Mass Effect 3 has "entirely optional" multiplayer.

[Einhander]

http://kotaku.com/5848484/mass-effec...led-by-bioware

Multiplayer is finally coming to Mass Effect, BioWare confirmed today. Next year's Mass Effect 3 adds four-player cooperative multiplayer missions and the campaign "bonus" Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War. BioWare's Chris Preistly explains, in detail, on the game's official forums.

Mass Effect 3's four-player co-op missions—there's no "versus" multiplayer, they say—lets players "choose from a variety of classes and races, form an elite Special Forces squad, and combine their weapons, powers and abilities to devastating effect as they fight together to liberate key territories from enemy control."

That cooperative multiplayer is said to have "a direct impact on the outcome of the single player campaign, giving players an alternative method of achieving ultimate victory against the greatest threat mankind – and the entire galaxy – has ever faced."

BioWare also details Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War, "a new way for players to manage and experience the galactic war from multiple fronts, including a new 4-player co-op mode." Galaxy at War, BioWare says, affects a player's "'Galactic Readiness' level, measured by Commander Shepard's ability to apply every possible asset – people, weapons, resources, armies, fleets – in the final battle against the Reapers."

That "Galactic Readiness" level in the game's campaign is not just affected by multiplayer, BioWare stresses. "Other platforms and interfaces will be announced in the coming months," says the developer, also noting that the Galaxy at War system is "entirely optional" and that "it is still possible to achieve the optimal, complete ending of the game in Mass Effect 3 through single-player alone."

"Mass Effect 3 is a complete, standalone game that will deliver a satisfying story experience, even if you choose not to try multiplayer," BioWare adds, like you don't really believe them.

BioWare has a Q&A on multiplayer and Galaxy at War posted to the game's forums, explaining one more key detail about multiplayer—that Commander Shepard and the stars of the single-player campaign won't be playable in multiplayer.

"In multiplayer, players will create custom characters to fight on different and unique fronts in the war," the developer writes. "This will include the ability to play as favorites like Turians, Krogans, Asari and more… each with their own unique set of abilities."

[Alucard]

Not sure I like the idea of needing to play multiplayer missions to get extra story.

[eastx]

Lots of games have separate co-op campaigns. It sounds like a good way to offer multiplayer without diluting the core single-player experience.

Also, this should be in the general section, not the 360 section.

[Alucard]

Originally Posted by eastx

Lots of games have separate co-op campaigns. It sounds like a good way to offer multiplayer without diluting the core single-player experience.

Theres a difference with those. This one you can port your save to the next game for extra bits. So if they decide to make this part of the game a special save feature for the next one, you're going to have to play it multiple times unless all of you are logged into the game online. If you're co-oping at your friends place you'll have to do it at your place too or it wont register for your save. Doesnt really work for me. Most of my friends are xbox whores. I get the pc version.

[darren]

yeah this is general stuff .. plus maybe a lesson on using quotes as well.

but regardlesss this sounds like away to try to stop week one trade in's

[eastx]

Originally Posted by darren316

yeah this is general stuff .. plus maybe a lesson on using quotes as well.

but regardlesss this sounds like away to try to stop week one trade in's

Yeah, adding multiplayer could certainly get people to hold onto the game longer after they've beaten it... Then again, the steady stream of DLC (as with part 2) should also help with that.

[calintz]

yeah, but ME3 is gonna be shit cos they could have utilised all that dev time and man power making the SP part better



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http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...ndex/8481789/1

Why include 4 player Co-op multiplayer in Mass Effect 3?

• Being able to explore and fight alongside your friends in the Mass Effect universe has always been something we thought would be fun and compelling, and many players have asked for it for a long time as well. Mass Effect 3 is the best place for us to introduce multiplayer through co-op because of the premise of the game – all out galactic war.

Why only 4 player co-op? What not a versus mode?

• We have always maintained that we would only add multiplayer into the Mass Effect series if it made sense and did not compromise the power of the single player campaign. Fighting together against a common threat was the multiplayer experience that made the most sense for Mass Effect 3. The way we have designed co-op as a wayto take control of key conflict zones in the galaxy is a natural extension of the premise of Mass Effect 3.

Why did you decide not to include it as a part of the main campaign?

• Our priority and focus with Mass Effect 3 has and always will be to deliver a complete and satisfying single player experience.

Does the addition of co-op multiplayer missions impact the scope or quality of the single-player experience?

• No. A dedicated team from our recently formed BioWare Montreal studio has been focused on creating the multiplayer game features while the main game continued to be developed by the team in BioWare Edmonton. Both teams are integrated under the same leadership group that produced Mass Effect 1 and 2, led by Casey Hudson. BioWare remains dedicated to delivering one of the most amazing single-player campaigns gamers have ever experienced.

