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[Synless]

From a gamers perspective and not someone who is a on Bioware's payroll this excuse sucks ass. A title this big with this much hype should not be released in an unpolished state. They have delayed the game multiple times might as well have delayed it a bit more. In regards to the huge universe? eh it can be done specially since it is not seamless and there is loading.

i get the game today i hope the graphical issues are just exagerrated.

there not, I'm not close to as picky as Darkx, JB, and some of the other guys around here and I won't even imagine how there going to make it through this game. The graphical issues are very apparent.

 

[RSTEIN]

From a gamers perspective and not someone who is a on Bioware's payroll this excuse sucks ass. A title this big with this much hype should not be released in an unpolished state. They have delayed the game multiple times might as well have delayed it a bit more. In regards to the huge universe? eh it can be done specially since it is not seamless and there is loading.

i get the game today i hope the graphical issues are just exagerrated.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make an excuse for anything. As gamers we all want every game to be 100% perfect. However, gamers often fail to see things from the developer's perspective. Time and money are finite resources. You're given X amount of time and Y amount of money to get a product out to hit D release date. Until D day, you allocate resources as you see fit. I'm just saying, this is an incredibly ambitious project with lots of moving parts. The pressure must have been enormous.

 

[Synless]

comparing closeup videos of heavenly sword to real time dialogue of mass effect is pretty retarded imo,
as is judging the framerate of an rpg as if it was quake3

We are only talking facial expressions with those games and nothing else, it's a pretty fair comparison no matter how you look at it from that perspective, but yea guys I'll be back later, for some of you guys who are picking this up today, let me know what you think. maybe I just hyped myself up far to much for the graphics, It's a great game though and by no means ugly just not what I expected.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

comparing closeup videos of heavenly sword to real time dialogue of mass effect is pretty retarded imo,
as is judging the framerate of an rpg as if it was quake3

Inconsitant framerate is bad regardless. RPGS should not get a free ride.

 

[Dalauz]

comparing closeup videos of heavenly sword to real time dialogue of mass effect is pretty retarded imo,
as is judging the framerate of an rpg as if it was quake3

The combat is real time, you need aim and shoot.

Ok so what does it mean when the enemies have a green bar on their health bar. Is that there sheild? also whats the additional little blue rectangles next to their names as well.

Green = poisoned/DoTed
Blue rectangles = shield

i "think" white is "inmune" (korgan racial trait)

 

[Kildace]

people say the frame rate and texture poping issues don't make you walk away from the game, but i'm still disappointed that they are there in such high-production-value game. here's a hope that bioware will release somekinda patch to make a better use of the hardware, but i doubt they really care what we think.

I doubt that it's doable since it's an issue many UE3 games have. It isn't as bad in most other games because texture sets in the same area are kept quite similar and limited.

Mass Effect due to the amount of characters, races, outfits etc doesn't have that luxury.

 

[Belgorim]

They have pre-rendered scenes in mass effect I've seen a few time's already where the charter model for the main character improves while he/she is talking to someone in a cinematic scene. I think you might be confusing pre-rendered in realtime with just pre-rendered scenes, and heavenly sword and mass effect uses pre-rendered in realtime graphics for it's cutscenes.

this doesnt make any sense..

what is pre-rendered in realtime graphics?

The HS cutscenes might be in engine, but they can still be pre-rendered, and thus, they are not real-time. And no, the dialogue in Mass Effect cannot all be pre-rendered, since that would take up way too much disc-space considering the amount of dialogue there is. I have no idea if some small parts of ME is pre-rendered, I havent heard anything about it before, but that has nothing to do with HS.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

The combat is real time, you need aim and shoot.

exactly people keep forgetting Bioware said you can play this game in a run and gun style and it was part of their selling point.

