Mass Effect Andromeda: To Boldly Go

[SangoProduction]

Awesome. The power went out overnight when I left the download running...now it's not even playable anymore. Well...I'll wait 10 more hours to see if becomes playable when it finishes the full download... Sigh.

[Anteros]

If it's content you don't enjoy, you're not missing out on it. And the developers have said you aren't building toward anything like the suicide mission or push to earth (or at least, there's no in-game mechanics to measure how you're building toward it), so you're not being punished, either.It's a problem that's almost omni-present in the genre, though. And frankly, ME2 and ME3's attempts to improve the system (Shepard gets a quest when they walk by a random person, and then later they stumble upon what that person was looking for) were at best a lateral move.

You can enjoy the side quests themselves without enjoying being required to walk around town aimlessly for hours and talking to every single person multiple times to get them.

There were no in game mechanics measuring what you were building towards in ME1 either, but they sure as heck went back and counted skipping things from those games against you. Or cut out entire quests from the sequels if you missed talking to certain NPCs the allocated number of times in the original.

[Psyren]

You can enjoy the side quests themselves without enjoying being required to walk around town aimlessly for hours and talking to every single person multiple times to get them.

There were no in game mechanics measuring what you were building towards in ME1 either, but they sure as heck went back and counted skipping things from those games against you. Or cut out entire quests from the sequels if you missed talking to certain NPCs the allocated number of times in the original.

That's Squark's point though - "walk around town and talk to people to get quests" is every RPG, or at least most of them. That's why this complaint is confusing; did you and warty just not know what you were signing up for?

[Anteros]

That's Squark's point though - "walk around town and talk to people to get quests" is every RPG, or at least most of them. That's why this complaint is confusing; did you and warty just not know what you were signing up for?

Does that mean it can't be commented on for some reason? Is the formula so perfect that it can't possibly be improved? There's nothing wrong with having the discussion.

[Psyren]

Does that mean it can't be commented on for some reason? Is the formula so perfect that it can't possibly be improved? There's nothing wrong with having the discussion.

I'm not stopping anyone from commenting or discussing (nor could I.)

[5ColouredWalker]

So, got in about 4 hours last night, innitial impressions:

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-On one hand, Dialouge isn't anywhere near as bad as people keep saying... Except for the odd single line.
-Animation isn't really that bad... Except for NPCs. Also, Aliens aren't exempt, it's just slightly less noticeable due to their non-human features. If anything, Aliens bug me more.
-Holy **** when did Salarians get that tall.
-The Tutorial is missing bits, like the fact you can't change weapons when you pick one up, only at designated places including long after the first priority mission, which is annoying.
-'Ok, how do I do profiles' resulted in 20 minutes of Trial and Error, and I really hate their UI for it. So much so I'm considering not doing the switches.

This all said, Pull + Cryobeam is just stupid broken... Except for the times where it makes you leave cover and get shot in the back. I started on Hardcore and so far have only had trouble with the fight where you meet back up with Cora, and that's purely because I kept accidentally getting out of cover and taking fire from the damn heavy.

Also, is it just me or do enemies shields recharge if you accidentally leave them alone long enough, or they have enough buddies to provide covering fire?

[Inarius]

The in-game codex mentions that biotics can be developed via exposure during childhood, not just in-utero. Still, Alec was 19 when the Prothean ruins were discovered, which would be pushing it. On the other hand, Alec had a strong interest in trans-humanism, and Miranda mentions her biotic abilities are the result of genetic engineering, so I suppose it could happen.

It has been mentioned in prior games that Biotics can be given via medical procedures that are risky. It was only mentioned in relation to Krogan so maybe other races aren't suited to that type of procedure, though the initial purpose of Alec Ryders research seems like it could have led him to coming up with a solution to give people Biotics as well.

