BioWare: Mass Effect 3 Combat Perfected

[Greg Tito]

BioWare: Mass Effect 3 Combat Perfected

The executive producer on Mass Effect 3 over at BioWare said that the team has made many combat improvements for this iteration.

The first Mass Effect was an RPG with shooter elements while the combat gameplay shifted closer to a pure shooter with the sequel. In the cover story of this month's Game Informer, executive producer Casey Hudson at BioWare said that the response that the sequel earned from consumers and critics alike means the shift was a success. But now with the third game, Hudson said that the team has made further tweaks to bring the combat in line with the best shooters of this generation.

"If you look at the way Mass Effect 2 was received by fans and critics - given the huge, sweeping changes we made - I think there's reason to believe that the formula we arrived at was right. Now, I think there are tweaks we can make to that."

Hudson pointed to improved cover mechanics, more aggressive AI enemies, and ladders providing access to multi-leveled areas as clear indicators that the combat will play better in ME3. He's especially proud of the AI tweaks that make each enemy act differently. "They have very specific roles on the battlefield, and those roles - like chess pieces - work together a lot better because they have unique tactics," he explained.

All of that adds up to game that might give Call of Duty or Bulletstorm a run for their money. "We realized that because we have shooter combat, we inevitably will be compared with the best shooters in the world. So we have to get to that level," Hudson said. "Now, with Mass Effect 3, we're able to complete that evolution with improvements across the board."

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[manythings]

Can I get a video with my publicity yammer?

 

[Zhukov]

I remember reading that in those magazine scans that hit the net awhile back. Sounds good to me.

The RPG-crowd are gonna hate it though. "It's justed a dumbed down shooter now! Ruined forever! Waaah!

Heh.

 

[GLo Jones]

I guess seeing is believing, because 'multi-tiered levels joined by ladders' sounds pretty damn frustrating and tedious to me.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Dammit. Every publicity item about ME3 just reminds me it isn't out yet. I want it now!

Not sure ladders in shooters are ever a good idea though...

 

[Dr Jones]

Luv'd ME 1 and 2, i will sure as hell also love this one.

 

[Irridium]

Yeah, not exactly looking forward to it.

In ME2, you were just as accurate and your guns were just as strong at the end as they were at the beginning. You did not get more accurate, your guns didn't get stronger, they stayed the same from beginning to end. There was no sense of progression, no sense of getting stronger. Yeah you got a couple of new guns/powers to play around with, but they didn't really change up combat. Like, at all. You still stayed behind cover and shot dudes who poked their heads out(or casted your powers, depending on your class). The only two classes that were fun to play were Vanguard(who can charge everywhere) and the Infiltrator class(can turn invisible). And even then it was still pretty "meh".

In Mass Effect 1, you start out with ass guns, ass stats, ass armor, and pretty much just ass everything. But as you progress, you get better. Your weapons get better. Your skills get better. Your team gets better. You have an actual sense of progression. At the start I had to fire in bursts and couldn't cast much powers. By the end I could fire for 2 minutes without the gun overheating(not counting the "overload" power, which boosts accuracy/lowers heating up even more), my guns were super-accurate, I had such beefy armor I was like a tank. I went from "standard soldier" to "uber-badass". And it was great.

You also learn how the combat works. At the start you'll fumble around, but then you'll learn it. Learn when to use your powers, when take your shots, everything. You get better, Shepard gets better, you both get better at the same time and it just gives a sense of immersion that no other game has ever given me. Most people try to play Mass Effect 1 as a straight up shooter. Casting powers all at once, running in, ect. and I think thats why there was so much hate for it.

Mass Effect 1 is not a shooter. It is an RPG(although that in itself is debatable) with shooter elements. If you play it as a tactical RPG, pausing while playing, issuing orders, managing powers, ect. the game's combat gets great, fun, and interesting.

In ME2 you start out as "so-so badass" and just stay that way through the whole game. You don't get better, don't get more accurate, don't improve your guns(all the guns are basically side-grades instead of upgrades). There just isn't any sense of progression. Yeah you level up and get a bit more powers, but they all have the same cooldown for some stupid reason, so you'll cast one, then wait for everything to recharge, and then do it again. Its boring.

Again, ME1 is not a shooter. If you don't like that, then guess what? The game is not for you. This is not a bad thing, it just means this game is not for you.

ME2 is a shooter. I guess it would be an action adventure, since it has essentially no role-playing. Same with Mass Effect 1, only ME1 is just adventure with shooter elements. Again, ME2 being more shooter-like isn't bad per-say, its just boring as hell to me.

