Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[SciFlyBoy]

Holy shit. I found somebody.

[magnuskn]

Play as a fully leveled Vanguard on bronze with double nova and you can immunity window the entire level without too much problems. Just take care of big bosses who can grab you.

[Mazder]

Play as a fully leveled Vanguard on bronze with double nova and you can immunity window the entire level without too much problems. Just take care of big bosses who can grab you.

Or be Fully leveled Krogan Warlord. Same fear for instant kills but you should be able to HAMMER ALL THE THINGS!
Bloodrage on that thing with the hammer being specced to be as fast a recharge as possible is beastly!

[Sinekein]

Turian Cabal + Reegar Carbine = Profit. I did my solo Platinum with her on FB giant, running circles around the map and blasting or poisoning everything.

[SciFlyBoy]

My go to is Rio with Quarian Male Infiltrator, versus Geth. There's a small spot on the opposite side as the evac site I camp at. I throw as many arc grenades as I could and funnel Geth towards me. Same with Asari Vanguard, but spamming the lift grenades. Maybe I should try some silver levels and earn more cash. Bronze is brutal enough though.

[Sinekein]

The two maps I remember doing solo runs on are Giant and Vancouver, because the shape of the maps made it (relatively) easy to bait enemies in one end while you run to the other to deactivate an objective or upload data. Rio was too thin, so you sometimes had to go through foes which might not be that funny depending on who you face. After that, Giant is better if you play with a short range weapon like a shotgun because you can easily get into places with no line of sights for Nemeses or Ravagers, while Vancouver had more LOS - so it can be good if you run an Assault or Sniper rifle.

Another thing is to pick Reapers as enemies, because after all the patches they are undoubtedly the weakest side to face. Cerberus are trickier because of Phantoms and the guys who run at you, plus turrets that can surprise you, and Geth are nightmares especially when you turn the difficulty up, as several of them can stagger you to death or ignore the shieldgate.

[magnuskn]

Cerberus actually still is way better for the Vanguard double nova build. Phantoms are mostly no problem and you can out-dance the mechs pretty easily. Reapers are way more annoying, since their rocket units can tag you over the entire map if they have LOS, the acid puddles are bad and the bloody Banshees are extremely annoying to deal with, compared to the relatively harmless mechs of Cerberus.

[Alienmorph]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktPZPY6YK34

Keep digging that hole, BW... can't say I'm surprised, but...

Player choice. Dem buzzwords.

Just say the story is linear and barebones, and that the game is all about the fight and loot. We all knew it was going to happen.

[TheodoricFriede]

Meanwhile people are shocked -- Shocked! -- that Casey Hudson lied about something.

That Mother Fuckers been lying since Mass Effect 2.

[Alienmorph]

Right? You need to be a Sean Murray to say more contradictory B.S. than Hudson, and people still fall for him...

[Someone With Mass]

Well, that happens when EA's too stupid to set trends instead of following them blindly and is utterly shocked when people don't want to buy their trash because the games they're ripping off are already available to people and doing things a lot better and not nearly as greedily.

Like Warframe. Give me ONE reason why I should play Anthem over Warframe, which is free. No buzzwords.

[Alienmorph]

Warframe is the one game that everyone thought wouldn't work, because it didn't have one of the usual bullshit business models... aka was Free to Play for real and not in-name-only...

And then it workd because it wasn't exploitative as fuck, was fun to play and has a good world, lore and aestetic.

Meanwhile Destiny, Anthem and the whole Live Service bullshit is already dead. It's just that AAA studios have yet to take the hint, because they really REALLY wanted for that trend to work.

[TheodoricFriede]

Live service CAN work. It just has to actually be a service. The Witcher 3 was a live service. That Hitman game that came out a couple years ago was a live service AND episodic, and that worked.

Even some recent Nintendo games like Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey, Arms, Legend of Zelda, Mario Maker. All Live Services.

The problem isnt the concept of updating an old game to keep it fresh, its that companies use it as a combination DRM, payed subscription, season pass, hype machine.

