Bioware explains how Mass Effect 3's multiplayer affects the singleplayer experience

Mass Effect 3 producer Jesse Houston has taken time out from finishing the highly anticipated title to answer some of fans' questions about the game's new features. Besides addressing how players' progress in Mass Effects 1 and 2 will affect the ME3 experience, Houston tackles some of the most persistent concerns about the game's new multiplayer mode, such as the relationship between multiplayer and singleplayer and the alternatives to online multiplayer (spoiler: there aren't any).

The game's new "Galaxy at War" system measures your Shepard's Galactic Readiness and weighs possible outcomes of the game's final battle, factoring in not just single-player performance in Mass Effect 3, but your actions in earlier games. “Multiplayer will definitely have an effect on your single-player experience through the Galaxy at War system,” explains Houston, “so as you play the multiplayer and the Co-Op and the more successful you are, the more that will affect your Galactic Readiness level which will then affect your end game result.”

The multiplayer game will have its own XP trees for as many characters as you see fit to build, too. “There will be a lot of interesting races that you may not expect to be able to play as” in multiplayer, promises Houston, suggesting that some of the series' races will show a new side in this new mode; “That said, we’ll be releasing more and more characters through DLC later.” There's also a standalone armor customization section for multiplayer, which Houston says will offer more options tailored to the mode: “single-player guys have something that feels better for single-player and multiplayer guys have something that feels better for multiplayer.”

There are trade-offs, but BioWare won't be scrapping any established features: just putting limits on what's possible in the new areas. Kinect is out for multiplayer: “[Kinect] is about squad command and interacting with the world,” explains Houston. “Contextually speaking that doesn’t work as well with multiplayer... So with that in mind, Kinect will not work in multiplayer.”

Local multiplayer is also a no as well, at least initially, though Houston says split-screen or LAN play are “definitely on the table.” Houston promises even players on limited bandwidth ought to find the multiplayer experience rewarding: “our servers themselves are quite bandwidth friendly and most of the multiplayer elements involved in that are peer to peer based. So if you are in a bandwidth poor country, and you are playing with your friends you are still going to find it to be a relatively good experience.” And at worst-case scenario, there's still, you know, a whole new Mass Effect game for you to play.

TOPICS
Latest in Mass Effect
Mass Effect 3
BioWare lead proves he's onto us while celebrating Mass Effect 3's birthday, clarifying that's all he's doing so that "nobody can say I purposefully teased them"
Mass Effect
"EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself": BioWare co-founder says working for a big game company just ain't it, even if "it was actually a pretty successful run" for Mass Effect
BioWare
Mass Effect 5 is "still in pre-production" says director as BioWare shifts full focus to the sci-fi RPG amid dev reshuffles and reported layoffs
Mass Effect 5
Mass Effect 5 is BioWare's only big project after Dragon Age: The Veilguard, studio veteran predicts, but "isn't ready to suddenly have a team of 250, 300 people"
Mass Effect 5 poster
As Dragon Age: The Veilguard director leaves and studio closure rumors surface, Mass Effect 5 director appears to hint the RPG is just fine: "Every week is a good week at work for me"
BioWare
BioWare fans reckon they've found evidence Mass Effect 5 is bringing back the RPG series' classic Renegade/Paragon morality
Latest in News
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"
InZOI screenshot from creation studio demo which depicts a shockingly realistic character model rendered in Unreal Engine 5
The director behind The Sims competitor InZOI spent 20 years making MMOs, but he ditched the massive RPGs after playing life sims with his son
Demon Slayer season 4 episode 2
True to the anime, Stardew Valley's hottest mod adds two romanceable Demon Slayer dudes who are both "rude and standoffish" at first
A group of Men wearing armour during the TV show, Vikings.
Vikings creator is heading back to his Norse roots with this new historical drama on Amazon
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of joker cards
Balatro creator intentionally avoided roguelikes but did eventually play and "steal from" Slay the Spire anyway: "Holy s***. Now that is a game"
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon