Mass Effect 2 *spoilers around pg 29/30*

[Fordel]

If a friend can take possession of one of the companions, I'm all for it.

That's my feeling on it basically, I can see the fun in that. 

[UnSub]

Why does MP continually feel the need to interrupt perfectly good SP games?

Yeah, yeah, I know, money, but it just feels completely unnecessary.

What is it interrupting?  Again, it's not even the main team that was working on the multiplayer.  Bioware Montreal, the guys who did the Arrival DLC, had posted job openings for Multiplayer Programmers, specifically for the Mass Effect franchise back in May of last year.

Because it isn't a completely separate process either. The multiplayer needs to be stitched in somehow (probably more backend than up front, but still requires time), managed by the ME3 team to ensure it is on spec and if they plan to release it at launch, it has to be ready at the same time. That it uses a separate team means it requires extra management, which is where the interruption comes in - whoever is in charge has to deal with both MP and SP issues. Plus balancing for MP is an issue and BioWare doesn't do balance particularly well, which doesn't matter that much when it comes to SP.

And, as Maledict says, how many extra sales are going to come from it? "Well, I wasn't going to buy ME3 because I didn't play the first 2, but now I can have a few side missions with friends it is a definite buy!". It's like someone saw how FPS ME is and required MP added as standard, because it was just like those MW games.

[Sky]

The BIOWARE IS STORY makes me think it's going to drag on mama BW's resources a bit as they QA the shit out of it because they don't want to put in some stupid deathmatch mode to tick a box on the feature list.

But it's duuumb. Dumb like putting single player in Battlefield (not just maps with bots, but the actual single player component).

[Morat20]

I'd be more interested in MP if they offered a 3 or 4-person campaign mode. You know, play the whole game with your friends taking over the rest of the party rather than the AI.

Hell, it's the only reason I've ever played Halo. 4-person co-op. I only do the other MP if really, really, really bored. With the voice turned off.

[eldaec]

Losing pause would suck in ME. Probably a problem that could be designed around, but not sure I'd want it to be.

[Amaron]

There's way too much shit coming out this Xmas anyways.  Even EA probably had to think really hard about maybe not shoving all their games into a 3 month window.

[calapine]

I'd be more interested in MP if they offered a 3 or 4-person campaign mode. You know, play the whole game with your friends taking over the rest of the party rather than the AI.

quoting to 2nd that. Playing the campaign with a friend would be lovley (not just in ME).

On a more general note, I find it hard to explain why co-op gameplay is so niche/almost non-existent. I understand (and enjoy) competition - and beating others - is more popular, but there should be a market/place for less confrontational game-play too.

Cala

[Morat20]

I'm always curious why Halo has robust, 4-person co-op campaigns...but hardly anyone else does. L4D is built around the notion, of course, but who else does it?

I can understand why shooters would be easier ("Just add more enemies for every extra player!") but it can't be that hard if you design from the beginning. Hell, the fact that ME is built around a three-person party (for the most part -- you'd have to redo any solo missions, not that there are many) means all you have to really do is...well, very little.

The AI ain't all that great -- you're not losing aimbots, but they're not useless either. I guess just make it so that as long as any human-played teammate is alive, you are?

It'd be fun to play Jack or Tali directly, or if you want to get lazy -- my fellow Spectre-rejects. :)

[Paelos]

I think if you put actual human players into ME2, you'd tear ass through the game like tissue paper. The AI isn't really functional to deal with that level of coordination amongst your team.

[Lantyssa]

I'm okay with that.  As it is, the AI wasn't really done well for a single controller since most of the time it just tried to blitz you.  Make the AI guy do a little more work while the Network dudes get their code ready.

[Morat20]

I think if you put actual human players into ME2, you'd tear ass through the game like tissue paper. The AI isn't really functional to deal with that level of coordination amongst your team.

Up the difficulty level. *shrug*. Add more enemies. It's a balance issue, but not exactly an insurmountable one -- especially as they move the game to more and more shooter-like.

