14 DAY TRIAL // Corey Gaspur, the Mass Effect 3 combat designer, says that one of the biggest issues with the science fiction title on launch was the way the use of one single weapon almost broke the entire multiplayer experience.
In an official blog post from BioWare, the developer explains that 90 percent of all gamers at one point used the sidearm because they discovered a way to increase its overall rate of fire and make it extremely efficient in taking down enemy waves.
BioWare took another look at the Acolyte and re-balanced it to move it into the useful rather than overpowered category.
Gaspur explains that, “It’s tough, because you want people to feel overpowered while they are using it, and you want them to feel bad ass and like they’re destroying things, but you want that to happen when the weapon is actually working as intended.”
He adds, “The big challenge is making sure people are still having fun, because you don’t want to swing the pendulum too far the other way and nerf it.”
The multiplayer side of Mass Effect 3 was one of the big surprises of the BioWare-created title that ended the trilogy, offering a very enjoyable and tactical experience that many gamers spent more time with than with the single player.
It allowed players to choose from a variety of classes and races, choose what kind of equipment they wanted to use and then battle waves of Reapers, Geth or humans by making sure that they created solid strategies that included the main abilities of all those involved.
BioWare made sure that the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer mode remained relevant in the long term by delivering new classes and modes over time, while also offering updates designed to make the entire balance better.
The company has not yet given any sort of real information about the new Mass Effect title it is working on, although it is pretty clear that it will not include the Commander Shepard character in any way.
More details might be delivered during E3 2014.
At the same time, BioWare is working on finishing development of the new Dragon Age title, called Inquisition, which is expected to arrive on the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.
The title is expected to arrive in the fall and will ask gamers to deal with a big tear in the Fade, while also mediating between the Mages, Chantry and the Templars.