The ME3 weight system...

[Setrus]

...is awesome!

Really, it's amazing how much it does to make the game more customizable. In the first game you used the type of weapon you prefered, then picked your preferred brand of it to satisfy heat use or damage or whatever you fancied to have good number in...and then you basically just picked new types of that.

In ME2 it was even less of this, you had VERY few guns, but on the other hand each was unique, the Avenger was easier to move with and fire while the vindicator was better used from cover, Mantis did more damage than viper, but had to reload after each shot.
Now comes this combination that I've been rocking around with in the demo's multiplayer...and I love it. Not only do you have upgrades for the weapons as in ME1 (but without the tedious "sell off the less poisonous bullets to clear up the inventory" thing) but you also get the ME2's style of weapons where they all act uniquelly, no gun is useless, it depends on what you want.
Heck, now I can't do like in ME2 where I ran around with the Revenant all day either, because they've made it slightly more extreme on the accuracy bit so I have to add a scoped pistol when I want to run around with the revenant. (yes, I can put a scope on the Revenant, but I honestly find myself preferring the extended clip, I currently have 108 shots for each heat sink! Now that's suppression.)

And that brings up the subject...why don't I bring a sniper rifle instead of a scoped pistol? Because the Revenant is so heavy that another big gun would lower the recharge to my powers too much for even my tastes!
So now you see some people picking a sniper and submachinegun, or running around with the avenger because it's a light yet accurate assault rifle that makes it possible to carry say the mantis without being completely hobbled in powers. You alsosee some people with nothing but the Predator pistol because they want to max out how quickly their powers refresh.
So you want the big bad widow? Sure, take it, but you'll pay the price... (the viper is superior though. ;-) )

And I hope this doesn't just apply to multiplayer! Consider your companions in the singleplayer carefully, does Liara really need the carnifex and tempest when the phalanx and shuriken are still decent and you want her to use stasis and singularity often? What of Tali, should you give her a bayonet to her shotgun for being up close, or modify the acccuracy to her shotgun so she can stay further back and drain the enemy shields?

I'm really happy they've added this feature, it adds much more customizatin, because now you don't modify the weapons to fit you and your powers to fit you separately, but you have to consider the whole.

Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest...

 

[Dr. Paine]

Huh, thanks for this! I haven't been able to play the demo at all, but it's nice to hear a bit more about the combat for ME3. I didn't realize weapon customization would be so in-depth, this will mean a serious re-thinking of how I planed on playing...

And it's great to know the Widow is still around. I don't care how heavy it is, I'm going to use it at least a few times.

(Captcha: Ho(x) xpoolog. ...wtf?)

 

[hazabaza1]

Huh, thanks for this! I haven't been able to play the demo at all, but it's nice to hear a bit more about the combat for ME3. I didn't realize weapon customization would be so in-depth, this will mean a serious re-thinking of how I planed on playing...

And it's great to know the Widow is still around. I don't care how heavy it is, I'm going to use it at least a few times.

(Captcha: Ho(x) xpoolog. ...wtf?)

To be honest, the stuff isn't too in depth. Each weapon has a slot for two different mods, giving it some sort of boost, be it extra ammo, more stability, or even a scope. It's certainly better than the first two, but it's certainly not that revolutionary.
OT: I am liking the system. I'm hoping to make a vanguard that can just spam charge in the main game for a mission or two.

 

[Rednog]

I'm honestly not a huge fan of the weight system, the weight numbers seem a little random.
So I'm an infiltrator with a heavy sniper rifle, one would conclude that my secondary would probably be a pistol, not only because of weight but I want something that is a strong few shots in close range to take someone out. Nope, the sub machine guns are inexplicably much lighter than the pistols and they aren't the greatest close quarters weapons (excluding the hornet).
Seriously it just makes odd pairings, and in the end (at least from my experience with the demo so far) guns tend to outweigh most people's power uses, because the enemies on gold and silver just don't allow you to go power crazy and it ends up being a cover shooter.

