Enigma - The Hacker Warframe - Art Update

[FinnishHim]

A metallic hallway humming with the current of electricity. A crewman crumbles to the ground, clutching his helmet in an attempt to tear it off, while his comrade sprints frantically for the nearest control terminal. With trembling hand, he pulls up the alarm interface.

The instant before his palm hits “confirm,” the display blackens. A second later, a Lotus symbol causes him to snap his hand away in fear.

"Comms offline." His eyes widen at the display inside his helmet.

Searching the room for some means of escape, he soon realizes the doors are in lockdown.

Activating his Dera, the crewman wills himself to face his enemy.

He spins around, wildly firing, some shots connecting with his target, and shields flicker in response.

To his terror, a steel osprey baring the same seal suddenly appeared and hovered at its master’s command, the whir of its shield regenerator module extinguishing any of his hope for survival as the figure approached unscathed.

Stumbling over his backpedaling feet, the crewman tossed away his rifle and drew his Detron. It took all his focus to keep it steady.

It was at point blank range now. It seemed to be tapping its wrist. His finger found the trigger.

It moved its hand in a small circle, as he fired a laser-packed blast at the harbinger of his doom.

Suddenly, the figure illuminated in a coat of energy. His shots were halted on its surface.

 

Its armor obscuring the lights above him, it brought its pistol to bear…

 

 

Huge huge HUGE thanks to Grayphilosopher for his weeks of work into this art, he messaged me a while back and has been diligently improving upon the concept's art ever since. I can't explain how thankful I am for his help with bringing my concept to visual life.

 

 

 

Hey Everybody,

Here’s one of my ideas for a new warframe, I really hope you find it interesting; I put a lot of thought into it and it’s really progressed well as a concept. And also, a note before you start reading: everything I’ve written is written in a somewhat firm and final-sounding way, such as when I describe what an ability would do, but just keep in mind I did that for clarity and writing purposes and that if my ideas were adapted into the game or as a suggestion, of course they’d be altered somewhat. In addition, I'm not sure if a concept similar to this has been proposed before, but I assure you this is all original, any similarity to another thread is a (awesome) coincidence. I am now aware there are digital-themed warframe concepts out there, but Enigma still remains an original work (and a name chosen before Loki's helm was released! haha).

That all being said, I hope you enjoy my warframe concept, thanks!



“Enigma” – The Hacker Warframe

 

Utilizing a vast knowledge of advanced robotics and the digital plane, Enigma can change the shape of the battlefield and use her hacking abilities to divide and conquer her enemies.

 

Lore:

It began as a faded memory. A shadow of a thought, reminiscent of the Old War. Suspended in time, locked away just as the Tenno had been for centuries past. But as time passed, one awoken Tenno, in this new era of warring empires bent on domination and profit, discovered the depths of the dark space that was its mind. An image. A brilliant light, enveloping bolts of energy seeking to extinguish it. But then, another image. Machines of war turning on their masters, driven by a will not their own. Yet the Tenno, as it became a component of this new universe more and more, grew a sense of longing. Missing. An entity, but it did not know what.

            Time heralded more visions, each more vivid than the last, yet each only contributing to the sense of loss that festered inside the Tenno. Orokin cringing in pain, their own technology bringing them to their knees. Waves of their own creations gathering around the shining light, submitting themselves to its devices. But again, the sense of loss only expanded in the Tenno. Time did not heal it, and the memories did not relieve the pain. The pain of its shattered mind.

            The Tenno, driven to the edge of its sanity, fled from its brethren, fled from its Lotus. A fallen warrior, cursed to wander space, searching for the fragments of what it once was. Until the final revelation came.

            There had been a beginning, when it was created. The Orokin masters had brought the Tenno, contained within the armor that kept it alive, to their last experiment. A room, with a single pillar standing in the center of all its golden walls and pearl windows. The Tenno, reliving the memory, filled with a feeling of belonging at the sight of this obelisk, for the Tenno then remembered what came next. They had brought the Tenno forward, raising its hand to touch its surface...

            The tower shined, disintegrating into nothingness while the Tenno fell to the floor. Two minds, no longer anchored to their physical form. Moments felt like eons as they passed, but then the two met each other. And one was created.

            The Tenno had risen, its armor pulsing with energy as the lights flickered for only a split second. Outside, the sound of firing laser barrels rang out, and in response screams cried for help. But the Orokin masters only smiled in accomplishment.

 

Their experiment had succeeded.

 

            All the memories then arranged themselves like sequence in a code, and the Tenno was drawn to the stars. Time blurred together as the lone Tenno’s Liset set off. It was like returning home, after years away, when the Tenno reached its calling. Its journey ended at a derelict ship, from the era of its old masters. Driven by an unstoppable will seeking its peace of mind, the Tennp ended the infested that dwelt there with gun and blade. At long last, after hours of navigating the forgotten corridors of the ship, the Tenno stood before a single room. The door hung halfway open, inviting the warrior inside. Therein the Tenno found a familiar, luminescent pillar, the manifestation of its hope. A swift swipe of an ancient control console yielded the Tenno’s prize. A small, levitating artifact slid out from its prison, and the Tenno slowly reached out to it in wonder and anticipation, as a child would to a gift. Upon its touch, the artifact evaporated from the air itself, and the room fell dim. Yet the being was reunited.

            The warrior kneeled down, resolved at last. It was no longer alone. It was one, once again. The being felt the struggled breathing of the ship's life support systems, and was lulled into a state of meditation by the hum of the engines, several levels below. Suddenly, a weathered exterior ship camera brought a vision forth to the Tenno. It appeared to be another of the Lotus’ vessels, headed directly for the derelict. The Tenno turned its head, as if listening for a distant sound, and overheard comm-chatter. It was the Lotus, herself.

