Mass Effect

[FractalLaw]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by hollow1:<BR>I'm gonna start my Insanity run soon with a Soldier. Think I'm gonna go with a female Paragon set up. I was thinking about picking Lift for my add on ability. Does that sound like a good idea or would anyone suggest something else? I'm gonna run with Liara and Tali (still haven't gotten their achievements yet). </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>For anyone but a soldier I'd say that barrier is a necessity on Insanity; the damage output is just that high. Lift may be viable alternative, but remember that a lot of enemies are immune to it on Insanity. <BR><BR>Throw is not that useful on Insanity, either. Not because enemies are immune to it (though some are), but because they have so much health that you can throw them and they will get up and get in your face well before you can put enough damage in to them to kill them.<BR><BR>Running with Liara and Tali on Insanity is going to be difficult. They're going to die. A lot. You may be able to balance that, though, as a soldier. You'll want to be sure to pick up the health bonus and melee damage abilities. That should allow you to tank for them, but expect to be using Unity a lot. This is true for all party members in Insanity, of course, but it's particularly bad with squishies.<BR><BR><BR>Edit: typo

 

[Dedboi]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shrikebtr:<BR>... there is a SANE shortcut. You don't have to go insane getting L50 or L60... just play NG+ until you get it. Hell even the Scholar achievement which I somehow missed on my first playthrough, is tracked separate from "careers" or characters, and just builds up over time. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>That's a relief to hear. I've some how managed to miss out on the scholar achievement after two playthroughs despite scanning everything I come across. Rescanning a third time was sounding tiresome. I do wonder now what I've been overlooking though.<BR><BR>Edit: Oops. Just caught up with the rest of the thread. Too bad it doesn't carry over.<BR><BR>@Magus<BR>Care to share the Pre-Eden Normandy scan? Just so I can look out for it next time. Thanks.

 

[Verio]

Magus:<br><br>I stand corrected, thank you -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

 

[Arleban]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Happysin:<br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NinjaMutha:<br>I have found stasis to be friggin useless as it appears enemies cannot be harmed when frozen which kinda defeats the purpose of it. </div>
</blockquote> Not exactly. stasis the enemy biotic, kill everything else, and then beat up on said biotic now that no one is providing cover for him/her.<br><br>Stasising someone means fewer people trying to harm you, so you can focus fire. </div>
</blockquote>
<br><br>When you are a Sentinel (probably Adept as well), one of your career paths from the Lunar mission is Bastion. The maxed out skill bonus for Bastion? Statis Mastery. Shoot the fuck out of statis-held enemies...and watch them die. -- View image here: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/forum/smilies/devious.gif --<br><br>A party with Wrex and my character both doing Lift and Stasis is ridiculous crowd control. This is a Normal mode playthrough.<br><br>Edit: I'm not even using Liara in this run because I've got two biotics, and I couldn't get her achievement at this point. The sweet, sweet biotic carnage though...

 

[Hurricane]

