I read this in Mordin's voice, haha.
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Mass Effect 3 SPOILERS THREAD
- Thread starter TheOneKnownAsMe
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I read this in Mordin's voice, haha.
They seem to act largely like biological maintenence droids. So I doubt they are sentient at all.
I only skipped one mission, that was "Investigate Cerberus activity on Tutchanka". And a few of the artifacts missions. There was no place else I could visit in the galaxy to do anything. Wonder what I missed?
Did you play Mass Effect 1 & 2? There are a lot of war assets carried over from importing a save file from an earlier game. Also, some missions in ME3 are locked out if you get too far ahead in the game. The way to avoid this is to do everything but the priority missions saving them for last. When there is absolutely no where else you can go and nothing else to do, and you've talked to everyone you can, then you do the next priority mission and repeat.
I've played through this game all the way 4 times. I've always had an EMS of around 7k. My Renegade playthrough had around 6,200 due to having made decisions which killed a lot of people off over the course of three games.
CrimsonKnight13
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Nice
I can see him saying that, too.I see your point. My guess is that they were a sentient race before the Reapers turned them into robotic-minded pawns
Nice
I see your point. My guess is that they were a sentient race before the Reapers turned them into robotic-minded pawns
Most likely. This was alluded to in ME2 with regard to the Reapers repurposing the Protheans and turning them into the Collectors. The latter having the purpose of finding organics with the qualities they were looking for and then harvesting them. They also served as foot soldiers that were a bit more advanced and capable than the mindless and aggressive husks. Of course after Shepard blew up / radiated all the Collector's to death the Reapers couldn't use them anymore. Though that's weak as they'll clone the Rachni Queen if you didn't save her on Noveria, but they can't make more Collectors?
I miss shooting Collectors.
MacLeod
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Did you play Mass Effect 1 & 2? There are a lot of war assets carried over from importing a save file from an earlier game. Also, some missions in ME3 are locked out if you get too far ahead in the game. The way to avoid this is to do everything but the priority missions saving them for last. When there is absolutely no where else you can go and nothing else to do, and you've talked to everyone you can, then you do the next priority mission and repeat.
I've played through this game all the way 4 times. I've always had an EMS of around 7k. My Renegade playthrough had around 6,200 due to having made decisions which killed a lot of people off over the course of three games.
I'm on my 3rd playthru and I'm going back to the Citadel after every single mission and walking passed every single person. If you overhear them talking about something it can pop a mission on you journal. Also some missions have to be done then. If you do the indoctrinated Elcor mission too late, a bug in the game locks out all the terminals you have to investigate. You have to do that one before you leave the Citadel.
I'm also scouring every system. You can find things that will go to a mission and if the end is on the Citadel, the next time you're there, check the map and it'll show you a name of somebody you'll need to see to complete it.
Indoctrinated Hanar, but your right. Also when exploring the galaxy, you may get 100% of everything in a system, but after a priority mission gets completed it will all of the sudden show 77% complete. In other cases star clusters which only let you explore one system will open up later on. New systems open up all the way up to the Priority Cerberus Base mission. If your TMS doesn't top 7k when you "complete" the game, then you didn't complete it. The only way that's not going to be true is if you start an ME3 playthrough cold with no imported saves. Then I'm uncertain what's possible. Most of the carry over stuff like the colonists of Zhu's Hope and the Exogeni scientists aren't worth much on their own. But there is a ton of crap like that and it adds up.
Yeah, 7000+ in assets should be easy to accomplish if you are thorough and don't treat your squadmates like their disposable in ME1&2.
All in all though, the war assets mechanic could have been done better. Perhaps you could have had different numbers of non-squad allies in missions based on how good your fleet/army was at the time. And the number could have dropped off after battles occured elsewhere in the galaxy... such as the Turian fleet slowly losing strength due to the battle on Palaven. That way you would have felt like you were in a struggle to maintain a sufficient force while simultaneously trying to find out what to do to actually use that force against the Reapers. And maybe the number of systems on the galaxy map that are occupied by the Reapers could have been determined by the number of assets you currently have.
