Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[DarkStorm]

You think they would make sure face rigging and lip syncing would be done well considering we are gonna be dealing with seeing characters faces quite a bit.

[Dragaros]

https://clips.twitch.tv/HonorableSteamy ... TwitchRaid

https://clips.twitch.tv/StrongBitterJackalKevinTurtle

Ok, that was legit funny.

[Dragaros]

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

Very twitchy and awkward animation there.

[Dragaros]

[Vol]

https://i.imgur.com/xQwLVLp.mp4

The jank is starting to grow on me. Though this one is fine as is.

Also that gun appears to be backwards, which is a mighty impressive trick shot.

[Someone With Mass]

@SWM: Yes. In the sideshots, the lack of blinking isn't as unsettling, but head on, it's almost threatening. People don't stare like that.

It makes it look like they have doll eyes when they don't blink for like five seconds.

I'm a little bit curious as to why they didn't go motion cap for the faces too. I know that it'd be difficult since Ryder can have custom faces, but come on.

https://i.imgur.com/xQwLVLp.mp4

The jank is starting to grow on me. Though this one is fine as is.

Also that gun appears to be backwards, which is a mighty impressive trick shot.

Oh wow. I thought that shot looked odd. Can't wait for them to notice that when they go on Twitter.

[Vol]

I'm noticing in the last Liara convo on the romance track, before sex, that her eyes, while large and lower quality than ME4, are more active. And the motions are more exaggerated, so it's clear they're moving, plus more regular blinking, even though the lashes clip through the bottom. So that helped them back then. The rough proportions seem about the same, though the shape and features have clearly gone a different way.

@SWM: The upshot is that it's all easily fixable, depending on how they handled animation. But I think it'll grow on me, an endearing flaw.

I don't know how the hell they missed it, since when rigging it, they'd be seeing the gun from a side profile.

[Someone With Mass]

I'm noticing in the last Liara convo on the romance track, before sex, that her eyes, while large and lower quality than ME4, are more active. And the motions are more exaggerated, so it's clear they're moving, plus more regular blinking, even though the lashes clip through the bottom. So that helped them back then. The rough proportions seem about the same, though the shape and features have clearly gone a different way.

@SWM: The upshot is that it's all easily fixable, depending on how they handled animation. But I think it'll grow on me, an endearing flaw.

I don't know how the hell they missed it, since when rigging it, they'd be seeing the gun from a side profile.

That's something I noticed when watching the videos too. The eyes of the characters are barely moving when they're talking to someone. Compared to anything in the trilogy, it's almost nonexistent. I have to look at them really closely to just see the small movements of their eyes.

It's okay to look away.

[SciFlyBoy]

Man, I'm trying to know the least amount of information going into the game, not looking at any videos or reading any character/quest descriptions. Been hard these past few weeks not to peek. Looks like I might be the minority here.

EA access is the 16th, would that be Origin's access only or would my preorderd Xbox version be ready to go, too?

[Croatsky]

I did it, I actually pre-ordered it.



And now I'll play some FIFA 16 tomorrow, which I get for Origin Access subscription.

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBcUz5TUsHQ&list=WL&index=11

[Someone With Mass]

I did it, I actually pre-ordered it.

Same. Fuck it. If I'm going to do it, might as well do it right. The super special ultra deluxe edition didn't interest me, though. I can earn my own stuff in the multiplayer. More fun that way too.

The animations may be wonky at times, but goddamnit, I want/need more Mass Effect in my life.

[Vol]

Finished ME1. Could do a second run to get level 60 for the import bonus in ME2, but I can't be bothered to do a _full run_ just for that.

Seeing it with more mature eyes was interesting. I really got the feeling that the game was supposed to lead into a far different trilogy. Perhaps the same overarching goals, but even then, the way the Reapers, the Protheans, Geth, Shepard, were all framed, it does not seem to be anticipating leading into what ME2 was, or ME3 became.

