Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[Riptide]

The description for the krogan engineer is fucking beautiful.

[TheodoricFriede]

I imagine the revelation of "You can kill people with science?!?" was a high point in her life.

Glad we are finally seeing a good chunk of female aliens. All that leaves are a few children.

And dont give me that bullshit that it would be too hard. Nintendo made a "child version" of every race in Breath of the Wild. I think Bioware can handle it.

[NCLanceman]

It's not that it'd be too hard, it's that most of the time when you put children in these games, someones going to want to kill them and developers don't want to deal with that headache. I can't remember a game since Fallout 2 that let you kill kids without modding.

With modding, I'll have to admit slaughtering Little Lamplight in Fallout 3 was the most gleefully sadistic moments in videogames.

[TheodoricFriede]

Since when could you kill ANYONE in a Hub in Mass Effect though?

[NCLanceman]

From what I could tell from the Gameplay videos, there didn't seem to be any UI shifts indicating the (non-shipboard) hubs were places you couldn't pull a gun. So you add kids, allow people to shoot at them, and it's a short jump away to "MASS EFFECT IS AN ALIEN RAPE SIMULATOR 2: CHILD MURDER BOOGALOO".

It doesn't have to make sense, it just has to give producers headaches.

[Someone With Mass]

Since when could you kill ANYONE in a Hub in Mass Effect though?

Well, I shot up Chora's Den a few days ago. Also, I didn't pick the option, but I'm pretty sure you can flat out gun down Chorban, the salarian scientist who wants you to scan the keepers. In the middle of a market.

When it comes to those multiplayer cards, are those preset weapons too? Because having Lance as my only medium/long range offensive move doesn't really sit right with me. I also remember what can happen when you Charge something like the Atlas.

[TheodoricFriede]

Well, I shot up Chora's Den a few days ago. Also, I didn't pick the option, but I'm pretty sure you can flat out gun down Chorban, the salarian scientist who wants you to scan the keepers. In the middle of a market.

Ok yes, but those are all scripted.

Children need not apply.

[Riptide]

Anyone who gets upset that you can't kill kids in a video game likely has a screw loose anyway. And Mass Effect isn't bloody Fallout or whatever. Going out wiping hubs would be stupid, and game breaking.

[Someone With Mass]

Anyone who gets upset that you can't kill kids in a video game likely has a screw loose anyway. And Mass Effect isn't bloody Fallout or whatever. Going out wiping hubs would be stupid, and game breaking.

As someone who's had his vendors wiped out in random dragon attacks in Skyrim, I concur.

Besides, the only kid I've wanted to kill really badly in Mass Effect would be the Star Brat, which isn't completely unreasonable or unjustified.

[Riptide]

You know, I'm not one of those people, but I do know quite a few who really lamented the change from heat sinks to thermal clips. I will say that while I probably won't ever use it, the fact they included an entire mechanic to mod your weapons with the vintage heat sink system is really, really cool of Bioware. Like, if you use something like a Revenant that chews through ammo, I could see where it might be more advantageous to have. I definitely think I might use thermal clips for my other guns, but for my sidearm I'll use a heat sink, you know, as a backup. Kind of like the set up the Republic Commandos had where all their guns required ammo packs but their pistols had infinite ammo and had a recharging system.

I just think that even though I might not use it, It's a really nice thing for Bioware to include it, because I know it'll make a lot of people, especially long time fans.

[Mobius_118]

I know my M-7 Lancer in ME3 got more use than any other AR in the game after I acquired, simply because I didn't have to worry about thermal clips. Well...that and the satisfying rifle report.

If that's the case in Andromeda, I'll probably be using the vintage system for my high RPM weapons.

[Riptide]

I know my M-7 Lancer in ME3 got more use than any other AR in the game after I acquired, simply because I didn't have to worry about thermal clips. Well...that and the satisfying rifle report.

If that's the case in Andromeda, I'll probably be using the vintage system for my high RPM weapons.

I think Thermal Clips and Heat Sinks both have advantages and disadvantages. You spend an entire 30 rounds with heat sinks and you can just pop in a fresh clip and keep firing, takes two seconds. Overheat? And you're waiting 30 seconds. Something like a sniper rifle that's a one shot weapon you're FAR better off with thermal clips, because you can just put in a new one and keep firing. Something with a high rate of fire that's more like a squad support weapon? Or a backup weapon you keep in case you run out of thermal clips? Heat sinks make far more sense.

