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[Heckler456]

It shouldn't *literally* be the Citedal. Agree with the need for a hub, but lets see something different - right now, a lot of what we are seeing feels (narrative and lore wise) just like a mass effect game set in the original galaxy would feel like.

What else should it be? It's a space station in a universe in which the ultimate space station exists. All the technology within the Mass Effect universe is essentially based on the technology made by the people who made the citadel and mass relays and whatever, so it makes complete and perfect sense for The Nexus to be based on The Citadel. And it's not LITERALLY the citadel. I mean come on, we barely know anything about it.

Also, it remains a "Mass Effect" game. That's what the fans want. They're not going to mess with the fundamentals. That being said though, I really don't understand what exactly you're trying to criticize here. I'm just not seeing it.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

Still curious as to what species didn't make the cut, at least for this entry. As much as I want the Volus to be in a big part of their physiology is their need to breathe ammonia or something like that. That probably makes the journey to Andromeda in stasis more difficult.

That Nexus video shows there's a museum of sorts showing off holograms of all the milky way species that Andromedan species can come and view. I wonder if anyone can get a good zoom in on all the holograms.

 

[Garlador]

Still curious as to what species didn't make the cut, at least for this entry. As much as I want the Volus to be in a big part of their physiology is their need to breathe ammonia or something like that. That probably makes the journey to Andromeda in stasis more difficult.

That Nexus video shows there's a museum of sorts showing off holograms of all the milky way species that Andromedan species can come and view. I wonder if anyone can get a good zoom in on all the holograms.

My bets are we won't be seeing any Vorcha, Volus, Batarian, Elcor, Geth, Quarians, Drell, Hanar, Protheans, or Yawg.

 

[Fruitster]

My bets are we won't be seeing any Vorcha, Volus, Batarian, Elcor, Geth, Quarians, Drell, Hanar, Protheans, or Yawg.

Probably a good bet. In a way though, if I had to pick any of those races to make the cut - i'd want Batarians. Kind of grew to like them over the course of the trilogy. At the very least I hope that crazy preacher from Omega made the trip to Andromeda.

 

[Big Nikus]

It'll be fun if I romance Vetra. My fiancee romanced Garrus in the trilogy, so we would end up having both banged turians. It'll be the foundation of our marriage.

 

[diaspora]

The Batarian Hegemony was the North Korea of the galaxy and one of their systems got nuked by a human. IDK if they're coming.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

I can only imagine the outrage if they make some of the companions non-romanceable and Vetra happened to be one of them.

 

[Mindlog]

My Ryder isn't settling for anything less than a Thresher Maw.

 

[Garlador]

I can only imagine the outrage if they make some of the companions non-romanceable and Vetra happened to be one of them.

They already confirmed not everyone will be romanceable. They wanted them to be more realistic. Some want flings, some want long-term, and some don't think you're they're type and have no interest.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

They already confirmed not everyone will be romanceable. They wanted them to be more realistic. Some want flings, some want long-term, and some don't think you're they're type and have no interest.

I know, I was just personally musing about the upcoming "why can't I spacebang the mushroom species" comments we're likely to see. Always good for a laugh, especially on the old BioWare forums.

I'm aware no one probably cares about the human companions but I really want to see/know more about Cora. I need at least one relatable human character pls.

 

[Garlador]

I know, I was just personally musing about the upcoming "why can't I spacebang the mushroom species" comments we're likely to see. Always good for a laugh, especially on the old BioWare forums.

I'm aware no one probably cares about the human companions but I really want to see/know more about Cora. I need at least one relatable human character pls.

Reverse-Ashley. She won't sleep with you because she's EXCLUSIVELY into aliens.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

Reverse-Ashley. She won't sleep with you because she's EXCLUSIVELY into aliens.

The darkest timeline.

 

[Josh5890]

With the next Mass Effect around the corner, I want to replay the series for about the fifth or sixth time. This time though I want to complete all of the DLC too, something I never touched before. I have all of the games on PC. Is there a way to get the DLC cheaper or should I just bite the bullet and purchase all of them. I've pretty much given up on an "ultimate trilogy" package coming out with all DLC included.

