Spoken like someone who has never experienced the absurdity of Insanity difficulty. :whip:

Even a maxed out Tech Armor gets wiped out in 2 hits from pretty much anything on Insanity. :p

Yea..I don't expect people who never played ME to start off on insanity..lol...

Crazy Mass Effect 2 Stats and What They're Used For
 

Found this on IGN. Pretty interesting read. A long read, but interesting none the less.


http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1117896p1.html

When George Orwell wrote the dystopian novel 1984, he laid out a possible future in which the government watches everything in a heavy-handed approach to population and thought control. Big Brother was always watching, a concept that still sends chills down the spines of every privacy advocate out there. Thankfully, 1984 never came to be.

But as it turns out, Big Brother is watching; not in an effort to control you but rather to learn from you. You're not just playing videogames anymore. You're actively providing feedback about what parts you like and which you don't. How you play could ultimately help shape the future of videogame design.

BioWare is just one of numerous development studios and publishers that have begun collecting anonymous player data. No identifying information is tied to the information harvested, so you don't have to worry about things being traced back to you. You're just a data point amongst millions. I spoke with Casey Hudson, Executive Producer for the Mass Effect franchise, about how this is done and what the studio has learned so far.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/...831289-000.jpg


"The only data that we get are in terms of events -- little things that happen in the game," explained Hudson. "Let's say if we want to know whether players skip lines of dialogue, we can have that become a little event that gets sent up. It's all completely anonymous, so all we get is raw numbers for how many times these kinds of events occur. Then we can start getting ratios and comparing proportions and things like that. It becomes this mass of numbers, and then we have to try to figure out how we would interpret that."

This is a process that is new for BioWare with Mass Effect 2, one that Hudson hopes will aid the team in designing future games. "When we were looking at the Achievements for Mass Effect 1, that's where we realized that there are some really interesting player behaviors there that it would be nice if we could answer more questions for ourselves. [Then] we could understand what's going on and how people play our game."

"Sometimes you'll design something and think that it's going to be used in a certain way and people will use it in a completely different way. And if you didn't know that, then you would just keep making that system the same as you did before. But once you know what players like and what they don't like, based on the way that they're playing it, then you can make more of the good stuff and less of the stuff they weren't interested in."


This data is used for top-level design and isn't anything that could have been used in the making of downloadable content, or even to alter Mass Effect 2 for PS3.

"There are some things regarding difficulty and weapons and things like that and those are easier to tune, but there won't be a huge opportunity to include this stuff for the PS3 version. It's about how you design a game from the ground up."

"Ultimately it doesn't always give you the answers, but it sometimes raises questions or gets you to ask the right questions…More people played the soldier class than all of the other classes combined. If you know that, then you can start thinking about future games. Is that good? Is that a problem? Should we look at the other classes and start thinking about ways to make them selected as often as soldier? As part of asking these questions, we can design games in the future a lot better."

It's not just about raising questions. Sometimes the data gathered reaffirms beliefs. "It helps us to confirm a lot of the assumptions that we make when we design games. Obviously with a game like Mass Effect we're trying to capture the sense of continuity and the cinematic experience. More and more we're trying to create something dynamic and exciting like a really great movie and we're trying to get away from dialogue, though even a movie has conversations. This set of decisions we make for how you would experience that and the fact that we have a dialogue system and things like that, we're kind of assuming and hoping that we're right in that people are interested in this kind of experience."

BioWare found that only 15% of conversations were skipped in Mass Effect 2, with the rate higher in non-critical moments like in the hub worlds and much lower later in the game at the climax. "If we found that 80% or 90% of the lines were being skipped, we would have to reevaluate the work that we were putting into the digital acting."

Other times, the data surprises. That happened with both how there were differences between the PC and Xbox 360 populations, as well as in regards to importing saves from Mass Effect 1. "We were surprised by how many people imported a game from Mass Effect 1…We put a lot into that feature and we could have gotten data back that said nobody was doing it. But actually more than half of players imported their save game from Mass Effect 1. That to me is quite high."

