Mass Effect: Andromeda

[spaceman]

Roll back the drivers. I believe the new ones are causing the issue. The new drivers worked fine with Mad Max but ME: A I just got CTD at same OC/settings.

 

[NoOther]

I finally got a moment to fire it up, go to settings, set the resolution to match my LCD, go to graphics and select Ultra, because, why wouldn't I?

Apply the settings and the PC instantly shuts off.

That's a new one to me. All the other games I've played on this machine, and I've done those exact same steps, but on ME:A.... instant power off. Only way PC will power back up is to flip the switch on the power supply off, then back on.

Try again, same result.

Tried other games just now, FFXIV, GTA5, SoM, DA:I... all work flawlessly doing basically the same steps. Using the release NV drivers they just put out. All patched up otherwise.

Going to have to debug this one later when I have more time.

I have had this problem before with other setups. Usually it's either because you are running too many Amps on a single channel on your PSU or there is some serious memory fault in the system. Why it only happens in this game? Who knows. Maybe its the only game that pushes your system enough to pull too much power from the PSU or crappy drivers.

 

[Brackle]

Roll back the drivers. I believe the new ones are causing the issue. The new drivers worked fine with Mad Max but ME: A I just got CTD at same OC/settings.

Yea I plan to roll back tonight when I get home from work. I never got the FPS drops with the last drivers like I did with these ones.

And yea the animations are laughable, but so far I am really digging the game.

 

[Brackle]

So just curious. Does anyone know how loot works out? Last night when I was finished up making Eos habitable, I found a "Ultra rare" melee weapon. Curious if those are planted in the story line or its RNG. Also I havent played too much MP, but if we find items in the SP.....can we use them in MP?

 

[TaintedSquirrel]

The manual saves get locked out for certain periods of time within the story missions. It sucks but you are stuck to the damn checkpoint system during those critical times.

 

[DeadByDawn]

Mine go black for a second, then the AI logo pops up.

looks like this

https://gfycat.com/OldfashionedCoolEgret

I have a G910 though.

Do you gave Logitech Gaming software installed and up to date? I read somewhere that G710 were just going black. Have you gotten into the game at all to see if the lights come back on?

Mine drops to the AI lights for menues and cut scenes.

Thanks for responding. Mine black out for cutscenes but then never come back on in game. I have seen this effect in other games, but never where it didnt come backon.
Are you saying i need to upgrapde to the g910?

 

[Mad Maxx]

I decided to keep the game instead of applying for a refund. A couple hours in and it's pretty good. Yes, the animations are a legitimate complaint, but nothing we can do about it. I'm playing at 1080p/Ultra and things are smooth. I'm getting some random black screens when switching between the game and Journal, Inventory, and other Settings screens. Not during gameplay, however. I can't help but wonder how differently the game would've been received/reviewed were it simply called Andromeda. The name "Mass Effect" just carries so much weight and expectations that are impossible to meet.

 

[Ryan7968]

How does the multiplayer compare to ME3:MP in terms of leveling, class builds, and unlocks? ME3:MP was the unexpected gift that kept on giving with the free updates. I eventually unlocked a full manifest (after way too many hours) and I'd like to have something similar but I'm worried they will try to push microtransactions further.

I think I'm about to buy this game regardless, not sure why I would want to splurge for a deluxe edition though.

 

[Armenius]

How does the multiplayer compare to ME3:MP in terms of leveling, class builds, and unlocks? ME3:MP was the unexpected gift that kept on giving with the free updates. I eventually unlocked a full manifest (after way too many hours) and I'd like to have something similar but I'm worried they will try to push microtransactions further.

I think I'm about to buy this game regardless, not sure why I would want to splurge for a deluxe edition though.

My only complaint so far is lack of variety in the maps. Even though there were not that many more maps in ME3 they still all had their unique character. All of the maps in Andromeda feel like the same generic cabin in the middle of a field scenario, and they all feel somehow smaller. Other than that the gameplay changes and improvements feel great, but the network code is janky a lot of the time.

You can still unlock everything without spending an actual dime, but it does feel like it's going to take a lot longer. I am still playing Bronze, though, and it takes one match per basic pack as you get a little under 10,000 credits per extraction (basic packs are 5,000 credits each).

 

[WarriorX]

So I watch some gameplay on youtube, I can't really decide what to think. It looks like typical mass effect with some gameplay tweaks and updates(this is a good thing IMO). Animations look a little weird but I never saw any of the crazy stuff from the gifs. Almost seems like the gifs are picked from the extreme cases or bugs, to make it seem like a bigger issue. Id say the weirdest thing are the eyes. They seem to go cross eyed or something.