 

[Patryn]

With the next Mass Effect around the corner, I want to replay the series for about the fifth or sixth time. This time though I want to complete all of the DLC too, something I never touched before. I have all of the games on PC. Is there a way to get the DLC cheaper or should I just bite the bullet and purchase all of them. I've pretty much given up on an "ultimate trilogy" package coming out with all DLC included.

They have occasionally gone on sale, though the sales have been much rarer than on console.

If you haven't ever played any ME DLC, you should be in for a treat. Some of it is really, really excellent.

 

[DevilDog]

I can't wait for bad writing to ruin Andromeda as well. In the end, there are tons of galaxies to go around. I get chills at the thought.

They have occasionally gone on sale, though the sales have been much rarer than on console.

If you haven't ever played any ME DLC, you should be in for a treat. Some of it is really, really excellent.

Especially Pinnacle station, by far the most exciting and content rich DLC of all.

 

[Patryn]

Especially Pinnacle station, by far the most exciting and content rich DLC of all.

Now, now. Pinnacle Station isn't THAT bad.

Unless you hate ME1's combat.

And the Time Trials can be total shit.

 

[Big Nikus]

Especially Pinnacle station, by far the most exciting and content rich DLC of all.

This view though.

 

[Garlador]

I bet fifteen romanceable squad members that the footage showed on the Game Awards will feature BroRyder. The event is so 'Gamer culture' that I would be surprised to see Bioware Marketing move beyond what they have already shown to be their most prominent choice of character.

But that's just cynical old me.

I'm pretty sure I actually saw some footage with BroRyder, so... you may have been right.

 

[DevilDog]

Now, now. Pinnacle Station isn't THAT bad.

Unless you hate ME1's combat.

And the Time Trials can be total shit.

Best 5 bucks I never spent.

 

[Officer.Sanchez]

New video out showing off the Nexus and Arks

Hype-rion awaits.

And the voice of Avina returns hah.

EDIT: Things I noted during the video is that the Nexus is being built in pieces, I wonder if each arm of the Nexus is home to one of the four main ark species?

These videos are more interesting than the regular shootbang-action trailers. I love 'em

I really really hope we get a playable prologue and not just a cinematic and a "wake up we're in Andromeda" as opening.

 

[diaspora]

Now, now. Pinnacle Station isn't THAT bad.

Unless you hate ME1's combat.

And the Time Trials can be total shit.

tl;dr it sucks

 

[Sou Da]

These videos are more interesting than the regular shootbang-action trailers. I love 'em

I really really hope we get a playable prologue and not just a cinematic and a "wake up we're in Andromeda" as opening.

I am almost 100% sure you won't get a playable prologue, BW has not been fond of them since like me2 pretty much.

 

[DevilDog]

These videos are more interesting than the regular shootbang-action trailers. I love 'em

Yes, incredible video, much better than what we saw yesterday. The citadel is the best thing in the history of sci fi. Really cool to see the new one.

And the details! This is one of the strongest things about Bioware. Other studios wouldn't have shed any real light on the situation.
"Yeah man, so we get on ships on go to the next galaxy, and we got cryostasis! Isn't that great?!"

But Bioware, not only do they answer our questions, they ask more questions on our behalf and then provide sweet and cool answers.

 

[Dany]

I'm replaying ME1 on PC this week, and boy do that "mod"(more like file edit) that speed up the game by 10x with the press of a button helps on those tedious long walks, slow elevators and Mako rides. I think i'll save a few hours in the end lol.

Now, now. Pinnacle Station isn't THAT bad.QUOTE]

Dude. It was really bad.

 

[Yeul]

These videos are more interesting than the regular shootbang-action trailers. I love 'em

Yeah I was thinking this as I watched it. I love the small teaser images and the codex-like presentations about the lore. They've been the most enjoyable pieces of marketing they've done so far. To me at least.

 

[Ivory Samoan]

Don't like the TECH COMBO indicator. The original trilogy used sound effectively to let you know you triggered a combo.

Caught what I think is a flame turret.

Armor has mods.

Playstation buttons likely means they get first crack at DLC.

I like it, it had more going on than a trilogy combo too: full combination crewmate animation with that little rolly thing as well....so sexy.

Now, now. Pinnacle Station isn't THAT bad.

Unless you hate ME1's combat.

And the Time Trials can be total shit.