I am still going thru my 2nd run thru of the game. Second time around was alot more enjoyable being that I had a better grasp of how the game works and what I need to focus on. However, I still have a few complaints that make me scratch my head about this game.<BR><BR>My first and major complaint is the enemy AI. Simply put; the enemy AI in this game is so completely rudimentary that there is almost no strategy in any encounter besides what damage type to use and what powers to use. This is completely strange because if you actually look at the level layout you see that alot of thought was put to it; it looks like there should be numerous different strategies or paths to use in a room; but essentially all I ever end up using is, "poke my head out, shoot the nearest enemy, aggro them to me, and kill them in a bottleneck space. And being that every enemy in the game basically rushes you and rarely uses cover itself (except in those areas where they are in a narrow space) it makes the combat completely repetitive and unimaginative. Maybe it's my play style or my lack of imagination but I can't seem to use anything else that works as effectively. And the main reason for this is my second complaint.<BR><BR>The complete lack of any effective control of your party members makes them almost superfluous in most situations. Once again; being that they have essentially made your party autonomous in the game the complete lack of any logical AI in them is ludicrous. I have had party members rush in front of me, block my fire, and die instantly while I stay behind cover. The party commands are a joke, there have been numerous times where I have ordered my party members to move out of the line of fire only to see them stand there and get blown away. Another problem I have seen is that while you can mark targets for special attacks you have to be mindful of your party's position being that some of your powers are line of sight dependant and while you can see the enemy your party member may not; wasting the attack. Being that they are on their own they have no sense of pacing and will always fire there weapons even when they cannot hit their targets. This makes no sense being that guns do overheat.<BR><BR>Probably stated ad naseum here but I will re-iterate; the inventory system in this game just plain sucks. No effective control or organization of your inventory is just plain stupid in my book. But IMO it goes deeper than just being able to see all you guns and mods and being able to organize them. Can anyone explain to me why any class that specializes in only 2 weapons still have the other 2 weapons on their person? I was completely flabbergasted that my Vanguard; which could only use pistols and shotguns; still had a sniper rifle and an AR; I couldn't get rid of them. Likewise for all the other party members. Another major thing is the complete lack of detailed stats for anything in the game. Can anyone explain to me which is better: weapon stability bonus or straight accuracy bonus? What is your base physical threshold? How does heat absorption affects # of shots fired before overheating? There are numerous examples of stats given to you in the game which are essentially meaningless because you have no way of knowing how effective they truly are. Likewise for your ability points; there is no place where you can tally up how your abilities and weapon totals out your overall combat prowess. Likewise with the inventory. Once again it's curious because there are 2 places in the game where these features could have been put in to work seamlessly; the requisition officer and the medical bay. Putting options to be able to group equip and view stats would actually make the inventory in the game a more involved process. In the end I pick for accuracy and mod for accuracy and I switch damage types based upon what I am going to face. Truth be told 90% of the items in the game are crap anyway. Which is another problem in the game; absolutely no variety. Why can't I have a mod which converts my shotgun into a grenade/rocket launcher? A mod which give my sniper rifle semi auto fire? A scope for my AR? An auto firing pistol? Hopefully this may come down later as downloadable content.<BR><BR>The Mako and driving on worlds just looks like it was unfinished. The environments are bland and repetitive. But not only that you can completely abuse the Mako and drive over almost anything with brute force. The jump jets are almost useless. It's funny that the game suggests that you can use your jump jets to dodge attacks but being that most combat sequences in the Mako require you to be zooming on the target it makes the whole process stupid. I usually just move back and forth to dodge shots. I would have loved to see more challenging driving sequences and having environmental damage to the Mako. I would have loved to see more randomized combat sequences on the planet surfaces; what no patrolling gangs?<BR> Combat wise I would have loved to have seen vehicle to vehicle combat; what the Geth don't use vehicles? Or Pirates? Or mercs? Let's not talk about the utter lack of customization for the Mako. The same thing goes for the Normandy; I would have loved to take the reigns of that ship and have some space combat sequences.<BR><BR>One of the best features of the game is the conversation system. However; I don't think there is enough interaction between you and your team mates. Especially on those elevator sequences I would have liked to have had Shepard put his 2 cents in. Also the love stories in the game are weak. There should have definitely been sub quests in the game to move along the love story. In fact there should have been side quests for every character in the game. <BR><BR>There should have been side quests based upon your Paragon/Renegade level and the crews attitude towards you should be more pronounced based upon you P/R level. Actually it would have been more interesting as a plot device to have Saren try to recruit you if you are a renegade. Likewise with the background story; it should have been a vehicle to more subplots and side quests.<BR><BR>The game is fun despite it's major flaws; IMO. But due to these flaws; which I consider to be common sense issues; I cannot give this game anything other than a "decent" rating. This game could have truly been one of those classic games that everyone will talk about for years. But this game will be supplanted by something else and Bioware missed an opportunity to make a true classic due shoddy programming; incomplete features; and lousy follow thru on the overall game experience.<BR><BR>For example Bioware should have either looked towards Gears of War or Rainbow Six for game play ideas. Either one of those game play styles would have worked beautifully in Mass Effect. Specifically they should have used contextual commands for the use of covering.<BR><BR>They also should have kept the alignment system of KOTOR; and like I stated above; expand upon them to open up the story options based upon how you play your character. No game yet has truly captured the essence of this idea. You actions should truly shape your experience; not just be a thin veneer to the overall game.<BR><BR>Another issue is the button layout. They should have definitely allowed you to map more than one power to your gamepad so you don't have to pause the game to use them. Too many buttons in the game are just wasted with command that you don’t need to use. Likewise you should be able to map you squad’s powers to your pad as well.

 

[Zaskar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">One of the best features of the game is the conversation system. However; I don't think there is enough interaction between you and your team mates. Especially on those elevator sequences I would have liked to have had Shepard put his 2 cents in. Also the love stories in the game are weak. There should have definitely been sub quests in the game to move along the love story. In fact there should have been side quests for every character in the game. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>They do? I guess you did not talk to them enough.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">There should have been side quests based upon your Paragon/Renegade level and the crews attitude towards you should be more pronounced based upon you P/R level. Actually it would have been more interesting as a plot device to have Saren try to recruit you if you are a renegade. Likewise with the background story; it should have been a vehicle to more subplots and side quests. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I don't know why you where not presented with these quests, because they do exist. I can only assume that your did get your points high enough either direction.<BR><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">For example Bioware should have either looked towards Gears of War or Rainbow Six for game play ideas. Either one of those game play styles would have worked beautifully in Mass Effect. Specifically they should have used contextual commands for the use of covering. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>1. Bioware started development on Mass Effect before the 360 was available to the public. Rainbow Six and Gears where not out yet. Anyways, those are action games not RPGs<BR><BR>2. Bioware was not making an action game, they where making a role playing game with action parts. They switched from a round based system in their pervious games to their first real time combat system that is secondary to the role playing game. You cannot compare Mass Effect to action games, period.

