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[Kezzup]

For those of you unaware, Chris Priestly recently wrote THIS on another thread here on this forum:

Chris Priestly wrote...

To call the next game Mass Effect 4
or ME4 is doing it a disservice and seems to cause a lot of confusion
here. We have already said that the Commander Shepard trilogy is over
and that the next game will not feature him/her. That is the only detail
you have on the game. I see people saying "well, they'll have to pick a
canon ending". No, because the game does not have to come after. Or
before. Or off to the side. Or with characters you know. Or
yaddayaddayadda. Wherever, whenever, whoever, etc will all be revealed
years down the road when we actually start talking about it.

I do
not call the game ME4 when I talk about it ever, bucause that makes
people think of it more as "what happens after Mass Effect 3" rather
than "what game happens next set in the Mass Effect Universe", which is
far more accurate at this point. Obviously fans are going to speculate
content, character and story until we actually reveal details in the
years or months to come as you have almost no actual details, just don't
get bogged down in "well how are they going to continue ME3...".



[smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/devil.png[/smilie]

So, out of a bit of respect for Chris' wishes, I propose we come up with a new temporary acronym for the next installment in the Mass Effect franchise. It's nothing too important, but it's something I felt worth putting into effect.

Personally, I'd go for NME, which could either stand for "New Mass Effect" or "Next Mass Effect". It's the same three characters as ME4, so it wouldn't be too hard.

Now, as they say, discuss.

Modifié par Kezzup, 26 janvier 2013 - 07:45 .

[Yanick Roy]

Hi guys,

It’s my first time posting on the forums, so I hope I’m going to do it right!

What Chris is saying is that thinking of the next Mass Effect game as Mass Effect 4 would imply a certain linearity, a straight evolution of the gameplay and story of the first three games. But because we are switching to a new engine and need to rebuild a bunch of game systems, we have an opportunity to rethink how we want these systems to be going forward instead of just inheriting them from the previous games. Story-wise, the arc of the first trilogy has also been concluded, and what we will do is tell a new story set in the Mass Effect universe. That doesn’t mean that events of the first three games and the choices you made won’t get recognized, but they likely won’t be what this new story will focus on.

In other words, because the game takes place before of after the first trilogy does not mean it necessarily is a straight prequel or sequel.

I’m not a big fan of analogies because the images you use always mean something different to different people, so they are inherently flawed. But let me use one anyway. 

If you had three games centered around a group of key soldiers in the US army during World War I and then decided to make a game about another group of people during the second World War, the games could have many points in common and feel true to one another, and you likely would have to recognize how the events of the first war influenced the ones of the second, but you would not necessarily think of it as a sequel. Again, the analogy is
not great, but what I’m trying to say is that the ME universe is so rich that we are not limited to a single track when coming up with a new story.

I apologize for being cryptic right now, but it’s early enough in development that we don’t have much to share – things still fluctuate quite a bit. As I have posted on Twitter though, the overall feeling of what you are discussing and asking for is very much aligned with what the team intends on delivering, and that makes me feel very good about where we’re heading!

I hope this helps clarify why we’re not thinking of the next ME game as ME4 internally!

Modifié par Chris Priestly, 06 février 2013 - 05:43 .

[Yanick Roy]

PainCakesx wrote...

A appreciate the post! :happy:

I know you can't give much away, but would it be fair to say that at the very least, the galaxy we know and love containing all the aliens, lore, history etc. from the previous trilogy will remain in tact even if Shepard's story is done?

What makes it Mass Effect is indead the alien races, the technology, the lore, history, etc. You can safely expect those in the next Mass Effect.

[Yanick Roy]

Alex_Dur4and wrote...

I'm good with anything your team may come up with...

Except one concept; the MMO!!

I don't want that! I don't want to play a Bi-standard hero amongst a gazillion other equally powerful bi-standard, Following in Shepard's shadow with no story dept, barely any relationships with crew mates and... god have mercy on my soul... the introduction of the dreaded PVP option... No way!!!

While getting a Mass Effect MMO at some point is not impossible, you'll be happy to hear that this is not the game we're talking about when we talk about the next Mass Effect.

[Yanick Roy]

PainCakesx wrote...

I don't think he meant that time doesn't literally matter, but rather the actual words prequel / midquel / sequel being connected to the main story line of ME1-3.

