Operation: VIGILANCE

Operation: VIGILANCE (September 7th-9th)

Unexpected attacks have taken out several squads and damaged vital Alliance equipment. We will deploy drones to repair damage and investigate the nature of these attacks.

Individual Goal: Complete up to and including wave 10 on any difficulty without using a consumable (medi-gel, ammo, Ops pack or Cobra missile launcher).

Allied Goal: Complete 250,000 escort missions on any difficulty.

Special Circumstance: None

Individual Goal Success: All individual players awarded a Commendation Pack
Allied Goal Success: All players awarded a Victory Pack

BioWare at Dragon*Con

Are you in Atlanta this weekend? Make sure you don't miss out on Dragon*Con! BioWare is returning to Atlanta for the first time in many years with Dragon Age Lead Writer David Gaider and Community Specialist 'Evil' Chris Priestly attending the event.

If you have tickets to Dragon*Con, you can follow Evil Chris Priestly to learn where they are at the con. They want to meet up with our fans and look forward to discussing BioWare, Dragon Age and Mass Effect with you. It is also your chance to record a message for 'Evil' Chris to take back to the BioWare studio. Give your feedback on a game, show off your costume or say what you want to see coming from BioWare in the future.

David and Chris are also on a number of different panels during the convention, so check out their schedules:

Friday August 31

Title: Games People Play.
Time: Fri 01:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F ' Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: So, you've written a game'video, computer RPG'What happens now? David Gaider participating.

Saturday September 1

Title: Meet BioWare
Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: 209 / 210 / 211 ' Hilton (Length: 1)
Description: BioWare's games have delighted us all for two decades. What's their secret? How do they make great products we love? Come find out! Both David Gaider and Chris Priestly participating.

Title: Creating Characters in Video Games
Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Capitol Ballroom ' Sheraton (Length: 1)
Description: David Gaider of Dragon Age and Avellone of Fallout, and Felicia Day, who voiced both, discuss the creation of characters in video games. David Gaider participating.

Title: Sex in Videogames
Time: Sat 10:00 pm Location: 209 / 210 / 211 ' Hilton (Length: 1)
Description: Games are often found at the intersection of sexuality and sexism. Hear how games from Bioware tackle issues like sex, gay romance, and inclusiveness. David Gaider participating.

Sunday September 2

Title: Writing for Videogames
Time: Sun 10:00 am Location: 209 / 210 / 211 ' Hilton (Length: 1)
Description: Dozens of endings! Hours of branching dialogue! Enjoy lively discussion of world-class writers of Dragon Age, Saint's Row, Infinity Blade, and more. David Gaider participating.

Monday September 3

Title: Reaching the Fans
Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: 209 / 210 / 211 ' Hilton (Length: 1)
Description: You can't make everyone happy all the time'but what if it's your job? Come hear how community managers keep their fans happy and engaged. Chris Priestly participating.

Even if you do not have tickets to Dragon*Con you can watch the famed Dragon*Con costume parade as it walks down Peachtree street. The 2012 Dragon*Con Parade is scheduled for Saturday, September 1 at 10:00 AM on Peachtree Street in Downtown Atlanta. The parade route will start at Woodruff Park at the corner of Auburn Ave and Peachtree Street, continue North on Peachtree Street to Baker Street, and take a final turn onto Courtland Street. We have many fans walking in both Mass Effect and Dragon Age in the parade, so come out and cheer them on.

David and 'Evil' Chris hope to see you in Atlanta at Dragon*Con.

From the Desk of Billy Buskell: Creating Leviathan

Hello, my name is Billy Buskell. I'm the producer of the Mass Effect 3 downloadable pack, Leviathan.

The team in Edmonton started work on the Leviathan pack just shortly after launching Mass Effect 3 in March of this year. We all took quick vacation breaks between completing the main game and jumping into the thick of DLC creation to get recharged and refocused.

Throughout the final year of development on Mass Effect 3, the team had started to think of some additional stories we hoped to tell. We wanted to tell a story that would help tell the player more about Shepard's background and that would help tie up threads within the Mass Effect universe. The idea to go back and explore more about a fabled 'genetically engineered starship,' an urban legend within the franchise, was incredibly tempting. The Leviathan of Dis was only hinted at in the first Mass Effect game, but it had caught the attention of several fans, even leading to several theories and fan-fic about what it was and what it meant to the overall universe.

Because of the mysterious nature of the Leviathan, the team also started to think of how we could craft that mystery in the game. How could we have the player solve a mystery? We wanted the player to do the solving for themselves. This led to the idea of finding clues within the pack and that these threads would then lead the player to a central location where they could piece the puzzle back together, knowing there may always be more pieces to discover. In Leviathan, we give the players a brand new way to locate clues throughout their journey and to use those clues in a new in-game system to help track down new locations to visit.

