Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[Vol]

There it is, the new DA. Hoping it's Tevinter, but at the least, we're going after Solas.

@Azint: But...but I have to git gud and grind to GM, bro!

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw3lrXlti-8

[TheodoricFriede]

They are only doing it because EA desperately needs good will right now.

I take it back. They obviously are hard at work on Dragon age and have been for some time given all the content they showed.

My mind. Its just blown. Did you see that world detail? The subtle hints at character development?

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Alienmorph]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw3lrXlti-8

Nice "Don't worry... we're definately gonna make more games even if Anthem flops!" reveal. All my doubts for the future of BW are g-o-n-e.

No, really.

Okay, no. Not really.

[TTTX]

Nice "Don't worry... we're definately gonna make more games even if Anthem flops!" reveal. All my doubts for the future of BW are g-o-n-e.

No, really.

Okay, no. Not really.

We all remember Telltale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZizDqnz7oY

Still screams Destiny clone, even sounds like one, expect it looks prettier, but that's really about it.

[TTTX]

There it is, the new DA. Hoping it's Tevinter, but at the least, we're going after Solas.

@Azint: But...but I have to git gud and grind to GM, bro!

Well they pretty much hinted heavily that Tevinter would be next in the last DLC, I don't see why that should change.

Bah, get to play Witcher 3 and it's DLC (and if you buy the physical version of the DLC, it's still a code to the DLC, but you'll get real Gwent cards.) it's awesome so get to it, soldier.

[Someone With Mass]

So glad Mass Effect got pushed into the development freezer for this bland garbage. Because I haven't had any other game that involves hunting things with people and using the resources to build better weapons and armor for your character this year. Not at all.

[Mazder]

I care. I've already made it clear that so long as they are actually making RPGs, I'm on board. Their worst RPG is still better than like 90% of other games out there.

That's actually a fair point. I'd buy 4 copies of Mass Effect Andromeda or DA:I before I even consider wasting money on Call of Duty, or on one of Ubisoft's empty world games.

See, right now I am not sure I'd agree 100% with that.

Right now I am not of the mindset of "time played = play earned/pay earned/worth the time and money", at least on it's own.
That concept is what can make or break an RPG. Some grind is expected, sure. But if it's boring, monotonous or just excessive or petty grinding for the sake of it, or worse, for padding up an "open world" game then for me it's not worth it's price.

DA:I. for all I like about it, got to the point where it's "exploration" based grind got pointless because I was over-levelled by the time I got there because of the compulsion to the need to complete everything in one area due to it's openness being "not very open".

I am very much in the realm of "hop in, get instant satisfaction when playing and play for a bit" rather than "hop in, play for a bit, grind for a bit, play for a bit, grind for a bit".

So long as the RPG is made fun with lots to do that feels unique, even if it's actually not, it's going to be okay.

I would like if they also went the route of instead of giving me just tougher versions of the same guys to fight, ie a Darkspan soldier with two healthbars instead of one when it was a lower level, give me more enemies to fight!
If I am supposed to have levelled so far so one or two darkspawn are a joke to me then let me cut down actual hordes of them. Let them show the numbers. I don't mind if you've got a few better/spongier ones mixed in, just give me an actual horde to fight, especially if we ever go to any Deep Roads ever again.
I mean for story stages maybe script out your armies for certain level limits but for the "walking around and bumping into them" squads are okay.

[Raga]

While that trailer is laughably low budget, I do at least approve of the depiction of the DA2 idol (if that's what that is). It reaffirms that Hawke bumblefarting around in the Deep Roads that one time is like the single most momentous event in the history of Thedas. Hawke would be the one to open Pandora's Box because he thought the box had cheese in it or whatever.

[magnuskn]

Well, I hope they take their fucking lessons from DA:I and ME:A and don't do another gigantic open world filled with meaningless fetch quests to pad out the main storyline. And maybe they'll re-learn how to to interesting companions somewhere, too (without creating more Sera's, that is).

Worst case scenario Anthem is super-popular and they will transform this into another meaningless multiplayer game with a meaningless storyline and meaningless companions. But I'll hold on to my proverbial horses until we know more details.

[FrozenShadow]

So glad Mass Effect got pushed into the development freezer for this bland garbage. Because I haven't had any other game that involves hunting things with people and using the resources to build better weapons and armor for your character this year. Not at all.

While I couldn't care less about Anthem, I'm actually happy they put Mass Effect on ice. ME:A was in many ways colossal failure. Sure, the game was playable and probably even fun for some. Yet, so many things failed with ME:A. Not to mention even the fact that lots of people didn't want "another galaxy bullshit" in the first place. Majority of people wanted some form of continuation for ME3 happening, but BW didn't have balls to actually do anything with it. They were too scared after ME3 endings shitstorm and just planned to do half-cooked spin off game.

