Plains of Eidolon

[OniDax]

Plains of Eidolon – Realizing the Open Landscape

 

Like many people, Tennocon 2017 left me more excited than I’ve ever been for Warframe. In particular, the demo of Plains of Eidolon by @[DE]Rebecca made me hyped for the future of the game like never before. Among the various new things that we were presented with Plains of Eidolon, three things stick with me. First, Plains of Eidolon is an Open World, despite its 9 km² size. As someone who has been asking for more open world elements for a while now, this is exactly the direction I think Warframe should be moving in. In addition, we finally get to see and interact with a planet-based colony. While the Myconians were interesting in The Glast Gambit, I’ve wanted to see some actual terrestrial colonies for a while now. As well, I’m excited that we get to see how the Grineer actually interact with the Colonies, and we get to work with and defend these colonies in a more tangible way.

Even though there are a number of things I’m excited about with Plains of Eidolon, the most important thing, to me, is that we’re getting an open world. I know DE wants to shy away from that label and call this a “Landscape”, but regardless, it’s an open-world-style environment. It is my wish that DE would more fully embrace open world, seeing that it is a natural next step in Warframe’s development, and that they would see that Warframe can realize its full potential if it embraces open world elements. I believe that if DE would make the Plains of Eidolon as much of an open world as possible, then they could realize the potential of the Landscapes to transform Warframe into a game that continually offers a fun, diverse, engaging, immersive, satisfying, and replayable gameplay experience.

What is Open World?

 

Before we dive into how Warframe can fully take advantage of its open-world-like Landscapes - what I’d like to call the Open Landscape – it would be best to look at what exactly an open world is. According to Wikipedia, the Open World describes a game environment in which players can freely move through a virtual world. This freedom not only applies to the environment itself but also to freedom in how missions are approached. The quality of an Open World experience is judged based on the ways in which players can interact with their broader environment when they deviate from their main objective. This indicates that the Open World is not just about the openness of the environment but also about how players can interact with that environment outside of main objectives as they freely roam the environment. Therefore, the Open World can be summarized as a non-linear gameplay experience in which players have a degree of freedom in how they approach missions within a freely-accessible, interactive virtual world.

So, what would this look like for Warframe?

First of all, the Open World gives Warframe greater freedom than it has ever had through offering a wide, open gameplay space where players can freely move around, explore, discover, and fight enemies. Because the Open World is predicated on a non-linear, interactive gameplay experience through a freely accessible and traversable virtual environment, it is uniquely able to integrate the various features and game modes of Warframe up to this point. The Open World breathes life into Warframe’s gameplay by setting it in an environment where interactions between the various peoples and factions of Warframe can play out. This setting offers Warframe players an immersive gameplay experience where they can truly feel like they’re engaging in a broader universe. The Open World allows Warframe to have deeper gameplay experiences by offering players a variety of tools that facilitate their freedom to engage in the virtual world in their own ways, on their own terms. It also gives developers a game space in which they can more fully realize the story of Warframe.

How Warframe can fully Realize the Open Landscape

 

Now that we understand what constitutes open world and how it can benefit Warframe, what does this mean for Plains of Eidolon? In what specific ways can Warframe’s upcoming expansion integrate open world features into its gameplay? We’re going to look at (bear with me) nine different areas where I believe Warframe can fully realize open world elements within its Landscape feature: The Open Landscape, the Occupied Landscape, the Active Landscape, the Allied Landscape, the Interactive Landscape, the Contract Landscape, the Combat Landscape, the Immersive Landscape, and the Future Landscape.

The Open Landscape

 

Plains of Eidolon is already open in terms of its size and freedom of movement. As we see in the Wikipedia explanation of open world, it offers players the ability to freely move around in a virtual environment. While much of this openness describes horizontal surface area and where players can walk/run, openness can also refer to vertical space – height and depth (elevation). I hope to see some drastic changes in elevation when it comes to the Plains’ terrain. I also hope the sky (the area above the ground) is sizable enough to potentially offer some substantial aerial gameplay down the line. I want this Landscape to truly feel open and accessible.

The Occupied Landscape

 

While an open Landscape is great, an open and empty landscape is not so great. We’ve already been told that there will be bases and outposts and mining locations and caves and such. That’s great. I hope the Plains of Eidolon truly capture the feeling of an area that has been occupied by the Grineer.