 

[Verio]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">"poke my head out, shoot the nearest enemy, aggro them to me, and kill them in a bottleneck space </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Not that you are wrong in your review/rant, because really you are saying the same things 9 out of 10 other fans of the game are saying, but on this point I ask..<BR><BR>What difficulty are you playing at? Some things like Husks and Thorian Creepers are pretty mindless, and I think are meant to be. Additionally, in my 1st playthrough which started on normal and moved to veteran on Feros, I used this strat all the time (the choke point strat that is) given the doofy sight-lines they set up in many encounters, and the annoying desire of the enemy to rush... and dear god nothing ruins a day like a Krogan getting into melee. Which I want to note, if you look closely their arms are pretty fucking normal sized. I have trouble believing they are issuing killing blows in one hit with those things.<BR><BR>Anyway. My CURRENT run on Hardcore... this doesn't work anymore. Husks and Thorian Creepers still come right for you, but in many cases, the enemies will not charge blindly through a choke point. I have tried to lure them out, but they will take cover at the other side of the choke and wait, but the moment I come out of the choke myself on their side, they rush again. Much more challenging and frustrating.

 

[Hurricane]

I have yet to play a quest being a renegade that I haven't had available as a Paragon. Maybe your right; maybe I didn't get high enough in either alignment; but as Paragon I was pretty high when I finished the game and right now I am half full with renegade and I only finished Ferros.<BR><BR>As for the the crew attitude I have seen some attitude shifts but nothing major. For example the attitude of Allison or Liara hasn't changed at all between Paragon or Renegade and I had the same convo's to get thru the love story as P/R. As Paragon I accidentally finished Wrex's subquest and I had the same finishing convo that I did as a Renegade where I actually got the quest from him. I never got Garrus's quest as a Paragon but I didn't talk to him; I assume it would have worked the same way.<BR><BR>As for this not being a action game; pure BS. This game is far more action than turned based RPG. The level layouts; combat abilities and gameplay are more shooter than RPG combat. In fact I beleive Bioware themselves stated this was more of a tactical shooter than a classic RPG. And while they may not have had a chance to see Gears of War or the new Rainbow 6; Socom and older Rainbow games were out there to compare. Shoot they could have even looked at a game like WOW for inspiration on how to make real time combat on an RPG possible. Like I said I don't think they fully fleshed out what they wanted to do.

 

[Semi On]

After my last complaint about the uselessness of my party members, I finally got a couple of extra Spectre kit and equiped them. All of a sudden, Wrex and Garrus are stealing all of my kills. Wrex can paint a topic from miles away with a shotgun and Garrus is like a fucking quick draw nut with his sniper rifle.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Care to share the Pre-Eden Normandy scan? Just so I can look out for it next time. Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I got all of them except the window out the cockpit, and missed Scholar so I'm guessing that's it.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">"poke my head out, shoot the nearest enemy, aggro them to me, and kill them in a bottleneck space </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I did the same in the beginning, but I've found it's a waste of time later in the game. At least with my Soldier, I can finally take a hit like a man, and dish out a pretty high level of pain and suffering, so it's not more of a fire fight between obstacles than luring them to a choke point for me.<BR><BR>It just took a while before I was strong enough to pull that off.

 

[Paul M]

Is there anything at all with your teammates that changes based on Paragon vs. Renegade values? I played through as each and saw virtually no difference, really. The only thing you can do really differently is choose not to talk to them about their little things. <BR><BR>You get some different dialog I suppose, but nothing that changers what happens with them that I could see.

 

[Magus`]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dedboi:<br>Care to share the Pre-Eden Normandy scan? Just so I can look out for it next time. Thanks. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Rot13'd for the minor spoilers, but here it is -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --<br><br>Vg'f abguvat gb fpna, vg'f va gur pbairefngvba jvgu Naqrefba naq Avuyhf - or fher lbh nfx nobhg gur Cebgurnaf.<br><br>Rirel bgure pbqrk ragel sbe vg vf ba Pvgnqry, naq pna or svavfurq bss evtug orsber lbh yrnir nsgre orvat znqr n fcrpger (fvapr gur ynfg bar vf sebz gnyxvat gb Naqrefba bhgfvqr gur Abeznaql).<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Semi On:<br>I got all of them except the window out the cockpit, and missed Scholar so I'm guessing that's it. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>No, the little clicky things like that are unrelated. (not to mention that that clicky isn't available until far after eden prime) -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --<br><br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Find all primary Aliens: Council Races, Extinct Races and Non-Council Races codex entries. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Those are the only ones required for Scholar - all others are irrelevant.

