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I Am Rock - Unairu Fan-Rework


Kinperor
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Greetings,

 

After having spent a good period of time using the newly introduced Focus system in the game, we have made our mind on the usefulness of the system, its flaws, its advantages and its thematic. We will present here our impression on the system, but hide it in a spoiler tag because the focus of this thread will be on the rework of Unairu. You can consult our Zenurik thread here, which acted both as our official feedback thread and the presentation of a reworked Zenurik.

 

Our assessments on the system is inherently subjective and limited to the Paths we have used. Our first-hand experience is limited to Zenurik and Madurai. Despite this, we will submit proposals for all 5 Paths, based both on our interpretation of the Paths' perks and community feedback.

 

While the specific details will vary across all Paths, we will use the same framework for the individual reworks. This framework will be described in each threads, as both a reminder and an introduction to newer readers.

 

Please see the following link for the Madurai "I am Fire" rework thread.

 

Please see the following link for the Naramon "I am Wood" rework thread.

 

Please see the following link for the Vazarin "I am Tide" rework thread.

 

 

Assessment of Focus, (spoiler'd)

 

Spoiler

What holds Focus back,

 

Our analysis of the Focus system, as per its current alpha iteration, has brought up the following issues limiting its popularity:

 

  • Passives are too timid with the stats granted, or have stats that are too niche.
  • Unreliable pseudo-passive have little appeal.
  • The active abilities are too dull, with limited use and/or poor return on usage.
  • Scattered applications of some Paths (imbalance in offense and defense).

 

 

The Focus system currently has too many niche passives, and passives with effects that are too timid to avoid being overpowered. For instance, Naramon's Shadow Step is considered the main selling point of the tree. Similarly, the ideal build in Zenurik can be summarized by a single line with a 135 angle. Meanwhile, Unairu is left in the dust with an armor buff that is very under-tuned in how small the targeted crowd is (only tanks), and how little the boost is (12%). In comparison, Shadow Step can give a superior form of safety to a player, and Overflow allows the players to cast abilities at will. We submit that the Paths require more passives like Overflow and Shadow Steps, and less like Stone Shape.

 

On the subject of pseudo-passive, we have noticed an averse reactions to abilities that grant a short boost to their stats, in some case an exchange between two stats. The very description of the abilities causes scepticism, because the trigger of the perk is unknown. Players cannot (and will not) appreciate the value of a perk with this kind of unknown. The logical assumption is that the active ability triggers these perks; in these situations, the perks will be dismissed as too short-lived when compared to the added cooldown to the active. Note: We will not discuss the value of each individual perks in this thread. Our rework will try to keep the perks that presents good value to the player.

 

Regarding the actives, our current impression in general is that the actives are likened to Warframe abilities, and are judged in relation to those. Consequently, the majority of the actives are decent by themselves, but when compared to abilities, they appear less versatile and reliable. Indeed, we can build to spam Bastille to our heart content, while Zenurik's active is limited in mobility, range and cooldown. Our conclusions: actives needs to be more distinct and to be powerful enough that the players look forward to casting it, instead of just activating it for a specific passive, which seems to be the statu quo for some Paths.

 

It is our opinion that the practical application of some Paths are scattered. Unairu for example has more or less the same amount of defensive and offensive perks, while it comes with the expectation of being a defensive Paths. We believe the ratio should be brought back in line for some Paths. Of course, we have to allow enough creative freedom to offer variety within the same Path, which goes to explain the current imbalance, as well as some perks that at first sight aren't the best fit for a Path in our rework.

 

What Focus has done right,

  • The delayed passives make an “Eleventh Hour” power spike.
  • The acquisition and pool system for abilities has potential for versatility and expansion
  • A mix of duration-based perks with sustained passives supports different play style.

 

Considering the base firepower of Tenno, we find it appropriate to limit some passives in the matter it currently is limited. We acknowledge the irritability caused by delayed satisfaction. However, since its introduction in the Design Council long ago, Focus was always presented as a “Final Showdown” power-spike, a trump-card to overcome great challenges. What it wasn't presented as: a second layer of mods that are immediately active. We have opted for a compromise in our rework, with passives that are available early and a second tier whose activation is delayed.

 

Our impressions is that the current acquisition and activation of perks is appropriate since it lays down the foundation for a versatile system where a player can buy a bank of perks from which he can later pick and activate perks to his liking. We acknowledge that the tree's expansion is limited by a few perks being more desirable than others, which functionally turn some Paths into “One point wonders”.

