John Warner Senior Producer at EA and BioWare said “The next ‘ME’ is a great place to jump into the series. No need to worry about saves.” To answer a fans question about save transferring on Twitter. ORIGINAL Article
Now to me this sucks. Mass Effects appeal in the beginning was the Save Transferring System. Despite the face that we are starting with a whole new crew I want to feel as if my choices mattered! Are they writing the series anew?
I don't believe save importing will be necessary because the next ME will most likely be a prequel of sorts.
That's my guess anyway.
DAI has no direct save file transfer and it still works.
The complexity of getting the new game with a new engine to accept the old save files is just too much for them to bother. Especially since they want a new story with a new protagonist. So far what they have said leads me to believe that the next game is going to have either very minimal connection to ME1-3 or none at all.
DAI uses the keep and this next game might, but doubtful. The next ME game after the current one in developement might use a ME keep or if the trilogy is remastered for the ps4 and Xone, they might use save imports.
Who knows? My guess is that the ME team would use a keep similiar to what the DA team is using
A new start without the complications of save import in this game provides the optimal starting point for save import to be utilised for one or more subsequent games, so I'm perfectly fine with it. Plus, it gives them the most freedom to make ME4 as amazing as possible 
as others have pointed out, something similar to the Keep can always come into play if it takes place after the trilogy.
I do believe the game is going to be a sequel but they are going to create a sort of DA:Keep for ME (maybe ME:Legacy) to keep record of our choice and import them in the game. That is how they did it on DA and it worked quite well in my opinion. We are not forced to play entirely the previous game to have the savestate we need and I think this is a neat improvement because it provides for newbies a short recap of the history of the game.
Ofc you should realistically expect them not to influence the main game too much other than cameos of some sort. I do think they will find out a way to make all our choices having a very similar outcome so that people won't be arguing too much.
The other alternative is to pick a canon ending. This is the easiest choice but many fans won't like it if their choice is not respected. Personally I think that only Destroy allow the possibility of meaningful sequels (but this is a different topic).
These are the only two options for them if they are going to do a sequel. I exclude them doing a prequel or midquel because tbh they well know that the majority of their fanbase is against it.
Unless some strange theories pop out like Ark or Indoctrination ones, I think the course of action is quite clear for BW.
My guess is they want to stay as far away from those rancid dogfart endings as possible.
My bet is that so many fans rolled out, that BioWare will have to get new ones. After all, BioWare is a business. If you alienate your fanbase and then flip them off, you have to get new ones. Sure, they tried to make amends with the Extended Cut - but it never occurred to them to just make a slightly decent ending right? I remember what the forums were like right after release. Damage control was in full swing, and accounts were being banned at alarming rates. Many people were saying FU BioWare; delete my account because I'm never looking back. (essentially) There were so many pages of locked threads that were getting so many likes it was actually a pretty fun time.
Well, now its time to beat the drum and make that cash rain from the sky, and fill up the pocketbooks. Many ears are deaf to the drumbeat, having had their Shepard(s) discarded like some worthless trash that smells bad - and those people are not ever coming back. I'm kind of more on the fence - I will never preorder anything from them ever again. I will not trust the game big time reviewers - they say what BioWare (and all of the other big game houses) tell them to. I will trust only what real gamers put up on you tube.
Sadly, even IF (IF!) BioWare made 2 more massy effecty games back to back that were good, I'd put cash down on the barrel that they will make the third a disaster of rushed and unimaginative writing - essentially another box of dogfarts. After all, I'm not a BioWare fan - and I never was. I was a Mass Effect fan. Well, you know..... until Mass Effect 3. All I have to go off of is the track record that exists. They wrapped up the best trilogy on such a bad feeling note.... and I suspect they will do it again.
I know why a lot of you keep saying "oh, DAI has the keep, it'll probably be like the keep" but, that's not what the devs have said. The devs have not said "we have new mechanics for importing save features." What the devs said is this:
"The next ‘ME’ is a great place to jump into the series. No need to worry about saves."
"A great place to jump into the series" doesn't mean new save mechanics. It doesn't mean something like the DA keep. "A great place to jump into the series" says "good for newcomers" and "previous experience with the series isn't necessary." Which also translates to "your personal previous expreience with the series isn't necessary."
I know why a number of you want to put a good spin on this, but the very specific words the dev used absolutley scream "prequel."
[...]"The next ‘ME’ is a great place to jump into the series. No need to worry about saves."
"A great place to jump into the series" doesn't mean new save mechanics. It doesn't mean something like the DA keep. "A great place to jump into the series" says "good for newcomers" and "previous experience with the series isn't necessary." Which also translates to "your personal previous expreience with the series isn't necessary."
"A great place to start" is also what they said about ME3.
And the Keep does not need savegames afaik. So it really could be either way.
Let me have my hope while it is there, dammit!
Personally, I wouldn't give to much thought about it until the game is actually here.
John Warner Senior Producer at EA and BioWare said “The next ‘ME’ is a great place to jump into the series. No need to worry about saves.” To answer a fans question about save transferring on Twitter. ORIGINAL Article
Now to me this sucks. Mass Effects appeal in the beginning was the Save Transferring System. Despite the face that we are starting with a whole new crew I want to feel as if my choices mattered! Are they writing the series anew?
