*Updated- Added the new MP commentary trailer to the end of post.
They call it Mass Effect 3: Galaxy At War and it is must better sounding than I ever could have hoped for. I was worried, because of Bioware's recent idea's with Dragon Age 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic, that they would be doing something awful to Mass Effect 3 with multiplayer. Instead, they are adding something that is optional and complements the singleplayer portion of the game. Galaxy At War is a multiplayer mode that will give players the option to choose from various classes, races and weapons to engage in a cooperative gameplay that requires them to liberate territories from enemy npc's. Multiplayer may sound uninteresting to you at this point, but Bioware claims that the Galaxy At War system, "will have a direct impact on the outcome of the single player campaign." The mode promises to give players an alternate route to defeating the reapers, while still leaving the single player campaign untouched and whole to all of those who care nothing for multiplayer. Your characters in multiplayer will progress and be persistent, so you will have some attachment and you won't just be picking pre-set classes. They put up a short little FAQ I would like to share with you all about the mode, especially since there are no more details than this as of yet.
F.A.Q.
Why include 4 player Co-op multiplayer in Mass Effect 3?
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.
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.
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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| Unrelated Random ME3 screenshot, not MP |
Well that's all the info on ME3 Multiplayer for now, but it is very unclear of how the mode will work and how it affects single player. They clearly state the single player will stand alone against this new mode, but they also say that there will be ways to participate in Galaxy At War other than the cooperative mp mode. We will see how this turns out in the future, but I am so glad that they are not doing some generic versus multiplayer mode, this mode actually sounds promising. Thanks for reading and sorry for the lack of news today, will try to saturate the website with gaming news tomorrow. All information was taken from the Bioware forum announcement below.
Original Forum Post: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/8481789/1
Bioware Pulse (Developer Commentary on the MP Announcement)
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