Teoarrk's concepts, lore and ideas thread, part 2 (Latest post - Where Part 9?)

[Teoarrk]

Update

Hi all, not been working on the next part and most likely will only start again in a week or so. Studies take priority. I am excited to share the next part with you all - which will most likely be delivered in two parts - one will be a background story and system proposal, the second part will be a new Nightwave. I had planned originally to have an immersive nightwave with lore going on during the Nightwave, but then I'd be introducing something I hate, being a lore void for people that aren't around during the event. My wife also took one look at the initial script and proposed so many revisions that it was better off being redone entirely. I hope to deliver this thing by week 2-3 of February, the system and story update being the longer big ticket items that are taking up the lion share of time on this thing. I'm also going to take a look at some Edgar Allen Poe before revising Nora's lines.

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Til Then.

[Teoarrk]

Technocyte Schism Part 5: Iliad's Bane - The Depths of Menes

Grineer brothers and sisters, I am are aware that some of you lost comrades in the Mercury mine accident last week. Do not weep for them anymore, for they died in service to the Kweens. A Grineer can ask no higher honor. The Kweens themselves will hold a vigil for them this afternoon. A despicable Tenno scoom that was responsible for the bombing of sites on Ceres and Mars is still at large. I am willing to increase the rank of any able to bring this fiend low by 3. If any of you feel that you cannot bring down a Tenno, remember that you are Grineer. You are the true masters of the Origin System. The Tenno are gnats, hiding among weeds. Our Grakatas have killed everything in our path, our Sheevs have cut out all tongues that disagreed. This Tenno, no all Tenno are afraid of us. They cling to their relays because they know that we are out there, waiting for them. Only cowardly weapons keep them safe. We are coming for you all Tenno. Expect us.

- Chancellor Vay Hek, Radio of the Grineer Soldier

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As promised, this post will set the stage for the Nightwave. Firstly, a bit of information about Menes.

Menes

Menes sits upon a ruined steppe. Phobos had many such rises, now many such bruises, scars from industry, or the constant tides of battle those distant asteroids of the Oort Cloud have with anything closer to the sun. But the site was chosen anyway, a rich house seeing value in the position- as close to Lua as could be reached with their families standing and their rivalry with the Entrati in all things. While Deimos would stand as a monumental achievement of technology, Phobos would stand to be the greatest garden outside of Lua’s binary orbit. For a time it was, an achievement completed in no small part by the generous offerings of The Red Emperor. 

No knowledge remains of the family, aside their wealth and prestige, but their method of acquiring both remain just as ambiguous. The project of Menes was a wonder and a deadly trick. The site would test a new and deadly bio weapon under the noses of these Orokin lords and be hidden away from Mars by the vast distance from the Martian surface.

It is with some irony that more is known of the predicament of the victims of this ploy - a complete obfuscation of hundreds of victims may have been possible, but the magnitude of thousands evidently was too strenuous even for the most thorough of Dactus censors. It stirred a minor conspiracy on Lua, known today as the Hylorian League conspiracy. 

This conspiracy was short lived, however. Other black sites containing Technocyte specimens had systemic breaches, causing the start of The Great Plague. The conspiracy found three major facts before it's disbandment, however: that the sites double purpose had been devised by The Saffron Emperor, that the guests had all been against the Sentient War and that each had holdings in the Freeports of Majuna.

Further elaboration of Menes speaks towards the strain being too predictable for combat against the Sentients. Only several specimens were pulled from the site. Phorid, an infiltrator specimen, Lephantis, a heavy assault specimen and another known only by the name Anaxeles.

-Drusus, Leverian curator

Now, for something a bit closer to modern times. This will have occurred roughly 2 days before Nora Nights broadcast of the Nightwave outlined in the next post.

Spoiler

 

It is with regretful sorrow that I write this account, for I do not know what will become of me when I lay down my pen and do what must be done. It is by good mind and heart that I have made my decision, for the colony needs any boon it can in these dark times, at whatever price. I am sorry that I made this decision alone, without the consent of the elders, or the central committee, that I chose this fate over a long and fulfilled life with you Eze, but even as I write this, I know that door closed for us long ago. Please read my story, to discover how I came upon our deliverance in the dark city of Menes. 

The Solar Rail connecting Stickney to Memphis has long been abandoned by other colonists, but I chose to travel along it out of necessity. Greater need than the unending greed of the Corpus cult demanded the journey, for what is more bottomless than the crazed hunger of the Infested? I arranged transit through the Corpus sectors with an unscrupulous Solarian, whose questioning began and ended at the weight of my coin, although my quarters were to be little more than a storage container aboard the tiny vessel. Stowaway or not, I had few other options in the narrow window that was allowed. The limited power of the Triuna had been considered a part of our society for the longest time and now that it had been excised from its current holder, a necessary evil. Stickney had a much more defensible position than those found at the barrier colonies at Flimlap and Clustril, but with every day that passed, greater and greater numbers of mercenaries were required to maintain the perimeter that had been established since time immemorial. The coffers of the colony were running dry, only expedited by the wasteful enthusiasm of the very mercenaries hired, whose relief efforts were often carried out by the heavy use of Naphtha and plasma, leaving little to be harvested.

So I was to journey to Memphis, to see if some other relief could be afforded by the dormant technologies there. For all the boisterous unprofessionalism my pilot displayed, he made good on his promise, delivering me as close as he could to the shadowed confines of the Dark sector, a pistol given unspoken as a parting gift, before the small craft stole off into the distance. There could have been little doubt that this was as the name described, for a shadow engulfed the place even under the sunlight that illuminated the rest of the moon around it. The titanic Orokin structure that fed into the orange haze before me seemed to twist into a maze that sighed with a wind that did not exist. I had been to the perimeter of Stickney and seen the phenomena there, but even in the relative safety of the sunlight I shivered with an anticipation that I could not stifle. I composed myself finally with the result of my success; that Myconians would not lose their lives to Infested aggression. A spore mutation, it was said, was housed in the heart of  Memphis, long ago created to humble the Infested and bring them to heel. 

I drew nearer,  growing with unease as a restlessness washed over me, along with a stench that the storage hold of the Solarian vessel could not have prepared me for. It was as if I was being watched not by a single individual, but this shadow upon the face of the moon had me within its gaze and was frothing its displeasure. The faintest cries of the twisted carrion beasts that were sure to lurk within hung in the air as a morbid greeting into this realm of the damned.

The spore -clouds came next. Like a sentient smog they flitted from one place to the next, a mad dance of colour that pulsed like a withering beacon in the darkness. They illuminated the path, passing by detritus scattered there from other fools. I drew back with terror, when I realised that among the dank mire of the floor were bodies of Corpus troopers, cut in twain by something that I prayed silently to never meet. After the initial surprise waned, I checked to see if any of their weapons were still operational. The display of savagery had made it obvious that my meagre arms would not stand up to the Infested that skulked in this place. Rigor mortis had set in long ago among all, the simple task of retrieving their weapons proving to be more like wrestling for some that had chosen white knuckled glory in their final moments. 

The dead were less than generous, as it soon became apparent. All their weapons had been spent, batteries drained by the intervening time between their final moments and my stumbling upon them. The shade provided by their relative closeness to Memphis had provided an unnatural level of preservation to each, their bodies seemingly fresh, but what serial numbers that could be found among the bodies made each out to be over 100 years old. Aside from the stiffness already described, decay had not come to them, nor the affliction that had ravaged Memphis claimed them. Had it not been for the mortal wounds bare and visible it would have been easy to mistake their prone forms for sleepers unaware to the perilous realm upon which they laid. 

The stench grew more despicable as I continued. The first tendon-like spindles of flesh clung to the golden structure, thin wisps compared to the fleshy outcroppings that glistened against the rail further along. Vegetation sprouted from unidentifiable objects, which exhibited an unnatural vitality, It was hard to call them plant or animal given the vast diaspora of features they exhibited, every kingdom represented by features exhibited on every specimen. The only distinction that could be made however, was that these ones were not as ambulatory as the packs that were likely closer now. I found myself instinctively grasping the pistol I had been given. A heavier weapon was concealed across my back, although to call it a safeguard would be laughable; a harvesting spear, stowed for travel. Simple, but reliable and not worth it for what could be described best as plants. 

The next two kilometres continued without incident, only marked by that encroaching darkness growing deeper and more putrid. A massive arch indicated where the Solar Rail ended, which proclaimed in Orokin script that this was the area known as Memphis, of Menes. Though worn by time, or encroached upon by the growing affliction, imperious figures looked down from on high. Observing all that approached, judging each in turn with stolid silence. Reminders of some decadent Orokin opulence in the form of great Ayatan sculptures held out against the grasp of time, but for how much longer could only be guessed by those for whom the Infestation was of no concern, for many such creatures littered the vast plaza that stretched before them. 

 

A sickening mockery of Kubrows, a pack of hulking, malformed beasts dashed about the plaza chasing whatever fancy their leader sought, yet further Grineer victims to the plague. I contemplated for a time, as I sat and waited for an opening in their movements whether their comrades would have mourned their passing.  I am unsure if the sobering clarity of that thought awakened me to the sudden weight of eyes upon me, or an indistinct sound that arrested my attention, but before I could react I was grabbed, a sharp point in my neck accompanying my short, yet spirited resistance. Quickly, consciousness failed me.

 

 

I awoke to a fitful sight, one that I thought a terrible dream. It was if my subconscious had imagined a wondrous garden, with pristine lawns dotted verged by noble trees and flowerbeds with all the flowers of the Origin System contained within. Only, the encroaching horror of Technocyte had slipped into this dream, The lawn bubbled with an unnatural vivacity, the trees swayed in the windless air and the flowers inspected my passing with all the intense longing of waiting predators. I became aware that I was being dragged by a growing pang of friction and tried to break free, only to find my captor’s grip impossible to break. They were passive to any attempts at negotiation, only continuing their course as if nothing had happened. 

 

 

Though my questioning had not changed the nature of my fate, the sound of my voice was enough to cause a stirring of my surroundings. Figures started appearing in the dark, their shadows humanlike. A spotlight came to life, spinning on an axis with a severe whine of disrepair. Under the spotlight, I froze, seeing Orokin illuminated from those shadows, but in the darkness that followed, I saw those same bodies glow with the bioluminescent hues of infested. Each howled deeply in unison, only for the light to pass again and that beastial note to be replaced with the sound of talking, only to cut off as the darkness covered them again. I wondered then, if when that light passed over me whether a similar metamorphosis occurred that I was unaware of, with no viewer to see it. 