This all said, Pull + Cryobeam is just stupid broken... Except for the times where it makes you leave cover and get shot in the back. I started on Hardcore and so far have only had trouble with the fight where you meet back up with Cora, and that's purely because I kept accidentally getting out of cover and taking fire from the damn heavy.

Also, is it just me or do enemies shields recharge if you accidentally leave them alone long enough, or they have enough buddies to provide covering fire?

Enemy Shields regenerate if left alone for long enough. Pull + Cryo isnt the only really broken setup in game either. I currently am running a melee/shotgun vanguard with the -50% hp + 50% shield armor mod and am pretty much unkillable because I regen a percent of my shields with every melee attack, regen a percent of my shields every time I fire the last round in my clip and a percentage of my shields every time I charge. On top of that with the melee/shotgun synergy I can one shot most enemies with a melee attack.

[Psyren]

Also, is it just me or do enemies shields recharge if you accidentally leave them alone long enough, or they have enough buddies to provide covering fire?

Yes, enemy shields recharge, so you'll need to keep on the pressure.

I'm playing an Engineer with Overload, Incinerate and Combat Turret as my primary skills. Overload drops their shields and the turret is capable of keeping them down when it's not safe for me to put my head up (I'm also playing through on Hardcore.)

[5ColouredWalker]

I'm playing an Engineer with Overload, Incinerate and Combat Turret as my primary skills. Overload drops their shields and the turret is capable of keeping them down when it's not safe for me to put my head up (I'm also playing through on Hardcore.)

Yea, I went with Operative for the Cloak, really helps with repositioning and means I don't have to put so many points into Combat.

That said, my other 'favourite' runs Incenerate/Lance... I'm considering grabbing Nova to swap out for my Tac Cloak on my Pull/Cryo combo, so I can just run through the three powers for killing unshielded enemies.

[Squark]

So, I gave up and started over on a new gamertag. And tried out multiplayer.

First Match: Asari Huntress vs. Remnant. I gave up in the second round as my cloak was bugging out and I remembered I'm rubbish at sniping in multiplayer games (And this is a class with a biotic snipe power, so I was doubly rubbish)

Second Match: Drake's scouts Apex Match with Krogan Vanguard. Initially promising , then we hit wave 5. Woah. The Kett are hardcore. Ascendants are Banshees on steroids, and the not-Brute took an entire clip of shotgun ammo in the backside and didn't seem to care. Add in my utter cluelessness during the upload objective on Wave 6 doomed the team.

Third Match: Turian Soldier vs. Raiders. Hello Cerberus 2.0. How nice of you to add dogs that can grab like husks to your team. On the other hand, this is the first match I've won- I'd definitely reccomended the Turman Soldier to first timers if you pull one in the half dozen loot boxes you might get. Turbocharge+Fortification means you can significantly boost your capabilities when you need to, and frag grenade is nice for clearing clusters of enemies.

One thing I noticed is that the individual cooldown system really shines with on/off abilities like Fortification. I was turning it on and off as needed in a way I never did with Tech Armor-style abilities in ME3.

[RCgothic]

I'm about four hours in now, just on the brink of heading off to Eos. The dialogue isn't bad, but the animations are serious uncanny valley though. Just got through a conversation with the captain of the Hyperion where she barely moved. Ramrod straight and stared straight ahead with only a little blinking. I'm comparing against ME3 and going... Uh... wut happened?

I've been playing Insanity FemRyder Infiltrator. The fights on habitat 7 were pretty tough compared to ME3 thanks to vagueness of cover and extremely aggressive numerous AI. Enemies take a lot of putting down and infiltrator Ryder cannot tank the hits. All the controls are different, and I haven't got over that yet, famed by muscle memory! The jump jet has been useless in combat, because I'm far too fragile. Hovering out of cover for any amount of time = dead. I'm a little dissatisfied with how much I need to retread ground if an encounter kills me. Feels very ME1.

