Consumables Should Be Multi-Hour Buffs Rather Than One Time Use

[Criptak]

Dear DE's,

 

 

   Consumables as they are offer no additional value to the game.  I know that there is a place for consumables, but with the high level of ammo drops and energy drops coupled with the ease to revive players these consumables offer no impact to the game.   So sure you have a weak version of an ammo hog(like the grakata or twin viper, but you usually plan ahead by taking a more ammo friendly weapon in your other slot (or a strong melee).  I have been playing for 2 months and have yet to use a consumable... not because I don't have them equiped, but because there is no need for them in the gameplay.  

 

   This also ties into the daily rewards.  THANK YOU for stating in earlier forums that you plan on revamping the daily reward section.  If consumables were for 2 or 3 hour buffs on things like ammo pickups, small buffs to exp/credits/resource pickups I think it would have a big effect on how people feel about the daily rewards.  This would also help the casual player who can collect these small buffs throughout the week and burn them off on the weekend when they have time to play.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Criptak

[Twistank]

I honestly can't remember the last time I used consumable.

[Tabtree]

that would be awesome, it would definitely be more useful then. Although some bosses and defense missions, its good to have and ammo box or two around

[RunNGun]

I use HP restores cause i'm a nub >.>

And I also buy ammo refills cause i'd still make a profit

[MoonicusMaximus]

How would team heals and HP restores translate into a time-based buff?

[Criptak]

How would team heals and HP restores translate into a time-based buff?

 

My first instinct would be to say a health regen similar to the artifact (which can stack with the Rejuvenation artifact).... but I think a damage reduction might be better.  I am proposing that this for these reasons:

A) Daily rewards, should be more usuable and encourage a small block of efficient play (in my opinion)

B) The team heals and hp restores are more for those... we got in over our heads quick do something.  (having a damage reduction will make it more likely to survive those moments - albiet you might be worse off than a heal)

 

That being said... there is obviously some place for those items as the Devs wouldn't have put them in otherwise.  It is obvious that the impact of these items is MUCH less than anticipated and their impact on the dailys a definite drawback.  So while there may be some instance of "Hey, this one antecdotal time I used an item" out of the hundreds of missions and hours I've played... in general I feel the buffs would give a better experience.  And if you get a buff instead of a cool potato bp you don't think "Another day of junk" rather "Well I can use that this weekend when I have a couple hours to devote to the game"

Edited May 16, 2013 by Criptak

[MoonicusMaximus]

My first instinct would be to say a health regen similar to the artifact (which can stack with the Rejuvenation artifact).... but I think a damage reduction might be better.  I am proposing that this for these reasons:

A) Daily rewards, should be more usuable and encourage a small block of efficient play (in my opinion)

B) The team heals and hp restores are more for those... we got in over our heads quick do something.  (having a damage reduction will make it more likely to survive those moments - albiet you might be worse off than a heal)

 

That being said... there is obviously some place for those items as the Devs wouldn't have put them in otherwise.  It is obvious that the impact of these items is MUCH less than anticipated and their impact on the dailys a definite drawback.  So while there may be some instance of "Hey, this one antecdotal time I used an item" out of the hundreds of missions and hours I've played... in general I feel the buffs would give a better experience.  And if you get a buff instead of a cool potato bp you don't think "Another day of junk" rather "Well I can use that this weekend when I have a couple hours to devote to the game"

 

The issue I am having is that these sorts of consumable items are meant to make the game easier... but the game is already easy as it is. Thus, I don't see much of a point to having an consumable that grants me a basic health regen, or one that increases the ammo pickups for my Full-90%-of-the-time Latron.

 

The game would have to become more difficult in a meaningful way before consumables of this nature are presented to the players. Because even if they were time-based buffs, I would have next to no reason to spend credits on them as things are currently.

[Criptak]

The issue I am having is that these sorts of consumable items are meant to make the game easier... but the game is already easy as it is. Thus, I don't see much of a point to having an consumable that grants me a basic health regen, or one that increases the ammo pickups for my Full-90%-of-the-time Latron.

 

The game would have to become more difficult in a meaningful way before consumables of this nature are presented to the players. Because even if they were time-based buffs, I would have next to no reason to spend credits on them as things are currently.

 

Personally I would spend money on a plus resource buff.  Besides given your argument... why not remove all consumables, as the game is already easy.  Serious gamers would find a +5% exp buff for 2-3 hours as paltry, while a casual player could see this as a good way to squeeze that little extra out of the few hours of gameplay available to them on the weekend.