 

 

The crowds grew denser and closer to my unwilling route as I journeyed onward, curious onlookers who first started in curiousity and then drooled at the sight of a fresh victim. Some even gave greetings that fell away into guttural sounds. The worst were those that once were Dax, whose true forms continued to drone their orders with disturbing clarity despite having no apparent mouths. A choir sang under an awning of roses, their singing alternating between an otherworldly song that had not been heard in centuries and a gruesome mockery of that life. A gaggle of kubrows and children frolicked on lawns, turning into a nightmarish collection of moving limbs, continuing on as if the game had never ended. Each scene had a strange order to it, nothing like the attackers at Stickney. Each of these creatures could have easily lashed out at me and yet none did, the chaos of Technocyte replaced by an attempt at playing out this illuminated fantasy. 

 

 

My journey ended shortly, the creature wordlessly losing interest and letting go of me. I became aware of how much force had been used to carry me here as I found myself short of breath, but soon composed myself and doggedly made my way to my feet. The landscape slowly rose to the current point I found myself standing upon and continued for many miles, as lit by the many lamps that continued their dance in the dark. Just as many, if not more creatures of this realm flickered into view by those lights and the constant noise of wildlife suggested that many more were lurking out of view. The thought made me become aware that my captor had slinked away and now was slinking around behind me. I turned, to see a blinding spotlight shine down from above. I averted my eyes as they adjusted, but I was able to make out a crowd surrounding a teenager of about 14 who was seated on the only chair I had seen since entering this place. I blinked, finding myself now the focus of the crowd's attention, their eyes trained on me, but not a single one spoke. Last I looked at the boy, who smiled with firm confidence at my acknowledgement of his presence. Something in his eyes was ancient, as if he was well read, or tired in a way that did not reach the rest of his face, whose bronze skin sung with the vitality of youth. He was clad in a jumpsuit that hid the rest of his features, whose rich orange hue only further highlighted the strange light in his golden eyes.

 

 

“Welcome. What brings you to Menes, my lady?” He said coyly, with an air of schooling. I hesitated, the relief of seeing another person suddenly bringing out emotions I had somehow stifled. It was with some effort that I found my voice. “I came to find an ancient relic, the Liberia Magna.”

 

The teenager laughed. “Don’t we all?” He exclaimed. “That there would be a device that could grant one freedom would make war a thing of the past for all time. However, the freedom we make for ourselves is the true great deliverance of life.” I found myself at a loss for what to make of the impromptu lecture, nor the dismissive tone and diction of this apparent teenager. This was no ordinary space-farer. A Tenno perhaps?

 

“Forgive me, I have not introduced myself. My name is, well that is a story in of itself. Won’t you humour me for a while and listen to my story? They won’t bother us.” He says, pointing at the scene I had seen play itself out before. I was in no mood for this and wished to continue, but just as I did, the spotlight flickered. For the briefest moment, I became aware that the amassed crowd was far larger than had been shown under the light and that I was hemmed in on all sides by creatures compelled by some force to stand still and it was academic to know by whom. 

 

“You won’t refuse, will you?” The youth remarked, grinning ear to ear. 

“What are you?” I asked. 

“Thats a good question, which will become obvious, or not in due time. What I find intriguing, however is that after all this time, is that people still exist that ply the trade of the Infested harvester. Is it not a cruel injustice to live in such a way? No other such colonies still exist, save for those on Phobos. Do your children grow up aspiring to the trade, or do those dreams get thrust upon them by their parents?”

“I’m sorry, what is this -” I was cut off.

“The program that your ancestors were part of was only supposed to last 6 years. That it has continued on for so long .. But I digress.  Just as much has changed as much as it has stayed the same. People live and die in the name of their rulers, personal dreams are thwarted for the needs of the collective and there is never enough of anything to go around.” The youth pauses, gritting his teeth. “And the Tenno remain unchecked.”

“They saved us.” I utter.

“A fine job they did there, now that you find yourself here alone with a stranger. Well, strangers.” 

“Can you let me leave? I’ve done nothing to-”

“No one is holding you here, but I cannot guarantee your safety.. Will you let me continue?” I feel the presence of eyes on the back of my neck, a sign perhaps that I was veering close to whatever spell that kept me safe from dissipating.

“Good, where was I? Freedom is a fickle thing. It will grant you happiness for a time, will grant you a chance to be who you truly wish to be, but it will also open your heart to weakness. Order is the true freedom this universe allows. Your people following the trade of their forebears kept them safe. It kept the entire Origin System safe for millenia, too. 6 millennia of peace, cut short by a spark of freedom and look at all the wonders it has granted. Three greedy, squabbling gnats bickering over the scraps of a withered corpse. 

It needs a hand to swat these gnats, a nurturer to bring it back to health. It needs me. In my time there were 6 more like me, but none of those others had the true needs of the people in mind. Why do you think that these ones around us lend me an ear? Seems like there are still those that remember. A true ruler knows that control and order is a mutual arrangement; the head needs the body to survive, just as the body needs the head. Respect and necessity binds each together.. 

But it is not as simple as the relationship of ruler and ruled. I was remade here in these gardens after a mistake long ago, expecting respect where none existed. My birthright granted me a second chance, however dour. A last resort had been prepared for such eventualities, but I had been double crossed yet again. What had been a garden retreat had been transformed into a nightmare. My mind was spread among every body you see shambling about you, my thoughts scrambled and split amongst each. But I had experience in structuring chaos. I pruned the disparate voices, the flesh that was not my own, each effort bringing myself back together. It became as simple as breathing. 

But something else dulled my mind. It became obvious as I came closer and closer to becoming my true self. It was always there at the back of my mind and yet was always just out of reach, compelling me to dance like the other creatures here, or lash at the rocks of distant strongholds. I wondered what purpose was being served by this dualistic set of commands; a play at society and war. But then I began to recognise the faces those lanterns illuminated and the mutual pain of the hive from scalpels, bullets and flames. This was the first hive ever created for the sake of war, approved at my decree. It was the factory that spawned other hives and other strains, but quickly was abandoned due to the will of my contemporaries, the most outspoken of which I should have held under more scrutiny. No greater order among technocyte can be found, which in turn allowed your kind to ply their craft for as long as they have. 

What was the device that dulled my mind? It was none other than the Liberia Magna. A delightfully ironic name, but one fitting for its purpose. Dare you save your people? It can only be achieved by imposing your order.” The teenager took a cursory glance at me, determining that I had understood what had been said by the look in my eyes. It was obvious that he was not as he seemed, but I knew that even if he slinked into the darkness that he would not change shape, there was something else at play. The immediate question came first.

“You never said your name” I stated. It made the figure chuckle, but not out of embarrassment. It was as if the rambling description had been a test.

“Would that my name held as much power as it once did. It has been lost to time and to state my title would be much the same, laughable even. But you may call me Madhyan.” 

“Why should I believe a word of what you’ve said?” 

“Because it is the truth. Given your time is numbered, I have little reason to lie. The Liberia Magna lies beyond.” The youth gets to his feet and moves to one side, allowing me to peer in the twilight past him. Just at the edge of the light, a shadow could be seen, a sleek metal shape glinting in the meagre light that reached it. I saw for a slight second something else in place of the youth, a creature of incredible size that resembled a mockery of a man, composed of the flesh of many unfortunate souls. It was if the flesh had been sculpted by a sloppy craftsman, touches of peculiar brilliance in several features that resembled species of coral doing little to offset the gross neglect that the amorphous head and limbs were crafted under. 

“The device you seek is within reach, while the safety of home has long since departed. Commit to bravery and save your kin, or stand awe-struck  and damn them. Which shall you choose, order keeper?” The thing questioned. I resolved to walk forward, ignoring anything further the beast said, focusing solely on my objective. I felt a thousand pair of eyes watch me as I made my approach. I saw only a figure stooped behind a tall metallic object, a bulging outline of a head being the only other feature that stood out in the dark.

As I neared, another spotlight illuminated the scene and I froze in terror. 7 giant infested creatures loomed over the figure in a crescent. They were propped up against a supporting wall, which seemed to be designed to support their growth and had barely succeeded in that endeavour. They were covered in a strange, gossamer like skin, with odd, tubular stalks coming from the top of their heads, 5 eyes haphazardly arranged around this stalk. The only other discernible features were their distended stomachs, with strange umbilical-like structures protruding from them that fed into the figure at the centre of the crescent. She had the most bizarre of fates, her hands  fed into her a metallic structure, her head covered down to the nose line by a bulbous machine that thrummed with a strange power. She wore a blue gown, cut to allow access of the sinister umbilical cords to the back of her knees, various points along her spine and her elbows. 

The figure itself remained relatively human under the light, but malformed by an indeterminable amount of time held in this position. She was deathly white, like a ghost, likely due to being kept away from sunlight.. Seeing a human in such a state left me shocked in place, when the figure called out meekly.

“Have I failed?” Sheer terror could be heard in her voice, it trembled.

“Yes.” replied the youth. 

“Why? I followed all the precepts. I did as I was bidden.” She cried. 

“That is why you failed. The System demands new precepts.” Madhyan stated. It was a code phrase, something that had an immediate effect on every organism in view. The towering crescent spawn bellowed in fury, the crowd around the youth flailed and gibbered, they began fighting, or fell to the floor, spasming. The woman in the device screamed violently and fatally, as the umbilical structures were plucked from her body with a harsh pull. She dissipated into nothingness before my eyes. 

I felt a strange wetness on my shoulder and turned with a start. Madhyan was standing a few paces away, far enough that it would have been impossible for him to have done it and yet I knew it had been him all the same.

“What are you, really?” I asked. A strange pride of acknowledgement crept over the teenager’s features, as if I had been the first to truly know what he was.

“It dims me to know that my nature is enough to annul this arrangement. I have given you what you wanted, did I not?” On the edge of the spotlight, I saw a much larger shadow dancing with his motions. 

“Are you controlling the hive?” I said with a tremble.

