Put Empyrean 100 hours deep into the game, DE.

[NaoEthelia]

This thread is a response to the recent interview here. There's already so much to do in early game, yet not much at the late game. New players should be focusing on learning the game's basics and itineraries, and adding Railjack into the fray would add more complexity creep to the new player experience. It's better if you put Empyrean on the later part of the game, DE.

Just my two cents.

EDIT: Made the same thread in the feedback forum since someone said DE reads feedback there. This thread can just be a discussion thread or mods can merge this thread to the feedback one if they want.

Edited June 26, 2019 by NaoEthelia

[Aldain]

I'd assume it would be at least behind The War Within + a new quest, but most new players aren't going to blindly rush to it even through it needs MR5 at the minimum.

Factor in the Clan based Drydock and construction time for Railjacks and I think it'll be behind enough of a time/grind sink to not be an early game concern without a random arbitrary lock.

Also you might want to sum up that interview, because auto translate isn't making it make sense for me at least.

[NaoEthelia]

8 minutes ago, Aldain said:

I'd assume it would be at least behind The War Within + a new quest, but most new players aren't going to blindly rush to it even through it needs MR5 at the minimum.

Factor in the Clan based Drydock and construction time for Railjacks and I think it'll be behind enough of a time/grind sink to not be an early game concern without a random arbitrary lock.

Also you might want to sum up that interview, because auto translate isn't making it make sense for me at least.

From a reddit post: 

During E3 2019, the editorial department had an opportunity to interview Rebecca Ford, a developer Digital Extremes. This time, I asked about new content, such as the next expansion and a new frame.

First of all, please introduce yourself briefly.
Rebecca Ford: I'm Rebecca Ford. I'm a Live Operations & Community Director at Digital Extremes. I'm in charge of "Warframe" and I have been working on it for nine years. I'll be working on Warframe for a long time to come.

How many active players are there currently?
Rebecca: The number we can reveal is that there are 50 million "Warframe" accounts. That's 50 million people around the world playing this game.

What is the population distribution by country?
Rebecca: There are a lot of users in the United States. Overall, the United States is the largest, but other regions are quite similar. If you can show the numbers I think it's amazing.

How about Japan?
Rebecca: Japan is in the top 15 countries. Japan is also a big market for us, and it seems that everyone in Japan likes what we release. It's a mix of anime and Canadian Sci-fi. As the director is a fan of "Guyver" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion", these two influence the direction of the game.

How many people are involved in the development of "Warframe"?
Rebecca: There are almost 300 people now. There were only 10 people when I joined, so it's a big leap (laughs). At the time there were about 150 people in the studio, but I was involved in another project. Now everyone is involved in Warframe.

What is the popular frame in the development team?
Rebecca: Maybe Excalibur.

The Nintendo switch version has been released. How has the community changed with this?
Rebecca: I love Nintendo because I grew up playing Nintendo hard. Nintendo users are creative and kind, and they value games as pure entertainment, so they are making the community more healthy.

Do you have a plan for cross-platform?
Rebecca: I do not know. If so, cross-platform will be the most difficult. I think cross-save is better than that.

So like a PS4 version at home and a Switch version outside?
Rebecca: That's right. I think it is difficult, but I would like to do it.

If there is a next-generation console, will you release the next-generation Warframe?
Rebecca: I think this game is already a seven-year-old game, so I think it is a choice to make a sequel or to continue updating it, but at the moment you can play Warframe on all platforms as much as possible so I want to continue updating.

Google announced Stadia, are you interested?
Rebecca: It's amazing! This game is a free-to-play game, so the more platforms you have, the better.

Please tell us about the next expansion, Empyrean. Will it have PvP?
Rebecca: No. Although the scale is different, imagine the space version of "Sea of Thieves". I have my own battleship and I have a gunner. While visiting familiar planets, you can do dogfights in space, board enemy spaceships, and blow up their mothership. It is completely different from the previous "Warframe".

Can I play with other random players?
Rebecca: Yes, we will use matchmaking, so it can be played by up to four people.