 

Above, we addressed “pseudo-passive” that were too unreliable for widespread use. Here, we acknowledge that power spikes that are limited in duration can create interesting mechanics and add variability to game sessions. However, the trigger leaves to be desired for the majority and must then be replaced.

 

TL;DR:

 

See the bullets points to see what requires change and what is a valuable aspect of the system.

 

To summarize it, our position is that Focus requires passives that give a real feeling of empowerment that support a variety of roles and Warframes. Some aspects of the system support this visions, while others do not.

 

 

A few comments about the suggested rework,

 

We believe that balance is necessary for the long-term health of the plan. With that said, it is our opinion that for Focus to be successful, it needs a good deal more power to really catch the player's attention and become part of the post-end-game meta. It is why our suggestions might seem to verge on the "overpowered" at times, and it explains in equal measure why we added an endlessly scaling component to the Paths when we deemed it reasonable. 

 

Let us now dive in the thick of the rework.

 

 

New framework for the perks,

 

As we said above, the Focus system requires a slight tweak to it's structure to be more reliable, enjoyable and versatile. We suggest the following:

 

Perks are now spread in three categories:

 

 

  • Passives: Stat or mechanic variations, conditional or not, that are active at all time, except if the conditions aren't present. Conditions are not the same as a timed buff.

    Keeping in line with the concept of Focus as a “Final Hour” system, we differentiate between tier 1 passives (up at all time) and tier 2 passives (up after casting the active).

    You can have as many passives as you want at once, as long as you have enough points or the requirement for it. (One tier 1 and one Simis are required for the tier 2 passives).

     

  • Simis, for simili-actives : Abilities that can be used in-between casts of the main active by using the same trigger as the main ability (“5” by default).

    Only one Simis can be active at once. Many can be acquired to be equiped at different times.

    Requires one use of the main active to use.

  • Active behavior: Passive perks that affects specifically the main active (ex: Chimera Breath with Phoenix Gaze). Their effects may apply during the use of the active, and in some cases have residual effects past that period.

 

 

The distinction of these perks will change the dynamics of the skills trees. Please refer to the info-graphic support to better understand their interactions.

 

yfF8OMP.png

 

 

TLDR; Perks are spread in tiers. The first tier is unlocked with the main active (IE Basilisk Flare) and includes Behavior passives for the main active as well as tier one passives (active at the start of missions). The second tier is unlocked by tier one passives and include options for active abilities that can be used between the casts of the main actives. The final tier includes more passives that are active after the first cast of the main active.

 

The Focus Pool system remains as is. The cooldown system remains as is, with the following minor tweaks:

  • All actives now have a 150 seconds cooldown.
  • Perks now add only 15 seconds to the cooldown.
  • No more cooldown mastery.

 

 

 

Maintained Thematic:

 

A conscious effort was made throughout the preparation of this rework to maintain the identity of each “Paths”. We have reduced the different Paths to certain core characteristics, based on the information already given in the game:

 

  • Zenurik: Domination through Warframes.
  • Targeted clientele: Casters, supports.

 

  • Madurai: Reckless offense, area of effect.
  • Targeted clientele: Casters, marksmen, swordsmen.

 

  • Naramon: Martial prowess, tactical flexibility.
  • Targeted clientele: Marksmen, swordsmen.

 

  • Unairu: Unadulterated damage mitigation.
  • Targeted clientele: Tanks, casters.

 

  • Vazarin: Renewal and safeguard.
  • Targeted clientele: Tanks, supports.

 

 

 

 

We elected to conserve the elemental identities of each paths, who were more or less implicit. In order, these elements would be Void, Fire, Wood, Rock, Tide.

 

Finally, we have thematically split each Paths into three “Tracks”. We will name and explore the Tracks in the thread relating to its specific Path. The Tracks serves as design direction for perks, and functionally will not limit the choice of the player to only one Track when deciding which perks he desires. The objective is for the players to sidetrack on any Path and forge his own way to the mastery of the Path.

 

 

------

 

Unairu rework,

 

- "I am Rock"

 

The first humans walked on rock and earth. The Orokin themselves would, at some point in their life, be in contact with stone. The rock remains in plentiful quantities. The first humans are long gone, the Orokin are dying out. That is all one needs to know about Unairu: rock will outlast us all.

 

These are the basis of Unairu: surviving.

 

Unairu active,

 

As part of this rework, we aim to give every actives some bonuses to make them feel good to cast, not be a quick cast to get access to passives.

 

We submit the following change for Basilisk Flare:

 

 

  • Releases a petrifying ray.

     

     

  • Passively give health orbs upon giving immobilized enemies, based on the Focus points in the Path.

     

     

  • Enemies are considered immobilized when they have no control on their movement.