The ending sequence was fantastic, from Ilos to the end. Though the last convo was a bit odd in hindsight. Plus the talk with Sovereign, on Virmire, was how the Reapers should have been done going forward. You're told repeatedly that the motivation of the Reapers don't matter, you cannot understand them, and then the series proceeds to try and explain them and why they do what they do. Unnecessary!

The writing isn't as strong as I remember. What I'm realizing is that a lot of the characterization of the NPCs was extrapolated from the relatively sparse dialogue, to be expounded later. Also Tali's darker streak came through more than I remembered. Ended up romancing Liara just for the hell of it, and the sex scene was a hair more risque than I remembered too. A decade will do that.

The inventory system was flawed, especially with the omni-gel button only working 1 at a time, the uselessness of a lot of stuff, the way loot was handed out, on and on. But it had solid ideas in there. I wish it had been kept, but refined. Perhaps ME4 will do it right.

Combat was rough, especially at first, when I couldn't tank my way through the jank. Once I got my hands on a good sniper rifle and mods, and Tali/Liara got their full skill set, it was a breeze. Only thing that hurt was rockets and melee, and the latter was easy to avoid with biotics

I could go on, but I have 2 more games to beat. ME1 holds up even now, though it shows a lot of weaknesses in its age and design, and knowing what comes after is bittersweet.

[Deano]

EA access is the 16th, would that be Origin's access only or would my preorderd Xbox version be ready to go, too?

Pre-order's aren't the same as access.

You need EA Access to play it on the 16th on Xbox, or Origen Access to play it on the 16th on PC.

[TTTX]

I did it, I actually pre-ordered it.

Same. Fuck it. If I'm going to do it, might as well do it right. The super special ultra deluxe edition didn't interest me, though. I can earn my own stuff in the multiplayer. More fun that way too.

The animations may be wonky at times, but goddamnit, I want/ need more Mass Effect in my life.

I caved in too and bought the digital deluxe edition, I need a new RPG fix.

I bought it on PSN.

[Dragaros]

Peebee, I think you may be holding the gun backwards.

[Dragaros]

"You stare at him…and that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side. FWIP! From the other two Space Raptors you didn't even know were there. Because Space Raptor is a pack hunter, you see. He uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this: a six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the middle toe. He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, oh no…he slashes at you here or here… or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is, you are alive when they start to eat you. So, you know…try to show a little respect."

[TTTX]

Peebee, I think you may be holding the gun backwards.

I thought that looked weird.

Let's hope that's fixed before the game comes out.

[Someone With Mass]

Finished ME1. Could do a second run to get level 60 for the import bonus in ME2, but I can't be bothered to do a _full run_ just for that.

Seeing it with more mature eyes was interesting. I really got the feeling that the game was supposed to lead into a far different trilogy. Perhaps the same overarching goals, but even then, the way the Reapers, the Protheans, Geth, Shepard, were all framed, it does not seem to be anticipating leading into what ME2 was, or ME3 became.

The ending sequence was fantastic, from Ilos to the end. Though the last convo was a bit odd in hindsight. Plus the talk with Sovereign, on Virmire, was how the Reapers should have been done going forward. You're told repeatedly that the motivation of the Reapers don't matter, you cannot understand them, and then the series proceeds to try and explain them and why they do what they do. Unnecessary!

The writing isn't as strong as I remember. What I'm realizing is that a lot of the characterization of the NPCs was extrapolated from the relatively sparse dialogue, to be expounded later. Also Tali's darker streak came through more than I remembered. Ended up romancing Liara just for the hell of it, and the sex scene was a hair more risque than I remembered too. A decade will do that.

The inventory system was flawed, especially with the omni-gel button only working 1 at a time, the uselessness of a lot of stuff, the way loot was handed out, on and on. But it had solid ideas in there. I wish it had been kept, but refined. Perhaps ME4 will do it right.

