Mass Effect PC Previews
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Let's touch on the obvious: there is now an MMO-style hotbar to which you can map John or Jane Shepherd's biotics and abilities. When combined with a WASD movement scheme, this allows you easier access to crucial abilities, and by implication enables an approach to combat that's more liberating than what was viable on the 360's controller. Needless to say, this kind of hasty approach would end encounters real quick on the 360, and usually not in your favor. The game's rudimentary squad-command mechanics have seen some refinement, too; now, there's a specific command wheel from which you can issue orders to your companions, and one of the actions in it will allow you to move them to the spot where you're aiming your reticle. You still can't control them outright, which is too bad, but this seems to allow for a level of precision that is appreciably greater than what you're used to on the console.The second is at IGN:
With party members you'll now have an added layer of control, as it's possible to order them around independently as opposed to the system on X360 where they had to be ordered as a squad. This is accomplished through a command ring which can be popped up at any time. With the cursor a move command for each squadmate can be selected, then their destination ordered with a click of the cursor on the landscape. Hopefully this will make team orders more useful in the PC version than on the console.And the third is at 1UP:
The Mako, the ground vehicle you pilot to explore alien worlds, has had its controls augmented so now the camera functions independently from its direction of movement. This will address, according to BioWare, its "squirrely" handling on the Xbox 360.
Perhaps the most welcome change in the game is the ability to issue separate commands to individual squad members. The 360 version limited players to issuing a single group command, causing both backup members to behave the same. This made little sense when your party consisted of, say, Wrex and Tali -- the former being a powerful melee meat-shield type, while the later is a fragile hacker who specializes in sniper rifles and other ranged attacks. Regardless of how you issued their orders, that particular group configuration would never perform optimally, as one or the other would be placed in a position that made poor use of their skills. That won't be an issue in the PC version, as you're now free to send Wrex or Ashley charging into battle while fragile support types like Tali and Kaidan can hang back and fight more cautiously.