In the trailer, battleships were fighting each other, but what kind of battle is it actually?
Rebecca: The weapons they carry are important. First of all, battleships will shoot each other, but there are times when the enemy boards you, so you aren't using gunners all the time. It's quite troublesome when they get in.

Does the ability of a battleship change depending on the equipped frame, etc?
Rebecca: There is no such effect because battleships have inherent abilities.

What kind of reward can you get with Empyrean?
Rebecca: Good question! I haven't announced anything yet, but there is a battleship upgrade and it is possible to strengthen shields, speed, power and more. There is also a huge reward, but this will be announced in the future.

When can Empyrean be played?
Rebecca: You will need a clan, so you need to be in a clan. In fact, it is difficult to answer this question, and it has not yet been decided if we want people to play 100 hours first, or if they can join the game and immediately play. As we have to playtest first, we have not decided on it now.

Do you plan to add an archwing?
Rebecca: That is the plan. It will be an interesting module. (?)

The Runner Warframe and the Oni Frame are newly announced . What kind of frame are they?
Rebecca: The Runner Warframe is based on a speedometer concept. It's like a race car. Increase the engine speed with an accelerator and overheat the enemy, being careful not to overheat yourself. Oni Frame is a frame that swallows the enemy. As it is the first huge frame, it's brutal and uses the enemy's life.

Wukong will be reworked. Do you have plans for other frames?
Rebecca: The Wukong rework will take place in the next few weeks. It is probably Vauban after that. We'll go back to the old ones and make adjustments to make them more fun to play.

What is the next prime frame to be added?
Rebecca: The answers is hidden in the answers so far!

Sentient tiles have been announced. What is this map like?
Rebecca: It is a map of unprecedented scale and is automatically generated. Because the ultimate villain is at the root castle, it is vast, alien chic, flashy, in Gore .... Because the Sentient is an artificial race, it has a completely new look and is designed to be unprecedented in space. It's like a reward for veteran players.

So far, there are two open world zones, Earth and Venus, but is there any further development going on?
Rebecca: Yes, it will be announced at Tennocon. You may see something under development.

What will be the biggest feature announced at Tennocon?
Rebecca: Empyrean is big. It's made using what we have learned so far. Shooter element, space element ... Space segmetns have not been very popular so far, but I make this into a wonderful thing. The space battles have to be fun.

Are there any plans for events in Japan?
Rebecca: I wanted to do it last year! But the timing did not match. I wanted to go to the Tokyo Game Show, but there was an update. I would definitely like to go to Tokyo Game Show in the future. In fact, I have never been to Japan, so I think it would be fun to have a small event in Japan. You can come too!

Gore is regulated in the PS4 version of Japan, but are you planning to loosen the regulation?
Rebecca: I'll see what we can do! More blood! Please put up with green blood if it is impossible. The German version is green (laughs).

People say that beginners do not know what to do without a wiki, but what do you think?
Rebecca: I understand the situation and I think it is a problem. People without friends already playing don't know what to do without a wiki. We're planning to improve the intro, and I'm going to announce something at Tennocon.

Some people say that long-range melee attacks are too strong compared to short-range melee attacks, what do you think?
Rebecca: I think that's right. We're trying to make melee attacks better and we're planning to balance them. It's going to be as powerful and pleasant as a ranged attack.

You often post photos of cosplay, do you like cosplay?
Rebecca: Yes, I love it! If you are a game creator, it's the best. The character of the game is digital, but I think it's great that cosplay makes it a reality.

Lastly, please give a message to Japanese fans.
Rebecca: I love you all. Thank you for making Warframe a success in Japan. I'm really happy to have a fan in Japan.

Thank you very much.

[Aldain]

Thanks for the details, and I can see the point of not overloading new players (anymore than they already are) but they would need to be careful in their choice of how to make Railjacks accessible, so as not to make long term players take just as long of a slog to reach them.

