Detailed Mods And Abilities Descriptions

[eStecko]

TL'DR

Mod descriptions are bad, dont give enough information and mostly use base (rank 0) stats to modify. More information is needed.

 

Let's start with a simple design decision of no long text and overwhelming player with walls of text and crapton of information, the card system of mods is good and description is short, thats good, and inaccurate, thats bad as it leads to player confusion, when he actualy looks at the numbers and goes into boom of "WTF, why are they so low?"

 

How does it work?

Every % modifier takes base amount and increases it, then adds it to the rank increase you have right now. For simple reference, let's use Flow mod...

 

Flow - Increases maximum energy of warframe by 150% at max level

 

There are 2 types of maximum energy... they go from, to (rank 0 -> rank 30)... 100 -> 150 ; 150 -> 225 and as i said above, it takes the base amount - rank 0 and adds the bonus you got from leveling up the warframe to increase your stat total. In formula it looks like...

 

Base * Mod + Level Up Bonus

100 * 150% + 50 = 300

150 * 150% + 75 = 450

 

It's same with Redirection, Vitality, Iron Skin, etc... weapons dont level up any stat, only mod capacity, but sentinel mods work the same i assume, but we cannot see the numbers on them, so i cannot confirm that.

 

 

What's the big deal?

Now when you know how it works, let's see why is this an issue and how some people can see it.

 

Player Confusion

When i figured out that the numbers actualy dont fit, i got confused and i guess other people did too, started asking in Region chat and on the forums, calling out bugs, that we're not there, etc... Someone answered or we did a small math to figure how it works and it was ok-ish. But its still an issue to be prevented from happening.

 

Link to a topic i made in misinformation about Streamline mod, that actualy works differently then its function says it does: https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/69804-mods-streamline/

 

Player Misinformation and Simple Logic

By simple logic +100%, shoud increase the stat by 100%, not go under modifier hidden from player to give out better balance chosen by the designer or mistake in formula by programmer when referencing to base stat. Iam not calling out anyone, just trying to make a constructive criticism. Some people could call it a lying to a customer base, but that would go too far for my taste and envelop itself in a cloak of entitlement, but people like that exist and sometimes developers go under pressure of this loud minority and make mistake, i've seen it happen before.

 

 

Descriptions of Abilities and Their Synergy With Modifiers

Plain and simple. We get a description of what ability does - good. But we are often left to guess how does Ability A goes along with Mod B. To put down an example...

 

Mods in question...

Stretch - Increases Range of Ability by 45%

Focus - Increases Strenght of Ability by 30%

Continuity - Abilities Last 30% Longer

So it increases radius of my aoe ultimate by 45% and damage by 30%, but does it increase range i can place ability like Decoy? How does it make Decoy stronger, more health, attracts enemies from longer distance? Does it increase the range of my weapon, if i apply my poison ability to it? Will i jump higher/further with Super Jump? Etc, etc...

 

Obviously you can find answer to those question on wiki, but its something that needs to be answered in-game, so players will not waste mods and assume they do something, when they dont.

 

How to Fix and What to Avoid

Well its quite simple really...

 

Just add "detail" option

 

"Detail" at the ability would show whats the synergy between the ability and mods. Example...

 

Decoy

Loki deploys a holographic copy of himself for 7/15/20/25 seconds*, drawing enemy fire for X points of damage at 48 meter range. Decoy can be destroyed by enemies.

- Stretch - has no synergy

- Focus - has no synergy

- Continuity - increases duration of Decoy

 

* interactive number taking into accont equiped mods

 

 

Release all information in grid/table, can be under "Detail" button with idea above, merged togather for more... detail

 

Similiar to League's description of skills. Use Miasma (max rank) as an example...

 

(For people that dont know the skill... Through noxious exhalation, Saryn polutes the atmosphere with a lethally poisonous mist that corrodes all enemies in range, effectively disintegrating organic and synthetic matter instantly.)

 

Type: PBAoE

Damage: 1300 (+30%, Focus)

Damage Modifier: True Damage

Duration: 5.2 seconds (+30%, Continuity)

Cast Time: 1 second

Range: 14.5 meters (+45%, Stretch)

Cost to Equip: 13

Need for Target: No

Targets: Enemies

Extra Effect: After 5.2 seconds, affected target stunned for 4.1 seconds (+30%, Continuity)

etc...

 

I guess you get the idea now.

 

 

As for mods like Flow, Vitality, Redirection, etc, the changes are quite simple. You can...

 

a) Change it to a % value that will take growing numbers into account

 

b) Put up a detail about its calculation while mentioning it takes rank 0 - base value

 

 

What not to do... do not put all this in a wall of text, so players dont have to read lore book about single ability, table/grid is easy to find answer for most of the things, interactive numbers WITH explanation, so player can see what modifies what, base number and even more specific information can be included upon mouse hover.

 

 

Also what it does, it gives players a sign, that you (developers) are confident into releasing numbers to a public for public's opinion and balance insight, its a sign that you stand behind a decision(s). Obviously it will mean, that patch notes will have to be more detailed if any of those numbers would be changed, afterall people dont like hidden changes. Also it will mean a lot more forum activity about overpowered frames, but thats just a nature of it.

 

People generaly like more information, also it gives a sense of depth, that was already there, but now its more visible, just dont force the information to a more casualy oriented players, that could feel too much complexity in the information. Detail button is ideal for this matter.

 

 

 

Leave your opinions and suggestions around. Be civil about the discussion. ;)

 

 

* Streamline was changed to work as described <3

Edited July 24, 2013 by eStecko

[Niavlys77]

Agreed!

 

I'd also like to add that Sentinel Mods that are Sentinel specific need to have details as to what upgrading them really does (not a single one I've noticed has any pop-up details like the rest of the mods).

[TwiceDead]

Agreed. 

[ValhaHazred]

+1

[letir]

+1

[litlit]

Agreed. It would be nice not needing to go to a 3rd party site to get accurate, detailed information.