BioWare to discuss Mass Effect 2 level design at GDC '09
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Jan 8th 2009 at 12:06PM }
The duo will also discuss the level design lessons learned from the planet-hopping RPG's development -- and how those have led to improvements in the sequel. We imagine at least some of the talk will be focused on the benefits of disabling the "copy" and "paste" functions on office workstations.
[Via Gamezine]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Erluti @ Jan 8th 2009 12:09PM
uh... disabling control-c is very bad for developers. That's how you terminate programs that get stuck in infinite loops.
Yourself @ Jan 8th 2009 12:13PM
...really? That was your reaction to that joke?
Erluti @ Jan 8th 2009 12:22PM
Yeah, I hadn't played mass effect and didn't know that they had super repetitive level designs. And as a coder I immediately thought "Why would they want to hamstring the developers?!" Then I caught on, but enjoyed my slowness enough to share it with the world.
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Jan 8th 2009 12:45PM
Alright, fellows, I've changed the joke -- now it can be appreciated by everybody!
Eric @ Jan 8th 2009 12:10PM
Sweet, Can't wait for Mass Effect 2.
Yourself @ Jan 8th 2009 12:15PM
Man that would be the worse pun ever... if it wasn't such an accurate assessment of Mass Effect.
Yourself @ Jan 8th 2009 12:16PM
Sigh, "worst". I've done that like 3 times today.
bioadam @ Jan 8th 2009 12:17PM
So funny. In addition to the overuse of indoor environment, many of the side missions played like bad user mods. Let's hope for more of the good in "Mass Effect 2".
ObiBen @ Jan 8th 2009 12:17PM
Even with the cookie cutter layouts I still enjoyed the hell out of that game. Bring on Mass Effect 2.
arrrgh @ Jan 8th 2009 5:37PM
agreed
and that says a lot when even massively repetitive levels dont hinder our opinion on the game
bring on the sequel!
ganrob @ Jan 8th 2009 12:28PM
just didn't have any soul in my eyes, sold it after a few hours. I would like to give it another chance though...
B Tizo @ Jan 8th 2009 12:39PM
Seriously??? Oh man, you really missed out. The end game for Mass Effect kept me coming back multiple times. I don't remember how many times I played the game to completion.
Do yourself a favor and finish it. It's worth it.
arrrgh @ Jan 8th 2009 5:38PM
same thing happened to me
man did the game ever get good near the end
there were a ton of damn solid moments in that game. ...i gotta go play it now
Snowblind @ Jan 8th 2009 12:40PM
Mass Effect is the best game on any of the next gen systems, period.
Bring on the sequel.
Shangheli @ Jan 8th 2009 12:57PM
I deleted my ME save. Damn. I got to play it again so in ME2 it follows my story. I want the council dead. :P
Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Jan 8th 2009 1:27PM
I let those fools die... twice
Ghostbuddy @ Jan 8th 2009 1:08PM
If theres any chance of this game coming out in 09, we will probably get a release window during this lecture.
*crosses fingers.
Before anyone jumps the gun with, " Better to have a polished game later, than a unpolished game now". Know I agree with that already.
But:
1. Preliminary work on ME 2 began before ME 1 shipped.
2. This game has been in development for over a year now. A late 2009 release, would of given them over 2 years.
2. Before they even began working on ME 2, they had the engine in place. They had the story in place. The story accounts for characters, locations and missions. The core gameplay was more or less in place.
Usually, developers will do early work on creating a shallow prototype for the games gameplay. While the story, characters, location , etc is ironed out. Before they really dive deep into developing the game.
But this time, they knew many of their design objectives with ME 2 already. They knew how the gameplay would play out. They had the context down. They had a general map of what would happen with the main missions. So they could get the ball rolling a lot quicker, and that momentum would speed up the hole proccess.
Scooter @ Jan 8th 2009 1:19PM
My only problem with Mass Effect is that it isn't KOTOR 3
ryan @ Jan 8th 2009 2:02PM
And your problem just doubled seeing what the next Kotor game is!
GMonkey @ Jan 8th 2009 8:22PM
It's the same game with slightly better combat.
Also, the bad memory gamers have is just appalling. Bioware has been busily taking features and size away from each game they release, and people still hail each new game by them as some sort paradigm of gaming.
Scooter @ Jan 9th 2009 12:48AM
Nah, Mass Effect doesn't let me cut people with laser swords.
343 Guilty Fart @ Jan 8th 2009 1:20PM
Loved the game but got pissed at the final decision you have to make.