 

[Right Hook]

...is awesome!
I'm really happy they've added this feature, it adds much more customizatin, because now you don't modify the weapons to fit you and your powers to fit you separately, but you have to consider the whole.

I'm pretty sure it is in the campaign, I feel like I saw some images of the system for it. I think the system is pretty cool, my Drell Vanguard only carries around a sub-machine gun, which seems kinda crazy but it makes his recharge so fast that it is worth it.

 

[Smiley Face]

Yep, it'll be in the campaign - the level-up system in the singleplayer part of the demo has weight capacity stats incorporated, and besides, it's a damn good idea - why make it only for multiplayer?

So I'm an infiltrator with a heavy sniper rifle, one would conclude that my secondary would probably be a pistol, not only because of weight but I want something that is a strong few shots in close range to take someone out. Nope, the sub machine guns are inexplicably much lighter than the pistols and they aren't the greatest close quarters weapons (excluding the hornet).

Nah, the submachine guns being like makes plenty of sense. ME guns basically work by having the gun shoot pencil shavings and artificially increasing their mass so that they do some damage. The weight of the gun isn't determined by how many bullets it can fire, it's based on how much power it uses. An SMG that doesn't pack much of a punch but fires plenty of bullets would weigh less than a slow firing pistol that can take the head off of an armoured assault trooper. My Shuriken barely weighs anything - not great in a fight, but sometimes you only want the gun for emergencies (like if my Vanguard runs into a Guardian - can't kill it 1-on-1 with powers, so I charge it, then shoot it in the head).

And yeah, the Viper takes the prize in my book so far (although the only gold gun I've tried is the Revenant - and frankly, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing).

 

[JDLY]

Personally I run around as an Infiltrator with only the M-98 Widow. Honestly I don't have a secondary.

Not simply because it weighs so much, but because I used to have a pistol, but never used it. I have enough upgrades I never use all my ammo in a single wave and if I ever get multiple enemies rushing me I just turn invisible and find another position.

I can see several of you would ask why I don't use the Viper.

So you want the big bad widow? Sure, take it, but you'll pay the price... (the viper is superior though. ;-) )

And yeah, the Viper takes the prize in my book so far (although the only gold gun I've tried is the Revenant - and frankly, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing).

Personally I'm more of a one-shot-one-kill sorta guy. And the Widow allows me to do that. I have no issue with reloading after every shot. I've got my recharge timed perfectly, so after I take a shot, I'm back in cover by the time I lose my invisibility, and the amount of time it takes to reload is the same it takes for invisibility to recharge. So by the time I reload, I'm all ready to go invisible again and take another shot.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Well, it goes dumpy, then it goes to frumpy, then it goes to fat...six phases of fat. I dunno, I am not a scientist.

 

[Setrus]

Huh, thanks for this! I haven't been able to play the demo at all, but it's nice to hear a bit more about the combat for ME3. I didn't realize weapon customization would be so in-depth, this will mean a serious re-thinking of how I planed on playing...

And it's great to know the Widow is still around. I don't care how heavy it is, I'm going to use it at least a few times.

(Captcha: Ho(x) xpoolog. ...wtf?)

There's also a weapon called the black widow... ;-) (and the current punches through small pieces of cover, hitting anyone behind...oh and did I mention it sends killed enemies flying? I might think the viper is better, but damn the widow has style...)

To be honest, the stuff isn't too in depth. Each weapon has a slot for two different mods, giving it some sort of boost, be it extra ammo, more stability, or even a scope. It's certainly better than the first two, but it's certainly not that revolutionary.
OT: I am liking the system. I'm hoping to make a vanguard that can just spam charge in the main game for a mission or two.

But you yourself just said you'll be a vanguard spamming charge, which means packing light, maybe a pistol or the lightest of shotguns if you can afford it weight-wise. So no, the weapon system in itself isn't too in depth, but the weight part means you have to consider your powers as well into what you'll equip, which to me sounds more advanced then either of the two previous games, surely that counts for something?

