Mass Effect: Andromeda Update Arrives, As BioWare Considers Animation Improvements

A new patch for Mass Effect: Andromeda has arrived, fixing a number of single-player and multiplayer issues. Additionally, BioWare has suggested that improvements might be on the way for the game's much-discussed facial animations that some believe leave much to be desired.

As outlined in a BioWare blog post, patch 1.04 fixes a serious-sounding issue in single-player where players could not land on Ark Natanus. It also corrects a problem when Andromeda would boot to a black screen. In terms of multiplayer fixes, the update addresses an issue where players would hear audio from a different character instead of their own.

An Early Access Patch is also now available for people playing the 10-hour trial of the game available for EA/Origin Access subscribers on Xbox One and PC. This patch contains "overall performance improvements," as well as fixes for things like collision and audio problems.

This patch also delivers improvements to "many cinematics, conversations, and other character interactions," though this may not be for the much-discussed facial animations. When asked about the current state of Andromeda's facial animations, lead designer Ian Frazier said on Twitter (via Eurogamer), "We're looking at patching lots of issues and want to strongly support the game moving forward. I can't say more just yet."

Frazier also said that BioWare is currently "evaluating various options" for making Andromeda's character creator better, presumably in terms of more customization options.

Andromeda officially launched on March 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. GameSpot's review scored the game a 6/10; you can see a roundup of scores from other outlets here.

Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch Notes

Patch 1.04

Single-player

• Fixed an issue whereby players were unable to land on Ark Natanus
• Fixed an issue whereby the game loaded to a black screen or ran as a background process when Corsair Utility Engine or similar programs were running

Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue causing players to stop hearing their character’s audio and start hearing another player's instead
• Fixed an issue causing the game to crash when using the Human Male Soldier and F key

Early Access Patch

General

• Overall performance improvements
• Fixed an issue with the title only accepting input from the last controller synced when two controllers are assigned to the same profile
• Fixed various collision issues
• Fixed a few rare audio issues

Singleplayer

• Improvements to many cinematics, conversations, and other character interactions
• Improved quest rewards
• Fixed an issue whereby a door could become jammed in mission 5
• Fixed issues with objective markers not appearing correctly
• Minor performance improvements after some Tempest transitions
• Fixed an issue whereby the combat music was not functioning as designed
• Fixed some minor quest-related issues
• Fixed a small cinematic issue during the Drack loyalty quest
• Minor balancing change to the "Remove the Heart" quest
• Improvements to quest tracking and waypoints

Multiplayer

• Improvements to Strike Teams UI screens
• Additional multiplayer tutorials implemented
• Balance changes to guns, reward packs, and objectives scoring
• Improved appearance of character portraits
• Added new artwork for MP characters, armor, and challenges in menus and codex entries