Worried about the future of railjack

[cakee_]

Since railjacks release I've had the thought in the back of my mind that railjack will never reach its max potential or just be what i was excited for, I'm not angry that railjack released in the state that it was in or that its missing a lot of things i was looking forwards to, I'm just worried that those things will never be in the game.

I know this is an incredibly short post but I really don't have anything else to add on or say, just wanted to get my thoughts out

[VanFanel1980mx]

I you talking about Conclave 2.0?

[DogeManX]

Honestly I was feeling kinda the same. After grinding intrinsic levels and making my railjack super stacked in preparation for Scarlet Spear, I was very disappointed to see that railjack is basically a fat taxi which sees little to no use in the mission. In the back of my mind, I think that maybe the devs dreamed too big and are now forced to compromise with reality (like how many of the recently released content has been) and are now moving on to the next thing leaving railjack as forgotten as the third orb in the coolant lake. 

 

It makes a lot of sense to keep moving to new content as a brand new expansion is way more exciting than an addition to something old. It shows in the player counts that there is only a slight increase when something like profit taker is released versus something giant like railjack.

 

I still have faith in the devs to fulfill the promise that railjacks will be the bridge between the content islands rather than becoming an island itself. But with the current pace of DE, it seems like they want to keep presenting us with new half baked plates of content rather than taking the time to flesh out a singular piece of content. Maybe in 2024 there will be a new "railjack rework" that will fulfill the promise of the 2018 railjack trailer, but right now, we are stuck with a bad compromise that neither DE or us like. 

[Vit0Corleone]

I echo your thoughts.

It's kinda depressing to see something that has such tremendous potential being wasted.

I hope they keep working at it, because the gameplay and mechanics is actually pretty fun and it can be much more than what it currently is.

 

[(PSN)Kakurine2]

I think over time as we get more enemies and the addition of different mission types and tweaked intrinsics to better polish lackluster skills.  It can be something really great.

Give it time to really build up.  I can see a more fleshed out railjack with a massive space and ground battle going on. 

At present its an ok thing for me.  I enjoy just playing at an average level cracking skulls for stress relief.

Edited March 31, 2020 by (PS4)Kakurine2

[Loza03]

I like it, and it irritates me that it's second major outing was so... limited. I mean, it's got a lot of mechanics that could easily be given gameplay around them, but it's really not using them. Scarlet Spear isn't helping.

 

Imagine a defence mode focused around jumping between space and the decks of the ship you're protecting, using revolite to repair it and blasting threats out of the sky before they reach it. Or a rapid dash from checkpoint to checkpoint carrying vital cargo. Each checkpoint is a point of interest you must dismantle, surrounded by enemies scrambling to board your ship and make off with your loot. Or hell, even just what we have now, but with a more fleshed out 'world', where points of interest aren't so much objectives but hazards, or even boons. Imagine coming across an Ostron floating market, and haggling what you've picked up for some rare supplies. Or using the fruits of one mission to hunt down an Orokin treasure ship lost to the ages, unspoiled and ripe to loot some rare parts or avionics from a challenging parkour puzzle or intense combat setpiece under specific conditions.

[Vit0Corleone]

17 minutes ago, Loza03 said:

I like it, and it irritates me that it's second major outing was so... limited. I mean, it's got a lot of mechanics that could easily be given gameplay around them, but it's really not using them. Scarlet Spear isn't helping.

 

Imagine a defence mode focused around jumping between space and the decks of the ship you're protecting, using revolite to repair it and blasting threats out of the sky before they reach it. Or a rapid dash from checkpoint to checkpoint carrying vital cargo. Each checkpoint is a point of interest you must dismantle, surrounded by enemies scrambling to board your ship and make off with your loot. Or hell, even just what we have now, but with a more fleshed out 'world', where points of interest aren't so much objectives but hazards, or even boons. Imagine coming across an Ostron floating market, and haggling what you've picked up for some rare supplies. Or using the fruits of one mission to hunt down an Orokin treasure ship lost to the ages, unspoiled and ripe to loot some rare parts or avionics from a challenging parkour puzzle or intense combat setpiece under specific conditions.

