I got into WF after my group of friends played Destiny 2 for a week and then abandon it. We then played WF together several times a week for at least 6 months before something else distracted us....
I got into WF after my group of friends played Destiny 2 for a week and then abandon it. We then played WF together several times a week for at least 6 months before something else distracted us.
The article is spot on. Despite being F2P the game doesn't make me feel like I'm being abused for money. The things you can buy with money can also be farmed up with some reasonable (IMO) effort, or traded/bought from other players. I continue to enjoy playing it to this day.
The community is probably one of the key reasons the game is so successful. Because the base game is inherently co-op, the vast majority of other players are generally helpful and friendly. All the players who enjoy games because they get to dominate and make fun of less skilled users generally self-select out.
I tried Warframe on a lark, played for a day or two, it didn't seem remarkably different from any of the other Free to Play games I've tried. The whole genre seems like a push to the lowest common...
"People are smart... They look at Warframe, they see that complexity, and they smell that the game will require mental energy" -- Steve Sinclair, game director
I tried Warframe on a lark, played for a day or two, it didn't seem remarkably different from any of the other Free to Play games I've tried. The whole genre seems like a push to the lowest common denominator, button mashing takes the place of skill. It makes sense too, their objective is to get you to pay them. If you can get good at the game through skill, why pay?
Maybe I just missed the complexity, but it seemed like my team would run around randomly until someone managed to find whatever enemy we were fighting and then we'd go mash buttons at it together for 5 minutes until it died. Sometimes I would get lost and just run around while they killed it, since there's no minimap or way to find your team.
I played it for quite a while over a year ago. Steam says I have 197 hours, but I definitely just left it sitting open for long periods of time sometimes, so let's say ~150 hours. I think the...
I played it for quite a while over a year ago. Steam says I have 197 hours, but I definitely just left it sitting open for long periods of time sometimes, so let's say ~150 hours.
I think the complexity is in the game systems, not so much the gameplay itself. You're right that it's generally not very challenging at all, and even though you're in groups with other people you can usually mostly do your own thing and let everyone else do theirs too. Quite a few of the mission types require you to spread out, so the teamwork is often more about... not working together with anyone.
However, you can create a ton of different builds with all of the different frames, weapons, mods, etc.
I think an interesting aspect of that from a game design perspective is that if you truly want people to be able to use a massive variety of different setups, the game can't be particularly difficult. If it is, players will have to worry a lot about whether they're using "optimal" builds, because otherwise it will be too difficult. Difficult content has to be based around near-optimal builds, otherwise it won't actually be difficult for people that have good gear. But if it's easier overall, it doesn't really matter. People can play with more imaginative builds, even if they're not very powerful. People that want to min-max still can, but it's not necessary to be able to progress.
It definitely runs the range of easy to complex. Most of the gameplay is as you say, very approchable, easy to enjoy, not a lot of strategy required as long as at least one person in the group...
It definitely runs the range of easy to complex. Most of the gameplay is as you say, very approchable, easy to enjoy, not a lot of strategy required as long as at least one person in the group knows what they're doing.
Later on there are boss fights and special levels that require careful strategy and at least some thought put into what frame+weapon+mods are brought to the fight. Recent example: the Exploiter Orb.
Difference between most other games, those kinds of fights are infrequent, and generally aren't required to go further in the game.
There is a minimap. Your teammates appear on the minimap. Players can put markers which everyone can see. The location of any mission objective is marked on the map.
There is a minimap. Your teammates appear on the minimap. Players can put markers which everyone can see. The location of any mission objective is marked on the map.
I got into WF after my group of friends played Destiny 2 for a week and then abandon it. We then played WF together several times a week for at least 6 months before something else distracted us.
The article is spot on. Despite being F2P the game doesn't make me feel like I'm being abused for money. The things you can buy with money can also be farmed up with some reasonable (IMO) effort, or traded/bought from other players. I continue to enjoy playing it to this day.
The community is probably one of the key reasons the game is so successful. Because the base game is inherently co-op, the vast majority of other players are generally helpful and friendly. All the players who enjoy games because they get to dominate and make fun of less skilled users generally self-select out.
I tried Warframe on a lark, played for a day or two, it didn't seem remarkably different from any of the other Free to Play games I've tried. The whole genre seems like a push to the lowest common denominator, button mashing takes the place of skill. It makes sense too, their objective is to get you to pay them. If you can get good at the game through skill, why pay?
Maybe I just missed the complexity, but it seemed like my team would run around randomly until someone managed to find whatever enemy we were fighting and then we'd go mash buttons at it together for 5 minutes until it died. Sometimes I would get lost and just run around while they killed it, since there's no minimap or way to find your team.
I played it for quite a while over a year ago. Steam says I have 197 hours, but I definitely just left it sitting open for long periods of time sometimes, so let's say ~150 hours.
I think the complexity is in the game systems, not so much the gameplay itself. You're right that it's generally not very challenging at all, and even though you're in groups with other people you can usually mostly do your own thing and let everyone else do theirs too. Quite a few of the mission types require you to spread out, so the teamwork is often more about... not working together with anyone.
However, you can create a ton of different builds with all of the different frames, weapons, mods, etc.
I think an interesting aspect of that from a game design perspective is that if you truly want people to be able to use a massive variety of different setups, the game can't be particularly difficult. If it is, players will have to worry a lot about whether they're using "optimal" builds, because otherwise it will be too difficult. Difficult content has to be based around near-optimal builds, otherwise it won't actually be difficult for people that have good gear. But if it's easier overall, it doesn't really matter. People can play with more imaginative builds, even if they're not very powerful. People that want to min-max still can, but it's not necessary to be able to progress.
It definitely runs the range of easy to complex. Most of the gameplay is as you say, very approchable, easy to enjoy, not a lot of strategy required as long as at least one person in the group knows what they're doing.
Later on there are boss fights and special levels that require careful strategy and at least some thought put into what frame+weapon+mods are brought to the fight. Recent example: the Exploiter Orb.
Difference between most other games, those kinds of fights are infrequent, and generally aren't required to go further in the game.
There is a minimap. Your teammates appear on the minimap. Players can put markers which everyone can see. The location of any mission objective is marked on the map.