 

[Harbinger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Care to share the Pre-Eden Normandy scan? Just so I can look out for it next time. Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I got all of them except the window out the cockpit, and missed Scholar so I'm guessing that's it.<BR><BR> </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>as far as I know, the only thing that Scholar is looking for is knowledge on all the various races, extinct and otherwise. <BR>So, you need to ask Nihlus about the Protheans before you go to Eden Prime to get that particular codex entry, and then ask about the Geth in the briefing afterwards.<BR><BR> The rest comes from the Citadel. I got it as soon as I talked to the Hanar merchant about it's race.

 

[arhra]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Care to share the Pre-Eden Normandy scan? Just so I can look out for it next time. Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>It's not a scan, it's one of the conversations (i think the one with Anderson and Nihlus, in the com room), you just have to go down the right dialogue branches.<BR><BR>edit:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Is there anything at all with your teammates that changes based on Paragon vs. Renegade values? I played through as each and saw virtually no difference, really. The only thing you can do really differently is choose not to talk to them about their little things.<BR><BR>You get some different dialog I suppose, but nothing that changers what happens with them that I could see. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I'm not sure if it's directly based on your paragon/renegade scores, or purely on your responses during the conversations, but Garrus' attitude and plans change significantly depending on whether you push him down a paragon or renegade path.

 

[Semi On]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So, you need to ask Nihlus about the Protheans before you go to Eden Prime to get that particular codex entry, and then ask about the Geth in the briefing afterwards. </div>
</blockquote>
<br><br>I could have sworn I explored all conversation branches at that point. I'm usually pretty careful about that. I guess not. -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --

 

[Hurricane]

"I'm not sure if it's directly based on your paragon/renegade scores, or purely on your responses during the conversations, but Garrus' attitude and plans change significantly depending on whether you push him down a paragon or renegade path."<BR><BR>Honestly that's the only change I have seen between P or R. Wrex, Allison, Tali and Liara all had the same convo branches regardless of alignment. Kaidon I only spoke to as a Paragon.

 

[HappyBunny]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hurricane:<BR>They also should have kept the alignment system of KOTOR; and like I stated above; expand upon them to open up the story options based upon how you play your character. No game yet has truly captured the essence of this idea. You actions should truly shape your experience; not just be a thin veneer to the overall game.<BR> </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I agree with many of your complaints, but having just replayed KOTOR, I have to say I think I like the Paragon/Renegade thing a lot better. It seems like it has a lot more room to actually roleplay your character the way you want. In KOTOR you are basically shoehorned into one of two roles: the shining beacon of light working for the Jedi Council, or the total dickwad dark jedi. The P/R system as implemented seems to allow for a lot more variation in how you play your character.<BR><BR>That said, it would be nice to see your choices have more impact in-game. In KOTOR it affected your skills, but it didn't really change the story until the end. I'm fine with P/R not affecting your skills like KOTOR's alignment, but having it change the story and how people react to you would be cool. But I guess part of that comes down to the expense of producing branching stories in a game of this scope.<BR><BR>Edit: Beyond the skills and ending, KOTOR's alignment system didn't really seem to affect things all that much. Once in a while you would get a quip from your party if they agreed or disagreed with your decision, but it's not like they would stop working with you or anything. Nobody outside your party seemed to care, until you killed them or whatever. It was actually kind of jarring playing as a dark jedi, using dark jedi powers and being a total ass right in front of Bastila, and yet she and the Jedi Council act as if nothing is unusual.

 

[Hurricane]

"What difficulty are you playing at? Some things like Husks and Thorian Creepers are pretty mindless, and I think are meant to be. Additionally, in my 1st playthrough which started on normal and moved to veteran on Feros, I used this strat all the time (the choke point strat that is) given the doofy sight-lines they set up in many encounters, and the annoying desire of the enemy to rush... and dear god nothing ruins a day like a Krogan getting into melee. Which I want to note, if you look closely their arms are pretty fucking normal sized. I have trouble believing they are issuing killing blows in one hit with those things.<BR><BR>Anyway. My CURRENT run on Hardcore... this doesn't work anymore. Husks and Thorian Creepers still come right for you, but in many cases, the enemies will not charge blindly through a choke point. I have tried to lure them out, but they will take cover at the other side of the choke and wait, but the moment I come out of the choke myself on their side, they rush again. Much more challenging and frustrating."<BR><BR>I agree with you on the Krogan point; that and the fact that they always revive upon death.<BR><BR>I played the fresh from hardcore and never changed the difficulty. And honestly I have been able to lure almost any enemy to a choke point. Unless they are defending their own choke point(geth) they may get cute and throw up some barriers; but eventually they will default to rushing you. I beleive the only once was I ever able to have something of a tactical fight was when I was fighting some mercs and decided to throw caution to the wind and run to the other side of the room and take cover somewhere else(a planet base; the structure one not the circular one). A few of them were popping in and out of cover but I still managed to pick them off one by one. And that basically illustrated the limitation of your party AI and the stupidity of the Enemy AI. The only other "complex" battle I ever had was with the Matriarc in Noveria.