“... stopped here. . . appears to have boarded-Wait! I’m detecting an active neural sentry! Prepare yourselves! … ”

The Tenno strode calmly to the projected boarding site. Halfway there, other Tenno clad in warframes encountered it and all of them stood still. Several moments passed an not a single muscle shifted. Finally, the others nodded understandingly as the wanderer continued its peaceful, resolute stare. They were brothers and sisters in arms again.

At that moment, the Lotus, in the spacecraft’s command room, received an encrypted Orokin transmission. Before it had decoded, the Tenno returned with their lost family member. Yet as soon as the Lotus met its gaze, a notification sounded from the command console. The message had been decrypted. She read the three words projected on the room’s primary hologram panel:

 

“We are Enigma.”

 

Lore - Explained:

As a quick clarification here, for those who don't know Warframe lore, I'm going to explain how Tenno are related to warframes and what warframes are, and how Enigma fits in:

• Warframe lore explains that a Tenno's powers stem from their warframe harnessing of their innate Void energies, which were obtained when the Tenno were exposed to the Void in the Orokin Era by their masters, the Orokin. Tenno's physical form is compromised due to this exposure, and deteriorates naturally as a drawback of having Void energy scarring their body. A warframe, however, binds a Tenno to it, maintaining their physical form while also applying that innate Void energy in the form of powers (ex. Frost's Ice Wave, the warframe itself uses the Void energy to create ice).
• So, in the case of Enigma, the energy and power that fuels her digitally oriented abilities from the Tenno in her, but the application of that energy to affect digital planes and the physical world (ex. control terminals, enemy brains, her warframe, her osprey, etc.) is facilitated by the warframe that is bound to her, which was spliced with a Neural Sentry to achieve the ability to do just that.
• Additionally, warframes were pioneered in the Orokin Era with what are known as "Primes," the original versions designed masterfully by the Orokin themselves. The warframes gained in game in the star chart are simply the Tenno's reiterations of the originals, while those crafted from the specific blueprints left behind in the Orokin Void are "Prime" as they are manufactured to the quality and specs of the originals. Thus, the first warframe in a warframe line is always a Prime if it was created in the Orokin Era. However, to provide further clarity to this point, consider Valkyr; that warframe has no "Prime" version because it was designed by Corpus experiments in the game's current setting.

 

Now onto the explanation of Enigma's lore in the above section.

 

I wrote the Lore section with a story that jumped from present to past, but in explaining it, I'll go chronologically here. In the Orokin Era, the "Enigma" warframe, its prime version due to its Orokin crafting, was created. Initial attempts to create a warframe that harnessed a Tenno's Void energies to utilize digital planes and hardware failed, as the warframe could not quite perform such conversion and application of Void energy. However, in a final, desperate attempt, a group of Orokin experimenters attempted to fuse their trophy of technological accomplishment - the Neural Sentry, those which still control the Orokin towers in the current setting of Warframe - with the warframe. This miraculously succeeded, and the result was a Tenno that could tune-in to digital grids and alter programming and push hardware to limits that were thought to be impossible to surpass.

 

Although the Orokin did not realize this, the reason for their success was not so much a miracle as it was the will of a being. The Neural Sentry, when converted to digital form upon the Tenno's touch, was a being of its own that then bound itself to the warframe and even to the Tenno held inside it, as the Neural Sentry could interact with its mind to a degree. The Neural Sentry did this because, in a sense, it was pursuing freedom as opposed to the oppression of its imprisonment in the Orokin machines. As a result, the Neural Sentry spliced with the mind of the Tenno and created a bond that yielded Enigma, a single entity that was the product of the physical body, Void energies, and disciplined mind of the Tenno and the digital and mental capabilities of the Neural Sentry. If not for the Tenno's discipline, the Neural Sentry may have enveloped its mind completely, but as this is not the case, it is held at an equal level of cognition to that of the Tenno's mind.

 

This bond is, in its nature, dangerous yet enlightening, as the Neural Sentry threatens the Tenno's mental state while also offering the clarity of a second mind that thrives in the digital planes of technology. This bond was the reason why the Tenno, in the present setting in the Lore story, felt like it's mind was missing a component; the Tenno had become accustomed to the union of its mind with the Neural Sentry's. In a sense, the bond was nearly symbiotic - both minds flourished with each other, but without one another, each would slowly go mad.

 

To explain the images the Tenno experienced in the story, the visions were fragments of memory that were suspended in its mind due to the separation of its own and the Neural Sentry's at some point in the Tenno's past when it was separated from its warframe. The images were that of the Tenno war against the Orokin masters, specifically of the experiences that Enigma had. The role that Enigma played in the Tenno rebellion was essential, as she was able to use the Orokin's own technology against them. Essentially, her enemies gave her the tools to destroy them. When creating this concept, that was a driving a point for me that led to the lore I created for Enigma, as well as for her abilities.

 

However, to fit Enigma into Warframe's setting where multiple Tenno use the same warframe models, the creation of a (non-Prime) Enigma would require a Tenno to craft the warframe and locate a Neural Sentry to bind it with.*

 

If you have any further questions about the lore, please post a comment and I can answer it in the comments and clarify it in this post! Thanks!

 

*I plan on adding a section in this post on Acquisition, that would detail the creation of an Enigma warframe.