First of all, such an occupied Landscape involves having various stationary bases, outposts, and other such fortifications in the environment. We’re talking about a faction (the Grineer) who are supposed to be heavily militarized. The kinds of bases the Grineer should have in the environment should include small combat outposts (with sandbags and hastily-assembled fenced barriers), forward operating bases (larger, secured bases with stationed ground and air support, usually open-air), and full-on forts (heavily fortified, enclosed structures in the environment). Given the relatively small size of the Plains, I believe that there should be around six Grineer combat outposts (we’ve really already seen these camps in the PoE Tennocon demo), maybe two Grineer forward operating bases, and one Grineer fort. To top it all off, it’d be nice to see a Grineer Galleon in the sky, a symbol of Grineer power and dominance over the Plains.

Second, the occupied Landscape needs to have an active occupation. This means having the Grineer undertake various operations in the Plains. These operations should include: roving foot, motorized, and aerial patrols; mining operations to recover Orokin and Sentient secrets; resource-gathering operations to feed and supply the occupying Grineer army; convoy runs to transport valuable resources and technologies between bases; and various operations to keep the local populace (the Ostrons) in line. Grineer space craft such as Dropships, Dargyns, and Ogmas would be stationed at the fort and forward operating bases. The Grineer would scale back their operations at night in order to avoid conflict with the deadly Eidolon.

In addition to regular Grineer operations during the daytime, the Landscape should feature an elite enemy alert system (not unlike Ghost Recon Wildlands). That means introducing an elite Grineer unit that is patrolling the Plains. For the Plains of Eidolon, I propose a new Grineer unit: the elite Grineer Shadow Corps. The Shadow Corps would be a highly-trained, highly-aggressive unit that regularly patrols the Plains. This enemy would be occasionally encountered on foot and aerial patrols during the daytime. There would be semi-regular foot patrols, occasional Dargyn patrols, and rare Ogma patrols. At night, these patrols would be much more active, as they’d be the only Grineer enemies operating at night. Shadow Corps would have one forward operating base exclusively garrisoned by Shadow Corps operators.

Being discovered by, or directly engaging in combat with, these Shadow patrols would trigger an Alert system with five Alert Levels. The only way for the Alert Level to reset is by disengaging and getting far enough away from the Shadow Corps such that they drop their pursuit.

At Alert Level 1, two Grineer transport ships would drop off Shadow Corps operators (Lancers, Gunners and Seekers) who would aggressively hunt players. Continued engagement with these operators would trigger Alert Level 2.

 

At Alert Level 2, one dropship would drop off special troops (Powerfists, Nox, and Ballistas); Alert Level 1 enemies would continue to spawn in as well. Continued fighting with these enemies would trigger Alert Level 3.

At Alert Level 3, Shadow Dargyns would begin hunting for players. These craft would aggressively pursue players and assist Alert Level 1 and Alert Level 2 enemies. Shadow Manics would also spawn in. If players still don’t disengage and retreat, Alert Level 4 will be triggered.

At Alert Level 4, the Grineer send in Shadow Ogmas in waves of two. These Ogmas will come from high in the air and will pose a significant threat to players. Archwing is highly encouraged to defeat these enemies. After the two Ogmas are destroyed, two more come in. These waves continue in twos until players disengage and retreat. Shadow Ogmas assist Alert Level 1, 2, and 3 reinforcements, which continue to spawn in. If players continue engaging the Shadow Corps, Alert Level 5 is triggered.

 

At Alert Level 5, the Grineer Galleon hovering above the Plains begins to fire missile barrages upon you. At this point, it’s best that players flee the area, as the barrage deals significant damage to players. Alert Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 reinforcements continue to spawn in during this time.

Alerting the Shadow Corps can seriously hinder or interrupt mission progress during gameplay, but it would also be rewarding. These enemies would have a higher chance of dropping rare items. As well, for each enemy killed, players would gain affinity. Players would also gain bonus affinity for each Alert Level reached. At night time, when Shadow patrols would be much more prevalent, the affinity gain would be even greater.

The Active Landscape

 

While the Cetus marketplace is active, the Plains should be as well. Such activity should extend to more than just the occupying Grineer. One of the key elements to a successful open world experience is the immersion of that experience. For the Plains of Eidolon, that means having Ostrons openly traversing the plains during daytime, engaging in activities such as fishing, hunting, and scavenging. I would also like to see rogue, antagonistic scavengers (we’ll call them Raiders) in the Plains who pose a threat to friendly Ostrons and the Tenno, and who may randomly work with or against the occupying Grineer. It would also be nice to see some small Ostron settlements in the Plains, particularly along the river. Having more than just the Grineer in the environment will go a long way towards making the Landscape feel truly open and lived-in. And that makes for quite an immersive gameplay experience.

