Yeah doing better now that I spent all into basic packs. Didn't get any good cards but the increase in consumables made bronze more comfortable.
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The Mass Effect Community Thread |OT2|
- Thread starter Patryn
- Start date
Don't you ever insult my girl like that again.
I clapped them cheeks and then will build a beautiful rose garden for her one day
Dandy Lyin
Member
Has anyone come across any system/planetary anomalies that were interesting? Everything I've found has just been research/XP/materials only... Never anything like in previous games where there were a handful of mini-missions, like answering an SOS, or finding a derelict ship, or going down to investigate a small outpost.
Is there a GAF community or discord that has people looking for groups for ME:A multiplayer? A friend and I have been duoing a bit and getting a group with two already pre-made seems to be bugged or something. We sometimes have long stretches where nobody joins our game. But when we roll with three premade, we instantly get a fourth through matchmaking.
Dandy Lyin
Member
ChemicalCutthroat
Member
Yeah, the bug for that is common. Three gets you drop ins. Four is obvious. Two you're screwed.
I agree, but I don't think ME2 degree of linearity is necessary. I actually think Havarl is the right size for an "area" of a BioWare game. Reminded me a bit of Dragon Age Origins in terms of scope and length. I really liked Veold though so I'm a bit torn.
wesleyshark
Banned
So I'm about 20hrs in. Have two planets at 100% viability.
- I'm enjoying the gameplay and the combat and exploring around the zones. That's all great.
- I'm finding myself skipping through a lot of the dialogue with "additional task" characters and even a couple of the more mainline ones because it seems to be getting worse? A few of the scenes made me groan audibly, no lie.
- The multiplayer is so damn good. Aside from the matchmaking bug where you don't get paired with randos sometimes, it's all been exactly what I was hoping it would be.
- I'm enjoying the gameplay and the combat and exploring around the zones. That's all great.
- I'm finding myself skipping through a lot of the dialogue with "additional task" characters and even a couple of the more mainline ones because it seems to be getting worse? A few of the scenes made me groan audibly, no lie.
- The multiplayer is so damn good. Aside from the matchmaking bug where you don't get paired with randos sometimes, it's all been exactly what I was hoping it would be.
Heckler456
Banned
I've put 30 hours into the game so far. Video's not representative of the experience as a whole. But whatever, the enjoyment people are getting out of shitting on the game is far more important than trying to represent the work of hundreds of people fairly, right?
Heckler456
Banned
Reviews are a fair representation.
A 20 minute supercut of every bit of questionable content in a 100 hour game is not.
The fact that people actually seem to gleefully revel in these sort of situations is making me feel damned old, and I'm only 27.
Finished the game. Found myself skipping through a number of the dialogue near the end because I was just tired. I enjoyed Vetra, and was pleasantly surprised by Peebee... but everything else was just.... meh. Kudos to those that love it.
Beat it too. Overall it was fairly boring. I don't want the Montréal team to touch ME or even DA now. The last few hours were amazing but man it felt like the worst of DAI most of the time. I love how their PR tried to damage control this as saying it was optional, yet this is most of the content of the game. There's very little main story missions. I enjoyed the characters for what they were. And I like how organic their interactions were with each other on the ship. They don't stay in their room, they talk and walk around that was cool.
Gameplay wise it's waves of enemies the game. Everywhere, all the time. Even in the very end
I loved how they've taken into account what happens in ME3. LATE GAME SPOILERS
So the last messages Alec got from the Milky Way was in 2186 with Liara saying they are building the weapon from ME3 as a last hope. Then you get the SOS messages from the Turian and that Earth is Invaded. I suppose it either means they chose the destroy ending or the bad ending where Shepard loses as all communication ceased after this either because the relays were destroyed or that everything was destroyed.
Who was the benefactor? I was thinking Cerberus but they wouldn't have brought the other races with them haha. And who murdered Greyson? The mom being in a pod was pretty predictable
Otherwise the rest of the outpost stuff is pretty boring so were the Angarans and the truth about the Remnants.
There were many hooks for a sequel but I doubt it's happening now.
