TheVeiledScion Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) Two years ago, I presented some of my ideas and hopes for new content in Warframe, including more expansive, open environments. At the time, I wrote: Quote DE has an opportunity to introduce truly fresh content, in the form of new open world gameplay and limited campaigns…By open world gameplay, I mean detailed, large-scale and populated environments that are tailored for continuous gameplay, rather than finite missions. Examples of open world settings include busy markets, populated towns, and sparsely inhabited wastelands. Open-world environments allow for a broader range of repeatable activities and greater immersion than is possible in typical single or multiplayer environments. Open world environments will give Warframe a necessary foundation for creating enriching and engaging new content. In the topic above, I tried to make the case for introducing inhabited colonies and Syndicate campaigns with new, dynamic missions that would guide player interactions in the colonies and badlands. I won’t retread that ground, but with past content such as Syndicate quests, and promised content such as the kingpin system, I still believe that DE can expand and integrate new and existing content to make full use of these Landscapes. Now that Plains of Eidolon is here, the sky is the limit for what DE can do with Warframe. Plains of Eidolon is but the first of hopefully several more landscapes with new factions, characters, missions, activities and storylines. Below, I will try to make the case for integrating Syndicates and other existing aspects of the game into Landscapes by introducing multiple regions and factions, variations of existing mission types and adaptations of the planned kingpin system. Rather than addressing these in “Point 1,2,3” format as in my first post, I thought I would instead illustrate my ideas by presenting my ideas for a Martian Landscape. In doing so, I hope I can demonstrate how integrating the various aspects of the game will help make the Landscapes more immersive – and hopefully, more entertaining. This is, like my first post, a long but hopefully worthwhile read (to make it easier, I've put the details in spoiler tags). Elysian Fields – the Martian Landscape The five regions of the Elysian Fields. Because of Mars’s largely homogeneous environment, a Martian landscape would need to be geographically diverse to be interesting. The hypothetical “Elysian Fields” would comprise five distinct geographical regions within the Martian Landscape – the Golden Sands, the Meridian Corridor, Arcadia, the Uxmal Wastes, and the Vergelm Pass. Since the current Grineer tileset reflects a mountain village and PoE reflects a hilly countryside, the Elysium “Fields” would not reflect either. Instead, the five regions would represent a diverse geographical landscape. The entirety of the Fields is an active mission space open to four-player squads, including the central Cetus-like Elysium, yet it is also filled with various markets and vendors and a lot of different gameplay options. Night-time depiction. The Golden Sands The Golden Sands are the central desert and oasis that were once home to Orokin elite. ELYSIUM Players are introduced to the landscape through Elysium. Elysium is a bustling, walled-off oasis town located at the center of the Elysian Fields. The Elysian Oasis was formerly home to Ballas’s Temple, an Orokin palace surrounded by an ocean of sand dunes, but over time it came to be populated by settlers, merchants, and smugglers from the Corpus’s Galilean colonies (around Jupiter); fugitives, bounty hunters, and defectors from the Grineer’s Saturnian colonies; and refugees from other Martian colonies seized by the Grineer. In addition to Ballas’s Temple (now Ang’s Palace), Elysium features the Exchange, the Square, and the Cantina, where players can engage in a variety of activities in the Elysian Fields, across Mars, and in the wider System. Spoiler Exchange The Exchange is a large bazaar where players can buy Corpus-style and other unique weapons and cosmetics and trade-in acquired loot for premium Corpus currency called Lucra. The Exchange would function much like Cetus, but would be somewhat larger and populated with a more diverse set of vendors (including the Myconians and Ostrons). As with Cetus, vendors would both buy and sell from Tenno, but they will also offer players contracts to locate and return specific items from the Elysian Fields, including hidden artifacts, weapon parts and even mods. Unlike Cetus, vendor items would not be tied into a unified Syndicate ranking system (except for the Ostron vendor), but more prized items would require different amounts of lucra. Players obtain lucra by trading in acquired loot or killing Venusian bankers and Substrata’s Ravor soldiers (more on that later). Unlike Cetus, there will be many other NPCs buying goods from these vendors in the Exchange, speaking with Syndicate reps in the Square, and chatting in the Cantina. Players will be able to sit and listen to some of these conversations and even engage with a few NPCs. Square The Square is a medium-sized plaza where players can find representatives from multiple different factions. From the existing Syndicates (including PoE’s Quills) to once-mentioned groups such as the Oracles of Saturn, the Square’s factions would offer players the opportunity to perform Bounty-style missions in the Fields and Syndicate missions across Mars for standing. Existing Syndicates will accept the same tokens/marks they accept elsewhere, while new Syndicates will have their own. As with the Exchange, Syndicates would also give out contracts for hidden artifacts and other loot. The Square would also serve as the entry-point into the crises of the Fields’ other regions (more on that later). Cantina The Cantina is a small bar where a few lone bounty hunters, smugglers and dealers reside. Much like Maroo and Darvo, these individuals will offer players Alert-style missions across the System. They will also offer limited contracts (a single bounty) in the Fields. However, instead of simply rewarding players with Endo, credits and mods, these vendors reward players with Corpus, Grineer and Martian weapon parts (melee, primary and secondary). Much like Hok’s Anvil, these individuals will each allow players to craft their own weapons once they have a full set. A special individual will also allow players to sell special Orokin weapon parts and cosmetics found in the Burial Mounds for ducats, or to craft weapons using non-prime Orokin weapon parts found in the Elysian lake, the Golden Sands and the Uxmal Wastes (see below). Ang’s Palace Ang’s Palace, the reconstructed Orokin palace, sits on the Elysian lake, and is restricted to members of the Deisos Cartel, who defend Elysium from frequent Grineer attacks. Connected to the palace is an accessible Index exchange in which players can compete against Bankers, Collectors and Pallax Guard (see below) to obtain lucra and even rarer cosmetics and weapons. Ang’s Index functions as a separate instance much like the Simulacrum does, and rewards players with credits and unique mods. The Index functions like Teshin’s Conclave, with progressive Syndicate rankings giving players access to weapon, skins and other cosmetic items. The Deisos Cartel is a crime syndicate of bandits, smugglers, mercenaries and bounty hunters that controls Elysium. Their leader is Ang Tol, a Corpus-backed crime boss whose many Collectors extract tribute from the local populace in exchange for protecting the colony from the Grineer to the west, while also using Elysium as a weapon-smuggling hub in support of the Corpus war effort to the north. Those unable to pay are forced to fight or die in Ang’s Index. Ang’s opulent lifestyle is funded by Venusian Bankers who often scour the Golden Sands for Orokin treasures. Ang is guarded within his rebuilt Orokin palace by the Pallax Guard, an elite Corpus mercenary guard from Ganymede who also protect the Bankers in the Golden Sands, while his Bounty Hunters roam the Fields looking for any would-be opponents, including Tenno and the Red Veil (see below). The Deisos Cartel is mostly located in Elysium and the Golden Sands, though some occasionally find themselves in the Uxmal Wastes. Elysian Lake The Elysian lake surrounds Ang’s Palace, and is home to a variety of different fish species. For simplicity’s sake, these fish would be the same encountered in PoE. Players would use small, hovering Corpus platforms to move along the surface of the water. The Elysian lake would vary in its depth at certain parts, allowing players to fish for the full variety of fish found in PoE. The lake would also contain forgotten non-prime Orokin weapon parts, which players will be able to take to the Cantina to craft. Players would be able to turn in their fish to the Ostron vendor in the Exchange for standing. GOLDEN SANDS The Golden Sands are the portion of Elysian sand dunes to the immediate east of Elysium. Formerly a burial site for Mars’s ancient regional Orokin governors, the Sands are now haunted by a nest of Golden Maws, who guard the site from the many Elysian merchants and others hoping to excavate buried Orokin treasures. During the day, Golden Maws and Corrupted (Grineer, Corpus, Infested) only emerge when players or NPCs attempt to perform excavation tasks. However, at night, unique Corrupted enemy units (“Maw’s Cursed”, below) and the Maws roam the enchanted Sands, while a larger Golden Serpent functions much as PoE’s Eidolons do. These excavation missions function like Void Fissure Excavation bounties and use Relics. Endless versions of Kuva Siphon missions also occur in the Golden Sands and can sometimes occur in the same location as these Void Fissure missions. In addition to Kuva Grineer and Corrupted units, a knightly, melee-wielding Corpus Crusader appears every 10 rounds of either Kuva or Fissure missions and can intercept either Void fragments or kuva. Underneath the Sands are the Orokin Burial Mounds, which function like PoE’s cave system and are accessible via quicksand pits only by Maw (see below). The Golden Sands also feature many of the contracts that players will get from the Exchange, Square and Cantina, including excavation, capture and escort missions. Spoiler Maw’s Cursed are former Merchants, Raiders and Scavengers who have been Corrupted by the nest of Golden Maws that guard the Golden Sands. The Cursed function much like Grineer Manics and Rell’s ghouls, using frenetic melee attacks to overwhelm players and NPCs wandering through the region. During the day, the Maws only attack when players attempt to excavate Orokin loot; at night, the Maws roam the Sands. The Maws operate much as they do in The War Within, except attacks on Operators disrupt the Transference signal, forcing Operators back into their Warframes (rather than insta-killing them), while attacks on Warframes steal energy. As with War Within, players can take over Maws and use them against the others (or to dig into the mounds), or they can use Amps and Void powers to kill them. Killing the Maws rewards players with Maw crafting parts, although the blueprint must be acquired from an Orokin trial within the Burial Mounds. When players have collected all components, they can craft their own Maw for use underneath the Golden Sands. The Burial Mounds are a subterranean, Martian version of the Lua tileset scattered across the Golden Sands and containing their own set of Orokin trials (like the Mountain Pass). Each Mound leads to a temple-like Orokin Crypt, which is guarded by a mummy version of a Dax soldier (functioning like War Within’s Teshin). Since the Mounds can only be accessed by Maw, players are restricted to Operator mode. Death throws the player back at the entrance to the mound. If a player has crafted their own Golden Maw, they can then re-enter the quicksand pit; if they have not, then players must hijack another Maw. The Mounds offer unique, gilded Orokin weapon parts, Operator cosmetic items, and other artifacts that can be sold to the Cantina’s Orokin vendor for ducats. Golden plates scattered throughout the Mounds provide lore on the history of early Orokin rulers. Defeating the Golden Serpent grants players access to a buried Orokin Temple. Here, players must navigate the structure via several Orokin trials (both like Lua and like the Mountain Pass), using both Warframe and Operator. The Temple is guarded by numerous Corrupted Dax (also like Teshin). The Temple’s path leads to a Void portal, through which players must defeat a Vor-like Dax Legionnaire. Upon defeating the Legionnaire, players are rewarded with a purely golden, two-handed katana laced with Orokin inscriptions and giving off Vor-like Orokin energy sparks when Channeling. In a way similar to the Synoid Heliocor, when using Channeling this Orokin weapon can turn a single unit into a Corrupted ally instead of killing them, while a channeled slam attack corrupts all units within a limited radius. Defeating the Golden Serpent and the Legionnaire in subsequent forays will reward players with a similar Orokin bow (corrupting on charge attack like the Ballistica Prime) and an Orokin version of the Gammacor. The Meridian Corridor The Meridian Corridor is a vast steppe located in the southern portion of the Elysian Fields. The Meridian Corridor is the fertile home to the last remnants of the original Martian colonies. The Meridian Corridor is dotted with various populated Martian settlements, ranging from small towns to even smaller campsites. The Martian settlements here function much like Cetus’s Ostrons, and the inhabitants reward players with standing for activities. Here, players can hunt reptilian, mammalian and avian creatures, turning them in to traders in the Martian settlements for credits or to craft leather, fur or feathered Warframe