What's the point of K-Drives?

[Katzh]

I was hyped when I first saw k-drives in fortuna announcement, but since we have unlimited Archwing launcher stock now, what's the point of k-drives?

if you play solo, k-drive is still too slow to move between different objectives in open worlds, and if you play in a group, everybody use archwing so you'de be late with your slow board.

explain please.

cause I think it would have been great if we still had limited stock of archwing launcher.

[saymyname]

A better question would be: "Why archwing became a thing ?"

[Archwraith]

I only see the benefit during profit taker run. Using the board instead of archwing won't send the archgun to cooldown period since using archwing instantly removes your archgun. Also that the barrier the pylons and profit taker make is ignored when you are on k-drive. While on archwing, you got hit and knocked back.

[Anonn 20 16]

well first and foremost it's an alternative way to travel around fast. it doesn't matter if it's not as fast as archwing but what matters is if you like it or not. i prefer using them because i like how htey feel better and that's it really.

[No_Quarter]

you can obtain K-Drive way before you get an archwing launcher.

also it is fun, i can understand tryhard "time is drops to Itzal 11111111111111111 from objective ot objective is most optimal way" but contrary to belief - some people actually like to have fun in this game.

[Psychedelic Adventurer]

Originally posted by anon2017:

well first and foremost it's an alternative way to travel around fast. it doesn't matter if it's not as fast as archwing but what matters is if you like it or not. i prefer using them because i like how htey feel better and that's it really.

This doesn't really answer the question.

The problem he has is that, to use K-Drives, you have to knowingly use a less efficient form of travel. That goes against every compulsion that players are used to. Telling people that they should just use what they like isn't really the problem.

[massgunner32]

Initial K-drive is slow compared to one assembled with the Vent kids, also archwing is worse for playing bounties since it drifts too much to use in the ground.

[Anonn 20 16]

Originally posted by Psychedelic Adventurer:

Originally posted by anon2017:

well first and foremost it's an alternative way to travel around fast. it doesn't matter if it's not as fast as archwing but what matters is if you like it or not. i prefer using them because i like how htey feel better and that's it really.

This doesn't really answer the question.

The problem he has is that, to use K-Drives, you have to knowingly use a less efficient form of travel. That goes against compulsion that players are used to.

i did answer tho, it's an alternative way to travel and it comes down to whether you like it or not. it's the same as any other thing in this game, there are probably more efficient weapons/warframes that do the same but better things but we still play with them because we like them. there isn't an advantage to it, it is just an alternative. it comes down to personal taste.

[^3Tinkles]

Originally posted by No_Quarter:

you can obtain K-Drive way before you get an archwing launcher.

also it is fun, i can understand tryhard "time is drops to Itzal 11111111111111111 from objective ot objective is most optimal way" but contrary to belief - some people actually like to have fun in this game.

Sometimes efficiency is fun :)

DE need to give k-drive what I would call a 'mobility mode' that allows it to fly more competitively in speed with archwing. Rather than just a 'fun' gag that it has right now.

The real shame isn't that itzal came first or that it has the best movement mobilities out of archwings. It's they added something new and interesting, but didn't flesh it out enough to keep players interested. Once the standing is done and (for crazy people) the 1million km achievement done, there really is no other reason to use it. Unless you really like doing tricks.

[massgunner32]

Originally posted by ^3Tinkles:

Originally posted by No_Quarter:

you can obtain K-Drive way before you get an archwing launcher.

also it is fun, i can understand tryhard "time is drops to Itzal 11111111111111111 from objective ot objective is most optimal way" but contrary to belief - some people actually like to have fun in this game.

Sometimes efficiency is fun :)

DE need to give k-drive what I would call a 'mobility mode' that allows it to fly more competitively in speed with archwing. Rather than just a 'fun' gag that it has right now.

The real shame isn't that itzal came first or that it has the best movement mobilities out of archwings. It's they added something new and interesting, but didn't flesh it out enough to keep players interested. Once the standing is done and (for crazy people) the 1million km achievement done, there really is no other reason to use it. Unless you really like doing tricks.

:SBchicken::teacup:

again, build a new K-drive, get some mods.

[Hawk]

Originally posted by massgunner32:

Initial K-drive is slow compared to one assembled with the Vent kids, also archwing is worse for playing bounties since it drifts too much to use in the ground.

I've found the exact oposite, I can do pinpoint stops and group pound on any target with the Archwing yet on the horrible "not hoverboard" drifts everywhere not to mention it will always be quicker to fly over a mountain then have to follow a road around it.

[No_Quarter]

Originally posted by ^3Tinkles:

Originally posted by No_Quarter:

you can obtain K-Drive way before you get an archwing launcher.

also it is fun, i can understand tryhard "time is drops to Itzal 11111111111111111 from objective ot objective is most optimal way" but contrary to belief - some people actually like to have fun in this game.

Sometimes efficiency is fun :)

DE need to give k-drive what I would call a 'mobility mode' that allows it to fly more competitively in speed with archwing. Rather than just a 'fun' gag that it has right now.

The real shame isn't that itzal came first or that it has the best movement mobilities out of archwings. It's they added something new and interesting, but didn't flesh it out enough to keep players interested. Once the standing is done and (for crazy people) the 1million km achievement done, there really is no other reason to use it. Unless you really like doing tricks.

:SBchicken::teacup:

well if you like efficiency you have archwings :) isn't that fun?

it would be impossible to control K-Drive under Archwing speeds, terrain is narrow, no vertical freedom, like it cannot just work like that.

It is faster than parkour and it convenient and fun to use, if you like efficiency you would like K-Drive to be faster than archwing, but to put it on same speeds... how and why?

