Mass Effect 3 - Tracking 1000 Variables

Dhruin

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I have the feeling we've seen this before but perhaps I'm thinking of the hype leading up to Mass Effect 2. Anyway, Casey Hudson has told CVG that Mass Effect 3 will have 1000 variables from ME2 to use:
"We plan out the larger plot points of the story from one game to the next, but it would be impossible to plan it all in advance," he told PC Zone issue 224 (in all good stores now, folks).

"More importantly, we'd never be able to plan as many creative opportunities if we'd do it all up front. Instead, we record what a player has done in a play-through, and then we have all of those choices available that writers can refer to as they build storylines...

"Numerically, it's over 1,000 variables that we'll have access to for shaping the Mass Effect 3 experience for people who've played the previous games."
More information.
 
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I'm sure they'll use at least 500 of those variables for hairstyle. ;)
What!? But my character is bald! ;)

I think we did see this story when ME2 came out.
 
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They said they will track hundreds of variables from ME to ME2 and yet at the beginning of ME2, they needed to ask the players whom they had chosen to lead the Council in ME- Anderson or Udina. If you are anyways giving the choice to alter the history, there is no need to hype 'we are tracking 1000 variables!!!' as if to convey all decisions are automatically getting carried forward.
 
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I don't know what is impressive with that.

1000 variables? maybe most of them are ints?

1000 x 32 = 32000 bits

32000 / 8 = 4 kb

Sounds more like a C64 game to me..... when hard-drives have 500 GB or more 4 kb is really nothing, so I am not sure why they'd think people might consider it impressive.

On the other hand if each of these int would decide 2147483647 different decisions and paths.. and have affect on the gameplay..... in that case we are talking.... I guess "keep track of" can mean a lot of things....
 
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If every variable relates to the outcome of a quest, then that amount is impressive. However, the smaller decisions may add flavor, but they're still borderline insignificant. In ME2, the major decisions of ME1 had no impact at all, so this whole thing seems pretty useless unless they do something big with it in ME3.
 
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Excuse me sir, but you have a 1000 new messages waiting on you in your terminal.
 
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LOL ! :lol:
 
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