 

[Verio]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by like 7 people now:<BR>Anderson, Nihlus, and Protheans ZOMG<BR> </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Well this explains why I never got it my first game. I remember that opening stuff, I was still playing with buttons figuring out what they did and such, and I think an accidental press of X selected the "Lets move this along" option, and skipped the conversation all together. And then of course my next run, knowing what I knew about Nihlus and remembering i borked it the first time.. I made sure to fully explore the convo tree.<BR><BR>Go figure.

 

[Hurricane]

HappyBunny:<BR><BR>You may be right and I am looking at KOTOR thru rose colored glases. but my point is that everytime a game announces an "alignment" bases system of roleplaying it always ends up being a very limited feature; between Fable and KOTOR and now this game i am beginning to wonder what these think is the defnition of alignment based play. there may be an added production cost writing a story behind you alignment but that's what you signed up for so suck it up and make a truly branching story. Mass Effect is the closest I have seen yet to this concept but still falls short of actually delivering on that promise.<BR><BR>For example as a Paragon I should have a different response from not only the diplomats but the areas in the Citadel. The upper market and FLux patrons and shops should be much warmer to you. Likewise for renegade; Cora's Den and lower market should embrace you.

 

[lateralis]

i'm actually playing through fable again as I felt the need for a break from mass effect but still in the RPG genre and for all its faults (it's a bit sh- -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- ) the alignment stuff ASIDE from the main quest (which I think is pretty uniform) was pretty good. having everyone be aware of your title, and either cowering in fear or treating you like their best pal, I thought, really adds to the experience. something like that would be great. sort of a "reputation precedes you" kind of vibe.<br><br>plus fable has at least two quests where you could play either side. like, you could either let the good guys hire you to take down the bad guys or the bad guys hire you to take down the good guys - of the same task.

 

[arhra]

Woo.<br><br>-- View image here: http://i10.tinypic.com/80wbv4z.png -- <br><br>-- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif --

 

[HappyBunny]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hurricane:<BR>HappyBunny:<BR><BR>You may be right and I am looking at KOTOR thru rose colored glases. but my point is that everytime a game announces an "alignment" bases system of roleplaying it always ends up being a very limited feature; between Fable and KOTOR and now this game i am beginning to wonder what these think is the defnition of alignment based play. there may be an added production cost writing a story behind you alignment but that's what you signed up for so suck it up and make a truly branching story. Mass Effect is the closest I have seen yet to this concept but still falls short of actually delivering on that promise.<BR><BR>For example as a Paragon I should have a different response from not only the diplomats but the areas in the Citadel. The upper market and FLux patrons and shops should be much warmer to you. Likewise for renegade; Cora's Den and lower market should embrace you. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Oh, I agree with you. I think part of the problem is that those concepts sound great in theory, but in reality to do it right is both very difficult and very expensive. I mean really when you think about it, if you were really doing a game where the character could scale from a strict law enforcer to a criminal mastermind (or whatever), to make it seem proper you'd probably end up with content that didn't really overlap at all. When it comes down to it, the guiding plot of these types of games severely limits how much impact alignment can have.<BR><BR>Games like Oblivion seem to be much more open-ended (I've never played it, so can't say for sure), which would allow a much greater range of alignment impacting the game. But lots of people want a more structured experience, and I just don't really see how you can do that and at the same time have alignment create significant, believable impacts on the story.<BR><BR>That said, I definitely agree that Mass Effect could have done more within the confines of their system. Even with the linear storyline, they could create more branching points where there are multiple ways to accomplish the next goal, and divide those more based on P/R. P/R seems to have almost zero effect on the game, it's mostly a roleplaying tool. The only significant difference comes down to a single choice, and your previous choices are irrelevant. KOTOR was sort of the same way, but I think the effects of alignment in that game were a little bit more extensive (again, putting aside the skill differences and just talking about story/character interactions).

 

[Zaskar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Anyway. My CURRENT run on Hardcore... this doesn't work anymore. Husks and Thorian Creepers still come right for you, but in many cases, the enemies will not charge blindly through a choke point. I have tried to lure them out, but they will take cover at the other side of the choke and wait, but the moment I come out of the choke myself on their side, they rush again. Much more challenging and frustrating." </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>One word, no, not even a complete word.<BR><BR>NADES

 

[HappyBunny]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Zaskar:<br><br>One word, no, not even a complete word.<br><br>NADES </div>
</blockquote>
<br><br>To bad they made one of the most idiotic control decisions ever and assigned grenades to the Back button -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif --<br><br>I mean, seriously, you use separate face buttons for drawing and putting away the weapon, while relegating an important combat action like throwing grenades (which you often need to hit twice!) to the inconvenient Back button? Who came up with <i>that</i>?