Combat was rough, especially at first, when I couldn't tank my way through the jank. Once I got my hands on a good sniper rifle and mods, and Tali/Liara got their full skill set, it was a breeze. Only thing that hurt was rockets and melee, and the latter was easy to avoid with biotics

I could go on, but I have 2 more games to beat. ME1 holds up even now, though it shows a lot of weaknesses in its age and design, and knowing what comes after is bittersweet.

I did the mistake of asking for quarian armor after completing Bring Down the Sky DLC, thinking that I'd get Colossus armor for Tali. Nope. Got Quarian Nurse/Phoenix armor instead.

One thing that really annoyed me early on when I picked shotgun training for my Engineer (I'd imagine that a triple Carnage going down a corridor is a horrifying sight), is that when I finally manage to knock people on their asses and ready up for that killing blow, my shotgun overheats, they get up, I run away because I'm playing on Insane and they can one-shot me without breaking a sweat and then regenerate all that lost health while I'm cowering behind a box, cursing my shotgun for being such weaksauce. What about my squadmates, you ask? Well, they're usually the first ones to take varren/rockets/bullets/tech or biotic attacks and die. I had completely forgot that Unity is under Spectre training and not under First Aid.

Also, everything is so goddamn expensive. I have only bought the licenses for a couple hundred bucks and I still can barely afford anything that's above rank 2 after recruiting everyone save Liara and gotten the Normandy.

By the way, the keeper scan quest can suck a dick. I'm looking that shit up on the Wiki page.

[Someone With Mass]

Peebee, I think you may be holding the gun backwards.

Can't worry about Remnant bots if you're dead.

[HellBovine]

I did the mistake of asking for quarian armor after completing Bring Down the Sky DLC, thinking that I'd get Colossus armor for Tali. Nope. Got Quarian Nurse/Phoenix armor instead.

I've always asked for an omni-tool in BDTS, Savants are pretty damn rare otherwise.

[Alienmorph]

Peebee, I think you may be holding the gun backwards.

Hush you. I want to see where it goes from here!

[Croatsky]

Damn it, ME:A lead designer Ian stated at PAX and Twitter that you won't be able to change appearance nor weapon loadout for squadmates.

[TTTX]

Damn it, ME:A lead designer Ian stated at PAX and Twitter that you won't be able to change appearance nor weapon loadout for squadmates.

well that's dumb.

[Croatsky]

EA access is the 16th, would that be Origin's access only or would my preorderd Xbox version be ready to go, too?

Pre-order's aren't the same as access.

You need EA Access to play it on the 16th on Xbox, or Origen Access to play it on the 16th on PC.

I'd like to add that 10 Hour Trial will be up even post launch, it's just Trial starts on 16th.

[Someone With Mass]

Damn it, ME:A lead designer Ian stated at PAX and Twitter that you won't be able to change appearance nor weapon loadout for squadmates.

Okay, I can almost understand the no appearance thing, but not being able to change the loadout? That's like three steps backwards from the trilogy.

[Croatsky]

I like how I pre-order ME:A and then suddenly big bad news from Bioware. :-/

[Croatsky]

Shinobi says alternative outfits will be released post-launch.

[TheodoricFriede]

Okay, I can almost understand the no appearance thing, but not being able to change the loadout? That's like three steps backwards from the trilogy.

Well, i mean.. I dont nessessarily agree with the choice, but thematically it does make sence.

You arent relly their commanding officer, why should you get to pick what weapon they use?

[Mazder]

Okay, I can almost understand the no appearance thing, but not being able to change the loadout? That's like three steps backwards from the trilogy.

Well, i mean.. I dont nessessarily agree with the choice, but thematically it does make sence.

You arent relly their commanding officer, why should you get to pick what weapon they use?

Technically it's Liam's job.

[TheodoricFriede]

Technically it's Liam's job.

Maybe Liam is smart enough to know people should be outfitted with the weapons they are most comfortable with.

Its an exploration mission, not a war.

