Anthem: Bioware's next Mass Effect-like IP

[Lahis]

Andromeda's problems weren't with the engine, it was with them simply not having enough staff or time to actually polish anything.

Nah, they were hammering the square Frostbite shaped peg into a round hole while making Andromeda. If they better and more flexible engine they wouldn't been constantly brought down by the engine's problems and could have actually done the polish.

And the same problems persisted for Anthem.

[Edge-]

Nah, they were hammering the square Frostbite shaped peg into a round hole while making Andromeda. If they better and more flexible engine they wouldn't been constantly brought down by the engine's problems and could have actually done the polish.

And the same problems persisted for Anthem.

Yes...in part because they threw away the work they did on DA:I and ME:A and started from scratch with the engine each time. They had to rebuild shit they'd already built.

And as a studio, you'd figure if you release 2 games where your teams hated the engine and it caused tons of problems...maybe you'd switch engines? We know EA doesn't force studios to use Frostbite, so why didn't BW learn from their past two mistakes when working on Anthem?

[Makabreska]

Yes...in part because they threw away the work they did on DA:I and ME:A and started from scratch with the engine each time. They had to rebuild shit they'd already built.

And as a studio, you'd figure if you release 2 games where your teams hated the engine and it caused tons of problems...maybe you'd switch engines? We know EA doesn't force studios to use Frostbite, so why didn't BW learn from their past two mistakes when working on Anthem?

Because maybe EA simply "strongly encouraged" Bioware to use it? I can't really think about any other explanation, given how much they complained about the engine in Kotaku reports. "It's hard enough to make a game, it's really hard to make a game where you have to fight your own tool set all the time." - does that really sound like they chose Frostbite 100% willingly? They knew for years that the engine is crap for the games they make, and yet they stuck to it.

[Edge-]

Because maybe EA simply "strongly encouraged" Bioware to use it? I can't really think about any other explanation, given how much they complained about the engine in Kotaku reports. "It's hard enough to make a game, it's really hard to make a game where you have to fight your own tool set all the time." - does that really sound like they chose Frostbite 100% willingly? They knew for years that the engine is crap for the games they make, and yet they stuck to it.

There's one obvious one: Their leadership makes bad decisions far too frequently with little concern for the staff below them.

It checks out with a host of bad decisions (using Frostbite multiple times, project mismanagement, SWTOR as a whole pretty much, wasting 5+ years with nothing to show on Anthem etc), and also with the results (staff crying in empty rooms, taking stress leave etc.)

BioWare hasn't really been making the smartest moves in recent years, so this is perfectly reasonable.

[Jastall]

Because Anthem's repuration is irredeemably ruined? Because remaking the whole game will never earn them enough money to make it worthehile investment?

For Anthem to earn back the money poured ibto its (re)development, it would need to be riddled with microtransactions. But the game and its publusher have such a bad rep that even very minir monetization will turn players away.

Keeping Anthem plugged into lufe support makes no financial sense.

If Battlefront 2 can (somewhat) come back from its nightmarishly infamous launch, so can Anthem I think. Most everyone says the core gameplay is good, it's just everything around it that was sub-par at best.

EA seems to be of the belief that just pulling the plug will yield less returns on their initial investments than at least trying to draw players back and have a stable if not massive playerbase. Which is a logic I can respect, given that a not-insignificant number of people paid 70-80$ for this thing.

If nothing else, this also indicates to me that EA still wants to throw money at Bioware, which can only be a good thing because I want DA4 to come out already, dammit.

[Tech614]

Ghost Games, PopCap Games, EA Vancouver, EA Tiburon, DICE and before they got shut down Visceral Games all have developed games on Frostbite. Somehow only bioware employees are complaining about it. Sounds to me like the engine isn't the problem, but workflow and management was. If Frostbite was that big a train wreck it wouldn't be used like this because it would be costing EA more money then using say Unreal or something(and they do let some of their studios use Unreal like Respawn for example).

People are making it sound like some luminous type shit- Square dropped that like a bad habit for a reason. If Frostbite was hindering development EA would cut it off entirely because it would be costing them more money they they save by using it.