 

[Francias Castiglione]

They have pre-rendered scenes in mass effect I've seen a few time's already where the charter model for the main character improves while he/she is talking to someone in a cinematic scene. I think you might be confusing pre-rendered in realtime with just pre-rendered scenes, and heavenly sword and mass effect uses pre-rendered in realtime graphics for it's cutscenes.

:lol

Are you honestly suggesting that there are video files of every possible main character on the disc?

 

[p3tran]

so what kabuki? you find the battles unplayable? bad maybe?

 

[Variable]

:lol

Are you honestly suggesting that there are video files of every possible main character on the disc?

I think it works the same way that replays work for some games. They add filters to make the graphics look better for the cutscenes.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

so what kabuki? you find the battles unplayable? bad maybe?

Dude i dont have the game I said i am hoping the Combat is up to snuff but if these complaints are valid than it is obviously not and there is no excuse for that.

 

[Synless]

:lol

Are you honestly suggesting that there are video files of every possible main character on the disc?

No no no, my bad pre-scripted is what I meant for mass effect. not pre-rendered. I was talking about HS while it's rendered it's done in realtime using the system's resources to create everything, it's not video.

 

[neojubei]

exactly people keep forgetting Bioware said you can play this game in a run and gun style and it was part of their selling point.

I'm just glad bioware didn't make it first person. Third-person I guess i can deal with.

 

[Francias Castiglione]

I think it works the same way that replays work for some games. They add filters to make the graphics look better for the cutscenes.

Oh of course, the level of detail is ramped to the maximum for conversations and cutscenes but in no way can any cut-scene involving your main character be pre-rendered (unless it is overlayed on a video background I guess lol)

 

[Belgorim]

I think it works the same way that replays work for some games. They add filters to make the graphics look better for the cutscenes.

uh... what?

there are no video-files or anything for all the dialogue in mass effect. adding a "filter" to a real-time rendering would require resources as well, and thus it cannot in any way be made to look "better" than the rest of the game that is also rendered in real-time.

 

[p3tran]

Dude i dont have the game I said i am hoping the Combat is up to snuff but if these complaints are valid than it is obviously not and there is no excuse for that.

well, go get the game then, play it enough, and then please return here and tell me if there is better combat in another similar game.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

well, go get the game then, play it enough, and then please return here and tell me if there is better combat in another similar game.

what are you going to tell the all the people here defending the game and singing its praises have the game?

so I can compare the combat to other shooting portions in other games right?

 

[Dalauz]

uh... what?

there are no video-files or anything for all the dialogue in mass effect. adding a "filter" to a real-time rendering would require resources as well, and thus it cannot in any way be made to look "better" than the rest of the game that is also rendered in real-time.

The game got AAx4 or so in cinematics.

 

[Belgorim]

The game got AAx4 or so in cinematics.

yeah, I know, I didnt realy make it clear that there are also more resources available in a scripted environment where there is no interaction. My point was pretty much that nothing is pre-rendered.

edit: that is, I obviously missunderstood the post I was quoting on my first try reading it

 

[funkmasterb]

Mass Effect uses entirely realtime cutscenes. The character model for every person is unique, as is the weapons they have on their back. It had to be realtime. 3 outer space cutscenes at the very end are pre-rendered, but other than that - everything is realtime.

 

[szaromir]

No no no, my bad pre-scripted is what I meant for mass effect. not pre-rendered. I was talking about HS while it's rendered it's done in realtime using the system's resources to create everything, it's not video.

Many of the cutsenes in Heavenly Sword are prerendered, though.

It's a shame I still have 3 days to play ME. Why Microsoft can't do it on the same day for NA and PAL is beyond me - these 3 days will kill me.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

If this is how reviewers are really looking at it then that's bullshit. Judge a game on it's own merits and not how it compares to other games, expecially games in completely different genres. By your logic games like Gears and Bioshock and COD4 should've been scored lower because those games are certainly not large scale like Mass Effect.

Of course you judge games on their own merits, but when you're dealing commercial products, those sorts of things enter into it.