[TTTX]

Shinobi says alternative outfits will be released post-launch.

well then BW is really trying to be like CD Project Red as long as it's going to be free DLC.

maybe BW will also have expansive packs instead of smaller of DLC's and the multiplayer dlc.

[Alienmorph]

Well then BW is really trying to be like CD Project Red as long as it's going to be free DLC.

AHAHAHAHA! Yeah sure! That's how it went the last couple times, except it didn't.

[TTTX]

Technically it's Liam's job.

well then we know who to blame if he sucks as his job.

AHAHAHAHA! Yeah sure! That's how it went the last couple times, except it didn't.

BW haven't sold squadmate skins since ME2 and maybe ME3 if you count Liara's skin on the Collectors edition.

[Alienmorph]

BW haven't sold squadmate skins since ME2 and maybe ME3 if you count Liara's skin on the Collectors edition.

Except that Liara's one was part of whole skin pack:



And then there was the OTHER skin-pack that came with Javik:



And the final skin-pack they sold on its own:

[Vol]

I did the mistake of asking for quarian armor after completing Bring Down the Sky DLC, thinking that I'd get Colossus armor for Tali. Nope. Got Quarian Nurse/Phoenix armor instead.

One thing that really annoyed me early on when I picked shotgun training for my Engineer (I'd imagine that a triple Carnage going down a corridor is a horrifying sight), is that when I finally manage to knock people on their asses and ready up for that killing blow, my shotgun overheats, they get up, I run away because I'm playing on Insane and they can one-shot me without breaking a sweat and then regenerate all that lost health while I'm cowering behind a box, cursing my shotgun for being such weaksauce. What about my squadmates, you ask? Well, they're usually the first ones to take varren/rockets/bullets/tech or biotic attacks and die. I had completely forgot that Unity is under Spectre training and not under First Aid.

Also, everything is so goddamn expensive. I have only bought the licenses for a couple hundred bucks and I still can barely afford anything that's above rank 2 after recruiting everyone save Liara and gotten the Normandy.

By the way, the keeper scan quest can suck a dick. I'm looking that shit up on the Wiki page.

Didn't do BDtS or Pinnacle, since getting ME DLC installed on Steam is a fucking hassle. Just got all the ME2 ones installed, and it was quite a bit of effort.

Funnily enough, Tali was the only one in Colossus armor, picked it up randomly from a store somewhere, Shepard and Liara were stuck in some camo pattern set. Everyone had Spectre weapons at least. Good ole' internal achievement system and unlocks.

I wanted to play on Insanity, but it was locked, so I was stuck on Veteran. Melee was still hyperdeadly at least, even if it was a cakewalk. Even krogans were chumps, Dampen + Warp + HEADSHOT, easy peasy. Though the AI scripting was awful, no tactical consideration, straight up bumrush, sometimes take cover, and squaddies usually stayed behind me thankfully, so they didn't eat too many rockets or charges.

I bought out all the licenses, money was never a concern after the first visit to the Citadel. The economy scaling is hilarious busted, which is quaint in a way.

I missed _one_ Keeper on my first circuit. Found the fucker on the second, thankfully.

[TTTX]

Except that Liara's one was part of whole skin pack:



And then there was the OTHER skin-pack that came with Javik:



And the final skin-pack they sold on its own:

I kinda forgot the one with Javik.

The last one however I didn't know about at all.

[Alienmorph]

Well, to be fair, very few people noticed the standalone skin-pack. So much so it sold very little and they never made a second one for the rest of the team.

[DarkStorm]

That and most of them werent that great.

[Alienmorph]

None of the extra skins in ME2 and 3 were. All they did was basically color-swap existing stuff, and add visors and other small bits ontop to pretend they were something entirely different.

[SciFlyBoy]

Pre-order's aren't the same as access.

You need EA Access to play it on the 16th on Xbox, or Origen Access to play it on the 16th on PC.

