Topic: Mass Effect (Read 97164 times)

Dimmukane · « **Reply #200 on:** 18 Dec 2007, 07:29 »

Already did. It's solid sci-fi, nothing Hugo-recommendable.

KvP · « **Reply #201 on:** 19 Dec 2007, 15:44 »

Okay, so, I was a little confused about how the ally achievements worked, so I did some asking around and a Bio forumgoer responded thusly:

Quote from: Some guy with bad grammar

45 assignments and 11 missions.

...

the confusion comes with the assignments, many of which can be completed sans party. go back to normandy and talk to hackett to complete? well then, that assignment not count towards ally achievement. complete any of the goose chase assignment (minerals/writings/insignia/medallions/etc.) from galaxy map and again you gets 0 cred towards ally achieve. is 50+ total possible assignments.... something like 54. however, at least three or four is completed with a hackett dialogue on normandy. goose chase = 4 more. as you can see, if you has misfortune to complete all goose chase assignments via survey function of galaxy map, then your window o' opportunity shrinks dangerously... 'specially if you play good and skip the 3-4 shady assignments.

So a bit of a design flaw.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #202 on:** 20 Dec 2007, 12:00 »

i was wondering what the deal with that was.

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #203 on:** 20 Dec 2007, 21:18 »

why is it that no guide told me that I can make Saren kill himself? I have to say, it made the whole conversation a little anti-climatic when he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

KvP · « **Reply #204 on:** 21 Dec 2007, 17:00 »

They just announced another book to take place in the setting. It will continue in the vein of the first, except instead of a prequel it will serve as a ligament between the first and second games. It's safe to assume then that Bioware will be adopting a "canon" plotline, at least in part.

Also in case anybody was still wondering, according to interviews over at EGM Bioware plans to make it possible to play through all the games with the same character ala Baldur's Gate.

It is my hope that the sequels will, above all else, feature better and more involved villains than Saren, and that the Reapers don't immediately become public enemy #1. Perhaps a human Cerberus colonel, or something. Saren was the Sarevok, now we need an Irenicus.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #205 on:** 21 Dec 2007, 22:45 »

Quote from: Kid van Pervert on 21 Dec 2007, 17:00

Sarevok, now we need an Irenicus.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #206 on:** 21 Dec 2007, 22:48 »

Oh shit, they have some syllables in common! Alert the conspiracy theorists!

KvP · « **Reply #207 on:** 22 Dec 2007, 02:38 »

OH CREATIVE BANKRUPTCY.

† · « **Reply #208 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 09:37 »

Fairly against the grain here but i found mass effect to be somewhat of a let-down. I'm not saying its a bad game, not by a long shot but i was expecting something a lot more heavily RPG-based. The main missions are really quite short, the planets are dull and lacking and the classes are pretty poor. By the time i had finished the game once i had a full "bank" with nothing of worth to spend my credits on and found myself wandering around playing the same campaigns i had just completed.

Johnny C · « **Reply #209 on:** 05 Jan 2008, 23:30 »

I just got this game today.

I have already recklessly begun converting lesser firearms into credits and "omni-gel."

pilsner · « **Reply #210 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 05:50 »

Just a heads up, you may want to hang on to the level III weapon upgrades (not the ammo upgrades, just the weapon upgrades) because depending on how many side missions you do, you may still be using them through the end of the game. Especially the heat sink and weapon focus buffs. When your weapons hit VII, you're going to be able to use two weapon buffs and one ammo buff.

Also, the "omni" in "omni-gel" isn't an exaggeration. That stuff really can be used for anything *wink* *wink*

Dimmukane · « **Reply #211 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 09:30 »

He's trying to tell you it doubles as lube.

pilsner · « **Reply #212 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 10:16 »

Cake frosting, man. Cake frosting.

Johnny C · « **Reply #213 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 10:26 »

I haven't been throwing upgrades away, but I mean if I pick up a level I shotgun why the hell would I keep it when I have enough level II and III shotguns to go around?

pilsner · « **Reply #214 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 10:32 »

Naw man, I'm talking about the weapon ups like "Heat Sink III" and "Kinetic Coil IV", rather than the weapons themselves. Of course vendor whatever weapons you want, although it's generally better to convert the I and II weapons to omnigel since you don't get much for them. And if you get better weapon ups, by all means get rid of the early ones.

What I did in my first playthrough though was converted a whole bunch of Heat Sink IVs to omnigel and then never got anything better that reduced weapon heat. Which to a completist who wants to max out his characters like me is rather galling.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #215 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 10:34 »

You start getting the better version of the Heat Sink (called 'Frictionless Materials') on Virmire, but that's obviously almost the end of the game.

pilsner · « **Reply #216 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 10:47 »

Oh yeah, those were excellent and I forgot about them, but there weren't enough of those to kit out all three of my characters. Like I said, this would only bother certain people (who should probably be seeking hobbies involving the outdoors). And as Jeph's pointed out, once you get the Spectre weapons and barrier maxed out, the fights are cake pretty much through the end anyway. It's actually kind of funny near the end when a Geth Prime can blow a hole through your tank in about five seconds but your team can take it down on foot about as quickly.

