A Proposal For The Future Of Warframe

[OniDax]

The Future of Warframe

 

     2014 has been the year of the expansion of Warframe. We have seen new frames, new weapons, new tilesets, new mission types and game modes. And then we’ve seen syndicates and relays. But with that, there have been aspects of Warframe that were momentarily seen as the next big thing but have waned in their appeal: Vay Hek set-piece assassination mission, new resources to accompany those (like nav points and argon crystals), and Dark Sectors.

 

     As we approach 2015, DE has announced plans for more boss reworks, more Warframes, and more resources, currencies, and other items - more stuff, in addition to the hundreds of stuff already in the game. But nothing to integrate the gameplay, nothing to tie the disparate elements of the game together, nothing beyond the constant grind for resources and gear. More stuff does not make a complete game. What Warframe needs at this stage is not quantity but quality, not more stuff but more substance.

 

     A lore-driven focus is the future of Warframe. Story is the thread that holds everything together. It joins music, assets, and gameplay together. It provides the contexts for decisions regarding what content will be released, what additions will be made to the game. Little is gained from adding more content that has no basis in the lore of the game, no visual connection to existing themes of the game, and no contribution to the creation of a more complete game. “Stuff” is ultimately forgettable, replaced by the next shiny item. Warframe has to become more than just a showcase of new flashy items and events. What follows is a humble suggestion of the path Warframe could take in 2015:

 

Proposals

 

Factions:

 

     The Grineer are a powerful, totalitarian empire, the first of the two Great Factions, with an expansive clone army and who are ruled by Twin Queens (“The Sisters”), who are rumored to be survivors from the Orokin era. The Grineer military structure is based on the military structure of the Orokin Empire, and as such, is highly structured and discipline. Due to imperfect cloning methods that are the result of failed reverse-engineering of Orokin cloning technology, the Grineer are physically degenerate, supplementing their decaying bodies with metallic prosthetic enhancements. Ruling from Earth and having ruined the planet, the Grineer resemble a post-apocalyptic, dystopian military force who are precise and brutal in their methods and techniques. The Sisters are primarily concerned with destroying the Tenno and reproducing their Warframes to aid in this effort. Notable Grineer are Vor, a Grineer Captain obsessed with obtaining the source of Tenno power; Sargas Ruk, a Grineer General fascinated with Orokin artifacts; Tyl Regor, a Grineer Lieutenant with the goal of mastering the Tenno art of swordmanship; and Councilor Vay Hek, a Grineer politician eliminating opponents to gain more political power.

 

     The Grineer have poor relations with the Corpus, a powerful merchant guild and the second of the two Great Factions, with control over the more advanced colonies and most of the trade routes in the Origin System. With a history stemming back into the Orokin Era, the Corpus would exist at its highest levels as a secret fraternal society, invoking the Orokin in all their ceremonial rituals and endeavors (like a more sinister Freemasonry, or the “Illuminati”, with an economic bent) and seeking to obtain Orokin “relics” and technology. At the lower levels, the Corpus exist as a pseudo-corporation of merchant families who rely on an advanced robot army to maintain control over trade routes and resources, with notable members including Alad V, a scientist first interested in reverse engineering Warframe technology, and later in the Infested, and Sgt. Nef Anyo, a Corpus Chief of Security in charge of Corpus Solar Rails with an interest in procuring and selling Warframes and uncovering Orokin secrets.

 

     Players would first encounter the Grineer through Vor (and eventually Vay Hek, Tyl Regor, and Sargas Ruk) and the Corpus through Alad V (but also through Nef Anyo and Alad V’s varied machines). In Phase 2 (see “Quests” below), the Corpus would enter separate wars with the Grineer and Perrin Sequence (the Grineer would also enter a war with the Steel Meridian), with each side attempting to take territory from the other, and the higher levels of the Corpus would begin exploring the Void, coming into conflict with Cephalon Suda.

 

     Syndicates open up amazing new possibilities for the future of Warframe, a Warframe where the player can feel like s/he is a part of a larger faction. Warframe can be a game where the Syndicates are more than just small side parties that hire out Tenno mercenaries: Syndicates can be full-fledged Factions that the players can join and fight for. Each Faction – the Lotus, Steel Meridian, Cephalon Suda, Arbiters of Hexis, Perrin Sequence, Red Veil, New Loka - would offer players higher level content (weapons, missions, quests, events, skins, possibly frames) that would serve as the path towards endgame – the development of roleplaying potential and interaction with other players as well as immersion into a larger Warframe universe of characters and living, flourishing planets, each with their own characters, personality, and art style differences.

 

These Factions would allow the players to experience varying aspects of Warframe’s lore and gameplay:

 

     Players who pledge with Steel Meridian would experience visceral gameplay with a focus on gunplay and the procurement of more advanced Grineer primary and secondary weapons, particularly rifles, carbines, machineguns, and shotguns, and Grineer melee weapons to a lesser extent. As the current Steel Meridian lore states, this faction, led by Grineer deserters, would be fighting a guerilla war against the Grineer, a war centered on liberating the “colonies”. Steel Meridian would therefore focus on missions against the Grineer, including Capture, Sabotage, Spy, Exterminate, Hijack, Rescue, Defense, Interception, and Invasion (see below). They would also provide a wealth of lore regarding the Grineer – their history, their structure and organization, and the colonies they control. Steel Meridian aims to liberate the colonies from Grineer oppression, bringing justice and freedom to the weak and innocent. As a result, Steel Meridian would be enemies of the Perrin Sequence, a neo-corporate rival to the Corpus, whom Steel Meridian sees as exploitative and corrupt; friendly to New Loka, a pro-Earth and pro-human faction that shares Steel Meridian’s opposition to the Grineer; and opposed to the Red Veil, whom they see as the dispensers of a cruel and indiscriminate perversion of justice.

 

     Cephalon Suda would be an Orokin-era artificial intelligence, one that has recently been awakened by the upset caused by the Tenno’s reemergence. Given Cephalon Suda’s fascination with the Orokin and the Void that birthed the Tenno, players joining this faction would spend considerable time in the Void, gathering “knowledge” via Capture, Spy, Defense, Mobile Defense, Interception, and Hijack missions, mostly in the Void but also in the system. Cephalon Suda would compete with the Corpus – a powerful merchant guild with a ritualistic interest in Orokin “relics” and technology – for access to and control over Orokin ships, and would reward players with blueprints for Orokin tech, like Prime primaries and side-arms, and Orokin drones as sentinels. Given Cephalon Suda’s interest in the Orokin Void, Cephalon Suda would be friends with the Arbiters of Hexis, who share their interest in the Void, and with the Lotus, who is a source of knowledge regarding the Orokin history.

 

     The Arbiters of Hexis would be a disciplined, knightly, monastic, yet samurai-like (sharing Western and Eastern influences) order with a strong admiration for the Tenno and their Void-derived abilities. The Arbiters would reject the Orokin myth that the Tenno were descendants of an ancient Earth warrior culture, instead seeing them as the products of the Void that they are. The Arbiters would see this myth as a tool to limit Tenno potential, and would view the Tenno as far greater than their Orokin masters. For this reason, players who join the Arbiters would focus on “Spy”, Defense, Survival, and Exterminate missions, as well as a variety of Void missions, and would be rewarded with specially-designed, Arbiter-specific melee weapons. The Arbiters’ pro-Tenno, anti-Orokin stance would make them enemies of the Lotus, whom they see as perpetuating the Orokin myth, and the Red Veil, who see the Tenno as the ultimate source of the corruption plaguing the system; opposed to New Loka, who wants to return the system to a pre-Tenno state; but in friendly cooperation with Cephalon Suda, who has a similar interest in the Void.

