183 réponses à ce sujet

[Oblivious]

The only ammo power supported by lore is Warp Ammo in which Shepard or Jack use their extensive biotic powers to increase the velocity and strength of the bullets. That should have been a standard power for Adepts and Vanguards rather than an unlockable one since I always used it on my Vanguard. I hope it makes a return in ME3 since that was the only good "jack of all trades" ammo type.

[Obro]

Wait wait...you actually expected BioWare to listen to you guise? COD kids are their targeted audience now.

[horacethegrey]

Get rid of Ammo Powers and bring back the lame weapon upgrade system from the first game? Pft. I'll take Ammo powers any day. It beats having to jump into a mission, only to find out the ammo you equipped is pratically useless against the enemies involved. At least ammo powers lets you switch on the fly in case the need arises.

Mass Effect is more shooter than RPG, and the game design should reflect that. 

[Bluko]

Ammo Mods would have been preferable, since as far as "powers" go they are kind of lame. It's about as bad the First Aid skill from ME1. It's one of those skills you have to invest in, but probably really interested in or you're going to be left up a creek without a paddle. I mean what can you do with ammo anyways besides make it stronger?

Although hitting a switch on my gun to fire incedinary rounds really makes as much sense as swapping a mod that does the same thing. I mean how exactly do you change the actual ammo block? As far I know you can't really. I never saw it as lore breaking. I also actually like the lights on the side telling me what type of ammo I'm using, although it'd be nice to have different tracer effects. They could be a little more subtle with the gun lights though, it does come off as rather Fisher Price like.

Modifié par Bluko, 09 juin 2011 - 07:45 .

[CaptainZaysh]

jakal66 wrote...

(ME2) wasn't weak, I admit it wasn't superb but not weak. I'd like to see some people here come up with a middle part story that doesn't affect the ending of a trilogy.

http://social.biowar...71487/3#7577540

This post explains what I think ME2's story problem was.  A few quite minor tweaks could have fixed it for me.

Modifié par CaptainZaysh, 09 juin 2011 - 08:17 .

[Xeranx]

wizardryforever wrote...

Xeranx wrote...

Lunatic LK47 wrote...

Flashlegend wrote...


If you want to go about the argument like this, then points in pistols and sniper rifles can represent experience gained through actual use of those weapons. No one in real life picks up a sniper rifle or even a normal pistol and has perfect aim but they can surely improve with practice.

Major problem with that argument. Shepard is SPECIAL FORCES. EXTENSIVE TRAINING COVERS THIS SORT OF THING.

And what of ammo powers then since they're simply just ammo put into a gun?  Is it right for one to have access to all and others have limited access?

I was under the impression (and I think it was clarified somewhere by someone in the know) that using an ammo skill was basically having the character make field adjustments to his weapon to alter its functionality.  This isn't a matter of "insert disrupter ammo here," or "push this button for cryo ammo," it just looks like that because of the basic animation we are given.  Altering the way the weapon works, in the field, on the fly, is something that not just everyone can do.  It requires some training.  I'd be fine if they made ammo mods, but then the ammo skills let you change your ammo type during combat, when everyone else would need to find a workbench.

More to the bold, what does that matter in response to Lunatic's statement?  

His statement for Shepard's use of guns being transfered in our use of Shepard is that Shepard is special forces.  What that says to me (and I feel should say to everyone else) is that whether Shepard is a soldier, vanguard, infiltrator, adept, sentinel, or engineer should have no bearing on Shepard's ability to point, aim, and fire on a target.  I'm further implying then that it should also include Shepard's use of ammo types.  

Regardless of what class you are you would know how your weapon functions.  You would know how to exchange an ammo block on a shotgun if you were a vanguard.  Likewise, you would know how to exhance an ammo block on a sniper rifle if you were an infiltrator.  Why would you be prohibited from being able to change ammo blocks on the fly just because you weren't a "soldier" seeing as Shepard is a Special Forces Space Marine regardless of class?

[CaptainZaysh]

Soldiers are clearly not changing ammo blocks. They press a button on the weapon to switch from cryo to incendiary. (My guess is that the weapon has some kind of internal minifacturing facility, it's building the ammunition on the fly.)

