Mass Effect 2 *spoilers around pg 29/30*

[Morat20]

You must suck at the game. :) Spectre gear was phemonally better in ME1 than anything else.

Sure, it gets easier with the top gear but it's not hard at all even with regular one, either. Thus i really couldn't care less if everyone had that top gear or not. Whether that means i suck at the game is open to interpretation

It was more an aiming/overheating/damage thing. It took forever to overheat a spectre assault rifle, nor did it suffer from aiming problems (the target was basically the same size no matter how long you held down the trigger). Sniper rifles, shotguns -- the Spectre gear (even unmodded) was so clearly superior that it's impossible not to notice.

I haven't played the game in ages, but I do remember playing with the assault rifle and being amused that the Spectre version meant the whole "accuracy degrades the longer you hold down the trigger" mechanic was suddenly no longer a part of the game. Or that sniper shots were suddenly about four times easier to aim.

Or that when I could suddenly afford the Spectre VII gear, all the enemies abruptly started dying MUCH faster.

[tmp]

It was more an aiming/overheating/damage thing. It took forever to overheat a spectre assault rifle, nor did it suffer from aiming problems (the target was basically the same size no matter how long you held down the trigger). Sniper rifles, shotguns -- the Spectre gear (even unmodded) was so clearly superior that it's impossible not to notice.

I just put double heatsinks on the few guns which would actually overheat for me. Not sure what to say, perhaps the style of play i use (pop out and fire short bursts rather than stand and take bullets firing at people) didn't really reveal the aiming problems you mention.

I'm not saying that the top gear didn't make things easier. It did, certainly. But when the game already wasn't hard to begin with, having option to make it even easier just wasn't something i'd fret over. And having it really didn't make me play it different enough that i'd stop and say to myself "oh hey, if i didn't have this gun i totally couldn't pull this off".

[Morat20]

Oh, I ran through the game three times -- bit of an achievement junkie, and liked playing with the various classes.

The guns in ME2 are different, but the biggest "difference" is the class of guns -- until you get to the DLC weapons or the uber-elite Collector-ship reward.

The Locust SMG is visibly better than any other SMG, the same with the Firepower DLC stuff -- although part of the Firepower DLC is the mechanics change. The handgun has a laser-sight, the Shotgun can be overloaded, and the sniper rifle will fire a trio of bullets.

I'd happily take the ME2 guns -- where gun differences were mostly miniscule -- with the ME1 mods. And the ME2 armor customization (the N7 stuff) with armor mods instead of new pieces. Just give me all the pieces and helmets and such as options. (Sort of like the Halo MP avatars you can construct).

I should really re-up to LOTRO sometime....:)

[Ingmar]

He's talking about the RPG advancement part. You know, the stuff that makes it an RPG instead of a shooter with dialogue.

How exactly do you figure "role-playing aspects of the game" = "advancement and nothing but"? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to actually say "skill advancement" if that's what they meant?

And we clearly differ on the take here, but i'd say that the dialogue is a part of what makes it the RPG instead of a "shooter with dialogue". Since that's effectively the part where you're making choices which are supposed to match the personality you role-play, and affect the course of the game.

Character advancement is what makes an RPG an RPG (in the video game world anyway) - this is why games like Phoenix Wright or 777 aren't RPGs, for example. Dialogue and story are not necessary for something to be an RPG; this is why games like Wizardry and Nethack are RPGs. When someone talks about "RPG elements" that is what they are talking about. It isn't about 'roleplaying' in the sense that it gets used around the D&D table, where it means 'playing in character'. A CoD-type shooter with Bioware dialogue strapped on top of it would be called a FPS, not an RPG.

It is semantics, but semantics one needs to understand to parse what the designers are saying.

[tmp]

Character advancement is what makes an RPG an RPG (in the video game world anyway) - this is why games like Phoenix Wright or 777 aren't RPGs, for example.

I'd say Phoenix Wright games aren't RPGs because they are puzzle/adventure games with only a single route you can follow. They lack both character advancement and the decision making component.

This doesn't however mean character advancement is the one and only component of an RPG -- Dragon Age wouldn't stop being an RPG if all its characters were frozen at certain level through the entire campaign, e.g. It's more of a combination of three things: character advancement, outcome of actions being determined by the stats of the character rather than skills of the player, and finally that dialogue-related decision making part. You don't need all three of them to call the game an RPG (action RPGs will use player's own skill along with the characters' stats for example. roguelikes like Nethack and such may lack the story) but none of these components make the game an RPG exclusively.

Consequently, i don't really see reason to narrow the dev quote just to one of these components when they don't do it themselves and especially when their previous games contained more than just one of these components.