 

     As mentioned above, the Perrin Sequence would be a neo-corporate splinter of the Corpus, rejecting both the Corpus’ secret society nature and war-profiteering. The Perrin Sequence would be an aspiring rival to the Corpus, seeking both to take their place as the system’s predominant economic power, and to create a more peaceful system based on free trade and interdependence. As a result, the Perrin Sequence would focus on undermining the Corpus through Spy, Sabotage, Capture, Mobile Defense, Rescue, Hijack, and Interception missions. The Perrin Sequence would reward players with Corpus-based sentinels, including Ospreys and MOAs, as well as other Corpus-based weaponry (including craftable experimental weapons blueprints). The Perrin Sequence would be at odds with Steel Meridian, whom they see as perpetuating conflict and resisting prosperity and economic interdependence; opposed to the Red Veil, who targets them and others; and on friendly terms with New Loka, who sees a return to Earth culture and peace.

 

     The Red Veil would be the former low Guardians of the Orokin Empire, and therefore, Stalker’s faction. They would share Stalker’s hatred of the Tenno for murdering the Orokin, and would see the current system, with its conflicts, wars, and oppression as a corruption stemming from the Tenno’s crime. As a result, they desire a holistic purge of the entire system through the assassination of the Tenno and the leaders of all factions (save New Loka), and, above all, the Lotus, who gave the command to kill the Orokin. Though they bear strong hatred for the Tenno, the Red Veil would accept any Tenno who would atone for their sins through rejection of the Lotus. The act of joining the Red Veil is also the rejection of their own status as Tenno; Tenno under the Red Veil would no longer be called Tenno, but Stalkers, after the namesake of the original Stalker. The Red Veil would focus on Assassination, Capture, Exterminate, and Survival missions, and would emphasize the use of stealth and silent weapons, like silent daggers, bows, and shuriken, with gameplay centered on a developed stealth system. The Red Veil would be enemies of the Lotus and the Arbiters, the two pro-Tenno factions; opposed to Steel Meridian and the Perrin Sequence, who they see as mere extensions of the corrupt Grineer and Corpus; and neutral toward New Loka, who hold similar view regarding the impurity of the system, and Cephalon Suda, whose fascination with Orokin secrets is compatible with the Red Veil’s vengeance on behalf of the Orokin.

 

     New Loka would be a pro-Earth, pro-human faction that sees the Grineer, and Tenno, as corruptions of the human form. Seeing the damage done to Earth by the Grineer, New Loka would be focused on removing the Grineer from Earth and eradicating the pollution that corrupts the planet. For this reason, New Loka would focus all of its attention on Earth, achieving its aims through Sabotage, Exterminate, Defense, Hijack, Assassination and Rescue missions. New Loka would reward players with earth-based weapons, health augments, mods, and gear, and new, effective pets. New Loka would be allies of Steel Meridian, who also fights against the Grineer; friends with the Perrin Sequence, which desires a return to an Earth-based economic system; opposed to the Lotus, who merely wants balance and the status quo, and the Arbiters, who value the impurity of the Tenno; and neutral toward the Red Veil, who similarly sees corruption in the system stemming from the Orokin Collapse, and Cephalon Suda, whose fascination with the Orokin lies outside its purview.

 

     To signify the impact of these new factions, joining Factions would mean leaving the Lotus. Instead of taking directives from the Lotus, players who join Factions will become full initiates with them, and would take their mission instructions directly from Factions. This is not to say that DE should get rid of the Lotus: the Lotus would simply be the first of these seven factions. The way this could work is as follows:

 

     New players would begin as normal, under the Lotus’ direction. All of the basic elements – Vor, Alad V, Vay Hek quests, etc. – would continue, but perhaps with more narrative tissue to them. At some point (let’s say, Mastery Rank 5), players would become introduced to the Factions, and at this stage they would have the option of leaving the Lotus and joining one of the Factions, or remaining with the Lotus. Players who leave the Lotus would no longer receive instruction from the Lotus, but from the Faction that they join. At this stage, the Lotus would simply become one of the seven factions, and would continue to offer Warframes and non-faction-specific weapons.

 

New Faction-Specific Content:

 

     New content could come through each faction. Non-faction-specific Reinforcements would come through the Lotus faction, while there would also be new weapons, accessories, mods, and skins that would be faction-specific. New quests would also be faction-specific. Through this approach, each content item would fit with a certain theme of a particular faction, and therefore would fit within the context of the evolving Warframe lore.

 

Cross-faction trading and purchases:

 

    Players would be able to continue to use the marketplace to acquire technology and weaponry from other factions, but at a higher cost. Leaving a faction to join another would mark you as hunted by the faction that you leave, and the faction that you would defect to would offer a bonus. Switching back to a previous faction would require a higher cost to rejoin, and would mark the player as hunted by the faction that s/he leaves. Being a member of a faction would not reward negative standing for an opposing faction. Instead, an enemy faction would automatically and occasionally hunt that player as long as that player is a member of the other faction.

 

Faction-favored Warframes:

 

Particular Warframes are still favored by certain Factions (all are favored by the Lotus):

 

Steel Meridian

 

                Rhino, Mesa, Valkyr, Mirage, Vauban, Prime variants of these

 

Cephalon Suda

 

                Limbo, Nova, Mag, Vauban all Prime Frames

 

Arbiters of Hexis

 

                Excalibur, Frost, Volt, Nyx, Mag, Trinity, Saryn, Nova, Banshee, Nekros, Ember, Prime variants of these

 

Perrin Sequence

 

                Vauban, Valkyr, Mag, Volt, Prime variants of these

 

Red Veil

 

                Ash, Loki, Valkyr, Nekros, Excalibur, all Prime frames

 

New Loka

 

                Trinity, Zephyr, Oberon, Rhino, Ember, Hydroid, Frost, Saryn, Prime variants of these

 

Quests:

 

     Quests would serve as a four-player “campaign” for Warframe. They would be far more expansive, and cinematic, than the “quests” currently in the game. With narrative-driven content, revamped Quests would provide the context for new lore/backstory, the introduction of factions and Warframes, the development of old and new bosses, and player progression. Not only Mastery tests, but Quests would delineate Mastery Rank from Mastery Rank, serving almost as “chapters” to the overall Warframe story. For the first five or so Mastery Ranks, players would basically begin as they do now, being awakened by the Lotus and having to take out numerous Grineer and Corpus bosses. All of this, however, would occur via Quests. This first set of Quests would take the player through the entire solar map, taking down pre-Terraframe Vay Hek, pre-Orokin Vor, and Zanuka-project leader Alad V, among others. During this first phase, players would become acquainted with the Stalker, Darvo, and dojos, clans, and alliances. The one major change would be that within the Quests, Earth would use Ceres’ tileset, representing a toxic, barren Earth. Once players finished these Quests, which would coincide with the completion of Mastery Rank 5 or so, they would gain access to the other Factions, Archwing combat, and the Lisets, Relays and Colonies. At this point, players would be given the option of staying with the Lotus, or leaving the Lotus and joining one of the other Factions. Each Faction, including the Lotus, would have its own set of fully narrative Quests, and each would differ according to the nature of the Faction:

 

     The Lotus Quests would continue essentially as normal. Players who remained with the Lotus would be reintroduced to Terraframe Vay Hek (on a Ceres-like Earth), reanimated Void Vor, Mutalist Alad V, other modified bosses, and new bosses. Other Quests would include the rediscovery of lost Tenno frames, such as Limbo and Mirage; these would not be simplistic missions just for the sake of Warframe parts, but narratives designed to shed light on the mystery surrounding the Tenno. It is also here that players would be introduced to revamped Invasion missions (in which players would assist either Grineer or Corpus) and the Orokin Towers/Derelicts/Corrupted/Prime Warframes located in the Void. A notable gameplay addition available to Lotus players would be special Defense missions where they must fend off dojos from attempted Red Veil “Purges”.

 

     Steel Meridian gameplay would focus on all Grineer locations, as well as the Colonies. The gameplay style would be very fitting of guerilla warfare, but in keeping with present mission types. These Quests would have players conducting various operations with Steel Meridian’s forces, notably including many Invasions. Players would encounter the greatest variety of new Grineer bosses and units, including the dreaded Twin Sisters, while learning a great deal about the Grineer history.

 

     Cephalon Suda’s Quests would introduce players to the Orokin Void, and would revolve around players digging for Orokin Keys via Excavation missions, and new Exploration missions located in both Orokin Towers and Derelicts, searching for any and all data, knowledge and technology, including the Orokin Vault. Here players would encounter new Corpus units and bosses also vying for access to Orokin Vaults, as well as the Corrupted and Infested (including both Vor and Alad V).