     

     

  • Each Focus points in the pool grants one health orb when killing enemies petrified by Basilisk Flare. Capped at 10 per victim.

     

     

  • Every 4 Focus points in the pool grants one health orb when killing enemies immobilized by something other than Basilisk Flare. Requires an "assist" from the Unairu follower to proc the effect.

 

 

This change is made for a few reasons: we deliberately gave Unairu the weakest form of healing since healing is the central theme of Vazarin. Furthermore, one of the perk of Unairu is based on health orbs to obtain more armor. Thematically, we think that scrapping for health orb is reminiscent of stone giants searching for mortar to fix themselves or increase their durability.

 

 

The Path of Unairu branches into three tracks that cross, merge and split at will:

 

 

  • Track of the Tower: For the majority of our history, towers have had this connotation of safety and protection. In some way, these constructions are meant to mirror mountains and safeguard it's inhabitant in impenetrable walls. Why, even now the Orokin had taken refuge in towers hidden in the Void, and these towers survived them. The Tower is thus a track dedicated to serving as a rampart to his allies, to the best of his capacities. 

     

     

    IfGkhQK.png

     

     

  • Track of the Mountain: No artificial constructions can compete with a mountain for sheer resistance. Mining a mountain is only an option with a sizable group of workers. Likewise, the Mountain requires disproportionate firepower to bring down, and even that might not be enough.

     

     

    gX8x6x7.png

     

     

  • Track of the Relic: Not all rock is created equal. While the resistance of mountains stems from their unfathomable mass, the durability of the Relic is more mysterious, dark even. Whatever protects this uncanny rock, it does not bend or break.

     

     

    vKsAsXl.png

     

 

 

 

Edited by Kinperor
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Talking points,

 

Want to partake into the thread but not sure what to address? Consider the following:

 

  • Do you favor facetanking? Do you see yourself mastering the path of Unairuor only bothering with a few perks?

     

  • Do you feel that Unairu gives perks worth building load outs around?

     

  • How far are you willing to go full tank? What are you ready to trade to become unkillable?

 

  • Would you rather see more Simis options or Passives?

     

  • Would you rather see a flat cooldown that is reasonably short or you would rather have a long cooldowns that can be very short on the condition you get a mastery perk?

 

 

Design comment,

 

Unairu was a delicate act to balance on many points. For starter, just like Naramon and Madurai, Unairu and Vazarin are competing for a similar niche, which is to say they are both defence-focused Paths. With this in mind, we had to be careful not to mix them up to the point that they are equivalent. For another thing, the very basic principle of Unairu (facetanking the opposition) is not what we call very engaging in general. By definition, being shot is a passive action, so we had to find creative ways to engage the player in the process of partaking in the Path of Unairu. In the end, we believe we managed to create a Path that involved the players, both by influencing gameplay and preparation with mods.

 

The first passives of Unairu were interesting in term of design decisions. One of the most common complaint to Unairu concerned the Path's inability to turn non-tanks into tanks, and this complaint shaped a great deal of the rework. Notably, the first three skills were originally all about making your character more resistant. Redoubt was originally in the same tier as Gates and Volcanism. After reviewing the Tracks, we decided that three passives dedicated to damage mitigation in the same tier was excessively dull.

 

Even after this review, Gates and Volcanism remains as perks that grant damage mitigation. We decided to leave them as they both addressed a different crowd: The former was made specifically to cater to frames with bad defenses while the latter is meant to give the means to "snowball" armor on Warframes with builds favoring armor. We believe that, concretely, Gates' mitigation is much more important than Volcanism, but given enough time the latter will catch up and exceed the raw survival appeal of the former. Without mentioning that true masters of Unairu are likely to acquire both.

 

Retribution is noteworthy for being the deformed child of Medusa touch, the perk that would give a chance to turn melee attackers into stone. Our position is that these "chance to happen" RNG perks are dull and should be avoided as much as possible. We replaced this with a mechanic that insured a proper counter to damage, granting both CC and damage. We tied this perk to melee with a certain reticence: it isn't our intention for Unairu to be strongly associated with melee, but couldn't find a satisfying trigger related to gunplay, so we settled on charge melee attacks. The heavy attacks of melee suits Unairu's style better and serves as a very deliberation trigger to Retribution.

 

Bond is a Simis inspired by Witcher III if you can believe it, specifically the Ancient Leshens with the ability to warp back on humans that they marked for that exact purpose (although the roles are reversed with Bond). Amusingly, Great wall is inspired by the emblematic motorcycles of Tron. This Simis also has the most un-inspired name by far, followed by Peak camp, which was itself inspired by the Sunlight Spear miracles from Dark Souls, used to slay dragons of stone (ironically).

