'Mass Effect Andromeda' news: Developer talks NPCs, small game development updates

A look at the new protagonist in "Mass Effect Andromeda" Bioware

Details about "Mass Effect Andromeda" have become very difficult to come by, and at the moment, fans could only rely on the social media musings of the folks over at Bioware, who gives morsels of updates online.

Just recently, the game's level designer Jos Hendriks tweeted about Non Player Characters or NPCs on the game and how tough it could become to deal with them.

"Sometimes you want to make NPCs walk somewhere specific, and they're just not having it," he stated. In another tweet, he said that the characters go to the opposite of the direction where they are supposed to go.

Hendriks also poured his heart out talking about the art of making games, and why it takes so long for one like "Mass Effect Andromeda" to be put together. "Making games is hard work. How easy something is to think up isn't indicative of how easy it is to make," he said, adding that one should not assume what happens in game development if they don't know how hard it is. "There's good reasons why games take years to make instead of weeks. We don't sit around playing games a bunch. It's not magic," Hendriks said in another tweet. Meanwhile, it appears that "Mass Effect Andromeda" producer Michael Gamble took a break from the office, but will now be back to working on the game.

Bioware says that new details about the highly-anticipated space adventure will be revealed soon. The studio is yet to set a date, but a fall schedule is expected.

Up to now, only little is known about the game. The protagonist goes by the name Ryder, and can be female or male as Commander Shepard was in the "Mass Effect" trilogy.

A much more functional Mako will also be included in "Mass Effect Andromeda" to aid players in exploring an uncharted part of the cosmos.

"Mass Effect Andromeda" will be released early next year.

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