[Edge-]

Ghost Games, PopCap Games, EA Vancouver, EA Tiburon, DICE and before they got shut down Visceral Games all have developed games on Frostbite. Somehow only bioware employees are complaining about it.

IIRC there have been some criticisms from other teams, but they've been able to figure it out. I have a sneaking suspicion that BW just doesn't invest in engineers.

None of their games have been technical marvels in the slightest no matter what engine they're on. And take SWTOR as a shining example - they took a beta version of the Hero Engine, finished it in-house, and it both caused development issues and tons of client side issues at launch, with all kinds of odd limitations that plagued the game for years.

I don't know if this is true and haven't researched it, but it makes a whole lotta sense.

[zealo]

If Battlefront 2 can (somewhat) come back from its nightmarishly infamous launch, so can Anthem I think. Most everyone says the core gameplay is good, it's just everything around it that was sub-par at best.

EA seems to be of the belief that just pulling the plug will yield less returns on their initial investments than at least trying to draw players back and have a stable if not massive playerbase. Which is a logic I can respect, given that a not-insignificant number of people paid 70-80$ for this thing.

If nothing else, this also indicates to me that EA still wants to throw money at Bioware, which can only be a good thing because I want DA4 to come out already, dammit.

Battlefront 2 did have being one of the only big star wars games in town to fall back upon for fan appeal as it improved with time.

Anthem as an IP doesn't have any of that sort of long term fan investment into the IP to work with. While their situations are similar in having disastrous launches, Anthem may find itself having a slightly steeper hill to climb in getting people to give it a second chance.

[Edge-]

https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-...too-corporate/

More evidence of the problems being within BioWare proper.

[Jastall]

Battlefront 2 did have being one of the only big star wars games in town to fall back upon for fan appeal as it improved with time.

Anthem as an IP doesn't have any of that sort of long term fan investment into the IP to work with. While their situations are similar in having disastrous launches, Anthem may find itself having a slightly steeper hill to climb in getting people to give it a second chance.

True. I don't expect a massive revival and the game to dominate on Twitch or whatever, but something worth sinking a few dozen hours in would be a decent start, much like I played BF2 when it got fixed and I could buy it for 20$. The gameplay looks hella fun, but I refused to beta test what would surely be a rocky launch by buying early, and boy oh boy was I proven right.

[Ophenia]

I took advantage of my Warframe break to replay a bit of Anthem. That reminded me how sad it is this game is flawed, as the gameplay itself is damn near perfect... Ran a dungeon I didn't do at the time (Sunken thing), but the matchmaking took like 3 minutes to find someone else, and I was hit by weird bugs once the dungeon was over (cursor randomly disappearing while in the Forge), so I Alt-F4'd.
I really wish they succeed in doing something good with Anthem because it still has huge potential.

Few update notes:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/News-Updat...-p/8779917#M50

Freelancers,

Do you feel that? The winds of winter have finally dwindled, and the birds of spring have begun to sing their songs once more. Sometimes it felt as though the greenery would never return, but the snow has melted away and revealed the lush (and now blooming!) jungles of Bastion once again.

Starting today, Icetide has come to an end. Thank you to all of you who experienced it! We hope you loved the snowstorms as much as the jungle rains. However, that’s not the only notable date to pass recently. 22 February 2019 was the release date for Anthem, meaning our first anniversary was this past weekend. One whole year. It feels like both a lifetime ago and as though it went by in the blink of an eye.

Whether you’ve been flying your javelin from the very start or you suited up along the way, we couldn’t have gotten this far without you. Your feedback, your creativity, your passion—all of it has driven us forward.

Alongside today’s anniversary gift, we released update 1.7.0. This concludes the Icetide event and adorns Bastion with the lovely blooming visage of spring. Be sure to read over the release notes as they cover a great deal, including how the game will function in the time to come.

From here on out, we’re going to be a bit quieter, though, during the post-Icetide period. We’ll still be around and will provide Community Cortexes and the like when appropriate, but we’re otherwise going to be heads-down and working hard towards the future.