This led to our next goal. Exploration was going to be a major part of Leviathan. In any BioWare game, there is exploration, but we wanted to take this idea even further in Leviathan. Exploration has typically meant creating additional space in a location or environment where the player can spend some time, find some cool loot, learn more about the story and universe, and trigger new quests within the larger story. For Leviathan, exploration meant adding more of this but also having a variety of diverse locations to travel to, and those locations would then present new areas to explore: everything from searching through facilities, vertical movement throughout a level and combat, and, for the first time in the Mass Effect series, controlling your movement in an underwater environment.

Leviathan will also introduce new weapons previously only available in our co-op multiplayer mode or through pre-order bonuses.

So, as you can see, the team has been very busy this year. We hope you enjoy playing Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, and we look forward to your feedback.

Billy

Discuss This

I Speak the Truth!!

Top of the line security, huh? Hmph. I don't think so! I've successfully hacked into the Alliance News Network's terminal, but this isn't a safe connection and I can't stay long. I don't want to reveal my location on the Citadel and give C-Sec the advantage. I must be heard! Go read about everything that Hackett is trying to cover up! I am Bernard Plim and I speak the truth! Conspiracy Accountability League

Operation: ALLOY Success!

From: Admiral Steven Hackett
Re: Operation ALLOY
Confidentiality Classification: XB-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only

Soldiers of the Milky Way '

It is now common knowledge that Operation ALLOY did not go strictly as planned. Sweeps in what should have been relatively low-risk areas were met with heavy enemy resistance. Fortunately, reports from the field indicate that our troops persevered and were able to strike back. I've already been informed of a number of well-deserved promotions. In light of these reports, Operation ALLOY has been deemed a success.

Over the next few days you'll likely hear many stories about our talented new recruits. I would also like to congratulate the experienced soldiers who fought alongside them. It is under your guidance and leadership that these new recruits excelled. They are now prepared to join our forces on the front lines, and we are all stronger for it.

While we celebrate Operation ALLOY's success, we need to be aware that the unexpected resistance faced by our soldiers may be symptomatic of a larger issue. We've been receiving a number of strange reports that are inconsistent with our knowledge of Reaper ground troop movement. At this point, intel is vague at best. Rest assured we are pursuing the matter.

'Admiral Hackett

 

PC: 67,573

PS3: 28,398

Xbox: 166,778

TOTAL: 262,749!

Discuss This

BioWare at PAX Prime

It's that time of year again and we couldn't be more excited! Sure, the end of summer also means the end of summer vacation, but before you go fishing all those fall sweaters from the back of your closet, there's still one thing left to do: Head to Seattle, Washington for PAX 2012! We'll be there, and we want to see YOU!

PAX is the perfect setting to celebrate the video game industry and shine a spotlight on the process of making great video games. It's also a chance for us to step out from behind our computer monitors and meet all of our amazing fans in person!

Of course, there will be more than just our smiling faces awaiting you at the show. Be sure to swing on by the BioWare Base located on the second floor of the Convention Center in room 2B. We've planned a series of panels designed to give you a peek under the hood of the games industry. The theater only seats 180, so arrive early to guarantee your spot. If the theater fills up, don't worry. This schedule of panels will repeat all three days of the show except where otherwise noted.

• 10:00                     BioWare Theatre Opens
• 10:10-11:00         Writing and Character Creation Panel
  • Mike Laidlaw, Cathleen Rootsaert, Karin Weekes, Kate Fleck, Jay Watamaniuk
• 12:10-1:00           Voice Acting for Video Games
  • Caroline Livingstone, Karin Weekes, Mike Laidlaw, Ali Hillis
  • Friday only: Jennifer Hale
• 1:10-2:00              Ali Hills Signings
  • Ali Hillis
• 2:10-3:00              Recruitment HR/Panel
  • Leanne Korotash, Chris Pangrass, Jeferson Valadares, Mike Gamble
• 3:10-4:00              Being an Artist in the Video Game Industry + Portfolio Review
  • Matt Rhodes, Peter Lipman, Nelson Housden
• 5:10-6:00              Inside the Development Process
  • Mike Gamble, Rick Knowles, Jeferson Valadares, Jeff Skalski, Nelson Housden, Matt Rhodes
• 6:10-7:00              Developer Signings (Friday/Sunday only)
  • Available Staff
• 6:10-7:00              Cosplayer Meet Up & Trivia Challenge (Saturday only)
  • Holly Conrad

Can't make the trip to Seattle to be there in person? We've got you covered! We'll be bringing the experience home to you through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For even more exclusive coverage of the event, Twitter users can follow along as community team members Jessica Merizan and David Hulegaard chronicle their jet lagged PAX experiences with cameras. That can't possibly end badly!

