Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[Alienmorph]

The only ship model I currently own is a mini-modelkit of the Space Battleship Yamato from the anime of the same name, painted it and put it togheter myself too. A small Normandy to keep on the desk or the bookshelf near it would be neat, but I would prefer the Cerberus version... ME2 is still my favorite of the bunch and I just like the color scheme more too.

[magnuskn]

The official fake leather N7 "leather" jacket is shit quality, btw., as I can attest from my own experience. I got a real leather replica from US Amazon, which has stayed in good shape for about three years now (although the jacket really doesn't "breathe" much, i.e. you overheat really easily in it when it's hot or you are exerting yourself).

[Mazder]

The only ship model I currently own is a mini-modelkit of the Space Battleship Yamato from the anime of the same name, painted it and put it togheter myself too. A small Normandy to keep on the desk or the bookshelf near it would be neat, but I would prefer the Cerberus version... ME2 is still my favorite of the bunch and I just like the color scheme more too.

I have a ships shelf, mostly star wars toys atm though, nothing massively expensive.

[Spartanburger]

Been a while. Wanted to reach out because this is kinda related to Mass Effect & CZ in general and is bizzare. Sorry if this is bringing up old wounds, but I thought it polite to give a head's up about it.

Background: Some 5 years ago, someone on the mass effect subreddit made a post about, well, The Post. Knowing the kind of shit it gets whenever it's normally brought up, I made a comment in its defense indicating that TT and I used to be in a group together, that TT got a lot of mockery/abuse for it, and that later contributed to them leaving the fandom. That was at least my understanding of what went down.

Why is this relevant? Well someone found that comment a few days ago, hunted me down, and asked to interview me about the post, what was going on around the time, what may have been the reasons for it, what TT was like as a person, if TT's attitude changed after it was made, that sort of thing. This would be for a writeup of the whole ordeal on another subreddit. I checked the person's history out and it seems legit, so I said yes. That may have been a mistake in retrospect - sortof feels like I'm talking on behalf of someone else.

Anyway, they're not looking to make fun of the post. To quote them, their goal is "1, to talk about a niche "drama" that happened in the ME fandom, and 2, to sort of re-humanize TT." They sent about a dozen questions, and I answered in my usual "you better be prepared to read a fuckin novel" wall of text manner. Spilled a bunch.

The gist of what I indicated is this: (1) TT and I were more like acquaintances in the same group, so any details about them may be inaccurate; (2) we all mostly spent time in the private groups on BSN; (3) TT was quiet and reserved, but detailed and smart whenever they posted - my memory is very loose so I could be conflating them with someone else; (4) I thought the post was cool, if weird; (5) it didn't really have any major impact on how Talimancers were seen - more or less it was just ammunition for the endless shipping wars (hey remember the ATA?), and that those wars would've been fought regardless of whether or not the post was made (and why do talimancers always get all the hate since there's posts out there doing the same thing for the shape of Garrus's cock or taste of his cum); (6) the post wasn't intended to be serious - more of a "dumb random question, and hey I'm educated enough to actually answer it even if it's silly;" (7) TT left the community around the time of the Citadel DLC in part because the attention they got thanks to the reference in the DLC; (8) the post was actually a collaboration between TT and someone else (my memory wants to say it was NB, but I'm not sure on that - I didn't name anyone other than TT); and (9) there was some inner CZ drama that contributed to the collaborator leaving as well.

I didn't name anyone in the group, and tried to stay neutral. I specifically asked them to not try to find and reach out to TT, wherever they are, to get a comment. I don't want to assume TT'd be comfortable thinking about the post, let alone commenting on it. They're going to send me a draft to review before they post it so I can check how things are being portrayed.

[Someone With Mass]

I wonder how TT's doing these days.

[Vol]

Hey Spartan, hope you're doing well with whatever you're doing these days.

I can provide more context, I remember the moment a bit more clearly. TT didn't create that post apropos of nothing, he was in school for some sort of organic chemistry class (we also had a long, complicated discussion of hybrid babies, that went into biology well beyond anything I'd ever learned, along with Troodon), and was analyzing human sweat for an assignment. And then because of the mood of the time, he reversed the chirality for the quarian version, and from there we get the post. He didn't sit down and decide to do a chemical analysis of Tali's sweat for (purely) perverse reasons, he was doing something else and tweaked it on a whim for light-hearted content meant for us, in the vein of many other conversations of the time about what X's Y might look/taste like. Garrus' cock got off easy because who's going to mock horny gamer girls?

Then from there, obviously, it was made into a meme that endures to today. He did actually register here and pop in briefly, while tipsy and heading to a conference, a few years ago. See him on Steam once a great rare while. Assume he's doing exceptionally well for himself.

I vaguely remember NB offering creative input, but it might've been Troodon, but we did _talk_ about the post in good spirits. TT stayed around for a long time after that, so I assume it was one of many factors, in addition to the series being "over," moving on, professional life, and so on.

[TTTX]

Well I hope wherever TT is, he is doing well.

He seemed like a nice guy.

