A thread about early game Warframe Aquisition

[Redphienix]

Summary:

-Acquiring warframes in the warframe game with warframes in it is opaque without guidance directing new players towards assassination missions and thoroughly explaining the /hows/ of going about getting it done.

-Add clarity with an inbox message from Ordis/Lotus directing players to fight assassination missions (Specifics mentioned in proposed solution)

-Upon first completion of the up-to-3 (proposed solution etc) assassination mission nodes you will be sent a follow up inbox message congratulating and granting the player all 4(or 3) BPs for the relevant warframe, optionally some resources, and a warframe slot.

-Crafting the parts and frame itself should be granted a 1 time speed buff similar to quest items, 1 min per etc, anything that isn't 12 hours followed by 3 days.

-New players, without relying on searching the internet for explanations or being guided by an already experienced friend, now reasonably have up to 4 frames to play with assuming they put in the effort to reach and complete all the "starter" assassination nodes, feel invested in the game, and are less likely to give up because they've put 20 hours in and are still playing excal. (no intended shade to my boy excal)

-All future attempts of these assassination missions, as well as any other assassination mission, is unchanged. Initial loot of mission is also unchanged. All of this would be tied to inbox messages as a "new player catch up / clarity of gameplay loop / build investment" directive.

 

Perceived Issue:

The new player experience has been a funky thing for years now, and a lot of that is difficult to improve as it's a side effect of the game growing so large, being F2P with intentionally opaque features, and just plain old time.

But One aspect that I recognize is unlikely to change, but I truly believe would be beneficial to the health of the game and convincing players to stick with it, would be early game warframe acquisition.

 

The fact of the matter is, if you know what you're doing you can get frames very quickly. If you don't, you won't, and new players don't.

Between the newest "I tried warframe and here's what happened" videos that come out every couple months or talking with multiple friends who tried warframe without my assistance at a previous date, putting decent amounts of hours in and still being stuck on your starter is rather common, and I don't believe this is healthy for retention.

So, the arguments being presented are that some clarity is needed in showing new players how to acquire frames "the normal way" (many are getting confused with things like Vauban in nightwave and are failing to realize that most frame acquisition is just through boss fights in assassination nodes), and that the new player experience could do for a slight acceleration in getting a slightly bigger foothold than just their "one starter frame".

 

Proposed Solution:

To begin with, after Vor's Prize players should be given a message from Ordis/Lotus that effectively tells the player that many bosses around the starchart are in possession of the parts necessary to revive long lost warframes and that players should be on the lookout for Assassination nodes. Understandably, a lot of players will skip through this, but putting the idea out there is still useful for those that don't skip this text.

I am recommending that up to 3* of the earliest assassination nodes, that are not for starter frames**, should grant new players a follow up congratulation message from Ordis/Lotus upon first completion.

In that message Ordis/Lotus should state that the following was recovered from the wreckage of their latest mission:
All 4 BPs for the relevant warframe (or 3 and direct players to purchase the main BP with credits from market, useful information and directs to market)
(Optionally) A care package of resources relevant to crafting the particular warframe
One Warframe Slot***

Following this message a marker should be placed on the foundry and basic instructions to craft a warframe shown. The crafting for all 3 components and the final warframe should be highly accelerated much like quest items are, 1 min a pop sort of situation for this singular crafting session.

This will be a one time reward for each of these 3* assassination nodes. The node itself will reward its normal rewards and repeat runs will remain unchanged- if they want 2 (or more) of the frame they will have to put in the work.

