Who Put The CCG In Mass Effect 3?
Is extra content no one gets to play actually extra content?
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Is extra content no one gets to play actually extra content?
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Who Put The CCG In Mass Effect 3?
- Thread starter Dennis Scimeca
- Start date
Well surely by this argument borderlands is crap cause its all luck whether you get a gun that suits your class, same with diablo or any other loot based game the whole point is you grind until you get the gear you want and nobody is forcing you to buy it.
This was bloody frustrating, I only managed to unlock a Geth character I'd be pinning for since day one on the day before they released the Rebellion pack-just as well I imagine, if I hadn't I'd never get it JUST MORE BLOODY USELESS PISTOLS.
Honestly, I have my ups and downs with the system. It really does suck to fight your way through 3-4 Silver matches in order to grab the Premium Spectre pack, and having your Graal Spike Thrower and your Asari Adept. Neither of which you've ever really used. But honestly, the low of the lows makes for the higher highs. I've had matches where I got my 100K Credits saved, and on that last match I had 20 seconds left with my team in the Extraction Zone with 2 Brutes and a Banshee all whooping our asses but still came out on top. Unlocked the Vorcha Sentinel and upgraded my Geth Plasma SMG, which was completely amazing.
Having the option to just BUY what you want would be ok, I guess, but it honestly feels good to EARN the stuff your using, even if it does mean lots of time put in and 8 different pistols at level 10 when I DON"T USE PISTOLS DAMNIT!!!
Having the option to just BUY what you want would be ok, I guess, but it honestly feels good to EARN the stuff your using, even if it does mean lots of time put in and 8 different pistols at level 10 when I DON"T USE PISTOLS DAMNIT!!!
That would have been a hell of a more efficient and ensure that we don't have piles of crappy weapons we never use!Zhukov said:
![Fr]anc[is](https://eg-forums-escapist-data.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/data/avatars/l/93/93202.jpg?1620797781){kind=avatar}
You get so many different guns in Borderlands and there are so many readily-accessible pieces of loot in Diablo 3 that you're always changing around options and trying new things and experimenting.getoffmycloud said:
There is a huge difference between either of those games and Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode which presents a relatively *small* number of options and locks them behind a randomized die roll. Apples and oranges.
Given, ya know, the entire purpose of the "multplayer/singleplayer" tie in and that it actually RESTRICTS SINGLE PLAYER CONTENT UNLESS YOU PLAY MULTIPLAYER (apologies for excessive caps, but necessary) its not at all surprising this isnt the only way the game tries to manipulate you into playing multiplayer. The fact that if you want to experience all the (tedious IMO) MP system has to offer you have to rely on pot luck and a crapton of repeat matches isnt one little bit surprising to me.
Im really shocked this multiplayer mode didnt cop more flak in this regard actually. Its one of the most offensively intrusive and restricting mutliplayer modes Ive ever had the misfortune of seeing taint a perfectly acceptable single player campaign. What it has has been done better in ways far less forceful by other games.
Having multiplayer not affect single player campaign and have a points/purchase system instead of random loot dumps would have been obviously better but less multiplayer hours would get logged by people who were no longer forced to grind MP for those reasons.
Also the fact that these loot drops can be charged on microsoft points is sickening.
Im really shocked this multiplayer mode didnt cop more flak in this regard actually. Its one of the most offensively intrusive and restricting mutliplayer modes Ive ever had the misfortune of seeing taint a perfectly acceptable single player campaign. What it has has been done better in ways far less forceful by other games.
Having multiplayer not affect single player campaign and have a points/purchase system instead of random loot dumps would have been obviously better but less multiplayer hours would get logged by people who were no longer forced to grind MP for those reasons.
Also the fact that these loot drops can be charged on microsoft points is sickening.
Thanks for negating your opinion by never playing the game from the get go. Means I don't have to worry about what you think. Rock on.Fr said:
As for the idea that EA/Bioware is money grubbing for this DLC- there is that opinion, but that is a flawed ideal. Unlike other games where DLC becomes a tiered experience by those who bought the DLC for XYZ map pack (thereby shrinking the player pool and in effect pointedly stating that those who do not pay, can't play), you still have the option of playing with the characters you unlock and use. The company still has to find a way to make money and distribute content, without alienating players, and this is by far my favorite move. Instead of paying $5 and having no 'reward' for unlocking the equipment, I still have the option of continuing to play and get some of the cool new items FOR FREE. What's that? The investment is my own time, playing a game I like? Sweet. I don't like the new stuff, I am not at a loss. I didn't spend a penny.
Likewise if you are such ridiculous puppet that you're practically hemorrhaging your money in order to get some new shiny toys instead of just enjoying the game, feel free to pay whomever your game provider is for instant extra equipment packs. Go on, all you have to do is cut that jugular and bleed some more the money you didn't have to spend in the first place. Woe is you.
