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The Mass Effect Community Thread |OT2|

Vamphuntr

Member
yes, that first planet was...........terrible. just everything. Combat is fucking amazing.....and I actually don't mind the animations as much as I thought I would.


Scanning is the worst part of the game though

Scanning is rather inoffensive compared to the gameplay loop of doing fetch quests to increase viability and getting to the vault so you can set an outpost. My 2 biggest gripe so far:
1- They explicitly stated it wouldn't be like DAI and it's quite a lot like it
2- They also said the plot wouldn't be centered about a central evil villain like the trilogy and so far the Kett are pretty much that.
 

Renekton

Member
Scanning is clunky.

Should streamline to one button and mouse-look, also remove the projection effect and just highlight key POIs within area around target reticle.
 
Scanning is clunky.

Should streamline to one button and mouse-look, also remove the projection effect and just highlight key POIs within area around target reticle.

Scanning was kind of dull and boring in previous games, and now they somehow managed to make it worse. I like that it's not so tedious as ME2 where you wasted a lot of time scanning on each world, but the cinematic approach to every single location is a waste of time and needs to go. Patch it out pls.
 
Meh, I'm not even enjoying the multiplayer. Not only does it look worse than ME3 on my PC due to the graphics settings, but it seems to have a number of issues:

1) The enemies simply aren't as interesting or varied as those in ME3. Geth, Collectors, Reapers and Cerberus all had character and different styles, this doesn't seem to be the same.

2) Enemies feel like bullet sponges in a way they didn't in ME3.

3) Bronze is definitely harder - I've been failing numerous missions right now.

4) Possibly because of the change in engine, but it seems like you can have a lot more enemies on the map at once now, and they can spawn much closer to you. That's removed a lot of strategy from the game that I enjoyed.

Some of it I'm sure will be adjusted with patches and free DLC - right now none of the characters are that interesting,. but neither was the initial ME3 roster. But all in all it doesn't feel like the return to form I was praying for, and whilst I like the unlinked power cooldown it's not enough for me to justify buying the game and investing in it.

The more interesting characters are the ultra-rares. The Avenger is basically the N7 Shadow with a better grenade and group buffs. I'm sure it'll be the same as before. I don't think bronze is harder, it's different coming from an all-world power set where your enemies flee is different. I have the Piranha and life is golden.

I'll give you that Bronze at least seems harder, but I think there's some rose tinted glasses there, because I remember failing the first few attempts in Bronze when I started off, and only beating them once I had levelled up a little and gotten some equipment, and the same things seems to have happened here. I "cleared" bronze for the first time this morning doing an APEX mission, but the airquotes are there because on the last wave I got wedged between a Fiend and an Ascendant and the Fiend ate me, but the rest of the group extracted.

I also realized on this last run that it was the first time a PUG I was with cleared wave 6...and then remembered that I have these things called Cobra RPGs that clear the big nasties real quick that I still haven't used.

So I think the game seems harder now, but will seem easier once we level up some and get some gear, just like in ME3MP.

I just had to solo Wave 6 because people didn't use launchers in the last group.

Yup, getting PUGs to use consumbles on wave 6 is the biggest challenge. Or just even equiping ammo powers. You lose half the combo potential by not doing so. In ME3 I had consumbles for years so don't horde them.

Pretty much, they're there to be used.

1 more thing that sucks about MP...
Why are y'all joining silver and up with lvl 1 characters... like the game doesn't even default to random, but to bronze so you actively have to pick it...

Please, please stop doing this people.

I wouldn't even bother joining that match. Bronze can fuck you up for a while, and since people aren't as geared or good, progression is slower; I only have a 10, 8, 6 and 3. Take your time, silver and gold aren't going anywhere.
 

diaspora

Member
The DOF is... extremely well done. Works well with the film grain and my custom colour grading.

33453087881_f83535769e_o.png
 

Briarios

Member
I got an amazing pull from the free ME3 loot chest: two ultra rates and a rare in one pack - the human kineticist, the Salarian operator, and the Turian havoc trooper.

