Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[Alienmorph]

I don't know about you, but none of my gay friends has "gay" as his/her main character trait. Hell, I found out a good friend of mine was lesbian only last year, after knowing her for the good portion of a decade, and she didn't keep it hidden or anything, it's just something that got never brought up because until thin we didn't just spend all of our damn time discussing how good it is to be gay or straight. That's how much NOT blatantly obvious one's sexuality can get. So I find kinda laughable the idea that a fictional character in an interactive story MUST have a sexuality that is immediately and obviously labeled.

Yes there are character types that works better if thei're straight or of a specific gender, but most of the times they're very steretyped or extremized character types of which you do NOT need more than one or two in your story, so I don't see that as something that should be used as a major justification for limitating one's freedom to play a story the way he or she wants.

[TTTX]

I don't know Steve was fine, he just so happened to be moaning his late husband in ME3 which something most people do when they lose someone they care about.

Dorian was fine, he was funny and was smarter then you suspect when you first meet him. His character mission with his father feels a bit out of place in the world of DA, but I get the feeling it was more about Dorian not breeding an heir for the family then him being gay, but BW just wrote it wrong in my opinion.

[Mazder]

I don't know about you, but none of my gay friends has "gay" as his/her main character trait. Hell, I found out a good friend of mine was lesbian only last year, after knowing her for the good portion of a decade, and she didn't keep it hidden or anything, it's just something that got never brought up because until thin we didn't just spend all of our damn time discussing how good it is to be gay or straight. That's how much NOT blatantly obvious one's sexuality can get. So I find kinda laughable the idea that a fictional character in an interactive story MUST have a sexuality that is immediately and obviously labeled.

Yes there are character types that works better if thei're straight or of a specific gender, but most of the times they're very steretyped or extremized character types of which you do NOT need more than one or two in your story, so I don't see that as something that should be used as a major justification for limitating one's freedom to play a story the way he or she wants.

The fact they're gay is a part for the person, no?
Thereby in the extreme least sense them being gay is them being themselves, no?
Then it's a trait of their character, their being as a person. If not then can't associate as themselves as it makes up a part of them. Everything from the way we breathe to the way we blink and anything else is a part of us and our character and our traits as people.

And guess what, your lesbian friend, if she were in a Bioware game she'd be classed by you lot as a damn bad LI because it apparently only came up after you spent a lot of time with the character, getting close, only to find out they were gay...but, Uh-Oh you can't romance them because they're gay.
But when it happens in reality you chalk it up to being a complete person. You can't have it both ways. Either the character is like your friend or they aren't and they're open about it from the start so you don't spend the extra time needlessly trying to trigger what isn't there.
And the only reason we know most of these characters are gay is because we're given a synopsis or a reveal of them beforehand.
I mean Steve from ME3 is the perfect example of revealing a gay character as gay without knowing so beforehand and yet he's classed as a token gay character. I mean WTF!?

Okay, fine, take it this way, you know how SJW's always go on and on about them not having representation as character romances in these games?
You're literally proposing that we undo the little representation they have in order to escape a little bit of cliché, cliché that will be removed the more they write these characters and the less awkward it becomes for them, rather than keeping them in so those who only want a gay character can have that.
It's not a case of it being available for everyone, it's about being there for the types of people who usually get fuck all, or have to slum it with a Bi character.

I don't know Steve was fine, he just so happened to be moaning his late husband in ME3 which something most people do when they lose someone they care about.

Dorian was fine, he was funny and was smarter then you suspect when you first meet him. His character mission with his father feels a bit out of place in the world of DA, but I get the feeling it was more about Dorian not breeding an heir for the family then him being gay, but BW just wrote it wrong in my opinion.

Even in the sense of Dorian is fine because he's from Tevinter and has never been to Orlais or Ferelden before. He doesn't know anything other than Tevinter law, where his sexuality IS persecuted and intertwined with political advancement in Tevinter society. He could have been gay all he wanted in Tevinter but didn't want to put the woman who'd play his wife through it. It'd have been akin to indentured servitude to him, or to put it another way, he'd be a slavemaster, the thing he hates the most.
But nah his character is all about how daddy doesn't like him being gay...

