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[Senor Kami]

Have a handful of small worlds that are really fleshed out with custom stories and scenarios.

Outside of that, procedurally generate worlds that are basically nothing but Skyrim miscellaneous missions and dungeons for combat. It would be really awesome if they had some Spore Creature Creator type of thing where the community could make aliens and basic missions and those would be upload and fed into the system for everyone to have. That was something I thought more studios would implement as a way to save on having to design everything themselves and as a way to add at least superficial variety to a game. Nobody really jumped on it though.

 

[Mindlog]

Like Mass Effect 1.

I mean look at this, Frostbite 3 is made for this.

The weird thing is that a lot of ME3 MP maps look like that. That picture is incredibly reminiscent of Firebase Dagger. I bet all my credits that as side missions they would feel INFINITELY better if the drop shuttle did a low pass first with all kinds of pretty camera shots. Something made impossible by the ancient hardware they were bound to.

More.

This is making everything pretty clear for me. I want tightly designed side-missions with proper attention given to scale. From the Galaxy Map to landing make all the little changes necessary to give it a proper feel. Just some minor HUD elements to increase the differentiation between gas giants and standard rock worlds would go a long way. A sprawling research complex and tiny listening post should not appear to be the same size even though the areas we explore on foot may be comparably sized. The research complex in the Arrival DLC was pretty good example even though it presented some story oddities. Balance combat encounters with exploration and puzzles.

 

[Jarmel]

Definitely Overlord with Mako.

 

[Lightning Lord]

B) Mass Effect 2 flavour: Short, on-foot missions set in highly detailed and meticulously constructed locations across an assortment of planets, art and audio teams working wonders to make each location seem authentic and alive, if at the cost of real, playable scope. Largely discovered through quests.

C) Mass Effect 2: Overlord flavour: A hybrid of A and B; relatively small and neatly organised terrain space that is expansive enough to be explored by vehicle, designated drop off points leading to foot missions, the core explorable area moreso acting like a hub.

I'd prefer a mixture of these two. Mass Effect was great because you had all of these various planets you could travel to and explore, but they all ended up very "samey" with not much in the way of variety. Mass Effect 2 was better in that each planet had unique maps and aesthetics, but most of them consisted of corridors that you traveled down to go from point A to point B. On top of that, the planets were tied to a single side quest, so once you were finished with that side quest, you couldn't go back to that planet again.

What I'd like to see is the return of being able to freely come and go from planets, and not have all of them tied to single side quests. Give the planets more unique maps. They may have to scale back on the amount of planets you can ultimately travel to, but I'd rather have a select amount of fleshed-out planets that gives you reason to want to go back than a bunch of giant rocks that all blend together.

 

[EatChildren]

I suppose the trick is making content that is interesting and valuable in some way rather than superfluous.

Thinking back, I definitely prefer ME1's style over the sequels, even if I still really loved the better directed missions in ME2. I guess this is because I found value in the scope/scale of ME1's uncharted worlds and the agency in how you explored them even if much of your exploration was empty and pointless, and the quests repetitious. It's cliche, but it was the feel of a great, expansive planet that I could wander on foot or vehicle that really made Mass Effect's uncharted worlds for me. Properly evoked the feeling of being a tiny spec in a huge, sprawling, infinite universe. Something I think is pretty important for a sci fi game like this.

But that's not to say I didn't enjoy ME2's missions either. I loved them, really, because they made up for the lack of scope with more refined mission structure. Mindlog's examples of the botched AI mission arc is a good one. And even though they lacked scope, I still enjoyed landing on uncharted worlds and oogling at the pretty skyboxes.

Ideally something like Overlord would be a perfect middle ground, but even though I loved Overlord I still don't think it did explorable terrain right. Getting in/out of the vehicle I think is important. Whatever is done with uncharted worlds it's important to put as much control and agency in the hands of the player, instead of neatly compartmentalising each 'stage' of a mission arc or explorable hub. Blur the lines, as ME1 did best.

