Active abilities in ME:A (Updated)

Come on now: justifying (poor) game mechanics with the reason “We can mod them later”, it’s something you do with paradox games. XD

The thing that gets me is why take away the ability to order our squadmates to use certain powers? Why? Who does that benefit?

Yeah, chhose any three of them.  Like Homer chooses what he learns?

BIB. Actually you do!

What people seem to often be forgetting when they talk about these 'skills' is that they are not skills they are powers faciliated by tech. Sure you need to be skillful in using them effectively but you can't use them at all without the right tech. That tech can either be built into your suit, your omni-tool or your implants. All of the tech, however, even when faciliated by your suit, is invoked via your implants and different implants can invoke different things.

For example, Vanguards can do biotic charge specifically because they have L5n implants and Adepts can do singularity because they have L5x implants. If a Vanguard had a way to dynamically reconfigure an L5n to be an L5x he would no longer be able to do a Biotic Charge no matter how skilled he was in it. He would, however, assuming he'd practiced enough, be able to do a Singularity now. If the implant was reconfigured to control a Combat Drone, however, he would no longer be able to use either of those biotic abilities but he would be able to spawn and control a Combat Drone.

Tech facilitates these powers and tech can be reconfigured. That's the principle here.


Edit: Just realised this thread is way beyond the post I was responding to.  This may have already been addressed!

I support Andromedans going full techno-mage.

I even encourage it.

Except that the attached screen shots from the ME3 class selection screen prove otherwise. The L5n implant is required to do Biotic Charge and the L5x is required to do Singularity. No amount of training or focus will allow you to use the other if you have the wrong implant and no amount of Biotic training will allow you to use any biotics if you don't have any biotic implant.

Notice also how even Engineers have a whole network of implanted tech inside their bodies. Those implants must be doing something!

The Engineer profile in the CES trailer specifically says that it reconfigures Ryder's implant to be able to control a Combat Drone. The Omnitool may be what creates the drone but it's clearly not what does the controlling.

As far as the limit is concerned that wasn't what I was responding to. We don't know the full story on the control system. However, if there was a limit it's easily explained given that all these abilities need to be invoked by implants converting Ryder's brain or nerve impulses into the appropriate effect. If there is a limit to the number of implants then there's a limit to the number of effects.

The fact that there are less abilities available to Ryder than Shepard may be a limitation imposed by the tech that allows the implants to be reconfigurable.

I believe that the implication is, yes, you do need an implant to turn an omni-tool into a flame thrower.  Why can't everyone use an omni-tool as a flame-thrower otherwise? Why would it need to be restricted to particular classes?

All your powers are invoked by willing them. That means something must be translating your desire for a flamethrower into a signal sent to the Omnitool to produce the flame. Implants are the interface between your brain and the tool.

It's not speculation at all. Did you look at the attached screenshots?

I quote:
"Vanguards...are fitted with L5n implants, enabling them to perform a biotic charge that strikes the opponent with incredible force..."
"Adepts...are outfitted with L5x implants that can spawn a micro-singularity, damaging enemies and pulling them into the air."

This is directly quoted from the game.

The abilities are directly a result of the type of implant. Without the right implant no amount of training will produce the effect.

Just watch the in-game animation. I tried Shockwave, Push, Pull and Singularity on my Adept and the gesture was identical. My Engineer's powers were also the same as each other. No touching of the omni-tool, just a quick punch forward with the hand. You'll notice on those screenshots that even the Engineer has tech implanted in his brain. Why attach an implant to your brain if not for such a purpose?

I'd also point out that the same Omni-tool could be bought and passed around all the tech users of the party in ME1 and none of them inherited different powers as a result. If the powers were enabled by the tool rather than the implants that would not make sense.

The CES video even shows direct proof that it's the implant not the omnitool which allows for the Combat Drone ability. The description of the Engineer profile specifically states that the profile reconfigures Ryder's implant to control the Drone.



I'm saying that Shepard was just as dependent.

I'm not saying that the classes don't need the appropriate training but the class selection screens have diagrams showing networks of implants throughout the different classes' bodies. I think that's a clear indication that these implants are designed to facilitiate, or at least enhance to suitable levels, the abilities of that class.

You need training to fire a gun well but without the gun no amount of training will help you!

I agree. I was suggesting that as the reason for the ability to change powers using the profiles before the CES video came out and proved it to be the case.  Ryder's implants can be reconfigured on the fly. That's what makes the pathfinders special.

Only Shepard had tons of active powers. We will be more like the norm with our Ryders (while also being special with the profile swaps). So I don't see any lore problem with only three active powers at any one point, because we are not Shepard - the superhuman - anymore.

To be as correct as possible, Paradox actively encourage modding: its own very games are structured in a way that, more often than not, allows for tweaks and changing to the users in a very simple and intuitive way. To the point often only Notepad ++ is needed to change gameplay values.