 

 

As a closing note,

 

Thank you for reading, and see you again for the “I am Tide” rework of Vazarin. We hope you enjoyed this enough to look forward to the second to last thread.

 

The final thread, following Vazarin, will be a wrap up of the whole "I am Path" rework, by yours truly.

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As an Unairu man, I have to say I've been waiting for this thread with great anticipation ever since reading the Zenurik one a while back. A lot of good stuff here, the only thing I really have to add is I'm a little surprised by the lack of powers that interact with melee blocking. I like the base stats (health/shields/armor) angle, don't get me wrong, but adding a block-related power seems like it'd be a perfect fit for Unairu.

 

Definitely looking forward the the next one.

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As an Unairu man, I have to say I've been waiting for this thread with great anticipation ever since reading the Zenurik one a while back. A lot of good stuff here, the only thing I really have to add is I'm a little surprised by the lack of powers that interact with melee blocking. I like the base stats (health/shields/armor) angle, don't get me wrong, but adding a block-related power seems like it'd be a perfect fit for Unairu.

 

Definitely looking forward the the next one.

 

Glad you liked it.

 

As for blocking, I originally wanted to make a perk that would make a wall effect when blocking, but I didn't want players to turn themselves in an Atlas 2 so I opted for something else. In general I didn't want to make too much stuff that was specific to melee.

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Seeing the title of this thread immediately brings to mind the Simon & Garfunkel song. I was kinda hoping the Tower would have an ability called 'Deep and Mighty', but hey.

 

As for the rework itself...

 

Stuff I like

 

Track of the Relic

Reading over Relic a couple of times has made me like it more and more. The track has a nice balance of offense, defense, team play and solo power. It feels a little weird flavour-wise, but that's a bit of a nit-pick. Redoubt is perhaps a little strong when used with Mag or Frost Prime, but considering it's a straight durability increase rather than an immortality effect of some kind, I don't see an innate problem with it. Pylons and Retribution are both cool, if a little weird. Prismatic Network might be stepping into Vazarin's territory, but it fits the theme regardless. That said, a 7k or more overshield for Frost Prime might be a little much.

 

Summit's Wind & Volcanium

Both are cool effects that fit well with both Unairu as a whole and the Mountain path's concept. Volcanium might encourage a weird game play pattern in endless missions, though. Also, it's probably broken with Nekros.

 

Rock Hail

This seems like a cool effect. Part of the problem with Basilisk Flare (and Petrify) is that the inability to attack whilst it's active means you waste a bunch of the duration. This feels like an interesting way to get around the problem.

 

Stuff I don't know about

 

Basilisk Flare's Adjustments

I'll be honest here, I really dislike Basilisk Flare as it is, and whilst the changes make it more unique as an effect, I think they also make it a little too close to Vazarin.

 

Peak Camp

This one's just... Really weird. I don't know what to say about it.

 

Stuff I don't like

 

Track of the Tower (Minus Rock Hail)

The Tower doesn't feel like it belongs in Unairu. United Front feels like it only exists to be broken when used in conjunction with specific frames, especially ones with toggle-able buffs, since I assume that United Front doesn't cause energy drain from other frames. Gates is cool, but has a massive delta of power between frames that have no durability or healing effects (e.g. Atlas) and those who can abuse that invulnerability period (e.g. Trinity); I'm assume that, if you get damaged past a gate, the gate only kicks in after the damage has been taken, rather than preventing excess damage past the gate. Great Wall feels really weird, but in kind of a bad way; it feels like the power in it is only locked away behind the clunkiness of the ability. Bond feels similarly weird, but more in a 'I can't really evaluate this without seeing it in action'. In general, the track has this really overt 'build around me' feel that makes its effects arguably broken if you can engineer a situation to abuse them.

 

Side Note: The series of reworks you've written up has actually inspired me to try my hand at my own reworks of the focus schools.

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On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

Seeing the title of this thread immediately brings to mind the Simon & Garfunkel song. I was kinda hoping the Tower would have an ability called 'Deep and Mighty', but hey.

 

As for the rework itself...

 

Stuff I like

 

Track of the Relic

Reading over Relic a couple of times has made me like it more and more. The track has a nice balance of offense, defense, team play and solo power. It feels a little weird flavour-wise, but that's a bit of a nit-pick. Redoubt is perhaps a little strong when used with Mag or Frost Prime, but considering it's a straight durability increase rather than an immortality effect of some kind, I don't see an innate problem with it. Pylons and Retribution are both cool, if a little weird. Prismatic Network might be stepping into Vazarin's territory, but it fits the theme regardless. That said, a 7k or more overshield for Frost Prime might be a little much.