The average time to play through the game was 33 hours. PC gamers spent about an hour longer, while Xbox 360 players did 10% more loyalty missions on average. "In general, pretty much all of the data for the Xbox 360 version and the PC version are quite similar. One difference was the people who did certain loyalty missions on the Xbox versus the PC, which is kind of surprising. On the PC for example, people did Miranda's loyalty mission quite a bit, which is where she is trying to connect with her sister and it's more of a touchy-feely plot. Not a lot of Xbox 360 players did that one. But the Xbox 360 players did do Grunt's mission a lot more than PC players."

The PC players have the edge in dedication. Hudson claims that a lot of people played Mass Effect 2 more than once and about half of all players -- including those who rented or borrowed it -- who started played all of the way through to the end. Two players in particular on the PC played through 28 times. That's the current record. Four people on Xbox 360 played 23 times. If you're any of these people, please write in to us and tell us how you have so much spare time.

Some of these statistics are nothing more than that. As Hudson noted, there isn't any real takeaway in the differences between Xbox 360 and PC players. "Even if you know what some of these player behaviors are, is there anything you should do about it or is it just something interesting?"

There was a great improvement in quality from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2, and that was without collecting this telemetry data. If this endeavor proves useful, we can expect great things from the final chapter in the trilogy.

"Ultimately what it means for players is that we don't have to guess anymore about what players are doing. We can actually learn about what they like and what they don't like and just try to focus on building the good stuff."

Sounds good to me.

Very interesting article!! I can't wait to play ME2! :rock:

I did all the loyalty missions, and am still doing many side quests now I have finished the main mission. Lots of fun to be had.

I did all the side missions except for the hovercraft..I thought that one was lame...

Interesting stats. Unless you're on the 2nd or more playthroughs, I have no idea why people would want to skip over dialogue.

And 66 hours on a single playthrough????? Must have depleted every planet dry of their minerals.

So I'm new to ME but plan to pick up ME 2, can you play the game's side missions after you have completed the main story? For example, does it start your game right before the final mission after you beat the game? Or is it a new game+ kinda thing?

They give you the choice to either continue the game, finishing any side missions, etc. or to import that character and start another playthrough. ME1 did not have that option.

...it would be in your best interest to do as many side quests as you can. If you run through the main story you may run into problems during the final mission cause your character may not have built up enough Paragon/Renegade points to have all your crew loyal. Not to mention your character being leveled up enough!

But to answer your question, yes you can! Is that way recommended? No!

But you can import the character and play through it again...which you will most likely do anyway!

Yup. The only real gotcha with not doing the extra side missions (especially the loyalty missions) is that it's very, likely that any crew members who are not loyal will die on the final mission. I "think" there's a way to set things up so you can get one or two specific characters through without losing them without having them loyal, but I don't know it for a fact.

I read that this morning. Some very interesting stuff. I wonder how many companies actually use stats like this when crafting their games?

My copies of ME1 and ME2 should be arriving in the mail soon. I'll be sure to download the DLC for both (assuming there's DLC for ME1) before I play through both games. I wanna make sure I have as complete an experience as possible.

There are 2 DLC's for the ME1 (Bring Down The Sky & Pinnacle Station) and quite a few for the second one. The actual "story involved" DLC for ME2 is; Price of Revenge (Zaed character) Kasumi Stolen Memory (Kasumi character), Overlord & Lair of the Shadow Broker. The rest of the DLC for ME2 consist of Weapons packs and armor.

Did you order a "new" copy of ME2? If not, then expect to shell out money for Cerberus Network access. That also contains a good bit of DLC, including Firewalker (Vehicle based missions).

Several hours of enjoyment, so take your time :D

http://www.ign.com/videos/2010/02/24...ectid=14235013

http://images.dvdtalk.com/images/smilies/naughty.gif

Yeah, I ordered a new copy. I had my uncle order it for me and I specified I wanted new copies. :)

Too bad the house you got in the Pinnacle station isn't ported over to ME2..lol

Maybe they'll bring something like that back in ME3 :rock:

Lair Of The Shadow Broker is EPIC. :rock: You finally get to see who this basterd is.....oh wait.....he's mentioned in ME1 a few times so you PS3 guys wouldn't know. :p:D

They are quite a few multi-console gamers here.