*SPOILERS*
I made a huge effort to not earn any Renegade points, and then when presented with the final decision to save the 10 million people on the space station or the elitist prick galactic council I chose to save the 10 million people, only to find that the game considered that the 'renegade' decision, WTF??? Screw the council, they were asshats the entire game, they deserved to die.
Douche Bigalow @ Jan 8th 2009 1:23PM
The funny thing is, it's the same problem that afflicts Fallout 3.
At least Mass Effect had some loot drops. Doing all the side missions made me so powerful that the main story was a breeze. Fallout 3 has you search a 30000000-square-kilometer cookie cutter abandoned factory to find 12 bottlecaps and some rat meat.
AwesomeTown @ Jan 8th 2009 1:36PM
The only level design problem I had was repeatedly trying to find the best way to drive that damn vehicle across planets and over mountains just to get to a damn rock to mine.
Anyway, I loved Mass Effect, the second can't come sooner.
robotplague @ Jan 8th 2009 3:55PM
Looking back at 2007 I'd have to name Mass Effect as my personal favorite game of the year. I actually just started playing it a second time, which I never, ever do. Can't fucking wait.
Deck @ Jan 8th 2009 2:07PM
Oh this is excellent! I sure as hell hope there is a Mass Effect 2 announcement for the end of 2009. As Ghostbuddy pointed out above, it would make sense considering the time it has been in development.
The levels were never THAT boring to me. Even though the random bases on the random planets were the same with a different skin. Though I admit, on my third playthrough I never did do many of the sidequests. Just went through the main story again.
BIGGEN (LIVE-PSN: BIGGEN1103) @ Jan 8th 2009 2:25PM
i just hope they fix all the gap-e-osis problems with the women characters
Hyams @ Jan 8th 2009 3:07PM
I never got to really play the origional. (PS3 version this time, plz?)
Some of the ideas really intrigued me, although I was mega put off by the repetitive dungeons - of the 2 to 3+ hours I saw of it, I only saw like two different types. =(
Draken Stark @ Jan 8th 2009 3:45PM
You're not seeing all of it either way. The main point of the game is it's story that you wield. Try the PC version at least if you're never going to play it on the xbox.
Hyams @ Jan 8th 2009 4:09PM
My laptop wouldn't be able to handle it. =(
Snowblind @ Jan 8th 2009 7:01PM
Mass Effect was published by Microsoft, and it was planned as a trilogy from the begining, so it's likely that all of the sequels will remain exclusive as well.
Which is probably why we've heard so little about it, EA likely want them working on their big multiplatform titles that will make them more money.
Still, you should definitely get the PC version if you can't play it on the Xbox. The repetitiveness is no worse than Oblivion or Fallout 3, plus there's a far more interesting story and character options.
Tall @ Jan 8th 2009 5:18PM
Anybody remember KOTOR? Where one look around your character, and you could tell what planet you were on, because they were so varied and different? Man...those were the days. Mass Effect, I'd walk away, come back, and forget if I were on a moon, a space station or doing the main quest.
Ironhammer @ Jan 8th 2009 4:22PM
Love the photo in this post! I had to read "Coo'Kehy Cut'tehor" a few times, but I finally got it and I LOL'd.
I loved Mass Effect, sorry Justin, it was my '07 GOTY. As a completionist I finished every side quest on my first playthrough...which turned out to be a mistake. Hopefully ME2's side quests will be as interesting as those in Fallout 3.
Ed @ Jan 8th 2009 4:55PM
"level design lessons learned from the planet-hopping RPG's development -- and how those have led to improvements in the sequel"
That's hilarious. Since the first one had no level design, I'm guessing they didn't learn very much.
novel @ Jan 28th 2009 5:15PM
teach me how you finished the game with your eyes shut
Kisses @ Jan 8th 2009 5:39PM
no no no guys who cars about level design..the main question is will it have more lesbian sex??? XD
Ross @ Jan 8th 2009 6:57PM
Can't wait.
Mass Effect is my fav 360 RPG to date. Can't wait to see how they top the first one.
I heard a rumor from a friend ages ago that your previous game save data from the first game could be brought across to the next title. Can anyone confirm hearing this? I don't know where my friend would've got this information.
Can anyone call BS on this?
Ihavepants @ Jan 8th 2009 7:29PM
It's not a rumour, Bioware themselves have stated to keep your old saves because Mass Effect 2 will play off your choices in the original game.