Deployable Field Agents Using Idle Warframes

[Kizlev]

Greetings fellow Tenno! This is a humble proposal for a new mod-gathering minigame (codename Field Agents) to be added into Warframe using one of the game's most ubiquitous assets that almost every player already has: idle Warframes...

What do you mean by “idle Warframes”?
An idle warframe is a frame that is occupying a slot in your inventory, but isn’t equipped. It’s just a frame sitting there on the sidelines, collecting ice as it rests in cryosleep somewhere. These amnesiac god-ninjas have already been idle for centuries. They’ve had enough rest. It is time to send them all (not just the ones we directly control) onto the battlefield.

What will the idle frames do?
I propose Digital Extremes to consider implementing a function that allows these idle frames to be useful to us even while we’re not using them, just like the Titan/Distilling drones we already have access to. While our drones gather raw materials for building new frames and equipment, idle frames could be commanded to go forth and perform missions on the various planets on our behalf for a chance to find random mod drops (fusion cores, warframe/weapon enhancements, etc.), and/or credits.

How exactly will this work?
Assume that the frame you have equipped is the one you have designated as the “Tenno Commander” (TC). This frame cannot be sent out to go on a deployment since you are manually controlling what s/he does. The TC is basically you (or the frame you are remotely guiding through missions…however which way you want to interpret the lore). This system is for your other frames you are not actively using.

Here’s the sequence of events on how this plays out in five simple steps:

1.) On board your ship (after U14 grants these to us), you go to your planet selector interface and pick a planet as normal.

2.) From here, in addition to having the function to deploy an extractor drone as normal, you also have a button adjacent to that which brings up a new window for you to choose an unequipped warframe to deploy.

3.) This new window displays your list of available warframes just like in the inventory window, and you can select one of the available unequipped frames to deploy.

4.) Press “Deploy” and the game will ask you which task you want the frame to perform (extermination/spy/deception/etc.). Choose a task that you feel is best suited to that particular frame, and press “Confirm” to complete the deployment.

5.) Off your frame goes, and s/he is no longer idle, but an active autonomous agent in the field! After so many hours, come back to the planet to extract your agent, and receive your reward along with brief results of the mission.

Timers for deployment completion, success rates, and possible mods collected are things I leave to the experts at DE and the other fans that read this if anyone is interested. Number of deployable frames, limited to one per planet, would be identical to the current limits set on extractor drones based on mastery level and founder's status. Again, like extractors, a frame that is actively on deployment cannot be equipped for player use until the deployed frame completes the mission, or you manually abort the deployment.

Unlike extractor drones, however, deployed frames wouldn’t have health bars. Instead, you get an estimated success chance percentage based on the frame’s level, the type of frame sent, the difficulty of the planet you are deploying to, and what kind of mission your frame is being sent to do. So, for example, if I send Ash or Loki on a Spy mission, my odds of success in finding a high quality mod are much better than if I sent in Rhino instead. Rhino would obviously be much better suited to perform Exterminate and Defense missions. The only mission type excluded from this system would be Assassination missions as these involve bosses, and involve story elements that the player should personally be involved with.

If you’ve read this far, then I thank you and offer my apologies for the length of this post. I don’t have the talent or tools to make any fancy art to illustrate my simple ideas here, but I hope this was clear enough to start a good foundation to build something new and useful upon. Constructive comments are always welcome, and I will try to answer any reasonable questions you may have about the above concept. Thanks again!

 

 

**UPDATE**: (PS4)MoRockaPDX suggested using Specters instead of actual frames. This could be an interesting alternative to work around "pay2win" concerns and unresolved lore issues. I would like to modify this a bit by suggesting that we could "build" (train) a Lotus operative (like the ones we save in Rescue missions...that is if they're not actual Tenno) or a Red Veil rebel (from the Specters of Liberty event). This could be done totally free simply by the usual grinding of mats and spending credits to "create" these non-Tenno agents in our Foundry like everything else.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Kizlev

[superdk90]

Neat idea, some potential bugs, but otherwise very promising. +1

[SignumCruxis]

With all due respect, I don't want a frame out of order for x hours in exchange for a vitality or sentinel redirection. :v

[xlraistlx]

I'm not fond of the idea, but I don't use extractors either. I like to do my farming by myself.

 

If this ever happens I won't be mad as long as is optional.

[Kizlev]

With all due respect, I don't want a frame out of order for x hours in exchange for a vitality or sentinel redirection. :v

 

 

I'm not fond of the idea, but I don't use extractors either. I like to do my farming by myself.

 

If this ever happens I won't be mad as long as is optional.

 

My hope would be that DE makes this a purely optional system just like the current extractors.

[Terumitsu]

The only issue I can really see is the dependance on warframe slots as those cost extra platinum and give players who have gotten said slots an edge. Basically it /could/ be seen as a step to Pay to Win although, in all honestly, it's a miniscule one at that. Either there has to be a hard cap of 2 frames out doing said missions or some other way to get warframe slots needs to be implemented to remove that aspect. Doesn't have to be /easy/ to do, mind, but still there.

[(PSN)MoRockaPDX]

I like the, however the Tenno to Warframe relation would have to be resolved. If the idle Warframes are not lore appropriate for this mechanic than perhaps this role could be filled by specters. That would also significantly increase the value of the specters.

[Kizlev]

The only issue I can really see is the dependance on warframe slots as those cost extra platinum and give players who have gotten said slots an edge. Basically it /could/ be seen as a step to Pay to Win although, in all honestly, it's a miniscule one at that. Either there has to be a hard cap of 2 frames out doing said missions or some other way to get warframe slots needs to be implemented to remove that aspect. Doesn't have to be /easy/ to do, mind, but still there.

 

I see your concern, and how this could translate into "pay2win" potential, but it's really not intended to. The idea was to extend the extractor drone concept to the warframes themselves. It would be very hard to obtain great mods if the chances were small, and if you could only receive 1 mod after so many hours of deployment.

 

Of course, there's a clever alternative that was just suggested...

 

I like the, however the Tenno to Warframe relation would have to be resolved. If the idle Warframes are not lore appropriate for this mechanic than perhaps this role could be filled by specters. That would also significantly increase the value of the specters.

 

Great idea! Maybe not the specters we have now, but perhaps something similar to help skirt around the troubling lore issue you mentioned that (unfortunately) has yet to be officially resolved. Maybe instead of a warframe involving Tenno, maybe we could "build" (train) a Lotus operative (like the ones we save in Rescue missions) or a Red Veil rebel (from the Specters of Liberty event). I will edit your idea into the OP.