The Allied Landscape

 

In addition to having friendly and not-so-friendly Ostrons in the Plains, it is necessary, in my opinion, to have allies in the environment who are the main individuals opposing the Grineer. I think it’s very important to have a rebel/insurgent faction in armed opposition to the occupying Grineer, especially when it comes to capturing an immersive, open experience. This opposing faction needs to be Steel Meridian. Steel Meridian’s primary purpose is to defend the defenseless Colonies from the Grineer. The Plains of Eidolon provide the perfect setting for including Steel Meridian in meaningful gameplay that reflects their core mission. Steel Meridian should be present in the Cetus market relay, and they should also be located at a forward operating base and a few combat outposts in the Plains. Steel Meridian would have some Dargyns and Ogmas at their forward operating base, and Steel Meridian Generals (players who have reached the highest Meridian rank) would be able to call for Steel Meridian support when operating in the field. This support would include Dropship (dropping off Steel Meridian fighters), Dargyn, and Ogma support, as well as mortar fire from the Steel Meridian forward operating base. Steel Meridian would be regularly found engaging the Grineer in combat in the plains. They would scale back their operations at night, much like the regular Grineer Marines, to avoid conflict with the Eidolon as well as with Shadow Corps.

New Loka would also have a heavy presence in Cetus and a small presence in the Plains. Since New Loka’s mission is to resettle humanity on Earth, they would have a significant presence in the Cetus market relay. As well, they would occupy a small combat outpost in the Plains, and would often be involved in escorting and protecting Ostrons in the open Landscape. Players who have reached the highest New Loka rank would be able to call for New Loka support when operating in the field. This support would primarily take the form of New Loka guardians being dropped off by a transport ship, and razorwings from Silvana as a form of mortar fire.

The Interactive Landscape

 

One of the key elements of open world is that it’s interactive. The open world environment is such that you can engage with things in the environment. For Plains of Eidolon, this would be reflected in the places you could explore, the NPCs with which you could interact, the items that you could find, and the tools which you could take and use.

First of all, the Open Landscape offers a lot of space. Within this space, you would have different areas of the Plains that greatly vary in their terrain and structures. We’ve already seen or been informed of ancient Sentient bones, old Orokin structures, caves, etc.

As well, interactivity should take the form of various NPCs in the environment with whom we can engage. We already know about and have discussed interaction with combat NPCs. However, we could also interact with civilian NPCs in the Plains. Instead of just getting quests from NPCs in the Cetus market relay, we could run into Ostron fishermen or hunters and complete side missions for them. The types of interactions we could have could vary based on the location and what the Ostrons are doing. The possibilities are endless.

In addition, interactivity should occur through various items that we could find throughout the environment. We already know of the Ostron weapon crafting system, so instead of weapon parts just dropping from enemies, we could find them around the Plains. This wouldn’t just have to be Ostron weapon parts either. We could find Grineer weapon parts in Grineer bases. We could find old Orokin and Sentient weapon parts lying around in the Plains. We could also find whole Grineer, Orokin, and Sentient weapons, and break them down into separate components back at the Cetus market relay. These weapons wouldn’t just have to be melee weapons either. We could find new Grineer, Orokin, and Sentient primary and secondary weapons lying around in the Plains, as well as new cosmetics. Weapons and weapon parts would be tiered by rarity as follows: Grineer, Ostron, Syndicate, Sentient, and Orokin, from Common to Legendary. Grineer would be Common, Ostron would be Uncommon, Syndicate would be Rare, Sentient would be Epic, and Orokin would be Legendary.

 

Finally, there should be tools in the environment that we could use only while in the Plains. These would primarily be vehicles and superweapons. In my opinion, no open world is complete without having vehicles in the environment. We’ve already talked about Grineer Dropships, Dargyns, and Ogmas. Not only could the Grineer, Steel Meridian, and New Loka spawn these vehicles, but empty versions could also be grounded at their various bases. Players could hop into these vehicles and use them in the Plains to travel and to attack enemies. While we already have our archwings, these other vehicles offer a different gameplay experience. Being able to use Dropships, Dargyns, and Ogmas, in addition to our archwings, would allow players to have a diverse gameplay experience, and would allow them to experience the Plains in their own way, on their own terms.