I...do have EA access, since I do have an account with them. I'll look into it.

[Someone With Mass]

Didn't do BDtS or Pinnacle, since getting ME DLC installed on Steam is a fucking hassle. Just got all the ME2 ones installed, and it was quite a bit of effort.

Funnily enough, Tali was the only one in Colossus armor, picked it up randomly from a store somewhere, Shepard and Liara were stuck in some camo pattern set. Everyone had Spectre weapons at least. Good ole' internal achievement system and unlocks.

I wanted to play on Insanity, but it was locked, so I was stuck on Veteran. Melee was still hyperdeadly at least, even if it was a cakewalk. Even krogans were chumps, Dampen + Warp + HEADSHOT, easy peasy. Though the AI scripting was awful, no tactical consideration, straight up bumrush, sometimes take cover, and squaddies usually stayed behind me thankfully, so they didn't eat too many rockets or charges.

I bought out all the licenses, money was never a concern after the first visit to the Citadel. The economy scaling is hilarious busted, which is quaint in a way.

I missed _one_ Keeper on my first circuit. Found the fucker on the second, thankfully.

All I have to say about Insane is: Whoever thought Immunity AND health regen was a good idea deserves a smack on the head.

The ship with the biotic terrorists wasn't as bad as that place where you find Wrex's family armor, but the only reason I managed to beat it was because I loudly said "fuck this!" after several attempts in which I got constantly ragdolled to death and just rushed to the end cutscene.

Speaking of squaddies, I find them shooting walls, crates or obstacles they can take cover behind in general more than the enemies sometimes.

[Someone With Mass]

Well, to be fair, very few people noticed the standalone skin-pack. So much so it sold very little and they never made a second one for the rest of the team.

I hope they'll at least attempt to throw in some more weapons in the same pack this time. That's what made the multiplayer DLCs so good aside from the fact that they were free because of all the suckers that bought boxes with real money. Every time a new class character showed up, a new weapon was not far behind. Even though I fear Andromeda will suffer from the same problem ME3 did when it comes to non-hitscan weapons.

[Spartanburger]

I'm about 60% done with ME2 at this point and I feel I've discovered something that really bothers me about the Tali romance. Yes, I still love her to bits, put your pitchforks away. And yes, this is an issue with many of the romances in the ME trilogy, but still:

God it moves fast. It's literally like "I totally have a crush on you" "Oh cool, I like you too" "Sweet. We need to fuck."
What.

We literally just settled the fact that we kinda have a thing for each other, and now the only possible way to make it "real" is to get nekked and bump uglies? I mean, sure, I'm into that, but can we not spend more time flirting/dating/hanging out first? At least let me buy you dinner.

Maybe I've just matured, but I really wish there was more time for the relationship to grow throughout the game. Like, after the first bit, you get to see them spend more time together, interact, flirt, and whatnot, before they go to bone town. We got to see much more of this in ME3 Citadel, which is one of the reasons why I love the DLC so much. But in ME2, it's just so fast.

Peebee, I think you may be holding the gun backwards.

My favorite reddit comment for the post on this:

>>pointing the gun at yourself and pulling the trigger
Me too thanks.

Didn't do BDtS or Pinnacle, since getting ME DLC installed on Steam is a fucking hassle.

Really? BDtS installs from an installer just as the ME2 DLCs does, and just as with the ME2 DLC, it automatically finds the install location of the game, so it's identical if you have the Steam, Origin, or disc version. If Pinnacle station is attributed to your EA account, installing it, even with the steam installation, is just as simple as hitting install on pinnacle station icon in Origin.

[Vol]

@Spartan: Don't worry, you're not getting more mature, I've had that complaint for 7 years. Also to note, having just started my ME2 playthrough (Just saved Garrus' ass), it's embarrassing how well ME2 holds up.