cosmetic items. The eastern Corridor is inhabited by roaming, hyena-like Desert Kubrow packs and dens, as well as Cult of Deimos mercenaries from the Uxmal Wastes (see below), both of whom regularly attack the Martian settlements and nomadic travelers in bounty-style alerts. Defending the settlements and travelers would reward players with special Companion mods and standing. Players also have access to the settlers’ rudimentary transportation vehicles, including a tractor-like farm vehicle and a somewhat faster hover bike. Steel Meridian exists to protect “what little remains of the colonies.” In the Elysian Fields, Steel Meridian is an allied faction that fights to defend the Meridian Corridor from destruction by Harkonar’s Grineer forces (see below). Human Steel Meridian field commander Rea Thom guides players through anti-Grineer bounties in the Corridor, much like Darvo does for his Clem missions. Bounty-style Grineer raids against Martian settlements and Steel Meridian outposts regularly occur, though larger periodic incursion alerts also occur. Grineer units would deploy to and roam the Corridor much like they do in PoE, but they would also include special Drahk and Hyekka masters. Incursions would also feature special Grineer mini-bosses. These missions would go toward the settlement standing, but would also drop special items that could be turned in to the Steel Meridian at Diamond Forge in Arcadia for Syndicate standing. Steel Meridian’s campaign would cover both the Meridian Corridor and Arcadia, and would follow the kingpin system. Arcadia Arcadia is the Grineer-ravaged plateau to the west of the Meridian Corridor. Arcadia, located northwest of the Meridian Corridor, is a heavily battle-scarred collection of villages and farms, home to the last surviving independent Martian colony. Most of the once arable plateau has been conquered by the Grineer, and what remains of Arcadia includes besieged towns and beleaguered refugee camps all under constant assault by the Grineer. Here, Steel Meridian and Harkonar forces wage endless battle. In this highly-contested space, players would undertake a variety of expanded mission types involving protecting or evacuating civilians (e.g., Defection), gathering medical supplies from the nearby rocky cliffs for Kavor medics, conducting assaults against the Grineer, and competing in the Rathuum court located atop Harkonar Tower. Harkonar’s Army is a private, elite Grineer field army led by Consul Krieg Harkonar, a high-ranking member of the prominent weapons-manufacturing Harkonar clan. Outfitted with the latest in Harkonar weaponry and armor, these Grineer seek to turn the Elysian Fields into a new Agricultural Production Zone, managed by human slave labor. Harkonar’s Army is buttressed by Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas, Forbolgs, Bolkors and the Morrigs, new Harkonar tanks meant to withstand Corpus, and Tenno, attack (including from Archwings). Several Grineer Sergeants, Lieutenants and Commanders, and a few Grineer War Heroes (possessing a variety of special weapons such as a nuclear arm cannon), lead various parts of the Harkonar Army into battle. The Morrig is a repurposed Grineer mining vehicle. Spoiler DIAMOND FORGE Secretly nested within a canyon at the southern border of Arcadia is Diamond Forge, a Steel Meridian colony inhabited by the Kavor, Grineer defectors, and refugees from various Martian colonies. Once a hideout used by Orokin-Era rebels, Diamond Forge and the surrounding canyon was fortified by Steel Meridian to provide a refuge for those who needed a home safe from the Grineer. The Meridian Corridor would function much like Iron Wake, with Diamond Forge offering a marketplace for weapons and cosmetics, a small neighborhood where players can get mini-quests from locals, a command center for kingpin missions (see “Proxy Wars” below), and even the Steel Meridian Lunaro area. Diamond Forge would function somewhere between relay and live mission space; regular Grineer incursions would take place here, while players would also be able to access the Steel Meridian’s Lunaro arena in a separate instance (as with the Simulacrum). Diamond Forge’s missions would function like the planned kingpin system: a chain of missions would eventually lead to a major boss battle against Perrin Sequences. Steel Meridian leader Cressa Tal introduces each mission to players in the command center, and rewards them with new Syndicate weapons and items (see “Proxy Wars” and “Kingpin”). NO MAN’S LAND The No Man’s Land is the battle-scarred area between Diamond Forge and the Harkonar Production Zone (see below). The No Man’s Land is divided into two parts: the southern-most farmland fortified by Steel Meridian and Arcadian defenders, and the middle collection of besieged villages and towns with trapped inhabitants. The farmland doubles as a medical and refugee camp, and comes under frequent land and aerial assault by the Grineer. Bounties include defending the area from attack and fulfilling other tasks for a local Arcadian, including scanning plant life for herbs and rescuing individuals from the besieged area or the Harkonar Production Zone (see below). These activities reward the same standing as in the Meridian Corridor. The besieged area is constantly populated by Grineer forces, including the Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas, Bolkors and Morrigs. To combat these, players are given access to Steel Meridian’s own Dargyns and Vaykor Hounds, which are small, manned vehicles (think Dark Sector Jackals) offering faster land traversal and added firepower against the Harkonar war machine. Players also have the option of using their Archwings. Functioning like bounty alerts in PoE, players will have to sabotage Grineer vehicles, hijack Grineer drones, capture or assassinate Grineer targets, break Grineer sieges and defend newly liberated villages from Grineer reinforcements. Players will also have to escort besieged, trapped or captured civilians to the safety of the farmland, as in Defection/Evacuation missions. HARKONAR PRODUCTION ZONE The Harkonar Production Zone is the northernmost part of Arcadia, and fully fortified by the Grineer. The Zone is like a Martian version of Ceres and the Kuva Fortress in design, and is filled with Grineer encampments, fortified towns, guarded worker camps, a few outposts, and a full-scale fortress (see below). The Zone is fortified by Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas and Morrigs, as well as by numerous emplaced weapons (like those of PoE and the Kuva Fortress). The Zone is protected by a tall wall, and players must access the Zone via Archwing or Steel Meridian Dargyn. Within the Zone, players will conduct open landscape versions of traditional missions, including spy, hijack, sabotage, mobile defense, rescue, capture and defection. Harkonar Tower, a heavily-militarized Grineer fortress, is an industrialized mesa overlooking the plateau, and the primary base from which the Grineer wage war against the Arcadians. Harkonar’s Tower functions like PoE’s cave system, extending deep and rising above the surrounding area. The outer areas reflect the Martian settlement and the Kuva fortress, but the central areas reflect a fortress version of the Grineer Galleon. The Tower features many of the same missions mentioned above, but is populated by harder enemies, several minibosses, and three possible Harkonar Nobles as Assassination Targets. The Tower also includes a free-standing Rathuum Court, where players can do battle bounty alert-style against waves of Grineer, including Harkonar War Heroes. The Rathuum bounty rewards players with Judgment points to be used on Sedna. The Uxmal Wastes The Uxmal Wastes are the Infestation-plagued wasteland east of the Golden Sands. The Uxmal Wastes comprise a desolate valley at the eastern edge of the Elysian Fields. Bordered by Elysium Mons to the East, the Uxmal Wastes are a dangerous place inhabited by Arid Infested creatures, marauders, bandits, and Elysian fugitives. The Arid Infested are an ancient form of the toxic creatures found exclusively on Mars. Once thought to have been wiped out after the Great Plague, the Arid Infested lingered deep within New Uxmal, and have recently emerged into the wider wasteland. With their calcified exoskeletal shells and bony spikes, the Arid Infested are deadlier than their modern Grineer- and Corpus-based Infested cousins (more slash, puncture, and elemental damage). Dread Lorists (glassy, hovering Healers with protruding Orokin tech who deal fire damage), Desert Drakes (icy mud-spewing raptors), Burrowers (toxic, bony, Infested desert skates) and Brazen Condrocs (electric, half-decayed, bat/vulture-like versions of Condrocs) augment the desert versions of Mutalist units. Most dangerous is the Cult of Deimos, a mercenary clan descended from the rebellious mercenaries who once served the Orokin (think Ordan Karris). During the Orokin era, the mercenaries were imprisoned on Deimos by the Orokin after rebelling against them (see below), and were used by the Orokin in early Infestation experiments, giving them a natural immunity to the disease. Now led by Martian warlord Metus, the warrior tribe has inherited its ancestors’ hatred for the Orokin, and the Cult’s Raiders, Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters frequently assault Elysian merchants and others in the Wastes, the Corridor and the Sands in support of Harkonar’s Army. The Cult’s Raiders, Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters utilize the Mutalist Cernos, Toxocyst, Lesion, and other like weapons harvested from the Arid Infested, which they hunt across the Wastes (Cultists and Arid Infested will fight each other). Players traversing the Wastes can be attacked by randomly spawning groups of raiders. The Uxmal Wastes also contain several temples (think Sands of Inaros), where players can obtain Infested Archwing components (see below). In these temples, players must combat the same enemy units encountered in the Sands of Inaros quest. Spoiler VEIL’S GATE A local Red Veil guild, led by Sicaro, operates out of Veil’s Gate, a secret den in the northern portion of the Wastes from which the guild’s Spies, Thieves, and Assassins conduct espionage, abductions, and assassinations against the Deisos Cartel in the Golden Sands, and against the Cult of Deimos in the Uxmal Wastes. Outmanned, outgunned and hunted by Ang’s Bounty Hunters, the guild’s newly-trained Insurgents use Infested weaponry crafted from Uxmal’s Arid Infested (see below) to sabotage Elysian credit vaults and ambush Venusian Bankers traversing the Golden Sands and the Uxmal Wastes. Red Veil directs players in assassination, exterminate, spy, sabotage and other bounties against both factions, but also has its own vendor allowing players to craft Infested and non-Prime Orokin weapons from parts collected from Cult and Infested units, or found within New Uxmal (note: New Uxmal’s Orokin weapons are distinct from the Golden Sands’ Orokin weapons). Veil’s Gate also includes a Void Portal leading to a repopulated Rell’s Temple, where players are instructed in kingpin missions against the Arbiters (see “Proxy Wars” below). NEW UXMAL Within the Wastes is the ruined site of New Uxmal, an Orokin-era city that was overrun by the Infestation after the Collapse (think Moria from Lord of the Rings). To allow for its vast size, New Uxmal occupies a separate instance like the Index and New Uxmal is divided between narrow corridors, winding expanses, collapsed areas bridged by Derelict trees, and expansive courtyards and giant halls. The city also possesses many vaults and crypts, with much hidden loot. New Uxmal appears much like a Martian version of Lua, but with angular Orokin structures and Derelict trees instead of the smooth structures and white arboriforms on Lua or in the Void. The Arid Infested overrun New Uxmal, and players must regularly face off against hordes of Infested units. A subterranean Arctic lake deep within New Uxmal houses the Infested nest of Maliakos, the giant, aquatic, Kraken-like source vector for the Arid Infested. Players must utilize Sharkwing technology to defeat Maliakos, upon which they will receive blueprints for an Infested Archwing (other parts obtainable from Labyrinth and other Uxmal temples). New Uxmal’s paths also lead upward to a large, malfunctioning Orokin terraforming device, which regularly causes dangerous fluctuations in New Uxmal’s atmosphere. As a result, the central areas of New Uxmal are a constantly shifting Nightmare space for survival, excavation, capture, rescue and hijack-type missions. The terraforming device also features in interception and survival missions, where players fight against Cultists to gain unique mods and other valuable loot. LABYRINTH At the base of the terraforming device is a Void Portal leading to the Labyrinth, an Orokin Gulag on Deimos, Mars’s second moon. The Labyrinth is the base of operations of the Cult of Deimos, and is structured like a dim-lit, narrow-hallway, maximum-security prison version of the Orokin Void. Here, players can conduct rescue, sabotage, spy, capture and exterminate missions; break open an Orokin Vault; and assassinate Cultist boss units. Orokin Vaults are guarded by special Manic-like humanoid units called Aberrations, failed Infested experiments much like Dark Sector’s Technocyte units, and reward players with new types of Corrupted Mods. Like New Uxmal, the Labyrinth exists in a separate instance from the rest of the Elysian Fields. The Vergelm Pass The arctic Vergelm Pass is a harsh, northern mountain region controlled by a Corpus firm. The Vergelm Pass, the northern-most region of the Elysian Fields, is controlled by Substrata Systems, an independent Corpus firm specializing in Warframe technology and leading the Corpus fight against Harkonar’s Army. The Vergelm