I like that now we can mix and match and find what we like that stuff best on. And people who just straight up prefer playing the game faithful to their idealized ME1 nostalgia can just say fuck it and go full blown heat sinks.

I like that everyone can play it how they want, now.

[Someone With Mass]

I'm going with thermal clips for shotguns, simply because I want to see those reload animations. Depending on how late/early I get it, I might just go with heat sinks on a Mattock and make it a real heavy hitter. Or maybe the Vindicator if that thing's still around.

Probably won't use any of those augmentations on my squadmates if the option exist, simply because I know how...restrained they can be and because the augs seems to be rather rare.

I wonder if you could do it the other way around for beam weapons and pretty much negate their overheat system by installing a thermal clip augmentation.

[Vol]

From what I could tell from the Gameplay videos, there didn't seem to be any UI shifts indicating the (non-shipboard) hubs were places you couldn't pull a gun. So you add kids, allow people to shoot at them, and it's a short jump away to "MASS EFFECT IS AN ALIEN RAPE SIMULATOR 2: CHILD MURDER BOOGALOO".

It doesn't have to make sense, it just has to give producers headaches.

Ehh. I'm of two minds on it. I don't give a fuck what sensationalist moral panic folk say about vidya. But I do give a fuck about good vidya getting made. So there's a necessary compromise there.

So does having child murder help the game in any thematic or practical sense? In Mass Effect, no. Would I complain if it was in the game? No.

But honestly, I'd prefer sloppy, explicit sex over that. Since pushing the boundaries of violence is a bit like spitting into the ocean, but sexuality is relatively virgin fields.

I know my M-7 Lancer in ME3 got more use than any other AR in the game after I acquired, simply because I didn't have to worry about thermal clips. Well...that and the satisfying rifle report.

If that's the case in Andromeda, I'll probably be using the vintage system for my high RPM weapons.

Well I'm currently playing ME1 right now. It has not aged well in a couple ways, but I did get a faint tingle when I saved Tali, which is like water to a man in a desert for me right now. But I'm loving the infinite ammo. It was a creative and appropriate way to design the weapon systems. The idea of tiny metal shavings being propelled at relativistic speeds is awesome.

Logically, any military force would probably prefer the logistical godsend of not having to supply thermal clips to soldiers, even if they had more power. But my qualm was the total loss of choice there. And that I couldn't hold onto the hot heatsinks until they cooled. It didn't make sense. So that ME4 is apparently allowing us both styles? Perfect. A fair compromise. I'm entirely happy with that. I'll probably use the infinite ammo on most guns, depending on how it actually shakes out. But on a Vanguard, yeah, I'd want a clip. Sniper, depends. If the cooldown is lengthy enough to warrant the use of a limited resource.

[TheodoricFriede]

Id just like to make it clear, I was asking for children to appear in the game, not to kill them.

[Riptide]

Id just like to make it clear, I was asking for children to appear in the game, not to kill them.

Yeah. I really liked the idea of that one asari kid whose mother sent you some messages in the Citadel DLC. She had a disease that made her bed ridden, but she loved Shepard and looked up to them as a hero, and she hoped one day she'd get better so she could grow up and become a huntress.

Like, man, forget PeeBee. I want to have awesome adventures with that kid. We'll go blow up a moon together or something.

[Vol]

The color scheme is making it hard to see, but looks like turians finally got a custom skeleton!

[HellBovine]

Id just like to make it clear, I was asking for children to appear in the game, not to kill them.

Yeah. I really liked the idea of that one asari kid whose mother sent you some messages in the Citadel DLC. She had a disease that made her bed ridden, but she loved Shepard and looked up to them as a hero, and she hoped one day she'd get better so she could grow up and become a huntress.

Like, man, forget PeeBee. I want to have awesome adventures with that kid. We'll go blow up a moon together or something.

I must have missed that one, sounds adorable.

When and where do you see this message?

[Someone With Mass]

The color scheme is making it hard to see, but looks like turians finally got a custom skeleton!

I noticed something similar when I saw some kett walking around in one of the gameplay videos. Their feet seems to curl up a bit when they walk. Or something. Don't know how to describe it, but it seemed like they had momentum or other physics made for their way of walking.

Either way, it's a nice detail.

[Riptide]

I must have missed that one, sounds adorable.

When and where do you see this message?

Make a wish come true

From: Manava T'Khanna

Dear Commander,

I hope you'll give me a minute of your time, because I'm not a fundraiser. I'm a parent. My daughter Lati was diagnosed with a cerebral tumor a year ago today. After endless tests, the doctors finally went in with microsurgery machines and removed the bad tissue. Her outlook is positive, but the recovery has been slow. She doesn't have full use of her limbs.

