Riven replacement concept: Bulwark mods

[(XBOX)Arbalestier]

So I've been thinking about the riven system and how hilariously imbalanced and unfair it is and I was thinking of ways to make a different type of mod in a situation where the Devs took out the RNG failure of riven mod randomization and distribution.  The mod concept I thought of that could replace them would not be as powerful as rivens, but be more utilitarian and accessible to the user. 

The premise of the mods is a mutation system that applies stats based on how you use the weapon.  This is also shamelessly based off Hero Weapons in Fable 3, a conceptually awesome idea but executed poorly like the franchise in general.  You would receive the mod as a reward through Sorties and pre-purchased warframe quests like the norm.  Upon using the mod you must link it to the weapon you want to use.  In order to unlink it you must use Kuva.  This is under the belief that rewards like rivens should be directly useful to you and also be a gratifying experience to get something and not just melt it down or sell it just because.

The mod will learn what you're doing and apply stat bonuses based on your performance with a weapon and do so in stages as you use them, in correlation to the weapon itself.  No more rolling crit damage on a high-status weapon with low base crit, no more negative damage or trite negative stats to justify excessive power creep.  The build you use applies to the weapon and the weapon will become stronger, but not at the excessive loads Rivens do which is more than primed mods.  

There are some rough concepts I have, the base version which keeps Riven tertiary stats such as reach or fire rate.  Then there is the version without extra utility and just has straight C/S/D stats.  This is under the impression it would make the process less vexing on the system and also remove redundancies, why give slash or radiation when you can give flat damage?  The mod isn't supposed to make your build, it is supposed to compliment your weapon.  

Leveling the mod in this case doesn't take endo, the stats are less than a rivens but the trick here is potentially one of two methods; the first one is based off flat experience you earn and the milestone will take up to a million (or few) experience to get up additional stats as each milestone unlocks a bonus.  You're using your Lanka and inflict several critical shots, you receive x amount of crit damage.  After a set amount of experience based off damage threshold, you'll receive either flat damage or crit chance based on what is inflicting more casualties.  The other method is based off of Paracesis and requires you to Forma a weapon to receive additional power ups.  Ultimately though it will be limited from three to five total benefits but not be stronger than 80-120% stats.  The reason is to avoid making Raid-boss equivalent one shot weapons, but also to not create additional redundancies to regular or Primed Mods which are the real staple attachments to your loadouts.

I based Bulwark/Bastion mods off of one of the few things I liked about Fable 3 and used it as an idea to sort of rectify and make Rivens more acceptable as a user end mod and not regulate it to RNG.  Everyone has been at a period where they received a riven and either got really bad unveiling objectives, a weapon they don't use, or both.  I also have half a mind that this shouldn't be tradeable and be a unique user experience per weapon since you have to link it, although the Kuva unlinking could reset the mod letting it be tradeable like other mods/unlinked Eidolon lenses.

Anyway thanks to whoever read this.

[Rawbeard]

5 minutes ago, (XB1)Turaglas said:

So I've been thinking

and you didn't stop when you realized the amounts of money people have sunk into this system makes it now impossible to replace, when even the normal mod system will not be changed because of the ingame credits and endo people sunk into those?

[peterc3]

3 minutes ago, Rawbeard said:

impossible to replace

By this logic, DE can't shut the game down because people spend money buying RNG mods for stupid prices.

4 minutes ago, Rawbeard said:

when even the normal mod system will not be changed because of the ingame credits and endo people sunk into those

This is because the damage mods are seen as player progression, your Credits and Endo alre limited at the start of the game and therefore you can't put much of it into the mods and then as you progress you gain more Credits and Endo to pump into those mods, letting you do more damage, go farther into the star chart to get more Credits and Endo, so on.

Come up with a way to remove the core damage mods without invalidating the Credit and Endo needs. Your causal relationship between the mods and their investment is the reverse of what you claim it is.

[Rawbeard]

1 hour ago, peterc3 said:

By this logic, DE can't shut the game down because people spend money buying RNG mods for stupid prices.

false equivalency. but they literally used that explanation when they dropped Mod 3.0. soooo. yeah. get used to rivens. or don't. but any plan to replace them is just a waste of time to even consider at this point. Welcome to Warframe, btw.

[(XBOX)Arbalestier]

5 hours ago, Rawbeard said:

and you didn't stop when you realized the amounts of money people have sunk into this system makes it now impossible to replace, when even the normal mod system will not be changed because of the ingame credits and endo people sunk into those?

As one of those people who spends a lot of money on WF, it's both moot and irrelevant as an argument because there is nothing in any terms of the documention you agreed to several times stating DE won't overhaul the game on notice.  You are not a shareholder, you are a consumer, you aren't critiqueing the idea but arguing why it shouldn't be implemented over why it can't work and how to improve it.

3 hours ago, Rawbeard said:

false equivalency. but they literally used that explanation when they dropped Mod 3.0. soooo. yeah. get used to rivens. or don't. but any plan to replace them is just a waste of time to even consider at this point. Welcome to Warframe, btw.

Thanks I've been here for a little bit and ironically I'm MR20 with multiple god, demi, and quasi rolls.  So pleased to be the new guy who has sales and development experience outside of gaming to listen to someone with poor critiqueing skills when we're just bsing here.

This idea was sort of brought back from my idea box when Scott recently state in a Dev interview with part of the staff being divided on the Riven issue and the other half doesn't want to get involved for the obvious having to do work part, despite agreeing that it's beyond hope and needs to change.  Don't scoff it off as "this happened then" and sound pretentious about it, this is a concept thread and your whinging is why no one takes you seriously if you're not going to look at the rudimentary problems.  Especially since this is invisioned as a Riven replacer so people who have gotten to TWW or even a little earlier will be able to support things like it.

5 hours ago, peterc3 said:

By this logic, DE can't shut the game down because people spend money buying RNG mods for stupid prices.

This is because the damage mods are seen as player progression, your Credits and Endo alre limited at the start of the game and therefore you can't put much of it into the mods and then as you progress you gain more Credits and Endo to pump into those mods, letting you do more damage, go farther into the star chart to get more Credits and Endo, so on.

Come up with a way to remove the core damage mods without invalidating the Credit and Endo needs. Your causal relationship between the mods and their investment is the reverse of what you claim it is.

Which is hilarious given that Riven mods take up less Endo and credits than heavy and primed mods.  Theirvlargest resource is Kuva and that was to justify the Riven novelty in the first place.