For those attending PAX, we can't wait to meet you and indulge in all the gaming goodness together. We may even have some swag to give away, so you'll want to keep an eye on Twitter updates from Bioware. And for those of you not attending PAX, we're sorry to miss you, but we'll do our best to provide you with updates featuring all of our shenanigans. You definitely won't want to miss out!

Discuss This

Operation: ALLOY

Operation ALLOY (August 24^th 11AM MDT ' August 26^th 5AM MDT)

A training center will only take a recruit so far. Our recruits need field experience, so it's time to integrate them with seasoned squads during our next series of sweeps.

Individual Goal: Promote 2 characters

Allied Goal: Promote 50,000 characters

Special Circumstance: None

Individual Goal Success: All players awarded a Commendation Pack
Allied Goal Success: All players awarded a Victory Pack and an increase to medi-gel capacity

Leviathan DLC Officially Dated

We are very pleased to officially announce that the Mass Effect 3 Leviathan single-player DLC will be released on August 28^th, 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Please note that on Playstation 3 in Europe, it will be available on August 29th.

To help us celebrate this joyous occasion, we are also releasing a fresh batch of Leviathan wallpapers for you to enjoy. Get 'em here.

Operation: OLYMPUS Success!

From: Admiral Steven Hackett
Re: Operation OLYMPUS
Confidentiality Classification: XB-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only

Soldiers of the Milky Way '

I am pleased to report that Operation OLYMPUS has netted us extremely valuable intel. With N7 troops engaging the enemy, the Resistance was able to lure a Reaper destroyer into a kill zone and bring it down. They were able to retrieve portions of its memory databases before withdrawing from the battlefield.

While we do not yet know what this new data will reveal, rest assured it will be put to good use. I don't need to tell you that logs from a Reaper's memory could prove invaluable. If we can decipher when and why it received the orders it did, we can start to predict their battle strategies, and that improves our chances both on Earth and throughout the galaxy.

The geth viewed the Reapers as gods, creatures beyond our understanding. We know that's not true. We may not have knocked them off their pedestal today, but we have come one step closer to seeing them fall.

' Admiral Hackett

Quite the amazing rally guys!

Bronze total: 253,408
Silver total: 206,386
Gold total: 89,198

As a reward for such an Olympic effort there's a special something in the pack for you.

What is a Community?

We recently posted an innocent looking piece of fan art on Facebook that was created by one of our community members. The image playfully mashed up the themes of Mass Effect and My Little Pony, depicting the Pinkie Pie character in N7 armor. We thought it was hilarious and wanted to let the rest of our community in on the fun. Those of you that had front row seats during the aftermath know that's not exactly what happened.

Even though the image was posted in jest, it raised the ire of a portion of our Facebook community. Some fans felt compelled to 'unlike' our page, while others even went as far as to post their intention to 'sell all their Mass Effect games.'

It got me thinking: What exactly is a social media community, and what is its true purpose?

It is my belief that the purpose of a social media community is to create a place where people from all over the world can gather, linked by their shared affection of a particular passion. It sounds almost Utopian, doesn't it? A little corner of the internet reserved just for us where we can go and interact with like-minded fans.

At BioWare, we think of our fans as our extended family, and as within any family, there are bound to be times when we won't always see eye-to-eye. Sometimes Uncle Jay is going to root against your favorite sports team. Sometimes cousin Sue is going to wear socks with sandals. And sometimes, just sometimes, we're going to post pictures of little pink ponies sworn to protect the galaxy from Reapers.

We support our community's desire to be creative and share with us. Our talented fans send us all types of content, from painstakingly detailed fan art and cosplay photos to music and poetry inspired by our games. We try to showcase as many of them as we can, and hope that the community will find it all as fascinating as we do.

We strive to provide a community that offers a little something for everyone, and as such, new content is always being gathered for future posts. We take the work that we do very seriously, but we also believe that a good sense of humor is healthy. Doesn't everyone enjoy a good laugh?

If you don't enjoy a particular post, that's okay. You can't please everyone, as they say. However, rather than become hostile and turn against the community, we have an alternate suggestion: Create something better. Instead of raving about what you don't like, show us an example of something that appeals to you.

Remember, it's your feedback that helps to shape the community, but you're always going to catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Be good to one another.