“I’ve never lied to you, she indeed was. But your clever eyes have spotted my double on the cusp of the light. He is, or was the filth that was reborn in this place. When I broke free, I grew fond of my old body, what purpose it could serve. It certainly delivered you from a grisly fate in the gardens. This new body is a gift, from your hallowed saviours. Only, I intend to truly save you.”

“Like you saved this woman?” I retort. For the first time, he looks wounded, angry even.

“She served her purpose. She would have continued to kill your kin and thought nothing of it!” 

“Because you ordered it?”

The shadow I had seen began to coalesce under the spotlight. Nightmarishly long arms with brittle, distended wrists and claw like fingers came into view, piercing the sanctuary I had previously upheld.  I took a step back, reaching for anything that may be of use on my person, but coming up empty handed. Sheer terror gripped me as I looked for a moment for an exit and then found my gaze met by two pairs of eyes.  Two faces joined together at the cheek, one with the face of Madhyan and the other, old and decrepit. The globes of their eyes seemed overly wet, with a strange ichor that rolled constantly down them.. One of it’s shoulders was raised over the line of a heavily stooped back, the other slumped like the victim of a harsh lashing. Tattered rags barely covered the creature’s bulk, but an ornate Orokin pin embellished the raised shoulder almost like the last, fleeting reminder of previous grandeur. It lurches forward and I scream.   In a moment, it was gone, the teenager standing in it’s place.

“I never make mistakes, but I almost made a regretful decision. There will not be another who braves this place without strong coercion.” I was afraid to move, knowing full well that at any moment, that other might appear. Was it still standing there, only I couldn’t see it? It most likely was.

“It’s just as well they won’t, it would be most unfortunate if they found you, lest you end up like the previous keeper of the Prestalist.” Noticing my fear, he added. “If you are truly wishing to  save your kin.”

My mind raced at the possibilities of the thinly veiled threat, so much so that I could barely focus. “-letter.” I blurted out. 

“What was that?” He asked.

“I need to warn others to stay away. I need to write a letter.” 

“How antiquated. Very well.” Madhyan said, pulling a piece of parchment and a quill from somewhere on his person. 

“How will this letter reach Stickney?” I asked.

“Because you have willed it so.” He responded. “Hurry, for we have much to achieve, Iliad’s Bane.”

I don’t know how much will reach you, or how legible it will be when it does. The Eyes of Cithra and the Hands of Bezalel will save our people, but damn me to this hell. Do not look for me, for something with my face will lie decrepit and alone here, but I will be long gone. 

Oh no, that sounds bad.

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The Bad News - Dark Sector Containment 

(Credit to @(NSW)Cosmiccakecatfor the idea)

With renewed leadership at the head of key hive, many dormant hives have awoken. They will spread over everything unless they are put in check now.

What that entails - Each Dark Sector on the Starchart will have a containment meter. At random, one will slowly start to rise until it reaches it reaches maximum. After it reaches this maximum, there will be an Infestation invasion on that planet.  To stop that from happening, you must go to the Dark Sector and complete a new mission type - Containment.

Containment objectives -

Stage 1 - Set up the several Pherliac pods at the allotted locations. 

Stage 2 - Keep the Pherliac pods free of infested until Juggernauts spawn and kill the juggernauts. 2 random Disruption modifiers (one good, one bad) will become active.

Stage 3 - Find the Tumor nodes in the deeper hive and destroy them. 

Stage 4 - Kill the Hive Champion. This will be an upgraded Infested Ancient of one of the three main categories (Healer, Disrupter, Toxic), with one of the following modifiers:

Pestilent Resilience: Can only be damaged after the orange growths on it's body are destroyed

Reanimator: When it dies, kill the growth in 5 seconds or it will respawn.

Boiler: Critical hits against this specimen will spawn chargers and leapers.

Hunter Organ: Can project arcs of lightning.

Pheromone Miasma: Has 20 Evasion.

Plus a massively expanded health pool and special resistances similar to Profit Taker.

Rewards for participating in this event include evergreens like potatoes, forma, exilus slot unlockers, stance forma and Nitain.

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The Good News - New Warframe Customization.

The Hands of Bezalel used to be a common tool among Technocyte crafters during the Old War - a means of moulding infested in any way the user desired. Therefore, it would be possible to make Warframes stronger with such technology.

Entering fully customizable skill trees! 

The Hands of Bezalel can be bought from Son in the Necralisk at rank 3.

From MR 0-8, a player can customize the rank up of a Warframe, This can be done retroactively for frames previously levelled, or be done after a mission for new frames.

From MR 9-16, the player can specialize the Warframe further. It will take on an Immortal skin appearance. Specilizations can be chosen from 7 different schools of Tenno thought.

A player may specialize a frame in 3 trees at any given time.

From MR 17+, the player can specialize their frame to their apex, be it as a Prime, Umbra, or Exilus.

A player can choose one of these at a time.

The current complete tree

Or, if you prefer to look at the specializations in a less abstract form

Different unique talents

While the tree is quite expansive, there could be many more nodes added. These are what I believe could work for the current game.

Edit:But wait ... theres more!

Warframes will be able to equip Augments at the Helminth. Many augments exist to fix something that a Warframe lacks, much in the same way the Helminth system gives Warframes tools to expand their repertoire, or give a Warframe options before a rework so it is only natural that both be combined.

But lets make this interesting. Helminth talks about how our Warframes are forever changed by having a subsumination ability injected into them. Mutation is a good analogy to change, especially in terms of creatures made out of infected tissue. What if this change is something that should be managed by the player?

Each Warframe starts at 0% mutation. This is with all base abilities and no augments.

Augments could create 20% mutation.

Subsumination could create 50% mutation.

Invigoration will create 40% Mutation.

So for one ability subsumed and an augment, that would be 70% in total.

Simple right? Nothing bad will happen

What if want to go above 100 mutation?

Well, then there will be consequences.

Over 100, the Warframe will be subject to:

Vampire Mode

Energy Drain

No Shields

Low Health

Dependency (Only can regenerate health or energy from orbs)

Scattered senses (Minimap will be jammed)

Slow Witted (Mobility and weapon switch speed decreased by 20%).

Distracted (Gamma will reduce randomly. An enemy or item will be highlighted with normal gamma)

There are ways to reduce mutation cost. Mutation Efficiency. The Inner Tree has Augment mutation efficiency, but other such nodes could exist in outer parts of the skill tree.

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Special Thanks: @(NSW)HoodieDeku(consulting and feedback), @Acala(for naming Prestalist), @jasonidpy(for suggesting bracketed rollout of the Skill Trees), @keikogi(consulting and feecback), @Aljhaqu(consulting, suggestion of Penjaga and Koneksi), @Trinergy(consulting and feedback).

I will have the Nightwave written out soon.

Til Then.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Teoarrk

[(XBOX)Fluffywolf36]

34 minutes ago, Teoarrk said:

As promised, this will post will set the stage for the Nightwave. Firstly, a bit of information about Menes.

 

the menes

 

 

36 minutes ago, Teoarrk said:

Boiler: Critical hits against this specimen will spawn chargers and leapers.

 

...I don't think I've ever seen this done before, and I find myself intrigued.

 

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

 

Different unique talents

While the tree is quite expansive, there could be many more nodes added. These are what I believe could work for the current game.

...Oh this sounds cool. One issue I have with a lot of RPGs with skills and mods as dynamic as Warframe's (I also play The Ascent, I don't really feel  that much like the game has changed after leveling up) is that after you play the same build for awhile, you essentially.... forget a large part of the game. Like, it was fun discovering my Sobek build the first time, but I'm not going to change that anytime soon because it's worked for so long.

[Teoarrk]

1 hour ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

the menes

hehe, I need to play Resurgence some time.

1 hour ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

...I don't think I've ever seen this done before, and I find myself intrigued.

Seems like a more interactive ability than critical resistance.

1 hour ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

...Oh this sounds cool. One issue I have with a lot of RPGs with skills and mods as dynamic as Warframe's (I also play The Ascent, I don't really feel  that much like the game has changed after leveling up) is that after you play the same build for awhile, you essentially.... forget a large part of the game. Like, it was fun discovering my Sobek build the first time, but I'm not going to change that anytime soon because it's worked for so long.

I do think that it would most likely boil down to that too. I wanted to put it out there as a Great Gap filler (MR 17 to 30) and while I think this is hardly gonna tide people over that long slog, or meaningfully change the meta, or not establish a new meta of slightly more optimization, having an evolving system like Helminth is definitely  a step in the right direction. I do hear you though, a lot of systems are unwieldy enough that getting something that works is gonna be the end point of engagement for most players.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Teoarrk

[(XBOX)Fluffywolf36]

56 minutes ago, Teoarrk said:

having an evolving system like Helminth is definitely  a step in the right direction

Even if it doesn't change much, even if the implementation can feel lackluster...

Well, at least there'll be the joy of something new happening. Even if Exilus slots on weapons didn't change that much gameplay-wise (Except for some of the guns with super high recoil, and also adding Target Acquired to my Kulstar or Angstrum) even if adding Arcanes and  Galvanized Mods has just become normal...

It still felt fun to change things up a bit. Especially adding more headshot damage to  stuff like my Vasto Prime, Akvasto Prime, Sobek, Soma Prime, Lex Prime, and Aklex Prime. That was great. 

[Teoarrk]

2 minutes ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Even if it doesn't change much, even if the implementation can feel lackluster...

I did have something in mind for it which was gonna be part of the post, but it'll have to wait till I have another window open, because it will take time to write out, proof read, delete, try again 5 more times and then post. At this point I'm just happy they're even entertaining the idea of evolving systems.

6 minutes ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Well, at least there'll be the joy of something new happening. Even if Exilus slots on weapons didn't change that much gameplay-wise (Except for some of the guns with super high recoil, and also adding Target Acquired to my Kulstar or Angstrum) even if adding Arcanes and  Galvanized Mods has just become normal...

Very true. The only thing galvanised mods did was get us to accept a new normal. A balance pass on all primaries and secondaries would have been preferrrable.

[(XBOX)Fluffywolf36]

27 minutes ago, Teoarrk said:

I did have something in mind for it which was gonna be part of the post, but it'll have to wait till I have another window open, because it will take time to write out, proof read, delete, try again 5 more times and then post. At this point I'm just happy they're even entertaining the idea of evolving systems.

