Twitchy Questioning 10: The Question from U.N.B.S.N.

INTRO

As is traditional, I have gathered up questions from fellow players on BSN (the Bioware Social Network forum, BSN-dot-boards-dot-net).


HARD HITTING QUESTIONS

What areas of the game do YOU consider important to address?
(as the developers / designers / producers)

The Apex HQ app displays incorrect values for some weapons and powers, and has character skills in a different order than the game. Are you aware and will this be fixed eventually?

Many power descriptions are misleading at best, or incorrect at worst. Would it be possible to tie power descriptions to the game code, so we have accurate information on how powers actually work?
Ex. Turian Havoc’s Aerial Assault DR is double what’s stated // Fortify 6A Unmoving Defense is 1 DR/sec (not 8) to max of 15 (not 40) // etc.


FEATURE REQUESTS

Can the U.I. text size be made adjustable, primarily for console users? The current text size is too small to read on TVs from more than a few feet away.

Could you apply more consistency in U.I. button use and related screen focus?
For example, squad view on PC changes from ‘V’ to ‘spacebar’. Another example, on XB1 after you exit squad view, focus moves to a character instead of saying on squad view.

Would it be possible to have separate settings for MP vs. SP? Some players like different graphics settings or keybindings when playing MP vs. SP.

In ME3, the First Aid Pack equivalent (Ops pack) granted brief damage and stagger immunity (i-frames), which made it more useful for skilled play. Could a similar bonus be added in MEA?

In ME3, the Ammo Pack equivalent (Thermal Clip pack) granted bonus weapon damage for a short time, which made them more useful. Could a similar bonus be added in MEA? This would encourage players to use this consumable.

Various timers are not shown in the game’s U.I. Can this information please be shown to the player?
(Examples: time until next Saving Barrier, Rage / Ascension kill count to goal, Rage countdown timer, Martial Artist killcount / bonus amount & countdown timer, Biotic Warrior countdown timer)

Is there any inclination to unhide the "hidden" stats on weapons? For example, reload time (in seconds), headshot multiplier, modifiers against defense types, etc. Previously you stated this might fit into a U.I. update.

Would you consider adding an optional, more detailed killfeed with damage information and timings? This would make testing much easier for both you and the dedicated fan community.

Would you consider adding a ‘shooting range’ to MP where we can more easily test out weapons and powers?


GAME DESIGN

How does matchmaking work? Does it take into account geographical distance (like Europe to U.S.A. or vice versa)?

On XB1, consistently, about 30 seconds after you join a game, the game stutters and then recovers. What is happening at that time?

Due to high enemy health and shieldgate, a Cobra RPG will often *not* one-shot even basic enemies, and it certainly won’t kill bosses. (Benoit experienced this first-hand last week!) What is the intended niche for Cobras?

The Host Ping Indicator is a great addition, but it raises a few questions.
Host Ping question 1 of 2: What does the indicator mean for the Host? (ex. you receive < 4 bars to yourself)
Host Ping question 2 of 2: For non-Hosts, could you explain what the bars mean in terms of latency, packet loss, etc?

compare XBL Detailed Network Statistics which shows: DL/UL speed, DL/UL packet loss (percentage, > 5% is problematic), MTU (1384 needed by XBL), latency, wireless strength (percentage)
support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/networking/network-settings

Why does the points shown in the lobby no longer count points from medals? Does this have any effect on XP/Cr earned for a game?

Why can you not see kick votes on yourself? Sometimes players use that as a way to communicate ‘please hurry up’ or ‘you’re too low level’ or so forth.

Many enemies have a lack of audio cues. (ex. Fiend and Destroyer are nearly silent when near a player until their big attack triggers) Why are such big enemies so quiet?

Is there a cap or point of diminishing returns with weapon accuracy?
Ex: stacking a weapon scope, the Turian Soldier passive tree, Turbocharge, and Fortify accuracy.

Charge-up weapons (ex: Venom) don’t hold their charge when the player performs any other action, which makes those weapons frustrating and difficult to use in this fast-paced game. What was the design intent behind this mechanic?

From 1.06 to 1.08, many Assault Rifles received significant improvements, but semi-auto rifles still feel unsatisfying to use, particularly because it is not humanly possible to get anywhere near the maximum ROF from them. What is the intended niche for these weapons?

On Apex missions, ‘Combotastic’ awards less XP/Credits than normal. Is this intentional? If so, shouldn’t the XP/Cr penalty be listed in the Mission Modifiers?

Two questions on ammo priming.
Ammo Priming question 1 of 2: The Dhan uses the same formula as other pellet-based shotguns even though it does not fire pellets -- is this intended?
Ammo Priming question 2 of 2: Why does Cryo Ammo have penalties to the number of bullets it takes to prime certain enemies, but Incendiary and Disruptor Ammo don’t have such penalties?
(link to relevant thread)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6dhrvx/correlation_between_rof_and_ammo_priming_rate/

Related question - in ME3, some types of weapons (ex. Falcon, Scorpion) automatically ammo-primed enemies, which gave those weapons a special niche. Would you consider creating / adjusting similar weapons in MEA?

Are you looking at the balance among Sniper Rifles? Currently some of the URs feel weak (ex: Black Widow, Valiant) compared to lower rarity weapons. Also, all single-shot Sniper Rifles suffer hugely due to enemy shieldgate mechanics.

Fortify’s movement speed penalty seems too high compared to the amount of DR it offers. Being slower means you take more damage, which vitiates the DR. What is the design intent behind Fortify?

Boosters: why did you decide to allow only 2 Boosters to be equipped in MEA, when in ME3 it was 3?
This is particularly limiting when you equip an XP Booster, which doesn’t improve character effectiveness during the game.

Is there an upper limit on the number of Consumables a player can own?
In ME3 the limit was 255, which made it easier to obtain Boosters once we had a large supply of all four Consumables.


OUTRO

Thank you very much for answering our questions!