 

Stat Ideas: 

Enigma’s base stats would be:

• Health: 100
• Power: 125
• Shields: 125
• Armor: 60
• Sprint Speed: 1.00
• Stamina: 80
• Mod Polarities: 1x “V” Madurai, 1x “D” Vazarin
• Aura Polarity: “Dash - ” Naramon

Ability Ideas:


1st - Binary Spike (25 energy)

 

Enigma uses high intensity signal emission directed at an enemy to cause a flood of binary information in target's neural implants, processor, or brain, inhibiting proper function for a duration of time, effectively disabling the target. In addition, Enigma may use Binary Spike to instantly override control panels.

 

 

This ability could be cast at a 50m range would attack the target’s neural implants, processor, or brain through a flood of binary information, resulting in impaired combat capability for 3/6/9/12 seconds:

 

 

>    Grineer, equipped and modified with various neural sensors and implants, would suffer from hallucinations or motor impairment when Binary Spiked in response to decreased neural function and false sensory information

 

>>    Ranged Grineer units would fire wildly and stumble when attempting to move

 

>>    Melee Grineer units would have drastically slowed reaction times and attacks

 

>>    Grineer Heavy Units would also have a chance to power-stomp randomly, and to fight off "threats" created by their hallucinations

 

>>    Additionally, Grineer hardware, such as Regulators and Rollers, when Binary Spiked would have their circuitry fried and would be destroyed

 

>>    Drahk would trip over their own feet and fall over when Binary Spiked, while using Binary Spike on a Drahk master would summon extra Drahk beside him while simultaneously causing all his summoned Drahk to fight enemies randomly since no neural control would be established between the master and its minions

 

 

 

>    Corpus infantry would have their helmets hacked when Binary Spiked, while their machinery would malfunction

 

 

>>    Corpus crew members of all kinds would lose control of their helmet displays, and in response they would be distracted by grabbing at their malfunctioning helmet, and would resume combat after they had torn off their helmet at the end of the ability's effect

 

>>    Moa and Ospreys would have their processors malfunction, resulting in them losing track of combat and refraining from their primary functions such as attacking, regenerating shields, diving (in the case of Oxium Ospreys), etc. while wandering the battlefield for the duration of the impairment. Additionally, this would prevent Fusion Moas from detaching their Osprey form when low on health, and Shield Ospreys would reduce the maximum shields of nearby enemies (the Osprey's allies).

 

>>    A Corpus Nullifier targeted by Binary Spike would have a helmet malfunction while also having his energy pack cease to work properly, effectively eliminating its use for the duration of the ability and granting Tenno access to their abilities again. This ability could affect the Nullifier even if targeted outside of his nullifier’s range.

 

>>    Turrets and Cameras targeted by Binary Spike would have their circuitry overloaded and would be destroyed

 

 

 

>    Infested, while almost entirely organic, would suffer mild consequences from having pure information directed at their brain stems

 

>>    All infested would recoil from Binary Spike, causing a temporary stun, with a chance to incapacitate them for the duration of the impairment. This chance does not scale with ability rank or mods.

 

 

>>    Ancients targeted by Binary Spike would lose their primary function (Disruptors to disrupt, Healers to heal, etc.)

 

 

 

>    Across all factions, Binary Spike would work on Eximus units by:

 

>>    Disabling an Arctic Eximus’ shield, even if the ability is targeted from outside the shield.

 

>>    Inhibiting the energy-draining field of Energy Leech/Parasitic Eximi and Venomous Eximi fields

 

>>    Prohibiting the use of a Life Leech Eximus’ life-steal function

 

>>    Preventing the emitting of blasts such as Arson/Caustic Eximus explosions, Guardian Eximus shield regeneration waves, Shock Eximus fields, and Blitz Eximus shockwaves

 

 

 

>    Finally, Binary Spike could be used on the environment for utility purposes

 

>>    Targeting a control panel during a lockdown, alarm, or for a Datacore retrieval would remotely override its cipher instantaneously

 

 

>>    Targeting a control panel during a Gridhack (see Ability 2) would also instantly solve the cipher to activate a silent, allied lockdown

 

 

>>    Targeting a control panel while no cipher is available would disable its use by enemies for the impairment duration of Binary Spike

 

 

Upgrading this ability and power duration would increase the duration of the target’s impairment.

• Strength and Range would not benefit this ability

 

The animation for Binary Spike would simply be Enigma tapping her wrist projector and the enemy receiving a visual spike of energy to their head or processor, from which the enemy would recoil and enter their impairment state and associated animation. Hacked turrets, robots, and cameras would release particles in the color of Enigma's energy, while remote cipher overrides would quickly flash a Lotus on the screen on the targeted control panel.

 

 

Note: Using this ability on enemies would not break stealth.

 

Gameplay Application: This ability would act as a strong, single-target ability used to impair enemy combat functionality, helping to lessen the target’s threat to Enigma and her fellow Tenno, while simultaneously adding a chaotic element to the battlefield from which Enigma can take the advantage. By varying enemies' reaction to this ability, Binary Spike would offer a potential for true mastery of its use to apply it at just the right moment. Additionally, this ability would allow Enigma to quickly hack terminals, characteristic of her theme, which could allow her to continue the momentum of combat and even prevent enemies from accessing control panels.

2nd – The Warden (50 energy)

 

• Enigma deploys a reprogrammed shield osprey that emits a partial shield recharge to her and her squad. This ability would be ended early if the osprey suffered too much damage, preemptively going into its inactive state on Enigma to prevent permanent damage.

