Mass Effect Andromeda Skepticism thread

I'm still worried about the story/companions.
There is a very real chance I won't like those very much , I'm really really not sure at this point Bioware has it in them to create something interesting storywise.
It's really too bad because I'm sure there's a lot of ideas to explore about people who come to partly colonize lands that are in some cases lacking in ressources.

Ranting and whining vaguely spoilery :

I wonder if having the final product look like the model was of very much concern to the devs.

I'm going to paste over what I said in the combat video thread:


The only thing about this game I'm at all wary about is the removal of the pause function. Pausing to give squad mates commands is such an integral part of the franchise (and DA) to me I'm having a really difficult time parsing how its loss will be compensated for.

To expand on this slightly, a tactics menu along the lines of DA - even if refined and improved upon - doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to being able to tactically assess the battlefield as combat unfolds and reacting and directing your squad accordingly. A shielded enemy appears from around a corner unexpectedly, and I, as a vanguard, want to immediately be able to pause, asses where my squad are, and if it's safe to do so command one of them to strip the enemy's shields while I trigger my charge to hit a second later. Relying on a tactics menu and hoping one of my squad recognise that enemy and preempt my desire to charge... a recipe for a great deal of frustration.

What works in multiplayer works there for several reasons: one being that the nature of multiplayer makes pausing impossible and therefore other solutions must be found; another reason being that your squad are all sentient human players who can make decisions along with you. A singleplayer with no ability to assign squad commands is akin to a multiplayer match where the players don't talk to each other and don't understand their roles and just fire off what they want when they want without any thought to working together. A singleplayer with the ability to assign squad commands is akin to a multiplayer match where the players speak to each other and each understand how their powers synergise with one another and work together as a team for maximum efficiency, reacting to threats as they appear.

Will we one day not have squad mates at all? Will they perhaps just be tag-alongs who aren't part of a squad as such and are just there as an extra gun like npc fighters often are in other shooters? Is this a mechanic that will continue to be iterated on until every vestige of 'take your squad into battle' is gone?

My pessimism is no doubt ill-founded, and a future video on squad commands will clear all of this up and I'll feel a lot more comfortable about it. It's not knowing and not understanding how this can be got around successfully that makes me concerned, and fearful for one of the things that has been an iconic part of BioWare combat for the last decade.

First playthrough was over 100 hours and I did a second playthrough just to see how long it would take to do everything in nightmare - took nearly 200 hours. Rest of the time was spent on DLC. Either way my opinion on inquisition will always be in a position of authority since I spent a lot of time with it.

I get completing the first playthrough, but why attempt a completionist playthrough on a game you don't like. If you wanted to know how long it would take, you could have asked someone else.

And why buy DLC?

I learned about the archer exploits and one shotting Dragons so I tried the game again after a year since launch. I'll admit the archer gameplay was very nice and far better than any other way of fighting in the game.

In the end DAI is not a well-made game and in fact has the worst design decisions I've ever witnessed for a supposed ARPG. I will certainly never play it again.

Usually people don't replay a game they hate.

But, hey, maybe is just crazy me!

Anyway, I wasn't blow away by the combat. It looked fun, yes, it fucking does and I'll probably enjoy it very much BUT that it feature brain dead AI and janky animations in abundance, on a carefully prepared video by BW...yikes. I bet the combat was a fucking mess for a long time. To see the non reactive enemies and companions was painful. They were getting trashed and not going for cover, standing still under fire..

Say what you want about ME3, but it had a decent combat/gameplay. Some AIs were actually impressive (phantom being the most).

Yup. Especially where there was varying levels or geometry, they'd get stuck facing a wall for half the fight.

That's why I'm curious to see squad commands, because it'll likely be the way to make them useful, or not die.
Although I still have small hopes the AI wont outright suck in the full game.

Also, the two Squadmates in the combat trailer were Cora and Liam, who both have Biotic Charge/Havok Strike quotes as their favourite powers. They're both basically Vanguards...Vanguards don't use cover!

They are the cover.