Author Topic: Mass Effect: Andromeda  (Read 60657 times)

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Offline Herra Tohtori

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I don't know about that.

While part of me is pretty sure that we may have trouble recognizing alien life when we eventually do find it, another part of me wouldn't be at all surprised to run into something vaguely human in appearance, thanks to developmental biology.

Yes. Convergent evolution, basically.

A limb is a limb and there will most likely be some kind of symmetry at play. At some point in the evolution of life on a planet, natural selection will favour a certain kind of symmetry for the dominant clade (radial or bilateral symmetry being the most obvious options). On Earth, it ended up being radial symmetry for almost all, with exception of things like sea stars or jellyfish, and very simple animals like polyps or single cell organisms.

I guess it would be possible for an intelligent species to evolve from a sea star -like ancestor with radial symmetry, eyes everywhere on its skin, and some number of radially symmetrical limbs - but just as likely (and possibly more so) would be a bilaterally symmetrical species with mirror-symmetric limbs.

And a bilaterally symmetric species almost certainly has a head of some kind - whether the bulk of the central nervous system (brain) is stored in the "head" or not, that's a different question. For all we know, brain could be in the place of the liver or somewhere else in the abdomen in some species (although most likely visual, auditory and olfactory sensors would be in close proximity of the brain to minimize signal latency)

The number of limbs would depend on, again, how the evolution happened to go on that whatever planet, and on bilateral animals the number of limbs would be even. And the thing is, any number higher than four is probably superfluous. Sure, on arthropods we see a lot more limbs, but more complex animals would have to spend a lot of resources to grow limbs that they don't, strictly speaking, need - four limbs should be enough for any aquatic or terrestrial species! Maybe six limbs could be a possibility, if the presence of a surplus limb pair was somehow beneficial to the early common ancestor of that clade, but I would rather put my money on four being the most common number of limbs in complex animals, in most planets of the universe. Though I have to admit, six-limbed animals would be particularly interesting because you could then have a quadruped animal with an extra pair of limbs for other task - either for manipulation, like the shifty looking cow or centaurs from our mythology - or maybe he extra limb pair would be evolved to provide flight, like the Pegasus or griffins or dragons even.

In terrestrial sentient animals, one limb pair would almost certainly adapt to being used for manipulation, and on four-limbed species, that would almost certainly mean partial or fully bipedal locomotion, in which case you already have a basic humanoid body type (joint number and directions and body proportions notwithstanding). Six- or more-limbed species could either retain quadruped locomotion and have one pair of manipulator limbs, or they might also develop bipedal locomotion but have two pairs of manipulator limbs.


To summarize - bilateral symmetry, a head storing brain and visual, aural, and olfactory sensors, four limbs, two for manipulation and two for bipedal locomotion - a humanoid form - might actually be a fairly common basic "blueprint" in sentient terrestrial species.


On the other hand, aquatic sentient life wouldn't necessarily follow these rules (see: cetaceans and cephalopods). Bipedal locomotion certainly wouldn't be particularly useful for them...
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Offline NGTM-1R

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On the other hand, aquatic life is governed by certain laws of physics for its rough shape; there's just not that many efficient body types for moving through liquid.
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Offline Luis Dias

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Obligatory posting of Andromeda's new teaser


According to the teaser, we can surmise a few things.

First, the Andromeda initiative is clearly something happening before ME3's events. It might even be correct in positing the notion that the whole campaign happens without people knowing what the Reapers are doing (that would be uninteresting).

Second... well, apparently, the Ryder father is the lead figure of the whole "Andromeda Initiative" enterprise.

Third... I have no idea.

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

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It refers to N7 day 2015 or is that a dodgy font?

Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

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That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
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Offline 0rph3u5

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It refers to N7 day 2015 or is that a dodgy font?

It's a mistake
"As you sought to steal a kingdom for yourself, so must you do again, a thousand times over. For a theft, a true theft, must be practiced to be earned." - The terms of Nyrissa's curse, Pathfinder: Kingmaker

==================

"I am Curiosity, and I've always wondered what would become of you, here at the end of the world." - The Guide/The Curious Other, Othercide

"When you work with water, you have to know and respect it. When you labour to subdue it, you have to understand that one day it may rise up and turn all your labours into nothing. For what is water, which seeks to make all things level, which has no taste or colour of its own, but a liquid form of Nothing?" - Graham Swift, Waterland

"...because they are not Dragons."

