Support NeoGAF

[Squire]

so wait, this game is 2016, and they haven't even cast some roles yet, and it's not in a show-able state?

Something being "in a show-able state" and when the powers that be decide to show it to the public specifically are two different things. U.S. Not seeing does not jndicate it's not ready or wat early. It's just not where they want it to be. Can't blame them given the hypercritical nature of the Internet.

Of all companys, I'm just surprised it's EA who are turning down the chance to make some easy money.

It's not easy money though if you have to spend time/effort (so, money) to get it.

 

[Sanctuary]

Calm the fuck down. No reason to act like a butthurt titty baby over an opinion.

No reason to act like those commenting need a lesson on how to play either. Also, nice ad hominem reply for absolutely no reason. Unless being a hypocrite is your thing.

 

[EatChildren]

Excuse to bump this, but a quick scour of LinkedIn noted that John Dombrow is a senior writer on Andromeda.

His BioWare writing credits for the series are pretty great:

MASS EFFECT 3
Senior Writer on Mass Effect 3. I was responsible for all phases of writing three major critical-path missions in Mass Effect 3:

*Priority Sur'Kesh: Rescuing the krogan female (the beginning of the genophage story arc). This mission was part of the E3 demo and included in the Xbox/PS3/PC pre-release demo as well.
*Priority Tuchanka: Curing the genophage on Tuchanka (conclusion of the genophage arc)
*Priority Thessia: mission on Liara's homeworld as Reapers invade.

I wrote all characters within those missions (i.e. Wrex, Wreav, female krogan, turian primarch, portions of Illusive Man, etc.) with assistance from another writer on the character of Mordin.
I also developed the initial "Grissom Academy" mission (i.e. "Jack's mission") and wrote the first draft.

In terms of squadmates, I was responsible for writing two characters:

*Garrus, including all his relationship scenes, Normandy dialogue, and "voice" editing of Garrus' dialogue on all other missions in the game.
*Javik (Prothean DLC), including all his relationship scenes, Normandy dialogue, and "voice" editing of Javik's dialogue on all other missions in the game.

MASS EFFECT 3 DLC: CITADEL
Co-lead writer on Mass Effect 3 DLC 'Citadel', released March 2013.

MASS EFFECT 3 DLC: LEVIATHAN
Supervising writer on Mass Effect 3 DLC 'Leviathan', released summer 2012.

MASS EFFECT 2
*Responsible for writing all phases of the Mass Effect 2 DLC mission "Overlord", which was a nominee for Gamespot's "Best Downloadable Content of 2010".

 

[Patryn]

Sounds like a good guy.

Did we ever get closure on if the head writer had really left or not?

 

[PFD]

There's been zero news about this game. Are they still aiming for 2016?

 

[Patryn]

There's been zero news about this game. Are they still aiming for 2016?

The lack of news makes sense, given that we're likely still over a year out from release.

Odds are that we won't get the full blowout coverage until E3.

And, yes, they haven't changed the Q4 2016 estimate.... yet.

 

[HvySky]

There's been zero news about this game. Are they still aiming for 2016?

I can only hope the dev team is just really plugging away and they'll have a big reveal at E3 2016. "Coming this holday!"

 

[EatChildren]

No closure on the Chris Schlerf gossip.

We'll get something Andromeda related in a couple of weeks, probably maybe hopefully.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

There's been zero news about this game. Are they still aiming for 2016?

November 7th might bring us something , N7 Day

Nice bump Eat, encouraging

 

[AuthenticM]

What are the chances of this game being at the VGAs or PSX?

 

[Banderdash]

No closure on the Chris Schlerf gossip.

We'll get something Andromeda related in a couple of weeks, probably maybe hopefully.

At the Keighleys?

 

[Rap2thaMoon]

Andromeda coming next year is highly unlikely, no inside source just my thoughts on it. I mean do people really see it coming out 2016?

 

[Patryn]

What are the chances of this game being at the VGAs or PSX?

Still feels too early for either, but then again ME3 did debut at VGX.

I still think that we won't see a ton until E3 2016.

 

[JehutyRunner]

They said they'd be going dark at E3 until later this winter. So either N7 Day or Keighley's thing, they'll show something. Followed by a Game Informer cover and then re-emerge a bit after that before E3 for a blowout.

It'll be out by next holiday still.

 

[Patryn]

They said they'd be going dark at E3 until later this winter. So either N7 Day or Keighley's thing, they'll show something. Followed by a Game Informer cover and then re-emerge a bit after that before E3 for a blowout.

It'll be out by next holiday still.

I'm still the pessimist thinking it'll slip to Q1 2017.

Hasn't literally every ME game slipped?