From reading fourms, I gather that the stuff that drops depends on your level (which is apparent anyway I guess) so getting the cool stuff like the geth weapon and the IX and X weapons before the final two missions requires pretty much doing all the side quests as far as I can tell.

KvP · « **Reply #217 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 12:53 »

Getting level 10 tech requires a second playthrough, I'm 100% sure of it. Doing all sidequests in a single playthrough will get you to level 8 or 9, I think.

These people are all wrong!

Around the time you start getting 4th tier stuff, you should have plenty of equipment, and you'll want to start selling or gelling your less good stuff. This is a lot easier if you decide to go through the game with the same 2 people, because then you won't have to worry about equipping the whole party (except for maybe the Virmire mission, which can throw you off depending upon your chosen people) The main reason for this is that you're never really aware of the size of your inventory, and it's best to slim it down as much as possible when possible. Keep 2 at the most of every upgrade unless they have sentimental value. As you start gaining levels and the quality of found equipment follows suit, keep selling your lesser items.

But note that the higher-tier ordinance upgrades, while powerful, come with drawbacks. Snowblind rounds decrease rate of fire, inferno rounds decrease accuracy, hammerhead rounds increase heat, etc. Lower-tier upgrades don't have this problem. In particular, look out for the cryo rounds. I think they become snowblind rounds around tier 7 or 8, but hang onto them when you start getting snowblind rounds, because their shield bypass is powerful and useful later game, and the decrease in accuracy applies to whoever you're shooting instead of you.

pilsner · « **Reply #218 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 13:02 »

Yeah I never really saw the point of progressing past the highest level shredder and tungsten through the last part of the game. The high explosive ammo was fun but borderline useless. Sad to hear about the unavailability of the level X stuff because for whatever reason (I think because I chose not to save or something) my second playthrough didn't keep the levels from my first.

KvP · « **Reply #219 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 13:15 »

That's weird. It gives you an auto-save at the end to load up when starting a new game, and that should retain all your stats.

pilsner · « **Reply #220 on:** 07 Jan 2008, 13:31 »

Either my xbox screwed up or I did. The two are equally likely

Johnny C · « **Reply #221 on:** 24 Jan 2008, 23:07 »

Pilsner, I dunno if you've figured this out, but what you need to do is select "start new game," then go with "use existing career." It had me stumped for a moment too - "autosave" isn't quite the word I'd use.

Anyways, I'm really resurrecting this thread to talk about the completely insane Fox News thing going on.

Quote

To bring everyone up to speed: Fox News made erroneous claims about Mass Effect. Game journalist and one-time Kotaku guest editor Geoff Keighley tried to clear the air, but the network's panel and dime store Freud shrink Cooper Lawrence wouldn't listen. The internet got angry and spammed her book's Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble listings. Amazon.com has since turned off the comments and erased user added images for her book's page.

Electronic Arts, likewise, got upset and called out the news network on its "insulting" inaccuracies. The Fox producer of the segment in question blew off Electronic Arts' request for a correction. There still hasn't been a correction or an apology from Fox News.

EA seems pissed off. Like, really pissed off. They just bought BioWare and they probably aren't pleased with the fact that the new IP they were excited to acquire is being tremendously misrepresented in the media.

Personally I hope they sue or something. Fox News isn't backing down and doesn't seem to understand the gravity of a libel charge. It's a mere pipe dream but I'd find Fox's misery absolutely delectable were they cut down to size by a game publisher.

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #222 on:** 24 Jan 2008, 23:14 »

Fun stuff. I especially loved the fact that Cooper Lawrence, author of several books on dating such as: The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever; Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry; The Fixer-upper Man: Turn Mr. Maybe into Mr. Right in 5 Easy Steps; -and the unforgettable Cosmo Girl’s Quiz Book: All About Guys, went up against Geoff Keighley on a subject she knows little to nothing about.

Also, talking about the basic gamer stereotype of demorilizing women when she has books with titles listed above.

Johnny C · « **Reply #223 on:** 24 Jan 2008, 23:16 »

I wonder how many of us would have to swear fealty to EA to get them to pursue this to the highest court?

I'd be willing to do it, they've cut their ratio of "crap game : good game" down to a reasonable one.

KvP · « **Reply #224 on:** 24 Jan 2008, 23:27 »

They're better than they used to be, I suppose. I trust them more than I trust the current #1 publisher, Activision. EA looks to be doing all the right things with Rock Band (they've hinted at less focus on sequels, and more focus on new content, or at the very least making sequels compatible with prior game content) and as of yet they haven't made any wrong moves with Bioware. They'll almost certainly keep Dragon Age from cancellation.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #225 on:** 25 Jan 2008, 06:42 »

They should totally do it. I would make a shirt that says "I take back everything bad I ever said about EA" if they sued FOX.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #226 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 11:39 »

Hey guys, EA Vice President Jeff Brown sent Fox a discerning letter which can be viewed here:
http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/9a630438-03bd-4c0d-a518-bbef7c467c7d.htm

I love how he subtly mocks the 'fair and balanced' network and calls them out on their own hypocrisy.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #227 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 12:15 »

Also, the author admitted she didn't understand what the sex scene was actually like before she came on the show. Doesn't make up for the condescending attitude she took, and it certainly isn't the same as the network itself admitting that they downright lied about the game, but it's a start.