It’s been our pleasure to be your Cyphers (AKA, your community team) all this time and we look forward to continuing this journey with you in the many days to come. But always remember…

Strong alone. Stronger together.

https://www.ea.com/games/anthem/news/first-anniversary

It’s time to celebrate a full year of adventure, combat, and exploration in the beautiful but dangerous world of Anthem. We’d like to thank all the brave Freelancers who dared to journey beyond the walls and face a myriad of dangers, from the Monitor to the Grabbit King. You’ve suited up and joined the fight, selflessly protecting the people of Bastion.

Courage like yours deserves a reward. That’s why, from now through March 24, 2020, you’ll be able to claim four exclusive “Empowered” vinyls – one for each javelin type. In addition, we’re including a brand-new material: “Painted Metallic Flake.” All five are yours starting today; no unlocks necessary!

What Do I Have to Do?

Log in to Anthem between February 25, 12:00 pm UTC and March 24, 2020, 12:00 pm UTC*.

How Do I Claim My Gift?

Just head to the Forge – all four wraps and the new material are waiting for you.

What if I have EA Access or Origin Access??

EA Access and Origin Access subscribers** who log in to Anthem during the four-week anniversary celebration will also receive the wraps and material.

Ranger: https://media.contentapi.ea.com/cont...16x9.1455w.jpg
Colossus : https://media.contentapi.ea.com/cont...16x9.1455w.jpg
Interceptor : https://media.contentapi.ea.com/cont...16x9.1455w.jpg
Storm : https://media.contentapi.ea.com/cont...16x9.1455w.jpg

https://www.ea.com/games/anthem/news/update-170

New Features

With Patch 1.7.0, we are kicking off our recurring schedule. The primary focus of this schedule is to deliver a regular rotation of challenges, store offerings, content and game modes, coin and currency awards, gameplay inversions, and mini-holiday seasons throughout the year.

(Note: The below is subject to changes as we explore content and listen to our community feedback.)

Challenges: Six concurrent, active Daily Challenges that rotate regularly through these categories:

• Contracts / Legendary Contracts
• World Events
• Time Trials
• Strongholds
• Creature Kills
• Gameplay Style

Rotating Weekly Meta Challenges:

• Factions
• Contracts / Legendary Contracts
• Stronghold

Rotating Monthly Meta Challenges:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold

Festive challenges while mini-holidays are active.

Store Offerings: A regular rotation of armor sets, wraps, graphics, decals, and materials previously available in the Featured Store.
Content & Game Modes:
Seasonal gameplay modes and features have been included in the normal event rotations:

• Cataclysm Conjunctions
• Cataclysm Nexus
• Season of Skulls Conjunctions
• Season of Skulls Nexus
• Icetide Time Trials
• Icetide Weekly Strongholds
• Legendary Crafting

Rotating weekly gameplay modes:

• Sunken Cell Weekly Stronghold
• Heart of Rage Weekly Stronghold
• Tyrant Mine Weekly Stronghold
• Temple of Scar Weekly Stronghold
• Nexus

Gameplay Inversions
We’ve created a rotating Gameplay Inversion schedule to coincide with the weekly rotating game modes. Inversions and gameplay modes are scheduled separately to create more combinations and support diversity in week-to-week content throughout the year.

Coin & Currency awards
Coin and Crystals will be awarded for Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Challenges.
Crystals can be earned and spent at any time.

Holidays:
Holidays are small events based on the yearly calendar that are primarily driven by unique challenges. These challenges will run for one to four weeks, depending on the holiday. Some of the larger holidays will include changes to the weekly gameplay mode or decorations in Fort Tarsis and the world.
When can you expect to see these events in the game?
We will be sharing details on these holiday events as they arrive throughout the year!