 
So, the whole point of the expedition drifts away from a "Reaper war- defeat contingency" to stuff like "pure curiosity of space exploring". And I'm okay with that. To be honest I'm tired of apocalyptic conflicts shown in video games. At least for now ;)

 

Offline Ace

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Well it could be both actually, everyone except for the expedition lead thinking it's pure exploration but it is a Plan B after Sovereign.
Ace
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Offline Luis Dias

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Yeah I think Ace's idea is both what BioWare is after and the more interesting angle.

And I've been hearing rumours there are two expeditions, the Pathfinder and the Andromeda Initiative, one goes a few months in front of the other, like scouts getting themselves into "first contacting" species so as to give the larger second expedition data where to go.

Contrary to Shepards' backstory, Ryder brothers are normal non-hero people who are thrown into an adventure and slowly build up their hero status.

 

Offline Luis Dias

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So it's #N7 Day. Hopefully we will finally get a decent overview of what the game will be about and how it will play.

Meanwhile, the box art has already leaked:

 
Much better helmet design than Star Citizen, there.
The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell.

 
https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/795661158833192960

And here's the collector edition.



Some new races, new toys and weapons..... but still no solid gameplay :/ We'll have to wait for it till 1'st December


Andromeda Initiative briefing:
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=Qyo26rqVYfQ


And after some more digging:

Quote
Around 2185, at the height of galactic progress, unaware of the impending Reaper invasion, several species band together for the "Andromeda Initiative"
-4 Arks, each carrying a different race, are built, housing thousands of individuals to chart a course to Andromeda
-The Heleus Cluster is noted as having a significant amount of "Golden Worlds", or planets ripe for life
-Each ark is led by a "Pathfinder"
-The Pathfinder, recon teams and others onboard are in cryosleep, unaware of what transpires in the Milky Way after they depart
-You play as either Scott or Sara Ryder, the children of Alec Ryder (pathfinder of the human ark)
-Alec Ryder is voiced by Clancy Brown
-Events at the start of the game occur that pass this role down to you, you are untested and unproven, unlike Commander Shepard of the previous trilogy
-This doesn't mean Mass Effect is Ryder's story from now on, they want the game to feel like a complete story (while teasing other stories that could happen)
-More customization options than previous games
-You can customize your father and your sibling, though not as extensively
-The "Nexus" is basically a forward command center staffed by multiple species that arrives in Andromeda early to pave the way for the Arks
-The Hyperion (humanity's ark) arrives at an incorrect location that's volatile and loses contact with the other arks and Nexus
Inspiration
-The (much improved) Mako of ME1, the loyalty missions of ME2, the multiplayer of ME3
Combat
-Global cooldowns are now replaced by individual timers
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim
-Dynamic cover system (ala TLOU)
-Still a cover based shooter with a goal to get the player moving around the battlefield more
-Jetpack allows for more movement variety; you can quick dash instead of rolling
-Jetpack has a hover function that allows you to hit enemies seeking cover or survey your surroundings
-Less emphasis on linear, clearly telegraphed environments that tell you a combat encounter is coming (though linear areas are still in the game)
-Game Informer's hands on was positive, feel the game has a clearer identity in combat than previous games
-You still queue up attacks, combos, order your squad, etc
-All key elements are still intact but the studio wanted to encourage more experimentation and wider variety of abilities
-Class system is gone; instead you have full access to abilities from all classes, you can mix and match skills from tech, soldier or biotics
-Goal is to allow players to try different approaches to combat without being locked in at the start
-However, you can still specialize once you invest enough points into a category of skills, you unlock a profile that can get you bonuses for your particular play style
-This is where class names like "Vanguard" (invest in combat and biotics) and "Adept" (invest in biotics) resurface
-Invest in multiple categories and you unlock the "Explorer" profile
-There is a narrative reason that allows you to reconfigure your points throughout the game so that you can try out multiple gameplay approaches without making multiple characters
-You can customize your helmet, chest, shoulders, arms and legs, more extensive than previous trilogy
-Many familiar weapons return, as well as new melee options like swords and hammers
-The 'Kett' are the main enemy
-The team wanted players to experience the first time encountering a new alien species vs already having it established in prior games
-Rather than painting them as mortal enemies, BioWare wanted to make them feel foreboding but not ugly as they want you to also empathize with them
-Instead of having "linear slices" of planets that you land on, you explore these planets from the surface to their underbelly
-Critical paths, optional planets, major hubs, loyalty missions return
-Your land vehicle is designated the "Nomad", and the team got special guidance from NFS developers on its handling.
-The Nomad isn't sluggish and cumbersome like the Mako, it's very fast, still boosts and maneuvers much better
-The Nomad doesn't have weapons, you can customize things like its speed and appearance
-BioWare did not want to repeat having things like mineral nodes and multiple identical outposts scattered across planets
-Points of interest include combat encounters, puzzles, narrative beats etc on planets
-One planet, called 'Elaaden', is flagged as a possible habitat zone, however the surface is hazardous (no water, extremely hot); you can be pointed in this direction in multiple ways, for example, a Krogan can request the Pathfinder to find a missing colony ship or you can just choose to land on the planet yourself and see what you find
-On planets, one of your priorities is to scout for drop zones for your crew that drop "forward stations" that establishes a foothold for you
-These stations allow for changing up your loadout, fast travel point, etc
-Planets can have multiple dangers like acid pools, burning wreckage, weather etc that can all kill you
-Most planets have at least one major enemy base
-Planets can have areas, encounters and "super bosses" that are too tough for you to handle at first, encouraging players to come back later
-Since Andromeda is a new galaxy, Ryder can actively scan and discover things in the environments; that gets sent back for analysis and unlocks new technologies for the player
-Scanning and discovering these things also allows you to obtain blueprints to craft weapons and armor for yourself
-You can create a wide array of items, not just ammo types and weapon mods, items that haven't been seen before in the Milky Way (thanks to new alien tech)
-Some plot threads and missions lead you across multiple planets
Squadmates
-Peebee: Asari squadmate shown in previous footage. Went off on her own after arriving on the Nexus and described as having a "bubbly personality". She's smart and not concerned with social norms and "niceties".
-Liam: Arrived with the Pathfinder, former police officer and described as having a "light attitude", bringing levity to situations
The Tempest (Your Ship)
-Important to harken back to the Normandy as it was a fan favorite
-There are no loading screens as you move through the ship
-Galaxy map returns but rather than piloting a mini ship on a map, it is more immersive, you select a planet, the game gives you sense of traveling towards that planet, and when you back out, you're immediately at your destination
-You don't pilot the ship manually, but it feels seamless as you go from planet to planet and see them from your bridge getting closer in the window
-They wanted a seamless experience from picking a planet to walking down to your cargo hold, hopping into the Nomad and landing on a planet. There is a landing sequence and you get off the ship. No more loading screens and instantly popping up on the surface of a planet.
Relationships/Characters
-There are more relationships in the game than any other Bioware game (as they noted fans make a big emphasis on romance in the games)
-The squadmate with the least amount of lines in Andromeda has more lines than the squadmate with the most amount of lines in ME3
-Due to complications in the awakening process, your sibling won't join you in combat but you can interact with them and build a relationship
-Many of these dealings are optional, and discovering more about the Ryder family is a plot thread
-BioWare is confident the details of this story are what differentiates it from a traditional "hero's journey"
-Loyalty missions return but they are not critical to the ending of the game; you can complete them after you complete the main story path for example
-Emphasis that relationships don't just culminate in a sex scene, but rather characters can just want to get in the sack, while others are interested in long term relationships and others still aren't interested at all. Bioware wanted to capture more "shooting bottles with Garrus" moments in the game, of which there are plenty
Multiplayer
-More evolved and refined form of ME3
-Card based economy where you earn XP and credits
-There are microtransactions but no real world money is required, you can unlock normally
-You still set the map, enemy, as before but you can also activate modifiers that can give you decreased health (for greater reward) or more damage (less reward)
-Bioware also plans to release custom crafted missions with unique modifiers that players can't change themselves
-These custom missions give you a 3rd currency, "mission funds" which allow you directly purchase items and weapons vs the mercy of random card packs; however these items are only available for a limited time in the store and can change often
-In MP, you play as the "Apex Force", a militia strike team from the Nexus
-Different enemies require you to use different tactics (some are shield heavy, some use heavy biotics etc)
-Playing MP will have advantages for the single player but it absolutely does not affect the ending of the game
-New "Prestige" mechanic added: With several types of characters, you earn regular XP and prestige XP. The prestige XP goes into every character of that 'type', for example 'tanky' characters. Earning enough prestige can grant you added health for all tank characters, etc.
Choices
-No more Paragon/Renegade system
-They want more nuance and subtlety and giving the player more opportunity to express themselves
-You can agree or disagree with someone without being punished or cornered into a paragon or renegade choice
-Dialogue option tones: heart, head, professional and casual.
-These don't affect you or sway a meter one way or another, rather they allow you freedom without worrying about unintended consequences
-"Narrative actions" (previously "interrupts) return but rather than giving a "red"=bad or "blue"=good choice, it can say "shoot", leaving more ambiguity to your choice
« Last Edit: November 07, 2016, 04:25:33 pm by Col.Hornet »