With regards to superweapons, DE has talked about a Sentient superweapon system for a while now. The open world is the perfect opportunity to put this in action. In my opinion, we don’t need to have superweapons in our arsenals. Whether we can or can’t do that is irrelevant, however. Because the Plains of Eidolon are a big battlefield of the Orokin-Sentient War, we could find and use Orokin and Sentient superweapons lying around the environment. If DE opts to have superweapons be a part of our Arsenal, then we could find them in the Open Landscape. This would give players a different way to acquire weapons than just having parts drop from enemies.

The Contract Landscape

 

We’ve already seen how we’ll be able to complete contracts for Ostrons. This would also extend to the Steel Meridian and New Loka syndicates. Steel Meridian would often offer contracts that require players to assist the Meridian in anti-Grineer combat operations or operations defending Ostrons. New Loka would offer contracts that involve defending and escorting Ostrons, as well as recovering and transporting resources for the Ostrons. Contracts from both Syndicates might also ask players to steal Grineer Dropships, Dargyns, and Ogmas from enemy bases.

The Combat Landscape

 

We’ve discussed at length about NPC behavior and actions they take within the open world, but how would we fight them? What would that experience be? We’ve mentioned archwing, vehicles in the environment, enemy patrols and convoys. But what would we as players do in the environment?

For one, we would be completing quests and contracts for friendly NPCs, whether Ostrons or Syndicates. We would also be able to simply free roam in the Plains and run into Grineer and Raiders that we could fight. In addition to that, roving Grineer patrols and convoys would be side missions that we could complete for some affinity and item reward. This would also extend to Grineer mining operations. Clearing enemy bases would also be side missions. We could also run into Steel Meridian or New Loka in the environment. These encounters would also be side missions. Many of these side missions would have multiple objectives, so they wouldn’t just be basic exterminate, capture, assassinate, or defense missions.

When it comes to all missions that we can complete in Plains of Eidolon, all should be multi-objective. One game I think did multiple objectives really well was Medal of Honor Airborne, which scattered objectives across a relatively large area. For Plains of Eidolon, missions should feature linear and non-linear mission progression. To explain, certain objectives would unlock a following objective, while others would be independent of one another, but required for full mission completion. To be clearer, missions should have multiple objectives, and some or all of those individual objectives should lead to another objective. In such a way, missions wouldn’t be relatively simple with few objectives like traditional tileset missions, but would be multi-objective and multi-tiered, offering a deeper gameplay experience.

With regards to actual combat mechanics, enemies would behave in much the same way that they already do. However, I believe that the AI should be developed a little further. For one, combat NPCs (whether Grineer, Raider, Steel Meridian, or New Loka) should behave as units, with a command structure (i.e. having a commanding NPC and subordinate NPCs). Such a structure would make for a more ordered NPC behavior which would make for a more organized gameplay experience.  When it comes to individual NPC behavior, Ballistas should be given special consideration. They should often seek out elevated positions so that they have the best view of the battlefield. They should be long-range enemies, and should always try to distance themselves from players and opposing NPCs.

As well, all bases would have some sort of alarm system, and enemy behavior would change depending on that alarm state. All bases would also have some level of defenses: all would have basic mortar positions. Forward operating bases would have larger artillery platforms, in addition to stationed Dropships, Dargyns, and Ogmas. When the alarms are triggered and players are far enough away from bases, mortar teams should start firing on players. We’ve already seen some gameplay of this in the Tennocon demo and in one of @[DE]Steve’s tweets. I think the effect of the mortars should be changed, though. Right now, they look like flares. I think they should look like mortars, without flare and without smoke trail. The mortars should look like mortars. While they might be harder to see at night, DE could add red lights to them. As well, their impact should be like mortars: fragmentation, not fiery explosion.

As for what kinds of missions we should be engaged in, well we should be able to do much of what we can currently do in tilesets. Quest/contract missions should include Exterminate, Defense, Capture, Assassinate, Spy (although I think this should include actual reconnaissance and not hacking a console), Excavation, Hijack, Mobile Defense, and Interception. For Capture, Assassinate, and Spy, actual reconnaissance should be involved. This should involve using our scanners to identify the proper target in Capture and Assassinate (scanning NPCs to locate and ID the HVT). Spy missions should require players to use their scanners to ID targets of interest and record them by scanning them.