A CoD-type shooter with Bioware dialogue strapped on top of it would be called a FPS, not an RPG.

The CoD-type shooters already have level advancement. By your own definition, they're already RPGs, even without that dialogue. It's in fact something EA tries to push hard into focus in hope it may make their FPS audience buy their games other than CoD-likes: it's how people are already really playing games "with RPG aspects" without even realizing that.

[Ingmar]

The level advancement in CoD (to my understanding, I have not played it) does not actually change the character, though, right - it just gates access to gear? That's dancing around the fringes of an RPG-like system, yes. I think something like System Shock 2 which lets you actually customize character stats and such is a better example of a FPS with "RPG aspects".

Anyway my point is I think you're using RPG in a way that the industry generally does not, and drawing conclusions based on that is not safe.

[tmp]

I haven't played it either  but as far as i understand it, they get the whole "gain levels to unlock selectable perks which alter capabilities of your character" thing, at least in multiplayer.

[rk47]

 

[eldaec]

EA have been pretty straightforward about wanting to rip out all the complexity from these games and turn their franchises into a madden / R6Vegas production line more suited to console technology and console players. Not sure where the surprise and concern is coming from.

[Azuredream]

From what I remember of CoD4, the more you used a certain gun, the more guns of that type you unlocked, and you also unlocked more scopes for that gun. You would have to pick what scope to attach and which guns you were going to bring. As you went up in level you also unlocked perks which again, you could only have a couple of them active so you'd have to pick and choose.

[Strazos]

Hated CoD4.

[tmp]

Well, whatever they're deciding to take out from ME3, it's being balanced by putting some stuff in.

from the executive producer's tweeter feed

Happy to confirm #ME3 supports wider options for love interests incl. same-sex for m&f chars, reactive to how you interact w/them in-game.

[Sjofn]

About fucking time.

[Jeff Kelly]

They should leave the dating sims to the Japanese.

[Lantyssa]

About fucking time.

Literally.

[tmp]

About fucking time.

It's bit funny given how adamant they were SHEPARD IS ONLY STRAIGHT DAMMIT AND BLUE ALIEN CHICKS DON'T COUNT around the time ME2 shipped, but i'm not going to complain about more flexibility when player's character is involved.

Only need more reach now.

[Stormwaltz]

Dear Wal-Mart,

Suck it.

- me

[tmp]

Ohh, was that the reason behind lack of gay pairings in the ME2?

[Ratman_tf]

Now the fruits can enjoy the bad romance stuff too! 

[Azuredream]

Didn't all of DA2's romances go either way?

[caladein]

Everyone was only straight IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE.

Edit: Also, Sebastian was ladies-only, the rest were available to both though.

[Stormwaltz]

Didn't all of DA2's romances go either way?

DA1 wasn't accused of being an orgy simulator on Fox News.

[cironian]

DA1 wasn't accused of being an orgy simulator on Fox News.

There we go. The best defense against accusations of being an orgy simulator: Add an actual orgy. (Well, kind of)

[Fordel]

They should leave the dating sims to the Japanese.

Why would they do that, bored house wives and lonely nerds have money too!

[UnSub]

DA1 wasn't accused of being an orgy simulator on Fox News.

There we go. The best defense against accusations of being an orgy simulator: Add an actual orgy. (Well, kind of)

It being ME, you could only pick 2 other characters to take part. The rest would wait in their rooms on the ship.

[Sjofn]

Everyone was only straight IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE.

Edit: Also, Sebastian was ladies-only, the rest were available to both though.

Sebastian is a huge cooch-tease, though, so he doesn't really count.


I'm really pleased for my MANSHEP, he was tired of being the only gay dude in space.

[Fordel]

Enjoy your romance with Garrus! 

[Rasix]

Don't forget Jacob.  Or perhaps Grunt.  RAWR.

[Morat20]

Don't forget Jacob.  Or perhaps Grunt.  RAWR.

Grunt was more interesting than Jacob. Jacob just sat around bragging about his abs.

[Ingmar]

Don't forget Jacob.  Or perhaps Grunt.  RAWR.

Grunt was more interesting than Jacob. Jacob just sat around bragging about his abs.

Needs to be Udina imo.

[Sjofn]

Jacob never bragged about his abs. He also never hit on my ladies. I swear it's like you guys played a different game.

No, the problem with Jacob was ladyshep's Cougar Voice and the fact that Jacob was so boring he didn't EVEN brag about his abs.

[tmp]

Jacob doesn't brag not because he's boring, but because he's absure.

[Stormwaltz]

Jacob just sat around bragging about his abs.

But... but the priiiiiiiiize...

[Sjofn]

I wanted to like Jacob so bad. :(

[Ratman_tf]

Jacob needed a little more... character.