Payback: A total overhaul to enemies

[LolenderVx2]

Hi, and welcome to all the Tenno master. On this topic, i will talk about a thing that i think is one of the Warframe´s core problems: Enemies, and how their work 

First of all, i apologize for my terrible English. I am Argentinian! 

Actually, enemies dont offer a real challange for players: their are simple bullet sponges that scale to the infinite. Whit this changes, i want this objetives: 

-Make enemies a real challange to player, that require to show their real skills vs them 

-Make more interesing, dinamic and balanced battles 

-Make them more unique: You will have to learn how enemies work for survive 

-Make them very hard to chesse 

Whit this objetives in mind, i will start this topic. I hope that you like it ^^

 

1) Enemy scalling:

First of all, putting a cap on enemy levels (I think that 100 will be the right number) adjusting to the low how their gain their scalling stats (Health/shield/armor/damage). However, sorties arent affected by this cap. On their, enemies can reach break the cap and reach very high levels, whit all the added things that i will suggest 

Dont worry, i dont want a more easy Warframe: To compensate their infinite scalling, enemies will have unique modifications on all of their aspects: How they work, attack, etc. This is a "necessary nerf" for that the things that will come... *Evil laughs* 

2) Enemy IA: Perks, weapons, and general things:

First of all, enemies are now more smarter: A deep re.work of how their come and attack is necessary to make them fell more dangerous. Now, whit this changes, enemies adapt to you. What means that? 

Enemies will become aware of you actions: Based on what yo do, they will change their spawn allgoritm, to make enemies able to counter you tactics. Based on you tactics, they gain certains "perks" to counter you, but this will be explained later 

-Enemies have different weapons based on their level: On low levels, their will have low-tier weapons, on medium levels, they will have medium-tier weapons, and on high levels, they will have high-tier weapons. Simple as that 

- - At the same time, enemy weapons will be modified whit a random buff on spawn. Every enemy will have a different "advantage" on their weapons. However, by this metod, they cannot gain additional dammage. They will gain random utility buffs to they weapons (less recharge, more maximun ammo, etc)

- - - Also, enemies generally have a set of 2 weapons (1 Melee weapon, and 1 ranged weapon). Full close-combats enemies will recibe certain adventajes to compensate this 

Enemies are dividen on 4 groups:

-Light: They do the smallest amount of dammage, and are generally close-combat based. To compensate this, their are the fastest and most agile of the 3 enemies types, having the ability to do things like doing, doing some little parkour maneuvers, etc. Generally, this are the less resistant enemies 

-Medium: Their deal decent dammage, and are more resistent. But their arent not as agile and fast like the light units. 

-Heavy: A.k.a the f***** tanks. The deal a lot of dammage, and have extreme resistences, however, they dammage needs to be "heated up" on some way, and they cannot excecute maneuvers. This is compensated whit a total inmunity to stuns and ragdolls, and a progressive CC resistance. They cannot run, and are by far the slowest unitys of the group. Now, they dont have the "radial stun" at all time, its an ability that can be obtanied trought their "skills" (Explained later)

-Leaders: This special type unity is the "leader" of a certain enemy squad. It can be an enemy of any of the 3 firsts tiers. This leader have improved skills, and have a passive aura that grants a buff to any nearby ally 

For their adaptative IA, every enemy have its own "Skill tree", used to counter player tactics. Every enemy on the game have a different skill tree, and how many "points" their have on this tree is based on how much level their have. The enemies Skill trees arent static: They switch on their skills based on the actions taked by players 

 

@Example tree: Butcher:

From level 1 to 24: Their have on "point" that use on 1 of the 3 options that they have on this level tier. The tree options are:

-Bloodlust (Default skill at the start of the mission): This unit detect any enemy unit that is at 20 meter and its under "bleeding" status. They can even see invisible units, if they are bleeding. They automatically enter on an "alert status" if they see a bleeding unit 

-Healing return: This unit is healed every time it hits an enemy unit, based on how much status have the victim active at the moment of being hitted (Works in the same way as the mod)

-Enhaced speed: This unit moves a 40% more fast 

This trees are diferent on every enemy, and generally, are inspired on their tematics. 

On the same way, enemy take "tactics" or formations based on the player action. Every enemy faction have diferent squad options, and different attack patterns and compositions 

When allerted, enemy spawns on special formations: This are generally formed by 2 lights units, 3 medium units, 1 heavy unit and 1 random unity of this gruop is the "Leader" of the squad 

For some balance reasons, some enemy attacks will be modified: 

-For example, the Bomber have to reload every time it shoots. The proyectali that they shots starts slowly and weak, but as they travel more distance, their AOE, speed and damage grows up

-The heavy gunners cannot move when they fire. Their weapons gains more fire rate and precision at more time they hold the trigger 

And the final point for enemies: Now, they use some kind of ""mods"" on their weapons. Whit time, they weapons stop gaining dammage, instead, they gain an defeault elemental added to their weapons. Leaders can give to the enemies weapons more elemental to their weapons, meaning that the use of complex elements on the enemy side is now possible. 

3) Final conclusions and random tweaks:

-On players, every status effect should do something to make players worry about them. 

-If you have completed all the nodes of a planet, you unlock a "Difficult selector" on that planet. The 4 Difficults are "Easy/Normal/Hard/True Ninja". The enemy lvls and rewards are based on the dificult of the mission 

-Weapons of the players should be divided on 3 tiers, based on his difficult to obtain the weapon:

*Low tiers: on this, are the weakest and easy-to-obtain weapons. 

*Medium: on this, are the normal and average to obtain weapons 

*High: on this, are the most strong weapons, and the most difficult to obtain 

*Based on this tiers, the gun will be more or less powerful. Its riven disposition will be adjusted based on what tier is 

-Enemies have small  visual tweaks to give the player a clue of what skills their have 

-Eximus units will still existing on the game, but whit some tweaks 

-Because this tweaks, enemies now spawn on more large quantities, to compensate the lost of their infinite scalling (For endless missions) 

-Some frame powers need little nerfs to not make Warframes so "Gods" 

-(WIP) Path of the inmortal: A change on the way of obtaining inmortal skins, and their meaning: A frame that has passed certain very-high and risky tasks, will be rewarded whit an Inmortal skins for the frame that is using. After the Inmortal skin is unlocked, the frame whit you have unlocked it gains a buff on his base stats (Only defensive ones). Using or not the skin its optative. 

For now, that are all of my suggestions to improve enemies on Warframe. I will accept any constructive critic or correction to this ideas. I wish all a sweet night

Lolender 

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by LolenderVx2
Minor corrections

[Urlan]

Its an interesting presentation as it mixes in the ideas of those that want balance in the game and those that just want less player power levels, but I would try to figure how DE might try to implement your suggestions and if players would actually want to play it more or less based on those ideas.

[Fallen_Echo]

This idea actually sounds pretty decent but i fear what kind of abonimation could born from it if DE decides to implement it the same way as they handle weapon balancing (aka hammering it to the ground vs slight unnoticable touches)