Check this one:

 

[Izaki11]

Kind of a side thought, but when I first heard of Railjack, I really pictured something along of the lines of Starfox 64 or flying around in Battlefield 3 jets back in the day. Now that was some good fun.

[(PSN)SolarPhantom82]

Didn’t they say they would release in in three phases. They made it sound like three updates in a row, dry dock, take flight, and find answers...  were DE that fair behind.  This years Tennocoin will tell us if their abandoned rail jack...  This event doesn’t give me much hope...  DE told everyone they would keep supporting Railjack in 2020, but the first two updates of the year have barely anything Railjack related... 

[k05h]

Railjack seems to be the archwing of veterans. It is resource sink for those that can afford it and works like @DogeManX said just like a fat taxi. In the current event it will carry you to a location where you can run a defense mission ^^

I do not see much future for railjack in its current form because new players have no direct access to it. It was my main gripe from the beginning. A feature that can only be used after 100h of grinding does not exists for new players. 

[SirTobe]

When Scarlet Spear launched I dusted off my railjack for the first time since like the second week after its release, and it is STILL full of same bugs and awkwardness I remember that made me just quit it. 

I like the concept, but they have to start fixing things before adding more content for it. This is just a pain to play, and I also hate to see that they still have not done anything to improve the experience for solo gameplay for whenever you don't have any friends available or don't want to deal with randoms. 

[xMarvin732]

Theres another Update coming, The Deadlock Protocol, along with Protea and remastered Corpus Ship Tileset, i wonder how 2020 will be going.

[kevoisvevo]

hope the entirity of railjack fails and the devs can get their heads outta their asses this time.

[LupoDWolf]

I think the biggest problem is how he railjack, for an orokin era combat ship, seens to be made of wet paper. Make the ship more resistent, make the hazards less common but more impactfull.

[Nasrol]

9 hours ago, DogeManX said:

Honestly I was feeling kinda the same. After grinding intrinsic levels and making my railjack super stacked in preparation for Scarlet Spear, I was very disappointed to see that railjack is basically a fat taxi which sees little to no use in the mission. 

I couldn't agree more, I was really looking forward to Scarlet Spear as I thought it would finally be some new railjack content. It's really not sadly, were just speed running with a satellite from point A to B and disembarking to get on the sentient ship. No combat focused railjack objectives what so ever.

Out of interest I decided to try and engage the Grineer ships that spawn and found that:

1. They seem to have some crazy armour scaling on the crew ships (I assume that its level scaling, as the artillery cannon does so much less damage on them).
2. The artillery cannon wants to take twice as long to shoot (how did they manage to break that...).

So yes, the railjack element of this was a super massive let down. If by chance you happen to read this DE, we love your game but please do so much better in any new railjack content. 😞

Edited March 31, 2020 by Nasrol

[SneakyErvin]

I'll just wait and see what the corpus "expansion" will bring to RJ. That should atleast give us an indication on if it moves forward or stays the same. I'd also like to see tha massive infensted tunnel system "ships" they teased a while ago.

I hope DE doesnt break under the masses of misguided complaints though and just keeps going with what they have planned for RJ.

Atleast the OP doesnt fall into that category of complaints. OP actually managed to express a valid concern, in a very short post that still manages to say a thousand times more than the usual wall of text complaints that could be summed up as "RJ bad, fix nao! But I have no idea or input on how".

[Methanoid]

You do not need to worry, I am sure railjack will get all the love and attention that archwing received.

[Thundervision]

Boy, was I wishing for more objectives in cross-modes style:

Scenario #1 (Easy):

«Ostron scouts reported in. They claim that Grineer have discovered resource-rich asteroids in this sector and have already moved in with their mining equipment. Make sure they receive their notice to vacate.»

1. Drop in the first mining base;
2. Destroy the mining equipment
   • Grineer call in for reinforcements;
3. Exterminate everyone;
4. Railjack crew fends off the Grineer reinforcements;
5. Rinse and repeat for X bases.