I really was.......it was so bad I have to force myself each time to walk in, talk to no-one and take in the view, then leave straight away again lol.

 

[Patryn]

I really was.......it was so bad I have to force myself each time to walk in, talk to no-one and take in the view, then leave straight away again lol.

If you wait until you're level 55-58 (basically, towards the end of your first run) it should only take about 1 hour to clear the entire thing.

I speak from experience, having cleared it twice in the past 3 months.

 

[Tzeentch]

New video out showing off the Nexus and Arks

Much better than the standard trailers IMO.

 

[dr_rus]

Much better than the standard trailers IMO.

Yeah, I think they handle the marketing of MEA totally wrong. They should show this as the main trailers and not some fan targeted additional information. It would be great to make several trailers showing different aspects of the game as full as possible - exploration, combat, interaction with new species, etc. - instead of just dumping everything into one trailer and saying shit like "let's speed up the gameplay to show more".

 

[Heckler456]

Yeah, I think they handle the marketing of MEA totally wrong. They should show this as the main trailers and not some fan targeted additional information. It would be great to make several trailers showing different aspects of the game as full as possible - exploration, combat, interaction with new species, etc. - instead of just dumping everything into one trailer and saying shit like "let's speed up the gameplay to show more".

What? No. Trailers that you push out to the world (like the cinematic reveal) are there to grab attention. This doesn't grab people's attention. If it did, they probably would have numbers that say videos like this grab attention, and they'd be doing what you're saying they should be doing.

Videos like this are for people who are already interested in the product, or who might be interested in the product, but want to dig deeper. They're also there for people like us to be able to "evangelize" the game, to spread awareness through word of mouth.

I think that they're doing the marketing just fine thus far. But most of all, I don't think you can judge a marketing campaign when you're barely in the middle of it.

 

[EatChildren]

I don't think the Andromeda Initiative footage would make for a good mass market trailer, and I thought the gameplay trailer was mostly pretty excellent. They're targeting different groups with the content and know the more indepth trailers appeal to the hardcore fans who are likely to be scouring the internet for details.

What I do think they need, and really should have had from the get go, is a concise story/premise trailer that properly combines some of the kind of stuff we're seeing in these Andromeda Initiative footage with clips from the gameplay trailer. I feel that's what the game's marketing arm has blundered with so far; a solid, punchy trailer coherently detailing exactly what Mass Effect: Andromeda is all about. At the moment the marketing is very scattered, and the cinematic trailer did a pretty terrible job of setting the tone.

 

[dr_rus]

What? No. Trailers that you push out to the world (like the cinematic reveal) are there to grab attention. This doesn't grab people's attention. If it did, they probably would have numbers that say videos like this grab attention, and they'd be doing what you're saying they should be doing.

Videos like this are for people who are already interested in the product, or who might be interested in the product, but want to dig deeper. They're also there for people like us to be able to "evangelize" the game, to spread awareness through word of mouth.

I think that they're doing the marketing just fine thus far. But most of all, I don't think you can judge a marketing campaign when you're barely in the middle of it.

Nothing in the trailers they've shown grabbed any attention as ME is a known quantity already. You don't need to grab attention for a sequel, you need to address the skepticism which present and try to expand the number of people interested.

By showing a bad montage of everything the game have you are doing a disservice to the game as you don't hit any of the things mentioned above. The typical reaction to the yesterday's trailer is "ok, that's Mass Effect" - and it goes into "omg" and "meh" from there depending on how people are feeling regarding the trilogy.

What a good trailer should do instead is capture parts of the fan base, addressing the concerns it has. Like, the concern about exploration being as shitty as some think it was in ME1. The concern of writing and plot being crap again. The concern that the game will be a shooter and won't have RPG mechanics or stuff like atmospheric loneliness which was present in ME1. Etc.

Yesterday trailer is a misfire, it didn't tell anything new beyond the known fact that MEA is a Mass Effect game.

 

[diaspora]

Nothing in the trailers they've shown grabbed any attention as ME is a known quantity already. You don't need to grab attention for a sequel, you need to address the skepticism which present and try to expand the number of people interested.

By showing a bad montage of everything the game have you are doing a disservice to the game as you don't hit any of the things mentioned above. The typical reaction to the yesterday's trailer is "ok, that's Mass Effect" - and it goes into "omg" and "meh" from there depending on how people are feeling regarding the trilogy.

