Interview BioWare on surprises, inspiration and tough decisions

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect 3

<p><a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/309188/mass-effect-3-bioware-on-surprises-inspiration-and-tough-decisions/" target="_blank">CVG talks to</a> Casey "Mass Effect" Hudson and Derek Watts on the topic of <strong>Mass Effect 3</strong>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>What feedback really has changed Mass Effect 3?</strong><br /><br /> People really want us to deepen the RPG aspect of the experience. We interpret that as being about the kind of intelligent decision making around how you progress. To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats and loot. It's about exploration and combat and making a good character-driven story and good progression. <br /><br /> We had progression in Mass Effect 2 in armour and weapon choices but that activity chain was too simple. That whole activity chain I think was a button we weren't really pushing in ME2 and specifically were trying to hit for ME3.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Imaginative way to interprete the complaints about the lacking RPG elements. Can't wait to see them "pushing that (awesome) button".</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And a snippet on the tough decisions the team faces while developing ME3:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>All the characters have been given a redesign for Mass Effect 3. Do you ever worry about fan reaction?</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You know, they've been pretty receptive to the changes we've made. We haven't really had much negative feedback from them. We changed Tali - that was tough because people were very passionate about her. A lot of people want to have her face revealed and obviously people are going to be pissed off either way. <br /><br /> Like "I thought she was going to look beautiful!" or "I thought she was going to be the most hideous thing ever!" So we've had a lot of debate over Tali's face, but that's the one we kind of dread a lot. We're always "well, let's talk about something else for a while!" That's something we're going to have to decide.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/#17599">RPGWatch</a></p>

 

[ElectricOtter]

You heard it here, folks: Tali's face is the most important design decision in ME3.

 

[Jools]

Rape is the only answer.

 

[l3loodAngel]

To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats and loot. It's about exploration and combat and making a good character-driven story and good progression.
HAHAHAHAHAHA Now thats awesome RPGs are not about RPGs its all about action advventures and cutscenes...

 

[Zarniwoop]

To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats

They're a bunch of dumbfucks yes, but at least they're honest dumbfucks now.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

You heard it here, folks: Tali's face is the most important design decision in ME3.

Brorse. Dude. He's talking about fanboys, not design decisions. When it comes to the characters, and female characters especially, there is only "hot" and/or "beautiful", there is no "ugly". There's no design decision.

 

[J_C]

People really want us to deepen the RPG aspect of the experience. We interpret that as being about the kind of intelligent decision making around how you progress. To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats and loot. It's about exploration and combat and making a good character-driven story and good progression.

At least we now know why don't they have a clue about good RPGs.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

What does he mean, "All the characters have been given a redesign for Mass Effect 3"? They got new uniforms or their actual faces have changed?

Also, I DEMAND TALI FACE IN ME3

 

[Carrion]

I can't believe anyone wanted to fuck Tali in the first place. I always thought Quarians looked like Rodians from Star Wars or something. But who am I to judge the BioWare fanbase and their desires...

 

[Esquilax]

What does he mean, "All the characters have been given a redesign for Mass Effect 3"? They got new uniforms or their actual faces have changed?

Also, I DEMAND TALI FACE IN ME3

I'm not surprise that they've redesigned characters, actually. It was pretty clear once I saw that they'd decided to doll up Ashley in the ME3 footage revealed so far:

Compared to this in ME1:

Good marketing move. IIRC, Ashley was perceived as "bitchy" and "racist" (tho her conversations about that were actually kinda cool) and was probably less popular than the annoyingly stalkerish Liara, who has a pretty big fanbase on account of loli appeal. Not saying that Ashley was an amazing character or anything, but I'd say that she was just about the only BioWare character to pull off a "strong woman" thing remotely convincingly since it didn't seem like she needed Shepard's cock to solve all her problems, at least.

Would be pretty awesome if it turns out Tali is ugly as shit and Tali fans worldwide go on homicidal rampages, but there's a snowball's chance in hell of that happening.

 

[Zarniwoop]

I can't believe anyone wanted to fuck Tali in the first place. I always thought Quarians looked like Rodians from Star Wars or something. But who am I to judge the BioWare fanbase and their desires...

I can't even believe they put any of that shit in there at all. Who in their right mind would go about trying to fuck half their crew while desperately struggling to save the galaxy from raepers, and worrying what some alien skank's face looks like? It's retarded on the face of it.

 

[Angthoron]

I can't believe anyone wanted to fuck Tali in the first place. I always thought Quarians looked like Rodians from Star Wars or something. But who am I to judge the BioWare fanbase and their desires...

The furries dude. The furries.

 

[Esquilax]

I can't believe anyone wanted to fuck Tali in the first place. I always thought Quarians looked like Rodians from Star Wars or something. But who am I to judge the BioWare fanbase and their desires...

I can't even believe they put any of that shit in there at all. Who in their right mind would go about trying to fuck half their crew while desperately struggling to save the galaxy from raepers, and worrying what some alien skank's face looks like? It's retarded on the face of it.

