Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

[quote name='100xp']speaking of packs, i actually havent gotten any of the event packs yet...i know the community ones are on hold until they correct the problem but i'm a bit concerned i didnt get the one for promoting lvl 20's yet.[/QUOTE]

how do you promote a lvl 20 anyways? I don't see a button anywhere to accomplish that.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']...Because it's fun to play?

Ian - Personally I don't see the point in wasting energy raging any further when we aren't even sure what the explanations entail. Might as well wait and see first.[/QUOTE]
Second
[quote name='Ryuukishi']This is kinda neat. Fan-made ending generator. I can appreciate the work that went into it:

http://shannon.users.sonic.net/masseffect/

That is outstanding. Love it.[/QUOTE]

Wow, I thought I was going to be seeing a facebook survey type of thing but was pleasantly surprised with the result.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Wow, I thought I was going to be seeing a facebook survey type of thing but was pleasantly surprised with the result.[/QUOTE]
I've been through it a bunch of times now, experimenting with different inputs, and I am universally impressed with what this person has come up with. As far as I'm concerned this is now canon. The bar has been set extremely high for whatever BioWare is working on.
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']They're giving it away for free thus your argument is void.[/QUOTE]

You think all dlc will be free?

That wasnt really the point anyway. The game still ends with a message telling you to buy DLC. How artistic.
 
[quote name='IanKazimer']This is kinda neat. Fan-made ending generator. I can appreciate the work that went into it:

http://shannon.users.sonic.net/masseffect/[/QUOTE]

Messed around with this a bit last night and I was really impressed. It's put together really well. I'm looking forward to what may be added to it, and if the "Extended Cut" sucks, I'm going with this as canon. :lol:
 
[quote name='Arikado']Messed around with this a bit last night and I was really impressed. It's put together really well. I'm looking forward to what may be added to it, and if the "Extended Cut" sucks, I'm going with this as canon. :lol:[/QUOTE]


It actually made me really like the Control ending.
 
[quote name='yankeessuck']You think all dlc will be free?

That wasnt really the point anyway. The game still ends with a message telling you to buy DLC. How artistic.[/QUOTE]

the rumored dlc was to be MP, new races, equipment, guns, and class combos. they had a geth infiltrator, batarian something, and an asari justicar...free? it's EA.
 
[quote name='IanKazimer']
It actually made me really like the Control ending.
[/QUOTE]
The synthesis ending was pretty dang cool too. And she even managed to somewhat salvage the Normandy crash and turn it into an opportunity for some great character moments.

You know what, fuck it: BioWare just needs to hire this person to fix their mess.
 
[quote name='Arikado']Messed around with this a bit last night and I was really impressed. It's put together really well. I'm looking forward to what may be added to it, and if the "Extended Cut" sucks, I'm going with this as canon. :lol:[/QUOTE]

This x10. If BioWare had gone this route in the first place I wouldn't have been irritated in the first place. One of my favorite parts about DA:O ending was the epilogue text. Some people actually DO want to know what happens to their favorite characters at the end of any story instead of being forced to make it up as they go along.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']This x10. If BioWare had gone this route in the first place I wouldn't have been irritated in the first place.[/QUOTE]
I really think a lot will be forgiven if this "clarification" is good, i.e., on the level of the fanmade epilogue generator. Elements of the ending will still be seen as stupid (and they are), but Mass Effect 2 had its own share of facepalm moments, most notably the bizarrely unexplained exodus of all 12 squadmates from the Normandy before it gets boarded by the Collectors. It's a serious narrative gaffe but no one remembers or cares because the Joker sequence that it sets up is so excellent and memorable.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I really think a lot will be forgiven if this "clarification" is good, i.e., on the level of the fanmade epilogue generator. Elements of the ending will still be seen as stupid (and they are), but Mass Effect 2 had its own share of facepalm moments, most notably the bizarrely unexplained exodus of all 12 squadmates from the Normandy before it gets boarded by the Collectors. It's a serious narrative gaffe but no one remembers or cares because the Joker sequence that it sets up is so excellent and memorable.[/QUOTE]

I can kind of see that, but
the starchild clusterfuck is the end of the trilogy. You can at least kind of handwave the shuttle thing in ME2, but the garbage the kid introduces in the last ten minutes contradicts plots, themes, and elements from the entire series. It will be a lot tougher to swallow that than it was the "let's pile in the shuttle and get outta here" moment.

