Destiny 2: Rise, Relapse, and Decline

The other day, I had a Destiny 2 relapse. I hadn’t played much Destiny 2 (D2) since 2019, back when it first became free-to-play. For some reason, I decided to redownload it. Why? Well, it was partly the streamers—Destiny players jumping into Warframe (WF) got me curious. I’ve been playing WF, so seeing streamers pivot to it made me wonder what’s going on with Destiny. Bungie’s two recent rounds of layoffs also raised questions. What are the player numbers like now? What’s been added? What’s changed? Why are streamers leaving? That last question is what made me hit download.

First Impressions

First, I was struck by just how high the production value of Destiny 2 is. The environments feature stunning skyboxes that make everything feel bigger than it is—an illusion most games rely on. However, the levels themselves are linear, open-world-style maps with one or two starting points. They feel empty—like a desert: sparse and lifeless. There are only a few activities or encounters scattered about, and they lack the vibrancy to make the world feel alive. There aren’t even animals or small details to bring the environment to life. The characters you do encounter are static, with no voice lines outside of quests. It feels like an older game limited by hardware. Even more frustrating, content from 2017 feels remarkably similar to content from 2024. The formula hasn’t evolved.

Frustration

This staleness feeds into an overall frustrating experience. It’s not clear what you’re supposed to be doing. The game doesn’t guide you well. I tried to search for answers, but the flood of information online is either unhelpful or outdated. Warframe suffers from a similar issue, but its codex system makes things easier to figure out. It shows which quests need doing and explains mechanics better. It’s not perfect, but compared to Destiny 2, it’s a godsend. For example, Destiny asked me to “visit the Drifter.” Who is that? Where is that? In Warframe, the codex would at least give you a bit more information.

The result is an experience that feels alienating. For a game with such high production values, it’s oddly unwelcoming.

Free to Play… or Locked Fun?

Destiny’s free-to-play (F2P) model also rubs me the wrong way. While the base game is technically free, much of the content is locked behind paywalls. Worse, some of that content eventually gets removed from the game entirely. This makes it feel less like a true F2P game and more like a demo. You can play one mission before you have to pay.

Most F2P games make their money through cosmetic microtransactions, but Destiny combines that with paid expansions. On console, certain content even requires a subscription due to platform rules. It’s a business model more akin to an MMO than a F2P game, but even then, it falls short. Other F2P games at least offer consistent access to their content; Destiny seems to thrive on locking fun away.

Less MMO, More Looter Shooter

Destiny’s gameplay loop revolves around loot. You can choose between three classes, and the goal is to gather gear. While this is similar to MMOs, Destiny lacks key MMO features. There’s no crafting, no trading, and no player housing. Instead, you’re tasked with farming bounties to get randomly generated loot. The idea is to grind until you get a good roll. The system allows you to merge gear to improve it, but this process isn’t well-explained. The lack of guidance makes it hard to know if you’re making progress.

It also wants to be a hero shooter, but the classes feel too similar to differentiate them meaningfully. While the weapons feel good to use, the rest of the experience feels shallow—like it’s torn between genres and unable to commit to any one identity.

Shadow of Halo

Destiny feels like a Halo clone, which is ironic given that Bungie created Halo. It’s as if Bungie has stuck to one game style and refused to try anything different. The result is a game that feels like it’s in a constant identity crisis.

Destiny’s core design lacks direction. It feels like it was originally meant to be a single-player game that was awkwardly morphed into an MMO-lite. Yet, it’s missing essential MMO features like trading or clan headquarters. Combine this with an epic, serious story mixed with an unserious tone, and you get a game that doesn’t quite know what it wants to be.

Warframe vs Destiny

On the surface, Destiny and Warframe seem similar—sci-fi looter shooters competing for the same audience. But a closer look shows stark differences. Bungie has 1,300 employees (not all working on Destiny), while Digital Extremes (DE) has around 500 employees (again, not all working on Warframe). Yet DE has consistently outpaced Bungie in terms of content delivery.