Worst issues are deciding how you want to handle assignments if you use a Shepard+team setup, or heavy weapons if it's just Shepard + Random Two Spectre guys.

Plus, I think you're totally overestimating the coordination abilities of the average player. :) The guys I play with can't remember -- and I'm totally guilty of it myself -- to mention that they're flinging out a grenade and you might want to not be there.

It's probably not as easy as Halo's general "if there's three people, three times the enemies" setup I admit. I'm still surprised I don't see more co-op campaigns, though, since they're not that hard if you plan from the beginning. You could probably balance ME2 just by increasing enemy numbers by 25% for each extra real person. Or jacking the difficulty level up a notch.

[Sky]

Having co-op in bioware games might be a bit odd, since the companion interaction is a core part of the game. Losing Mordin's lines would be sad face.

[Morat20]

Having co-op in bioware games might be a bit odd, since the companion interaction is a core part of the game. Losing Mordin's lines would be sad face.

Very true. It'd be a neat multiplayer option, however. Especially since it adds to replayability.

[Amaron]

Give each player one companion then.   They could even add a mechanic where you roll to see which of you gets to make a dialog choice.   

[Sjofn]

Multiplayer in Mass Effect game strikes me as pointless as Sims Online did. That completely misses the point of why I play the game. No biggie to me that it's being added, really, but man, I can't see me even halfway entertaining the idea of touching it.

[UnSub]

Give each player one companion then.   They could even add a mechanic where you roll to see which of you gets to make a dialog choice.   

Would every player then get romantic dialogue options? Oh, the possibilities. 

[Mazakiel]

Instead of paragon/renegade interrupts, whoever's playing Mordin would need to get a 'Break into song' interrupt. 

[Ratman_tf]

Having co-op in bioware games might be a bit odd, since the companion interaction is a core part of the game. Losing Mordin's lines would be sad face.

One of the best things about War for Cybertron is the dialogue between the characters, and it's campaign is completey multi-playerable.

[Stormwaltz]

Losing Mordin's lines would be sad face.

But this statement makes me think how neat it would be if you could play as Mordin, and issue hotkeyed comm chatter written in his voice.

[Sky]

V>S - Song

VSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSVS

 

[Sjofn]

Take Jacob Everywhere Playthrough complete! I did it on hardcore, and it went fine! I think I might even have a new appreciation for him. Watching him pull/shotgun something across the map never really got old, at least. My favorite group was me (infiltrator)/Jacob/Thane, I think.

Doing my canon MANSHEP's second playthrough so he'll have a maxxed level save sitting around for ME3. I think I'll skip the Tali romance this time, though. I've joked around he's the only gay man in space, making out with Tali sort of wrecks that. Something that cracked me up is Horizon and the conversations immediately following it. I really got the sense that my MANSHEP is totally carrying a torch for Kaidan (and Kaidan might feel similarly DEEP DOWN, since he was all LOSING YOU WAS LIKE LOSING A LIMB  ). This is probably partly wishful thinking that he will have a tender coming out scene in ME3 so I don't "have" to make out with Broseidon in order to finally get MANSHEP some love.

[tmp]

I really got the sense that my MANSHEP is totally carrying a torch for Kaidan (and Kaidan might feel similarly DEEP DOWN, since he was all LOSING YOU WAS LIKE LOSING A LIMB  ). This is probably partly wishful thinking that he will have a tender coming out scene in ME3 so I don't "have" to make out with Broseidon in order to finally get MANSHEP some love.

I wouldn't expect the coming out thing, but in the spirit of previous BioWare titles you can probably flirt with the new guy and have Kaidan totally lose his shit over it, and demand you pick one of them... thus effectively blowing his cover

[Sjofn]

That would fine with me! 

[apocrypha]

i haven't read any of this thread, sorry. Completed my first run through yesterday (Manshep, Paragon). Decided to try a 2nd run (Femshep, Renegade) on Insanity.