You're right, all classes should be able to press all buttons on their weapons.

Also all classes should be able to press all buttons on their omni-tools. There is no reasonable lore explanation as to why Soldier Shepard can't use cryo blast or incinerate. You have to accept this is simply a gameplay and game balance issue.

[Xeranx]

TexasToast712 wrote...

Xeranx wrote...

TexasToast712 wrote...

Only problem is that if they make ammo a weapon mod then where does Warp Ammo come in? Warp ammo is a biotic using his own mass effect fields to enhance his weapons projectiles which doesnt make it some piece of machinery you can slap on your gun. I love warp ammo!.

I don't even know what the point of the warp ammo is.  Warp as I understood it creates a mass effect field around the target and crushes them (armor or the target itself) thereby changing or attempting to change the shape of armor/target.  Warp ammo doesn't make sense.

Who cares? It ripped through shields, barriers, armor, and flesh and looked extremely cool on all my guns and was awesome having it match my Vanguard Shep's purple/white armor.

Warp is a contruction of a mass effect field that's utilized through concentration by the individual to perform a specific function.  That warp ammo block is then shredded (during the course of combat) into several bullets housing a mass effect field suspended by a mass effect field until fired to perform a task that's usually done with the power of the mind doesn't make sense.  

wizardryforever wrote...

Xeranx wrote...

TexasToast712 wrote...

Only problem is that if they make ammo a weapon mod then where does Warp Ammo come in? Warp ammo is a biotic using his own mass effect fields to enhance his weapons projectiles which doesnt make it some piece of machinery you can slap on your gun. I love warp ammo!.

I don't even know what the point of the warp ammo is.  Warp as I understood it creates a mass effect field around the target and crushes them (armor or the target itself) thereby changing or attempting to change the shape of armor/target.  Warp ammo doesn't make sense.

I was under the impression (from the codex) that warp created rapidly shifting mass effect fields that shredded objects they came into contact with.  By that logic, it would be like adjusting your weapons' mass effect projectors to duplicate the effect with each shot fired.

After checking the wiki that appears to be the case.  I thought it was different and unfortunately don't have ME installed on my computer after I did a reinstall of my OS.  I don't know if it says differently, but until I find out if it does I won't contest it.  In either case, warp is a power.  In ME2 it can be harnessed as ammo.  Why that is I haven't the foggiest, but still doesn't make sense as it always involved biotics and biotics are Mass Effects form of psychic ability as referenced on the wiki: http://masseffect.wi...om/wiki/Biotics

Modifié par Xeranx, 09 juin 2011 - 08:35 .

[Xeranx]

CaptainZaysh wrote...

Soldiers are clearly not changing ammo blocks. They press a button on the weapon to switch from cryo to incendiary. (My guess is that the weapon has some kind of internal minifacturing facility, it's building the ammunition on the fly.)

You're right, all classes should be able to press all buttons on their weapons.

Also all classes should be able to press all buttons on their omni-tools. There is no reasonable lore explanation as to why Soldier Shepard can't use cryo blast or incinerate. You have to accept this is simply a gameplay and game balance issue.

I understand that.  But, people made reference to Shepard being special forces so the "lazy aim" of ME is pointless.  At the same time not one of those people made any reference to Shepard's ability to use tech (I aquiecessed that bit in another thread, but I think I can discuss it better now) or biotics since they're trained in either or both skills.  

Everything is more in-line now, more or less, in terms of damage getting better as you level up.  Yet I get the distinct impression that those people wouldn't have had an issue if they had to level up their tech/biotic abilities, but the damage done with the use of firearms was actually based on how much damage that firearm can manage on a target.

[CaptainZaysh]

"Levelling up" tech attacks is another thing that makes no sense outside of gameplay considerations - does the Bose Einsten condensate in my cryo blast somehow get colder after I help Thane reconcile with his son?

[wizardryforever]

Xeranx wrote...

wizardryforever wrote...

Xeranx wrote...

And what of ammo powers then since they're simply just ammo put into a gun?  Is it right for one to have access to all and others have limited access?