So, you actually get to see who he is in this DLC?

Then don't post here. There's a ME2 Xbox 360 thread so I think that post would be best suited there until the DLC is available on PSN.

I think it's good to post it here, as chances are it will be released on the ps3.

I honestly don't see the point. When it does come out, no one is going to look back through the earlier posts to read about it and if people think they should be able to talk about it then I hope they choose to not say douchey things like "he's mentioned in ME1 a few times so you PS3 guys wouldn't know." This is the PS3 section so obviously we don't know.

Maybe I just took it the wrong way, I don't know. If so, I apologize. I just don't want to start reading ME1/ME2 spoilers in this thread.

I'm not sure how he meant it, but even still the character is a side character and he doesn't change the main mission. Maybe he was bieng a douche or maybe he was just trying to fill in the blanks people who haven't played the first game would have. Online i've learnt to be very open as there is so much to consider with how we 'speak' with the many cultures present. :)

Lair of the Shadow Broker is indeed the best DLC that ME2 has to offer thus far. And the Shadow Broker himself is mentioned in ME1 a few times, but he is heavily mentioned in ME2. Mainly by a squad member that you had in ME1 who isn't your squad member in ME2.

I'm still very interested in seeing how their gonna implement this. There are just so many things out in the open. So many variables. Its like trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

Yes, you took my post the wrong way. I was light-heartidly giving you guys sh*t ;) but no worries. I think posting info is a great idea, as I don't believe any of my posts have given spoilers away. Maybe some posts are getting people excited about the game? Idk. Regardless, it's one of my fav games of all-time and I like to turn people onto things they're not familiar with.


Yes you do.

Ohhh okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have known better. :o

I'm currently watching a video playthrough of ME1 and I already know some things that could happen (like ) and I'd prefer not to know anything else. I suppose I took what you said the wrong way because I was afraid you'd start posting spoilers of ME1 (or maybe even ME2) like others have done without using the spoiler tags. I had Heavy Rain ruined for me on launch day not even 12 hours after getting the game because of that thread so I'm a little paranoid. :p

No problem. ;):)

Come on, guys. Sure, we're not really getting Mass Effect 1, but at least we're getting one of the best games the 360 has to offer. Plus, I know BioWare is going to fix us up a way to import our decisions to the second one, and I'm very curious as well as how are they going to do that. In other words, look on the bright side: we're getting a very good game from the Xbox library, so both sides can enjoy the best of both worlds of the Mass Effect universe.

I said this a while back but Ill repeat it again:

One way that could allow gamers to get the complete Mass Effect experience is to allow players of the first game on PC or 360 to upload their completed saved game from those systems to the Cerebus network that would keep track of the decisions made on ME1 then PS3 players could load those decisions into their new game.

I think its a great idea and would be VERY easy to implement.

I'm not sure MS would allow such a thing on the 360. Not to mention the fact that anyone who has and loved ME1 on the 360 likely has ME2 on the 360 already.

And yes, Im aware that its not perfect, but its way better than nothing since ME1 is not coming to the PS3 at all.

That is a good idea, but it has it's flaws.

Some people don't have a 360 and probably wouldn't throw down the money just to play the first one.

Microsoft wouldn't (More than likely) allow Bioware to update ME1 and add the Cerberus Network into the game. They would know what they are planning, and wouldn't want ME1 to appear on PS3 in any way, shape, or form. They would totally freak out if Bioware suggested letting users upload their saves from the 360 version so PS3 owners could use them.

Bioware probably wouldn't put forth the time, effort, and money into creating the Cerberus Network for a 2+ year-old game just so users can upload saves.

Bioware can make it easy. Start the game up. You select New Game. After, you get two choices to choose. "Yes, I have played Mass Effect 1" or "No, I have not played Mass Effect 1".

