An Open Letter To The Creators Of Warframe

[ensignvidiot]

Digital Extremes,

 

 

     I would like to begin with a Thank You. You have created a Community and a Game that fills the void that has been left in my Gamer's Heart from MMOs flopping left and right. You have been attentive to the needs and desires of the community, and you have created a new FREE online experience that I have enjoyed pouring hours upon hours into.  My little sister found the game, and brought me and a few of our friends into the game. We’ve since created a Shadow Clan, and have been delving head-first into every content patch you give us.

 

     With that said, I am worried about you as a team.

 

     You are currently suffering from what I’m going to call, Minecraft syndrome: You’ve received so much publicity during the Beta phase of your game, and now you are forced into balancing keeping a Booming community happy, while finishing your game. Due to the sandbox nature of Minecraft, it was able to weather the storm with little issue. Warframe, however, doesn’t have that luxury to fall back on. You are trying to take a Marathon at a Sprint Pace, and push out as much content as fast as possible all while changing the system and the core mechanics of the game towards the final goal of a finish Product.

 

     Please, slow down. I can see that you believe you are drowning, and need to put pieces of content out constantly too keep yourself above water. But I feel you need to take a week or two, and swim to shore. Breathe, patch all of the holes on the ship you currently have, and then set sail once again. Make that foundation, the Keel of your Ship, rock solid before you venture onward.

 

     I’m not sure how many people exactly you have working on Warframe, but even if you have the man power you need you don’t need to sail alone. There is an entire community of people eagerly wishing they could help you with the game, and everyone one of us would just like to know that you do read, and you know we are here. Between the people finding bug after bug and making video/gifs/screens shots of each one, and the people discussing radical changes and fixes you have a large knowledge pool to draw extra resources from.

 

     With that said, you are forgetting one HUGE resource you have: Your Players. Yes you collect data, yes you look at the logs, but you don’t ask anything. While I was not able to afford the final Founder package needed to join the Design council, I have friends that did, and they all say that the DC section is a growing collection of Cobwebs and Nanospore. It’s underutilized, and all but forgotten. You have (quite possibly) Hundreds of Thousands of players on at any time, each one with a thought with how they want to enjoy the game. All it would take is a simple poll on the forums asking “Do you like X?”, or “Would Y be better if we did Z?”, and most definitely “Out of A, B, C, or D, where should our focus be?”  Let us help you, help us, to give us all the ultimate gaming experience. If not, doesn’t that defeat the very purpose of the Design Council?

 

     Yes, this game is still in Beta, we can all still see the ‘Open Beta’ message on the top of the login screen. Yes that gives you absolute flexibility to do what you want to the system, when you want to do it. But look at the Feedback forum; how many of the players that play the game actually make posts in that section? The majority of the community feels like they aren’t playing a Beta, they are playing a full, new experience. When will you drop the ‘open beta’ off of the version? When is version One Point Oh (1.0), going to drop? If not, is there a plan, a goal for the game as a whole? Can we, as a community, see how far we have gotten, and how much more we have to go?

 

     Accountability, it’s something that is integral to any organization to work. For every “Stealth Hotfix” we have received, there has been a line or two in a livesteam that states “Oh, we forgot to let Megan/Rebecca know about that one”. Honestly I was fine with that; you are human beings, not Gods. I’m not going to demand a flawless report of every change you put out, things get forgotten, and details fall through the cracks. I do ask that you try to get a system of checks and balances out so when it IS missed, it can be corrected and we can still be informed of what changed befall out Tenno patch to patch.

 

 

     To recap:

• I love Warframe! Thank you for making it! I want it to Succeed!
• Ask us about up and coming ideas you have in the works.
• Slow down, take your time and tweak and fix issues between content updates
• Don’t forget we’re here in the feedback forums! Stop on by and tell if you do or do not like some of the ideas we come up with. (I know theGreatZamboni would love to know if his ideas are up your alley)
• Give us a timeline, it gives us something to look forward to, and lets us know that you are working towards an end goal (The release of Warframe 1.0)
• Ask yourself; why should a player log in to play? And does it have to be gear related?

 

 

 

     And to my fellow Tenno reading this:

            The Dev team is human; they have lives and can’t work on this game to give us everything we want instantaneously. Coding is a very nasty monster to deal with, you fix one issue and that fix spawns 10 more problems for other players. Let’s try giving them more reason to listen to us instead of “X[ini] sucks, I want X back to the way it was”. Less of “This is too OP” and more of, “I think we need to balance these elements out”. Yes the mod system makes the drop tables horribly flooded, yes the RNG is a cruel and bitter mistress, and yes the Grinding part of the game is overwhelming. But I’m on your side; I want this game to continue to be fun to play and I want the game to slowly leave its wretched nickname of “Warfarm”.

