Hmm...
I like that idea,
from another thread, of our omni-frames being able to transform (or just partially transform) to become either proper land-vehicles or more like...
hover-vehicles, with the assistance of the boosters. We could only sustain that form for a limited time, depending on our energy reserves that would need some time to recharge. Said energy reserves,
as proposed in yet another thread, could be tied to the use of abilities and the time we could spend with our frame in vehicle-mode.
The freedom to leave our frame shouldn't be tied to an ability, rather, through upgrades made in an ability-tree or mod-tree, our frame could be enabled to run on auto-pilot, either for a limited time or indefinitely until we'd reenter it. (Got that idea from Ghost 1.0, where you could upgrade the robot-body you were possessing to function like that when you left it to mess around in ghost-form) In that mode, it could use basic movement to relocate itself, to flee danger, or through more upgrades, defend itself with basic attacks.
Elsewhere, I have proposed the idea of the unoccupied frame deploying an energy barrier in a given radius (that also could be upgraded, although I don't really think that is necessary) to protect both itself and the pilot from the environmental factors if needed, either indefinitely or for a limited amount of time.
We, the pilots, could also have some minimal shielding that could be upgraded through a
survivability-tree, a branch of which would be
tied to out-of-frame activity. When out on our own feet, we could kit ourselves out with stun/smoke/teleport/decoy grenades, purely for evasion or even offensive grenades like cryo/incendiary/shock (yes, chemical, too - ugh). The frame itself could project a shield onto us, as a buff, that could only be sustain in close proximity. With upgrades to the frame's AI, emitters or core, giving it the ability to follow us or to project the shield farther, this link could be more sustainable, allowing for better exploration of areas, nooks and crannies, where our frame couldn't go or follow us. Not that I'd ever use Bethesda's games as a good as example for anything, but taking an idea from it, our frames could have headlights on them that could stay active when we'd exit, illuminating either in a full 360 degree radius or just in the direction it'd be facing. When it'd follow us, it could become a second-set of flashlights. A much stronger flashlight compared to what we'd have on us (or on whatever weapons we could carry when outside our frames).
Who'd act as the
deployable in all those scenarios? Us or the frame? Both, I guess.
If we could fine-tune our boosters to use stronger but shorter bursts for dashing and dodging (or if it's a heavier build, then longer but weaker burns, for sustained air-time...or one can build a lighter frame for sustained air-time, also, and a heavier one for bursts - although the latter should eat up more energy per dash), then I wouldn't necessarily want there to be an ability that has a similar effect, that would rocket me across either shorter or even longer distances. If so, then the modifications we made to our existing booster-systems, should feed into the ability, to get more distance out of that sky-dash or make it use less energy or less cooldown.
Making everything connected and synergistic.
So many possibilities. Too many!