Poodlestrike
Banned
I love that they did that
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The Mass Effect Community Thread
- Thread starter shinobi602
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^^^ Still the best part of that scene is realizing Male Shep is talking to himself.
Lots of room for building extremely specialized characters in this system. Used to be you had to mod your game to do this kind of thing.
Thank you very much for putting that together.
The fact that they gave squadmates the ability to charge hopefully means that they put a lot more work into companion AI. If drones, trurrets and domination powers are still in then controlling the battlefield could be stronger than ever.
Lots of room for building extremely specialized characters in this system. Used to be you had to mod your game to do this kind of thing.
AWizardDidIt
Member
wat
shinobi602
Member
Why? It feels smooth and natural during gameplay. Did you play games like The Last of Us or recent Tomb Raider games?
shinobi602
Member
Mostly just down to lighting and weird angles. I think she'll look great in the full gameI like FemRyder's looks in those menu segments of trailer. I wonder what in earlier shots has made her look... goofier.
Did you hear that prag16? I can be positive about her
DeadlyParasite
Member
I did play both of the recent Tomb Raider games yes and it was absolutely the most annoying part of combat for both games. You're never truly in cover and it feels too loose to the point where you don't even feel like you're being protected at all. That and since your character isn't straight up against the wall enemies have an easier time hitting you around corners.
I like the feel of being locked into cover where bullets don't hit me and I can spend less time worrying about getting shot at and more time shooting enemies and planning out my strategy.
Heckler456
Banned
It depends on the implementation. I'm not playing TR on the highest difficulty, so I can't really comment on the effectiveness of its cover system. But as someone who's done a grounded playthrough of TLOU, its cover system is absolutely better and more functional than any other variation I've ever played. We'll have to see how Mass Effect does, but "contextual cover" or however you want to call it is absolutely the way forward, instead of the rigid "press x to take cover" or whatever.
AWizardDidIt
Member
Well luckily for you there's a skill that literally just deploys cover wherever you are so you can do exactly that.
AWizardDidIt
Member
oh shit I didn't notice that one. Brilliant.
DeadlyParasite
Member
Except the ability to deploy cover isn't the reason for my grievance with the cover system...?
The player is annoyingly exposed in every shot where the character gets into "cover". Makes me real sad.
Heckler456
Banned
He seems to be perfectly in cover? I'm not sure what you mean. If you mean that he's not in cover when he's behind the lower box, I'd like to point out that he moved out of cover by backing away from the taller box.
shinobi602
Member
Whoever's playing there is just moving constantly and doesn't look to be touching the crates too too much. When you get right up to those, you hug the wall/crate/etc. If he moved to the lower crate, he'd automatically crouch. You won't get hit.Except the ability to deploy cover isn't the reason for my grievance with the cover system...?
The player is annoyingly exposed in every shot where the character gets into "cover". Makes me real sad.
Trust me, it feels nice and natural.
Heckler456
Banned
Have you played it? How exactly does it compare to TLOU's cover system?
DeadlyParasite
Member
We'll see. Just like the new dialogue system and weapon/ability changes I'm going to remain skeptically unhappy until experiencing them first-hand.
AWizardDidIt
Member
But like... why complain about something you don't know about?
VenomousCoffee
Member
Just watched the trailer and (although I have concerns about balancing and how much of this will be in MP) I was very impressed. In addition to the combat, I'm very glad to see a more robust skill tree, more like ME 1 than 2 or 3.
Pumped.
Pumped.
DeadlyParasite
Member
Me not knowing anything is the crux of the entire problem. We're 32 days from launch and we're barely scraping by for basic information. What things we are shown are unclear and in turn we have to rely on clarifications from insiders and devs on message boards/comments sections to get definitive answers and assurances on the topic.
If cover truly works as Shinobi says it does why has it not been properly and accurately showcased in a video series strictly about gameplay?
Marketing has been so hit-and-miss it's frustrating.
Heckler456
Banned
Same. Horizon needs to come out already, so that I have someplace to dump my free time into instead of these forums!
AWizardDidIt
Member
That's a minute detail that I think is unrealistic to expect to have covered in a 5 minute long video that was already stuffed with showing off the combat system.
