New player experience + tutorial + starting frames

[JarodDempsey]

It is well known that warframe has a terrible tutorial followed by a huge void of direction which contributes to a poor new player experience. This is how I recommend it is fixed.

 

Primary Tutorial

Make earth or at least multiple missions on earth a linear quest line. These missions would include all 12+ of the major mission types. Have at least some of the first missions autoequip the player with various types of weapons and or mods so they get a feel for types they enjoy. Perhaps later in the series they could choose between the weapons theyve been introduced to and then be taught how to use the arsenal and in turn how gaining ranks works for weapons and frames and how that relates to but is different from mastery rank. Each mission could then award a choice for a core mod (vitality, redirection, steel fiber, flow, streamline, and the rest could be filled with weapon mods, perhaps the final reward could be energy siphon). Spliced into the mission storyline could be reasons to use all of the various consoles in the orbiter at which point theyd be explained to the player. 

Other items that should be covered in the tutorial or have their own tutorial: using gear items (it took me forever to scan the ceph frag on mars because I couldnt figure out what exactly I was meant to find with the scanner), parkour, melee combos, blocking vs parrying (and charged attacks depending on when melee 3.0 releases and removes them), weapon stats, how mods effect stats, tutorial on cosmetic options for frames/weapons as well as decorating personal areas, difference between landing craft and orbiter, how to use the chat feature (especially filters in trade chat and lfg), relics, common currencies (endo, credits, plat, ducats), using the waypoint marker, resources types and specificity to each planet (including what they look like on the ground and the minimap), introduction to each faction and important enemy dangers (nully field, ancients, toxin clouds, those little sticky bombs, combas/scrambus/bursas/ and any other special effects), damage types/status/status chance/crit chance/crit multiplier/etc...,

im sure there are more items to add, warframe is quite large and so it should have a large tutorial even if parts of it are optional and players can choose to be left to figure things out on their own or come back to the tutorials at a later time. 

 

Direction

New players should be instructed on how the junction system works and told to progress through the starchart to open more nodes which in turn grants them access to more resources/missions/relays/progress through the main storyline  and so forth instead of just being left after the initial mission and practically nothing unlocked only left to assume that they might as well progress on their missions. Also gaining access to the operator and focus trees significantly improves gameplay and new players should be directed to complete that section of quest as a primary goal.

 

Starting Frame Selection

With the change to how new players acquire various mods it will not only improve the new experience but also give them options as to the way they can invest their endo and credits as they acquire those resources. With these new options I think that starting frame selection should be opened up to all frames, with some conditions of course. Important mechanics should be highlighted in frame description. Such mechanics could include (but are not limited to): heal, energy restore, barrier, stealth, aoe damage, hard CC. This could potentially give new players an ideas of the frame. Additionally each frame should have a difficulty rating for new players and some should be recommended for or recommended against so new players know that should they choose that frame they may experience difficulties in the tutorial. New players should also get to try out frames with all abilities unlocked in a simulacrum-like environment. Allowing players to choose one frame they desire would go a long way to prevent having to spend tons of time effectively playing a game they dont like while waiting until they can acquire a frame they might like. 

 

Additionally

Warframe needs better in-mission direction as to what buttons to press what things look like and where to go. I vaguely remember not knowing how to cast my 1 because if there were instructions provided to me it was on a stationary banner that was not in the area where the fight was occurring.

 

TLDR

WF needs a better tutorial and better starting experience, this would work well to allow for opening up all frames to start and would help the community as a whole especially in pub groups so people know what theyre doing. I know I've forgotten a lot of stuff especially in the other items category (i've though of at least 3 major things while writing the rest of the post alone) but please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions 😁

[Lored]

With this all warframe become one giant tutorial... The game explains quite a lot. Almost all mechanics are known intuitively. Necessary information you can get from other players (vai ingame chat), or find all information about the game from warframe wikia. 

27 минут назад, JarodDempsey сказал:

Additionally

Warframe needs better in-mission direction as to what buttons to press what things look like and where to go. I vaguely remember not knowing how to cast my 1 because if there were instructions provided to me it was on a stationary banner that was not in the area where the fight was occurring.

I do not even know what to say. Is this your first game in life? If it is then all fine, but if not ...

[LSG501]

I really don't understand the constant need for EVERYTHING to be babied....

There was even less tutorials when I and many others started the game, while I'm not saying some area's could have been explained better (elemental damage, finding a clan etc for example) the general game was anything but rocket science to play.  Mind you I've seen plenty of posts where people haven't added any mods to their stuff so....

As to that last bit about not knowing how to cast your 1... that was literally the second thing you had to do in game after 'waking up', the first was moving around.

[Loza03]

Part of the point of Warframe is finding out on your own. I agree that too much is left to the player right now, but spelling everything out ruins the mystery of the universe.

Plus, the point of starter frames is that they're, y'know, starters. Excalibur, Mag and Volt are all versatile frames that can do most things. Excalibur leans towards DPS, but has CC options. Mag leans towards CC, but has potent damage options. Volt leans towards buffs and support, but has CC and damage avenues too.

Imagine picking Limbo right out of the gate.

[(PSN)charmhoney]

Warframe should at least incorporate the basics, like being in the codex is one thing but the player is never told it's in there.

I feel like warframe could get creative with this as the login system has characters, giving messages.

It would allow the players to learn about the game while giving the characters, depth.

And i feel warframe should have a difficulty setting for solo, as I've had friends get bored as they found the beggining too easy.