Are We All Gonna Start Flying Now?

[Sniperoth]

From: https://warframe.com/news/operation-oxium-espionage

REWARD
Successfully complete the mission and you'll be rewarded with:
- The new Aviator Mod - offers reduced damage while airborne
- A 3-Day Affinity Booster

 

Does this mean all frames will have flight capabilities soon?

 

If not, this mod will benefit exactly one frame: the upcoming bird frame. So where's the balance in that? I don't see any 'increase Desecrate range', 'reduce damage while using Sonar', etc mods that are only applicable to certain frames. So why should this be special?

 

I can't find any justification for creating a mod that will augment just one frame and its unique ability and still say that 'class balance' is being actively pursued in this game. (Not that there's any real balance to begin with, but this is such a conspicuous slap in the face - it's like they're net even trying to look like they're putting effort in balance anymore)

[OptimumBow0]

I don't know about you, but I regularly jump off of high places.

[Sniperoth]

I don't know about you, but I regularly jump off of high places.

 

Which doesn't damage you, so why would anyone need 'reduced damage' for that?

[Archistopheles]

Everyone floats down here!

[DaftMeat]

One step closer to Zorencoptering invincibility

[--MANA--]

I think it's a hint about the ability of the new warframe. it could be a mod that's for a specific warframe which is the new warframe. i know excalibur and valkyr can be airborne and so does vanguard but considering that they also said that the materials that we will gathered will be used for future frames i think that's a hint.

[ValhaHazred]

Yeah, Hawkgirl Frame probably has a hover/levitate/jetpack power.

I do spend a fair amount of time mid jump in any frame so I guess I'll see how good the DR is before saying it's only good in one frame.

Edited January 29, 2014 by ValhaHazred

[OptimumBow0]

Which doesn't damage you, so why would anyone need 'reduced damage' for that?

Oh, I don't know.

 

Maybe people jump over crowds of enemies.

 

Maybe said enemies can elevate the angle of their guns.

 

Maybe said enemies know how to press a trigger.

 

Maybe said enemies are pretty good shots.

 

Who knows?

[EDeN153]

It says "reduced damage taken when in the air."

 

Not when falling, you get shot in the air and it does less.

[Drasiel]

maybe we get ships.

[DarkLizalfos]

We already have a damage reduction mod for lying down, might as well pick up one for when we're jumping around like a rabid kangaroo.

[EDeN153]

maybe we get ships.

Congrats sir, you just made me facepalm for the first time today.

 

/)_.

[Drasiel]

Congrats sir, you just made me facepalm for the first time today.

 

/)_.

 

huzzah!

 

A person can dream can't they :P

[SquirmyBurrito]

If Birdframe is flying/hovering I doubt there'd be very good cover for her to take advantage of... Maybe this is their bandaid for that upcoming issue *shrugs*

[noelpilled]

We already have a damage reduction mod for lying down, might as well pick up one for when we're jumping around like a rabid kangaroo.

We do? whats it called ;l

[OptimumBow0]

We do? whats it called ;l

[michaelwii]

New warframe may have a team buff that causes flying... No idea why though.

[michaelwii]

 

We do? whats it called ;l

 

Oh god that's a thing? Dammit DE xD

[Archistopheles]

Oh god that's a thing? Dammit DE xD

 

We also do more damage when we're laying down too.

[Angius]

Everybody will be bunnyhopping through the level to get that bonus...

[Sniperoth]

Before the thread gets any more derailed with arguments of flying vs falling vs jumping vs whatever else that gets you on the air, allow me to remind everyone that the crux of the topic is balance

Point taken. You can fall or jump or whatever and you'll be airborne. But if you have a mod that augments being 'airborne', a large group of frames that can fall/jump/whatever, and a single frame that can fall/jump/whatever AND fly - it doesn't take a genius theoretical physicist to realize the mod is skewed to one side. Balanced?

 

.. the materials that we will gathered will be used for future frames i think that's a hint.

 

Excellent point. More 'flying' frames would be promising. Although I still find an 'airborne' mod to be skewed against the numerous 'grounded' frames - which, frankly, is everything we currently have

 

 

maybe we get ships.

 

I know this is mostly posted for humor, but that wouldn't be too bad at all (compared to the biased mod, at least). If we get ships, everyone benefits from the mod - meaning it's balanced. Fat chance that's gonna happen though

 

 

If Birdframe is flying/hovering I doubt there'd be very good cover for her to take advantage of... Maybe this is their bandaid for that upcoming issue *shrugs*

 

On the flip-side, in the same vein that people normally justify that it's ok for Nova to be a nuke because she's fragile, one can say bird frame can fly while others can't because it's harder to find cover in the air. If they made a mod that does 'reduced damaged while Molecular Prime is active', that's not balanced - and that's roughly equivalent to this 'airborne' mod

 

 

New warframe may have a team buff that causes flying... No idea why though.

 

That's a bit easier to swallow, but still pretty skewed. At best, this illustrates how this 'airborne' mod is skewed in favor of bird frame (it's not useful unless you're flying, and you can't fly without bird frame)

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

There are many ways to look at this and make it work (barely). But let's be honest here, they're mostly a stretch. It's obvious that the 'airborne' mod is specifically designed to augment flight - which all other frames except bird frame doesn't have. So to reiterate.. If every frame gets flight capabilities, then it's all cool. But if not, where's the balance? And why does it feel like balance be damned, as long as there's new stuff coming out, it's all good?

[DarkLizalfos]

We do? whats it called ;l

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Shock_Absorbers

[Sexlightning]

On the bright side, we now pretty much know what the new movement system they were talking about will be. And on the brighter side, it isn't swimming.

[SquirmyBurrito]

On the flip-side, in the same vein that people normally justify that it's ok for Nova to be a nuke because she's fragile, one can say bird frame can fly while others can't because it's harder to find cover in the air. If they made a mod that does 'reduced damaged while Molecular Prime is active', that's not balanced - and that's roughly equivalent to this 'airborne' mod

 

I don't see why we'd need to justify a birdframe being able to fly... Since when did people hate on fun and unique things? Are people still complaining about Valkyr having Ripline? 

[Sniperoth]

I don't see why we'd need to justify a birdframe being able to fly... Since when did people hate on fun and unique things? Are people still complaining about Valkyr having Ripline? 

 

Firstly, please don't quote out of context. Nobody's hating on 'fun and unique things' here. Nobody's complaining about bird frame being able to fly.

 

And I agree with you. You don't need to justify a bird frame being able to fly. But that said, it means that the lack of 'good cover' isn't enough justification to have the 'airborne' mod either. You have just proven that the new mod is not really intended as a 'bandaid' because not having cover isn't really an 'upcoming issue'. After all, not having 'good cover' in the air is part of the dynamics of flying which makes it 'fun and unique'. Thanks for that!  :)

 

Which leads me back to my original question: balance. Since the mod is not a 'bandaid', it's a buff. So how come there's a mod that's specifically tailored to benefit a single (at least, based on the info we have) frame more than the rest? I'm just putting this question in the air and throwing caution to the wind (pun intended) because the game doesn't seem to be heading in the right direction. Do we really need more unbalanced stuff out the gate when we already have so many things that are begging for re-balancing?