Very true. The only thing galvanised mods did was get us to accept a new normal. A balance pass on all primaries and secondaries would have been preferrrable.

Honestly, what I would've wanted was "A special mod slot for damage mods." Because WF... doesn't really have build freedom, when you think about it. If you have a crit gun or a status gun, on average you have four (perhaps six) slots that might as well come filled in already, then the damage you add, and then... 1-2 free spaces. Less if you have a riven. 

I'm actually okayish with Galvanized mods (it requires the work of getting kills, it feels like it works with how I play, it means I don't always need Lethal Torrent) and where they are, but... it didn't change things that much.

[Teoarrk]

Technocyte Schism Part 5.2 -  Nightwave: Iliad's Bane

Hi there folks. Didn't think it'd take this long to come back, but here we are. Lets get into it.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 1

Declare, O Muse! In what Ill fated hour, Sprung the fierce strife, from what offended power. 

Iliad floating awful funny tonight Dreamers. Nora’s been watching it from her perch at Nightwave for a couple hours now. Chatter sounds like someone finally decided to take that metal tube out of the sky, ‘cept I don’t see no explosions. Thought it’d be one of y’all, ‘til I saw what was being carried on the winds. Tell me, what's ugly, red and flying at 20 clicks a second? I bet someone on Phobos knows, but I’ll skip the interview. 

*signal gets partially jammed*

????: We’ll pay you anything you want. Help us!

*signal returns to normal.*

Huh, wouldn’t you know, guess some Corpus bloodsucker does respect my eye. You heard them troublemakers, payday to collect.

Don’t spare the change.

Episode 2

 

If broken vows this heavy curse have laid, Let altars smoke and hetacombs be paid. 

Sergeant feeling a whole lot of love from the board today Dreamers. It almost make your aunty hurl hearin’ bureaucrat after dodgy bureaucrat spout all kinds of honours for keeping his sucker ship afloat. Lots of bad people aboard, but a lot o’ good too. Solaris been shacked up here, half the pay of Fortuna, but their debt gets wiped with them. Seems like someone deciding to be awful generous with the brush. Solaris distress call says that theres Infestation in the lower decks an’ no one out to help ‘em.

Ready to give the cleaning crew their 2 weeks notice?

 

Episode 3

O tyrant, arm'd with insolence and pride! Inglorious slave to interest, ever join'd with fraud, unworthy of a royal mind!

Hearts beating heavy tonight dreamers. Maybe it’s not knowing what's coming next, or knowing just enough to know exactly what will happen. Someone ratted out our boy in blue. Thought he was clever enough to keep it off the books, but what he didn’t keep off of was the flight ledgers. An engineer put two an’ two together and now we’re getting gear heads on the floor in four pieces. Shame, too, ‘cause they’re gonna need all hands on deck to stop the creatures that’ve been flooding the radar like a second sun.

Aunty knows ya'll chomping at the bit to fill in. Play nice.

Episode 4

A godlike race of heroes once I knew, Such as no more these aged eyes shall view! 

Situation down there’s a lot worse than it looks from up here, Dreamers. You’d think that ol’ Sarge would have some time to get dressed down on account of all your hard work. Ha, nothing so simple when infection takes hold. Ever see someone wait on a sickness thinkin’ any day it’ll get better? Seems medbay finding that out the hard way. If you don’t get down there, we’re gonna see that infection fixin’ on a new host.

Cut it out.

Episode 5

 

Destroy the aggressor, aid my righteous cause, Avenge the breach of hospitable laws!

Ever wonder what a bureaucrat with a couple fake stars pinned his chest does when he’s backed against a wall? See for yourself, Dreamers. Looks like Sarge is playing up himself as some kind of war hero, strutting tall with a gun on his arm, but inside he shaking more than a bag of Pobbers. My bird on the inside says there's something hunting him, for all his sins. Now ya’ll can sit back and watch, as I will do gladly here at Nightwave, or ruin the fun for one of ‘em. 

Which’ll it be Dreamers? The pencil pusher or the killer with nine eyes?

I’ll be watching.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gameplay

This Nightwave will have an episodic gameplay breakdown, so you will do different tasks every Episode.

Episode 1 - Engine Deck Clean up

Clear Injection tubes of hive nodules -think of this in a similar manner to Hive Sabotage. Follow the injection tubes, which will be highlighted, to see where hive nodules have formed and kill them.

Reroute power from other areas of the ship to close off contaminated areas. -Similar to Lua Rescue, this will require you to hack multiple terminals in sequence. 

Flush haze clouds from the deck air supply - Destroy blockages in the air filtration system and jettison infected absorption filters into space.

Episode 2 - Crew Deck Rescue

Repair hull breaches - Similar to Railjack repairs, you will be using an omni tool to seal up holes in the ship where infested burrowers entered.

Save fallen crew and take injured to escape pods - Think of this as a similar activity to Defection. Unlike Defection's Kavor, you will be able to pick up these Solarians and carry them to the escape pod. You won't be able to bullet jump, but can run as normal. The Solarian will equip your equipped secondary to give you covering fire. 3-5 will spawn per mission

Do not let Infested Melders get close to Solarians. - Infested Melders will be a similar situation to these devils, enemies that can infect Solarians and turn them into dangerous enemies. Solarians are about 70% metal with a fleshy brain piloting it. Not good in the hands of the enemy. These enemies will be highlighted and have similar defence modifiers to Disruption targets.

Keep Disruptor drones away from power lines. - A variant of the Ancient Disruptor will spawn in these missions called the Ancient Gorger, which can deploy Disruptor Drones that look like these critters. If they attack the power lines, the lights in the mission will go out, meaning players will have to coordinate by torchlight. Only one Gorger can spawn at a time. Electrical damage against them will heal them, so prepare accordingly. You will be informed of this before deploying.

Episode 3 - Gunnery Deck Repairs

 

Repair Magazine. - The infighting in the ship damaged parts of the magazine, making repairs necessary. Replace sabotaged ammunition and repair feeding mechanisms.

Train Targeting AI - The engineers threw the targeting governor off as a last resort to ensure their survival. Reboot the system and manually correct errors - picture it similar to this, but over a quadrant grid and done 3 times.

Keep the guns clear while they recharge. - The guns will be vulnerable to infested attacks while other repairs are underway. Repel them and seal infested burrower bore holes.

Kill the P1 Hydra - A giant infested monster. This one will split apart when it's weak points are destroyed, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces until a million infested slugs are being flung your way every second. Be strategic while taking on this boss and try to focus down pieces of the boss at a time to not be overwhelmed. You will have access to Corpus Torpedoes, laser batteries and a BFG, similar to dome launcher on the Railjack. Here is a visual demonstration of what it would be like to fight against it.

Episode 4 - Medical Deck Triage

Determine infected patients - Some of these will be fairly obvious, looking close to Leapers, while others will spasm violently when inspected, or not be able to talk. Put each of these into quarantine.

Kill Infected melders - They're back. Keep them away from patients.

Clear barricades and lead medics to escape pods. - The impromptu defence of the Medical Deck lead to the creation of obstacles for the Infested. Clear out the barricades and cover the Corpus doctors as they take their patients to escape pods. Don't worry, these will be on rails so this will be closer to Hijack than Defection.

Kill the Group of Nor. - These will be a group of 3 Infested Asclepi that will attack the Medical Deck at some point in the mission. You will know when they have arrived by a throaty warble and a transmission card. These enemies will be similar to the original J3 Golem - enemies that spread Gas clouds. 

Episode 5 - Bridge Showdown

Kill Phorid or The Sergeant - Both of these guys are pushovers at present, as previously discussed in this thread and among the community at large for a very long time. Therefore, this would be a perfect time to rework them.

Phorid:

• Fight changes:
  • Phorid will wander from room to room in a large, mazelike complex. When the players and Phorid meet, the room will be locked down. 
  • Phorid will not be health gated, but the number of hits that he can take before going down will be determined by the number of enemies he is facing.
  • Phorid cannot be affected by any form of cc or slow effects. 
• Aesthetic changes:
  • new model. The old one from 2013 is definitely showing its age now
• Mechanical changes:
  • Resistance to heat damage - this model is covered in dermal plating that looks similar to Warframe metal
  • greater vulnerability to corrosive damage.
  • critical resistance except at weak points - the fleshy parts of the model are obvious targets, while the rest of the model looks built for defence. 
  • Attacks deal guaranteed slash procs against enemies.
• Abilities:
  • Scream - This hallmark ability is too key to Phorid's identity to remove. However, some changes should be made to modernize it. 
    • Scrambles Minimap
    • Spawns clones of Phorid that persist for 10 seconds. These clones will not deal damage and take 200% damage from all sources.
    • Freeze Tenno in place for 2 seconds.
  • New Ability - Pounce - Jump at a Tenno, pinning them to the floor. There will be a 1 second window to attack Phorid with a melee before Phorid will claw at it's pinned target, dealing 10% True Damage a second. This can be disrupted by other players attacking any of its weak points. This ability will not be active in solo missions.
  • New Ability - Polyp Splinters - Phorids tentacles will periodically fire aoe projectiles that will fire at the floor. Anyone that stands in these will be stunned in an animation for 3 seconds and have to roll to not have 100 energy drained from their Warframe every 5 seconds.
  • New Ability - Twin Slice - Phorid lunges forward, unfurling both claws and slicing at a target, dealing 50% of a hit target's health as damage and an additional 25% of their health as Bleed over 5 seconds.  This attack will have a telegraphed windup, so be careful and pay attention to how close you are standing to the boss.

