Topic: Mass Effect: Andromeda -> Update: Patch 1.10 to be final SP patch

[MysterD]

GameSpot - Info on ME: Andromeda's "Strike Team" Content.

You can get rewards, experience, and other stuff from doing Strike Team events (i.e. evens where you can send AI to do certain missions for you).
Apex Missions are Mutliplayer events that can be failed and retried.
Strike Team Missions are Single-Player events only cannot be retried.

[MysterD]

[Place-holder, in case necessary...]

[MysterD]

NVidia GeForce - Mass Effect: Andromeda (PC version) - System Requirements/Recommendations, Graphics Settings Revealed & 4K Screens.

[MysterD]

Well, look at this....

VGA 247 - ME: Andromeda PC version is aiming for 30FPS at 720p at Low settings for Minimum specs + 1080p at High for Recommended Specs.

VG247 is using This Support Page from ME: Andromeda as their source on this information.

I really hope we can be able to unlock the framerate from 30FPS, if we so choose to.

While I have no problem w/ optional in-game locks at different framerates (which I think should be supported in-game - Dishonored 2 + GR WIldlands Open Beta supported it; this can be good for when system's get too powerful and performance can go to the moon), it's just that - it should be optional, not forced.

I'd certainly be fine w/ dropping some settings to Medium + unlocking the cap from 30FPS just to get some more frames and better performance; especially in a game that's likely going to have some heavy shooting elements.

[Cobra951]

I don't think they're limiting you on fps, D.  They're just telling you what the spec requirements are targeting.  If you have a powerhouse of a PC (hey, the 1080ti is out), or if you're willing to sacrifice some frame-rendering quality, I doubt you'll need to go below 60 fps.

[Snipped some serious shit, to be posted elsewhere.]

[MysterD]

I don't think they're limiting you on fps, D.  They're just telling you what the spec requirements are targeting.  If you have a powerhouse of a PC (hey, the 1080ti is out), or if you're willing to sacrifice some frame-rendering quality, I doubt you'll need to go below 60 fps.

[Snipped some serious shit, to be posted elsewhere.]

I put nothing past any dev's doing PC versions of games, these days + age. We've had upon release PC versions of Batman: AK + Mafia 3 capped to 30FPS period. A patch was later released to remove the cap, if the player wanted.
We'll have to wait + see, if EA's being super-safe on the performance there or lying their butt off.

Given that ME:A is on (likely the newest version of) Frostbite Engine and BF1 also uses that, we'll have to see what happens. I do wonder if ME:A's areas/maps will be bigger than the huge MP maps BF1 has going on, so it'll be interesting to see how performance fends. I was doing around 40-50FPS at High on 1440p on BF1, so....we'll have to wait and see.

EDIT:
About the 1080 Ti, about time there's a true 4K 60FPS video-card (besides the Titan X Pascal). If only it wasn't $700 MSRP, though.
Eurogamer on 1080 Ti - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-ti-review?utm_source=eurogamer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=net-daily

[MysterD]

RockPaperShotgun - Early impressions of ME:A.

I’m at a loss. What I expect from BioWare is slightly dodgy combat, but splendid writing and characters. What I’ve seen so far is some decent enough combat (but nothing beyond what you’d expect in a third person shooter), and some of the most dreadful writing. I cannot emphasise enough how poor it’s been.

[MysterD]

PC Gamer - Testing out ME:A's Character Creator.

[MysterD]

PC Gamer - 5 different reviewers have mixed feelings about Mass Effect: Andromeda's early hours.

[ender]

I watched the first 45 minutes on Gamespot. I was kind of dreading playing the game after seeing it. This might be a symptom of being very immersed in Zelda: The Breath of the Wild right now and relishing the polished mechanics and balance of freedom and directness of Zelda, and then looking at Mass Effect: Andromeda and feeling that is it is massively bloated and convoluted. I feel like a lot of these massive open-world titles are becoming far too self-important and taking on far too much. But I can't say it surprises me, apart from Dragon Age, I feel like a lot of BioWare games have some of the worst game mechanics there are. Maybe only Elder Scrolls has them beat in that area (which they more than make up for in a sense of exploration and wonderment.) I wish more games took the mechanics of gameplay more serious – instead of trying to compete with the story telling and grandeur of Hollywood and HBO series.

