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MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA Gameplay Series #3: Exploration
- Thread starter Phamit
- Start date
The numbers. keep. going. up!
shinobi602
Member
Big blog post on the exploration, crafting and discovery too:
https://www.masseffect.com/news/exploration-and-discovery
https://www.masseffect.com/news/exploration-and-discovery
The ability to modify weapon attack type (eg bullets to laser beam) sounds kinda neat but wouldn't it be better just to have multiple weapon types? Too much modifying can eliminate differences between weapons.
But i'll gladly take a pew pew Avenger.
EDIT Nevermind that, the ability to swap between overheating and heat sinks is actually great idea. Though i'm inclined to stick with heat sinks, at least for those weapons that have rapid reload animation.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Are they going to be bringing us a video like this every week now? That's not too bad. I wonder if they are going to show side quests too, I am curious if these are indeed Witcher 3 like side quests like they said.
They've shown now Squad, Combat and Exploration videos. I'd assume Quests will be one, and perhaps one for Multiplayer. This assuming no video on the launch week, other than launch trailer.
Vault Dweller 111
Member
HYYPPPPEEEEE
They finally turned around the marketing for this game. Looks amazing. Looks to finally fulfill the promise of Mass Effect which is the No Man's Sky we all deserved.
Game looks fucking huge. I guess that's what a huge studio, huge publisher, and years of development can do.
Any word on review embargo date?
They finally turned around the marketing for this game. Looks amazing. Looks to finally fulfill the promise of Mass Effect which is the No Man's Sky we all deserved.
Game looks fucking huge. I guess that's what a huge studio, huge publisher, and years of development can do.
Any word on review embargo date?
xZoneHunter
Member
Has there been word on how many exact planets you can visit like elaaden? Game looks to be one long journey, that's for sure.
callsignkrogan
Member
Man the more and more videos that come out just makes me even more hyped. I love the new systems they pointed to: planetary viability, building up the nexus, releasing people from cryo sleep.
Mr. Phellps
Member
These last few videos made a bigger impact on my hype for this game than the rest of the marketing campaign.
It's good that they're keeping the story under wraps, just showing the gameplay. Looks fantastic.
It's good that they're keeping the story under wraps, just showing the gameplay. Looks fantastic.
Tertullian
Member
So so far, it looks like Gameplay Video #1: Combat, the "Andromeda Initiative" videos, and Gameplay Video #3: Exploration are the videos that have gotten a truly positive reception. Meanwhile, most of the videos are pretty meh, while the Peebee mission was dire. This game's all over the place.
I hope there's HUD customization because it's way too cluttered, especially in combat.
Yeah, just look at that fucking thing. In recent memory the only one that I think is worse is the Xenoblade X hud.
Also why that horrendous arc at the bottom? it is just inefficient use of space, and it clashes with all the other elements nearby.
DOWN
Banned
I didn't call the whole game bad (it improved a lot of things and is a very good game), but the current Mass Effect team and a large number of players who played the series since launch seem to agree that exploration should be in the game and not just hubs & linearity
GasProblem
Member
Ah yes, this video and that first 13 minutes IGN video is what I needed. Looks like something I want to play. Now I just want to see it running at hopefully a mostly stable 30 fps on the standard PS4 and I'll be happy.
Health-bar arc is a thing in ME2 and 3. But was smaller, i think, in them. And it did vanish when there was no combat going on.
The element placement is somewhat odd. Why is the reload message so far on the left? And why are the powers right of the middle, rather than under it?
Sure, and I thought it was ugly in ME2&3. The smaller size made it more bearable. Also I think UI design has evolved since then and this one is still stuck in the past. The Menu UI is too overwrought and messy.
Speaking of that, will they allow one to be pro-human but not detest aliens, ie basically just focus on humans without being rude and outright hateful or anything like that?
Because that was kinda impossible in ME1-3, usually pro-human/Renegade (because these were the same thing as well...) was casual racist while promoting human agenda.
Even vanilla Diablo 3 with its terrible loot system had better loot than ME1...
Son Of Sparda
Member
The new info:
Crafting
If you like building and modifying weapons and gear to match your unique play style, you'll love our deep crafting system. In Mass Effect: Andromeda, assembling your ideal equipment relies on two key components: Research and Development.
Research: When exploring, you'll want to scan all the unique wildlife and tech you discover to earn Research Data related to your subject. The more you learn, the more unique and rare blueprints and augmentations you'll be able to unlock.
Development: Once research is done, it's time to craft. Look at the blueprints to see what materials are needed and where they can be found. Get materials from merchants, find them while exploring on foot, mine them with the Nomad's drone, or discover them while exploring space in the Tempest. Depending on the materials used and the research you've done, you can apply augmentations while building gear.
Augmentations : These are special devices which can be incorporated into a weapon or armor piece during crafting to give it unique properties. Below are just a few of the Augmentations available, to provide a sense of what's possible when you use them while crafting a weapon or piece of armor:
- Aerial Stabilizer: If used while crafting a weapon, grants accuracy to weapon damage whenever you're hovering. If used while crafting armor, improves your biotic powers while hovering.