Pass borders the snowy mountains leading to Mars’ northern polar cap, and is therefore a route well-traveled by regular Corpus convoys carrying shipments of lucra, weapons and Orokin artifacts to and from Elysium. Guided by Perrin Sequence, players can ambush these slow-moving convoys, which cross the Golden Sands periodically and are protected by the Pallax Guards, but must then fend off against reprisal attacks from Cartel units and/or Maw’s Cursed while extracting the cargo to designated extraction locations in hijack-like or PoE-like missions. While in the Vergelm Pass, players must also fend off attacks from Substrata’s Ravor soldiers (see below). The Vergelm Pass possesses many caves, in which players can mine for minerals or excavate large deposits of common, uncommon and rare resources. Spoiler STRATA FORT Strata Fort is the base of operations for Substrata. Strata Fort appears like a sleek, black, and dim-lit Corpus military base and high-tech research facility, and is guarded by Substrata’s Ravor Soldiers, Zanuka Sentries and Stealth Ospreys. Ravor Soldiers are remotely-piloted combat units using Substrata’s experimental Warframe technology, blending Infested nano-tissues and powerful Orokin artifacts. Ravor soldiers use Loki’s invisibility, Volt’s speed, and Grineer-like teleportation, along with Argon-enhanced Supras that deal greater magnetic damage. The Operator’s Void Dash can disable the Ravor soldiers’ powerful abilities, giving players a temporary advantage over them. Because these units are stronger than others, they usually operate in groups of four, with one Sentry and one Osprey as support. Within Strata Fort, players can conduct rescue, sabotage, spy, exterminate, capture, mobile defense, interception, and assassination missions. Players can also ambush Substrata convoys with Infested weapon parts and mods moving between the Vergelm Pass and New Uxmal, following the same hijack-like and PoE-like mission parameters as above. As players kill Ravor units, they rack up marks similarly to Assassination or Invasion missions. Outside of separate instances (including Elysium), elite Ravor-Frames (scaled up from one to four depending on squad size) will insert via Stealth Condor to attack players. Ravor-Frames use additional Warframe abilities and are the strongest units in the Fields, necessitating coordinated use of Warframe and Operator abilities. Defeating Ravor-Frames will reward players with 4x Argon crystals. The Proxy Wars: Warframe’s Future A world in conflict. With the concept above out of the way, I wanted to also briefly share my ideas for where I think Warframe should be heading next. From Vor’s Prize to (presumably) Sacrifice, Warframe’s story has been focused on revealing the mystery surrounding the Tenno and their Warframes, with the Lotus at the center of it all. At the same time, the game has also focused on the conflict between the Grineer and Corpus, two mostly monolithic factions who are both interested in the Warframes and seizing each other’s territory. While Sacrifice has not come out yet, it will presumably finally reveal what the Warframes are, and their relation to the Tenno. With that broader storyline wrapping up, I think it’s time to shift the focus of the game’s story. Since the beginning, we’ve been told that the Tenno ultimately fight to protect the colonies from the Grineer and the Corpus, yet we have seen so little of them. We are also told throughout the game that the Grineer want to enslave humanity, and that the Corpus are war profiteers who “sell anything to everyone.” Yet, the focus has been primarily on Grineer and Corpus leaders fighting over each other’s military bases. But with PoE out and Venus coming later this year, I think it’s the perfect time to focus the story on these human colonies we’ve heard so much about and seen so little of. The reason I’m sticking this onto my Landscape Concept topic is because I believe something like the Elysian Fields could function as a bridge or introduction to this new chapter in the Warframe universe, what I call The Proxy Wars. The basic narrative idea is straightforward: the war between the Grineer and Corpus has trickled down into the colonies under their control. Having suffered great losses at the hands of the Tenno, both factions have begun using each other’s colonies on Saturn and Jupiter to fight their wars, exacerbating the chaos and suffering of the system. The Grineer rule over their Saturn-based colonies with an iron grip, and regularly put down Syndicate-backed uprisings on Saturn’s moons; the Corpus have begun arming several colonies to fight against the Grineer. The Corpus control currency and regulate transportation among Jupiter’s “independent” colonies but have long fomented and profited from political conflict by selling weapons and ships to all parties; the Grineer have pushed those conflicts into all-out war. The scale of this new phase in the conflict forces the Tenno to intervene. The Proxy Wars would feature a much greater number of factions, including: 1) colonies on Jupiter and Saturn’s major moons, which would be introduced as separate “planets” (like Lua, Phobos and Europa); 2) Grineer and Corpus sub-factions; and 3) new and existing Syndicates. This would allow for a much deeper, more expansive environment, with greater variety and therefore more gameplay opportunities. NEW LANDSCAPES A variety of colonies, relays and other landscapes would provide greater diversity, deeper immersion, and many activities for players. Proxy Wars would feature a larger set of landscapes and other environments around Jupiter and Saturn, with each colony, sub-faction and Syndicate having its own place. Rather than large, singular spaces like PoE or the Elysian Fields concept above, these environments would not only include colonies, but also non-Tenno relays, battle zones, enemy bases, and Dark Sectors. Dark Sectors would comprise the largest spaces (like PoE and the upcoming Venus landscape), while battle zones, enemy bases, and relays would be progressively smaller in size (respectively). Colonies would vary in size, with some as large as landscapes and others as small as relays. Colonies and relays would function much like Cetus or Elysium above, with vendors and contracts. Moon- and Space-based Battle Zones would function like Plains of Eidolon but with constant fighting between a changing set of two colonies/factions (like invasions), while enemy bases (including laboratories, warships, space stations and fortresses) would function as open-ended versions of tilesets. Dark Sectors would be much more varied versions of landscapes, with lots of hidden secrets, wild factions, and high rewards (see my “badlands” concept in my first post). This larger variety of different environments could be rolled out slowly over a period of two years, but I think it would keep players interested and might also keep DE from becoming burned out having to spend 10 months on single, increasingly larger landscapes. FACTIONS Unique colonies, syndicates and Grineer/Corpus sub-factions populate Jupiter and Saturn's regions. Proxy Wars would eventually feature more than a dozen different groups and individuals, including: various Corpus firms and Grineer clans; a large variety of different colonies (some occupying the same planet); new and existing Syndicates (including some we’ve only heard about like Solaris United and Black Seed); and various independent smugglers or merchants. These factions would form the substance of Proxy Wars’ narrative and gameplay, while characters within these groups would help guide players (much as Darvo and Maroo have done in their quests). KINGPIN CONFLICTS: A New Take on Missions, Invasions and Story The Proxy Wars provides an integrated way of conducting missions, participating in invasions, and telling stories. Making Proxy Wars work requires a synthesis of Warframe’s existing gameplay. I realize that the kingpin system is still under development, but I think such a system could be adapted to this concept in a unique way. The basic gameplay idea behind Proxy Wars is that players must support or oppose colonies in ever-shifting sets of Conflicts between two colonies, similarly to the current Invasion system. PoE’s Bounty system provides a way of generating a variety of objectives within a single mission, while the upcoming Kingpin system’s logical, systematic pathway to dismantling enemy cells would be a good structure for each Conflict. The Solar Rail/Dark Sectors’ shifting tax and tribute system (depending on the victor) could be carried over as an outcome, while the Stalker/Grustrag/Zanuka revenge assassination feature could work to add greater stakes during and after individual conflicts. Of course, the Syndicate reputation system would still be in play for all these colonies, but with perhaps a much smaller set of ranks and rewards. The first six Syndicates (and Clans/Alliances) would also have their own separate kingpin conflicts focused on their enemies (e.g., Steel Meridian vs. Perrin Sequence), which would span the system rather than being confined to Jupiter and Saturn. At the same time, the main story Quests could still focus on the larger Grineer vs. Corpus story, but through the lens of the colonies and the Grineer and Corpus sub-factions (perhaps with more of a focus on the Corpus). Rather than revealing the Tenno/Warframe history, these Quests could focus on liberating colonies from powerful Grineer clans and dismantling the Corpus’s influence. A kingpin-like system would support the narrative structure of such Quests and help to balance player agency and quality storytelling. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As I said in my first post, the details above are just my creative ideas, but what is important is that these new, larger landscapes have the breadth and depth of content and integration of gameplay features that truly allow for immersive, enjoyable and lasting player experiences, while incorporating enough from the main game that they feel like part of the same game. Again, as in my first post, some might consider this far too ambitious, but my hope is that with such broad suggestions, DE will be able to choose the right amount and right types of existing and new content to truly make future environments feel like thriving worlds. Thanks for reading, and please do let me know what you think! Disclaimer: The mock-ups of the Elysian Fields are mine, but I do not own the rest of the images and claim no credit for making them. Edited January 27, 2018 by Arktourus Formatting images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OniDax Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 This is awesome. I especially love how your proposed landscape is full of life. It's an active, immersive environment, with multiple NPC factions with different goals and motivations, which would make for very dynamic, diverse player-NPC and NPC-NPC interactions. Oh, and I love the inclusion of vehicles. Lots of vehicles. Travel is a big part of free roam, which is a big part of any open world experience, so I'm glad you don't leave that out. The other thing I like is that, while you have a region with an Eidolon-like boss - the Golden Serpent - that isn't the main overarching focus of the landscape. The main focus is the conflict and interaction between the various factions. That's something I really wanted for Plains of Eidolon, and I'm still very disappointed that they didn't do more with PoE. Hopefully Venus will be closer to Elysian Fields than Plains of Eidolon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad4youLT Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) open world doesnt fit with warframe , sorry but its true we are maze rats looting dungeons , if PoE taught me anything its what core game design conflitcs with its oposite Spoiler for those who dont get what Im saying , picture this : vauban is one of if not the best crowd locking frame we got wich becomes almost useless on the plains bacause of scale and no cooridors , this preaty much aplys to almost every power except invis wich is universaly op Edited January 27, 2018 by bad4youLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 2 minutes ago, bad4youLT said: open world doesnt fit with warframe , sorry but its true we are maze rats looting dungeons , if PoE taught me anything its what core game design conflitcs with its oposite Hide contents for those who dont get what Im saying , picture this : vauban is one of if not the best crowd locking frame we got wich becomes almost useless on the plains bacause of scale and no cooridors , this preaty much aplys to almost every power except invis wich is universaly op Well, open world doesn't just mean large open plains. Diverse environments could also include narrow pathways through a canyon, or actual bases in the environment that have the same sort of closed, narrow corridors in which Vauban works. In fact, the "New Uxmal" idea I presented above would pretty much follow the same sort of dungeon-style layout that we've gotten so far, with more of it and more to do in it. I'm not advocating trading one type of environment (dungeon-style tilesets) for another (wide-open plains); I'm pushing for a greater variety of gameplay spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OniDax Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 1 minute ago, bad4youLT said: open world doesnt fit with warframe , sorry but its true we are maze rats looting dungeons , if PoE taught me anything its what core game design conflitcs with its oposite Hide contents for those who dont get what Im saying , picture this : vauban is one of if not the best crowd locking frame we got wich becomes almost useless on the plains bacause of scale and no cooridors , this preaty much aplys to almost every power except invis wich is universaly op Plains of Eidolon