Granted, I do kinda understand BW decision with this. ME3 was and is sore point for many fans. Because of this, it was in many ways too early to go back to Milky way by the time of ME:A release. But things would be much different now or 3 or 5 years from now, when they could realistically release ME4. Enough people have forgotten ME3 that BW could even simply choose one ending as basic premiere for ME4 without much of people complaining over it.

Then again, I don't want Bioware to touch Mass Effect again, before BW separates from EA somehow or EA is forced to totally change. As it's obvious that as EA currently is, they fucks up their games. Only thing really working on EA games is in-game purchase related systems. So yeah, I don't want another ME game as long as EA is in anyway involved. It won't end well.

[SciFlyBoy]

I just finished my second play through of ME:A and I don't really know what to say about it. I chose all the opposite major choices from my first run (except for the Krogan Drive core, It's just stupid to have the Krogan NOT be allied with) and it was the exact same game. Choosing left or choosing right really didn't change anything. (Maybe I should have explored that Krogan option...) All new pathfinders, blew up the Kett thing, killed Kadara's what's her face and it still just felt all the same.

However I was more upset with the story. Two things come to mind. 1) I'm on shit Voeld, which I hate, a dumb ice planet where there's not enough heater units to keep me from fast traveling to a lander only to drive all the way back to scan some device, and Cora says "This was supposed to be our golden world." Golden world? What were they expecting, to show up fresh from the Milky Way to a stable planet with water, breathable air, puppies and Christmas? They already had that and they left it. 1.5) Somehow, before Shepard earned the hard fought trust of the Quarian race, the humans already magically did that and convinced a xenophobic, isolationist culture that OTHER races and cultures radically don't trust or want around, to come with them and those other races to work in harmony in a new galaxy when their own people are just looking for a world to live on in a galaxy where 98% of the resources are undiscovered.

2) The initiative is supposed to bring all these races together, travel together, work together, love each other and help each other in this new galaxy, only to have them settle on their own separate planets each on a different corner of the cluster? What about that first part of the sentence? Were they all suppose to show up and go their separate ways? Also, the fact that they designated a Turian home world without knowing their chivality to it is just asinine to me. How is a Geth telescope suppose to tell what animo acids the plants have on a planet in another...UGH! 2.5) After Ryder learns of the truth behind the Initiative there's no real change. Everything they've done has all been a lie and they just keep on being explorers. I chose all the 'for the fun of exploration' choices in my last run, and even the other choices in this run still ring on the innocence of the Initiative's 'exploring is fun' mentality.

Sigh. It's a great game play though. I love how in the middle of a fight you could change your class, change your weapon layout and your squad mate. I think the graphics that don't involve a character are beautiful and that the design of the game was very sharp. If the story was more like Star Trek Voyager, where everyone ended up in Andromeda by ACCIDENT than the justification for exploring and finding a golden world would be there for me. Last note on the story, Shepard couldn't convince enough people of the reaper threat until they showed up in the galaxy. And that was with him, someone in a role of great respect, screaming it over and over. But some mysterious benefactor hears it ONCE and somehow convinces a significant portion of every major and minor race (some who really HATE each other), to build these gigantic arks to leave the galaxy? I think it does a great discredit to Shepard and the hard work he pulled to get the Salarians and the Krogan to work together in ME3 (and if I remember correctly the Dalatross still was fighting for a way to not help the Krogan) when before he could even do that someone managed to get both of them to quickly agree working together. UGH!

I have only one achievement left and it's bugged. There's a way to get it by deleting your save while off line, playing the game from the start again up to the point where you can put enough points into skills to unlock three profiles and then connecting back to xbox live and selecting the profiles that didn't work for me and now I can't get my saves back and I think I'm done playing this game. No real replay value except for multiplayer, which is becoming kind of scarce. Anyway, I'm sure you all heard this a year ago. That's all I had to say about that.

[Alienmorph]

Yeah, that's another thing that really bugged me greatly about ME:A... in regards of roleplay it was kind of like a Telltale game... you can make slight variations depending by your dialogue choices, but your main character always feels like the same kind of shmuk, and is always headed towards the same kind of conclusion. And I was already disappointed by how in ME3 Shepard's personality went completely binary and was also often forced in whatever direction was convenient to the plot. Not a good idea taking the role play element out of a role play game...

