Make Getting To The Extraction Point More Interesting

[Rossman86]

Right now one of the most tedious things in Warframe is getting to the extraction point after finishing your mission. As soon as your main objective is completed, you know that nothing else interesting is going to happen for the rest of the mission. Now when extraction is 2 rooms away and takes 30 seconds, nobody cares. But sometimes getting to the exit takes longer than finding and killing the boss or getting the data etc. That's bad enough, but it's only worsened when you've killed Boss X for the 7000th time and gotten a useless drop, only to have this followed up by a long and generally boring run to the end.

 

Now I wouldn't mind if every mission finished nice and easy like the endless defense missions, but I don't see that happening and I can understand why. However that doesn't mean it has to be as stale as it is now. My suggestion is adding some dynamic events that can occur after your main objective is completed. Maybe Lotus informs you that there's some sort of bonus for a quick extraction, or maybe a small group of elite high level mobs spawn outside the extraction point to ambush the players, like one stalker type(but not actual stalkers with the drops) enemy for each Tenno in the level. Just random events to make escaping more interesting, rather than just another long, uneventful and unrewarding delay between now and your next mission.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention I've also been seeing an increase in the number of players that immediately disconnect when a boss doesn't drop what they're looking for. I'm sure some people will do this no matter what, but having fun extractions might limit how often it happens. Also I don't imagine this is how DE wants people to play their game.

 

TLDR: The title  

Edited June 26, 2013 by Rossman86

[TheCometCE]

Agreed, extraction tends to be a bit monotonous outside of stealth runs and could use a bit more flavor.

 

Right now the only variable I've seen is being put on a countdown, which I must admit, is pretty damned intense when you know you're going to lose 30 seconds to elevators :3

[Chronodroid]

Let dem Tennos chose.

 

Option a: state of the art, return to point X and face another horde of grineer meatshields

 

Option b: chose to get challenged by some very heavy or special forces. If you succeed, defense-extraction type (with appropriate timer to get loot), but if you don't, there should be some penalization.. :)

[fatpig84]

C) 

 

Pilot: This is Ninja Hawk, we are taking heavy fire.

Tenno: O rly ?

Pilot: This is Ninja Hawk we are going down.

Huge &#! explosion.

 

Lotus: We got a Ninja Hawk down, we got a Ninja Hawk down.

It's the Grineer (again) who messed up our dew. Now fight your way through 1000 and 1 marines and get to the Grineer Galleon escape pods.

 

weeeeeeeeeee

Edited June 26, 2013 by fatpig84

[DreadScourge]

Yes!

[JustDont]

C)

I'm pretty sure Tenno's "ships" (or should I say, boats) are 1-manned. Meaning, it's either YOU piloting it, or it goes on autopilot to pick you up at the extraction.

 

PS: And the only way they aren't shot by angry Grineer is because they are so damn small.

[The_Markie]

Getting to extraction can be very interesting when you feel like you really want to get the **** out of this bull****ing map.

[Tsukinoki]

At least they fixed the waypoint issue with the huge asteroid room...spending 10 minutes getting to a boss and killing it then 30 to get out because of borked waypoints was painful.

I know that a while ago they put in a fix to make the exit closer to the last objective, and for the most part it does its job. The problem comes mostly when you are given a secondary objective to complete that takes you way back to the very first room.

[Blueberrytree]

I like the way it is. Adds more to the game. Mission done? Great! Now let's get the hell out of here as fast as we can. Gives you a more ''escapy'' and ''adrenaly'' feel. That would be just stupid if you get to extraction after finishing the mission within tens of seconds, it gives the more grindy feel (go in, do it, go out).. No thanks.

[Rossman86]

I like the way it is. Adds more to the game. Mission done? Great! Now let's get the hell out of here as fast as we can. Gives you a more ''escapy'' and ''adrenaly'' feel. That would be just stupid if you get to extraction after finishing the mission within tens of seconds, it gives the more grindy feel (go in, do it, go out).. No thanks.

 

I don't get it, I even put a tldr in there if you didn't want to read the whole post. It's like you ignored everything but the first line of the second paragraph and replied to that. You completely missed the point of the suggestion.

[VoidWraith]

this?

 

[Saint_Tan]

In some ways, the "secondary" missions that pop up after the core objective are a response to your concern.  Are you suggesting more of these (or this type of thing) or something completely different that a 'full' subsequent mission? I don't know that I find the walk/run to extraction as tedious as you do, but I would be up for some sort of random mini-event that might be a speed bump or at least interesting side venture on the way (or before final) extraction.  But I don't know if it is totally necessary: if the ship keeps throwing enemies impeding your progress with intent to kill, then extraction is certainly more fun that a stroll through empty halls.

 

Maybe enemy troops have found where your ship has docked.  They set up a sort of ad-hock barricade just before the exit 'safety zone' and put massive troops behind the barrels, barbwire and steel barriers.  Now it is a total gunfight/slugfest to reach that extraction ship only a few meters away...and the count down automatically starts the moment you enter the map tile (not the safety zone as normal).  And if you are not in the safety zone - then you don't extract!!!  There would be enough debris and containment barriers to prevent super leap and teleport cheats.

 

Just an idea.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Saint_Tan

[Saint_Tan]

Or maybe even just as you reach the extraction tile, your escape ship is forced to disembark without you due to enemy fire - now you have to re-navigate to the new drop zone coordinates - but those can't be given out until the ship re-lands - like a minute or two from now.  So you are now stuck fighting you way out on a highly alert ship...

