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Mass Effect: Andromeda - Game Informer Details (Combat, story, more) [Up: All Info]

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Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
-Global cooldowns are now replaced by individual timers
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim
-Dynamic cover system (ala TLOU)

Thank GOD.

GCD was so dumb for any power-heavy class.

-Class system is gone; instead you have full access to abilities from all classes, you can mix and match skills from tech, soldier or biotics
-Goal is to allow players to try different approaches to combat without being locked in at the start
-However, you can still specialize once you invest enough points into a category of skills, you unlock a profile that can get you bonuses for your particular play style
-This is where class names like "Vanguard" (invest in combat and biotics) and "Adept" (invest in biotics) resurface
-Invest in multiple categories and you unlock the "Explorer" profile
-There is a narrative reason that allows you to reconfigure your points throughout the game so that you can try out multiple gameplay approaches without making multiple characters
-You can customize your helmet, chest, shoulders, arms and legs, more extensive than previous trilogy
-Many familiar weapons return, as well as new melee options like swords and hammers-

This though....especially the 'access to all trees' stuff....does not seem like it bodes well for any sort of defined role-based replayability if you can swap on the fly.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
I'm not sure about the class system being gone. Sounds less like my kind of RPG. I hope it's not too much influenced by DA:I

Edited for some very sensitive souls around here.
 

sol740

Member
I need to hear about narrative choice and role playing. We got multiple endings, right?


No less than six differently colored ending sequences, and near endless color-combo possibilities. That's like hundreds of endings.
 
Im looking forward to these changes and can't wait to hear more.

The slow burn to the hype is rising. Also all mass effect games going BC is also awesome.
 

inky

Member
when i played mass effect 1 in 2007 and felt like a sci fi explorer and adventurer of alien worlds

i did not really feel it lacking in jetpacks and space hammers

Since Mass Effect 2 they all wanted to make was a space shooter. They cited games like Call of Duty over and over as inspirations for the kind of franchise they wanted. They are finally using this opportunity to make that.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone familiar with Mass Effect's development over the years. James Vega was designed specifically as a tool to introduce the game to that shooter audience. The gameplay changes and multiplayer design were born out of that, This is just a continuation of it. This was always the plan, they want to make a shooter with RPG elements, not a tactical based RPG.
 

Kayhan

Member
Mass Effect 2 was a misstep.

Mass Effect 3 was a misstep.

I hope Bioware has taken notice and gotten their shit together for Andromeda. Back to exploration or bust.

Since Mass Effect 2 they all wanted to make was a space shooter. They cited games like Call of Duty over and over as inspirations for the kind of franchise they wanted. They are finally using this opportunity to make that.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone familiar with Mass Effect's development over the years. James Vega was designed specifically as a tool to introduce the game to that shooter audience. The gameplay changes and multiplayer design were born out of that, This is just a continuation of it. This was always the plan.

I hate everything you just said with the fury of a thousand suns.
 

Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
Also, didn't consoles already have 3 (I think?) 'no pause/hotkey' power use buttons already?

Or am I remembering incorrectly?
 
Thank GOD.
This though....especially the 'access to all trees' stuff....does not seem like it bodes well for any sort of defined role-based replayability if you can swap on the fly.

I'm not sure about the class system being gone. Sound less RPG focused.

I have similar concerns. I suppose one could just stick to the two-tree limitation and refuse to respec, though. Would be nice if it was a coded gameplay option, I have terrible self control and I just know I would be unable to resist swapping constantly.

Also, didn't consoles already have 3 (I think?) 'no pause/hotkey' power use buttons already?

Or am I remembering incorrectly?

Three had a number of abilities specced to buttons, but I think there were more than could fit, so the wheel was still a thing. Hope they don't remove tactical pause entirely.

Actually, I'm not sure how squad orders would work without it, so I think it's likely still in. Hopefully.
 

Lt-47

Member
sounds good but don't like the loss of pausing.

Do we ?

-You still queue up attacks, combos, order your squad, etc

Make it sounds otherwise. I don't see how you could do all of that on a gamepad without a power (command ?) wheel.