DeadlyParasite
Member
Guess I'll be the contrarian opinion here but after 79 hours I'm really happy with the way things turned out. Lots of future story potential and I had a lot of fun, even on Insanity.
I really want to talk story stuff but I'm sure it'll be a long time around here before we don't have to spoiler tag stuff.
In the meantime I'll just say that I consider Andromeda to be my second favourite Mass Effect game with Mass Effect 2 being my least favourite for many reasons that Andromeda just highlighted further.
I really want to talk story stuff but I'm sure it'll be a long time around here before we don't have to spoiler tag stuff.
In the meantime I'll just say that I consider Andromeda to be my second favourite Mass Effect game with Mass Effect 2 being my least favourite for many reasons that Andromeda just highlighted further.
Heckler456
Banned
Glad for you that it ended up being a positive experience. I remember you being quite worried that it'd be irredeemable.
Tony Redgrave
Member
Today I had my first long session with the game and I'm sad to say that I didn't really like it much. Coming fresh from a trilogy playthrough this just doesn't feel like Mass Effect to me.
The performance, facial animations and the whole other entourage of problems are jarring but just the tip of the iceberg. I'm just not interested in the story, like, I have literally zero investment in what's going on. I'm mildly curious about Alec's and SAM but between the writers throwing family drama at us about people we don't know anything about (again) and the awkward pacing, stiff characters and the IMO weak writing (weaker than the trilogy at least) I'm having a really hard time being interested in anything that's going on.
You're just abruptly thrown into this situation and told you're responsible for tens of thousands of colonists, that's it. And to add salt to the wound Ryder is the blandest, most cardboard cut character ever, the Paragon and Renegade system was binary and unrealistic but what is this? Logical and emotional? Professional and confused? At least playing renegade Shepard was rogue-ish fun, this is just boring. Aside from that the game looks good, habitat 7's landscape was breathtaking at times but the Nexus and the tempest look weirdly sterile to me in a way the citadel and the Normandy never did, maybe is the mood set by the light colors or something but it seems off.
Anyways, maybe the game will grow on me eventually but this is definitevely a big dissapointment after a wait of five years and I can see now where the reviews were coming from. I was expecting more Mass Effect and this amply shows it was mostly made by another team.
Edit- Oh and I forgot, what's up with the lack of ambient music? it's so universal that I usually just take it from granted but I've gained a renewed appreciation for it after a few hours playing this game, the silence just flattens the mood and adds to that feel of sterility that I mentioned before.
The performance, facial animations and the whole other entourage of problems are jarring but just the tip of the iceberg. I'm just not interested in the story, like, I have literally zero investment in what's going on. I'm mildly curious about Alec's and SAM but between the writers throwing family drama at us about people we don't know anything about (again) and the awkward pacing, stiff characters and the IMO weak writing (weaker than the trilogy at least) I'm having a really hard time being interested in anything that's going on.
You're just abruptly thrown into this situation and told you're responsible for tens of thousands of colonists, that's it. And to add salt to the wound Ryder is the blandest, most cardboard cut character ever, the Paragon and Renegade system was binary and unrealistic but what is this? Logical and emotional? Professional and confused? At least playing renegade Shepard was rogue-ish fun, this is just boring. Aside from that the game looks good, habitat 7's landscape was breathtaking at times but the Nexus and the tempest look weirdly sterile to me in a way the citadel and the Normandy never did, maybe is the mood set by the light colors or something but it seems off.
Anyways, maybe the game will grow on me eventually but this is definitevely a big dissapointment after a wait of five years and I can see now where the reviews were coming from. I was expecting more Mass Effect and this amply shows it was mostly made by another team.
Edit- Oh and I forgot, what's up with the lack of ambient music? it's so universal that I usually just take it from granted but I've gained a renewed appreciation for it after a few hours playing this game, the silence just flattens the mood and adds to that feel of sterility that I mentioned before.
DeadlyParasite
Member
There were some things I didn't like, a general lack of music in all areas and an insane amount of sponge on enemies/bosses on Insanity difficulty but otherwise it was pretty good.
