BioWare Tracking Player Behavior in Mass Effect 2

[Guest]

This is a great idea! Soldier class = All time favorite 😛 I hope that Mass Effect 3 will have a more RPG feel (more feats/customization). I liked the inventory system, but not to the point that I have to use it every time like on Mass Effect 1.


With the release of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, Bioware earned my trust and my wallet.
Also,
The new Shadow Broker DLC was also worth it! The beginning, the end, AND the extras after the mission is over! 😀 10/10

I LOVE BIOWARE!!

 

[vic20]

If they are studying how gamers play ME2 it sounds like they will stay with ME2's form and just refocus certain elements. Stats from 2 wouldn't be useful if they re-invent the game once again.

Personally I love ME2's dialog and energy. One of the best games I've ever played. It's like staring in a movie at times. But I miss some of the old school RPG elements they've been ripping out with every game since the Baldur's game series.

ME2 feels very console-like compared to the first game and Dragon Age feels simplified compared to NWN, BG or even Origin's Ultima 6-8 and Interplay's Fallout 2.

Can we not have fantastic dialog, voice acting and intensity with Ultimas / Fallout 2&3's do whatever the hell I want Role Playing plus vast in-game item inventories and character variation/progression?

Too much to ask lol?

 

[Glacier]

I just hope they don't water down Mass Effect 3, like they watered down Mass Effect 2. I loved all the ME1 skills, weapons, armors, and the upgrades that went with them. Mass Effect 2 was a mindless shooter, and it was much weaker than Mass Effect 1.

 

[belardo]

So they pick up data if the player is staring at the woman's breasts?

 

[lakelucid]

wow, I played five times and I thought that was alot.

 

[back_by_demand]

[citation][nom]jomofro39[/nom]Please, please, let us know who are the two that played it TWENTY EIGHT TIMES!!!![/citation]
Yeah, once every 8 days!
Who are these people who either use military drugs so they don't ever have to sleep, are feed nutrients via an IV and have NO LIFE?
8 days is not enough to fully appreciate the game...

 

[NivenFres]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]So they pick up data if the player is staring at the woman's breasts?[/citation]

No that's Valve http://worldwideintertubes.com/2010/01/30/interview-with-mike-ambinder-of-valve-software/

PS: I love Valve & Bioware.

 

[atmos929]

now we know who the true collectors are...

 

[g00fysmiley]

I can't wait to play mass effect 2 .. just waiting for it to be on sale on steam

 

[Stifle]

Am I the only one that thought that Mass Effect 1 was rather cut and paste? Filled with boring side quests, no interesting items, and a somewhat flavorless storyline?

 

[xaero1ne]

when i played through i don't think i skipped a single piece of dialog in this game. this game is truly one of the best rpgs ever, cant wait for ME3

 

[decrypted]

Well I'm on my fourth play-through, mainly because I just downloaded the new "Lair of the Shadow Broker" and "Overlord", so I'm looking forward to those. The first three times I did play once as a soldier just to use more of the heavy weapons. Personally I loved using the Adapt for the Singularity which becomes crazy fun at times. My only real hope for part three, would be more of the main story line. ME2 was mostly the side loyalty missions, which were fun, but I wanted more battles against the collectors. The very first mission in the game you find out who the enemy is, I would of preferred more missions to figure this out.

 

[trkorecky]

I wonder how many people played as soldier because they accepted the default John Shepard in the first game and continued with their character? I'd be in this category.

 

[55Range]

Thats not a bad idea !

 

[jevon]

Wow @ the choice of wording in this article! "admitting" "snooping" etc., this author is really out to get these guys under the pretense that they are collecting info - it's not even personal info, it's frigging IN-GAME info!

I hope in your next article you also lament the developers for any achievement systems they put in place; the devs would also have to "admit" to "snooping" players' data in this case too since achieves are tracked, stored, and can provide interesting/amusing stats.

Sheesh, media sensationalization is bad enough on its own when a hot-button issue comes up (personal data collection, with or without permission) - but this article is completely off-base on the issue to begin with! lol? 😵

 

[the_crippler]

[citation][nom]efeat[/nom]Oh gosh, I sincerely hope not...they already gutted more than a comfortable amount of the RPG elements from the first title.[/citation]

Yeah, that's a concern for me as well. Like others, I've skipped my share of dialog on the second play-through, but drink up every second of it the first time. It's great acting and scripting.


However, I am willing to be that if the data can be pulled of how many times you've played, it can break things down by it. example: People skip dialog 8% of the time on play one and 40% on the second.

 

[dieseldre2k]

@AndrewCutter

I'm guessing you'll never work at any type of research firm in your life. You and the people that thumbed you up are horrible at interpreting data. If 15% of dialogue was skipped, that means a huge majority (85% - in case you are horrible at math too) listens to or reads the dialogue. Considering the amount of talking there is in the game, that's a big achievement. For all we know, the 15% might be due to people replaying the game and remembering the dialogue (thus skipping it), or people just redoing some missions after a reload or death.

 

[bv90andy]

one of the best ideas.