You have to understand how bad my luck is with this things ... Sometimes, it's the little things that make it all worthwhile.
 

B00TE

Member
My kingdom for a krogan mercenary.

The human vanguard is my current favorite class, the build I have on them is just a shit ton of fun to play, only gets better as I get new guns to experiment with.

I think my biggest complaint with the game's SP right now is the Galaxy map needing to 'move' to everything. It's reaaaaally slow and obnoxious when you're trying to just find anomaly's. Outside of that, I only have minor nitpicks that bog down the overall experience. Love engaging the kett whenever and wherever I can.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Anecdotal, but as an example of how quickly word and reviews spread: my boss loves his video games, and has cited on a number of occasions that The Last of Us, the Mass Effect trilogy, and The Witcher 3 are his favourite games ever. He has no particular platform allegiance, playing Civ on PC, Pokemon on his DS, and currently Zelda on his Switch and Horizon on PS4. He definitely does a lot of gaming, a huge amount, but isn't so entrenched in gaming culture that he visits forums or argues about developers or anything. He's the kind of guy to get his fix by just general buzz and word of mouth, YouTubing trailers every now and then, and still buys magazines. He loves having a gasbag to me about games because I think I'm one of the few people in the company he can.

Today he visited our office and immediately said to me that Andromeda wasn't getting many good reviews and despite his love for the series he'll be waiting awhile before he buys it. Not that I mind, it's his choice and that's the purpose or reviews, but yeah. That's how fast buzz travels.
 
Anecdotal, but as an example of how quickly word and reviews spread: my boss loves his video games, and has cited on a number of occasions that The Last of Us, the Mass Effect trilogy, and The Witcher 3 are his favourite games ever. He has no particular platform allegiance, playing Civ on PC, Pokemon on his DS, and currently Zelda on his Switch and Horizon on PS4. He definitely does a lot of gaming, a huge amount, but isn't so entrenched in gaming culture that he visits forums or argues about developers or anything. He's the kind of guy to get his fix by just general buzz and word of mouth, YouTubing trailers every now and then, and still buys magazines. He loves having a gasbag to me about games because I think I'm one of the few people in the company he can.

Today he visited our office and immediately said to me that Andromeda wasn't getting many good reviews and despite his love for the series he'll be waiting awhile before he buys it. Not that I mind, it's his choice and that's the purpose or reviews, but yeah. That's how fast buzz travels.
Yeah, I think bad word of mouth may do a lot of damage. We'll see, though.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
As I've said before, if this tanks in sales I'd say EA will do as Ubisoft have done to Deus Ex.
 
So how did patch 1.04 affect the game?

Patch notes

Patch 1.04
Singleplayer

  • Fixed an issue whereby players were unable to land on Ark Natanus
  • Fixed an issue whereby the game loaded to a black screen or ran as a background process when Corsair Utility Engine or similar programs were running

Multiplayer

  • Fixed an issue causing players to stop hearing their character’s audio and start hearing another player’s instead
  • Fixed an issue causing the game to crash when using the Human Male Soldier and F key

Early Access Patch
General

  • Overall performance improvements
  • Fixed an issue with the title only accepting input from the last controller synced when two controllers are assigned to the same profile
  • Fixed various collision issues
  • Fixed a few rare audio issues

Singleplayer

  • Improvements to many cinematics, conversations, and other character interactions
  • Improved quest rewards
  • Fixed an issue whereby a door could become jammed in mission 5
  • Fixed issues with objective markers not appearing correctly
  • Minor performance improvements after some Tempest transitions
  • Fixed an issue whereby the combat music was not functioning as designed
  • Fixed some minor quest-related issues
  • Fixed a small cinematic issue during the Drack loyalty quest
  • Minor balancing change to the “Remove the Heart” quest
  • Improvements to quest tracking and waypoints

Multiplayer

  • Improvements to Strike Teams UI screens
  • Additional multiplayer tutorials implemented
  • Balance changes to guns, reward packs, and objectives scoring
  • Improved appearance of character portraits
  • Added new artwork for MP characters, armor, and challenges in menus and codex entries
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Not sure what's everyone problem with Eos? Thought it was fine mostly(the underground part was cool), other than the Nomad sucking at even going up a normal road sometimes, plus trying to find minerals with it.
 