 

[arhra]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Who came up with that? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Probably the same guy who designed the inventory system.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The only significant difference comes down to a single choice, and your previous choices are irrelevant. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>This isn't strictly true - your moral leaning does affect the ending, regardless of which option you choose.<BR><BR>The combinations work roughly as follows:<BR><BR>1) Fnir gur pbhapvy<BR>2) Yrg gur pbhapvy qvr (Pbapragengr ba Fbirervta nyfb tbrf urer)<BR><BR>N) Zber Cnentba guna Erartnqr<BR>O) Zber Erartnqr guna Cnentba<BR><BR>1N vf gur fgnaqneq 'tbbq' raqvat - uhznavgl vf tenagrq n frng ba gur pbhapvy, jvgu gurz tbvat ba nobhg ubj njrfbzr lbh ner naq gur fnpevsvprf lbh'ir znqr, rgp rgp, rirelbar vf unccl naq avpr.<BR><BR>1O vf fyvtugyl hahfhny, naq abg bar gung lbh'q trarenyyl frr hayrff lbh fcrpvsvpnyyl gevrq gb trg vg. Onfvpnyyl gur fnzr nf 1N, ohg jvgu qvssrerag gbar gb gur qvnybt jvgu gur pbhapvy (fbzrguvat nobhg lbh "fubjvat gung uhznavgl vf jvyyvat gb qb jungrire vg gnxrf gb fhpprrq, naq gung orvat rknpgyl jung'f arprffnel va gurfr qnex gvzrf", be fbzr fhpu).<BR><BR>2N ersbezf gur pbhapvy va vg'f cerivbhf sbez, ohg jvgu n uhzna ercerfragngvir ba vg (vzcyvrq gb or gur yrnqre/punvezna va fbzr frafr).<BR><BR>2O vf gur 'rivy' raqvat - lbh sbez n arj, nyy-uhzna pbhapvy, naq rira vs lbh fnl lbh qba'g jnag gung (gung lbh bayl yrg gur pbhapvy qvr orpnhfr vg jnf n centzngvp pubvpr, naq gung Fbirervta arrqrq gb or gur cevbevgl), Hqvan jvyy bireehyr lbh, fnlvat gung ur'f jngpurq lbhe npgvbaf naq gung lbh oryvrir va sbeprshyarff naq fgbzcvat nyy bire gur yvggyr crbcyr, naq oynu oynu uhznavgl unf gb gnxr nqinagntr bs gur bccbeghavgl rgp rgp (irel cnencuenfrq).<BR><BR>Cyhf zvabe inevngvbaf onfrq ba jurgure lbh erpbzzraq Naqrefba be Hqvan, be arvgure sbe n cbfvgvba ba jungrire pbhapvy raqf hc ehaavat gur fubj.<BR><BR>Ng yrnfg, v guvax gung'f nyy pbeerpg.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">That said, I definitely agree that Mass Effect could have done more within the confines of their system. Even with the linear storyline, they could create more branching points where there are multiple ways to accomplish the next goal, and divide those more based on P/R. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>The first part of Noveria is a fantastic example of the potential, imo. There are a good 4-5 different ways to get the garage pass, most of which you'll never notice your first run through.

 

[Skinny Little White Boy]

So far I'm digging this game a lot. A bit too heavy on the exploring so far, hopefully it picks up once I leave Citadel, but this constant history lessons is getting boring.<BR><BR>I've stuck with just Kaiden and Garrus since it let me pick my squad members and I'll keep them through to the end for the achievements.<BR><BR>My only complaint so far is the W^#EYA#%& elevators. All the badass tech in the game but the elevators are still hold outs from 1980. So annoying ><

 

[krimhorn]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HappyBunny:<br>To bad they made one of the most idiotic <strike>control</strike> design decisions ever and <strike>assigned grenades to the Back button</strike> made it so you couldn't restock when you <i>know</i> you will need grenades.<br><br> </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Sure sometimes grenades will pop out of tech kits or as a drop, but I went through both of my Hardcore and Insanity runs on Feros without ANY. Fucking. Grenades!<br><br>I got the one restock upon re-entry to the colony, and that's it -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_mad.gif -- . As a result, I only use grenades when I <i>absolutely</i> need to blow stuff up.

 

[Hurricane]

Let's not talk about the fact that it's a FRISBEE grenade. Was it too hard to program a little physics in the game and throw the grenade normally like every other game?<BR><BR>Hey has anyone ever tried climbing up boxes during combat; how does that go? I find it hilarious that Shepard can't jump.

 

[Paul M]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by arhra:<BR>The first part of Noveria is a fantastic example of the potential, imo. There are a good 4-5 different ways to get the garage pass, most of which you'll never notice your first run through. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I can think of three I think. Well I know two, and I'm thinking of a third although I don't know for sure if it's really any different since you still get the garage pass from the same person in two of them. But they aren't really different ways, they're the exact same quest and the only change is which person in the quest line you decide to help. <BR><BR>As far as quests go though there are places where there are a couple of ways to go about something that you find by talking to more people after you have the quest, or even sometimes talking to the quest giver again. I was very surprised by this in my last play through where I got a quest from someone and then talked to them again before doing it and had brand new Charm/Intimidate options to change the quest entirely. I've only seen that happen once so far, but didn't go out of my way looking for more.

