I've played through ME1&2 almost a dozen times each, and I think it's time that I played (from the beginning) with the Sheploo. (Wow, that was unintentionally dirty sounding.) I've been toying with the idea of making him as "canon" as possible (and by canon, I mean making all the decisions that are rewarded by the game - i.e., saving the Rachni Queen gets you the little dialogue on Ilium, where letting her die gets you nothing, so keeping her alive is "canon" to me.) A couple questions.
#1 Anyone know what the default background/attitude is for Shepard?
#2 The reason I ask is because I just can't see Shepard as just a soldier - I don't know why, but he's always a shotgun-toting vanguard badass to me - anyone else get that?
Making a "canon" Shepard
Débuté par
TheSeventhJedi
, oct. 17 2010 01:12
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#2
Posté 17 octobre 2010 - 01:19
Rockworm503
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He's whatever you want him to be...
or She's whatever you want her to be as it is with some of us.
or She's whatever you want her to be as it is with some of us.
#3
Posté 17 octobre 2010 - 01:25
AntenDS
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I was going to make a thread about this and then i did a bit of research . It was said that you make your own ME "canon" by the choices you make and BioWare wasn't going to make an official "canon' to ME. I guess the closest you can get is by selecting the choices BioWare made for you in ME2 if you didn't import a save from ME1.
#4
Posté 17 octobre 2010 - 03:04
Randy1012
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The default (which I guess would be the closest thing to "canon") Shepard is a male Earthborn/Sole Survivor. He's also apparently not a biotic, given the way some biotics-related dialogue is delivered and how Shepard never busts out any biotics in cutscenes even when they would have been appropriate.
#5
Posté 17 octobre 2010 - 03:07
GodWood
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You don't get what canon means do you.
#7
Posté 17 octobre 2010 - 10:55
AlexMBrennan
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There is little reason to assume that the default class is his canonical military specialisation; a more likely explanation is that soldier class is "easier" than the others (you just shoot things and spam AR - engineers/adepts need to combine powers for massive damage, and require specific squadmates to enable them to effectively deal with enemies using barriers/shields).
#8
Posté 18 octobre 2010 - 12:15
TheSeventhJedi
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GodWood wrote...
You don't get what canon means do you.
No, I do - trust me, I do. I get that there isn't a canon Shep when BW defines it. However, there are quite a few things that tend to be considered "canon." For instance - Shep tends to lean towards renegade decisions. They've never said that, and aside from the default opening of ME2, there's nothing to make that clear, but in their marketing, we tended to see Shep being a badass, pushing people through windows, etc. From the marketing, we can guess that Sheploo is the "canon." See where I'm going with this? I'm also making all decisions that are rewarded by continuing the story. I made a pure renegade Shepard, and it was like I didn't even import, because everyone was dead! Wrex - dead. Conrad - dead. Kaidan - well, I kill him every time regardless. Rachni Queen - dead. Gianna Parasini - dead. Feros Colony - dead. I was totally renegade, and I was kinda punished for it. So, to take Miracle Max's advice, I'll only be mostly renegade, and make the paragon decisions that are rewarded by continued story.
As for the Vanguard comment, that's kinda just "canon" for me.
#9
Guest_mrsph_*
Posté 18 octobre 2010 - 12:47
Guest_mrsph_*
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There is really no canon in Mass Effect. YOU decide who and what Shepard is. The default Shepard is just there so you can just jump in quicker and easier. And in the case of the second game, cut out content that would confuse new people/punish people who didn't import a save.
#10
Posté 18 octobre 2010 - 01:12
Saibh
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I am one of those butthurt fans that get really mad when people say "canon" instead of "default". Canon means that BioWare chooses your path regardless of the decisions you made.
Default simply means that these are the choices picked when personal ones lack.
Default simply means that these are the choices picked when personal ones lack.
#11
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 12:40
Aedan_Cousland
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I think the War Hero background has the most canon feel to it, but that's just me.
It is the background that most justifies Shepard getting named a Spectre. If you are one of the System's Alliance greatest living heroes (perhaps even it's greatest) you getting nominated for humanity's first Spectre is a no brainer.
The Ruthless background makes sense as well, though perhaps less so than the War Hero background. You are still one of humanity's heroes from the Skyllian Blitz, and the massacre on Torfan proves you are determined to accomplish the mission at any cost. This background on the surface might seem at odds with your plans to play a paragonish type, but not necessarily so. Perhaps the butcher of Torfan was just a paragon that had to make a tough call in combat, or he's a renegade that has had some time to reflect on past deeds, and has softened in his methods.
