GamePlanet Interview with Mike Gamble Dec 22'16

"So if you see a combat that is much more suited to an Infiltrator, you pop open the main menu, you select the Infiltrator profile that gives you set powers that you can use to take that combat using an Infiltrator approach, then if something is up close then you switch to a Vanguard profile and go from there. There's no real limitations in terms of powers and weapons. We found that to be quite limiting for players so we got rid of it."

That sounds really fun... maybe takes away a little from repeat playthroughs, but still... sounds great, hopefully you can switch really quickly.

From a guy who likes to have 'set builds' and specific characters I can promise you my amount of profile swapping will be pretty damn close to zero lol. Kinda sounds like it's power-load outs with passive bonuses. Curious if that's actually what it is.

edit: kumazan: Yeah it sounds like 'load outs' to me, but for powers. Makes me wonder if that's an inventory/character screen swap. Other games have done stuff similar to that before (usually with like armor powers and you have power sets you toggle between as favorites or something).

I could easily see someone who wants to play mostly an Adept, but has a Vanguard and Sentinel profiles filled out how they like them that they switch between but still keep that 'im an Adept' feel to it. That is about as close as I'd personally get to swapping if that's how it works.

Well I thought that the no-restrictions things was going to be just more about combining powers as you will, this profiles thing sounds less apealing to me... I'm not really interested in switching between adept or infiltrator "load outs", sounds a bit like we're headed to a PC that will be able to do just anything once we get a high level or am I understanding it wrong? I hope at least that there's no real need to switch between profiles and that you can actually choose to play the whole game as more of a pure infitrator, soldier or whatever if you want to

I feel this new combat system kinda breaks the story immersion. I mean, Ryder can respec to any class (or profile, as they call it) any time they want. So they could become an engineer, vanguard or soldier just like that. I thought that training to become a single type of class took years of training and experience. Shepard was arguably the most dangerous soldier in the galaxy, yet they only ever had time to master one class (and they were N7 trained too). So it just feels ridiculous to think that Scott and Sara had the time to train themselves in six different styles of combat when they are supposed to be young and inexperienced.

Spring doesn't end until 20 June, they could "delay" by 2 months and still make the Spring 2017 deadline.  Also, nothings finished until all the bug-fixing is done (for the time being) and the game is shipped.  Frankly, given how much bug-fixing the devs are doing know, they're probably close to finishing.  What could have happened is some sections of the game are well into the polishing section.  You don't need a software component (i.e. the Strike system) to be complete and bug free to do everything else, even the parts that need it so long as what goes and and what goes out is clear.

Also, we have no indication if we have to use the swap out mechanic.  As far as we know, you can still role play the engineer and not suddenly become an adept.  I think they just put it there so they don't scare off more casual gamers.

Hmm... I also have mixed feelings on this. I don't mind having access to a variety of skills (ME3's bonus power sort of did this already and I thought it was cool)... but hopefully the leveling system allows us to specialize. A game like Skyrim has no set classes either, but a jack-of-all-trades will never be as powerful as someone who specializes in specific things. (At least in theory - my biggest gripe with Skyrim's gameplay was that you leveled so quick you could become great at everything if you played long enough, but fortunately modding exists).

I guess I'll have to see the implementation in ME before I form a real opinion. I do like the option to re-spec (especially during that first play-through when I'm still trying to figure out the combat and what I find fun), but I hope it's not necessary to respec to successfully complete a mission. It sounds more like we miss out on some bonus thing - I can live with that because it adds replayability - but... this worries me a little. Not 'oh my god pre-order cancelled!' worried, but, still... hopefully we get more info on this soon.

Other than that though, the stuff in this interview has me pretty excited. I play Bioware games more for the story than for the combat, and the dialogue system and the effects of different choices we make sounds very cool. I'm also intrigued by the idea that out dialogue options could change depending on which protagonist we choose. I already got the impression from the voice actor interviews that they would have different personalities due to the very different performances, but it looks like the actual script changes a bit. I'm thinking more and more that I'll actually play a male Pathfinder this time around - since it sounds like there will be more to it than just a gender swap with everything else (other than the romances) being identical.

But isn't that just saying that "different classes are suited to different tasks. An engineer would be just about the worst thing you could be here, but we give you the option to switch out if you'd like"  They've build the game to allow you to swap out, not to encourage you to swap out.  They're not the same thing.

An analogy would be who you took on missions (especially the non-main quest ones) in the old trilogy.  You'd have an easier time with Garrus and Liara, but there's nothing stopping you from bringing EDI and Tali instead.

The only differences between this and the old trilogy is that you can change your "class", and you don't have to go to the medbay to change your loadout.

From what I see in the post, I imagine the Load Outs to be separate states like with the DA little tab that switches the character between the ranged and melee set. What I am imagining based on it is that the full scope of the abilities will be a long-long list like in ME1, and whatever you unlocked you can add to a specific build, with maybe 5 or so powers per each... I dunno, that what I imagine it is like, but there is so little info...

Just going to play the devil's advocate a little bit here. Having the option to swap kits (I'm going to say kits because I'm an MP nerd) on the fly sounds like a pretty neat thing, especially if you are currently an adept and are fighting loads of machinery with more tech shields than an army of Geth Primes. Going 180 and becoming an Engineer just to take care of that issue is a pretty convenient feature. Now, I'm sure everyone is already well aware of the implications of the system, so I guess I'm just beating a dead horse at this point.

As for my real opinion, I'm not a fan of this "no-restrictions" system because it takes away the challenge of the situation I brought up in the first paragraph. The very fact that you no longer have to rely on your squadmates simply because you have the power of literally every single kit at your disposal also kind of destroys any sort of commitment you made to the kit of your choice when you start your first playthrough. It also kind of ruins any sort of identity the players may have associated with their playthrough of (one of) the Ryder siblings.

At this point, the most aggravating common response to this sort of complaint is, "Well, if you don't like the system, don't use it." I understand that nobody is forcing me to use the system, but between the fact that the Ryder siblings are suddenly masters of every single kit with a tap on their omni-tool (which I find lore-breaking as all hell) and the realization that this kills any sort of replayability the game's single-player mode may have had, it's quite easy for me to tell that it may turn out to be my least favorite Mass Effect campaign to date. I'm sure I won't be alone in that line of thinking as far as that's concerned either if the previous posts before me are any indication.

Heard of it. Never cared for it. Dunno why. Guess it was never talked about all that much save for the whole tie-in it had with the Chakram Launcher for ME3.

switching class/powers extemporaneously ( 'love that word) feels like a glorified Sentinel .