Bioware General (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Other)

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siRoxswwQaE

[Dragaros]

http://blog.bioware.com/2017/01/31/mass ... -kits/#new

[Dragaros]

[TheodoricFriede]

Yeah great asari or whatever TELL ME ABOUT THE TURIAN GODDAMN IT.

[Azint]

I think I figured out the problem with why FemRyder looks a bit off, at least compared to other characters who had their faces scanned. There was a thread about it on a certain image board, and Ryder's face was being compared to the face model, and it looks almost right. I think Bioware used the wrong lens when they did the portrait scan, the initial shot of er face from the front. I think they used a 35mm lens, instead of a 50mm lens, which is how it is usually done. They used the wrong lens, so Ryder's face looks off, instead of showing us a more natural proportion that the 50mm would have granted.

[MeaslyBinkie]

Wew, Scott the lad sure does make me miss VanderShep, and I can't be the only one who think's there something wrong with his proportions.



Hopefully it's just that armour set, Papa Ryder doesn't seem to suffer from it judging by various screenshots.

[Vol]

Wew, Scott the lad sure does make me miss VanderShep, and I can't be the only one who think's there something wrong with his proportions.



Hopefully it's just that armour set, Papa Ryder doesn't seem to suffer from it judging by various screenshots.

I'm not seeing any issue here.

[MeaslyBinkie]

I'm not seeing any issue here.

Hmm, on second thought you could be right.

[TheodoricFriede]

Joking aside, im happy to see a shorter protagonist. Speaking as a man who only just reaches 5'4''.

[Zero Suit Rosalina]

I'm not seeing any issue here.

Hmm, on second thought you could be right.

I love it.

"Ryder! How will we take a scout ship with no type of weaponry to planets we never explored before and expect to not need them."

Ryder: "it just works"

[Dragaros]

Jaal

[Dragaros]

Mass Effect: Andromeda director Mac Walters explains the dialogue system replacing Paragon / Renegade

[HellBovine]

So I read that the Andromeda Initiative starts about the same time as ME2 and then they go into cryosleep for a few hundred years.

They sure did all they could to weasel out of choosing a canon ending.

Guess that also ruins any chance of seeing any sizable quarian presence in Andromeda. This is starting to feel like Inquisition all over again.

[TheodoricFriede]

Guess that also ruins any chance of seeing any sizable quarian presence in Andromeda.

Well theres a quarian in some promotional screenshots so...

[TTTX]

So I read that the Andromeda Initiative starts about the same time as ME2 and then they go into cryosleep for a few hundred years.

They sure did all they could to weasel out of choosing a canon ending.

Guess that also ruins any chance of seeing any sizable quarian presence in Andromeda. This is starting to feel like Inquisition all over again.

according to the developers they leave right in between ME2 and ME3.

Well theres a quarian in some promotional screenshots so...

I have seen one blurry image and considering that the new race the Angara has an odd head shape and that distance it could be one of them and not a quarian.

[TheodoricFriede]

I have seen one blurry image and considering that the new race the Angara has an odd head shape and that distance it could be one of them and not a quarian.

...Dude, its wearing a quarian helmet. You cant even fit that on an argaran.

[TTTX]

...Dude, its wearing a quarian helmet. You cant even fit that on an argaran.

We haven't seen Angara armor yet.

[TheodoricFriede]

...Dude, its wearing a quarian helmet. You cant even fit that on an argaran.

We haven't seen Angara armor yet.

Theres literally one on this page...

[TTTX]

Theres literally one on this page...

with no helmet...

[TheodoricFriede]

Theres literally one on this page...

with no helmet...

Whats more amusing is you think that somehow supports your argument.

You think a quarian helmet will fit over those fleshy bits, eh?

Goooood luck.

[TTTX]

Whats more amusing is you think that somehow supports your argument.

You think a quarian helmet will fit over those fleshy bits, eh?

Goooood luck.

a quarian like helmet, at that distance that is possible as details becomes terrible the longer away you see.

[TheodoricFriede]

Whatever man.

[Mazder]

Well TBH, the picture you're saying is "evidence" is really not all that solid as we've seen Andarans and we've seen many of them wearing clothes that match their skin pallete's, and the back of their heads are similar in shape to a hood of a quarian.
We don't see much of, if any, of the front of the head, or any reference as to actual size of the being in the image, nor any scale of their size. In fact looking at the image again knowing that in other instances they're going with appropriate height differences for races (Vetra, Drax and MP Krogan) then this image shows me a being a head taller than what appears to be a human right next to them (If you draw a horizontal line to compare their feet.).

Here we have the original image, where granted things are blurry enough to say we just don't know either way, it could be, could not be.