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed various crashes to improve stabilization.
Fixed various texture, audio, user interface, and environment issues.
Fixed an issue where the Badge of Devastation Ranger Component had an inconsistent icon.
Fixed an issue that prevented adjusting the wrist colour on the Frost Tusk Armor.
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented players from changing their difficulty level after leaving a squad.
Fixed an issue that caused the names of the Iron Serpent and Iron Valley regions to sometimes appear reversed.
Fixed an issue where dying while carrying three echoes would sometimes respawn only two echoes.
Players should no longer be teleported back into the arena if they respawn while the Titan fight is still active.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Quickplay Stronghold option from unlocking after completing a weekly stronghold.
Fixed an issue that caused blue lights to appear around the Golden Grabbit when it’s defeated.
Description for Synchronized Frame now properly indicates that damage must be done with an Ordnance Launcher to trigger.
“Hitting an enemy with an ordnance launcher increases Heavy Launcher damage by 60% for 10 seconds.”
Javelin Madness should now correctly track and advance progress.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused players to be stuck during the “Freelancer Down” mission.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the first player that reached the third step in Tyrant Mine to be teleported back to the party if they weren’t in the room yet.
When players force respawn, they should now correctly drop all carried mission objects.
Tip of the Spear should now correctly only heal players.
Using your support gear while it is on cooldown should not longer interrupt your other gear.

[Witchblade77]

currently on sale for pc at 85% off. i admit. i caved and bought standard edition. I enjoyed it enough during my free month of origin acess that i figured.. might as well grab the game instead of another month - to finish it. (and to check it out when they rework it)

[rhorle]

The super cheap price makes me think they are going to make people buy the "Anthem 2". It is just weird to have no real discount for digital to such a massive one. But for 8.99/10.49 it isn't a big loss.

[Baconeggcheese]

The super cheap price makes me think they are going to make people buy the "Anthem 2". It is just weird to have no real discount for digital to such a massive one. But for 8.99/10.49 it isn't a big loss.

I have no doubt in my mind that its going to be payed in some way shape or form. Its kind of crazy to me that people think they just spent a year making no money on it while it goes for massive sales only to then turn around and likely put in another year+ to make Anthem 2.0 and not expect to make money off it.

I'd love to be wrong there but I don't see it as realistic, studio would die.

[Witchblade77]

its possible that they might offer a discount for existing owners. or maybe some unique rewards in reboot.

I would love it if it was free upgrade situation like Borderlands or Skyrim, but I guess we shall see. I was going to grab another month of subscription to finish up the story anyway, so for me - might as well just get it outright, the price difference is not that much and this gives me more then a month to mess around in it

[Baconeggcheese]

@Witchblade77 Definitely think its worth the sale price even as is, games got some fun and unique gameplay and a decent enough story with some really great characters.

[Katchii]

I got my fun out of it. The game had a ton of promise as the game play portion is on point and really enjoyable. The loot system needs work though, not just the itemization piece (which I honestly don't care much about as I'm not a min/maxer or loot hound, I just know folks who do really care about and therefore complain about that) but the whole "you can't see what drops you even got until after you zone back into town" thing. I hate that I can't go farming or exploring and even know what loot I'm picking up, much less equip the new shiny I got in my travels until I get back to town.

[Onikaroshi]

I have no doubt in my mind that its going to be payed in some way shape or form. Its kind of crazy to me that people think they just spent a year making no money on it while it goes for massive sales only to then turn around and likely put in another year+ to make Anthem 2.0 and not expect to make money off it.

I'd love to be wrong there but I don't see it as realistic, studio would die.

Eh, I have a strong feeling they will NMS it and do it for free, charging for it would hurt their credibility "You didn't go through with the plan you set forth for 1.0, why the hell would I pay for both"

[Baconeggcheese]

Eh, I have a strong feeling they will NMS it and do it for free, charging for it would hurt their credibility "You didn't go through with the plan you set forth for 1.0, why the hell would I pay for both"

I feel like they don't have much credibility at this point considering how their last few games have gone. Thing is people desperately want this game to be good, enough to where I think they could get away with it.

They even said in the dev blog that it needs bigger changes than "an update or expansion", so who knows what is considered bigger than either of those things.

[Gaidax]

I just hope Bioware won't fuck up Dragon Age 4, it's their last bastion before absolute failure at this point.