Ovek

7Member7
Not sure what's everyone problem with Eos? Thought it was fine mostly(the underground part was cool), other than the Nomad sucking at even going up a normal road sometimes, plus trying to find minerals with it.

Yeah I don't really get it either, I thought looking around the deserted colony attempt sites was pretty cool all be it a little "slow".

The Nomad is a shit show but it was always going to be, it might get better if I upgrade it.

Mining on the other hand is just busy work, annoying shitty busy work and the worst part of the game by far.
 

Patryn

Member
Depending on sales we might not even get MA:A 2 let alone some DLC.

Oh, I already figured that the Andromeda sub-brand for Mass Effect was dead. It's far too tainted at this point and brings far too much baggage.

I figure any Mass Effect 5 (if it happens) would be another reboot of some fashion, likely set back in the Milky Way.
 
What do think the odds are that we ever see single-player DLC for Andromeda at this point?

I'm guessing low.

We even got DA2 DLC evn thought some was cut (the Exalted March).

Besides, it might not be looking so hot but I think we should wait for sales first.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Oh, I already figured that the Andromeda sub-brand for Mass Effect was dead. It's far too tainted at this point and brings far too much baggage.

I figure any Mass Effect 5 (if it happens) would be another reboot of some fashion, likely set back in the Milky Way.

I haven't finished Andromeda yet, but if it ends up with "Shit, this galaxy was a bad idea, let's go back", i'll laugh.
 

Patryn

Member
I haven't finished Andromeda yet, but if it ends up with "Shit, this galaxy was a bad idea, let's go back", i'll laugh.

Let me clarify that I haven't finished the game, so I have no idea if it ends like that. I'm just guessing that they'll want to run away from the Andromeda name given the reputation it has acquired, and companies in crisis tend to like back to basics, which means Milky Way in this instance.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Let me clarify that I haven't finished the game, so I have no idea if it ends like that. I'm just guessing that they'll want to run away from the Andromeda name given the reputation it has acquired, and companies in crisis tend to like back to basics, which means Milky Way in this instance.

Yeah I know. Since this Andromeda trip was a one-way one anyway, it would be easy for them to just never touch it and go back to the Milky Way.

This whole Andromeda idea was always just a trick for them to stay away from the ME3 ending, it's no surprise to anyone. Considering that a lot of the Milky Way was still unexplored, and how much people love the Citadel, the races, the lore being the galaxy itself, it never made sense to get away from all that.
They could either make a reboot without Shepard & the Reapers, or just create games happening during the ME1(or prior to that) or ME2(hell, they got 2 years with no Shepard to do whatever they want) timeline when the Reapers were just something that nobody but Shepard were worrying about.

They have plenty of opportunities during these 2 timelines to create cool, smaller scaled, stories. I think it's one of the things people love so much about ME2 : all the side stories done that had nothing to do with the Collectors.
 

Dany

Banned
I want tali, wrex, garrus and liara back.

ME:a spoiler
THose liara audio logs were most certainly not the same voice actress of liara in the original trilogy
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Square makes Deus ex? and what do you mean?

Oops, I mean Square. But yeah, Mankind Divided sold like shit, and Square has shelved the series

What do think the odds are that we ever see single-player DLC for Andromeda at this point?

I'm guessing low.

I don't know. Single player DLC can also be a bit of an easy cashgrab in the sense that you can reuse a lot of assets and technology that already exists, teams can be smaller, and you're kinda guaranteed sales from at the very least the hardcore fans who'll stick around. Unless Andromeda's sales are really catastrophic I can't see why it wouldn't receive at least one single player DLC.

I'm more concerned about franchise sales. I'm really enjoying my time with Andromeda so far. Lots I can dissect and nitpick, but I do that with everything. I want to see Montreal have the opportunity to do a follow up now a lot of the tech and premise is in place.

