A Suggestion To Re-Introduce Excalibur Prime And Founders Gear To The Codex

[Temperance000]

Ever since the closing of the Founders program back in November of 2013, there have been questions about the future availability of Founders-exclusive gear.  Excalibur Prime is the most commonly referenced example, but I think it is safe to assume that there were also questions surrounding the Skana and Lato Primes. 

 

On this point, DE has been firm and clear: Founders-exclusive gear is just that; exclusive.  Despite not being a Founder myself, I applaud the developers for their integrity and continued patience with some of the more querulous elements of the community.

 

That being said, I feel that the decision to remove Founders-exclusive Prime gear from the Codex, while well-intentioned, was not the optimal response to the problem.

 

From what I gather, the removal was intended to both satisfy completionists and pacify those who felt “taunted” by the presence of unobtainable gear in their Codices.  Again, while I have no doubt that the developers acted with the best of intentions, I do not believe that simply soothing a group’s collective ego should be a cause for content changes.  Granted, this was not a major overhaul, such as the recent changes to Launcher type weapons, or the nerfs of Nova’s and Trinity’s ultimates, but I feel that the community outcry which motivated it was both an overreaction and, candidly, rather childish.  Quite recently, a thread was started that argued for the removal of Excalibur Prime’s portrait from Corrupted mod cards, again on the grounds that he was unobtainable and showcasing exclusive content was unfair to those players who had not acquired or had a chance to acquire it.  Granted, this thread was in PS4-specific feedback, but the point remains valid.  Operating on the logic that all evidence of “unobtainable” or “exclusive” content should be purged, would it not then make sense to remove the Boar, Snipetron and Snipetron Vandal, Lato Vandal, Strun Wraith, and similar weapons from the Codex as well?

 

Edit: This response has, in fact, already been implemented.  Please see post #26 on page 2 for revisions.

 

Although I sympathize with the players in favor of the removal, I cannot find any reasonable justification for their position.  Indeed, I believe that the removal itself was unfair to both Founders and those non-Founders who were simply interested in the game’s lore.

 

With this in mind, I have a suggestion for re-introducing Founders-exclusive Prime gear to the Codex.  Rather than simply returning the items to their places and provoking another outcry, I propose that each piece of gear be given a unique Codex description, detailing its lore and making clear that it is, indeed, an exclusive item. 

 

For example:

 

Excalibur Prime:

For the first Tenno that emerged from the hellspace of the Void, the Orokin forged Warframes unlike any that came after.  Clad resplendent in gold and white, wielding weapons of inhuman grace and devastating power, Excalibur Prime bestrode the battlefields of the Great War like the gods and titans of myth.  Alas, only a few of these suits survived the chaos of the Collapse, and the technology to reproduce them is now forever out of reach.  What few remain are in the hands of the Founders, those Tenno who have earned the right to wear this rarest of all warframes, as much a work of art as an instrument of war.

[insert original Codex entry and stats]

 

Lato Prime:

Handcrafted in the time of the Great War by Orokin weapon smiths, the ornamental Lato Prime is nonetheless a reliable and deadly weapon.  Perfectly balanced, astonishingly accurate, and impossibly powerful for its size, the Lato Prime was the ideal light sidearm.  Unfortunately, most of these weapons were produced as a matched set with Excalibur Prime warframes, and were subsequently lost when the Collapse threw Orokin into ruin.  Although it is now impossible to manufacture, the Lato Prime still sees service in the hands of the oldest Founders, and has proven time and again that Orokin aesthetics were never at the expense of lethal functionality.

[insert original Codex entry and stats]

 

Skana Prime:

The first blade forged for the first Tenno was the elegant Skana Prime.  Simple in design, singular in function, yet still a weapon of astounding aesthetic beauty, this slim blade of golden metal was the progenitor to the signature weapon of all Tenno.  A fitting weapon for the Excalibur Prime, predecessor of all other warframes, the ancient techniques used in the forging of these blades have been lost, never to be recovered.  Yet, untarnished by the impacts of a thousand battles, corrosive oceans of blood, and the inexorable march of time itself, the remaining Skana Primes flash proudly in the hands of the Founders, their beauty unmarred and purpose unchanged even when the empire that forged them has long since crumbled to dust.

