Inspiration Day - Warframe
Hello all, its Ohms again!
Inspiration can come from everywhere, but today it comes from a game that has influenced me in many more ways than one: Warframe.
Showcasing my favorite Warframe: Nezha!
Warframe is what is known as an online Looter Shooter with Action RPG elements. Looter Shooters, for those unaware, are a very straightforward category: You shoot enemies (and in this case use melee weapons and powers) to kill them and take their resources for use in one of the many crafting systems in the game.
This game is one of the major inspirations on my intended goals for my own game so lets dive in!
An example of the level of movement available
Inspiration 1 - Movement
Warframe is hands down one of the most fun games to move around in in a 3D space. You can run on and up walls, float, double jump, stick to walls, etc, and the transition between these different movement states is both natural and seamless. Combine that with abilities that allow for even greater movement, and you have a major recipe for player engagement.
Warframe’s movement system improves the gameflow greatly, and if that sort of free-form mobility was added to more action-oriented games, it would be a general boon to many genres. It is the most enjoyable part of the game for me (aside from the fighting system of course) and if I were to make a movement system half as appealing as this one, I’d be more than happy!
Modular weapons! I like build-your-own weapons!
Inspiration 2 - Modifications and Modular Creation
Warframe is the first game where I encountered what i now know as a modular system: a system where you create, by combining pre-existing ‘parts’ a ‘whole’ of something that you can use in the game. It was the introduction of a term that was key to quantifying what I had been trying to develop myself: the creation of Modular Abilities.
In Warframe, the system as it existed consisted of several parts being made into a whole. A weapon, as shown above, being made of a “Strike” (what you attack with) a “Grip” (what you hold) and a “Link” (what link’s its power to your Warframe). The combination of these elements make up the weapon that you use, and the types you come up with not only determine the type of weapon you use (from sword, to scythe, to dagger) but also the stats the weapon has.
This system is in different parts of the game, from secret weapons, to guns, to cybernetic battle companions. All of this customization, as well as naming, gives players a sense of investment, a sense that they made that item. That is, in essence, what I’m trying to develop in my own game: A sense that what they player creates is their own.
So much customization!
In addition to Modular Items, Warframe has customization that applies to everything, from weapon enhancements, to Warframe enhancements, in the form of what are known as Mods. These items drop throughout your missions, and become a major source of power in later, tougher missions. It is an intimidating system at first, to be sure, but once you learn and understand the basics, the system is much more understandable. While I personally don’t plan on making the system as complicated, the Mod system is one which I am interested in adapting to my own work.
Arriving on Jupiter City in 3…2…1
Inspiration 3 - Fun Combat and Interesting World
To be honest, I have never really been a fan of shooting games. Warframe, by itself made me more interested in this genre simply by providing amazing characters and frames to play, made exploring the planets interesting and fun, and also by adding neat and fun mechanics to the weapons you can acquire and build.
Zoom Zoom Zoom!
Between the aesthetics, story, and gameplay, Warframe is a game that I would encourage you to try out! A new expansion is coming out soon as well, so there will be even more to discover in future!
May the Branches light your path!
- Ωs Emmanuel