It looks like I could enjoy the game. But I am not sure I want to spend $60 to find out.

 

[Brackle]

I decided to keep the game instead of applying for a refund. A couple hours in and it's pretty good. Yes, the animations are a legitimate complaint, but nothing we can do about it. I'm playing at 1080p/Ultra and things are smooth. I'm getting some random black screens when switching between the game and Journal, Inventory, and other Settings screens. Not during gameplay, however. I can't help but wonder how differently the game would've been received/reviewed were it simply called Andromeda. The name "Mass Effect" just carries so much weight and expectations that are impossible to meet.

This is what I have been saying. The animations sucks period no denying it. But the gameplay and graphics and pretty darn good. Story is good, but not great. I think it was worth the money. and I cannot wait to play it again...damn addiction.

Thats a good point about the name. Just call it Andromeda, but than (character from previous mass effect) voice would of never been in the game

 

[tybert7]

yep, this is an awesome game. I'm glad I didn't listen to any reviews and found out myself.

It really does annoy me that an army of some neo culture war over proper game content is in full effect with a large chunk of gamers. They flood sites like metacritic and amazon and tank a games rating like this from bioware because they got triggered in the past by something someone said that works for bioware. I find it all pretty vile, ditto for the followers who just pile on like monkeys. Do these people even think for themselves? The last time I observed this behavior up close was seeing some teenage girl follow along with what her friends were doing. Purely to fit in and belong to their little club. Kind of reminds me of the behavior of the arranged wife from coming to America.



That is how I view these dumb kids spitting bile and piling on giving 0/1 ratings on metacritic, same old story, animations are not fluid, How DARE bioware, TERRIBLE game !!!!!


Ugly animations! Ugly female faces because Anita Shamed those bioware "cucks" into not including beautiful women!

You get the undertone. They care more about spinning a narrative than giving their own honest assessment of the game. Some of the most pathetic things I've seen.

 

[IdiotInCharge]

So, ran into another issue: after rescuing the Moshae, I can't get back on the bridge of the Tempest. Door has an Open control (normally opens on its own), which I can spin, but fails to open.

 

[IdiotInCharge]

My Adobe Premiere skills fail me, but this is what happens:

 

[ryuen]

Of course Europeans are still second class citizens. At least it's down to 2-3 days compared to 6 months 10 years ago.

Nothing a VPN connection can't fix.
Make sure Origin is closed, make a connection to a country where it's released, start Origin and you're good to go.
I was able to play a bit yesterday thanks to this.

 

[polonyc2]

I have the physical boxed copy from Amazon sitting here but haven't opened it yet...might wait for a patch or 2 and play the new Dark Souls 3 DLC next week instead...Andromeda reviews all mention how it's a very long game if you are a completionist (120 hours) and that is something I really appreciate but the bad writing, dialogue, squadmates etc are mentioned in every review from my trusted review sites...

 

[M76]

Nothing a VPN connection can't fix.
Make sure Origin is closed, make a connection to a country where it's released, start Origin and you're good to go.
I was able to play a bit yesterday thanks to this.

I thought it was locked based on my cd-key. Thanks will try that today if it doesn't work otherwise.

 

[spaceman]

I would wait on patches too. With the drivers, save game and a few other glitches like not being able to return to the tempest. Nothing kills the fun of a game like frustrating distractions of that ilk. I am still in the trial period anyway but am loving the combat bits and that six Wheeler is sweet.

 

[polonyc2]

so all that pre-release hype about unique and interesting side quests like Witcher 3 was all BS??...all the reviews I've read mention boring, fetch quests for the most part

 

[st4rk]

I can finally visit this thread again now that I've got a few hours in. Really liking it so far, we'll see if that changes in 5 hours of gametime. I doubt it, it's pretty much what I wanted. It "feels" a bit different than usual ME I'm used to, but it's good. I kinda miss the renegade/paragon system though.

 

[Sprayingmango]

The crafting system SUCKS so bad. Modding / crafting is abysmal. The inventory management is terrible as well.

 

[termite]

The crafting system SUCKS so bad. Modding / crafting is abysmal. The inventory management is terrible as well.

How so?