 

Ultimately, I am willing to stick it out, and see what will become of Warframe in the End.

 

            Of course, in a perfect world Warframe would have the Mobility of Vanquish, The Gun Handling of Mass Effect 3, and the brutal and Visceral melee combat of Ninja Gaiden.

 

 

 

 

 

-Signed, A concerned Fan

Ensignvidiot.

Edited December 20, 2013 by ensignvidiot

[ensignvidiot]

To clarify for everyone, an open letter is written to be critical and offer feedback on a particular subject, but is meant to be publicized for all to view instead of being between the person who wrote the letter and its intended recipient.

[Shadowray]

You are one of the few out of millions who play this game that actually realize that the Devs are human too. I am willing to stay with this game because it has a lot of room to grow and improve (thats my attempt to not be that "its still in beta" guy) and so do the Devs. Constructive criticism like this is essential to help Warframe become better, not the "nerf this, buff that" feedback.

[Keltik0ne]

You are one of the few out of millions who play this game that actually realize that the Devs are human too. I am willing to stay with this game because it has a lot of room to grow and improve (thats my attempt to not be that "its still in beta" guy) and so do the Devs. Constructive criticism like this is essential to help Warframe become better, not the "nerf this, buff that" feedback.

Apparantly, Geoff is some kind of weight liftin' android.

 

And Megan is half Innuendo Tribe.

[Kamal965]

You are one of the few out of millions who play this game that actually realize that the Devs are human too. I am willing to stay with this game because it has a lot of room to grow and improve (thats my attempt to not be that "its still in beta" guy) and so do the Devs. Constructive criticism like this is essential to help Warframe become better, not the "nerf this, buff that" feedback.

 

^

 

Apparantly, Geoff is some kind of weight liftin' android.

 

And Megan is half Innuendo Tribe.

 

I don't get it.

[ensignvidiot]

You are one of the few out of millions who play this game that actually realize that the Devs are human too. I am willing to stay with this game because it has a lot of room to grow and improve (thats my attempt to not be that "its still in beta" guy) and so do the Devs. Constructive criticism like this is essential to help Warframe become better, not the "nerf this, buff that" feedback.

 

Thank you. I hope every +1 im getting will help spread this message around to the community. And I hope the Dev Team takes the time to give this a good read and take it to heart.

 

And Megan is half Innuendo Tribe.

 

I am very confused as to what you are trying to say

[Genomax]

Well written, sir. It's well and fine to have high expectations for the game, but we also need to realize that the devs are only human. The publicity of this game has far exceeded its open beta status, and the game is still young and capable of much growth. I am personally quite amazed they manage to keep churning out changes at the current rate, and pleased with their quick reactions to player feedback.

[Valkyrie9001]

You are one of the few out of millions who play this game that actually realize that the Devs are human too. I am willing to stay with this game because it has a lot of room to grow and improve (thats my attempt to not be that "its still in beta" guy) and so do the Devs. Constructive criticism like this is essential to help Warframe become better, not the "nerf this, buff that" feedback.

 

I agree. OP is a God(dess) among men.

[ensignvidiot]

Well written, sir. It's well and fine to have high expectations for the game, but we also need to realize that the devs are only human. The publicity of this game has far exceeded its open beta status, and the game is still young and capable of much growth. I am personally quite amazed they manage to keep churning out changes at the current rate, and pleased with their quick reactions to player feedback.

 

 

And I hope they don't run out of steam. we have all of the ingredients of Game of the Year right here

 

I agree. OP is a God(dess) among men.

 

Thank you, but im just another Bro. :D

Edited December 20, 2013 by ensignvidiot

[(PSN)d1v4d]

Agreed. Well written.

[CrunkTanium]

from MMOs flopping left and right

 

How about you name just one actual MMO as of recent that flopped?

 

I bet DOAC still has more active players left then Warframe.

 

This game had so much potential but that potential and the talent behind it was totally wasted. No back story, no real progression, no proper AI, no real purpose and the PVP implementation turned out to be a total joke. I had so much hope for this game. I wanted to believe the hype and believed one day it would become a real contender among actual MMO's.

 

Sorry to say but COD as of late is far more challenging then Warframe. The only real challenge here is lucking out with the RNG gods for resources or spending enough cash to obtain the most OP weapons. Either you have a maxed out setup or you struggle even at low level against pointless bullet sponges that lack the sort of challenge most gamers crave.

