With Warframe: 1999, the action shooter receives a massive update. Alongside story content, there are also several new features. Among them is a syndicate with whom you can chat and flirt. The developers took inspiration from the romances in Baldur’s Gate 3.
What romances are we talking about? In the new update, Warframe will have a new syndicate: The Hex. Composed of six proto frames, this elite fighting unit will be your central point of contact in Warframe: 1999. And you can date these fighters – every single one of them, regardless of your own gender.
Through KIM (Kinematic Instant Messaging), you can chat with the members of the Hex and get to know them better, befriend them, or even start a romance. At certain points, you have the option to withdraw your interest if you are not satisfied. This way, you have the freedom to choose which proto frame has caught your eye, even if your opinion about them changes.
The developers placed great importance on ensuring that each of them is unique and requires different approaches to gain their trust and affection. They particularly liked the romance system in Baldur’s Gate 3, which they used as a model for Warframe’s own system.
“Best wishes reimagined by Larian”
In what way did the developers take BG3 as a reference? In an interview with PCGamesN, Creative Director Rebecca Ford and lead writer Kathryn Kingsley discussed their idea behind the romance system. They name Larian with Baldur’s Gate 3 as a major inspiration for their own system.
The team “took the essence of what Larian did right and reimagined it for their own multiplayer game”.
A particular challenge was especially the fact that Warframe is a live-service shooter and not a single-player RPG. Nevertheless, they want to realize the depth of the romances in Baldur’s Gate 3 in their own Warframe universe. They want to create characters and relationships that feel as real as possible and have meaning for the player.
Particular attention was paid to ensuring that the proto frames, with whom one is allowed to enter into a relationship, are especially individualized. It was particularly tricky in this regard to make the system as a whole feel as authentic and natural as possible. In the interview, Rebecca Ford stated regarding this:
“You are trying to express something very un-analogous in an analog way – with a score from one to 100 or with hearts, or you earn [love levels] in a sort of automated manner. I believe that romance in games is still very much in its infancy.”
A lot of emphasis was also placed on the intensity and length of the conversations with the proto frames. The total volume of all possible dialogues is around 140,000 words. Each of the characters can either build a relationship with the player’s drifter in the form of friendship or romance, so care must be taken to maintain the balance.
Warframe: 1999 is set to be released in December 2024. A specific date is not yet known; however, Warframe is scheduled to be part of the Game Awards on December 12, 2024, which makes it likely that a date will be announced there. Currently, you can get the prequel to Warframe for free on Steam until December 4. What it’s all about, you can read here: A really good action shooter is currently free on Steam – an interesting insider tip for Warframe fans
