Multi Pathing...mini Objectives...& Stealth...

[s3kShUn08]

The path to Multiple Gameplay Styles.

Hello to all, lets start with addressing the obvious bits. Warframe Maps are linear, while some modes have you go after multiple targets or areas, the path you take to get there are all the same. Now this part is speculation because I don't exactly have access to spawn data for enemies, but in general the amount of enemies you see from room to room is constant.

For anyone that has done, or attempted, a stealth run we all know that feeling when we finally clear a room of enemies without an alert only to get to the door on the other end and have it open and immediately be greeted by a Grineer heavy unit who makes our entire pressence known throughout the ship. Some might say, "That's why they added alert resets in for the security panels." Can we really call that "stealth?" gameplay if we just go from room to room reseting the alarm?

In my opinion we can not. Overall Warframe, the game for ninjas by ninjas, where ninjas play free, to be blunt has some of the most bare bones stealth mechanics you can get.

How to rememedy this, Multi Pathing, Mini Objectives(affinity boost enhancement), a few minor mechanic reworks.

These to things can either be implemented independetly of one another or complimentary to each other.
Let's start with the Multi Pathing.
When I say multi pathing I mean exactly that, Multiple pathways to and from objectives. This by itself would add to the diversity of missions simply because following the path of carnage behind a single tenno on a mission can be monotonous.

What would change: Objective marker would no longer be on the end of a door but rather would show a constant direction of travel with the same visual queues of going up or down.
Players would now have to decide on which room is the right room to take rather than just mindlessly following a marker to the intended location. (Seriously I don't need someone/something telling me exactly where I need to go 100% of the time. I'd like to explore a little maybe i do get lost, maybe I go down a path to a dead end and have to backtrack. Thats the beauty of it really. People used to complain about speed runners. Thos people that want to simply DPS the objective and gtfo as quickly as possible. The first remedy was the wait timer, then it was the 1/2 party to initiate the timer, then it was various game mechanics that didn't allow just DPS. The best part about this is that gives rise to variation in gameplay with new mechanics that can be used in future frames.

Lets say this multipathing is used and people still want to speed run but dont want to explore a map, Why not develop a frame intentionally built around scouting. YES this frame COULD be boring potentially, I won't deny that BUT it equally has the potential to be great. Lets say this scout frame has abilities like

1. Mapping the area via pulse, for every pulse X meters of area is map, This uses the in game mechanic already of revealing the map but on a greater scale.

2.Enemy spotting, this is not meant to replace enemy radar in anyway, in fact its meant to work in conjunction with it, think of Banshees sonar effect + the Codex scanner High light effect. This is meant to highlight all enemies in X meters allowing us to see them through walls.

3.Team Teleport, similar to the dojo teleporter mechanic only portable, press it once for entry pad, once again for exit. this would allow X amount of tenno to be teleported from point A-B, add a ATK, or DEF buff for more utility, OR reduced visibility meaning enemies that telport are partially invisible to enemies X meters away.
4. Can you think of an Ultimate? (Post your ideas below)

Now all these can just as easily be impleneted via gear as well, making gear a more integral part of the game asside from restorative uses. Entry and exit pads for the teleporters, Mobile scan beacon to highlight enemies, Mapping sonar grenade. Heck you could just as easily use them for a new sentinel. The point is that simply by adding more than one path, we can open up to more possibilities of gameplay.

Now another thing that we can add to multipathing(MP) is change in spawn ratios of enemies to define Guarded Pathways(GP's) and Stealth Pathways(SP's.) Naturally for a(n) SP there would be less than that of a GP, however being caught in these areas has a higher chance of spawning tougher enemies. Conversly one can use the "being caught" or alerted in a GP to then focus all the agro on players in rooms designated as GP's leaving the SP's with less risk.

This brings me to a slightly more off topic/slightly on topic point. Lighting and visibility. It would be great if overall lighting had an impact on visibility. Even something simple as Light output = X player visibility = X% based on Light output/distance. This in and of itself lends great potential for added stealth gameplay.

Which leads me to my Nex point, Mini objectives. These are basically an addition to the current affinity boost stlye of objectives, with an added "notification" from the lotus. These mini objectives would coincide with multi pathing and stealth mechanics. You start a mission and at the bottom there is a alternate objective of (sabotage the alarms) that leads you down a SP where at the end you come to a control room where you either use the deception mechanic and enter a flase data packet that disables the alarms or come to the energy room of the ship and destroy the core cutting the power reducing visibility for enemies. Then proceeding to the main objective of, hostage rescue, another sabotage, or another deception. This basically uses current in game modes down scales them  and then uses them within other game modes to add more variety. Why should a sabotage mission be just a formula of "Run to core, Destroy Core, Run to Exit" What happened to those notifications from the lotus, those three simple words We loved, "Change of plans..." Why not bring this back as a way to add more variety, say that XP is XXXX amount if completed in a stealth manner HOWEVER if stealth fails "CoP" KILL EVERYTHING. Or say if its a stealth variant of a mission if caught "CoP" complete X objective and Exfiltrate before XX:XX. If Warframe truly wants and element of stealth in the game it has to have a punishment for failure. In the past from Devstreams I've learned of how the Devs @DE Like finality of choices. Meaning that once a player makes a decision they have to stick with it. If I'm not mistaken there is a specific Devstream where Steve and Scott discussed how Warframe make players make decisions, sometimes those decisions are pretty challenging but are always resolute. (If you know the stream post it below so I can reference it here)

These are just a portion of the ideas that I want to represent for this wonderful game. These statements reflect my opinions and thoughts about certain aspects of the game. Wheter you agree or disagree post below, If you think theres a better option for the implentation of stealth gameplay I want to hear it. My hope is someone from the Dev team gets wind of this and at the very least is entertained bty the notion of what I put forth and the very most walk away thinking that these would be a great addition to warframe.

Edited January 11, 2015 by s3kShUn08

[Leichenfresser]

I personally would like to see something like the stuff they already do in rescue missions. You can get inside the prison by exploring the room, sneaking inside some air ducts or running around walls.

 

Would be nice to see like an airduct that'll bring you directly to the energy core of an outpost or something like that. It could even have laser-gates or infra-red lasers that trigger the alarm, closing down the airduct or filling it with gas.

 

I think a stealth warframe isn't needed, but your idea with the mapping of the area would be nice for a sentinel! So every warframe can be stealthy.

[Grayphilosopher]

You sir, have won a +1