And CoD4 is completely large scale in content considering its online component. Look, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. There's a definite difference in scope and approach between a game like Mass Effect and Uncharted. I'm not saying one is "better" than the other so there's no need for torches.

 

[FrankT]

Just got my copy, happy face.

Start screen/music=sexual chocolate. Oh, how I've waited so long for you Mass Effect.

 

[traveler]

Kabuqi, aren't you the guy who has been trolling this game as nothing more than a "conversation simulator" since day 1? :lol

 

[yukoner]

No no no, my bad pre-scripted is what I meant for mass effect. not pre-rendered. I was talking about HS while it's rendered it's done in realtime using the system's resources to create everything, it's not video.

No it's not in 'realtime'. They use the engine yes, but it is not able to render it in realtime, instead they use the engine to stitch together a video of the cut-scene. This is different than traditional CG but is still pre-rendered by definition.

How you can compare a totally linear, mo-capped, pre-rendered cutscenes in a 6 hour game, to 100's of individual, non-linear realtime cut-scenes in a huge game liek ME is beyond me.

Really, if you honestly thought they could match the quality of HS facial animation, in a game with the scope of ME, you were being extremely naive.

 

[Master Z]

There's a definite difference in scope and approach between a game like Mass Effect and Uncharted.

Well yeah of course one is a rpg the other an action game...

I'm not saying one is "better" than the other so there's no need for torches.

I spit hot fiya. Lol naw no torches here homie I'm looking forward to playing Mass Effect.

 

[GauntletFan]

This thread has degenerated into synless comparing hand-animated pre-rendered video facial animation to realtime, lipsyncing phoneme recognition. Just stop.

 

[Synless]

No it's not in 'realtime'. They use the engine yes, but it is not able to render it in realtime, instead they use the engine to stitch together a video of the cut-scene. This is different than traditional CG but is still pre-rendered by definition.

How you can compare a totally linear, mo-capped, pre-rendered cutscenes in a 6 hour game, to 100's of individual, non-linear realtime cut-scenes in a huge game liek ME is beyond me.

Really, if you honestly thought they could match the quality of HS facial animation, in a game with the scope of ME, you were being extremely naive.

Call me naive then, when developers and the journalists talk it up as much as they did I expected better, don't get me wrong it's not horrible just not up to my expectations, like i've said I just got myself to hyped up for it, I accept it now and love it.

 

[watership]

They have pre-rendered scenes in mass effect I've seen a few time's already where the charter model for the main character improves while he/she is talking to someone in a cinematic scene. I think you might be confusing pre-rendered in realtime with just pre-rendered scenes, and heavenly sword and mass effect uses pre-rendered in realtime graphics for it's cutscenes.

I don't think that they're the same. Heavenly sword has ingame assets being used to for Cutscenes, but they're cleaned up and stored as movies. The engine isn't rendering them realtime.

Mass Effect however uses the assets realtime to make the cutscenes.

 

[Synless]

This thread has degenerated into synless comparing hand-animated pre-rendered video facial animation to realtime, lipsyncing phoneme recognition. Just stop.

I did stop an hour ago. Now back to the game with a question If your using a vanguard how do you use the lift throw powers I've leveled it up enough I think and I still don't see the option for it.

 

[Costanza]

DHL just showed up. Even though Wal-Mart didn't ship last week, I still bitched to contact the BBB and got free overnight shipping.

Can't wait to play this.

 

[Spire]

The music is godly.

Anyway, tried to make Kristen Bell, didn't turn out so well. My character still looks pretty good though, so I guess I'll live.

 

[VALIS]

You guys who got the game already via mailorder, who did you use? Because once Gamestop took over EB they changed their "before noon" overnight shipping to Next Day Saver, which usually doesn't get me games until 5-7pm, and that's some serious bullshit, baby. I'd really like to start pre-ordering from somewhere else.

