‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ post-launch patch addresses balance, animation bugs

By Danny Cowan April 4, 2017

mass effect andromeda post launch patch masseffectface — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The first post-launch patch for Mass Effect: Andromeda will roll out across all platforms this week in a bid to fix the game’s widely criticized lip-sync and facial animation issues.

Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch 1.05 will also introduce several major balance changes while adding a “much-requested” option to skip the many autopilot sequences players will see throughout the game’s lengthy campaign.

Released in March, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a sci-fi action-RPG with a focus on character building and interpersonal relationships. The release marks the series’ first appearance on current-generation consoles, following up on the success of an initial trilogy of games for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PCs.

Unlike previous series entries, Mass Effect: Andromeda is developed by BioWare Montreal, a spinoff studio that was founded in 2009. The studio’s inexperience with the series, combined with tight deadlines imposed by publisher Electronic Arts, ultimately resulted in a product that hit retail with buggy animations, awkward dialogue, and stability issues.

BioWare Montreal will begin addressing Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s various bugs starting this week with the multiplatform release of Patch 1.05. The studio notes that incoming fixes include improved lip-sync and facial acting, the addition of missing sound cues, and corrected collision detection in certain areas.

Players can also expect to see many balance changes across the game’s single-player and multiplayer modes, addressing reported issues with difficulty and progression. Other planned improvements target problems with tutorial placement, save file functionality, voiceover sequences, interactivity following certain cutscenes and events in single-player and multiplayer modes, and “logic, timing, and continuity for relationships and story arcs.”

The game’s first post-launch patch arrives as a downloadable update for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms on Thursday.

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