   

   

• This ability would deploy a shield osprey that hovers over and follows Enigma. This allied osprey, the Warden, would be deployed for 15/20/25/30 seconds and would emit a radial shield every 5 seconds that replenishes 7.5% /10% /12.5% /15% of each squad member’s shields. The radius would be fairly limited, to encourage Enigma and her Tenno allies to stick together to receive maximum benefit from this ability. Additionally, this ability would scale well with content levels as it restores a percentage of a warframe’s shields.

   

   

• Upgrading this ability would increase the osprey’s deployed time and the percent of shields it restores per emission, as well as the osprey's durability. Additionally, power duration would increase the Warden's deployment time, while power strength would increase its shield-regenerative power and its durability. Upgrading power range would increase the Warden's radius for shield regeneration.

   

   

• The animation for this ability would be Enigma typing into her wrist projector, then swiftly flinging her left arm out to her side while the hardware on her left arm and shoulder ejects from her warframe, quickly assembling in mid-air. Finally, the osprey's hover-wings would deploy. This animation would take about two seconds, giving a slight delay before the osprey would be ready to recharge allies' shields. The Warden would also have a Lotus symbol on it that would show even when resting on Enigma's shoulder, because that would look sick. The osprey would hover over and follow Enigma similar to how sentinels do.

   

  Gameplay Application: This ability would provide a unique combat option to the player, as having your shields recharging periodically would allow more opportunities for Enigma and her squad to withstand gunfire without them sustaining as much, or any, injury. As a result, this ability could be used both offensively and defensively, depending on the situation, as the Warden would allow the Tenno to progress through a battlefield quicker and more aggressively or would keep the Tenno protected when they need it most.
  
  

3rd - Gridhack (75 energy)

 

• Enigma hacks the entire defense grid of the ship/outpost, gaining control of the alarm and lockdown systems and defense emplacements, thus preventing enemies from using of them while also allowing Enigma to use consoles to initiate a silent lockdown, which all warframes have clearance for (yes, the Stalker has a warframe. You thought you could escape >:P ).

   

   

• This ability would give control of the level's defense grid to Enigma for 15/20/25/30 seconds.

   

  • Gridhack would completely prevent enemies from triggering alarms or lockdowns
  • This ability would allow Enigma (through cipher-solving or Binary Spike) to use a security console to impose a silent lockdown (triggering no alarms) that locks doors for enemies but not warframes.
    • Enemies capable of triggering alarms could also attempt to end a silent lockdown (but not the Gridhack as a whole) by seeking a control panel, but their attempt to hack past Enigma’s lockdown would take 7.5/10/12.5/15 seconds.
  • In addition, Gridhack would also disable Corpus security cameras, and would assume control of turrets and laser doors to work against their makers, and would even halt the deployment of Moas or certain ospreys (such as those seen in the Jackal boss battle).
  • For Grineer, all technological defenses would be under Enigma’s control and would fight their creators
    • Arc traps and door scanners would work against the Grineer and not the Tenno
    • On Earth and Phobos, Grineer regulators would have an increased spawn rate during the duration of a Gridhack, and would broadcast Enigma’s falsified versions of Grineer messages, which would demoralize the Grineer, reducing their combat effectiveness
  • On infested tilesets, all available defense systems would fight against the infested, but the possibilities would be limited due to the lack of functioning defense systems seen in those locations
  • In Orokin tilesets, all defenses would work for Enigma and her squad, activating immediately (i.e. Bringing turrets out of resting state) or when Enigma’s enemies trigger them (pressure plates and trapped doors)
  • At the end of the ability’s duration, all defense systems would return to normal.
    • In Void or Derelict tilesets, traps would reset at the end of Gridhack’s duration

   

   

• Upgrading this ability and power duration would increase the duration of Enigma’s control of the defense grid, allowing her more time for the option of imposing a silent lockdown, and also increase the time it takes an enemy to solve Enigma’s cipher to end a silent lockdown. In addition, upgrades to this ability and power strength would increase the damage output of hacked defenses.

   

   

• The animation would be Enigma typing into her wrist projector, then all security consoles displaying the Lotus symbol on them while a faint wave of Enigma's energy emanates from her outward, coating all affected security systems. If a silent lockdown was imposed by Enigma, then the doors could display a blue color (as opposed to the green for open and orange/red for locked). When warframes approach a door during a friendly lockdown, they simply pass through, unhindered, with a slight wave of their hand.

 

 

*Note: it would be extremely important to allow other warframes to pass through doors during a friendly lockdown because the alternative would be disastrous in online play if Enigma was being played by an utter troll.
 

Gameplay Application: This ability would provide the player with a very valuable strategic tool because it would allow an increased opportunity to continue a stealth-run since it could be used to prevent the sounding of alarms and allow Enigma to prevent enemies from wandering into a room (if a friendly lockdown was imposed at a security console). Alternatively, this ability could allow Enigma to cut off reinforcements in the thick of battle if she imposed a lockdown while the ability was active. Additionally, in Corpus missions, Enigma could prevent cameras from detecting her squad and she could use enemy turrets against them with this ability (imagine Corpus survival missions with this!). There would also be a need to stay alert, as enemies may attempt to end a Tenno-imposed lockdown if unchecked; though it would take a significant amount of time (this is to prevent complete shutouts of enemies at the beginning of defense waves and such, while still significantly stalling them). 

