Cool! Is anyone else here still getting this at launch? Sounds like most were put off by the feedback so far.
so, I made my 1st foray into CC.
and yeah.......it's crap. Definitely a step backward from DAI and past games. Even compared to DAO and Fallout 3.
It really does feel like stepping back in time about a decade or so ago when CCs were just coming onto the scene. I'm reminded of the early CAWs in WWF Warzone and WWF Smackdown, where you only had preset heads and body parts to work with.
That's almost the case here. True, you do have a bit more freedom in adjusting the size/position of the parts. But, you are largely tied to whatever preset you choose.
Now, this would be less of a problem if the 9 available presets weren't so darn fugly ( on the female side at least )........lol.
And there's also the stupid decision of tying Dad Ryder's race and appearance to the preset. So, if you choose a darker skin preset ( like #8 and #9 ), Dad Ryder will be black - no matter how light skin you make your own character.
And the restrictive skin tone system is also a problem, with virtually no option to create a pale/fair skinned character.
With all that being said, though, I have seen several decent custom Ryders posted on Reddit, with sliders. So, later on, I'll dive back into CC and follow those examples.
But, still, it's going to take work since the CC is so limited. cracks knuckles........
You shouldn't want to create a pale skinned Ryder. That's racist.
Joking aside tho, I was pleasantly surprised I was able to create a Ryder I liked. I never could in the previous game.
You know, the reviews of this game are really starting to remind me of Alpha Protocol, which was essentially the spy version of Mass Effect. I really did like Alpha Protocol a lot, but also acknowledge that it was frustratingly incomplete and glitchy (to the point of rendering it unplayable at times) and was certainly not worth full price. Alpha Protocol was a good game to buy on Black Friday or in the bargain bin (which I ultimately did). I will probably do the same with this. A broken and mediocre game is infinitely less frustrating and more enjoyable when you only pay $19.99 for it.
oh alpha protocol is something I talk about onthe hype quite often. the only simularity here is the unfinished game . and the difference between this and alpah protocol is that when the dev review it was more we some something that could have been a good game there but they were allowed to finish & unlike this alpha protocol was a buggy mess that you couldn't enjoy any game play action or otherwise the game would crap out on you. this onthe other hand isn't the case with Andromeda.Nail on head. Alpha Protocol is the first game that came to mind when Andromeda's bugs started creeping up. A great game mired by a lack of polish. If AP had shipped out as a working game that series would be on it's 3rd sequel right along Mass Effect. Goes to show that presentation, especially in the current gen of gaming is just as important as having a great game overall. Video games aren't like cinema where quality is for the most part subjective. If something looks like a buggy mess people will tell a lot easier than if a movie is edited haphazardly.
Whoever was employed in quality control on this game might struggle getting future work in that area!
Didn't EA say in their recent earnings conference call that they would have been willing to delay Mass Effect if it meant a better game?
so, it seems the onus falls on Bioware this time.
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While Mass Effect: Andromeda is a fresh chapter for the franchise, there are plenty of nods and references to the original trilogy, for those willing to look hard enough. After all, the two games do exist within the same universe (not the same galaxy, though), and its inevitable that the main characters of the first trilogy will have touched the lives of the main characters of the Andromeda Initiative. With that in mind, Ive scoured the game for every reference and hidden Easter egg I can find, and there is some great stuff in here. However, there may be more, and if so this list will be updated regularly. If youre looking for more general advice, swing over to our Mass Effect: Andromeda tips and tricks.
There are definite spoilers ahead.
Normandy model ship (Alec Ryders quarters)
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This is probably the first thing youll find, as youre funnelled towards Alecs quarters when you first meet SAM. The model of the Normandy itself - which is Commander Shepards ship in the original trilogy - is sitting on the shelf of the corner desk, and youll see it when you first walk in. Once picked up, it lives on a shelf in your Pathfinders quarters on the Tempest.
Ex-Cerberus humans with an email about the Illusive Man (Kadera's 'Mind Games' mission)
This one is a little trickier to find. Head over to Kadera. Youre looking for a mission called Mind Games which you may have already activated by scanning a bunch of alien species near the entrance to the open area of the planet. Youll find two scientists at the source of the signal youre required to track, and youll discover theyre scientists who were kicked out of Cerberus before signing up to the Andromeda Initiative. Check the datapad in the same room for an email that talks about the Illusive Man, Miranda Lawson, and a bunch of other Cerberus types.
References to the Overlord project (Firefighters Mission)
'The Firefighters' questline directly references the Overlord project, which Shepard shut down in Mass Effect 2: Overlord. This piece of DLC is about a virtual intelligence that goes rogue, something that fits very neatly into Andromeda, which has a heavy focus on AI and the way people react to it.
N7 armor (in Development menu)
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Did you know you can Research and Develop N7 armor on board the Tempest? Its the same stuff Shepard wears in Mass Effects 1-3. Simply head to the crafting console and Research it using Milky Way points, before Developing the finished items. Theres a full guide to grabbing Shepards N7 armor here, including what colors to choose too.