 

* I am personally recommending
Rhino (Venus) - He's already the frame all new players are told to farm by experienced players, and Venus is one of the earliest locations players are apt to explore. They are, more often than not, already going to be farming this guy, I think making him a "pseudo starter" with this acceleration mechanic would be a kindness.
Hydroid (Earth) - I primarily include Hydroid because he fills a potential "pitfall" new players can fall into. In the event a new player decides that their form of progression requires them to beat every node on each planet before moving on, Hydroid's freebie status would help guarantee this type of player sees and benefits from this acceleration mechanic relatively early into their playthrough.
Frost (Ceres) - Skipping over Excal and Mag's acquisition locations, next I recommend Ceres as one of the earliest nodes accessed and being a fairly well "positioned" planet to place the "final" freebie acceleration frame in terms of game-time necessary to reach and complete. By the time players get to Ceres and are given their Frost it should feel like they've made a decent step into the game, with this being a nice final sendoff to start their actual grinds.

In the event that DE is willing to "move" some warframe drop locations, I would personally recommend that Earth, Venus, and Mars are chosen as locations for these "freebie" frames (instead of Ceres).

 

** I believe the starter frame decision should still feel like it mattered to new players and that both Excal and Mag (since Volt is dojo) should retain their normal assassination node pacing with no "acceleration" message from Ordis/Lotus. IE: No change. Fight the boss, get the RNG drop, eventually make it, it just plain works 👍

 

*** I recognize the controversy of offering one of the earlier "payment enticing" resources in this, but I believe this to be part of building good will with your new players as well as allowing them to "play the game" with their new frames instead of immediately running them into the wall of paying plat for slots. They already have to hit that wall for weapons and will already have to do that for frames after this good will period is up- I think 3 more slots earned via this method would overall benefit retention and subsequent purchases, not dissuade it.

 

Reasoning:

It's no secret that the warframes themselves are a big selling point to the game's gameplay identity, but the currently opaque nature of acquisition leads many new players to start the game, choose a frame they end up disliking, and then find themselves stuck in that frame for far too many hours until they eventually give up and go find a different game to play.

Starting the game and being "gifted" (effectively) a Rhino a couple hours in would do a lot for sparking lasting interest- doing so again a couple hours later with say Hydroid would do it again etc all while showing the player what the gameplay loop of getting a frame "kinda looks like" with them now understanding "Go for assassination nodes, build these parts, have fun" to be the dynamic.

Once they tackle the nodes that reward either Excal or Mag and realize they weren't given a freebie, the dots should connect for themselves on why that's the case, with these being starter frames you would already understand that a decision was made and you will have to work to acquire them since you passed on the easy option (also it'd be weird to make them freebies when volt is in the dojo but I digress).

But since good will was already shown, realizing later content will fall under "grind it or buy it" they should feel more understanding of how things work and not like they were put through the ringer of boredom for the crime of trying warframe as a new player.

 

Reasoning part 2 economic boogaloo:

While "frustration" purchases are no doubt a thing for some new players, I am skeptical of their retention after being "tricked" as they may put it, into a purchase.

I personally find that my friends were more interested in investing money into the game only after they found "the fun", and "the fun" often begins to show itself once your arsenal is able to actually diversify beyond the bare essentials of the current starter options.

Showing new players slightly more good will and slightly more direction and transparency on game mechanics (warframe acquisition) than is currently being shown would put new players in a much better spot "fun wise".

Also, they will feel more invested.

Starting warframe, putting 20 hours in, and having 1 frame to your name feels like a good stopping point because the needle isn't moving.

Playing for say 6 hours and already having a few frames under your belt and suddenly you think "I should play that some more tomorrow, maybe I'll buy that new frame on the login page?". etc etc

 

Closing nonsense:

In truth, it's been this way so long I haven't much of an expectation here.

Many changed have come and gone to attempt to improve the new player experience, but more often than not the end result still remains "Get a friend to help you or be lost and give up"

I would like to see it improved, but as I mentioned earlier, it's such a complex issue of multiple moving parts that I couldn't begin to say how to miraculously make it perfect.

But I do still believe expanding the new game experience with a little more good will via "pseudo starter" warframes being handled this way would be a general improvement. One I believe would assist in giving new players more of the fun available in warframe while encouraging them to keep digging deeper (retention) for the 50+ frames of fun they still haven't seen.

So I drop my statement here and leave my hopes and wishes on display, thank you for your time.