Restores And Consumables [Suggestion]

[Exophase]

Since I've started playing, I've found the concept of consumables in Warframe to be generally lacking. We do have the "basics" of the set, but it does not compliment gameplay as much as it could. Some of the items are either too ineffective to justify their slot in our inventory, redundant copies of already added elements within the game, or items that are so useful they trump other consumables for a slot. First, let's talk healing- one of the main reasons for consumables in every game.

 

::HEALTH RESTORES::

Health Restores are a mixed bag. They're incredibly cheap, but there is no balance and the effect is somewhat left to be desired. How you say? Look at them:

 

Health Restore: 50 Health (250 credits)

Greater Health Restore: 100 Health (500 credits)

Team Health Restore: 100 Health to entire Team (750 credits)

 

In a game where you can neat thousands of credits within the first few minutes of playing and maximum Health levels reaching well over 700 points, this seems like a grave oversight. There's absolutely no reason to use Greater Health Restore in later levels (if you buy any restores), because the price difference of 250 credits for Team Health Restore can easily be covered by just opening a few lockers in the first mission of the game. That's a 50% increase in price for a potential quadruple effect. In an endgame where one can earn over 19,000, 30,000, or even 58,000 credits for a ~15 minute mission, this is only compounded.

 

Have restore items heal based upon modest percentages at a higher price to ensure purchase and use. Now, these current numbers are not actual suggestions, but more of a visualization- if you will- of how it could possibly be implemented.

 

Health Restore - Restores up to 30% Health. (1,500 credits)

Greater Health Restore - Restores up to 60% Health.(3,000 credits)

Team Health Restore - Restores up to 35% Health for the entire team. (5,000 credits)

 

Using the above example (again, throwaway numbers here), these items now have viable use from the starting missions all the way to endgame. As most frames would have health around 300/500/700+ ranges, these items compliment almost any vitality build and can easily prove to be more useful than a static figure. Let's use those ranges and see what happens:

 

Health Restore: 300(90), 500(150), 700(210)

Greater Health Restore: 300(180), 500(300), 700(420)

 

While the increase in price is not necessary, I personally find it appropriate given the increased potency and utility.This is already a much more appealing scenario- since it increases the viability of the "restores" by tenfold and without treating the effect as a small buffer, which the current set is used at this time.

 

Concern: These seem overpowered. Is there any way to modify their effectiveness or use in other ways? Also, why reduce the effect of Team Health Restore?

Answer: There are alternatives. And as a reminder, the above numbers are simply supplementary figures to help project the idea of percentage-based healing. Let's first examine the possibility of healing over time. Healing should compliment gameplay, not ignore or take away from it- especially in a game such as Warframe. Regenerative rates can be easily adjusted, anywhere from 20HP a second to 100, but those are extreme figures. But given the nature and speed of this particular game, I would suggest items that are capable of immediate gain. Lastly, I believe it's important to have team items be treated more delicately than they are now- since they are capable of healing up to four players and not just one. You must pay for potential.

 

::POSSIBLE ITEM IDEAS::

There are many possibiltiies in other items for Warframe, these are only a few ideas.

 

Magnet Orb: Collects credits and dropped items within X radius from the user for X seconds.

Adrenaline: Increases the damage output of the user by X for X seconds. (can be designed for melee only)

Rations: Generates a box that will heal an ally for X(X%) Health. Requires a button to pickup/consume.

"Supply" Boxes: Generates an ammo cache for allies that will restore up to X(X%) of their maximum ammunition.

 

Though I would like to see the effect of Magnet Orb in a mod- I can also see it possibly implemented into an consumed "effect" that collects items for the user as they progress through a mission. I'm actually surprised something similar to adrenaline hasn't been implemented yet either, given the shooting/melee aspect of Warframe.

 

Our current "Team" items seem somewhat bland, so the potential for a much more potent "ally use" item such as Rations would work perfectly. I would suggest that this be adjusted to somewhere between Health Restore and Greater Health Restore since it would be a nice "pick me up" in a bad situation. Supply boxes are a variant on current ammo cases, as in, they can be used to support allies. I would advise that these items be much more expensive/rare compared to their normal counterparts. This could even be said of an "Omni" Supply box?

 

Concern: You don't expect these items to actually be in the game, do you?

Answer: The above "new" item suggestions are merely food for thought in terms of the game itself. This topic is mainly geared to the current treatment and balance of Health Restores. It would be nice to see more variety in our selection, wouldn't you think?

 

:: SUMMARY ::

As of right now, items are still bought and used, but there is just so much potential. While Ciphers can seem somewhat useful to the lazy or those with nervous reflexes the only other reliable item is the ammo box. This isn't to say that people don't buy the current health items. I'm sure many do- I'm only offering a chance to make them much more appealing to those that ignore them, more helpful to those that use them, and make them more reliable as the game goes on. Personally, I would wager that Shield Restores are probably the least used item in the game next to Basic Health Restore- but that is because shields can regenerate quite quickly with the correct mods and health restoration is usually the biggest concern when shields are down. Shields come back, health doesn't. We only have so many gear slots, so let's make the best use of them.

 

Anyways, I would like to see change come to the current item loadout- not now, not soon, but maybe someday. There's a lot of possibilities, and hopefully we can consider them in the future as Warframe continues to develop. I appreciate your time and I apologize for any punctuation/grammatical errors that are sure to be in my post.

 

Thank you.