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BioWare's next game - Information/speculation so far, BioWare Montreal, and Mass Effect FPS


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#1
EatChildren

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I figured I'd compile the information and speculation on BioWare's next game that has been teased for a reveal on December 11. Rather than just include the hints and analysis of the teaser and tweets so far, I've also included some information and history on BioWare Montreal, who may be the key studio behind this project.

Compiled everything we 'know', and included some info on BioWare Montreal. UPDATED AS OF THE 26/11/2010

The teaser video

1. View here. Does not show anything other than quick cuts of a soldier in armor lifting up a sniper rifle. Brief view of outside his window, nothing specific shown.

2. The rilfe is the Incisor Rifle from Mass Effect 2. Outside of a slight alteration to the front and subdued texture, it is 100% identical right down to the little details. If this does not indicate the project is Mass Effect, it is a reused art asset from Mass Effect. It is, unquestionably, the Incisor Rifle.

3. Soldier's armor does not directly resemble any of the armor from Mass Effect. However, it also appears quite futuristic compared to modern armor, and is a similar 'style' to what might appear in a Mass Effect game.

4. There are quick bright yellow cuts with black silhouettes scattered throughout the video. Most of these are impossible to identify, and so resemblences to Mass Effect material is impossible to verify. There is only one still that can be identified; this shot happens to be this character from Fallout: New Vegas. It is possible then that parts of this teaser were cut with material from other games that intend to be revealled at VGA 2010, in this case the New Vegas DLC pack. For this reason it is important to be skeptical that any of the bright yellow cuts are even related to BioWare specific teaser, or any of the cuts at all for that matter.

5. At the end of the trailer we briefly see the message 'Look Closer'. This would imply that there are details in the video to pay attention to.


The QR code clues

1. BioWare are releasing QR codes with apparent clues to their next game. These can be found on their Twitter account, Facebook page, advertisements, and elsewhere. This will be updated as new codes and clues arrive.

2. First code is here. It reads as the binary code '001101010011010100101110001110000011010000110101'. This, when converted to ASCII is '55.845'. The meaning for this number is unknwon, however it is likely that it is referencing the atomic weight of an iron atom, which shares the same value.

3. Second code is here. It reads as the binary code '0010110100110001001100100011100000101110001101011011000001000110'. This, when converted to ASCII is '-128.5°F'. This is approximately the coldest temperature recorded naturally on Earth, at Vostok, Antarctica.

4. Third code is here. It reads as the binary code '0110100001110100011101000111000000111010001011110010111101110111011101110111011100101110011100110110100101110011001011100110011101101111011101100010111001110101011010110010111101101111011101010111010001110000011101010111010000101111011100110110100101110011001011010110100001101111011011010110010100101101011101110110010101101100011000110110111101101101011001010010111001101000011101000110110101101100'. This, when converted to ASCII is this URL. The website is for the Secret Intelligence Service of the UK. This is not BioWare's website, so there are unlikely to be many if any clues on the website itself.

5. Fourth QR code was found on BioWare's Facebook page. It can be found here. When decoded, it gives this url. The URL links to an image of a The Clash album, specifically The Singles. There is no additional information.

6. Fifth QR code was found oN BioWare's Facebook page. It can be found here. When decoded, it gives this url. The website displays this image, specifically a red herring.

7. Like any good puzzle, we dont know for sure what all these bits and pieces mean. However, if we are to run with Mass Effect, it is interesting to note that in Mass Effect 2 there appears a planet called Aequitas. The official description of this planet has it's surface temperature as -89.1°C, which is approximately -128.5°F, Additionally, the planet is described as having 'famous Iron Canyons'. This planet, in Mass Effect, is the only obvious referencing of both of the number clues. The third code linking to the SIS website may indcate that the SIS headquarters, or the rough location, appear in the teaser trailer, as the SIS headquaters are here, and the positioning of the bridge and fence look very similar to this shot from the teaser. What The Clash - The Singles means is a little confusing, however The Clash is a British band, which ties in nicely with the previous SIS Headquarters/Vauxhall Bridge clue. Of note, and this may not mean anything, Mass Effect's prominent figure David Anderson was born in London. The most recent clue, the 'red herring', would imply that somewhere along the lines we have been given false information. Perhaps this game is not leaning towards Mass Effect at all.