 

[arhra]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I can think of three I think. Well I know two, and I'm thinking of a third although I don't know for sure if it's really any different since you still get the garage pass from the same person in two of them. But they aren't really different ways, they're the exact same quest and the only change is which person in the quest line you decide to help. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I've actually just loaded up a save to verify this, and as far as i can tell, there are two basic paths to get it, one of which then branches further:<BR><BR>1) Eng bhg gur zrepunag jub nfxf lbh gb fzhttyr, naq Nabyrvf whfg tvirf lbh n cnff.<BR><BR>2) Gnyx gb Ybevx Dhv'va, naq nterr gb bognva gur rivqrapr sebz gur FV bssvpr.<BR><BR>Bapr lbh unir gur rivqrapr sebz 2), vg gura oenapurf ntnva:<BR><BR>n) Gnxr vg qverpgyl gb Dhv'va, trg gur cnff va erghea.<BR>o) Gnxr vg gb Nabyrvf, naq tvir vg gb uvz va rkpunatr sbe n cnff<BR>p) Gnxr vg gb Nabyrvf, naq oynpxznvy uvz vagb tvivat lbh n cnff<BR>q) Gnyx gb Cnenfvav, naq svaq bhg gung fur'f jbexvat sbe Vagreany Nssnvef naq jnagf lbh tb pbaivapr Dhv'va gb grfgvsl gb gur obneq ntnvafg Nabyrvf<BR><BR>Vs lbh pubbfr bcgvba q), gjb zber fbyhgvbaf orpbzr ninvynoyr:<BR><BR>v) Tb onpx gb Dhv'va, pbaivapr uvz gb grfgvsl (ivn vagvzvqngvba be punez; abg fher vs lbh pna znantr gung vs lbh'er abg fhssvpvragyl crefhnfvir), gura tvir gur rivqrapr gb Cnenfvav va rkpunatr sbe n cnff.<BR>vv) Tb gb gur nqzvavfgengbe, naq gryy uvz gung Cnenfvav vf jbexvat sbe Vagreany Nssnvef, erfhygvat va uvz pnyyvat Cnenfvav vagb uvf bssvpr, xvyyvat ure, gura xvyyvat uvzfrys. Lbh pna gura ybbg n cnff sebz uvf pbecfr (vs lbh jnag gb znkvzvfr lbhe erartnqr cbvagf, lbh pna npghnyyl pbzovar guvf bar jvgu 2q(v), naq vagvzvqngr Dhv'va vagb grfgvslvat, gura eng bhg Cnenfvav orsber lbh gnyx gb ure naq tvir ure gur rivqrapr...).<BR><BR>So in a way, there are only two quests, but one of them has at least five different ways to complete it (some of which are little more than dialogue options within a single conversation, some are significantly more than that).

 

[Hurricane]

BTW<BR><BR>What kinda cipher are you guys using?

 

[arhra]

rot13

 

[Hurricane]

Yeah there should have defnitely been way more questlines like that.<BR><BR>also there should be more of a drastic response when you chose a opposite choice from your general P/R. There have been numerous times where I have chosen to act Paragon instead of Renegade or vice versa. In those events there should be a reaction like "wow never thought you would do that." You do get a little of that; especially if you play Wrex(the most vocal of your teammates so far). But i would have really like more situations like the one where you sock the scientist who is talking like a psyco.

 

[arhra]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">also there should be more of a drastic response when you chose a opposite choice from your general P/R. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Not sure i'd like that - a simplistic MAX(P,R) function to decide if you were more paragon or renegade would have flipped back and forth SO many times on my first playthrough (when i was just making choices 'naturally' rather than aiming for a particular alignment), that the game would have seemed completely schizophrenic if it had used that as a basis for a lot of responses, and trying to create a more complex system would probably quickly spiral out of control and become completely unmanagable.<BR><BR>Plus, i'm not a huge fan of any kind of system that rewards consistently extremist moral choices - i've always enjoyed characters who don't always lean the same way far more than the 'pure' paragon/renegade (or light/dark, good/evil) characters. Not always responding as an asshole/saint generally makes for a far more interesting character, imho. My favourite ME characters to play have generally been nice guys at heart with very low tolerance for bullshit, being lied to or manipulated, or people getting in their way or wasting their time, and have therefore generally split the difference pretty equally between paragon/renegade (but mostly leaning slightly towards paragon in the end). I was actually rather annoyed at times, as the 'paragon' and 'renegade' options were far too limiting (the Terra Firma guy near the end of the game for example - your only options are politely refusing him, or supporting him, whereas i'd have liked to just deck him on the spot for being a racist prick).

