paragonpro
Banned
I'm so fucking excited for this game, can't wait for some official gameplay
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Mass Effect: Andromeda - Some small updates (voice casting has started, combat, etc)
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
No shit. They did an insultingly bad job with the geth and quarians in Mass Effect 3. It was particularly disappointing given that they seemed to be wising up after ME2.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Assuming the late 2016 release date holds (it probably wont) that would actually be a good time to announce the ME trilogy being ported to current gen consoles.
Yes, I am sure many people will respond to this post "knowing" that it won't happen, but it makes more sense to announce and release closer to the MEA release date to start the hype and give people time to playthrough.
BouncyFrag
Member
The slow burn wait for my most anticipated game this gen is on.
Shadow Broker
Banned
I'm finally getting around to playing ME3 and on the Wii U of all things. I'm glad that they're starting over from scratch. I think that's better than catering to their whining/entitled fan base. (Majority of them)
Couple of things got me thinking.
They said the main character wasn't in the reveal trailer which led me to this theory.
The N7 operative in the trailer is actually your commander who was charge with finding new planets to colonize in the Andromeda galaxy.
This opens up the possibility to play as any race because you're answering to an human. Shepard already established multiple alien races working together in the Normandy and every race has a steak in being able to establish themselves in a new galaxy.
I remember when Dragon Age Inquisition was revealed Bioware said lol only play as humans (which nerds bitched about) then reveal/surprise! You can play as other races. No one expects to be able to play as anything other than a human so no stank was raised and could lead to a major surprise situation.
I don't know, I'm bored so thinking of random shit.
Couple of things got me thinking.
They said the main character wasn't in the reveal trailer which led me to this theory.
The N7 operative in the trailer is actually your commander who was charge with finding new planets to colonize in the Andromeda galaxy.
This opens up the possibility to play as any race because you're answering to an human. Shepard already established multiple alien races working together in the Normandy and every race has a steak in being able to establish themselves in a new galaxy.
I remember when Dragon Age Inquisition was revealed Bioware said lol only play as humans (which nerds bitched about) then reveal/surprise! You can play as other races. No one expects to be able to play as anything other than a human so no stank was raised and could lead to a major surprise situation.
I don't know, I'm bored so thinking of random shit.
The Last Wizard
Member
Shut up, put up a collectors edition and proceed to take my money.
Hmm.. way these things usually go, can't this mean "we've simplified the heck out of it"?
Now everyone just wears the same armor or something.
TC McQueen
Member
No, they've talked about how super customizable the armor is, so it's probably more like "you get tons of armor parts to make your own kick ass armor to fit your play style".
Doesn't fit the trend if you look at ME2 to 3.
Angelus Errare
Banned
Hopefully Reapers will no longer be the focus. For a super powerful life extincting race they were pretty lame and not at all powerful.
Well, the Milky Way's toast, and that's the only galaxy the Reapers seemed to care about, so yeah, hopefully they're gone.
And, sadly, that's not quite what the person was asking for. If it's similar to ME2 and ME3, there will be no restriction as to what class can equip what pieces of armor, unlike in ME1 where only certain classes could wear Medium, and only Soldiers could wear Heavy.
Honestly, I just want to have the ability to equip armor on my squadmates.
It's not like movies. Voice acting doesn't take very long, and it's likely only going to be inserted towards the end.
They have over a year until release. Plenty of time.
Which would be a step back from the type of thinking that led to the excellent weight system in ME3. Instead of restricting armor based on class, it should simply add more weight which increases power cooldown. Many biotic builds will elect to use light intuitively, but it opens up more possibilities for unconventional builds.
Mass Effect
Member
Definitely sounding promising. One thing I am disappointed about is that from the sound of it, there won't be any large cities. One of the things I always wanted to do is to be able to explore a city. We got Illium in ME2 and... yeah, that's about it. Maybe you can count the Citadel Wards?
Probably like the only thing I agree with you on when it comes to ME.
Probably like the only thing I agree with you on when it comes to ME.
Making armor work as an extension of the weapon-cooldown dynamic would be fucking aces.
Good, I want to see that tech progression. So when will we see the ME original weapon overheating again and do away with that cartridge ammo garbage.