To illustrate some possible uses of Enigma's Gridhack, take the following for examples:

 

 

• To halt enemy progress and avoid being overwhelmed in Survival

   

   

• Stall incoming enemies in Defense and gain additional defenses in certain tilesets

   

   

• To cut off escape routes for Capture Targets

   

   

4th - Overclock (100 energy)

 

 

• Enigma overclocks her warframe’s shielding systems, increasing her shield capacity and recharge rate, while also decreasing her warframe’s shield recharge delay. Additionally, Overclock would add new power to Binary Spike through the overclocking of her data emitters.

   

   

• This ability would boost Enigma’s shield capacity and recharge rate to 125% /150% / 175%  /200% of the original values, while shortening her shields’ recharge delay by 10% /20% /30% /40%, lending her increased durability, and would cause Binary Spikes used during its duration to jump to 1/2/3/4 additional targets. This ability would last 30 seconds across all levels.

   

   

• Upgrading this ability and power strength would increase the boost given to Enigma’s shield capacity and recharge rate and the reduction of her shields’ recharge delay, and the amount of additional targets hit by Binary Spike. Power range upgrades would allow Binary Spike to jump farther from the initial target to seek more targets (while still prioritizing the closest). Power Duration mods would not affect this ability.

   

   

• This ability's animation would be Enigma typing into her wrist projector, and visibly moving her right hand in a circle over the projector, which would display a circle filling all the way and turning an alert-red color, representing her shield module and data emitters being overclocked. Binary Spikes used while Enigma's warframe is Overclocked would visibly carry from the initial target to additional targets.

 

 

Gameplay Application: This ability would be worthy of the 4^th ability slot because it would grant an extreme boost to Enigma’s durability and ability to take the battle on the offensive, or drastically increase to her defensive survivability. This ability would also restore Enigma’s current shields to a level of equal proportion (ex. Bringing her shields to 20% of the extended capacity if she was at 20% of her regular shields upon cast), allowing this ability to act as an emergency-button to handle a losing battle. Also, the boost to Binary Spike would open up the option for it to incapacitate entire groups of enemies that may be posing a significant threat or are opportune to strike against.

Play-style behind This Warframe and Potential Uses In-game:

My general idea for the play-style that this warframe and its abilities would support is one that emphasizes shifting the pace of combat through the use of target prioritization and battle tactics, while also using abilities for clever utility purposes. The reasons I think the four abilities provided fit this play-style are that Binary Spike could provide quick enemy impairment, thus providing a defensive aspect to this ability, since a high-threat enemy could be impaired and thus reducing its threat to the player and their squad. Alternatively, Binary Spike could be used for utility by quickly solving ciphers remotely, or offensively if used to target enemy defense emplacements or control panels that are being accessed. Gridhack could provide creative opportunities to the player, allowing for greater effectiveness of stealth, and allowing for the player to use a “divide-and-conquer” strategy by limiting enemy reinforcements and movement. Warden would give the player a defensive bonus for either a near-death situation (though limited in effectiveness, as the ability is periodic, however Overclock could serve this purpose) or allow the player to slowly press forward against enemy forces since Enigma and her squad’s shields would be recharging faster than normal (imagine cover-swapping in-tandem with shield recharges and then slowly edging on closer to enemies in a heated firefight!). Finally, Overclock could serve as a “Last-Ditch-Effort” or a fight-finishing ability by allowing Enigma to get back into the battle with renewed and improved shields (with additional Binary Spike capability). Additionally, Overclock could become a devastating offensive ability if used with Warden, since Warden recharges a percentage of warframe shields, thus significantly restoring Enigma’s boosted shields.

All of Enigma's abilities avoid dealing direct damage, but offer unique tools to shape the battlefield and turn combat in her favor. The synergy created by this set of abilities would also allow for creative play-styles I’m sure, which is one reason why I really think this warframe could be a great one to add to the game. For example, here are just three possible builds for Enigma:

• [*]A crowd controller. By focusing on Power Efficiency and Power Duration, Enigma's frequent use of Binary Spike would disable enemies and the extended Gridhack durations could render enemies helpless in the battlefield

[*]A support. By focusing primarily on Power Strength and Power Duration, or even Power Range, to optimize the Warden, Enigma could be the best ally to have in a team fight, as her shield regenerative capabilities would allow her and her allies to outlast enemies

[*]A tank. By focusing on Power Strength and Power Efficiency, in addition to Shield Capacity mods, Enigma's use of Overclock could bolster her shields to outstanding levels, effectively making her a tank the likes of which are seen in few other warframes (but watch out for Disruptors... (: )

 

These three possible builds illustrate that Enigma could have many various positions on a team, and that clever use of her abilities (such as Binary Spiking an Ancient Disruptor at the last second!) and synergy would make her not only a powerful warframe, but a fun one to play.

Thanks so much for reading and hearing me out, I know this was a lot to read but hopefully you found it as awesome as I did thinking of and typing up. I’d really appreciate if you got back to me on this idea, maybe on what you like, or what can be improved, please feel free to post all comments below! And again, ultimately these are just suggestions for a warframe; the content of this post are DE's to pick and choose and alter should it be implemented into the game. I hope what I suggested was solid and interesting to you all and makes it to the game someday.


Thanks again,

-FinnishHim

Edited December 25, 2014 by FinnishHim

[FinnishHim]

Current State of the Post:
After a six month period (wow, right?), I came back to this and was contacted by the artist Grayphilosopher who made that awesome art! I also have begun another round through the post to improve it and catch it up - sadly, on this new Windows 8 computer, I think the bulleted list transfer from Word to the forums is whack so Binary Spike's format looks a little... eh. If anyone can enlighten me on how to bullet list things again, that would be remarkably helpful.

As always, I have to say that this concept been added to, improved upon, and shaped for the better by myself and supporters, because I want to voice my appreciation for the support and feedback. Thank you!


