New Gamemode: For The Future Success Of Warframe

[superbot34]

Let's be honest, as fun as Warframe was, is, and will be, there will always be something lacking if the game continues to head into a single direction say, "Arcade" mode. There are many advantages to this of course, staying on a linear game development path gives you room to release content as you go, not branching off to more complicated scenarios. 

 

I consider myself an average, casual gamer. I haven't had alot of success financially so my gaming habits have often been limited to Free-To-Play games, such as Warframe. Out of all the free-to-play games i have encountered, Warframe intrigued me the most, and i took the game to heart. However, over the 16+ months that i have played, i see the same thing with every new (and still very exiting!) update: The game only improves it's Arcade-type content. 

 

Why? Why only stick to a linear game path? 

Perhaps, just maybe, this wild fantasy going through my head of playing as a Grineer lancer against better equipped (but still AI-controlled) tenno specters is just a product of me enjoying role reversal in games. 

 

Example? Take the popular Gears Of War franchise. I loved the game, although i didn't play it all too often, mostly because you could play both roles at some point, with other game modes. You go from being the bad-@$$ military combat soldier to a weak and nimble or big and bulky beast, and attack the ones you just played as in the previous match. 

 

Horde Mode. sounds too generic for a game like warframe, especially giving it's futuristic feel and vibe. But picture this: The mode is still PvE, but you get to choose to play either the Few Tenno elites with pre-selected weapons (perhaps more unlockable through points made during kill streaks) or the Infested. When playing as the Infested, the hud will looks similar, just things moved around or replaced, and you have the option of 3 starting units with no point restrictions: 

 

Charger: Fast speed with weak claw attacks. no special abilities.

Leaper: Average speed, able to lock on to a target then tackle them to the ground, weak claw attacks

Runner: Average speed, ability to let out screeches when targeting an enemy to allow AI-controlled Infested to target that player (increase their threat level) as long as you are alive. 

 

The mission types will vary, but Infested "Infection" mode will most likely function better on survival missions, prevent the AI from activating life support, or simply role-reversal in defense or Invasion. When dealing damage to the Specters, you gain small amounts of points. Killing or assisting in a kill will result in larger point values. After a while, better choices are available to you. These enemies will function similarly if not identically as they do in game, the only difference is you take on the role of that enemy. Judging by how similar enemy movements are to players, this would not be too far of a stretch to do this, all it would require is some alternative thinking. 

 

The same goes for Missions where you take on the role of Corpus Or Grineer, with the players on your team having access to most of the enemy types. The biggest problem i see with this kind of game mode is a slight calibration of the damage system, just a bit, to fit the game mode for reasons that should be clear. No mods, No mod capacity, No elementals. You use the weapon bare bones, with physical attachments, if any, the only way to upgrade the weapon. This makes every weapon balanced in their own special way, eliminating the mod factor. Honestly this should be applied to the actual game itself (mods=physical attachments) but we will leave that discussion for another time (even though a noted figure already did).

 

 

PVP. this is not impossible, but it also requires a new look on weapons, and how they function. If you had PVP where players could take sides against each other, eg. corpus vs. infested or tenno vs. corpus, etc. you would need a standard basis to base all the weapons on. remove all mods, replace them with attachments. these attachments are all free, interchangeable before a match begins, and never lost. 

 

Why does this game mode mix it up? IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. it is something completely foreign to warframe and for that, i believe that is exactly what Warframe needs. 

 

This is not to say that Warframe CANNOT succeed without adding a new game mode, certainly not, but from my experience with the game (grinding, update, grinding, linear focus, etc) i have grown tired of the same kind of fighting and yearn for something new. 

 

i have thought of this for over a year now, but it was only until now i decided to voice my need for a new game mode because i had a dream that i was a grineer lancer, fighting with other grineer lancer players, against player specters. What is it like to play as a lancer, with cover tactics, grenades, and no recharging stats? CHALLENGING, which is what Warframe needs without adding more Arc traps or Land mines, or Black hole traps. No traps, no mines, no overly simple additions. a new gamemode. 

 

leave feedback if you will, however i know how harsh the forum community is here, so i do not Expect anything positive. 

 

Edits:

 

1. If anything, this game mode will provide the challenge some players are demanding, so instead of T4 void missions, you get to be the weak space marine taking on tenno. 

2. Missions take place in the real time period in warframe, so adding boss quotes only found in this mode (captain vor talking about the queens to you, etc) will allow lore from a different point of view, instead of by the lotus or events. 

Edited June 19, 2014 by superbot34

[GraalOhOtonami]

Eeeeh, your infection mode seems more like the L4D multiplayer vs mode, just with bots instead of players.

However, playing as a respawning Grineer soldier against spectres (maybe earn double-points in invasion missions without deathmarks?)

However, it means coding new mechanics which wouldn't be available to the Tenno, and it has been argued that the Tenno themselves are players and the suits are merely avatars with nobody inside, implementing your ideas would "take away" some of the mystery of what the Tenno are.

If that seems like a flimsy argument, which it sort of is, I can also say that the Spectre AI is nowhere near advanced enough to play against, as they are often destroyed by the AI on any given map anyway unless protected carefully.

