The developers of Digital Extremes are entering paths with the innovations presented at TennoCon that many players have hoped for from the big competitors. Now, the game, which is officially still in beta, is getting enormous attention.
Jürgen is to blame! Should my cat starve, my social life crumble, my professional performance no longer suffice, and I be ultimately forced to log into my Warframe account on an old laptop under a bridge via LTE to collect the daily reward, then please point the finger at Jürgen.
But let’s start in the not-too-distant past. Jürgen wrote an article about the upcoming graphic update for Warframe. Usually, this is no reason for me to be excited; I briefly played Warframe four years ago. It couldn’t captivate me back then. This was mainly due to the design of the Warframes, the avatars.
The Warframes do not correspond to what I personally find aesthetically pleasing. And yes, as an old RPG player, that can certainly spoil my mood quite a bit.
As the saying goes, the devil eats flies in times of need. Since I’m currently a bit dry on the MMO front, Arenanet seems to be paralyzed by the shock of the Guild Wars 2 leaks, rendering any visible development impossible, I was ready for experiments. So why not just throw myself into Warframe and shoulder the crossbow to bring peace to the universe? To waste a Friday night, Warframe should suffice.
Warframe, more than just a short pastime.
Fortunately, there were still some dusty Warframes in the wardrobe of my spaceship, and, lo and behold, even a quite decent crossbow. Upon arriving on Earth, I was met, aside from moderately agile Grineers, with a disappointment at first. Graphically, Warframe was not state-of-the-art. However, it should be noted in its defense: the promised graphic update for this area had not yet been released at that point.
A few days later, Earth shone in a new light. You can tell, someone is working hard to bring the game up to date. Respect, even the heavyweights of the industry often do this rather hesitantly and cautiously – if at all.
To claim that the graphic upgrade has sent me into unforeseen ecstasy would, however, be an exaggeration. But Warframe can still hold its own in daylight with a bit of makeup on its slowly wrinkling face.
Once in the game, it quickly becomes clear: I am good. Such statements unfortunately always have multiple sides from which to consider them. One could also say that the enemies are not as tactically trained as would usually be necessary for combat operations. Even the notoriously incompetent stormtroopers in Star Wars are elite soldiers with sniper training compared to these initial enemies in Warframe!
To further emphasize this imbalance, I have a parkour movement system available to me as a player that would make Titanfall pilots pale in comparison. Double jumps, wall runs, exorbitant speeds, and panther-like agility are part of the standard program of every Warframe. My enemies usually just stand around cluelessly and quickly become victims.
In Warframe, easy to learn but hard to master.
I quickly find pleasure in this feeling of omnipotence. However, this is less due to the clear superiority than to the successful implementation of the combat and movement system. I quickly find myself in the “flow,” jumping through the landscape, shooting and slaughtering, skillfully avoiding the bloody remains of my victims.
A few moments later, I find myself back in my spaceship admiring my loot from the heist. Because aside from the truly successful gaming experience, Warframe motivates with a complex, albeit not entirely self-explanatory, upgrade system for weapons and armors.
Inevitably, I develop a Diablo-like addiction. I want more, I want loot! So I throw myself into the next battle. Initially still naive and aimless, but increasingly more deliberate, tactical, and prepared as time goes on. Because Warframe becomes more challenging, not necessarily due to smarter enemies, but – just like in Diablo – due to resistances and higher shield and health values.
My little experiment, which started on a sunny Friday evening, has taken on a life of its own. Now, almost a month later, I have logged in almost every evening to play Warframe. Especially as a newcomer, this game offers an enormous amount of content through its four years on the market, and all of it completely free.
The TennoCon throws coal into the furnace of the hype train.
And then, yes, then came the TennoCon. The marketing event of the developers of Warframe, similar to Blizzard’s Blizzcon. And what the developers of Digital Extremes announced there was quite something. You may have read it, Warframe will get “semi” open-world areas, and that makes me cautiously happy and significantly curious. And yes, even though I usually no longer jump on the hype train after so many years, this time I’m on board!
Not only because I have already been warned by Warframe veterans about the lack of endgame content, but also because I have long wished for an open-world shooter MMO. Whether it’s Borderlands, Hellgate London, Defiance, or the rightly unknown Hazard Ops: All of these games have awakened in me the desire for an open-world shooter MMO.
With The Division and also Destiny, there are already comparable games, but Warframe has the chance and the ambition to be more than just on par with this tough competition.
The truly impressive trailer impressed me both graphically and in content. Digital Extremes showed us a vibrant world in which you don’t rush through interchangeable texture collections chased by mission objectives. They showed a world you want to explore, with all its beauty and dangers. The community is already raving about world bosses, the Sentients, who briefly appear at the end of the trailer. They are also excited about new, combinable weapons.
Warframe as a pioneer for future projects?
For me, the announcement of the open world is essential. It is the logical step to further develop Warframe, the next evolutionary stage, and exactly what is currently missing in the genre. A playground, a shooter sandbox where I can choose what I want to do. The opportunity to challenge myself, develop my character or simply explore the world at my leisure.
If Warframe really reaches this evolutionary stage, and the trailer suggests that the developers have largely succeeded, then the game should not shy away from Destiny 2 or other major brands. No, it could even pioneer a development that I have long missed: a well-implemented shooter MMO far removed from instanced coop in tight linear levels.
For now, all I can do is hope that Warframe doesn’t trip over its ambitions.
Anyone who missed the TennoCon trailer can find it in our news:
Warframe: Perfect 17 Minutes Gameplay – TennoCon better than E3