How did developing multiplayer impact the single player game?

• BioWare is dedicated and focused on delivering an engaging, fun, and action-packed experience for Mass Effect 3, one that lives up the BioWare standard. To reach that level of quality, last year BioWare opened a studio in Montreal that is home to designers, programmers, engineers, and other developers. Both studios work together as partners, lead by the core Mass Effect team, unified in a single vision. Under the direction of Casey Hudson and other team veterans, both studios make contributions to both the single player and multiplayer modes in Mass Effect 3. Rest assured that no compromises were made to either of these modes in the development of Mass Effect 3.

Which characters can I play in co-op multiplayer? Can I play as Commander Shepard?

• Commander Shepard’s part in the war will take place in the single-player campaign, as will that of other beloved characters in the franchise such as Garrus, Ashley, and Liara…these characters do not appear in the multiplayer missions. In multiplayer, players will create custom characters to fight on different and unique fronts in the war. This will include the ability to play as favorites like Turians, Krogans, Asari and more… each with their own unique set of abilities.

What if I don’t like multiplayer – will my experience be negatively impacted?

• Mass Effect 3 is a complete, standalone game that will deliver a satisfying story experience, even if you choose not to try multiplayer. The Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system and all of the individual components are meant to complement that amazing game and can be enjoyed on their own or as part of the Galaxy at War experience.

What if I am not good at / do not like multiplayer? Will my readiness rating go down?

• ME3 is a story about a war against overwhelming force where the most you can hope for us survival. The more you do to fight that war, the more you can change that story into a more optimistic one. You can reach the highest levels of success in the single player experience alone, but Galaxy at War gives you alternative ways to get there. It’s about choice, and allowing players to find their own ways to stay immersed in the Mass Effect universe.

Will you be adding any additional maps or modes through DLC?

• We can’t comment on specifics right now, but can confirm that we are planning on having DLC for Mass Effect 3.

Do save games from ME1 or ME2 impact the co-op multiplayer missions?

• No.

Do characters level up in co-op multiplayer? What is the progression system?

• Character progression, weapon upgrading and leveling up is present in co-op. We’ll release more information on this topic in the months leading up to launch.

Is there more info about the other platforms of Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War?

• We are not going into details about the other components of the Galaxy at War at this time except to say we are designing each to make sense for that platform. Each component will be able to affect a player’s “Galactic Readiness” level in a different way. Again, participation in any or all ME3:GaW elements is entirely optional.

[darren]

i think they are testing the waters for the possible Mass Effect MMO they are thinking of doing after starwars

[stroopwafel]

Yeah it doesn't sound like it will harm the campaign/story mode.

[Nem]

Originally Posted by darren316

i think they are testing the waters for the possible Mass Effect MMO they are thinking of doing after starwars

Thats very unlikely. Making and mantaining an MMO takes a tremendous effort. Supporting 2 of them is something not even blizzard has tried.

Also, from a strategic point of view it doesnt make sense because the games will compete for roughly the same audience. I dont think we will ever see a Mass Effect MMO until SWOTOR dies.

What i think they are doing, is trying to sell more copies to the Gears of War fans and increasing the lifespan of the game so they can charge more DLC down the road.

[Alucard]

It doesnt say anything about how the story or parts of the story will be impacted by the co-op version. They just keep talking about different studios. Unless I missed it. I dont think a mass effect MMO would be any good. They'd have to change the gameplay completely for a start. Secondly the primary fanbase for this game is on consoles, and we all know MMOs dont do that well on the console user section.

[stroopwafel]

Originally Posted by Alucard

It doesnt say anything about how the story or parts of the story will be impacted by the co-op version. They just keep talking about different studios. Unless I missed it. I dont think a mass effect MMO would be any good. They'd have to change the gameplay completely for a start. Secondly the primary fanbase for this game is on consoles, and we all know MMOs dont do that well on the console user section.

Its probably just a separate mode that has no relation to the campaign(just something EA insisted on having to sell more games).

I play mostly(well, only actually) console games and yeah I fucking hate MMOs :p

[darren]

bliz changed the game play of warcraft ok ..

its bioware so tbh if they did do a ME MMO then i'd take a good guess it will prob be ok tbh ..

[darren]

simply what one of the devs from starwars hinted at the other day ..

[Nem]

Dev's arent the ones that make those decisions. I would like to see what he said exactly though.

I just dont see how a mass effect MMO would make sense with SWOTOR out, unless they keep it to the consoles.