I am in the minority even myself hates my own opinion and theory but here goes... BIOWARE IS PLANNING A REBOOT OR A RESTART OF THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE
I know why a lot of you keep saying "oh, DAI has the keep, it'll probably be like the keep" but, that's not what the devs have said. The devs have not said "we have new mechanics for importing save features." What the devs said is this:
"The next ‘ME’ is a great place to jump into the series. No need to worry about saves."
"A great place to jump into the series" doesn't mean new save mechanics. It doesn't mean something like the DA keep. "A great place to jump into the series" says "good for newcomers" and "previous experience with the series isn't necessary." Which also translates to "your personal previous expreience with the series isn't necessary."
I know why a number of you want to put a good spin on this, but the very specific words the dev used absolutley scream "prequel."
I doubt they will do a prequel. A prequel would kill the franchise. There would be a lot of really pissed of fans again who were careful not to buy the game on release and will never buy it.
I think the whole ME3 business was because they didn't have enough time and the endings were just thrown in by the main guys without running the idea through other people. this time, this time they should have listened. After all I doubt they want a repeat of what already happened.
And if they do any kind of prequel or sideqeul bullshit then it will end up killing them.
I am in the minority even myself hates my own opinion and theory but here goes... BIOWARE IS PLANNING A REBOOT OR A RESTART OF THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE
Did you create a thread about having a reboot or restart? I don't recall if you did or not. If not, why not create one with folks posting what they would like to see in a reboot?
There were so many pages of locked threads that were getting so many likes
Oh yeah, people used the crap out of that Like function that we only got half a year ago... 
I know why a lot of you keep saying "oh, DAI has the keep, it'll probably be like the keep" but, that's not what the devs have said. The devs have not said "we have new mechanics for importing save features."
It's just a guess, really, I doubt a lot of people think it's probable rather than merely possible. Also, the Keep isn't a save-import, so of course they wouldn't say that. In fact, they're not really saying anything, so it's hard to conclude anything based on what they're not saying.
I doubt they will do a prequel. A prequel would kill the franchise. There would be a lot of really pissed of fans again
I'm not so sure. I know a sequel is what most people around these parts want (and I'm one of them), but I think most Mass Effect players just want a Mass Effect game. How many will really turn their backs on the next ME if it's not a sequel? Some, sure, but there'll always be some who don't like certain aspects of a new game.
I still hope it'll be a sequel, but if they want to tell a story that isn't, then I'll keep an open mind and see where they're going with it.
I doubt they will do a prequel. A prequel would kill the franchise. There would be a lot of really pissed of fans again who were careful not to buy the game on release and will never buy it.
I think the whole ME3 business was because they didn't have enough time and the endings were just thrown in by the main guys without running the idea through other people. this time, this time they should have listened. After all I doubt they want a repeat of what already happened.
And if they do any kind of prequel or sideqeul bullshit then it will end up killing them.
But that is assuming that those two forces are exclusive and independent of one another.
ME3 also "really pissed off fans" because of it's rushed and flawed ending. But the reason that ending was rushed and flawed wasn't because the devs were eager to use up their skymiles and go on vacation. It's because of corporate pressure from above. Regularly released products from flagship IPs is one of the single most important goals for the cashmen.
It has been proven multiple times that quality gamemaking will be sacrificed at the altar of deadlines. Dragon Age 2 is one of the primary examples of this.
Given the broad influence of the decisions made at the end of ME3, there would be a lot of work to make a sequel. Could a successful sequel be made? Absolutely. But it would require easily 2x the assets and development budget as making a prequel or concurrent story. The same internal forces that rushed DA2 and rushed ME3 are the same forces at play in this scenario.
Objectively, "pissing off the fans" will result in depressed sales, but chances are the people holding the cash figure that a critically mixed title released in 2015 with less development costs will make them more money than a critically acclaimed title released in 2017 with double the development costs. In addition, very few video game franchises remain extremely valuable beyond their third or fourth edition. The big ones you can think of are almost all cinematic in focus with almost no "choice & consequence" elements that complicate writing and drive up costs.
I really, really want a sequel. A good sequel. But I also wanted the Shepard trilogy to end with a narratively coherent, satisfying ending. I've learned to temper my expectations.
Did you create a thread about having a reboot or restart? I don't recall if you did or not. If not, why not create one with folks posting what they would like to see in a reboot?
Yes I did... I should put it in my signature http://forum.bioware...ot-in-disguise/
Guest_john_sheparrd_*
this is the smart thing to do
the endings were garbage and they still are so they probably don't want to remind people of that controversy a few years ago
It will still be a sequel but set many many years after the original Trilogy so they don't really have to worry about previous choices
Just because they don't use a save data import, doesn't mean that there won't be world state importing. They'll probably have a 'Galaxy Map' ( similar to Keep) where you import your world state via the Internet. I would assume it would be a hell of a lot easier to do then making a remaster for XB1 and PS4 and doing it that way.