Here’s a quick breakdown of major Destiny content since 2019:

• Shadowkeep (Oct 2019)

• Beyond Light (Nov 2020)

• Witch Queen (Feb 2022)

• Lightfall (Feb 2023)

• Final Shape (June 2024)

Meanwhile, Warframe delivered:

• 15 major updates (U24 to U38), including multiple new open worlds, quests, modes, and remasters.

• Examples include The New War, The Duviri Paradox, and Warframe: 1999.

Warframe’s updates are free and remain accessible. The game has evolved significantly, adding new characters, reworking old content, and introducing systems like spaceship combat, racing, and even fishing. Warframe embraces creativity and risk-taking. Destiny, by comparison, feels small—even its grand skyboxes can’t hide its lack of scope.

Zero Advertising, Maximum Respect

There’s a joke in the gaming community that Warframe’s advertising budget is Destiny’s development budget. Warframe’s success has come from respecting its players’ time and wallets. Weekly development updates and livestreams keep the community informed, creating a sense of connection. By contrast, Bungie’s communication has been sparse—a single blog post in 2024 is hardly enough.

Warframe is one of the longest-running and most popular F2P games, consistently delivering more with less. Destiny may have had greater mainstream success, but Warframe has quietly built a loyal community by doing right by its players.

Do I Keep Playing?

That’s a hard question to answer. I’m finding little reason to stick around. I’m curious about certain systems—how to get better armour, what the Light system does, and how to get stronger—but the lack of guidance makes it a struggle. I’m playing solo and don’t want to spend money, so I’m muddling through. Destiny feels like it’s in a lull, and I can’t take it too seriously.

What puzzles me most is why Destiny was so successful in the first place. Everything I disliked about the beta remains, yet it’s managed to maintain a large audience. Maybe that’s the real mystery—how a game with so many flaws became one of gaming’s biggest names.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Computer-Generated Storm

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the tech world by storm, becoming a central topic of conversation. Once a niche interest, it now concerns everyone. Machine learning and algorithms have long dominated this space, but AI promises something even smarter. These advanced models claim to produce human-like language, art, videos, and voices at impressive speeds. However, human input remains essential for their output. But do these advancements truly represent intelligence?

The Risks of Human-Like Output

The companies behind AI often focus on potential future capabilities, promising remarkable achievements with more data, control, and power. However, this human-like output poses significant risks. For example, scammers now use AI-generated voices to mimic family members, creating new avenues for fraud (The Guardian). These scams involve spoofed phone calls, claiming a family member is in trouble and needs money—an old scam with a new technological twist.

Artists are also under threat from AI-generated cover bands, which dilute their original work (Slate). Similarly, authors face fake books published under their names, damaging their reputations as they struggle to remove these fraudulent works. Deepfake technology exacerbates these issues, escalating concerns around online abuse and privacy (Boston University).

Data: The New Goldmine

Data has become the new goldmine, with AI models demanding more of it. Companies like Reddit have struck deals with Google and OpenAI to license content, setting a precedent for others (Reuters, The Verge). However, some companies are pushing back against their content being used for free to train models. For instance, the New York Times has filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI (Harvard Law).

This is just one of many ongoing legal battles. OpenAI’s consumer-focused chatbots and Meta’s open-source Llama model illustrate the rapid evolution of large language models. Open-source models, often developed without much fanfare, are making quick progress. Practical applications like NVIDIA’s DLSS 3, used for upscaling and frame generation, showcase AI’s potential, despite ongoing challenges. Here’s a video showcasing DLSS 3.

DLSS 4 is coming soon that video is two years old and we’re currently on version 3.8.

The Reality of AI Hype

Despite these advancements, much of the current AI hype feels like a marketing gimmick rather than a transformative tool. AI outputs have their uses but are also susceptible to misuse. Concerns about unregulated use by individuals and potential data breaches are already surfacing, as seen in the case of Star Health’s data leak (Life Insurance International). Imagine the risks when employees use such technologies without their employers’ knowledge, potentially exposing sensitive information to remote servers (Forbes). Something that has already happened leaking of information.

Addressing the Challenges

While I don’t see this wave of computer-generated content as an immediate threat, I have serious concerns about our ability to grapple with existing problems. Misinformation and disinformation thrive in an environment that prioritises engagement over quality, exacerbated by lax moderation practices. Tackling these issues would require overhauling business models and restricting who can post online—steps that could reinforce the dominance of existing tech giants and stifle new challengers.