- Beam Emitter: Replaces the firing mechanism of a gun with an energy beam. Turn your Avenger into a laser rifle!
- Coolant Unit: Increases clip size whenever special ammo is in use, allowing you to get the most out of your cryo, incendiary, or disruptor rounds.
- Shield Disruptor: If used while crafting a weapon, increases the power of your disruptor ammo. If used while crafting leg armor, adds an electrical discharge to your air melee attacks.
- Vintage Heat Sink: Converts any gun to an overheat system (like in the original Mass Effect™
, where you'll never run out of ammo.
Additionally, a huge variety of mods can further enhance your weapons abilities, as well as Remnant "fusion mods" that can upgrade your armor. And the more you explore, the more materials you'll find, the more amazing things you'll build, and the more devastating you'll be on the battlefield.
At its heart, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a game of discovery and exploration. The choices made and the places visited let you blaze a unique trail through the Andromeda Galaxy. Whether exploring the depths of a crashed starship, or delving into the core of an active volcano – the more you engage with the world around you and the characters in it, the more that world will surprise with what's waiting just around the corner.
Mass Effect: Andromeda launches on March 21 in North America and March 23 in Europe. Sign up for the Andromeda Initiative now to receive pre-departure training information and exclusive in-game rewards.
Twilight Gap
Member
same. might actually pick this up now
Poodlestrike
Banned
This is a terrible opinion and you should feel terrible for having it.
ME1 loot was beyond awful.
Limited ammo buffs you apply to your weapons. Not sure about duration.
WadiumArcadium
Member
This and the combat video were great. Being able to see where you are in the cluster from the Tempest is a nice touch. The hype's building.
LegalEagleMike
Member
It sure was, everything gets turned into omni gel or sold for credits to buy vendor gear.
On the positive note, it is hard to make worse loot than ME1 had.
I don't even bother with that, just skipping equipment completely...
Vault Dweller 111
Member
How does anyone keep up with gaming in 2017 man....
WadiumArcadium
Member
It's impossible so I'm not even trying.
Holy Moly, "Vintage Heat Sink" for ME1 style unlimited ammo weapons!
Son Of Sparda
Member
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Literal checklist design aside, looking great.
WadiumArcadium
Member
Idk, last year was mostly fine.
It's 2017 you guys
It's been a long week, gimme a break.
John Kowalski
Banned
Looks very good.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Giant heaping mountains of useless vendor trash. Make the best gear in the game only available at shops y'all!
OT, I really like the stuff outlined in the blog post. Building towards an outpost is enormously appealing to my inner completion is and base builder, and augments sound super cool. The one thing I'm nervous about is material gathering; I really hope we can automate that.
If they're far larger areas with their own map diversity then it's more akin to the different areas in DAI than the sheer number of smaller areas in the trilogy.
I don't know which approach I prefer. I suppose a little of both. Several really large planets/maps/regions with lots of varied things to do, with several far smaller maps each on their own planet, with only a couple of things to do.
I suspect it's going to be more of the former, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if the content on each is varied.
Ok, I liked this video a lot better than the combat first look and the loyalty mission preview. I love RPGs that let you level up and develop a city or ship or something like that. I also like the look of the vaults as dungeons and the more open exploration on the planets.
I'm still concerned about quest and encounter design though. Hopefully they can show off I really good fight before release.
I'm still concerned about quest and encounter design though. Hopefully they can show off I really good fight before release.
Vault Dweller 111
Member
Idk, last year was mostly fine.
It's 2017 you guys
God dammit, three months in. I have no excuse.
FusedAtoms
Member
I was quite neutral on what I saw until the vaults part at the end. Those sound really cool, I hope they deliver
Yup, humans are slow-ass race. EDIT Not sure why though. Still, the difference isn't one of many years, maybe months only, i think?
LegalEagleMike
Member
Seems like the humans may have arrived a little late to the game after some shit has already gone down.
Poodlestrike
Banned
The Andromeda Initiative consists of the 4 Arks (one for each council race) and the Nexus, which was to serve as an ersatz Citadel. The Nexus (and its copious support staff) was supposed to arrive in advance of the Arks and make sure any issues were ironed out. For some reason, things seem to have gone fairly badly wrong.
I don't think we know what the other Arks are up to.
Maybe someone on the ark slowed the ark down on purpose while they did something weird?
samurai1226
Member
Isn't that exactly what DA:I did? Exploring the X cambs, X sightmarks, etc to unlock a small secret cave at the end for getting a bonus?
This really is a bummer to me, DA:I felt really dragged out in the end through this totally lifeless areas, I really hope the side-quests will not be the dumb mmo-like fetch quests like in DA:I, where then didn't even bothered to make cutscenes for the dialogues anymore.
This really is a bummer to me, DA:I felt really dragged out in the end through this totally lifeless areas, I really hope the side-quests will not be the dumb mmo-like fetch quests like in DA:I, where then didn't even bothered to make cutscenes for the dialogues anymore.