Gameplay: From Parts To Cohesion

[rhoenix]

Right now, Warframe has different game modes, each of which show proof of concept for achieving different objectives, given various scenarios. Each of those scenarios are very straightforward, but each mode (Survival, Mobile Defense, etc.) offers a basis from which Warframe's gameplay could become just as good as its art.

This requires storyline missions, designed to help the player feel more attached to their Tenno through emotional connection and storyline events, while using the same gameplay mechanics we know now to deliver that experience properly. Doing so would use each current gameplay mode as simply an element for a longer mission, or series of connected missions.

An example of what I mean:

SCENARIO: TO HUNT THE STALKER

This set of missions is begun once you or your team encounter the Stalker in combat, and defeat him. Once you examine the space where the Stalker disappeared from, you discover a garbled Nav coordinate.

- The players complete the current mission, after which they are informed that the coordinate they found is a possible lead to the Stalker's home base.

- The players are tasked with drawing out the Stalker to scan him, in the hopes of getting better information regarding the coordinate. They are sent to assassinate a local target, which is a "normal" assassination mission.

- The catch is that this time, the Stalker appears immediately after the Assassination target is down. The players must scan the Stalker at least once during the fight to progress, otherwise must repeat this mission again.

- After the Stalker is defeated again, the scan the players got of the Stalker, together with the coordinate, indicate a very specific kind of key, likely one the Stalker invented himself. A player must make the Shadow Key in the Foundry to unlock the next step.

- Once the Shadow Key is crafted, the players can use it to access a new mission. When they arrive however, it looks like a badly maintained Orokin Tower, but not a Derelict. The Tenno's task here is to search the place for clues.

- Soon after the start the mission, the players come across a darkened room, with messages finely written in blood on the walls. The players are asked to scan the walls, and after having done so, confirm that all the blood is from the same person - the Stalker himself. One of the phrases on the wall is "The Betrayers earned their name, and went to sleep. Now they wake once more - what will their legacy be this time?"

- The messages are actually a recorded history of the Fall of the Orokin Empire, along with more recent events, written in blood by the Stalker's own hand in Old Orokin.

- The Tenno then continue searching, where they find an odd obelisk next to a window. Upon approaching it, all Tenno on the team experience a brief flashback to their lives during the Orokin Empire (your flashback will be a little different, depending on what Warframe you're using for this mission).

- All Tenno are jarred out of the flashback of memory from an alert by the Lotus, letting you know that Corrupted forces are converging on this location. The Tenno's task is to rout the attack.

- The players must then race back to the entrance to the tower, as well as the back entrance (this will be a two node Interception type mission), to prevent advance enemy scouts from hacking the tower's entrances.

- Once the attack is repulsed, the Tenno get another message, letting them know that "odd signals" were located deeper within the facility.

- The Tenno warily head deeper into the facility. One hallway ends with a two-person door, which opens into a large, warehouse-sized room, filled with very hungry Infested. Unfortunately, the place the Tenno need to go is through that room.

- Once through that room (and once all the Infested have been slain), the Tenno can then move into a smaller room beyond, sparsely filled with a few personal items. Once of which is an old holo-picture showing a woman and a young boy, another is a picture of the old Orokin City of Glass. It becomes apparent that this is at least one place the Stalker calls home.

- A short time after looking around the room, the Lotus gives an urgent alert: she's detected that a bomb has armed itself after they set foot in the small room. The Tenno must escape the tower within 5 minutes.

- Unfortunately, that bomb also unlocked all the doors and firewalls, and the Tower is now overrun with Corrupted. The Tenno must make it to the extraction point within 5 minutes, or the mission fails.

- Successful completion of this mission earns (some random rare thing), as well as (some other random rare thing), as well as being able to replay the Cutscene you saw (depending on what Warframe you were in when you saw it). Seeing other cutscenes requires playing through the mission again in a different Warframe.

What do all of you think? Do you want to see missions like this, or more like they are right now?

