148 réponses à ce sujet

[Eternalsteelfan]

I was disappointed when I read in the stickied IGN article that the boy in the vents from the Earth demo was real. There was some psychological theorizing going on that the boy may have been a hallucination or figment of Shephard's mind. This made sense to me considering the traumas Shephard has been through, for example: the experience of the Prothean beacon, the inability to save his friend or lover on Virmire, the assault on the Citadel, death/rebirth, and now the greatest nightmare realized: the invasion of Earth by the reapers with millions upon millions dying. This brings me to my point: along with being savior of the galaxy, Shephard is a flawed, imperfect human being; as such, there should be some wearing on his mind. Despite his badassitude and the weight of the universe on his shoulders, every human has a breaking point.

Under the kind of stresses Shephard has been exposed to, it's only reasonable to expect some signs of duress or weakness. In Mass Effect (the first) there was one brief moment I recall before the final planet where Shephard was sitting down against the wall, this is the only time I can think of Shephard showing his mortality. Post-Traumatic Stress is terribly common amongst soldiers and anyone who faces strong traumas like death, near death, and even the deaths or near deaths of others. We need to see Shephard showing some signs of the mental wear he has doubtlessly experienced.

I'm a film student with a concentration on screenwriting whom has nearly finished his education, as such I have some authority, take it for what it's worth, when I say the greatest protagonists (and antagonists!) are the ones whose struggles we can seen and experience, those who are flawed and show weakness at times. If this finale is to be as emotionally impactful as Bioware claims, we're going to need to see past Shepard's the facade of strength.

TL;DR
Despite his badassitude, Shephard needs some moments of weakness in light of the three games full of tragedy.

Modifié par Eternalsteelfan, 13 juin 2011 - 12:12 .

[Clonedzero]

psychological issues wouldnt work well in a story like this. basically because theres too many variables to make the condition believable.

saying its from the beacons and cipher makes no sense with visions like that.

basically, save that stuff for another game where it'd work alot better.

[kreite]

I see but you have to understand that some people do prefer shephard to by a psycologically (spelling) invincible superman. And just so you know the kid was real, you see him later (or so I am led to believe)

[Kronner]

Sorry if my Shepard doesn't see kids that do not exist. I'd find it really annoying to be honest with you.

[Eternalsteelfan]

Clonedzero wrote...

psychological issues wouldnt work well in a story like this. basically because theres too many variables to make the condition believable.

saying its from the beacons and cipher makes no sense with visions like that.

basically, save that stuff for another game where it'd work alot better.

I think you misunderstand, I'm not saying it's Prothean visions, I'm saying the traumas Shepard has endured would have a visible effect on his psyche.

[Clonedzero]

Eternalsteelfan wrote...

Clonedzero wrote...

psychological issues wouldnt work well in a story like this. basically because theres too many variables to make the condition believable.

saying its from the beacons and cipher makes no sense with visions like that.

basically, save that stuff for another game where it'd work alot better.

I think you misunderstand, I'm not saying it's Prothean visions, I'm saying the traumas Shepard has endured would have a visible effect on his psyche.

exactly. everyones playthroughs are different. hell their backround is different. having just random stuff like that would be out of place and just confusing to most players unless there was a root cause. since every shepard is at least a little different creating a root cause would only be possible with things that all shepards have done.

having shepard survive days of seige as a war hero holding a city solo, or watching his whole unit get eaten by giant space worms, or slaughtering unarmed batarians would ALL have a bigger psychological toll on shepard than anything specific in the series so far. basically if shepard was goign to break he would have by now.

just saying "he's got issues cus he's been through stuff" is really unclear and poorly executed from a writing perspective. it'd have to be from a root cause like i said, without one its just well pointless in the story.

but i get where you're coming from, characters having mental breakdowns and hallucinations can be SUPER interesting in a story, i just dont think it'd work very well in mass effect.

[PlumPaul93]

Works in Dead Space but probably wouldn't work for ME. Although I would like shepard to have some flashbacks if he was earthborn. Doubt it will happen though

[mineralica]

I strongly doubt that Shepard's weakness should be introduced through hallucinations - first, no one will give weapon to person with hallucinations (who knows what he'll see next time?) and second, it will be just another plot arc in a game full of more important (reapers, rachni, krogans, geth/quarians) unresolved plot arcs

[Dannyboy9876]

Maybe it might be a good idea for Shep to show a weakness sometimes, but I don't want my Shepard hallucinating and seeing small boys in vents.

[Eternalsteelfan]

Clonedzero wrote...

Eternalsteelfan wrote...

Clonedzero wrote...

psychological issues wouldnt work well in a story like this. basically because theres too many variables to make the condition believable.

saying its from the beacons and cipher makes no sense with visions like that.

basically, save that stuff for another game where it'd work alot better.

I think you misunderstand, I'm not saying it's Prothean visions, I'm saying the traumas Shepard has endured would have a visible effect on his psyche.

exactly. everyones playthroughs are different. hell their backround is different. having just random stuff like that would be out of place and just confusing to most players unless there was a root cause. since every shepard is at least a little different creating a root cause would only be possible with things that all shepards have done.

having shepard survive days of seige as a war hero holding a city solo, or watching his whole unit get eaten by giant space worms, or slaughtering unarmed batarians would ALL have a bigger psychological toll on shepard than anything specific in the series so far. basically if shepard was goign to break he would have by now.

just saying "he's got issues cus he's been through stuff" is really unclear and poorly executed from a writing perspective. it'd have to be from a root cause like i said, without one its just well pointless in the story.

but i get where you're coming from, characters having mental breakdowns and hallucinations can be SUPER interesting in a story, i just dont think it'd work very well in mass effect.

