smallfry on 2/2/2010 at 03:06
Quote Posted by Phatose
Whatever you do, don't play an adept. Man, did they fuck that one up.
What do you mean? I'm still waiting for my copy, but my character from ME1 is an adept...
Phatose on 2/2/2010 at 04:05
In ME2, every major enemy, some minor enemies - and on higher difficulties, all minor enemies - have shields, biotic barriers, or armor.
If an enemy has shield, biotic barriers, or armor up, the disabling effects of biotics flat out do not work. Pulls and throw biotics simply don't work period, warp and the like will only do damage - and any given biotic power is weakened against 1 or 2 of those defense types.
The practical upshot is you end up dealing with biotic cooldowns, often reduced damage, and your disabling abilities only work when you've practically won the battle. In short, they suck. Big time. Amusing, perhaps, but horrifically ineffective.
As for your adept, you'll be given a chance to change your class. Take it. Bioware was after the CoD6 crowd, and thus this is a game about guns.
Volitions Advocate on 2/2/2010 at 06:11
I live about a 5 hours drive from where BioWare's main office is. And the Lead Animator graduated from my university about 5 years ago.
I had the pleasure of being able to listen to a lecture from him and the cinematics lead animator today. They were showing quite a few things regarding their workflow and talking about the industry as a whole, as well as things relating to new media and animation specifically.
I have to say I am very impressed. The amount of effort they put into the detail of this game is no less than all the little things that Valve did with the various HL2 titles.
The little things that you never notice specifically but if you were to A/B the changes they would stand out like crazy. Most of us are not privy to what goes on behind the closed doors of a game development studio, but I got a pretty big chunk of the picture today, at least for BioWare.
I am very excited to play this game and I think I could say that any generalisation you can make that you figure describes the game as a whole (in any sense, derogatory or not) is probably missing the mark.
I've gained a lot of respect for these guys.
Malf on 2/2/2010 at 07:05
Quote Posted by Phatose
Beat it first time through as an infiltrator. Have been playing bits of the other classes, though it has largely convinced me that infiltrator simply is the best class.
Whatever you do, don't play an adept. Man, did they fuck that one up.
I'm playing as an adept on Insanity difficulty. Yeah, there have been a few hard fights, but I can't see how being another class would have made it easier at this difficulty.
That derelict ship was a right cunt of a fight mind you, until I discovered that Singularity pretty much holds those yellow "direct control" motherfuckers in place once they're down to Armour (yellow bar). This prevents them from getting off that cover-breaking knock-back attack and keeps them in place for the rest of your team to blast away at. As Singularity can be fired off again before the first one has ran its course, your team members can take them out pretty quickly (as long as they're still alive). Warp and Warp Ammo get rid of their Barriers (purple bar) in no time.
Oh, and my Shepard wasn't an adept in the first game. You get to choose your class again at the beginning of ME2.
Jokerman on 2/2/2010 at 07:22
Quote Posted by Volitions Advocate
I live about a 5 hours drive from where BioWare's main office is. And the Lead Animator graduated from my university about 5 years ago.
Can you do me a favor, then?
Ask them why they changed the walk and run animations (sprint is fine) (with AND without weapons drawn)- in ME1, just looking at my fem Shep walking was a treat, with her cat-like motions she was the sexiest thing to hit my small screen since Alyx. in ME2 she walk like a robot, arms stiff and unnatural, and runs like a man, head bobbing from side to side like a savant.
Malf on 2/2/2010 at 08:40
Yeah, I've noticed that too Jokerman, although I think it's more of a "Boxers" run. I think there's something screwy with the animation skeleton around the head area.
mothra on 2/2/2010 at 08:41
Quote Posted by Phatose
In ME2, every major enemy, some minor enemies - and on higher difficulties, all minor enemies - have shields, biotic barriers, or armor.
If an enemy has shield, biotic barriers, or armor up, the disabling effects of biotics flat out do not work. Pulls and throw biotics simply don't work period, warp and the like will only do damage - and any given biotic power is weakened against 1 or 2 of those defense types.
The practical upshot is you end up dealing with biotic cooldowns, often reduced damage, and your disabling abilities only work when you've practically won the battle. In short, they suck. Big time. Amusing, perhaps, but horrifically ineffective.
As for your adept, you'll be given a chance to change your class. Take it. Bioware was after the CoD6 crowd, and thus this is a game about guns.
wow, this is so wrong. only your TEAMMATES cannot apply biotics to certain barriers/protection. YOU can use whatever power you want. e.g.:
overload the boss, apply throw/singularity/whatever to a henchman without armor, apply WARP and everything explodes around it. and you get the heavy weapons so you can wear down enemies for you mates to finish. Shockwave is indiscriminate, aim it at a henchmen and it will still affect shielded enemies which you then can explode with warp. or just get cryo ammo for the whole team, freeze an enemy and then biotic him till he shatters. I don't know, I played a few sections yesterday on hardcore/insane and there are so many ways to wear down barriers in an instant that I never had trouble taking out enemies. And I finished the game as an adept, singularity + warp == instakill of 5 minor henchmen. Vanguard is still the best class, Infiltrator is the easiest sofar. Just charge into them and then hide in a corner ;) And of course: the right teammate can make all the difference.
On harder diff. it really plays like COD with constant cover searching and only firing when the enemy reloads. But damn, do I like it so much better than COD with the cool weapons and dozens of combinations to take enemies down. missions are ace, enemies are awesome, this game is a winner on all fronts. I have renegade/paragon and all different outcomes almost together, even died on purpose in the endmission. Now I just play little sections :)
PS: all bow down b4 Christina Norman
(
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,224501/)
Phatose on 2/2/2010 at 14:22
Reread what I wrote. Then go try actually using throw on a boss with active shields/barriers/armor.
Lift/throw don't work. Everything else loses it's disabling abilities, and does reduced damage to 1 or 2 defenses. The shockwave does damage, albiet reduced damage, but you'll notice it doesn't toss them in the air.
Now try bullets.
mothra on 2/2/2010 at 14:58
Quote Posted by Phatose
Reread what I wrote. Then go try actually using throw on a boss with active shields/barriers/armor.
Lift/throw don't work. Everything else loses it's disabling abilities, and does reduced damage to 1 or 2 defenses. The shockwave does damage, albiet reduced damage, but you'll notice it doesn't toss them in the air.
Now try bullets.
still, throw throw/sing/shockwave on a boss and then warp afterwards. it explodes. I'm talking AOE effects, not direct hits. the sing will still stick to the boss and warp will still detonate it. takes away good chunk of any defense. double overload - warp - singul - warp (explosion) - cryo ammo and all defenses are down in 2 cooldowns, rest is pure lift, warp, then throw. takes away massive health.
dude, I just killed the collector boss on horizon with mirandas warp, garrus overload and me only using singularity, warp and throw/lift, I just used the rocketlauncher when he started concentrating on my teammates that die in about 0.5 seconds on hardcore in this fight. Or Reave for example WORKS ON ANY KIND OF BARRIER
Phatose on 2/2/2010 at 15:19
Reave *functions* on any kind of barrier, but it's weakened against shields - just like warp. You can use it, sure, but a pistol is likely to be just as effective.
Look at the amount of micro you're doing here, and consider that to get that results you're needing to use your teammate's powers as well. If you were using bullets, you'd be able to do all that without any microing of teammates.
Simply put, the fact that you can kill someone with a rock if you try hard enough does not mean you're not much better off with a gun.