A lot of potential in that idea/system, but it was wasted.
All in all though, the war assets mechanic could have been done better. Perhaps you could have had different numbers of non-squad allies in missions based on how good your fleet/army was at the time. And the number could have dropped off after battles occured elsewhere in the galaxy... such as the Turian fleet slowly losing strength due to the battle on Palaven. That way you would have felt like you were in a struggle to maintain a sufficient force while simultaneously trying to find out what to do to actually use that force against the Reapers. And maybe the number of systems on the galaxy map that are occupied by the Reapers could have been determined by the number of assets you currently have.
A lot of potential in that idea/system, but it was wasted.
Did you play Mass Effect 1 & 2? There are a lot of war assets carried over from importing a save file from an earlier game. Also, some missions in ME3 are locked out if you get too far ahead in the game. The way to avoid this is to do everything but the priority missions saving them for last. When there is absolutely no where else you can go and nothing else to do, and you've talked to everyone you can, then you do the next priority mission and repeat.
I've played through this game all the way 4 times. I've always had an EMS of around 7k. My Renegade playthrough had around 6,200 due to having made decisions which killed a lot of people off over the course of three games.
Bleh, I imported both saved games and the only people I ever lost were Kaiden and Chambers. Saved the Rachni queen, saved the Collector base, etc. Wonder where I goofed. Oh well.
Well they didn't blow every opportunity. While I think the decision to kill the Rachni Queen in ME1 should have meant that they wouldn't have appeared in ME3 at all, the fact is the cloned queen will become a war asset if you spare her, then she'll turn around at some point and betray the allied forces. She'll even weaken the Crucible engineering staff. So you'll lose the Rachni as an asset and she'll weaken another asset on her way out the door. This was actually a smart way to handle it and I wish they did more things like that.
Interesting. I saved the queen in my playthrough so I didn't know that. I agree, they should have taken more opportunities to do things like that. It could have made the random convo-quests on the Citadel more interesting. Ultimately though I just wish the thing felt more dynamic and less like a loading bar. Presumably most of the forces you collect aren't just sitting in storage waiting until that final battle!
For a game of this scale you have to understand that from a coding perspective, and due to development cycles being so short (relatively) there is only so much they can do. And while I do agree that they should have been able to do more, I believe there are bigger concerns for the game as a whole.
Oh no doubt. And the number of possibilities that they account for in the quests in the middle of the game is very impressive. But the cycle was too short... certainly compared to the first two games, and it shows in places. Thanks EA.
This game is about 7 hours shorter. Normally Mass Effect games come out once every 3 years, but their development cycle was longer than that. Mass Effect 2's development began before Mass Effect 1's actual release. Mass Effect 3 began development prior to Mass Effect 2's launch. Though Mass Effect borrowed more from Mass Effect 2 in terms of code and assets. As a result, they should theoretically have been able to release it in a more polished state sooner. But 2 years as opposed to 3 is a lot to ask for. I'm amazed the game is as good as it is.
I mean the ending is still a soggy shit sandwich, but otherwise the game is really excellent.
soulsavior
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2 month anniversary!
I just read that a low EMS run where you previously saved the collector base only gives you the option to control, not destroy. I found that kind of interesting. I suppose it makes sense (control base corresponds to control reapers, destroy base corresponds to destroy reapers). I do find it odd that they flip flopped the morality though. Renegade choice turns into paragon choice and vice versa.
Call me slow, but I also just realized that the synthesis choice being green was basically a joke on the RGB color palette. At least they had all the colors they needed to pull off their art.
I just read that a low EMS run where you previously saved the collector base only gives you the option to control, not destroy. I found that kind of interesting. I suppose it makes sense (control base corresponds to control reapers, destroy base corresponds to destroy reapers). I do find it odd that they flip flopped the morality though. Renegade choice turns into paragon choice and vice versa.
