The game was more or less made in 18 months after they wasted 3 years on fruitless R&D during pre-production, unable to even create a vertical slice before moving into production.
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Mass Effect: Andromeda |OT| Ryders on the Storm
- Thread starter Blue Ninja
- Start date
The game was more or less made in 18 months after they wasted 3 years on fruitless R&D during pre-production, unable to even create a vertical slice before moving into production.
I'm actually replaying DA:I right now, for no particular reason and without much intention of getting all the way through it, and while I agree with your opening sentences -- DA:I shares many flaws with ME:A, and would have gotten ripped to shreds if it came out after The Witcher, Horizon, etc. rather than before -- I think that in a weird way the "bad" elements of the game work better than they do in ME:A.
In DA:I, the game is oddly bifurcated: there are the "important" quests, conversations, and plotlines, which serve the main characters and main story, and then there are the MMO-ish theme parks, which feel totally different and serve nothing but making the Inquisition more powerful. But here's the thing: because those theme parks are so bland, and have little or no impact on the narrative, they are easy to ignore. I feel no narrative pressure whatsoever to close that last rift or establish that last camp in the Storm Coast - and if I want to, those tasks are reasonably simple to complete, and, crucially, are limited to a single zone.
ME:A has a similar division in quality between "important" quests and task trash, but because Bioware (laudably) tried a little harder to give the quests some narrative context, I find them harder to ignore. Someone's sabotaging the Nexus? Or in a runaway shuttle en route to a colony, sick with some futuristic plague? That sounds bad. Better fix it! And when I go to fix it, I find that I frequently need to hop around to 5 locations and 3 planets, which is just draining. In DA:I, on the other hand, I can just tool around in the MMO theme parks until I get bored, then advance the main quest(s), and rinse and repeat.
This probably speaks more to my oddities as an RPG consumer than anything else, but it really does make DA:I feel a little less grindy - even though, paradoxically, it's a much grindier game if you were insane enough to try to fully complete it.
Also, on a separate note, I do think that the "good" quests and conversations (and especially the flexibility in character definition and quest outcomes) in DA:I are on average more successful, polished, and interesting than those in ME:A, although that's very much a matter of taste.
Prophaniti
Banned
Correct me if I'm wrong because I could be remembering it wrong, but aren't the facial animations wonky in Dragon age Also? I remember a few scenes where your character would get knocked down (one at the start I think) where it just looks awful. All that time making a bad ass and then he puts on a comical sad face when he falls over or is in pain.
Anyways that always surprised me that people expected much better from andromeda.
Yeah, absolutely - your character's facial expressions are often ridiculous. On average, though, the NPC animations are a bit more elaborate and polished than the ones in ME:A, especially ME:A prior to patching (which is the game I played).
Animations were never really my objection to ME:A, though - and, as you point out, I didn't expect them to be exceptional. Also, for the record, I didn't hate ME:A. It was an ok game, and I wasn't unhappy that I bought and beat it (although I am annoyed that I signed up for EA early access and then forgot to cancel it - grr...).
Lol. And they never both mentioning this once in the SP? Why would anyone bring Batarians anyway? They're almost all terrorists/criminals in the eyes of the rest of the Council races, no?
Lame excuse, but whatever. They had to come up with something I guess to put them in MP.
Hope for Geths in MP redeemed?
That makes even less sense if they were
you would have found some being experimented on by the Kett in the SP.
Lol. And they never both mentioning this once in the SP? Why would anyone bring Batarians anyway? They're almost all terrorists/criminals in the eyes of the rest of the Council races, no?
Lame excuse, but whatever. They had to come up with something I guess to put them in MP.
Hope for Geths in MP redeemed?
Its only two of them, its plausible that no one would bother mentioning them
Patrick S.
Banned
Cool, improved stability.
That's just a terrible idea.
I had issues with the tiny amounts of people on the Arks to begin with, now there's hundreds (?) of Batarians who managed to smuggle onto an Ark without anyone noticing?
There aren't hundreds, just a couple
basically using the Initiative as an extreme version of witness protection
Cornbread78
Member
Mediking
Member
Avela... she's that Angara on Aya, right? I'm not flirting with her. Lmao. No offense but Angara are not attractive...
Vetra is a Turian and she's okay...
Peebee is a huge flirt which is hot.
But Ms. Sexy Militant aka Cora rules all.... mmmm....
Cornbread78
Member
Yeah, she's the one on Aya. If you max her, Keri and Peebee, you can pop the trophy in 1 playthrough.