I was under the impression (and I think it was clarified somewhere by someone in the know) that using an ammo skill was basically having the character make field adjustments to his weapon to alter its functionality.  This isn't a matter of "insert disrupter ammo here," or "push this button for cryo ammo," it just looks like that because of the basic animation we are given.  Altering the way the weapon works, in the field, on the fly, is something that not just everyone can do.  It requires some training.  I'd be fine if they made ammo mods, but then the ammo skills let you change your ammo type during combat, when everyone else would need to find a workbench.

More to the bold, what does that matter in response to Lunatic's statement?  

His statement for Shepard's use of guns being transfered in our use of Shepard is that Shepard is special forces.  What that says to me (and I feel should say to everyone else) is that whether Shepard is a soldier, vanguard, infiltrator, adept, sentinel, or engineer should have no bearing on Shepard's ability to point, aim, and fire on a target.  I'm further implying then that it should also include Shepard's use of ammo types.  

Regardless of what class you are you would know how your weapon functions.  You would know how to exchange an ammo block on a shotgun if you were a vanguard.  Likewise, you would know how to exhance an ammo block on a sniper rifle if you were an infiltrator.  Why would you be prohibited from being able to change ammo blocks on the fly just because you weren't a "soldier" seeing as Shepard is a Special Forces Space Marine regardless of class?

I guess I should have quoted just you, since it was just you I was addressing.  Shepard's N7 training is generic commando type stuff, how to use your weapons, how to move in armor, how to take advantage of cover, and how to melee enemies.  His specialist training (what makes each class different) may or may not include ammo skills.  It depends on how dependent that training is on using weapons.  Soldiers, Infiltrators, and Vanguards all receive ammo skills because at least part of their specialist training involved in-the-field gun modification.  And yes, Infiltrators and Vanguards do have ammo skills, just not as many as the Soldier, which makes sense.  It is not simply a matter of pressing a button on the gun, it just looks like that because of the animation.  Nor is Shepard necessarily doing anything to the ammo block.  Mass Effect weapons are pretty complicated, and are likely subject to tweaks that are not possible/plausible in modern weapons.

[In Exile]

A SILENT EMU wrote...
The soldier has the ability to use more weapons, he shouldn't have any powers.  In fact, he is still the most used class in the game.  Ammo as a power truly is a stupid idea.  It was so sweet when you could customize you weapons with ammo upgrades in ME1.

So, the answer is that in an RPG, a class should have zero abilities?

[wizardryforever]

Xeranx wrote...

Warp is a contruction of a mass effect field that's utilized through concentration by the individual to perform a specific function.  That warp ammo block is then shredded (during the course of combat) into several bullets housing a mass effect field suspended by a mass effect field until fired to perform a task that's usually done with the power of the mind doesn't make sense.  

wizardryforever wrote...

Xeranx wrote...

TexasToast712 wrote...

Only problem is that if they make ammo a weapon mod then where does Warp Ammo come in? Warp ammo is a biotic using his own mass effect fields to enhance his weapons projectiles which doesnt make it some piece of machinery you can slap on your gun. I love warp ammo!.

I don't even know what the point of the warp ammo is.  Warp as I understood it creates a mass effect field around the target and crushes them (armor or the target itself) thereby changing or attempting to change the shape of armor/target.  Warp ammo doesn't make sense.

I was under the impression (from the codex) that warp created rapidly shifting mass effect fields that shredded objects they came into contact with.  By that logic, it would be like adjusting your weapons' mass effect projectors to duplicate the effect with each shot fired.

After checking the wiki that appears to be the case.  I thought it was different and unfortunately don't have ME installed on my computer after I did a reinstall of my OS.  I don't know if it says differently, but until I find out if it does I won't contest it.  In either case, warp is a power.  In ME2 it can be harnessed as ammo.  Why that is I haven't the foggiest, but still doesn't make sense as it always involved biotics and biotics are Mass Effects form of psychic ability as referenced on the wiki: http://masseffect.wi...om/wiki/Biotics

What doesn't make sense about it?  Biotics are simply using your brain's electrochemistry to create mass effect fields for personal use.  There is no reason why you can't use some other source than your brain to duplicate that effect.  In this case, you use the mass effect projectors already present in the weapon to add the effect to each projectile as it passes through the barrel.  This way, in addition to the base damage of the impact, there is a mass effect field that warps the target.  It makes sense in context.

