Mass Effect Andromeda II: Stay Strong and Clear!

[Psyren]

I've found such a mod. There's an optional part to it that makes powers like the assault turret not vanish when you switch to a set that doesn't have it. Not sure about that one. Feels like it could lead to abuse. But I'll install the basic version and see how it works.

I feel like the cooldown of sets is a major overreaction to the consequences of letting players pick any powers they wanted. But I really don't think the game would be at all unbalanced if they just gave us a maximum of eight active powers, like in the original trilogy. Which worked on consoles somehow, so it's not like that's a problem, either.

I think they wanted to make your choice of passive meaningful. So that your Ryder was a "Vanguard" for instance, you'd be rewarded for staying one. I'm not opposed to that goal, but they went about it the wrong way. They should impose the cooldown if you switch profiles, not if you merely switch abilities but keep the profile unchanged.

I just started playing this, but has anyone else had a problem with the Nomad randomly steering to the left without any input?

I've never had this problem, what platform are you on?

[Morty]

I think they wanted to make your choice of passive meaningful. So that your Ryder was a "Vanguard" for instance, you'd be rewarded for staying one. I'm not opposed to that goal, but they went about it the wrong way. They should impose the cooldown if you switch profiles, not if you merely switch abilities but keep the profile unchanged.

That may have been a reason, yes. Either way, it turned out to be overkill. Even if you're sticking to one profile all the time, you're going to want more than three powers at a time.

Also, the whole thing was tied to the game's single most annoying feature, SAM.

[Sholos]

I figured out my problem. The PS4 controller I'm using is messed up. When R2 is fully down, it thinks it's also pushing left for some reason.

So I went with a science base for Eos. Now to figure out who to unfreeze...

[Psyren]

Also, the whole thing was tied to the game's single most annoying feature, SAM.

To be fair, it's not like SAM is actually involved with changing your profiles in-game. Your father yells at him during the opening mission to make him an Adept and whatnot, but it's not like we have to do the same.

In other news, I've been sweet-talking Jaal enough to unlock the new gay content they added and I have to give kudos to Bioware - the dialogue is actually significantly different. I don't know if they recorded all-new lines or if the dialogue was already there and someone went "no homo" on release, but either way, I'm very glad to have it back. I'm glad to have done both romances so i could compare, but I think Jaal seems a lot more earnest and unsure with Scott.

[Sholos]

Did they add any other romance possibilities to the game? Mildly disappointed that Suvi is a no-go for Male Ryder, so right now I'm torn between Peebee for the lulz and Vetra for the feelz. No real interest in Cora.

[Morty]

To be fair, it's not like SAM is actually involved with changing your profiles in-game. Your father yells at him during the opening mission to make him an Adept and whatnot, but it's not like we have to do the same.

I just really don't like SAM, and find the way they used it to explain what is essentially a gameplay abstraction to be silly.

Did they add any other romance possibilities to the game? Mildly disappointed that Suvi is a no-go for Male Ryder, so right now I'm torn between Peebee for the lulz and Vetra for the feelz. No real interest in Cora.

Jaal was originally only an option for a female Ryder, but they've expanded it to a male one as well.

[Psyren]

Did they add any other romance possibilities to the game? Mildly disappointed that Suvi is a no-go for Male Ryder, so right now I'm torn between Peebee for the lulz and Vetra for the feelz. No real interest in Cora.

I think it was just Jaal though I could be wrong. Between the two you listed though, Vetra is the clear winner for me - I can't stand Peebee and she doesn't even have Sera's (relative) altruism to balance out the manic quirkiness. Like, the only reason my Ryder didn't reject her outright is that he'd never get rid of a Remnant expert (or the closest the Initiative has to one besides SAM anyway) in-character.

I just really don't like SAM, and find the way they used it to explain what is essentially a gameplay abstraction to be silly.

If they had executed this better - say, letting you have 6,5,or even just 4 abilities per profile instead of 3 - I'd have had no issues at all with them trying to explain it in-game via SAM. I think it grates on people more because they botched the execution, than because the concept of explaining gameplay design in-universe is inherently bad.

When elements like this are done well and unobtrusive, nobody minds that they're in-universe - e.g. putting the respec in the medbay in the ME games, which implies you're actually undergoing surgery, or the Initiative literally developing a gamey points system to track planet viability.

Jaal was originally only an option for a female Ryder, but they've expanded it to a male one as well.

