Spoiler: SHOW
I agree with you on your points, including that the difference between exploration and discovery is fine. I think discovery is something that evokes more feeling in the player, which is something that I think ME:A fails to do. So, I guess you could say that discovery is exploration, but not all exploration is discovery, if that makes sense?
As far as lessons learned, this is where I get into what I hate about the Mass Effect fanbase at large, they are irrational, intimidating, and reactionary. I think Bioware is actually scared of them from the reaction they got to ME3 and now to ME:A. What I would like to see out of the next entry is them doing the development in secret to insulate the team. Have as much development as possible done in one studio and have major bonuses for no leaks (if one person leaks, everyone loses a substantial bonus). I wouldn't reveal the game until six months before release. I don't think most Mass Effect fans really know what they want from the series and I think most can't identify what made them like the first ones or what made them good games, which leads Bioware to making games about "exploration". Normally I think this is a bad idea, but I would actually ignore what my fans are calling for, because most of them have no clue. I would develop a remaster of the originals to satiate the audience and to provide some cover for starting development of the next entry. I would really study what the ME2 crew did in streamlining the game. Get rid of the inventory and crafting stuff. Cut back on planetary exploration. Focus on your story and characters and make a game about them, not the environment around them. Also, abandon the idea that your game has to be some grand commentary on humanity,
just make a good game and let your audience take from it what they will.
As far as lessons learned, this is where I get into what I hate about the Mass Effect fanbase at large, they are irrational, intimidating, and reactionary. I think Bioware is actually scared of them from the reaction they got to ME3 and now to ME:A. What I would like to see out of the next entry is them doing the development in secret to insulate the team. Have as much development as possible done in one studio and have major bonuses for no leaks (if one person leaks, everyone loses a substantial bonus). I wouldn't reveal the game until six months before release. I don't think most Mass Effect fans really know what they want from the series and I think most can't identify what made them like the first ones or what made them good games, which leads Bioware to making games about "exploration". Normally I think this is a bad idea, but I would actually ignore what my fans are calling for, because most of them have no clue. I would develop a remaster of the originals to satiate the audience and to provide some cover for starting development of the next entry. I would really study what the ME2 crew did in streamlining the game. Get rid of the inventory and crafting stuff. Cut back on planetary exploration. Focus on your story and characters and make a game about them, not the environment around them. Also, abandon the idea that your game has to be some grand commentary on humanity,
just make a good game and let your audience take from it what they will.