Mass Effect: ANDROMEDA

[Phily B]

I liked ME3 for the most part. The original ending was horrendous, no doubt about that. It was redeemed by the Extended ending DLC and the rather amazing Citadel DLC though so I give Bioware some credit for trying to fix their original cock up. As a shoot 'em up it was a fun game although the RPG element became almost nonexistent. Hopefully we'll see better RPG gameplay and storytelling in ME:A, similar to the original.

I wonder how the DLC for ME3 sold. I was genuinely insulted by that message at the end too.

 

[SPCTRE]

As I understand it, EA owns this current engine, where they had to buy a license for the old one from one of their competitors.

Yup, it's Frostbite, the engine DICE originally made for their Battlefield games - as you said, DA:I had similar visual quirks because it was the first DA game based on Frostbite.

 

[HotRod]

Frostbite is probably one of the best game engines currently out there. It's just a matter of knowing what you're doing. Bioware has had alot of time since DA:I to work with it and I'm sure in the end ME:A will end up looking amazing.

 

[JD]

As someone who found ME3 reasonably enjoyable (even very enjoyable in parts), I need to add the dream sequences (why, why would you make the playable, they would be terrible enough as cutscenes) in conjunction with the failed attempt to humanize the battle for earth with Some Kid Died to that list of grievances.

Some Kid Died makes me feel contempt towards the writers in a way other low points don't, because it's one of the most inept, ineffectual attempts at emotional manipulation I have ever seen in a video game.

I didn't mind the stuff with the kid, but the dreams were just weird and annoying. They were probably my least favorite part of any of the first 3 ME games.

 

[Reverend]

Yup, it's Frostbite, the engine DICE originally made for their Battlefield games - as you said, DA:I had similar visual quirks because it was the first DA game based on Frostbite.

Yeah, it seems like they still haven't quite gotten all the kinks out where the custom faces are concerned. Not that it wasn't a bit derpy in previous MEs but it took me *hours* to get my main Inquisitor to not look like a reject from 'The Hills Have Eyes'.

It's certainly possible to make reasonably good looking faces in Frostbyte but it takes a *lot* of fiddling and reloading since some of the issues you only notice once you see it animated in a cutscene. I wish they'd do what they did for DAO and release a character creator demo of some kind so you can get it sorted first so when you come to play the game, you can just copy/paste a facecode or something.

 

[{ Emilia }]

I looked at The Witcher 3 a few minutes before looking at the "reasonably good looking Frostbyte faces".

I giggled.

 

[SPCTRE]

(via NeoGAF via OXM cover story)

Michael Gamble: 'I definitely wouldn't call Andromeda an open-world game. We like to use the term exploration-based game. Sometimes that happens in open spaces, but not always. You can cruise around some of these planets in the Nomad, but it's not the traditional sandbox-type game.'


This is good news.

 

[Reverend]

I looked at The Witcher 3 a few minutes before looking at the "reasonably good looking Frostbyte faces".

I giggled.

Hey! Don't be dissing my 'Quisitors!

Seriously though, there's a big difference between the mostly bespoke character models you get in Witcher and the fully custom ones you get in the likes of ME & DA. The former usually models directly off of real-life reference while the latter has to be a dynamic system, as such is exponentially more difficult to avoid the uncanny valley.

There's also a trade-off when it comes to the range of settings available. The more finely one can adjust the details, the easier it is to screw it up which is why they tend to use "facial structure" presets for people to build off of. Indeed I remember the 'Saints Row 2' system being especially fiddly in this regard.

 

[SPCTRE]

avoid the uncanny valley

don't worry the galaxy is in good hands

 

[Reverend]

^I said "avoid the uncanny valley". Not "build a damn village right in the middle of it!"

 

[SPCTRE]

re: uncanny valley

 

[Jax]

Looks like Aziz Ansari.

 

[HotRod]

I don't know about you but I think the combat is looking great. Any fears I had about this game are quickly going away.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Reverend]

^Am I imagining things, or have the eliminated the tactical pause menu? Did it show up in either of the other gameplay videos? I don't recall.

 

[HotRod]

I think I remember hearing that the "tactical pause" feature has been removed. They wanted combat to be much more fast paced.

 

[SPCTRE]

combat is looking great

yup, MP should be a blast

I mean ME3 MP was alright, but this, this looks like it could actually grab me for a while

 

[SPCTRE]

I think I remember hearing that the "tactical pause" feature has been removed.

that is correct

 

[SPCTRE]

 

[SPCTRE]

 

[{ Emilia }]

<3 Natalie Dormer!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Thanks for pointing this out to me, @Thestral!