The Sergeant:

• Fight changes:
  • The Sergeant will successfully eject the Bridge Module, meaning the mission will include an Archwing section where you will chase the Bridge module to get close to your target.
  • The Sergeant will ambush you with long range shots taken from a second person point of view 2 times before his encounter begins. These shots will be fatal, but can be avoided by either dodging, or hiding behind cover.
  • The Bridge will look like the navigation room of the Dojo, but with a catwalk suspended 6 to 7 meters above the main floor and a further one 14 meters above the main floor. This will provide multiple levels for the boss to manoeuvre around during the fight.
  • The Sergeant will not be traditionally health gated. His shield going down will trigger abilities, but beyond this he can only take damage 10 times before being defeated. Therefore fast weapons are encouraged for the coup de grace. 
• Aesthetic changes: 
  • The Sergeant has very little that separates him from a standard crewman. We do not know that much about the Corpus military, but it would be safe to assume that given he is a key logistics coordinator for the Corpus that he would be a high ranking member of, if not leader of the military wing of one, or multiple Profit Guilds.
  • He is someone that collects trophies from his victims. Among his collection are several Warframes, which he proudly boasts about.
  • He is obsessed with Orokin Secrets.
  • Ergo, his design would take several of these elements into account.
    • We see with other Corpus military leaders, such as the Sisters and Vala Glarios that exposed faces and form fitting jumpsuits are common. Warpaint, tattoos, or hair tattoos are utilised as well. His left gauntlet could be plated in gold, similar to Parvos's golden hand. He could have some turquoise stones on his person to show his position in the Profit Guilds.
    • Token trinkets of Orokin origin should be part of his design. Perhaps he could have Tenno Sugatras hanging from the butt of his gun, or hanging from his belt.
    • With such an obsession, he could have his own guild branch set up specifically for the sake of furthering his goal. An insignia relaying this information could be displayed on his person. 
    • He is a decorated combatant, given his name. He could have kill markings, an extra pattern on his suit, or something similar to represent this.
    • Most of these changes would only be visible when the fight starts, as @keikogi suggested. Most detailing would be less brazen than the description entails.
• Abilities:
  • Cloak - This hallmark ability will stay, but with a twist. When The Sergeant activates it, the camera will switch to his perspective and he will change location. He will fire 3 times at players, or until the players are able to hit him, before the camera switches back to the players point of view.
  • Concussion Grenades - This grenades will slow down players in an area after an initial stagger for 6 seconds. All actions will be 50% slower and mobility will be reduced by 40%.
  • Shield Vampire - When his shield is broken, Shield Vampire Drones will spawn. These drones will fire Shield Vampires at players, which will slowly tick player shields down by 50 ever 3 seconds and grant 5000% of the drained shield value back to The Sergeant. Warframes without shields will lose 50 energy every 3 seconds.
  • Martial Training - The Sergeant will be able to parry and push away melee attackers, as well as knock players off their feet if they get too close to him.
  • Panic Button - The Sergeant can call in Crewmen and Proxy reinforcements throughout the fight.
  • Tactical Superiority - The Sergeant can mark one player. While marked, evasion will be reduced by 50 and enemy accuracy against the player will be increased by 30%.
  • Shield Link - The Sergeant will be able to combine the shields of all Corpus in the boss room to his total.

 

Final note for this section: The Nightwave campaign can be repeated after the Nightwave finishes so that players can obtain all rewards after the season ends.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rewards

Prestalist Tysis - This variant of the Tysis has a shockwave alt fire that will jam the weapons of enemies hit. Given to players that complete Episode 1's mission in 5 minutes or less.

Prestalist Phage - This variant of the Phage releases a pulse of bio-plasma when it has finished reloading that has infinite punch through. Given to players that complete Episode 2's mission without losing a single Solarian.

Prestalist Lysolect - This giant Infested organism ejects globules of potent chemicals that dissolve organisms from the inside out. Handle with care. Gas-Grenade style Archgun. Given to players that complete Episode 3's mission with more than 50% hull integrity.

Prestalist Torid - With this variant of the Torid, held shots explode, dealing their full damage over time instantaneously. Awarded to players that ensured no patients got infected by Infested Melders or Asclepi.

Prestalist Articularmis - This hefty war mace made of Infested bone and sinew drains the life of any foe before it has even struck. Awarded to players that assassinate Phorid or The Sergeant without going down once.

All Challenges complete - The Hex-Sided Key - Unlocks the quest "The Lasting Sin of Kathman".

Pileve Sugatra - Defeat The Sergeant

Maliaxma Sugatra - Defeat Phorid

Nightwave Rewards

Completing each Episode mission will give you 4500 reputation for a standard completion, with an additional 2500 on top for a completion that grants you the special reward.  Completing every reward and getting the Key will grant you an additional 7000 reputation. As with Seeded Fear, I will be using this template format for the Nightwave.

Spoiler

Notable Tier Rewards:

• Bane Creds - Seasonal Credit Reward
• Iliad's Bane Sigil - The Iliad surrounded by grasping claws
• Community Cosmetics - Themed after Corpus Tech that is slightly Infested.
• Orbiter Decoration - The communicator of chartered Corpus Engineer.
• K-Drive Scrawl - The Sergeant hiding behind Tenno that are shooting into claws with the caption: "Baby with Stars"
• 2x Amalgam Mods - Amalgam Rush - +20% sprint Speed, -15% Friction. Amalgam Hornet Strike - 200% damage, +20% Aim Glide Velocity.
• Special Season Cosmetic - Solarian Puzzle Box - Contains different messages of thanks when solved.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And finally, part 5 is done. 

Next time we will continue with part 6, The Lasting Sin of Kathman.

Till Then.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Teoarrk
edits made as suggested by @keikogi

[keikogi]

22 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

Repair hull breaches - Similar to Railjack repairs, you will be using an omni tool to seal up holes in the ship where infested burrowers entered.

Save fallen crew and take injured to escape pods - Think of this as a similar activity to Defection. Unlike Defection's Kavor, you will be able to pick up these Solarians and carry them to the escape pod. You won't be able to bullet jump, but can run as normal. The Solarian will equip your equipped secondary to give you covering fire. 3-5 will spawn per mission

Do not let Infested Melders get close to Solarians. - Infested Melders will be a similar situation to these devils, enemies that can infect Solarians and turn them into dangerous enemies. Solarians are about 70% metal with a fleshy brain piloting it. Not good in the hands of the enemy. These enemies will be highlighted and have similar defence modifiers to Disruption targets.

I like the idea off using the omini tool outside off the railhjack, Makes the game feel more conected. 

I also like the changes done to this version off deflection. Solves the waiting for npc walking problems and adding a meaninfull threat to the game mode. 

23 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

Fix targeting governor. - The engineers threw the targeting governor off as a last resort to ensure their survival. Reboot the system and manually correct errors - picture it similar to this, but over a quadrant grid and done 3 times.

Frankly speaking I thing the "Train targeting AI"would be a better call. the game could just use the exist assets off railjack guns and killing percents off enemies. The game could just use the % enemies you killed as your performace. 

23 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

Determine infected patients - Some of these will be fairly obvious, looking close to Leapers, while others will spasm violently when inspected, or not be able to talk. Put each of these into quarantine.

A rather unique game mode. It can go really well but small animation erros could ruin the experience since only the hard call would make or break the fun off the game mode. 

23 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

The Sergeant has very little that separates him from a standard crewman. We do not know that much about the Corpus military, but it would be safe to assume that given he is a key logistics coordinator for the Corpus that he would be a high ranking member of, if not leader of the military wing of one, or multiple Profit Guilds.

Weirdily enought I think not changing much his visual would make him stand out more from the rest off the bosses. Having him wih just a crewman suit with some fancy pants medals , trinkets and patern would make him stand out alot on the simple merit he just looks like a crew man. Having his suit being more off a sleeper ( not visually diferent from the comon crewman suit ). When the fight starts he could use a solid shield like amror to stand out on the fight like mass effect tech shie;ld 

But looking more like the dendra set in warrframe 

 

 

 

[Teoarrk]

On 2022-03-12 at 8:37 PM, keikogi said:

Frankly speaking I thing the "Train targeting AI"would be a better call. the game could just use the exist assets off railjack guns and killing percents off enemies. The game could just use the % enemies you killed as your performance. 

I wanted this moment to be a reverse to the 'destroy targeting governor' submission of assault, but base the time limit on player action than a fixed defence duration. The name can be better, I'll change it.

On 2022-03-12 at 8:37 PM, keikogi said:

A rather unique game mode. It can go really well but small animation errors could ruin the experience since only the hard call would make or break the fun off the game mode. 

It could be something like an I/O switch. Patients that are infected would move and 'healthy' patients would not.

On 2022-03-12 at 8:37 PM, keikogi said:

Weirdily enought I think not changing much his visual would make him stand out more from the rest off the bosses. Having him wih just a crewman suit with some fancy pants medals , trinkets and patern would make him stand out alot on the simple merit he just looks like a crew man. Having his suit being more off a sleeper ( not visually diferent from the comon crewman suit ). When the fight starts he could use a solid shield like amror to stand out on the fight like mass effect tech shie;ld 

I would like an updated model regardless of how it looks really. While he is unique for not standing out too much, he looks the same as he did in 2013, only he's not fighting in the snow anymore.

 

On 2022-03-12 at 8:37 PM, keikogi said:

But looking more like the dendra set in warrframe 

That is a good middle ground, 'battle mode' changes.

[Teoarrk]

Quickie: Thoughts on AotZ

Hey guys, been on a long hiatus for study reasons, but work on part 6 is ongoing. Thought I'd pop by and give my thoughts on the new quest in the meantime. For the sake of brevity, I'll give it as evaluative 'what went well', 'even better if' set of bullet points.

What went well:

• level 50-60 enemies - highest level enemies in a quest so far. I appreciated that because it meant that I had to avoid damage.
• Provided a tutorial on all game modes in the new content - for a short form quest with additional post content this is a good move.
• Progressed the Queen's plot for the first time in years. 

Even better if:

• A warning to players beforehand to use a different amp than the Mote and to apply focus points beforehand. I fought Kira stock with a Sirocco. It made the orb situation extremely frustrating.
• We had gotten time to know Kira before she turned to make her loss have more impact. A villain was necessary, but I also felt no investment in her beyond that.
• The quest did little to emphasize how important the easter egg hunt was. I am not a fan of the syndicate medallion hunt as I have stated previously, but it would be good to make the player aware of the fact that it is the core grind of the post quest content during the quest. I recognise that Kira dropped one such item during the quest, but we didn't see others in context unless we went looking for them.
• The quest had taken time to answer a bigger picture question. I am aware that the Zariman is plugging the hole so that wally doesn't come to visit, but I am wondering why wally is more free to do as he pleases, especially now there are more watchers for his movements than before. That is not to say I specifically wanted that question answered, only that it seems the most relevant to what is happening. 

Unless there are replies I won't post again until the quest is ready.