[superbot34]

Eeeeh, your infection mode seems more like the L4D multiplayer vs mode, just with bots instead of players.

However, playing as a respawning Grineer soldier against spectres (maybe earn double-points in invasion missions without deathmarks?)

However, it means coding new mechanics which wouldn't be available to the Tenno, and it has been argued that the Tenno themselves are players and the suits are merely avatars with nobody inside, implementing your ideas would "take away" some of the mystery of what the Tenno are.

If that seems like a flimsy argument, which it sort of is, I can also say that the Spectre AI is nowhere near advanced enough to play against, as they are often destroyed by the AI on any given map anyway unless protected carefully.

This game mode has no effect on the story-line, so you being able to play grineer is simply taking a different point of view. Tenno have died at the hand of many enemies, i would love to take this side for a change instead of always being tenno. i don't think it would take away anything honestly, considering, again, this is simply another point of view in the warframe universe. 

It's similar to L4D i suppose, but it's not exactly an original concept, taking either side of the coin in a battle. 

 

which is why i said that PVP would also be possible in this mode, although by the time this would be implemented the AI will be improved. 

[GraalOhOtonami]

If we're to see a Grineer/Corpus protagonist game, I'd rather it be a separate game in the same universe, same company, different team.

Slamming it into Warframe just seems like a 180 spin on the attempts at immersion that is currently going on. Player ships, Hubs, Dojos, all for you to walk around and BE a Tenno.

Suddenly jumping to a Grineer/Corpus grunt breaks the flow from login to anything else currently in the game or in development.

That's the issue I have with this idea, in GoW/L4D, there are menus upon menus with no sight of character. Those games RELY on both sides being playable, relatable and above all - BALANCED. Playing as a prodman or a flameblade essentially means getting cut in half, getting seen by a Tenno is synonymous with death, that's lore, as the Tenno are practically pseudo-deities in the game's world. The reason a Warframe is so valuable to Corpus is because they are nigh-impossible to get hold of, and will usually have to be caught before they awaken.

(TL;DNR: Tenno are gods, grunts are trash, this is not balanced, thus it's like a human playing against a titan. Not great gameplay, but a new game centred around playing vs the other factions MINUS the Tenno, would be more viable (and maybe help flesh out the universe via Crimson Spectres, etc. Replace Invasion results with PVP contests over a week or so?)

[superbot34]

If we're to see a Grineer/Corpus protagonist game, I'd rather it be a separate game in the same universe, same company, different team.

Slamming it into Warframe just seems like a 180 spin on the attempts at immersion that is currently going on. Player ships, Hubs, Dojos, all for you to walk around and BE a Tenno.

Suddenly jumping to a Grineer/Corpus grunt breaks the flow from login to anything else currently in the game or in development.

That's the issue I have with this idea, in GoW/L4D, there are menus upon menus with no sight of character. Those games RELY on both sides being playable, relatable and above all - BALANCED. Playing as a prodman or a flameblade essentially means getting cut in half, getting seen by a Tenno is synonymous with death, that's lore, as the Tenno are practically pseudo-deities in the game's world. The reason a Warframe is so valuable to Corpus is because they are nigh-impossible to get hold of, and will usually have to be caught before they awaken.

(TL;DNR: Tenno are gods, grunts are trash, this is not balanced, thus it's like a human playing against a titan. Not great gameplay, but a new game centred around playing vs the other factions MINUS the Tenno, would be more viable (and maybe help flesh out the universe via Crimson Spectres, etc. Replace Invasion results with PVP contests over a week or so?)

but the main issue with warframe is it tends to get too tedious, and the only solution is to tack on more "stuff". a new gamemode would not only alleviate boredom, it would allow for a different take on the lore in the game, plus at the very least, satisfy users like me or users who want more PvP without the conclave mess. 

 

on the contrary, tenno were not gods when starting out and a small group can easily overwhelm the player. i get your point though, completely, going the other way means dumbing down the tenno a bit. But why is that a bad thing? whos to say that every tenno is an adept killing machine? Whos to say that a lancer here and there are better adept at killing then they are?

 

and remember another problem that this gamemode could introduce is removing the mod sytem altogether to make the game even more balanced. currently, if you want to be more powerful, you stack on the best mods to do the most damage in the shortest amount of time. that's great and all, but like many players have pointed out, it's not a lasting solution. eventually the game gets to the point where there is a clear distinction of which weapons to use, adn which to toss away. damage 2.0 attempted to fix this, and it has for the most part, but it dosn't shake the fact that having the best mods or the best equipment will almost garentee your success, and fun, and vis versa. 

 

I like the idea of PVP contests, but it would still be great to "even" the playing field with something new. i love warframe, don't get me wrong, but there is a nagging feeling of bordem that comes with every update, i don't want to get bored of warframe, and updates are going to only slow this progression :(

 

also, do the pictures help at all? i noticed regardless of how good an idea is, it dosn't get much attention without visual feedback. 