 

     The Arbiters’ Quests would begin with a lengthy initiation process, in which Tenno will have to prove themselves worthy of instruction by the Arbiters of Hexis. These would involve a number of tasks covering various mission types and planets, as well as Mastery-style tests. Once a player has been initiated (comparable to reaching one additional Mastery Rank), s/he will then undertake various missions, some exploring the Void for Orokin Vaults and other secrets, others covering various mission types against Corpus and Grineer, and others still against the Red Veil. Players would be introduced to Red Veil bosses and other new Grineer and Corpus bosses and units.

The Perrin Sequence would focus on Corpus locations, including Corpus cities, shipyards, and factories. Perrin Sequence Quests would involve players infiltrating numerous Corpus locations, capturing Corpus VIPs, and even seizing Corpus cities, factories, and shipyards via revamped Invasion missions. The narrative content would provide players with the history of the Corpus, and the greatest variety of new Corpus bosses and units.

 

     The Red Veil’s Quests would begin with players having to undergo a lengthy atoning process in which they would have to assassinate Lotus-aligned targets, including NPC Tenno. After demonstrating their penitence (comparable to reaching one additional Mastery Rank), players would be relabeled as “Stalkers”, and would then undertake missions focusing on exterminating and assassinating Grineer, Corpus, and members of the other Factions. Red Veil players would also notably participate in Invasion missions, where they exterminate both sides of a conflict, whether Grineer vs. Corpus, Steel Meridian vs. Grineer, or Perrin Sequence vs. Corpus). Furthermore, Red Veil players would have the added gameplay experience of “Purge” exterminate missions, where they exterminate NPC Tenno within dojos.

 

     New Loka’s Quests would be located on a toxic, Ceres-like Earth controlled by the Grineer. Players would endeavor through various mission types (listed above) to purify the Earth (such that it looks like the current green tileset) and liberate it from the Grineer. New Loka players would occasionally receive help from Steel Meridian NPCs, and would encounter new Grineer units and bosses, including Terraframe Vay Hek. Players would also have the added experience of exploring subterranean Orokin and pre-Orokin locales, where they would discover weapons, gear, and possibly new Warframes.

 

Invasions:

 

     Currently, invasions are nothing more than longer Exterminate missions, with AI help, of course. To understand what Invasion missions should be, first we need to understand the premise behind them: one faction is engaging in direct conflict with an enemy faction in an attempt to destroy the enemy and potentially capture a location. With that premise, we can say that these Invasion missions are military operations conducted against a specific faction. Invasions, therefore, should be high-leveled, high-rewarded, multi-objective operations that integrate the various different missions types experienced while playing Warframe. Invasion missions would be fought against the Grineer or Corpus and on the side of the player’s faction. Specifically, Steel Meridian and New Loka would always fight against the Grineer. The Perrin Sequence and Cephalon Suda would fight against the Corpus. The Red Veil, Arbiters of Hexis, and the Lotus would fight against both Corpus and Grineer. The Lotus would assist the Grineer (if against Corpus) and Corpus (if against Grineer), while every other faction would be assisted by NPCs of the same faction (Red Veil with Red Veil, Arbiters with Arbiters, etc.).

 

     One Archwing Interception mission, one ship-based mission and six different ground-based missions would occur in every Invasion mission; the order in which these various missions types instantiate would, of course, be pseudo-random, but each invasion will either start or end with an Archwing Interception. If the Invasion begins with an Archwing Interception mission (and Archwing operations would always be the first and last operations if they appear), the players would go through an Archwing Interception mission; at the end of this mission, they would transition, via cutscene, to the ship-based Sabotage/Exterminate mission (Corpus if fighting against the Corpus, Grineer if fighting against the Grineer). If the Archwing Interception ends the Invasion mission, the player would transition via cutscene to space from the planet. Depending on the friendly faction, the enemies on the ships would be the enemy of that particular faction. Players move to sabotage the ship, after which they exterminate the remaining forces on the ship. Once the ship is cleared, the ship is crash landed on the nearby planet, again via cutscene.

 

     Once on the planet, the Invasion becomes a ground-based Invasion mission, where Exterminate, Sabotage, Capture, Interception, Hijack, Defense, Mobile Defense, and Assassinate (same targets as in Capture missions) may take place. For Capture and Assassination missions, the targets would be Grineer Commanders or Corpus Wardens, as opposed to the usual Capture targets. Exterminate missions will always be the first and last ground-based missions. Exterminate missions will always occur twice, Defense, Sabotage, Mobile Defense, and Interception missions may occur up to two times, and Capture, Hijack, and Assassinate missions would only occur once during an Invasion mission.

 

 

     Please understand that this proposal represents the sort of substance that could take two years to implement, but this kind of substance (well-thought out, thorough, inter-connected features) is the sort of thing that Warframe needs. A Warframe that considers all of these possibilities will be a much more complete Warframe that is no longer a beta product. Either Warframe embraces this kind of substance and interconnectivity or it continues to be a game bloated with lots of cool but ultimately meaningless stuff.

 

These threads serve as a continuation of our proposal:

 

Syndicate Progression and Relays

 

Visual/Auditory Themes For Each Planet

 

Note: This was written as a collaborative effort by myself and Arktourus.

Edited April 4, 2015 by AntoineFlemming

[sz2142]

DE is making $140 for Prime Access content. To get a full mmo experience I think the game would need an in-game plat kickstarter to actually produce an incentive for DE to create a full game. 

[SmashMeat]

If I could upvote this more than once I would break my mouse doing it. So many good ideas its beautiful and thisisthekindofthingweneedplsDEpls *cries*

 

Just... Just stop talking and take all of my money.

[Ragnus4]

Really awesome ideas in here, just out of bounds for the most part. +1000

[CBAROG]

Great idea, but unfortunately I don't see it happen because it would require a complete rework of what we have now. And I don't think DE would do that.

[Invisum]

Minus the Red Veil plotline, I think most of this would be an awesome addition for the game and a good way to justify why we as tenno tend to go on mass killing rampages against pretty much anyone we feel like for no particular reason.

[arch111]

Very impressive trains of tought.

While I agree that warframe needs to nurture it's universe and place it all in a nice and cohesive box, I think the legacy of the game as being a Instance action-game come with a ton of problems.

They could so this, absolutely. If they took the directory descision to create more of a Timeline/Lifespan experince.

Lets be clear, They have a working, moneymaking platform after 2 years.

The question is how they would do this without disrupting what they have.

I agree with just about everything, exept Red Veil. Stalker should have his/her own crew.

Player vs player is dangerous and a risk of being toxic.

Good job and I hope we get a real response from DE on all of this in 2015.

[(XBOX)Eli and Niti]

While I like the ideas on the whole, there is a slight issue I have with it, Clans.

 

There are some very large clans out there, and while most seem to have shared vision across their members, some may wish to be in different factions as their other members (I have a member who specifically chooses the least popular just to be difficult).  These people often have alot invested both spiritually, and in some cases financially with their existing clans.

 

However, I dont want to be a party crasher who doesnt bring any juice for the punch.  Here is the solution I suggest.

 

I suggest a similar system as Chromehounds (an old pc/xbox 360 game consigned to the "Not Supported anymore" pile), they had a seasonal war that took place, in which the three factions fought for supremacy over the other two.  At the end of a pre-determined time, or when one faction had reached the "End Game" point, the war was settled, only to be reset, and started all over again (after a few days of showboating by the victorious faction).  Now while this battle was taking place, a Clan supported one faction over the others, and all they did, all the missions they partook in, all the victories (and losses) they suffered went towards that particular factions overall score.  During this time, and depending on their standing within the faction, they recieved faction specific equipment (much in the way you suggested).  At the end of this time, the clan heads were able to then choose to support the same faction, or change to another faction (with no penalty).  This allowed a clan to get access to all of the available equipment that was on offer, but only after their clan had been in three wars.