I still don't like Peebee though, just like I thought I wouldn't before launch. Luckily Natalie Dormer as Lexi rescues the day and offers a better more Liara-like Asari approach I was hoping for.
Heckler456
Banned
You know what's definitely one irksome thing? Inventory space. I've got the 65 upgrade already, and I'm finding myself continually out of space. What do you guys do to combat that sort of stuff?
Later on you can get 80. You can convert weapons and armors into their base component (materials) that don't take space, Don't stash to much to sell, I found money to be useless in the game.
Most loot is crap. I'm breaking down pretty much everything to its parts as I'm looting. Nothing compares to your crafted gear (same as in DA:I). Inventory has hovered around 20-30 items for the entire run. Sell any mods for weapons I don't use since those only give a destroy option.
and yeah, as vamphuntr said. Money is completely useless in this game.
Anyway, got done with the game today. The 7/8 reviews feel just about spot on. There's a good game somewhere in there, but the characters are all kind of boring and the Kett plot is a stinker that doesn't really get interesting. Also kind of laughing that after cribbing so copiously from Babylon 5 for the OT, Mac's lifting so much from The Expanse specifically
Dead Advanced Civ was killed by an Even More Advanced Civ and their weapon, the protomolecule err I mean the scourge, is still around.
DeadlyParasite, I have no idea how you've managed to tolerate insanity. Most of the enemies are so sponge-y and the squadmates feel useless. Nothing like watching Vetra unleash her turbocharge directly into cover for the 80th time this play session.
DeadlyParasite
Member
I wouldn't say money was useless, at least on Insanity anyway. Constantly making better gear to prevent getting your ass kicked less means you'll be wanting to rebuy the best augmentations from vendors and resources without having to mine for them.
DLC definitely, the most obvious one being
.
They won't be going back to the Milky Way, they've laid the foundation for Andromeda's story. I expect another game following the ryder twins. I'm excited for it.
I agree with the bullet-spongey enemies on Insanity, that was annoying. However I found the companion AI to actually be fairly decent. Having Cora upgraded so that she charges in freezing enemies with shotgun cryo ammo saved my ass many times, plus she used her shield barrier replenishing thing on me very frequently. Arguably my favourite character of the game behind Drack.
For the record I played as a defensive Tech Sentinel with fully decked out Pathfinder armour and the Valkyrie assault rifle. The only abilities I used were Remnant VI, Incinerate, and Energy Drain (A huuuuuge lifesaver).
The difficulty definitely starts dropping off halfway through as you begin to resist a lot of damage.
DLC definitely, the most obvious one being
finding the quarian ark
They won't be going back to the Milky Way, they've laid the foundation for Andromeda's story. I expect another game following the ryder twins. I'm excited for it.
I agree with the bullet-spongey enemies on Insanity, that was annoying. However I found the companion AI to actually be fairly decent. Having Cora upgraded so that she charges in freezing enemies with shotgun cryo ammo saved my ass many times, plus she used her shield barrier replenishing thing on me very frequently. Arguably my favourite character of the game behind Drack.
For the record I played as a defensive Tech Sentinel with fully decked out Pathfinder armour and the Valkyrie assault rifle. The only abilities I used were Remnant VI, Incinerate, and Energy Drain (A huuuuuge lifesaver).
The difficulty definitely starts dropping off halfway through as you begin to resist a lot of damage.
So guessing this is new trilogy then??
DeadlyParasite
Member
I mean, I hope so? I want to see more adventures with this crew and ship or at least most of them.
However I hope they avoid what they did with the trilogy where they basically completely gut your former crew every game and sideline romance interests in favour of new ones. I want Cora, Drack, and Vetra along with Lexi/Kallo returning at my side exploring more of Andromeda.
Reizo Ryuu
Gold Member
Lol....
It's extremely unlikely there's not going to be another mass effect. And that mass effect will absolutely be andromeda galaxy again.
Y'all wild.
It's extremely unlikely there's not going to be another mass effect. And that mass effect will absolutely be andromeda galaxy again.
Y'all wild.