 

[polonyc2]

BioWare hasn't gone so far as confirming Andromeda is getting a big animation do-over - and the vast majority of the dialogue you've not seen in GIFs is fine - but the company has said it has plenty of things on the list for its next patch..."We're looking at patching lots of issues and want to strongly support the game moving forward," lead designer Ian S. Frazier wrote on Twitter last night, in response to one fan asking whether facial animations for some characters might improve. "I can't say more just yet."

One of Andromeda's areas actively being investigated for tune-up is its character creator, whose relatively limited options have upset some fans..."Can't promise anything yet, but we're currently evaluating various options for making it better," Frazier wrote...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...imation-character-creator-improvements-mulled

sounds like they're working on some major fixes/improvements so I'm definitely going to wait for the first big patch to hit before starting

 

[Sprayingmango]

How so?

Uhhh....have you used it at all?? One use and you'll see how screwed it is. Clunky system of menus, no easy way to go back properly, no clear way of tracking stats or materials needed, menus are not organized properly, etc. Also, shopping at a vendor is a frustrating tale of woes....

 

[silent-circuit]

New drivers -- I chose "clean install" to reset the screwing around I'd done with SLI profiles -- have substantially increased performance in SLI at 4K for me with 980Tis and everything but AA maxed vs. old drivers and the modded profile to use Battlefield 1 settings, but it still chugs /hard/ when coming out of dialogue and some other random places. Very odd. Running around opening containers and shooting shit, going in and out of the menus, etc. no problem. Hit dialogue or a cutscene and it chugs, then picks back up, then chugs again on the way out. Really, really odd.

Surprisingly I've managed to avoid my usual obsession with FPS counters; I don't know how fast it's actually running, just "fast enough" outside of the occasional chugging at "switches" (for lack of a better term). Probably at or near 60FPS, given I'm normally pretty sensitive to drops.

 

[termite]

Uhhh....have you used it at all?? One use and you'll see how screwed it is. Clunky system of menus, no easy way to go back properly, no clear way of tracking stats or materials needed, menus are not organized properly, etc. Also, shopping at a vendor is a frustrating tale of woes....

Clearly I used it if I commented on it.

The menu system is a mess and needs a sort option. And comparing items is pretty much not existent.

The crafting system is pretty cool though. It is nice not to see the ADD dumbed down crafting system of recent RPGs.

The crafting system flows pretty well, although it would be nice if the blueprint showed the required materials.

Research whichever blueprint you want, which will consume that type of researh/development point. This is where you will need to research any augments you want to add to the item.

Then back out (Esc) to the Development screen, go to your known blueprints and select whatever item you wanted to build. It should default to a list of ready blueprints, or select the item type (armor, guns etc), like all the item menus.

For instance you researched an assault rifle. Find that rifle in the development screen, click it and it will show the rifle, what materials it needs and the augment slots. If you want to add an augment (grenade launcher for instance), the same process applies, one note, some of the augments can only be made once and you will have to dismantle the item to recover the augment.

Then just click develop.

You can then hang whatever mods you want on the item.

On a side note some vendor carry materials, at least the common ones.

My biggest issue is the load out and the research station are never right near each other. You have to run across the Tempest or all over the Nexus.

Esc goes back to the previous menu.

The vendor mirrors whatever item type you have selected. IE if you have armor selected, that is what they will show. If they do not have that item type it will just show the sub type (legs, helmet etc). The default vendor screen shows all the items you and the vendor have available.

 

[Savi]

I have the physical boxed copy from Amazon sitting here but haven't opened it yet

Your "physical" copy is just a box with 3 pieces of paper, 1 with the code for the game, no disk's, there is not even a slot for a disk just paper with the code. I know this cause i got it from Amazon as well, I do enjoy physical copys of some games still these days, so that sucks lol oh and the paper or the inside of the box has a odd smell to it, can notice it right away when i open it lol

That aside, having fun with the game so far

 

[polonyc2]

Your "physical" copy is just a box with 3 pieces of paper, 1 with the code for the game, no disk's, there is not even a slot for a disk just paper with the code. I know this cause i got it from Amazon as well, I do enjoy physical copys of some games still these days, so that sucks lol oh and the paper or the inside of the box has a odd smell to it, can notice it right away when i open it lol

That aside, having fun with the game so far

I only bought the physical copy because of the Prime discount ($47)...code inside versus disc doesn't make any difference as I have a fast connection

 

[Dan_D]

I decided to keep the game instead of applying for a refund. A couple hours in and it's pretty good. Yes, the animations are a legitimate complaint, but nothing we can do about it. I'm playing at 1080p/Ultra and things are smooth. I'm getting some random black screens when switching between the game and Journal, Inventory, and other Settings screens. Not during gameplay, however. I can't help but wonder how differently the game would've been received/reviewed were it simply called Andromeda. The name "Mass Effect" just carries so much weight and expectations that are impossible to meet.