Also the clan lock can also serve to further delay access to Railjack, so until we have something more concrete (Tennocon anyone?) I'd say wait a bit on the rally cry for how far in the game to place Empyrean so we can see just how much of a time/resource investment will be needed.

[(XBOX)maledicus GER]

 

There's already so much to do in early game, yet not much at the late game. New players should be focusing on learning the game's basics and itineraries

I agree. Whenever is see a MR3 player with an Excalibur joining Plaguestar or any other high-level mission i think -- is there not enough for you to do playing through the starchart and opening junctions, learning the f*king game?!  DEs problem with all of this is, they want to attract new players and if they come up with shiny new content like open worlds and such and then hide it behind a long way of grind from new players it might discourage them, that's the other side of the coin. So at least no matter how they do it .. they do wrong. I think we long time players have to adopt and keep our nerves and stand it.

 

Gore is regulated in the PS4 version of Japan, but are you planning to loosen the regulation?
Rebecca: I'll see what we can do! More blood! Please put up with green blood if it is impossible. The German version is green (laughs).

 

I don't see any green blood in the german version of Warframe. We have a switch in the options to turn gore on/off. If it's enabled i see body parts flying around, cut enemies into two parts, and blood is red ... do i miss anything?

 

Best regards.

[40PE]

Aand another topic with suggestion IN GENERAL FORUM.

We are just talking in general, D.E. might read it here as well but would be more direct and constructive over suggestions with more people supporting your ideas.

And I kind of agree with you on the topic.

[SirTobe]

It's kind of hard to know what would make sense, since we don't know much about it all yet.

I guess it could be possible to have new players join in as crew, but it depends on if it's possible without spoiling any of the operator-stuff. If operators are part of the gameplay then it should be locked until second dream or so. Personally I'd love to be able to make good use of operators in it though, so it would be a missed opportunity imo. It could possibly be an optional module/upgrade though.

Building and managing a Railjack with mods and all that stuff should however be far into the game, and require some work in the dojo. There has to be some long term fun in this (not time-gates).

[NaoEthelia]

1 minute ago, 40PE said:

Aand another topic with suggestion IN GENERAL FORUM.

We are just talking in general, D.E. might read it here as well but would be more direct and constructive over suggestions with more people supporting your ideas.

And I kind of agree with you on the topic.

Thank you for reminding me. I've made a topic in the feedback forum now. 

 

[sleepychewbacca]

Quote

It's like a reward for veteran players.

HAHAHAHAHA. 

I'll believe this when I see it lol. 

[(XBOX)Demon Intellect]

Huh so Wukong prime pretty much confirmed. When asked about the next prime she said it's in the answers given thus far and the only frame that doesnt have a prime mentioned before that question was wukong.

[CephalonDizzy]

7 hours ago, NaoEthelia said:

Wukong will be reworked. Do you have plans for other frames?
Rebecca: The Wukong rework will take place in the next few weeks. It is probably Vauban after that. We'll go back to the old ones and make adjustments to make them more fun to play.

What is the next prime frame to be added?
Rebecca: The answers is hidden in the answers so far!

Primed Vauban Prime confirmed, now with even more pointy golden bits and bouncy grenades!

Edited June 26, 2019 by RushBCyka

[Cubewano]

We don't know even remotely enough about Empyrean to be making that kind of call. 

[George_PPS]

100 hours is not deep. It’s quite the opposite. Warframe always requires efforts to advance to next levels and contents. The concept arts looks amazing and can be a good reward for new players to work for it too. And it’s a good for “veterans” who want more end game contents. What’s not to like? 

Edited June 26, 2019 by George_PPS

[(PSN)Eluminary]

kinda glad to see they are interested in stadia...  I could have some fun playing warframe on my phone from time to time when Im away from my computer/ps4.