What a good trailer should do instead is capture parts of the fan base, addressing the concerns it has. Like, the concern about exploration being as shitty as some think it was in ME1. The concern of writing and plot being crap again. The concern that the game will be a shooter and won't have RPG mechanics or stuff like atmospheric loneliness which was present in ME1. Etc.

Yesterday trailer is a misfire, it didn't tell anything new beyond the known fact that MEA is a Mass Effect game.

It told me there was going to be pop-in on the PS4 Pro.

 

[Heckler456]

Nothing in the trailers they've shown grabbed any attention as ME is a known quantity already.

Well, I think you're just patently wrong right off the bat. The E3 2015 trailer already doubled the most viewed ME3 trailer. The trailer they released on N7 day is already encroaching on the most viewed ME3 trailer. And we're months removed from release. I don't see how you can't see that as a positive.

Whatever else you said, here's the crux of the matter: They might still be doing all of those things you said they should be doing! We don't know, because like I said, we're still months removed from release, and Shinobi did say (iirc) that we'd have a pretty meaty marketing campaign to look forward to! So I'm not sure why you're putting the cart before the horse in terms of criticizing their marketing strategy.

And to close off, you calling it a bad montage doesn't make it a bad montage. People complaining on Gaf are a very vocal minority, and even with some of the vile shit being said about the game in the youtube comments, the video is still being received very positively. So I'm not sure who exactly you're speaking for when you say that it's a "bad montage", but I doubt it's for the people who EA and Bioware are actually trying to target, because they seem to be liking the video just fine. And guess what, if they're still interested in more, they can just look up "Mass Effect" or better yet, click through at the end of the trailer, and they'll see this video right here on the hub the specifically built for this kind of content!

 

[AyzOn]

I liked the gameplay trailer but they really really need to fix those facial animations.
My brother and I watched it together and when they showed that scene it just looked so goofy and bad that we both burst out laughing which is probably not the reaction they had in mind for the viewer.

Im also slightly disappointed that FemRyder looks that different from the Trailer they´ve shown us. Between those really good looking Krogans she just looked out of place and the face looked different from trailer in a way that I didnt recognize her directly and instead thought for a second at the beginning that she was the human squad mate.

I like that vibe those Andromeda initiation trailers have, if they get that across the game Ill be very happy.

And with combat looking that good I even look forward to playing the MP again.

 

[Bisnic]

That moment when you tell Liara you don't want her to visit you on the Normandy after defeating the Shadow Broker. She didn't expect that reply lol, almost feel bad.

 

[Ralemont]

I thought the trailer was magnificent and everything I would have wanted from a gameplay reveal trailer, except that they're doing detective vision for quests and I fucking hate detective vision. But that Vanguard gif alone shows a lot about the combat. Open environments with bases and forts, motherfucking jetpacks and using jetpacks in battle, Biotic Charge, a quick dodge that looks way more responsive than ME3's roll, a knife melee attack which confused me for a Vanguard until I remembered there aren't actually classes. If the gif were extended it'd also show the new alien species Ryder takes out with the tower charge.

I'm happy that the dialogue wheels appear to be very DAI-esque, because DAI's wheel blows the ME series out of the water. If we can consistently get ~4 options per wheel like we did in DAI that'd also be a big step up.

"Each planet has its own story" can be interpreted in a lot of ways and I'm keeping my expectations for the optional stuff in check, but that's exactly what I was going for when I suggested Old Republic optional planets as an example of meaty side quest chains.

Nomad looks like it controls well and doesn't freak out over uneven geometry like the Mako did.

Seems like they're going the old krogan route with Drack as his face scales are very evocative of a "village elder" type.

Mineral collection is back haha.

 

[X-Frame]

Do we know if there will be a Face Code generator like 2 and 3?

 

[Bisnic]

Do we know if there will be a Face Code generator like 2 and 3?

We have yet to see the character creation menu, so I doubt anyone knows beside Bioware, and maybe shinobi.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

I eagerly await the deluge of player created characters that look like celebrities.

 

[Dany]

We have yet to see the character creation menu, so I doubt anyone knows beside Bioware, and maybe shinobi.

I imagine there will be.