You've touched on a point I've been trying to make. The Mass Effect name does carry a certain weight with it and that brand is important to EA/BioWare. I don't think that's a problem. I think the game's sales will be strong enough to earn a sequel. We could see one in as little as two or three years. Most likely, it will do the same thing as ME3 did and use this game's assets to shorten development time. New assets will be created only as needed. As for the expectations, I think people have been unrealistic about them. The previous games had bad lip syncing and robotic facial animations too. It just looks stranger given the technology out there and the fact the these models are so high quality. The "art" direction or style as people put it is overblown. Some characters look great while others have faces that are too round. I don't like it but it's not the end of the world. Without the fucked up facial animations we probably wouldn't have noticed the round faces as much.

How does the multiplayer compare to ME3:MP in terms of leveling, class builds, and unlocks? ME3:MP was the unexpected gift that kept on giving with the free updates. I eventually unlocked a full manifest (after way too many hours) and I'd like to have something similar but I'm worried they will try to push microtransactions further.

I think I'm about to buy this game regardless, not sure why I would want to splurge for a deluxe edition though.

That's a good question. This is essentially the same thing as Mass Effect 3's multiplayer with a few key differences. We've got even more weapons to choose from and more abilities in game which add new dynamics to the old formula. The build and unlock processes are basically the same. The abilities are different so the way the builds are done is different from what we had before but the menus for it works about the same. As for the unlocks and microtransactions, its the same as ME3. You can unlock everything with or without the use of BioWare points.

My only complaint so far is lack of variety in the maps. Even though there were not that many more maps in ME3 they still all had their unique character. All of the maps in Andromeda feel like the same generic cabin in the middle of a field scenario, and they all feel somehow smaller. Other than that the gameplay changes and improvements feel great, but the network code is janky a lot of the time.

You can still unlock everything without spending an actual dime, but it does feel like it's going to take a lot longer. I am still playing Bronze, though, and it takes one match per basic pack as you get a little under 10,000 credits per extraction (basic packs are 5,000 credits each).

Mass Effect 3's multiplayer wasn't as good as it is today to start with. The multiplayer had very few classes to start with, far fewer weapons and a very limited selection of maps. There were many multiplayer expansions which all added to the game. Because they were free, everyone had access to them. I think this is what kept people coming back. You didn't have the division in the community between those with the base game and those with the added content.

So I watch some gameplay on youtube, I can't really decide what to think. It looks like typical mass effect with some gameplay tweaks and updates(this is a good thing IMO). Animations look a little weird but I never saw any of the crazy stuff from the gifs. Almost seems like the gifs are picked from the extreme cases or bugs, to make it seem like a bigger issue. Id say the weirdest thing are the eyes. They seem to go cross eyed or something.

It looks like I could enjoy the game. But I am not sure I want to spend $60 to find out.

Animations and story aside, this is the BEST Mass Effect ever. Its visually spectacular with larger, more open worlds. The environments are more dynamic and the exploration concept of the original game is actually done fairly well here. There are a couple planets with some bullshit in your face barriers, but that isn't representational of all the planets or environments. Additionally, areas open up over time expanding your view of the planets and where you can go. More shit pops up over time so you never really finish a planet with no reason to go back. The gameplay is improved all around with new features. The menus for things like the crafting system could be a lot better and the Journal is a mess but otherwise its better in most respects. I'm not speaking of characters or story content as I'm still going through all of that. Characters I'll say seem a bit more dynamic. They wander the ship more and socialize amongst themselves. They do things when you aren't looking. The Tempest feels more alive and less static than the Normandy. Squad mates and characters don't generally grab you right away but do grow on you over time.

As for the bugs, you are correct. These are extreme cases. I've seen bugs that no one has complained about but for the most part they are minor issues or don't occur at all. Some of these issues I can identify the direct cause of. In some cases the problems are a result of me performing actions or doing something BioWare didn't account for. Given the size and scope of the game, this is understandable. You can't ever predict what your users will do 100% of the time. Anyone who's worked in IT or developed products that get used by the public will understand this. Here is what I've seen:

• PeeBee's backwards M6 Carnifex during her introduction cut scene. (Happens every time to everyone)

This is in one cut scene only. If you aren't paying close attention you can actually miss this. I thought about making some anti-liberal crack about some anti-gun retard working on this scene but decided not to. Oh wait....... This issue shouldn't really exist. QC should have caught this.