If would guess that if there is another ME game it will probably be like DA2->DAI. Not MEA2 in name but also major gameplay changes and with different characters with some returning. Like Inquisition followed DA2 and DAO storywise but it takes place in another region with some of the characters from the 2 previous games returning in new settings. The colonization stuff won't work for another game for sure.
Game is already 20% off in some stores after 1 week so they've probably over shipped a bit and the average reviews and the youtube circus probably won't help much. I don't think they will shackle themselves with a trilogy again. EA didn't like it for marketing purpose (hard to get new players) and tracking choices across 3 games seems like a nightmare (ME2 had them between a rock and a hard place for 3).
Their massive open world worlds filled with quests and stuff was probably very hard to QA considering you have a vehicle and the jet pack in there too. I'm surprised how stable the game is considering there is content to probably play it for 100 hours if you do everything. Videos highlighting 10 minutes of glitches is kind of dishonest considering the size of the game.
A lot of reviews kind of said it was really boring overall and I tend to agree. There was really great moments in the game (can't wait when we will be able to talk about the final mission) but they are drowned in the tedious stuff you do in between. Bioware isn't very good at making open world areas and sidequests and it once again really shows. Yet their loyalty missions and characters are still pretty good. Main missions too. They should bank on those instead.
Game is already 20% off in some stores after 1 week so they've probably over shipped a bit and the average reviews and the youtube circus probably won't help much. I don't think they will shackle themselves with a trilogy again. EA didn't like it for marketing purpose (hard to get new players) and tracking choices across 3 games seems like a nightmare (ME2 had them between a rock and a hard place for 3).
Their massive open world worlds filled with quests and stuff was probably very hard to QA considering you have a vehicle and the jet pack in there too. I'm surprised how stable the game is considering there is content to probably play it for 100 hours if you do everything. Videos highlighting 10 minutes of glitches is kind of dishonest considering the size of the game.
A lot of reviews kind of said it was really boring overall and I tend to agree. There was really great moments in the game (can't wait when we will be able to talk about the final mission) but they are drowned in the tedious stuff you do in between. Bioware isn't very good at making open world areas and sidequests and it once again really shows. Yet their loyalty missions and characters are still pretty good. Main missions too. They should bank on those instead.
The more I play of the single player the more mixed feelings I get about MEA.
I´m not sure if an Opinion is considered a Spoiler, but so far all of the "big" story points led to absolutely nothing
also the team related missions have been really bad so far,
then you have tons of technical issues and the worlds ultimately end up just being nice to look at but not nice to explore as they are build in a way an MMO would be build, no unique places,
just big maps filled with a couple POI which all share the same assets, mechanics and logic. And even if theres a unique place that looks like it could be interesting to explore its filled with the exact same stuff youve encountered a hundred times already. There also tons of things placed badly, either floating (even enemy spawns which often leads to the AI being absolutely helpless), resources placed inside of other things, badly placed rock formations that let you look under/inside them. Sometimes Enemies keep spawning right on top of you, had 3 fiends separately greet me after doing a vault, while other wildlife also kept spawning. And who thought it would be a good idea to let you play sudoku for every little hacking mini game, thats just time consuming and boring.
When I heard they went with the ME1 style loot I thought it would be a good idea, thinking they would improve it... We get tons of useless loot, making every supposedly exciting chest you find just another press on space.
Im around 60hrs in and I still havent had any reason to spend a single credit, all I did was buying the Nomad Skins. Theres no unique loot, you get like 4-5 different armor sets and thats it. Mixing them up doesnt make sense as they have stats attached and they dont really go well together anyways. The Color Picker UI doesnt properly work with a mouse so I have to use my keyboard, which is kinda awkward.
Navigating through the galaxy map is an absolute pain, its taking way too long and it just doesnt look like its an finished thing. (Its probably loading while doing that long camera zoom in, then it loads again at the end of it, while being too close to the planet(blurry textures), then zooms out again to bring you in the end position.)
Then you get those animations that are pretty bad, but as I said in a previews post isnt bothering me too much, what makes it really bad is that they are also technically bad often times as in, they have the wrong poses, parts of their body just move in odd ways, I had the pilot in one conversation just sitting on the ground in a scene where he was supposed to stand.