 

Frankly I and many others will never touch another game DE produces ever again. I don't think I will even buy another game made outside of Korea for that matter. Pretty shameful that people who don't even understand western culture can create more immersive games for western markets and for far less money at that.

[Quasar-Sandwich]

FYI OP, DE didn't create the community, the community flocked to DE's awesomeness and upheld that even in the hell-space known as the internet.

[ensignvidiot]

How about you name just one actual MMO as of recent that flopped?

 

 

 

To satisfy your curiosity. in order from when I picked them up (oldest to newest).

 

Everquest (left for boredom)

Dark Age of Camelot (left after atlantis broke pvp vs pve)

WoW (left for boredom, BC)

EVE (Corp fell)

AION (once I left Shugo, I never went back)

RIFT (bored)

WoW (Left after cata)

SWTOR (Bad timing, player base left)

Nothing

DOTA 2 and SCII, temporarily filled the void.

Then Warframe came and gave me an online game to obsess over. I play wow once a week at my girlfriend's request (And then I got HER into warframe)

 

 

I'm a social gamer, if I don't have a group of friends to play a game with, I need to make a bunch of friends to play a game with. I like gaming with people, I like talking to people, and I like to get some time to talk to the GMs and Developers of a game. Its rare, but its really nice and it makes the game seem more, I'm not sure how to put this "Closer to Home". As you aren't playing a product a bunch of corporate machines created, you are playing an artist's pride an joy. On that same note, I gave Natural Selection 2 the same amount of support (though quite a bit less to be honest) that I currently give Warframe, donation packages and everything.

 

yes I have detailed reason for leaving the above games, but that's in the past... which is generally a place I don't like revisiting.

 

Instead I will hold onto my new love for Warframe until this game Pierces (nay TRANSCENDS) the Heavens, or falls short fighting for it.

[size=1]/Gurren Laggan[/size]

 

FYI OP, DE didn't create the community, the community flocked to DE's awesomeness and upheld that even in the hell-space known as the internet.

 

They put the first little food bowl out for that scrawny stray. and we flocked.

They have since evolved into a half-way house for ADHD and NINJA-crazed cats.

 

Warframe is the foundation, and the ceiling above this community, we all help hold it together.

 

They didn't make us where we are now, but that one spark did spread like wildfire. I mean, come on.... who else gets people to use a brand new $400 console for a free to play game :p

Edited December 20, 2013 by ensignvidiot

[Quasar-Sandwich]

They didn't make us where we are now, but that one spark did spread like wildfire. I mean, come on.... who else gets people to use a brand new $400 console for a free to play game :p

Funny thing is, one of the only reasons I'm getting the PS4 is for warframe.

[CrunkTanium]

To satisfy your curiosity. in order from when I picked them up (oldest to newest).

 

Just because you left and got tired of those games does not make them a "flop" by any stretch. I would not even call Warframe a flop although they did screw the pooch in so many ways imho. But to say it's a flop just because I and many others quit playing would be typing out my rear.

 

WOW still has like 100 times the ACTIVE player base that Waframe has and will still be alive and kicking when this game is dead and buried. I quit that game 5 years ago after playing since release. Kinda wished it would die just because it was so damn addictive. But the story and the atmosphere within the game world presents a carrot on a stock which few other games can or ever will offer. I played almost every major MMO release out there you name it I tried it and the same goes for most of the big shooter titles.

[ensignvidiot]

Just because you left and got tired of those games does not make them a "flop" by any stretch.

 

You are right, I should clarify that there was a trigger that made the game "dead in my eyes". WoW still has subscribers, and Warframe still has active players.

 

However, unlike the latter, I will never return to the former unless girlfriend-related shenanigans are involved (she pays for my account, as I refuse to. But I buy her plat from time to time, so its all good).

 

WoW, shot itself in the food when it tried to 'reinvent' itself to capture a new wave of casuals, it made a lot of veterans unhappy, and they walked.... but they had a steady source of NEW players so they didn't care (and besides, a lot of veterans will rejoin for a huge story update... like killing Hellscream). Of course, blizzard is a multi-million dollar power-house: they can afford to take those risks (as could EA/Bioware with SWToR).

 

I, personally believe, that Warframe has the potential to get DE soaring upwards towards that point with its player-base. Maybe not have 8 million subscribers, but enough players that warrants DE continuing to fund (and increase said funding) towards keeping Warframe alive. Its what I wanted out of SWToR, but didn't get due to bad timing and marketing (honestly I just blame EA).

 

The game needs to keep trucking along at a reasonable pace (and a few other key things)... and it needs to make sure the whole frakkin thing can survive the trip to the stars.

I want it to, very much.