Emails from Liara to Alec Ryder (in Alecs quarters)
Remember Liara Tsoni? Shes an Asari scientist who appears in all three Mass Effect games, frequently as an actual companion on board the Normandy. Youll find audio logs and emails from her to Alec Ryder if you explore his quarters on the Nexus. Its a lovely little link between the games.
The Shadow Broker exposed. Kinda. (Alec Ryders quarters)
In addition to messages from Liara, there are references to the Shadow Broker on Alec's terminal when you unlock certain logs by collecting memory fragments. Theyre little more than references, however, and theres nothing massively revelatory to learn. I assume they refer to the pre-Liara version of the Shadow Broker, as that makes sense to the timeline (she only becomes the Shadow Broker in Mass Effect 2, but the Arks set off for Andromeda between ME and ME2).
Kandros is the cousin of Nyreen Kandros (the Nexus)
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This one is very much a fan-fave. Kandros, the head of the militia on the Nexus, is a cousin of Nyreen Kandros, who appears as a temporary squadmate in Mass Effect 3s Omega DLC. Shes also the first female Turian in the series, and this is BioWares subtle call-back to the character.
Dr Okeers research (Quest on Elaaven)
Theres a quest on desert planet Elaaven that sends you after Dr. Okeer's research. Okeer is the Krogan scientist who created Grunt while trying to cure the genophage, which youll probably remember from Mass Effect 2.
Blasto the Hanar Spectre (Various logs and Nexus Museum)
There are multiple jokey references to Blasto the fictional Hanar Spectre in logs throughout the game. The Milky Way exhibit in the museum on Aya has a box of Blastos, the breakfast cereal based on him, too. Nice one, BioWare.
Codex entries for the Milky Way species (Codex screen)
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All of the 'history' codex entries for each Milky Way species feature a picture of an original trilogy companion - Liara for Asari, Garrus for Turians, etc. Its a neat little Easter egg, but also makes sense in terms of the universe, as these characters would probably have been the most famous examples of their species.
Nods to Saren (Turian Ark mission on Havarl)
Head to Havarl and youll meet a Turian ex-Spectre (during the Turian Ark: Not Dead Yet quest), who was a protege of Saren (from the original Mass Effect). Hell chat to you about the character and explain how he didnt think Saren was crazy. This lines up with the fact that Saren only betrayed the Council because he was under the influence of the Reapers.
Nomad skin colors are all callbacks (Nomad areas)
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Lots of the Nomad skins are references to nicknames and colorschemes from the original games. Archangel is Garrus' colors, for example, and the codename he uses to disguise his identity at the start of Mass Effect 2.
More Illusive man and this is a biggie (Alec Ryders quarters)
Ok, seriously, there are some MASSIVE spoilers here. First you need to collect every Memory fragment on each of Andromedas five planets. Once your sibling is awake, you can then head to the Hyperion to access the final memory. This one is set on the Citadel, a short time before the Arks leave. According to Mass Effects timeline its in between ME1 and ME2. Alec Ryder is contacted by a Turian who turns out to be Garrus' father. He explains that his son is working with somebody called Shepard, and Shepard has verified that the Reaper threat might be real. The mysterious benefactor of the Andromeda Initiative (introduced in one of the earlier memories) fast-tracks the project in order to get the colonists out of the Milky Way before the Reapers arrive. It's heavily implied elsewhere in the game that the benefactor might be the Illusive Man, which would make the Initiative a Cerberus project.
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At least they won't impact the game
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Mass Effect: Andromeda microtransaction bundles revealed
- 64 views6 hours ago
[FONT="]Just like every big AAA game with multiplayer in it, Mass Effect: Andromeda comes with microtransactions and now that the game is out and about we finally know the price point in-game currency bundles.[/FONT]
[FONT="]First things first, the microtransactions in Mass Effect Andromeda are purely for cosmetic items used in the game's multiplayer mode and won't help players gain any gameplay advantages. These microtransactions come in the shape on the in-game currency called Points and will be used to purchase packs containing multiplayer cosmetics, much like in Blizzard's Overwatch.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Points bundles come in different sizes, from a $5 bundle up to a hefty $100 bundle, but for $100 you're almost guaranteed to look as cool as an 80's pimp.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Each available Points bundle[/FONT]
[FONT="]In other Mass Effect news, after receiving a lot of bad scores and criticism about their newly released game Bioware have stated that they are listening to the community on what they should fix first. So stay tuned to GameZone for the latest on Mass Effect Andromeda.[/FONT]
- 500 Points -- $5
- 1,050 Points -- $10
- 2,150 Points -- $20
- 3,250 Points -- $30
- 5,750 Points -- $50
- 12,000 Points -- $100
IN THIS ARTICLE
[FONT="]Tags:
MASS EFFECTMASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDAMICROTRANSACTIONMICROTRANSACTIONSPCPLAYSTATION 4XBOX ONE[/FONT]
whether it's just pure lazy/poor design decisions, or something more nefarious ( pushing SJW agenda ), who knows? but the current system doesn't work for those of us who really like to customize and tweak our characters.