Selecting Yes will allow you to fill out a questionnaire. It would ask you what choices you made in the first game. After filling it out, you would get a cut scene or something recapping the first ME with your choices. You would also get a max out character like you could have at the end of ME1. The game would play like you did load your save file.

If you choose No, you would get the default options from Bioware.

Simple. Straight to the point. A lot less expensive for Bioware also.

This seems more than likely like something Bioware might do. I don't see them spending a lot of time or resources trying to find a way to implement ME1 for the PS3 owners.

Really?!!!!?? I am glad we have Captain Obvious on this board to point this out.

Why would it NEVER cross my mind that some people don't own a 360 or a PC that could or couldnt run Mass Effect 1??

There is NO perfect way to do this since ME1 is not coming to the PS3. But what it IS is a way for SOME people who are DEAD SET on being able to import a character from ME1 made on the PC or the 360 into the PS3. How many people would take advantage of it? I have no idea. Probably not many, but it works.

Let me spell it out for you:
When I said "Its not perfect" in my previous post it did account for those things that you mentioned. I promise :D

That wouldn't be the only reason they could do it. You already have to sign into the Cerberus network as is and it could also be for 360 users who want to upload their decisions for a future play for ME3. Its a way to protect those who lose their hard drive. There are other reasons to do this, but that is just one.

Also, there is a PC version of a ME1 that isn't published by MS.

You talk like this would be a difficult thing to implement. It wouldn't be AT ALL. They don't necessarily need to upload the actual saved game, but a text file that will keep track of the decisions a player made. That is at most kilobytes in size and wouldn't require much money time or effort or space.

Mass Effect 2 is a VERY easy game to MOD and Bioware would have the tools to easily read the file.


Yes, I have suggested this exact same idea and I will agree it is FAR more likely than the idea I brought forth.

Your idea is too flawed and has too many "If's"..

The idea I suggested, and you say you suggested it as well, would be far better than the import. Since some people who want to play ME2 and have never played the first or own a 360 could easily fill out the questionnaire without buying a 360 or the PC version since some people might not have a PC capable of playing the game. Even if they haven't played the game on 360, they could still fill it out so they will at least have some control over the story in their own way.

This would be the closest way to importing your character. You can choose some stats and all major plot events. Not many people would go through the process of uploading from 360 to the PS3, you even said it yourself.

Bioware would have to go back to ME1 and implement Cerberus Network into that game. That IS a lot of work and would not benefit their bottom line none by going back to work on a 2+ year-old game.

Umm No. The only "if" is either you played ME1 on the other system or you didnt.

I DO agree that idea of selecting ME1 choices when starting a new game is the most likely choice.

That we DO agree on.

If you played ME1. If you did....

If MS will allow Bioware to add the Cerberus Network to ME1.

If Bioware will even do it.

I see on the Bioware forums for ME2 the questionnaire is being suggested the most. Will that mean it will happen? No. But Bioware has the suggestions and I expect to see something similar to it.

One thing for sure is that ME2 on PS3 will be great! :rock:

IMO, the questionnaire should be for both people who did play ME1 and for those who didn't. I'd prefer to not have BioWare's default choices.

This we can agree on.

Importing wont be a problem for me though. I have both of them on the 360.

I do expect that many of the ME1 decisions will still have an effect on ME3 decisions.

Yeah, you could still choose that if you haven't played ME1 and was interested in knowing more about the back story.

What do the default choices matter if you didnt play the first ME?!!

Now you could choose it such that the game assumes you made all the paragorn decisions and/or renegade.

Regardless, I do FULLY expect Bioware will have SOMETHING (a short video, comic strip etc.) the talk about that allows the player to be brought up to speed on the events from ME1.


EDIT: If you want the questionnaire, you can of course lie and say you did play ME1. So your original post is uhhhh kind of irrelevant. :p :D

A 5 minute or so cut scene with the major events of ME1 would be great. Don't know if they can use them though. Maybe redone scenes though? Maybe it could start out like the first game with a couple of voice overs talking about Shepherd and what he had accomplished in the first game.