Mass Effect: Andromeda Details Emerge involving Multiplayer, Mods, PC Options and more!
Explore a brand new Galaxy in Mass Effect: Andromeda and deep dive into a brand new look at some recently revealed features in this chat with game producer Mike Gamble.
The Mass Effect series has had a rough time, though a beloved series it's not always had some great ideas and Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer was a mixed bag and for some it felt a little bit of a wasted opportunity. Fortunately though BioWare is learning and while details are scarce at the moment on what exactly the brand new Multiplayer in Andromeda will feature, one thing worth noting is that the Multiplayer experience will be less dependent on the Story Campaign (something that was overly used in Mass Effect 3).
Kotaku sat down with BioWare producer Mike Gamble to talk a little about how their new Multiplayer will veer in another direction.
"There's a system that we use called the Strike Team system, and fundamentally it allows you to go between singleplayer and multiplayer within the game, and it's packaged around a meta-story of what's going on in Helios."
This is the first time players have been able to switch on the fly for Multiplayer and Single Player as previously you had to do all of this from the Main Menu and meant putting up with loading screens. Unfortunately though there will still be loading screens, but it'll be more a seamless experience this time. Players will be able to experience a deeper story if you're playing the MP - though it's completely optional and can be done in SP should players wish to opt out of the MP experience. Sadly though the MP will not feature any dedicated servers - something many PC gamers will be split on (especially if the MP becomes a popular addition).
He also spoke a little about what PC players can expect when it launches, stating that the framerate will be unlocked and resolution support will include ultra wide monitors (not a big surprise due to the game's impressive 4k footage recently). They are also targeting Day 1 Game Ready Drivers for the game, though it's unclear if Nvidia or AMD will have a driver ready in time, given Nvidia's presence with the game at the recent CES event I'd bet on them having a driver ready for launch. Mod support has long been welcomed by the community as a way to improve the game on PC, with various bug fixes and high resolution texture packs they have become a must have for gamers wanting the ultimate experience and while BioWare is still unsure on what their plans will be for mod support, Gamble did mention that while there are no Official Plans it could go the route it did in Mass Effect 3 and allow players to mod with their blessing but not release any modding tools to the public.
Planets are an important part of any Mass Effect title and that's even more apparent in Andromeda. In previous games you always had hub areas and in Andromeda you'll be given more freedom to explore planets, there's always something going on which may not even be quest related and you can explore either on foot or in the brand new Nomad Vehicle.
"We have designers going throughout these open worlds and placing small little adventures, small little bits of narrative and visual story telling that we hope the players will explore to find. They're not career path stuff, they're not even usually side quest stuff, they're little self-contained things. They're for the folks who want to go every square meter of a planet, they're going to get a lot of enjoyment about that.
Mass Effect: Andromeda will be available on PC, Xbox One and PS4 from March 21st in NA (23rd for the rest of the world). While not much was mentioned about the Multiplayer it's been announced that details will be revealed 'soon'. Also worth a mention is details surrounding a planned beta for the game which will likely be revealed later this month.