 

~ David Hulegaard, Social Media Coordinator

BioWare at Geek Girl Con

Hey everyone!
Community Manager Jessica Merizan here to wax nostalgic and talk about this year's Geek Girl Con! There's something really special about Geek Girl Con for me. I attended event's inaugural weekend last year, newly hired to BioWare, meeting the developers that attended for the first time. I was afraid they would all hate me, but they did not! Or at least they've hidden it quite well for the past year

I'm very proud to say that BioWare's company culture fosters amazing personalities and I learned a lot from hanging out with some of the BioWare women that weekend. They taught me that there is no such thing as the 'female perspective' when it comes to video games because consumers even within the same demographic have such delightfully varied tastes and styles (more on that later). The women who went to Geek Girl Con with me last year, and the ones attending this year, are really brilliant developers who happen to also be women. It's similar to the mindset we take to our characters. Strong, multi-faceted characters who are not solely defined by their gender, race, species, or taste in wheels of cheese.

But enough of me sitting here and feeling pleased about the state of the world. If you're coming to Geek Girl Con this Saturday and Sunday in Seattle, we want to meet you! I'll be joined by the following developers who bring with them quite a bit of moxie:

Karin Weekes (senior editor)
Melanie Fleming (audio/localization external producer)
Mary Kirby (writer)
Kris Schoneberg (level designer)
Raylene Deck (level designer)
Sheryl Chee (writer)
Sarah Hayward (cinematic designer)

We'll be presenting the following panels:

Saturday 3:00 PM ' 3:50 PM
Get Your Game On: Shop Talk with the Ladies of BioWare ' RM303
The 'Designing Women of BioWare' were thrilled and honored to be part of GeekGirlCon '11. They are back this year for more chatting and interaction! Female developers from across BioWare will answer your questions about developing games, how to get a job in game development, and whatever else you'd like to know about.
Presented by Mary Kirby, Raylene Deck, Sarah Hayward, Karin Weekes, Melanie Fleming; Moderated by Jessica Merizan

Sunday 11:30 AM ' 12:20 PM
The Myth of 'The Female Gamer Perspective' ' RM303
We all know that considerably fewer women than men work in game design; those of us that do are often called upon to 'represent the female audience.' At BioWare, we're lucky to have quite a few women working here, and we represent a pretty wide range of backgrounds, tastes, and gaming styles. We certainly don't have a singular gaming perspective.We'd like to talk with you about why there's probably no such thing and how games should be designed accordingly.
Presented by Sheryl Chee, Kris Schoneberg, Melanie Fleming, Sarah Hayward, Jessica Merizan; moderated by Karin Weekes

And when I'm not running around on panels, snapping photos of amazing cosplayers (alas! I have retired my Ashley costume!), and running into friends I only ever see at conventions, I'll be hanging out at the Gaming Lounge with some lovely ladies from EA and Popcap! Come and play your favorite console and PC games. And more importantly, come say 'Hi!' (be sure to tell me your BSN or Twitter handle and what your profile picture is ' I have a strange talent for remembering usernames). Holly Conrad, our resident FemShep and BioWare creature costumer, will also be attending ' see if you can spot her out of costume!

For those of you who are not able to attend, keep an eye on our Facebook / Twitter / Instagram for updates and photos from the event! We always try to bring you a fun Virtual Con experience so everyone can live viciously without ever stepping on a plane.

If you have any questions about this event or have an event in mind that you think we should be at, tweet at me @jessicamerizan and let's chat!

See you at the Con!

Discuss this.

Operation: OLYMPUS

Operation OLYMPUS (August 10^th-12^th)

Increased Reaper activity has been reported around London. Operation OLYMPUS will focus large-scale strikes on the Reapers to buy the Resistance time to investigate.

Squad Goal: Full extraction from Firebase London using any Kit on any difficulty

Allied Goal: Using any Kit/ Map combination against any enemy, complete wave 10 on a combined community total of 200,000 Bronze missions, 175,000 Silver missions and 70,000 Gold missions.

Special Circumstance: None

Squad Goal Success: All squad members awarded a Commendation Pack
Allied Goal Success: All players awarded a Victory Pack

Requirement: Mass Effect: Earth must be installed

Mass Effect 3: Firefight Pack

After a thorough sweep of the galaxy, new pipelines within Alliance channels have opened up access to additional firepower to support our efforts. Surviving this war against the Reapers is going to require strength, skill and courage beyond anything you have experienced before, but an added boost to your arsenal may help you tip the scales in our favor once and for all.

Unleash hell with the Firefight Pack! Firefight adds seven weapons for use in the single-player campaign: the Indra and Krysae sniper rifles, Reegar Carbine, Harrier battle rifle, Geth SMG, plus an all-new Blood Pack Punisher SMG and Adas Anti-Synthetic rifle!

Available now on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3! Cost is $2.00 or 160 MS points.

