Today BioWare and the Mass Effect 3 team are very pleased to announce 4 player co-op multiplayer missions and the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system for Mass Effect 3 on the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
4 player co-op multiplayer
Join your friends in the all-out galactic war to take Earth back. The universe of Mass Effect expands with the addition of new co-op multiplayer missions, playable over Xbox Live, PSN and PC internet. Players can choose from a variety of classes and races, form an elite Special Forces squad, and combine their weapons, powers and abilities to devastating effect as they fight together to liberate key territories from enemy control. Success in multi-player will have a direct impact on the outcome of the single player campaign, giving players an alternative method of achieving ultimate victory against the greatest threat mankind – and the entire galaxy – has ever faced.
Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War
As a bonus to the campaign, BioWare is introducing the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system, a new way for players to manage and experience the galactic war from multiple fronts, including a new 4-player co-op mode. The key to saving the galaxy is the “Galactic Readiness” level, measured by Commander Shepard’s ability to apply every possible asset – people, weapons, resources, armies, fleets – in the final battle against the Reapers. Players can impact their game’s Galactic Readiness level in multiple ways via the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system, including multiplayer. Other platforms and interfaces will be announced in the coming months. It is important to note that the system is entirely optional and just another way players can have control over your game experience – it is still possible to achieve the optimal, complete ending of the game in Mass Effect 3 through single-player alone.
F.A.Q.
Why include 4 player Co-op multiplayer in Mass Effect 3? Being able to explore and fight alongside your friends in the Mass Effect universe has always been something we thought would be fun and compelling, and many players have asked for it for a long time as well. Mass Effect 3 is the best place for us to introduce multiplayer through co-op because of the premise of the game – all out galactic war.
Why only 4 player co-op? What not a versus mode? We have always maintained that we would only add multiplayer into the Mass Effect series if it made sense and did not compromise the power of the single player campaign. Fighting together against a common threat was the multiplayer experience that made the most sense for Mass Effect 3. The way we have designed co-op as a wayto take control of key conflict zones in the galaxy is a natural extension of the premise of Mass Effect 3.
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Why did you decide not to include it as a part of the main campaign? Our priority and focus with Mass Effect 3 has and always will be to deliver a complete and satisfying single player experience.
Does the addition of co-op multiplayer missions impact the scope or quality of the single-player experience? No. A dedicated team from our recently formed BioWare Montreal studio has been focused on creating the multiplayer game features while the main game continued to be developed by the team in BioWare Edmonton. Both teams are integrated under the same leadership group that produced Mass Effect 1 and 2, led by Casey Hudson. BioWare remains dedicated to delivering one of the most amazing single-player campaigns gamers have ever experienced.
How did developing multiplayer impact the single player game? BioWare is dedicated and focused on delivering an engaging, fun, and action-packed experience for Mass Effect 3, one that lives up the BioWare standard. To reach that level of quality, last year BioWare opened a studio in Montreal that is home to designers, programmers, engineers, and other developers. Both studios work together as partners, lead by the core Mass Effect team, unified in a single vision. Under the direction of Casey Hudson and other team veterans, both studios make contributions to both the single player and multiplayer modes in Mass Effect 3. Rest assured that no compromises were made to either of these modes in the development of Mass Effect 3.
Which characters can I play in co-op multiplayer? Can I play as Commander Shepard? Commander Shepard’s part in the war will take place in the single-player campaign, as will that of other beloved characters in the franchise such as Garrus, Ashley, and Liara…these characters do not appear in the multiplayer missions. In multiplayer, players will create custom characters to fight on different and unique fronts in the war. This will include the ability to play as favorites like Turians, Krogans, Asari and more… each with their own unique set of abilities.
What if I don’t like multiplayer – will my experience be negatively impacted? Mass Effect 3 is a complete, standalone game that will deliver a satisfying story experience, even if you choose not to try multiplayer. The Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system and all of the individual components are meant to complement that amazing game and can be enjoyed on their own or as part of the Galaxy at War experience.
What if I am not good at / do not like multiplayer? Will my readiness rating go down? ME3 is a story about a war against overwhelming force where the most you can hope for us survival. The more you do to fight that war, the more you can change that story into a more optimistic one. You can reach the highest levels of success in the single player experience alone, but Galaxy at War gives you alternative ways to get there. It’s about choice, and allowing players to find their own ways to stay immersed in the Mass Effect universe.
Will you be adding any additional maps or modes through DLC? We can’t comment on specifics right now, but can confirm that we are planning on having DLC for Mass Effect 3.
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Do save games from ME1 or ME2 impact the co-op multiplayer missions? No.
Do characters level up in co-op multiplayer? What is the progression system? Character progression, weapon upgrading and leveling up is present in co-op. We’ll release more information on this topic in the months leading up to launch.
Is there more info about the other platforms of Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War? We are not going into details about the other components of the Galaxy at War at this time except to say we are designing each to make sense for that platform. Each component will be able to affect a player’s “Galactic Readiness” level in a different way. Again, participation in any or all ME3:GaW elements is entirely optional.
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Anagram apparently beat me to the punch earlier. I was busy posting this elsewhere and taking part in the conversation.
His is a more negative spin on the information though, if you don't mind my saying. Bioware has confirmed that the best possible ending is quite well achieved without touching multiplayer. Chris Priestly himself insinuated he may choose not to go near it.
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Bioware is in serious damage control mode here. that they need to defend their decision so heavily makes you wonder why they did it in the first place.
they really should have finished off the trilogy instead of adding in weird multiplayer stuff for the last game. I guess they really want their online pass revenue.
From: transcience | #007 Bioware is in serious damage control mode here. that they need to defend their decision so heavily makes you wonder why they did it in the first place.
they really should have finished off the trilogy instead of adding in weird multiplayer stuff for the last game. I guess they really want their online pass revenue.
if it's completely optional who the hell cares that they add it in? It's an addition and doesn't detract from the single player experience at all. I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it.
I haven't looked to in-depth on this issue, but I was sad when I heard about multiplayer because I just pictured a bunch of Shepards running around blowing each other's heads off. This announcement makes me feel better about it all, and even sounds like something fun to do after, and only after, I complete the single player campaign. I don't see anything wrong with this.
Will you be adding any additional maps or modes through DLC? We can’t comment on specifics right now, but can confirm that we are planning on having DLC for Mass Effect 3.
And what kind of a question is that? Seriously? Of course there's going to be DLC. This is 2011 and they're Bioware.
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From: VincentLauw | #014 Again, why do you guys care if it's put in? You don't have to do it. It's completely optional, like almost any multiplayer mode
Need something to raqe about
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there's nothing wrong with it, it just seems like an unnatural shift and a cash grab, especially when it's the end of a trilogy.
What, exactly, is a cash grab and an unnatural shift when not a single resource is being diverted from the single player? The whole goddamn single player team is doing single player, the multiplayer staff is completely different. This is like getting a game and an elaborate minigame, or a game for the price or two. Complaining about it is *ridiculous*.
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I'm not complaining about it! multiplayer is fine!
I'm just saying that their FAQ sounds very defensive. they're going out of their way to say it's a useless feature before anyone can even digest it. it seems like they're expecting s pretty big backlash.
I don't have much faith that this multiplayer component would even be any good, which is a bigger problem than its inclusion. Mass Effect naturally lends itself toward multiplayer of some kind, but without seeing it, my expectations are set low.
If they went with a Spec. Ops style gameplay option, that would rule. Otherwise I think this is a waste of time, though I reserve the right to be pleasantly surprised.
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