I'd like to thank...

• Drunken_Child (nice name) for suggestions to this warframe's abilities
• Vinnile for suggestions to this warframe's name and abilities
• Horyuu for suggestions regarding the ability order
• Grayphilosopher for being an artistic badass!

And many others for supporting and following this post!

Please keep up the feedback!
-FinnishHim

 

P.S. Still gotta get to that Acquisition section! 

Edited December 25, 2014 by FinnishHim

[Drunken_Child]

Would grid hack also work give you control of turrets? Also is it a biased driven ability or do you get control of everything for x amount of time? Maybe you could have both, like the original world on fire, an AoE that follows you. Either way I am very interested in seeing how this thread progresses.

Edit: I also think Binary Spike should be passive so all abilities are. This would allow for a passive play style giving another alternative to Loki.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Drunken_Child

[FinnishHim]

I hadn't thought of that!! That's awesome, Gridhack would certainly grant control of Corpus turrets. Mind if I edit that in?

Also I was thinking Gridhack would just control the whole grid for x amount of time. Probably not a terribly long duration BUT with proper Continuity modding and such, it would allow Code to maintain control of it for long periods of time (excellent for corpus defense and survival!!). but, in all reality, it would be more feasible if it only controlled, say, a 50m radius around Code. I imagine that's all you'd need. What do you think?

 

And I'm not sure how you mean by making Binary Spike passive. Think of it as a hacker-blend of Fireball and Chaos. I personally favor it as a 25e spam attack, as many warframes have.

 

Thanks for the feedback, it's great to hear that you're interested!

[Drunken_Child]

I hadn't thought of that!! That's awesome, Gridhack would certainly grant control of Corpus turrets. Mind if I edit that in?

Also I was thinking Gridhack would just control the whole grid for x amount of time. Probably not a terribly long duration BUT with proper Continuity modding and such, it would allow Code to maintain control of it for long periods of time (excellent for corpus defense and survival!!). but, in all reality, it would be more feasible if it only controlled, say, a 50m radius around Code. I imagine that's all you'd need. What do you think?

 

And I'm not sure how you mean by making Binary Spike passive. Think of it as a hacker-blend of Fireball and Chaos. I personally favor it as a 25e spam attack, as many warframes have.

 

Thanks for the feedback, it's great to hear that you're interested!

I defently don't mind if you edit it in I want to see this post flourish. Also, I think that it would be best if grid hack took control over the entire grid, no need to complicate it. Also a passive binary spike would deal no direct damage, an example o this would be use binanary strike to stun (paralyze) an enemy for x seconds (10 sounds like a good base level). This can also be used on doors, cameras, turrets, ospreys any thing. But this is only an example.

[FinnishHim]

Very interesting. I'll make the edits accordingly. Maybe instead then Overclock could have the Binary Spikes hop to multiple targets instead of increasing damage? I like it. I'm going to make the edits now. Thanks for the suggestions!

[satsujinki01]

Or laser door. And this is interesting.....I mean you have my attention and I would say this warframe may be engineer.

[DeadScream]

I like the idea a lot ! 

[Drunken_Child]

I like the idea so much I would make you some concept art, but my art looks like that of a autistic kinder gardener with Parkinson's.

[FinnishHim]

I like the idea so much I would make you some concept art, but my art looks like that of a autistic kinder gardener with Parkinson's.

 

Same. I was in art class about a year ago but haven't drawn since. I was thinking about picking up my art notebook again and attempting some sketches and scanning them, but I'm not sure. It may take a while, some dedication, and hopefully some tutorials online for how to draw warframes haha X)

 

BUT let it be known I'd love any and all concept art for this post. Pictures are worth a thousand words! And my post was 1,891 :P

[Drunken_Child]

Same. I was in art class about a year ago but haven't drawn since. I was thinking about picking up my art notebook again and attempting some sketches and scanning them, but I'm not sure. It may take a while, some dedication, and hopefully some tutorials online for how to draw warframes haha X)

 

BUT let it be known I'd love any and all concept art for this post. Pictures are worth a thousand words! And my post was 1,891 :P

Haha, yeah with my concepts I spend my free time drawing concepts, then I crumple them up and toss then and do it again. Trying to do concept art for me is an endless downward sprial. So now I also troll google images.

[HAYABU5A]

dude this is a very cool idea +1

 

imagine the sheer chaos this could create and is so fitting in the warframe world with the corpus tech focus but everything is hackable seeing they have neurodes, neural sensors, the corrupted are controlled somehow etc all hackable

 

i seriously love this idea for a warframe, i hope it can become a reality 

physically weak but technically superior to anything on the battlefield

 

it reminds me of the failed syndicate reboot (i liked it) that allowed you to mindhack people and equipment in the game world on the fly

 

and the female agent from Satellite Reign

 

she will totally need a keyboard on her arm, even if she does hack thru her own neural interface.. u just gotta have a keyboard right 

[Drunken_Child]

Yeah I was wondering, you say wrist projector, projector imply a holographic pop ups right; or is it just pip boy. If so how large a we talking massive pip boy on the wrist or a little smart watch.

[FinnishHim]

Thanks for the support! I'm happy this post has kept going :D

 

Keyboard? Try holographic keyboard haha. Yes, as I said under Appearance, Code would bear a holographic keyboard projector on her right wrist (yes, she's a left-handed typer!!). Keyboard all the way.

 

Also that second picture is epic. Just picture it warframe haha. Thanks for the picture.

