If you've been playing Mass Effect 2 while connected to the Internet, then beware, for you are being watched. BioWare has revealed that its sci-fi RPG sequel was loaded with little events that allowed it to mine data from players, working out how they played the game in order to make Mass Effect 3 a better game.
"More people played the soldier class than all of the other classes combined," says executive producer Casey Hudson. "If you know that, then you can start thinking about future games. Is that good? Is that a problem? Should we look at the other classes and start thinking about ways to make them selected as often as soldier? As part of asking these questions, we can design games in the future a lot better."
Other information includes the fact that fewer than 15% of gamers skipped conversations, that over half of players loaded a save from the original Mass Effect, and that PC players did fewer loyalty missions than 360 ones.
With Rockstar having done the same thing with Red Dead Redemption, it's a little creepy to think that developers are spying on your actions. It's anonymous, but still, very weird. Next time you're trying to shag Morrigan in Dragon Age, just remember ... they're looking at you.
BioWare Mines Data From Mass Effect 2 [The Escapist]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
67 comments | showing # 1 to 50
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
5:20 PM on 09.07.2010
| 
Spyware..
Malware..
Bioware..
Male = Soldier
Female = Infiltrator
I often think about many games that should spit this kinda funny info out there. They need to do this more.
Kinda off topic....
But when you look at the iPhone and Apple, a person is always constantly asked for location services. It's up to the user to agree and end up with a better experience with the product.
I for one agree with BioWare mining for Data.
Big brother is watching... your video games.
I just want to make sure I know when Activision is mining for data, I know that wouldn't be good.
So Yeah its a bit disconcerting but at least its generally benign.
Sounds like 360 gamers are just more mature.
(This comment has been brought to you by SARCASM.)
But honestly, this type of data tracking is a good thing. Any game that has badges or leaderboards or any kind of online component is already using your gameplay data. You might as well have someone on the other end analyze that data and put it to good use in improving the content for the sequel.
It makes me wonder why so many people wanted the same old from this game when they had so many other options.
Was quite happy to see her get steamed to death.
Anyway, if they really want to make Mass Effect 3 better, they'd hurry up and get it out; ME2 was excellent, the build up to the suicide mission was tense and I actually gave a shit whether the characters died or not. Oh yeah, and Mordin as squad mate.
I played Engineer too -- it was a blast. A little bit of everything...submachine guns, tech powers, and assault drones. Definitely going with Engineer again in ME3 if it's available.
You'd better be trollin', Tali is the best character in the ME series.
It's rather disturbing. Now they know about my fascination with midget porn and toe fungus.
@ The Young Scot a nice guess)
I still regret completing Insanity with a Vanguard, made the game a little more diffcult than I had to be, but still was one of the toughest and most tedious things I have ever done.
To be fair, now that I've played ME2 and know what sort of things happen, e.g. the much quicker cooldowns allowing repeated use of relied-upon powers, surprising new potency of pistols (Carnifex Hand Cannon ftw) and so on, I'd change my mind. Picking Soldier for your first run is a sensible idea though.
Never thought about it before, but yeah, that makes sense...
Also, there's an option to turn this feature off. I remember noticing it when I first bought the game. Left mine on, like a boss. :)
Oh noes! Someone has ignored the relevant part of my comment to take umbrage at my choice of abbreviations! Comments sections on blog posts are normally so reasonable and thought provoking!
Ah, well, I knew this day would come eventually. *sniff* Goodbye forever, internets. *gets the fuck out*
Who watches the watchmen?
Pull out your ethernet cord/wireless adaptor.
@fulldamage
I think he's knocking you for using a female Shephard, not your abbreviation.
Oh thank god. It was cold out there. Whoever said there was life outside the internet is lying.
@Ebola8MyFace
In general, it is good to maintain a healthy paranoia about corporations, not because they're evil, but because they're out to profit and may do it against your best interests. In this case, however - software engineers at gaming studios generally aren't behind some master plan to dominate you by calculating how many times you headbutted a Krogan in Mass Effect. I think this specific instance is pretty harmless. Also, you want to remember that if you have a LIVE profile or PSN account or a Bioware profile or any of those things, you have already given people far more information than Mass Effect is capable of tracking, and in a way that's very easy to trace.
Now, things that go after your system registry and actually plant data miners are a whole other thing. I also dislike the notion that publishers might begin using these systems in more and more games, for more invasive things like targeted advertising. So I'm aware we're on a slippery slope here! Just sayin', this one doesn't seem worth worrying about.
Sir or ma'am, on this subject we most certainly cannot ever agree. But because your avatar looks classy, I shall look the other way.
The part that's hidden by the glare, where the option itself is highlighted, is marked "upload player data".
So, yeah...if you're worried about Bioware trying to replicate your brainwaves or something, you can just click the little "no" box. Problem solved, rite?
Also, she looks like the character I've made in other games as well, so there is a kind of linage there...
lul
Well to be fair, it is interesting to hear what BioWare found out from it.
You've kind of answered your own question there.
"This isn't news. Well I suppose it is. In fact it's pretty interesting"
Meer is monotonous and boring. Hale actually inflects and has a very different style of speaking for both paragon/renegade. Meer sounds the roughly the same for both. He's boring, generic, and there are much better male voice actors in the business.
I am generally never female in a game if I can help it. When Mass Effect 2 came around, I played Fem Sheperd first to hear and enjoy Hale, because she's a better Renegade than Meer.
She's fucking brilliant. She pulls off being a badass more than a guy. That's hard to do. Maybe you dislike her voice, but calling Jennifer Hale a bad voice actor is totally bullshit. You've got shit in your ears, son.