I don’t have OCD – it isn’t a disorder for me that gets in the way of my daily life. However, I do have obsessive thoughts, and seeing progress bars that aren’t full or other such incomplete indicators can make my brain twitch. That’s why I played multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 – not because it was great (although it was), but because I had to get that readiness percent full. It was a good incentive to play a multiplayer mode I would have otherwise ignored, but I still wish I could have had a complete experience without it. Mass Effect Andromeda is doing just that.
Speaking to Kotaku, Bioware producer Mike Gamble explained that while Andromeda will have a “strike team” system as a fundamental part of the multiplayer experience, multiplayer progression won’t be required to progress the story:
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.
He went on to say that while that deeper meta-story would come from the multiplayer experience, the meta-story can actually be finished without playing multiplayer at all. Plus, he said it’s fairly easy to switch between single and multiplayer:
I can tell you that there’s a loading screen – it’s not entirely seamless – but it won’t require you to stop your game and restart in a different mode. Because narratively it’s all connected, it makes a lot of sense.
I assume it will be a matter of selecting a multiplayer mission from the bridge of your ship, rather than needing to specifically load up a multiplayer game. I’ve been enjoying single player experiences with the occasional touch of multiplayer lately – it’s well done in a game like Watch Dogs 2 or Dark Souls, so I’m a bit more open-minded about how it’s approached in Mass Effect, especially if it’s not integral to the game.
Finally, Gamble didn’t reveal too much information, but he did say that exploration would be really worthwhile for those who enjoy travelling to every inch of a planet:
You’ll see like a couple chrome corpses, a couple … corpses, you’ll look around that area, pull your scanner up, you’ll find out that, ‘Oh shit, something bad happened here’ and that was the result of that firefight is and this is why they did that. Maybe it’ll point you to somewhere else on the planet; maybe it’ll just end there. But we have those kind of things and we hope that players really enjoy those.
That sounds so ridiculously cool. I love stuff like that – I’m such an obsessive explorer in games, I leave no corner unexplored. This means that this behavior will be rewarded with cool easter eggs or secrets, or just deeper understanding of planets and what’s going on. Sounds great to me! With Mass Effect Andromeda out in a few short months, it’s so exciting to finally know more about the game without having to wait forever.
Last Updated: January 11, 2017
Raptor Rants
January 11, 2017 at 11:34
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT because it’s simple to switch between Multi and SP I bet you a left nut that always online will be a requirement even though MP is not.
Raptor Rants
January 11, 2017 at 11:35
Ok I don’t actually bet anything. But I still stand by the always online thing being needed
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 11, 2017 at 11:38
I bet a right nut the exploration will probably be very shallow, just like most open world games. Maybe someone will be lucky enough to win an entire set of nuts.
PurplePariah
January 11, 2017 at 12:11
I know it’s EA and all, but there’s a 1% chance that it’ll work like Dark Souls, which has the offline mode, but Online if you want it. 1% is better than nothing, right?
Kromas Ryder
January 11, 2017 at 12:33
My body is way ready for this. It needs to be released cause I can’t wait anymore.
Captain JJ
January 11, 2017 at 12:39
Totally called it. EA is so predictable.
This is exactly what I thought was going to happen. EA needed to create an excuse to put Always Online in the game….and here it is.
justlikemo
January 11, 2017 at 15:04
Gotta update my rig for this! Man, just blew my budget on the holiday sales! But still cant wait.
Craig "CrAiGiSh" Dodd
January 11, 2017 at 15:59
I’ve decided to even put others games I want on hold (coming out before Andromeda) – cause I really just wanna play this game now ASAP.
Ghost In The Rift
January 12, 2017 at 01:31
Sooo is Ryder gonna have a favorite store?….on the Nexus?