Lati wanted to be a huntress when she grew up, but she's afraid that the closest she will come is watching the games in the Citadel combat simulators. When she heard Commander Shepard was playing, she instantly knew what she wanted: to go to the Citadel and see you live. A small charity called Help a Dream brought her here, and now we want to make one small request: that you fight the toughest Reapers in the simulator and dedicate the match to Help a Dream.

Thank you so much. We'll be watching.

Upon Completion:

RE: Make a wish come true

From: Manava T'Khanna

Dear Commander,

Thank you. My daughter always says you aren't just a soldier... you're a hero. Now I know what the difference is.

We'll never forget you or what you did for us.

You get these messages as part of the Arena in the Citadel DLC. Different ones give you different challenges, for this one you have to fight the Reapers on the hardest difficulty.

For some reason, this one simple little mission always stuck with me. One, because it shows how Shepard actually inspires people other than the ones on his crew, and two, because it gives us an example of asari characters who aren't poledancers or bipolar crazy people with characterization that goes all over the place and questionable morals like Liara or Samara. Like, this little girl just wanted to grow up to be a badass huntress, and she has to struggle with a brain disease to do it. THAT is the asari character I want on my team. Give me THAT asari character, Bioware. For fuck's sake. Don't give me a god damned asari commando and then make her a fucking human, or Liara 2.0.

I always make it a point to solo that fight with every single negative modifier on. Just a little headcanon I do for my Shepard. To show her she can do anything she sets her little blue heart on, and if she needs me to, I'll carry her to the fucking gates of Valhalla if that's what it takes to get her there.

Plus, I like to imagine that when I'm doing that fight there's a little blue kid in a wheelchair somewhere with a toy omni-blade and an N7 plushy cheering in the crowd. Funny how with one email they got something to resonate better than with three games worth with Liara.

*sigh*

[Mobius_118]

Haha, yeah...

I do that one solo with all the negative modifiers too.

The fight and the idea behind it drives my MaleShep on to inspire everyone to keep going no matter the odds.

[Riptide]

Haha, yeah...

I do that one solo with all the negative modifiers too.

The fight and the idea behind it drives my MaleShep on to inspire everyone to keep going no matter the odds.

Fucking exactly.

[Mobius_118]

Hell it's how I was taught by my grandpa.

Take the high road, no matter what.

Miss that Zaeed lookin' bastard.

[Croatsky]

The color scheme is making it hard to see, but looks like turians finally got a custom skeleton!

Yeah, Bioware did say they created custom skeletons for alien races a while ago.

[Mazder]

I must have missed that one, sounds adorable.

When and where do you see this message?

Make a wish come true

From: Manava T'Khanna

Dear Commander,

I hope you'll give me a minute of your time, because I'm not a fundraiser. I'm a parent. My daughter Lati was diagnosed with a cerebral tumor a year ago today. After endless tests, the doctors finally went in with microsurgery machines and removed the bad tissue. Her outlook is positive, but the recovery has been slow. She doesn't have full use of her limbs.

Lati wanted to be a huntress when she grew up, but she's afraid that the closest she will come is watching the games in the Citadel combat simulators. When she heard Commander Shepard was playing, she instantly knew what she wanted: to go to the Citadel and see you live. A small charity called Help a Dream brought her here, and now we want to make one small request: that you fight the toughest Reapers in the simulator and dedicate the match to Help a Dream.

Thank you so much. We'll be watching.

Upon Completion:

RE: Make a wish come true

From: Manava T'Khanna

Dear Commander,

Thank you. My daughter always says you aren't just a soldier... you're a hero. Now I know what the difference is.

We'll never forget you or what you did for us.

You get these messages as part of the Arena in the Citadel DLC. Different ones give you different challenges, for this one you have to fight the Reapers on the hardest difficulty.

For some reason, this one simple little mission always stuck with me. One, because it shows how Shepard actually inspires people other than the ones on his crew, and two, because it gives us an example of asari characters who aren't poledancers or bipolar crazy people with characterization that goes all over the place and questionable morals like Liara or Samara. Like, this little girl just wanted to grow up to be a badass huntress, and she has to struggle with a brain disease to do it. THAT is the asari character I want on my team. Give me THAT asari character, Bioware. For fuck's sake. Don't give me a god damned asari commando and then make her a fucking human, or Liara 2.0.