If the game tanks, that's it in my opinion. Catch ya later Mass Effect.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I want tali, wrex, garrus and liara back.

ME:a spoiler
THose liara audio logs were most certainly not the same voice actress of liara in the original trilogy

I don't know. It sounded like her, but it sounded like she was just reading a piece of paper rather than trying to speak as a normal being.
 

Renekton

Member
This whole Andromeda idea was always just a trick for them to stay away from the ME3 ending, it's no surprise to anyone. Considering that a lot of the Milky Way was still unexplored, and how much people love the Citadel, the races, the lore being the galaxy itself, it never made sense to get away from all that.

They could either make a reboot without Shepard & the Reapers, or just create games happening during the ME1(or prior to that) or ME2(hell, they got 2 years with no Shepard to do whatever they want) timeline when the Reapers were just something that nobody but Shepard were worrying about.
Or just put Indoctrination Theory as official canon. Continuity reset + "we gave fans what they wanted!" Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

(I hate the theory btw)
 

Maledict

Member
Creating a mass Effect game before the ending of ME3 is a bad idea. The ending of ME3 had galactic wide changes, so whatever you do is ultimately going to be eclipsed by that. It's why I was so opposed to the idea of a first contact game - it's a story already told, with an end we know about.

Personally, I think they should have just bitten the bullet and chosen a canon ending (most probably control as that keeps the Geth around. Alternative is you choose destroy, but have geth space remain 'off limits' so that their fate is unknown). That would have been better than this fake 'new galaxy' crap which coincidentally just looks like the old one (up too and including Krogan fucking mercenaries everywhere which makes absolutely zero sense in Andromeda).
 

dr_rus

Member
OI'm more concerned about franchise sales. I'm really enjoying my time with Andromeda so far. Lots I can dissect and nitpick, but I do that with everything. I want to see Montreal have the opportunity to do a follow up now a lot of the tech and premise is in place.

If the game tanks, that's it in my opinion. Catch ya later Mass Effect.

I doubt that the game will tank but it might end up in this unpleasant position where it sold a lot but not quite enough to warrant another sequel. Which would be sad really as the franchise itself still has a lot of possibilities to explore. Just don't make it another galaxy again this time, please.

Creating a mass Effect game before the ending of ME3 is a bad idea. The ending of ME3 had galactic wide changes, so whatever you do is ultimately going to be eclipsed by that. It's why I was so opposed to the idea of a first contact game - it's a story already told, with an end we know about.

Personally, I think they should have just bitten the bullet and chosen a canon ending (most probably control as that keeps the Geth around. Alternative is you choose destroy, but have geth space remain 'off limits' so that their fate is unknown). That would have been better than this fake 'new galaxy' crap which coincidentally just looks like the old one (up too and including Krogan fucking mercenaries everywhere which makes absolutely zero sense in Andromeda).

Or they could've just chosen all three disregarding that awful choice in the end of ME3 (nobody would cry on that I think) and just create an ending where everything went somewhat differently - like Reapers are gone, Geth are still around, relays are partially functioning, Shepard is MIA, etc. It really isn't that hard if you think about it, especially if you let some time pass between the events of ME3 and whatever is the next adventure for Milky Way.
 

Madness

Member
Creating a mass Effect game before the ending of ME3 is a bad idea. The ending of ME3 had galactic wide changes, so whatever you do is ultimately going to be eclipsed by that. It's why I was so opposed to the idea of a first contact game - it's a story already told, with an end we know about.

Personally, I think they should have just bitten the bullet and chosen a canon ending (most probably control as that keeps the Geth around. Alternative is you choose destroy, but have geth space remain 'off limits' so that their fate is unknown). That would have been better than this fake 'new galaxy' crap which coincidentally just looks like the old one (up too and including Krogan fucking mercenaries everywhere which makes absolutely zero sense in Andromeda).