[insert original Codex entry and stats]

 

 

Please feel free to offer your own opinions and suggestion; just remember, keep it polite and respectful.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Temperance000

[BrotherIcarus]

I agree. 

 

Also I wonder how many replies you will get from people who have not even glanced at what you actually wrote. 

[Adaptor-Face]

i say, allow us to scan players using these weapons and frame for mastery. i dont care if he stays in my codex or not

Edited August 22, 2014 by Adaptor-Face

[(PSN)IIIDevoidIII]

i say, allow us to scan players using these weapons and frame for mastery. i dont care if he stays in my codex or not

But what about me? :(

 

I disliked their removal from the codex.

[Adaptor-Face]

But what about me? :(

 

I disliked their removal from the codex.

i meant like im fine with whatever they choose to do.

[PeanutMonster]

People actually care about the codex?

 

But anyway, I'm sure founders wouldn't mind that. I think that non-founders at least deserve to know the lore behind Excal Prime and the weapons.

[AlphaHorseman]

I like this suggestion a lot actually! 

 

Never knew there were people wanting ALL traces of the Founders items removed, but something like this would appease both sides.

[Sinistro6]

There was a quite inflamed thread by PS4 users who feel about never getting a chance to be a Founder, and want Excalibur Prime removed even from the Corrupted mod's Art.

[BabyKurama]

 

Excalibur Prime:

For the first Tenno that emerged from the hellspace of the Void, the Orokin forged Warframes unlike any that came after.  Clad resplendent in gold and white, wielding weapons of inhuman grace and devastating power, Excalibur Prime bestrode the battlefields of the Great War like the gods and titans of myth.  Alas, only a few of these suits survived the chaos of the Collapse, and the technology to reproduce them is now forever out of reach.  What few remain are in the hands of the Founders, those Tenno who have earned the right to wear this rarest of all warframes, as much a work of art as an instrument of war.

[insert original Codex entry and stats]

 

 

 

those Tenno who have earned the right to wear this rarest of all warframes,    <- this must just say it, that they bought it not earn it so chance it. Just saying it

[Jahadaya]

I agree. 

 

Also I wonder how many replies you will get from people who have not even glanced at what you actually wrote. 

Almost did exactly that. Swehg :3

[(PSN)IIIDevoidIII]

There was a quite inflamed thread by PS4 users who feel about never getting a chance to be a Founder, and want Excalibur Prime removed even from the Corrupted mod's Art.

I know. Pretty nonsensical, in my opinion.

[Tali]

i agree on this suggestion as its a good chance for some lore, also so i can stare at these items all day

[StinkyPygmy]

I never fully understood the complete removal of them from the codex. I've missed out on exclusives before and never felt "taunted" or salty over references still being around. I'd feel the same even if I had missed out and wasn't a founder.

 

+1 OP

Edited August 22, 2014 by StinkyPygmy

[CY13ERPUNK]

+1 OP

 

honestly the removal of them in the first place was a dumb move IMHO, and done for the wrong reasons (to placate the whiners)

[(PSN)IIIDevoidIII]

I never fully understood the complete removal of them from the codex. I've missed out on exclusives before and never felt "taunted" or salty over references still being around. I'd feel the same even if I had missed out and wasn't a founder.

 

+1 OP

Removing them from the Codex, to me, seems like they aren't really a part of the game, it's just a little extra.

So why did they have to remove my darling lore? :'(

[StinkyPygmy]

Removing them from the Codex, to me, seems like they aren't really a part of the game, it's just a little extra.

So why did they have to remove my darling lore? :'(

Exactly. It really makes them seem pointless and irrelevant. Especially when there is a lot of lore behind them and the opportunity for more. I hawt damn do I love my lore. If people can't handle a bunch of shiny pixels sitting there in their rightful place then god knows how people handle someone having something they can't have in the real world. Most founders don't even use their exclusives often anyway. Its all just fluff. So why hide excalabro primes shiny butt in the darkness?

 

Moar lore plz DE. 

[H3dsh0t]

Removing them from the Codex, to me, seems like they aren't really a part of the game, it's just a little extra.