Like I said, sometimes people don't pay attention.

[TTTX]

Even in the sense of Dorian is fine because he's from Tevinter and has never been to Orlais or Ferelden before. He doesn't know anything other than Tevinter law, where his sexuality IS persecuted and intertwined with political advancement in Tevinter society. He could have been gay all he wanted in Tevinter but didn't want to put the woman who'd play his wife through it. It'd have been akin to indentured servitude to him, or to put it another way, he'd be a slavemaster, the thing he hates the most.
But nah his character is all about how daddy doesn't like him being gay...

Like I said, sometimes people don't pay attention.

pretty much.

[Dragaros]

Soo... if the Nexus got completed, or nigh-completed and we have Milky Way people that have been around long enough to start proper settlements.

Does that mean that the Hyperion Ark is gonna turn out to have remained in "sleep mode" even longer than 600 years after getting separated from the rest of the fleet?

Seems likely.

I'm curious as to how the Initiative is organizing the governance of everything. Like, when a settlement becomes big enough to become self-sufficient, how do they organize the leadership? Does each settlement become an independent city-state, or do they all ultimately answer to some council back on the Nexus? Do each of the settlements have a choice in how they want to organize themselves politically/economically/socially/culturally? Or do they have to follow agreed upon protocols? Can one settlement decide to be a socialistic democracy and another a capitalistic representative republic? How is the law enforcement organized? If a murder takes place, does the crime have to be reported and taken care of on the Nexus, or can the individual settlements handle their own affairs? Can they raise their own police/defense force, or does the Initiative handle all that? Can they pass their own laws and form their own constitutions, or is there one big document back on the Nexus everyone had to agree to before coming? Questions within questions.

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Someone With Mass]

I don't know about you guys, but the reason I'd refer to Steve in ME3 as "the gay guy" is because that's the only distinct detail/moment I remember about him. When I made the connection that he's gay because he was talking about his husband. He's horribly bland and forgettable otherwise.

Maybe that's why BioWare is tossing around these sexual preferences. To try and compensate for the lack of something interesting, even though it doesn't work.

[Mazder]

I don't know about you guys, but the reason I'd refer to Steve in ME3 as "the gay guy" is because that's the only distinct detail/moment I remember about him. When I made the connection that he's gay because he was talking about his husband. He's horribly bland and forgettable otherwise.

Maybe that's why BioWare is tossing around these sexual preferences. To try and compensate for the lack of something interesting, even though it doesn't work.

Is one mourning for lost loves, wanting to feel it again, was a pilot and finds the foray of ships around a docking port soothing, to find the act of flight to be carefree and soothing, resources some pilots for the armada and helps out just as any other character would?
He mentions a whole new sport in the ME universe "Biotiball", that's not a worthy mention?
He mocks Joker on lack of gun training and has banter with him about piloting.
Hell he has a bunch of top banter with Vega.

And that's without the romance. I never went down the path with him but I bet it has more exploration on why he loves flying, details on his ex and dealing with their death and overcoming that.

If that makes a character boring and forgettable then damn people have been spoiled or just don't care to remember.

I mean the only one I had to look up was Biotiball because I couldn't remember the exact name of the sport.

Also if anything referring someone as "the gay one" when they are the gay one is fine. I mean it's a significant trait.
You'd not look at a fat guy and stop yourself at referring him as "the fat one". As an overweight person I'd be offended if you skirted around the issue.

[TheodoricFriede]

Just want to throw this out there.

So people keep bringing up Dorian...I dont think you all were paying attention to what was actually his issue.

Being a homosexual in Tevinter isn't a problem. Refusing to marry to create a "perfect heir" is. In Tevinter it is perfectly acceptable to have gay lovers, provided you also have a wife and sire powerful mage offspring.

Now his mission was obviously referring to the idea of "turning gays people straight" or re-education. It was stupid and clumsy and should not have been in the game.

But the fact that he was gay in Tevinter was completely secondary to the fact that his father wanted a legacy.

[Mazder]

Just want to throw this out there.

So people keep bringing up Dorian...I dont think you all were paying attention to what was actually his issue.