Sure, but the fanbase expects it now. It's gotten to the point that for a lot of people with BioWare titles, no romance = no sale. They've been really attempting to appeal to that really creepy subset of romance fans that write long posts hypothesizing about how Tali's urine would taste like. I think that kind of catering first started in Mass Effect 1 with Liara and her whole lolicon vibe.

You're trying to apply logic here and I don't really see why, none of this shit is supposed to make sense. It's Michael Bay if he were to make a video game; hero comes in, there are lots of explosions, then he saves the day and gets the girl. Doesn't really get further than that, really.

 

[Zarniwoop]

It's Michael Bay if he were to make a video game; hero comes in, there are lots of explosions, then he saves the day and gets the girl. Doesn't really get further than that, really.

That's my point, he saves the day, then gets the girl. I don't know, I've always liked to think those creepy romancefags were only a very small group of sexually repressed teens somewhere but it seems that they're a much more important market than I thought...

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

They should stop calling their action-adventure interactive movies cRPGs, then.

 

[circ]

I just want to see actual penetration.

Why pretend. They're never going to feature actual exploration, although ME 1 gave it a poor shot. BG 1 had some, granted. Bring on the pussy.

 

[l3loodAngel]

I just want to see actual penetration.

Why pretend. They're never going to feature actual exploration, although ME 1 gave it a poor shot. BG 1 had some, granted. Bring on the pussy.

Even if its hairy alien pussy?

 

[Angthoron]

You aren't actually implying they'd manage to animate that with their epic skillz? I predict epic clipping issues, man-genitals sticking out through the navel etc.

 

[GarfunkeL]

I think that kind of catering first started in Mass Effect 1 with Liara and her whole lolicon vibe.

BG2 first had romances but JE and KOTOR had the cake there with the romances being a big part of the game, though ME1 and DAO were the ones with "let's fuck half the party"-shtick.

 

[racofer]

What does he mean, "All the characters have been given a redesign for Mass Effect 3"? They got new uniforms or their actual faces have changed?

Also, I DEMAND TALI FACE IN ME3

Even Crispy will play ME3 now.

 

[MicoSelva]

People really want us to deepen the RPG aspect of the experience.

Yes. Will You?

We interpret that as being about the kind of intelligent decision making around how you progress. To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats and loot. It's about exploration and combat and making a good character-driven story and good progression.

*sigh* Guess not.

We had progression in Mass Effect 2 in armour and weapon choices but that activity chain was too simple. That whole activity chain I think was a button we weren't really pushing in ME2 and specifically were trying to hit for ME3.

So... instead of just getting a better gun, I will get two better guns and be able to choose which one I prefer to use. Thank You Bioware for Your generosity and the richness of RPG experience provided by Your games.

ME3: Almost as RPG-ey as Twitcher 2.

 

[grotsnik]

That's my point, he saves the day, then gets the girl. I don't know, I've always liked to think those creepy romancefags were only a very small group of sexually repressed teens somewhere but it seems that they're a much more important market than I thought...

Well, it's part of the wider wish-fulfillment 'you get to be so awesome that this beautiful girl is fudding herself over you!' experience, I suppose. But as to the pacing of their romances, I'd say it's simple enough. In action movies, the 'getting the girl after saving the day' bit is often just a quick romantic kiss, everybody cheers, etc. But to cut to an entirely new scene after the baddies have been defeated so the characters can have sex would stretch out the epilogue more than most games care to - and you'd have players complaining that there's no point having romances if they don't get to spend gametime together as boyfriend/girlfriend/genderless blue partner. So you stick the consummation in before the final mission instead.

 

[J_C]

Also, I DEMAND TALI FACE IN ME3

 

[Commissar Draco]

How you can be rascist towards xenos Esquilax? I hope all those Tali lovers will die from massive allergic shock coused by her dextro secretions. Fuckin' species traitors.

 

[felipepepe]

People really want us to deepen the RPG aspect of the experience. (...) To us, the RPG experience isn't necessarily about stats and loot. It's about exploration and combat and making a good character-driven story and good progression.

Sorry, this makes no sense. ME 2 already had more "story"(romances) and less weapons, amours, stats than ME1. And that's EXACTLY what people complained about!

Even if you are after "great storytelling and deep choices", I can only think of 3 choices in ME2: 1 - Destroying/saving the stupid Collector's Base. 2 - Getting the good blue woman or the evil blue woman on your team. 3 - How many of your team survive final mission.

It's the same thing as in ME1, 3 choices: Save/kill the Council, save/kill Wrex, and who survive on a mission. And the consequences of the Council choice in ME2 where ridiculous. "Oh, we just got raped by a Reaper and you saved the whole galaxy! Hurray! But still they don't exist and you lie! Now go away."

Of course, I'm not considering who you fuck as a deep story progression....maybe that's my mistake.


EDIT: Deep, story driven interview: "can I kill big evil dudes with my bros...and punch reporters? Yes? GOTY!" And why Mass Effect copy-pasted Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within? WTF!