Edited February 19, 2014 by rhoenix

[baron1357]

HOLY S#&$ I WANT THIS 

DE PLS

[Royce_Bracket]

Support. However imo, the garbled nav coordinate should function more like a sort of reusable bp (Could fit into lore as the time it takes to extract legible data from it) that takes an hour to build with a moderately heavy resource requirement. I doubt people would want to refarm the Stalker to get missions for every frame, especially not so soon after the Harvester bout. Also, it would be nice if the actual stalker appeared in the mission, albeit with special buffs, an AI tailored to his arena, and a guaranteed BP drop (Not any of his current weapons, but something else. Drop would work identically to the old Cronus.).

All in all, the concept of this mission is awesome, but it would be better if it wasn't just another grind wall (One Stalker kill shouldn't be too bad).

Edited February 19, 2014 by ArdentSky

[Ahzz]

bought, ship it NOW!

[rhoenix]

Support. However imo, the garbled nav coordinate should function more like a sort of reusable bp (Could fit into lore as the time it takes to extract legible data from it) that takes an hour to build with a moderately heavy resource requirement. I doubt people would want to refarm the Stalker to get missions for every frame, especially not so soon after the Harvester bout. Also, it would be nice if the actual stalker appeared in the mission, albeit with special buffs, an AI tailored to his arena, and a guaranteed BP drop (Not any of his current weapons, but something else. Drop would work identically to the old Cronus.).

No, I see your point. If the Key blueprint was reusable, it would cut down on the feeling of grindiness.

And I definitely had the real Stalker in mind for both fights, but his drop table would be changed somewhat. Perhaps this could be a good way to release certain rare mods?

All in all, the concept of this mission is awesome, but it would be better if it wasn't just another grind wall (One Stalker kill shouldn't be too bad).

This was a proof of concept for doing this sort of thing with all kinds of setups, ideally replacing the game selection we have now (except for single matches, which would still be available).

[Hamstertron]

I think this would provide a good "story mode". Once you fall in love with the art style and the gameplay you hunger for more story and this truly would be an excellent way of receiving Lore.

 

Even if not implemented in the entirety of what you describe here, I would prefer this kind of quest-chain format over repeating the same mission multiple times during an invasion, for example. Yes, we could run five exterminates to defend a node, but why not run

- Spy to locate a command ship,

- Capture the commander to discover the locations of a supply ship and an elite squad's dropship

- Sabotage the supply ship

- Exterminate the elites

- finally aid in the Defence of a big shield generator

 

After all, we're ninjas, not frontline grunts.

 

Anything to add a bit of narrative really.

[rhoenix]

I think this would provide a good "story mode". Once you fall in love with the art style and the gameplay you hunger for more story and this truly would be an excellent way of receiving Lore.

 

Even if not implemented in the entirety of what you describe here, I would prefer this kind of quest-chain format over repeating the same mission multiple times during an invasion, for example. Yes, we could run five exterminates to defend a node, but why not run

- Spy to locate a command ship,

- Capture the commander to discover the locations of a supply ship and an elite squad's dropship

- Sabotage the supply ship

- Exterminate the elites

- finally aid in the Defence of a big shield generator

 

After all, we're ninjas, not frontline grunts.

 

Anything to add a bit of narrative really.

This is pretty much exactly the concept I was going for in my example. More dynamic missions, more memorable characters (such as Darvo, or even the Stalker who could become an anti-hero over the course of the game), and multi-stage objectives would go far to breathing new life into this game.

[1lusion]

This is EXACTLY WHAT I WANT IN WARFRAME and I feel its missing. This will be the start of a great lore/story!!!

 

+11111111111

HAVE ALL MY +1 OP

[Tulzscha]

Moved to the proper section.

[thecarrera]

[Rawnrawn]

This be awesome, a sense of objective progress is greatly needed.

[Sayfog]

*threatens the grustrag* DE give us this now or else!

[Kintsurugi]

Multi-stage mission objectives. The last game I remember having done this would be Armored Core 2, where a mission type would change from, for example, Defend the area to Destroy the AC depending on how well you did, how quickly you completed a main objective or, hell, just randomly. I suppose a better term for it would be "dynamic missions."

 

Such a mission type would be amazing. The example however I don't like. Defeat the recently implemented character once and for all while revealing all the game's lore secrets at the same time, yeah! ...no. But that's my crappy opinion. Again, the idea is great.