[TTTX]

Well the idea of the "Golden" worlds was that they could sustain life and there were multiple so if one or two didn't work out one of the other could, the people didn't know that an alien species moved in while they were traveling and pretty much screwed them all up no one could have for seen that.

But never the less the plot doesn't make much sense, then again this isn't new to the ME universe, ME2 also had a plot that reached Michael Bay levels of dumb through out a good portion of the main plot (hell it even starts with Shepard doing something opperiste of what they said they do and then dying in one of the most over the top way possible in the ME universe and somehow there is still a corpse to rebuild) and the plan of the Collectors plan (which is basically make a Reaper and we have no idea what the plan was after that) pretty makes less sense the Kett one (which was basically a giant black mail scheme of join us or die, stupid yes, but there at a little logic behind it at least more then the Collector one).

[FrozenShadow]

Yeah, that's another thing that really bugged me greatly about ME:A... in regards of roleplay it was kind of like a Telltale game... you can make slight variations depending by your dialogue choices, but your main character always feels like the same kind of shmuk, and is always headed towards the same kind of conclusion. And I was already disappointed by how in ME3 Shepard's personality went completely binary and was also often forced in whatever direction was convenient to the plot. Not a good idea taking the role play element out of a role play game...

Both ME:A and ME3 problems in this aspect are completely EA fault. EA don't really care about RPG as only role play they care is making players extra paying customers with loot boxes/micro transactions.

As matter of fact, we should be extremely happy that ME3 wasn't much worse. Without success of ME1 and ME2, I'm certain ME3 would've been full of microtransactions and pta (pay to advance) methods. But because ME1 and ME2 were successful exactly because of RPG elements, EA was forced to go along with it with ME3 or otherwise it would've pissed of way too many players.

Or even worse, if ME would've been released recently, it would be just another Overwatch, Destiny, Battlfield, CoD clone.

[SciFlyBoy]

I would play the hell out of a ME style Battle Royale. Throw all your vanguards at me, my sentinel will wipe them clean.

[Mazder]

I would play the hell out of a ME style Battle Royale. Throw all your vanguards at me, my sentinel will wipe them clean.

A battle royale with classes like ME has could be really fun.
Infiltrators would be really annoying towards the end 1-2 people with their tac-cloaks.

[magnuskn]

Until the N7 ninja lady one-shots you from behind with her teleport skill. ^^

[Someone With Mass]

Until the N7 ninja lady one-shots you from behind with her teleport skill. ^^

Or the geth Juggernaut chokes you to death.

[TheodoricFriede]

Or an infiltrator stacks so many bonus damage per shot buffs while cloaked that they vaporize you, your shields, and the surrounding 3 meter radius with one shot from a Widow, or that Angaran gun.

[Vol]

In hindsight, the DA2 era line about the "Awesome button" was very poorly worded, but the concept is sound. "Player actions in combat should be meaningful and have visual weight."

[Mazder]

Until the N7 ninja lady one-shots you from behind with her teleport skill. ^^

If they get a lock, which is impossible with a cloak active.

Or the geth Juggernaut chokes you to death.

Once/if it gets close enough.

Best combat against InfilCloak is Biotic shockwave to break the cloak and clear areas.

[TheodoricFriede]

In hindsight, the DA2 era line about the "Awesome button" was very poorly worded, but the concept is sound. "Player actions in combat should be meaningful and have visual weight."

I still think DA2 had the coolest combat animations. Especially for a mage.

[Someone With Mass]

In hindsight, the DA2 era line about the "Awesome button" was very poorly worded, but the concept is sound. "Player actions in combat should be meaningful and have visual weight."

That awesome button for me was the sassy dialogue button.

[Vol]

Same principle with dialogue. If there's not at least one interesting option per point in the conversation, then is it even necessary?

[Someone With Mass]

Same principle with dialogue. If there's not at least one interesting option per point in the conversation, then is it even necessary?

The problem is when it wins every scenario for you. Then there's no challenge and no need to think about the choices.

I think the only time in DA2 where the sassy sarcasm button didn't work was during a romance.

[Vol]

That too. I'm wondering how a game where every conversation has a "fuck up" path would work out. As in, it's possible to fundamentally screw up any conversation in some manner. A lot of extra work, but that's no excuse for an RPG to be lacking.

[Alienmorph]

So the game director of the new Dragon Age already confirmed that the game is gonna have a heavily political story, with lots of emphasis on "celebrating" (aka exploiting with bullshit in-your-face tokenism that doesn't do any good to anyone) diversity and minorities. And that he gives not a flying fuck of people who are tired of media being too political and preachy, because everything SHOULD be political in his opinion. Made a whole rant on his social media with all the "right" buzzwords, the usual asshole-y attitute and even calling out Gamergate, as if that shit's still relevant.