As for miscellaneous combat gameplay, players should be able to use sentinels, kubrows, and kavats as reconnaissance drones and animals. We should be able to control them from afar and use them to recon an area. This would offer so much depth to both the open world and to the existing star chart missions. As well, Syndicate Death Squads would still hunt you even in the Plains of Eidolon. They would actually be the Syndicate Allies that currently assist you on Syndicate missions, instead of the Eximus specters that they currently are.

The Immersive Landscape

 

Another key element of the open world is that it is immersive. While many of the points already discussed help make the Plains of Eidolon a more immersive experience, there are other elements outside of that which, in my opinion, are necessary. First of all, I believe the graphics and visual aesthetic need to be immersive. They need to reflect the story and evoke a certain feeling of the story, and I think DE already has this down.

Also, the sounds need to be immersive and, in my opinion, they need to capture the militarized atmosphere. Immersive sound includes everything from NPC chatter to ambient wildlife to the sound of running water near a river to the loud and echoing sounds of vehicles in the environment (Dargyns and Dropships need to echo throughout the landscape, maybe vibrate the screen when close; Ogmas should be loud and echo through the sky, much like modern military helicopters). Gunfire needs to be loud, and heard hundreds of meters away, maybe even thousands of meters away.

Finally, movement needs to be immersive. While Warframe’s animations are IK-based, right now, the running/sprinting/walking animations don’t feel realistic or smooth. They’re extremely clunky and unrealistic. Free roam is essential to an open world, and free roam needs smooth, realistic, natural animations. Unrealistic animations really break immersion and degrade the gameplay experience. Warframe is great in so many areas, but is especially lacking when it comes to movement animations. Warframe can improve in this area by having motion-captured movement animations. This is something that would benefit all areas of gameplay and would make for a much better gameplay experience. While the dev team has been hesitant to commit to reworking the base movement animations in the past, Plains of Eidolon is the perfect time to commit to that. The open Landscape is the perfect reason to invest in new movement animations.

The Future Landscape

 

The Plains of Eidolon should be the first step – a test case really – to more open Landscapes. While DE has in fact said there will be more, I’d like to offer my own suggestions for future open Landscapes. First of all, I think the open Landscapes should be the future of Warframe, especially when it comes to ground-based gameplay. They are a perfect place to implement most of the features and mission types that we’ve currently seen in Warframe. Because of this, I hope that DE continues to pursue open Landscapes as a priority. That said, here are what I think the next open Landscapes should be: Martian Colony, Titan Colony, Earth Royal Colony, and Ganymede Colony. I believe these Landscapes should be more Colonies, and that they should be Syndicate focused. The idea is for all of these to be a bit bigger than the current Plains of Eidolon, maybe up to 16 km². These are just basic ideas for these landscapes, so they aren’t nearly as in-depth right now as the previous discussion of Plains of Eidolon.

Disclaimer: All images here are merely representative of what I’d like to see.

Martian Colony

 

I believe the next Landscape should be a Martian Colony, and should be heavily Steel Meridian and Red Veil focused. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but it’d pretty much be a desert with some vegetation here and there. Imagine the Mars tileset turned into an open Landscape. There would be Grineer and Steel Meridian military positions, much like the ideas for the Plains of Eidolon above, but there would be more smaller bases across the landscape. There would be some settlements along a river as well as a sizable space port town that would serve as the “Relay” for the Landscape. This would be a locale with a mix of smugglers, outlaws, Corpus defectors (working with the Grineer), and settlers. Red Veil assassins would hang out here, and would offer Assassination contracts for max rank Red Veil players. There would also be Steel Meridian fort that would serve as their main headquarters, where players at max rank with Steel Meridian would be able to be mission contracts and quests. The story for the Landscape would be heavily Steel Meridian-focused, and would be about Steel Meridian protecting the endangered Martian Colony there.

Titan Colony

 

The next Landscape would be Titan Colony, one of the oldest and largest Orokin colonies. Formerly the site of a Orokin military garrison during the Orokin-Sentient War, the Colony was taken over by the Grineer after the Fall. It is now an industrial world that supplies the Grineer Ring of Saturn, an orbital network of shipyards around Saturn. Titan City, the capital of Titan Colony, would be home to the Oracles of Saturn, who would be interested in Orokin artifacts and follow a Void-centered religion. They would be the “Ostrons” of Titan Colony and would offer quests to players. The Oracles would be tied to the Arbiters of Hexis and Cephalon Suda, who would be interested in the Void and Orokin artifacts, respectively. Players who are at the maximum rank with these Syndicates would be able to receive contracts and missions from these Syndicates. Outside of Titan City would be various Grineer production zones, including the Harkonar Production Zone mentioned in existing lore.