As for content no one gets to play/time to develop the characters? Boo-hoo. Sorry you think you're entitled to it, you didn't get the one thing you deserve, or you wasted XP on appearance or character unlocks you have (try promoting your characters to use that XP and try another build). In the mean time, I'll be over here approving of a developer who came up with a way to distribute continued FREE content to their ENTIRE multiplayer base, admitted their mistakes on the ending of ME3 and swapped production staff to address the issue with new (also Free) content.
Seriously, your whining is why Dev's can't stand their internet fanbase.
I think you're talking about something different and unrelated throughout. That has to do with map packs. The randomization in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer has to do with character classes and gear.Dana Brandt said:
Too bad for the author that he didn't figure out earlier what a waste of time the multiplayer is. I played as a sniper, worked through a bunch of bronze campaigns adn saved enough for the 99k pack, and what did I get? A shot gun and a sub machine gun mod. At that point I asked myself why I was wasting my time with this. If I wanted to play a FPS there are much better games to chose from, and I didn't buy Mass Effect for a FPS.
I don't mind the randomize system if it was combined with an option to just buy the things. Like straight up purchasing things cost a lot of say "points" compared to the randomized roll, so you had a choice to either gamble or save up your cash. Of course Bioware did it the way they did for cash so meh.
I'm a frequent player of the ME3 MP metagame, running multiple Gold matches a day with a dedicated team. There are a few mistakes made in this article and in the thread so far, I'd like to clear a few of them up.
In the article, the writer laments the addition of new characters because it means more character unlocks for maxed classes, meaning those unlocks go to waste. While it is true that the unlock is wasted if the class is already at max level, adding new characters does not increase the odds of drawing a character card. The variants of rare unlocks are in separate pools, meaning the game tosses a coin to decide whether you get a character or a weapon, then rolls the dice to decide which character or weapon you get afterwards. More characters does not mean more frequent character cards.
There is also no new mode of play included in the new DLC. Only one mode of play exists, that being the GoW-style Horde Mode. The DLC did add something that isn't mentioned in the article, however; a new slot for equipment. Unlike the other consumable gear that lasts for one match, these are not expended after each game and can level up like weapons. They provide similar bonuses to existing temporary equipment.
The article writer also mentions he must take his common Avenger X to Silver/Gold games because all of his rare weapons are at level I. This is a terrible mistake to make for numerous reasons. Not only are a lot of rare weapons immediately better than the Avenger regardless of level, but assault rifles are, in general, tied for the spot of worst weapon class with SMGs.
You see, automatic weapons are mostly horrible in ME3. Their DPS is balanced with slower, semi-automatic weapons. This sounds fair, until you realise that spending more than 1 second in the line of fire on Gold gets you a nice long dirt nap. High powered, semi-auto weapons require only brief exposure to fire while you pop out, fire a shot, duck away and repeat. Automatic weapons require prolonged exposure to fire to achieve their stated DPS, which - as mentioned earlier - gets you killed. It's for the same reasons that most SMGs are terrible in Gold.
There are exceptions to the "Assault Rifles suck" rule, but they're the ARs that aren't really ARs, like the Falcon grenade launcher.
As for the posts, I notice a few people lamenting that the game keeps giving them pistols. Pistols are quite possible the best class of weapons in the game, provided you can aim. The Carnifex, Paladin and Talon are among the most reliable and powerful weapons in the game. If you can line up headshots, you can put down any non-boss enemy on Gold with one or two shots. The Scorpion is a brilliant weapon that sees use in some very effective non-traditional builds, and the Phalanx straddles the line between slow/heavy hitting and rapid-fire DPS just well enough to remain useful.
And lastly, to address the problem of the random packs;
Once you're down with a reliable team, the packs become mostly a non-issue for everything short of the ultra-rare weapons, which are supposed to be virtually unobtainable, hence the moniker "ultra-rare". If you have around an hour or two to play per day, and your team doesn't drag their feet, you'll unlock everything worth having in no time. Oh, you won't get what you want when you want it, but the time frame is pretty much the same.
Imagine if you could buy the weapons & upgrades you want, rather than random chances at them. Well, the weapons & upgrades would have to be substantially more expensive than the packs. There's no game with RPG mechanics in the world that doesn't force you to grind for what you want. The difference here is that you'll unlock other stuff - stuff you probably would never have chosen - along the way. This, in my opinion, is a good thing, as it leads to variety as players pick up weapons they would never otherwise have used or even unlocked, simply because they have it.
I, for example, would never have used a shotgun - any shotgun - if I'd been able to pick my weapons. I'd have stuck with sniper rifles and heavy pistols. But the GPS, Graal & Claymore levels just kept creeping up until one day I though, what the hell, I'll give them a shot. And now, the Claymore & Graal are among my favourite weapons in the game. The same goes for other weapons I was dubious of, such as the Kishok SR and the Talon pistol.