[Alienmorph]

Yeah, I meant the LS the way EA or Activision wants them are dead in the water. The concept as a whole can be done successfully.

[magnuskn]

Live service CAN work. It just has to actually be a service. The Witcher 3 was a live service.

Maybe I'm getting "live service" all wrong, but I thought the basic premise was that the world is constantly updated, it's multiplayer and they try to keep selling you DLC shit? The Witcher 3 would be the farthest away from that, since it is a closed system after the two expansion packs, it's a strictly single player and aside from their two expansion packs they only gave out some free DLC which already was promised from the start.

I probably am just using a different definition of "live service" than you, though.

[TheodoricFriede]

Maybe I'm getting "live service" all wrong, but I thought the basic premise was that the world is constantly updated, it's multiplayer and they try to keep selling you DLC shit? The Witcher 3 would be the farthest away from that, since it is a closed system after the two expansion packs, it's a strictly single player and aside from their two expansion packs they only gave out some free DLC which already was promised from the start.

I probably am just using a different definition of "live service" than you, though.

A Live Service just means a game getting updated through its lifetime. Not just patches, but additional content. I believe that CD Projekt Red has referred to both Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 as "live services". In fact there was a panic when they said it, and had to clarify that by "Live Service" they mean the model they used for The Witcher 3.

Live service is a dirty word now because of the Activision, EA, and (to a lesser extent) Ubisoft definition, which is closer to what you described.

[magnuskn]

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

[Dragaros]

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

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQxR4kN0Ps

[Someone With Mass]

See, if it weren't such a multiplayer wank-fest and actually tried to live up to all those buzzwords, I'd be more interested in it.

[Alienmorph]

"It's your story!" - but it has little to no branching plotlines
"Meet and interact with interesting, compelling characters!" - but there is no in-depth dialogue wheel or romances
"It's Real TIme Storytelling!!!" - you mean stuff happens the more you play the game? No fucking shit! Or is the fact that it's an online game that gets updated and expanded overtime that's supposed to blow my mind?

Seriously... I don't want to be negative at all costs, much like I didn't want to be on Andromeda. But the more I hope BW can shut me up and prove me wrong, the less they seem to be trying to do so.

[TheodoricFriede]

I just want this fucking game to release so it can be lost in mediocrity and Bioware might actually make a game people WANT from them again.

[Someone With Mass]

It's that they contradict themselves with every sentence. Not saying that you can't have a deep story without dialogue options or romances, but they make it sound like it's the most forgettable part of the game and that you should only focus on having such an epic good time with your friends as you mow down generic mooks over and over again.

I actually don't like co-op that much for that very reason in story-heavy games. With more people, the focus is more on goofing around than advancing the story or paying attention to it.

I know how that shit works. I've played a lot of Halo and Borderlands co-op. People more often than not don't give a single fuck about the story because they've either seen/played through it a dozen times or simply don't care.

It's why I like that Warframe limits its quests to those who are at the same point in the story to make sure that everyone's invested or outright makes the quest a single-player one.

But people at EA are way too busy pumping their stock holders in the ass to even think along those lines.

[Deano]

I just want this fucking game to release so it can be lost in mediocrity and Bioware might actually make a game people WANT from them again.

Honestly when EA said single player games were dead, BioWare died along with them. They are throwing loads of story telling and narrative buzzword to try bring in the people who liked BW's old games, it doesn't take much of a look past that to see that this game isn't for those people.

Another worrying thing is the lack of gameplay they've shown, even C2077 has been shown now and it doesn't have a release date. There has been very little hype from the press as well considering this is a AAA game coming out in 5 and half months. In fact 90% of the small bits I've heard from the press aren't promising.

[Alienmorph]

And what little we've seen of the gameplay seems very samey... most of it is you flying through some (admitetly cool looking and lush) environments, and shooting a lot to enemies with not much in the way of dynamic movement or skills.