 

[TrueGrime]

I suppose the trick is making content that is interesting and valuable in some way rather than superfluous.

Thinking back, I definitely prefer ME1's style over the sequels, even if I still really loved the better directed missions in ME2. I guess this is because I found value in the scope/scale of ME1's uncharted worlds and the agency in how you explored them even if much of your exploration was empty and pointless, and the quests repetitious. It's cliche, but it was the feel of a great, expansive planet that I could wander on foot or vehicle that really made Mass Effect's uncharted worlds for me. Properly evoked the feeling of being a tiny spec in a huge, sprawling, infinite universe. Something I think is pretty important for a sci fi game like this.

But that's not to say I didn't enjoy ME2's missions either. I loved them, really, because they made up for the lack of scope with more refined mission structure. Mindlog's examples of the botched AI mission arc is a good one. And even though they lacked scope, I still enjoyed landing on uncharted worlds and oogling at the pretty skyboxes.

Ideally something like Overlord would be a perfect middle ground, but even though I loved Overlord I still don't think it did explorable terrain right. Getting in/out of the vehicle I think is important. Whatever is done with uncharted worlds it's important to put as much control and agency in the hands of the player, instead of neatly compartmentalising each 'stage' of a mission arc or explorable hub. Blur the lines, as ME1 did best.

This. Well said.

 

[Alucrid]

With plenty of janky ass mako shenanigans

 

[grimmiq]

Warframe style procedural levels for uncharted worlds but with bigger/better tilesets.

 

[SmartBase]

Ditch multiplayer and have a handful of planets to explore like ME 1.

Agreed on both points.

I'd be fairly content with just a refined version of the first game's exploration.

 

[EatChildren]

They're not going to ditch the multiplayer when it was well received both critically and commercially.

 

[Gxgear]

Each planet should play out like a mini version of Steamworld Dig.

 

[Nirolak]

They're not going to ditch the multiplayer when it was well received both critically and commercially.

The series was also handed to the studio that did the multiplayer, and they explicitly surveyed what people did and didn't like about it for the next version.

 

[EatChildren]

The series was also handed to the studio that did the multiplayer, and they explicitly surveyed what people did and didn't like about it for the next version.

no that part doesn't matter

 

[matrix-cat]

I have to stop myself from exploring all the uncharted worlds when I replay ME1, I just love the idea of it so much. The execution isn't the best, sure, but it's an experience you just don't find in any other game. I don't need a whole lot of authored content out there to keep me happy, either. Subtle, passive storytelling, the kind of thing where you stumble across a crashed shuttle, read a log where the pilot talks about moving on to find shelter, follow his tracks for a while and eventually find a corpse or whatever is so much more interesting than a fully-scripted cover-shooting crawl through a warehouse, y'know?

 

[Spectral Entity]

I posted this in the ME appreciation thread but they should go for a 3 tiered procedural generation in regards to exploreable worlds. There is no reason today why they can't provide a large number of exploreable worlds with a variety of quality and structure given the tools available which should greatly reduce the time and effort needed to craft them. And it's silly to just offer one type of planet as well, variety is the spice of life.

Tier 1: High priority worlds with major story/missions on them, requiring a high degree of developer hands on crafting and alteration. These would be worlds with major settlements and layouts much like Overloard, Asteroid X57, etc.

Tier 2: Medium priority worlds that offer major side missions and require a moderate amount of hands on manipulation by developers to accommodate what mission(s) are there. These would settings akin to the N7 missions in ME2/3, though not locked to a single on foot location, but they would have one or two of those kinds of locations available.

Tier 3: Low priority worlds that may offer minor side missions and events but only require the minimal amount of developer alteration to ensure there are conflicts and that structures and locations are all operable. These would be the most like ME1 style planets with minimal structures and NPCs where exploration is the key feature with only a few missions or events. Mostly just abandoned or occupied mines/camps/bases by various enemy units. Relics and things of that nature.

There could be a few dozen Tier 3 planets, maybe a dozen or more Tier 2 planets and then 3-5 tier 1 planets.

