Mass Effect: Andromeda - CES Trailer

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
Eh? Common', that's a bit hyperbolic. It's not top ten out there graphics, but it's still a looker.
Visuals are the least concern here. ( Probably will have decent pc optimization too, Frostbite).

I don't think it's hyperbolic to point out that the visuals aren't a huge improvement over ME1. Maybe your standards are a little lower, but I expected more of a difference between games that are a decade apart.

True.

From a sequel I've expected something like this:


Instead I got to see this motion/distance/whatever inferior hardware blur, broken hair and plastic skin:

Originally Posted by joxer
True.

From a sequel I've expected something like this:

Now that is a 10/10, uh , screenshot. Ignore JDR on this folks, he would find fault even there.

Definitely playing it safe with this one. Meh.

Y'know, I just don't care anymore. Too many other great games that deserve my attention.

Unfortunately there's no competitor for the really great ME features.

Fairly certain this is primarily an NVidia tech promo, given that it's CES and all. That being said, I did notice the on-the-fly swapping of just about everything, which I'm really not a fan of. RPGs need consequences and character building. It doesn't make much sense if this character is a top biotic in one moment and then knows nothing of biotics in the next.

Originally Posted by Maylander
Fairly certain this is primarily an NVidia tech promo, given that it's CES and all. That being said, I did notice the on-the-fly swapping of just about everything, which I'm really not a fan of. RPGs need consequences and character building. It doesn't make much sense if this character is a top biotic in one moment and then knows nothing of biotics in the next.

Ah…I really hate that kind of thing. Well, it's now slid even further down my list.

Originally Posted by joxer
Additional note: unless there is a different UI on PC or a modder promises to fix that horrible click/hold control ideas, I don't think I'll ever buy this game.

I really, really hope they adjust the UI for the PC version.
I don't want to be fed leftovers from the consol porting

C

[QUOTE=JDR13;1061429541 Even the visuals are only moderately improved over ME1, and that game is nearly 10 years old now. They could have just used Unreal Engine 3 again, and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.[/QUOTE]

ME 1 has a lot of geometry errors in it.

Originally Posted by Maylander
Fairly certain this is primarily an NVidia tech promo, given that it's CES and all. That being said, I did notice the on-the-fly swapping of just about everything, which I'm really not a fan of. RPGs need consequences and character building. It doesn't make much sense if this character is a top biotic in one moment and then knows nothing of biotics in the next.

Nothing stop you from never switching you know, also the text in-game mention reprogramming your implants when you "switch" and you need to unlock the profiles first to use them too.

Oh and since when is character building part of C&C anyway? Especially in a BioWare game where it is totally irrelevant narratively.

Originally Posted by Maylander
That being said, I did notice the on-the-fly swapping of just about everything, which I'm really not a fan of. RPGs need consequences and character building. It doesn't make much sense if this character is a top biotic in one moment and then knows nothing of biotics in the next.

It seemed to me the core of character development is where you invest skill points and you can' t swap on-the-fly these investments (though some kind of full respec will probably be present).

This time there also aren't any classes at all, just "profiles" which present sets of passive bonuses. You apparently can switch those on-the-fly, but only those which are unlocked - which you do by investing into skills. If all your skill points are in the tech branch you won't have biotic profiles available and so on. Moreover, the more you specialize the higher profile ranks will be unlocked.
Considering the above, plus that player seems to get 2 skill points per level and maxing out a skill tree requires 21 points, you very likely won't be able to unlock all profiles throughout the course of the game and certainly not get them to higher ranks.
I think in practice it will be the most sensible to specialize in one profile, with maybe one or two on the side for specific situations and/or variety, therefore switching profiles on-the-fly likely won't be much of a thing, at least on higher difficulties.

Having only 3 skills as loadout seems potentially more contentious to me, however that could also end up being less of an issue than it might seem now - I think ammo works more like ME1 therefore there are no ammo powers to clog up the loadout, each active power has two modes of operation which kinda turns 3 skills into 6 (well perhaps more like 4.5 ) and I'd guess passive skills are automatically "equipped" all the time. So, overall this could end up being at least on par with previous entries, except this time there seems to be more active skills to pick from.

The rest of all promotional material left me rather uninterested so far, but the character system seems pretty cool to me.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
Sceneries are gorgeous. To no goal. Players will race through them, with no reason to pay attention.
It is stunning that even in waste products, so much resources are wasted on elements that have no goals. They add nothing.

Yet if they were crappy looking, you'd be complaining, rushing nor not.