[MysterD]

Wow...just wow...

https://mobile.twitter.com/The_Extrange/status/842113511178305538/video/1

https://webmshare.com/Dm0Nz

[MysterD]

*** SPOILERS for Mass Effect 1+2+3 are in the link below ***
Eurogamer - Mass Effect: The Story So Far.

[MysterD]

GameSpot - How the ME:A Multiplayer + Single Player Content Tie Into Each Other.

MP Component is NOT forced to be played to get the best ending, this time around (unlike Mass Effect 3).
The MP+SP Strike Team Missions are Seamless, found within the game-world - if you playing the Campaign.
Or you can access MP from Main Menu, if you want to go right the MP out-right.
Apex Missions are tougher missions, so you will need to be leveled-up to the right amount to finish these properly.
You can and get rewards for each portion (for the SP+MP), based on what missions you do + how much you succeed.

[MysterD]

PC Gamer - The Internet Is Brutally Mocking Mass Effect: Andromeda's Animations.

[MysterD]

RockPaperShotgun - Alec Meer on "Mass Effect: Andromeda - 14 Mixed Observations Of The Opening Hours."

[ender]

OMG. Why all the awkward pauses in the dialog animations? Also, the terrible writing is so much more obvious with the horrible timing of these conversations. Is this just a parody? Are we being played? AGHHH!

[MysterD]

GameRant - ME:A Producer responds to the Animation Criticism.

[MysterD]

Pretty Good Gaming (on Youtube)  - Their impressions on ME:A.

[Pugnate]

[Pugnate]

[MysterD]

GameRant - Mass Effect: Andromeda lacks a quick-save feature currently.

- ME:A does NOT have Quick-save feature (unlike previous ME games).
- ME:A won't have Quick-Save feature added in a Day One Patch.
- ME:A might later add a Quick-save feature in a patch.

[Quemaqua]

Watched the Quick Look on Giant Bomb, shit just looks janky and lacking polish. The game might not be bad in the end, but something about it just looks wrong all the time.

[Pugnate]

Apparently this isn't even Bioware but a new branch of Bioware while the regular team works on something else. Smells like EA.

[PyroMenace]

Yea, it certainly doesn't feel like the game was given enough attention to which is insane to me because this is a Mass Effect game.

[MysterD]

Let's also keep in mind, BioWare Edmonton (i.e. the main BioWare Studio that gave us so many RPG classics - BG1; BG2; ME1+2+3; Jade Empire; DAO; DAI) and decent RPG's (NWN1 + NWN1: Hordes) is NOT developing this.
BioWare Montreal is developing this game.

Also, reviews are coming in...and they are ALL over the damn place.

[MysterD]

Mass Effect: Andromeda - REVIEWS:

METACRITIC:
PC. / PlayStation 4. / XBox One.


Scored out of 100:
PC Gamer - 80.
Gaming Trend - 80
RPG Fan - 78
Venture Beat - 55

Scored out of 10:
God is a Geek - 8.5
Forbes - 8.5
Digital Chumps - 8.
IGN - 7.7
Polygon - 7.5
CGM - 7
Destructoid - 6.5
GameSpot - 6
Metro UK - 6

Scored out of 5:
GameRant - 4.
Yahoo -  3 1/2 stars.
GamesRadar - 3 1/2 stars.
Hardcore Gamer - 3.5
Game Revolution - 3.5
US Gamer - 3.

Grading System ( F < D < C < B < A )
Gaming Age - B.

No score:
Eurogamer.
Kotaku
RockPaperShotgun - John Walker with a "Wot I Think" on ME:A.
GiantBomb - 1 hr 35 min "Quicklook" video on ME:A.

[Pugnate]

The Gamespot review was the oddest thing. If you watch it, it is mostly positive and it looks like the reviewer will give a 7 - 7.5 and then it ends with a 6.

[Xessive]

It's all over the place.

The Gamespot review was particularly polarizing because the score doesn't match with the reviewer's comments.