Why are you releasing the Firefight Pack?

• Many players have requested the ability to use their favorite multiplayer weapons during the single-player campaign. The community asked, and we responded!

Will the Firefight Pack unlock these weapons in multiplayer?

• No. The Firefight Pack is for the single-player campaign only.

After I buy this pack, when will I have access to the guns?

• Once the Firefight Pack has been downloaded, players will be able to access the new guns the next time they open their locker.

How much does it cost?

• The Firefight Pack is $2.00 or 160 MS points.

Aren't all of these guns already available in multiplayer?

• No. In addition to gaining access to some of the cool new multiplayer weapons for your single-player campaign, you'll also get two amazing new guns never before seen anywhere else, plus one ultra-rare weapon only available previously as a limited promotional item!

 

Mass Effect 3 Leviathan & Firefight DLC and Wii U information

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan

Today we are pleased to announce a new Story-Driven Single Player DLC for Mass effect 3 ' Leviathan!

Something lurks in the dark corners of space, something powerful enough to kill a Reaper. Shepard must discover the most closely guarded secret in the galaxy before the Reapers silence it forever. Discover more about the origins of the Reapers as you race across the galaxy to find the Leviathan. Unravel the dark history of the Reaper Race before it is too late. Coming later this summer there is no war, only the harvest.

Taking place during the events of Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into the darkest corners of space where they will hunt a mysterious being rumored to be powerful enough to destroy a Reaper. As they race against time, they will begin to unravel the secret of the Leviathan. Explore uncharted systems and new areas on the Citadel, interact with brand new characters, unlock the AT-12 Raider shotgun and M-55 Argus Assault Rifle and discover more about the mysterious history of the Reapers. Available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Cost is $10 or 800 Microsoft points.

Firefight Weapons Pack

But that is not all. Players will soon be able to arm themselves with the Firefight Pack, a new Single Player Weapon Pack available for download August 7. Available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Cost is $2 or 160 Microsoft points. The Firefight Pack will feature two powerful new weapons and five bonus weapons to use in the fight to Take Back Earth!

Mass Effect 3 Wii U

BioWare is thrilled to launch our first ever title on a Nintendo console and our Mass Effect team is very proud to have the critically acclaimed Mass Effect 3 experience brought to the Wii U as a launch title.

Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U features a brand new control scheme designed to incorporate the Wiipad. It will also feature bonus DLC including the Extended Cut, an Interactive back story covering previous events in the Mass Effect universe, and Mass Effect 3's critically acclaimed Multiplayer experience.

Operation: OVERWATCH success!

From: Admiral Steven Hackett
Re: Operation OVERWATCH
Confidentiality Classification: XB-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only
Soldiers of the Milky Way '

By now you have probably heard that Operation OVERWATCH succeeded on many fronts. Frankly, I would not be surprised if this message goes unread until tomorrow due to excessive celebrating. You have struck the Reapers where they are strongest and lived to tell the tale. Credit goes to you, to those shuttle pilots who retrieved your teams, and to the many personnel who supported and planned the missions.

But I also want to speak to some of what you may be seeing in the media soon. Eventually, it will be public knowledge that we had operations on Earth, retrieving data and personnel necessary for the military and economic well-being of the galaxy.

This success will bring hope to billions of people. It will also enrage some of them. Be prepared for the tough questions ' when are we starting our full-scale assault? Why retrieve this helium-3 magnate but not another one, or save my loved ones? Who are you to play God?

There are no good answers to these questions. The reality is, the Reapers have almost every conceivable advantage ' numbers, firepower, technology ' and we make do with what we have. We strike and retreat because facing the foe head-on would be a disaster. Nowhere is this truer than at Earth.

We have started to give them a death by a thousand cuts. Take heart in this, celebrate, and relax tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will get down to business, because there's nine hundred and ninety left to go.

'Admiral Hackett

BioWare Goes to Camp!

Employees from BioWare Edmonton have been volunteering their time to work with a local summer camp held at the TELUS World of Science ' Edmonton. The camp teaches computer programming with a focus on video games, and works with a different group of young teens each week.

Each Thursday, camp attendees show off games they've been working on during the week to BioWare employees from a variety of backgrounds. The kids discuss the creation processes behind their games, and have a game design Q&A session with members of the BioWare team.

It was a pleasure to be involved with the camp and we wish all the attendees the best of luck on their future game development projects!

Discuss This!

Interview with Software Developer David Mergele

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
My name is David Mergele, and I'm a Software Developer at BioWare.

What is the best part about your job?
The best part of my job is making other people's jobs easier, less error-prone, and/or faster, which inevitably leads to more awesome in our games.