 

In warframe you could have something similar, but instead of three factions, you would have 7, and with the way the alliances between the syndicates currently works, would allow certain amount of your score to go to the other factions as well.  One other feature that could be brought across was the leaderboard for the Contribution points for each syndicate (lets face it everyone likes bragging rights). 

 

You could even go so far as to allow an Alliance to support a specific syndicate, then the clans within that alliance could support either the alliances syndicate, or their allies.

 

A three month war could be fought (being the length of a season), with an end game condition being owning more than 50% of the known planets.  This could then allow the other factions to steal the victory at the end point by winning the "End Game" missions (much in the same way solar rails are fought over right now), or for the victorious syndicate to push the enemy syndicates into the void.  This would allow for interesting "end game" scenarios such as, what happens when the Grineer win the overall battle, or what happens when the Steel Meridian are just defeated at the last moment.  This would add a feel of your actions having consiquence. 

 

Once the season was over, or the end game was won, the whole shebang would reset, with a history section of the most influential syndicates, clans, and individuals.  It would also allow clans to switch alliegences, or maintain them.  Thus allowing members of a clan who didnt see eye to eye with steel maridian, to next season have a chance at supporting their preferd group Red Veil. 

 

At the end of each month, updates could also be automatically be sent to each person showing how their chosen syndicate is performing, and maybe suggesting targets for the upcoming month.  An example follows:

 

Start of War:  Tenno, we at the Steel Meridian have had enough of the totalitarian nature of the Grineer and their supporters, we feel freedom is worth the fight, we are planning to make a foot hold on Jupiter and Saturn, before pushing out into the outlying planets.  Any supporting fights against other targets are welcome, but we want to at least have a foothold from which to launch.

 

Month one:  We have been pushed back, we are on the brink of annihilation, we need to force our way in somewhere, and use the resources there to bolster our efforts, however, our allies the Lotus have been making some solid gains on Phobos, if we can assist them there, they may come and help us elsewhere.  We also wish to thank Clan Midgard for their valliant efforts on Earth, while we are still loosing the war, they have contributed the most towards helping secure much needed resources.  We also want to thank Arch111 for his tireless efforts.

 

Month two:  Our sacrifices have not gone without result, we are now pushing for total control of several planets.  A big push by our allies, followed by some devisating efforts from our own clan theCrisisCrew have really helped push our enemies back.  Also, Invisium has managed to secure the most captures and resources of any of us this month.

 

Month three: Its the End Game people, one final push, the last month has been amazing, we have freed over 50% of the known universe from tyranny.  Notable contributions from the Aliance TheOrder and specifically from Ragnus4 has allowed us this chance at total victory.  One last push, one last sacrifice, and we shall push them back into the void.

 

War End:  We were so close, we could taste victory, and despite Clan Midgard fighting to the last Tenno, we lost.  Raw87 fought late into the fight before being overcome at last.  We have been defeated, but we will rise again, thus is the fate of Freedom.

 

*Please note, the use of names, clans, and aliances was purely based on stuff I had seen not ten minutes ago.  Plus I am head of Midgard so some name dropping was needed :P 

 

Sorry for the wall of text, but I was inspired by the OP.  Bring on the story mission mid fight I say :)

[Bobtm]

I'm... well let's just say I'm in a different camp in regards to this sort of thing.  Though objectively I do see the need for more questy/lore type stuff as that's something that many people enjoy and I do believe it would be good for the game.  Still though, your approach seems far too heavy-handed in this particular regard.

 

Having such a very distinct quest/faction locked gameplay style is just going to outright segregate the playing community even further than it already is segregated.  This would lead to having even more dead missions in note to "public" or random games.  Popular factions suddenly have tons of people to play with, whereas folks who maybe coincide with the ideals of less popular factions are suddenly cut off from the remainder of the game's populace, shunned to remain in their own little corner.

 

Story quests are all well and good, for a more single-player experience, but they don't work in drop in/drop out multiplayer at all.  The technical issues alone are great in number.  For instance you note having lengthy cutscenes, well now that falls apart entirely when looked at with the very matchmaking currently utilized.  Basically I just don't see stuff like this working for the type of game Warframe is.

 

That all said, I'm not gonna deny that I do have a bias against this sort of thing.  I'm trying to be as objective as I can manage of course, but even if I did want a story focused system it wouldn't change the ways in which such a rigid system would fragment the playerbase immensely.

 

A sidenote error;  What's the deal with having Suda linked to Prime parts?  Seriously... does anyone notice that their first and currently only Syndicate weapon is actually one of their own design?  They're a faction which introduced its own actual tech directly within this regard.

[Sitchrea]

The Future of Warframe

 

     2014 has been the year of the expansion of Warframe. We have seen new frames, new weapons, new tilesets, new mission types and game modes. And then we’ve seen syndicates and relays. But with that, there have been aspects of Warframe that were momentarily seen as the next big thing but have waned in their appeal: Vay Hek set-piece assassination mission, new resources to accompany those (like nav points and argon crystals), and Dark Sectors.

 

     As we approach 2015, DE has announced plans for more boss reworks, more Warframes, and more resources, currencies, and other items - more stuff, in addition to the hundreds of stuff already in the game. But nothing to integrate the gameplay, nothing to tie the disparate elements of the game together, nothing beyond the constant grind for resources and gear. More stuff does not make a complete game. What Warframe needs at this stage is not quantity but quality, not more stuff but more substance.

 

     A lore-driven focus is the future of Warframe. Story is the thread that holds everything together. It joins music, assets, and gameplay together. It provides the contexts for decisions regarding what content will be released, what additions will be made to the game. Little is gained from adding more content that has no basis in the lore of the game, no visual connection to existing themes of the game, and no contribution to the creation of a more complete game. “Stuff” is ultimately forgettable, replaced by the next shiny item. Warframe has to become more than just a showcase of new flashy items and events. What follows is a humble suggestion of the path Warframe could take in 2015:

 

Proposals

 

Factions:

 

     The Grineer are a powerful, totalitarian empire, the first of the two Great Factions, with an expansive clone army and who are ruled by Twin Queens (“The Sisters”), who are rumored to be survivors from the Orokin era. The Grineer military structure is based on the military structure of the Orokin Empire, and as such, is highly structured and discipline. Due to imperfect cloning methods that are the result of failed reverse-engineering of Orokin cloning technology, the Grineer are physically degenerate, supplementing their decaying bodies with metallic prosthetic enhancements. Ruling from Earth and having ruined the planet, the Grineer resemble a post-apocalyptic, dystopian military force who are precise and brutal in their methods and techniques. The Sisters are primarily concerned with destroying the Tenno and reproducing their Warframes to aid in this effort. Notable Grineer are Vor, a Grineer Captain obsessed with obtaining the source of Tenno power; Sargas Ruk, a Grineer General fascinated with Orokin artifacts; Tyl Regor, a Grineer Lieutenant with the goal of mastering the Tenno art of swordmanship; and Councilor Vay Hek, a Grineer politician eliminating opponents to gain more political power.

 

     The Grineer have poor relations with the Corpus, a powerful merchant guild and the second of the two Great Factions, with control over the more advanced colonies and most of the trade routes in the Origin System. With a history stemming back into the Orokin Era, the Corpus would exist at its highest levels as a secret fraternal society, invoking the Orokin in all their ceremonial rituals and endeavors (like a more sinister Freemasonry, or the “Illuminati”, with an economic bent) and seeking to obtain Orokin “relics” and technology. At the lower levels, the Corpus exist as a pseudo-corporation of merchant families who rely on an advanced robot army to maintain control over trade routes and resources, with notable members including Alad V, a scientist first interested in reverse engineering Warframe technology, and later in the Infested, and Sgt. Nef Anyo, a Corpus Chief of Security in charge of Corpus Solar Rails with an interest in procuring and selling Warframes and uncovering Orokin secrets.

 

     Players would first encounter the Grineer through Vor (and eventually Vay Hek, Tyl Regor, and Sargas Ruk) and the Corpus through Alad V (but also through Nef Anyo and Alad V’s varied machines). In Phase 2 (see “Quests” below), the Corpus would enter separate wars with the Grineer and Perrin Sequence (the Grineer would also enter a war with the Steel Meridian), with each side attempting to take territory from the other, and the higher levels of the Corpus would begin exploring the Void, coming into conflict with Cephalon Suda.