I'm honestly not a huge fan of the weight system, the weight numbers seem a little random.
So I'm an infiltrator with a heavy sniper rifle, one would conclude that my secondary would probably be a pistol, not only because of weight but I want something that is a strong few shots in close range to take someone out. Nope, the sub machine guns are inexplicably much lighter than the pistols and they aren't the greatest close quarters weapons (excluding the hornet).
Seriously it just makes odd pairings, and in the end (at least from my experience with the demo so far) guns tend to outweigh most people's power uses, because the enemies on gold and silver just don't allow you to go power crazy and it ends up being a cover shooter.

Perhaps you have a point about the pistols...but have you tried the predator? It's a pretty light pistol, phalanx too isn't too shabby. As to the sub machine guns, I only have the shuriken and tempest, and to be fair the former is so tiny it's no surprise it's so light. (and it's surprisingly good too.)
Have you tried picking perks that reduce the weight of weapons? I mean it says it reduces the weight, but what it really means is that it makes power recharge swifter. I don't really know what you mean with the power crazy thing though, my Turian sentinel send off an overload every moment he has a chance at silver...

...is awesome!
I'm really happy they've added this feature, it adds much more customizatin, because now you don't modify the weapons to fit you and your powers to fit you separately, but you have to consider the whole.

I'm pretty sure it is in the campaign, I feel like I saw some images of the system for it. I think the system is pretty cool, my Drell Vanguard only carries around a sub-machine gun, which seems kinda crazy but it makes his recharge so fast that it is worth it.

Heh, well take the tempest, the modifiers to extend the clip and for some shots to not use up the heatsink and you can just pour the shots at the enemy up close, that's what I end up doing with the Revenant quite often.
As to it being in the campaign...yay! Widow and avenger for Garrus! Shuriken and predator for Liara! Eviscerator and phalanx for Tali!

Yep, it'll be in the campaign - the level-up system in the singleplayer part of the demo has weight capacity stats incorporated, and besides, it's a damn good idea - why make it only for multiplayer?

And yeah, the Viper takes the prize in my book so far (although the only gold gun I've tried is the Revenant - and frankly, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing).

I know it's a damn good idea, but some might have worried about it being restrictive in singleplayer...I'm glad they didn't though.
The viper is just so useful, six shots per chamber is great to deal with the hordes coming at you, and I always feel as any damage bonus to weapons is wasted on the mantis and Widow.
As to the Revenant...so did I, at first, then I put the stabilizer on it along with the extra ammo and started to fire it in bursts as I usually do in battlefield 3. Now I might not get many headshots with it, but it'll accurately hit the above-mentioned hordes around the chest, and if I can stagger a whole lot of them I can set them up for my teammates to shoot them down, gaining quite a few assists. (or, you know, just keep shooting more bursts until the enemy dies if those teammates are slow.) The thing is that I can use it like that at medium ranges, but with the extended magazine it doesn't matter if a large group manages to come up close, I don't have to reload, all I do is turn the gun at them and stagger them, and then kill them, with a hail of bullets.
So no, it's not all that accurate, but with enough shots and burst-fire it doesn't have to be...so I've actually started to like it. (and unloading 108 shots into the cannopy of a nearby Atlas while on adrenaline rush is just hillarious...I feel like shouting like Zaeed on his loyalty mission at those moments.)

 

[Gennadios]

I noticed this type of weight system in a few games, Killing Floor is the only one that came to mind at the moment.

But yeah, it's better than ME2's system, every class can use every weapon type now, it's just alot more of a consideration for the skill heavy class now.

On the topic of the demo, OMG that was a mother****** on the insane diffuclty setting for the infiltrator. Really, they couldn't have given that class a sniper rifle to start with? Their class skill only works on them for goodness sake!