[Mazder]

Spartan!
Sup.

Oh.
Ooohhhh.
Hmmm.
I think everyone kinda talked about it when the post was dropped.

Now I only wonder what kind of audience there even is in the more general fandom world. Like there are a few unofficial bioware forums and subreddits so, damn, I have no idea what people's perceptions are these days.

I do hope TT is doing okay though.
And NB.
And Troodon.

[Spartanburger]

Hey Spartan, hope you're doing well with whatever you're doing these days.

I'm doing well enough, considering all the, well... gestures vaguely
Hope everyone else's been doing well since I last checked in.

*snip*

Thanks for clarifying! IIRC I wasn't part of BSN or CZ until after the post, so I only really got to see the aftermath. I hope they're doing well too. Anyone smart enough to write that post however many years ago it was (what, 9, 10 years ago now? god I feel old now) has gotta be doing great things these days.

Now I only wonder what kind of audience there even is in the more general fandom world. Like there are a few unofficial bioware forums and subreddits so, damn, I have no idea what people's perceptions are these days.

No doubt the remaster will dig all that up again. There's half a entire generation of people who haven't played any a good mass effect game. I guarantee you'll see people asking around what that one line in the Citadel DLC actually means. Who know, maybe the shipping wars will erupt again. Meanwhile, all us vets will just be staring off like Zaeed. "This takes me back."

[TTTX]

No doubt the remaster will dig all that up again. There's half a entire generation of people who haven't played any a good mass effect game. I guarantee you'll see people asking around what that one line in the Citadel DLC actually means. Who know, maybe the shipping wars will erupt again. Meanwhile, all us vets will just be staring off like Zaeed. "This takes me back."

I don't know, I already feel like Zaeed.

Still I hope this ME remaster will bring some joy to a new generation.

[Mazder]

No doubt the remaster will dig all that up again. There's half a entire generation of people who haven't played any a good mass effect game. I guarantee you'll see people asking around what that one line in the Citadel DLC actually means. Who know, maybe the shipping wars will erupt again. Meanwhile, all us vets will just be staring off like Zaeed. "This takes me back."

I started off a newbie, and now I'll become a part of the Old Guard?

I don't know how to feel about that.

Big goddamn heroes. Let's go with that.

[Vol]

Thanks for clarifying! IIRC I wasn't part of BSN or CZ until after the post, so I only really got to see the aftermath. I hope they're doing well too. Anyone smart enough to write that post however many years ago it was (what, 9, 10 years ago now? god I feel old now) has gotta be doing great things these days.

It wasn't even really a big deal among us, as I recall, given the nature of the NSFW thread at the time. But pretty quickly it was being spread around. A shame it's iconic at this point. And yeah, I do believe he's doing something high brow and important last we spoke, so it all worked out well past the silly fandom/troll drama.

I do hope TT is doing okay though.
And NB.
And Troodon.

NB is doing just fine, as of a few months ago. Troodon, I've tried to contact now and again over the years, but I don't think he checks that email account anymore. Miss that panda.

I don't know, I already feel like Zaeed.

Still I hope this ME remaster will bring some joy to a new generation.

Gosh. Putting the length of time since ME1 to now in perspective really does make it seem generational.

Though I'd also like some joy for myself, to be a little selfish.

[Sinekein]

I remember three things about TT: he is Dutch, he is tall (might not be unrelated, they are the tallest people on Earth), and when some personal quiz circulated back in the day he mentioned he was super well-off. Especially for me, who was a student and is now a public servant so I don't know much about high wages.

Still, he was mellow and thoughtful and I can completely understand the thought process leading to this post - e.g. putting way too much time in some hypothetical thinking just for the pleasure of overthinking things, not because you spend your life dreaming about alien fluids.

[TTTX]

Gosh. Putting the length of time since ME1 to now in perspective really does make it seem generational.

Though I'd also like some joy for myself, to be a little selfish.

it is close to 14 years since ME1 came out and there were quite a few teenagers on BSN back in the day so I imagine this might bring some more fans.
Wish that could happen for the Legacy of Kain series which is a very underrated series.

tell me about it, I could use some joy myself.

[Dragaros]

Hey Spartanburger; hope you've been well.

I missed the initial drama that post spawned because I was late to the BW forums, but I certainly became aware of it very quickly once I was there, and saw it unfairly and disingenuously taken out of context and used as a weapon against Tali fans many times. But it has died down as time has moved on. (Nowadays when I stumble upon Mass Effect conversations online outside of this place, when it comes to anti-Tali or anti-quarian sentiments, I'm more likely to see posts about how some folks think Tali betrayed Shepard's trust by stealing the first Normandy's stealth tech --even though Word of God confirmed that was not true and nipped that one in the bud years ago-- or posts about how the quarians deserve to be genocided into extinction because they're all irredeemably evil and the geth are all innocent puppies who have never done anything wrong even once, than I am seeing folks bringing up the old sweat post.)