 

     Syndicates open up amazing new possibilities for the future of Warframe, a Warframe where the player can feel like s/he is a part of a larger faction. Warframe can be a game where the Syndicates are more than just small side parties that hire out Tenno mercenaries: Syndicates can be full-fledged Factions that the players can join and fight for. Each Faction – the Lotus, Steel Meridian, Cephalon Suda, Arbiters of Hexis, Perrin Sequence, Red Veil, New Loka - would offer players higher level content (weapons, missions, quests, events, skins, possibly frames) that would serve as the path towards endgame – the development of roleplaying potential and interaction with other players as well as immersion into a larger Warframe universe of characters and living, flourishing planets, each with their own characters, personality, and art style differences.

 

These Factions would allow the players to experience varying aspects of Warframe’s lore and gameplay:

 

     Players who pledge with Steel Meridian would experience visceral gameplay with a focus on gunplay and the procurement of more advanced Grineer primary and secondary weapons, particularly rifles, carbines, machineguns, and shotguns, and Grineer melee weapons to a lesser extent. As the current Steel Meridian lore states, this faction, led by Grineer deserters, would be fighting a guerilla war against the Grineer, a war centered on liberating the “colonies”. Steel Meridian would therefore focus on missions against the Grineer, including Capture, Sabotage, Spy, Exterminate, Hijack, Rescue, Defense, Interception, and Invasion (see below). They would also provide a wealth of lore regarding the Grineer – their history, their structure and organization, and the colonies they control. Steel Meridian aims to liberate the colonies from Grineer oppression, bringing justice and freedom to the weak and innocent. As a result, Steel Meridian would be enemies of the Perrin Sequence, a neo-corporate rival to the Corpus, whom Steel Meridian sees as exploitative and corrupt; friendly to New Loka, a pro-Earth and pro-human faction that shares Steel Meridian’s opposition to the Grineer; and opposed to the Red Veil, whom they see as the dispensers of a cruel and indiscriminate perversion of justice.

 

     Cephalon Suda would be an Orokin-era artificial intelligence, one that has recently been awakened by the upset caused by the Tenno’s reemergence. Given Cephalon Suda’s fascination with the Orokin and the Void that birthed the Tenno, players joining this faction would spend considerable time in the Void, gathering “knowledge” via Capture, Spy, Defense, Mobile Defense, Interception, and Hijack missions, mostly in the Void but also in the system. Cephalon Suda would compete with the Corpus – a powerful merchant guild with a ritualistic interest in Orokin “relics” and technology – for access to and control over Orokin ships, and would reward players with blueprints for Orokin tech, like Prime primaries and side-arms, and Orokin drones as sentinels. Given Cephalon Suda’s interest in the Orokin Void, Cephalon Suda would be friends with the Arbiters of Hexis, who share their interest in the Void, and with the Lotus, who is a source of knowledge regarding the Orokin history.

 

     The Arbiters of Hexis would be a disciplined, knightly, monastic, yet samurai-like (sharing Western and Eastern influences) order with a strong admiration for the Tenno and their Void-derived abilities. The Arbiters would reject the Orokin myth that the Tenno were descendants of an ancient Earth warrior culture, instead seeing them as the products of the Void that they are. The Arbiters would see this myth as a tool to limit Tenno potential, and would view the Tenno as far greater than their Orokin masters. For this reason, players who join the Arbiters would focus on “Spy”, Defense, Survival, and Exterminate missions, as well as a variety of Void missions, and would be rewarded with specially-designed, Arbiter-specific melee weapons. The Arbiters’ pro-Tenno, anti-Orokin stance would make them enemies of the Lotus, whom they see as perpetuating the Orokin myth, and the Red Veil, who see the Tenno as the ultimate source of the corruption plaguing the system; opposed to New Loka, who wants to return the system to a pre-Tenno state; but in friendly cooperation with Cephalon Suda, who has a similar interest in the Void.

 

     As mentioned above, the Perrin Sequence would be a neo-corporate splinter of the Corpus, rejecting both the Corpus’ secret society nature and war-profiteering. The Perrin Sequence would be an aspiring rival to the Corpus, seeking both to take their place as the system’s predominant economic power, and to create a more peaceful system based on free trade and interdependence. As a result, the Perrin Sequence would focus on undermining the Corpus through Spy, Sabotage, Capture, Mobile Defense, Rescue, Hijack, and Interception missions. The Perrin Sequence would reward players with Corpus-based sentinels, including Ospreys and MOAs, as well as other Corpus-based weaponry (including craftable experimental weapons blueprints). The Perrin Sequence would be at odds with Steel Meridian, whom they see as perpetuating conflict and resisting prosperity and economic interdependence; opposed to the Red Veil, who targets them and others; and on friendly terms with New Loka, who sees a return to Earth culture and peace.

 

     The Red Veil would be the former low Guardians of the Orokin Empire, and therefore, Stalker’s faction. They would share Stalker’s hatred of the Tenno for murdering the Orokin, and would see the current system, with its conflicts, wars, and oppression as a corruption stemming from the Tenno’s crime. As a result, they desire a holistic purge of the entire system through the assassination of the Tenno and the leaders of all factions (save New Loka), and, above all, the Lotus, who gave the command to kill the Orokin. Though they bear strong hatred for the Tenno, the Red Veil would accept any Tenno who would atone for their sins through rejection of the Lotus. The act of joining the Red Veil is also the rejection of their own status as Tenno; Tenno under the Red Veil would no longer be called Tenno, but Stalkers, after the namesake of the original Stalker. The Red Veil would focus on Assassination, Capture, Exterminate, and Survival missions, and would emphasize the use of stealth and silent weapons, like silent daggers, bows, and shuriken, with gameplay centered on a developed stealth system. The Red Veil would be enemies of the Lotus and the Arbiters, the two pro-Tenno factions; opposed to Steel Meridian and the Perrin Sequence, who they see as mere extensions of the corrupt Grineer and Corpus; and neutral toward New Loka, who hold similar view regarding the impurity of the system, and Cephalon Suda, whose fascination with Orokin secrets is compatible with the Red Veil’s vengeance on behalf of the Orokin.

 

     New Loka would be a pro-Earth, pro-human faction that sees the Grineer, and Tenno, as corruptions of the human form. Seeing the damage done to Earth by the Grineer, New Loka would be focused on removing the Grineer from Earth and eradicating the pollution that corrupts the planet. For this reason, New Loka would focus all of its attention on Earth, achieving its aims through Sabotage, Exterminate, Defense, Hijack, Assassination and Rescue missions. New Loka would reward players with earth-based weapons, health augments, mods, and gear, and new, effective pets. New Loka would be allies of Steel Meridian, who also fights against the Grineer; friends with the Perrin Sequence, which desires a return to an Earth-based economic system; opposed to the Lotus, who merely wants balance and the status quo, and the Arbiters, who value the impurity of the Tenno; and neutral toward the Red Veil, who similarly sees corruption in the system stemming from the Orokin Collapse, and Cephalon Suda, whose fascination with the Orokin lies outside its purview.

 

     To signify the impact of these new factions, joining Factions would mean leaving the Lotus. Instead of taking directives from the Lotus, players who join Factions will become full initiates with them, and would take their mission instructions directly from Factions. This is not to say that DE should get rid of the Lotus: the Lotus would simply be the first of these seven factions. The way this could work is as follows:

 

     New players would begin as normal, under the Lotus’ direction. All of the basic elements – Vor, Alad V, Vay Hek quests, etc. – would continue, but perhaps with more narrative tissue to them. At some point (let’s say, Mastery Rank 5), players would become introduced to the Factions, and at this stage they would have the option of leaving the Lotus and joining one of the Factions, or remaining with the Lotus. Players who leave the Lotus would no longer receive instruction from the Lotus, but from the Faction that they join. At this stage, the Lotus would simply become one of the seven factions, and would continue to offer Warframes and non-faction-specific weapons.