Sir or madam, I like the way you think!

 

[Enduin]

Sir or madam, I like the way you think!

It's the most logical way to do things and the most awesome.

I want to rocket off a cliff on my Mako 2.0 and crash land in some crazy ass starship wreckage like ME2's Normady crash site, but way bigger, and get out on foot to explore and find some look and end up face to face with creepy creatures or mechs lurking in the shadows. And then there was a firefight.

 

[Mindlog]

Ideally something like Overlord would be a perfect middle ground, but even though I loved Overlord I still don't think it did explorable terrain right. Getting in/out of the vehicle I think is important. Whatever is done with uncharted worlds it's important to put as much control and agency in the hands of the player, instead of neatly compartmentalising each 'stage' of a mission arc or explorable hub. Blur the lines, as ME1 did best.

That's a very important part of the whole experience that I forgot to mention. The transition between on-foot and Hammerhead segments were really cumbersome. Again that has the feel of something that had to be done because of the engine and really crappy ancient console hardware. On top of that a lot of the Hammerhead environments felt almost over designed. While design can create actual challenge (platform hopping across lava) it has to have a light touch to feel like a planet and not like a level. I want a well designed environment that doesn't feel designed.

Sounds like QA feedback that would frustrate a dev :]

I'm still trying to get a handle on how much travel time would feel right. Too much and side missions feel slow. Too little and we end up with the traveling to a closet feel. Is there any way to make traveling in a Kodiak interesting without requiring an enormous amount of resources? Is a slow ground vehicle (Mako) the only cheap solution?

 

[anexanhume]

I think the sparseness and required effort of ME1 helped support the "strange world" atmosphere the game had. That being said, a lot of it felt like chores and repeating the fetch missions after a god damned thresher maw killed me was infuriating.

I want to have that same wild west frontier kind of feel without feeling like I'm doing fetch quests or meaningless collectibles tasks. I really like the idea of being rewarded with unique equipment or resources for use elsewhere in the game.

I think the exploration/discovery mechanism is two pronged. In ME1, that put it planet side, with it being obvious which planets you could explore and land on. In ME2, they put it galaxy side, with you having to work, via probing, to find suitable places to land. Once you found them, you immediately went on a foot mission on the planet. While I think the probing mechanism can be improved, I value this method more because it gives more of the core gameplay and character interactions I value the series for. Most of the vehicle sequences end up feeling like filler to me. And that's not to say I didn't enjoy some of the Mako or hammerhead sequences. It just feels out of place and not the type of game I picked up the controller to play.

I did like the skycar chases in ME2, however, especially since Liara is barking directions at you the whole time and you feel immersed in the game and there's palpable tension instead of a mindless vehicle sequence where party chatter is very minimal. I would like more of that. I know that means scripted sequences that are resource intensive, but those are ultimately the experiences I find myself valuing more.

 

[Izayoi]

I totally forgot about derelict vessels as well. Really creepy and ominous... It gave you a good sense of how inhospitable space really is. More of that, please.

 

[Ivory Samoan]

I've got to say, loving the resurgence of Mass Effect topics... we're finally over the endings hump.

I think there should definitely be some uncharted worlds, and if they utilise the engine correctly, make them big sandbox areas with loot/discoveries for those that explore.. If they pull this off, well, colour me pre-ordered on day one (of pre-order availability).

So my choice is 1) Mass Effect 1 Style with a dash of Elder Scrolls-esque exploration reward system.

 

[Bobby_Sullivan]

Absolutely positively A. Exploring uncharted planets was one of my favorite parts of the original Mass Effect. The "exploration" in the recent games are complete bullshit.

 

[Prototype]

I have always missed ME1 worlds and driving around in the Mako. More of them would be nice.

I didn't care that they were largely copy and past formations of blocks in rooms, it felt cool and wonderful to land on a planet and explore it. Have a thresher maw attack you out of now where, or find strange and glorious alien artifacts, creating a sense of mystery in the universe. I liked the different sky boxes and how much they made the planets feel unique. I liked driving the mako over impossibe terrain and feeling like a badass by getting it up and over an impossibly huge mountain.