I always make it a point to solo that fight with every single negative modifier on. Just a little headcanon I do for my Shepard. To show her she can do anything she sets her little blue heart on, and if she needs me to, I'll carry her to the fucking gates of Valhalla if that's what it takes to get her there.

Plus, I like to imagine that when I'm doing that fight there's a little blue kid in a wheelchair somewhere with a toy omni-blade and an N7 plushy cheering in the crowd. Funny how with one email they got something to resonate better than with three games worth with Liara.

*sigh*

...

Aaawww...shit.

I never played the Arena so I never knew of this.
Now I feel like an arsehole for never playing the Arena.

THIS is character development, this is meaningful impact, THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION TO A RANDOM CHARACTER.
I am kinda sad there aren't more mentions of kids and stuff in MEverse as stuff like this, where you not only get to save lives but when you can't you get to save a freaking soul.
That is how you make me give a shit about ANYONE. Make me feel for them.

Lati T'Khanna.

[Someone With Mass]

A bit sad that I care more for some off-screen character than most of the characters that are introduced in the same game and killed/wounded on-screen.

Still, it's relateable because we have many similar cases in the real world and it's always great to see it go through.

[Someone With Mass]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tWj7DBdAMA

Every time a new video shows up, I see a new Andromeda weapon that gains my interest.

[Deano]

Every time a new video shows up, I see a new Andromeda weapon that gains my interest.

The Reegar is looking even cooler than before, and the exploration looks great.

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[TTTX]

that looks like turian from the new comic that is coming out.

[Vol]

Every time a new video shows up, I see a new Andromeda weapon that gains my interest.

Huh. So they made the models have more fluid points, but a lot of it is still 100% static. It's an odd effect.

[DarkStorm]

Every time a new video shows up, I see a new Andromeda weapon that gains my interest.

Huh. So they made the models have more fluid points, but a lot of it is still 100% static. It's an odd effect.

Be nice if they cleaned that shit up.

[Croatsky]

that looks like turian from the new comic that is coming out.

Yes, it is Tiran Kandros.

[Vol]

"Liara's not a spy, the geth were trying to kill her."

"I see. But what if you're a liar?"

Love the Council.

[Grand Admiral Cheesecake]

"Liara's not a spy, the geth were trying to kill her."

"I see. But what if you're a liar?"

Love the Council.

You know it'd be nice if one day someone did an obstructionist superior correctly.

Not pants on head retarded like the Council.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwa8mv_nOGY

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

"Fryda Wolff, voice of Sara Ryder, narrates the upcoming book Mass Effect Andromeda: Nexus Uprising. You can hear a sample of Chapter 3 above. The book releases the same day as the game, March 21st."

[Croatsky]

PS4 trophies for ME:A revealed! Spoilers warning!

[Alienmorph]

Okay...

► Show Spoiler

... is my dixlessia making me miss things, or there's no mention of finding/rescuing the Turian Ark in that list? That's... worrying...

[Croatsky]

Okay...

► Show Spoiler

... is my dixlessia making me miss things, or there's no mention of finding/rescuing the Turian Ark in that list? That's... worrying...

► Show Spoiler

Singleplayer DLC confirmed!

[Vol]

Thank you guys for remembering to use spoiler tags. Please continue to do so.

[Alienmorph]

Okay...

► Show Spoiler

... is my dixlessia making me miss things, or there's no mention of finding/rescuing the Turian Ark in that list? That's... worrying...

► Show Spoiler

Singleplayer DLC confirmed!

► Show Spoiler

You know what? I could totally see that happen. "Oh yes... the ark that carries that huge fan-favorite race that is not asari or krogan? Pay us 20 extra bucks if you want to find out what happened to it!"

[Croatsky]

Thank you guys for remembering to use spoiler tags. Please continue to do so.

Honestly I forgot spoiler tags exist until Alienmorph did it first.

Then again, I am on and off on CZ.

[Vol]

Heh. All's cool. Now that real info is coming out in the final leadup, spoilers are going to be everywhere.

[Someone With Mass]

Man, those trophies sound easy to do. Just as I like it.

Also, we probably should start an Andromeda spoiler thread around next week when the early access stuff goes online. This thread is a bit too general.

[Croatsky]

Man, those trophies sound easy to do. Just as I like it.

Also, we probably should start an Andromeda spoiler thread around next week when the early access stuff goes online. This thread is a bit too general.

About that, I'll actually gonna get myself 10 Hours Trial.
But it will probably take me 2 days to download it first.