New Mass Effect: Andromeda details have been revealed via Game Informer. The new information this time pertains to The Tempest, Andromeda’s version of the Normandy, aka the ship you will be exploring the galaxy with.
As you may know, in Mass Effect games your ship serves multiple functions: it’s a military base, it’s where you hang out with your comparisons, it’s a command center, and it’s home usually to some of game’s greatest moments and cutscenes.
For the new Mass Effect trilogy players will board a new ship: the Tempest, which comes boasting its own distinct features and innovations. According to Game Informer, since players will be spending a lot of time aboard the ship, BioWare wanted to make tweaks to make exploration of the ship easier and frankly more fun, which they did via many improvements, such as no loading screens and elevators.
You can seamlessly travel between these locations, with no loading screens or painfully slow elevators to hold you back.
The pilot is a Salariann (a mega score in my book).
The bridge will be a more regular destination than in previous games.
Rather than going to a galaxy map in the middle of the ship, you will stand on the bridge and stare out at the stars in front of you and simply select your destination.
After passing through an elliptical corridor (like the one on the Normandy), you are in the galley, which has more of “atrium-like feel.” This area is also home to a holographic interface that will allow Ryder to modify skill-point distribution.
Farther back is the garage, which is where the Nomad is housed. The garage will be viewable via an upper part, balcony-type thing, where you will able to look down on the Mako, which will be visually customized to your liking.
Then there is also the Pathfinder’s quarters, which serves as Ryder’s personal space. Here players will have full control over the decor, and your various mementos will collect to reflect your progress. It is also said you can decorate it with simple souvenirs like rocks, but no further details were shared on what you can own as a souvenir.
The Tempest is not only smaller version of the Normandy, it’s sleeker and created with the intent to be a scouting ship.
The Tempest isn’t a one-of-a-kind ship. It is the scout ship for the human ark Hyperion, which means that the arks for the other races theoretically have similar ships. However, you will tend to not see these other ships.
What you see out the windows will actually reflect your location in space and change as you ship flies through space and pass celestial objects. Basically, no more static backdrops when you look at a window.
Smoother transitions — whether this is from ship to landing on a planet or to going inside a building.
You won’t be able to fly the Tempest yourself.
The Tempest will feel more active than the Normandy, with fewer stock crew members standing around inert. Companions and NPCs will stick to a vicinity, but move around within said area and do multiple things.
And that’s it, at least until more huge slabs of information flood out. Mass Effect: Andromeda is currently slated for a Spring 2017 release on PS4, Xbox One and PC.