[Xeranx]

wizardryforever wrote...

I guess I should have quoted just you, since it was just you I was addressing.  Shepard's N7 training is generic commando type stuff, how to use your weapons, how to move in armor, how to take advantage of cover, and how to melee enemies.  His specialist training (what makes each class different) may or may not include ammo skills.  It depends on how dependent that training is on using weapons.  Soldiers, Infiltrators, and Vanguards all receive ammo skills because at least part of their specialist training involved in-the-field gun modification.  And yes, Infiltrators and Vanguards do have ammo skills, just not as many as the Soldier, which makes sense.  It is not simply a matter of pressing a button on the gun, it just looks like that because of the animation.  Nor is Shepard necessarily doing anything to the ammo block.  Mass Effect weapons are pretty complicated, and are likely subject to tweaks that are not possible/plausible in modern weapons.

In ME2 they have ammo skills.  In ME they have mods.  As I said, it doesn't matter what class Shepard is he/she will know how their weapon functions.  Ammo, is ammo.  If I'm training to fire shotguns, I will run the gamut with every single shotgun there is.  I will know how they load, how fast it will take me to load, and how bad the recoil will be.  There will be no not knowing how to load ammo in any shotgun I use.  If I have incendiary shells, rubber shells, buckshot, etc, for any shotgun I want to use I wil know how to load those in my firearm of choice.  A restriction on ammo use is nonsensical in that regard.  

The only way you can put a restriction on ammo use in any firearm is to make the blocks of ammo larger or smaller depending on what firearm is intended to use it.  Seeing as each block of ammo is uniform there's no reason to restrict ammo.

If Shepard's Special Forces training is generic and there is another level to which he/she can reach then it makes sense that any new firearm encountered will have to take some getting used to and leveling up in ME could be that you're more used to how any particular weapon handles and are therefore better able to wield it.

And I don't feel you can only address me as my comment was addressing Lunatic's post and I was waiting for him to address the implication that he believes that being able to operate firearms is something that should be second nature, but managing use of ammo isn't something that should be second nature.  As he has said numerous times, Shepard is Special Forces.  That means you should be completely cognizant of what your role and skills are in any given situation.  Managing use of ammo should be no different.

[wizardryforever]

Xeranx wrote...

wizardryforever wrote...

I guess I should have quoted just you, since it was just you I was addressing.  Shepard's N7 training is generic commando type stuff, how to use your weapons, how to move in armor, how to take advantage of cover, and how to melee enemies.  His specialist training (what makes each class different) may or may not include ammo skills.  It depends on how dependent that training is on using weapons.  Soldiers, Infiltrators, and Vanguards all receive ammo skills because at least part of their specialist training involved in-the-field gun modification.  And yes, Infiltrators and Vanguards do have ammo skills, just not as many as the Soldier, which makes sense.  It is not simply a matter of pressing a button on the gun, it just looks like that because of the animation.  Nor is Shepard necessarily doing anything to the ammo block.  Mass Effect weapons are pretty complicated, and are likely subject to tweaks that are not possible/plausible in modern weapons.

In ME2 they have ammo skills.  In ME they have mods.  As I said, it doesn't matter what class Shepard is he/she will know how their weapon functions.  Ammo, is ammo.  If I'm training to fire shotguns, I will run the gamut with every single shotgun there is.  I will know how they load, how fast it will take me to load, and how bad the recoil will be.  There will be no not knowing how to load ammo in any shotgun I use.  If I have incendiary shells, rubber shells, buckshot, etc, for any shotgun I want to use I wil know how to load those in my firearm of choice.  A restriction on ammo use is nonsensical in that regard.  

The only way you can put a restriction on ammo use in any firearm is to make the blocks of ammo larger or smaller depending on what firearm is intended to use it.  Seeing as each block of ammo is uniform there's no reason to restrict ammo.

If Shepard's Special Forces training is generic and there is another level to which he/she can reach then it makes sense that any new firearm encountered will have to take some getting used to and leveling up in ME could be that you're more used to how any particular weapon handles and are therefore better able to wield it.

