The Frontlines (Endgame Idea)

[Mortarion]

Currently there is no end game whatsoever. So I thought of this to fill the void.

 

Up to now all the Tenno have been doing is waging a purely guerrilla war against the Corpus and Grineer. All we do is sneak aboard ships and recover artifacts, rescue hostages, destroy reactors and etc. Which does not make sense at all. Of course these are important tasks in a war, but a single Tenno is able to take out an entire ship's worth of troops. So, why don't we engage in direct combat? To that end, I suggest that we have a zone called The Frontlines.

 

The Frontlines is a zone where the Grineer and Corpus are waging an active war for territory. For example, the Grineer are attacking, in a massive force, Venus. In response the Corpus have mustered their own army to defend their territory. The Frontlines move from planet to planet depending on the status of the war, Corpus owned planets will be heavily fortified and swarming with advanced robotics, Grineer planets will be heavily fortified with heavy units and Captains (Think normal enemies with the strength of Vor) and the Frontlines will be a mix of Corpus and Grineer fighting for territory.

 

If left alone, the owner of the system may successfully defend and ward of the attackers or be defeated. In the case of defeat, the conquering faction begins a monopoly of resources causing drops to greatly decrease for a week. If the defender wins, they will attack in much greater force in the next Frontlines and will have a great chance to defeat the defender and cause a drop in resources. They will also be much harder to deal with for the Tenno.

 

So where do the Tenno fit in? Our role is to maintain the balance of conflict between the Corpus and Grineer. Of course we could easily conquer both of them and control the system, but our numbers are too few. Our job on the Frontlines is to maintain the balance of conflict between the two factions. We cannot let the attackers conquer the system, but we can't let the defenders launch a massive counterattack.

 

The Frontlines will be a large zone on the planet possibly double in size of the already soul crushing Grineer settlements. However, since it is the Frontlines, the zone will be far more open and consist of the faction armies fighting each other. The Frontlines will have multiple dynamic missions consisting of current mission objectives. Success will have a positive effect on the current and future missions. Failure will cause a massive increase in enemy strength and tactics.

 

Dynamic Missions:

 

Destroy Reactor

 

- Reactor is powering anti-aircraft guns

Success (Current): Upon completion of all objectives the Tenno will be instantly transported away.

Failure (Current): Upon reaching extraction, the Tenno must battle waves of reinforcements while the drop ship dodges flak to reach you.

Success (Future): In addition to instant mission end, Tenno start with extra ammo for their weapons.

Failure (Future): Tenno start with 1/4 HP, maximum shield capacity at 50% and 0 energy due to injuries from flak in addition to extraction defense.

 

- Reactor is powering Moa and Osprey/Grineer Rollers factory

Success (Current): As the mission progress, you will encounter less and less of these enemies.

Failure (Current): Towards the end of the missions the Tenno will encounter a large influx of these enemies.

Success (Future): Moas and Osprey or Grineer Rollers will become nearly nonexistent.

Failure (Future): Not only will there be more robotic enemies, they will be much much stronger.

 

Assassination

 

-Grineer Commissar/Corpus Indoctrinator

Success (Current): Morale of faction drops, resulting in lower accuracy and lower health.

Failure (Current): Enemies gain HP and have higher accuracy, in addition they throw more grenades.

Success (Future): Enemies overall have lower HP, accuracy and their morale will break and cause them to run.

Failure (Future): Enemies have significantly more HP, accuracy and will charge you en mass.

 

-Grineer Colonel/ Corpus Overseer

Success (Current): Faction units will lose their cohesion and less advanced units will spawn.

Failure (Current): Faction units will use advanced tactics, like focus firing on one Tenno, and more advanced units will spawn.

Success (Future): Almost no heavy units will spawn and normal foot soldiers will be even more ineffective.

Failure (Future): Many heavy units will spawn along side increased foot soldiers. They will employ advanced tactics.

 

That's the basic gist of how dynamic missions will work and their benefits and consquences will affect the present and future games.

 

To complete those objectives, a squad of 8 Tenno will be deployed to the Frontlines. Upon landing, they will receive 4-7 objectives. It is up to the operatives to decide how to tackle the objectives and in what order. For example, will two be enough to assassinate the Grineer Commisar? If they fail there may be adverse affects to the mission, so do they send more?

Edited August 13, 2013 by Mortarion

[CrazyCanadian24]

I, for one, quite like this.

[Mortarion]

Thanks, means a lot coming from someone as active as you.

[Ameretat]

Sounds interesting, but you say it involves a squad of 8, whereas as far as I'm aware, the games coded to have 4 players max, any more and it breaks (Don't forget the whole hosting issues) otherwise, it'd have been done (it's been suggested) as massive 'super defense' modes.

