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Home News BioWare Says Fans Have Equal Feedback For Mass Effect

GAMING NEWS

BioWare Says Fans Have Equal Feedback For Mass Effect

Posted on Saturday, March 3 @ 17:16:37 Eastern by Jonathan_Leack

BioWare and EA have been catching a lot of flak lately; so much that they had to post a statement on their official forums telling users that if they continue to personally attack employees, they'll be banned immediately. While personal attacks are no way to make a statement, the fans have plenty of reason to complain even if BioWare doesn't think so.

VentureBeat had a chance to speak to Casey Hudson who is the executive producer of the Mass Effect series. He firmly believes that fans are equally as important as the developers in producing each title and stated:

You know, at this point, I think we’re co-creators with the fans. We use a lot of feedback.

Really? Then what about the day one DLC that fans have been upset about?

The DLC, whether it’s day one or not, is always going to be sugar on top, the extra… You know, the extra little bits of content that tell side stories. So even though the character we’re releasing on day one is a Prothean, which is part of a race that’s important to the lore of Mass Effect, his story is still an interesting kind of side thing, and then you get this character that’s good if you want to have him for your first playthrough. But it’s always optional. We would never take stuff out of the core game and only have it in DLC.

If Bioware has been listening to fan feedback over the years then they know just how important the Protheans are to the series. It's pretty clear that the additional content was intentionally designed to be a "must-have" piece so the developer and publisher could easily make a quick buck (or hundreds of thousands in this case). While that's the case with most DLC, it's rare that you see such vitally important content offered on launch day. That's not something I think fans would ask for, so you might as well take that co-creator quote and toss is out of the starship window.

I won't be buying the DLC, but the thousands that might could make this dirty tactic appealing to other studios. Think before you buy.
Related Games:   Mass Effect 3
Tags:   Mass Effect 3, Bioware, EA


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Comments
  • NecroWolf
    NecroWolf
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:39 pm
    Nevermind the hundreds of other games than have Day 1 DLC, it's just Mass Effect 3 gets more hatred than usual because of the legions of Anti-Bioware people out there. It's the usual gamer mindset of hating anything thats popular, be it Mass Effect, Halo or CoD. Bioware just makes a good target, you should see the hatred Blizzard is getting for its pokemon crap in Mists of Panderia (totally going to play it though).
    1 1
  • Jonathan_Leack
    Jonathan_Leack
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:42 pm
    I think this one is more severe than any other I've seen, but I'm always upset when there is day one DLC. The last time I was really irritated was when Capcom released Resident Evil 5 and you had to pay $5 for the online mode (which was horrible mind you). Now that was hardcore.
    1 1
  • NecroWolf
    NecroWolf
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:48 pm
    Granted, it's a practice I wish would go away, but I doubt it will... We can hope, though. I don't like it either, but eh, I'm not really the 'up in arms' type anymore. I'm burned out on getting angry, heh.
    1 0
  • Jonathan_Leack
    Jonathan_Leack
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:49 pm
    I just focus my anger on pretending it doesn't exist. I think it works well... and spares me my TV and controller. :)
    1 1
  • NecroWolf
    NecroWolf
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:52 pm
    Random question, is that an official piece of art from Mass Effect 3? Is that actually Tali? If so, she looks gorgeous, nothing like I would envision. She's definitely my favorite character, I'll admit, I cried during Mass Effect 2 when she changed her name to the Normandy.
    0 0
  • Jonathan_Leack
    Jonathan_Leack
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 7:41 pm
    It's actually fan art. I do wonder if they'll even reveal how she really looks in ME3.
    0 0
  • WILLS_COOL_MODE
    WILLS_COOL_MODE
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 6:50 pm
    You can blame it on anti-bioware folk but Mass Effect 2 and Alan Wake are the only two games I can think of where you need to pay extra just to FINISH THE DAMN GAME. Halo and CoD are just silly cash-in map packs, I didn't even buy the second Halo map pack because the first one was so godawful and I didn't notice a difference gameplay-wise, heck I even uninstalled the first one so I didn't have to play those maps in matchmaking. I feel like if I play a Bioware game without the DLC I'm not getting the full experience. At the same time, there's no way I'm buying it.
    0 0
  • Longo_2_guns
    Longo_2_guns
    Joined: Jun 2003
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 7:32 pm
    Bioware gets more hate than a lot of companies because in the last handful of games or so, they've cut out a great portion of their core audience in an attempt to cater to others. But then, after that, they go and be cocky about it by saying stuff like this.
    People aren't mad at Bioware for no reason. It would be pretty naive to think that.
    1 2
  • WILLS_COOL_MODE
    WILLS_COOL_MODE
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 8:29 pm
    This. I think the last game older Bioware fans really enjoyed was Mass Effect 1. One of the criticisms of that game (and I will say, a valid one) was that the RPG elements weren't implemented all that well. Rather than trying to improve them and make Mass Effect 2 a better experience for RPG fans, they just got rid of them altogether and made it a completely different kind of game.
    0 0
  • LawnGnome
    LawnGnome
    Joined: Apr 2007
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 10:45 pm
    I see people saying this a lot, about ME2 having less RPG elements than ME1, but I totally disagree. The only RPG element that they really took out from ME1 to ME2 was loot/inventory micromanagement. I was actually glad that they did. They even fleshed out the talent system and dialogue/decision gameplay a bit more.
    0 0
  • WILLS_COOL_MODE
    WILLS_COOL_MODE
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 1:28 am
    On the surface they expanded some things, but in practice you can play the game just as effectively if you ignore all of it and treat it like a shooter.
    1 0
  • Imnickson
    Imnickson
    Joined: Jul 2006
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 7:56 pm
    I think it has to do with the way the game is being marketed as well. There are so many places to get exclusive DLC it will be practically impossible to get it all and then day one DLC just threw everyone over the edge. I am curious to see if the DLC is on disk, that's like pouring salt on an open wound. Hey developers when that DLC is 100mb I know all I just downloaded was an unlock code!
    0 0
  • LawnGnome
    LawnGnome
    Joined: Apr 2007
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:02 pm
    The only other alternative is for BioWare to have given the DLC free on day 1. Instead, they're going to charge $10 and make a few million. I think they weighed that against the negative reaction and decided to take the money. I don't blame them. I really don't get the negative outcry over this and all of the other DLC tie-ins. There is an article on Kotaku complaining that to get all of the DLC items and extras from the various preorders, product tie-ins, etc. you would have to spend a couple hundred bucks. The author and some of the commentors are genuinely upset over it and I don't see why. Where is this sense of entitlement to DLC junk coming from!? Unless you are diagnosed OCD and just HAVE to have all of the player outfits, weapon variants, and armor sets to enjoy Mass Effect 3 I don't see how you can complain.

