Mass Effect

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, I think generally tiered health is a good compromise between old-style health bars and complete regen.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

All of this info on the systems within the game were known already due to previous demos at conventions and whatnot.

[Hot Heart]

Basically, FDS popped in to say 'loldnews'. Appreciate the input, buddy.

[TheMightyEthan]

Like I said before, I'd heard the skill system was revamped to give it more depth, but I was still skeptical of how well they'd do.

 

There's a difference between reading about something and actually seeing a picture of it.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Basically, FDS popped in to say 'loldnews'. Appreciate the input, buddy.

 

Any time. =)

[TheMightyEthan]

Which classes/races can you play as? Can you be a geth?

We haven’t given the full list yet. But as an example, you can totally play as a Krogan, as a Drell, as an Asari. Beyond those, I can’t give away all of the details, but I can say there will be a lot of interesting races that you may not expect to be able to play as because they wouldn’t normally be looked upon as characters who are for the fight normally. That said we’ll be releasing more and more characters through DLC later.

(Italics added)

 

OMG HANNAR CONFIRMED AS PLAYABLE IN COOP!

 

Seriously though, there's a p good Q&A with Jesse Houston on the Bioware Blog.

[deanb]

Elcor would be better.

 

With Venom: DIE DIE.

Alarm: It's an ambush

sarcasm: I'm sure we'll get out of this alive.

[TheMightyEthan]

I love how my mind automatically reads that in an Elcor voice.

[Waldorf and Statler]

Elcor would be better.

 

With Venom: DIE DIE.

Alarm: It's an ambush

sarcasm: I'm sure we'll get out of this alive.

 

 

Intrigued: Your proposition interests me.

[Vargras]

ME3 Collector's Edition will apparently have a bonus squad mate and mission, in addition to all the other stuff you get out of it.

 

So yeah, well worth the extra 20 bucks or so.

 

EDIT: Have a fancy ME3 Collector's Edition video.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Vargras

[TheMightyEthan]

I'm guessing the bonus squadmate will also release as DLC for people who don't get the special edition.

[Vargras]

I'm guessing the bonus squadmate will also release as DLC for people who don't get the special edition.

 

More than likely.

[deanb]

What awesome progress:

2007 - Mass Effect - Game comes with whole squad, if you buy on PC you get DLC for free

2009 - Mass Effect 2 - buy the game new to get unlock code for Zaeed. Wait few months for DLC to unlock final squad mate.

2011 - Mass Effect 3 - buy CE to get the other squad mate. Can't wait to see what the other DLC n Project $10 is at this stage.

[TheMightyEthan]

Meh. While I acknowledge intellectually that it's a bad thing, it doesn't actually bother me for some reason.

 

People like me are why it works.

[Waldorf and Statler]

I'm an adept and don't really care about Ashley or Liara as party members for me [i'm an adept so if I need a long range weapon type I take Garrus, short range I'll take w/e krogan they give me] so the extra outfits don't bother me too much.

 

 

I'm buying the regular version of this game. While the extra character might be nice, they tend to take a backseat when it comes to dialogue and interaction [as Zaaed proved in ME2] and that's a large part of what I like in Bioware titles so I don't tend to take them with me. Hopefully they have a cerberus/alliance network like in ME2 and allow us to get goodies from buying the game new.

[Vargras]

From: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114433-Mass-Effect-3s-Lead-Writer-Reveals-Location-Detail-and-Writing-Hurdles

BioWare's Mac Walters has described how he's "happy" to be able to tell new stories in familiar places. (WARNING! Minor location spoilers below. Retreat now if you're hiding from details.)

 

I'm still pleased that the Citadel made it from Mass Effect through to Mass Effect 2 with all of its bewildering staircases and fish-based charm intact. While it'd be pointless to speculate about its condition in the trilogy's final chapter, one thing is now certain: it will be there, and it'll be home to stories carried over all the way from the first game.

 

"There was a Mass Effect 2 plot that was a kind of callback to the first Mass Effect that was going to be on the Citadel, and we cut it," said Mac Walters, the lead writer behind Mass Effect 3, to OXM UK. "But now it's made a resurrection in Mass Effect 3, so I'm happy, but I can't say what it is. That's the nice thing about trilogies, sometimes you get a second chance."

 

Walters also talked about some of the technical problems associated with writing such an open-ended story. Speaking about writing themselves into corners, he said that, "Sometimes [the open ends are] hurdles that we've given ourselves, so we kind of smack ourselves in the head and say 'What the hell were we thinking? Why did we do that?'"

 

"The classic example is 'Hey, let's make the ending of Mass Effect 2 a suicide mission where all your henchmen can possibly die, and Shepard can even die!' Oh right... and then we're gonna do another game after that. What the hell are we gonna do with all those guys?" he continued.

 

I've been trying to think of what or who Walters could mean when he refers to a plot point from the first iteration of the Citadel reappearing in Act 3. Has that "panhandling" Hanar found his way? Is the Asari Consort going to explain her pet prophecy for Shepard? Suffice to say, I'm glad it's someone else's job to decide these things and circumvent the "hurdles" Walters mentioned.

[Vargras]

New BioWare Pulse video came out earlier, showed off some things we haven't seen before. Namely:

 

-Shepard will be able to equip a flashlight to his/her weapons

-Vanguard gets a new move called Nova. Completely uses up your shield, but causes a powerful AOE blastwave around you that knocks back enemies

-Engineers can deploy sentry turrets which are visible through walls

-All heavy melee moves will vary in more ways than just appearance. Engineer heavy melee is high-damage but low-force and is purely fire damage based, whereas the Adept heavy melee is low-damage but high-force and can send enemies through the air

Edited December 1, 2011 by Vargras

[Hot Heart]

Video is here.

Must say, it is looking pretty damn good.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Hot Heart

[TheMightyEthan]

I wanted to find out about the Soldier's heavy melee.

[Hot Heart]

I wanted to find out about the Soldier's heavy melee.

Is the soldier's one not the blade that's been shown before?

 

http://twitter.com/#!/TheMightyEthan/status/142297011801169921

 

Actually, they showed Adept and Engineer; no sign of Vanguard's. But either way, they definitely misled there (and they misspelt 'receive'!).

[TheMightyEthan]

I think it is the blade one, but I want to know it's characteristics.

 

Give me numbers to crunch!

[Vargras]

Soldier gets omniblade, Adept gets the push, and Engineer gets a fiery backhand.

 

Sentinel, Vanguard, and Infiltrator are unknown.

[TheMightyEthan]

I thought that ability looked more like an Adept ability than Vanguard, but I could have sworn they were talking about the Vanguard in the video...

 

Oh well.

[Vargras]

I thought that ability looked more like an Adept ability than Vanguard, but I could have sworn they were talking about the Vanguard in the video...

 

Oh well.

 

They did. Vanguard is getting a new move of its own, but it's not a heavy melee. The heavy melee move still hasn't been revealed for the class yet.

[Waldorf and Statler]

People keep telling me how being an Adept is super hard. But imho as long as I can have engineers and warriors with me, who cares. I balance it out with my wicked force push.