Being a homosexual in Tevinter isn't a problem. Refusing to marry to create a "perfect heir" is. In Tevinter it is perfectly acceptable to have gay lovers, provided you also have a wife and sire powerful mage offspring.

Now his mission was obviously referring to the idea of "turning gays people straight" or re-education. It was stupid and clumsy and should not have been in the game.

But the fact that he was gay in Tevinter was completely secondary to the fact that his father wanted a legacy.

Think you find I mentioned that...well halfway, I forgot it is fine to be gay in Tevinter, but I got the marriage plot down.

[TheodoricFriede]

Mazdar, ain't nobody got time to read everything you write...

[Mazder]

Mazdar, ain't nobody got time to read everything you write...

Well that's your fault then, isn't it?
Especially when the very thing you brought up was already done. By two others. So you didn't bother to read two people's posts.

[Someone With Mass]

Is one mourning for lost loves, wanting to feel it again, was a pilot and finds the foray of ships around a docking port soothing, to find the act of flight to be carefree and soothing, resources some pilots for the armada and helps out just as any other character would?
He mentions a whole new sport in the ME universe "Biotiball", that's not a worthy mention?
He mocks Joker on lack of gun training and has banter with him about piloting.
Hell he has a bunch of top banter with Vega.

And that's without the romance. I never went down the path with him but I bet it has more exploration on why he loves flying, details on his ex and dealing with their death and overcoming that.

If that makes a character boring and forgettable then damn people have been spoiled or just don't care to remember.

I mean the only one I had to look up was Biotiball because I couldn't remember the exact name of the sport.

Also if anything referring someone as "the gay one" when they are the gay one is fine. I mean it's a significant trait.
You'd not look at a fat guy and stop yourself at referring him as "the fat one". As an overweight person I'd be offended if you skirted around the issue.

It's definitely in the "don't care to remember" department, because actions speak louder to me, while speeches are either memorable or just there to fill a void.

Vega kicked an anti-aircraft gun to death and challenged me to a fuckton of pull-ups and a sparring match. Steve...crashed his shuttle?

[Mazder]

It's definitely in the "don't care to remember" department, because actions speak louder to me, while speeches are either memorable or just there to fill a void.

Vega kicked an anti-aircraft gun to death and challenged me to a fuckton of pull-ups and a sparring match. Steve...crashed his shuttle?

So Steve wasn't flashy or showy.
That's an equal part of the character.
That's not a problem with him that's a problem with you. And there is nothing wrong with it. You just can't judge every character by their gimmicks.
I mean personally to me I see Vega as a weaker character as pretty much you take the gimmicks away and he has no depth. And what little there is is a lead on for external material from the games.

[TheodoricFriede]

Steve was fine, i just thought the way the introduced his sexuality was kind of strange.

[Someone With Mass]

It's definitely in the "don't care to remember" department, because actions speak louder to me, while speeches are either memorable or just there to fill a void.

Vega kicked an anti-aircraft gun to death and challenged me to a fuckton of pull-ups and a sparring match. Steve...crashed his shuttle?

So Steve wasn't flashy or showy.
That's an equal part of the character.
That's not a problem with him that's a problem with you. And there is nothing wrong with it. You just can't judge every character by their gimmicks.
I mean personally to me I see Vega as a weaker character as pretty much you take the gimmicks away and he has no depth. And what little there is is a lead on for external material from the games.

No, it's more "you don't do enough for me to stand out above the crowd". Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't expect glorious praise when you're next to admirals, space-Batman, leaders, scientists, avatars etc.

[Mazder]

No, it's more "you don't do enough for me to stand out above the crowd". Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't expect glorious praise when you're next to admirals, space-Batman, leaders, scientists, avatars etc.

That probably makes him more unique than anything else.
Where all these characters are super and grandiose he is just normal.

[Riptide]

Cortez' problem, and Traynor's is their lack of content. They were not added to give the game more meaningful, interesting characters for the player to become attached to, as the case was with Vega, they were added to check boxes off the LGBTQIA checkbox.