And I don't feel you can only address me as my comment was addressing Lunatic's post and I was waiting for him to address the implication that he believes that being able to operate firearms is something that should be second nature, but managing use of ammo isn't something that should be second nature.  As he has said numerous times, Shepard is Special Forces.  That means you should be completely cognizant of what your role and skills are in any given situation.  Managing use of ammo should be no different.

*rubs temples* 
I bolded the earlier part since you seem to have completely missed it.  In a lot of ways, it almost looks like you didn't read anything I wrote.  I bolded the second part to draw attention to the fact that the ammo skills may or may not actually be doing anything to the ammo itself.  I would also like to reiterate that being able to apply modifications in the field is almost certainly not covered in standard N7 training.  You can be an efficient commando without being able to field-mod your weapons, whereas you cannot be one if you can't use all of your weapons effectively.  If you want to get technical, then Shepard never learned most of these things in his N7 training, and it was only afterward, after deployment, that he picked up these skills.

If you're an engineer say, or an adept, then your training time is going to be focused on using tech or biotics to their full potential.  That is your specialty, and it would dilute your abilities spending time learning the ins and outs of your weapons to the same degree that a more gun-oriented class would.  Shepard knows how to use guns effectively, but he may or may not know how to apply modifications to his (admittedly quite complex by our standards) weaponry in the field, with people shooting at him.  Knowing the weapons inside and out is what gun oriented classes do, and that knowledge is not, I repeat, NOT, common to absolutely everyone.  Consider how many people we ever see (both on or off the squad) who use specialized ammo.  Very few.

If it makes you feel better, don't think of it as literal "ammo," but more of a field mod to the gun itself that requires special training above and beyond the standard Alliance training (even N7).  That seems to be the source of a lot of hangups for nay-sayers.

[tjzsf]

Trying again - why not:
Make ammo mods available to everyone, since that was the case in ME1 and it seems to be just replacing the metal block that the gun shaves bits from (with the sole exception of Warp ammo). It is not a complicated process like field-modding your gun, or acquiring a rating with a tech/skill-intensive weapon.

Replace the Soldier's ammo powers with stuff that increases accuracy or current heat capacity (say it's a combat cooler or something that makes Shep calm down and have better fire control), or something that increases storm speed and melee, or any other boosts to damage-dealing. Like, "krogan rush" or "calm under fire" instead of incendiary/cryo ammo. Also, if you wish to counter this argument, simply stating how these alternate suggestions wouldn't work doesn't cut it, as the burden is not on me to provide an alternative that is implementable in the final version of ME3, only to demonstrate that such an alternative would not be unfeasible.

Also, Soldiers can't use Incinerate or Cryo Blast because they don't have ratings with the omnitool app, just like how not everyone is quall'ed to tote around the squad machine gun or designated marksmen rifle so not everyone uses it.

As for selecting the "wrong" ammo type, that's why you have multiple guns in the first place - at the very least you have HPs and SMGs, so just put different ammo types in each gun to cover most of your bases.

[Dem_B]

Ammo powers caused a great resonance, many do not like this system. Will be very sorry if the developers simply ignore our ideas.

There are some good ideas and there is a significant reason why the developers would not change anything - no time.
No time for a good ideas, devs do not have time to do everything right. I am very sad and very sorry.

But may be there is still a chance that our proposals will be heard and that something will change for the better.
I want to hope, I will.
 

[olymind1]

i liked radioactive ammo in ME1, but even more the acid/corrosive bullet, i hope its coming back

[ComputerEnthusiast]

Tony Gunslinger wrote:
I agree that from a lore perspective ammo powers for combat-only classes are flaky, but they did make combat classes unique and kept the game from becoming just a simple shooter. I'm open to suggestions for more combat powers in place of them, but so far none of the suggestions would make sense based on 'lore' either.

Overkill/Marksmen/Carnage/Assassination boosts weapon damage, so how are they different than ammo powers? Does the soldier possess a psychic ability to manipulate the mass effect accelerator inside the weapon, or make the bullets hit harder? These powers are either a button you press on the gun, which any class can do -- they all have fingers as far as I can tell -- or they're a subsitute for 'weapon mastery' based on mystical RPG interpretations, which would be no different than properties like 'strength' and 'dexterity'.