I would have preferred they made the ME3 combat less clunky rather than do what they did here (basically redoing the entire thing by elimating GCD and classes)

Well it's a Bioware, they redo everything all the time
 

Ralemont

not me
-BioWare did not want to repeat having things like mineral nodes and multiple identical outposts scattered across planets
-Points of interest include combat encounters, puzzles, narrative beats etc on planets

Cool cool.
 
Oh great, jack of all trade character. I'm out.

If you had actually bothered to read anything, you would've seen this:

- However, you can still specialize once you invest enough points into a category of skills, you unlock a profile that can get you bonuses for your particular play style
 

Lime

Member
i like the wheel and slowdown of time, I wish (hope?) they kept it in there in some form.

Ordering squadmates around in real-time isn't fun.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
Everything sounds great except the combat wheel disappearing. Not a fan of that bit.

ME1 lionization must stop.

Buncha rose-colored glasses around here. It was the worst game in the series!

It is definitely the worst but it is still a great game IMO.
 

Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
I mean, sure, you can 'specialize', but they better either make the class bonuses damn enticing, or allow you to re-spec that 'focus' as well when you re-spec.

Either way, it's a broadening of the 'be able to do EVERYTHING' mentality, and one I don't know if I particularly care for.

But granted, will have to wait to see it in action (both in gunplay and if there are any narrative beats associated therein) to get a more solid judgement.

So are planets sorta like the zones in DA: Inquisition?

IIRC we don't know for sure, but it's probably somewhere between DA:I and the first ME.
 
-The "Nexus" is basically a forward command center staffed by multiple species that arrives in Andromeda early to pave the way for the Arks

Well, at least I got that bit right, lol.

--

Hopefully the crafting isn't overly tedious, the denial of mineral nodes has me hopeful.
 
sounds good but don't like the loss of pausing.

Me too. And with things like sword and hammers its going to play like a totally differernt game. Has me concerned, but who knows maybe it ends up working really well so cautiously optimistic.

Now there arent any classes, are they still gonna have the vanguard charge ability? I played vanguard more than all the other classes combined in the prior games.
 

Trace

Banned
Me too. And with things like sword and hammers its going to play like a totally differernt game. Has me concerned, but who knows maybe it ends up working really well so cautiously optimistic.

Now there arent any classes, are they still gonna have the vanguard charge ability? I played vanguard more than all the other classes combined in the prior games.

Yea I think all the basic class abilities are still there.
 

Lime

Member
So was the leak correct that players could pilot the Tempest (not-Normandy) as well or was it only a design point/ideal?
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
I prefer ME3's story. I prefer ME2's and ME3's casts. I prefer ME2's and ME3's combat. I prefer ME3's soundtrack.

That said, ME1 has my favorite overall atmosphere and the best third act.
 
ME1 lionization must stop.

Buncha rose-colored glasses around here. It was the worst game in the series!



fantastique



...Yeah no...Mass Effect 1 is not only the best in the series, it's one of the best RPG's ever made.

I'd take ME1's stellar writing and clunky yet rewarding gameplay any day over ME2/3's boring gameplay and serviceable writing.
 
BioWare did not want to repeat having things like mineral nodes and multiple identical outposts scattered across planets
-Points of interest include combat encounters, puzzles, narrative beats etc on planets
Paging ThoseDeafMutes.
-Scanning and discovering these things also allows you to obtain blueprints to craft weapons and armor for yourself
-You can create a wide array of items, not just ammo types and weapon mods, items that haven't been seen before in the Milky Way (thanks to new alien tech)
Oh great... crafting.
-Peebee: Asari squadmate shown in previous footage.
I can tell she's gonna be annoying just from the name.
Went off on her own after arriving on the Nexus and described as having a "bubbly personality". She's smart and not concerned with social norms and "niceties".
Yep, another annoying Asari. Yay.
 

Fowler

Member
I know the Reaper thing is played out now, but I still think it would be cool to see at least a hint that they targeted galaxies other than the Milky Way. Which makes me wonder how they're going to handle FTL in this game, Mass Relays or some new technology?

Random thought, but, I wonder if we're restricted to the Heleus Cluster in Andromeda as a way to explain that? Can still be tons of systems and worlds in there, it just happens to fit into a smaller chunk of the galaxy.
 

etta

my hard graphic balls
I hope this doesn't run like ass on Xbox One, it's gonna be tough to wait until Scorpio to play it.
 
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