• Characters may use the same animation to stand up and talk to Ryder which may result in clipping through the environment.
• In one instance PeeBee is leaning against a rail in the Nomad bay and after talking to her she never turned back around. So she was stuck in the leaning position while facing the wrong way.

These two may be a result of BioWare not realizing that I might talk to these people during the times I chose to do so. As a completionist I check to see if crew members have anything new to say periodically. As a veteran player of these games I should realize that the triggers for new dialog are probably the same as they were in earlier games. Basically a cut scene or a mission has to take place to advance the dialog options. I know this, but I still check and recheck to make sure I never miss anything.

• PeeBee's hands clip through the work table in the escape pod / airlock while being idle.

This is a common issue in the series but again, QC should have seen it.

• Director Addison's eyes do not move.

This is was heavily lambasted in the Youtube videos. This may actually be a glitch as she's not always like this. The cut scenes on Eos showed her eyes working properly. It is unknown if this is a simple glitch or if her animations just weren't completed in those earlier conversations. Time may tell on this one or we'll never know. Again, QC should have noticed this. I have hope this can be fixed given that animations for her eyes, forehead and eyebrows do exist in other scenes.

• The biggest one for me by far is the leg / thigh holster issue in cut scenes.

What happens is that weapons on the thighs / legs will not be connected to Ryder during the cut scenes and will float about two feet away from him while still moving as if they are attached to the legs. There are lighting anomalies with these too. I suspect that the lighting isn't right because the objects aren't where they should be. In truth, while annoying I've probably done something BioWare didn't count on. I upgraded my combat fitness above all other skills to get the extra weapon slots. Because of this, I was carrying more weapons earlier on than beta testers probably did. I always played a soldier in ME2 and ME3. I like carrying lots of guns. I have to wonder if this issue will disappear later on in the game when players would be more likely to have more guns.

• Lip syncing issues.

In fairness, these do abound. Facial animations are of course off as well. I wonder if there is an audio sync issue. I may play this game on some different hardware /OSes to see if this happens to everyone. Previous games had lip syncing issues too but not necessarily facial animation delays.

I've seen some other occasional clipping or orientation issues but nothing unusual for the series. I haven't seen the run bugs or some of the other problems found in the videos.

Your "physical" copy is just a box with 3 pieces of paper, 1 with the code for the game, no disk's, there is not even a slot for a disk just paper with the code. I know this cause i got it from Amazon as well, I do enjoy physical copys of some games still these days, so that sucks lol oh and the paper or the inside of the box has a odd smell to it, can notice it right away when i open it lol

That aside, having fun with the game so far

Mass Effect 3 was the very last physical game I ever purchased. I got it for the disc, packaging and included stuff. I'm a sucker for things like that. Without the physical disk, I didn't feel the "physical" copy was worth it. Plus they didn't have anything in the box that I know of that was cool.

 

[Viper87227]

Anyone else having trouble getting "stuck" in combat? I've had it happen to me twice now, both times following a boss fight. After finishing the mission, I can't save or fast travel because the game thinks I'm in combat. Neither of these instances were during priority missions, so it's not related to that, and switching my objective did not grant the ability to save. I tried driving (far) away from where I was at in case someone was hiding somewhere, but no matter how far I'd get, the game wouldn't let me save. In both instances, the only thing that worked was to return to the tempest, save, and then return to Eos. Kinda bugs me, since both times it followed a very long, difficult fight. If my game had crashed or something before I could manage to get a save in, I'd be pissed (and since I've had a few random crashes, that's a real concern to me).

 

[termite]

Anyone else having trouble getting "stuck" in combat? I've had it happen to me twice now, both times following a boss fight. After finishing the mission, I can't save or fast travel because the game thinks I'm in combat. Neither of these instances were during priority missions, so it's not related to that, and switching my objective did not grant the ability to save. I tried driving (far) away from where I was at in case someone was hiding somewhere, but no matter how far I'd get, the game wouldn't let me save. In both instances, the only thing that worked was to return to the tempest, save, and then return to Eos. Kinda bugs me, since both times it followed a very long, difficult fight. If my game had crashed or something before I could manage to get a save in, I'd be pissed (and since I've had a few random crashes, that's a real concern to me).