 

New Faction-Specific Content:

 

     New content could come through each faction. Non-faction-specific Reinforcements would come through the Lotus faction, while there would also be new weapons, accessories, mods, and skins that would be faction-specific. New quests would also be faction-specific. Through this approach, each content item would fit with a certain theme of a particular faction, and therefore would fit within the context of the evolving Warframe lore.

 

Cross-faction trading and purchases:

 

    Players would be able to continue to use the marketplace to acquire technology and weaponry from other factions, but at a higher cost. Leaving a faction to join another would mark you as hunted by the faction that you leave, and the faction that you would defect to would offer a bonus. Switching back to a previous faction would require a higher cost to rejoin, and would mark the player as hunted by the faction that s/he leaves. Being a member of a faction would not reward negative standing for an opposing faction. Instead, an enemy faction would automatically and occasionally hunt that player as long as that player is a member of the other faction.

 

Faction-favored Warframes:

 

Particular Warframes are still favored by certain Factions (all are favored by the Lotus):

 

Steel Meridian

 

                Rhino, Mesa, Valkyr, Mirage, Vauban, Prime variants of these

 

Cephalon Suda

 

                Limbo, Nova, Mag, Vauban all Prime Frames

 

Arbiters of Hexis

 

                Excalibur, Frost, Nyx, Mag, Trinity, Saryn, Nova, Banshee, Nekros, Ember, Prime variants of these

 

Perrin Sequence

 

                Vauban, Valkyr, Mag, Prime variants of these

 

Red Veil

 

                Ash, Loki, Valkyr, Nekros, Excalibur, all Prime frames

 

New Loka

 

                Trinity, Zephyr, Oberon, Rhino, Ember, Hydroid, Frost, Saryn, Prime variants of these

 

Quests:

 

     Quests would serve as a four-player “campaign” for Warframe. They would be far more expansive, and cinematic, than the “quests” currently in the game. With narrative-driven content, revamped Quests would provide the context for new lore/backstory, the introduction of factions and Warframes, the development of old and new bosses, and player progression. Not only Mastery tests, but Quests would delineate Mastery Rank from Mastery Rank, serving almost as “chapters” to the overall Warframe story. For the first five or so Mastery Ranks, players would basically begin as they do now, being awakened by the Lotus and having to take out numerous Grineer and Corpus bosses. All of this, however, would occur via Quests. This first set of Quests would take the player through the entire solar map, taking down pre-Terraframe Vay Hek, pre-Orokin Vor, and Zanuka-project leader Alad V, among others. During this first phase, players would become acquainted with the Stalker, Darvo, and dojos, clans, and alliances. The one major change would be that within the Quests, Earth would use Ceres’ tileset, representing a toxic, barren Earth. Once players finished these Quests, which would coincide with the completion of Mastery Rank 5 or so, they would gain access to the other Factions, Archwing combat, and the Lisets, Relays and Colonies. At this point, players would be given the option of staying with the Lotus, or leaving the Lotus and joining one of the other Factions. Each Faction, including the Lotus, would have its own set of fully narrative Quests, and each would differ according to the nature of the Faction:

 

     The Lotus Quests would continue essentially as normal. Players who remained with the Lotus would be reintroduced to Terraframe Vay Hek (on a Ceres-like Earth), reanimated Void Vor, Mutalist Alad V, other modified bosses, and new bosses. Other Quests would include the rediscovery of lost Tenno frames, such as Limbo and Mirage; these would not be simplistic missions just for the sake of Warframe parts, but narratives designed to shed light on the mystery surrounding the Tenno. It is also here that players would be introduced to revamped Invasion missions (in which players would assist either Grineer or Corpus) and the Orokin Towers/Derelicts/Corrupted/Prime Warframes located in the Void. A notable gameplay addition available to Lotus players would be special Defense missions where they must fend off dojos from attempted Red Veil “Purges”.

 

     Steel Meridian gameplay would focus on all Grineer locations, as well as the Colonies. The gameplay style would be very fitting of guerilla warfare, but in keeping with present mission types. These Quests would have players conducting various operations with Steel Meridian’s forces, notably including many Invasions. Players would encounter the greatest variety of new Grineer bosses and units, including the dreaded Twin Sisters, while learning a great deal about the Grineer history.

 

     Cephalon Suda’s Quests would introduce players to the Orokin Void, and would revolve around players digging for Orokin Keys via Excavation missions, and new Exploration missions located in both Orokin Towers and Derelicts, searching for any and all data, knowledge and technology, including the Orokin Vault. Here players would encounter new Corpus units and bosses also vying for access to Orokin Vaults, as well as the Corrupted and Infested (including both Vor and Alad V).

 

     The Arbiters’ Quests would begin with a lengthy initiation process, in which Tenno will have to prove themselves worthy of instruction by the Arbiters of Hexis. These would involve a number of tasks covering various mission types and planets, as well as Mastery-style tests. Once a player has been initiated (comparable to reaching one additional Mastery Rank), s/he will then undertake various missions, some exploring the Void for Orokin Vaults and other secrets, others covering various mission types against Corpus and Grineer, and others still against the Red Veil. Players would be introduced to Red Veil bosses and other new Grineer and Corpus bosses and units.

The Perrin Sequence would focus on Corpus locations, including Corpus cities, shipyards, and factories. Perrin Sequence Quests would involve players infiltrating numerous Corpus locations, capturing Corpus VIPs, and even seizing Corpus cities, factories, and shipyards via revamped Invasion missions. The narrative content would provide players with the history of the Corpus, and the greatest variety of new Corpus bosses and units.

 

     The Red Veil’s Quests would begin with players having to undergo a lengthy atoning process in which they would have to assassinate Lotus-aligned targets, including NPC Tenno. After demonstrating their penitence (comparable to reaching one additional Mastery Rank), players would be relabeled as “Stalkers”, and would then undertake missions focusing on exterminating and assassinating Grineer, Corpus, and members of the other Factions. Red Veil players would also notably participate in Invasion missions, where they exterminate both sides of a conflict, whether Grineer vs. Corpus, Steel Meridian vs. Grineer, or Perrin Sequence vs. Corpus). Furthermore, Red Veil players would have the added gameplay experience of “Purge” exterminate missions, where they exterminate NPC Tenno within dojos.

 

     New Loka’s Quests would be located on a toxic, Ceres-like Earth controlled by the Grineer. Players would endeavor through various mission types (listed above) to purify the Earth (such that it looks like the current green tileset) and liberate it from the Grineer. New Loka players would occasionally receive help from Steel Meridian NPCs, and would encounter new Grineer units and bosses, including Terraframe Vay Hek. Players would also have the added experience of exploring subterranean Orokin and pre-Orokin locales, where they would discover weapons, gear, and possibly new Warframes.

 

Invasions:

 

     Currently, invasions are nothing more than longer Exterminate missions, with AI help, of course. To understand what Invasion missions should be, first we need to understand the premise behind them: one faction is engaging in direct conflict with an enemy faction in an attempt to destroy the enemy and potentially capture a location. With that premise, we can say that these Invasion missions are military operations conducted against a specific faction. Invasions, therefore, should be high-leveled, high-rewarded, multi-objective operations that integrate the various different missions types experienced while playing Warframe. Invasion missions would be fought against the Grineer or Corpus and on the side of the player’s faction. Specifically, Steel Meridian and New Loka would always fight against the Grineer. The Perrin Sequence and Cephalon Suda would fight against the Corpus. The Red Veil, Arbiters of Hexis, and the Lotus would fight against both Corpus and Grineer. The Lotus would assist the Grineer (if against Corpus) and Corpus (if against Grineer), while every other faction would be assisted by NPCs of the same faction (Red Veil with Red Veil, Arbiters with Arbiters, etc.).

 

     One Archwing Interception mission, one ship-based mission and six different ground-based missions would occur in every Invasion mission; the order in which these various missions types instantiate would, of course, be pseudo-random, but each invasion will either start or end with an Archwing Interception. If the Invasion begins with an Archwing Interception mission (and Archwing operations would always be the first and last operations if they appear), the players would go through an Archwing Interception mission; at the end of this mission, they would transition, via cutscene, to the ship-based Sabotage/Exterminate mission (Corpus if fighting against the Corpus, Grineer if fighting against the Grineer). If the Archwing Interception ends the Invasion mission, the player would transition via cutscene to space from the planet. Depending on the friendly faction, the enemies on the ships would be the enemy of that particular faction. Players move to sabotage the ship, after which they exterminate the remaining forces on the ship. Once the ship is cleared, the ship is crash landed on the nearby planet, again via cutscene.