Boy I'm fucking glad we're NOT getting another Mass Effect. Let it all burn down!

[TheodoricFriede]

Look all I know is that if Obsidian or CD Projekt Red lets me fuck aliens and fantasy creatures in their games, I never need another Bioware game again.

[Someone With Mass]

So the game director of the new Dragon Age already confirmed that the game is gonna have a heavily political story, with lots of emphasis on "celebrating" (aka exploiting with bullshit in-your-face tokenism that doesn't do any good to anyone) diversity and minorities. And that he gives not a flying fuck of people who are tired of media being too political and preachy, because everything SHOULD be political in his opinion. Made a whole rant on his social media with all the "right" buzzwords, the usual asshole-y attitute and even calling out Gamergate, as if that shit's still relevant.

Boy I'm fucking glad we're NOT getting another Mass Effect. Let it all burn down!

Yeah, I don't need their half-assed political agenda in my games.

[Alienmorph]

Look all I know is that if Obsidian or CD Projekt Red lets me fuck aliens and fantasy creatures in their games, I never need another Bioware game again.

And we know Obsidian is making a Fallout in Space RPG, and CD Projeckt Red is too getting knee deep into sci-fi.

So yeah... screw u BioWare, or whatever's left of you.

[TTTX]

So the game director of the new Dragon Age already confirmed that the game is gonna have a heavily political story, with lots of emphasis on "celebrating" (aka exploiting with bullshit in-your-face tokenism that doesn't do any good to anyone) diversity and minorities. And that he gives not a flying fuck of people who are tired of media being too political and preachy, because everything SHOULD be political in his opinion. Made a whole rant on his social media with all the "right" buzzwords, the usual asshole-y attitute and even calling out Gamergate, as if that shit's still relevant.

Boy I'm fucking glad we're NOT getting another Mass Effect. Let it all burn down!

We all saw how it worked out for Battlefield V and the game wasn't even finished when it came out.

Also no one cares about Gamergate, expect for like those few people who still hate or try to make it relevant again so can scam more money out of people.

Look all I know is that if Obsidian or CD Projekt Red lets me fuck aliens and fantasy creatures in their games, I never need another Bioware game again.

Well Obsidian new game isn't going to have romances and we don't know if there is going to be any intelligent aliens in it yet and CD Project Red are doing Cyperpunk right now, but maybe in the future, in the future it will happen.

Yeah, I don't need their half-assed political agenda in my games.

Well if nothing else, we can always point an laugh at it.

And we know Obsidian is making a Fallout in Space RPG, and CD Projeckt Red is too getting knee deep into sci-fi.

So yeah... screw u BioWare, or whatever's left of you.

It's been confirmed there is no romances in the Space RPG and CD is making Cyberpunk game based on board game with it's own lore and as far as I know there is no aliens in that one.

[TheodoricFriede]

It's been confirmed there is no romances in the Space RPG .

Where and when?

[Someone With Mass]

It's been confirmed there is no romances in the Space RPG .

Where and when?

I think it was during a GameInformer gameplay video.

[TheodoricFriede]

I think it was during a GameInformer gameplay video.

Well. We will see.

And if not this game, then maybe the next one.

My whole point in the first place was that the only remaining thing Bioware did that I couldnt get in other rpgs was romance options.

Preferable ones involving fantasy beings or aliens.

[TTTX]

Where and when?

Obsidian said it in an interview, they did consider the idea, but decided against it during development.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzX0GG_8YS8

[TheodoricFriede]

see above

[Alienmorph]

It's been confirmed there is no romances in the Space RPG and CD is making Cyberpunk game based on board game with it's own lore and as far as I know there is no aliens in that one.

I know. Sadly it's not like Shadowrun where you have fantasy creatures in a Ghost in the Shell-like setting. But if they get a good hit with Cyberpunk, which I see noooo reasons why they wouldn't, I'm not gonna be surprised if we eventually get a space opera RPG from CD Projekt too.

Either way, BW had one good thing going, and it's throwing it out of the window because of social justice politics and because of EA wanting its slice of the rotten "games as services" pie. So, time to look for alternatives. Hell, it's been that time for years at this point. This is just further confirmation.

[TTTX]

I know. Sadly it's not like Shadowrun where you have fantasy creatures in a Ghost in the Shell-like setting. But if they get a good hit with Cyberpunk, which I see noooo reasons why they wouldn't, I'm not gonna be surprised if we eventually get a space opera RPG from CD Projekt too.

