Optional missions, more open level design

[gell]

I propose that Lotus' extra missions be optional, unless there's a good story reason for it.

I like that the ships are full open ships and there is really only one objective. You're free to go anywhere, but the objective is always visible to you. There's a problem I have with Lotus giving me a new mission. She notices some intel she wants picked up, but sometimes I'm in the middle of 6 toxic ancients that magically spawned in the next room. I just want to get to the exit which was 2 rooms away, but Lotus locked the door on me. LOTUS did it. After I get the intel, she magically unlocks the door and I may proceed.

It seems too forced to have the doors just lock like that and so I have to go do the new objective. If they were optional, people who want the extra reward can get it, and those who don't can just complete the original objective. Hey Lotus, either you unlock that door so I can get to extraction, or I die and you get nothing. It makes no sense that those things aren't optional. And I get sometimes it shouldn't be, such as a new objective to rescue a hostage. Maybe Lotus, or the people she's working for, value the life of the hostage more than 1-4 Tenno. So she locks the doors and forces us to go rescue the VIP first. That at least makes sense.

This isn't a complaint thread on difficulty, btw. I like hard games, I beat DMC3, Ninja Gaiden, and I enjoyed Dark Souls. Sure, I was annoyed enough in one mission to wish those missions were optional, but it's not out of aversion to challenge. I just think that it doesn't make sense for her to lock me in. If you must require me to do additional missions, then give better narrative reasoning for it, and don't make Lotus the one to lock the door. She's doing it the way the story currently plays out. It's not a ship lock down, it's not the Grineer or Corpus. It's Lotus.

As for how this affects gameplay, having optional missions can be a nice risk/reward. Having to carry more things means you have to drop them to fight, over time you may run low on ammo or health, and each additional mission can be worth more than the last to give you more incentive.

Edited January 25, 2013 by gell

[Calsius]

I totally agree. I like that everynow and then, she mixes things up a little, but it would be nice if they the new objectives were optional, especially on the harder missions that drain all your ammo.

[Strac_CRO]

I agree game could be slightly harder, maybe more enemies or similar, I don't know

I'm still new player

[Kaiku]

Well, I mostly agree.

What would also be interesting if it was you yourself who finds something valuable!

You might happen to see a bit different access console in the corner and at that point Lotus could say "You found an access console! Extract the data.. etc." with a surprised voice. You get a small reward for bringing the datamass to the extraction.

This would also encourage people to explore the ship a bit more.

Now there isn't really much to explore.