 

     Once on the planet, the Invasion becomes a ground-based Invasion mission, where Exterminate, Sabotage, Capture, Interception, Hijack, Defense, Mobile Defense, and Assassinate (same targets as in Capture missions) may take place. For Capture and Assassination missions, the targets would be Grineer Commanders or Corpus Wardens, as opposed to the usual Capture targets. Exterminate missions will always be the first and last ground-based missions. Exterminate missions will always occur twice, Defense, Sabotage, Mobile Defense, and Interception missions may occur up to two times, and Capture, Hijack, and Assassinate missions would only occur once during an Invasion mission.

 

 

     Please understand that this proposal represents the sort of substance that could take two years to implement, but is the sort of thing that Warframe needs. A Warframe that considers all of these possibilities will be a much more complete Warframe that is no longer a beta product. Either Warframe embraces this kind of substance and interconnectivity or it continues to be a game bloated with lots of cool but ultimately meaningless stuff.

 

 

Note: This was written as a collaborative effort by myself and Arktourus, my brother and fellow Warframe player.

 

I'd pay for all of this.

 

I'd pay a lot.

[OniDax]

Well, to address certain comments

 

1) Cephalon Suda is interested in knowledge gained from Orokin technology. As such, under this proposal, Cephalon Suda's quests would involve many Void missions. Suda's rewards are items that would be found in the Void: Orokin weapons, frames, and blueprints.

 

2) The idea isn't for matchmaking to fall apart. The cutscenes would be no different than the current intros when going to different locations, like planets or relays. The point for lengthy cutscenes is primarily meant to be the means of providing narrative for the particular quest and lore for the game overall. I believe quests should be more narrative, and not simply the same repetitive missions with different rewards.

 

     As for clans, I understand that the XB1 and PS4 are much more clan- and alliance-focused than the PC community. That said, I don't think that Syndicates/Factions (as I've called them) should be dependent on clans. I do believe that an aspect of Syndicates can be included in Dark Sectors and other clan/alliance events, but when considering that idea (Arktourus had some ideas about having alliances being a part of certain factions), I backed off of that idea because if clans and alliances were a part of certain syndicates, then that immediately restricts all players of a clan or alliance to that specific syndicate. So I would want clans and alliances to exist outside the scope of syndicates. This is the only reason that I wouldn't have clans and alliances pick their own alliances with syndicates. But, ideally, YES, the hierarchy when it comes to groups in Warframe would be 1) Clans, 2) Alliances, 3) Syndicates, where clans are members of an alliance, and alliances are members of a Syndicate. It'd just be too restricting to individual players, in my opinion.

 

3) The idea behind the Red Veil being turned into the Stalker's faction is four-fold. One, the Red Veil's design is clearly influenced by the design of the Stalker. Two, the Red Veil are primarily assassins, as is the Stalker. Three, both see corruption in the system - the Red Veil see corruption in everything, and the Stalker sees corruption stemming from the Tenno. Four, we know that the Stalker does in fact have a faction of others that are like him. So tying the Stalker to the Red Veil and setting them up as anti-Lotus (and allowing players to not choose a new faction, meaning staying with the Lotus as a faction) gives meaning, purpose, and explanation for the Red Veil seeing corruption, and it clarifies what they see as corruption and who they plan to target, as one criticism of the Red Veil is that there is no clarification on who they want to purge with blood, so people assume they just want to kill everyone.

 

I hope these explanations help clarify these aspects of this proposal.

Edited December 18, 2014 by AntoineFlemming

[Bobtm]

Well, to address certain comments

 

1) Cephalon Suda is interested in knowledge gained from Orokin technology. As such, under this proposal, Cephalon Suda's quests would involve many Void missions. Suda's rewards are items that would be found in the Void: Orokin weapons, frames, and blueprints.

 

Eh, that's still shoddy logic at best with this situation.  There's really nothing to me that is even slightly sensible about that, mind you I dig prime stuff and am a Suda supporter myself.  But this is just backwards to me.  Suda is interested in all knowledge, not just about Orokin things, the only reason a focus would appear to be put there is because there's less already known of their capabilities.

 

Having Primes more in a Lotus group just makes more sense to me.

[TheVeiledScion]

"With such powerful technology rooted in the past the hunt for knowledge guides every force in the Solar System. At a time where information holds so much power Cephalon Suda, a consciousness seemingly devoid of emotion, follows a curious hunger to learn all she can."

https://warframe.com/news/syndicates-alliances-values-and-rewards

Looks like an allusion to Orokin tech to me. But the point was to emphasize different settings per faction and different types of Quests (so not just the usual missions located in the Void, but exploration-type missions appropriate for Cephalon Suda).

Edited December 18, 2014 by Arktourus

[(XBOX)Eli and Niti]

"As for clans, I understand that the XB1 and PS4 are much more clan- and alliance-focused than the PC community. That said, I don't think that Syndicates/Factions (as I've called them) should be dependent on clans. I do believe that an aspect of Syndicates can be included in Dark Sectors and other clan/alliance events, but when considering that idea (Arktourus had some ideas about having alliances being a part of certain factions), I backed off of that idea because if clans and alliances were a part of certain syndicates, then that immediately restricts all players of a clan or alliance to that specific syndicate. So I would want clans and alliances to exist outside the scope of syndicates. This is the only reason that I wouldn't have clans and alliances pick their own alliances with syndicates. But, ideally, YES, the hierarchy when it comes to groups in Warframe would be 1) Clans, 2) Alliances, 3) Syndicates, where clans are members of an alliance, and alliances are members of a Syndicate. It'd just be too restricting to individual players, in my opinion." - Quote

 

We do tend to be more clan orientated sure, but my point was more that the clans and alliances could switch between the Syndicates as a whole, only being locked into a choice for the duration of a "War" so to speak (3 months... not moths as I origionally wrote).   Again I refer to Chromehounds. 

 

As I origionally said, I do like your idea, but for longevities sake, I was merely adding to the origional design you guys came up with... by shamelessly stealing an idea from another game... that wasnt very popular... and pretty much got canned for its online play... and stealing ideas from long lived fiction and pop culture...

 

Hey... I must work for Activision?!  

 

*Please note that while I am an Indie dev, I in no way condone Activision or any of their affiliates, and I hate the way they do business... I firmly believe that games should be fun... that leads to profit, not the other way round*

Edited December 18, 2014 by (XB1)Eli and Niti

[OniDax]

Oh, well that makes sense.

[OniDax]

It's encouraging to see more threads about wanting a future for Warframe, one that has some clear direction and unity of features. Hopefully we get some more people asking for this sort of thing, and not more meaningless features, content, and reworks.

 

For example (this is something not mentioned in the original proposal), I don't think we need a Tyl Regor or Kela de Thaym design rework. Kela's design is just fine imo. Tyl Regor needs something that makes sense. Why change him from a swordsman to a guy with giant fists? It seems like the current direction of the game is focused on campy, eccentric bosses and gameplay elements, when Tyl Regor should be a Grineer who is obsessed with being a better swordsman than the Tenno, so much so that he has studied the Tenno arts of swordfighting and is an accomplished swordsman. The Grineer on his planet should also reflect that. Kela de Thaym should be similar to what she currently is. Every boss fight shouldn't be a major set piece event.

 

In relation to the current event, our proposal really addresses that as well. The current event is an example of DE not going all the way and not making engaging gameplay that actually furthers the development of the game. Instead of having the current mission, the devs could've replaced the existing relay node with the balor fomorian sabotage node, where the relay is actually in the backdrop. Then, the players are compelled to defend a relay if they want to regain access to it. It gives the sense that the relay is actually under threat, to the point where players have to secure the relay's safety.