If the game hadn't dumped those weapons I didn't want on my hands, I probably would have given up playing the game when I got bored of snipers & pistols. I certainly wouldn't have grinded more credits out to buy weapons I was uncertain of. And I'm still playing the game and enjoying it.
Yes, the system of random unlocks is in no small part designed to keep people playing and drive the less patient players to purchasing them for real cash. But as long as you enjoy playing, what does it matter that it keeps you there? And if you're not inclined to spend money on the packs, it doesn't matter that you can. If you actually want to, it's not a bad thing that you can.
The biggest problem with the packs for the majority of players is that Bronze and, to a lesser extent, Silver, don't give sufficient credits to fund rare unlocks at a reasonable rate, and many players fear Gold, and for good reason. Going from playing Bronze/Silver to Gold is like going from playing Skyrim to Dark Souls. It's also no exaggeration to say that the majority of ME's fanbase aren't exactly prolific players of multiplayer games, and are therefore much less likely to build the necessary connections to create a regular team of Gold-worthy players - and Gold isn't something you really want to try with public groups.
In any case, if you - and that includes the author of this article, should he actually be reading this thread - play on the Xbox 360 want to play some Gold and earn some credits with reliable, forgiving and easygoing players, my team and I would be glad to take you along and show you the ropes. Just send me a private message with your gamertag and we'd be glad to have you on board.
In the article, the writer laments the addition of new characters because it means more character unlocks for maxed classes, meaning those unlocks go to waste. While it is true that the unlock is wasted if the class is already at max level, adding new characters does not increase the odds of drawing a character card. The variants of rare unlocks are in separate pools, meaning the game tosses a coin to decide whether you get a character or a weapon, then rolls the dice to decide which character or weapon you get afterwards. More characters does not mean more frequent character cards.
There is also no new mode of play included in the new DLC. Only one mode of play exists, that being the GoW-style Horde Mode. The DLC did add something that isn't mentioned in the article, however; a new slot for equipment. Unlike the other consumable gear that lasts for one match, these are not expended after each game and can level up like weapons. They provide similar bonuses to existing temporary equipment.
The article writer also mentions he must take his common Avenger X to Silver/Gold games because all of his rare weapons are at level I. This is a terrible mistake to make for numerous reasons. Not only are a lot of rare weapons immediately better than the Avenger regardless of level, but assault rifles are, in general, tied for the spot of worst weapon class with SMGs.
You see, automatic weapons are mostly horrible in ME3. Their DPS is balanced with slower, semi-automatic weapons. This sounds fair, until you realise that spending more than 1 second in the line of fire on Gold gets you a nice long dirt nap. High powered, semi-auto weapons require only brief exposure to fire while you pop out, fire a shot, duck away and repeat. Automatic weapons require prolonged exposure to fire to achieve their stated DPS, which - as mentioned earlier - gets you killed. It's for the same reasons that most SMGs are terrible in Gold.
There are exceptions to the "Assault Rifles suck" rule, but they're the ARs that aren't really ARs, like the Falcon grenade launcher.
As for the posts, I notice a few people lamenting that the game keeps giving them pistols. Pistols are quite possible the best class of weapons in the game, provided you can aim. The Carnifex, Paladin and Talon are among the most reliable and powerful weapons in the game. If you can line up headshots, you can put down any non-boss enemy on Gold with one or two shots. The Scorpion is a brilliant weapon that sees use in some very effective non-traditional builds, and the Phalanx straddles the line between slow/heavy hitting and rapid-fire DPS just well enough to remain useful.
And lastly, to address the problem of the random packs;
Once you're down with a reliable team, the packs become mostly a non-issue for everything short of the ultra-rare weapons, which are supposed to be virtually unobtainable, hence the moniker "ultra-rare". If you have around an hour or two to play per day, and your team doesn't drag their feet, you'll unlock everything worth having in no time. Oh, you won't get what you want when you want it, but the time frame is pretty much the same.
Imagine if you could buy the weapons & upgrades you want, rather than random chances at them. Well, the weapons & upgrades would have to be substantially more expensive than the packs. There's no game with RPG mechanics in the world that doesn't force you to grind for what you want. The difference here is that you'll unlock other stuff - stuff you probably would never have chosen - along the way. This, in my opinion, is a good thing, as it leads to variety as players pick up weapons they would never otherwise have used or even unlocked, simply because they have it.
I, for example, would never have used a shotgun - any shotgun - if I'd been able to pick my weapons. I'd have stuck with sniper rifles and heavy pistols. But the GPS, Graal & Claymore levels just kept creeping up until one day I though, what the hell, I'll give them a shot. And now, the Claymore & Graal are among my favourite weapons in the game. The same goes for other weapons I was dubious of, such as the Kishok SR and the Talon pistol.