Either way, BW had one good thing going, and it's throwing it out of the window because of social justice politics and because of EA wanting its slice of the rotten "games as services" pie. So, time to look for alternatives. Hell, it's been that time for years at this point. This is just further confirmation.

Well if the Cyberpunk game is great and have strong sales, I wouldn't mind CD try and get the licences to ME to at least make one RPG game of that, pretty sure they could make something at least good with it and it's not like EA and BW is going to make anything with it soon.

[Alienmorph]

I could see them doing the same as the Witcher and buy the rights for a good series of sci-fi novels and make an RPG series out of it. And there's quite a few of those with very Mass Effect-like scenarios. The Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space novels are alot like a less dumb version of Mass Effect, for example, Reapers-like evil machine civilization and everything.

[Someone With Mass]

Also no one cares about Gamergate, expect for like those few people who still hate or try to make it relevant again so can scam more money out of people.

The funniest thing is that I'm still not really sure what Gamergate is, because when I got wind of it because some YouTuber I watched mentioned it, it had been over for like a year and I hadn't heard anything about it.

And at this time, I don't really care what it is. Feels like it's just vapid social-political melodrama.

[Alienmorph]

GG started out when people like MundaneMatt and Sargon of Hakkad started calling out SJW gaming journalists for their crap, and got called nazi and herassers because of it. At one point it looked like it had a vague chance to produce some positive change, but turned out most of the anti-SJW crowd is made of entitled assholes just as much as the people they criticized, and the whole thing collapsed on itself.

Nowadays the only people who still bitch and moan about it are the SJWs, who pretend it's proof there's some white supremacist hate movement going around and that's why thei're right to do what they do, and all those failing internet celebs that used to be part of GG back in the days, and are desperately trying to remain relevant.

[TTTX]

The funniest thing is that I'm still not really sure what Gamergate is, because when I got wind of it because some YouTube I watched mentioned it, it had been over for like a year and I hadn't heard anything about it.

And at this time, I don't really care what it is. Feels like it's just vapid social-political melodrama.

Whatever Gamergate (If I remember correctly it was suppose to be about ethics in game journalism) was, it will always be remembered for the melodrama, because finding the truth of it is near impossible because of all the propaganda both sides threw out.

On the other hand the FBI did investigate Gamergate and didn't finding anything so whatever Gamergate is it's no worse then whatever the extreme left or right throws out.

[FrozenShadow]

So the game director of the new Dragon Age already confirmed that the game is gonna have a heavily political story, with lots of emphasis on "celebrating" (aka exploiting with bullshit in-your-face tokenism that doesn't do any good to anyone) diversity and minorities. And that he gives not a flying fuck of people who are tired of media being too political and preachy, because everything SHOULD be political in his opinion. Made a whole rant on his social media with all the "right" buzzwords, the usual asshole-y attitute and even calling out Gamergate, as if that shit's still relevant.

Boy I'm fucking glad we're NOT getting another Mass Effect. Let it all burn down!

Yeah, I don't need their half-assed political agenda in my games.

Well, while I do agree with both of you, it's not like Mass Effect games weren't full of political matters already. Granted, the difference is that the "politics" in old ME games was on the background, while today politics in games is very on the nose, even forcefully fed to people playing the games.

That said, this time definitely ain't good for another ME game. Too much of shit going on in game industry as a whole.

[TTTX]

Well, while I do agree with both of you, it's not like Mass Effect games weren't full of political matters already. Granted, the difference is that the "politics" in old ME games was on the background, while today politics in games is very on the nose, even forcefully fed to people playing the games.

That said, this time definitely ain't good for another ME game. Too much of shit going on in game industry as a whole.

I would the time isn't good for most game, at least for Triple A ones.

DA4 however was always going to be a political because of Tevinter which is a slave nation and have a very different culture/history (started blight and so on) compared to the rest of the Thedas.
Claiming it wouldn't be would be ehh dumb at best, still best we can hope for isn't that it is going to be political and sexist propaganda that fills up the entire game.

[TheodoricFriede]

Im sure Bioware will be able to recognize the differences between slavery as it appeared in ancient Rome (and as Tevinter has it) compared to slavery in antebellum America.

They will probably write a subtle story about the complexities of how slaves effect an economy and how, even with the best intentions, rapid and dramatic freeing of all the slaves in a country built entirely on the structure of slavery will destroy the foundations of the-- I CANT EVEN FINISH! THOSE HACKFRUADS PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE CONCEPT ART FOR DONALD TRUMP AS THE ARCHON!