is not a proper open world. It's a terrible open world, honestly. A proper open world would fit within Warframe because a proper open world is one with open and close quarter spaces, because it's an open world, but filled with infrastructure (i.e. buildings). There would be opportunity for close quarters gameplay. It'd be like putting the existing tilesets within a larger space. Imagine all of the various Earth tilesets on one landscape, with open space between the various mission tilesets. That's what open world really is. It's not about just being a large empty space, which Plains of Eidolon largely is. It's about an immersive world full of simulated life - NPCs of various factions going about their business and interacting with each other and with players. Open world is all about giving players many different gameplay options, from diverse regions to varying infrastructure to multiple travel options (on foot, multiple vehicles, aircraft, boats, etc). This Elysian Fields concept presents opportunity for close quarters gameplay and long range gameplay, and everything in-between. Regions like the Golden Sands might be open, but when you go into regions like the Strata Fort or the Harkonar Tower, those spaces would probably be much more close quarters. That's the beauty of open world: through its terrain and NPCs, and vehicle options, it offers various gameplay options that suit various gameplay styles. It would offer opportunity for every Warframe to shine. PoE doesn't do that because it's just an empty terrain with barely anything in it. Few structures, few NPCs, few wildlife, few vehicles (only one right now - archwing, and only two when they release the pilotable Dargyns). A good open world is all about allowing players to create their own gameplay experiences that suit their gameplay styles. Plains of Eidolon is a terrible one because it's so limited in the gameplay options it offers. Arktourus' Elysian Fields is a good open world concept that plays to the strengths of open world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unus Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 10 hours ago, Arktourus said: Two years ago, I presented some of my ideas and hopes for new content in Warframe, including more expansive, open environments. At the time, I wrote: In the topic above, I tried to make the case for introducing inhabited colonies and Syndicate campaigns with new, dynamic missions that would guide player interactions in the colonies and badlands. I won’t retread that ground, but with past content such as Syndicate quests, and promised content such as the kingpin system, I still believe that DE can expand and integrate new and existing content to make full use of these Landscapes. Now that Plains of Eidolon is here, the sky is the limit for what DE can do with Warframe. Plains of Eidolon is but the first of hopefully several more landscapes with new factions, characters, missions, activities and storylines. Below, I will try to make the case for integrating Syndicates and other existing aspects of the game into Landscapes by introducing multiple regions and factions, variations of existing mission types and adaptations of the planned kingpin system. Rather than addressing these in “Point 1,2,3” format as in my first post, I thought I would instead illustrate my ideas by presenting my ideas for a Martian Landscape. In doing so, I hope I can demonstrate how integrating the various aspects of the game will help make the Landscapes more immersive – and hopefully, more entertaining. This is, like my first post, a long but hopefully worthwhile read (to make it easier, I've put the details in spoiler tags). Elysian Fields – the Martian Landscape The five regions of the Elysian Fields. Because of Mars’s largely homogeneous environment, a Martian landscape would need to be geographically diverse to be interesting. The hypothetical “Elysian Fields” would comprise five distinct geographical regions within the Martian Landscape – the Golden Sands, the Meridian Corridor, Arcadia, the Uxmal Wastes, and the Vergelm Pass. Since the current Grineer tileset reflects a mountain village and PoE reflects a hilly countryside, the Elysium “Fields” would not reflect either. Instead, the five regions would represent a diverse geographical landscape. The entirety of the Fields is an active mission space open to four-player squads, including the central Cetus-like Elysium, yet it is also filled with various markets and vendors and a lot of different gameplay options. Night-time depiction. The Golden Sands The Golden Sands are the central desert and oasis that were once home to Orokin elite. ELYSIUM Players are introduced to the landscape through Elysium. Elysium is a bustling, walled-off oasis town located at the center of the Elysian Fields. The Elysian Oasis was formerly home to Ballas’s Temple, an Orokin palace surrounded by an ocean of sand dunes, but over time it came to be populated by settlers, merchants, and smugglers from the Corpus’s Galilean colonies (around Jupiter); fugitives, bounty hunters, and defectors from the Grineer’s Saturnian colonies; and refugees from other Martian colonies seized by the Grineer. In addition to Ballas’s Temple (now Ang’s Palace), Elysium features the Exchange, the Square, and the Cantina, where players can engage in a variety of activities in the Elysian Fields, across Mars, and in the wider System. Hide contents Exchange The Exchange is a large bazaar where players can buy Corpus-style and other unique weapons and cosmetics and trade-in acquired loot for premium Corpus currency called Lucra. The Exchange would function much like Cetus, but would be somewhat larger and populated with a more diverse set of vendors (including the Myconians and Ostrons). As with Cetus, vendors would both buy and sell from Tenno, but they will also offer players contracts to locate and return specific items from the Elysian Fields, including hidden artifacts, weapon parts and even mods. Unlike Cetus, vendor items would not be tied into a unified Syndicate ranking system (except for the Ostron vendor), but more prized items would require different amounts of lucra. Players obtain lucra by trading in acquired loot or killing Venusian bankers and Substrata’s Ravor soldiers (more on that later). Unlike Cetus, there will be many other NPCs buying goods from these vendors in the Exchange, speaking with Syndicate reps in the Square, and chatting in the Cantina. Players will be able to sit and listen to some of these conversations and even engage with a few NPCs. Square The Square is a medium-sized plaza where players can find representatives from multiple different factions. From the existing Syndicates (including PoE’s Quills) to once-mentioned groups such as the Oracles of Saturn, the Square’s factions would offer players the opportunity to perform Bounty-style missions in the Fields and Syndicate missions across Mars for standing. Existing Syndicates will accept the same tokens/marks they accept elsewhere, while new Syndicates will have their own. As with the Exchange, Syndicates would also give out contracts for hidden artifacts and other loot. The Square would also serve as the entry-point into the crises of the Fields’ other regions (more on that later). Cantina The Cantina is a small bar where a few lone bounty hunters, smugglers and dealers reside. Much like Maroo and Darvo, these individuals will offer players Alert-style missions across the System. They will also offer limited contracts (a single bounty) in the Fields. However, instead of simply rewarding players with Endo, credits and mods, these vendors reward players with Corpus, Grineer and Martian weapon parts (melee, primary and secondary). Much like Hok’s Anvil, these individuals will each allow players to craft their own weapons once they have a full set. A special individual will also allow players to sell special Orokin weapon parts and cosmetics found in the Burial Mounds for ducats, or to craft weapons using non-prime Orokin weapon parts found in the Elysian lake, the Golden Sands and the Uxmal Wastes (see below). Ang’s Palace Ang’s Palace, the reconstructed Orokin palace, sits on the Elysian lake, and is restricted to members of the Deisos Cartel, who defend Elysium from frequent Grineer attacks. Connected to the palace is an accessible Index exchange in which players can compete against Bankers, Collectors and Pallax Guard (see below) to obtain lucra and even rarer cosmetics and weapons. Ang’s Index functions as a separate instance much like the Simulacrum does, and rewards players with credits and unique mods. The Index functions like Teshin’s Conclave, with progressive Syndicate rankings giving players access to weapon, skins and other cosmetic items. The Deisos Cartel is a crime syndicate of bandits, smugglers, mercenaries and bounty hunters that controls Elysium. Their leader is Ang Tol, a Corpus-backed crime boss whose many Collectors extract tribute from the local populace in exchange for protecting the colony from the Grineer to the west, while also using Elysium as a weapon-smuggling hub in support of the Corpus war effort to the north. Those unable to pay are forced to fight or die in Ang’s Index. Ang’s opulent lifestyle is funded by Venusian Bankers who often scour the Golden Sands for Orokin treasures. Ang is guarded within his rebuilt Orokin palace by the Pallax Guard, an elite Corpus mercenary guard from Ganymede who also protect the Bankers in the Golden Sands, while his Bounty Hunters roam the Fields looking for any would-be opponents, including Tenno and the Red Veil (see below). The Deisos Cartel is mostly located in Elysium and the Golden Sands, though some occasionally find themselves in the Uxmal Wastes. Elysian Lake The Elysian lake surrounds Ang’s Palace, and is home to a variety of different fish species. For simplicity’s sake, these fish would be the same encountered in PoE. Players would use small, hovering Corpus platforms to move along the surface of the water. The Elysian lake would vary in its depth at certain parts, allowing players to fish for the full variety of fish found in PoE. The lake would also contain forgotten non-prime Orokin weapon parts, which players will be able to take to the Cantina to craft. Players would be able to turn in their fish to the Ostron vendor in the Exchange for standing. GOLDEN SANDS The Golden Sands are the portion of Elysian sand dunes to the immediate east of Elysium. Formerly a burial site for Mars’s ancient regional Orokin governors, the Sands are now haunted by a nest of Golden Maws, who guard the site from the many Elysian merchants and others hoping to excavate buried Orokin treasures. During the day, Golden Maws and Corrupted (Grineer, Corpus, Infested) only emerge when players or NPCs attempt to perform excavation tasks. However, at night, unique Corrupted enemy units (“Maw’s Cursed”, below) and the Maws roam the enchanted Sands, while a larger Golden Serpent functions much as PoE’s Eidolons do. These excavation missions function like Void Fissure Excavation bounties and use Relics. Endless versions of Kuva Siphon missions also occur in the Golden Sands and can sometimes occur in the same location as these Void Fissure missions. In addition to Kuva Grineer and Corrupted units, a knightly, melee-wielding Corpus Crusader appears every 10 rounds of either Kuva or Fissure missions and can intercept either Void fragments or kuva. Underneath the Sands are the Orokin Burial Mounds, which function like PoE’s cave system and are accessible via quicksand pits only by Maw (see below). The Golden Sands also feature many of the contracts that players will get from the Exchange, Square and Cantina, including excavation, capture and escort missions. Reveal hidden contents Maw’s Cursed are former Merchants, Raiders and Scavengers who have been Corrupted by the nest of Golden Maws that guard the Golden Sands. The Cursed function much like Grineer Manics and Rell’s ghouls, using frenetic melee attacks to overwhelm players and NPCs wandering through the region. During the day, the Maws only attack when players attempt to excavate Orokin loot; at night, the Maws roam the Sands. The Maws operate much as they do in The War Within, except attacks on Operators disrupt the Transference signal, forcing Operators back into their Warframes (rather than insta-killing them), while attacks on Warframes steal energy. As with War Within, players can take over Maws and use them against the others (or to dig into the mounds), or they can use Amps and Void powers to kill them. Killing the Maws rewards players with Maw crafting parts, although the blueprint must be acquired from an Orokin trial within the Burial Mounds. When players have collected all components, they can craft their own Maw for use underneath the Golden Sands. The Burial Mounds are a subterranean, Martian version of the Lua tileset scattered across the Golden Sands and containing their own set of Orokin trials (like the Mountain Pass). Each Mound leads to a temple-like Orokin Crypt, which is guarded by a mummy version of a Dax soldier (functioning like War Within’s Teshin). Since the Mounds can only be accessed by Maw, players are restricted to Operator mode. Death throws the player back at the entrance to the mound. If a player has crafted their own Golden Maw, they can then re-enter the quicksand pit; if they have not, then players must hijack another Maw. The Mounds offer unique, gilded Orokin weapon parts, Operator cosmetic items, and other artifacts that can be sold to the Cantina’s Orokin vendor for ducats. Golden plates scattered throughout the Mounds provide lore on the history of early Orokin rulers. Defeating the Golden Serpent grants players access to a buried Orokin Temple. Here, players must navigate the structure via several Orokin trials (both like Lua and like the Mountain Pass), using both Warframe