I received this on Monday, but haven't started yet. Nice of them to release one more patch just in time. Although my wife has already (barely) started. So one question:
We wanna play sis and bro, each one as pathfinder on a respective game (I'll play as sis and she plays bro). The point is using the same set of twins (appearance) so, can I download both from MEA archives if she had the uploading thing ticked? I created the Sara appearance for her sister and I intend to use that same appearance but I didn't take notes on the settings. Also I wanna use her char as my brother, of course.
But maybe it only uploads the pathfinder sibling??
Although my wife has already (barely) started. So one question:We wanna play sis and bro, each one as pathfinder on a respective game (I'll play as sis and she plays bro). The point is using the same set of twins (appearance) so, can I download both from MEA archives if she had the uploading thing ticked? I created the Sara appearance for her sister and I intend to use that same appearance but I didn't take notes on the settings. Also I wanna use her char as my brother, of course.
But maybe it only uploads the pathfinder sibling??
I received this on Monday, but haven't started yet. Nice of them to release one more patch just in time.
We wanna play sis and bro, each one as pathfinder on a respective game (I'll play as sis and she plays bro). The point is using the same set of twins (appearance) so, can I download both from MEA archives if she had the uploading thing ticked? I created the Sara appearance for her sister and I intend to use that same appearance but I didn't take notes on the settings. Also I wanna use her char as my brother, of course.
But maybe it only uploads the pathfinder sibling??
It uploads both. You then have to go on the site and queue up your new Ryders to be served up, it doesn't automatically load the last uploaded for import.
TC McQueen
Member
By the way, if you play on PC, you can now get the Kishock Harpoon Gun in singleplayer.
Frozenprince
Banned
Perfect way to describe it.
Shit the companions in this one are my favorite from any Bioware IP probably in a decade. Love every one of them, and I really hope this isn't the last we see of them.
Thanks! But that works too when sharing the exported twins from one account to another? Each of us has an own account in both EA and PSN.
Also, any comments on frame rate on base ps4 with yesterday's patch?
Oh and btw, yesterday's post apparently made me a member and it's only fair it's been on a Mass Effect thread. I've been playing these since before 2 was announced (had no idea it was gonna be a trilogy then), and my wife since just a little later.
I believe you can make an appearance public and share that way.Thanks! But that works too when sharing the exported twins from one account to another? Each of us has an own account in both EA and PSN.
Also, any comments on frame rate on base ps4 with yesterday's patch?
Oh and btw, yesterday's post apparently made me a member and it's only fair it's been on a Mass Effect thread. I've been playing these since before 2 was announced (had no idea it was gonna be a trilogy then), and my wife since just a little later.
By default they're all private.
SliChillax
Member
Any visible improvement to the facial animations?
dead monkey uk
Member
If there is a noticeable improvement it would be good to see Digital Foundry do a video.
I have still to pick this up, loved original trilogy. How is the OST? always thought ME was so impressive in this regard.
SliChillax
Member
It's good, not as great as the original trilogy. Same thing can be said for almost every other element of the game.
I just met PeeBee for the first time and it was all so fucking laughably, horrendously horrible looking that it made me want to uninstall the game then and there.
So, if this is an improvement I can't even imagine what it looked like before. It was like plastic dolls's mouths being pulled by string to form what aliens think looks like a smile.
EdwardTivrusky
Member
This thread reminded me that i need to pick this up but holy crap £45 on PC, nah, i can wait a bit longer for a sale especially as i have a bunch of games from earlier in the year to play.
Dammit, i quite fancied some ME this weekend
Dammit, i quite fancied some ME this weekend
prag16
Banned
Except DA:I gated main quest advancement behind that power mechanic. It wasn't always as simple as 'when bored, just advance the main story'. That's ultimately what made me stop playing the game.
T.v
Member
The amount of Power needed to advance the story was always incredibly low. Unless you just skipped entire areas I don't see how you could ever not have enough.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that - while I entirely understand the complaint that it's annoying to gate good content behind bad content, I always had way, way more power than I needed to keep the plot moving
What prag16 is probably saying, though, is that he has a much lower tolerance for the MMO theme parks than I do (I actually kinda like them, in small doses, although I don't really respect the part of myself that does) - in that instance, you might actually find yourself needing to grind joylessly through content to see the next story chunk. Also, there's a softer form of gating in the level requirements for the main quests - maybe you end up at high enough level if you do the absolute minimum required, but I doubt it.