As someone who represents more letters on that acronym than most, I don't want that kind of BS in my games. No one was done a favor by the inclusion of Traynor or Cortez, because god damned near no one romanced them, and if they DID, it was because they had no fucking choice. You're gay, but you killed Kaiden off in ME1? Guess you're stuck with the shuttle pilot who keeps crying about his dead ex, even though space Batman has been with you through hell and back not once, not twice, but three fucking times. You're a lesbian and you find Liara's inconsistent characterization unappealing? Guess you're stuck with Traynor, who, as much as I love Traynor, has even less content than other characters who sit on the ship all game long, like Joker. The badass biotic babe who was by her own admission bisexual? The quarian you did just as much for as MaleShepard? Nope, you don't get those options. But hey, at least there's always Liara. Except that's not an ACTUAL lesbian romance, right Bioware? Because she's not REALLY a woman? Funny how they changed their tune on that after ME1.

This isn't about fucking writing, it's about content. Some characters will always get more, some will always have better content than others, and the problem with gendergating means that somewhere, somehow, SOMEONE is getting screwed. Tryanor's romance will always be less compelling and powerful than Tali's. Cortez' will never be as memorable or endearing as Garrus'. But it's okay, because if you're gay or lesbian, you have SOMETHING, and that should be good enough to shut you up. Even if it's not what you wanted, or worse, just there to throw you a bone to say you SHOULD be happy, and if you're not, it's on YOU, not them.

[Riptide]

The sad thing is, there's no reason Bioware can't have it's cake and eat it too. There's no reason they couldn't have gay, lesbian, or whatever characters that aren't the romance options. I just think for gameplay purposes, the companion characters shouldn't be gated. There are ways to make characters and romances interesting without making that a focus, or worse, the entire crux of their character.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix0NHC85Dt0

[Dragaros]

"Announcement: official Mass Effect novels coming from Titan Books in 2017!"



[["Titan Books will work closely with acclaimed video game developer BioWare to publish three brand new novels set in the universe of MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA.

The action will weave directly into the new game, chronicling storylines developed in close collaboration with the BioWare game team. The action takes place concurrently with the adventure of the game itself, setting up the story and events of the game adding depth and detail to the canonical MASS EFFECT saga.

Starting with MASS EFFECT™: NEXUS UPRISING by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander on 28th March 2017, with two further novels due for summer and fall of 2017, the stories will offer fans of the blockbuster game further insights into the worlds and characters of MASS EFFECT. The full line -up of titles is currently slated as:

MASS EFFECT™: NEXUS UPRISING by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander
9781785651564 | Spring 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

MASS EFFECT™: ANNIHILATION by Catherine M. Valente
9781785651588 | Summer 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

MASS EFFECT™: INITIATION by N.K. Jemisin
9781785651601 | Fall 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

Details on the novel storylines can't yet be disclosed because they are so tightly tied to the MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA game adventure. The Novels and the Game MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA take players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way. There, players will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory where WE are the aliens."]]

[Mazder]

Cortez' problem, and Traynor's is their lack of content. They were not added to give the game more meaningful, interesting characters for the player to become attached to, as the case was with Vega, they were added to check boxes off the LGBTQIA checkbox.

As someone who represents more letters on that acronym than most, I don't want that kind of BS in my games. No one was done a favor by the inclusion of Traynor or Cortez, because god damned near no one romanced them, and if they DID, it was because they had no fucking choice. You're gay, but you killed Kaiden off in ME1? Guess you're stuck with the shuttle pilot who keeps crying about his dead ex, even though space Batman has been with you through hell and back not once, not twice, but three fucking times. You're a lesbian and you find Liara's inconsistent characterization unappealing? Guess you're stuck with Traynor, who, as much as I love Traynor, has even less content than other characters who sit on the ship all game long, like Joker. The badass biotic babe who was by her own admission bisexual? The quarian you did just as much for as MaleShepard? Nope, you don't get those options. But hey, at least there's always Liara. Except that's not an ACTUAL lesbian romance, right Bioware? Because she's not REALLY a woman? Funny how they changed their tune on that after ME1.

This isn't about fucking writing, it's about content. Some characters will always get more, some will always have better content than others, and the problem with gendergating means that somewhere, somehow, SOMEONE is getting screwed. Tryanor's romance will always be less compelling and powerful than Tali's. Cortez' will never be as memorable or endearing as Garrus'. But it's okay, because if you're gay or lesbian, you have SOMETHING, and that should be good enough to shut you up. Even if it's not what you wanted, or worse, just there to throw you a bone to say you SHOULD be happy, and if you're not, it's on YOU, not them.