MEA just feels rushed and unfinished in about every way aside of the combat which is a shame, it had the potential to be really great.
Bioware made a lot decisions that are just mind boggling.
I know that sounds overly negative, which is probably because I only listed negative things, there are of course also positive things about MEA but yea... it starts not being new and shiny anymore and stuff you thought would end up being better at some point in the game just dont get any better.
Also is it just me or are the new weapons all really really weak? Made me stick to Milky Way weapons. (sticky grenade valkyrie and homing disciple shotgun ftw)
I´m not sure if an Opinion is considered a Spoiler, but so far all of the "big" story points led to absolutely nothing
Every character keeps talking about how important the arks are and that you have to find and recover them, then you do it and absolutely nothing changes, you get a new dialog with Tann. Maybe something else will happen later on, but so far that is just crazy bad.
then you have tons of technical issues and the worlds ultimately end up just being nice to look at but not nice to explore as they are build in a way an MMO would be build, no unique places,
just big maps filled with a couple POI which all share the same assets, mechanics and logic. And even if theres a unique place that looks like it could be interesting to explore its filled with the exact same stuff youve encountered a hundred times already. There also tons of things placed badly, either floating (even enemy spawns which often leads to the AI being absolutely helpless), resources placed inside of other things, badly placed rock formations that let you look under/inside them. Sometimes Enemies keep spawning right on top of you, had 3 fiends separately greet me after doing a vault, while other wildlife also kept spawning. And who thought it would be a good idea to let you play sudoku for every little hacking mini game, thats just time consuming and boring.
When I heard they went with the ME1 style loot I thought it would be a good idea, thinking they would improve it... We get tons of useless loot, making every supposedly exciting chest you find just another press on space.
Im around 60hrs in and I still havent had any reason to spend a single credit, all I did was buying the Nomad Skins. Theres no unique loot, you get like 4-5 different armor sets and thats it. Mixing them up doesnt make sense as they have stats attached and they dont really go well together anyways. The Color Picker UI doesnt properly work with a mouse so I have to use my keyboard, which is kinda awkward.
Navigating through the galaxy map is an absolute pain, its taking way too long and it just doesnt look like its an finished thing. (Its probably loading while doing that long camera zoom in, then it loads again at the end of it, while being too close to the planet(blurry textures), then zooms out again to bring you in the end position.)
Then you get those animations that are pretty bad, but as I said in a previews post isnt bothering me too much, what makes it really bad is that they are also technically bad often times as in, they have the wrong poses, parts of their body just move in odd ways, I had the pilot in one conversation just sitting on the ground in a scene where he was supposed to stand.
Also I literally cant talk to the AI Ive rescued because ryders head turns by 90 degrees every time I talk to it, creeping the shit out of me
MEA just feels rushed and unfinished in about every way aside of the combat which is a shame, it had the potential to be really great.
Bioware made a lot decisions that are just mind boggling.
I know that sounds overly negative, which is probably because I only listed negative things, there are of course also positive things about MEA but yea... it starts not being new and shiny anymore and stuff you thought would end up being better at some point in the game just dont get any better.
Also is it just me or are the new weapons all really really weak? Made me stick to Milky Way weapons. (sticky grenade valkyrie and homing disciple shotgun ftw)
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Ehhh I don't think it's that clear cut. If Andromeda really tanks in sales I'd put my money on EA/BioWare putting the series on the backburner for some time. These games have expensive, lengthy development cycles and BioWare don't have limitless resources. It might be a popular, named franchise, but BioWare is pursuing new franchises too just like they've done in previous generations.
For example, if Andromeda tanks and their new IP soars, you can guarantee resources will be directed to supporting the latter franchise over the former.
Ivory Samoan
Gold Member
I know what you mean: I actually find it nigh on disgusting that people are so damn happy that the game isn't what many people wanted.... it's like they are celebrating people's despair.
Mass Effect mean a lot to many, and when a game comes out slightly disappointing (which this is, in my uber fan opinion), then it's quite the low blow to revel in the vibe.