I agree with you, though. I think some of this can be salvaged. A good epilogue will do wonders. If the endings hold up now with no changes,
sorry synthetic life, I've got a house to build on Rannoch. :lol:
 
Pretty much. Why? Because it provides us with competently written closure instead of some troll worthy plot hole ridden bullshit to speculate. I still think both EA and BioWare were planning to milk us dry via DLC for this and the outcry forced them to offer it up on a silver platter for free, but there's no real way of knowing either way. The level of writing involved come this summer however will certainly give us a decent indication of which way the wind was blowing.

The ME2 facepalm moments were much smaller in scale and more or less forgotten/forgiven because they had another game on the way to either fix or ensure they stayed buried. The Collector attack moment was easily silenced by the "Dude... it's a vidya game, bro. Chill." logic anyway. Didn't make it any less stupid though, but only a handful had time to care because like you said the Joker sequence was that f*cking random/awesome.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I really think a lot will be forgiven if this "clarification" is good, i.e., on the level of the fanmade epilogue generator. Elements of the ending will still be seen as stupid (and they are), but Mass Effect 2 had its own share of facepalm moments, most notably the bizarrely unexplained exodus of all 12 squadmates from the Normandy before it gets boarded by the Collectors. It's a serious narrative gaffe but no one remembers or cares because the Joker sequence that it sets up is so excellent and memorable.[/QUOTE]The "secret mission" that had all the Normandy bad-asses off via shuttle was Jacob buying drinks on the Citadel. :lol:

And yes, that's not as bad of a situation as the ending everyone is commenting about (and I've not seen yet). That one can get a pass.

[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']The ME2 facepalm moments were much smaller in scale and more or less forgotten/forgiven because they had another game on the way to either fix or ensure they stayed buried. The Collector attack moment was easily silenced by the "Dude... it's a vidya game, bro. Chill." logic anyway. Didn't make it any less stupid though, but only a handful had time to care because like you said the Joker sequence was that f*cking random/awesome.[/QUOTE]What are the other facepalm moments in ME2 that you would consider ones that needed to be fixed or remain buried?
 
The ending generator is neat - if not a bit cheeseball to me. So it seems people really want this detailed happily ever after epilogue? If bioware had known that all along they could have whipped it up in an afternoon - but it doesn't *seem* like that's what the extended cut is going to be.
*edit* to clarify -I think the writing in the generator is really nice and I definitely can respect the work that went in to it!
 
[quote name='bordjon']The ending generator is neat - if not a bit cheeseball to me. So it seems people really want this detailed happily ever after epilogue? If bioware had known that all along they could have whipped it up in an afternoon - but it doesn't *seem* like that's what the extended cut is going to be.[/QUOTE]

It isn't really a "happily ever after" epilogue, I don't think, especially since it builds off of what's in the game already.
Shepard might be dead, there might be Reaper corpses to clean up, the relays are still toast, millions are dead from the war, fleets are still stranded, and rebuilding efforts are going to be difficult.
Seeing how the end effected the crew and the galaxy you've grown attached to these last five years can go a long way. Some closure is better than nothing but speculation, in my opinion.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']What are the other facepalm moments in ME2 that you would consider ones that needed to be fixed or remain buried?[/QUOTE]

The Human Reaper boss fight is the only other facepalm moment that comes to mind right now. It never felt appropriate to me and I always dreaded it. Terribly cheesy IMO.
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']Gotta respect them for sticking to their artistic vision, though. It takes balls to say "okay we can explain more but it is what it is."

This coming from a guy that still hasn't finished the campaign (stupid adult responsibilities!!). Maybe I'll change my tune once I finally beat it this weekend.

Also, regarding the Datapad app, the galaxy at war section is an addicting little fucker! I've maxed out the upgrades but I still go back to keep my galaxy at war rating up. The post mission email is very cool too.[/QUOTE]

Did you get the final 500,000 credit upgrade? If so, how long did it take you to get it? I'm sitting at around 210,000 and still working at it.

Also, my Gamertag is DualEdge2, same as my username here on CAG. Let me know if there are any MP groups running. Currently running Silver randoms (bleh) to get better weapon/consumable upgrades.
 
[quote name='Arikado']It isn't really a "happily ever after" epilogue, I don't think, especially since it builds off of what's in the game already.[/QUOTE]

You are right. Maybe "feel good" or at least "optomistic"?
none of these I consider to be "bad" things - just maybe different from bioware's ending.
 
Pretty happy about the "free" DLC. Free doesn't usually equate with EA's business practices.

I'm glad the communities voice was heard, and I hope they explain everything well and give everyone the real conclusion they all deserve.
 
What are the other facepalm moments in ME2 that you would consider ones that needed to be fixed or remain buried?
Click to expand...