BioWare Montreal's history

1. March 2009, BioWare Montreal opens. Employs approximately 30 staff, with the studio set to provide development support for Mass Effect 2 (art assets, side quests, etc).

2. January 2010, BioWare confirm that Mass Effect will not be confined to a single trilogy.

3. June 2010, BioWare Montreal advertises for a multiplayer programmer, with the role to "take existing single player user experiences and make them multiplayer safe".

4. July 2010, ex-Raven (Wolfenstein, Singularity) developer Manveer Heir joins BioWare Montreal as a senior level designer for an unspecified 'Mass Effect' project.

5. September 2010, BioWare Montreal plans to doubles staff from approximately 27 to 55 employees. Yanick Roy reconfirms Mass Effect work by stating “We're also doubling our contribution to whatever happens next in the Mass Effect franchise".

6. September 2010, BioWare Montreal advertise for various positions associated with genres described as 'military-grade FPS' and 'popular FPS'. Listings were switched from a BioWare specific advertising to EA, and so it may not be BioWare specific.

Modifié par EatChildren, 06 décembre 2010 - 06:00 .


#2
Phaedon

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5. September 2010, BioWare Montreal plans to doubles staff from approximately 27 to 55 employees. Yanick Roy reconfirms Mass Effect work by stating “We're also doubling our contribution to whatever happens next in the Mass Effect franchise".


Yup, that's the part I was posting all over the forums, but nobody would listen to me. It is ME-related. Forget the atomic mass of iron, this is all the evidence we need.

#3
netfire_

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Another detail aside from the m-29 is the small octagons on the persons sleeves. This is a recurring theme in Cerberus design. It is possible this man is Kai Leng.

#4
EatChildren

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netfire_ wrote...

Another detail aside from the m-29 is the small octagons on the persons sleeves. This is a recurring theme in Cerberus design. It is possible this man is Kai Leng.


Somewhat agreed on the Cerberus/Hexagon design, but not on it being Kai Leng. That is a distinctly asian name, and the character in the trailer appears to be caucasian.

#5
Phaedon

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Shouldn't he look a bit more Asian ? This guy may be Tadius Ahern.

[quote]A soldier named Tadius Ahern was sent with a small squad to retrieve a data module, only to be beset by dozens of turian soldiers. With just a couple of defense turrets to assist them, a small strong point and no cover, Ahern and his men managed to fight the turians off for five minutes until their evac arrived.[/quote]

Image IPB
[/quote]

Modifié par Phaedon, 19 novembre 2010 - 02:34 .


#6
Niniva

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EatChildren wrote...



4. There are quick bright yellow cuts with black silhouettes scattered throughout the video. Most of these are impossible to identify, and so resemblences to Mass Effect material is impossible to verify. There is only one still that can be identified; this shot happens to be this character from Fallout: New Vegas. It is possible then that parts of this teaser were cut with material from other games that intend to be revealled at VGA 2010, in this case the New Vegas DLC pack. For this reason it is important to be skeptical that any of the bright yellow cuts are even related to BioWare specific teaser, or any of the cuts at all for that matter.



I said that exact thing and got chastized. :? I think you hit the nail on the head with this post. I doubt the obvious New Vegas drop in the trailer is related, at all. It just makes little sense..

Even if the teaser is for BioWare, it was put out by Spike, whom i believe slipped that in to tease at an NV announcement, and nothing more.

Modifié par Niniva, 19 novembre 2010 - 02:37 .


#7
netfire_

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Also, it could be a first person shooter, with a multiplayer mode. I don't see why no one has even thought about that possibility.

#8
EatChildren

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[quote]Phaedon wrote...