Edited June 9, 2014 by superbot34

[GraalOhOtonami]

Those pictures are actually really nice, and demonstrate your idea clearly, but I state once more that the game mode doesn't fit in Warframe as it is now.

Perhaps with a bit of infiltration as PART of a mission, disguising as Corpus/Grineer for PART of a mission, but Warframe is about playing as Tenno.

And the Tenno do not kill one another, they fight for honour, but they do not kill, or if they do, there is some way to resurrect them, because otherwise all the Tenno would be dead by now.

The reason the Tenno are killing machines is because they have been trained to be since the Orokin Era. No cloned Grineer or Corpus grunt will have obtained the extensive and lengthy training and/or cyborganic enhancements that come with being Tenno.

[superbot34]

Those pictures are actually really nice, and demonstrate your idea clearly, but I state once more that the game mode doesn't fit in Warframe as it is now.

Perhaps with a bit of infiltration as PART of a mission, disguising as Corpus/Grineer for PART of a mission, but Warframe is about playing as Tenno.

And the Tenno do not kill one another, they fight for honour, but they do not kill, or if they do, there is some way to resurrect them, because otherwise all the Tenno would be dead by now.

The reason the Tenno are killing machines is because they have been trained to be since the Orokin Era. No cloned Grineer or Corpus grunt will have obtained the extensive and lengthy training and/or cyborganic enhancements that come with being Tenno.

And no boomer will ever have obtained the extensive and (mild) training of the left for dead characters, but that dosn't stop them from trying :p

 

but see that's my main point, you take the grineers side for example. your not going to outmatch the Ai specter in one go. no, you will probably die a few times before you can get a kill and rank up points for something better. That is sort of what a horde mode in this fashion would be all about, there are a small group of advanced AI that you take down with hordes of lesser enemies. you WILL eventually take down the specters, and trying to do so will be the challenge players seem to want, you see their messages everywhere "game is too easy" "make T4 keys". instead, why not take on the role of the weak space marines and see how well you fair?

 

you get my point? it's not about being better then the tenno, it's all about swarming them until you take them down, which is exactly what the enemies do now. 

[GraalOhOtonami]

I suppose I'm looking at it from a singleplayer point of view, as I'm mostly a solo player.

What if an AI gets the killing blow? How many lives would you get? Things like that do make a difference. Right now with a 4 player limit, there's not really much a small team of Lancers can do without masses of AI assistance, removing player agency.

While I agree with toning down the Tenno weapons to something similar to what we had around U6/7, where the Gorgon was one of the most powerful weapons. The Boltor Prime's base damage is insane and irrational, but that's a different problem altogether.

[superbot34]

I suppose I'm looking at it from a singleplayer point of view, as I'm mostly a solo player.

What if an AI gets the killing blow? How many lives would you get? Things like that do make a difference. Right now with a 4 player limit, there's not really much a small team of Lancers can do without masses of AI assistance, removing player agency.

While I agree with toning down the Tenno weapons to something similar to what we had around U6/7, where the Gorgon was one of the most powerful weapons. The Boltor Prime's base damage is insane and irrational, but that's a different problem altogether.

the mechanics of it all would be DE's decision, since they already know where they want Warframe to head, i would be wasting my time coming up with gameplay mechanics and mathematical data really. Same for what weapons the specters would use, if they did it right and spent time on it they would make it fairly balanced. it would beat the current conclave at least, lol. 

[superbot34]

bump

[Hunter126]

so this

regular mission

and Nightmare Mode

[superbot34]

so this

regular mission

and Nightmare Mode

well nightmare mode is still the regular game type. no i mean a completely different "mode" to play. multiplayer, then this mode, whatever it would be called. 

[superbot34]

-bump- a similar idea has been suggested before and it was pretty popular....

[superbot34]

bump

[superbot34]

bump

[GStonez]

I like the idea the thing is DE are practically trying to get a good grasp on the game from the tenno perspective but this could be just like how they have the little zephyr mini game just to say on a more larger scale since this is close to how they are revamping the dark sectors. Implementing this can also be used on the same revamped dark sector maps 

[superbot34]

people bump their old posts all the time so why not right. 

[Hunter126]

I enjoy this idea, I really like it... there I +1d the idea

[DeadVoid118]

Idea needs a little tweaking, in general.

[superbot34]

S U P E R B U M P 

[unknow99]

Might be super fun! However, not a common lancer... But an enemy unit with troops to command! It would instantly break the routine. :)

[Ardorax]

Huh ... what eagle above me said is actualy bringing an intresting idea, ever played the HL2 mod zombie master?

 

Basicly survivors fight zombie AI's that are spawned by the master!

 

Now think with me for a second, but what if a gamemode came out for high level players where 4 tenno need to complete a mission while 1 player is either a : Grineer commander, Corpus board leader or infested hive mind.

 

Picture it that the commander needs to do his best to send waves of soldiers at the tenno, either defense or sabatage missions maybe even archwing?

 

Just an idea but i think that would certainly make this intresting indeed!

[superbot34]

seeing if bumping this will cause rage. ideas like this that were unnoticed before are now rability attacked nowadays, so lets see. 

[superbot34]

bump

[superbot34]

?