Simple solution would be to just create a random generator, and allow random events on hundreds of planets. Give a small % chance for some crazy encounter or side quest to trigger when landing on a planet that has nothing to do with the main story. That would feel cool.

 

[golem]

A combination of ME1 and ME2 planets would be my preference.

I'd like large explorable planets with maybe 1 major feature/side quest each and a few minor points of interest/easter eggs scattered around for people who take the time to investigate.

Something like the planets in Sentinel Worlds (if anyone here has even played that..)

 

[Ovek]

The best thing about the original planet exploring was the music, it created at least for me all of the atmosphere and a fantastic sense of discovery.

Music is always a powerful tool and it was a masterclass in the original Mass Effect.

 

[HK-47]

Think I found it, Antibaar right?

Binary star skyboxes

;_;

 

[Jack cw]

The best thing about the original planet exploring was the music, it created at least for me all of the atmosphere and a fantastic sense of discovery.

Music is always a powerful tool and it was a masterclass in the original Mass Effect.

The music in ME1 was one of the best video game OSTs ever. It had that perfect retro sci-fi feeling with the fancy synthesizer and feel. Virmire Ride for example is such a masterpiece. ME2 had at least suicide mission but the music got constantly worse. I just hope they get back to the ME1 direction and build out the rpg elements there. Mako has to come back.

 

[HK-47]

It's perfectly possible to have a world that's uncharted by the Systems Alliance and still have a native population that pre-dates space exploration. In fact, it'd be kind of cool to partake in an undercover mission in a post-industrial society.

Why would you ever be authorized to just land on such a planet? The Citadel races are pretty paranoid about first contact and uplift.

Not to mention they already do more devloped areas. Thats not a substitute for what the uncharted worlds brought to the table.

 

[Fedele]

This is definitely a very personal answer, it has much to do with every person's playing style. Some like exploring, some like going straight to the point and looting, etc.

Planet explore missions during ME1 were one of the highlights of the game for me. I absolutely loved diving into an unknown planet to find out what's in there (even if that was just a Thresher Maw and some remains of a mercenary convoy). I absolutely disliked ME2 and ME3 exploratory missions.

This is also part of a much bigger discussion in fact: size vs. depth. But from what I've noticed recently with games like Destiny, it seems like the industry is investing more on depth (which makes me very happy). For that to happen, they are having to come up with creative ways of producing more content in timely fashion. Someone posted a really interesting panel from Destiny devs where they explain how they created a system to quickly generate new character parts w/o consuming a lot of power and company assets (aka employees), for example.

Knowing that producing bigger worlds and filling them with content is a very time-consuming task (and you know, EA is not a huge fan of that), I believe BioWare could greatly benefit from procedurally generated worlds, like we saw with Spore and will hopefully see with No Man's Sky.

Getting all the eng power that BioWare/EA has to invest into better/more assets and algorithms for procedural generation, for example, could be huge.

It would be glorious.

EDIT: just read a few other posts from previous pages and can see other people also suggesting procedural generation - I love GAF.

 

[Vlodril]

I ve givn up on the franchise (and maybe bioware) but that would be one of the few things that would actually make me come back to it. I loved the first game. I played it repeateadly in annual replays (i liked 2 less but still also replayed it) well until 3 came out.

Nonetheless the sense of exploration even if it was crappy and the skylines.. so good.

I would certainly buy a mass effect again for that.

 

[Mindwipe]

ME1. Just make the Mako more fun to drive and have some more obvious paths between the points. Sorted.

Bonus points if the encounters are actually interesting enough you can use the Mako in a tactical way - such as parking it and using it for cover in firefights. Maybe even get fire support from it in engagements.

 

[Yasae]

What really sucked about ME1 side missions on uncharted worlds was the astounding amount of repeated scenery. I think I counted 5 or 6 (?) different bases/underground tunnels/abandoned spacecraft in the entire game. It was criminally bad design.