 

While your idea certainly has merit, it'd sadly have to be designed on a smaller scale, or after a massive over-haul of the internal workings of the game. 

 

Despite what sounds like a negative post (Just being realistic) you do in fact, get a +1

[jpvi1207]

we just need 15 player missions and the objective of it would be defend an outpost in a desert (not the colorado themed ones from phobos, but more like a sahara themed desert with scrap all around) with LOADS of enemies coming, THAT would be epic, and heavy enemies coming fastly on ships we take down, maybe even turrets we can control, and every 10 rounds a mobile fortress moving in with a short cinematic

[Syius]

Currently there is no end game whatsoever. 

 

ok but it is still beta, and game is growing incredibly fast, when i started it had like 1,3GiB not this is 3,44GiB mostly content grew as fast as files and in about half of year game got s***loads of content, just wait,

 ofc this is good to have own opinion about stuff and giving suggestion what do You (consumer) would like to see, but dont be unfair with statements

[zerogear5]

this is crazy end game should be tons of melee weapons!

[Kohira]

Let me see, what you propose as end game is a zone where you do the same mission types we have been doing up untill now, but wrapped in different packages, on maps with a huge amount of bullet sponges.

 

So, overall, you got the same gameplay but with rewards and punishments that make future missions harder/easier.

 

You say that this is endgame, but what exactly drives the players to constantly fight in this area, other than the punishments of having lower drop rates and bigger numbers for the enemies (this is still considered difficulty even today?).

 

Where are the rewards? And I don't mean new weapons or warframes or any other bullS#&$, but what will drive players to do this thing weekly?

 

And 8 players? With how bad the hosting is, you actually want to have 8 players spamming ultimates with probably double the amount of enemies? People already have low framerate and lag issues in 4 players matches and you want 8? What kind of computer will host all of this? How many people are actually going to be able to play this without spending a fortune on a super computer?

 

This is merely my opinion, the opinion of one player, but from me, you get a thumbs down. For me it doesn't sounds like I will have fun playing this. And incentive to do it in the first place? None.

 

Anyway, I see you have the support of everyone for now, so I guess I'm the only bad apple.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Kohira

[jpvi1207]

Let me see, what you propose as end game is a zone where you do the same mission types we have been doing up untill now, but wrapped in different packages, on maps with a huge amount of bullet sponges.

 

So, overall, you got the same gameplay but with rewards and punishments that make future missions harder/easier.

 

You say that this is endgame, but what exactly drives the players to constantly fight in this area, other than the punishments of having lower drop rates and bigger numbers for the enemies (this is still considered difficulty even today?).

 

Where are the rewards? And I don't mean new weapons or warframes or any other bullS#&$, but what will drive players to do this thing weekly?

 

And 8 players? With how bad the hosting is, you actually want to have 8 players spamming ultimates with probably double the amount of enemies? People already have low framerate and lag issues in 4 players matches and you want 8? What kind of computer will host all of this? How many people are actually going to be able to play this without spending a fortune on a super computer?

 

This is merely my opinion, the opinion of one player, but from me, you get a thumbs down. For me it doesn't sounds like I will have fun playing this. And incentive to do it in the first place? None.

 

Anyway, I see you have the support of everyone for now, so I guess I'm the only bad apple.

we need IMPOSSIBRU missions that will only be achieveable THROUGH TEAMWORK! maybe even cooperating with the lotus forces we have never seen!

[CrazyCanadian24]

Let me see, what you propose as end game is a zone where you do the same mission types we have been doing up untill now, but wrapped in different packages, on maps with a huge amount of bullet sponges.

 

So, overall, you got the same gameplay but with rewards and punishments that make future missions harder/easier.

 

You say that this is endgame, but what exactly drives the players to constantly fight in this area, other than the punishments of having lower drop rates and bigger numbers for the enemies (this is still considered difficulty even today?).

 

Where are the rewards? And I don't mean new weapons or warframes or any other bullS#&$, but what will drive players to do this thing weekly?

 

And 8 players? With how bad the hosting is, you actually want to have 8 players spamming ultimates with probably double the amount of enemies? People already have low framerate and lag issues in 4 players matches and you want 8? What kind of computer will host all of this? How many people are actually going to be able to play this without spending a fortune on a super computer?

 

This is merely my opinion, the opinion of one player, but from me, you get a thumbs down. For me it doesn't sounds like I will have fun playing this. And incentive to do it in the first place? None.

 

Anyway, I see you have the support of everyone for now, so I guess I'm the only bad apple.

 

You do have some good points here, but I'm sure DE would work it out. Somehow.

[Kohira]

 cooperating with the lotus forces we have never seen!

You mean other Tenno?

 

You do have some good points here, but I'm sure DE would work it out. Somehow.