Earth Royal Colony

 

The Earth Royal Colony, for lack of a better name at this point, would be a royal Colony established on Earth. This colony would be home to New Loka, and would feature green plains and forested surroundings. The attire and culture of the local civilians would draw inspiration from Eastern sources, particularly India. The leader of this colony would be Lord Vetmar, an old character from the game. New Loka, an offshoot of the colony, would’ve handled their resettlement efforts from the colony. The Grineer and Corpus would have a presence here, vying for the natural resources of this resource-rich environment. Players would work with New Loka and local settlers to fight off the Grineer and Corpus. The Grineer would especially be trying to force the various Earth colonies to submit to Grineer rule.

Ganymede Colony

 

Another old Orokin colony, the Ganymede Colony would be one of the major population centers of the Corpus. A cyberpunk-like urban landscape, Ganymede would be home to Perrin Sequence. Here, the Sequence would be challenging Corpus bosses such as Alad V, Nef Anyo, and Frohd Bek. This landscape would be the most unique, and probably the most complicated, out of all the landscapes, as it’d be a completely urban environment with a lot of verticality. It would also be the highest-level landscape, as it would be heavily secured and guarded by the Corpus. Players would be able to interact with the Ganymede underworld and black markets, and would engage in a lot of espionage and sabotage focused quests and contracts.

"The Final Frontier" - Space

Last, I hope the idea behind Landscapes can eventually extend to space, in terms of creating as immersive and open an experience as I hope Landscapes will be. I believe that once DE’s created several Landscapes, associated space maps should be next. I believe that together, land- and space- “scapes” will truly enhance Warframe and make it that much more of an amazing gameplay experience.

Conclusion

So, these are the things I’d like to see in Plains of Eidolon. I think they’d make the experience more enjoyable, and I really hope DE’s already adding some of these things to it. Thanks to all who decided to read some, or all, of this lengthy post. If I’ve made any typos, feel free to point them out and I’ll clarify them and fix them. Are you excited for Plains of Eidolon, and if so, what would you like to see in it? Let me know your thoughts! Thanks.

Edited August 21, 2017 by A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n

[TheVeiledScion]

+1 I fully agree that these Landscapes need a LOT of content to survive. I have my own ideas for what Plains of Eidolon needs to really be a success, but there's a lot here that I agree with, especially the role that Syndicates can play.

[Outrider99]

On 7/17/2017 at 0:22 AM, Fiftycentis said:

well.... i can't imagine a gas planet with a node like this

btw for what i heard we can hope for late 2017, that could mean december, but i have no expectations, when it came out i'll be fine, i think they will release the earth one and after that the ones in the other planets where they want to have it

I can! Its the corpus gas city, right? Make it basically a huuuuuge open tileset that actually looks more like a familiar city. Platforms that resemble roads, Big skyscraper like buildings. All under a dome. Imagine running around a modern city with warframes!

[OniDax]

26 minutes ago, Arktourus said:

+1 I fully agree that these Landscapes need a LOT of content to survive. I have my own ideas for what Plains of Eidolon needs to really be a success, but there's a lot here that I agree with, especially the role that Syndicates can play.

Glad you like it. I think Syndicates are a great medium for expanding Warframe's gameplay, exploring new locations, and revealing new story.

[eviad]

+1000 There are so much potential to it, i really hope it will not turn out to be something like Lunaro: fun for 2 month but boring and empty few months after release. I really hope there will be some exploration reward/secret cache that randomly pop up on the map, for example.

[OniDax]

27 minutes ago, eviad said:

+1000 There are so much potential to it, i really hope it will not turn out to be something like Lunaro: fun for 2 month but boring and empty few months after release. I really hope there will be some exploration reward/secret cache that randomly pop up on the map, for example.

Yeah. It would be a shame if it ends up being boring and empty.  Open world is great if it's an actual open place with a lot to do. It's just a large, boring, empty space if there's nothing to do. And that can't just include missions to do. An open world is like a sandbox, and a sandbox needs a lot of toys. The best approach to open world is to make it feel as realistic, lively, and active as possible.

[Ilikebagels]

+1 Best post I've seen in a while.

[13QZXXTTX]

Hello, I will be following your Post.

While browsing, it seem the most RPG-MMOs with Open World. ("Open Zone" as [DE[Steve call it) are considered (current 2017 Summer) are GTA/FA/Skyrim/Witcher Series.< I do hope DE at least polish and put WarFrame's OZ at least on that standard. Look Forward to This.