The Sole Survivor background, though oddly enough the default background for Shepard, makes the least sense as far as getting made a Spectre. So Shepard was the lone survivor of a group of Marines that were attacked by Thresher Maws? Big deal. While his story of personal survival might be inspiring, it isn't heroic. Self preservation is instinct. It also isn't unique. There have been plenty of people throughout history that have been the sole survivors of disasters, massacres, or defeats in battle. Plenty of those people were also not psychologically broken by their ordeal either. The Sole Survivor background has some cool quests attached to it, but it makes the least sense as far as Shepard getting nominated to be a Spectre.
It is the background that most justifies Shepard getting named a Spectre. If you are one of the System's Alliance greatest living heroes (perhaps even it's greatest) you getting nominated for humanity's first Spectre is a no brainer.
The Ruthless background makes sense as well, though perhaps less so than the War Hero background. You are still one of humanity's heroes from the Skyllian Blitz, and the massacre on Torfan proves you are determined to accomplish the mission at any cost. This background on the surface might seem at odds with your plans to play a paragonish type, but not necessarily so. Perhaps the butcher of Torfan was just a paragon that had to make a tough call in combat, or he's a renegade that has had some time to reflect on past deeds, and has softened in his methods.
The Sole Survivor background, though oddly enough the default background for Shepard, makes the least sense as far as getting made a Spectre. So Shepard was the lone survivor of a group of Marines that were attacked by Thresher Maws? Big deal. While his story of personal survival might be inspiring, it isn't heroic. Self preservation is instinct. It also isn't unique. There have been plenty of people throughout history that have been the sole survivors of disasters, massacres, or defeats in battle. Plenty of those people were also not psychologically broken by their ordeal either. The Sole Survivor background has some cool quests attached to it, but it makes the least sense as far as Shepard getting nominated to be a Spectre.
Modifié par Aedan_Cousland, 19 octobre 2010 - 12:42 .
#12
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 01:11
Dean_the_Young
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Ruthless seems like the most legitimate Spectre candidacy portfolio to me: Spectres aren't a position for nice people to be aimed for in the first place. Ruthless has notoriety (the fame of a War Hero resume), proven capability for surviving tough places (Sole-Survivor), a demonstrated willingness to get the mission done (the point of the Spectres), and an actual established reputation as the 'go-to' man for problems.
#13
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 02:48
TheSeventhJedi
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mrsph wrote...
There is really no canon in Mass Effect. YOU decide who and what Shepard is. The default Shepard is just there so you can just jump in quicker and easier. And in the case of the second game, cut out content that would confuse new people/punish people who didn't import a save.
/sigh
Read the post I wrote immediately above yours.
#14
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 06:03
Spectre_907
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I think ruthless or war hero make the most sense for Spectre candidacy.
War hero Shepards demonstrate superior leadership abilities by rallying the civilians of Elysium to fight for a cause, the necessity of individual initiative by willingly going out of their way to hold a defense line single-handedly, the understanding of sacrifices while in command with losses during brutal fighting, and the talent to survive tough places by holding off an entire platoon alone and strategically using the civilians to defend a colony.
Ruthless Shepards also understand the need for sacrifice while in command by sending lots of soldiers to their deaths for the objective, the ability to survive tough places by use of their soldiers and by strategically taking out the base on Torfan, the necessity for individual initiative by making the hard decision to send 3/4s of their unit to its death, and superior leadership abilities.
What I think separates the two backgrounds is that ruthless Shepards have killed surrendering enemies before. This is ideal for a Spectre's need to work outside the bounds of the law to get the job done. However, a war hero Shepard is more than capable of persuading others to a cause which is ideal for the diplomatic abilities Spectres use. Balancing these elements or determining what style of Spectre comes from the gameplay and the choices.
@Aedan_Cousland
I agree. The sole survivor background makes the least sense for Spectre candidacy.
@OP
I never pay attention to the marketing since it is geared towards one thing only: attracting consumers. Seeing a soldier who kills anyone who gets in his way with bullets and explosions is more appealing to a general audience than, say, a biotic who can move things with his mind and talk to thousand year old bugs through telepathic blue aliens. But I do agree that BW is marketing Sheploo, the renegade badass soldier with little regard for life as their "canon" Shepard. Also agree a vanguard fits a default Shepard well. But I stick to the finese of an adept
Much, if not all, of the paragon options tend to be "rewarded" with additional content so a "canon" background as you define it would be more towards a paragon playthrough. In ME at least.