The internet, built on non-profit code and maintained by a few volunteers, faces growing instability. Big tech has built empires atop this fragile foundation, often unwilling to share profits or cede control. With major regulatory powers like the USA, China, and the EU each pursuing their own visions, the once open World Wide Web increasingly resembles a series of closed-off walled gardens.

The Future of AI and Content

With the flood of computer-generated content on the horizon, distinguishing between real and fake will become increasingly difficult. As we silo ourselves into personalised content bubbles, our perspectives on reality may diverge further. Addressing these challenges will require a concerted effort to ensure that AI serves as a tool for enhancement, not exploitation.

For clarity, I did put this into ChatGPT for spell-checking and grammar edits. It is a useful tool but does not transform the world. Here is the problem without me telling you, you would not have guessed.

Syrian tragedy

Syria’s Civil War: A Fragile Coalition of Enemies

Syria’s civil war is one of the most complex and bloody conflicts in modern history. As a non-expert, I’ll try to break down the situation, explain the key players, and provide an overview of recent developments. This war, which started over a decade ago, is anything but simple.

A Brief History of the Civil War

Syria’s civil war began in 2011 during the Arab Spring protests. What started as demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad’s government escalated into a full-scale war. Government crackdowns turned into violent insurgencies, with rebels receiving support from NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Meanwhile, Assad’s regime was backed by Iran and Russia.

Russia’s airstrikes, which began in 2015, devastated rebel-controlled cities, while Iran deployed proxy forces to help Assad. Even Israel got involved, targeting Islamic State (IS) fighters and gathering intelligence on Iran’s proxies.

By late 2018, the rebels had lost almost all their territory, holding only a few strongholds. The war seemed frozen, but new developments have reignited the conflict.

The Rise and Fall of Islamic State

In 2014, the Islamic State emerged as a major threat, taking territory from both the rebels and the government. However, by 2017, an international coalition had largely defeated IS, though the group remains an insurgent threat in eastern Syria.

Adding to the chaos, Turkey launched a 2016 invasion against IS, the Kurds, and the Syrian government. This multi-front conflict highlighted just how many factions are involved in Syria’s war.

A Stalemate That Shattered

For years, Syria was locked in a frozen conflict. Assad controlled much of the country, while rebels, including the Kurds and the Free Syrian Army, held smaller regions. The United States supported some rebel groups, while Turkey backed others—often creating tensions between the two NATO allies.

In 2019, a U.S. withdrawal from Syria left the Kurds vulnerable to Turkish attacks. The Kurds struck a deal with Assad for protection, but this alliance of convenience did little to change the overall stalemate.

Two recent events have now shattered this fragile balance:

• The war in Gaza.
• Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Iran and Israel’s Proxy War

Iran has long used Syria as a base for its proxies, including Hezbollah, to counter Israel and project power in the region. However, Israel’s retaliation to attacks by Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza has decimated Iran’s proxy network. Hezbollah, which operates in both Syria and Lebanon, has suffered heavy losses in leadership, forcing it into a ceasefire.

These setbacks have significantly weakened Iran’s influence in Syria, making it harder for Tehran to maintain its regional dominance.

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Israel’s Proxy War with Iran

Israel’s long-running proxy war with Iran is fundamentally about self-preservation. While Israel is strong enough to withstand most threats, its main objective is to reduce Iranian influence and ensure its own security.

A key area of interest is the Golan Heights, which shares a border with Syria. While some Israelis see the region as a strategic buffer zone, others view it through the lens of settlement expansion, adding to regional mistrust and unease.

Israel is particularly concerned about the possibility of terrorists, chemical weapons, or Iranian arms crossing into its territory. Beyond immediate threats, Israel seeks to degrade Iran’s ability to wage a shadow proxy war against it.

Looming in the background is the existential worry of Iran becoming a nuclear-armed state, which would make it the second in the region after Israel’s own unofficial nuclear capability.

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Russia’s Waning Role

Russia, one of Assad’s main backers, has been weakened by its war in Ukraine. With resources stretched thin, Moscow can no longer provide meaningful support in Syria.