Call me slow, but I also just realized that the synthesis choice being green was basically a joke on the RGB color palette. At least they had all the colors they needed to pull off their art.
I'm not convinced that the coloration has anything to do with the paragon/renegade system. I think it was just their way of visually distinguishing between different choices.
Either way, the "colored" endings does point to how weak the distinctions are. Deus Ex: HR did a better job in handling this kind of ending, and it didn't even have to resort to colors!
Either way, the "colored" endings does point to how weak the distinctions are. Deus Ex: HR did a better job in handling this kind of ending, and it didn't even have to resort to colors!
soulsavior
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I suppose it doesn't have to be, but that's a pretty odd coincidence.
That is interesting.
2 months and I finally came to terms that BioWare just botched the ending. I really wanted to believe that there was something more to the ending, but I guess you have to face the facts sooner or later. I can't judge BioWare on its intent but only on what it actually delivered. Too bad so sad.
TwistedAegis
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Heh...this thread is perfect proof of the 5 stages of grief:
1. Denial (Wait, I must have missed something, this doesn't make any sense!)
2. Anger (F U Bioware/EA, WTFOMFG no way this ending sucks!)
3. Bargaining (It was indoctrination, the real story is yet to come!)
4. Depression (Damnit, all that time saving the galaxy only for it to not matter...this sucks, what a waste)
5. Acceptance (Well, the first 90% of the game was great...can't change it, just have to move on...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kübler-Ross_model
1. Denial (Wait, I must have missed something, this doesn't make any sense!)
2. Anger (F U Bioware/EA, WTFOMFG no way this ending sucks!)
3. Bargaining (It was indoctrination, the real story is yet to come!)
4. Depression (Damnit, all that time saving the galaxy only for it to not matter...this sucks, what a waste)
5. Acceptance (Well, the first 90% of the game was great...can't change it, just have to move on...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kübler-Ross_model
Pretty much. That's about how it went for me.
LOL. I think I'm at stage 5, but I'm also guilty of thinking, "Me and BioWare are going to get back together in the summer; we're still in love, even if we are taking a break right now from each other."
TwistedAegis
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Oh I'm right there with you...even after all the abuse from Bioware, they still love me, they just slip up sometimes....
Oh I'm right there with you...even after all the abuse from Bioware, they still love me, they just slip up sometimes....
That's like saying the guy who punches his wife in the face repeatedly still loves her.
Bioware needs an intervention.
BioWare as we knew it is gone. It's EA now. And frankly, the talent behind Mass Effect is obviously Drew Karpyshyn. His absense from the third game and not having had anything to do with the fourth Mass Effect novel tells you all you need to know. BioWare will turn out a few more titles which will probably be sequels to good franchises and these games will get worse with each installment and in a few years, EA will absorb them into their collective. They will then turn out sequels to BioWare games which won't be anything like their predecessors.
TwistedAegis
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That's what I was going for...I feel like a battered wife. I know I shouldn't, but I can say unequivocally that I will buy the next ME expansion and DA3.
LeninGHOLA
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For AAA RPG devs, that leaves Obsidian, CDPRed and the now "streamlined" Bethesda. Everyone else is either making indie games, MMO, or games that wouldn't really be considered RPG.
The shift in writing from him to Walters was already apparently in the insignificant main plot of the second game. The first still has by far the best main plot. It had momentum and a satisfying conclusion. Character development was stronger in the second two though.
Oh I'm right there with you...even after all the abuse from Bioware, they still love me, they just slip up sometimes....
Sometimes I get bored and end up reading threads over at BioWare Social Network. It sounds like a few voice actors are doing voice sessions for future ME3 content. Plus, certain prominent BioWare officials have made comments like "just wait to see what we have in store for you." I don't know, I think they're going to propose!
I can't wait till summer.Edit: EA made a cool $200 million in sales from ME3. That's pretty impressive.