The main negatives seem to boil down to:
1. Bugs, bugs, bugs
2. Strange animations
3. Boring, long-winded start to the adventure
4. Uninteresting party members
5. Inconsistent plot that scatters the story all over the place

I'm betting it's an undoubtedly good game but not a great one.

[Xessive]

I've just spent my first couple of hours with the game.

I have to say, despite the negative press, I'm generally impressed. It's basically more Mass Effect.

I haven't run into any janky animations or anything. All was well until I met one particular character: Addison. That's the one we've been hearing about and seeing in all the videos; the one who actually says "Sorry, my face is tired from dealing with everything."

Man, this one character is a mess. Her face is emotionless, her line delivery is atrocious (in fact the lines themselves are poorly written), the model looks low-poly compared to others, and to top it off she doesn't know how to wear make-up, looking more like a child had fun with mom's make-up kit on a mannequin.

"No one's a pathfinder until they've 'pathfound' something."

Who the fuck came up with that line?! I'm not even going to argue flawed syntax.. But God damn it, pathfinders find paths! It's in the damn name!!

[Cobra951]

Geez.  A pathfinder get things pathfound?  Sounds like a bad double translation.

The ugliness of female characters is probably political.

After the troubling revelations, I guess I won't feel so bad skipping this game entirely.

[MysterD]

It's all over the place.

The Gamespot review was particularly polarizing because the score doesn't match with the reviewer's comments.

The main negatives seem to boil down to:
1. Bugs, bugs, bugs
2. Strange animations
3. Boring, long-winded start to the adventure
4. Uninteresting party members
5. Inconsistent plot that scatters the story all over the place

I'm betting it's an undoubtedly good game but not a great one.

Yep, Cobra - that's my bet and hope now: it's good, but not great.

But, I still can't help but be disappointed here b/c one of my main reason to play any BioWare-branded game is dealing w/ interesting characters w/ great personal stories, writing, + dialogue. In most instances, that stuff often made-up for the janky combat and/or not-so-spectacular main stories that often come w/ BioWare's games. Even DA2 didn't let me down, with its cast of characters.

Somehow, I think this time around with ME:A that PC Gamer might have the most realistic + fair review here.
And it sounds like this ME:A review is also the one they probably should've given to DA2, also.
I still think DA2 is underrated as hell, since every piled on it and said ti was terrible - yet, it was far from that, IMHO. I just think DA2 ain't the masterpiece that both DAO + DAI were.
I'd guess ME:A is not the greatness that ME1; ME2 (especially ME2); and also ME3 are.

[MysterD]

Forbes - Erik Kain on that he thinks ME:A is Suffering from "Open-World Syndrome".

[MysterD]

PC Gamer - PC Port Analysis on ME:A.

[Quemaqua]

The animations on the whole aren't really that bad. Slightly unnatural, but not a huge deal. The big problem is that the facial animation is really bad, and the humans just look fucking terrible, like they stepped out of a game from 6 years ago. All the video I've seen just looks really bad in that regard. Otherwise the game looks pretty okay. If I didn't still have to play, uh ... basically all the Mass Effect games, I'd be interested.

[PyroMenace]

This honestly looks like the Dragon Age 2 of Mass Effect. Like a watered down Mass Effect game. Pretty depressing.

[MysterD]

Polygon -- Mass Effect: Andromeda - 11 Things You Should Know.

[gpw11]

I haven't gotten far into it (2 hours) but I've been relieved playing it a bit.  I mean, obviously there's still a ton that can go wrong but I've been loving playing a ME game again and the quirks that I've run across so far haven't been too off-putting.

[Cools!]

[MysterD]

VG 247 - BioWare is looking at patching "lots of issues" + wants to "strongly support the game."

[MysterD]

Eurogamer - How To Actually Enjoy Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Eurogamer (on Youtube) - Video on "8 Tips To Actually Enjoy Mass Effect: Andromeda".

GamesRadar (on Youtube) - "12 hidden mechanics Mass Effect Andromeda never tells you about".

GameInformer - GI makes suggestions of "5 Small Changes With Big Benefits" for ME:A.

Polygon - Former ME2 Animator speaks out on ME:A Animation + Visuals Debacle.

Kotaku - Players are creating Nightmare Characters.