Hahaha fuck me it's really fucking hard. I'm going to have to restart the Garrus recruitment mission from scratch because I cannot finish it from the autosave I've got to. It's a long time since I've tried anything this difficult in a game, it's awesome 

[Lantyssa]

Insanity is just that.  I did mine with the tech class.  Singularity was rather useful, but the game got really rough in spots due to Lokis and Praetorians.

[Sjofn]

My problem with insanity is that it takes forever to DO. So I always eventually go "man fuck this" and go back to playing it on Hardcore instead.

[apocrypha]

Yeah, not sure I'll stick it out, it's a tad too insane at the start, with no research upgrades etc. I'm doing it with a soldier (fnarr) with Reave as a bonus power. Might re-think that, since it seems that every weapon except the sniper rifle sucks.

[Lantyssa]

Sniper rifle is definitely a friend on insanity.  The lack of ammo compared to the damage needed is also why I modded the ammo system to be more like the original.  A couple of fights where I had to finish with melee or letting my companions with unlimited ammo take care of things made that happen pretty quickly.

[Merusk]

Fnarr?  The walkthroughs I've looked at have all recommended soldier.  The Reave power, however, is not recommended.  One of the shield powers like Geth, Barrier or Fortification are what you're supposed to be using just so you stay alive.  Either by popping it when your shields go down, or using it early so you can take a sustained fire burst.

[jakonovski]

The fight against the  in Shadow Broker was really shit on Nightmare, and I was using a cheesed out soldier. Ended up shooting a nuke at her.

[apocrypha]

Fnarr?  The walkthroughs I've looked at have all recommended soldier.  The Reave power, however, is not recommended.  One of the shield powers like Geth, Barrier or Fortification are what you're supposed to be using just so you stay alive.  Either by popping it when your shields go down, or using it early so you can take a sustained fire burst.

The fnarr was for the weak double entendre. I was indeed considering starting again with a shield bonus power. There's been several times where I've died in under a second after opening a door :p

[Morat20]

The fight against the  in Shadow Broker was really shit on Nightmare, and I was using a cheesed out soldier. Ended up shooting a nuke at her.

I swear, if there was more heavy weapon ammo, that'd be my opener on most fights.

Which is, I guess, why there's not so much heavy weapon ammo. It just sucks having a pocket nuke and never using it because "I might need it later".

I found the arc projector to be fucking awesome on Kasumi's mission, at the end -- waves of robots going down with a trigger pull and plenty of HW ammo around.

[PalmTrees]

The harder the difficulty the less fun the gameplay became for me. Stay in cover, poke head out for a second to shoot or use a power, go back to hiding because every enemy is shooting at you with 100% accuracy. Bleh.

[Quinton]

Finally got around to playing this.  Fantastic game.  Little clunky in spots but the overall experience was pretty great.  Loved the final act.

It ended reasonably well -- I lost Jack who wasn't loyal (wasn't goody-two-shoes enough to win her back after her spat with Miranda) and half the crew because I did Legion's loyalty mission before going through the Omega Mass Relay.   Legion went through the ducts.  Miranda lead the fire team and the hold-the-line team.  Thane took the surviving crew back to the ship.

"When we're all organic batteries, guess who they'll blame? This is all Joker's fault.  What a tool he was.  I have to spend all day computing Pi because he plugged in the overlord."

I almost died laughing when, after the mission was over, I chatted with Grunt and he made a joke:  "You're soft.  Less than a finger deep to sever your spine.  ... all soft ... Turians less so.  Need to work the blade a bit.  Don't see much point to it" <pause> <air quotes around> "much point" <laughs>.

[Sjofn]

Hm, I always do Legion's loyalty mission before going through the relay. I think the key is you have to do it immediately after getting Legion?

I also don't get you freaks siding with Miranda (unless you're humping Miranda). Jack is clearly in the right, I don't care how crazy she is otherwise.