(PSN)intrand Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Dear Digital Extremes & Warframe Community, There are a few things I'd like to explain to you from my perspective, with assistance from my fiancée. You might be surprised to find out that every single item is positive in nature. If only one employee reads this, my sore fingers will have served me. Before I delve in, I'd like to tell you a very brief summary of the person who is addressing you. Next I will tell you what -- specifically -- about playing Warframe makes me very happy, during which I will offer an in-depth analysis of why I believe these are efforts or features to be very proud of. Finally, I will summarize this letter to provide snippets to reflect upon. Special notes: 1) Most everything in this letter will become outdated very quickly as updates are released, I'm sure. 2) I have only played on the PS4 since U11.0, so this does not reflect the current Windows version/content, nor the current development efforts! Let's begin. I'm currently 28 years old and I was introduced to gaming at a very young age. Although my parents assure me that I played games since I had hands, one of the first games I can recall playing was, I kid-you not, Epic Pinball. Later I would latch on to titles such as Unreal Tournament, Half-Life/Counter-Strike, UT2004, F.E.A.R., etc. Now I'm getting married and have less time than I wished for gaming. When I do game, I play Warframe almost exclusively. Like while playing any other game, I have been contemplating design decisions and speculating on future additions, improvements or just changes in general. What follows are some things that I've noticed about Digital Extremes and their work on Warframe (again, during U11 and U11.5 only). "Devstreams" are absolutely and unequivocally positive in bolstering the community morale. There is a genuine concern for community happiness that is addressed in a direct, transparent manner via the use of Twitch.TV. My fiancée's reaction to seeing DERebecca interviewing four other staff members can be summarized by saying she was "star-struck." This is a fantastic example of delivering "added value" to an already free-to-play product. You are making the community and potential players an offer they cannot refuse. Having these live events on a reliable schedule serves both the developers and the community very well: You, the developers, get to tap into your audience's ideas & feedback, provide samples of early concepts to determine early (read: cheaper) adjustments to content based on community reaction on a regular basis. In turn, the community members feel that they on an individual level are valued and heard. We've seen examples of community member concepts making it through official development and to production release. That is something to be incredibly proud of as a company, and as a community. Taking responsibility for and acknowledging "placeholder" game mechanics -- such as damage (1.0), melee and stealth -- displays an honest desire for making a great game that people enjoy playing. Other companies really do seem content with just pumping out content seemingly meant to mask broken game mechanics, while others play "cat & mouse" with their community by constantly changing the rules of the game; Warframe feels very direct, and I think that comes back to listening to the community that plays your game. (I'm very excited to see "Melee 2.0" come into action!) Making community interaction as engaging as I, the individual player, want it to be, without sacrificing immersion or style. It's been great seeing, for example, my fiancée not feel intimidated when picking up the controller to play a quick alert (she hates interaction with other players), while I have had some long and stimulating chats with a few members of the community. The foresight to leave room for players building a clan of few members, or even solo players, to obtain everything the big clans can was tremendously wise. When the player drops into the game, it's all about the mission. The distinct lack of hovering "name plates" above players heads helps me believe I am a space ninja inside a Grineer base killing some bad dudes, and not on a 3D instant messenger. The HUD is currently displayed in broken-up "bits" in the corners of the screen, where you need to look intentionally. It continues to amaze me how much the lack of information given by the HUD helps in my enjoyment of the game. On a related note: For a while I had voice chat completely disabled and found the game to feel more personal. Then I joined a populated clan ;) Ebb and flow, I suppose. Although I have plenty more to say, everything should happen in moderation. Here are some bullets to ponder should you find any of the aforementioned topics interesting: Getting regular updates from the company publishing the game is nice. Being able to participate directly and hearing news straight from the source is invaluable! Digital Extremes has shown incredible innovation in this manner. I'm happy to be along for the ride! Thank you! I can't wait to see this idea evolve! How about occasional (web) interviews with prominent community members? Having the focus and discipline to ignore some easier targets to ensure the foundational stuff is solid will only make your game more successful. It's great to know something I've come to enjoy so much is in good hands. *cough* break-my-own-rule *cough* Parkour 7.0 after Shipyards *cough* please *achew!* To point out a contrast in developer mentalities: The Vindictus developers thought they needed community interaction to improve, so they added a Facebook icon directly on the HUD. Wow. Do I even need to say more? It will be interesting to see how future Warframe developments influence where and how community interactions take place within the game. (anti-jinx:) Please don't add a Facebook or Twitter icon inside the game. I was attempting to point out how that takes them OUT of the game, not enriches their experience inside of it. Digital Extremes seems to understand that while there are a lot of things they could do, it's probably better to avoid implementing every neat idea that comes across the table. However, improvements are always possible and it will be very interesting to see what the developers and community alike come up with over the years. I didn't mention it earlier, but we are extremely excited to see lore playing a larger role in the game! Thank you very much for your time. I only hope I didn't waste it. Remember, nobody made you read all of this, so please don't take it out on me. Best of luck, D.E.! -intrand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--SAiNT-- Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 i read it and liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[DE]Steve Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Very kind and much appreciated. (Cancels Twitter HUD 3.0, Starts Parkour 7.0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopStricken Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Very kind and much appreciated. (Cancels Twitter HUD 3.0, Starts Parkour 7.0) (Casually mentions Dark Sector 2.0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix86 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Starts Parkour 7.0 Do want Edited March 12, 2014 by Phoenix86 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IIJetfireII Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Great post. Can't make things a day better for DE, while they read this :) take all my ++++ Edited March 12, 2014 by IIRodimusprimeII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastianx Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Sorry, but I can't seem to like your statements...because I just LOVE THEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAYABU5A Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 you are a "professional customer" tier 1 consumer companies dream they can have customers like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovusNiveus Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Very kind and much appreciated. (Cancels Twitter HUD 3.0, Starts Parkour 7.0) Don't you ever sleep? It's lunch time where I live. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidaku Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Great post OP .. Now TIME TO BASH SOME HEADS Edited March 12, 2014 by Deidaku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at35z Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) To point out a contrast in developer mentalities: The Vindictus developers thought they needed community interaction to improve, so they added a Facebook icon directly on the HUD. Wow. Do I even need to say more? It will be interesting to see how future Warframe developments influence where and how community interactions take place within the game. (anti-jinx:) Please don't add a Facebook or Twitter icon inside the game. I was attempting to point out how that takes them OUT of the game, not enriches their experience inside of it. Why do people compare Vindictus to Warframe??? I agree with you anyways, it's just getting weird. Edited March 12, 2014 by at35z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCOAS Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I seriously love the twitch streams. I have to stay up all night for them but they're worth it to see the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)NicoTheSneakyGuy Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I also become quite fond and in love with this game because of how the community and the developers are around here, If only we could get more frequent updates here on the PS4, I'd deliver DE a full 200rnd box of my "Love Ammo" But overall this game is amazing and I enjoy playing it, Every day on my way home I already start thinking what I'm gonna do today after I turn on my PS4 and get on Warframe. I just wanted to thank DE for making such an amazing experience in such a bad time for me (My computer died and I literally had nothing to play) and I still wonder how this game is free, It easily tops any 60$ retail game I bought so far to my PS4. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krjal Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Very nicely written post. A LOT of that echoes my own sentiments toward DE. Love you guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kashiki Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) DE made this game to be the best F2P MMO. They made it the best MMO, period. I love them, and hope that Warframe never stops growing. Edited March 12, 2014 by Kashiki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Talia. Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Great post +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I like your positive attitude but your opinion might change if you knew more about the history of this game and its developer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OriKlein Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I like your positive attitude but your opinion might change if you knew more about the history of this game and its developer I know of the studio, but I never knew of any of those who directly engage in Warframe (aren't most of them "fresh"?). Do tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikolaiLev Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 What? You can't just go and feel happy towards DE when I don't! </sarcasm> It's always nice to see a positive spin on things. That said, I'm used to indie games where developer interaction is nearly constant. So DE posting on the forums once in a blue moon or doing devstreams is nothing new or especially impressive. It's still nice to see, though, even if I feel they gloss over some very important topics like balance or grind. As I recall, balance hasn't even been mentioned at all in the last few devstreams. They do occasionally add some nice things to the game. Interception and Hijack are looking to be neat game modes once they get more difficulty, even if Interception uses the obsolete Defense reward system, for some reason. Occasionally, the new weapons are interesting, like the Castanas. And balance issues aside, Zephyr was extremely fun for me. The list of things I could complain about is about five times longer than that, but I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, so I'll try to keep this post mostly positive. :3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)intrand Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 Thank you to everyone for their kind words. I'm glad my time wasn't wasted in writing this. I like your positive attitude but your opinion might change if you knew more about the history of this game and its developer See? this is exactly what I'm talking about. TRSS, you are my personal hero for today for being able to keep things on-track and polite while managing to express yourself anonymously. Could it be this thread is slowly restoring my faith in humanity? DE, did you plan this all along?! To quote Jurassic Park, "Clever girl." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbiter_Shade Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I like this post, so much doom and gloom floating around these forums with people with unrealistic expectations. The Dev team is doing a great job, this is coming from someone who has played many, many, MMOs F2P and P2P. I have played the big names and a lot of smaller MMOs, the amount of content we get monthly, the quality of the game, it is all very refreshing especially considering this IS a F2P game. I give this company money without a second thought because this product is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aure7 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Now if only today was melee 8.0 I would be so done Edited March 12, 2014 by Aure7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deaths.Reap3r Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) I like your positive attitude but your opinion might change if you knew more about the history of this game and its developer What? You mean the Stark Trek game? And how the devs of that game were &#!'s? Im pretty sure the devs ffrom that game aren't like any sort of lead devs in this game. Even though they are both DE. Edited March 12, 2014 by Deaths.Reap3r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandyDragon Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 What? You mean the Stark Trek game? And how the devs of that game were &#!'s? Im pretty sure the devs ffrom that game aren't like any sort of lead devs in this game. Even though they are both DE. The devs in that game got shafted so hard they couldn't do anything till perfect world entertainment picked them up. Generally everything added to STO has been an improvement over its original incarnation. Dunno where this example is coming from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CY13ERPUNK Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 +1 OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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