Idea For Rng Alternative

[Sylithrandir]

Idea

What about using an achievement based reward system for warframes and weapons?  You can do something like you have to get 50 headshots with a bow to get the banshee helmet blueprint, or kill x enemies in a specific system.  If you want to make them harder to get, you can just make the number higher or make the resource cost higher.  You could also do something where you need to select what warframe or part your working toward, but that might be a little harder to setup.

 

Why

Personally, I think using RNG for resources and mods is fine, but it's just frustrating when looking for specific rare items like blueprints.  I've killed Tyl Regor something like 30 times and only have the helmet.  I know that it's not any more likely that I'm going to get other pieces in the next 30 runs I do.  That doesn't make me want to play more; it doesn't make me want to spend money on the game; it's not going to give me a sense of accomplished if I finally am able to build him either.

 

On the other hand if it was achievement based, it's completely in your control.  Even if it takes forever, you know you're making progress.  Also, if they fit the warframe, you're probably more likely to enjoy working toward it.  (slide+slash to unlock excalibur for example)  Once it's complete, you actually feel like you accomplished something.

 

Also, lore wise, I find it a little strange that bosses randomly hold tenno warframe blueprints.  Being allowed to build something once you meet some requirement makes a lot more sense.

 

Would this change cause people to spend less money?  I don't think so, but I would focus on appearance based items for platinum and not gameplay ones anyway.  (I wouldn't give away the scarves in alerts for example.)  If someone likes the warframe they unlocked, and then buys something for it, everyone wins.

 

[Theidore]

I agree, the RNG is very annoying when it comes to having to grind to get the weapon/warframe BPs you need. Achievements do sound like a good idea, but I don't know how appealing it is to DE, as it would reduce sales of platinum for people to buy those warframes, since the player would know exactly how much they need to do to get that warframe, and they aren't going to give up on grinding and just buy the warframe. 

 

This is the problem with free-to-play games, there's some great potential for great systems and mechanics, but if they reduce the amount of money DE is getting, it's not likely to be implemented.

[Sylithrandir]

True they might not want to, but I don't think it would really reduce sales.  With how it is now, some people get lucky and get all the parts in 5 runs.  Or you can be like me and got 2 of the 3 parts of trinity without looking for it.  I'm not going to buy trinity now, since I could potentially get it in one game.  It also makes it seem like it's not worth paying for, since some people get it so easily.

 

On the other hand, if you know it will take you forever to do that many headshots or whatever, then you're probably pretty likely to want to just buy it.  If you know that one way or another it takes a decent amount of time, you can be satisfied with your purchase.  But who knows.  Everyone thinks differently.

 

 

I guess they could also just make the blueprints really common and make them resource cost a lot higher.  That would kind of achieve the same thing.