 

Scenario #2 (Medium):

«Following the recent skirmish between Grineer and Steel Meridian forces, locals gave us a lead on a high-priority target who is responsible for exposing our mole and taking them hostage. Make sure our agent is safe, and the target faces justice.»

1. Drop in the Galleon;
2. Rescue a hostage;
3. Pinpoint a POI's location;
4. The POI escapes and calls in for reinforcements;
5. Intercept it in Space with RJ/AW before it escapes.

 

Scenario #3 (Hard):

«Grineer are moving their forces to a new location through nearby sector. They have an old Fomorian ship. This will posses a serious threat to locals when it gets there. We will make sure it stays here forever: Tenno, seize control over the Ship Killer platform, send the Fomorian a SOS signal and behead the snake. Go.»

1. Locate a Ship Killer platform;
2. Infiltrate it, sabotage the comms and deliver a package;
3. Railjack crew will have to ensure nobody escapes the base alive;
4. The package sends a distress message calling in Fomorian reinforcements with crewships as well as overrides the laser cannon;
5. Railjack crew must protect the platform from Dargyns/Crewships' Ramsleds trying to board the base to get it under control;
6. The Laser Cannon tears a hole in the Fomorian's hull;
7. Tenno get in, locate a POI and capture it;
8. Time to finish it off: either use the Fomorian Disruptor or the Ship Killer platform.
9. Destroy the Ship Killer platform.

 

Scenario #4 (Horror-themed task, similar to the Man in the Wall sequence):

«I have received a transmission from Cressa Tal from Steel Meridian. She said that they abruptly lost contact with captured Grineer Galleon full of Grineer defectors, they were being transported them to the Steel Meridian base. No SOS signals were sent. We need to find out what's going on.»

1. Board the Steel Meridian Ship;
2. Search for any survivors
   • no lights or any traces of possible fight are present;
3. Find a way to open the blast door;
4. Eliminate the Infestation;
5. Locate the Infested hive and destroy it;
6. Locate the ship's core and destroy it as well.

 

 

Occasional "events" (random enctounter if you want):

• Kuva Fortress

Scenario #1:

«Locals sent us a message that Grineer forces have been spotted in this sector scouting for Kuva and siphoning it. The Fortress is about to leave with its goods. We must ensure that They. Get. Nothing.»

1. Get in range and drop in there;
2. Complete Mobile Defense;
3. Sabotage the base's defenses;
4. Hijack the Kuva tanks and escort 'em outside:
   • successfully extracted A / B / C intel = 1, 2 or 3 tanks;
5. Protect the Railjack carrying the tanks to the rendezvous point:
   • Kuva tanks' HP = amount of Kuva you'll be getting: the more they get damaged, the less Kuva you get.

 

Scenario #2:

«I have intercepted a transmission revealing possible lich operations in Kuva Fortress in this sector. No one should have control of such dangerous secrets. Exract all the valuable data and make those crazy scientists part ways with their heads.»

1. Get in range so Railjack crew could lure the base's patrol out;
2. Meanwhile, Tenno board the base;
3. Pinpoint a POI's location (Mobile Defense);
4. Capture it.
   • Failing to do so results in the POI boarding a Shielded Gokstad and trying to escape in Space, so you need to board the ship and Capture it in there;
5. Extract the intel (Spy):
   • Successful extraction of all 3 datas has a chance to give you Veiled Riven;
6. Sabotage the base's lich research facility and escape.
   • If players have active liches, they will also get a significant Murmur boost in progression.

 

Scenario #3:

«I'm intercepting transmissions from the Kuva Fortress in this sector... They just sent a crewship to collect their Kuva. Tenno, we must not let it happen. Intercept the ship, drop the cargo and then we make sure the Queens receive a hot delivery.»