 

[The Pinray]

I love it. I know it's in for single-player. But I'm fairly certain you can't mess with your squadmates. They're limited to two each, a la ME2.

Liara: Heavy Pistol/Submachine Gun

Garrus: Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle

Vega: Assault Rifle/Shotgun

Ashley: Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle

Tali: Heavy Pistol/Shotgun

Kaidan: Not sure. Guessing Heavy Pistol/Shotgun?

EDI: Not sure. Guessing Heavy Pistol/Submachine Gun

Prothean: Not sure. Won't even venture a guess.

 

[Admiral Skeybar]

Personally I love the way Mass Effect has upgraded their inventory and weapon systems. When I play as a vanguard with just my Predator(with scope) I can just Biotic Charge into every enemy and Nova them all into a wall. Several other classes have similar great features where you can become the superior player just by (skilfully) upgrading the right powers.

That's also the problem, some classes aren't really worth playing as and from all that I've tried Vanguard is the obvious overpowered class, something Bioware would never been able to pull of if it wasn't only Co-op. These upgrade systems would never work in a player vs player multiplayer game.

Mass Effect managed to get me addicted to its single player and now also to the Co-op but this system is hardly going to revolutionize the multiplayer games are made.

 

[Setrus]

Personally I'm more of a one-shot-one-kill sorta guy. And the Widow allows me to do that. I have no issue with reloading after every shot. I've got my recharge timed perfectly, so after I take a shot, I'm back in cover by the time I lose my invisibility, and the amount of time it takes to reload is the same it takes for invisibility to recharge. So by the time I reload, I'm all ready to go invisible again and take another shot.

Well I can understand that...which makes for another factor in customisation...the class. As you say your infiltrator can use the invisibility to one-shot-one.kill the enemy and then use the recharge and reload in sync. But take my Turian sentinel, he's often more exposed then your infiltrator who...I'm guessing...infiltrate.
So for my Turian sentinel it makes sense to have the viper, overloading a centurion's shields, miss the first shot due to being too fast on the trigger, then kill with a headshot, move to the next, overload shields, get him in the first shot, getting hit by some assault rifle fire but ignoring it as you overload a nemesis' shields and then take her down with two shots to the chest...so class just becomes another issue in weapon choice. (admittedly, it already was so in ME2...though you were kind of lead by the nose in that.)

I love it. I know it's in for single-player. But I'm fairly certain you can't mess with your squadmates. They're limited to two each, a la ME2.

Liara: Heavy Pistol/Submachine Gun

Garrus: Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle

Vega: Assault Rifle/Shotgun

Ashley: Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle

Tali: Heavy Pistol/Shotgun

Kaidan: Not sure. Guessing Heavy Pistol/Shotgun?

EDI: Not sure. Guessing Heavy Pistol/Submachine Gun

Prothean: Not sure. Won't even venture a guess.

Oh I suspect so too, but you can choose what shotgun Vega takes, along with what attachments...I mean it's not as free as the multiplayer, but choosing those items really defines the role of the character...

 

[hazabaza1]

To be honest, the stuff isn't too in depth. Each weapon has a slot for two different mods, giving it some sort of boost, be it extra ammo, more stability, or even a scope. It's certainly better than the first two, but it's certainly not that revolutionary.
OT: I am liking the system. I'm hoping to make a vanguard that can just spam charge in the main game for a mission or two.

But you yourself just said you'll be a vanguard spamming charge, which means packing light, maybe a pistol or the lightest of shotguns if you can afford it weight-wise. So no, the weapon system in itself isn't too in depth, but the weight part means you have to consider your powers as well into what you'll equip, which to me sounds more advanced then either of the two previous games, surely that counts for something?

Well, yeah. Like I said, it's still far better than the other two games, but I doubt it's going to revolutionise gaming.
Still, should be fun to experiment.