Does the soldier possess a psychic ability to manipulate the mass effect accelerator inside the weapon, or make the bullets hit harder? No, but solder is trained with guns so that he could fire the gun with much less recoil and require a fewer shots to take down enemies. By saying fewer shots, i mean solder is familiar with many types of weapons so (s)he can aim with ease and keep pulling the trigger all the time is a lot different than having a short bust (You cannot STEADY YOUR AIM IF YOU KEEP PULLING THE TRIGGER). That's why solder gain damage boost.

Modifié par ComputerEnthusiast, 10 juin 2011 - 10:11 .

[TexasToast712]

Oblivious wrote...

The only ammo power supported by lore is Warp Ammo in which Shepard or Jack use their extensive biotic powers to increase the velocity and strength of the bullets. That should have been a standard power for Adepts and Vanguards rather than an unlockable one since I always used it on my Vanguard. I hope it makes a return in ME3 since that was the only good "jack of all trades" ammo type.

You think the same way I do! I use Warp on my ultimate Vanguard build.

I hope it returns as well.

[Abram730]

In Exile wrote...

Let's say you cut ammo powers - what actual abilities do you give to a soldier? Magic bullets? To create tactical depth between classes, outside of weapon restrictions, you have to give the soldier something. Making weapon mods a talent and giving the solider all mods addresses that.

I like the additional mod idea.. like an under the barrel grenade launcher or shotgun and evolve unlocks like cluster bomblets or thermobaric.. Have the power icon be shooting it like concussive shot

Overcharged shot.. Generates an entire clip worth of heat
Evolves
Well they say enemies will drop their weapons..
Perhaps a solder can overcharge them to the point of breaking them in one devistating shot.. or make them overheat to the point of detonation and use them like an improvised grenade(charged power).
If enemies will pick up weapons
Then you could drop the gun while doing charged improvised grenade power.. you get an IEG(Improvised Explosive Gun)

[CaptainZaysh]

tjzsf wrote...

Replace the Soldier's ammo powers with stuff that increases accuracy

Wouldn't work since we no longer have an accuracy stat.

tjzsf wrote...
or current heat capacity (say it's a combat cooler or something that makes Shep calm down and have better fire control),

Seems weak.  Soldiers already have more ammo than everybody else (since they carry more weapons).  It'd have to be a hell of a long firefight to run out of ammo for your sniper rifle, assault rifle, shotgun and handgun.

tjzsf wrote...
or something that increases storm speed and melee,

Then you're encouraging the Soldier not to use their weapons, which is supposed to be their main feature.

tjzsf wrote...
or any other boosts to damage-dealing. Like, "krogan rush" or "calm under fire" instead of incendiary/cryo ammo.

So a class ability that increases damage with all weapons by X%?  The trouble with that is it would be overpowering if the Soldier could then also boost his damage by loading Incendiary ammo.  (About the only way I can imagine it working would be if Soldiers were not allowed to use special ammo types, which just reverses your problem.)

tjzsf wrote...
Also, if you wish to counter this argument, simply stating how these alternate suggestions wouldn't work doesn't cut it, as the burden is not on me to provide an alternative that is implementable in the final version of ME3, only to demonstrate that such an alternative would not be unfeasible.

Saying "it could feasibly be done better" is not very constructive if you can't come up with any workable suggestions.  I think the devs probably did experiment with all kinds of powers, and the system they came up with was the best they could do without breaking the game.

tjzsf wrote...
Also, Soldiers can't use Incinerate or Cryo Blast because they don't have ratings with the omnitool app, just like how not everyone is quall'ed to tote around the squad machine gun or designated marksmen rifle so not everyone uses it. 

So you'll accept that, but not accept that not everybody in the squad is rated for specialist ammo.  Weird.

[Someone With Mass]

Just to let it out there. Every class in ME3 can carry all weapons.

[CaptainZaysh]

Someone With Mass wrote...

Just to let it out there. Every class in ME3 can carry all weapons.

I think only Soldiers can carry them all at once, though.  So they're the last class that would need more ammo.