What does an average day look like for you?
Get myself coffee and possibly some breakfast. Take a quick glance at my inbox for critical emails, and send responses. Stand-up meeting with the team. Review new emails in-depth. Coffee again! Backlog and feature planning and/or discussions about improvements for the team. Lunch/gaming break. Bug triage. Bug fixing or feature development. Go home.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
It really happens on a daily basis. We are always finding new ways to improve on existing systems, and finding unique and interesting ways of removing impediments from the developers daily workflow.
What's a geeky thing about you?
I track which video game I'm going to play next and I have installed and purchased more games than I will be able to play in my life.

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
Keep trying to get your foot in the door. Dependent on your experience, you may need to start at the bottom or the middle, but get in! Until you get in, keep working on your skills and keep your passion for gaming. We really do love hiring gamers with skills. Oh, and if you're a programmer, then knowing C++ is a must.

If you weren't working in the industry, what would you be doing?
Some sort of software development or consulting. I enjoyed that before working in the games industry, but there's really nothing better than doing what I'm currently doing with the people here.

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
Currently playing Diablo 3, with some occasional Mass Effect 3 runs. Still in progress on Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings, Trine 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Baldur's Gate 1, Assassin's Creed, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dead Space to name a few.

Discuss This!

Special Operations in the Systems Alliance

Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) is the Systems Alliance's premier leadership and combat expertise course, dedicated to battling the threats of the 22nd century. The Interplanetary Combatives Academy, informally called 'the villa,' recruits officers from all branches of Earth's major military powers; the finest candidates may attend the school's primary location at Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The trainees undergo brutal courses, content varied depending on how many times they have trained at the school.

If this is their first time at the school, trainees participate in scenarios experienced by the elite units of most land-based armies; a typical candidate may be in training more than 20 hours a day, leading small units into combat over hostile terrain with little sleep or food. If the trainee does well, he is considered 'ICT-qualified,' awarded the internal designation N1, and invited to return. Subsequent courses (N2 through N6) are not held at the school proper, but at space stations or other planets, to put the trainee in more extreme conflict situations.

Some of these schools include zero-G fighting, military free-fall (parachuting), jetboot/jetpack flight, combat diver qualification, close-quarter combatives instructor courses, first responder/combat lifesaver training for human and alien biology, language instruction, and assault procedures. Soldiers with specialized duties may also attend specialized schools for training related to their field. Forward observers may attend naval gunfire training and close air support courses; pilots and mechanized soldiers learn how to drive, maintain, and shoot from several types of vehicles and powered armor; communications specialists attend joint communications courses.

The highest grade of training, N6, concentrates on actual combat experience, and trainees join combat theater commanders in conflict zones across the galaxy. Only when a trainee has survived actual combat scenarios in an 'admirable and effective fashion,' does he or she receive an N7 designation. Before the events of the Reaper War, their graduation ceremony took place at Arcturus Station; now, it happens practically on the battlefield. N7 is traditionally the only school rank permitted on field or dress uniforms ' the N1 through N6 are for internal use only. It should be pointed out that there is no stigma attached not to receiving an N-designation ' the training is so extreme that even qualifying for an N1 course is considered above and beyond normal duty. This helps cull the ranks of eager trainees who might lie about their exploits or risk themselves unnecessarily in hopes of getting the school's highest honor.

ICT qualification does not guarantee higher rank, but officers who succeed at the combatives training typically have personalities compatible with leadership positions. In some cases, however, a given force will form a special operations regiment made solely of ICT-qualified soldiers to deal with a specific problem. For example, if the Alliance were to attack Reapers on a volus colony, the Alliance might form an armed forces regiment made of ICT soldiers who trained in high-air-pressure or ammonia-heavy environments, and use them to complete an objective.

The Alliance's prominent role in the Reaper War means that many N7 soldiers have been called upon to train alien species in asymmetric, anti-Reaper warfare, taking advantage of their expertise in fighting on alien worlds. From a command perspective, these are designated 'N7 forces' because of the status of their commanding officer; it does not mean that all the soldiers under that CO are N7s themselves. These mixed-species teams have given the galaxy some of their most valuable victories. Conventional wisdom holds that small, elite ground troops, such as the N7s, cannot possibly win a war against foes with space superiority, such as the Reapers, but long odds do nothing to diminish the spirits of the Milky Way's finest combatants.

Discuss This.

Mass Effect 3: Earth DLC NOW AVAILABLE

The fighting is fiercest when it's your home at stake! Mass Effect 3: Earth adds mods, gear, and new maps for Rio, Vancouver, and London. It features 3 new weapons: Piranha assault shotgun, Acolyte pistol, and Typhoon assault rifle. Six new human N7 classes are also available: Destroyer Soldier, Paladin Sentinel, Demolisher Engineer, Slayer Vanguard, Shadow Infiltrator, and Fury Adept! Each come complete with new and powerful abilities and melee attacks.