 

Items are supposed to make the game easier, otherwise they don't matter.  How much easier is definitely a balancing act, a consumable buff is more encouraging to daily login, even if only to grab the item to lead up to a weekend session.

 

Finally, are you actually spending money on consumables now?

[Ryanshow]

I use them frequently enough. Ammo boxes for bullet sponge bosses and team heals when I have to melee a toxic ancient to death and got my health wrecked.

 

I'm completely fine with the way they are. I don't like turning the heals into damage reduction. They are meant for after you have gotten in trouble.

 

99% damage reduction won't help me if I'm at 10 health.

[MoonicusMaximus]

Personally I would spend money on a plus resource buff.  Besides given your argument... why not remove all consumables, as the game is already easy.  Serious gamers would find a +5% exp buff for 2-3 hours as paltry, while a casual player could see this as a good way to squeeze that little extra out of the few hours of gameplay available to them on the weekend.

 

Items are supposed to make the game easier, otherwise they don't matter.  How much easier is definitely a balancing act, a consumable buff is more encouraging to daily login, even if only to grab the item to lead up to a weekend session.

 

Finally, are you actually spending money on consumables now?

 

I've purchased a few rifle ammo boxes when I was leveling my Grakata and Gorgon. Lately? No.

 

And that won't change with the proposed changes to their use.

 

It is as I was saying; if DE wants consumables to be meaningful enough to warrant a use of in-game currency, the situations in-game that would call for their use need to actually warrant their use. This can translate into a myriad of was that may or may not be agreeable to players but would increase the worth of consumables and favor a time-based system rather than a single-use system: making death a more frequent and punishing problem would increase the purchase and use of health restorative items. Lowering the ammunition pool for all weapons would mean weapons dry out sooner, meaning ammo boxes would be more desirable. Making the hacking minigame that much more difficult or time-consuming would see an increase in cipher purchases.

 

Things of that nature. Some of those things don't sound that appealing, but in a strictly desire-to-purchase-consumables standpoint, that's the sort of thing that would need to be done.

Edited May 16, 2013 by MoonicusMaximus

[Criptak]

With the upcoming idea of prestege weapons or possibly warframes, especially if the ranks scale similar to mod increases (i.e. 900,000 for first 30 warframe levels -> prestege to level 0 -> 1,800,000 exp to 2nd 30 levels of warframe.... ) buffs would start to be very valuable, even to serious gamers.. think about the 5th or so prestege on a weapon or warframe....

[MoonicusMaximus]

With the upcoming idea of prestege weapons or possibly warframes, especially if the ranks scale similar to mod increases (i.e. 900,000 for first 30 warframe levels -> prestege to level 0 -> 1,800,000 exp to 2nd 30 levels of warframe.... ) buffs would start to be very valuable, even to serious gamers.. think about the 5th or so prestege on a weapon or warframe....

 

At that point, one would think the proposed consumables would become a quasi-requirement for tackling content, like the hour-long buff flasks in World of Warcraft are.

 

That's an indifferent suggestion, to me. Is that actually what we want?

Edited May 16, 2013 by MoonicusMaximus

[Criptak]

At that point, one would think the proposed consumables would become a quasi-requirement for tackling content, like the hour-long buff flasks in World of Warcraft are.

 

That's an indifferent suggestion, to me. Is that actually what we want?

 

 Interesting idea... but how many times you prestege a warframe/weapon is optional.  Again a small bump doesn't break this type of mechanic. MoonicusMaximus are you saying you don't think that the consumables need a change? or that there is a better idea to changing the consumables with a smaller impact on the gameplay?

[MoonicusMaximus]

 Interesting idea... but how many times you prestege a warframe/weapon is optional.  Again a small bump doesn't break this type of mechanic. MoonicusMaximus are you saying you don't think that the consumables need a change? or that there is a better idea to changing the consumables with a smaller impact on the gameplay?

 

Prestige seems to be in the lead to become the "end-game" aspect of gear laddering, which means everyone will, at one point, be wanting to do it... and if these hour-long buff consumables make it easier, they won't really be an option, but a near-requirement.

 

I'm not saying consumables need to stay as they are, however; they currently are about as worthless as people say.

 

However, unless some fundamental aspects of the entire game change around to facilitate the use of consumables, I don't see a way to make them worth spending credits on while keeping them a strictly optional aspect of the game.

 

Again, having them act as World of Warcraft flasks, which provided sizable buffs for 1-2 hours, isn't necessary a BAD THING... but is it something that Warframe's players want? I wouldn't mind it, per say, but it would warrant a tweaking of their price and affects... many aspects of the game to facilitate their use in an appropriate manner.