[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']The Human Reaper boss fight is the only other facepalm moment that comes to mind right now. It never felt appropriate to me and I always dreaded it. Terribly cheesy IMO.[/QUOTE]

Ah well the whole don't blow up the Collector base debate with you and the Illusive Man in ME2 is kind of trivial when
Cerberus just goes in and salvages the wreckage anyways.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']The Human Reaper boss fight is the only other facepalm moment that comes to mind right now. It never felt appropriate to me and I always dreaded it. Terribly cheesy IMO.[/QUOTE]I'll give you that one as a facepalm moment. That's the only one I think comes to mind for me as well.

And yes, it certainly was a big "WTF is this?" situation. Two/three shots from the Cain and it was a memory, so it wasn't that much of an issue.
 
[quote name='dualedge2']Did you get the final 500,000 credit upgrade? If so, how long did it take you to get it? I'm sitting at around 210,000 and still working at it.[/QUOTE]

The cost on that went down. Check it out. I was able to get all three levels of upgrade for less then 100k. Now I earn about 3% readiness per deployment.
 
I concur on the Human Reaper. Not completely terrible IMO, just a kind of Wha? moment, that, again, pretty much got subsumed in the general awesomeness that was the Collector Baseship mission.

And yeah I agree that no WTF moment in ME2 was as badly in need of rehabilitation as ME3's ending. But hopefully the same general principle can apply.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']I still think both EA and BioWare were planning to milk us dry via DLC for this and the outcry forced them to offer it up on a silver platter for free...[/QUOTE]
D'accord. The "free" bit is a pleasant surprise. I remain skeptical as to the actual quality of what will come, however.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Ah well the whole don't blow up the Collector base debate with you and the Illusive Man in ME2 is kind of trivial when
Cerberus just goes in and salvages the wreckage anyways.
[/QUOTE]

Amen, but that along with the
Rachni Queen
situation among other things belong entirely to ME3.
 
To be fair, I thought that the fact that there was a debate about the base was somewhat silly. Not human reaper silly, but... "picture of a cat trying to sit in something slightly too small for it" silly, at the very least.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']It's still worth a listen. It was one of the more civil discussions on the topic, and they avoided mocking people who didn't like the ending. Some good points from both sides.

I still can't believe people believe the Indoctrination theory. Is it really that hard to conceive poor writing can cause enough plot holes for a new thread to weave through? The epilogue seems to imply only deleted scenes and some extra storytelling, not gameplay. If Indoctrination theory was true, I'd expect a lot more substantial ending to follow. Not an epilogue.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Ryuukishi']The thing that gets me about Indoctrination Theory is, if you assume it's true, then we go from a game trilogy with a poorly conceived and written ending to a game trilogy with absolutely no ending at all, in any sense. That's supposed to be better?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Pretty much. Why? Because it provides us with competently written closure instead of some troll worthy plot hole ridden bullshit to speculate. I still think both EA and BioWare were planning to milk us dry via DLC for this and the outcry forced them to offer it up on a silver platter for free, but there's no real way of knowing either way. The level of writing involved come this summer however will certainly give us a decent indication of which way the wind was blowing.
[/QUOTE]

I mentioned it before, and I'll throw it out there once more. They went from ME3 being the end of the game trilogy to the end of Shepard's story. EA wants more games. Not side stories, not prequels. Full fledged ongoing mythos from this point. If everyone was doing the "Return of the Jedi" happy dance ending they wouldn't have a premise to sell. And the speculation is just free advertisement. Just my theory.
 
Reading that little mini FAQ about the DLC doesnt inspire me to expect good things. I guess Bioware values "artistic integrity" over a quality product.
 
Thoughts about DLC, some ending spoilers though...
I'm kinda depressed there's not indoctrination theory. What is the DLC going to be? Tell us what happened to squadmates/mass relays/Shepard/Joker on new world, but the fact exists that NONE of our decisions mattered, StarChild still exists, and all three games came down to red/green/blue. Depressing IMO.
 
I think BioWare's solution is the best people could hope for. There's nothing they can do to change how shitty the ending was (unless they decided to steal the indoctrination idea) but at least they can give us closure on what happened to everyone else and many explain some of the plot holes.

Of course, it's nice that it's free but seeing as how it's just conversation based... I guess they would have a hard time explaining to fans why they (or EA) want to charge them for it.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I think BioWare's solution is the best people could hope for.[/QUOTE]
Well.

I was kind of hoping for a "fuck it. Mulligan."

I mean, I wasn't expecting it, but I wasn't expecting "free" either.
 