So why did they have to remove my darling lore? :'(

 

I like you, you have good opinions. Personally I agree that removing them is not the best way of dealing with this. Bowing to people that feel that they are entitled to be able to acquire him and that every single trace of him must be removed if they can't, is really a slippery slope. People forget that the people that actually own Excal Prime (Myself included) backed this game back when it was still a fledgeling game, people that come in later, fair enough they play the game now, did not found the game. Excal Prime was an exclusive thing to founders from DE to say thank you for believing in their game enough to invest money very early on.

[Sinistro6]

Keeping limited time exclusives, well, exclusive, is good for business in the long run. In time, it makes more people run for limited time offers such as Prime Access, knowing that stuff will never come around again.

[Yezzik]

I disagree, Sin. From my own experience, people interested in collecting everything who miss one thing are liable to sack off collecting at all for that game.

Which means less Plat sold.

[OrphanMaker]

Yeah, they shouldn't have removed it.

[marelooke]

Keeping limited time exclusives, well, exclusive, is good for business in the long run. In time, it makes more people run for limited time offers such as Prime Access, knowing that stuff will never come around again.

 

Ah, but here you are mistaken. Prime Access items *can* come around again, but *never* outside of Prime Access (it's in the TOS)

 

As for the topic at hand, I'm not entirely sure which items exactly are not visible in the codex for people that don't have them (the Snipetron etc, and the Founders items I know about, but does this also go for other items that were removed, like the Boar, Ether Daggers and the Machete? And what about other event weapons, like the Vandal Twin Vipers?). Also just to make this clear: Founders do see the founders exclusive gear in the Codex.

 

Personally I'd like a toggle so I can see items I missed out on (I don't have some of the early exclusives, like the Snipetron) while retaining the ability to filter out stuff I can no longer acquire (to get an overview of stuff I am still missing in my armory)

Edited August 22, 2014 by marelooke

[Temperance000]

Ah, but here you are mistaken. Prime Access items *can* come around again, but *never* outside of Prime Access (it's in the TOS)

 

As for the topic at hand, I'm not entirely sure which items exactly are not visible in the codex for people that don't have them (the Snipetron etc, and the Founders items I know about, but does this also go for other items that were removed, like the Boar, Ether Daggers and the Machete? And what about other event weapons, like the Vandal Twin Vipers?). Also just to make this clear: Founders do see the founders exclusive gear in the Codex.

 

Personally I'd like a toggle so I can see items I missed out on (I don't have some of the early exclusives, like the Snipetron) while retaining the ability to filter out stuff I can no longer acquire (to get an overview of stuff I am still missing in my armory)

 

To clarify, only Founders-exclusive gear was removed from the Codices of non-Founders.  All other "unobtainable" and "exclusive" items were left alone.

 

Adding a toggle is definitely an interesting idea; I know I would appreciate it if my goal was to collect every piece of gear in the game.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Temperance000

[(PSN)IIIDevoidIII]

To clarify, only Founders-exclusive gear was removed from the Codices of non-Founders.  All other "unobtainable" and "exclusive" items were left alone.

 

Adding a toggle is definitely an interesting idea; I know I would appreciate it if my goal was to collect every piece of gear in the game.

From my understanding any item that was 'unobtainable' was removed if you didn't have it. This included event weapons and retired weapons.

[Temperance000]

From my understanding any item that was 'unobtainable' was removed if you didn't have it. This included event weapons and retired weapons.

 

Really?  I'll double check.

 

Edit:  You are correct IIIDevoidIII.  All exclusive or unavailable weapons were removed from the Codices of those who do not have them, with the odd exception of the Boar.

 

I would now like to expand my original suggestion to include all exclusive and retired weapons.  I am more irritated by their removal to pacify a querulous subset of the community than I would be if they were still in my Codex "taunting" me.

 

In this case, the ability to "toggle" item views in the Codex, as suggested above by marelooke, could be quite useful.  The completionists would not have to stare at shiny weapons, while the rest of us could stare at shiny weapons and their attendant lore entries to our hearts' content.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Temperance000

[marelooke]

Out of curiosity, could someone that doesn't have a Gorgon check if the Gorgon shows up? It was removed from the market but afaik is still available as a login reward so it's a bit of an odd case, maybe they goofed up and mixed up the Boar and the Gorgon...