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Someone put together 83 minutes of footage talking about the "Indoctrination Theory." I don't have time to watch it now, but thought it was appropriate for this thread.
http://kotaku.com/5908780/this-is-a-feature+length-documentary-about-mass-effect-3s-ending
Direct Youtube Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=caAqFFhBn2U
It is pretty well done, not some 12yr old with a microphone.
OK, so I just watched the whole thing. It was pretty good and shows evidence of the whole thing. The DLC will tell us if it is true or not I suppose.
http://kotaku.com/5908780/this-is-a-feature+length-documentary-about-mass-effect-3s-ending
Direct Youtube Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=caAqFFhBn2U
It is pretty well done, not some 12yr old with a microphone.
OK, so I just watched the whole thing. It was pretty good and shows evidence of the whole thing. The DLC will tell us if it is true or not I suppose.
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I'm right there with you. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I'd put up with more bullshit over these games and line up to do it again.
Agreed. The sequels really did a good job of that and actually surpassed ME1, which didn't do that poorly. But yeah, the actual "plot" just isn't as well executed. ME3 I think had a decent enough premise, but it's execution in the last chunk of the game is just terrible in most respects. And that's sad because aside from that, I think it's the best and most fun in the series.
Sometimes I get bored and end up reading threads over at BioWare Social Network. It sounds like a few voice actors are doing voice sessions for future ME3 content. Plus, certain prominent BioWare officials have made comments like "just wait to see what we have in store for you." I don't know, I think they're going to propose!
Edit: EA made a cool $200 million in sales from ME3. That's pretty impressive.
I have to stay out of everything but the modding section over there now. I just can't handle the retarded comments from the fan base. They all seem to have ADD, no one can handle reading my epic posts and largely I go ignored. Around here people are used to and most of the time read my novels.
While it seems pretty clear to most that this theory is dead and buried, and I doubt it being planned given the writing talent they currently have to work with, I still think the "it was a dream" crap is going to be pulled on us in some way shape or form. They pretty much have to in order to continue making Mass Effect games as it's the only way to put the horrific synthesis ending out the airlock where it belongs. In fact it's the only way to solve a lot of problems the endings create.
Maybe they'll say you actually went into a coma after seeing the Prothean beacon and everything after that never happened. The only characters that actually exist are Kaidan, Ashley, Joker, and Anderson. The others were all in your imagination. You never wake up and are killed in a hospital bed when Sovereign calls in the Reapers from the Citadel. Better?
Maybe they'll say you actually went into a coma after seeing the Prothean beacon and everything after that never happened. The only characters that actually exist are Kaidan, Ashley, Joker, and Anderson. The others were all in your imagination. You never wake up and are killed in a hospital bed when Sovereign calls in the Reapers from the Citadel. Better?
I've had that thought before and it haunts me. I'd be more upset about that then the actual ending to Mass Effect 3. They will pull a "dream / indoctrination theory card." Trust me.
One thing that was brought up in that video I was unaware of is the fact that the files for the foliage data in the game itself used during the Normandy crash on the eden type planet are labled "dream planet vegetation."
TwistedAegis
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Holy crap. I freakin' love ME, and as you can see by me spamming the thread, am deeply involved in the ending. But no way in hell could I sit through 83 minutes of theorycrafting!
Bravo to you sir...now get out of the house! That's interesting. Given all the rumors about a lack of communication between the project leads and the designers on the ending, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody at some point figured that's what they were designing. But I certainly don't think that fact is conclusive one way or the other by itself.
I hope whatever they add to the ending in this summer DLC is actually rendered in-engine. I understand the need for the space scenes to be pre-rendered cutscenes, but I'm always disappointed when character dialog and such is pre-rendered when it clearly could have been done in the game engine.
TwistedAegis
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Wow what the hell...not sure how I missed that in your post, but that's pretty interesting "evidence."
LeninGHOLA
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Somehow this is reminding me of the theories after Lost delivered a pretty poor ending, and all the nutty theories about Kurt Cobain's death
TwistedAegis
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all the nutty theories about Kurt Cobain's death
Now that I did watch the full movie for.