[quote name='100xp']it's just fun...mindless cooperative fun. grinding is more for a trivial N7 rating but we grind for cR so we can buy packs for better gunz.[/QUOTE]

OK, so the MP aspect Really is just a big time sink then...no real impact on anything other than playing mp for the fun (or in my case not-fun) of it. Still glad I didn't give in and trade half my collection to GS to get this on release day. After reading all about the ending I'm glad I'm waiting till it hits $20.
 
Yea, I just could not get into the MP in this game. It looked fine on the surface but within a couple play through I felt it was just a big gimmick and a way to earn some extra msoft points.


Its not that deep...to play pretty much solely to rank your guy to 20 and for gear. I was going to just do gold runs but apparently but the class that I like has been put on the black list so I have way of finishing the 2 maps I have left on gold.

It never felt like a real mode to me...

(although I have slight bias because I dont like horde modes anyway)
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']Gotta respect them for sticking to their artistic vision, though. It takes balls to say "okay we can explain more but it is what it is."[/QUOTE]
Does that unchangeable artistic vision include or exclude Javik and all of the story and (sometimes critical) background and foreshadowing he adds?

[quote name='shrike4242']What are the other facepalm moments in ME2 that you would consider ones that needed to be fixed or remain buried?[/QUOTE]
Can't speak for him, but the Arrival was awful. Just really, really bad. The invalidation of player choice was bad. A lot of the story choices also felt "eh." I really like the way things mattered for the final mission, though. I dunno, Alpha Protocol really spoiled me for
"choices impact narrative."
 
I'm not getting my hopes up in the least for this Extended Cut or whatever since
it still leaves the starchild nonsense in it and keeps the mass relays destroyed. And I'm sure we'll find out that our entire crew died too. And Shepard, even if they took that "breath" at the end.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Amen, but that along with the
Rachni Queen
situation among other things belong entirely to ME3.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='The Crotch']To be fair, I thought that the fact that there was a debate about the base was somewhat silly. Not human reaper silly, but... "picture of a cat trying to sit in something slightly too small for it" silly, at the very least.[/QUOTE]

Yeah that's what I meant (also meant in ME3). The debate with the Illusive Man over the base (from ME2) just seems like oh yeah lol remember that nonsense part when you look back onto it.:booty:
 
I can't believe I forgot about Arrival. Ugh... A total waste of money and Alpha Protocol was f*cking fantastic when it came to choice. Nearly everything you did had an immediate consequence with someone's life usually hanging in the balance. Oh, and a better e-mail and reputation system too. I'd almost kill for a guarantee on a sequel. I think I'm one mind numbingly annoying achievement away from a full thousand.
 
Dude...I have been talking about Alpha Protocol for years on these boards and no one seems to give it a chance.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']Dude...I have been talking about Alpha Protocol for years on these boards and no one seems to give it a chance.[/QUOTE]

That's because everyone thought it was going to be 007 meets ME2 and never looked back when the review scores and reliable sources in their social circle confirmed the technical problems and game play issues were genuine. It really is a shame. It didn't deserve the lack of care it got in regards to the game play, but the writing was rock solid. I honestly didn't even mind the shooter end of the flaws or balance issues as I'm right at home with old school RPG mechanics. They should have however offered a better tutorial on how everything worked instead of the bullshit shooting range part in the beginning then letting the player assume the hit detection was trash.
 
Finally, I have found people who recognize Alpha Protocol's redeeming qualities. I gave the game a shot after Shipwreck endorsed it on the podcast, and was blown away. If they could've taken the more refined combat mechanics of Mass Effect 2, but kept the skills not affecting accuracy, it would've done much better. Such a shame. Ever since, the bar for "choice" has been set really damn high. Makes it hard to play other WRPGs.

I would Kickstart a sequel or spiritual successor in a heartbeat. (Not that it would be made for such a small amount of money, but man I wants it bad.)
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']I can't believe I forgot about Arrival. Ugh... A total waste of money and Alpha Protocol was f*cking fantastic when it came to choice. Nearly everything you did had an immediate consequence with someone's life usually hanging in the balance. Oh, and a better e-mail and reputation system too. I'd almost kill for a guarantee on a sequel. I think I'm one mind numbingly annoying achievement away from a full thousand.[/QUOTE]

Well there I'd have to disagree with as I found Arrival to be very important and fresh when I was playing ME2. I also liked having to rely on myself and that one survival achievement was a challenge to get. You also felt vulnerable with the amount of time ticking down so fast and it being just you. The pacing was great and they gave us more backstory. I'd agree it might not have been a good DLC at $7 bucks or whatever they priced it as although grabbing it on sale is that sweet spot price range I think. Really the DLC should have been tied to ME2's Cerberus Network.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']Finally, I have found people who recognize Alpha Protocol's redeeming qualities. I gave the game a shot after Shipwreck endorsed it on the podcast, and was blown away. If they could've taken the more refined combat mechanics of Mass Effect 2, but kept the skills not affecting accuracy, it would've done much better. Such a shame. Ever since, the bar for "choice" has been set really damn high. Makes it hard to play other WRPGs.