[5ColouredWalker]

I've been playing Insanity FemRyder Infiltrator. The fights on habitat 7 were pretty tough compared to ME3 thanks to vagueness of cover and extremely aggressive numerous AI. Enemies take a lot of putting down and infiltrator Ryder cannot tank the hits. All the controls are different, and I haven't got over that yet, famed by muscle memory! The jump jet has been useless in combat, because I'm far too fragile. Hovering out of cover for any amount of time = dead. I'm a little dissatisfied with how much I need to retread ground if an encounter kills me. Feels very ME1.

Oh, another thing the game didn't tell you. You can dive forward with the middle mouse button (For PC). I suggest facing away from the enemy when you do this, particularly if your a adventurer/Ryder with Flash Step. I only made that mistake once, fortunately I survived it.

[thorgrim29]

Single player so far is ok... I'm on the ice planet now, a bit annoyed at all the random sidequests and the plot ''flow'' is a bit off, but the gameplay is fun (though I would not recomment vanguard Rayder to begin with, sentinel Rayder (overload, throw, singularity) works a lot better) and most of the characters are at least fine... also

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All of the NPCs seem to think I'm the Remnant-whisperer for some reason but they still attack me on sight

Multiplayer though is a lot of fun, the changes to nova make the vanguard play a bit differently then in 3 but charging headlong into small groups and shotgunning them in the face still works (not thrilled to be stuck with the Katana though, silver is hard when you have bad gear.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

If you like ME3MP then you'll definitely like Andromeda's. It's that plus jetpacks basically.

Yeah I had a look at Totalbiscuit's multiplayer review. Trust me, if there was any chance at all of my machine running Andromeda I'd already have it. I'd probably be deep into the single player if that were the case though.

[Dienekes]

The jump jet has been useless in combat, because I'm far too fragile. Hovering out of cover for any amount of time = dead. I'm a little dissatisfied with how much I need to retread ground if an encounter kills me. Feels very ME1.

I'm amused this is still a surprise to people, I thought it was well known since Halo: Reach: there is no cover in the air. Do not fly unless you are a tank.

[Squark]

So, A minor bit of humor with the Strike teams system. In spite of only attempting bronze difficulty missions with a 70+% success rate, the teams have failed two thirds of their missions. So it seems fitting my teams' randomly generated designations are a military obscenity for failure. Anyone else get a military acronym with their Strike teams?

[5ColouredWalker]

I'm amused this is still a surprise to people, I thought it was well known since Halo: Reach: there is no cover in the air. Do not fly unless you are a tank.

I never hover, but I find it's great for getting the F*ck out of dodge/finding good high ground.

[RagingKrikkit]

I'm amused this is still a surprise to people, I thought it was well known since Halo: Reach: there is no cover in the air. Do not fly unless you are a tank.

The problem is that they spent so much time talking about how cool the jetpack was, and then using it kills you.

So, A minor bit of humor with the Strike teams system. In spite of only attempting bronze difficulty missions with a 70+% success rate, the teams have failed two thirds of their missions. So it seems fitting my teams' randomly generated designations are a military obscenity for failure. Anyone else get a military acronym with their Strike teams?

I've got Delta and Mike, I'll let you know if #3 is Zulu.

[Dienekes]

I never hover, but I find it's great for getting the F*ck out of dodge/finding good high ground.

Carry on, soldier. Use quick tactical movement where applicable.

The problem is that they spent so much time talking about how cool the jetpack was, and then using it kills you.

In previous games (not sure about this one) Bioware never balanced around insanity. I bet you'd be able to fly around like a butterfly on Narrative, where the AI can't aim for crap, and when they hit you it hurts about as much as getting flicked in the ear.

On Insanity, it's expected that the enemy actually be competent. And a competent enemy would know someone flying slow enough for human reflexes to maneuver around in the open sky means it's basically open season.

[Squark]

On Insanity, it's expected that the enemy actually be competent. And a competent enemy would know someone flying slow enough for human reflexes to maneuver around in the open sky means it's basically open season.