Johnny C · « **Reply #228 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 12:23 »

I do have to point out one inaccuracy in EA's defense:

Quote

It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate

Except that you can basically have sex with the Asari consort because you don't think her gift of words was enough.

De_El · « **Reply #229 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 21:19 »

Adam Sessler is a pretty cool guy.

Alex C · « **Reply #230 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 21:38 »

I like how Jeff Brown mentioned Family Guy, which, love it or hate it, is a show that makes it extremely clear that quite frankly, there's double standards applied to all sorts of media. Bottom line is that Mass Effect already has an MA rating and is no more offensive than say, Total Recall.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #231 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 21:57 »

Quote from: Johnny C on 26 Jan 2008, 12:23

Except that you can basically have sex with the Asari consort because you don't think her gift of words was enough.

True, but do you think that the opposing parties will ever find that out?

Johnny C · « **Reply #232 on:** 26 Jan 2008, 22:13 »

I dunno man, Fox News staff would probably go with Renegade choices on instinct.

Ozymandias · « **Reply #233 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 01:58 »

I'm glad this is getting out to actual media instead of just being the big story of the week for the VG industry.

And big fuckin' kudos to EA for stepping up and throwing their weight around. Yeah, they're defending their purchase, their property, and their profit, but doing it in a legitimate way that respects the industry, their employees, and is bringing the stupidity of the mass media about video games to the forefront.

Spluff · « **Reply #234 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 20:28 »

If they sue, I'll start beginning to forgive EA for Westwood and Origin.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #235 on:** 28 Jan 2008, 09:12 »

So I totally just found out that Shepard has his/her own locker that gets random loot drops.

jeph · « **Reply #236 on:** 28 Jan 2008, 10:22 »

Yeah Geth keep wandering into it and killing themselves.

Ozymandias · « **Reply #237 on:** 28 Jan 2008, 16:15 »

Jack Thompson weighs in on the EA/FNC thing.

(You have to read it to believe it.)

StMonkey · « **Reply #238 on:** 29 Jan 2008, 12:56 »

THAT SONUVA...wait...he said what now?

Switchblade · « **Reply #239 on:** 30 Jan 2008, 16:54 »

Why can I not stop playing this game, WHY?!

Alright, actually, I can - my housemates keep dragging me away from my own goddamn XBox 360 so they can play it instead of me... selfish gits...

Dimmukane · « **Reply #240 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 08:28 »

Hey guys, go check the description of the planet Jartar in the Dis System of the Hades Gamma Cluster. Possible clues as to add-on/sequel content.

Johnny C · « **Reply #241 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 08:47 »

Man, the planet descriptions are so great. I honestly read every one of them on my first playthrough.

OnewingedAngel · « **Reply #242 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 09:19 »

I've found it to be one of the best RPG's in a long time, mostly because it wasn't turn based and you actually had the opportunity to influence the way a conversation would end. That's the most exciting part of it for me. Well, that and for the second game, you carry your character over as well as any of their actions that have influenced other people, like deciding to let the council die or not.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #243 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 10:14 »

So, they're releasing some downloadable content March 10th. It introduces the Batarians, who are trying to get a hijacked satellite to collide with a nearby colony. 400 points.

FUCK YES

Storm Rider · « **Reply #244 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 11:07 »

400 points, 50 extra achievement points, and about 90 minutes of additional gameplay according to Bioware. Due to come out on March 10th. I'm mildly surprised they're putting DLC out this quickly, but I'm more than happy to pay for more content.

ackblom12 · « **Reply #245 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 13:49 »

sweeeeet.

Kinda makes me wonder if they are planning on releasing more than one DLC.

KvP · « **Reply #246 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 13:52 »

I did find it odd how they put in a little rendered picture of a batarian in the codex when you never even see them in the game. That should have been a big enough clue.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #247 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 14:10 »

Quote from: ackblom12 on 06 Feb 2008, 13:49

sweeeeet.

Kinda makes me wonder if they are planning on releasing more than one DLC.

Considering the sequel won't be out until sometime next year, I would say it's very likely.

KvP · « **Reply #248 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 14:51 »

Quote from: 'Bioware'

The "Bring Down the Sky" content pack will be released to Xbox LIVE® Marketplace on Monday, March 10 at 2:00 A.M. PST, and will be available for 400 Microsoft points. This is the first in a series of planned downloadable content that further expands the Mass Effect universe and continues the adventures of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #249 on:** 06 Feb 2008, 14:52 »

They've said they're planning on doing several DLCs. And there are a few planet descriptions involving Batarians...the most interesting one is Jartar (Dis System, Hades Gamma Cluster).

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Mass Effect (Read 97164 times)

OnewingedAngel

ackblom12