 

Another mission idea is a Colony-Defense Invasion mission where the players defend a colony from Grineer invasion/conquest. The players defend a large but specific number of colonists from Grineer. Where the current defense missions have waves (from 10 to 0 or endless defense) where the mission fails when the health and shields of the cryopod fall to 0, this Invasion Defense mission could be one where the mission fails when the number of colonists drops below a certain number. This mission would be an open-air mission, with multiple enemy types that reflect an actual invasion force. This mission could even be syndicate-specific missions, and even more specifically, a Steel Meridian mission, so that players could actually see what these syndicates are actually out doing.

 

Another example would be a Perrin Sequence mission where players have to disrupt a Corpus arms sale or something. Missions like this could further the lore of the game as well as the core features and missions of the game.

[-Himari-]

Moved to a proper section.

[DesecratedPoop]

 

     Please understand that this proposal represents the sort of substance that could take two years to implement, but is the sort of thing that Warframe needs. A Warframe that considers all of these possibilities will be a much more complete Warframe that is no longer a beta product. Either Warframe embraces this kind of substance and interconnectivity or it continues to be a game bloated with lots of cool but ultimately meaningless stuff.

 

 

Note: This was written as a collaborative effort by myself and Arktourus, my brother and fellow Warframe player.

This is not what Warframe needs. This is what you want.

[TheErebus.]

I suggest a similar system as Chromehounds (an old pc/xbox 360 game consigned to the "Not Supported anymore" pile), they had a seasonal war that took place, in which the three factions fought for supremacy over the other two.  At the end of a pre-determined time, or when one faction had reached the "End Game" point, the war was settled, only to be reset, and started all over again (after a few days of showboating by the victorious faction).  Now while this battle was taking place, a Clan supported one faction over the others, and all they did, all the missions they partook in, all the victories (and losses) they suffered went towards that particular factions overall score.  During this time, and depending on their standing within the faction, they recieved faction specific equipment (much in the way you suggested).  At the end of this time, the clan heads were able to then choose to support the same faction, or change to another faction (with no penalty).  This allowed a clan to get access to all of the available equipment that was on offer, but only after their clan had been in three wars.

Unrelated but, there is a spiritual successor to Chromehounds being made. It's on steam, it's called M.A.V. (in early access).

 

 

This is not what Warframe needs. This is what you want.

Pretty much this, warframe doesn't NEED this, this is what you want to see in warframe

[geninrising]

This would be fantastic conceptionaly, however my caveat on all of the above would be syndicates. These should not be limited by clan nor should they be a only 1 at a  time thing. Lots of us are already enjoying such a system and are loathe to let go of it.

 

I do love your idea of syndicate wars though as that would provide that much more depth to players.

 

I think WF definitely needs a greater variance in all aspects of gameplay. Both story line(OMG to see a fully rendered CG storyline, I would die) and in the missions themselves(at least the first time you play through with an option to skip cut scenes for those that want to). Plus additional story elements within missions other than, the mission has changed leave no one alive. 

 

All and all outstanding work! +1

[VampirePirate]

The Future of Warframe

 

     <snip>

Impressive ideas.  This has to come true.  It has to.

[OniDax]

It's not that I think that these specific proposals are what Warframe needs. It's that these kinds of well thought out, interconnected features/elements are what Warframe needs. In other words, syndicates shouldn't just be a feature that are separate from archwings which are separate from invasions, etc etc. Enemies and bosses shouldn't just be there. There should be some well-thought out backstory behind these characters, enemies, and factions. The frames, weapons, archwings, syandanas, and skins should all follow a certain theme. Is it that the Tenno are ninjas? Or are they more like samurai? Are they taking from eastern themes? Why do we have pirates, magicians, and harlequins when the game's timeline is so far removed from those references? These are the things that we think Warframe needs: features that make sense in context. We want Warframe's development to be moving towards a complete game, a game that isn't perpetually in beta, a game that has a particular theme, a game that isn't bloated with a lot of content and little substance and little interconnectivity. We're not the only ones who want to see this kind of thing in warframe. Many also want to see more lore in warframe. I believe that every piece of content should fit into an established lore. So that's what we think Warframe needs. The specific paragraphs are merely our proposals for how this could sort of substance and interconnectivity could be implemented.

[Circle_of_Psi]

Orokin drones as sentinels.

 

YES YES!

 

I WANT THIS!

 

Please Make This Happen!

 

 

P.S

 

You got my vote!

Edited January 4, 2015 by LegionCynex

[Corvid]

Quite frankly, I don't see this working at all. I'm all for making Warframe a more cohesive narrative, but your proposal would just shatter what we have.

 

Why should joining a faction separate us from the Lotus? Why should my choice of faction be restricted by loadout, not ideology (Indeed, you neglected to put Volt as any of the syndicate's favourites)?

[OniDax]

Quite frankly, I don't see this working at all. I'm all for making Warframe a more cohesive narrative, but your proposal would just shatter what we have.

Why should joining a faction separate us from the Lotus? Why should my choice of faction be restricted by loadout, not ideology (Indeed, you neglected to put Volt as any of the syndicate's favourites)?

I'll go back and add Volt. And if others have suggestions for "favorites" then feel free to share. That is really just a continuation of the current syndicate system, where certain syndicates have augmentation mods for only specific warframe. Personally, I just wish the syndicates offered completely new abilities that all frames could use, and that it'deplace the first or fourth ability, or even be a fifth ability.

As for leaving the Lotus, here's why. I don't see the syndicates sharing the same goals as the Lotus. Steel Meridian doesn't want balance. They want an end to the Grineer, who are hurting the colonies. The Arbiters of Hexes believe that the Tenno-as-Warrior mythology, that says the Tenno are descended from a Warrior clan on earth, is a lie. The Lotus keeps the Tenno in that role, serving as tools of balance and continuing in that culture. So they wouldn't agree with the Lotus, who they would see as perpetuating the lie. Perri Sequence isn't concerned with balance, only opposing war profiteering, which the Corpus engage in. New Lola is concerned with pure humanity and a repopulated earth, which means removing the impure Grineer from Earth. Again, the Lotus has the Tenno fight both sides in order to keep balance, meaning no side is defeated, just kept at an equal level. Cephalon Soda is concerned with knowledge, and again, isn't concerned with balance. Only Red Veil would possibly be aligned with the Lotus, but 1) they might be too extreme for the Lotus and 2) I question the influence of the Stalker's design in the design of the Red Veil NPCs. So for those reasons, I think that it doesn't make sense to still be with the Lotus and be apart of the syndicates.

As well, we believe that it'd be interesting if players could join these syndicates and be members of these syndicates, because these syndicates can be the vehicles to more Warframe backstory. As well, they open up possibilities for more missions that are tailored towards those factions, for gaining high rank in those factions, for offering some end-game, for introducing more specialized content, for allowing players to experience varied gameplay, to break up the monotony of the current repetitive gameplay, to breathe some freshness into Warframe, to allow players to fight for someone other than the Lotus with a goal other than balance, to diversify the factions and allow players to immerse themselves in these syndicates, and to ultimately make for a more complete game with a variety of pathways for players to chart through the game. As we will mention in a subsequent thread, the first five ranks through any syndicate will be just as they are now, so nothing changes in that regard. But players would have the option of going further with these syndicates and accessing some syndicate exclusive content and providing some satisfying endgame. Progressing further would mean making a greater sacrifice than simply giving away gear. This would allow players to become full members of these syndicates. Players would still have the option of remaining with the Lotus, essentially not progressing further with the syndicates, which is the current situation. Again, we'll put up a new thread that serves as a part two to this proposal, that goes into more detail concerning the ideas about the syndicates, including some of the ideas mentioned here. In all, its meant to bring something new and lasting to Warframe, and something that can serve as proper endgame. This, coupled with more lore, can help make this game a more complete game. Without being accompanied by lore, this would be yet another feature that doesn't fit within the context of other aspects of the game, so it'd be imperative that something like this regularly introduce more lore to accompany the quests, invasions, and other syndicate content outlined in this proposal.

Hope this helps clarify the reasoning behind the suggestions in this proposal.

Edited January 5, 2015 by AntoineFlemming