Mass Effect

[HotChops]

For example, in Mass Effect 2 you have to constantly re-evaluate the situation as enemies try to flank or rush you. You have to carefully choose the right power and weapon for the enemy.

 

You're gonna be moving a lot more in ME3, from the sounds of it. Bioware is apparently reworking enemy AI so that they coordinate attacks and actively flank, instead of just hiding behind stuff and popping up to shoot at you.

 

That's the weird thing. The enemies in ME2 don't just hide behind cover and pop out. They flank you all the time. Hell, they flank you so often that off the top of my head I can think of three or four notorious locations in the game where I'm extra cautious about it.

 

Maybe Bioware means that they want the flanking to be less scripted or predictable. Maybe they just want the enemies to be more aggressive in general so that the player can put the new melee moves to use.

 

To be honest, I thought the enemy AI was perfect in ME2. One enemy would lay down fire while another would move forward. The tough or fast enemies such as Krogan and dog mechs would rush you -- sometimes with a flame thrower enemy alongside them. Nine out of ten times when I died it was because an enemy successfully flanked and/or rushed me.

[TheMightyEthan]

I totally agree that's how ME2's combat works, but I'm don't think it requires less thought than ME1. In fact, I feel it's the opposite.

 

For example, in Mass Effect 2 you have to constantly re-evaluate the situation as enemies try to flank or rush you. You have to carefully choose the right power and weapon for the enemy.

Oh yeah, I didn't mean that ME2 requires less thought than ME1, what I meant was that Adept/Engineer in ME1 requires more thought than Soldier in ME1, creating a difference in play between the two classes. I contrasted that with ME2, where regardless of whether I'm the one with the powers or not I still use them the same way, so it doesn't matter if I am a Soldier or an Adept, the gameplay doesn't change significantly. I totally agree that as a whole ME2 combat requires more thought than ME1 combat, and I also much prefer ME2's combat over ME1's. It's just that I feel like classes make less of a difference in ME2 than they did in ME1.

[Vargras]

For example, in Mass Effect 2 you have to constantly re-evaluate the situation as enemies try to flank or rush you. You have to carefully choose the right power and weapon for the enemy.

 

You're gonna be moving a lot more in ME3, from the sounds of it. Bioware is apparently reworking enemy AI so that they coordinate attacks and actively flank, instead of just hiding behind stuff and popping up to shoot at you.

 

That's the weird thing. The enemies in ME2 don't just hide behind cover and pop out. They flank you all the time. Hell, they flank you so often that off the top of my head I can think of three or four notorious locations in the game where I'm extra cautious about it.

 

Maybe Bioware means that they want the flanking to be less scripted or predictable. Maybe they just want the enemies to be more aggressive in general so that the player can put the new melee moves to use.

 

To be honest, I thought the enemy AI was perfect in ME2. One enemy would lay down fire while another would move forward. The tough or fast enemies such as Krogan and dog mechs would rush you -- sometimes with a flame thrower enemy alongside them. Nine out of ten times when I died it was because an enemy successfully flanked and/or rushed me.

 

I never really had that issue - maybe because I prioritized targets and killed those that I knew would try to flank me.

 

That usually just left enemies who did nothing but hide behind cover, pop up and shoot, then hide again.

 

Oh yeah, I didn't mean that ME2 requires less thought than ME1, what I meant was that Adept/Engineer in ME1 requires more thought than Soldier in ME1, creating a difference in play between the two classes. I contrasted that with ME2, where regardless of whether I'm the one with the powers or not I still use them the same way, so it doesn't matter if I am a Soldier or an Adept, the gameplay doesn't change significantly. I totally agree that as a whole ME2 combat requires more thought than ME1 combat.

 

I'm expecting Adept, Sentinel, and Engineer to get some love. Infiltrator, Soldier, and Vanguard all played very well, and the other three seemed to lag behind.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Vargras

[HotChops]

Two brand new images from GI. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/04/20/exclusive55_5f00_mass55_5f00_effect55_5f00_355_5f00_screens55.aspx

 

 

 

 

You can see here Cerberus troops, and what is apparently the Salarian homeworld.

 

 

 

[Pirandello]

They better give me the option to lift that badass armor from their corpses or I'm going to be pissed.

 

And kill all of them.

 

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Two brand new images from GI. http://www.gameinfor. .._screens55.aspx

 

 

 

 

You can see here Cerberus troops, and what is apparently the Salarian homeworld.

 

 

 

 

Looks very Mass Effecty.

[Mr W Phallus]

Two brand new images from GI. http://www.gameinfor. .._screens55.aspx

 

 

 

 

You can see here Cerberus troops, and what is apparently the Salarian homeworld.

 

 

 

 

Looks very Mass Effecty.

Lens Flare 3, now with more Mass Effect!

[McBeeferton]

That lens flare does kind of annoy me in the first game...

[Mr W Phallus]

To be fair, even though they use a bit too much, there is something very spacey about lens flare.

[HotChops]

I love lens flare. I can't get enough of it. The only problem is that sometimes the light in ME1 would shine through an object.

[Vargras]

I love lens flare. I can't get enough of it. The only problem is that sometimes the light in ME1 would shine through an object.

 

SO BRIGHT, IT RENDERS OBJECTS INVISIBLE.

 

Holy shit I just figured out invisibility. Brb Nobel Prize.