TC McQueen
Member
IIRC, there was a half-off PC sale a few weeks ago, around E3.This thread reminded me that i need to pick this up but holy crap £45 on PC, nah, i can wait a bit longer for a sale especially as i have a bunch of games from earlier in the year to play.
Dammit, i quite fancied some ME this weekend
That said, when you do pick up the PC version, don't forget to mod the hell out of it. Mass Effect games are universally better after modders enable you to sidestep the obnoxious grindy stuff. Lord knows I wouldn't have ever replayed ME2 as many times as I did without being able to save edit my way to infinite resources.
Jawmuncher
Member
The power system in DA:I was terrible. Depending on how you used it. You could trap yourself into a shitty spot and be forced to do some very lackluster side content.
If you don't mind just do sidecontent that makes an entirety of the game then it's alright. If you want to just kinda stick to the main path with some side quests the power mechanic was like being on a leash.
I hope that system never comes back. Since it was only there to hide DA:I laughably short main campaign.
I really liked that Andromeda basically let you skip all of the open world stuff if you wanted. I think you're only forced to drive the Nomad on like 3 planets in main missions. Was also nice not having any sort of "You need X amount of viability to progress".
I just really forced playing of side content. If people wanna play side content they can do it. Don't force them into it.
If you don't mind just do sidecontent that makes an entirety of the game then it's alright. If you want to just kinda stick to the main path with some side quests the power mechanic was like being on a leash.
I hope that system never comes back. Since it was only there to hide DA:I laughably short main campaign.
I really liked that Andromeda basically let you skip all of the open world stuff if you wanted. I think you're only forced to drive the Nomad on like 3 planets in main missions. Was also nice not having any sort of "You need X amount of viability to progress".
I just really forced playing of side content. If people wanna play side content they can do it. Don't force them into it.
Prophaniti
Banned
Oh god help me gaf
Which class should I pick!?
Tech or Biotic?
Been staring at it for like 10 minutes
Which class should I pick!?
Tech or Biotic?
Been staring at it for like 10 minutes
Jawmuncher
Member
I went Soldier with Vanguard Biotics later on.
Concussive shot with max health and then charge (which revives shields) and nova ground pound. Means you're constantly in the fight and laying waste to everything outsidecthe bigger enemies with one hit kills
prag16
Banned
Exactly, this is what happened to me multiple times and I eventually threw up my hands and shelved the game, never to return.
You can respec in the medbay so go for whatever.
Not really. It was a vestigial system that was originally going to be much, much deeper that more or less got ripped out so it could run on last gen systems.
If you look at some of the PAX presentations during DAI's development, you can see that Power was originally going to be used for much, much more than just story progression.
Not to mention all of the destruction features that completely disappeared from the game.
It would really help me get through the game if I could skip all of the trash sidequests. But then some of the sidequests are actually interesting, and it's really hard to tell which way one is going to turn out until I've already gotten into it.
Prophaniti
Banned
Hmmm that sounds cool
Err...yeah I totally knew that...was just testing you..i don't feel stupid at all...
RPGCrazied
Member
New patch out.
Are they ever going to fix the frame pacing issues? I have no clue if there are any on the pro version, but they are there on the regular PS4 version.
Are they ever going to fix the frame pacing issues? I have no clue if there are any on the pro version, but they are there on the regular PS4 version.
You on PC? I just modded in unlimited Power, and suddenly the game became much more enjoyable.
Mr. Phellps
Member
You can easily use an exploit to get a lot of power very quickly on consoles too, if you're that unwilling to complete some fetch quests.
prag16
Banned
Yeah, I'm sure that stuff would help. However that ship has sailed; no way I go back to the game at this point. Already have plenty of other games that my schedule can't handle.
I'll second the vanguard recommendation, but go melee instead. The Asari sword teleports you forward on strike and then add in dodges, charge and jetpacks and you're just wrecking shit everywhere.
Until you encounter one of those enemies that can OHKO you in melee >_>
RPGCrazied
Member
Really want to like this game, but the performance is killing it for me. I'm on PS4. Got the newest 1.09 patch. I just landed on Havarl, the stuttering here is maddening. Sometimes it smooths out, but rears its ugly head again.
Mediking
Member
But I want Cora... if I keep flirting with Peebee and Cora... will I get punished later?
Or will there be a nice thing where the game tells me I must chose at a certain point?
I'm tempted to makeout with Peebee in the escape pod but Cora IS Cora. Lol