 

[JDLY]

So for my Turian sentinel it makes sense to have the viper, overloading a centurion's shields, miss the first shot due to being too fast on the trigger, then kill with a headshot, move to the next, overload shields, get him in the first shot, getting hit by some assault rifle fire but ignoring it as you overload a nemesis' shields and then take her down with two shots to the chest...so class just becomes another issue in weapon choice. (admittedly, it already was so in ME2...though you were kind of lead by the nose in that.)

That makes sense. Of course it also has to do with personal skills. I tend not to miss with a sniper. And with the upgraded Mantis or Widow I can headshot a nemesis, phantom, or combat engineer even if they have full health and shields. But if people aren't great shots that may not be an option.

I can also take out an Atlas with 4 shots on silver, or about 6 on gold. Of course that's all assuming one can go invisible and get off the shots without taking much damage.

To each his own of course, though.

 

[Setrus]

So for my Turian sentinel it makes sense to have the viper, overloading a centurion's shields, miss the first shot due to being too fast on the trigger, then kill with a headshot, move to the next, overload shields, get him in the first shot, getting hit by some assault rifle fire but ignoring it as you overload a nemesis' shields and then take her down with two shots to the chest...so class just becomes another issue in weapon choice. (admittedly, it already was so in ME2...though you were kind of lead by the nose in that.)

That makes sense. Of course it also has to do with personal skills. I tend not to miss with a sniper. And with the upgraded Mantis or Widow I can headshot a nemesis, phantom, or combat engineer even if they have full health and shields. But if people aren't great shots that may not be an option.

I can also take out an Atlas with 4 shots on silver, or about 6 on gold. Of course that's all assuming one can go invisible and get off the shots without taking much damage.

To each his own of course, though.

Eh, I'm not a poor shot either, but when I only have one shot I tend to miss more often, simply because I know I only have that one shot, so the viper is more comfortable, simply because I know I have a second chance if I miss. (it's also kind of fun to see three assault troopers down below and take them all out before they can even properly deploy...)

Indeed, to each his own...which is what I'm really digging about this weight system and how each weapon acts.

 

[Rusman]

As much as I do love the weapons customisation and weight system the most fun I've had in the multiplayer is "Melee Krogan". With the right specs that guy is monstrous. Even took down an Atlas with just repeated heavy melee attacks. I mean it took a while and it blew up in my face and killed me straight afterwards but it was so worth it.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

I agree with this. The system is really cool. I thought they said that Shepard in single player will be able to carry more weapons based on class though. They said Soldiers can take everything at once while the other classes had to find what they liked. Did that change?

My Infiltrator can carry a Mantis + Shuriken SMG or any pistol and still have her cloak finish charging just a little after the Mantis finishes reloading. I also have cloak upgraded so I can fire Cryo while staying invisible so the damage bonus still applies. I've been using the Widow lately and it's been dealing hell to my recharges. I love being able to front shot Guardians and getting 2-for-1 kills though. It wrecks every enemy when I'm cloaked too, including the Atlas (on Bronze at lease). I've been wondering if I should go back to the Mantis.

My Adept only carries a single pistol, SMG, or Avenger rifle to maximize recharge time. The SMG or Avenger is for shield breaking and the pistol is for maximum spamming depending on the mood I'm in. I have to be less Rambo on Silver or higher though. It doesn't work quite so well.

 

[Setrus]

I agree with this. The system is really cool. I thought they said that Shepard in single player will be able to carry more weapons based on class though. They said Soldiers can take everything at once while the other classes had to find what they liked. Did that change?

My Infiltrator can carry a Mantis + Shuriken SMG or any pistol and still have her cloak finish charging just a little after the Mantis finishes reloading. I also have cloak upgraded so I can fire Cryo while staying invisible so the damage bonus still applies. I've been using the Widow lately and it's been dealing hell to my recharges. I love being able to front shot Guardians and getting 2-for-1 kills though. It wrecks every enemy when I'm cloaked too, including the Atlas (on Bronze at lease). I've been wondering if I should go back to the Mantis.