Til then.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Teoarrk

[keikogi]

2 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

The quest did little to emphasize how important the easter egg hunt was. I am not a fan of the syndicate medallion hunt as I have stated previously, but it would be good to make the player aware of the fact that it is the core grind of the post quest content during the quest. I recognise that Kira dropped one such item during the quest, but we didn't see others in context unless we went looking for them.

I did not really noticed that despite it being a glaring flaw. It also failed to introduce the whole summon void child to guide to plume nonsense. If they had showed that mechanic at least once on the quest it would have killed two birds with 1 stone

2 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

The quest had taken time to answer a bigger picture question. I am aware that the Zariman is plugging the hole so that wally doesn't come to visit, but I am wondering why wally is more free to do as he pleases, especially now there are more watchers for his movements than before. That is not to say I specifically wanted that question answered, only that it seems the most relevant to what is happening. 

Frankly spkeaking i did like wally did not make a huge aperance on this quest because it implies there more to the void than just wally. Makes the void like an ocean sure there a leviatan there trying to sink your boat but just the barnacles are enought. Regarless, I would find it neat it he apeared on the back ground like setaed on bench on the back ground during the quest, just watching , or he could apear on the tile set like he can appear on the orbiter. 

[(XBOX)Fluffywolf36]

On 2022-04-30 at 5:41 AM, Teoarrk said:

• level 50-60 enemies - highest level enemies in a quest so far. I appreciated that because it meant that I had to avoid damage.
•  

Concur'd. Feels good to do a quest and not feel like the gameplay is sort of window-dressing because I can tear through anything with my Sobek loaded for Depleted Bull****ium Buckshot and ridiculous Akvasto Prime riven build.

(New War gets a pass in this regard cause after hours of feeling like you're being hunted, like you're on the low end of the totem pole, it feels great to be able to kick ass again)

On 2022-04-30 at 5:41 AM, Teoarrk said:

• Provided a tutorial on all game modes in the new content - for a short form quest with additional post content this is a good move.

I read it as DE learning from the Deimos quest. See, I don't like going into the hub area first then doing the missions. It feels like being handed an instruction manual. Like "Here's these people, including that one you won't talk to, here's how missions work, here's a plot hook. Good? We good. Carry on."

But what the Deimos Quest and Angels of the Zariman do is you go into this mysterious place first, then you get introduced, and there's some kind of hook that makes you want to keep doing the missions, along with characters that actually interact with you in the mission as opposed to me just sort of forgetting Smokefinger is there and has a voice actor. It's really good for creating a sense of mystery, and I just loved how it felt to be thrown into this mysterious location dripping with atmosphere and also some pus, having no real context for how any of this works.

Also, because I mentioned Fortuna, now I want to make a Narmer kitgun barrel. That's for later though.

On 2022-04-30 at 5:41 AM, Teoarrk said:

• We had gotten time to know Kira before she turned to make her loss have more impact. A villain was necessary, but I also felt no investment in her beyond that.
•  

It did feel a bit weird that they wanted us to Feel for her (or at least about her) when she's just... sorta a prop, not unlike Tom from animorphs. Any void angel could be her, there's not even any voice lines, nothing that makes me think "there's some real tragedy here..."

...More coulda been done, yeah.

Like, you could've had us trying to fight the angel, and she acts kinda like Monica the Xenomorph from Aliens Fireteam in that she's way more durable. Or you could have a voice line where she says "Can you hear their chorus, ancient child? They're calling to us. It's the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear."

And at the last syllables of her voice, it gets more and more distorted and you hear the sounds of inhuman chanting or a choir or something.

On 2022-04-30 at 5:41 AM, Teoarrk said:

• The quest did little to emphasize how important the easter egg hunt was. I am not a fan of the syndicate medallion hunt as I have stated previously, but it would be good to make the player aware of the fact that it is the core grind of the post quest content during the quest. I recognise that Kira dropped one such item during the quest, but we didn't see others in context unless we went looking for them.
•  

Doesn't help that I was doing the timed exterminate mission, someone found one of the void whatevers, we all went back to get it...  and as a result we failed the mission. If I could make ANY single improvement, anything at all, to the exterminate one, it'd be giving it some tiers so there's a liiiittle more chance to succeed.

Also, a personal issue here - I felt like I didn't really have much context for what was wrong with the crew, why they were suddenly at risk of becoming Void Angels or something. It felt almost like it came out of nowhere in the last 20 minutes or so, and I guess because of me they're fine now?

I felt like I'd missed something.

[Unus]

10 hours ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Concur'd. Feels good to do a quest and not feel like the gameplay is sort of window-dressing because I can tear through anything with my Sobek loaded for Depleted Bull****ium Buckshot and ridiculous Akvasto Prime riven build.

(New War gets a pass in this regard cause after hours of feeling like you're being hunted, like you're on the low end of the totem pole, it feels great to be able to kick ass again)

I read it as DE learning from the Deimos quest. See, I don't like going into the hub area first then doing the missions. It feels like being handed an instruction manual. Like "Here's these people, including that one you won't talk to, here's how missions work, here's a plot hook. Good? We good. Carry on."

But what the Deimos Quest and Angels of the Zariman do is you go into this mysterious place first, then you get introduced, and there's some kind of hook that makes you want to keep doing the missions, along with characters that actually interact with you in the mission as opposed to me just sort of forgetting Smokefinger is there and has a voice actor. It's really good for creating a sense of mystery, and I just loved how it felt to be thrown into this mysterious location dripping with atmosphere and also some pus, having no real context for how any of this works.

Also, because I mentioned Fortuna, now I want to make a Narmer kitgun barrel. That's for later though.

It did feel a bit weird that they wanted us to Feel for her (or at least about her) when she's just... sorta a prop, not unlike Tom from animorphs. Any void angel could be her, there's not even any voice lines, nothing that makes me think "there's some real tragedy here..."

...More coulda been done, yeah.

Like, you could've had us trying to fight the angel, and she acts kinda like Monica the Xenomorph from Aliens Fireteam in that she's way more durable. Or you could have a voice line where she says "Can you hear their chorus, ancient child? They're calling to us. It's the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear."

And at the last syllables of her voice, it gets more and more distorted and you hear the sounds of inhuman chanting or a choir or something.

Doesn't help that I was doing the timed exterminate mission, someone found one of the void whatevers, we all went back to get it...  and as a result we failed the mission. If I could make ANY single improvement, anything at all, to the exterminate one, it'd be giving it some tiers so there's a liiiittle more chance to succeed.

Also, a personal issue here - I felt like I didn't really have much context for what was wrong with the crew, why they were suddenly at risk of becoming Void Angels or something. It felt almost like it came out of nowhere in the last 20 minutes or so, and I guess because of me they're fine now?

I felt like I'd missed something.

  As far as I can tell, coming fresh off the quest, the crew’s story is told as you unlock their syndicate trust system. 
 

  From where I am at the moment however, the Crew appears to be trapped in a sort of binary state between the world where they were hurled into the Void and one where they made it through alive but damaged. Utilizing their ability to think and act as sentient organisms in a tight-knit crew, they managed to keep together in the Void by forceing the reality that they survived through their actions.

 

  When the Zariman rebreached back into the reality where they all died rather then were lost adrift though, the overwhelming “facts of reality” that they died here began to crush them in the form of “The Song”.
 

   For the longest time, they were able to stave off the Void’s “correction” through their connection with one another, but, in the end, Kira succumbed to the pressure of “The Truth” and fell into a state of being more dead then alive rather then more alive then dead.

 

  With one member “dead-but-walking”, the crew’s ability to block out the truth started to fracture, further enforced by the newborn angel’s screams being the reminder that “Kira is gone”, inching ever closer to “We should all be dead.”.

 

  Fortunately, the Tenno, an actual survivor of the Zariman, receives the transmission intel from Lotus and arrives to the Kween’s men ramming on the doors of existence. Because they cheat the binary state by being alive in both worlds, the Tenno is something stable to latch onto, the “bright spot in the Void”. By being present, conversant, and, above all, of two worlds, the crew are renforced from where Kira fell, and, likely thanks to the Operator killing Kira, the crushing “Truth” was appeased a bit by the fact that Kira was a variable corrected to be dead, as they were suppose to be in Warframe’s mainline reality.

The closest I can get to an easy explanation is in the story of “Amnesia” overall, of the “Orbs” and the phenomena called “The Shadow” which is a manifestation of reality trying to erase anyone or anything that tries to interact with the orbs because the orbs aren’t suppose to exist according to the laws of existance. In here, “The Shadow” is “The Song In the Void”.

 

(PHEW, pardon me, I’m just gorging myself in Warframe material before bed to get my groove back after being sick, just HAD to lodge in my two cents.).

Edited May 2, 2022 by Unus

[Teoarrk]

Finally able to log in again. The forums have been very unstable recently. Just as well I'm editing on Google Docs and not here.

On 2022-04-30 at 2:01 PM, keikogi said:

I did not really noticed that despite it being a glaring flaw. It also failed to introduce the whole summon void child to guide to plume nonsense. If they had showed that mechanic at least once on the quest it would have killed two birds with 1 stone

I suppose its more my hatred of easter egg hunting being required gameplay speaking rather than it being a massive flaw. The kids should have been introduced though.

On 2022-04-30 at 2:01 PM, keikogi said:

Frankly speaking i did like wally did not make a huge aperance on this quest because it implies there more to the void than just wally. Makes the void like an ocean sure there a leviatan there trying to sink your boat but just the barnacles are enought. Regarless, I would find it neat it he apeared on the back ground like setaed on bench on the back ground during the quest, just watching , or he could apear on the tile set like he can appear on the orbiter. 

I like that line, that the barnacles are enough to sink the ship, let alone the whole leviathan. This quest does add a new dimension to the Void in that respect, I'm glad it's not just Wally and us representing the void as sentient entities.

On 2022-05-01 at 6:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Concur'd. Feels good to do a quest and not feel like the gameplay is sort of window-dressing because I can tear through anything with my Sobek loaded for Depleted Bull****ium Buckshot and ridiculous Akvasto Prime riven build.

(New War gets a pass in this regard cause after hours of feeling like you're being hunted, like you're on the low end of the totem pole, it feels great to be able to kick ass again)

Very true, New War taking all your power away was a huge departure. In a way though, I wouldn't have minded those Drifter moments being turned into a new game mode. 