    Let me ask this to all who are upset over the Day 1 DLC: How long after launch WOULD it have been OK with you for them to release the DLC? (You can't say "Never, I hate all DLC, dur!")
    1 1
  • Ranim
    Ranim
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:52 pm
    Everybody is forgetting the authentication process. They completed the game months ago, they immediately began working on the DLC while waiting for the game to pass and be released, thus post-production began at least a month ago. the XBOX auth process alone takes a couple months.
    0 0
  • Ranim
    Ranim
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:55 pm
    I'm dumb, the DLC would have the same thing. Or maybe they do launch and post-release content differently?
    0 0
  • Noritama
    Noritama
    Joined: Feb 2012
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 12:51 am
    Day 1 DLC? Honestly I don't care if it's packaged at a reasonable price then I'll bite. The only time I can see it being a problem if it is like the Resident Evil 5 Multiplayer DLC which was completely silly. I can see why people would be pissed since the DLC character is pretty vital to the story or at least it seems like it.
    0 0
  • Longo_2_guns
    Longo_2_guns
    Joined: Jun 2003
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 4:20 am
    Oh, also, here's something I forgot. The Day 1 DLC? There were soundfiles for the Prothean in the ****ing DEMO.
    0 0
  • LinksOcarina
    LinksOcarina
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 11:33 am
    Yes but it means little. See, the sound files and some other bits are in the demo, and likely the main disk, so that they can be linked to for the DLC. It's basically datamining so that any add-ons can synch up to flags in the main disk without breaking or bugging out the game.
    0 2
  • nihm
    nihm
    Joined: Jan 2011
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 9:04 am
    I bought the DLC along with my preorder because I like the series and $10 isn't going to send me to the poorhouse, it just means I don't have as many drinks when I go out on the weekend. Would I rather it be free for people who buy the game new/1st run (like BF3's Back to Karkand expansion) instead of an additional cost? Hell yeah, but I don't run the company and I can't make them cater to my wishes. Bioware's DLC is usually pretty good (at least it was for ME2) and I'd rather pay extra for actual game content instead of stupid **** that comes with collector's editions of games.
    0 2
  • LinksOcarina
    LinksOcarina
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 11:29 am
    I love the accusation of this being a dirty tactic when it was public knowledge for over a year that an extra character would be offered as part of the collectors edition. The fact that its a Prothean is irrelevent in the end. Hell, the original pre-production script had an idea of a Prothean character that was so vital to the storyline it pretty much broke the lore of what came in Mass Effect 1 and 2, at least according to those who have read the leaked script.

