Espionage, anyone?

[xXAetherNoxXx]

[If this isn't the appropriate place for this topic, please let me know and I will delete this and move it to it's proper location.]

I love Warframe. I love spy missions. I hate the fact that they've become so easy. I crave something different. Does this sound familiar to you?

There is nothing wrong with spy missions in warframe. In fact, spy is probably my favorite game mode, from a concept standpoint. I love stealth missions in video games, what can I say? However, I feel like spy in it's current state is a bit... outdated? I just don't feel like the game utilizes it's stealth mechanics nearly enough. This suggestion, if implemented, might work towards fixing that! Imagine, for a moment, a stealth mission that is actually challenging. Allow me to present; Espionage.

The mission: infiltrate an enemy encampment or stronghold, completely undetected, and steal valuable information from a MOVING target. Staying near them, say 20m, would be all that's required, but you HAVE to stay near them in order to download the data. This target would be carrying a computer device to a destination, and if they reach it before the download is complete, the mission ends in failure. If you are caught AT ALL, where enemies alter their normal patrols or enter alert status, the mission ends in failure. Along the path that this target walks will be random secondary objectives that are time sensitive, perhaps the standard spy vaults that you have to hack before the target moves on to the next section of the map. These secondary objectives will be optional, but will provide extra items of increasing value for each one you complete.

Optionally, maybe this game mode would force players to use their operators/drifters, leaving them without a warframe for it's duration. Maybe the target faction figured out a way to force tenno out of their warframes (like the grineer enemies on the zariman, or orphix, but for an entire base). This would add much higher challenge to the mission, since tenno have no way of becoming invisible for extended periods of time (several minutes, like some warframes can), and thus players would have to get creative when trying to stealth their way through the mission. This might also allow room for alternate tenno play-styles, similar to the drifter during the new war quest. Maybe this would bring that exact play-style back? Like I said, though, this is all optional, and I feel like this gamemode would still work wonders with warframes enabled. Maybe the two could both exist, where some nodes force operators/drifters, and other nodes allow warframes, similar to crossfire exterminate/spy/sabotage, or mirror defense for that matter.

This whole idea probably needs some more discussion to work out some of the kinks I'm not thinking of at the time of writing this, but I think this is something a LOT of people might want in the game.

[quxier]

1 hour ago, xXAetherNoxXx said:

[If this isn't the appropriate place for this topic, please let me know and I will delete this and move it to it's proper location.]

I love Warframe. I love spy missions. I hate the fact that they've become so easy. I crave something different. Does this sound familiar to you?

You know why spies became easy? 2 (major) things:

a) we have better tools - even some little bit overpowered

b) we learn how to bit certain levels

 

As for a), one of your solution is to exclude or nerf our tools. However I don't think it's good. Sure, one time Kahl mission is ok. Doing it on repeat is not. At least not for everyone

 

As for b), I think it's good aspect of game. At first you are bad at it. Playing it can make you better at it (so potentially faster). You find faster routes or ways to do stuff. Or you find some ability to make it even more faster. Stuff like this is how proper game should work.

Your solution might be some kind of time gate - like you suggested slower Operator walking stealthily around some enemy. Sure, that's sound interesting... but for one time mission. Doing it over and over would be horrible experience. Nature of warframe is doing something over and over. You should have at least some power to make it faster. 

[(XBOX)Big Roy 324]

We should probably temper this with the fact that the Namer stealth section in the New War is considered to be too much for many warframe players.

 

[xXAetherNoxXx]

1 hour ago, (XBOX)Big Roy 324 said:

We should probably temper this with the fact that the Namer stealth section in the New War is considered to be too much for many warframe players.

 

Do you mean that many players didn't like it? The same could be said for many of the mission types already in the game. Not all of the content of the game is for everybody. The upcoming new gamemode Deep Archimedia for example will probably not be for me or other players like myself. Does that mean they won't add it? No, it just means that not everyone will enjoy it, and that's okay. All the more reason to add newer, more diverse missions that cater to other types of players, which would be a very good reason to add this game mode, or one like it.

[Pakaku]

6 hours ago, xXAetherNoxXx said:

The mission: infiltrate an enemy encampment or stronghold, completely undetected, and steal valuable information from a MOVING target. Staying near them, say 20m, would be all that's required, but you HAVE to stay near them in order to download the data. This target would be carrying a computer device to a destination, and if they reach it before the download is complete, the mission ends in failure. If you are caught AT ALL, where enemies alter their normal patrols or enter alert status, the mission ends in failure. Along the path that this target walks will be random secondary objectives that are time sensitive, perhaps the standard spy vaults that you have to hack before the target moves on to the next section of the map. These secondary objectives will be optional, but will provide extra items of increasing value for each one you complete.

Spy vaults can be fun in the sense that they're more of an obstacle course that can be a challenge to speedrun without the typical cheats like invisibility or ciphers. This just sounds extremely slow and boring in comparison.

 

6 hours ago, xXAetherNoxXx said:

Optionally, maybe this game mode would force players to use their operators/drifters, leaving them without a warframe for it's duration.

You can't overhaul a base mission type with a mechanic unlocked mid-game. Maybe Zariman Spy would allow it.

[xXAetherNoxXx]

35 minutes ago, Pakaku said:

You can't overhaul a base mission type with a mechanic unlocked mid-game. Maybe Zariman Spy would allow it.

I never said it had to be a gamemode unlocked prior to new war (or the war within, for that matter). This gamemode I'm proposing would be a brand new type of gamemode, not an overhaul, so nodes for it can appear, as you stated, from Zariman and later (in the story).

[(XBOX)Big Roy 324]

18 hours ago, xXAetherNoxXx said:

Do you mean that many players didn't like it? The same could be said for many of the mission types already in the game. Not all of the content of the game is for everybody. The upcoming new gamemode Deep Archimedia for example will probably not be for me or other players like myself. Does that mean they won't add it? No, it just means that not everyone will enjoy it, and that's okay. All the more reason to add newer, more diverse missions that cater to other types of players, which would be a very good reason to add this game mode, or one like it.

I would say didn't like it is an understatement. Basically anything in this game that requires a true methodical approach.  Or tactics beyond the mods you throw in your loadout is asking too much of players. Anything that turns off a players ability to trivalize the content is generally looked down upon and complained about.

Not saying I don't like your idea.  I just don't see how the juice would be worth the squeeze in DE's eyes.

The Deep Archimedia game mode isn't a good comparison in my opinion because it's actually answering two big issues with the current playerbase.

More difficult and engaging content beyond Steel Path (The illusive True Endgame). Along with the rewards that justify the challenge. 

What you are suggesting would require massive rewards to justify the time spent.  Which would simply result in calls to change it to something more similar to what we are currently doing with Spy and Rescue Missions now. 

Content we can trivialize with the tools the game provides or take slow if we desire that sort of thing. 

Edited March 6 by (XBOX)Big Roy 324
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