 

[Hurricane]

I see your point; I guess there has to be a sense a balance with that. But situationally since the game records how many P/R points you have you can put in a system where if your generally more P than R everytime you choose an r option you get a surprised reaction from your team. After all if your a nice guy and you repond to a situation differently than what you should be responding most people will comment on that. Like wise if you are generally a jerk(which is what renegade is generally) and you decide to be a nice guy your party should say, "wow what prompted that?" reaction.<BR><BR>for example in Eden when you are talking to the 2 scientist and you deck the whacky one Kaidon does respond with, "that wasn't very nice." Putting something like that I think would add a little flair to the RPG aspect of the game. It's a minor nitpick to be sure but just something I would like to see.

 

[Skinny Little White Boy]

If you're using Firefox then you should grab this plugin. It's pure awesomeness. Highlight the text, hit a hotkey, and it'll rot13 the text in place. Supports a bunch of other formats, but they aren't very common.<BR><BR>IRT the passkey on Noveria:<BR><BR>Sbe gur erpbeq vs lbhe Punez be Vagvzvqngr ner ybj gura lbh pna'g pbaivapr Dhv'va gb gb grfgvsl. Ur ghearq zr qbja gura V tnir uvz gur rivqrapr naq ur tnir zr n xrl. Gnyxvat gb Cnenfvav naq fur tbg znq gung V snvyrq ure.<BR><BR>Edit; Holy fucking jumping saints... The Mako is the worst abortion of a vehicle I've ever encountered in a video game. How the fuck did it make it through play testing? I realize I'm late to the bitch fest about a lot of this stuff, but good lord! Talk about shitting on an otherwise wonderful experience so far....

 

[HappyBunny]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Skinny Little White Boy:<BR><BR>Edit; Holy fucking jumping saints... The Mako is the worst abortion of a vehicle I've ever encountered in a video game. How the fuck did it make it through play testing? I realize I'm late to the bitch fest about a lot of this stuff, but good lord! Talk about shitting on an otherwise wonderful experience so far.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I really enjoyed the Mako in general; it just got a bit repetitive, and there are issues with the terrain design. What are your issues with it?<BR><BR>Edit: Since it's totally not obvious unless you read the manual, the biggest combat tip I have for the Mako is that while you're in "aim mode" (holding the left trigger) you can click on the right analog stick to zoom in. Also the right shoulder button shoots a canon which kills lots of stuff in one near-hit, and is highly accurate when zoomed.

 

[Magus`]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Skinny Little White Boy:<br>If you're using Firefox then you should grab this plugin. It's pure awesomeness. Highlight the text, hit a hotkey, and it'll rot13 the text in place. Supports a bunch of other formats, but they aren't very common. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Ick, that plugin hijacked a ton of other keys too, like the arrow keys and pageup/pagedown would no longer scroll pages.<br><br>As such, I just whipped up my own in the form of a GreaseMonkey script -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --<br><br>http://geekforhire.org/files/rot13.user.js<br><br>A lot simpler than leetkey, and not as easy configured, but without the side effect of hijacking other keys -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --<br><br>Defaults to Alt+R as the hotkey, since it wasn't taken and is close at hand -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

 

[Skinny Little White Boy]

That's odd, it didn't cause any trouble for me. After installing I went in the options and set ROT13 toggle to Ctrl + ; and didn't touch anything else. Nifty GM approach to it though -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif -- Whatever works!<br><br>My main issue with the Mako is the ridiculously twitchy controls. If the stick goes even barely past straight up it takes a super sharp turn. I've taken to just holding the left stick up to drive straight and using the right stick to 'steer' but that doesn't work when I have to try aiming at something. Which leads to my next gripe, if you aim too far up or down there's no accuracy whatsoever it seems. If something gets right up next to me it's impossible to hit unless I drive off and take a decent amount of damage in the process or dismount and handle it with my trusty pistol.<br><br>I've gotten much better with it but it still seems like they could have done so much more with the vehicle portions. I'll have to try out the zooming when in aim mode. I'm currently getting my arse handed to me in the room just past the first driving section. Still have a lot of progress to make in handling combat. I botched my characters a little bit at the beginning, but they're getting back on track.

 

[arhra]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">If something gets right up next to me it's impossible to hit unless I drive off and take a decent amount of damage in the process or dismount and handle it with my trusty pistol. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>It's (naturally) limited by the range of motion the turret is capable of. Rather <I>un</I>naturally, it somehow overcomes these limitations to a large extent when you zoom in.<BR><BR>As far as the steering goes, the key realisation is that the left stick doesn't steer - instead, it works precisely like it does when you're on-foot (except with vehicular physics like momentum and a turning circle imposed). That is, holding the stick directly to the left will move the Mako directly to the left, relative to the camera, holding it to the right will move the Mako to the right, and holding directly up will move the Mako directly away from the camera, and so on and forth. If you've ever played Halo 2 or 3, it handles almost exactly like a faster, bouncier version of the Scorpion tank.