    My point is that you are wrong on this one in so many ways; the character was content that was not supposed to see the light of day but they actually brought back as an extra for fans; an extra that will add to the lore in a way that wont interfere with the plot. At least thats the promise. And sadly, there is no way you can prove or disprove what you proclaim without actually playing the game with or without the character.
    2 3
  • LinksOcarina
    LinksOcarina
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 11:32 am
    One more thing to add, just to clarify something. The pre-production script is not the final storyline of the main game. So it is clear, this was not content ripped from the disk or anything like that, anyone who has a coding background (including the three people I talked to who do) have kinda proved this by looking at the files in the demo as an example of what really is there. Just a clarification to the above point.
    1 2
  • Rinnon
    Rinnon
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
    My suspicion? EA makes the call, and Bioware is left defending it. EA owns Bioware, as we all know, and EA is a company that is happy to milk it's fan base for all it's worth. The worst thing a company can do is publicly argue with it's various branches on something. So my guess is Bioware is less involved in decisions like these than EA is, but Bioware is then all but forced to handle the PR of such choices (because they are better at it).
    0 0
  • TurinAlexander
    TurinAlexander
    Joined: Sep 2006
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
    "I won't be buying the DLC, but the thousands that might could make this dirty tactic appealing to other studios. Think before you buy."

    I'm taking it one step further. I'm not buying ME3 at all. This is the exact sort of treatment I won't accept from any company. If this is the way the EA continues to do business, then I won't be buying anymore of their games. Complaining about it won't do anything, only action will get the message across. Sadly, I doubt that most people will see things my way, and ME3 will have huge sales, but my money won't be going on the pile.
    3 2
  • LawnGnome
    LawnGnome
    Joined: Apr 2007
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
    Wouldn't it make more sense to not buy the DLC instead? Mass Effect 3 is going to be a huge hit, but if an unusually disproportionate number of people didn't buy the DLC in question it would send a pretty clear message. I don't have a problem with the DLC personally, I'm just going to wait until it goes on sale. If you absolutely didn't want to give your money to EA at all, you could always buy the game used too.
    0 1
  • Jonathan_Leack
    Jonathan_Leack
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Mar 4th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
    I'm not buying it either.
    2 1
  • LinksOcarina
    LinksOcarina
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Mar 5th, 2012 at 9:14 am
    Well thats not foolish in the least.
    0 1
  • MasterRabbi
    MasterRabbi
    Joined: May 2007
    Posted: Mar 5th, 2012 at 6:09 am
    Reminds me of Starforce and other DRM, Ubisoft dropped that pretty fast. This was a combination of hitting their pocketbook (sales were low for those games, piracy high), and vocal outcry. I know I sent an opinion piece about Spore to EA and Maxis about SecureROM and no mention at all about the limits they put on it. They removed it in less than 2 months.

    So really it's a combination of vocal outcry and purchasing power that succeeds. Besides, if no one voiced it (especially SecureROM), then I wouldn't have been able to make an informed decision on not buying it.
    0 0
  • phobic
    phobic
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posted: Mar 5th, 2012 at 6:09 am
    I honestly don't see an issue with day 1 DLC. Its still extra content. Yeah, maybe they could have gotten it into the actual game, but who knows? maybe they didn't have time and instead of pushing back a release or making an inferior product they decided to just make it DLC. I also don't see how this is a must have either. Oh he's a Prothean, who cares? Its not like they made commander shepard a DLC character that you need to purchase.
    0 1
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Mar 5th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
    ME3 was delayed from a 2011 release date.

    "Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012. The development team is laser-focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations," BioWare executive producer Casey Hudson

    I agree you can't be sure of what actually happened, but they did have extra dev time. I just don't like the idea of dismissing things like this so casually, as they usually have a tendency to increase in frequency and scale as people become more accepting of these types of money grabs. What if BioWare planned for the Prothean squadmate, but had to cut the content because EA wanted this game Kinect enabled, and BioWare was forced to add it as DLC because of the extra time needed for Kinect optimization....would that change the way you view this particular DLC? Or the extra dev time was spent with the mutiplayer development.....
    0 0
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Mar 5th, 2012 at 9:15 am
    Let me ask you this, why was the Zaed DLC from ME2 free? That was also day one ...it's because at the end of the day Zaed is not really important to the story ....And there isn't some sense of 'entitlement', it's a sense of being ripped off. This DLC character is arguably one of the most important races, in terms of story arc and history, in the trilogy. You mean to tell me that this game went to gold status, then someone at Bioware said wait, let's add a Prothean. If this were just another Kasumi Goto, then fine, but this is not some add-on character with no place in the story arc. I agree with Rinnon, EA calls the shots and BioWare is left with the fallout. And...this will only get worse....
    0 0

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