Russia’s naval and airbases in Syria remain strategically important, but its broader ambitions in the region have been curtailed. Both are used to supply Russian proxy forces in Africa and Assad’s regime. Once heavily reliant on Russian support, Assad’s regime is now showing signs of vulnerability. Russia used Syria to help provoke a refugee crisis in Europe and instability. Now it faces it own interests suffering from instability caused by its actions.

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A Fragile Alliance of Frenemies

The rebels have taken advantage of Russia’s and Iran’s declining influence. Groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), once linked to al-Qaeda, have forged uneasy alliances with other opposition factions. While HTS remains controversial, its cooperation with other groups has strengthened the rebel coalition.

Turkey has played a crucial role, providing support to rebel factions while working to suppress Kurdish autonomy movements. Ankara’s involvement reflects both nationalist ambitions and a desire to reshape Syria’s future.

Interestingly, reports suggest that rebel-held areas have avoided widespread atrocities. Local elders have mediated disputes, creating a semblance of order amid the chaos.

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Turkey: What Do They Want?

Turkey’s objectives in Syria extend beyond countering Kurdish nationalist movements. A key priority is reducing Iran’s influence and addressing the millions of Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey, which have caused significant political unrest and domestic pressure.

However, there’s also an element of self-interest. Turkey sees a major opportunity to rebuild Syria and strengthen economic ties with the region. By doing so, it can not only diminish Iran’s and Russia’s influence but also gain significant leverage over both in economic and military terms.

Russia is already adapting to this new reality, as Turkey asserts itself as a key player in shaping Syria’s future.

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Assad’s Mistakes and Collapse

Despite growing pressures, Assad refused to compromise. At a summit with Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar, he was offered a way out but declined. This stubbornness, combined with economic collapse and defections from his army, has led to his regime’s rapid downfall.

Rebels are now advancing toward key cities like Damascus and Homs. Taking Homs would isolate the capital, dealing a significant blow to Assad’s remaining forces.

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Iran and Russia Cut Their Losses

Assad’s defeat has forced Iran and Russia to reconsider their positions. Both countries have realized that salvaging his regime would require far more resources than they can afford. Iran, while weakened, may still maintain some influence through its remaining proxies.

Russia faces a greater loss: its warm-water port in Syria is critical for resupplying its African proxies and sustaining its global strategy. Losing it would be a major humiliation. Meanwhile, Iran’s loss of its land bridge to its proxies complicates resupply efforts, though it retains regional allies for now.

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What’s Next for Syria?

The fall of Assad marks the end of one chapter but opens many questions about Syria’s future. Possible scenarios include:

• A divided Syria, with different factions controlling separate regions.
• A prolonged insurgency, as rival groups vie for power.
• International mediation, though it’s unclear who would lead this effort—Turkey, Qatar, or another power?

Rebuilding Syria will require significant international support. Without it, the country risks descending into another brutal conflict.

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A Fragile Victory

Assad has reportedly fled Syria, leaving the country in rebel hands. While this is a stunning turnaround, the coalition of rebels must now prove they can govern effectively. With Turkey holding significant influence, the international community will watch closely to see if peace can be maintained.

For Syria, the road ahead remains uncertain.

This conflict is filled with twists and turns, where friends and enemies often switch roles. I have focused primarily on the main players to provide an overview of the war, but there are countless other actors and layers of history that shape Syria’s ongoing tragedy.

Conclusion and Wrap-Up

Syria’s future hangs in the balance, divided among four powerful factions with conflicting goals. The U.S.-backed groups in the south, Kurdish forces in the northeast, Turkish-backed Islamist groups in the northwest, and Turkey itself all have stakes in the outcome.

Turkey’s dual objectives—repatriating Syrian refugees while undermining Kurdish autonomy—highlight the complexity of the conflict. This tug-of-war between regional powers risks sidelining the voices of the Syrian people, who remain most affected by the chaos.

Ultimately, Syria’s fate will depend on whether these external forces prioritize stability over self-interest. Without meaningful cooperation and international support, peace will remain elusive, and the suffering of ordinary Syrians will persist.