The sad thing is, there's no reason Bioware can't have it's cake and eat it too. There's no reason they couldn't have gay, lesbian, or whatever characters that aren't the romance options. I just think for gameplay purposes, the companion characters shouldn't be gated. There are ways to make characters and romances interesting without making that a focus, or worse, the entire crux of their character.

I personally don't see why it's just a select few characters selected for LI's either, surely it'd make it simpler if all were, then you have more characters to include everyone in.
Some Gay, some Bi, some Straight, hell you can have some of the weird new ones Tumblr keeps coming up with if they were desperately wanted.
I guess it all really comes down to how much you are limited by your writing budget and what is marketable. Sadly straight people are still the majority and are more easily marketed to.
It's hit, I agree, but it is a deciding and driving force of character creation.

[Mazder]

"Announcement: official Mass Effect novels coming from Titan Books in 2017!"



[["Titan Books will work closely with acclaimed video game developer BioWare to publish three brand new novels set in the universe of MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA.

The action will weave directly into the new game, chronicling storylines developed in close collaboration with the BioWare game team. The action takes place concurrently with the adventure of the game itself, setting up the story and events of the game adding depth and detail to the canonical MASS EFFECT saga.

Starting with MASS EFFECT™: NEXUS UPRISING by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander on 28th March 2017, with two further novels due for summer and fall of 2017, the stories will offer fans of the blockbuster game further insights into the worlds and characters of MASS EFFECT. The full line -up of titles is currently slated as:

MASS EFFECT™: NEXUS UPRISING by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander
9781785651564 | Spring 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

MASS EFFECT™: ANNIHILATION by Catherine M. Valente
9781785651588 | Summer 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

MASS EFFECT™: INITIATION by N.K. Jemisin
9781785651601 | Fall 2017 | Paperback & eBook | £7.99/$7.99 | 336pp

Details on the novel storylines can't yet be disclosed because they are so tightly tied to the MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA game adventure. The Novels and the Game MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA take players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way. There, players will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory where WE are the aliens."]]

URGH!
Bioware, stop making your games require a book or five to be understood!
You did it with Inquisiiton, don't do it with Mass Effect!

[Riptide]

I liked Revelations. And Ascension. Those books built the lore up, but if you never read them, you didn't miss anything overly important.

[TheodoricFriede]

Yeah sorry, if its not in the game, its not canon.

Go fuck yourself Bioware.

[Fallout]

Yeah sorry, if its not in the game, its not canon.

Go fuck yourself Bioware.

I can kinda agree. I like how it builds on it but it's kinda dumb we have to find out through a book. Should be in game or even a video. I remember Bungie did the same thing with Halo and released cannon books. Finding out characters from the game die in the books instead of it ever being mentioned in the games or such.

[Someone With Mass]

It's like the Star Wars prequels. If you haven't read the books and you're going in fresh, good fucking luck figuring out who the hell Count Dooku is in detail.

If the Mass Effect books/comics were consistently good or consistent in general, I wouldn't mind it as much, but they're not because it's like a goddamn roulette wheel when it comes to the writers and artists.

[TTTX]

I liked Revelations. And Ascension. Those books built the lore up, but if you never read them, you didn't miss anything overly important.

I have heard that Retribution is good.

Kai Leng shows up in this book for the first time and was a very different character compared (and a better one from what I hear) when he shows up in ME3 and later.

[Alienmorph]

Yeah sorry, if its not in the game, its not canon.

Go fuck yourself Bioware.

Even more so with the comics than with the books. The books at least had some lore and world-building to go for.

The comics instead were all "everything connects back to Cerberus!" and had some major continuity black holes, like the fact Tali was part of a group of pilgrims, despite the fact the games repeatedly explain and show that it's something that each quarian has to carry on solo. And that she DID do that as well. Or the whole "The humans have killed my reaper-indoctrinated brother! OBVIOUSLY I'm gonna get indoctrinated myself and avenge him!" b.s. they enstablished as Saren's backstory. Ugh.