On 2022-05-01 at 6:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

I read it as DE learning from the Deimos quest. See, I don't like going into the hub area first then doing the missions. It feels like being handed an instruction manual. Like "Here's these people, including that one you won't talk to, here's how missions work, here's a plot hook. Good? We good. Carry on."

But what the Deimos Quest and Angels of the Zariman do is you go into this mysterious place first, then you get introduced, and there's some kind of hook that makes you want to keep doing the missions, along with characters that actually interact with you in the mission as opposed to me just sort of forgetting Smokefinger is there and has a voice actor. It's really good for creating a sense of mystery, and I just loved how it felt to be thrown into this mysterious location dripping with atmosphere and also some pus, having no real context for how any of this works.

Also, because I mentioned Fortuna, now I want to make a Narmer kitgun barrel. That's for later though.

Very astute observation about setting design and I want to say deployment to the player. I will write this in my Marineris notes. 

I look forward to the Narmer Kitgun Barrel. Happy Belated Birthday btw. 

On 2022-05-01 at 6:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

It did feel a bit weird that they wanted us to Feel for her (or at least about her) when she's just... sorta a prop, not unlike Tom from animorphs. Any void angel could be her, there's not even any voice lines, nothing that makes me think "there's some real tragedy here..."

...More coulda been done, yeah.

Like, you could've had us trying to fight the angel, and she acts kinda like Monica the Xenomorph from Aliens Fireteam in that she's way more durable. Or you could have a voice line where she says "Can you hear their chorus, ancient child? They're calling to us. It's the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear."

And at the last syllables of her voice, it gets more and more distorted and you hear the sounds of inhuman chanting or a choir or something.

I would have liked more for sure.  I would even have gone as far as her being the face for the holdfasts, that we lose as the quest comes to its climax. 

Great line btw. If I decided to ever do-over the AotZ quest I would for sure go down that route. 

On 2022-05-01 at 6:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Doesn't help that I was doing the timed exterminate mission, someone found one of the void whatevers, we all went back to get it...  and as a result we failed the mission. If I could make ANY single improvement, anything at all, to the exterminate one, it'd be giving it some tiers so there's a liiiittle more chance to succeed.

Also, a personal issue here - I felt like I didn't really have much context for what was wrong with the crew, why they were suddenly at risk of becoming Void Angels or something. It felt almost like it came out of nowhere in the last 20 minutes or so, and I guess because of me they're fine now?

I felt like I'd missed something.

If I were to review all the new gamemodes, only Cascade gets a pass for finally using our movement tools. The others are eh at best. I do not like how unstable this patch was deployed and certainly how secondary objectives are now essentially primary objectives that you have to complete to pass the mission. If they are primary objectives, make them appear as such on the objective marker. 

The timed mission flag is especially annoying since it can fail a completed mission if you haven't extracted yet. That is an absolute failure of design.

The story of the crew does open up as you go up the tiers. Personally I would have preferred it being part of the quest since 5-6 lines of dialogue for 4 hours of work is not a fair trade. There are probably lots of written dossiers that could be given to the player instead of these micro stories and flesh out the story much better.

17 hours ago, Unus said:

From where I am at the moment however, the Crew appears to be trapped in a sort of binary state between the world where they were hurled into the Void and one where they made it through alive but damaged. Utilizing their ability to think and act as sentient organisms in a tight-knit crew, they managed to keep together in the Void by forceing the reality that they survived through their actions.

 

  When the Zariman rebreached back into the reality where they all died rather then were lost adrift though, the overwhelming “facts of reality” that they died here began to crush them in the form of “The Song”.
 

   For the longest time, they were able to stave off the Void’s “correction” through their connection with one another, but, in the end, Kira succumbed to the pressure of “The Truth” and fell into a state of being more dead then alive rather then more alive then dead.

 

  With one member “dead-but-walking”, the crew’s ability to block out the truth started to fracture, further enforced by the newborn angel’s screams being the reminder that “Kira is gone”, inching ever closer to “We should all be dead.”.

 

  Fortunately, the Tenno, an actual survivor of the Zariman, receives the transmission intel from Lotus and arrives to the Kween’s men ramming on the doors of existence. Because they cheat the binary state by being alive in both worlds, the Tenno is something stable to latch onto, the “bright spot in the Void”. By being present, conversant, and, above all, of two worlds, the crew are renforced from where Kira fell, and, likely thanks to the Operator killing Kira, the crushing “Truth” was appeased a bit by the fact that Kira was a variable corrected to be dead, as they were suppose to be in Warframe’s mainline reality.

The closest I can get to an easy explanation is in the story of “Amnesia” overall, of the “Orbs” and the phenomena called “The Shadow” which is a manifestation of reality trying to erase anyone or anything that tries to interact with the orbs because the orbs aren’t suppose to exist according to the laws of existance. In here, “The Shadow” is “The Song In the Void”.

 I think you have the story there, or at least close enough to it.

I figure thats why the crew talk so much of their guilt and wrongdoings - it's like they're in limbo, trying to atone for their sins. It's also the first time that we've had a character refer to religion other than the Vain Faith - Quinn thanking gods he doesn't believe to exist for our arrival. 

There is a lot in the little details. I feel like it's more what you as the player infer from it than the meat on the bones. 

As always Unus, great to hear from you and I look forward to your next post :).

Edited May 2, 2022 by Teoarrk

[keikogi]

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

suppose its more my hatred of easter egg hunting being required gameplay speaking rather than it being a massive flaw. The kids should have been introduced though.

its easy to do with max range xaku. Still a chore but a fast one. Throw in a mag 1 on the build and you shoud be able to reach daily limit on 2 or 3 exterminate runs 

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

I like that line, that the barnacles are enough to sink the ship, let alone the whole leviathan. This quest does add a new dimension to the Void in that respect, I'm glad it's not just Wally and us representing the void as sentient entities.

I really feel like having him on the front of this quest would detract. Overexposure. I think his bif apearance will be in duviri so just letting him on the back ground is better. However I think he should be  able to apear on the zariman even during missions, doing literally nothing idk just make a operator or drifer performing a narta on a room on the ship or something. 

[Teoarrk]

7 minutes ago, keikogi said:

its easy to do with max range xaku. Still a chore but a fast one. Throw in a mag 1 on the build and you shoud be able to reach daily limit on 2 or 3 exterminate runs 

I did use Xaku during the first 3 ranks, but now I can rank up with mission rewards, I just use whatever I feel like. It's more that I disliked what the game was asking of me rather than finding it difficult.

[(XBOX)Fluffywolf36]

On 2022-05-01 at 11:08 PM, Unus said:

  As far as I can tell, coming fresh off the quest, the crew’s story is told as you unlock their syndicate trust system. 

This is correct! To quote some doods from a discord I'm in, the Zariman was 'Turbofokked' . I don't know the specifics because I'm only at rank 2 and don't want to spoil it for myself or any of us, but I get the impression that with each rank up, I'm going to find a newer, more horrible part of the puzzle, like learning that the Zariman was genuinely intended to kill some of the colonists or something.

 

On 2022-05-01 at 11:08 PM, Unus said:

When the Zariman rebreached back into the reality where they all died rather then were lost adrift though, the overwhelming “facts of reality” that they died here began to crush them in the form of “The Song”. [snip]

 

I like that. Adds a lot of cosmic and existential horror here, and it just feels... natural somehow. Like a logical extension.  I've discarded this idea for now, but it reminds me of something that came to mind early in the quest for me. I found myself thinking "What if these aren't the actual people? What if they're just... archetypes with lots of memories from different sources, who think they were crewmembers?"

Congratulations, Unus, you've made me like the story EVEN MORE
YEAH BWOY

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

I suppose its more my hatred of easter egg hunting being required gameplay speaking rather than it being a massive flaw. The kids should have been introduced though.

On 2022-04-30 at 8:01 AM, keikogi said:

I... disagree with only half of this. I'm in agreement that I wish I'd gotten more warning that the easter eggs were extant and important. Like "There's fragments of void energy left discarded, Tenno, we need those for stuff. Be a dear and pick some up for us, you have your pick of the supplies if you bring them to us."

I don't mind the kids though, on the basis that it'd be really funny to catch people off guard if they don't see it coming, and it feels at least... kind intuitive. Press button, ghost kid yells "this way!" I learn all I need to.

Now if only the kids didn't glitch out, or take a long circuitous route that they maybe didn't need to...

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

Very true, New War taking all your power away was a huge departure. In a way though, I wouldn't have minded those Drifter moments being turned into a new game mode. 

On 2022-05-01 at 12:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

I find myself wondering if it wasn't a bit of a testbed for some of the changes we saw. I like that the Operators have abilities this go-around, cause it adds more abiities and functionality than just "Hey, use this to revive!" but some of the changes, like Void Sling and the removal of melee are just kinda 5head. I'm sure someone can get used to either of them, but I get really annoyed trying to play Kuva missions, expecting to punch the staff out of the Guardians hands, and then getting thrown back into Frame mode.

If they kept melee and void sling, I'd be WAY happier.

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

Very astute observation about setting design and I want to say deployment to the player. I will write this in my Marineris notes. 

I look forward to the Narmer Kitgun Barrel. Happy Belated Birthday btw. 

On 2022-05-01 at 12:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Also, I know I did a good enough job at summarizing it the first time, but the most concise way I can describe it is:

"The first two open-world quests give you all the answers, but Deimos and AoZ make you ask questions first."

...Especially AoZ cause you have so little context for what all this stuff that vaguely reminds you of SCP-1329 is. Also, I think I have an idea of how I want the kitgun to look.

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

I would have liked more for sure.  I would even have gone as far as her being the face for the holdfasts, that we lose as the quest comes to its climax. 

Great line btw. If I decided to ever do-over the AotZ quest I would for sure go down that route. 

On 2022-05-01 at 12:51 PM, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

Oooh, that's a great idea. We could see the silver portions slowly swirling all over her, writhing like snakes... and then holes would open up in her body. Just, like, a smooth circular hole in her mouth, as she mentally breaks down. It'd give a lot more of a sense of doom and urgency.

Also, I took the first half of the line from Resistance 2 and just kept writing from there lol.