and Operator. The Temple is guarded by numerous Corrupted Dax (also like Teshin). The Temple’s path leads to a Void portal, through which players must defeat a Vor-like Dax Legionnaire. Upon defeating the Legionnaire, players are rewarded with a purely golden, two-handed katana laced with Orokin inscriptions and giving off Vor-like Orokin energy sparks when Channeling. In a way similar to the Synoid Heliocor, when using Channeling this Orokin weapon can turn a single unit into a Corrupted ally instead of killing them, while a channeled slam attack corrupts all units within a limited radius. Defeating the Golden Serpent and the Legionnaire in subsequent forays will reward players with a similar Orokin bow (corrupting on charge attack like the Ballistica Prime) and an Orokin version of the Gammacor. The Meridian Corridor The Meridian Corridor is a vast steppe located in the southern portion of the Elysian Fields. The Meridian Corridor is the fertile home to the last remnants of the original Martian colonies. The Meridian Corridor is dotted with various populated Martian settlements, ranging from small towns to even smaller campsites. The Martian settlements here function much like Cetus’s Ostrons, and the inhabitants reward players with standing for activities. Here, players can hunt reptilian, mammalian and avian creatures, turning them in to traders in the Martian settlements for credits or to craft leather, fur or feathered Warframe cosmetic items. The eastern Corridor is inhabited by roaming, hyena-like Desert Kubrow packs and dens, as well as Cult of Deimos mercenaries from the Uxmal Wastes (see below), both of whom regularly attack the Martian settlements and nomadic travelers in bounty-style alerts. Defending the settlements and travelers would reward players with special Companion mods and standing. Players also have access to the settlers’ rudimentary transportation vehicles, including a tractor-like farm vehicle and a somewhat faster hover bike. Steel Meridian exists to protect “what little remains of the colonies.” In the Elysian Fields, Steel Meridian is an allied faction that fights to defend the Meridian Corridor from destruction by Harkonar’s Grineer forces (see below). Human Steel Meridian field commander Rea Thom guides players through anti-Grineer bounties in the Corridor, much like Darvo does for his Clem missions. Bounty-style Grineer raids against Martian settlements and Steel Meridian outposts regularly occur, though larger periodic incursion alerts also occur. Grineer units would deploy to and roam the Corridor much like they do in PoE, but they would also include special Drahk and Hyekka masters. Incursions would also feature special Grineer mini-bosses. These missions would go toward the settlement standing, but would also drop special items that could be turned in to the Steel Meridian at Diamond Forge in Arcadia for Syndicate standing. Steel Meridian’s campaign would cover both the Meridian Corridor and Arcadia, and would follow the kingpin system. Arcadia Arcadia is the Grineer-ravaged plateau to the west of the Meridian Corridor. Arcadia, located northwest of the Meridian Corridor, is a heavily battle-scarred collection of villages and farms, home to the last surviving independent Martian colony. Most of the once arable plateau has been conquered by the Grineer, and what remains of Arcadia includes besieged towns and beleaguered refugee camps all under constant assault by the Grineer. Here, Steel Meridian and Harkonar forces wage endless battle. In this highly-contested space, players would undertake a variety of expanded mission types involving protecting or evacuating civilians (e.g., Defection), gathering medical supplies from the nearby rocky cliffs for Kavor medics, conducting assaults against the Grineer, and competing in the Rathuum court located atop Harkonar Tower. Harkonar’s Army is a private, elite Grineer field army led by Consul Krieg Harkonar, a high-ranking member of the prominent weapons-manufacturing Harkonar clan. Outfitted with the latest in Harkonar weaponry and armor, these Grineer seek to turn the Elysian Fields into a new Agricultural Production Zone, managed by human slave labor. Harkonar’s Army is buttressed by Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas, Forbolgs, Bolkors and the Morrigs, new Harkonar tanks meant to withstand Corpus, and Tenno, attack (including from Archwings). Several Grineer Sergeants, Lieutenants and Commanders, and a few Grineer War Heroes (possessing a variety of special weapons such as a nuclear arm cannon), lead various parts of the Harkonar Army into battle. The Morrig is a repurposed Grineer mining vehicle. Reveal hidden contents DIAMOND FORGE Secretly nested within a canyon at the southern border of Arcadia is Diamond Forge, a Steel Meridian colony inhabited by the Kavor, Grineer defectors, and refugees from various Martian colonies. Once a hideout used by Orokin-Era rebels, Diamond Forge and the surrounding canyon was fortified by Steel Meridian to provide a refuge for those who needed a home safe from the Grineer. The Meridian Corridor would function much like Iron Wake, with Diamond Forge offering a marketplace for weapons and cosmetics, a small neighborhood where players can get mini-quests from locals, a command center for kingpin missions (see “Proxy Wars” below), and even the Steel Meridian Lunaro area. Diamond Forge would function somewhere between relay and live mission space; regular Grineer incursions would take place here, while players would also be able to access the Steel Meridian’s Lunaro arena in a separate instance (as with the Simulacrum). Diamond Forge’s missions would function like the planned kingpin system: a chain of missions would eventually lead to a major boss battle against Perrin Sequences. Steel Meridian leader Cressa Tal introduces each mission to players in the command center, and rewards them with new Syndicate weapons and items (see “Proxy Wars” and “Kingpin”). NO MAN’S LAND The No Man’s Land is the battle-scarred area between Diamond Forge and the Harkonar Production Zone (see below). The No Man’s Land is divided into two parts: the southern-most farmland fortified by Steel Meridian and Arcadian defenders, and the middle collection of besieged villages and towns with trapped inhabitants. The farmland doubles as a medical and refugee camp, and comes under frequent land and aerial assault by the Grineer. Bounties include defending the area from attack and fulfilling other tasks for a local Arcadian, including scanning plant life for herbs and rescuing individuals from the besieged area or the Harkonar Production Zone (see below). These activities reward the same standing as in the Meridian Corridor. The besieged area is constantly populated by Grineer forces, including the Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas, Bolkors and Morrigs. To combat these, players are given access to Steel Meridian’s own Dargyns and Vaykor Hounds, which are small, manned vehicles (think Dark Sector Jackals) offering faster land traversal and added firepower against the Harkonar war machine. Players also have the option of using their Archwings. Functioning like bounty alerts in PoE, players will have to sabotage Grineer vehicles, hijack Grineer drones, capture or assassinate Grineer targets, break Grineer sieges and defend newly liberated villages from Grineer reinforcements. Players will also have to escort besieged, trapped or captured civilians to the safety of the farmland, as in Defection/Evacuation missions. HARKONAR PRODUCTION ZONE The Harkonar Production Zone is the northernmost part of Arcadia, and fully fortified by the Grineer. The Zone is like a Martian version of Ceres and the Kuva Fortress in design, and is filled with Grineer encampments, fortified towns, guarded worker camps, a few outposts, and a full-scale fortress (see below). The Zone is fortified by Harkonar Dargyns, Ogmas and Morrigs, as well as by numerous emplaced weapons (like those of PoE and the Kuva Fortress). The Zone is protected by a tall wall, and players must access the Zone via Archwing or Steel Meridian Dargyn. Within the Zone, players will conduct open landscape versions of traditional missions, including spy, hijack, sabotage, mobile defense, rescue, capture and defection. Harkonar Tower, a heavily-militarized Grineer fortress, is an industrialized mesa overlooking the plateau, and the primary base from which the Grineer wage war against the Arcadians. Harkonar’s Tower functions like PoE’s cave system, extending deep and rising above the surrounding area. The outer areas reflect the Martian settlement and the Kuva fortress, but the central areas reflect a fortress version of the Grineer Galleon. The Tower features many of the same missions mentioned above, but is populated by harder enemies, several minibosses, and three possible Harkonar Nobles as Assassination Targets. The Tower also includes a free-standing Rathuum Court, where players can do battle bounty alert-style against waves of Grineer, including Harkonar War Heroes. The Rathuum bounty rewards players with Judgment points to be used on Sedna. The Uxmal Wastes The Uxmal Wastes are the Infestation-plagued wasteland east of the Golden Sands. The Uxmal Wastes comprise a desolate valley at the eastern edge of the Elysian Fields. Bordered by Elysium Mons to the East, the Uxmal Wastes are a dangerous place inhabited by Arid Infested creatures, marauders, bandits, and Elysian fugitives. The Arid Infested are an ancient form of the toxic creatures found exclusively on Mars. Once thought to have been wiped out after the Great Plague, the Arid Infested lingered deep within New Uxmal, and have recently emerged into the wider wasteland. With their calcified exoskeletal shells and bony spikes, the Arid Infested are deadlier than their modern Grineer- and Corpus-based Infested cousins (more slash, puncture, and elemental damage). Dread Lorists (glassy, hovering Healers with protruding Orokin tech who deal fire damage), Desert Drakes (icy mud-spewing raptors), Burrowers (toxic, bony, Infested desert skates) and Brazen Condrocs (electric, half-decayed, bat/vulture-like versions of Condrocs) augment the desert versions of Mutalist units. Most dangerous is the Cult of Deimos, a mercenary clan descended from the rebellious mercenaries who once served the Orokin (think Ordan Karris). During the Orokin era, the mercenaries were imprisoned on Deimos by the Orokin after rebelling against them (see below), and were used by the Orokin in early Infestation experiments, giving them a natural immunity to the disease. Now led by Martian warlord Metus, the warrior tribe has inherited its ancestors’ hatred for the Orokin, and the Cult’s Raiders, Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters frequently assault Elysian merchants and others in the Wastes, the Corridor and the Sands in support of Harkonar’s Army. The Cult’s Raiders, Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters utilize the Mutalist Cernos, Toxocyst, Lesion, and other like weapons harvested from the Arid Infested, which they hunt across the Wastes (Cultists and Arid Infested will fight each other). Players traversing the Wastes can be attacked by randomly spawning groups of raiders. The Uxmal Wastes also contain several temples (think Sands of Inaros), where players can obtain Infested Archwing components (see below). In these temples, players must combat the same enemy units encountered in the Sands of Inaros quest. Reveal hidden contents VEIL’S GATE A local Red Veil guild, led by Sicaro, operates out of Veil’s Gate, a secret den in the northern portion of the Wastes from which the guild’s Spies, Thieves, and Assassins conduct espionage, abductions, and assassinations against the Deisos Cartel in the Golden Sands, and against the Cult of Deimos in the Uxmal Wastes. Outmanned, outgunned and hunted by Ang’s Bounty Hunters, the guild’s newly-trained Insurgents use Infested weaponry crafted from Uxmal’s Arid Infested (see below) to sabotage Elysian credit vaults and ambush Venusian Bankers traversing the Golden Sands and the Uxmal Wastes. Red Veil directs players in assassination, exterminate, spy, sabotage and other bounties against both factions, but also has its own vendor allowing players to craft Infested and non-Prime Orokin weapons from parts collected from Cult and Infested units, or found within New Uxmal (note: New Uxmal’s Orokin weapons are distinct from the Golden Sands’ Orokin weapons). Veil’s Gate also includes a Void Portal leading to a repopulated Rell’s Temple, where players are instructed in kingpin missions against the Arbiters (see “Proxy Wars” below). NEW UXMAL Within the Wastes is the ruined site of New Uxmal, an Orokin-era city that was overrun by the Infestation after the Collapse (think Moria from Lord of the Rings). To allow for its vast size, New Uxmal occupies a separate instance like the Index and New Uxmal is divided between narrow corridors, winding expanses, collapsed areas bridged by Derelict trees, and expansive courtyards and giant halls. The city also possesses many vaults and crypts, with much hidden loot. New Uxmal appears much like a Martian version of Lua, but with angular Orokin structures and Derelict trees instead of the smooth structures and white arboriforms on Lua or in the Void. The Arid Infested overrun New Uxmal, and players must regularly face off against hordes of Infested units. A subterranean Arctic lake deep within New Uxmal houses the Infested nest of Maliakos, the giant, aquatic, Kraken-like source vector for the Arid Infested. Players must utilize Sharkwing technology to defeat Maliakos, upon which they will receive blueprints for an Infested Archwing (other parts obtainable from Labyrinth and other Uxmal temples). New Uxmal’s paths also lead upward to a large, malfunctioning Orokin terraforming device, which regularly causes