Nah I like that they ignored it all. Maybe once we are at Mass Effect Andromeda 2, they can make one of the endings of ME3 canon. By then, no one would really care as it doesn't affect ME:A much.

I honestly would prefer Destroy to be canon, but one that somehoe kept EDI and the Geth safe. Having Synthesis be the canon option would be poor. What a shitty end to the trilogy. Still get upset thinking about it. One of my issues with Andromeda is that I care about none of it really. Unlike say the Milky Way which has Earth. It was a joy seeing things like Ilium and Omega and Thessia and Surr'Kesh for the first time because they have history to the story and races of the game. Oh well, hopefully they are even allowed to continue. Like EatChildren said above, bad sales and the negatige buzz and EA may just shelve the series while it is spending all its focus on Star Wars.
 

Maledict

Member
It will be so sad if that's the case. I am so utterly, utterly sick of Star Wars and if that sour only option for big space opera games I'll be hugely disappointed. I enjoy the films a lot, but having it as our main big sci if series will be tedium personified. It's been done to death and back.
 

Garlador

Member
Nah I like that they ignored it all. Maybe once we are at Mass Effect Andromeda 2, they can make one of the endings of ME3 canon. By then, no one would really care as it doesn't affect ME:A much.

I honestly would prefer Destroy to be canon, but one that somehoe kept EDI and the Geth safe. Having Synthesis be the canon option would be poor. What a shitty end to the trilogy. Still get upset thinking about it. One of my issues with Andromeda is that I care about none of it really. Unlike say the Milky Way which has Earth. It was a joy seeing things like Ilium and Omega and Thessia and Surr'Kesh for the first time because they have history to the story and races of the game. Oh well, hopefully they are even allowed to continue. Like EatChildren said above, bad sales and the negatige buzz and EA may just shelve the series while it is spending all its focus on Star Wars.

I would have once said EA shelving it would take some huge backlash to make happen...

But they've got the Star Wars money now, and then I remember how EA themselves ran Dead Space, my favorite new horror IP of last gen, right into the ground and then put the studio on Star Wars games. They yanked one of the lead writers off Mass Effect mid-way through the trilogy and put him on The Old Republic as well.
 
Or they could've just chosen all three disregarding that awful choice in the end of ME3 (nobody would cry on that I think) and just create an ending where everything went somewhat differently - like Reapers are gone, Geth are still around, relays are partially functioning, Shepard is MIA, etc. It really isn't that hard if you think about it, especially if you let some time pass between the events of ME3 and whatever is the next adventure for Milky Way.

The funny thing I think is how shit like this was handled in the Elder Scrolls games. They call them Dragon Breaks, and essentially say in-universe "some crazy shit happened nobody can explain it, but this is how the world is now" which is how you can explain how Daggerfall had like eight different endings that all radically reshaped that part of the world, and in the canon all of them and none of them happened, and now you have a canon view of how "shit went crazy but it's cool now" called The Warp In The West.

Like, I could almost see Bioware trying for something like this to say "look, we can't explain what happened, but reapers are gone, shepard is gone, and shit went sideways but we're cool now".
 

Maledict

Member
The funny thing I think is how shit like this was handled in the Elder Scrolls games. They call them Dragon Breaks, and essentially say in-universe "some crazy shit happened nobody can explain it, but this is how the world is now" which is how you can explain how Daggerfall had like eight different endings that all radically reshaped that part of the world, and in the canon all of them and none of them happened, and now you have a canon view of how "shit went crazy but it's cool now" called The Warp In The West.

Like, I could almost see Bioware trying for something like this to say "look, we can't explain what happened, but reapers are gone, shepard is gone, and shit went sideways but we're cool now".

That's exactly what I was thinking of as well. Set it 10+ years after the end of ME3, have the reapers gone and the reconstruction efforts underway, have Shepherd vanish and the Geth retreating back behind the Perseus veil. That would be better than this farcical 'go to a new galaxy, everything's the same!' concept they have now where they utterly squander the presmise of the game to recreate poorer versions of the original trilogy.
 

diaspora

Member
EA is more likely to restructure BioWare's organisational model than kill the IP or even go back to the milky way. It's obvious that the location isn't the problem.