Like, compare it to ME3's multiplayer. Where's the covers, the enemies set on multiple levels and the crazy powers and skills? All I see is a pretty looking shooting gallery and a bunch of bullett-sponges. Like, there is a bit of skills shown and stuff like flying enemies, but it seems very barebones in that regard.

[TheodoricFriede]

I still just cant believe anyone thinks this is a good idea.

I mean, is ANYONE excited for this? I feel like everywhere I go I only see moderate curiosity at best and disdain at worst. Only the hardcore Bioware fans defend the game, and even then only because they think if it doesn't sell, the studio will close.

[Alienmorph]

And even then it's a retarded reason to defend Anthem.

Do the "hardcore fans" think that if BW succeeds into making a Destiny clone, EA is gonna let them go back and make good singleplayer-only games?

BW as we knew it is already gone. All that's left to determine is the cause of death.

[TheodoricFriede]

I am becoming more and more ok with the prospect of a world without Bioware. Especially with recent news that, and i quote, "Dragon Age and Mass Effect will be heavily influenced by Anthem."

I dont think they are willing or able to make the games i want from them anymore, for various reasons.

[Someone With Mass]

A Mass Effect influenced by Anthem won't be Mass Effect. At least, not a Mass Effect I'd want.

Are they seriously so stupid that they don't think different genres of games exist? It's okay to NOT turn every future game into a lazy Destiny clone. Shit, one of the reasons why BioWare became so popular is because they had a little bit of everything for everyone. That's how all the successful studios and video game consoles made it.

[FrozenShadow]

Keep digging that hole, BW... can't say I'm surprised, but...

Player choice. Dem buzzwords.

Just say the story is linear and barebones, and that the game is all about the fight and loot. We all knew it was going to happen.

Frankly, when it comes to Anthem, it's seems more and more that there will be only one player choice in the whole game.

You buy the game or not.

[FrozenShadow]

I am becoming more and more ok with the prospect of a world without Bioware. Especially with recent news that, and i quote, "Dragon Age and Mass Effect will be heavily influenced by Anthem."

I dont think they are willing or able to make the games i want from them anymore, for various reasons.

Well, I certainly hope that this influence they're talking about is "how to not do future DA and ME games, because doing them Anthem style is doomed to fail. Alas, I know it's fools hope.

Frankly, as long as Bioware is owned by EA, there is not much point to buy anyone of their new games. The simple reason being that EA don't care about single player games and that's because you can't get money with loot boxes, buyable items or other aspects of gameplay designed to create competitive nature for the game.

[Dragaros]

Time certainly flies.

A fun piece of DLC, that. Battling Vasir, taking the fight to the Broker’s secret base, finding out who and what the Broker was, punching him in his multi-eyed face, going through the secret files on the ship.

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msCvC671Xw

[Dragaros]

https://www.usgamer.net/articles/anthem ... term-plans

https://www.vgr.com/anthem-producer-say ... c-content/

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/201 ... /#/slide/1

[Vol]

Wait, every dialogue choice is binary?

[SciFlyBoy]

Time certainly flies.

A fun piece of DLC, that. Battling Vasir, taking the fight to the Broker’s secret base, finding out who and what the Broker was, punching him in his multi-eyed face, going through the secret files on the ship.

Music was excellent, too.

[TTTX]

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

[TheHawkster]

Frankly, that headline was misleading.

I could count on my hands (Not that I have 4 additional hands or anything) how players wished DLCs like Leviathan and Trespasser were not paid DLC

So the concept of story stuff releases in live-service style sounds cool to me. Just depends on execution, if anything

[Alienmorph]

The problem is, as the video points out, how often "live services" games rather than adding good content ontop of a good base game, often they release as broken, incomplete messes, and then you have to pay extras to get the game updated and expanded enough to be any decent. Just ask to what's left of the Destiny community.