BrassDragon
Member
I'm trying but the writing is just insufferable at times. The voice actors do the best they can (FemRyder's, Liam's and PeeBee's actors do amazing things with mediocre lines) but the triple whammy of the poor animations, tonal disconnects and nonsensical dialogue jars me out of cut scenes. Special mention to the meme-filled juvenile anachronisms people blurt out at random moments (no-nonsense commando character to unknown assailant: 'Back away. Literally.')
The only place where it all comes together is in the Ryder Family Secrets cut scenes, that's when the acting, animation and writing are all on point.
The Angara first contact is disappointing on so many levels. They can't even consistently get their supposed
right in most of the dialogue, particularly if it doesn't involve Jaal. They just talk like non-descript human characters.
Almost at the end. I was hoping it would pick up more.
The only place where it all comes together is in the Ryder Family Secrets cut scenes, that's when the acting, animation and writing are all on point.
The Angara first contact is disappointing on so many levels. They can't even consistently get their supposed
bluntly honest emotions
Almost at the end. I was hoping it would pick up more.
SliChillax
Member
Poodlestrike
Banned
Like I said in the discord, EA is willing to take the hit on franchises they think have promise and give them sequels. The first real canary in the coal mine, as it were, will be if we start hearing about a new SW RPG in the works from Bioware, since that'll mean that the series is almost certainly shelved.
Mass Effect has too much potential(and fans, but do that even matter to EA?) to be simply just shelved because of one game that was not ready for launch.
I'm really hoping that the only thing they'll do is give the next ME to another studio instead. Or at least seriously reorganize the team.
I'm really hoping that the only thing they'll do is give the next ME to another studio instead. Or at least seriously reorganize the team.
People saying MEA is end of ME franchise makes me ask; "If EA didn't have trust in potential of MEA why they then kept it greenlit and funded for 5 years?"
Edit: If all doom and gloom about BW had came to pass BW would have been closed years ago by EA, but for some reason EA has trust in them and keeps funding their projects
That just makes no sense at all, sorry. Games with long development time don't result in a sequel all the time, it's how the industry works. We aren't going to see a Last Guardian 2 anytime soon!
As Eat has said, the issue is one of resource allocation and their other IPs. EA may consider it more valuable to have the team working on a Star Wars rpg now they have that brand rather than another Me.
(Which would be awful, I'm so tired of Star Wars now).
Florida_Man_5000
Member
I think that's what already happened. Why else put Montreal in charge (imo, their game engineers are great, but I'm questioning the game designers now). The new IP for A team is probably Star Wars right?
However, the space exploration drama is a game niche too rich and with widespread appeal to let waste. We'll see a sequel. Hopefully they invest more time in graphics, animations, and environmental diversity.
More focused missions. Take more risks with design.
It's not Star Wars. It's a brand new IP that Casey Hudson worked on developing before he left. They've had some vague teasers for it.
Heckler456
Banned
The A-team is working on a completely new IP, not Star Wars related.
Florida_Man_5000
Member
SWTOR is not KOTOR and everyone knows it. But I fear nostalgia would kill it before it has a chance. Similar to MEA. Expectations would just be too high to meet. New IPs are good for managing today's vociferous & viral audience.
Whoops, i used an absolute. Sorry.
KOTOR is SWTOR regardless of whether or not you like it, and Revan's story is over. EA getting BioWare to make a Star Wars RPG when they already have SWTOR filling that niche is ridiculous.
DeadlyParasite
Member
Is there a spoiler thread up or is there not enough interest for one? There's lots of stuff I want to talk about story-wise but I don't want to spend hours dealing with spoiler tags.
Frozenprince
Banned
And as you said, it prints money still. Subs are good, microtransations are good, player retention is still high.
There is no reason for the Austin team to work on a new Star Wars RPG.
DeadlyParasite
Member
Thanks, shared my positive thoughts and observations there. Doesn't seem active though so I probably just wasted my time typing all that out but oh well.
Still kind of bummed out that Shinobi is gone, I miss his optimism.