Mass Effect 3: Earth Multiplayer DLC

The fighting is fiercest when it's your home at stake! Mass Effect 3: Earth adds mods, gear, and new maps for Rio, Vancouver, and London.

Earth features 3 new weapons: Piranha assault shotgun, Acolyte pistol, and Typhoon assault rifle.

Six new human N7 classes are also available: Destroyer Soldier, Paladin Sentinel, Demolisher Engineer, Slayer Vanguard, Shadow Infiltrator, and Fury Adept!  Each comes complete with new and powerful abilities and melee attacks.

Mass Effect 3: Earth is available on July 17th for Xbox 360 and PC worldwide. For PlayStation 3 owners the pack will be available on July 17th in North American and July 18th in Europe. Mass Effect 3: Earth is available to download at no additional charge.

 

When is Mass Effect 3: Earth available?
Mass Effect 3: Earth is available on July 17th for Xbox 360 and PC worldwide. For PlayStation 3 owners the pack will be available on July 17th in North American and July 18th in Europe.

Operation: Broadside

Operation: Broadside (July 13-15)

Operation BROADSIDE puts our reinforcements to work by coordinating large-scale attacks against the Reapers on multiple fronts. The objectives vary from planet to planet and theater to theater, but the common goal is to develop a sustainable fighting method with a minimal loss of life.

Squad Goal: Extract at least one squad member against Reapers on Gold difficulty
Allied Goal: Extract 400,000 squads against Reapers on ANY difficulty
Special Circumstance: None

Squad Goal Success: All squad members awarded a Commendation Pack
Allied Goal Success: All players awarded a Victory Pack. Medi-gel cap increases from 5 units to 6.

Operation Broadside begins at 10am PST Friday July 13 and ends at 10am PST Sunday July 15.

BioWare coming to the 2012 San Diego Comic Con!

BioWare is pleased to be returning to sunny San Diego California for San Diego Comic Con from July 11 through July 15. We have lots of activities going for those with SDCC badges as well as folks who couldn't get tickets but will be in the area!

The BioWare Base

We will once again have the BioWare Base at the Gaslamp Hilton for all fans to visit (you do not need a badge for entry) with stations to play Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer including the next upcoming multiplayer DLC. Members of the Mass Effect 3 development team & community team will be available to play MP, trade tips, talk BioWare, and sign autographs. Bring your games, novels, etc for signings.

The BioWare Base is open at the following times:
Thursday 1pm-9pm
Friday 1pm-9pm
Saturday 1pm-4pm & 7pm-9pm
Sunday 11am-5pm

Dragon Age lead writer and author of the Dragon Age novels/comics David Gaider will be signing at the BioWare Base daily from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.

Saturday from 1:00pm till 3:00pm Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan Alenko) and Kimberly Brooks (Ashley Williams) will be signing autographs at the BioWare base.

And Saturday night starting at 7:00pm, join us at the BioWare Base in the Purgatory Bar for free drinks including beer/wine and appetizers. We'll also be having our annual Cosplay meet up at this time, so come out to see some fabulous BioWare costumes!

Inside the Convention

If you have a badge to get into the convention center we have activity inside as well. Visit the Dark Horse booth where BioWare's 'Evil' Chris Priestly will be working in an area dedicated to Dark Horse's BioWare products including convention exclusives like a bronze Normandy, lithograph and, for the first time available anywhere, the Dragon Age The Silent Grove Hardcover trade. Grab your Dark Horse merchandise and talk with 'Evil' Chris about BioWare. We also have the following writers signing at the Dark Horse booth:

• David Gaider, writer of The Silent Grove, at 6:00pm-7:00pm Wednesday, 3:00pm-4:00pm Friday and 5:00pm-6:00pm Saturday.
• Chris Hepler, writer of the Mass Effect 3 art book as well as Thane Krios and EDI, and Sylvia Feketekuty, writer of Mass Effect Homeworlds issue 4 as well as Liara and Samara, at 11:00-12:00 on Thursday and 11:00-12:00 on Sunday.

Don't forget to come to our Mass Effect 3 Panel Saturday 5:00pm ' 6:00pm
Room: 25ABC
Mass Effect: Past, Present and Future ' Join developers from Mass Effect for an exciting look at the evolution of the Mass Effect franchise. Mike Gamble (Producer), Corey Gaspur (Senior Combat Designer), Parrish Ley (Lead Cinematic Animator), Sylvia Feketekuty (Writer), Chris Helper (Writer), Jessica Merizan (Community Manager) and Chris Priestly (Community Specialist) will discuss the history of the series, beloved characters, multiplayer gaming and hints at upcoming DLC.