My Adept only carries a single pistol, SMG, or Avenger rifle to maximize recharge time. The SMG or Avenger is for shield breaking and the pistol is for maximum spamming depending on the mood I'm in. I have to be less Rambo on Silver or higher though. It doesn't work quite so well.

Hmmm...not sure, in the later part of the demo Shepard carries more then two guns, so it's possible s/he is has a large weight capacity, as to soldiers carrying more...I'm guessing they have even more of it. (they do in multiplayer, the only class where I feel I can get away with carrying an assault rifle and a sniper, really.) So yes, you can probably load up on weapons as a soldier Shepard, not sure if it'll be worth it though...

Yes, the weight is really a thing to consider...you might remove the shuriken to load off a bit, like JDLY, or go back to the mantis for more recharge. Do you have the Salarian infiltrator btw? Energy drain while still cloakes is monstrously effective in making you stay alive! (You can still front-shoot guardians without the widow, you aim for the slit in their shields for a headshot, or simply nail them a couple of times in the arm, if you're worried about hitting the shield)

Rambo only really works in bronze yes, after that you kind of have to team up, if nothing else but being able to revive one another when the phantoms and Centurions box you in. Have you unlocked the Asari Adept? It's the only one of those avaible I haven't managed to get...they do really well with a team since the stasis ability can lock down phantoms while other classes dish out the damage.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

I agree with this. The system is really cool. I thought they said that Shepard in single player will be able to carry more weapons based on class though. They said Soldiers can take everything at once while the other classes had to find what they liked. Did that change?

My Infiltrator can carry a Mantis + Shuriken SMG or any pistol and still have her cloak finish charging just a little after the Mantis finishes reloading. I also have cloak upgraded so I can fire Cryo while staying invisible so the damage bonus still applies. I've been using the Widow lately and it's been dealing hell to my recharges. I love being able to front shot Guardians and getting 2-for-1 kills though. It wrecks every enemy when I'm cloaked too, including the Atlas (on Bronze at lease). I've been wondering if I should go back to the Mantis.

My Adept only carries a single pistol, SMG, or Avenger rifle to maximize recharge time. The SMG or Avenger is for shield breaking and the pistol is for maximum spamming depending on the mood I'm in. I have to be less Rambo on Silver or higher though. It doesn't work quite so well.

Hmmm...not sure, in the later part of the demo Shepard carries more then two guns, so it's possible s/he is has a large weight capacity, as to soldiers carrying more...I'm guessing they have even more of it. (they do in multiplayer, the only class where I feel I can get away with carrying an assault rifle and a sniper, really.) So yes, you can probably load up on weapons as a soldier Shepard, not sure if it'll be worth it though...

Yes, the weight is really a thing to consider...you might remove the shuriken to load off a bit, like JDLY, or go back to the mantis for more recharge. Do you have the Salarian infiltrator btw? Energy drain while still cloakes is monstrously effective in making you stay alive! (You can still front-shoot guardians without the widow, you aim for the slit in their shields for a headshot, or simply nail them a couple of times in the arm, if you're worried about hitting the shield)

Rambo only really works in bronze yes, after that you kind of have to team up, if nothing else but being able to revive one another when the phantoms and Centurions box you in. Have you unlocked the Asari Adept? It's the only one of those avaible I haven't managed to get...they do really well with a team since the stasis ability can lock down phantoms while other classes dish out the damage.

I have been shooting through the eye slits with the Mantis, but body shots with the Widow are much more foolproof and take less time. They always seem to move when I'm trying to line up a shot through the eyes. I have seen at least one person running with only a Widow, but I see a few problems with that. I personally prefer to have options when I run out of shots since Cryo Blast won't save me from everything and overly relying on my heavy-melee build will eventually get me killed. One would expect that the Infiltrator's wide swing could catch more than one person, but no.

My fem Infiltrator is the only one I have. I don't think I have any other Adepts either.