The Problem With The Tiered Weapon System In Warframe

[Dasmir]

An Idea I had while going through this thread.

Instead of Teirs of weapons, have interactive buffs and debuffs between weapons and warframes.

 

Example is the best way I can show the Idea.

 

Gorgon:  -20% movement speed on warframes.  Rhino only has -10% movement.

Furis: +5% Crit Chance for all weapons, +10% Crit Chance with Sayrn.

Paris: Enemy Detection Radius reduced.  +20% Damage when used by Banshee

Amphis: Energy Syphon effect +.1.  +.2 for Trinity

Skana: Movement +5%  Excaliber All melee damage ignores armor.

 

The ulitmate Idea is to create a system where every weapon shines somewhere in conjunction with some other set of equipment or warframes.  It may eventually lead to a point where if you're playing Warframe A then you must have weapons XYZ and if you use weapons WPS instead then the XYZ crowd will never respect you.  But by making the combinations more complex that day of reckoning is pushed back.

 

Big no, You are cutting my wings doing it.

[Guest]

no tiers, yes balance please

 

I'd like to have the grakata and not be useless in high level combat

Edited September 8, 2013 by Guest

[Dasmir]

no tiers, yes balance please

 

I'd like to have the grakata and not be useless in high level combat

 

 

Im sure theres will be a grakata prime/wraith or a straight upgrade version with diff name.

[neKroMancer]

Tiered weapons present a few problems.

1. Losing time and resources to create weapon model that will be obsolete within a few hours into the game.

2. Players are not confident about purchasing catalyst and Forma to upgrade their weapons.

3. It just promotes powercreep and turn the game into even more "Game of Moan" for many players. "No, we don't want bulletsponge" but "Yes, yes we want more damage" and follow closely by "The game is too easy, buff enemy please".

I think creating weapon that just too good compared to others of it's own kind (Strun Wraith, Hind) is just counterproductive in the long run. Braton Vandal change was a good example. The gun was Gorgon without windup time plus accuracy of Braton. It just invalidated the existence of two weapons at once. Then DE nerfed it to be on par with Braton. The gun turned into true sidegrade. You want accuracy, pick Braton. You want RoF, pick BV.

Strun Wraith just appeared to be in the same boat with BV. Boar, Strun, Hek, and Sobek just have no reason to exist in my inventory anymore. Should I sell all four shotties and use their slot for my future weapons? It's DE loss of income, not mine.

Moreover, what will happen if somehow Acrid just obsolete when there is an upgrade for it in the future? I know that lots of players just catalysted it and gave it several Formas to maximize it's potential. Now all of that is lose.

Tier could work if

1. Proper nomenclature on tier. Give every weapon a proper tier. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Prime, etc.

2. Stop releasing lower tier weapon, players won't use it.

3. Release new stuff only in higher tier (rare and above, for example).

4. Balance each tier accordingly.

However, you should already see the flaw in tier system. It just push sidegrade idea into higher tier weapons. Therefore, sidegrade is a more viable and lasting way to create weapon anyway.

Edited September 8, 2013 by neKroMancer

[PaperAlien]

I don't see how adding a tier system creates a problem that's already present..

The problems are already present because the tier system that causes them is already present.