Edited December 20, 2013 by ensignvidiot

[BETAOPTICS]

Sign me in!

[Ganpot]

You are trying to take a Marathon at a Sprint Pace, and push out as much content as fast as possible all while changing the system and the core mechanics of the game towards the final goal of a finish Product.

 

Please, slow down. I can see that you believe you are drowning, and need to put pieces of content out constantly too keep yourself above water. But I feel you need to take a week or two, and swim to shore. Breathe, patch all of the holes on the ship you currently have, and then set sail once again. Make that foundation, the Keel of your Ship, rock solid before you venture onward.

 

This is the core problem.  Warframe uses the development cycle of an MMO.  The problem with rushing MMO content is that an MMO is never finished.  There is no finish line.  DE isn't adrift on a boat in the ocean, they are on a spaceship heading towards a galaxy so far away that it is actually moving away from them at the same speed at which they are rushing towards it.   Every system and piece of content in an MMO needs to be up to scratch, because it in turn is just another foundation for more upcoming content. 

 

At this point, I personally am positive that something is amiss inside the company.  I don't know if employees are just rushed and overworked, if some departments are understaffed, or if DE just doesn't have the experience and talent to sustain an MMO.  That's not meant as an insult towards DE staff.  This is their first time working on a F2P / MMO game, and by their own admission, they never expected it to be this big of a hit (or that it would draw its crowd primarily from MMORPG players, as opposed to Shooter fans).  There's a very good possibility that they are simply unprepared for what they've gotten themselves into. 

 

Regardless of the cause, something has to change (at least, if DE wants Warframe to retain a strong player-base into the foreseeable future).  If inexperience is the problem, DE could use their new-found connections with Sony to talk with some of its developers (especially ones who have previous experience with MMOs) and ask for advice on certain things. 

[warpath514]

Great post man. I have great hopes for this game i hope it doesn't fail like another mmo game i played since close beta(a hint is in my name). I hope everyone gives this their attention

[DecapitatingJim]

Huh, rare to see actual constructive criticism, not just pointless *@##$ing. I'm in a similar mindset to you OP, the stuff has a solid idea behind it but seems a little rushed.

Not that it's stopped me playing *cough 1400 hours and counting cough*. 

[TenkoTenko]

[opening post]

I cried so hard at this ;_____;

[Letter13]

• Slow down, take your time and tweak and fix issues between content updates

 

This. A thousand times this. It would be great to take maybe 3-4 weeks break between content patches so that a huge 'fix' patch can be rolled out to focus on polishing up what's already present in the game.

[Babalenong]

so much on this post, some people trashes to no end to the devs and blaming almost everything on them then makes huge essays about that, even things that does not really relate on warframe. it makes me annoyed as hell . i wont go namecalling but seriously guys

 

also

 

FEEDBACKS goes into FEEDBACKS section

if you feel something is wrong or you want to point out something better just put it in the bloody feedbacks section we dont need you writing an 1500 words essay that were probably easier to write than most of your english tests

 

also melee system of devil may cry pls

[TenkoTenko]

FEEDBACKS goes into FEEDBACKS section

if you feel something is wrong or you want to point out something better just put it in the bloody feedbacks section we dont need you writing an 1500 words essay that were probably easier to write than most of your english tests

Maybe if the Feedback section was actually read

[Madotsuki]

To your "in a perfect world" statement, to me, "in a perfect world" Warframe would have:

A stealth system on par with Dishonored, the fluid mobility and parkour of Assassin's Creed, the gun variety of the Borderlands series, a melee system as satisfying as Devil May Cry, and a fair business model akin to Team Fortress 2, with the skins and customization to boot.

Sadly, that's not going to happen, because DE's problems extend far beyond trying to rush out content. To me, DE lacks decision-making skills, they lack organization, they don't think over the potential consequences of their actions, they are detached from the general playerbase, and they lack the one thing that all good developers need: AMBITION. I'm sorry but when I look at most of the DE team, or at least the decision-making ones who show up on the streams, I don't see a bunch of eccentrics who want to make the next big timeless classic no matter how much effort it takes. I see a bunch of casuals with as much enthusiasm in their work as Homer Simpson and simply wants to make a quick buck. The only exceptions are the art team, who i hold the utmost respect for, and Rebecca, who clearly tries her best to do her job as a community manager.

I've had my days of hardcore forum posting, when I had hopes that DE would listen, and would spend hours upon hours writing threads or private messages giving feedback on everything. Those days are over for me now, but yours aren't, and I hope you and others like you will actually be able to make a difference.

Also is that supposed to be a Grineer Doge, Letter?