And hey, we got an amusing piece of dialogue out of it in the Citadel DLC; that counts as a win, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSMBAQUH5wU

[Dragaros]

"The Art of the Mass Effect Trilogy: Expanded Edition preview pages. The Art of the Mass Effect Trilogy: Expanded Edition on Amazon has been reduced in price from $39.99 to $35.99."

[Dragaros]

"Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Preorders Are Live Now"

[[ "After years of rumors and fans clamoring for it, BioWare announced a remastered edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy during last year's N7 Day celebration. Mass Effect: Legendary edition is set to release this spring for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Though an exact release date hasn't been revealed, recent retailer listings have suggested that the remaster could arrive March 12. Regardless of whether that turns out to be true or not, it's clear fans won't have to wait much longer to replay the beloved role-playing series with performance and visual upgrades. If you already know you're going to dive back into the saga at launch, you can preorder Mass Effect: Legendary edition now.

Mass Effect: Legendary edition is available to preorder for $60 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy. At this time, only the physical edition is available to preorder for PlayStation and Xbox. You can also preorder the digital edition for PC at Best Buy. No preorder bonuses have been revealed, and it's unknown if EA will release any editions beyond the standard $60 version.

The console versions of Mass Effect: Legendary edition come with free upgrades to PS5 and Xbox Series X. While BioWare hasn't shown off any gameplay of the collection since announcing it on N7 Day, the studio has promised updated textures, shaders, and technical enhancements. Mass Effect: Legendary edition will include all three single-player campaigns as well as every piece of DLC. At this time, it's unclear if the multiplayer mode from Mass Effect 3 will be featured in the collection, but the wording of BioWare's blog post suggests it won't be included.

Mass Effect: Legendary edition will surely help fans endure the wait for the next mainline Mass Effect game. Announced during The Game Awards 2020 with a brief teaser trailer, the new entry in the series doesn't have a title just yet. No release window has been revealed, but BioWare is also working on Anthem and Dragon Age 4, so it's unlikely it'll release anytime soon." ]]

[Someone With Mass]

So it IS an up-rezed version of the trilogy. As disappointing as always, EA.

[Deano]

And probably no multiplayer? Miss me with that cash grab.

[Alienmorph]

Let's wait and see for the actual release, but yeah, no pre-order for sure.

[Sinekein]

So $60 for something that modders give for free on Skyrim, for example.

Yeah right.

[magnuskn]

I'm gonna get it, alone to finally be rid of Origin. Unless I want to install SWTOR again, but not seeing that happening, currently.

[TTTX]

I'm gonna get it, alone to finally be rid of Origin. Unless I want to install SWTOR again, but not seeing that happening, currently.

I mean you can do that on steam (you know since EA have moved a lot of their games on steam now).

[magnuskn]

Yeah, but the updated textures also call to me. And I really haven't figured out how the whole "moving my EA games to Steam" works. ^^

[TTTX]

Yeah, but the updated textures also call to me. And I really haven't figured out how the whole "moving my EA games to Steam" works. ^^

well for Swtor you can just download it to steam since it's free and log in and well everything tied to that account follows over.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwumSY_BlS4

[Dragaros]

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

[Dragaros]

"Images from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development."

[Dragaros]

"Heaps of concept art from the cancelled BioWare project Revolver (which the recent BioWare 25 Year book went into and showcased in some detail), along with some captions and insights into the game’s story and lore, can now be seen on Matt Rhodes’ ArtStation and Instagram."

"Between 2005 and 2008 I worked on Project Revolver. Beginning its life as a sequel to Jade Empire, Revolver evolved and changed course many times throughout its development. It was recently revealed in more detail in the book "Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development". To celebrate, I sifted through the archives and blew 15 years of dust off some of my favorite pieces from that project."

https://www.artstation.com/mattrhodes

https://www.instagram.com/mattrhodesart/

[Dragaros]

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[Dragaros]

[magnuskn]

Yeesh, that's a fuckton of concept art and story ideas and apparently all for nothing. Seems to be an urban fantasy game. I probably would have liked that quite a lot, since my favorite book series are the Dresden Files.

[Alienmorph]

Looks heck of a lot better than Anthem too, or at least potentially so. Unfortunate it got scrapped.

[Deano]

Apparently this will be on the BioWare store in Feb, looks good.



It's just a shame for anyone outside the US you get battered with shipping costs, it's almost 1/1 with the cost of the goods. And then customs fees on top as well. The only time I ever caved in was for the Kotubukiya Tali statue, because well...it's Tali.

[Dragaros]

[Deano]

Guess we'll see, game companies oversell stuff all the time.

[Alienmorph]

Yeah, give us a trailer, and we'll see. I mean the source of that tweet is ResetEra ffs, I'm not gonna put much trust into THAT

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D3NwrLSS_0

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3CqufpianE

[Dragaros]

https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/com ... _get_news/

https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/com ... y_edition/

"You're going to want to keep it tuned into Game Informer on Tuesday. We've got some exclusive content to reveal and an entire month of additional celebratory content that I think you'll LOVE. You're not going to want to miss it."

[Dragaros]