dangerous fluctuations in New Uxmal’s atmosphere. As a result, the central areas of New Uxmal are a constantly shifting Nightmare space for survival, excavation, capture, rescue and hijack-type missions. The terraforming device also features in interception and survival missions, where players fight against Cultists to gain unique mods and other valuable loot. LABYRINTH At the base of the terraforming device is a Void Portal leading to the Labyrinth, an Orokin Gulag on Deimos, Mars’s second moon. The Labyrinth is the base of operations of the Cult of Deimos, and is structured like a dim-lit, narrow-hallway, maximum-security prison version of the Orokin Void. Here, players can conduct rescue, sabotage, spy, capture and exterminate missions; break open an Orokin Vault; and assassinate Cultist boss units. Orokin Vaults are guarded by special Manic-like humanoid units called Aberrations, failed Infested experiments much like Dark Sector’s Technocyte units, and reward players with new types of Corrupted Mods. Like New Uxmal, the Labyrinth exists in a separate instance from the rest of the Elysian Fields. The Vergelm Pass The arctic Vergelm Pass is a harsh, northern mountain region controlled by a Corpus firm. The Vergelm Pass, the northern-most region of the Elysian Fields, is controlled by Substrata Systems, an independent Corpus firm specializing in Warframe technology and leading the Corpus fight against Harkonar’s Army. The Vergelm Pass borders the snowy mountains leading to Mars’ northern polar cap, and is therefore a route well-traveled by regular Corpus convoys carrying shipments of lucra, weapons and Orokin artifacts to and from Elysium. Guided by Perrin Sequence, players can ambush these slow-moving convoys, which cross the Golden Sands periodically and are protected by the Pallax Guards, but must then fend off against reprisal attacks from Cartel units and/or Maw’s Cursed while extracting the cargo to designated extraction locations in hijack-like or PoE-like missions. While in the Vergelm Pass, players must also fend off attacks from Substrata’s Ravor soldiers (see below). The Vergelm Pass possesses many caves, in which players can mine for minerals or excavate large deposits of common, uncommon and rare resources. Reveal hidden contents STRATA FORT Strata Fort is the base of operations for Substrata. Strata Fort appears like a sleek, black, and dim-lit Corpus military base and high-tech research facility, and is guarded by Substrata’s Ravor Soldiers, Zanuka Sentries and Stealth Ospreys. Ravor Soldiers are remotely-piloted combat units using Substrata’s experimental Warframe technology, blending Infested nano-tissues and powerful Orokin artifacts. Ravor soldiers use Loki’s invisibility, Volt’s speed, and Grineer-like teleportation, along with Argon-enhanced Supras that deal greater magnetic damage. The Operator’s Void Dash can disable the Ravor soldiers’ powerful abilities, giving players a temporary advantage over them. Because these units are stronger than others, they usually operate in groups of four, with one Sentry and one Osprey as support. Within Strata Fort, players can conduct rescue, sabotage, spy, exterminate, capture, mobile defense, interception, and assassination missions. Players can also ambush Substrata convoys with Infested weapon parts and mods moving between the Vergelm Pass and New Uxmal, following the same hijack-like and PoE-like mission parameters as above. As players kill Ravor units, they rack up marks similarly to Assassination or Invasion missions. Outside of separate instances (including Elysium), elite Ravor-Frames (scaled up from one to four depending on squad size) will insert via Stealth Condor to attack players. Ravor-Frames use additional Warframe abilities and are the strongest units in the Fields, necessitating coordinated use of Warframe and Operator abilities. Defeating Ravor-Frames will reward players with 4x Argon crystals. The Proxy Wars: Warframe’s Future A world in conflict. With the concept above out of the way, I wanted to also briefly share my ideas for where I think Warframe should be heading next. From Vor’s Prize to (presumably) Sacrifice, Warframe’s story has been focused on revealing the mystery surrounding the Tenno and their Warframes, with the Lotus at the center of it all. At the same time, the game has also focused on the conflict between the Grineer and Corpus, two mostly monolithic factions who are both interested in the Warframes and seizing each other’s territory. While Sacrifice has not come out yet, it will presumably finally reveal what the Warframes are, and their relation to the Tenno. With that broader storyline wrapping up, I think it’s time to shift the focus of the game’s story. Since the beginning, we’ve been told that the Tenno ultimately fight to protect the colonies from the Grineer and the Corpus, yet we have seen so little of them. We are also told throughout the game that the Grineer want to enslave humanity, and that the Corpus are war profiteers who “sell anything to everyone.” Yet, the focus has been primarily on Grineer and Corpus leaders fighting over each other’s military bases. But with PoE out and Venus coming later this year, I think it’s the perfect time to focus the story on these human colonies we’ve heard so much about and seen so little of. The reason I’m sticking this onto my Landscape Concept topic is because I believe something like the Elysian Fields could function as a bridge or introduction to this new chapter in the Warframe universe, what I call The Proxy Wars. The basic narrative idea is straightforward: the war between the Grineer and Corpus has trickled down into the colonies under their control. Having suffered great losses at the hands of the Tenno, both factions have begun using each other’s colonies on Saturn and Jupiter to fight their wars, exacerbating the chaos and suffering of the system. The Grineer rule over their Saturn-based colonies with an iron grip, and regularly put down Syndicate-backed uprisings on Saturn’s moons; the Corpus have begun arming several colonies to fight against the Grineer. The Corpus control currency and regulate transportation among Jupiter’s “independent” colonies but have long fomented and profited from political conflict by selling weapons and ships to all parties; the Grineer have pushed those conflicts into all-out war. The scale of this new phase in the conflict forces the Tenno to intervene. The Proxy Wars would feature a much greater number of factions, including: 1) colonies on Jupiter and Saturn’s major moons, which would be introduced as separate “planets” (like Lua, Phobos and Europa); 2) Grineer and Corpus sub-factions; and 3) new and existing Syndicates. This would allow for a much deeper, more expansive environment, with greater variety and therefore more gameplay opportunities. NEW LANDSCAPES A variety of colonies, relays and other landscapes would provide greater diversity, deeper immersion, and many activities for players. Proxy Wars would feature a larger set of landscapes and other environments around Jupiter and Saturn, with each colony, sub-faction and Syndicate having its own place. Rather than large, singular spaces like PoE or the Elysian Fields concept above, these environments would not only include colonies, but also non-Tenno relays, battle zones, enemy bases, and Dark Sectors. Dark Sectors would comprise the largest spaces (like PoE and the upcoming Venus landscape), while battle zones, enemy bases, and relays would be progressively smaller in size (respectively). Colonies would vary in size, with some as large as landscapes and others as small as relays. Colonies and relays would function much like Cetus or Elysium above, with vendors and contracts. Moon- and Space-based Battle Zones would function like Plains of Eidolon but with constant fighting between a changing set of two colonies/factions (like invasions), while enemy bases (including laboratories, warships, space stations and fortresses) would function as open-ended versions of tilesets. Dark Sectors would be much more varied versions of landscapes, with lots of hidden secrets, wild factions, and high rewards (see my “badlands” concept in my first post). This larger variety of different environments could be rolled out slowly over a period of two years, but I think it would keep players interested and might also keep DE from becoming burned out having to spend 10 months on single, increasingly larger landscapes. FACTIONS Unique colonies, syndicates and Grineer/Corpus sub-factions populate Jupiter and Saturn's regions. Proxy Wars would eventually feature more than a dozen different groups and individuals, including: various Corpus firms and Grineer clans; a large variety of different colonies (some occupying the same planet); new and existing Syndicates (including some we’ve only heard about like Solaris United and Black Seed); and various independent smugglers or merchants. These factions would form the substance of Proxy Wars’ narrative and gameplay, while characters within these groups would help guide players (much as Darvo and Maroo have done in their quests). KINGPIN CONFLICTS: A New Take on Missions, Invasions and Story The Proxy Wars provides an integrated way of conducting missions, participating in invasions, and telling stories. Making Proxy Wars work requires a synthesis of Warframe’s existing gameplay. I realize that the kingpin system is still under development, but I think such a system could be adapted to this concept in a unique way. The basic gameplay idea behind Proxy Wars is that players must support or oppose colonies in ever-shifting sets of Conflicts between two colonies, similarly to the current Invasion system. PoE’s Bounty system provides a way of generating a variety of objectives within a single mission, while the upcoming Kingpin system’s logical, systematic pathway to dismantling enemy cells would be a good structure for each Conflict. The Solar Rail/Dark Sectors’ shifting tax and tribute system (depending on the victor) could be carried over as an outcome, while the Stalker/Grustrag/Zanuka revenge assassination feature could work to add greater stakes during and after individual conflicts. Of course, the Syndicate reputation system would still be in play for all these colonies, but with perhaps a much smaller set of ranks and rewards. The first six Syndicates (and Clans/Alliances) would also have their own separate kingpin conflicts focused on their enemies (e.g., Steel Meridian vs. Perrin Sequence), which would span the system rather than being confined to Jupiter and Saturn. At the same time, the main story Quests could still focus on the larger Grineer vs. Corpus story, but through the lens of the colonies and the Grineer and Corpus sub-factions (perhaps with more of a focus on the Corpus). Rather than revealing the Tenno/Warframe history, these Quests could focus on liberating colonies from powerful Grineer clans and dismantling the Corpus’s influence. A kingpin-like system would support the narrative structure of such Quests and help to balance player agency and quality storytelling. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As I said in my first post, the details above are just my creative ideas, but what is important is that these new, larger landscapes have the breadth and depth of content and integration of gameplay features that truly allow for immersive, enjoyable and lasting player experiences, while incorporating enough from the main game that they feel like part of the same game. Again, as in my first post, some might consider this far too ambitious, but my hope is that with such broad suggestions, DE will be able to choose the right amount and right types of existing and new content to truly make future environments feel like thriving worlds. Thanks for reading, and please do let me know what you think! Disclaimer: The mock-ups of the Elysian Fields are mine, but I do not own the rest of the images and claim no credit for making them. Rest assured, I will most definitely be giving this a through read when I finally have the time, given the juicy content I've managed to sample just by diving in and out a bit, but, there's just one thing bugging me about this. Are you sure something of this vast a scale is. . . well. . . technologically feasible given Warframe's current status? I mean, Ell, I was a doubter about extremely large maps until Digital churned one out and inspired me to craft my own deep-sea adventure zone above and below the Marianas, but even that concept is only slightly "more advanced" in the form of having a city, an upper-sea + islets zone, and a nightmare "sea-bottom" zone. What you seek to implement here is, well, nothing short of essentially taking the entirety of a game such as Warcraft's Online landscape or Guildwar's terrain and transplanting it into the Warframeaverse. The fiscal, the technological, the manpower needed to keep such a beast running on any reasonable server along any reasonable timeframe, would it not absolutely destroy any computer that could use Warframe currently? Naturally, this is just the over-pragmatism of myself thinking about what could be today, rather then what could pop up in the future, so I can't rightly tell you the feasibility of your project under Steve's mid-term goals. But. . . ehhhh. . . this is. . . BIG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 7 hours ago, Unus said: Rest assured, I will most definitely be giving this a through read when I finally have the time, given the juicy content I've managed to sample just by diving in and out a bit, but, there's just one thing bugging me about this. Are you sure something of this vast a scale is. . . well. . . technologically feasible given Warframe's current status? I mean, Ell, I was a doubter about extremely large maps until Digital churned one out and inspired me to craft my own deep-sea adventure