I would Kickstart a sequel or spiritual successor in a heartbeat. (Not that it would be made for such a small amount of money, but man I wants it bad.)[/QUOTE]

Amen. We sadly aren't likely to see that much attention to detail or type of overall freedom handed to the player for years to come. It was awesome not being locked into a particular path until the end game and EVEN THEN there were plenty of variables left to manipulate. You could be a total scumbag and end the game a hero to your country, turn certain enemies over to your side based on prior conversations, betray anyone even romance options at the drop of a dime, etc. One hell of an amazing effort.

Just a shame they didn't apply the rest of it to the entire game. It had ME tier potential and now no one will step foot near the IP because of how badly the dev team f*cked it all up.
 
http://blog.bioware.com/2012/04/05/operation-beachhead/
Allied forces have matched krogan mercs and batarians with asari justicars for unconventional warfare. Their mission: to create resistance on Reaper-occupied planets to tie down local Reapers.

All N7 Forces will receive a +25% Experience Bonus for participating in Operations in any Theatre of War against any foe. Good Luck!

Operation Beachhead is here, the next N7 Multiplayer Weekend!

Last weekend the community rallied to promote a record breaking 350,000k+ operatives in the field. This weekend Operation Beachhead will run from 6PM PST Thursday April 5th, to 5AM PST Tuesday April 10th on Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3.

Please remember to set “Upload Gameplay Feedback” to “on” in the online options to be able to participate in Operation Beachhead.

See you on the Battlefield!
Click to expand...

does that pretty much confirm this from a while back
e3fOL.png
 
[quote name='goodbyetonight']I never was interested in Alpha Protocol, but I might just give it a try now.[/QUOTE]

Nice. :cool:

Couple of tips to help smooth the initial playthrough:
- The accuracy mechanic in the game is ME1-esque, but MUCH WORSE considering it honestly doesn't make a lick of sense and isn't properly explained. To make a long story short, the longer you actually aim at your target before you shoot the better your accuracy and damage. As I said... it's pretty stupid. Always try to wait until your reticule is light orange or blood red before you shoot whenever humanly possible.

Thankfully there are passive buffs available to all weapon types that decrease the amount of time you have to aim in order to get a critical shot (blood red reticule). Very important you invest in them whenever you can. Oh, and always aim for the head or chest... but mainly stick with the head.

- Pistols and Assault Rifles are the only weapons that exist as far as I'm concerned. Mainly because they have the best accuracy outside of the shitty mechanic, great damage and cheap enough to afford the best available at a decent point in the game. The other two types (SMGs and Shotguns) are garbage until you've properly broken yourself into the accuracy/critical shot mechanic. Even then... you still probably won't want to touch them. Regardless if you want to kill everything with the least amount of effort involved nothing beats stealth pistol headshots. They will likely be your main bread and butter throughout the game.

- Melee (though somewhat viable) is also trash. Best to ignore it or just specialize enough for certain buffs. You honestly won't need it as physical takedowns are available from the get go and approaching most enemies head on will be your ass.

- Stealth is your best friend and most of the related abilities are worthwhile. If you aren't sure what to invest in stick with the enemy awareness/radar. Also any gear that decreases ability cooldowns or noise level are sure bets too. Don't worry too much about equipment choices. Once you've become comfortable you probably won't be using anything outside of first aid, grenades, or hacking tools that much.

Run and gunning IS possible, but more often than not unless it's late in the game or your prepared for the worst you'll probably regret it.

- The character customization is severely lacking and you're shoehorned into playing a male protagonist. No female options available - sorry.

- Chain Shot (pistol only ability) headshots are god tier broken especially when combined with specific ammo types. You will utterly destroy bosses from ANY RANGE with it and wonder where you can buy whatever the hell the testers were smoking to give this shit a pass. It's pretty ridiculous.

Otherwise buy a copy as cheaply as humanly possible and go nuts. Well worth the $35 or so I spent on it at launch though it took me my third playthrough to finally figure out how to play it right to realize it.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Did you guys have any idea that the different squadmate costumes conferred different stat bonuses?[/QUOTE]

Not until my Insanity playthrough. Thankfully most of the ones that I liked had the buffs that I preferred!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top