The way the head is shaped in the last image (it being to a point rather than the relatively smooth collection of material known for most hoods and given Andaran heads are shaped extremely similarly, as evidenced in the cinematic trailer #2, I'll try and post an image;


And there is something else. This being COULD be an outlier, but seeing as Bioware is all "OMG IF IT'S DIFFERENT GIVE IT IT'S OWN CHARACTER" for their writing nuances when it comes to traits of races in their lore, I think if this is a tall quarian they'd have a prominent roe in the game and would be a main character. Because, s you can see by the next image that being is way too tall to be an average quarian.


Now, I hope I am extremely wrong and Quarians ARE in the game, but right now there is still no solid evidence for it. A lot of tinfoil "could be's" if you squint, but nothing solid.

EDIT: Also sorry for the abysmal text on the last image, I had to use my mouse.

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCN7DDQVQ0&list=WL&index=12

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9K0Zc4DPY&list=WL&index=11

[Someone With Mass]

So you can make the guns behave like the ME1 versions with the overheat mechanic instead of thermal clips when crafting them. Don't know why people obsess over a mechanic like that, but it's nice to have the option, I guess.

[Vol]

You know what was cool?

When information could be conveyed in concise text lists.

But yeah, that's some good news. No Cerberus, going back to ME1's crafting in some ways, fucking INFINITE AMMO again aw yeah.

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoCP54fjm2Q

[SciFlyBoy]

Is anyone going to play on the 16th, when early access begins?

[Dragaros]

For all your Vetra needs:

http://lvlt.bioware.cdn.ea.com/bioware/ ... terKit.pdf

https://www.masseffect.com/news/vetra-nyx





Height: 198 cm
Weight: 95 kg
Known Affiliations: Andromeda Initiative
Nicknames: None
Combat Roles/Strengths: Wears heavily upgraded custom armor that provides additional shielding.
Favorite Weapon: Modified Cyclone assault rifle
Favorite Biotic/Tech/Other Ability: Power Armor. Vetra’s custom armor hardens and activates reinforced shields, providing her with unrivaled protection.
Famous Quote: “Making deals to get the things you want, shooting at the things you don’t. That’s me.”

[TheodoricFriede]

Still love her, and will be very disappointed when she is a lesbian only romance.

But two things worry me about Vetra.

1.) "Street Smarts"
Bioware has never been particularly good at that kind of character. The only exception being Varric, and that was only in one of the two games he was in.

2.) Her writer
Shes being written by the same writer that gave us Blackwall and Isabella. Isabella is ok, but Blackwall is the character i most forget exists any time i think of Bioware characters.

[Vol]

Hah! I got an inch of height on her. So I have reach, and she has...?

@Theo: Eh. They're hit and miss. "Street smarts" is a really broad label though. She's clearly not the Canderous/Black Whirlwind/Wrex of this one, and she's not looking like she'll be some puckish rogue, so she'll be her own thing it seems.

Isabella was alright, I liked Blackwall just fine, though some women we all know loved his character, so it's subjective. Because it's better to be too boring than too irritating.

[Deano]

Blackwall kinda feel like he didn't need to be there, but I don't think he was any worse than any of the other DA:I characters. There was actually some fairly emotional scenes with him in the friendship routes, so I have pretty high hopes.

[SciFlyBoy]

@Deano Your profile pics always make my heart skip a beat. Your choice of topic is always superb.

[Deano]

@Deano Your profile pics always make my heart skip a beat. Your choice of topic is always superb.

Why thankyou. If you wanna find some quality art get a pixiv account and they'll email you the top art weekly. Which means plenty of Fate stuff.

[SciFlyBoy]

Why thankyou. If you wanna find some quality art get a pixiv account and they'll email you the top art weekly. Which means plenty of Fate stuff.

Plenty of Fate stuff...sigh. Can you pick a category of art or do they send you random art?

I would kill for a Rin Tohsaka hair design for Mass Effect, but I don't think the Alliance allows twin tails.

[TheodoricFriede]

but I don't think the Alliance allows twin tails.

Or reality for that matter.


Seriously the only think more unrealistic than Japanese breast physics are Japanese hair physics.

[SciFlyBoy]

Or reality for that matter.

Seriously the only think more unrealistic than Japanese breast physics are Japanese hair physics.

Man I love Japanese breast physics, not just because of the obvious reasons, but I just love ham. And nobody hams up the marvelous majestic mammaries like the Japanese.

[Spartanburger]

Looking at that Vetra reference got me thinking one very specific thing.

As of now, I have a fair bit of experience working with BioWare's textures and models. One of the textures I have more experience with modifying than others is the Female Turian texture, the one that unwraps onto Nyreen's model. So far, I have created four textures for femturians, and have a fifth one planned out at some point in the future.

