Becoming More Like Hayden

[Densoro1]

More specifically, the Hayden from the first Dark Sector trailer. Since he's basically a prototype of the entirety of Warframe, it seems like a good idea to take a look back at him for inspiration.

One of the first things I noticed was how much more he can do with hacking. He landed on top of a robot and was able to take control of it within a second or two, so I thought "Why can't we?" What if there was a specific type of 'hot-hacking' similar to the current cipher system, used for enemies who can turn around and shoot you if you take too long? The time limit could be drastically shorter than alarm hacks and force you to keep your movement controls ready in case you have to jump over their counter-attack.

There could be some sort of 'core cipher' that you'd have to discern in the middle of it all, with branching paths representing different behavior subroutines. To be successful, you'd have to quickly discern the core cipher and either flip it to another behavior, or switch the nearest 'combat' subroutine off to set the enemy to 'idle.' Meddling with the middle of a subroutine or aimlessly playing with the core cipher would alert the enemy to your forced intrusion.

 

Similarly, alarm terminals could be expanded to the point where after completing the cipher hack, you're allowed to muck with the wiring. Either end of each wire would plug into the wall, with defining features around each port. For example, the wiring associated with lighting could have a pair of prongs sticking up, and a slot as well-- :| --------------- |:

However, because different ships were made in different years and by different people, these traits could be rearranged, such as . .| ---------------- |. .
Some wiring may even be installed at 90° angles, whereupon the port would rotate accordingly:
------------- |:

l

_
..

Learning to recognize common features between different makes and models of ship, as well as what function each type of port governs, would be a kind of mastery that rests with the player, not just with their character. Certain terminals could even have anti-tampering alarms built in, and all sorts of redundancy in components to function as back-ups. In that way, a master hacker would be just as important to a squad as a master sniper or melee fighter.

 

Enemy waves would make a lot more sense if we knew what the purpose of each section of the ship was -- and more importantly, of each crew member. This would play a key role in determining enemy paths, with Grineer sawmen wandering around the ship's guts to perform maintenance, a special pilot crew on the bridge, a dedicated security detail, etc. Depending on what a given enemy is doing, they may have to set down or holster their weapon, meaning that if you surprise them, it may take a moment before they're able to attack -- in contrast to current Grineer, who wander around doing nothing and waiting for a space ninja to piss them off.

More importantly, depending on what a given crew member's duty was, killing them may cause certain ship systems to deteriorate, changing mission specifics. And of course, this would have an effect on the 'enemies spawning behind me in that room I just cleared' thing everybody complains about. There could even be incentive to use a terminal to boost communication signal with Lotus so that she can scan the ship and determine crew count -- assuming you care to know. That kind of open-ended freedom to choose seems to be what the Tenno are all about.

 

Now, I've noticed that as I get more used to the game, I only really use one melee attack anymore: start charging up a slash about 6-10 feet out so that they can't interrupt it, then prison-yard rush them with it. By the time it pops, it hits at full strength and takes their arm off. I hardly ever block, and players I see on YouTube only use it as a general 'I am mitigating your bullet damage so that I can get close enough to punch you rather than being sensible and shooting you.' I'd like to see more offensive and defensive options become viable, and it seems to me that the Tenno should do this by using their whole bodies when they fight melee, rather than focusing purely on their weapon.

With the right timing, blocking a melee attack could allow you to put the opponent into a submission hold with your offhand. And with another perfectly-timed press during the submission animation, you could gain some sort of powerful execution move like chopping their head off or pulling them by their arm, face-first into your gauntlet -- chaining these could become an especially effective way of weaving through a crowd, while still emphasizing skill. Alternately, by letting the submission animation finish playing, you could take the enemy hostage, and by pressing the jump button, you could kick a hostage into his friends, knocking them all off-balance or to the ground in the interest of crowd-control.

 

There could even be a mechanic in place for a proper disarm: that is, taking the enemy's weapon away, not just making it jam like Loki. Perhaps pressing block while holding a hostage. There could even be a frame similar to Mag whose powers include telekinetically stealing somebody's rifle like in the original DS trailer.
Of course, then we'd need a reason to use it. What if certain missions denied us some or all of our weapons? It could be that the enemy ship is equipped with better sensors, or there's some sort of flammable gas that will go up in flames if we fire a weapon inside it. Perhaps we don't have enough room to bring it because we need a special stealth-transport to get to a certain mission, or maybe there could be a bonus to mobility worth willingly leaving your weapons at home for. In any case, the ability to force several of our enemies into melee would cut down on the amount of time we have to spend hiding behind walls, quickening the pace of the game while presenting a different kind of challenge.

 

Sorry for all the walls of text. I haven't slept as much as I should, but I wanted to make sure this thread had enough fresh ideas to make up for my last thread full of complaints everybody's already heard xD 

[Densoro1]

First and only bump to hopefully maybe get some feedback on my feedback?

[SetAbominae]

You have my upvote kind sir, more mechanics, especially those that can actually be "mastered" with dedication are always a good addition and add gigantic ammounts of good replay value.