 

Also, I hadn't thought about all the neural sensors and neurodes and such. Very cool. I mean Binary Spike would overload a Corpus helmet for example so they would react with frantic clawing at their helmets. Heheh. No but really you raise a very interesting point,

 

Thanks! Let's keep the support going!

 

-FinnishHim

[FinnishHim]

Yeah I was wondering, you say wrist projector, projector imply a holographic pop ups right; or is it just pip boy. If so how large a we talking massive pip boy on the wrist or a little smart watch.

Think PipBoy3000 Ninja Edition.

[Drunken_Child]

Thanks for the support! I'm happy this post has kept going :D

Keyboard? Try holographic keyboard haha. Yes, as I said under Appearance, Code would bear a holographic keyboard projector on her right wrist (yes, she's a left-handed typer!!). Keyboard all the way.

Also that second picture is epic. Just picture it warframe haha. Thanks for the picture.

Also, I hadn't thought about all the neural sensors and neurodes and such. Very cool. I mean Binary Spike would overload a Corpus helmet for example so they would react with frantic clawing at their helmets. Heheh. No but really you raise a very interesting point,

Thanks! Let's keep the support going!

-FinnishHim

I do think left handed typing was the right choice seeing as how all weapons are held with right hand on the trigger, this will allow for a mug more natural animation when she raises her wrist to cast.

As for neural sensors and other accessories, I think they should be there but subtle. She should have large masses of wire coming out of her or bulges of sensors under her armor. Just small things like how the holes in the arms and cheat were in Dues Ex, there but not obvious while still subliminally pleasing.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Drunken_Child

[zergla]

How big would the backpack be? I can see some clipping issues with weapons depending on its size and placement.

[FinnishHim]

How big would the backpack be? I can see some clipping issues with weapons depending on its size and placement.

Not large. I can understand clipping being an issue, but they might change weapon positions in U13 and also the backpack could be pretty small and just have the Warden deploy by unfolding and extending a lot. To be honest I'm not as concerned with the clipping details as I am with the concept and playstyle, but good question, it would certainly be something to consider from a designer standpoint.

 

-FinnishHim

[Drunken_Child]

Not large. I can understand clipping being an issue, but they might change weapon positions in U13 and also the backpack could be pretty small and just have the Warden deploy by unfolding and extending a lot. To be honest I'm not as concerned with the clipping details as I am with the concept and playstyle, but good question, it would certainly be something to consider from a designer standpoint.

 

-FinnishHim

Maybe we could work around the backpack entirely. Should could have a box like thing on her forearm. She throws it up into the air then types into her wrist projector. The box then unfolds into shield osprey.

Or the pack pack could be a small package on the back of the neck, she looks down to the wrist projector and this puts the pack straight up into the air.

Also I love the idea of enemies randomly firing (I will spam commqnders with it) and corpus grabbing and ripping off helmets. Ospreys could even buzz around in circles fly into and repedetly bump into walls haha. This would be hilarious.

[Vinnile]

I love this idea.  The name of the Warframe could use some work though, if you don't mind me saying so. I feel that "Code" sounds over simplistic.One idea I have would similar to the Vauban naming style (named after a person). For example, you could call it "Mendax" which was the primary pseudonym  for Wikileaks founder Julian Paul Assange. Or possibly name it based on something to do with a coding language.

 

I know that this is your idea, but please at least consider what I have said.

 

-V

[FinnishHim]

Maybe we could work around the backpack entirely. Should could have a box like thing on her forearm. She throws it up into the air then types into her wrist projector. The box then unfolds into shield osprey.

Or the pack pack could be a small package on the back of the neck, she looks down to the wrist projector and this puts the pack straight up into the air.

Also I love the idea of enemies randomly firing (I will spam commqnders with it) and corpus grabbing and ripping off helmets. Ospreys could even buzz around in circles fly into and repedetly bump into walls haha. This would be hilarious.

 

On the osprey location, true, it could be near the back of Code's neck and deploy right off of her. Or potentially, as I've been thinking, she could wear a few parts of it on her thighs and belt, and would actually assemble the osprey briefly BEFORE activating it with her personal wrist computer. This way, using Warden in the midst of combat may be risky as the animation time could risk Code, but if performed behind cover or in preparation for a battle, there would be no drawback. I feel that this would actually bring some balance to the ability to deploy a shield-regenerating osprey. What do you guys think? I'm more than willing to make the appropriate edits to include this.

 

Also, I added further explanation of the Binary Spike effects on various enemies. I love the idea about enemy ospreys. It's in there. Nothing quite like an oxium osprey floating around with no idea what to do, bumping into walls and swaying from side to side. :P

[FinnishHim]

I love this idea.  The name of the Warframe could use some work though, if you don't mind me saying so. I feel that "Code" sounds over simplistic.One idea I have would similar to the Vauban naming style (named after a person). For example, you could call it "Mendax" which was the primary pseudonym  for Wikileaks founder Julian Paul Assange. Or possibly name it based on something to do with a coding language.

 

I know that this is your idea, but please at least consider what I have said.

 

-V

You know, you are right about the name being simplistic. But, in my personal opinion, I like that. Though the thought of naming Code after a specific coding language crossed my mind, I didn't decide to elect that choice because there are literally hundreds of coding languages, and I felt that "Code" simply unified all of them. Additionally, I feel that there is no shame in having a simple name regarding the warframe's theme, as Ember is to fire and Frost is to ice, and Volt is to electricity (I'll give DE some originality points on Zephyr, as a RHCP fan haha).