zone above and below the Marianas, but even that concept is only slightly "more advanced" in the form of having a city, an upper-sea + islets zone, and a nightmare "sea-bottom" zone. What you seek to implement here is, well, nothing short of essentially taking the entirety of a game such as Warcraft's Online landscape or Guildwar's terrain and transplanting it into the Warframeaverse. The fiscal, the technological, the manpower needed to keep such a beast running on any reasonable server along any reasonable timeframe, would it not absolutely destroy any computer that could use Warframe currently? Naturally, this is just the over-pragmatism of myself thinking about what could be today, rather then what could pop up in the future, so I can't rightly tell you the feasibility of your project under Steve's mid-term goals. But. . . ehhhh. . . this is. . . BIG. Well, sure, if it’s made to a realistic scale then it would be far too big to manage. My goal, however, is to give a better idea for the sort of content and diversity landscapes (especially a Martian one) could have: a central city with many vendors and other groups/individuals; several diverse regions, each with a good spread of features and their own central bases/sites; a variety of factions (both allies and enemies); and in total, a landscape that integrates much of the game’s existing content. That’s the idea I am going for with the Elysian Fields concept. As for my latter idea, the Proxy Wars, that’s a bit of a far off concept for how to integrate the kingpin and invasion concepts with perhaps a more manageable way of doing these landscapes (more broken up, more diverse), while also taking the game’s larger narrative in a new direction. Again, the real emphasis is on integrating existing content in new ways and in diverse environments. I think that’s necessary for Warframe’s continued success. This is just the way I think they can go about doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OniDax Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 (edited) 21 hours ago, Unus said: Rest assured, I will most definitely be giving this a through read when I finally have the time, given the juicy content I've managed to sample just by diving in and out a bit, but, there's just one thing bugging me about this. Are you sure something of this vast a scale is. . . well. . . technologically feasible given Warframe's current status? I mean, Ell, I was a doubter about extremely large maps until Digital churned one out and inspired me to craft my own deep-sea adventure zone above and below the Marianas, but even that concept is only slightly "more advanced" in the form of having a city, an upper-sea + islets zone, and a nightmare "sea-bottom" zone. What you seek to implement here is, well, nothing short of essentially taking the entirety of a game such as Warcraft's Online landscape or Guildwar's terrain and transplanting it into the Warframeaverse. The fiscal, the technological, the manpower needed to keep such a beast running on any reasonable server along any reasonable timeframe, would it not absolutely destroy any computer that could use Warframe currently? Naturally, this is just the over-pragmatism of myself thinking about what could be today, rather then what could pop up in the future, so I can't rightly tell you the feasibility of your project under Steve's mid-term goals. But. . . ehhhh. . . this is. . . BIG. People said the same thing about Plains of Eidolon being added, and they were wrong. It wouldn't take the entirety of another game's terrain to put into Warframe. That's just an exaggeration. And no, it wouldn't destroy your computer, unless you have a toaster (and it's about time DE stops catering to people with 10 year old laptops running Windows Vista). I take it your only experience with open world is with MMOs like the ones you mention? The thing is, DE's already going to go bigger than Plains of Eidolon with the Venus landscape, and people thought a map of PoE's size would be too much. It wasn't. The big performance killers for open world environments is the number of NPCs in one area and the number of players. The number of players won't be a problem because it's just four. The number of NPCs shouldn't be a problem if there aren't too many in one area, and there aren't too many engaged in fighting at the same time. Something like what Arktourus proposes is entirely doable, with a map that wouldn't be that much bigger than Plains of Eidolon. And the sizes of the regions could always be adjusted. The most important thing is that any future open world have the amount of content, and content diversity, that this Elysium Fields concept features. Good open worlds offer various gameplay options, unlike Plains of Eidolon. The main focus points, I believe, are the factions and their interactions, the diversity of the different regions/zones, and the various gameplay options (from missions to vehicles to how you interact with NPCs). All these things help make any open world a much more active, interactive, replayable, and immersive gameplay experience. Edited January 29, 2018 by A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unus Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 21 hours ago, Arktourus said: Well, sure, if it’s made to a realistic scale then it would be far too big to manage. My goal, however, is to give a better idea for the sort of content and diversity landscapes (especially a Martian one) could have: a central city with many vendors and other groups/individuals; several diverse regions, each with a good spread of features and their own central bases/sites; a variety of factions (both allies and enemies); and in total, a landscape that integrates much of the game’s existing content. That’s the idea I am going for with the Elysian Fields concept. As for my latter idea, the Proxy Wars, that’s a bit of a far off concept for how to integrate the kingpin and invasion concepts with perhaps a more manageable way of doing these landscapes (more broken up, more diverse), while also taking the game’s larger narrative in a new direction. Again, the real emphasis is on integrating existing content in new ways and in diverse environments. I think that’s necessary for Warframe’s continued success. This is just the way I think they can go about doing that. If I'm cogitateing on what you've said so far, your "five region" suggestion would basically be "5 transition gates to each region", yes? Not all rendered at once in a Skyrimmic sense, but, popping into being as you go through the access-way to get to it? Your second bit I see now that I simply cannot comment on, as I lack information on that far-flung future system to actually critique in any capacity. 7 hours ago, A-p-o-l-l-y-o-n said: People said the same thing about Plains of Eidolon being added, and they were wrong. It wouldn't take the entirety of another game's terrain to put into Warframe. That's just an exaggeration. And no, it wouldn't destroy your computer, unless you have a toaster (and it's about time DE stops catering to people with 10 year old laptops running Windows Vista). I take it your only experience with open world is with MMOs like the ones you mention? The thing is, DE's already going to go bigger than Plains of Eidolon with the Venus landscape, and people thought a map of PoE's size would be too much. It wasn't. The big performance killers for open world environments is the number of NPCs in one area and the number of players. The number of players won't be a problem because it's just four. The number of NPCs shouldn't be a problem if there aren't too many in one area, and there aren't too many engaged in fighting at the same time. Something like what Arktourus proposes is entirely doable, with a map that wouldn't be that much bigger than Plains of Eidolon. And the sizes of the regions could always be adjusted. The most important thing is that any future open world have the amount of content, and content diversity, that this Elysium Fields concept features. Good open worlds offer various gameplay options, unlike Plains of Eidolon. The main focus points, I believe, are the factions and their interactions, the diversity of the different regions/zones, and the various gameplay options (from missions to vehicles to how you interact with NPCs). All these things help make any open world a much more active, interactive, replayable, and immersive gameplay experience. I said the first thing you said in my posting sir, apologies if it was to long or poorly organized to find that point. I never came here to gun-down the chap/chappettes ideas, I came to give them a proper critiqueing, neither positively or negatively, only evidence . . . basidly. . . demit that was an ugly one. It'd be all I'd ask of another, to take my thoughts seriously with an eye for the possibilities. The trouble with them stopping their caring however, is that their director makes it a point for that to be a part of the game's packaging, accessibility. If one truly wished to hurl Warframe into a Crysisian graphic age, one would have to convince or eliminate the boss himself. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. There's the Skyrimian ones with business going on in the background and hidden goodies here and there and there's bare-bones "nothing here but nothing" "Prototypian" landscapes of samy terrain interspersed by killing fields and plot-points. I've yet to sit down and properly categorize it, but, it seems to me that Plains of Eidolon is what would occur if both sides coupled and spawned a strange chimera infant. And while such a rich and thought out developmental process would very much be a benefit for Warframe integration, one has to recall the Digital (and their audience's) attention-span. The game currently seems to run on a sort of "pump out new shiny as fast as possible focused on one piece of the player-base at a time" approach right now, meaning that spending a significant amount of time (maybe 6 months to a year) on one area of branching areas might be something very difficult for Digital itself to do, given it's past record. Perhaps an "Unleash Each Zone Piecemeal" approach would be better suited to the Digital styleing, given the collection of themes in one area would both reduce the need to expand a theme to EVERY world in the Sol-Origin system and allow them to continue their big-update focused system properly? Each area focused around a certain set of things a part of the player-base would like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 6 hours ago, Unus said: If I'm cogitateing on what you've said so far, your "five region" suggestion would basically be "5 transition gates to each region", yes? Not all rendered at once in a Skyrimmic sense, but, popping into being as you go through the access-way to get to it? Your second bit I see now that I simply cannot comment on, as I lack information on that far-flung future system to actually critique in any capacity. Could be. That’s certainly my idea for my “second bit.” Such a thing would be a bit difficult with the layout I have above, but again, I’m getting at landscapes having a lot more integrated content in them, and I think diverse regions are a necessary way to do that. I am partial to a singular landscape, especially for Mars, but perhaps those diverse regions could be landscapes in their own right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)Ch1b1N1njaGam1ng Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 This is probably one of the BEST and most DETAILED concepts I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unus Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 (edited) On 1/29/2018 at 10:35 AM, Arktourus said: Could be. That’s certainly my idea for my “second bit.” Such a thing would be a bit difficult with the layout I have above, but again, I’m getting at landscapes having a lot more integrated content in them, and I think diverse regions are a necessary way to do that. I am partial to a singular landscape, especially for Mars, but perhaps those diverse regions could be landscapes in their own right. I see. If nothing else, the regions could most certainly share an "adjusted" ""skybox"" effect that is relative to their Martian position in addition to a shared collection of "timers till". Perhaps players doing (or not doing) things in each isolated zone could still have an effect on other zones, just in the background? For example, because players haven't been slaughtering enough of the Arid Ins in the Wastes, the real-world computer . . . uh. . . "daemon" I guess? monitoring that portion of the world will "ping" the one monitoring Arcadia, which will then whip the Grins into a frenzy as the Harkin Grins organize a big task force that starts stomping across the region. If folks don't either wipe out a sufficient amount of Infested in the Ux or enough Grins in Arc for the Harks to call it off, the force will eventually reach the end of the map, disappear via transport, transition, and then show up in the Ux zone, leading to a massive war-zone slightly greater then our latest Infested event. If the Harks are intercepted though, and the Infested are allowed to remain, a Phoroid Gestalt manifestation shows up on the fields of Ux and begins it's own invasion. Loose effects like that, not quite completely direct, but a loose chord at least. Also, the more I see and hear, the more I wish I had an artistic bone in my body. . . (sigh). Edited January 31, 2018 by Unus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 59 minutes ago, Unus said: I see. If nothing else, the regions could most certainly share an "adjusted" ""skybox"" effect that is relative to their Martian position in addition to a shared collection of "timers till". Perhaps players doing (or not doing) things in each isolated zone could still have an effect on other zones, just in the background? For