But if you care that much, a beta will be pretty soon so every aspect of the cover system will be known before the game's release
orichalcos
Member
Swords...finally. I will be the Kai Leng of Andromeda. \o/
AWizardDidIt
Member
Your life will get much better if you decide to cut youtube comments out of it.
Bioware's anti-fanbase is particularly bad due to its associations with "social justice" and representation of LGBT romance/sexuality.
Dandy Lyin
Member
The video was great. I'm afraid to check out the thread in Gaming though.
It's probably the most positive Mass Effect thread i've seen in 5 years lol.
Dandy Lyin
Member
Yeah, I see that! I peeked in, and was shocked that at least the first page seemed almost overwhelmingly positive.
shinobi602
Member
It's probably about 90% positive.
I had a feeling people would feel better once real substantial footage started getting out. Next several weeks are going to be good. So much media coming out.
DevilDog
Member
You have this feeling everytime BioWare releases a trailer though
The focus on gameplay is the best thing they can do right now.
Here's hoping they release more than one video per week lol.
shinobi602
Member
Not really, it started with the last cinematic trailer, which I thought was legitimately awesome lol. I guess it was mixed. Pure gameplay like this is always what everyone likes though.You have this feeling everytime BioWare releases a trailer though
The focus on gameplay is the best thing they can do right now.
It's a weekly series. On top of this gameplay series, there's also previews lifting next week, another Initiative video, the MP test, IGN's month long coverage in March, live streams, plus it'll then be in people's hands on March 16th via EA Access so there will be tons of footage, launch trailer...
There's a whole lot.
I haven't, but we can see enemies that use it so it be weird if the player couldn't. It's probably a profile ability
I was wary of the gameplay since it was open but it looks fluid as heck.
The combat looks excellent as expected and I'm not worried about the story/characters as even their worst recent offering on that front (DA2) is something I'd consider disappointing but still really good. All that's left for me to be concerned about is world structure/content density, aka the infamous "but what about the side quests???" concern.
shinobi602
Member
I wouldn't expect too many plot details as that's something they'd like to leave as a surprise for players when they first play the game. There will be footage focusing on exploration and you can also expect impressions on exploration and quests among the previews next Thursday when the embargo lifts.
Alpha Phoenix
Member
My last played times for each Mass Effect game, according to Xbox.com:
ME1: 3 Aug 2011
ME2 3 Feb 2012
ME3: 3 Dec 2013
Somehow they're all on the 3rd.
ME1: 3 Aug 2011
ME2 3 Feb 2012
ME3: 3 Dec 2013
Somehow they're all on the 3rd.
DevilDog
Member
Sounds good. Looking forward to see some pretty sights.
Half life 3 confirmed
Knight-enchanter on Tumblr went and compiled recent info out of dev twitter feeds. I noticed this thanks to Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/5upwqv/compilation_of_recent_tweets_from_mea_designers/
- ”Narrative" is purely the lowest difficulty setting, not comparable to ME3′s action mode which removed dialogue choice in favor of pre-scripted cutscenes
- PC gamers are probably able to adjust their FOV
- Mechanically, power cells work like grenade ammo did in ME3
- We'll see a mix of old, new, and revised powers. Pull, for instance, incorporates elements of Lift
- Generally speaking there are counterbalances built into the crafting system to prevent you making super OP weapons
- There's aim assist, and you can disable it if you wish, on all platforms
- You can keep playing the game after finishing the main story - the majority of content including loyalty missions remains available
- Digital copies of the game will definitely have pre-load. Exact date currently uncertain but it will be close to launch
- We still need to strip away barriers and shields before the ”fun" part of using biotics on enemies begins
- SMGs are still in the game, filed under the ”pistols" category along with hand cannon pistols for the sake of simplicity
- If you want to you can keep leveling up til you max out every skill, but we'll likely need to start NG+ at least once to pull that off (Ian later tweeted that it might be possible to do it in one run, but he doubts it, and added that you'll likely need more than one run to pull it off ). You can do more than one NG+ with the same character
- More info to come on modding and crafting
- There's definitely no first person view
- Drack was described as ”grizzled" and someone who loves to blow things up
- Supposedly nobody knows how long krogan can live as they do not tend to die of old age
- vfx and colors for abilities are set, we don't select those
- Dpad and left analogue stick both work when navigating through menus
- Cora and Drack are a fun combination in combat, especially if you spec him for fire priming and her for charges that detonate combos
- If I'm interpreting the tweets right, the meeting Drack scene was one of a cinematic designer's favorite scenes to work on . Tom Taylorson commented that it was one of the easiest scenes to voiceact for (just ‘obvious' how to perform due to the awesomeness of the writing)
- There's no crouch button, you automatically crouch when you take cover against something low
- We can switch profiles in the field. They'll be showing more about the Favorites feature in the next gameplay vid
- The game is SLi friendly (edit: I think this means SLi compatible, it's a specs thing, see here/here)
- Jason Eldred (gameplay designer) is the person to thank for Ryder being able to hold and control Pulls. Apparently he's done some really cool stuff with the powers
- In multiplayer there are only drops, not a crafting system like in DA:I. You can apply mods to weapons, but it is not crafting exactly
- When you start NG+, your level carries over, along with most of your non-narrative progression
- Some weapons and armor are only craftable for narrative reasons, but most drop as loot
- Squad commands will be covered in the next gameplay vid
- Adjectives which most describe Cora in Andromeda, per her writer: ” Professional, supportive, fearless."