Shouldn't he look a bit more Asian ? This guy may be Tadius Ahern.[/quote][/quote]

At this point I dont think we have enough information to really say he's anybody. Its very easy to pick parts of many characters from the Mass Effect franchise, including the books, and apply them to this dude. He looks a little bit like this character, a little bit like that, and might be this one, etc etc. Its a bit too early to pin him as someone specific, as he could very well be nobody important at all, not even the protagonist of whatever this project is.

[quote]netfire_ wrote...

Also, it could be a first person
shooter, with a multiplayer mode. I don't see why no one has even
thought about that possibility.[/quote]

Plenty of people have thought of this, and I implied as much in my post. Read my points about BioWare Montreal. They specifically advertised for mulitple positions to work on a FPS.

Modifié par EatChildren, 19 novembre 2010 - 02:40 .


#9
cachx

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[quote]Phaedon wrote...

Shouldn't he look a bit more Asian ? This guy may be Tadius Ahern.
[quote]A soldier named Tadius Ahern was sent with a small squad to retrieve a data module, only to be beset by dozens of turian soldiers. With just a couple of defense turrets to assist them, a small strong point and no cover, Ahern and his men managed to fight the turians off for five minutes until their evac arrived.[/quote][/quote][/quote]

That would be a really short single player campaign :o

#10
Phaedon

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Nah, Bioware can develop it further, with this incident only being one of the missions you get to play.

#11
joriandrake

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looked at the video, for me that looks more like Alpha Protocol than ME

#12
EatChildren

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joriandrake wrote...

looked at the video, for me that looks more like Alpha Protocol than ME


Alpha Protocol is a game made by a different developer, and published by a different publisher. It has absolutely no relation to this teaser.

#13
Phaedon

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It doesn't look like AP...at all!

#14
wisekill1

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you know the Abandoned Mine mission on ME2 is also on that planet?

#15
joriandrake

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EatChildren wrote...

joriandrake wrote...

looked at the video, for me that looks more like Alpha Protocol than ME


Alpha Protocol is a game made by a different developer, and published by a different publisher. It has absolutely no relation to this teaser.



and? Obsidian and Bioware have many longtime connections and they cooperate, no wonder that AP resembled ME a lot, it wouldn't be that surprising if Bioware decided to save the franchise and for the change they make a sequel to an Obsidian game, and that rifle or the armor of the guy in the teaser doesn't look ME-like for me even if others say that rifle is from ME2



edit: btw, can these:

"2. First code is here.
It reads as the binary code
'001101010011010100101110001110000011010000110101'. This, when converted
to ASCII is '55.845'. The meaning for this number is unknwon, however
it is likely that it is referencing the atomic weight of an iron atom,
which shares the same value.

3. Second code is here. It reads as the binary code '0010110100110001001100100011100000101110001101011011000001000110
'.
This, when converted to ASCII is '-128.5°F'. This is approximately the
coldest temperature recorded naturally on Earth, at Vostok, Antarctica."


be converted somehow to coordinates?

Modifié par joriandrake, 19 novembre 2010 - 03:32 .


#16
Niniva

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joriandrake wrote...

EatChildren wrote...

joriandrake wrote...

looked at the video, for me that looks more like Alpha Protocol than ME


Alpha Protocol is a game made by a different developer, and published by a different publisher. It has absolutely no relation to this teaser.



and? Obsidian and Bioware have many longtime connections and they cooperate, no wonder that AP resembled ME a lot, it wouldn't be that surprising if Bioware decided to save the franchise and for the change they make a sequel to an Obsidian game, and that rifle or the armor of the guy in the teaser doesn't look ME-like for me even if others say that rifle is from ME2




img545.imageshack.us/img545/1493/thisisme.jpg

i51.tinypic.com/242a4rd.jpg

Are you SURE?

Modifié par Niniva, 19 novembre 2010 - 03:36 .


