Mass Effect: Creating Commander Shepard

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IGN: There are three psych profile options. Can you talk about what separates the three?

Hudson: This is where you decide what major event really defined your character's military experience. It's the singular event that represents how you solve problems as a military operative, and characters in the game may criticize or admire you for it. As a "sole survivor," you fought in a battle against tremendous odds, and somehow you managed to survive. A "ruthless" background means that you are infamous for going too far in a particular battle, taking unnecessary risks to exact a brutal revenge in a way that went beyond the rules of engagement. As a "war hero," you were instrumental in one of the Human Alliance's greatest victories - some say you're a hero, but you feel guilty for those you couldn't save.

IGN: How much your psych profile/reputation alter your dialogue tree options and how people interact with you? If you have a rep as being ruthless, can your actions in Mass Effect change people's perception of you?

Hudson: Many characters comment on what they've heard about you, but the interesting thing is to see the different ways they react. Maybe more like real-life fame, some people will literally worship you for the legendary thing that you're known for, but others may disrespect you for it, or might pretend to not care at all. Some entire characters and subplots are there solely because of your choice in reputation.

IGN: You have a half-dozen classes open to you in character creation. Will the class you choose follow you to the end of the game or do things open up later on so that a Soldier can become more adept with using powers?

Hudson: Yes, you'll be able to gain a specialization in your class to develop in areas your character wouldn't otherwise have access to.

IGN: How does class affect skill and stat progression?

Hudson: Your starting class will give you the initial set of talents that you'll have - which weapons you're skilled with, which biotic or tech powers you have, etc. Each class also has its own way of developing new talents, so a talent that's immediately available for one class may need to be unlocked over time for a different class.

IGN: You have four choices for primary/secondary training. Can you explain the four options (Stamina/Focus/Coordination/Precision)? What kind of stats boosts do you get for picking each of these as primary and secondary training?

Hudson: In combat, your characters' abilities become very real physical effects that impact the accuracy and effectiveness of your weapons and biotic / tech attacks. This decision affects how your character will have personal traits that affect combat as a whole in unique ways.

IGN: The character customization looks incredibly deep. How varied are choices like hairstyle? Can I have a giant fro? Do people in the future still rock the cornrows?

Hudson: There are lots of choices at each stage of the visual customization, but it's the way that they combine together realistically to create believable characters for people to play. The focus was on quality and realism, and we were conscious that the idea is to create a believable character that suits the overall experience of Commander Shepard -- a veteran military officer. The intense fidelity of the game meant that giant fros etc. would really stand out as being an unrealistic aspect of your character - and they wouldn't fit inside a regulation Alliance helmet! Instead of extreme variety, we focused our efforts on allowing players to create heroes that would look extremely credible as the star of the game.

IGN: Will other characters react at all to your appearance?

Hudson: No - in a galaxy full of aliens with exoskeletons and slimy salamander-like skin, your appearance won't raise any eyebrows. As one alien says, "all humans look alike."

IGN: Has anyone tried making a celebrity lookalike for play in Mass Effect?

Hudson: Yes - in fact, this is something we did to shake down the system and make sure it covered enough variety. One bug that was sent to me was that it wasn't capable of making President Bush. I tried it myself and made one pretty darn accurately, so I chalked it up to user skill! I did go for the dashing "fighter pilot" George W. Bush though, which maybe was a little easier. Another person on the team believes that the true test is whether you can make Jimmy Smits -- and again, the system rose to the (remarkably obscure) challenge.

IGN: If I wanted to create the most combat-effective character possible, what would you recommend for my creation selections?

Hudson: That's an interesting question, because we actually don't know the answer to that until the game is finished. Until that point, we're doing everything we can to ensure each class is balanced as equally as possible. It's only later that we see where we didn't get it exactly even, and certain combinations can squeeze additional performance out of a character.

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