I actually doubt they would. There are still host problems even today, until I don't see the 4 player fixed, I have no trust in the 8 players idea.

[Mortarion]

Well 8 Tenno was just an idea, since it is the Frontlines it would be ideal to have more than 4 operatives. Also, apparently some ppl having been saying that it is possible for more than 4 players to play.  And the reason why I didn't include any rewards was because I suck at thinking up those things.

 

And the reason why it's different than normal missions, is because it's slightly more open world. At the start your saddled with 4-7 objectives, how you tackle them is up to you. No matter what you do, success or failure has an actual impact on gameplay. That way it feels like your actually having an impact on the game universe.

 

Oh and FYI no hard feelings about being a bad apple. Without critics we can never improve =p

Edited August 13, 2013 by Mortarion

[squaresphere]

I like the idea of Objective, Map Conquest style. Kinda like how Planetside 2's objective influence the whole of the conflict.

But yes, what would be the reward/incentive? I'm thinking there could be a meta competition where the players completing the objectives get ranked by their various Completion Vectors, like Best Time, Most Kills, Power Efficiency (least amount of energy spent) etc?

Each Vector could have a special contract reward and be awarded daily(weekly) to the 4 man squad with the best Vector. Since it's based on the deployed squad versus clan, your pugs have a shots (a LONG shot) at winning at a Vector as well.

Also you could give player points based on Vectors as well. Lets say you have some ABC player that runs Nova who helps one squad get Most Kills, and another get Best Time. Well that players gets on the board for those vector wins. uh i dunno give them a special badge or something.

At the same time it all about the "best effort" so there's no real fear of farmers affecting the overall pool.

Edited August 13, 2013 by squaresphere

[Mortarion]

I like the idea of Objective, Map Conquest style. Kinda like how Planetside 2's objective influence the whole of the conflict.

But yes, what would be the reward/incentive? I'm thinking there could be a meta competition where the players completing the objectives get ranked by their various Completion Vectors, like Best Time, Most Kills, Power Efficiency (least amount of energy spent) etc?

Each Vector could have a special contract reward and be awarded daily(weekly) to the 4 man squad with the best Vector. Since it's based on the deployed squad versus clan, your pugs have a shots (a LONG shot) at winning at a Vector as well.

Also you could give player points based on Vectors as well. Lets say you have some ABC player that runs Nova who helps one squad get Most Kills, and another get Best Time. Well that players gets on the board for those vector wins. uh i dunno give them a special badge or something.

At the same time it all about the "best effort" so there's no real fear of farmers affecting the overall pool.

There, if I didn't think of a reward someone else will.

[Kohira]

There, if I didn't think of a reward someone else will.

Not enough. You must not forget that most of the player base is in the casual department. Could be awesome for those people who have hours to waste each day, but what about the casual player? What would their incentive be? Not everyone cares about rankings.

 

And the reason why it's different than normal missions, is because it's slightly more open world. At the start your saddled with 4-7 objectives, how you tackle them is up to you. No matter what you do, success or failure has an actual impact on gameplay. That way it feels like your actually having an impact on the game universe.

My issue with this is the fact that this is not a game fit for high scale battles or for 'slightly more open world'. It's a dungeon crawler, I know you guys dream of Planetside stuff, but not every game can be like that and not every game matches that type of gameplay.

 

You may have multiple objective but that doesn't really change much, overall you have just a few mission types combined into one big mission. It could work for a week, it could work for two, but eventually you are going to get bored since it's the same stuff you played before. We need new actions, new mission types that are fun to do. This thing won't work for long.

 

Needless to say, what you are talking about is content meant for clans with skype or other means of communicating. PUGS aren't going to be very viable for this. The chat system is awful, so communication between the players will be a big problem. PUGS are PUGS, strangers will rarely come to an understanding and you will just have the majority of the player base frustrated with how bad these missions will go.

 

Players are already complaining daily because some rush, some are slow pokes, some are A******s, some are lagging, some go afk and whatever else there is. I'm not saying that we shouldn't have hard content (everything is easy at this point), but DE really needs a way for these things to scale properly so that they can be completed by almost everyone (completed doesn't means that everyone should get the same rewards, those needs to scale based on the difficulty).

 

Increasing the number of players in a mission increases the chance for things to go wrong. The game is already far from perfect with 4 players, 8 would just make things harder, especially with the bad recruiting and chat systems.

 

Not only that I don't like this, but I don't see it happening, it could, but probably after maybe 2 years. DE can barely handle what they have now, implementing this frontline idea would take a S#&$load of work for something that will probably not attract all players, or at least not for a long time.

 

My 2 cents or whatever you want to call it, I'm not saying that I can't be wrong or that I'm not in the minority by not liking this idea.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Kohira