War hero Shepards demonstrate superior leadership abilities by rallying the civilians of Elysium to fight for a cause, the necessity of individual initiative by willingly going out of their way to hold a defense line single-handedly, the understanding of sacrifices while in command with losses during brutal fighting, and the talent to survive tough places by holding off an entire platoon alone and strategically using the civilians to defend a colony.
Ruthless Shepards also understand the need for sacrifice while in command by sending lots of soldiers to their deaths for the objective, the ability to survive tough places by use of their soldiers and by strategically taking out the base on Torfan, the necessity for individual initiative by making the hard decision to send 3/4s of their unit to its death, and superior leadership abilities.
What I think separates the two backgrounds is that ruthless Shepards have killed surrendering enemies before. This is ideal for a Spectre's need to work outside the bounds of the law to get the job done. However, a war hero Shepard is more than capable of persuading others to a cause which is ideal for the diplomatic abilities Spectres use. Balancing these elements or determining what style of Spectre comes from the gameplay and the choices.
@Aedan_Cousland
I agree. The sole survivor background makes the least sense for Spectre candidacy.
@OP
I never pay attention to the marketing since it is geared towards one thing only: attracting consumers. Seeing a soldier who kills anyone who gets in his way with bullets and explosions is more appealing to a general audience than, say, a biotic who can move things with his mind and talk to thousand year old bugs through telepathic blue aliens. But I do agree that BW is marketing Sheploo, the renegade badass soldier with little regard for life as their "canon" Shepard. Also agree a vanguard fits a default Shepard well. But I stick to the finese of an adept
Much, if not all, of the paragon options tend to be "rewarded" with additional content so a "canon" background as you define it would be more towards a paragon playthrough. In ME at least.
Modifié par Spectre_907, 19 octobre 2010 - 06:06 .
#15
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 06:17
GodWood
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Dude, there is no canon.TheSeventhJedi wrote...
No, I do - trust me, I do. I get that there isn't a canon Shep when BW defines it. However, there are quite a few things that tend to be considered "canon." For instance - Shep tends to lean towards renegade decisions. They've never said that, and aside from the default opening of ME2, there's nothing to make that clear, but in their marketing, we tended to see Shep being a badass, pushing people through windows, etc. From the marketing, we can guess that Sheploo is the "canon." See where I'm going with this? I'm also making all decisions that are rewarded by continuing the story. I made a pure renegade Shepard, and it was like I didn't even import, because everyone was dead! Wrex - dead. Conrad - dead. Kaidan - well, I kill him every time regardless. Rachni Queen - dead. Gianna Parasini - dead. Feros Colony - dead. I was totally renegade, and I was kinda punished for it. So, to take Miracle Max's advice, I'll only be mostly renegade, and make the paragon decisions that are rewarded by continued story.GodWood wrote...
You don't get what canon means do you.
As for the Vanguard comment, that's kinda just "canon" for me.
Marketing is not canon at all. Marketing implied we met Grunt on Omega and that he was 300.
Marketing is bull****.
All you're doing is metagaming and picking all the best choices.
#16
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 06:38
Gibb_Shepard
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TheSeventhJedi wrote...
mrsph wrote...
There is really no canon in Mass Effect. YOU decide who and what Shepard is. The default Shepard is just there so you can just jump in quicker and easier. And in the case of the second game, cut out content that would confuse new people/punish people who didn't import a save.
/sigh
Read the post I wrote immediately above yours.
No buddy, there is no canon. They market shepard as a bit of a badass because.... Well it will obviously sell the game more efficiently. The default options at the start of ME2 should NOT be taken as canon. They were implemented to cut out as many characters as possible so new players didn't see Wrex and say "Who the fuk is this guy?". You can do a default playthrough if you like, but there is no such thing as a universal "canon" playthrough.
#17
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 09:33
Snowship
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I'd have thought canon would be the choices Bioware made for you (if you started a Me2 only game), Council dead, rachni dead etc...
You'd have to follow ME with that then wait til ME3 to learn what is considered canon through ME2 before starting your canon ME2 playthrough.
You'd have to follow ME with that then wait til ME3 to learn what is considered canon through ME2 before starting your canon ME2 playthrough.
#18
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 09:36
ashwind
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Snowship wrote...
I'd have thought canon would be the choices Bioware made for you (if you started a Me2 only game), Council dead, rachni dead etc...
