: I'm glad you get this. The best games appeal to niche audiences, specifically
: because they are designed to play up and refine specific elements. Another
: reason why Bungie's stated desire to have a bona fide cultural phenomenon
: with Destiny in stupid.

Well, like I've stated in the Destiny forums, I think that issue open to a lot of interpretation and a lot of words have been shoved into people's mouths through association and not actual direct sources. I'd say I'd love my own comic to be on the shelf next to Lord of the Rings. That's not saying I want it to be a worldwide cultural revolution - it just means I want it to be 'epic' and 'cool'. But someone take my words and run with them to serve their own intentions and satisfying predetermination.

: Advancing video games requires increasing their complexity, which in turn
: requires more money! Better enemy AI means more programmer time. Better
: graphics mean more and harder working artists. More complex level designs
: mean busier level designers. Etc. Etc.

: If you take a GOOD game, and ask "How would I improve this?" the
: answer will pretty much always mean spending more money.

Quite possibly, but, like I mentioned in my reply to TDSpiral, I think you can reallocate that budget from other things that might not be so important to making to the actual root game great, which I think in the end, will be the thing that defines the continued success of the franchise, as opposed to say, how big of a marketing campaign you throw at it, or how many elements of other popular games you force into it to be relevant.