That said, what "goal" does gorgeous background scenery have in any game, other than to perhaps stop and look every once in a while? One doesn't really interact with scenery other than move through it, and one can rush through any game if they like. So I'm not sure what your point is and how this is different than any other game.

For all of us, here, saying how unimpressed we are… there are millions of screaming fanboys/girls ecstatic that they are getting Mass Effect Halo.

Originally Posted by ChaosTheory
For all of us, here, saying how unimpressed we are… there are millions of screaming fanboys/girls ecstatic that they are getting Mass Effect Halo.

Actually devs, stated they were "inspired" more by Destiny and Overwatch. Imo, this super power spam, "flashy" style of gameplay does not really fit the setting.
One thing ME I did better than all others ( at least in some aspects) is more "grounded" feel of gameplay…biotics had more realistic animations and physics, weapons like sniper rifle had far more punch( you needed to shoot from crouching position and keep a steady aim).

The setting, even without Andromeda, is actually great for more compelling storytelling…alien frontier, struggling to establish a community of different species working together, resource shortage and how are you willing to go to acquire them, allying with others to survive, anarchy, danger of technology ( prime directive), etc…

But so far I've seen little to show that Bioware even realize this.

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
The setting, even without Andromeda, is actually great for more compelling storytelling…alien frontier, struggling to establish a community of different species working together, resource shortage and how are you willing to go to acquire them, allying with others to survive, anarchy, danger of technology ( prime directive), etc…

But so far I've seen little to show that Bioware even realize this.

Yes, or to rival Star Trek in terms of exploring the unknown, neither of which seems likely at this point. I'm still looking forward to the game, but I suspect there will be a lot of untapped potential here.

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
…
One thing ME I did better than all others ( at least in some aspects) is more "grounded" feel of gameplay…biotics had more realistic animations and physics, weapons like sniper rifle had far more punch( you needed to shoot from crouching position and keep a steady aim).

The setting, even without Andromeda, is actually great for more compelling storytelling…alien frontier, struggling to establish a community of different species working together, resource shortage and how are you willing to go to acquire them, allying with others to survive, anarchy, danger of technology ( prime directive), etc…

But so far I've seen little to show that Bioware even realize this.

Originally Posted by Maylander
Yes, or to rival Star Trek in terms of exploring the unknown, neither of which seems likely at this point. I'm still looking forward to the game, but I suspect there will be a lot of untapped potential here.

Agree with both of you. Science Fiction requires good story telling as with any good story, and always works better when packaged with some, and preferably a healthy dose, of science. The failure of the ME3 ending was more than a dramatic failure; it was also a failure to have any scientific support. The original dark energy connection between the Biotics, the Reapers, and the Mass Effect transports (which could have made sense if pursued), was simply abandoned. The ending came out of nowhere and and had virtually no support in science or logic.

The original series featured Drew Karpyshyn as lead writer for ME1 and ME2. Karpyshyn's works featured a modicum of science and the significant storytelling elements enumerated by both of you. But science, and perhaps storytelling also, may be gone now, or be in very short supply.

For example, Andromeda is 2.5 million light years from Earth. It has a diameter of 220,000 light years. That's a diameter about one-tenth the total distance to earth. 600 years to get there (at light speed x 4000) means at least about 60 years to get from one side to the other. And all of this supposedly done without mass effect transporters. Flame throwers generally need a substantial oxygen-content atmosphere to support combustion and generate fire. Etc.

Any good story is always built from details. People, places and things in detail. And with science fiction, there's always some attempt at reasonable science support for the story. That makes a sf story work.

Science and story in MEA. Remains to be seen.

__

Originally Posted by Grifman
Yet if they were crappy looking, you'd be complaining, rushing nor not.

There is no complaint.

That said, what "goal" does gorgeous background scenery have in any game, other than to perhaps stop and look every once in a while? One doesn't really interact with scenery other than move through it, and one can rush through any game if they like. So I'm not sure what your point is and how this is different than any other game.

The point is a lack of adequacy.
It is different from previous products as it drains more resources.

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
Actually devs, stated they were "inspired" more by Destiny and Overwatch.

Inspired by garbage instead with their own trilogy that is a 100 times better?
No artist would ever state it, that's most probably EA CEO words.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
There is no complaint.

Of course, because there is nothing to complain about regarding the scenary.

The point is a lack of adequacy.

Not really, it has a very adequate purpose. Central to this game is the concept of exploring a new galaxy, new worlds, a new home for races from the Milky Way. It would be pretty disappointing if the worlds you newly explore all are drab and boring.

It is different from previous products as it drains more resources.

One, you really don't know what the "drain" on resources is for this. Secondly, you've provided no evidence that if these resources were not spent on this, that they would be spent on something else.