What do we know about the music/score so far?
Not much, here is few people have extracted from trailers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1q2RJQeRa0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOkLVUN3WNI
Supposedly the Day 1 patch is going to out for the Origin Access demo and integrated into the launch downloads, so you might not have many performance issues on launch on PC.Guessing this game runs at 30FPS on PS4 ?
Was going to grab on pc, but want to get this day 1 and avoid any graphics and performance hassle
Guessing this game runs at 30FPS on PS4 ?
Was going to grab on pc, but want to get this day 1 and avoid any graphics and performance hassle
When is the EA access demo available?
Did the multiplayer beta ever happen for this?
I remember signing up for that
Guessing this game runs at 30FPS on PS4 ?
Was going to grab on pc, but want to get this day 1 and avoid any graphics and performance hassle
That's the thing. There's a lot of hand wringing going on in the system requirements topic with people irrationally worried about their fairly beefy PCs, and considering PS4 (even non-Pro) as a result.Are you sure the PS4 version will be performance hassle free?
At worst case scenario, you can still lock it at 30fps and get the same (or better) performance as console. That is if you have a capable PC of course.
Timeline confirmed to have the Andromeda Initiative leave the Milky Way post Mass Effect 2, but pre Mass Effect 3.[6]
Actual players aiming and using those powers /=/ AI squad mates doing it, especially because Bioware has a rather bad track record in that regard.Mass Effect played like shit, ME3:s multiplayer mode was amazing with a nice level up system and tens of classes and races adding depth and build variety. Luckily Bioware took inspiration from the latter and not the former when designing the combat in MEA.
The retcon is complete.
This is really cool. Something else than "I want to give you this rose" <=> "I want to insert this shiv". Should present more role-playing opportunities than just gaming the system.Conversation tones include emotional, logical, casual, and professional. These replace the binary paragon and renegade.
No Quarian at all? No Quarian team mate, no Quarian as important NPC, nothing?
The dialogue thing has been confirmed wrong by the way. The companion with the least lines has more lines than the companion with the most lines in ME3. There's a tweet floating around out there confirming it.
Edit: @macwalterslives: More dialogue than the "squad mate" who had the most dialogue in ME3. Shepard's in a class of their own... https://twitter.com/mesharald/status/834895927538245632
https://twitter.com/macwalterslives/status/834902781446225921
Good stuff, thank you.Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
[...]
Yeah I'm kinda dissappointed about that.
I remember them asking what race people could do without in the next ME and I believe Quarian was the most answered one.
That's not what retcon means.
Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
*snip*
WTF?Yeah I'm kinda dissappointed about that.
I remember them asking what race people could do without in the next ME and I believe Quarian was the most answered one.
Are you serious.
WHY would people be that stupid urghhhhhhh.
WTF?
Polls were a mistake.
Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't it have been best to have the Andromeda Initiative leave after the prologue of ME2 while Shepard was being brought back to life? At least that would partially explain why we never hear about it as Shepard.Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
- Timeline confirmed to have the Andromeda Initiative leave the Milky Way post Mass Effect 2, but pre Mass Effect 3.[6]
Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
[*]Smallest planetary zone in Andromeda is larger than all of Dragon Age: Inquisition.[2]
No Quarian at all? No Quarian team mate, no Quarian as important NPC, nothing?
You're right, it truly was the best ending to a trilogy ever.
Now let us never speak of it again.
Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't it have been best to have the Andromeda Initiative leave after the prologue of ME2 while Shepard was being brought back to life? At least that would partially explain why we never hear about it as Shepard.
- Smallest planetary zone in Andromeda is larger than all of Dragon Age: Inquisition.[2]
- The squadmate with the least amount of dialogue has more than all of Shepard's in Mass Effect 3.[2]
- The big theme for the game was 'fulfill the promise of Mass Effect 1.' - Ian Frazier, lead designer.[3]
- Ambient companion dialogue as you drive around.[3]
- Environments designed with cultural and biological needs of the inhabitants who live there.[5]
- Far more work has been put into writing behind the general crew of the Tempest, beyond your squadmates. Crew interacts with each other over the intercom.[5]
- Attempting to make character interactions and relationship development more nuanced and made up of shades of grey.[5]
- Securing one character's trust could come impact another.[6]
And they said they won't repeat the filler quest and empty landscape with nothing to do mistakes from Inquisition. Uh-huh. Have a hard time believing that reading this.
Looking at the Mako missions in ME1 and Inquisition I have rather little faith in Bioware to actually fill hundreds of square kilometers (and that's what we're talking about here, the areas in Inquisition were arguably already too big and empty for their own good, and here they are we are with the smallest "zone" already being bigger than all of them combined) with meaningful content. It would be a challenge for CD Project Red, but for modern-day Bioware? And god knows how they can make those massive landscapes even look good or unique without turning into vast sameness after a few minutes with raw numbers of those proportions. Might look amazing on the backside of the retail box and the origin store page but few games manage to make country sized open-worlds compelling.Well, to be fair, a "filler quest" to one player could be a lore relevant quest to someone else. E.G., taking the turian squad mate to an isolated piece of equipment to do "calibrations" may be amusing and meaningful only to some.
So, I do believe that bioware did try to make quests not be "filler". That characteristic is subjective though, and also measured on a continuum.
And they said they won't repeat the filler quest and empty landscape with nothing to do mistakes from Inquisition. Uh-huh. Have a hard time believing that reading this.
Inquisition already had far too many square kilometers and pointless areas for its own good.
We already had that in Mass Effect 1, didn't we? Do we really have fond memories about that?Aren't you blasting through the planetary zones in your Mako? Makes sense for them to be big.
We already had that in Mass Effect 1, didn't we? Do we really have fond memories about that?
It's technically not a retcon, but it feels like one, because with the set-up of Andromeda they - theoretically - never have to talk about it again or bring it up.I don't understand your point. There's no retcon and nobody talked about the ending.
.
We already had that in Mass Effect 1, didn't we? Do we really have fond memories about that?
Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
Actual players aiming and using those powers /=/ AI squad mates doing it, especially because Bioware has a rather bad track record in that regard.
But maybe they dumbed down the difficulty even in higher modes down enough so you don't even need your squadmates powers anymore and just can solo everything yourself.
Not sure anybody gives a shit, but here's some notes I made.
- "Mass Effect Archive" is a save import/export feature not unlike Dragon Age Keep. Andromeda's save file can be uploaded for, assumebly, future Mass Effect titles.[1]
- Other ark names include Pachero (Salarian), Lunisia (Asari), and Natanas (Turian).[1]
- Smallest planetary zone in Andromeda is larger than all of Dragon Age: Inquisition.[2]
- The squadmate with the least amount of dialogue has more than all of Shepard's in Mass Effect 3.[2]
- Nomad can swap between fast rear wheel drive, and all terrain six wheel drive.[/2]
- The big theme for the game was 'fulfill the promise of Mass Effect 1.' - Ian Frazier, lead designer.[3]
- Noveria from Mass Effect 1 used as a point of reference for how the open planet playspaces and mission are constructed. "Imagine a Novaria where you find a whole lot more than just driving from point A to point B, from the cool big hub and the other cool big hub." - Ian Frazier.[3]
- Conversation tones include emotional, logical, casual, and professional. These replace the binary paragon and renegade.[3]
- Additional conversation tones sarcastic, obedient, or skeptical noted.[4]
- Ambient companion dialogue as you drive around.[3]
- Nine preset heads exist within the character creator, across a variety of races and genders, that can be customised.[4]
- Background training chosen during character creation, eg: security, biotic, technician, leader, scrapper, and operative.[4]
- Environments designed with cultural and biological needs of the inhabitants who live there.[5]
- Far more work has been put into writing behind the general crew of the Tempest, beyond your squadmates. Crew interacts with each other over the intercom.[5]
- Attempting to make character interactions and relationship development more nuanced and made up of shades of grey.[5]
- Timeline confirmed to have the Andromeda Initiative leave the Milky Way post Mass Effect 2, but pre Mass Effect 3.[6]
- Exploration and open play begins right with the prologue. Given key goal, but area is open enough to do some exploring, engage in optional encounters, make discoveries, etc.[6]
- Quest log fully details objectives and events, including the ability to go over a summary and see the decisions you made.[6]
- Securing one character's trust could come impact another.[6]
- Drack is the "antithesis of Gruny", older, wiser, and matured.[6]
- Vetra is warmer than Garrus, and joined the Initiative with her little sister.[6]
- Crafting blueprints organised into broze/silver/gold rarity category, and are purchased by spending "research data", which is accrued via scanning the environment to expand your codex.[7]
- Weapon mods can change the way weapons function, such as adding burst fire to a shotgun, and lasers to an assault rifle.[7]
- Galaxy map is used to scan planets for anomalies. These can result in simple resource acquisitions, to unlocking either open planet zones (with vehicle exploration) and smaller on-foot zones.[7]
[1] Eurogamer: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Mass Effect Andromeda
[2] VG247: Mass Effect Andromeda: finally, hands-on gameplay reassures us Biowares sci-fi RPG is worth the wait
[3] Mass Effect: Andromeda hands-on: bigger, flashier, and very familiar
[4] Venture Beat: Mass Effect: Andromeda has big gameplay changes, an epic story, and a new galaxy
[5] Rock Paper Shotgun: Five hours with Mass Effect Andromeda
[6] Eurogamer: Four hours with Mass Effect Andromeda
[7] IGN: MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA HANDS-ON: 3 HOURS OF SPOILER-FREE IMPRESSIONS
I think negative space with downtime play in open world games is absolutely essential to contrast the actual points of interest and their importance. When built with a great deal of care to presentation, ambience, and construct can communicate an immersing sense of scale and journey. The Witcher 3 in particular does this arguably better than any other game I've ever played. Stretches of nothingness are immensely valuable to the convincing whole.
I don't really want to derail into yet another Inquisition comparison, but my issue with that game's environments had almost nothing to do with the "nothingness" in the open worlds, but the little enjoyment I derived from so much of the interactive content that was used populate the worlds and set objectives. I had no problem with wandering the Storm Coast and basking in the beautiful scenery, or even the lonely moonlit desert. What pissed me off were the intrusive hit sponge enemies stalling my journey, and the regular absence of valuable discovering in the form of lukewarm, uninteresting quest arcs and repeated checklisting objectives littering the open worlds.
Previews tend to be optimistic due to limited, controlled play experience and a positive play environment, but if it's any consolation several of the previews explicitly cite concerns of Mass Effect: Inquisition and note that the open planet zone playable did not seem reminiscent of anything Inquisition and instead far more interesting.
The squadmate with the least amount of dialogue has more than all of Shepard's in Mass Effect 3.