a false self begins to open the pathway to lucidity. To begin to unglue the attention from the projections of appearances allows the space for lucidity to find ground. Realizing illusion empirically is much different then learning of illusion from study. Only from the standpoint of the intellect does the goal appear to be: specific desired circumstances gained and sustained through a change of being which will also afford an individual avoidance of specific undesired circumstances.

So this is why the prospect of recognizing illusion cannot be appreciated from a false identity. It's the foundation and facets of the false identity itself that is the cause of suffering, and the mis-framed concept that the objective is found in sifting through the illusion to find elements that will assist one in a search, or change, that will facilitate escaping or embracing aspects of the illusion.

So, of course the prospect of understanding illusion seems pointless, because the whole notion is being approached based on a false premise, made from a false identification. And if followed through intellectually from this framework, no, learning about illusion won't change anything. But that's just it. The aim was never to change anything. The aim was to stop awareness from attaching itself to illusion. This is where the issue of lucidity comes into play. And we'll go more into depth on lucidity in the next episode.

#illusion #self improvement #lucidity

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