Upon release back in March, Mass Effect: Andromeda was met with a mixed response, with some gamers and critics bemoaning the game’s lack of gay romance options for Scott Ryder.
Lead designer on Mass Effect: Andromeda, Ian S. Frazier, addressed concerns regarding the distinctive lack of male/male gay romance options for Scott Ryder.
“This is definitely not going in the trash,” he said when asked if Bioware was looking to add more gay romance options for Scott. “We take the concerns very, very seriously.”
Bioware has made good on its promise, with the latest update for Mass Effect: Andromeda adding a romance option between Scott and squadmate Jaal.
“We understand that a character’s orientation is an important part of what makes them feel real. The relationships with your crew are some of the most loved and cherished parts of our games, so we wanted to make sure we got it right,” Bioware said of the latest patch. “We consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the Angara. Our writing, editing, and animation teams worked together to ensure this change made sense for Jaal’s character, and the result is a relationship we hope feels as fulfilling and memorable for Scott as it does for Sara.”
The update also brings with it a host of important changes and fixes for the game, including improving the character creator. Check out the patch notes below.
Mass Effect Andromeda Update 1.08 patch notes
Single player
- Ryder’s appearance can now be changed onboard the Tempest
- Expanded the range of options available in the character creator
- Jaal can now be romanced by Scott Ryder
- Dialogue for Hainly Abrams was adjusted to change the flow of personal information she discusses with Ryder.
- Fixed issue with Nomad upgrades Shield Crafting quest
- Nexus level and cryo pod points are retroactively granted
- Vendors now carry weapon mods for Level 60-71 players
- Vendors now sell weapon augmentations for automatic fire, burst fire, and single-shot fire
- Improved clarity of descriptions for augmentations
- Plasma Charge system now works properly for shotguns
- Beam Emitter augmentation now causes guns to fire a constant beam with scaling damage based on the weapon’s damage per second
- [PC] Added experimental support for Dolby Vision™ technology
Multiplayer
- Stealth Grid challenge now increments properly
- Fiend no longer sprints when within 10 meters of target, and will decelerate to base speed
- Enabled movement correction during Fiend attacks to reduce incidence of players seeing Fiends attacking in the wrong direction
- Improved movement prediction for some enemies in tight spaces to reduce appearance of teleportation
- Fixed issue that prevented melee attacks if the revive icon was near center screen
- Fixed issue where ammo pick-up audio incorrectly played
- Fixed issue where Backlash could malfunction while moving
- Using Stealth and Recon Visor together no longer increases duration of invisibility for Turian Agent
- Fixed issue where weight reduction modifications wouldn’t reduce weight
- The Revive Pack Transmitter now displays the revive radius in the loadout screen
- Equipping the Cobra RPG now interrupts reloading
- Player turns to Adhi when getting synced to avoid teleportation issue
- Fixed issue where enemies would occasionally enter T-pose when hit
- Improved visual and audio cues for player ready status in Multiplayer lobbies
- Added “Lights” option to customization options
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