 

[X-Frame]

We have yet to see the character creation menu, so I doubt anyone knows beside Bioware, and maybe shinobi.

Ahhh true haha.

I imagine there will be.

I figured they would have one for DA:I but they didn't so who knows. I hope so because it was so convenient.

 

[Dany]

Man this Tunchunka mission is even better than I remembered.

 

[DevilDog]

Man this Tunchunka mission is even better than I remembered.

The Krogan/Salarian arc is one of the best things I've ever seen.

 

[diaspora]

Man this Tunchunka mission is even better than I remembered.

ME has always been strong with philosophical battles. It's why I thought indoctrination has always been unnecessary, just make those people proponents of submission to the singularity.

 

[Anustart]

Any tips for a new player to mass effect 1? Wanna make sure I'm not overlooking anything :3

 

[DeadlyParasite]

Any tips for a new player to mass effect 1? Wanna make sure I'm not overlooking anything :3

Not a necessary thing but I when it comes to allocating level-up points I would start down the path of persuasion or intimidation because it'll unlock some useful conversation options (Blue being Paragon and Red being Renegade). Basically peacemaker vs guy who shoots people to solve problems.

Other than that the game is pretty straight-forward. It's an older game with a lot of janky systems but I'll always love it for the story.

 

[Sub_Level]

Playing the whole trilogy on Insanity. As a pro-humanity first femshep. So always human squadmates when possible, no loyalty missions for alien squadmates, and acting like an asshole to aliens but an angel to humans. ME1 as Adept. ME2 as Sentinel. ME3 as Vanguard.

ME2 gets pretty tough but it still doesn't quite reach the difficulty heights of 3 which got plain ridiculous at times. I forgot that halfway through 2 there is this "advanced weapons training" that lets you get a weapon. That definitely helps. The idea of going through final stages with pistol and smg is...I mean it's probably doable but not anxious to try. Just got done with this mission:

It was a bitch but got 'ur done.

edit: forgot to mention, I'm using a couple mods. One to shorten loading times and one to skip the hacking minigame. They work great.

 

[Patryn]

Any tips for a new player to mass effect 1? Wanna make sure I'm not overlooking anything :3

You only get 1/3 the experience points for anything you kill in the Mako as opposed to on foot. If you don't want to be like me and never use the Mako for combat, you can whittle down the health on larger enemies like Thresher Maws, Colussuses and Armatures then hop out and finish them off on foot for major experience.

Don't put points in both Charm and Intimidate. Decide if you want to be Paragon (nice, but kind of a pushover) or Renegade (asshole but with your mind on accomplishing the mission) and then focus on Charm or Intimidate, respectively.

Buying most things is unnecessary. However, I recommend buying the Grenade and Medigel amount increases as soon as possible.

Always have someone with Decryption and Electronics so you can unlock chests.

Don't bother using weapons you're not trained in.

Talk to your crew on the Normandy after every major mission.

If you're thorough, there will be a breadcrumb to every single side mission barring... 2? However you can find all these missions by simply entering the system of the planet if you wish to skip the breadcrumb.

The level cap on your first run is 50. After that, it raises to 60.

Lift is incredibly powerful when fully invested in.

Immunity is super annoying when enemies pop it (symbolized by life bar turning white). Use warp to bring their damage resistance back down.

Krogan will fully regenerate their life after reducing it to zero one time unless you use Incindiery or Chemical ammo.

If you see a laser sight, take cover. It means an enemy is about to use Assassinate, which does MASSIVE damage. They will use this ability even on people who weren't the laser sight target.

 

[DevilDog]

Any tips for a new player to mass effect 1? Wanna make sure I'm not overlooking anything :3

Use quick save often in an area with snow. There are some bad checkpoints there.

When driving the mako, use smooth surfaces for better control.

Read the codex entries at some point in the game, the important ones are narrated and are extremely well written and interesting, all while being very compact.

If you're on PC:

When using the mako in combat, press space to jump and SHIFT to zoom in.
YOUR SHOTS WILL SOMETIMES BE INACCURATE IF YOU'RE NOT ZOOMED IN
For example if you aim down at the ground without zoom and use right click, it won't shoot anywhere near you're aiming, since the cannon can't curve that way.
You can fire towards any direction only if you're zoomed in. Play around with it a bit, you'll figure it out.