I need me some more of them frictionless coils for my side arm.
Yeah, I have to agree that I liked that system.
Although (and this is a weird complaint), they shouldn't have the starting armor be bonus to health or shields. Because I barely swapped any of it out because I didn't want to take the hit, so I acquired quite a bit of armor but never used it.
And the full body armor suits (like Cerberus Armor) look terrible.
Also: Please bring back full helmets and armor for your squadmates. I still cringe thinking of Jack basically not wearing a top and having just a breathing mask in basically open space.
Not a weird complaint at all. I often remember getting new pieces of armor and deciding it wasn't better than what I had. On the other hand, the bonuses often felt inconsequential enough that I just picked a setup that looked cool.
Defensive bonuses are a good thing to put on the basic armour because they're newbie friendly, I think. Margin for error is handy when you're screwing up.
HalfBakedProphet
Member
I understand why people are gun shy but unless they have some crazy table flipping, there's no reason it won't hit the target date.
The fact is ME3 was rushed, it's original date was less than 2 years after ME2. It got delayed (and still felt rushed). EA just didn't give the team enough time. ME2->ME3 was only 26 months. As for another Bioware game, we know DA:I had a major overhaul at some point and had some very different metagame mechanics. Hence the delay.
If the current window holds, it will be a full 4 years since Montreal announced they were already working on the next Mass Effect. A small bump into spring 2017 wouldn't be shocking, but it looks like EA gave them a much more realistic timeframe for development for Andromeda than they did with ME3.
I specifically remember internet posters being excited he was taking the reins on 3 because they enjoyed his character work in 1 and 2. ME3 ending being a mess doesn't mean he can't produce good work.
SolicitorPirate
Member
I remember reading an article that the prevalence of voice acting in Western RPGs is what made writing much more difficult compared to the Infinity Engine days. Back then, rewrites and revisions were a lot more common, which allowed things to be refined much better.
Now, once the dialogue is recorded, shit is set. Even if writers identify an error or just come up with something better, they can't change it without getting the actors back in to record, which may not be practical or even possible.
Keeping voice acting to the very last minute might be an attempt to give them more time to tighten up the writing.
shinobi602
Member
Voice casting doesn't take very long in the general development pipeline.
Seems to be a (sorta bad) EA MO, they just rapidfire content once the first game gets carefully established and pipeline set in stone. With Frostbite this time.
HalfBakedProphet
Member
people always remember Dragon Age II as being rushed but Mass Effect 3 had the same sort of pressure and timetable. It just got the benefit of a small delay.
That said, Andromeda has a lot of breathing room. EA is seemingly willing to let 4 and a half years pass between Mass Effect titles (closer to 5 if there is a delay). Maybe Andromeda 2 will be rushed out the door, but EA is letting Bioware keep this new one in the oven
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
This is correct. Flying voice actors in and out doesn't come cheap. I'd say its actually a sign that they're making good timing since you would pretty much need to have much of the major content locked down.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
It demonstrated that mini-arcs and individual storylines are his strength and that overall aching story is his weakness.
But yes, Mac isn't totally bad.
Ghostmaster
Member
I wonder if Andromeda got some breathing room after EA acquired Star Wars rights and decided that battlefront would be its sci-fi juggernaut for the year 2015.
Or maybe it was just the consequence of the Docs and Casey leaving so they had to do a lot of restructuring at Bioware.
Although if Mass Effect is coming out next year I wonder when the Star wars game developed by Visceral and Amy Hennig will come out.
They still pretending Garrus isn't getting a cameo?
Has nothing to do with Battlefront, if anything that game will fill a spot for a Battlefield title. EA's been easing up on strict dev times in general. Inquisition's success should be enough proof that EA has no reason to make Bioware rush a game out the door a la DA2.