 

[Mass Effect]

I hope we at least hear something on N7 Day or that Keighley award show. We've barely gotten anything since the reveal.

I'm still the pessimist thinking it'll slip to Q1 2017.

Hasn't literally every ME game slipped?

1 didn't.

 

[EatChildren]

At the Keighleys?

Kitchy "N7 Day" is in two weeks, and BioWare implied we'd see more before the year is out.

 

[JehutyRunner]

I'm still the pessimist thinking it'll slip to Q1 2017.

Hasn't literally every ME game slipped?

As far as I know, only 3. 1 never slipped, 2 certainly didn't. Only 3 was pushed from Holiday 2011 to March 2012.

That said, Dragon Age: Inquisition was pushed once too, but only by a few weeks.

 

[shinobi602]

Andromeda coming next year is highly unlikely, no inside source just my thoughts on it. I mean do people really see it coming out 2016?

Why not?

 

[EatChildren]

My brain has conditioned me to Q1 releases for Mass Effect. But lack of news isn't indicative of a change of plans. It's still at least 12 months away.

 

[Rap2thaMoon]

Why not?

How many games are being delayed these days? and the holiday release date is extremely vague, announcing the game 1,5 years away, hell, longer if you consider the very small nuggets of details that weren't really details, only what ME is likely to be. It's a feeling i got and i can't help it, hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[Guri]

How many games are being delayed these days? and the holiday release date is extremely vague, announcing the game 1,5 years away, hell, longer if you consider the very small nuggets of details that weren't really details, only what ME is likely to be. It's a feeling i got and i can't help it, hopefully I'm wrong.

It's been in development since 2012. Fallout 4 had a similar strategy (although announced only this year) and it wasn't delayed. I think the focus has been Dragon Age and then Star Wars. Next year is all about Mass Effect. I do think it's possible.

 

[Ralemont]

I'm preparing myself for Q1 2017 so I won't be disappointed. It's honestly not a problem though since Holiday 2016 looks stacked. Provided of course things like Horizon don't also slip to 2017...

 

[Renae]

Holiday 2016 : ME Trilogy Remastered and Q1 2017 : ME 4, I think.

 

[Bisnic]

We still know next to nothing about the game other than that survey leak(things could have changed since then, who know?). We haven't even see the real game at all yet.

It would be dumb of them to release such a massive load of information, screens and gameplay videos on E3, just 5 months before the release. Getting a 2nd trailer with some bits of lore and gameplay scenes before the end of the year would already be pretty nice to have.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

My brain has conditioned me to Q1 releases for Mass Effect. But lack of news isn't indicative of a change of plans. It's still at least 12 months away.

Feels like 12 years

 

[mosdl]

As far as I know, only 3. 1 never slipped, 2 certainly didn't. Only 3 was pushed from Holiday 2011 to March 2012.

That said, Dragon Age: Inquisition was pushed once too, but only by a few weeks.

DA:I was also on 5 platforms vs 3 for Mass Effect.

 

[shinobi602]

How many games are being delayed these days?

That's honestly not really relevant. Each game's development process is different. You can't extrapolate anything from other game's delays. Heck more games have shipped on time than not.

and the holiday release date is extremely vague, announcing the game 1,5 years away, hell, longer if you consider the very small nuggets of details that weren't really details, only what ME is likely to be. It's a feeling i got and i can't help it, hopefully I'm wrong.

It's a typical marketing schedule...the first trailer debuted this past E3, we'll get some updates this Winter, marketing will trickle out early next year with a large dissemination of information and media at E3 and will ramp up leading up to its holiday release. There's really no need for them to put out so much information right this second. Publishers (for the most part) are learning that revealing their games early and having large windows of time does them no good. Just look at Fallout 4. People were completely in the dark about it until it landed like an atom bomb with a release date this past E3.

Andromeda's been in development for a long, long time, over 4 years when Holiday 2016 rolls around. Going dark isn't any indication as to its status, it's coming along very well.

Now, could it get delayed into 2017? Sure. Anything's possible, especially if they feel they need a bit more optimization time. But they've learned a lot from shipping DAI, from working with DICE and collaborating on Frostbite, and with all the resources under Wilson's management, not to mention the need to own next holiday along with the next Battlefield. EA needs it next year.

 

[Phamit]

I didn't expect to see something new until November 7th. I think last year they showed concept arts, lets see what they so This year

VGA and PSX are still coming and BW like to show things at their PAX Panels.

So I don't believe that we have to wait until E3 next year

 

[HK-47]

Its the Overlord/Tuchanka guy!

 

[AcePartyN7]

I really can't wait for the game, probably the goty of the next year with Halo Wars 2 on my side.