[Rossman86]

I'm mainly referring to adding events that tie into the escape phase of the mission. I know they have those "the objective has changed" events and they're fine as is, but they basically just extend the mission, the escape is always the same.

[Palamudin]

I would love to see lotus trolling you past some ranks like 4. It would bring joy to my heart if she actually had a reason to talk, like ever. 

Just personal statement regarding lotus mind you.

[HawtBawlz]

I agree grinding the same mission types with the same objectives (and then same secondary objectives) can get stale after awhile. However, I find it more frustrating when some #$&(% joins the group and decides "SPEED RUN!" to the end, pulling every possible NPC centrally in every room leaving you with two options: 1) *Try* to skip past them, 2) Kill them. And if you don't kill them now, you'll have to kill them on the way back most likely anyways since that one wall run won't happen since you miss it the first try and they swarm you. I usually find on the way to extraction relaxing (if everything is cleared for the most part) usually to a degree and allows you to loot stuff you missed. Unless it's a "SPEED RUN!", of course.

 

Instead of reworking extraction specifically, I think the point should be generalized on adding more objective types and variance. Which I believe they said in the last DEV stream that's one of their focuses to add new content. Defense missions are survival missions, but how about timed defense missions instead of the objective being survival of the subject and yourselves? Each wave you get less and less time to clear the attacking forces. How about a variance where the NPC's have to defend in a tower defense style where the players fight their way up literally inside a tower. They could have fun with the map design and add exterior tower parkour points for variance. Secondary objectives could be thrown in randomly to hack this terminal, assassinate so and so found in the tower, save so and so imprisoned (on top of having a timer to get to the next level on the tower!), and all sorts of WF style fun we're familiar with. How about 2-4 tower defense missions? More towers and use ziplines between towers... with timers. "OMG this zipline takes 30 seconds and I only have 1 minute left to clear the next tower's level!!" 

[Tsukinoki]

@HawtBawlz

While those would be fun modes to play I dont think going with a timer for all of them would be the best idea.

For a while there was a common timer at the end of sabotage runs that gave you 3-5 minutes to escape or you would just automatically lose. Too many people have problems with it so they made it a very rare chance of occuring, almost too rare IMO. I would say that if they are going to include timers that they keep it rare, or at least uncommon, so that people can go around and grab resources and containers and stuff without feeling too rushed, or call BS on it when you have 1 minute to climb the tower and you're being switch teleported non-stop by grineer commanders.

While timers can add a sense of urgency and hurry to things, the average player wouldn't want to be forced to hurry up and do everything as fast as possible.

[Asanogawa]

I completely agree and have a few ideas for extraction scenarios.

 

1. how about when you destroy a reactor in the sabotage mission types it actually does something! First off is a timer (as we already have) but also the ship actually starts to malfunction. Whether it's zero gravity or all the lights go off orrrr even setting off a chain reaction of explosions. There already some of these elements in the game they just don't make any impact! they are too weak and mundane. For exmple we have the breaking of windows/haul that create a space vacuum, only problem is it really doesn't do much. Another one is the damaged ship scenario we currently have where lotus says "Careful this ship is self-destructing" something like that....thing is the only thing that happens is theres random piles of fire on the ground -.- which helps you more than amnything because some enemies are dumb enough to step in it and die. These elements could be combined and implimented for when you destroy a reactor and the S#&$ ACTUALLY DOES  self-destruct.

 

 

2. When you do the missions where you reprogram the ships course/tragectory (idk exactly what they say or the mission type maybe sabotage also) anyway in these missions after you complete your objective you actually feel/see the effects of what you have done. Maybe the ship starts take a nose dive or you programmed it to crash into the planet so as time goes on you feel the ship go out of controle as it gets caught into the gravitational pull of whatever planet/star you wanted it to crash into.

 

3. What if they created a cool extaction type for defense missions maybe? Once you choose to exit whether its wave 5 or 100 instead of just leaving wondering wtf happened to that cryopod after you left or where the fk those reinforcments lots was talking about went. Instead some sort of carrier device was delivered to you and you have to escort the pryopod to the extraction point. In the mobile defense mission like Kiste on Ceres where after you are done you have to protect a crypod You always press a button and the pod comes out on some kind of cart? idk what to call it, so maybe after you are done holding off the hordes of enemies you press the button again and te cart moves and stops at certain intervals along the way to the extraction point and eneies appear (this could also just be a new type of mobile defense). As for when the cryopod is outside I guess your job would already be done lol but would be cool to see a ship pick it up.

 

I know the DEV's said they would impliment more scenarios though so maybe extraction scenarios will be among them.

[Enot83]

this?

 

From reading the OP and seeing this, all I could think about was what it felt like, in ME3 on some levels, where getting to the extraction, was... far more interesting than most other waves.  In many cases it meant having to go some place that was horrible to defend so you waited till the last moment to get to it, or what spawned and continuously always made it more difficult than any of the other waves.  Of course ignoring some of the strategies used by some players on these waves in ME3 that was at least the intent of the design, rockets tended to nullify the design intent a number of ways as just one example lol.

 

Anyway, running for 2-3 minutes in empty hallways even when the enemy is alerted after assassinations or other maps just makes for some very dull play.  I don't want to spend more time running to an extraction, I want getting to it to be more interesting, if not even shorter, but certainly not easier.

 

Edit:

 

Also... Dat nose...

Edited June 27, 2013 by Enot83