What are your thoughts on Bioware?

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

If I remember right you could hit that EMS score at 50% readiness if you'd imported a Shepard all the way from ME1 and all but 100%'ed each game (including BdtS and all of ME2's DLC) in the trilogy. Like, "did the entire Conrad Verner mission" levels of obsessive completionism. I remember my first ME3 playthrough had over 8K EMS at 100% readiness at the end, but I did Control for her.

You can if you are that obsessive in your imported save and own all the DLC and complete them before launching the final mission, yes (which is how I finally got to see the stinger in 2015 in my second playthrough). But when the base game released, prior to the DLC dropping, you would be short a few hundred EMS without doing some MP.

 

[Eacaraxe_v1legacy]

You can if you are that obsessive in your imported save and own all the DLC and complete them before launching the final mission, yes (which is how I finally got to see the stinger in 2015 in my second playthrough). But when the base game released, prior to the DLC dropping, you would be short a few hundred EMS without doing some MP.

You didn't even need the ME3 DLC. With a full trilogy playthrough including previous games' DLC, at 50% readiness the only way to get locked out of the "destroy, Shepard lives" ending variant was to not "save" Anderson (which bumped up the EMS requirement to 5000). The absolute cap for EMS absent ME3 DLC, assuming 100% completion and choices for optimal war score, was something like 9.7K.

The controversy at launch, and the reason why EMS requirements were nerfed with the extended cut DLC, was that you couldn't get the "Shepard lives" ending without MP on a character that wasn't imported.

 

[votemarvel]

The multiplayer wasn't a requirement of boosting your Readiness level, though the alternative wasn't much better.

Bioware released a phone app that let you send fleets out to various space sectors to complete missions. In reality all you did was tap on the area of a map and pick how long a timer you wanted to sit though (1 hours, 3 hours, or 5 hours) for an increase of readiness of 2.8%, 2.98%, and 3.17% respectively. Sadly the values for the 3 hour and 5 hour missions made them worthless, the 1 hour missions were really the only choice to use.

The app has since been shutdown but you can still run the missions and increase readiness by going to http://n7hq.masseffect.com/galaxy_at_war/ and signing in with the EA account associated with Mass Effect 3.

Of course thanks to all the multiplayer promotions I've done, I technically am ready for the final mission at the start of the game.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

What do I think about Bioware? I think they've made some excellent games that I have enjoyed greatly, even Dragon Age II which I had a lot of fun with despite all the faults.

But now?

Spoiler

 

[Worgen]

They have some great games in their past but I have a feeling they wont be around much longer. Ea will probably kill them off unless Dragon Age 4 is amazing and makes a ton of money, ideas which are probably mutually exclusive since to make a ton of money by ea standards you need a ton of micro transactions which are at odds with a good single player experience.

 

[votemarvel]

They have some great games in their past but I have a feeling they wont be around much longer. Ea will probably kill them off unless Dragon Age 4 is amazing and makes a ton of money, ideas which are probably mutually exclusive since to make a ton of money by ea standards you need a ton of micro transactions which are at odds with a good single player experience.

It is going to be interesting to see how Respawn's single player Star Wars game turns out with micro-transactions.

Sure they have the advantage of the Star Wars licence so it'll sell anyway but I wouldn't be surprised if EA manage to sneak some cosmetic micro-transactions in there somehow. Purple Lightsaber for $1.99 anyone?

I still find it odd though that EA have a single player focused studio on a online game and a multiplayer focused studio on a single player title.

 

[Dalisclock]

I still find it odd though that EA have a single player focused studio on a online game and a multiplayer focused studio on a single player title.

I'd make a joke about the EA execs being chimps in suits but that's insulting to chimps.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I still find it odd though that EA have a single player focused studio on a online game and a multiplayer focused studio on a single player title.

I'd make a joke about the EA execs being chimps in suits but that's insulting to chimps.

If you are to believe the people at both Bioware and Respawn, the decision as to what games to develop is internal to the developers and not something that EA pushes for. Which makes me really torn on the issue of whether it makes EA a better publisher (ie. creative freedom, trust in developers) or a worse publisher (letting developers do stupid, costly mistakes because you don't do oversight).

 

[votemarvel]

If you are to believe the people at both Bioware and Respawn, the decision as to what games to develop is internal to the developers and not something that EA pushes for. Which makes me really torn on the issue of whether it makes EA a better publisher (ie. creative freedom, trust in developers) or a worse publisher (letting developers do stupid, costly mistakes because you don't do oversight).

The thing is I don't trust Bioware any longer. There are only so many times they can tell outright lies before people start assuming they are lying from the start rather than giving the benefit of the doubt.

I don't believe for a second it was their idea to put multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 (no matter how much fun it was). I don't believe it was their idea to move to the Frostbite engine, and I certainly don't believe it was their idea to make an online only game when their strength is in single player narrative driven stories. I could have believed it if Anthem had been a side project and not the main thing their top talent was working on.

Respawn I think have their freedom because EA are still hoping to capture that Call of Duty money.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

They need to give me a call once they figure a way out of the uncanny valley.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I still find it odd though that EA have a single player focused studio on a online game and a multiplayer focused studio on a single player title.

I'd make a joke about the EA execs being chimps in suits but that's insulting to chimps.

You seem to not make that joke a lot. If you want to actually say it one time I won't tell Chimpzy.

 

[wings012]

Why do people care so much about studio names anymore? Sure it takes more effort but you'd do better just tracking the people responsible for the games.

Fact is, studios change staff over time. Being bought out can also significantly change how they operate. A studio name/identity nowadays is sometimes nothing more than a superfluous brand.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Why do people care so much about studio names anymore? Sure it takes more effort but you'd do better just tracking the people responsible for the games.

Fact is, studios change staff over time. Being bought out can also significantly change how they operate. A studio name/identity nowadays is sometimes nothing more than a superfluous brand.

There are a couple of reasons why, and while you aren't wrong, it's missing the full picture.

You're right about tracking people, when it comes to the well-known game designers and writers. Avellone, Cain, Boyarsky, Spector, Meir, Carmack, Kojima, Miyazaki and of course, Miyamoto...these are names that rightly get attention for being involved in(/greatly responsible for) many beloved games over the years. I agree that following what these folks are up to is a great way to find new games of the type we already know and love.

But so too with studios. BioWare was responsible for a string of phenomenal RPGs, from BG 1 and 2 (plus expansions), NWN, KotOR, JE, ME and DA:O. They did evolve over the years to 3D, to action, their own IPs, sure, but there was a core there that was identifiable. Bethesda is another company with a similar history; largely known for Elder Scrolls, you know what you're getting with a TES game. I don't think it's at all inappropriate to hope that TES6 will share its DNA with Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim and if I buy it (I will, obviously) it's because I'll have enjoyed the previous titles and know ahead roughly what I can expect.

You are right that staff change over time, but what made the difference here was being bought out. From an indie studio to a corporate subsidiary, BW changed very rapidly. It didn't help that the company also seemed to come down with a terminal case of the social-justice disease, currently an epidemic in Canada. What fans of their previously great games lament, myself included, is that the company responsible for them is gone, as is the hope of ever getting more of that thing we know and love.

 

[CaitSeith]

Why do people care so much about studio names anymore? Sure it takes more effort but you'd do better just tracking the people responsible for the games.

Fact is, studios change staff over time. Being bought out can also significantly change how they operate. A studio name/identity nowadays is sometimes nothing more than a superfluous brand.

Because IPs are tied to the studios and/or the publisher; not to the people responsible for creating them. That people may leave the studio, but the IP stays.