PS: I am following another Game by CD-PR, and they too are planning an OW sort of CB Game. so I am in the know at least. 

EDIT: @A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n THANKS for putting those Ideas and coming with concept together. I will read up, for WarFrame's Long Run of course.

EDIT: Almost forgot. Time to PING @[DE]Steve!Lead the way, WARFRAME!  

Edited July 20, 2017 by DesFrSpace

[ChaoticEdge]

speaking eidolon, when its going come out?

[GrayArchon]

Wow, I love pretty much every part of this. You've put a lot of time and thought into this and I really think these are all good ideas. Wish I could give more than one like.

[OniDax]

You guys are too kind. I'm just glad you guys read through some or most of it. It's like 18 pages total!

So, what would you guys like to see in Plains of Eidolon or in any future landscapes?

Edited July 20, 2017 by A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n

[0meg4x]

Had to login to give this a +1.

I don't lose hope to see the game being an Open-World one day!!!

Edited July 20, 2017 by 0meg4x

[OniDax]

16 hours ago, 0meg4x said:

Had to login to give this a +1.

I don't lose hope to see the game being an Open-World one day!!!

Yeah. PoE is a first step to open world. They've got to make it feel like a "world", though. I want the Plains to feel as lively as the Cetus relay.

[FinkLord]

Wow all of this sounds really nice. These are some really good and interesting ideas. I was actually hoping they will add the Steel Meridian and New Loka since they would be perfect here. If they do there could be some tension between the two syndicates since they are opposed which could be pretty interesting. 

[OniDax]

So, Steve put up a 20 minute handicam demo of Plains of Eidolon (just him running around and showing off some stuff). I'm curious as to what you guys think about it: 

 

[(XBOX)Demon Intellect]

Thr biggest questions I have are how are they going to make it not feel trivial for the formaing crowd while also making it accessible to people who don't use forma at all? Also will power lengths and such recieve an increase since we will be in a much larger area? Will this potentially also bring about anothed rework for frames?

[Culaio]

On 19.07.2017 at 6:16 AM, A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n said:

-snip-

 

I must say that I really like your ideas.

about your concepts for future landscape:

-Martian Colony - I think that main people(people giving us quests and stuff) should be survivors of baro's people(people mentioned in Sands of Inaros quest), that is if any survived other then Baro, it was a while since I played the quest so I dont remember if it was mentioned)

-Earth Royal Colony - great idea but I think second landscape on any planet should be put in after there is at least one landscape per planet already(more diversity)

-Ganymede Colony -I must say that urban landscape concept sounds AMAZING, but I am worried about lack of activities in such landscape, I mean you can fight or do parkour in urban area but you cant fish(gather resouces in general), there would be lack of animals in general, do you(or other people here) have any ideas for activities that could replace activities we can do  in more natural landscapes?

 

[OniDax]

1 hour ago, Culaio said:

 

I must say that I really like your ideas.

about your concepts for future landscape:

-Martian Colony - I think that main people(people giving us quests and stuff) should be survivors of baro's people(people mentioned in Sands of Inaros quest), that is if any survived other then Baro, it was a while since I played the quest so I dont remember if it was mentioned)

-Earth Royal Colony - great idea but I think second landscape on any planet should be put in after there is at least one landscape per planet already(more diversity)

-Ganymede Colony -I must say that urban landscape concept sounds AMAZING, but I am worried about lack of activities in such landscape, I mean you can fight or do parkour in urban area but you cant fish(gather resouces in general), there would be lack of animals in general, do you(or other people here) have any ideas for activities that could replace activities we can do  in more natural landscapes?

 

1) See, while I know Sands of Inaros featured Baro, I wouldn't only focus on those people. I mean, they could be there, but I'd have Mars be a melting pot of different people. In on area you could have Baro's people. In another area, you could have Steel Meridian. In another area, you could have like a Mos Eisley/Wild West type place with a bunch of bandits, outlaws, smugglers, Corpus defectors, etc. It could be a much more diverse place than Plains of Eidolon.

2) See, I'm treating Cetus like a test case, for a few reasons. 1) It doesn't reflect the Earth that we typically play on, nor is it an environment that we could see New Loka on. 2) Because of that, I'd want to see a greener Earth landscape, one where we could have some green fields and a proper jungle.