#17
Fiery Phoenix

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You might want to add that Vostok is also the name of a star system in ME1. See below:

http://masseffect.wi...com/wiki/Vostok

#18
EatChildren

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joriandrake wrote...

and? Obsidian and Bioware have many longtime connections and they cooperate, no wonder that AP resembled ME a lot, it wouldn't be that surprising if Bioware decided to save the franchise and for the change they make a sequel to an Obsidian game, and that rifle or the armor of the guy in the teaser doesn't look ME-like for me even if others say that rifle is from ME2


The rifle is the Incisor from ME2. It doesnt 'look like' a ME2 rifle, it is the ME2. As in, it is practically the exact same model used in ME2, right down to the tiny little details and shapes of all the little parts. Seriously, its the Incisor rifle model. Its possible this is not a Mass Effect game, but if its not this is BioWare reusing Mass Effect art assets to promote another game. That's happened before, but it doesnt change the fact that it is the Incisor rifle. Its literally the same model.

But besides that, I know the connections between BioWare and Obsidian, but still cant see the two (especially with publisher differences) connecting for an Alpha Protocol game. Who owns the Alpha Protocol IP? Sega published it, so its quite probably they still hold rights to it.

be converted somehow to coordinates?


Some have tried but mostly failed. They're a bit too off to be coordinates, and the second one literally states it as a Farenheit reading.

wisekill1 wrote...

you know the Abandoned Mine mission on ME2 is also on that planet?


I do yeah. Could be tied into that.

FieryPhoenix7 wrote...

You might want to add that Vostok is also the name of a star system in ME1. See below:

http://masseffect.wi...com/wiki/Vostok


This is true as well. Thanks!

Modifié par EatChildren, 19 novembre 2010 - 03:37 .


#19
wisekill1

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if you make coordinates out of it (55N;128O) you go to east rusia...

#20
joriandrake

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Niniva wrote...

joriandrake wrote...

EatChildren wrote...

joriandrake wrote...

looked at the video, for me that looks more like Alpha Protocol than ME


Alpha Protocol is a game made by a different developer, and published by a different publisher. It has absolutely no relation to this teaser.



and? Obsidian and Bioware have many longtime connections and they cooperate, no wonder that AP resembled ME a lot, it wouldn't be that surprising if Bioware decided to save the franchise and for the change they make a sequel to an Obsidian game, and that rifle or the armor of the guy in the teaser doesn't look ME-like for me even if others say that rifle is from ME2




img545.imageshack.us/img545/1493/thisisme.jpg

i51.tinypic.com/242a4rd.jpg

Are you SURE?


if you think outside of existing Bioware games and sci-fi, you will notice the design is the most similar to AP, I doubt a teaser like this would be necessary just to announce ME3

btw: Sega also worked with Bioware, rights to AP wouldn't be impossible to get

Modifié par joriandrake, 19 novembre 2010 - 03:43 .


#21
MRBCBK420

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the Stargate is real. Vostok, Antarctica."




#22
joriandrake

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MRBCBK420 wrote...

the Stargate is real. Vostok, Antarctica."


You know, I wouldn't mind a good Stargate RPG, aslong it doesn't build its story around SGU

#23
EatChildren

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joriandrake wrote...

if you think outside of existing Bioware games and sci-fi, you will notice the design is the most similar to AP, I doubt a teaser like this would be necessary just to announce ME3


Maybe for the armor, but not for the gun. The gun is the Incisor Rifle, detail for detail. If this is a promo for AP2 (which it's not), they used the Incisor Rifle model for whatever reason.

#24
shinobi602

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It's Mass Effect. 100%.



Anyone who says it isn't is seriously deluding themselves. Anyway, I pray it's not some spinoff. For the love of God just show us something about ME3 pleaaaaase!!!! I feel like I'm the only one clamoring for ANY Mass Effect 3 news here...GAAHHHH





ok *breathes*

#25
joriandrake

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shinobi602 wrote...

It's Mass Effect. 100%.

Anyone who says it isn't is seriously deluding themselves. Anyway, I pray it's not some spinoff. For the love of God just show us something about ME3 pleaaaaase!!!! I feel like I'm the only one clamoring for ANY Mass Effect 3 news here...GAAHHHH


ok *breathes*


the teaser just looks... off, if it really is about ME3

Modifié par joriandrake, 19 novembre 2010 - 04:37 .