My understanding was that originally he was for both, and then they cut that content, and subsequently restored it after fan outcry that (a) MSM Ryders have no squadmate option and (b) MSM Ryders couldn't actually get the romance achievement while FSF Ryders could.

[warty goblin]

If they had executed this better - say, letting you have 6,5,or even just 4 abilities per profile instead of 3 - I'd have had no issues at all with them trying to explain it in-game via SAM. I think it grates on people more because they botched the execution, than because the concept of explaining gameplay design in-universe is inherently bad.

When elements like this are done well and unobtrusive, nobody minds that they're in-universe - e.g. putting the respec in the medbay in the ME games, which implies you're actually undergoing surgery, or the Initiative literally developing a gamey points system to track planet viability.

I wasn't exactly blown away by the planet viability point system either. It basically replaced interesting problems focusing on what exactly the problems with a planet would be with another stupid progress bar. The only activity that actually seemed to matter was doing the vault, all the other things that contributed were titchy little +2% upgrades, usually for some rando sidequest.

I have never in gaming history been excited by +2% bar fullness.

And the reward for filling the bar was another upgrade currency. Which mostly just unlocked ways to get other upgrade currencies. All of which required further dealing with the stupid location-specific menu system. Apparently in the far future super-powerful AI systems have less functionality than an iPhone 6.

There's some cool stuff they could have done with setting up a network of colonies. Interdependent resource requirements - this place needs water, in order to get water from that colony I need to do this quest or get that upgrade, stuff like that - and tying your exploration and resource extraction to that. Instead it's a meter that's really just an exceptionally convoluted way to craft guns, and driving around looking for stuff to craft guns.


And SAM just plain irritated me on a multitude of levels. Mostly because if I'm getting my badass space explorer on, I want to be a badass space explorer, not get endlessly nagged about mining opportunities while I ferry my plot device AI buddy between Sudoku puzzles. Justifying an ultra-clunky menu system for hotswapping powers, but also totally pointless and a further waste of time in that interminable first Nexus section.

[Psyren]

I wasn't exactly blown away by the planet viability point system either. It basically replaced interesting problems focusing on what exactly the problems with a planet would be with another stupid progress bar. The only activity that actually seemed to matter was doing the vault, all the other things that contributed were titchy little +2% upgrades, usually for some rando sidequest.

I have never in gaming history been excited by +2% bar fullness.

And the reward for filling the bar was another upgrade currency. Which mostly just unlocked ways to get other upgrade currencies. All of which required further dealing with the stupid location-specific menu system. Apparently in the far future super-powerful AI systems have less functionality than an iPhone 6.

There's some cool stuff they could have done with setting up a network of colonies. Interdependent resource requirements - this place needs water, in order to get water from that colony I need to do this quest or get that upgrade, stuff like that - and tying your exploration and resource extraction to that. Instead it's a meter that's really just an exceptionally convoluted way to craft guns, and driving around looking for stuff to craft guns.

I agree with all this.

And SAM just plain irritated me on a multitude of levels. Mostly because if I'm getting my badass space explorer on, I want to be a badass space explorer, not get endlessly nagged about mining opportunities while I ferry my plot device AI buddy between Sudoku puzzles. Justifying an ultra-clunky menu system for hotswapping powers, but also totally pointless and a further waste of time in that interminable first Nexus section.

My point was more that we'd have had the clunky interface whether they explained it in-universe or not. They came up with the restriction first and then explained it, rather than coming up with the plot device first and then designing the game around that. We know this because it's the same power restriction that exists in multiplayer, and they've said the ability to switch between SP and MP more or less seamlessly was a design goal (hence the Apex terminal.)

[warty goblin]

My point was more that we'd have had the clunky interface whether they explained it in-universe or not. They came up with the restriction first and then explained it, rather than coming up with the plot device first and then designing the game around that. We know this because it's the same power restriction that exists in multiplayer, and they've said the ability to switch between SP and MP more or less seamlessly was a design goal (hence the Apex terminal.)

Or they could have saved us both and just gone with the class system of the last three games. Which so far as I can tell worked just fine. Or designed an actually good classless system, instead of splitting the difference with a weird switch-a-class system. And so long as they didn't use radically different controls or totally different powers between modes, I don't see why this would have impacted the SP/MP switch all that much, it's not like loading the minuscule amount of code it would take to define the difference would increase the loading times at all.