From that, and giving a close look at the model and texture for Vetra, all I have to say is this:


They've changed fuck-all. Like, I'm 99% sure this is just the "pre-detailmapping" model of the exact same female Turian model they used for ME3 Citadel/Omega/Reckoning, only redone for frostbite. Generally speaking, when you do models for video games, you create a high-detail, high-poly model, and then "bake" detail off into things like bumpmaps and reflection or material maps in order to reduce polycount and allow for it to actually be used on human hardware. Smart devs will save this high-detail model for future use or variants. Vetra looks like they took the high-detail Nyreen model and just converted it for Frostbite with no modifications, perhaps baking detail down to a slightly higher degree (the "bumpmap" detail looks to be higher). The only significant difference it has to existing models is the clothing/armor. Everything from the neck up, except the visor, might as well be recycled.

I'm tempted to recreate her texture for the model I have. It would take maybe an hour, two at most. Boom. Vetra model leaked early.

Or whatever. I'm seriously knitpicking here, and can't really say definitively until I see it more in game, and get my hands on a good rip of it.


Sidenote: I get that Biower is going for a more "normal/basic" image for the characters in the character references, but the FOV they used really doesn't do a good for good pics. It's throwing off proportions, or making it seem like some kind of quick-and-dirty fanmade content. Like, use a larger lens or something. Bitches love larger lenses (for reference: small lens vs big lens).

[Dragaros]

[SciFlyBoy]

(for reference: small lens vs big lens).

So the difference is the amount of focus area?

[Someone With Mass]

I'd guess that it has to do with budget and time. It's probably cheaper and faster to reuse old assets than making everything from scratch. Better that than cutting the voice actor budget like last time.

[Deano]

https://twitter.com/bioware/status/830118660870115328

Um..when was this ever announced, I've been following twitter and other sources heavily?

[TTTX]

https://twitter.com/bioware/status/830118660870115328

Um..when was this ever announced, I've been following twitter and other sources heavily?

you could sign up for ME:A tests on the ME:A page since around november if I remember correctly.

[Deano]

you could sign up for ME:A tests on the ME:A page since around november if I remember correctly.

Damn I don't remember that at all, hopefully I signed up and forgot.

[Someone With Mass]

The beta was only for PS4 and Xbone, though. Probably because the PC people would have data mined the shit out of it and BioWare is probably a little weary of leaks and such by now.

[DarkStorm]

Plus all the new ME porn with the models.

[Spartanburger]

(for reference: small lens vs big lens).

So the difference is the amount of focus area?

Basically, but changing the lens generally requires a second change too. Using a larger lens creates a smaller focus area and as a result, if you want to fit the same amount of stuff in the shot, you have to move the camera physically away from the items you want to shoot.

Take a picture with a camera that has a small lens. Now move the camera twice as far away and, without changing the lens, retake the shot. If you crop the long-distance shot so that it includes the same items as the closeup, it's the same thing as changing the size of the lens. The only real difference is that you have to crop (and thus are being inefficient with the shot quality) (at least,this is what I've gathered from some simple testing in a digital environment and from the videos I've watched. Realworld physical lenses may be slightly different).

At close distances (thus using a small lens), the effect of depth is greater, making things that are further away from the shot seem... well, farther away. Far distances (with a big lens), decreases this effect. You can use this effect to play with proportions, making something seem far larger than what it actually is. If you really want to make an enemy spaceship seems hueg, for example, use a large lens, put the protag ship close to the camera, and the enemy ship further away. The general effect is that the enemy ship ends up looking like a fucking planet. IIRC, there are a few shots in ME2 or ME3 that use this effect to emphasize size differences.

Personally, I like the visual aesthetic of the larger lenses. It feels more cinematic.

Sidenote, this is perhaps one of the reasons why the shot of Ryder looks kinda wack compared to Shepard. It uses a different lens/FOV, making the proportions seem quite different. It's not the only thing leading to the effect, but it's one of them.

Probably because the PC people would have data mined the shit out of it and BioWare is probably a little weary of leaks and such by now.

Which is a stupid reason, since we datamined the fuck out of the alpha build of the ME3 demo that leaked onto the XBLA a few weeks before the official demo came out. You remember the one with the text-to-speak voice replacing some dialog, missing animations, and the dude that got stuck in a window?

Plus all the new ME porn with the models.

Cannot come soon enough.

Sidenote:



Jetpack Salarian. I want it, now.

[TTTX]

The beta was only for PS4 and Xbone, though. Probably because the PC people would have data mined the shit out of it and BioWare is probably a little weary of leaks and such by now.

I kinda doubt that would stop any leaks.

Plus all the new ME porn with the models.

That'll come eventually.

[TTTX]

Jetpack Salarian. I want it, now.

the salarian looks badass.