On 2022-05-02 at 5:34 PM, keikogi said:

I really feel like having him on the front of this quest would detract. Overexposure. I think his bif apearance will be in duviri so just letting him on the back ground is better. However I think he should be  able to apear on the zariman even during missions, doing literally nothing idk just make a operator or drifer performing a narta on a room on the ship or something. 

I concur. Wally hasn't done much, and we've already made him into a quasi-joke. And take it from a dood that was once part of a project that had the villain spending maybe a bit too much time cackling maniacally on their throne, it's real easy to stop taking the villain seriously that way.

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

do not like how unstable this patch was deployed

Aaaaaaaaamen to that brotha. Extraction was broken for a couple days after update for me, and I was piiiiiiiiiissed. 

 

On 2022-05-02 at 4:12 PM, Teoarrk said:

I figure thats why the crew talk so much of their guilt and wrongdoings - it's like they're in limbo, trying to atone for their sins. It's also the first time that we've had a character refer to religion other than the Vain Faith - Quinn thanking gods he doesn't believe to exist for our arrival. 

 

That's some intriguing worldbuilding - in addition to being genuinely funny that they're so concerned with their sins, cause they're kind of uuuuhhhh.... dead.

[keikogi]

6 minutes ago, (XBOX)Fluffywolf36 said:

concur. Wally hasn't done much, and we've already made him into a quasi-joke. And take it from a dood that was once part of a project that had the villain spending maybe a bit too much time cackling maniacally on their throne, it's real easy to stop taking the villain seriously that way.

the absoluty state of wally 

 

[Teoarrk]

Quickie - Updates and you: how to make Duracell jealous

Quest is getting closer now. I found myself in a block because of the quest and the implications, but now that I've completed the reputation and gone past disappointment with the release into a middling 'oh, so thats what this was all about' mood, I wanted to briefly talk about player retention systems and their affects on metrics. 

Chapter 1 - The Good

Everything else aside, the end rewards for most syndicates are fairly useful and a good boon for time put in. 

The Relay Syndicates have numerous weapons, augments and now cosmetics for purchase. The Arcanes, Kitguns, Zaws, Amps and Necramechs on offer have changed and shaped the meta of the game several times in the past years.

 

Chapter 2 - The Bad

Blizzard Entertainment has been a big mover and shaker in terms of what live service and MMO games try to use to keep players invested. This includes introduction of new systems that require daily input for your character to be at maximum power. This of course means that people that cannot log on every day for x amount of time required to fulfil all of these system requirements fall behind. Warframe plays to a similar carrot and stick methodology, with most of the more advanced content locked behind progressing either in a syndicate or starchart use. With the new galvanised and Steel Path items, players that have not completed, or at least participated in them are at an inherent disadvantage. 

This is not a healthy design, for the players or the game. Returning players being told to grind or pay their way to get to new content can and will choose a third option - quit.

 

Chapter 3- The Ugly

No single player is being forced to play the game until a reputation is complete, that much is true. But as shown by the graph above, a significant number of people like to race to the end as fast as possible. Similar humps in player numbers are common in all live service games after a patch, thats just a fact of the industry, but as the hype for the reputation dies down and the weapons and Warframe become another tool in the arsenal, the question becomes what do I do now?

 

Chapter 4 - Broader than Broadway

Deep Rock Galactic helped give me perspective on something Warframe might have missed with these systems: It should never feel like a race to beat a timer, as it does with a reputation system with a daily standing limit. Given my previous comments, I will sound like a hypocrite for saying this, but as much as I hate the syndicate medallion treasure hunt, it lets you surpass the daily limit.

The daily limit should be removed and for one simple reason - it means that people will gain reputation at their own pace, rather than feeling they are not using their time efficiently by not doing the latest content. The daily limit metric gives people a goal to reach by reset time, not a guideline or a suggestion, a goal. It also gets in the way of players that simply cannot log on every day to meet their quota.

If you cannot do that, then at least put some of the rewards in a different syndicate. There are now 17 syndicates in the game, which is crazy high for any game to balance, but gives at least some leeway on where items can be. 

On the complete other end of the spectrum, Deep Rock Galactic only has one syndicate- similar to a Nora Night system except you gain reputation no matter what you do, only gaining bonus reputation from completing given tasks. Don't like a given task? You can swap it out for a random new one. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There is more nuance to the situation than presented here, I am well aware of it. I just feel like the graph as shown on the top of the post is not what DE and it's shareholders want to see after months of work.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by Teoarrk

[keikogi]

7 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

The daily limit should be removed and for one simple reason - it means that people will gain reputation at their own pace, rather than feeling they are not using their time efficiently by not doing the latest content. The daily limit metric gives people a goal to reach by reset time, not a guideline or a suggestion, a goal. It also gets in the way of players that simply cannot log on every day to meet their quota.

Being there at the day it was stabilshed ( the reputation limit) , I pretty sure it was first implemented it to stop people rushing the new sindicate on the first day. At beggining there where no rep caps on the first sindicates that reliaed on the the affinity system but people figured out a way to make thousand of rep in minutes by abusing the mutiplier mess that is warframe. 

using my youtube necromancy ability 

24 k in 10 minutes when a greedy pull was worth like 50 plat 

But i wish devs where just sincere its there to be a time gate just make funnel issue. Just make me have my rep pool and the sydincate just gets a maximum of 1 k per hour ( automatically)  so i get the same 24 k a day but i dont have to log in every day and click 10 buttons and log off.

7 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

f you cannot do that, then at least put some of the rewards in a different syndicate. There are now 17 syndicates in the game, which is crazy high for any game to balance, but gives at least some leeway on where items can be. 

I had not even realized they were that many since ther like 4 you remenber exist dayly. Vent kids cry in the corner. 

7 hours ago, Teoarrk said:

On the complete other end of the spectrum, Deep Rock Galactic only has one syndicate- similar to a Nora Night system except you gain reputation no matter what you do, only gaining bonus reputation from completing given tasks. Don't like a given task? You can swap it out for a random new one. 

Going to have a look at deep rock , a lot of people say its good . 

[Teoarrk]

48 minutes ago, keikogi said:

Being there at the day it was stabilshed ( the reputation limit) , I pretty sure it was first implemented it to stop people rushing the new sindicate on the first day. At beggining there where no rep caps on the first sindicates that reliaed on the the affinity system but people figured out a way to make thousand of rep in minutes by abusing the mutiplier mess that is warframe. 

I remember being busy during the months that greedy pull really took off, but what a nutty thing it was.

49 minutes ago, keikogi said:

I had not even realized they were that many since ther like 4 you remenber exist dayly. Vent kids cry in the corner. 

Vent Kids not getting Yareli in their rep pool was a shame.

50 minutes ago, keikogi said:

But i wish devs where just sincere its there to be a time gate just make funnel issue. Just make me have my rep pool and the sydincate just gets a maximum of 1 k per hour ( automatically)  so i get the same 24 k a day but i dont have to log in every day and click 10 buttons and log off.

I genuinely think that there should be a 'lend lease' minigame with some of the syndicates - we have the tech to arm an army in our ship (I'm gonna stop there else I will write out a full post)

Theres so many ways to do it.

52 minutes ago, keikogi said:

Going to have a look at deep rock , a lot of people say its good . 

check dms.

[keikogi]

10 minutes ago, Teoarrk said:

genuinely think that there should be a 'lend lease' minigame with some of the syndicates - we have the tech to arm an army in our ship (I'm gonna stop there else I will write out a full post)

Theres so many ways to do it.

That would definitely be cool and would be  use for the hundtreds of useless weapons setting around on the orbiter. 

BTW have you seen this

The part that interests me 

Additionally, we’re reviewing the possibility for new Operator Arcanes that have direct interactions with Overguard and are planning on adding an additional Arcane Slot for Amps.

just why ? Can't a mechanic just work on this god forsaken game. Why everything has to be a mod or arcane and you reach the point of choosing what core mechanics you can live without 

also no word on rebalancing early level eximus enemies 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by keikogi

[Teoarrk]

I saw it. I think it's a dumb move and shouldn't be the conclusion they come to.

It certainly won't be enough to help people that are in a place where they'll really struggle with eximuses.

The only thing that interested me in that kettle of fish was the Operator arcane slot. That I can get behind. Everything else is a bandaid for people that either shouldn't need it, or will quit before they reach it.

[keikogi]

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

saw it. I think it's a dumb move and shouldn't be the conclusion they come to.

Is just the good old there a mod for that mentality showing its ugly head on operator to a far deeper degree. Even after the whole vacuum controversy and all the data they had and showed ( vacuum was just something players would take over just about everything) they refused to make it universal.

They would rather break the flimsy balance of everything that uses an amp as required dps check than just make the Amps do % damage to overguard. Literally all they had to do was to make Amps do % damage to overguard depending on the model. That's it

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

certainly won't be enough to help people that are in a place where they'll really struggle with eximuses.

The players that don't have the kind of dps that just doesn't care about overguard is precisely the player that won't have rank 5 rep on the new syndicates. It's literally a solution that helps nobody because you either can fix the problem with your normal gun or you can't buy the arcane

1 hour ago, Teoarrk said:

The only thing that interested me in that kettle of fish was the Operator arcane slot. That I can get behind. Everything else is a bandaid for people that either shouldn't need it, or will quit before they reach it.

I really thing they need better mobility ( idk some fancy pants corpus flying boots , idk the name of comba thingy ) and a frontal block mechanic to be able to survive properly on the game. They also would get 4 slots for arcanes so they are not so far behind the warframe in the number off buff they Cann carry into battle ( roughly comparing a arcane slot to a mod slot )

The other thing they need is the return of the Drifter tools as cycle skill for the operator on the 3 slot. Also give these tools a incarnoon system so thebplayer can juice then up without the need of mod.

For example

Allow the player to add either a damage buff or energy regen buff to the heal juice

Give the radar some sonar like properties or make it materialize void hound that works as better golden instinc ( like the operators that guide the player to stuff on the zariman ).

Give the invibility bomb the ability to conceal the frame on its original blast radius or increase it radius and give it a  blind 

 I find it odd that the Drifter tool kind of just vanish after the quest even when the healing juice is just universally useful . Also the cooldwon system ( as long as there no 1 minutes cooldown ) is perfect for the tag in nature of the operator since it can just be nlows its cds and tag out.

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by keikogi