[Psyren]

Or they could have saved us both and just gone with the class system of the last three games. Which so far as I can tell worked just fine.

That wouldn't have worked because they were trying to go with fluid classes to fit the open-world/exploratory theme. So some form of switching on the fly was needed.

Or designed an actually good classless system, instead of splitting the difference with a weird switch-a-class system.

I don't disagree.

And so long as they didn't use radically different controls or totally different powers between modes, I don't see why this would have impacted the SP/MP switch all that much, it's not like loading the minuscule amount of code it would take to define the difference would increase the loading times at all.

You misunderstand me - I don't think it was due to loading times or anything technical like that. Rather, they wanted you to be able to transfer your playstyle seamlessly between both modes, and thus 3 skills at a time would make sense.

I'm actually in favor of 3 skill buttons, I just wanted a "shift"-style modifier button that would functionally expand that to 6 for Ryder specifically, staying within a given profile.

[Morty]

Yeah, lack of classes is one of the best things about Andromeda. It's just that they coupled it with a very annoying restriction.

Regardless, I installed the mod I'd linked. How it works is that switching doesn't put powers on cooldown, but a power's cooldown doesn't tick down unless it's actively equipped. So if you use Throw, with a cooldown of six seconds, switch to another set after two seconds, and then switch again, it'll still have four seconds of cooldown. Time will tell how well it works, but it sure is better than the default state of affairs.

And the mod to shut up SAM is a beautiful thing already. Blessed silence.

[LibraryOgre]

So, anyone still playing Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer? I like to drop in on it, since it's about 20 minutes of gaming, which is easier to carve out than a couple hours of Bethesda game, and requires a lot less inventory fiddling. My current track is to play whichever class has the highest level, play them until they're 20th, then promote them and play the next highest level.

Switching from Vanguard to Infiltrator is HARD, let me tell you. And I don't have the patience to save up for the really good packs, so I buy the 20k pack whenever I can afford one, then play a bit more.

[Psyren]

I'll play some more of it when I'm done with my second playthrough. I've cleared Eos, Elaaden, Kadara and Havarl so far, and completed Liam, Jaal, and Drack's loyalty missions. I've also hit the level cap of 80 and crafted a shiny N7 X set for my Adept Ryder with combo damage mods crammed into every orifice.

Sadly, I ran out of Milky Way research before I could learn how to craft my N7 Valkyrie X, but my strike teams were able to find a Valkyrie IX in a gold pack that I equipped this morning.

[Caelestion]

So, anyone still playing Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer?

I haven't played any since ME:A came out, but I've been meaning to play some more of the ME:A multiplayer, especially as the matches are shorter than ME3.

[Sholos]

So I'm just about done with Voeld, the first place I went to after Elos and am sitting at tier IV equipment. That's normal, yes? Also I'm loving the Inferno, even if it isn't quite the power/shot I'm used to. Gonna try out the Isharay to see if I have ammo problems (the big reason I'm using the Inferno aside from the fact that it shoots lightning). Can't decide if there's any reason for my sidearm to be anything except the Hurricane. Also really feeling restricted on the powers thing. I'd like to use more than just the three, but several seconds of cooldown just for the priviledge of switching a couple powers out (that don't seem to be all that more effective than continuing with my current set) is unbearable.

[Psyren]

For the cooldowns, I'm going to try that mod Morty mentioned.

The Isharay is a beast. It's named "farewell" for a reason.

[Sholos]

Am playing on the PS4, so unfortunately no mods for me.

I tend to go on long excursions without seeing droppoints, so I'm hoping there's enough ammo spots to keep me supplied.

[Psyren]

Most (all?) places with firefights have at least one ammo box - but if you have trouble with bullets, consider crafting a Remnant gun or one with a vintage heat sink as backup.

[Caelestion]

I got round that issue by being very power-heavy, e.g. Incinerate/Overload or Lift/Throw. In fact, I only ever trained the passive soldier skills and the Pistol skill.

[Inarius]

I got round that issue by being very power-heavy, e.g. Incinerate/Overload or Lift/Throw. In fact, I only ever trained the passive soldier skills and the Pistol skill.

For me it was being a heavy Melee/shotgun character. Charge shoot stab repeat. Once your Ninja Bonus gets up high enough even Annointed go down in a couple hits. Although on rare occasions I did wind up running out of shotgun ammo, usually while roaming but never during actual story missions.