 

[Jack cw]

What really sucked about ME1 side missions on uncharted worlds was the astounding amount of repeated scenery. I think I counted 5 or 6 (?) different bases/underground tunnels/abandoned spacecraft in the entire game. It was criminally bad design.

Its a habit of Bioware apparently. Look at DA2. Elder Scrolls games are similar when it comes to dungeon design. I' rather have less side missions but more worked out ones. Variety in level design and especially mission design. ME2s loyalty missions were pretty great though. I like the idea of making first contact with populations on other planets though.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

No more than about 5 planets to explore. Make them somewhat large in geographic terms, but also hand crafted in places. Make them full of interesting things to explore around, with some dense areas best explored on foot and some areas best zipped around for beautiful views and point-to-point navigation. I understand that realistically you can't just have a massive world that is all extremely detailed, so you have to pick and choose your battles. Make these worlds the places where the story missions take place so there is actually a reason for you to be there. There was always that awkwardness in the series where the galaxy is in imminent danger, but you take a week off to explore the countryside on some random fucking planet for no reason. Maybe you could have like 3 story planets and 2 side ones or something, but don't go crazy overboard.

The vehicle for exploration should be based on the hammerhead. It was fast and its hover-design made it pretty cool to drive around in. It felt much more like something that belonged in Mass Effect compared to an 8 wheeler with jumpjets. It has two problems that need to be solved:

1. Needs to be tougher. Like seriously twice as tough as it was. That thing was too fragile.
2. Needs a better offensive payload. The missile-gun thing fucking sucked. Give it a railgun turret, with missile pods.

Some optional but cool things would be to have active defenses, like hard countermeasures for you to deploy in long-range combat against aircraft and other vehicles. Or the ability to call the Normandy-equivalent ship you'll use for strikes on the planet surface, possibly even having it swoop down and watch over you, and you can like call it in to pick you up and shit. Would be so boss.

 

[Nemesis_]

The tools have come a long way since the original Mass Effect, so I honestly that if they were to go with the uncharted territories approach with the fourth game, then they'd be able to make them much more....umm...interesting? I guess.

I think BioWare might go for a healthy balance but who knows. I just want a reveal already ._.

 

[li bur]

Forget mako!
Forget hammerhead!
Forget skyboxes!

All mass effect needs are dogfight space combat!

Spoiler

Nahh not really

On topic, I would love it if bioware take operations hammerhead approach, but please make the vehicle sturdier and also better navigation control.

 

[Senor Kami]

What really sucked about ME1 side missions on uncharted worlds was the astounding amount of repeated scenery. I think I counted 5 or 6 (?) different bases/underground tunnels/abandoned spacecraft in the entire game. It was criminally bad design.

I'm surprised it was 5 or 6. I remember it always being one building that had an identical layout. A big room with crates, to the left you can go up a ramp to a smaller room and on the main floor there is a tiny room with a computer and canister in the back.

I remember downloading the DLC and they did a minor alteration (I think there was like a ramp you could climb in the middle of the big room to take cover on) and that felt like a radical design change. That's how identical the level design was for those random planets. I don't get why people loved them so much. A barren planet, usually with nothing but one of two identical structures.

 

[Renekton]

I first thought it might be cool to have procedurally-generated worlds like Starbound, but then Starbound worlds got pretty generic very fast.

 

[Ovek]

The music in ME1 was one of the best video game OSTs ever. It had that perfect retro sci-fi feeling with the fancy synthesizer and feel. Virmire Ride for example is such a masterpiece. ME2 had at least suicide mission but the music got constantly worse. I just hope they get back to the ME1 direction and build out the rpg elements there. Mako has to come back.

Indeed... but as the game got more dude bro as did the music unfortunately. One the tracks (i've forgotten the name) from ME3 had call backs to ME1, its a shame they didn't continue that trend.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Indeed... but as the game got more dude bro as did the music unfortunately. One the tracks (i've forgotten the name) from ME3 had call backs to ME1, its a shame they didn't continue that trend.