- Seems the game's ESRB rating has been updated a bit. ”Partial nudity" now reads just ”nudity"
- In multiplayer you can reach max level and then start again from level 1 if you want. Q. ”But will this promotion give u any benefits (like ME3MP N7 rating or DAIMP stats; maybe achievements)?" -> A. ”No, we'd call this "resetting." We don't do promotions, but we have another mechanic that serves that role"
- You can't really get stuck in cover as it is now not magnetic but all very fluid and smooth. To enter cover all you have to do is approach with your gun drawn - ”Your body animation and an icon in the HUD help msg that you're in cover."
- Peebee's writer (who wrote the Sith Warrior storyline in SW:TOR) says that there are some similarities between Vette (SW companion) and Peebee but that Peebee is a very different character
- Peebee's writer wrote another character in the game too
- You can swap camera shoulder whenever you want for optimal visibility
- Characters pop in and out of the Nomad as opposed to an exit/enter animation. There used to be such an animation in development but it was removed as they found it annoying
- Using the Nomad with 4 or 6 wheel changes the way it feels and handles, especially on steep inclines
- There's an answer to why the N7 Piranha, a weapon that was designed for the Reaper War, appears in the game
- Q. ”Through crafting, can you use resources to upgrade your gun to higher levels? ie level up a Mattock I to a Mattock IV?" -> A. ” Yes and no. You don't "upgrade" a gun from III to IV, per se, but you can outright craft a IV."
- Ryder holds the foregrip of SMGs properly (in contrast to the original trilogy); the animation team did some extra magic for SMGs
- Q. ”So what are the chances Cerberus will be in the ME:A timeline?" -> A. ”Low."
- Aaryn Flynn re-emphasized that there are relationships that do not culminate in sex
- High impact sniper rifles are definitely in the game
- Loot/crates in multiplayer is ME3-style. They say they've made improvements to the rng (for drop rates etc)
- Keep an eye on IGN for upcoming Andromeda coverage
I've been putting off following too much about this game (not that there's been a lot to follow until recently), but after spending a little bit of time checking out videos I'm pretty hyped.
I remember back in the months/years leading up to the original game's release and my hype levels were through the roof. I even bought the horribly sculpted Hyperchild Command Shepard #/5000 statue that was produced (that I still own). I planned on Mass Effect being my next big sci-fi love affair. Ultimately I enjoyed the games (except 3, which I didn't enjoy much overall), but never got as connected to the franchise as I'd hoped I would.
That being said, I think I'm gonna replay the trilogy leading up to Andromeda, and likely buy the new game through Origin to enjoy on PC. The improved combat looks incredible.
I remember back in the months/years leading up to the original game's release and my hype levels were through the roof. I even bought the horribly sculpted Hyperchild Command Shepard #/5000 statue that was produced (that I still own). I planned on Mass Effect being my next big sci-fi love affair. Ultimately I enjoyed the games (except 3, which I didn't enjoy much overall), but never got as connected to the franchise as I'd hoped I would.
That being said, I think I'm gonna replay the trilogy leading up to Andromeda, and likely buy the new game through Origin to enjoy on PC. The improved combat looks incredible.
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