piscian18
[H]F Junkie
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Ferreting around in Mass Effect 3's disc files yields information about DLC which runs counter to statements released by the game's producers.
When an Xbox Live leak made it apparent last month that the additional character promised for players who bought the Collector's Edition version of Mass Effect 3 would be made available to everyone in the form of day-one DLC, there ensued something of a brouhaha among certain groups of gamers. The nature of the character, whose species makes him an interesting part of the game's lore, added a new dimension or five to the apparent discontent.
To try and clarify the situation, a few of the game's producers released statements describing how development of the DLC had not interfered with the development process for the main game or its costs. The game's director, Casey Hudson, took to Twitter to say, "It takes about 3 months from "content complete" to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC."
However, it has now come to light that some of the files from this particular DLC (listed as From Ashes) can be found within the data on the main game's disc. As an avid file-investigator over at Crystal Palace Zone points out, "the build which leaked in November, the official demo, and now the standard retail release of Mass Effect 3 all contain voice files for the [From Ashes] squad member. There's also a full set of model and animation files for the [character], but file encryption makes it impossible to open these for further inspection."
He continues, "These files are just as big as they are for other, non-DLC characters, suggesting that the art, animation, and voice assets for the DLC character were developed at the same time, not after the completion of the project. If these assets were developed after end of development, they would have to be downloaded - not unlocked directly from the disc."
Crystal Palace Via Theescapist
On a somewhat related note depending on your perspective
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9453-Goodbye-BioWare-Hello-Indie
It's interesting, then, that many industry veterans are leaving the big studios - and the big salaries --
to go indie. I talked to two such veterans, with almost twenty years of experience between them,
who decided to leave one of the biggest studios of all -- BioWare.
Just an FYI Larry Moe and Curly and now Shemp. Please keep it civil. I like this thread more open than closed.
When an Xbox Live leak made it apparent last month that the additional character promised for players who bought the Collector's Edition version of Mass Effect 3 would be made available to everyone in the form of day-one DLC, there ensued something of a brouhaha among certain groups of gamers. The nature of the character, whose species makes him an interesting part of the game's lore, added a new dimension or five to the apparent discontent.
To try and clarify the situation, a few of the game's producers released statements describing how development of the DLC had not interfered with the development process for the main game or its costs. The game's director, Casey Hudson, took to Twitter to say, "It takes about 3 months from "content complete" to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC."
However, it has now come to light that some of the files from this particular DLC (listed as From Ashes) can be found within the data on the main game's disc. As an avid file-investigator over at Crystal Palace Zone points out, "the build which leaked in November, the official demo, and now the standard retail release of Mass Effect 3 all contain voice files for the [From Ashes] squad member. There's also a full set of model and animation files for the [character], but file encryption makes it impossible to open these for further inspection."
He continues, "These files are just as big as they are for other, non-DLC characters, suggesting that the art, animation, and voice assets for the DLC character were developed at the same time, not after the completion of the project. If these assets were developed after end of development, they would have to be downloaded - not unlocked directly from the disc."
Crystal Palace Via Theescapist
On a somewhat related note depending on your perspective
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9453-Goodbye-BioWare-Hello-Indie
It's interesting, then, that many industry veterans are leaving the big studios - and the big salaries --
to go indie. I talked to two such veterans, with almost twenty years of experience between them,
who decided to leave one of the biggest studios of all -- BioWare.
At one point, a senior producer took him aside, intent on showing him the ropes,
and asked him how long he'd been with the company.
"I was at the bottom of the ladder again even though I'd been there for seven years."
Just an FYI Larry Moe and Curly and now Shemp. Please keep it civil. I like this thread more open than closed.
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