Void Storms - i think they could be more "Void" and have more "flow"

[(PSN)Unstar]

I've been doing more Void Storm missions to try to accumulate keys.  Mechanically, I haven't been enjoying them very much because it seems like the Void Storm "modifier" to the mission is randomly taking large amounts of damage.

But perhaps more important than whether the mission is enjoyable to me (as a subjective individual), I realized that random white explosions don't feel very "Void".  I still remember watching the TennoCon trailer when the concept of Void Storms as an in-game thing were first teased: the Void Storm rolled in, and suddenly it was Duviri Paradox.  Which isn't to say it has to be Duviri Paradox or anything close to it, but rather that the Void Storm doing something weird is part of what made it make sense as a Void Storm.  If the current Void Storms were renamed Electrical Storms or Energy Storms, it would feel like the name fit just as well (if not more) because there doesn't seem to be anything Void Storms do that is very "Void".  Which seems like a waste, because the Void is one of the most compelling parts of Warframe.

So my feedback would be that the Void Storms should at least not only be dangerous (I leave it to your discretion to decide whether random explosions belong there), but that they should also be weird.  Maybe that means that randomly Radiation procs happen like in sorties.  Maybe it means randomly any proc happens?  For absolutely no reason, you are on fire now, you are frozen now, etc.  Maybe colors invert for 10 seconds, maybe audio entirely stops for 10 seconds.  There could be other things too, but I want to be conservative with my suggestions since I know developing more significant weird mechanics might require an unrealistic time investment.  But hopefully adding something more than explosions would make the Void Storms feel like they earned the "Void" part of their name.

My only other critique would be that it would be nice if Void Storms weren't so constant.  The idea of a Void Storm having a sort of organic ebb and flow to it would be nice.  For example, if the Void Storm existed in specific geometric volumes that slowly moved through the level (even if these volumes occupied 90% of the level), then having small short windows where you could sort of "take a breath" and prepare to push deeper would give a bit more rhythm to the missions instead of them always feeling like you're in the thick of it.  An easier development approach might be to have the Void Storms "turn off" randomly for 5-10 seconds so that the intensity can settle for a moment before kicking back in again at full force.

Thanks for reading and considering my vibe-based feedback!  Have a good one!

[DaraSilverDragon]

Oh, fine, take my +1 then
yeah, this was a point of contention with me as well - whatever happened to "Reality is about to invert and grow teeth", Cy?

Now, I don't hold the initial release against DE - they were just getting it into the game, putting it in player's hands so that we can have the feature before it's in its final stage, as they always have
But like... it's been a while now, void storms have been out... has there really been no call for a dev workshop post to say 'by the way, we're thinking of upcoming changes to Void Storm missions, don't expect them to stay just damage bursts forever'? I don't expect them to do anything about it yet, especially not with tennocon right around the corner, but it would be nice if they could say something about it.