 

[FrankT]

This game is gorgeous bar none.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

Kabuqi, aren't you the guy who has been trolling this game as nothing more than a "conversation simulator" since day 1? :lol

the correct term was sci-fi talking sim. But that was more a tongue in cheek comment. I didnt really expect it to become one.

I will be getting the game today and you can look forward to my Unbiased comments then.

 

[The Lamonster]

I want to see people's custom characters! Post your Shepards here!

 

[Naeblish]

Me too! Although the standard male Shepard is probably the best looking one, he's buffed up because they needed a standard avatar for advertising and stuff. You can't recreate him in the character creator.

 

[masterkajo]

The music is godly.

Anyway, tried to make Kristen Bell, didn't turn out so well. My character still looks pretty good though, so I guess I'll live.

Would you mind showing a picture of her? I do not have the game yet but once I do, I will create a female char looking like Kristen Bell and being called Veronica

 

[Y2Kev]

I HAZ A MASS EFFECT

 

[sixteen-bit]

I think an official Mass Effect Custom Sheppard needs to be made.
I would make one, but I don't own the game and thus can't contribute.

 

[affableamerican]

If your using a vanguard how do you use the lift throw powers I've leveled it up enough I think and I still don't see the option for it.

Lift and Throw are two different biotic powers. Leveling up Throw enough will unlock Lift. Then it will show up on your power wheel.

 

[ALeperMessiah]

I asked before an didn't hear back from anyone. But where and when do you pick up Liara?

 

[Tieno]

I HAZ A MASS EFFECT

Ewww

 

[CastleBravo]

UPS is out for delivery. Unfortunately, they usually don't show up until after 5pm. BUT, I've got class until at least 7pm so I guess that's ok. :lol

 

[Y2Kev]

The opening is brilliant, and the music is fantastic.

 

[Y2Kev]

The game looks really great. Though it has those trademark UE3 kinks sometimes.

 

[The Nature Roy]

I'm still impatiently waiting for UPS to show up with my LCE.

On another note, I read in an interview awhile back that Mass Effect would get a similar marketing push to Gears of War. At least in terms of television ads, I'm not seeing it yet. I've seen the Mass Effect TV spot a number of times, but not as often as, say, the commercial for Jericho, and nowhere near the level the Gears ad got last year. Maybe it will pick up now that the game is on shelves.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make an excuse for anything. As gamers we all want every game to be 100% perfect. However, gamers often fail to see things from the developer's perspective. Time and money are finite resources. You're given X amount of time and Y amount of money to get a product out to hit D release date. Until D day, you allocate resources as you see fit. I'm just saying, this is an incredibly ambitious project with lots of moving parts. The pressure must have been enormous.

Be that as it may. I got the game yesterday, but haven't had a chance to play it, but here's my concern: technical defects can have a big impact on everything the game is trying to do. The texture loading was a bit distracting in Gears of War, but not that frequent. It was a problem in Bioshock, because it really ruined the sense of immersion pretty often. That game really depended on its atmosphere for immersion, and nothing ruins the atmosphere like untextured characters. In Halo 2, it nearly ruined the cinematics. All the effort that went into creating a compelling story through music, acting, modeling, directing, lighting - it all fell apart when I'm watching the environment and characters load in layers. It's hard to see past it, at least on the first time through.

Some rough edges are okay, but when it starts to impact the immersion and story telling, there's a problem. I don't know if Mass Effect is that bad, but I am worried from what I've read. I hope to be surprised this week when I dive in.

 

[temp]

I'm still impatiently waiting for UPS to show up with my LCE.

On another note, I read in an interview awhile back that Mass Effect would get a similar marketing push to Gears of War. At least in terms of television ads, I'm not seeing it yet. I've seen the Mass Effect TV spot a number of times, but not as often as, say, the commercial for Jericho, and nowhere near the level the Gears ad got last year. Maybe it will pick up now that the game is on shelves.

That commercial is playing in my head 24/7. That's 100% penetration.