Let's Look Past The Nerfs For A Second, And Look At A More Fundamental Problem

[r110platinum]

The Grind. The Grind has been real, and still is.

 

I was really hoping U16 would help alleviate some of that grind. The new 8 man raid and new cephalon could have helped add some new dimensions to the game, but I'm starting to see now that isn't the case. It all just leads back to one thing, and that's the grind.

 

A new weapon is released? Grind for it. A new Warframe is released? Grind for it. A new passive ability system you can earn by completing raids? Grind for it until it even adds up and makes any significant difference.

 

I have not played warframe since the last prime update, and even then, it was to grind for prime weapons. And once you get those prime weapons, grind to customize and level them up. I only check in once in a while and see what's new. New weapons and even new warframes at this point aren't really enough incentive for me to jump back into it.

 

The grind for loot wouldn't be as big of an issue with me if the gameplay could back it up. There are other games out there that are fundamentally grinds, but the difference with those, is that there is a deep skill component required for gameplay (like Monster Hunter), or the gameplay itself is high quality and dynamic enough to make missions less monotonous after the 100th time you've done it.

 

I understand the game is free to play, and making grind walls is probably the easiest way to get people to spend money, but I think there's a point where enough is enough. At this point, there is essentially nothing new coming to the game. There are still loot rewards you dangle in front of us, then lock it away behind a boring grind wall.

 

The nerfs are happening because they help to increase the grind. Excalibur was nerfed so he can't CC as efficiently to farm XP/Rep. Weapons get nerfed because they were too powerful, making the grind easier. I get wanting to extend gameplay value, but nerfing things doesn't do that. It just frustrates people, and in the end, the grind is still there.

 

You can only kill so many grineer and corpus and run so many void missions before you start to get desensitized. Soon it becomes as stimulating as watching paint dry. 

 

I'm not the only one that's feeling this am I?

 

 

[Rorgal_Sina]

I always thought that the "grind" should be a side thing, not the main point of the game.

[r110platinum]

I always thought that the "grind" should be a side thing, not the main point of the game.

EXACTLY. Oh my goodness, thank you. I've always thought something like a solid campaign mode with actual missions with cut scenes and what not would do wonders for the game. All of this grinding on the side would just be a bonus to get things you wanted. They could release more and more campaign missions like episodes. It's something tangible that I think would really help keep things fresh. 

Edited March 22, 2015 by r110platinum

[H3RRD0KT0R]

We should have deeper goals than just grind for anything... because sooner or later you get everything or just get tired of the grind.

[Temp0ralfool]

gonna say this, the grind for most of the things brought out by U16 is either tolerable, or outright fun. as it should be, but here's something interesting to point out: the grind, is pretty much gameplay to tide us over to the next part of the story (a sentiment I will reiterate).

 

EXACTLY. Oh my goodness, thank you. I've always thought something like a solid campaign mode with actual missions with cut scenes and what not would do wonders for the game. All of this grinding on the side would just be a bonus to get things you wanted. They could release more and more campaign missions like episodes. It's something tangible that I think would really help keep things fresh. 

except we have campaign mode, its called events, alerts (tactical alerts are more obvious about it than base alerts, but even those are story) and quests (all of which advance the game's story), in addition to grinding (one of the things I like about Warframe is how they've structured the story, its pretty much real-time, complete with breaks for playing missions at your own pace[sometimes referred to as grinding]).

 

edit: tl;dr grind is gameplay between story, and its fun or you're doing it wrong.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Temp0ralfool

[Fifield]

What's the alternative to grind?  Completed game.  And PvP.