3) I'm still thinking about how to do Ganymede and how gameplay would work. I kinda have it figured out from a story perspective. First of all, it'd be the largest Corpus-controlled Colony and the main Galilean colony of Jupiter. Second, Perrin Sequence, naturally, would contest the Corpus there. And third, it'd be where Baro moved to, and that's because while Baro is from Mars, his attire is Corpus, so I would have everything about his attire and mannerisms and profession be something he picked up on Ganymede.

In a similar fashion, Titan would be where Maroo comes from and you'd learn more of her backstory there.

[Unus]

Hmmmm. . .this is likely my personal opinion on the matter, but, I think that each one would need to be very VERY different from one another to stand out properly. Basically, either each faction should get it's own story-encrusted environ to maximize effort put into each while minimizing "repetition fatigue" or each environ should receive a significant amount of unique treatment so that no two areas function or look alike.

 

On your end, the implied verticality and Corpussian thematic of the Ganymede Colony fit this bill, while on my end, the Erisian Scuttleing Zone and Barboga: Faux-Pirate Sea Platform fill the latter and former ideals respectively over in my Moshpit of Ideas.

 

Just my two wooden nickels on the matter.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Unus

[OniDax]

1 minute ago, Unus said:

Hmmmm. . .this is likely my personal opinion on the matter, but, I think the that each one would need to be very VERY different from one another to stand out properly. Basically, either each faction should get it's own story-encrusted environ to maximize effort put into each while minimizing "repetition fatigue" or each environ should receive a significant amount of repeat treatment so that no two areas function or look alike.

 

On your end, the implied verticality and Corpussian thematic of the Ganymede Colony fit this bill, while on my end, the Erisian Scuttleing Zone and Barboga: Faux-Pirate Sea Platform fill the latter and former ideals respectively over in my Moshpit of Ideas.

 

Just my two wooden nickels on the matter.

Well, I think it'd be natural for them to share certain elements, like competing factions and entrenched bases (particularly for Mars and Titan). I think they all should be tailored to Syndicates, so each would be story-centric.

[Culaio]

On 22.07.2017 at 0:58 PM, A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n said:

1) See, while I know Sands of Inaros featured Baro, I wouldn't only focus on those people. I mean, they could be there, but I'd have Mars be a melting pot of different people. In on area you could have Baro's people. In another area, you could have Steel Meridian. In another area, you could have like a Mos Eisley/Wild West type place with a bunch of bandits, outlaws, smugglers, Corpus defectors, etc. It could be a much more diverse place than Plains of Eidolon.

2) See, I'm treating Cetus like a test case, for a few reasons. 1) It doesn't reflect the Earth that we typically play on, nor is it an environment that we could see New Loka on. 2) Because of that, I'd want to see a greener Earth landscape, one where we could have some green fields and a proper jungle.

3) I'm still thinking about how to do Ganymede and how gameplay would work. I kinda have it figured out from a story perspective. First of all, it'd be the largest Corpus-controlled Colony and the main Galilean colony of Jupiter. Second, Perrin Sequence, naturally, would contest the Corpus there. And third, it'd be where Baro moved to, and that's because while Baro is from Mars, his attire is Corpus, so I would have everything about his attire and mannerisms and profession be something he picked up on Ganymede.

In a similar fashion, Titan would be where Maroo comes from and you'd learn more of her backstory there.

1) now that  have better image of what you are planing I must say that I like your idea, it reminds me of tatooine from star wars, I have now strong desire to go to bar/cantina on mars and shoot someone...FIRST XD.

but I also think there should be place where "natives" could live, I think that at least some landscapes should have multiple hubs with civilians, where we can interact with people.

2) I dont mind second landscape, I just think it should come later, as DE gains more experiance with landscapes, they can make it bigger and better.

3) How we interact with landscape is one of if not the most important thing about landscapes, yes story is important but story alone will take you only that far, once you finish it  if you have nothing to do, you wont have reason to return to this landscape over other landscapes so most players will abandon it, and will stay one landscapes that have more interactions.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Culaio

[(XBOX)creeper1242]

Just wondering since I couldn't find the exact release date when I surfed the web for info. If anyone knows when it will be releasing please tell me I would like to know.

[(PSN)abbacephas]

[PoisonHD]

I'm assuming this fall, they said before Christmas, and they would like to get it late summer, so I am assuming mid fall. Consoles will probably be by Christmas if it's released then

[AzureTerra]

Hopefully when its ready, playable and mostly bug free. This being DE however that last one is far from being a given.