And make sure you check out our awesome partners at their booths for exclusive looks at upcoming BioWare merchandise!

• Square Enix (Booth # 3829)
• 'SideShow Statues (Booth # 1929)
• 'Kotobukiya (Booth # 2601)
• 'Triforce (Booth # 2846)
• 'FUNimation (Booth #4135)

Can't wait to see you so be sure to come by and say 'Hi!'

Operation SAVAGE: Success!

From: Admiral Steven Hackett
Re: Operation SAVAGE
Confidentiality Classification: XB-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only
Soldiers of the Milky Way '

It is a great feeling when a gambit succeeds, and I am pleased to announce that Operation SAVAGE was a success. At the end of Operation MASTIFF, I said that our supply chain was secure. The Reapers, of course, did their best to test that claim. They recognized this supply route through the central Terminus Systems and dispatched destroyers and troop transports to eliminate what they thought was a soft target.

They found otherwise. The Terminus worlds lacked the heavy warships of the Council militaries, so as part of Operation SAVAGE, we devoted significant space assets to reinforce them. The space assets came through, but that is to take nothing away from the ferocity and skill of the ground troops on these planets. When the Reapers landed, intent on turning those colony worlds into new sources of husk creatures, they met their match.

I cannot emphasize enough what a mess we'd be in if the Reapers had succeeded. A captured planet in our rear echelon would have meant facing shortages of critical materials or pulling additional assets from major fronts to compensate. Our strategists say we dodged a bullet'in my opinion, we stopped it cold.

Good work. That is all.

'Admiral Hackett

 

Discuss This.

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut

The Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is a downloadable content pack that will expand upon the events at the end of Mass Effect 3. Through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes, the Extended Cut will include deeper insight to Commander Shepard's journey based on player choices during the war against the Reapers. The Extended Cut will be available to download at no additional charge for Mass Effect 3 game owners starting on June 26 for PC and Xbox 360 customers worldwide. Playstation 3 customers in North America will be able to download the Extended Cut DLC on June 26 and the rest of the world on July 4.

To learn more about the Extended Cut, please enjoy the Extended Cut interview podcast with Community Manager Jessica Merizan, Executive Producer Casey Hudson, and Lead Writer Mac Walters.

The complex sequence of logic for the Extended Cut.

Operation: Savage

Operation: Savage (June 22-24)

With so many planets conquered in Council space, we are relying on material support from the Terminus Systems. Eliminating risks to our supply line is a top priority.

Allied Goal: Eliminate 7,000,000 trooper-level enemies: Cerberus Assault Trooper, Husks, Cannibals, Geth Troopers
Squad Goal: Extraction on any difficulty with the squad using exclusively krogan, vorcha, or batarian classes
Special Circumstance: None

Squad Goal Success: Squad awarded a Commendation Pack
Allied Goal Success: All players awarded a Victory Pack

Operation Savage begins at 6pm PST Friday June 22 and ends at 4am PST Monday June 25.
Packs will be distributed Tuesday evening if the mission is successful.

BioWare Summer Family BBQ

One of the great perks of working at BioWare is that the company doesn't just treat the employees really well, but it also cares for the families of the people who work here. Over the course of each year there are a number of activities for staff and their families to attend, and what with it being summer, yesterday was time for the annual Summer Family BBQ.

This year our fine Administration team took us all to Fort Edmonton Park in the Edmonton river valley. Fort Edmonton is a historic recreation of the early settlement of Edmonton with parts of the park representing the original fur-trading fort from 1846 and other parts leading up to the much more 'modern' 1920's street. Our gathering took place in the 1920's Midway carnival area.

We were fortunate that the weather was perfect for a BBQ. We all arrived and descended on the food tent like a horde of locusts. As always the food was top notch with burgers and sausages (vegetarian options available for those who prefer them), salads, baked beans, pop, juice, and all the ice cream treats you could take.

After everyone was well fed, we spread out through the midway and had a great time with the rides and carnival attractions set up all staffed by the Fort Edmonton team in their historic costumes. There was a Ferris wheel and a carousel spinning people in all directions; there were horse drawn buggy rides, carnival challenges like Hoop-La, Milk Can Toss and Plate Pitch; and there were rides on the Fort Edmonton steam locomotive which was popular with the adults as much as the kids.

As the BBQ drew to a close and everyone headed out, the Administration team had one final surprise with an awesome t-shirt for each of the kids who took part. Everyone had a awesome time with good food, laughter and sharing the fun with our families as we enjoyed another great BioWare family event.