Also ME1 had infinite ammo. And no matter how you say it, I don't see how going from unlimited ammo to limited ammo is an upgrade. Especially if you like sniping, in which case you'll be running out of ammo very quickly and have to just go up the front lines and fight Gears of War style anyway. Or sit in an area where the ammo things constantly respawn, which completely undermines the new ammo mechanic.

And another thing, I seem to be one of the very few people who think naturally moving in/out of cover is better then pressing A to stick yourself to a wall. In ME1 if you want to take cover you go up to a wall, and Shepard automatically gets into cover. In ME2 you have to tell him to do it. I guess TIM didn't fully repair his brain if he doesn't have the sense to get into cover when getting shot.

And that is why I liked ME1's combat much more than ME2's. Hopefully ME3 brings back the sense of progression, but from what I hear I doubt it.

 

[Jnat]

I thought they said this about ME2 too?

 

[mjc0961]

The RPG-crowd are gonna hate it though. "It's justed a dumbed down shooter now! Ruined forever! Waaah!

They already did that for Mass Effect 2, so I say who cares what they think about the 3rd?

I say good. And improvement to the core gameplay is fine by me.

 

[Waaghpowa]

I remember reading that in those magazine scans that hit the net awhile back. Sounds good to me.

The RPG-crowd are gonna hate it though. "It's justed a dumbed down shooter now! Ruined forever! Waaah!

Heh.

The first one was heavy on the action to begin with, all 2 did was remove the constant micro managing which really broke up action. Oh, also made the environments smaller, which is the only gripe I would have with it.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Can I get a video with my publicity yammer?

Exactly what I was thinking.

Anyway, I'm sure the combat is fine. That really wasn't a problem with Mass Effect 2. The problems were more with character animations and the removal of a lot of the equipment and stat options. If they combine the stats and equipment from Mass effect 1 with the combat of 2 it may very well end up being the greatest RPG in terms of gameplay.

As for the story, if it is on any level better than Dragon Age 2, and they don't use some Duex Ex Machina to finish the Reapers I wont complain.

 

[Gigatoast]

I've yet to play ME2, but I liked the combat in ME1 (the sniper rifle especially). Not really sure how to feel about making it more TPSey, but so long as I can make my amazing exploading sniper rifle again I think I'll be ok with it.

 

[Puzzlenaut]

Now you see, combat in a shooter can never be perfected until there is NO. GODDAMN. COVER. BASED. SHOOTING!!! (or third person view). The only non-platformer shooter I consider to have truly good combat with either (or in this case, both) of the aforementioned mechanics is Gears of War.

Mass Effect has awful, tedious and extremely easy combat (even on the hardest setting) and when it isn't ridiculously easy, its just frustrating and stupid because you can be clever about how you do it -- there are no vantage points or tactically advantageous positions -- just cover.
Popping in and out of cover. for 5-8 hours. with occasional breaks for cutscenes.
Why do game developers think it is fun? WHY?

...God, Mass Effect is overrated.

/rage

 

[Vaer]

Kind of sad what Bioware is slowly becoming since it became part of EA, not that it wasn't to be expected but it's still depressing, from deep and involving story and characters to mindless action and cliche and shallow story and characters, from the leading RPG developer to crappy action and shooter games, did all the people that work on previous games just die ? cause after DA2 and now hearing this it seems like Bioware itself isn't far off from following them... hell even my hopes for SW TOR are slowly being killed

 

[teebeeohh]

I remember reading that in those magazine scans that hit the net awhile back. Sounds good to me.

The RPG-crowd are gonna hate it though. "It's justed a dumbed down shooter now! Ruined forever! Waaah!

Heh.

well the RPG crowd i hang out with didn't hate the combat system in ME2 but the reduction in character development. But since Bioware promised to change that in ME3 I am really looking forward to this.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Really, now? Mass Effect 2 is already my favorite third-person shooter. You say you'll make it even better? As long as we keep the radial menu, have at it Bioware.

 

[Legion]

While I am certain that Mass Effect 3 will be an excellent game, after listening to what Bioware said about Dragon Age 2 and the reality of the game, I am now taking everything they say with a pinch of salt. Don't get me wrong, I like Dragon Age 2, but the developers painted it in a very different light from the reality.

 

[Daedalus1942]

Well... looks like I won't be buying Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect 2 was a broken, dumbed down piece of shit and bioware made me pay $120 for an expansion that should have been DLC.
Fuck Bioware. We knew EA would destroy them.
Anyone remember Jade Empire?
Such a good game, shame it will likely never see a sequel.
-Tabs<3-