[Someone With Mass]

I liked Revelations. And Ascension. Those books built the lore up, but if you never read them, you didn't miss anything overly important.

I have heard that Retribution is good.

Kai Leng shows up in this book for the first time and was a very different character compared (and a better one from what I hear) when he shows up in ME3 and later.

He was closer to Agent 47 in that book than the generic cyborg ninja he was in ME3. He was calculating, manipulative and had at least some subtlety to him. Sure, maybe he wasn't the best (I barely remember what goes on in that book) character, but at least he was believable and could come across as a serious and/or unknown threat. To me, ME3 Kai Lame was just a slightly upgraded Phantom mook.

[Alienmorph]

Except that he gets his ass whooped by Anderson and that is why he has cybernetics in the game.

[Dragaros]

Retribution Kai Leng: kills a krogan in a bar fight, kills 5 turians with nothing but a knife and stealth, kills Aria's daughter, deceives Aria, manipulates situations and people to his advantage, acts like a consummate efficient professional when on mission regardless of his personal feelings, displays a good sense of tactics and cunning, after being injured by Reaper Avatar Grayson is shot in both legs by Anderson but still manages to crawl back to his shuttle before the authorities arrive to arrest him; not a great character but serviceable

Deception Kai Leng: pees in vases, steals and eats Anderson's cereal, uses a toothbrush as a weapon, walks around on the Batarian homeworld in plain sight and doesn't get killed/arrested; is a total punk ass bitch

Comics Kai Leng: gets his ass kicked by Jack; punk ass bitch

ME3 Kai Leng: ninja wannabe; punk ass bitch

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Nb6nnod50

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYXuwVS0G24

[Dragaros]

"Mass Effect Andromeda Producers Talk Final Boss And Scanning’s Paramount Importance"

"The upcoming game will also have challenging foes that players will encounter. You won’t know which planets have “super-bosses” until you meet them. Some planets have them and others don’t, but BioWare is guaranteeing that you’ll know right away whether or not you’re equipped to fight. BioWare will showcase the finale of a grueling final boss for players to face. Again though, when you reach this point in the game, gamers will know immediately if they are ready to fight or not. Mass Effect Andromeda producer Mike Gamble gave a bit of insight into this. “There’s a final, ‘If you’re ready, good luck’ kind of boss. We have a lot of other things like that where you’ll know that you’re not ready for this, but you’ll know that you’ll want to come back,” Gamble told GI. Those who are going to blaze straight through the campaign, and disregard side missions, might want to think twice now. Side missions aren’t just a great way of exploring and learning about the world, but they’re also a chance to further enhance your character’s skills. Make sure you are ready for battle before entering somewhere you don’t want to be."

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTNyd19g1SY&list=WL&index=9

[TheodoricFriede]

Apparently Peebee and the turian hate each other.

I already love the turian.

Also when directly asked about whether or not Quarians are in the game, Mac Walters replied with "We arent talking about that yet."

Im thinking thats a "No".

[Someone With Mass]

Apparently Peebee and the turian hate each other.

I already love the turian.

Also when directly asked about whether or not Quarians are in the game, Mac Walters replied with "We arent talking about that yet."

Im thinking thats a "No".

I'm thinking that they'll be in the next game, even though it'd make perfect sense for at least some of them to be staffing one of the Ark ships.

I haven't heard that turian utter a single word and I'm more intrigued by her than I am with PB, since the female turians were pretty much a last second choice in ME3 and PB seems to have rather contradicting personality traits. Hell, I'd be completely okay if the turian just turns out to be a Rule 63 version of Garrus.

Also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM2yW3pgiHg&ab_channel=GameInformer

[Dragaros]

Apparently Peebee and the turian hate each other.

I already love the turian.

Also when directly asked about whether or not Quarians are in the game, Mac Walters replied with "We arent talking about that yet."

Im thinking thats a "No".

Assuming I do end up getting ME:A, I might just do everything in my power to make the turians top dog.

Yeah, I don't see quarians being having any significance or presence going forward from this point. The most we could hope for is a quarian NPC or two working on the Nexus' systems, I'd wager.