[Sholos]

The other fun issue in having with the profiles is I'm trying to level infiltrator. Niw that means putting points in the combat tree, which, aside from sniper rifles and pistols, had very little to interest me. All of my powers are in tech. So outside of throwing useless points into combat passive skills that eill never benefit me (because I don't use combat powers), there's no way for me to level the Infiltrator profile. Bleh.

[Psyren]

The other fun issue in having with the profiles is I'm trying to level infiltrator. Niw that means putting points in the combat tree, which, aside from sniper rifles and pistols, had very little to interest me. All of my powers are in tech. So outside of throwing useless points into combat passive skills that eill never benefit me (because I don't use combat powers), there's no way for me to level the Infiltrator profile. Bleh.

You should level the combat power Barricade if you want to be a sniper. In addition to letting you "set up shop" from any vantage point you want, there is an evolution that increases your weapon damage while you're behind it, which combos well with your cloak bonus and with the other passive that increases your weapon damage while you're in cover. I would also level the combat power Turbocharge, which increases your weapon damage even more as well as your reload speed. By combining those three, you can one-shot nearly any enemy in the game; if you can nail their weakpoint, even heavier enemies on Insanity can go down in a few shots. (Cloak can help you get in position behind fiends, or ping a Destroyer that opens it's" mouth.")

Another tip for Tactical Cloak - use evolutions that max out your tech power duration. This not only makes the cloak itself last longer, it also applies to the lingering cloak that sticks around for a couple of seconds after you fire, which can let you keep the damage bonus longer.

And finally, I love the Infiltrator passive simply because it lets you dodge and jump silently and briefly fade out while doing it. Makes me feel like a space-ninja and messes with enemy AI.

[Sholos]

That's probably a more optimal strat than what I'm doing now (though I hate the fact that Barricade is limited and has such a small duration), which is running Overliad and that virus power, but those seem way more Infiltrator-y. And if I was using those, then I've still got the problem of, "What do I level?" except in the tech tree. Basically to me it doesn't make sense to level more than a few powers because changing profiles is so crippling and I haven't found any situation my normal powers can't handle easily. Maybe that's my fault for playing on Normal, though.

[warty goblin]

Am playing on the PS4, so unfortunately no mods for me.

I tend to go on long excursions without seeing droppoints, so I'm hoping there's enough ammo spots to keep me supplied.

There's ammo everywhere. And an ammo box is good for a couple reloads. You can also do what I did, and simply carry four guns all the time - something is gonna still have some go-juice left.

[Psyren]

I carry 3 - at higher levels, weight limits may as well not exist, so my Adept is running around with a Piranha, Valkyrie and Ushior.

[Inarius]

I wouldn't discount the combat fitness passive in the combat tree. It has a lot of good passives in it like extra ammo capacity, reduced weapon weight, a large bonus to DR while you're in cover (which barricade counts as). The other passive tree is great for melee or if you intend to use combat powers for priming/detonating stuff which tbh doesn't seem as good as tech or biotic primers/detonators.

[warty goblin]

I carry 3 - at higher levels, weight limits may as well not exist, so my Adept is running around with a Piranha, Valkyrie and Ushior.

Yeah, four is really unnecessary. A sniper rifle is totally justifiable, a shotgun somewhat so, but I can't figure out any reason to use pistols or smgs when assault rifles are around. And given how excellent the revanent rifles are, I can't see a need to carry two. I mean I still do (or did, when my gaming PC was working) because I could, and sometimes dumping a mag of homing plasma on somebody was just too much fun, but it was hardly a requirement.

[Beleriphon]

Yeah, four is really unnecessary. A sniper rifle is totally justifiable, a shotgun somewhat so, but I can't figure out any reason to use pistols or smgs when assault rifles are around. And given how excellent the revanent rifles are, I can't see a need to carry two. I mean I still do (or did, when my gaming PC was working) because I could, and sometimes dumping a mag of homing plasma on somebody was just too much fun, but it was hardly a requirement.

Some of the SMG and Pistol options work exceptionally well with different augments, and they all have slightly different mods.

[Sasaisen]

Trip/Frag/Flak are also good to dump points in if you need to level combat. Stick them on a profile, pop them off when you need an alpha strike, then switch to your actual combat setup. (Also remember to switch back to them after a fight to recharge)