Also, what some people refer as efficiency is blink itzal, spam 4 with volt, blink back and mission is done.
Most people cannot find that kind of gameplay fun for longer than couple of runs, it is the same run, but if you actually fight, like use weapons, then game becomes different on each run and while you may not get same amount of drops - you had fun doing it.
So I really see no benefit in buffing speeds to match archwing, you want efficiency - use archwing?

Do you know that record speeds humans achieved were in air and not on land? When you break that down you may realize you cannot be as fast with K-Drive even if you strap 1 million horsepower on it.

[^3Tinkles]

Originally posted by No_Quarter:

Originally posted by ^3Tinkles:

Sometimes efficiency is fun :)

DE need to give k-drive what I would call a 'mobility mode' that allows it to fly more competitively in speed with archwing. Rather than just a 'fun' gag that it has right now.

The real shame isn't that itzal came first or that it has the best movement mobilities out of archwings. It's they added something new and interesting, but didn't flesh it out enough to keep players interested. Once the standing is done and (for crazy people) the 1million km achievement done, there really is no other reason to use it. Unless you really like doing tricks.

well if you like efficiency you have archwings :) isn't that fun?

it would be impossible to control K-Drive under Archwing speeds, terrain is narrow, no vertical freedom, like it cannot just work like that.

It is faster than parkour and it convenient and fun to use, if you like efficiency you would like K-Drive to be faster than archwing, but to put it on same speeds... how and why?

Also, what some people refer as efficiency is blink itzal, spam 4 with volt, blink back and mission is done.
Most people cannot find that kind of gameplay fun for longer than couple of runs, it is the same run, but if you actually fight, like use weapons, then game becomes different on each run and while you may not get same amount of drops - you had fun doing it.
So I really see no benefit in buffing speeds to match archwing, you want efficiency - use archwing?

Do you know that record speeds humans achieved were in air and not on land? When you break that down you may realize you cannot be as fast with K-Drive even if you strap 1 million horsepower on it.

I'll explain my analogy in a different way then.

I was thinking of adding a new mode to k-drive.

The first is what we have now, the 'trick' mode with slower movement for those whom want it.
The alternative mode would allow you to fly through the air (think treasure planet), and this mode would allow you to move at 85-90% archwing speeds while flying through the air (possibly faster, but because this is on paper and not in-game I don't know how effective it would be).


I do like the idea of k-drive, but having a 10 min bounty take 20+ just because my transportation is inadequate isn't really appealing, whether I get labeled a tryhard or not. The point is, vehicles in warframe typically give you a movement advantage over normal parkour. Since k-drive doesn't do this, it needs another factor to make it appealing, which it doesn't have. It has a gimmick (a fun one) but not enough on its own to stay relevant for very long.

[massgunner32]

Originally posted by Hawk:

Originally posted by massgunner32:

Initial K-drive is slow compared to one assembled with the Vent kids, also archwing is worse for playing bounties since it drifts too much to use in the ground.

I've found the exact oposite, I can do pinpoint stops and group pound on any target with the Archwing yet on the horrible "not hoverboard" drifts everywhere not to mention it will always be quicker to fly over a mountain then have to follow a road around it.

If you only care to go to A from B then yes, K-drive is not for you, the hoverboard is meant for people who wanted an efficient land transportation, and it delivers.

[CazadorDeLobo]

Originally posted by massgunner32:

the hoverboard is meant for people who wanted an efficient land transportation, and it delivers.

This is the most laughably wrong you have been so far about the game. Do you really think, DE Steve etc sitting around the room were looking for the answer to the question: "What would be efficient land transportation in our new open world area?" And hoverboard sprung to mind!?

Not to pick a fight, but just think about that for a second.

Anyways, to answer the question of OP: The point is that it looks awesome in trailers showcasing Fortuna, AKA new content that sells the game to new players. It is kind of cool in-game but it's no Tony Hawk. Archwing sold Path of Exile[stroke] Plains of Eidolon for me: once I knew there was an open world and it wasn't a walking simulator, I started playing Warframe.

[No_Quarter]

Originally posted by ^3Tinkles:

I do like the idea of k-drive, but having a 10 min bounty take 20+ just because my transportation is inadequate isn't really appealing

I suggest you take out your stopwatch

as for the rest of it, for one, it still stands that moving so fast ON TERRAIN is not possible for a player, I am not talking about issues that warframe could fall off of it. I am saying controlling it is impossible on terrain.
You have no grip, you slide, you cannot stop or drift or have good control over it as it only have thrust from one direction. To have a faster controllable vehicle you need at least 2 directions, 4 for really fast speeds. Which is strangely what they use with ISS and docking, those ships move at 28 000 kmph so you cannot rely on one axis there.

I get that you want it fast, but why if you have archwing to push out efficiency in missions? Like if you ONLY care about efficiency you want archwing and you want it fully built for speed which requires 3 forma on Itzal. Do you have that?

If K-Drive was at 90% of speed of it, still, why use it if archwing is faster? So it would still stay a "gimmick" in your eyes, you would never use it.

As is it is usable and fun to drive around, it is 1-st vehicle you can get and getting used to movement in warframe is hard for many people. So I see it fine as it is, it is fast enough to be controllable and fun and for tryhards who do not care for any in-game fun but they get their kicks and fun out of rewards - there is no way to make anything faster than archwing. 90% is just not enough.

A new player will get K-Drive, get used to it's speed and once he progresses he gets something faster and more flexible? Since when was progression a problem?

And even if it was implemented at those speeds, I am not sure if you realize what kinds of speeds are we talking about here. Test how fast you cover 100m on open world, divide 100/time. Multiply that by 3.6. You get kmph.

You have played racing games before, imagine those speeds on ice. That is how it would be.