[Dragaros]

"BioWare talks Mass Effect Andromeda squadmates, cut content and that missing release date"

[["That settlement - was that set up by the Milky Way races?

Fabrice Condominas: Yes - that outpost is something those species set up. You will be able to build them as well on the planets you encounter. Not on all planets: there are certain criteria you have to fulfill but you will be able to establish them as a player.

///

Ryder speaks to a character named Sam, or SAM, and I was wondering whether this is your version of EDI on the Tempest [your new Normandy]?

Fabrice Condominas: Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that SAM is ultimately not a living being - its more of an AI or robot. But it's way broader than EDI - the relationship is way different. SAM handles a number of things as well as your vessel. It is connected to you permanently and was connected to - and knew - your father, Alec. There's a very specific relationship there. It's more of a partner than EDI was - you're way closer emotionally to SAM.

///

One thing I think people expected to see in the trailer and we didn't get is a release date - apart from the vague mention again of "spring 2017". That's getting pretty close - why aren't you announcing it? Should fans be worried it'll slip?

Fabrice Condominas: There's absolutely no reason to be worried. BioWare is all about quality and believe me - the team is extremely aware of how fast that is coming [laughs]. But we're focusing on that - that's our objective. Maybe we'll need two extra days? When we're 100 per cent confident we can go to certification on a certain date, then we'll give a very specific date. In the meantime, we're focusing on quality and every day counts. We don't want to pressure that.

///

You mentioned the novels - the first is released at the end of the March. You guys have also said you don't want to talk about the novels because they will spoil the game. So I'm wondering if the end of March might be a good time for the game to release as well?

Mac Walters: The first novel which comes out is more about setting up the backstory of certain factors at the point when Ryder arrives in the galaxy. The reason I don't want to get into story stuff is, honestly, these things are better played or in this case read. It's better if you fall in love with them or hate them for yourself - that's more where that comment was coming from.

///

From the Milky Way we have humans, asari, turians, salarians, krogan. I know some fans wouldn't be happy unless you brought everyone along, but it looks like you guys are focusing on the ones people really wanted to see. You have said there is a way other races could be introduced in the future - I wondered whether this meant new Milky Way colonists from a time after ME3 or would you introduce them as having always been on the arks, and just getting woken up?

Mac Walters: We have a plan, I can tell you that much. We have a whole backstory around how it is possible any major species you could have seen in the Milky Way could one day be a part of the Andromeda adventure. And that plan will be revealed when we ship the game [laughs]. As a small hint to that too, we have one of the novels giving some added backstory to that plan.

///

I spotted in the latest Andromeda Initiative video there was a place on the Nexus - the Cultural Centre - where you could have those other races detailed even if they are not physically in the game. Will we see them mentioned there?

Mac Walters: That area is more for - if you meet a race in Andromeda which is not hostile - introducing them to the cultures of the Milky Way. So I would say it would represent the species that are in the game and then, down the road, if other species are added, it will expand.

Fabrice Condominas: The exploration aspect of the game is not only about geography - cultural exploration is key to the game. That notion of exploring the anthropologies and cultural and linguist sides - that's why that area is there."]]

[Deano]

I'n the comments of the GIS video someone mentioned they'd love Vetra to be the Turian Garrus sparred with, that would be so good.

[Riptide]

So SAM is more of a partner, and is connected to the Ryder family? How long until it decides to destroy all organics?

[Riptide]

https://gfycat.com/PresentPlumpErmine

Looks like a quarian to me.

[Vol]

What's that from? Because it's almost certainly a male quarian, I agree.

[Someone With Mass]

According to the GIS video, if you use the default names for Ryder, you will sometimes be referred to by first name.

[Riptide]

What's that from? Because it's almost certainly a male quarian, I agree.

It's a screenshot. You can access it in the second initiation video, when the popup to learn more about Avina comes on.

[TheodoricFriede]

https://gfycat.com/PresentPlumpErmine

Looks like a quarian to me.

Thats either a hell of a photoshop, a hell of a ripoff, or undeniably a quarian.

Well, that was unexpected.

[Riptide]

Just looked up the image on the Andromeda Initiative site. It's not a shop job. It's real.