Personally, I think the ME equivalent to the Dragon Age Keep will get called the Citadel Archives.
But yeah, I figure that's going to be the future of carryover effects between games. But since we still don't know in MENext will be a prequel, sequel, or sidequel, we don't know how many decisions are going to be impacting it yet. Set it far enough in the future, they'd really just need a toggle - which path did Shepard take? I doubt it'll be that far in the future, but still, depending on how connected MENext and the trilogy are, they could get by with worldstates where the only decisions that would show any kind of carryover would be ones that could be listed at the start, in the same fashion as the decision of who was left on Virmire was in ME3.
But that is assuming that those two forces are exclusive and independent of one another.
ME3 also "really pissed off fans" because of it's rushed and flawed ending. But the reason that ending was rushed and flawed wasn't because the devs were eager to use up their skymiles and go on vacation. It's because of corporate pressure from above. Regularly released products from flagship IPs is one of the single most important goals for the cashmen.
It has been proven multiple times that quality gamemaking will be sacrificed at the altar of deadlines. Dragon Age 2 is one of the primary examples of this.
Given the broad influence of the decisions made at the end of ME3, there would be a lot of work to make a sequel. Could a successful sequel be made? Absolutely. But it would require easily 2x the assets and development budget as making a prequel or concurrent story. The same internal forces that rushed DA2 and rushed ME3 are the same forces at play in this scenario.
Objectively, "pissing off the fans" will result in depressed sales, but chances are the people holding the cash figure that a critically mixed title released in 2015 with less development costs will make them more money than a critically acclaimed title released in 2017 with double the development costs. In addition, very few video game franchises remain extremely valuable beyond their third or fourth edition. The big ones you can think of are almost all cinematic in focus with almost no "choice & consequence" elements that complicate writing and drive up costs.
I really, really want a sequel. A good sequel. But I also wanted the Shepard trilogy to end with a narratively coherent, satisfying ending. I've learned to temper my expectations.
While I agree that similar forces are in effect, and especially about the DA2 and ME3 being the prime sacrifices on the deadline altar, however there is one thing that proves BioWare has learned.
Dragon Age Inquisition. It enjoyed a longer development period, it enjoyed a much better patch schedule(yes I know the game was a bit frakked at the start) and it has enjoyed quite a bit better sales than before.
I highly doubt that they are going to release the game this year. And its not just the dev costs. The whole ME3 ending thing dropped EA's stocks quite a bit, for a short time sure but the dip was there. It was a PR nightmare for EA and BioWare. And while I agree that the people in the EA marketing and the top bosses care less about games than about the profit margin I also am not naive enough to think them stupid and not being stupid they really dont want a repeat of what they had.
So I think they will give them time and money to make sure that this time the game doesnt do what it did last time. I am quite sure that they thought ME3 is going to sell more copies than it did and while they still got their profit the margin was quite likely not as big as they had predicted. And really the game got spewed out in less than 2 years. Its already been more than that for pure development and around 3 with pre-production. And considering how little they have been saying and how little they have been investing in ME marketing its going to be at least another 6 months before they start spinning up their machine serisously.
We are going to see something at E3 thats for sure but I suspect its going to be something barebones, like some art and maybe some gameplay but without story details.
Then its on schedule for Q1 2016 release.
Good. That's all I have to say regarding no imports. Regarding the OP saying the appeal of Mass Effect was the save transfer itself, Uhhh no. 
just throwing this out there but im 99% sure they already announced it as taking place after me 3 on a timeline cant remember it may have even been the e3 announcement but may have been a twitter quote
edit: this does not mean directly after of course could be 100000 years later for all we know
Glad there won't be any. Expecting save transfers between each story will severely limit the number of stories that a particular fictional universe can accommodate since the number of things to deal with will go up exponentially.
Mass effect 1 to 3 was a trilogy. A continued story. In a scenario like that a save transfer from one game to the next makes sense to preserve the choices made in the previous games and to build upon them. But with Mass Effect 3 this trilogy ended and so did this line of the story.
Mass Effect 4 (which will most likely not even be called ME4 but something along the lines of "Mass Effect - The Thingy Thing") is a new Story with a new main character just set in the same universe - we don't even know if it will be set before or after the events or ME1-3. Therefor a save import makes little to no sense, since there is no story to build upon ESPECIALLY if it's going to be a prequel.
If it will be set after the Reaper-War, then the only thing valuable to be transferred is the choice in the end, red-green-blue. But instead the they can just use the choice they meant us to take. The "canon" choice. As much as I see, this is the destruction ending, but I could be wrong on that.
If it's set after ME1-3 and Destruction IS the canon choice for the End of ME3, the Geth won't be around, since they are scrificed to destroy the reapers.
I SURE HOPE THEY'LL GET A BIG ASS MEMORIAL ON THE CITADEL!!!
just throwing this out there but im 99% sure they already announced it as taking place after me 3 on a timeline cant remember it may have even been the e3 announcement but may have been a twitter quote
edit: this does not mean directly after of course could be 100000 years later for all we know
Nope. They haven't. Anything regarding the timeline is pure speculation. Bioware has not addressed it.
Retour en haut