If the game hadn't dumped those weapons I didn't want on my hands, I probably would have given up playing the game when I got bored of snipers & pistols. I certainly wouldn't have grinded more credits out to buy weapons I was uncertain of. And I'm still playing the game and enjoying it.
Yes, the system of random unlocks is in no small part designed to keep people playing and drive the less patient players to purchasing them for real cash. But as long as you enjoy playing, what does it matter that it keeps you there? And if you're not inclined to spend money on the packs, it doesn't matter that you can. If you actually want to, it's not a bad thing that you can.
The biggest problem with the packs for the majority of players is that Bronze and, to a lesser extent, Silver, don't give sufficient credits to fund rare unlocks at a reasonable rate, and many players fear Gold, and for good reason. Going from playing Bronze/Silver to Gold is like going from playing Skyrim to Dark Souls. It's also no exaggeration to say that the majority of ME's fanbase aren't exactly prolific players of multiplayer games, and are therefore much less likely to build the necessary connections to create a regular team of Gold-worthy players - and Gold isn't something you really want to try with public groups.
In any case, if you - and that includes the author of this article, should he actually be reading this thread - play on the Xbox 360 want to play some Gold and earn some credits with reliable, forgiving and easygoing players, my team and I would be glad to take you along and show you the ropes. Just send me a private message with your gamertag and we'd be glad to have you on board.
Yes, he is. Howdy, Arkley!Arkley said:
I imagine you know the exploit wherein running Gold matches against Geth on Firebase White is easy as pie?
You cannot imagine...well, *you* probably can...how I've farmed the hell out of that setup. Earning credits has not been an issue for me since I learned the exploit. I have bought many more 99,000-credit Reinforcement Packs, whatever they're being called this week, than I probably had a right to. And that actually informed my decision to tackle this subject on First Person. If *I* haven't even unlocked all the default class variants yet, I can't imagine what it's like for someone who *can't* hang on Gold consistently and earn all that money.
I take issue with the idea that RPG mechanics have anything to do with judging the mechanics of a survival-mode cover-based third-person shooter. Multiplayer and campaign are two completely different beasts in Mass Efect 3. Arguing that RPGs make us grind, and therefore grinding through a random die roll while getting garbage is reasonable, doesn't hold water with me. We're not talking about an RPG in this, specific context. We're talking about a shooter.
My larger point is that no, I'm not enjoying playing anymore, precisely because this random mechanic finally got on my nerves. None of my friends are playing anymore, and the Reinforcement Packs and boredom with them had something to do with it. You're getting those sorts of responses in the comments here, as well. It's a shame it's happening, because I truly believe the multiplayer mode is brilliant *except for this one decision.*
I love ME3's multiplayer, I really do... but the unlock system for gear drives me insane... you hit the nail on the head with this.Dennis Scimeca said:
I'm aware of the FBW/G/G strategy, and such frequent use of it is likely responsible for your exasperation with the game setting in so quickly. I completely understand why players resort to it - as I mentioned earlier, Bronze and Silver really don't provide enough credits for frequent Gold unlocks and Gold is a real challenge with any other set up - but it really kills the game. Grinding the same map, enemy and strategy over and over in the name of unlocking weapons in the hope of adding more variety to your game is bound to wear thin quickly.Dennis Scimeca said:
We'll have to agree to disagree on whether the presence of RPG mechanics ought to factor in to the judgement of the game. I'd argue that the presence of multiple choices for character classes and how those characters are built, weapon progression and varying character roles in play(such as the typical support, tank, DPS, etc) make the multiplayer an RPG. An RPG with the story hacked out, certainly, but walking and talking like a shooter doesn't make those aspects any less present.
In any case, if you're not enjoying the game any more due to frustration with the unlock system, I certainly can't argue with that. I can't tell you you're wrong for being irritated by it and - having experienced frustration at the hands of those packs myself - I can't even say I don't understand it. But I will refer to the first paragraph of this response, and say that you might still find the game worth playing if you find a decent team that can handle a variety of enemies, maps and strategies. You may never approve of the unlock system, but you may begin to enjoy the rest of the game enough to have fun in spite of it.
If you ever decide to make a return, my team are casual and easygoing guys and you - along with anyone else who has grown tired of the game - are welcome to join us.
Edit:
Oh! And a friendly heads-up in case it's not too late to make adjustments to your article; the new DLC didn't add a new mode of play, but it did add new permanent variants of existing temporary equipment and a new in-match objective.
Escorting characters carrying objects who are combat-ineffective while doing so is a new mode of play as far as I'm concerned. 
This.Fr said:
Dear OP: You should probably keep giving money to EA and get them to correct their behaviour by rewarding the times they screw over consumers.