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

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A lot of that intrigues me.

I'm afraid I can't help but draw parallels to freelancer and the associated tropes.  Also the nexus is the citadel in my head.

But still.... intrigued! !
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
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Offline Det. Bullock

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It remind me more of Dragon Age Origins in a lot of ways, like the fact that all player characters exist in-universe, you are the one that got lucky, only here the other one is still alive instead of being horribly killed like in DA: O.
"I pity the poor shades confined to the euclidean prison that is sanity." - Grant Morrison
"People assume  that time is a strict progression of cause to effect,  but *actually*  from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more  like a big ball  of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff." - The Doctor

 

Offline Luis Dias

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Quote
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

how the **** am I gonna play now? I'm terrible at real time decision making!! I loved ME precisely because I could "cheat" and give my neutered brain cells some time to devise a strategy! Jesus guys, that's terrible news for me...

bwaaaaa

 

Offline Kszyhu

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Quote
-They wanted a seamless experience from picking a planet to walking down to your cargo hold, hopping into the Nomad and landing on a planet. There is a landing sequence and you get off the ship. No more loading screens and instantly popping up on the surface of a planet.

Quoting this for absolutely no reason at all, honest.

 

Offline Luis Dias

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Yeah I like that part, especially how the mini-toy-normandy is gone, that was so ****ing silly.

 

Offline Luis Dias

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The trailer itself is pretty ****ty (I hated it), but there is good info on it.

IGN has a good nitpicking investigating video on it here:


 

Offline MP-Ryan

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I am intrigued and excited enough from that excellent list that I actually signed up to participate in the early web-based promotions.

Also, BioWare seems to be incorporating a whole bunch of lessons, including from DA:I and ME3, and those are very positive developments.

Quote
-Powers are instead hotkeyed for quick use, no longer pausing to bring up a wheel and aim

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

how the **** am I gonna play now? I'm terrible at real time decision making!! I loved ME precisely because I could "cheat" and give my neutered brain cells some time to devise a strategy! Jesus guys, that's terrible news for me...

bwaaaaa

Did you play ME multiplayer?  Because I have to say, when it came to ME3, I played about 2/3 of the singleplayer, got into multi, and then didn't get around to completing singleplayer for MONTHS.  Multiplayer in ME3, despite being something of an afterthought, was an absolutel gem (though somewhat unpolished), and it is the biggest argument for hotkeying powers.  When you played ME3 multi for any length of time, you learned the hotkeys for the classes you player and you used them; no pausing, no pondering..... and it made the game immensely more fun when I returned to singleplayer and just did what came naturally.  Developing the SP campaign in Andromeda to bring that intuitive play out from the beginning is a phenomenal idea because it was far more immersive (and made you a lot better at the game).  ME3 on Insanity was a joke after you played multi.

Also, this is one game I am saving my pennies for and will probably buy on or near release because of the thought of more ME multiplayer gameplay makes me giddy with excitement.  Fury, E, Matth, what say you all?
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Offline Luis Dias

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Ah wait, yes I did. I did enjoy it for a few months actually.

You may well be right.

 

Offline The E

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Also, this is one game I am saving my pennies for and will probably buy on or near release because of the thought of more ME multiplayer gameplay makes me giddy with excitement.  Fury, E, Matth, what say you all?

I am so very hype for this.

And yeah, ME3 multi was an absolute blast. Salarian Infiltrator FTW.
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