And that aside, I still think BW is done with singleplayer-centered games, wheter they like it and admit it or not. EA doesn't want to invest into those anymore, because you can't jam-pack them of microtransactions, and if Anthem does any good, I can guarantee they'll want to make something like that with other properties, and if we ever get a new ME is going to be a live service of some kind too.

[TTTX]

The problem is, as the video points out, how often "live services" games rather than adding good content ontop of a good base game, often they release as broken, incomplete messes, and then you have to pay extras to get the game updated and expanded enough to be any decent. Just ask to what's left of the Destiny community.

And that aside, I still think BW is done with singleplayer-centered games, wheter they like it and admit it or not. EA doesn't want to invest into those anymore, because you can't jam-pack them of microtransactions, and if Anthem does any good, I can guarantee they'll want to make something like that with other properties, and if we ever get a new ME is going to be a live service of some kind too.

And companies like EA who drop games who don't live up to their exceptions, like ME:A and Battlefront 2 both that are now more or less dead in the water.

[FrozenShadow]

The problem is, as the video points out, how often "live services" games rather than adding good content ontop of a good base game, often they release as broken, incomplete messes, and then you have to pay extras to get the game updated and expanded enough to be any decent. Just ask to what's left of the Destiny community.

And that aside, I still think BW is done with singleplayer-centered games, wheter they like it and admit it or not. EA doesn't want to invest into those anymore, because you can't jam-pack them of microtransactions, and if Anthem does any good, I can guarantee they'll want to make something like that with other properties, and if we ever get a new ME is going to be a live service of some kind too.

Oh, you're actually giving too much credit to Destiny games here. After all, those games just didn't ask you to pay extra or expansions. They literally locked base game content, so they could later add it by allowing players access to them, if they ready to pay for the DLC.

About BW, I would like to think they do still want to make Single player games. Problem is that their backer or "big boss" EA hates single player games, so BW don't have chance to make good SP games.

Also, when it comes to "live services", I think the real problem with them is two-fold. Not enough time to spend developing the games and stupid people ready to buy the games, even if they're half-assed done.

I mean, just think years back, when they still kept releasing full completely games with single full price and maybe some added DLC later on. It took well over 2 years, more often between 3-5 years to actually release a new game. That means, developers took their time to make the game and actually make them good, because people seemingly cared about it. Because if you released a bad game, you reputation suffered from it. But today, no one really gives a shit, if you release a bad, barely done game. Sure, many people might complain after the games release..but many of them are still buying the next game year or two later. Not everyone of course, but there is still enough fools doing it.

This gets us nicely to second real problem in current game industry, which is stupid people buying the games. Because a lot of people seems ready to buy barely done games or games with next to nothing new (like all EA sport games really), why should game developers care? Would should they bother to actually make good full games, when foolish people are ready to throw out their money to buy the "barely effort spend" games at full price? Simply said, we seems to live in a world, where making a bad game doesn't matter to developers, because there is no real penalty for doing that.

Sure, messes like SW: Battlefront 2 and Destiny 2 do give bad reputation to studios and hurts the sells...for that particular game. But at least EA is getting their money back and then some from all the fools buying their sport games. And sadly, this does means that EA won't really care, if Anthem end being bad and does horribly. They will get their money from fools buying their other games.

[Dragaros]

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/664

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-gu4qER4Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuzmnFa0Z_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2_bSVbzqbI

[Dragaros]

According to Amazon the Mass Effect: Andromeda quarian ark novel Annihilation is now coming out November 6th instead of October 9th.

[TheHawkster]

Dunno why they're releasing the novel next to N7 day

But I could definitely use a time waster with reading side materials of the Mass Effect universe

[magnuskn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrXmx5qQ-KE

[Vol]

http://blog.bioware.com/2018/09/25/anthem-hits-alpha/

That one slipped under the radar, huh?

[Raga]

The desperate appeal to BG2 is just sad. "Guys! Guys! We made that! Don't you remember?! Guys??..."

[TheodoricFriede]

At this point, I'm not even sure if I believe Bioware made Baulders Gate.