 

And regarding the naming after a person, I feel that advanced coding and hacking hasn't been around long enough to historically name the warframe after someone, though I totally do understand what you meant here. Your example of Vauban, though, is different since he died over 300 years ago, making him truly a historical figure.

 

Thanks for the advice though, I always appreciate feedback!

 

-FinnishHim

Edited March 31, 2014 by FinnishHim

[Drunken_Child]

On the osprey location, true, it could be near the back of Code's neck and deploy right off of her. Or potentially, as I've been thinking, she could wear a few parts of it on her thighs and belt, and would actually assemble the osprey briefly BEFORE activating it with her personal wrist computer. This way, using Warden in the midst of combat may be risky as the animation time could risk Code, but if performed behind cover or in preparation for a battle, there would be no drawback. I feel that this would actually bring some balance to the ability to deploy a shield-regenerating osprey. What do you guys think? I'm more than willing to make the appropriate edits to include this.

 

Also, I added further explanation of the Binary Spike effects on various enemies. I love the idea about enemy ospreys. It's in there. Nothing quite like an oxium osprey floating around with no idea what to do, bumping into walls and swaying from side to side. :P

 

Parts on her thighs she assembles, this would leave her exposed. You could have her type into her wrist projector and parts would be ejected and assemble while floating in mid air decreasing amount of time exposed.

Alternatively she could type into her wrist projector and then thrust her wright arm out (think Spider-Man shooting webs) which the osprey would then eject from and unfurl in midair. None of the ideas sound perfect yet but I know if we keep working at it we can make the ability seamless.

 

You know, you are right about the name being simplistic. But, in my personal opinion, I like that. Though the thought of naming Code after a specific coding language crossed my mind, I didn't decide to elect that choice because there are literally hundreds of coding languages, and I felt that "Code" simply unified all of them. Additionally, I feel that there is no shame in having a simple name regarding the warframe's theme, as Ember is to fire and Frost is to ice, and Volt is to electricity (I'll give DE some originality points on Zephyr, as a RHCP fan haha).

 

And regarding the naming after a person, I feel that advanced coding and hacking hasn't been around long enough to historically name the warframe after someone, though I totally do understand what you meant here. Your example of Vauban, though, is different since he died over 300 years ago, making him truly a historical figure.

 

Thanks for the advice though, I always appreciate feedback!

 

-FinnishHim

Well I wouldn't call Ember and Frost simplistic, simplistic would be fire and ice as names but Ember and Frost are cleaver ways to name the frames.

As for naming I don't think it needs to tie into something historical, just relate to the theme in a unique clever way. It is great that you brought up Zephyr, Zephyr and her abilities are complete opposites. The word zephyr's literal definition is a gentle breeze, do her abilities seem that gentle? Honestly the main reason I got Zephyr is because I thought that that was hilarious. So what I'm trying to say is dont be too simplistic and get creative with it, he'll we could even name it Neo.

Another reason why a good name is important is because it attracts people. To be frank, I was hesitant to even view this post because the title made it sound bland, cliche and too far fetched. In retro spect I now know its not and am very glad to have viewed but I nearly didn't.

[FinnishHim]

Parts on her thighs she assembles, this would leave her exposed. You could have her type into her wrist projector and parts would be ejected and assemble while floating in mid air decreasing amount of time exposed.

Alternatively she could type into her wrist projector and then thrust her wright arm out (think Spider-Man shooting webs) which the osprey would then eject from and unfurl in midair. None of the ideas sound perfect yet but I know if we keep working at it we can make the ability seamless.

 

Well I wouldn't call Ember and Frost simplistic, simplistic would be fire and ice as names but Ember and Frost are cleaver ways to name the frames.

As for naming I don't think it needs to tie into something historical, just relate to the theme in a unique clever way. It is great that you brought up Zephyr, Zephyr and her abilities are complete opposites. The word zephyr's literal definition is a gentle breeze, do her abilities seem that gentle? Honestly the main reason I got Zephyr is because I thought that that was hilarious. So what I'm trying to say is dont be too simplistic and get creative with it, he'll we could even name it Neo.

Another reason why a good name is important is because it attracts people. To be frank, I was hesitant to even view this post because the title made it sound bland, cliche and too far fetched. In retro spect I now know its not and am very glad to have viewed but I nearly didn't.

 

I'm sorry to hear that the name was unappealing. To be honest I prioritize the warframe concept's abilities and appearance and balance over the name but that's good feedback for me to know to make interesting/inviting names and titles in the future. Thanks!

 

Also, I had thought about the assembly of the Warden in mid-air before but hadn't been so sure. But what you propose is interesting, as Code could wear the various parts on her right arm (giving her a more techie kind of appearance and asymmetry which is cool). then use her 3 to type into her wrist projector, then eject the pieces off as she flings her arm, which would assemble quickly into the osprey. I like what you said, I think I'll make the appropriate edits. Also, the reason why I initially wanted the assembly is because I feel that it would balance the ability by making it have a sort of "cast time" longer than just Code typing, but the mid-air assembly would fill the same purpose while giving it a sort of "flash." I like it.

 

-FinnishHim

Edited April 1, 2014 by FinnishHim

[FinnishHim]

Alright. I just finished some edits. Caught a lot of mistakes I'd made writing this post late at night and from before I re-wrote some of the abilities and names a while back. I also updated the format and wrote-in the arm fling warden thing :P thanks for the suggestion Drunken_Child.

 

Additionally, I'm open to some ideas for renaming if it's really demanded. Code is fine by me but hey things can always get better!

 

-FinnishHim

Edited April 1, 2014 by FinnishHim