Correct, that's what I meant. Time does indeed matter, but the words prequel / midquel / sequel come loaded with a bunch of other assumptions that don't necessarily all apply to the next ME game.

[Yanick Roy]

By the way, thank you all for making me feel welcome here. I don't know how regularly I'll be able to stop by the forums, but given that today is the first time in the 7+ years I've been with BioWare, it should not be too hard to improve my batting average!

[Yanick Roy]

ZabiGG wrote...

On that basis, why not just dub it SMEG? (Speculative Mass Effect Game). The BSN does love its speculation, after all...

Bienvenue
sur le forum, M. Roy... Always nice to see Montréal talent showcased
and you sound like a great asset to the team. PM me if you need good
references for French localization.

This said, too much speculation tends to lead to unreasonable expectations. Any idea when can we hope to hear more defined details about the next game? Is it more in the range of months or closer to a year?

Thanks!

We don't have a firm communication timeline established at this point, but I don't expect it will be for several more months. Early in development, things fluctuate so much that any detail we communicate could have to be "uncommunicated" a few months later. I think we'd rather have something solid to show by the time we step in the spotlight. You can definitely expect to hear DA3 details before ones about the next ME!

[Yanick Roy]

N7 Shadow 90 wrote...

Thanks for stopping by, Yanick. It's very much appreciated! Is it safe to say that the next Mass Effect will feature Multiplayer? I'm hoping for it, as long as it doesn't take away from the Single Player. I think it's been an awesome addition to the series.

Once again, it's too early to commit to specific features, but multiplayer is something that was well received in ME3, so it is certainly not something we would outright dismiss!

[Yanick Roy]

Mr.BlazenGlazen wrote...

Good to hear Yanick.

Though I just want you to keep in mind that when we say that we want a "sequel" or "Prequel" or whatever to Mass Effect 3, most of us are simply talking about the timeline. 

For me personally, I want a "sequel" to ME3 in a sense that these new events take place after the Reaper War. If that makes any sense?

Yes, you want a game that happens after ME3, that makes perfect sense 

[Yanick Roy]

Arcian wrote...

Welcome. Due to the toxic environment, we issue new hazmat suits to all newcomers.

Haven't needed it so far, but I'll keep it within reach, just in case 

Arcian wrote...

This is something like what Halo 4 did with the exception that Master Chief and Cortana were still the main characters.

This is one way to do it, but the point I was trying to make is that we have many options in such a rich universe.

Arcian wrote...

Is this "single track" Shepard and the Reapers? Because honestly, I can do without both of them, especially the Reapers.

However, to set the game in a period without the Reapers (since every story set during their existence would diminish the importance of said story if not concerning the Reapers), you'd have to go 1 billion years plus back in time, or set it after ME3. You can still have that "other story" you're talking about in a game set after ME3, maybe concerning the chaos of restoring galactic civilization and the rise of new galactic nations to threaten the Citadel-affiliated nations (coughYahgcough).

Of course, that's just my 2 cents.

You actually have to make it 5 cents now... In Canada anyway!

Arcian wrote...

I'm quite willing to believe that EA tells you guys to look at games like Cod and BF3 for gameplay inspiration, so take this sometimes humble fan's advice and look at Deus Ex instead.

While I'm sure EA would love to see us achieve the same level of commercial success these games do (who wouldn't!?), please believe me when I tell you they want us to do "BioWare Games"!

Thanks for the feedback... and the hazmat suit!

[Yanick Roy]

ADelusiveMan wrote...

Welcome to the forum, Yanick. You are definitely going to need that hazmat suit here. Maybe even a shield to go over it.

There is something I'd like bring up to you, by the way. In the original trilogy, during cutscenes, Shepard would always pull up a Predator pistol or Avenger assault rifle when facing enemies. If you choose, for example, an adept/vanguard as your character class, is it possible in ME4 that biotics could flare up instead? If you bring biotics and stuff back, that is.

This is definitely the most specific request I've gotten so far! I'll pass that on to the team!

[Yanick Roy]

Ajensis wrote...

[...] so much so that the moderators didn't dare lock it

Oh! Is that what this checkbox does?

And by the way guys, don't look, but given the number of news story I'm seeing this morning about this thread, I think we're being watched...