It was even more stark in ME1, since the gating was less strong, I experienced the entire Liara romance in a short amount of real time. It was also extremely accelerated. It felt like there was more vague flirting and talking about a relationship than anything involving a relationship. Though the sex scenes, ME1 and ME2, are entirely justified in the sense that there's a really good chance everyone's going to die, and neither Liara or Tali wanted to face death without Shepard's dick in/on them at some point.

The implication being that there's chats and bonding going on behind the scenes too, like the friendship with Garrus. ME1 characters were interesting, but relatively shallow. They have 1 or 2 major points and they stick to it. Liara's socially awkward and likes Protheans. Tali's a quarian and doesn't like robots. Garrus is an ex-cop that doesn't like rules. Wrex is a merc with a desire to help his people deep down. We get only a couple convos with them, and they're simplistic, so as I recall from way back then, we filled in the gaps ourselves. That magical time on the original Bioware forums, with the awful layout and "Is Tali a romance option?" threads. Trying to find some secret way to get her.

Anyway. Given that characters are the big selling point in the series, and how much stronger they get with ME2 (I'm literally noticing characterization I had assumed all along for them only just now appearing in ME2 as I play it), I really want to see those scenes. Banal conversations while faffing around the ship? Yes, please. Physical affections escalating with the intensity of the romance until the sex scene? Yes!

So yeah. Even back then, us CZ folk thought Tali's romance was a bit too fast, but accepted there was a lot going on we didn't get to see, since we're working with a limited medium.

[Someone With Mass]

Things like that makes me wonder about the pace the romances in Andromeda will have, since it's been hinted that the next game probably won't be following Ryder. This has the potential of limiting the romances, since I think that most of the romances in the trilogy truly blossomed in the last game and the Citadel DLC. They felt less like a fling since they lasted over a longer time. That said, they might do it differently, since they (should) know what the fans want when it comes to romances at this point.

I also smirk at how much the DLCs in ME2, like the Hammerhead missions, mess up the pace for the romance with Tali (or any other squadmate for that matter) when compared to the vanilla game and how you can easily complete the whole thing by doing one mission, talk to her about longing feelings, do another mission, talk to her about how they won't compromise the mission with their bed bouncing, do the third mission and then watch Tali ache with the desire to rip your clothes off. All in the span of less than an hour, when it's supposed to take place over like a third of the game and set up the climax (phrasing) close to the suicide mission.

[TTTX]

I'm about 60% done with ME2 at this point and I feel I've discovered something that really bothers me about the Tali romance. Yes, I still love her to bits, put your pitchforks away. And yes, this is an issue with many of the romances in the ME trilogy, but still:

God it moves fast. It's literally like "I totally have a crush on you" "Oh cool, I like you too" "Sweet. We need to fuck."
What.

We literally just settled the fact that we kinda have a thing for each other, and now the only possible way to make it "real" is to get nekked and bump uglies? I mean, sure, I'm into that, but can we not spend more time flirting/dating/hanging out first? At least let me buy you dinner.

Maybe I've just matured, but I really wish there was more time for the relationship to grow throughout the game. Like, after the first bit, you get to see them spend more time together, interact, flirt, and whatnot, before they go to bone town. We got to see much more of this in ME3 Citadel, which is one of the reasons why I love the DLC so much. But in ME2, it's just so fast.

to be fair a lot of things in ME2 moves fast.

[TTTX]

None of the extra skins in ME2 and 3 were. All they did was basically color-swap existing stuff, and add visors and other small bits ontop to pretend they were something entirely different.

well except for the Miranda which makes her ass shots less painful.

[Alienmorph]

True, but even that one was just FemShep's Cerberus Armor paited black instead of white, and with a visor with shit covering her eyes.

[Someone With Mass]

True, but even that one was just FemShep's Cerberus Armor paited black instead of white, and with a visor with shit covering her eyes.

Yeah, I never got into the visor shit they did with the skins. I mean, Jack has some of the prettiest eyes on the team and they decided that covering them up with what looks like gold-plated scrap from a satellite was a good idea.