1. Locate a crewship and board it;
2. Exterminate everyone on board and hijack the ship:
   • This makes the ship drop Kuva behind;
3. Head to the Kuva Fortress while Cy uploads self-destruct codes;
4. Abandon the ship:
   • It's caught by tracking beam and is led to the docking bay;
5. BOOM! The docking bay is no more; Kuva Fortress recalls all the Kuva ships and prepares to leave the sector:
   • Countdown starts;
6. Kuva ships start shooting Ramsleds filled with Kuva at the Fortress. Destroy as many as you can before they reach it:
   • Threshold with total number of ramsleds/failures similar to Ambulas fight. Failing it just results in 50% less Kuva reward.

 

• Abandoned Derelict Vessel

«I have reports that Grineer have found a drifting Orokin Derelict ship and are preparing to board it for further examination. These brain-dead grunts are playing with fire. We need to contain possible infestation outbreak and dissuade Grineer from boarding it.»

1. Intercept Grineer ships heading to the abandoned Orokin ship;
2. Destroy X Crewships;
3. Eliminate reinforcements and remaining forces;
4. Board the Orokin ship;
5. Eliminate all Infested threats.

 

• Nightwatch Corps

«Tenno, I've received a transmission from locals. They ask for our help. Nightwatch Corps have moved in this sector a few weeks ago and started terrorizing the locals since then. They are trying to take control over the sector so they aren't shy in their methods. The civvies clearly are no match for the Grineer elite forces. We must help them.»

1. Repel the Nightwatch attack on the civilian ships;
2. Escort the ships to the rendezvous point;
3. Locate a capture Corpus freighter turned into the Nightwatch HQ;
4. Board it and eliminate Nightwatch forces;
   • At the 50% progress the Nightwatch forces will sabotage the engines and direct the ship to the nearby colony.
   • Remaining Nightwatch troops will start retreating to their fighters while also sealing the doors behind.
   • Cy finds out out there are hostages on the ship.
   • The countdown is on.
5. Railjack crew will have to deal with the remaining Nightwatch fighters and a Nightwatch Crewship;
6. Tenno aboard the freighter will have to continue hacking the doors in order to reach the holding cells;
7. Escort the hostages to the escape pods and eliminate remaining Grineer forces (if there any left).

 

12 hours ago, DogeManX said:

Honestly I was feeling kinda the same. After grinding intrinsic levels and making my railjack super stacked in preparation for Scarlet Spear, I was very disappointed to see that railjack is basically a fat taxi which sees little to no use in the mission.

You and me both, mate. Hell, I even repaired extra Zetki turrets just in case... All for, once again, the most efficient tactics: slap on speed and tactical avionics to stall or fix parked Railjack while you're playing on "ground". Duh...

Edited March 31, 2020 by Thundervision

[rand0mname]

Ah yes. So much potential indeed. I hope DE would not abandon Railjack.

Was playing with a friend today and noticed that if one do not park the ship in safe space, things can be pretty... interesting.

You actually want to constantly move, shot down boarding parties, take out crew ships and have someone on board chasing those red annoying vombalysts and taking out uninvited guests.

So, I think space SS would improve if DE:

- add some force field to prevent hiding,

- make some adjustments to armor scaling of space units (seems over the top),

- do not make Sentients immune to Stasis,

- fix the connection issues, so I can finally host with my pretty good ship, instead of flying with a clan mate who cares little for Railjack.

That first mission in a Veil on his Delorian-2 included a lot of swearing, screaming “why you have only 2k HP and why rockets do not one hit miners” and a crush course on what Hyperflux is (among other things). Loved every minute of it.

Edited March 31, 2020 by rand0mname

[(PSN)Hiero_Glyph]

13 hours ago, (PS4)Kakurine2 said:

I think over time as we get more enemies and the addition of different mission types and tweaked intrinsics to better polish lackluster skills.  It can be something really great.

Give it time to really build up.  I can see a more fleshed out railjack with a massive space and ground battle going on. 

At present its an ok thing for me.  I enjoy just playing at an average level cracking skulls for stress relief.

Definitely! This approach worked great for Archwing.