[Ikyr0]

without proper difficulty and reward scaling, Empyrian will be added to the metric ton of shallow, fluff content. before it gets completely left in the dust for New War. rinse and repeat. I really hope they use Empyrian to address core game problems. let's see what happens.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Ikyr0

[TARINunit9]

11 hours ago, NaoEthelia said:

Rebecca: Japan is in the top 15 countries. Japan is also a big market for us, and it seems that everyone in Japan likes what we release. It's a mix of anime and Canadian Sci-fi. As the director is a fan of "Guyver" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion", these two influence the direction of the game.

I've heard that Japan is actually pretty low on that top 15 list; despite the vague samurai theme of the Tenno and the heavy use of Japanese architecture in dojos, Warframe just never caught on there

(granted, my source on this hasn't updated since 2015, so maybe that's changed by now)

[(PSN)FastestKnight]

If Empyrean is meant to replace the Orbiter (or at least include it in the bigger ship) and to eliminate loading screens, then new players should have access to it. The problem is that long term players would be mad.

 

On the other hand, if Empyrean is +100 hours into the game, veterans would be happy but player numbers wouldn't increase that much. 

 

I think it they should release the "New Player experience rework" first. The game should be less confusing.

 

Empyrean should be tied to clans as a way to allow new players to use it. Veteran players, however, can have their own railjack. 

Edited June 27, 2019 by (PS4)FastestKnight

[(XBOX)Demon Intellect]

3 hours ago, (PS4)FastestKnight said:

If Empyrean is meant to replace the Orbiter (or at least include it in the bigger ship) and to eliminate loading screens, then new players should have access to it. The problem is that long term players would be mad.

 

On the other hand, if Empyrean is +100 hours into the game, veterans would be happy but player numbers wouldn't increase that much. 

 

I think it they should release the "New Player experience rework" first. The game should be less confusing.

 

Empyrean should be tied to clans as a way to allow new players to use it. Veteran players, however, can have their own railjack. 

They've said railjack will be tied to clans, but I'm not really sure how that's going to work in bigger clans. I mean you could built multiple bays I guess but then how would you pick the ship build you wanted for a mission.

[Oreades]

Empyrewhut? ......... Oh right Riftwing or ....... Railjack. 

They want/need things that check as many boxes as is possible for as many players as is possible. It's already locked behind MR5? I think that's when you get your base AW quest. By the time you're MR5 you should theoretically have an OK understanding of the mechanical concepts of the game. 

[PatternistSlave]

I don't see the point in gear locking content if that's what you mean.  Exploiter is the most fun boss I think ever and it being accessible to a wider range of players was part of the appeal.  I don't like feeling forced to use this or that frame just to serve some arbitrary "endgame".

[(PSN)FastestKnight]

2 hours ago, (XB1)Demon Intellect said:

They've said railjack will be tied to clans, but I'm not really sure how that's going to work in bigger clans. I mean you could built multiple bays I guess but then how would you pick the ship build you wanted for a mission.

 

I really hope each one of us gets his own ship, because if we have to share it, it will be a mess (and pretty disappointing because there are lots of people without clan)

 

Also, Reb said we are gonna use matchmaking, so....

Edited June 27, 2019 by (PS4)FastestKnight

[(XBOX)Demon Intellect]

57 minutes ago, (PS4)FastestKnight said:

 

I really hope each one of us gets his own ship, because if we have to share it, it will be a mess (and pretty disappointing because there are lots of people without clan)

 

Also, Reb said we are gonna use matchmaking, so....

But it involves multiple people being on 1 ship, so is it only the hosts ship? 

[sleepychewbacca]

1 hour ago, (XB1)Demon Intellect said:

But it involves multiple people being on 1 ship, so is it only the hosts ship? 

AFAIK there was talk about being able to solo it, but the construction of it is tied to clan. 

[Lutesque]

Atleast you show you Elitism Loudly and Proudly.... 

 

[(PSN)FastestKnight]

44 minutes ago, sleepychewbacca said:

AFAIK there was talk about being able to solo it, but the construction of it is tied to clan. 

 

Exactly, I think the clan is only where the shipyard dock for building will be located. Which railjack will be used in mission will probably depend on the host. 

 

Also, more space for decorations in our ship = more money for DE