I had happened once but it was due to a kett that was still alive. He had run off and was behind a rock. But my quest marker still showed "defeat the Kett" or some such, so it maybe a different issue.

 

[Ryan7968]

New drivers -- I chose "clean install" to reset the screwing around I'd done with SLI profiles -- have substantially increased performance in SLI at 4K for me with 980Tis and everything but AA maxed vs. old drivers and the modded profile to use Battlefield 1 settings, but it still chugs /hard/ when coming out of dialogue and some other random places. Very odd. Running around opening containers and shooting shit, going in and out of the menus, etc. no problem. Hit dialogue or a cutscene and it chugs, then picks back up, then chugs again on the way out. Really, really odd.

Surprisingly I've managed to avoid my usual obsession with FPS counters; I don't know how fast it's actually running, just "fast enough" outside of the occasional chugging at "switches" (for lack of a better term). Probably at or near 60FPS, given I'm normally pretty sensitive to drops.

I've had a similar experience to you. Clean install with new drivers, running great, dips related to conversations but outside of them no real problems. I've also avoided the FPS counters since I am not currently running MSI Afterburner or anything that can display the FPS. Usually I rely on Steam or uPlay for the counter. Frames feel good even with maxed out graphics at 3440x1440.

 

[Savi]

I only bought the physical copy because of the Prime discount ($47)...code inside versus disc doesn't make any difference as I have a fast connection

same here, a disk would have been nice, I am a collector

 

[Q-BZ]

1920x1200 all max settings.. shredding FPS well into the 70s or so with a 980Ti. My temperature at peak use has the card running pretty loud and goes to around 83 degrees C or so. That sound about right?

 

[Dan_D]

I was messing with the options last night and noticed that the Ultra preset doesn't max everything out. HBAO isn't set to full, shadow quality is only set to high etc. I've actually got the game running pretty good maxed out at 4K. Oddly, sometimes FPS drops on the Tempest but that's the only place where it happens.

 

[TaintedSquirrel]

Standard procedure. Move preset to maximum, then go through each setting one by one to make sure it's actually maxed.

 

[Q-BZ]

Standard procedure. Move preset to maximum, then go through each setting one by one to make sure it's actually maxed.

That or custom and just do each of them manually. That's what I did. Either way should work.

 

[Dan_D]

Standard procedure. Move preset to maximum, then go through each setting one by one to make sure it's actually maxed.

I had it on custom but my girlfriend didn't on her machine.

 

[Armenius]

Okay, I've put 7 hours each in the multiplayer on both the PC and XBONE versions. I'm going to do the PS4 version tonight. I have yet to touch the single player at all.

Zarathustra[H], did you play with me on PC last night? Was kicking ass on the PC for a while with someone named Zarathustra, blowing through Bronze missions in around 10-12 minutes.

Anyway, I am ArmeniusLOD on all platforms if anyone wants to add me (Origin, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network). It just doesn't look like you can party up on the PC version to go through quick matchmaking together, and it was taking too long to find people when hosting my own matches with another friend.

 

[RanceJustice]

Has anyone who ordered a physical (PC) version from Amazon received the pre-order item codes as of yet? I know it mentioned that the pre-order codes may come out within a day or so of launch so I'm figuring its still on schedule, but I just wanted to check.

Oh and on the game itself...

What starter classes/history did you pick? Are any notably better/worse? For instance, Soldier, Biotic, Operative, Scrapper etc.. ? I'm having a hard time deciding. I'm wondering if I should go Biotic this time as my original trilogy Shepard was an Infilitrator all the way through, so I'm trying to resist the pull to start Operative. However, I am really curious about the melee weapons this time... (I enjoyed the ME3 multiplayer "sword based classes" very much) so I have to wonder if that Asari Commando HighFrequency Blade or whatever its call is best paired with Tactical Cloak....

I do remember reading that unlike the original trilogy, some people said you can no longer get massive benefits to ability cooldown time anymore, aas there are only weight penalties not weight bonuses. That is to say, I can't go full ability build and only take a pistol and have like 200% recharge speed anymore? Likewise, some people mentioned that biotics have trouble against the "harder" enemies that, in traditional ME style, are "Armored"? Is this the case?

Does anyone know if there is a level/skill/ability cap? Or could you (with enough time) max out just about every skill? I know there is more flexibility than ever in the skills/weapons etc.. you can take at one time, but I don't know if you'll "run out of points" iin the grand scheme.