Has nothing to do with Battlefront, if anything that game will fill a spot for a Battlefield title. EA's been easing up on strict dev times in general. Inquisition's success should be enough proof that EA has no reason to make Bioware rush a game out the door a la DA2.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Breathing room came from a lot of things, I think. I'm pretty sure Montreal was always going to headline the series future, but there wasn't a concrete plan on where to go and what to do. Unless I'm wrong, I'm fairly sure they were tossing around ideas of an MMO and First Contact War game, at least in early conceptual phases. They were wrestling with their own ideas alongside the negative feedback against the trilogy's end while also trying to gauge what fans want. Eventually it was locked down that Montreal would essentially do "Mass Effect 4".
But AFAIK they also didn't want to just do a logical continuation of the ME2/ME3 formula, instead their own thing too. So in many ways Andromeda is a much bigger step forward than ME2 and ME3 were to their predecessors, as it's supposed to take advantage of modern hardware and what Frostbite 3 can bring to the table. Plus working on a new engine, and being straddled with some development requirements for DA: Inquisition, add to the overall dev time.
But AFAIK they also didn't want to just do a logical continuation of the ME2/ME3 formula, instead their own thing too. So in many ways Andromeda is a much bigger step forward than ME2 and ME3 were to their predecessors, as it's supposed to take advantage of modern hardware and what Frostbite 3 can bring to the table. Plus working on a new engine, and being straddled with some development requirements for DA: Inquisition, add to the overall dev time.
Florida_Man_5000
Member
There are a ton more awesome tweets in this Bioware forum thread: http://forum.bioware.com/topic/353103-the-mass-effect-andromeda-twitter-thread/page-804.
Great way to spend a lunch hour going thru it!
Great way to spend a lunch hour going thru it!
anexanhume
Member
I really hope they mix in biotics and destructible environments to some degree.
They showed off taking out the bridge in DA:I previews and it didn't make it in.
Yeah, I hope so. If it's not announced at N7 Day then I give up...
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
Disappointed there wont be any updates on old characters.
I want to know if Kaidan ever found Shep alive. The bit on the run up to the citadel beam kills me when they have to say goodbye when Kaidan is injured and put on the shuttle.
I want to know if Kaidan ever found Shep alive. The bit on the run up to the citadel beam kills me when they have to say goodbye when Kaidan is injured and put on the shuttle.
Phat Michael
Banned
There is no doubt in my mind this will be the best game in the world. It will also have the best multiplayer in the world.
From what I remember, every indication at the time of ME3's release was that the next game was going to be a prequel. Bioware seemed fairly adamant that they didn't want to explore the universe post-trilogy.
The impression I get is that they appeared to realize that the majority of their fanbase seemed thoroughly uninterested in a prequel set during the First Contact War, and thus moved onto something new.
In fact, isn't it rumored that Montreal's game was originally going to be a FPS set during the First Contact War?
At least this time they're not announcing it's a trilogy ahead of the release of the first game.
I'd practically be willing to bet that if anyone is getting a cameo, it would be Liara, and I don't even think she's showing up. I think it's cut all ties and move forward.
anexanhume
Member
You know what would REALLY help tie me over?
Still can't believe this hasn't happened yet. Seems like such a no-brainer.
EA basically said they're not interested in doing re-masters.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
AFAIK they planned destruction for ME2, biotics blowing bridges and shit, but that generation of consoles coupled with UE3 forced them to cut it early. DA:I gutting it is also disappointing. Frostbite 3 handles destruction pretty well, and hopefully being built on the current generation of hardware will give them the headroom to do it.
Yeah, I agree. Around the time ME3 ended Gamble (I think it was) and co were mulling over or at least implying thoughts were directed towards a prequel game and/or maybe a multiplayer centric MMO. Then they all went quiet, and yeah; majority of the fanbase made it clear they wanted nothing to do with that and I figure plans change.
And yeah, rumours of a FCW FPS were circulating, as early as before ME3 was announced. In retrospect I'm not sure how valid they were though. A FPS shooter prototype was made for ME3, but it never got traction, and the FCW rumours were (apparently) deliberate red herrings when ME3 was being teased for the VGAs.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Executives say a lot of things and end up doing the opposite.
Its amazing how people conveniently forget this if it serves their purpose.
anexanhume
Member
People can sometimes go back on their word, therefore we will never believe anyone. Ok.
If EA were to release a remaster of a series, I'd be willing to bet that ME isn't their first choice.