[Xeranx]

wizardryforever wrote...
*rubs temples*  I bolded the earlier part since you seem to have completely missed it.  In a lot of ways, it almost looks like you didn't read anything I wrote.  I bolded the second part to draw attention to the fact that the ammo skills may or may not actually be doing anything to the ammo itself.  I would also like to reiterate that being able to apply modifications in the field is almost certainly not covered in standard N7 training.  You can be an efficient commando without being able to field-mod your weapons, whereas you cannot be one if you can't use all of your weapons effectively.  If you want to get technical, then Shepard never learned most of these things in his N7 training, and it was only afterward, after deployment, that he picked up these skills.
If you're an engineer say, or an adept, then your training time is going to be focused on using tech or biotics to their full potential.  That is your specialty, and it would dilute your abilities spending time learning the ins and outs of your weapons to the same degree that a more gun-oriented class would.  Shepard knows how to use guns effectively, but he may or may not know how to apply modifications to his (admittedly quite complex by our standards) weaponry in the field, with people shooting at him.  Knowing the weapons inside and out is what gun oriented classes do, and that knowledge is not, I repeat, NOT, common to absolutely everyone.  Consider how many people we ever see (both on or off the squad) who use specialized ammo.  Very few.
If it makes you feel better, don't think of it as literal "ammo," but more of a field mod to the gun itself that requires special training above and beyond the standard Alliance training (even N7).  That seems to be the source of a lot of hangups for nay-sayers.

As this may be kind of long, I cut out my post you quoted.
In reference to the bold part: how would you know this?  You're making an assumption based on what?  And yes, I did read what you wrote.  You're making the incorrect interpretation that I'm treating ammo skills as a button push.  I said "load".  I did not say "push button".
To be an efficient commando requires proficiency.  Without proficiency you cannot be an efficient commando.  Looking up any background information I could (if I may borrow from real world sources) I came across a few things that would suggest that Shepard, during the course of his/her career, should know what to do with ammo in regards to the weapon loadout for each class if not being completely capable of using every single weapon efficiently.  What is key is that profiency with weaponry is honed annually in the US Marine Corp:
http://www.tecom.usm...nual_Traing.htm --> "Annual Training Requirements Matrix"
I also want to reference this:

Combatready Marines must be skilled in tactics and highly proficient in the  use of firearms.

 Source: http://www.marines.m...MCO 3574.2K.pdf
I would think that proficient use of firearms isn't limited to how to shoot, but also how to load.  Knowing when ammo is low, and knowing whether or not you're in range to fire a shot on a target among other things.
Shepard enlisted in the Alliance Navy at 18 and has been with the Alliance Navy for 11 years by the time of the events that occurred in Mass Effect.  Annual training from enlistment to graduating to N7 status would lead me to assume Shepard would be proficient in various forms of combat as it pertains to him/her and not just weaponry.
US Special Forces training --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzaQbSDXb7U-- combines six phases of instruction and growth.  In Shepard's case that would be on top of all formal instruction received.  Seeing as language is not a vital part of the Alliance Military's skillset with the introduction of universal translators, that allows for another avenue for Shepard to hone another skill... if you don't view my above example as suitable.  In any case, that means the only one who wouldn't be as profiecient as the others would be the Sentinel.  Though being a marine for 11 years would probably help even things out.  Even then as mentioned in the youtube video, a Special Forces agent can learn additional skills.
Also regarding that Shepard is a LT. Commander and in our services now it's pretty hard to advance without showing ability if there's a possibility for advancement at all.  

My dad joined the Navy 30 years ago and went E1-O4 in 18 years. That is actually pretty quick for someone that went through all the enlisted ranks.

 source: http://answers.yahoo...23054514AA7h5S5 ("How long does it take to make Lieutenant Commander in the Navy?")

In order to promote you, there has to be a spot open. so if you are a lance corporal and there are no corporal spots open in your job, you will stay lance until one opens up. Also its based on your performance. If you dont do anything, they will promote a guy who has been thru a lot before they promote you.

Source: http://answers.yahoo...08105231AAjgcJh ("How long does it take to get promoted in the marines?")
Just for reference I want to add that a LT. Commander in the Navy is equivalent to that of a Major in the Marines.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_commander_(United_States)
Also another point of reference about what weapons and equipment Marines are trained in: 
http://www.marines.c...d_equipment/m16

Modifié par Xeranx, 10 juin 2011 - 03:42 .