Modular Warframes instead of Modular Archwings

[Tyreaus]

TL;DR / DU = You know those modular Archwings they're making? Turn those into Warframes instead. Then let us use Warframe abilities in Archwing. Think MOA pets, where the modular ones have different abilities (and can't use the abilities of non-modular stuff).

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Basically: Take reworked abilities from Archwings, put them into a modular Warframe system, make Archwing modularity cosmetic like K-Drives, and carry abilities over from the Warframe into Archwing mode and back again.

I feel like it'd improve the game to have a much smoother carry-through from Archwing to ground. As it is now, players pull out the Archwing, all their Warframe abilities get disabled, and they get the Archwing abilities instead. It's a bit of a pain in the butt across the board, from Eidolon hunts to Railjack (where buffs stay, but not abilities). And when Archwings do get to be an option, like in open worlds, they don't seem to get much use beyond a means of transportation.

On the other hand, people have been asking for modular Warframes for a little while. While it's quite difficult to have that well-balanced if you're taking parts from other Warframes, if you're taking Archwing parts instead...it becomes much easier to sort out balanced mixes and matches. This is especially true if you're already in the process of balancing them out among themselves.

It'd probably also provide an intriguing injection into builds, since I would imagine many if not all Archwing mods would shuffle over to Warframes as well (but probably with altered mod costs). That's one big way to mix up build metas without actually nerfing anything.

Not saying it'd be effortless to have Warframe abilities work in space - Hallowed Ground kind of, you know, needs ground, and Railjack elements mess some stuff up - but I don't see any of it being impossible to work out.

_{Frankly I'd do something similar with regular weapons too, giving them the same carry-over they have in open world missions, and bringing Archguns back as the cooldown-based powerhouses, but that's just me...}

Edited April 9, 2020 by Tyreaus
Hopeful clarification

[(PSN)i7081277]

No

[(XBOX)Rez090]

No

[(PSN)IndianChiefJeff]

No, Archwings aren't nearly as important or profitable as Warframes are. You can't have Prime Access, TennoGen & modularity at the same time. Odonata Prime is an anomaly only because DE wanted to push for more Archwing content at the time, and we clearly see how well that went. If you break Warframes down into a modular aspect, they lose a certain aspect of uniqueness to them. That's why weapons & Archwings are easier to deal with. While they're fundamental in their own right to the experience, they aren't brimming with as much personality as, say, Harrow or Grendel.

[kapn655321]

Not unless you want every ability to be balanced, regardless of the frame health and kit it's made for.

"Why do all of the abilities just kinda suck now?" "Well, everyone put Celestial Twin, Energy Vampire, Vex armor, Peacemaker on literally every modular high armor base frame, and that kinda got boring.. and players wanted a challenge still.. so..."

[Tyreaus]

4 hours ago, (PS4)IndianChiefJeff said:

If you break Warframes down into a modular aspect, they lose a certain aspect of uniqueness to them.

 

4 hours ago, kapn655321 said:

Not unless you want every ability to be balanced, regardless of the frame health and kit it's made for.

To clear something up: I'm talking about modular Warframes using only the abilities Archwings have now. So Energy Shell, Penumbra, Thumper, and Vengeful Rush might be a combo. But you can't use Loki's invisibility. It's akin to MOA pets, which have their own unique ability sets but are also modular.

IIRC DE is working on making Archwings modular. This is just proposing making those Archwings into Warframes instead, then letting us use proper Warframe abilities—whatever Warframe we have equipped—in Archwing mode.

[kapn655321]

1 hour ago, Tyreaus said:

 

To clear something up: I'm talking about modular Warframes using only the abilities Archwings have now. So Energy Shell, Penumbra, Thumper, and Vengeful Rush might be a combo. But you can't use Loki's invisibility. It's akin to MOA pets, which have their own unique ability sets but are also modular.

IIRC DE is working on making Archwings modular. This is just proposing making those Archwings into Warframes instead, then letting us use proper Warframe abilities—whatever Warframe we have equipped—in Archwing mode.

Oh, interesting take on it! Thanks for clarifying.

[Tyreaus]

2 minutes ago, kapn655321 said:

Oh, interesting take on it! Thanks for clarifying.

Sorry it wasn't clear at first...

[kapn655321]

1 hour ago, Tyreaus said:

Sorry it wasn't clear at first...

Nah, that's my bad for having skimmed over it. ...reflexive from seeing, "modular warframes," come up enough times in the forums.
^{One of those things like.. someone makes a Werewolf frame suggestion.. they probably have unique and interesting takes on it, but ultimately, it's still yet another werewolf frame idea.}

Much like the other modular frame thread came up with the idea to use a pool of interchangeable unique abilities, there's a lot of room for innovation on that front.

I have a lot of reservations about it.. like, is it, "jumping the shark?," would anyone bother with pre-made frames in the future if they came out, would DE be leveraged by the approval of these frames to Only service the modular frames?.. I could go on and on. Lot of neat ideas, lot of drawbacks.. I feel like inevitably, one of these years we'll see it happen. Not sure how, but by all means, keep finding a way.
 

[Tyreaus]

12 minutes ago, kapn655321 said:

would anyone bother with pre-made frames in the future if they came out, would DE be leveraged by the approval of these frames to Only service the modular frames?..

FWIW, I would be surprised if it went that way. They've come out with modular melees and secondaries and pets yet, in spite of their performances (good or bad), pre-fab items keep chugging from a developer and player side.

[(XBOX)GearsMatrix301]

NO!

[Orakan]

Warframe are created from regular humans so this whole topic is against the lore . End of disscusion

[prodi1600]

Nope.

We do need modular archwing.

[ArmyUnit]

Yea I've always kinda been wishing we could use warframe abilities while in archwing. It would be fine for most abilities imo, but there are definitely some abilities that would get a bit weird in the context of archwing.

I think at the very least, all abilities would need a very big range buff while in archwing. Imagine Frost's snow globe but in space without any range buff 😛

[hyzmarca]

The problem with the idea,  beyond the lore,  is the simple fact that many warframe abilities are useless in space,   while archwing abilities are either useless or OP on the ground.  That's why archwings have their own ability sets in the first place.