[Pirandello]

I love lens flare. I can't get enough of it. The only problem is that sometimes the light in ME1 would shine through an object.

 

SO BRIGHT, IT RENDERS OBJECTS INVISIBLE.

 

Holy shit I just figured out invisibility. Brb Nobel Prize.

Yeah, it's not like they can't see because you're invisible; they can't see you because they're blinded by LENS FLARE UP THE WAZOO.

 

It's so crazy, it's PERFECT!

 

====

 

"We have an intruder! The guards say we're being breached by a moving ball of light!"

"But what if he makes it inside?!"

"Then he'll blend right in with all the other bright lights we have!"

"Oh, crap! Turn off the power!"

"But what if he turns off his invisibility after we kill the power?"

"CRAP."

[staySICK]

I love lens flare. I can't get enough of it. The only problem is that sometimes the light in ME1 would shine through an object.

 

 

You must have loved Abrams' Star Trek.

[HotChops]

I love lens flare. I can't get enough of it. The only problem is that sometimes the light in ME1 would shine through an object.

You must have loved Abrams' Star Trek.

I did

 

and dont think I didn't notice the lens flare

Edited April 21, 2011 by TheMightyEthan
Reformatted it to fix quote layers

[Mr. GOH!]

Lens flares are the American Cheese of graphics.

[TheMightyEthan]

I've never noticed squinting. I explain it by concluding that you must have designed Shepards that squint.

[HotChops]

I've never noticed squinting. I explain it by concluding that you must have designed Shepards that squint.

 

yeah, my Shepard doesn't ever squint.

 

I do love that part in Samara's loyality mission though when

Shepard stares down a Krogan, lol.

 

[HotChops]

Bioware Q&A from GI.

 

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/04/21/mass-effect-a-q-amp-a-for-hardcore-fans.aspx

 

Pretty good stuff, actually. They mention a few things that I'm ashamed to say I never noticed or thought about.

[HotChops]

GI vid on character design, particularly Garrus. There's a brief glimpse of how Garrus looks in ME3.

 

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/04/22/mass-effect-3-creating-garrus.aspx

[AgamemnonV2]

Nice, it sounds like we're finally going to see Tali's face. After finding out what a great romance option she was in ME2 I had to go back and create a FIFTH character just so he would romance her in ME2.

[deanb]

The stuff on them learning modelling early on is good news. Sounds like devs were hopping into 7th gen raring to go for the 8th. (and anyone who has used zbrush knows how easy it is to let the poly count just go through the roof)

 

Kind of crappy that they only ever made one rig and just forced the artists to work around it. Yeah it means that the workload is simpler but it kinda limits the visual diversity of the aliens. As long as you just have the limitation of "it must be biped" you can get rig converters that'll put the animations onto any rig of any shape you happen to have.

[HotChops]

The stuff on them learning modelling early on is good news. Sounds like devs were hopping into 7th gen raring to go for the 8th. (and anyone who has used zbrush knows how easy it is to let the poly count just go through the roof)

 

Kind of crappy that they only ever made one rig and just forced the artists to work around it. Yeah it means that the workload is simpler but it kinda limits the visual diversity of the aliens. As long as you just have the limitation of "it must be biped" you can get rig converters that'll put the animations onto any rig of any shape you happen to have.

 

Bullshit! I demand an Elcor squadmate!

"This one is ready to tear the Reapers a new one."

 

It is a little surprising and disappointing to hear that they didn't put more forethought into the design of Garrus. I wonder if his blue/black colors were chosen for him first, and then applied to C-Sec, or if it was the other way around.

 

And I'm not sure they're committing to showing Tali's face. They just said that they were considering it. Note how they mentioned all the kinky Mass Effect fan art. Since becoming a regular on Deviantart, I've found tons of it. Careful, this is NSFW:

 

 

 

 

\

 

 

 

and of course, my personal favorite

 

 

 

 

I think chicks love Garrus as much as guys love Tali.

[Vargras]

I think chicks love Garrus as much as guys love Tali.

 

They did say in the interview that they wanted to give Garrus some scars, but not too much because it would piss off the female fans.

 

They also said in the interview that they want to show what the quarians look like, but they have to be very careful with it - the fans want one thing, the art team wants another, and the story team wants another. It's a very fine balancing act to keep all of them happy.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Vargras

[AgamemnonV2]

I think chicks love Garrus as much as guys love Tali.

I only like Tali because she was the only (forgive the pun) down-to-earth love interest in ME2. My "canon" Shepard stayed faithful to Ashley (who I still prefer over Tali).

[Vargras]

I think chicks love Garrus as much as guys love Tali.

I only like Tali because she was the only (forgive the pun) down-to-earth love interest in ME2. My "canon" Shepard stayed faithful to Ashley (who I still prefer over Tali).

 

I thought they were all okay. The only one that irked me was Jack. It was like they were trying to cash in on Morrigan's bitchiness - except Morrigan disguised her bitchiness as dark humor. Jack was just a bitch.

 

NOTE: My viewpoints on Thane and Garrus are only from female friends who also played and romanced them. I don't even consider Jacob in all of this because of how terribly bland he is (not to mention how quickly you replace him in ME2. Pick up a single squadmate in the beginning, doesn't matter who, and they're better than Jacob.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Vargras