I'm guessing Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlmekRoRL14

yeah, I liked ME1 music more then the other two.

I really miss using the long sniper zoom on the uncharted worlds. So much open space to pick off your opponents. The smaller areas in the newer games really didn't support this well

Mako was the best!

 

[Professor Renegade]

Just don't bring back the Mako.

 

[BrassDragon]

I'm hoping the open world / vehicle stuff also ties into the inevitable multiplayer.

Assuming it'll be wave-based coop again, I'd like the evacuation to be a real thing: players piling into a transport, firing out the gunnery ports while they move to the next hardpoint/exit.

 

[figadapaura]

A combination of ME1 and ME2 planets would be my preference.

Me too. Bring the Mako back!

 

[Eidan]

What really sucked about ME1 side missions on uncharted worlds was the astounding amount of repeated scenery. I think I counted 5 or 6 (?) different bases/underground tunnels/abandoned spacecraft in the entire game. It was criminally bad design.

I really had no problem with this. I still found it all much more immersive than anything offered in the sequels.

 

[Karak]

ME 1 with a mix of actual planets handmade as well. It makes sense that some places may not have as much as others. ME1 exploration hit just right for me.

 

[TheCanisDirus]

I posted this in the ME appreciation thread but they should go for a 3 tiered procedural generation in regards to exploreable worlds. There is no reason today why they can't provide a large number of exploreable worlds with a variety of quality and structure given the tools available which should greatly reduce the time and effort needed to craft them. And it's silly to just offer one type of planet as well, variety is the spice of life.

Tier 1: High priority worlds with major story/missions on them, requiring a high degree of developer hands on crafting and alteration. These would be worlds with major settlements and layouts much like Overloard, Asteroid X57, etc.

Tier 2: Medium priority worlds that offer major side missions and require a moderate amount of hands on manipulation by developers to accommodate what mission(s) are there. These would settings akin to the N7 missions in ME2/3, though not locked to a single on foot location, but they would have one or two of those kinds of locations available.

Tier 3: Low priority worlds that may offer minor side missions and events but only require the minimal amount of developer alteration to ensure there are conflicts and that structures and locations are all operable. These would be the most like ME1 style planets with minimal structures and NPCs where exploration is the key feature with only a few missions or events. Mostly just abandoned or occupied mines/camps/bases by various enemy units. Relics and things of that nature.

There could be a few dozen Tier 3 planets, maybe a dozen or more Tier 2 planets and then 3-5 tier 1 planets.

This... so much of this please!

 

[nel e nel]

I kinda liked the sparseness of the ME1 worlds as it really gave that feeling of the vastness and emptiness of space. When you came across a dead body or an abandoned outpost there was so much to wonder about:

- did they crash land from a firefight?
- were they pirates/smugglers/criminals hiding from law enforcement?
- were they prospecters/colonists?
- what ancient civilization built this, and how old is it?

Kinda loved the mystery of that stuff.

However, I do think that the Overlord hybrid style would be best.

 

[Carcetti]

Huge, empty areas with beautiful vistas. Space has to feel HUGE. In some of them you'd be able to discover hand-crafted quests and locations similar to ME2's derelict hull etc. Bring back Mako too.

 

[djtiesto]

I know space travel is a large part of these games but I say save that for main story missions and scrap uncharted worlds. Have one planet that is your main hub that is completely explorable. Your goal is to colonize the planet, but it's completely optional. A mix of Sim City and Suikoden.

I'd love to see something like this in a game... even something like a DQ style "immigrant town" (immigrant planet?) would be awesome. Anything that breaks up the monotony of the linear run-and-gun ME2/3 main missions.

 

[besada]

I'd have them spend all their time making planets, and filling those planets with various things to do, and giving me a Mako to drive around on those planets. Honestly, If they did that, I could probably do without the rest of the game.

 

[H3xum]

Uncharted worlds is my ringtone <3