If those things are all true they will have a negative impact on the company and undermine other employees. Can't imagine a good working atmosphere with all that going on.I was pretty much on a media blackout, haven't watched anything besides maybe the first trailer, which is also why I wasn't active in this thread. So a lot of the controversy, outrage, and apparently open racism went right past me.
Only once the reviews and memes hit, I actually started looking up articles, and I was surprised how many articles there were about Bioware and its SJW agenda. Much is probably overblown, but there were certainly a few pieces that made me scratch my head. Like Manveer Heir, the designer on ME:A, who was openly racist and admits he hates white people (which are apparently a different species). He got eventually fired, but apparently Bioware didn't have any issues with his antics for a good while. Another thing is a female programmer who got hired, and admits she was surprised she got the job, because she thought she was under-qualified, since she hadn't programmed anything in 3-4 years. Forget gender, why do you hire a person, when you know that person is completely under-qualified? Then there's apparently the whole buddy system at Bioware, where people who are friends or are on good terms with people in important positions get promotions all the time, while all the hardworking employees get squat.
I certainly don't want to ride the "Bioware is filled with nothing but SJWs" bandwagon, but I wonder what I am supposed to think, when I read articles like Bioware thinking about patching in more skin tones, so you can actually make a decent looking Caucasian character.
I was pretty much on a media blackout, haven't watched anything besides maybe the first trailer, which is also why I wasn't active in this thread. So a lot of the controversy, outrage, and apparently open racism went right past me.
Only once the reviews and memes hit, I actually started looking up articles, and I was surprised how many articles there were about Bioware and its SJW agenda. Much is probably overblown, but there were certainly a few pieces that made me scratch my head. Like Manveer Heir, the designer on ME:A, who was openly racist and admits he hates white people (which are apparently a different species). He got eventually fired, but apparently Bioware didn't have any issues with his antics for a good while. Another thing is a female programmer who got hired, and admits she was surprised she got the job, because she thought she was under-qualified, since she hadn't programmed anything in 3-4 years. Forget gender, why do you hire a person, when you know that person is completely under-qualified? Then there's apparently the whole buddy system at Bioware, where people who are friends or are on good terms with people in important positions get promotions all the time, while all the hardworking employees get squat.
I certainly don't want to ride the "Bioware is filled with nothing but SJWs" bandwagon, but I wonder what I am supposed to think, when I read articles like Bioware thinking about patching in more skin tones, so you can actually make a decent looking Caucasian character.
If those things are all true they will have a negative impact on the company and undermine other employees. Can't imagine a good working atmosphere with all that going on.
Funny you say that as I found Scott to be a bit of a weird looking hero but the model (who I hadn't seen before) looks pretty good. Scott seems like a nerd and a bit unconvincing compared to Shepherd and I'm thinking I might find his romantic scenes unconvincing too lol. Very early days though of course.yeah. I was like you. I didn't really pay much heed to those theories until the past week or so when the negative reactions started coming out.
And I'm reluctant to go down that path, but as you said, there are some things that make you go hmmmmmm...........
I mean, just look at the default Ryder faces and compare them to the real life models they're based on.
Compare Scott Ryder to his model, Steven Brewis:
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Now compare default Sara Ryder to her model, Jayde Rossi:
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If you notice, Scott looks almost identical to real life model Steven. They didn't really alter his image much.
However, look what they did to Jayde Rossi, who is smoking hot and gorgeous, imo. They didn't do an identical face image for Sara. No, they made Sara look "derpier" or "more normal" or, dare I say it, "less beautiful."
Why didn't they make Scott look "nerdier" or less handsome than his real life counterpart?
That's not equal treatment, if you ask me. And when you consider that along with other things ( like how the CC is without a doubt skewed against making lighter skinned characters ), that does make you go hmmmmmm.........
I read some articles/posts detailing quite a bit of infighting amongst the various Bioware studios. a lot of "bro culture" and favoritism going on, which didn't lead to a positive working atmosphere.
also, from what I've read, it seems a lot of the Bioware "vets" who were responsible for the older games have now since left the company.
which could help explain the shift in "culture" at the company and the seeming decline in quality in the games.
Unfortunately every single person who worked on the original 3 Mass Effects is gone.
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Funny you say that as I found Scott to be a bit of a weird looking hero but the model (who I hadn't seen before) looks pretty good. Scott seems like a nerd and a bit unconvincing compared to Shepherd and I'm thinking I might find his romantic scenes unconvincing too lol. Very early days though of course.
I'd heard about the people leaving but that non-professional work culture can be really destructive. I wouldn't want to stay at a place where other people are getting promoted ahead of me for personal reasons if I was the better candidate. IF true of course, then it doesn't bode well for the future.
Bloody hell. I don't think it necessarily matters over the long term when there is a gradual transition and good leadership so that the company's culture that helped it originally succeed is maintained, but it looks like a huge cull/wave of resignations after ME3.
I hope whoever is in charge takes a long, hard look at the company and starts on working to get things back in order.
In the year 2017, after 5 years of development and a budget of $40 Million, how does this even happen?
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I hope whoever is in charge takes a long, hard look at the company and starts on working to get things back in order.
In the year 2017, after 5 years of development and a budget of $40 Million, how does this even happen?
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