Ah yes, Relic is kind of weird. From it's inception, the Track was designated as being one centered around shields. I made this decision because I thought there wasn't enough cool stuff done with shields. Redoubt is meant to widen the fourchette of "tank" options just a wee bit.

I wouldn't worry about Overshield, it is already capped, so it seems like a lesser balance issue.

On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

 

Summit's Wind & Volcanium

Both are cool effects that fit well with both Unairu as a whole and the Mountain path's concept. Volcanium might encourage a weird game play pattern in endless missions, though. Also, it's probably broken with Nekros.

Nothing wrong with a little bit of weirdness. Personally I hope that Volcanism would make Nekros, Trinity and Oberon more desirable teammates, but for different reasons than the usual ones.

On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

 

Rock Hail

This seems like a cool effect. Part of the problem with Basilisk Flare (and Petrify) is that the inability to attack whilst it's active means you waste a bunch of the duration. This feels like an interesting way to get around the problem.

Mhh I'm not sure you understood the perk right, it is meant to partially share the petrifying effect with teammate's weapons.

On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

 

Stuff I don't know about

 

Basilisk Flare's Adjustments

I'll be honest here, I really dislike Basilisk Flare as it is, and whilst the changes make it more unique as an effect, I think they also make it a little too close to Vazarin.

I understand the limitation, I was hesitant too at first. Ultimately I decided that if Volcanism was to remain, I would need to make it more accessible. On top of that, it occurred to me that the "damage mitigation" Path needed the very bare minimum of healing, because even super-tanks can get chipped down eventually. Distributing health orbs felt way more sensible than giving a percentage heal or any constant regeneration.

On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

 

Peak Camp

This one's just... Really weird. I don't know what to say about it.

Mhh if you say so.

On 2016-02-18 at 10:50 PM, Flintlockman said:

 

Stuff I don't like

 

Track of the Tower (Minus Rock Hail)

The Tower doesn't feel like it belongs in Unairu. United Front feels like it only exists to be broken when used in conjunction with specific frames, especially ones with toggle-able buffs, since I assume that United Front doesn't cause energy drain from other frames. Gates is cool, but has a massive delta of power between frames that have no durability or healing effects (e.g. Atlas) and those who can abuse that invulnerability period (e.g. Trinity); I'm assume that, if you get damaged past a gate, the gate only kicks in after the damage has been taken, rather than preventing excess damage past the gate. Great Wall feels really weird, but in kind of a bad way; it feels like the power in it is only locked away behind the clunkiness of the ability. Bond feels similarly weird, but more in a 'I can't really evaluate this without seeing it in action'. In general, the track has this really overt 'build around me' feel that makes its effects arguably broken if you can engineer a situation to abuse them.

Yes United Front definitely has the potential to be broken OP, but I felt the Path needed something to promote team play that wasn't centered around damage mitigation. I'm thinking the range leash can be enough of a balance factor, but I'll definitely consider finding an alternative. I am not sure however which specific frames you are referring to. Balance options includes: limiting the eligible buffs, reducing the range, reducing the effectiveness of the buffs or making the buff-sharing one sided.

That is quite definitely the point of Gates. It exists to offer damage mitigation to Warframes that are otherwise made of papier mache. Volcanism is an alternative, that can theoretically offer more EHP after enough time has passed. The Gates prevent any damage that would exceed the current percentage of the ability: This means you cannot be one shotted ever, and a bleed DOT can waste your Gates effect if it does 1 damage just before the point of the gate. Options exists to balance the ability, such as reducing the invulnerability window, the amount of gates or even in extreme cases prohibit healing during the duration of the Gates. The latter would of course be a last ditch effort.

Great wall is basically a mix between Nezha's Fire Trail and Frost's Snow Globe that blocks projectiles regardless of position. To me it doesn't sound clunky to be honest, not sure what elicits this impression.

I'm surprised Bond doesn't give you overpowered vibes. Toward the final stage of the Unairu redesign, Unairu gradually became more of a Path for "immovable" objects, players that would warp the battlefield around them. Bond is one such power where the Tower serves as rally points for ally, warping them back at the cost of his health. Like most other perks, there are balance options available, in this case the leash, the health cost and additional status effects on the teammate for instance.

 

For me, all the Tracks (across Paths) should offer a different 'build around me' appeal for the player. I'd prefer Focus to be more than an after-thought for players, as much as possible, and of course in a balanced fashion.

 

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