You'd have to follow ME with that then wait til ME3 to learn what is considered canon through ME2 before starting your canon ME2 playthrough.
:devil:I think Bioware makes the absolute worst choices for you so that you will buy and play ME1
#19
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 11:17
AntiChri5
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Snowship wrote...
I'd have thought canon would be the choices Bioware made for you (if you started a Me2 only game), Council dead, rachni dead etc...
You'd have to follow ME with that then wait til ME3 to learn what is considered canon through ME2 before starting your canon ME2 playthrough.
As stated before, those choices were deliberately tailored to cut out as much import content as possible.
#20
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 12:04
DarthCaine
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The Default Shepard is meant for new players and removes (kills off) most character because new players don't know them (so they don't get confused). It's also like you didn't do any sidequests or romanced anyone
#21
Posté 19 octobre 2010 - 02:01
Fiery Phoenix
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The default Shepard is a male Soldier named John Shepard, with the face of Mark Vanderloo, and he is an Earthborn with the Sole Survivor background.
I can't say much more than that, but I see your point in how he is presented as Renegade, however this is only to make the game new-player friendly.
I can't say much more than that, but I see your point in how he is presented as Renegade, however this is only to make the game new-player friendly.
#22
Posté 20 octobre 2010 - 04:05
TheSeventhJedi
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Gibb_Shepard wrote...
TheSeventhJedi wrote...
mrsph wrote...
There is really no canon in Mass Effect. YOU decide who and what Shepard is. The default Shepard is just there so you can just jump in quicker and easier. And in the case of the second game, cut out content that would confuse new people/punish people who didn't import a save.
/sigh
Read the post I wrote immediately above yours.
No buddy, there is no canon. They market shepard as a bit of a badass because.... Well it will obviously sell the game more efficiently. The default options at the start of ME2 should NOT be taken as canon. They were implemented to cut out as many characters as possible so new players didn't see Wrex and say "Who the fuk is this guy?". You can do a default playthrough if you like, but there is no such thing as a universal "canon" playthrough.
Guys, guys, guys - I get that there is no specific "canon" in the literal sense of the word. Ever hear of figurative language? Sheesh. I'm using the word "canon" figuratively, because WHILE I KNOW THAT THERE IS NO DEFINED CANON (and I can not stress this enough,) there are certain things that are implied through advertising, the game itself, etc. Sorry I asked - see Garrus about stick removal surgery.
#23
Posté 20 octobre 2010 - 06:48
GuardianAngel470
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Hey, I like it where it is thank you. It makes it convenient when I want to scare the crows away from my corn.
#24
Posté 20 octobre 2010 - 07:19
Gibb_Shepard
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TheSeventhJedi wrote...
Gibb_Shepard wrote...
TheSeventhJedi wrote...
mrsph wrote...
There is really no canon in Mass Effect. YOU decide who and what Shepard is. The default Shepard is just there so you can just jump in quicker and easier. And in the case of the second game, cut out content that would confuse new people/punish people who didn't import a save.
/sigh
Read the post I wrote immediately above yours.
No buddy, there is no canon. They market shepard as a bit of a badass because.... Well it will obviously sell the game more efficiently. The default options at the start of ME2 should NOT be taken as canon. They were implemented to cut out as many characters as possible so new players didn't see Wrex and say "Who the fuk is this guy?". You can do a default playthrough if you like, but there is no such thing as a universal "canon" playthrough.
Guys, guys, guys - I get that there is no specific "canon" in the literal sense of the word. Ever hear of figurative language? Sheesh. I'm using the word "canon" figuratively, because WHILE I KNOW THAT THERE IS NO DEFINED CANON (and I can not stress this enough,) there are certain things that are implied through advertising, the game itself, etc. Sorry I asked - see Garrus about stick removal surgery.
u mad brah?
Calm down kid, and apology accepted.
#25
Posté 20 octobre 2010 - 07:34
Ulathar
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/signed....and by now I sometimes catch myself using the word 'canon' which I hate even moreSaibh wrote...
I am one of those butthurt fans that get really mad when people say "canon" instead of "default". Canon means that BioWare chooses your path regardless of the decisions you made.
Default simply means that these are the choices picked when personal ones lack.
My main Shepard and the one I'll import first into ME3 has all of the main and side-quests(availlable ones) done and all of the decisions are the ones I like the most and also suit the character of my Shepard. I'd say, do the same with yours.
And if you really want the BW default...just wait until ME3 is out and create a character there which then uses the default decisions :-)