 

[DOWN]

Too bad the survey describes it as Inquisition offline MMO fetch quest festival. I despise how overrated Witcher 3 is, but they absolutely did a more bearable approach to side quests and world POIs than Inquisition.

 

[Mifune]

I don't see this game coming out next year if voice casting has just started. That's a lot of work to be done in a year or less. I'd guess it's still a year and a half out.

 

[shinobi602]

I don't see this game coming out next year if voice casting has just started. That's a lot of work to be done in a year or less. I'd guess it's still a year and a half out.

This thread was posted over 2 months ago. 14-15'ish months is plenty of time for voicework. Plenty.

 

[Lakitu]

I wonder how much we'll get on N7 day. Just hope it's not more concept art...

 

[Bisnic]

I don't see this game coming out next year if voice casting has just started. That's a lot of work to be done in a year or less. I'd guess it's still a year and a half out.

Voice casting isn't as complicated or long to do as writing the story or quests. By the way, this thread is 2 months old.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

This thread was posted over 2 months ago. 14-15'ish months is plenty of time for voicework. Plenty.

I too believe this is an early 2017. Feel it in my balls.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I too believe this is an early 2017. Feel it in my balls.

Don't crush my hopes

 

[Wulfram]

As far as I know, only 3. 1 never slipped, 2 certainly didn't. Only 3 was pushed from Holiday 2011 to March 2012.

That said, Dragon Age: Inquisition was pushed once too, but only by a few weeks.

Inquisition was pushed a whole year back, though not from a hard date.

 

[shinobi602]

I too believe this is an early 2017. Feel it in my balls.

Heh, anything's possible.

 

[Mifune]

This thread was posted over 2 months ago. 14-15'ish months is plenty of time for voicework. Plenty.

Okay yeah, didn't realize it was an old thread. 12 months would be kinda tight in my opinion.

 

[Patryn]

Okay yeah, didn't realize it was an old thread. 12 months would be kinda tight in my opinion.

Why? It's not like a movie. They can do a hell of a lot before they bring in the real voice actors.

 

[Mifune]

Why? It's not like a movie. They can do a hell of a lot before they bring in the real voice actors.

It seems like games are casting actors more than a year before release. So 12 months seemed to me a bit behind schedule. As it turns out, it's an old thread, and casting 15 months out seems closer to the norm.

So my original point is moot. I was thinking it would be a Q1 '17 release but Holiday 2016 sounds doable.

 

[Nirolak]

BioWare is hiring a Senior Gameplay Designer for Mass Effect: Andromeda and they're fine with them working out of Edmonton or Austin: https://career4.successfactors.com/...lertName=&_s.crb=DrS8Nwzj8ffbghmkW6MsblkCNyI=

I would say at this point the notion that the regional studios are separate is gone.

 

[EatChildren]

senior herb fetchquest arc designer

 

[ChanMan]

I have rather low expectations for this game and honestly, its the best feeling to have.

This is pretty much how I feel, really no expectations going into it. I still enjoyed ME 3 though but not as much as the first two.

 

[Patryn]

BioWare is hiring a Senior Gameplay Designer for Mass Effect: Andromeda and they're fine with them working out of Edmonton or Austin: https://career4.successfactors.com/...lertName=&_s.crb=DrS8Nwzj8ffbghmkW6MsblkCNyI=

I would say at this point the notion that the regional studios are separate is gone.

I freely admit that I have zero experience in game development, but isn't a little late in the process for them to be bringing in a new Gameplay Designer?

Unlike the VA issue, I would have thought all the system designs would have been finished a while ago, and they'd be working on implementation.

Again, though, I will admit to total ignorance on this issue and it's entirely possible that I'm misunderstanding what the position actually is.

 

[Zyae]

Andromeda coming next year is highly unlikely, no inside source just my thoughts on it. I mean do people really see it coming out 2016?

Fallout 4 was announced 5 months before release.

 

[EatChildren]

I freely admit that I have zero experience in game development, but isn't a little late in the process for them to be bringing in a new Gameplay Designer?

It's weird. That person might be filling a role that someone is leaving/has left. They might be a senior game designer for a specific component, like multiplayer. I could be wrong, but modern BioWare seems to take a Ubisoft-like development approach, where it's all hands on deck and you end up with an amalgamation of people in similar roles doing bits and pieces for the game.

Alternatively, the project is a disaster.

 

[x-Lundz-x]

Holiday 2016 : ME Trilogy Remastered and Q1 2017 : ME 4, I think.

As much as I still hope and dream for a ME Trilogy on PS4 and XB1 it's not going to happen. EA doesn't like easy money.


Can't wait for the first trailer for this game with some Two Steps from Hell goodness.