Heh.

"Do you know what we call flying soldiers on the battlefield?"

"Air Support?"

"Skeet."

[Psyren]

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All of the NPCs seem to think I'm the Remnant-whisperer for some reason but they still attack me on sight

You're not - the AI crammed into your head is

Hell, "Pathfinder" might as well just be called "SAM-bucket."That is the sum total of your qualifications, that and being able to shoot and dodge well enough to protect the SAM bucket.

So, A minor bit of humor with the Strike teams system. In spite of only attempting bronze difficulty missions with a 70+% success rate, the teams have failed two thirds of their missions. So it seems fitting my teams' randomly generated designations are a military obscenity for failure. Anyone else get a military acronym with their Strike teams?

I kinda wish this had happened so I could see it, but the two I've done have succeeded so far. I plan on just MP-ing these anyway.

The problem is that they spent so much time talking about how cool the jetpack was, and then using it kills you.

It only kills you if you don't, to borrow another game series' vernacular, "git gud."

There's always Narrative difficulty at any rate.

[Rodin]

Anyone encountered a bug where an Ascendant just...becomes invulnerable? Tried to do a Bronze mission in multiplayer and it all went well until one of the Ascendants just soloed everybody. He re-summoned his shield after we took it down and then tanked the fire from 4 people, sync-killing anyone who got close.

That cannot be intentional, right?

[Psyren]

You have to destroy that little orb floating around it. If you don't, you won't be able to keep the shield down.

If you guys were doing that - well, probably a bug. I haven't had any problems personally but maybe others have.

[Inarius]

There is a skill that improves your damage resistance while hovering by a pretty good amount in the combat tools tree. Add in armor with DR and you can wind up being fairly sturdy, though perhaps not sturdy enough for insanity without adding in other defensive powers like barrier. I wonder if backlash would work while hovering? That could actually make for an interesting combo if it does.

[tonberrian]

Apparently there are missable skill points? Found some in the vault on the jungle planet. SAM, being the good fellow that he is, helpfully told me to look around before the point of no return, but still.

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

So, A minor bit of humor with the Strike teams system. In spite of only attempting bronze difficulty missions with a 70+% success rate, the teams have failed two thirds of their missions. So it seems fitting my teams' randomly generated designations are a military obscenity for failure. Anyone else get a military acronym with their Strike teams?

I've got a Krogan strike unit designated Victor, apparently. They've done one strike, and it has told me they have earned the characteristics 'Night Operations' and 'Cowardly.' Cowardly Krogans.

Ahem. Also I'm playing on PS4, of the three MP classes I've tried, the krogan engineer has been my best bet. Fire combo explosions for days.

[Rising Phoenix]

I've got a Krogan strike unit designated Victor, apparently. They've done one strike, and it has told me they have earned the characteristics 'Night Operations' and 'Cowardly.' Cowardly Krogans.

Ahem. Also I'm playing on PS4, of the three MP classes I've tried, the krogan engineer has been my best bet. Fire combo explosions for days.

Now I have this image of ninja Krogans in my head

[Rodin]

You have to destroy that little orb floating around it. If you don't, you won't be able to keep the shield down.

If you guys were doing that - well, probably a bug. I haven't had any problems personally but maybe others have.

Yeah, destroying the orb was the first thing I did. Then the shield just...never dropped.

With the game crashing during the previous two multiplayer sessions, I think I'm going to let my strike team handle those until we've got a patch or three under our belts.

[5ColouredWalker]

I've got a Krogan strike unit designated Victor, apparently. They've done one strike, and it has told me they have earned the characteristics 'Night Operations' and 'Cowardly.' Cowardly Krogans.

"Who wants to live foreverrrrr?"
"Me." *Shotgun Blast*

[NeoVid]

Man, I wish there was a place to store items (or if there is one, that the game told you about it). Only having 50 inventory space means that holding on to gear I want to try out later is a huge penalty...