example, because players haven't been slaughtering enough of the Arid Ins in the Wastes the real-world computer . . . uh. . . "daemon" I guess? monitoring that portion of the world will "ping" the one monitoring Arcadia, which will then whip the Grins into a frenzy as the Harkin Grins organize a big task force that starts stomping across the region. If folks don't either wipe out a sufficient amount of Infested in the Ux or enough Grins in Arc for the Harks to call it off, the force will eventually reach the end of the map, disappear via transport, transition, and then show up in the Ux zone, leading to a massive war-zone slightly greater then our latest Infested event. If the Harks are intercepted though, and the Infested are allowed to remain, a Phoroid Gestalt manifestation shows up on the fields of Ux and begins it's own invasion. Loose effects like that, not quite completely direct, but a loose chord at least. Also, the more I see and hear, the more I wish I had an artistic bone in my body. . . (sigh). Exactly. That could definitely work. I do like the shared skybox thing. Even if they are connected loosely (as in, there’s some extra layer needed to get to another zone), I think it helps. These landscapes need more content and more diversity, and I really think different zones/regions would greatly support that. I think Plains of Eidolon was a good first step, but it’s far too empty and too much of the same. Something I was thinking about PoE was that it could have used a Grineer-occupied abandoned town right in the middle of the map, at least one full-on Grineer base up in the mountains, maybe one Steel Meridian camp (anti-Grineer/pro-colonies) with roaming operatives (getting into conflict with the Grineer), one New Loka shrine (pro-Earth resettlement, anti-Grineer), many Kubrow dens, and the standard Sentient units showing up at night. There’s enough space for all of that on PoE, and it would have given players much more to do. Since landscapes are much bigger, more open spaces with a much slower pace than the tilesets/normal missions, they really need a lot more content to retain interest. Eidolons and fishing can’t be the only things going for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 1 hour ago, (PS4)Ch1b1N1njaGam1ng said: This is probably one of the BEST and most DETAILED concepts I've seen. Thanks for the kind words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)Ch1b1N1njaGam1ng Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 3 minutes ago, Arktourus said: Thanks for the kind words. They're the truth. DE Definitely needs someone like you on the drawing board team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OniDax Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 46 minutes ago, Arktourus said: Exactly. That could definitely work. I do like the shared skybox thing. Even if they are connected loosely (as in, there’s some extra layer needed to get to another zone), I think it helps. These landscapes need more content and more diversity, and I really think different zones/regions would greatly support that. I think Plains of Eidolon was a good first step, but it’s far too empty and too much of the same. Something I was thinking about PoE was that it could have used a Grineer-occupied abandoned town right in the middle of the map, at least one full-on Grineer base up in the mountains, maybe one Steel Meridian camp (anti-Grineer/pro-colonies) with roaming operatives (getting into conflict with the Grineer), one New Loka shrine (pro-Earth resettlement, anti-Grineer), many Kubrow dens, and the standard Sentient units showing up at night. There’s enough space for all of that on PoE, and it would have given players much more to do. Since landscapes are much bigger, more open spaces with a much slower pace than the tilesets/normal missions, they really need a lot more content to retain interest. Eidolons and fishing can’t be the only things going for it. IMO, it'd be great to see future landscapes not have big Monster-Hunter-style bosses (like the Eidolons) as their main focus. Open world shines when the main focus is the diversity and immersion of the world, which includes geographically-diverse regions with different climates, the dynamic interactions between numerous NPCs of various factions, and a variety of gameplay options (including different means of travel and several ways of approaching missions). Within that focus, big bosses like the Eidolons become just one part of the diversity of the NPCs and the world, and that's what I like about this concept. The Golden Serpent is but one part, albeit a big part, of this diverse landscape and works together with everything else to make the world so much more diverse, engaging, immersive, active, and just overall exciting. The kind of diversity that you say Plains of Eidolon could've had would've made it a much more exciting experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 23 minutes ago, Arktourus said: Exactly. That could definitely work. I do like the shared skybox thing. Even if they are connected loosely (as in, there’s some extra layer needed to get to another zone), I think it helps. These landscapes need more content and more diversity, and I really think different zones/regions would greatly support that. I think Plains of Eidolon was a good first step, but it’s far too empty and too much of the same. Something I was thinking about PoE was that it could have used a Grineer-occupied abandoned town right in the middle of the map, at least one full-on Grineer base up in the mountains, maybe one Steel Meridian camp (anti-Grineer/pro-colonies) with roaming operatives (getting into conflict with the Grineer), one New Loka shrine (pro-Earth resettlement, anti-Grineer), many Kubrow dens, and the standard Sentient units showing up at night. There’s enough space for all of that on PoE, and it would have given players much more to do. Since landscapes are much bigger, more open spaces with a much slower pace than the tilesets/normal missions, they really need a lot more content to retain interest. Eidolons and fishing can’t be the only things going for it. One of the other things, and I alluded to it but didn’t point it out, is that I think DE needs more tangible lore. One of the reasons I think a Mars landscape is so conducive to such diverse regions and multiple factions is because we’ve gotten so much lore on it. For example, the Simaris lore basically tells us that Ballas was based on Mars and the Infested overran an ancient Orokin City (New Uxmal), where the Ancient Healer was essentially born. We also know that Mars has an old Orokin terraforming device from Cephalon fragments. Some things we know from actual tangibles - the current Grineer and Corpus conflict started on Mars, and they have been fighting over the planet since. At least one Void Portal leads to a Derelict, but others might as well. Baro came from an old Martian tribe of “sky worshippers” whose children were taken by the Orokin (presumably for Continuity) before Inaros stopped them and became their object of worship as the “God King”. We know that Inaros saved them during the first Infested outbreak, but the Grineer wiped them out centuries later. We also know that Steel Meridian has some sort of base on Mars (given their Lunaro arena). We also know that certain mercenary groups rebelled against the Orokin (including Ordan Karris, who came face to face with Ballas). We know that a prominent Grineer clan, the Harkonars, make weapons and own a production zone. So, I tried to throw in Ballas’s Palace and New Uxmal as nods to the Simaris lore. I included Steel Meridian since they have a base and care about protecting what remains of human colonies from the Grineer. And I included the Harkonar clan and the Corpus since the Grineer and Corpus are fighting over Mars. There’s a lot that could be put into the game (rather than just transmissions and vague paragraphs) to make it richer. Landscapes are just another opportunity to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excalabro Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 On 1/27/2018 at 12:32 PM, bad4youLT said: open world doesnt fit with warframe , sorry but its true we are maze rats looting dungeons , if PoE taught me anything its what core game design conflitcs with its oposite Reveal hidden contents for those who dont get what Im saying , picture this : vauban is one of if not the best crowd locking frame we got wich becomes almost useless on the plains bacause of scale and no cooridors , this preaty much aplys to almost every power except invis wich is universaly op Not every Warframe is going to be perfect in every situation... I thought that was the point of having many different Warframes, and missions to use said Warframes in... Also, interesting idea, great idea actually (IMO), but how would you traverse between the landscapes? Is there like a wall between them and specific gates that you can fast travel through? Because I know some people's computers couldn't handle the size of these landscapes (if these landscapes are larger than the current PoE landscape), considering some people's computers cant handle PoE. Basically, what is the scale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 20 hours ago, Excalabro said: Also, interesting idea, great idea actually (IMO), but how would you traverse between the landscapes? Is there like a wall between them and specific gates that you can fast travel through? Because I know some people's computers couldn't handle the size of these landscapes (if these landscapes are larger than the current PoE landscape), considering some people's computers cant handle PoE. Basically, what is the scale? That’s always the dilemma. My general assumption was something about 1.5-2 times the size of what Steve originally said PoE was (3km*3km). Obviously PoE turned out to actually be half that size (2.2x2.2 I believe). If Warframe is to grow then it’ll need to stretch or increase its capacity, but there are ways to make it less taxing. As I said to Unus, the layout I present makes it difficult to section off different regions, but another layout could make that a lot easier to do. Again, I’m trying to say that more diversity in the landscape, and more content in the landscape, is a good thing and could make the game even more enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)systemmoniter Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Really good stuff, one thing I would like to ask is what are your ideas for content related to the Sentients seeing as that they are making a resurgence back to the origin system and thoughts to the eventual return of Ballas and possibly other Orokin after playing the Apostasy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OniDax Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 1 hour ago, (PS4)systemmoniter said: Really good stuff, one thing I would like to ask is what are your ideas for content related to the Sentients seeing as that they are making a resurgence back to the origin system and thoughts to the eventual return of Ballas and possibly other Orokin after playing the Apostasy? Not to speak for Arktourus, just myself, but I personally hope none of the other landscapes have Sentients. It'd be very lazy of DE to just throw Eidolons everywhere. Maybe if we get a Uranus or Pluto landscape, we can see the Sentients return, but I don't want to see Sentients on Venus, Mars, or any other place outside of the two I mentioned. For full disclosure, part of that reason is also because I don't like how the Sentients are designed. IMO, they make for a very boring enemy to fight. I also think the Operator system is terribly designed, so I don't want any more features outside of PoE that are based around the Amp system. I can say though, that based on Arktourus's Elysian Fields concept, clearly the Golden Serpent is meant to be the Eidolon of this proposed landscape, so clearly that and the Golden Maws replace the Sentients here. And I think that, because of the transference mechanics (having to transfer into the Maws), it's a much more interesting and potentially engaging system than the Amp system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVeiledScion Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 (edited) On 2/1/2018 at 1:37 AM, (PS4)systemmoniter said: Really good stuff, one thing I would like to ask is what are your ideas for content related to the Sentients seeing as that they are making a resurgence back to the origin system and thoughts to the eventual return of Ballas and possibly other Orokin after playing the Apostasy? I’ll be honest, since Plains of Eidolon will end up having three Eidolons, my idea was for Mars to have as it’s big “Monster” a large snake-like Golden Maw - the Corrupted would largely replace the Eidolons on Mars - edit: as well as a second large Infested boss. I suppose the Grineer plateau and/or fortress could also feature a Grineer equivalent, but the idea would be 2-3 non-Sentient bosses for Mars as a change of pace. Now that doesn’t mean Sentient units couldn’t show up, but for Mars I wanted to diverge a bit. I’d actually like to see a full Sentient return as an Archwing boss (obviously with improvements to Archwing), but I’d also like to see the Sentient carriers we saw when they first teased the Sentients, I’d like to see the Corpus Sentient device we saw in the Valkyrie Prime trailer, the Sentient arm cannons, and also some Sentient melee units. As for the Orokin, I didn’t factor in the possibility of Ballas bringing them back, but the Corrupted Dax (and perhaps even Orokin-era Grineer and Crewman-like Archimedian units) would have been a sort of representation of the Orokin. Edited February 2, 2018 by Arktourus additional response Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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