In any case this feels like the most star trek of any of the Mass Effect games.
 
That's exactly what I was thinking of as well. Set it 10+ years after the end of ME3, have the reapers gone and the reconstruction efforts underway, have Shepherd vanish and the Geth retreating back behind the Perseus veil. That would be better than this farcical 'go to a new galaxy, everything's the same!' concept they have now where they utterly squander the presmise of the game to recreate poorer versions of the original trilogy.

There was a thing that I read in a review, I think, that really struck a chord with me. On one hand, I kinda like being in a new place, and seeing the prefab stuff with people trying to just get started on these new worlds...but the problem with that is that you aren't likely to get something really cool and unique to find because everyone's starting out.

Like, I haven't found the Exiles yet, but when I do, I'm expecting more of the same buildings. I'm not expecting Omega, or Illium. Mass Effect always boiled down to three types of settings when it came to interacting with people outside your crew: there was the Citadel, there were the remote outposts (that were usually getting fucked and we had to save them), and there were the cities, with all the intrigue and politicking that you'd expect from a company whose glory days are still in Athkatla.

I want a new Athkatla. :(
 

Dave_6

Member
I kept my preorder for the PS4 (Pro) version mainly for MP but after playing the trial on PC, yikes the performance on Pro feels bad in comparison. Guess I will buy the PC version sometime before the end of the week. Hopefully the MP community on PC will be pretty good for a while.
 

Lt-47

Member
They yanked one of the lead writers off Mass Effect mid-way through the trilogy and put him on The Old Republic as well.

They didn't yanked him. Drew love Star Wars to death. He came back from his retirement just to work on TOR again.
That beign said I would love to see him work on ME once more
 

dr_rus

Member
EA is more likely to restructure BioWare's organisational model than kill the IP or even go back to the milky way. It's obvious that the location isn't the problem.

In any case this feels like the most star trek of any of the Mass Effect games.

EA have Star Wars license right now which is far more likely to produce sales for even mediocre games than new Mass Effect entries. So it is entirely possible that they'll shelve the franchise at least until their agreement with Disney will run out and won't be renewed (i.e. possibly forever).
 

diaspora

Member
EA have Star Wars license right now which is far more likely to produce sales for even mediocre games than new Mass Effect entries. So it is entirely possible that they'll shelve the franchise at least until their agreement with Disney will run out and won't be renewed (i.e. possibly forever).
EA could have killed DA after 2 but didn't. They know that they're better off keeping their internal IPs alive is as important as the Star Wars IP even if one of four entries got a lukewarm reception.

Because that's ultimately what it comes down to- shelve an internal IP because the leadership of BioWare Montréal appears to have goofed or simply fix the internal problem.
 

dr_rus

Member
EA could have killed DA after 2 but didn't. They know that they're better off keeping their internal IPs alive is as important as the Star Wars IP even if one of four entries got a lukewarm reception.

Because that's ultimately what it comes down to- shelve an internal IP because the leadership of BioWare Montréal appears to have goofed or simply fix the internal problem.

They could have if they'd had, say, Lord of the Rings license. Since they don't Dragon Age is their main fantasy IP so it's rather unlikely that they'll ever kill it. As for Mass Effect...
 

diaspora

Member
They could have if they'd had, say, Lord of the Rings license. Since they don't Dragon Age is their main fantasy IP so it's rather unlikely that they'll ever kill it. As for Mass Effect...
No, they wouldn't have likely killed DA with or without being able to use the LOTR IP. Specifically for that reason- it's not their IP, much less their own internally created and developed RPGs- and that honestly does matter.
 

goishen

Member
EA is more likely to restructure BioWare's organisational model than kill the IP or even go back to the milky way. It's obvious that the location isn't the problem.

This is my thinking as well. The writing in this game is just terribad. And now they want me to play some kind of CoD - ME mashup?

I mean, you're sitting on a gold mine, and yet you miss the mark on every level.
 
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