I wasn't trying to be specific about which incident would be a breaking point because I'm not a writer for Mass Effect 3, "he's got issues cus he's been trough stuff" stands to prove my point that he would not be the perfect bastion of mental integrity we've seen. It's time to see the cracks, the flaws, the pain, the weaknesses or Shepard will never be the great character Bioware has been crafting.

[Hathur]

Eternalsteelfan wrote...

Clonedzero wrote...

psychological issues wouldnt work well in a story like this. basically because theres too many variables to make the condition believable.

saying its from the beacons and cipher makes no sense with visions like that.

basically, save that stuff for another game where it'd work alot better.

I think you misunderstand, I'm not saying it's Prothean visions, I'm saying the traumas Shepard has endured would have a visible effect on his psyche.

The type of trauma you're describing far exceeds what many real world soldiers who endure severe cases of PTSD... They're haunted by nightmares, inability to concentrate, constant wide-ranging mood swings, severe depression and even suicidal tendencies.... non drug-induced hallucinations are not among them (at least not the one's who aren't taking narcotics or alcohol to try and bury their suffering).

Hallucinations would simply not fit.. there are better, more believable ways to introduce an element of stress & trauma on Shepard's emotional state... acid-trip like hallucinations are not one of them. Something as simple as a private, quiet scene in Shepard's quarters where she or he clutches / rests their head in their palms, hunched over a table... staring at a photo emptily of someone or someplace... a glassy mile-long stare off into nowhere in the middle of a briefing with someone before suddenly snapping back alert.... a burst of anger, smashing or throwing something while in his cabin alone before regaining compusure.

Subtlety in the matter would make it far more believable and somber.... extravagent over-the-top things like Shepard having hallucinations or breaking down in tears among his / her crew would be groan worthy.

Modifié par Hathur, 13 juin 2011 - 12:39 .

[FERMi27]

IGN is ****. Until I hear an official confirmation that he is real, I'm not believing this.
And you sir, OP, have created THIS thread, again! Leave this baby alone, it isnt worth all the attention. He was just in there to show us that we'll interogate with other generations throughout the game, alright? Don't make it dramatic, please.

[Raygereio]

For starters, Shep's thing really is that he/she is a billy badass with a mind of stainless steel. Take Shep's backgrounds from ME1, when you read those any normal person would already be having some serious potential traumas.
That and I'm having trouble how one can present something as PTSS, or other psychological trauma's in a videogame without it either:
-being turned down to the point where one doesn't even notice it.
-providing awkward transitions between cutscens and action oriented gameplay
-providing annoyances when one tries to shove something like this in the gameplay of a game that isn't build around this as a concept.

Modifié par Raygereio, 13 juin 2011 - 12:44 .

[2kgnsiika]

Shepard's psychological condition has been (and should be IMO) largely up to the player. His psychological responses are part of who he is, and I wouldn't want BW to say "Okay, now you're supposed to be traumatized."

[JackalofMons]

Ummmm, the great majority of soldiers who go through troughmatic experiences such as the loss of friends or repeated action don't go nuts.
Sure it would weigh heavily upon shepard considering the amount of pressure he/she is under, but that doesn't mean Shep would start hallucinating. This is made more unlikely by the type of individual Shep is supposed to be, resilient, determined etc.
The most likely scenario for Shepard's emotional strain to be presented is in his/her conversations with non-combatants, friends and LIs, as we have been able to explore in previous games to a limited extent. And as we have been shown in this ME3 gameplay footage regarding the child.

[Eternalsteelfan]

To clarify, I didn't say I support Shepard having vivid hallucinations, only that the theories of such caused me to think in greater depth about his psychological state. As such read the TL:DR if you must skim.

An example of what would be good in Mass Effect 3 is the DLC in 2 where you visit the crash site of the Normandy.

[Heimdall]

This isn't Dead Space amigo. A soldier who goes through a trauma years ago is not going to start spontaneously hallucinating and prothean devices do not cause them as far as we've seen.

[JackalofMons]

*Traumatic

On a side note, medical scientists have recently discovered the cause of severe PTSD, and are now looking at ways it can be cured/treated.

[AshleyS3]

I'd just like some conversation options that deal with the psychological trauma. I would choose them all the time because I feel like my Shepard definitely has some issues as a result of everything that's been happening (particularly dying and being brought back to life would be hugely traumatizing).

[Cypher0020]

While I kinda hoped the kid was a hallucination, there are other ways to deal with stress I suppose...

I'd like to see something... anything! Shep's been a lot.. something I doubt a simple 'how do you feel' can answer.....I'd be a babbling wreck by now

[Eternalsteelfan]

I'd say behavior that warrants an "I'm worried about you, commander", from a friend or confidant is a good place to start.

[Teknor]

No i don't want to play as a mentally scarred, seeing ghosts of the past man. Indoctrination is fine though.

[Eternalsteelfan]

Teknor wrote...

No i don't want to play as a mentally scarred, seeing ghosts of the past man. Indoctrination is fine though.

Nor does anyone who undergoes such events want to experience anguish.

[Teknor]

Eternalsteelfan wrote...

Nor does anyone who undergoes such events want to experience anguish.

Yeah but they are not Shepard.

[JackalofMons]

Also of note is that even today there is thorough psychological screening for special forces applicants, to make sure that the people they train for this high intensity role are mentally tough enough for the high pressures of the job. Considering this is the future, and that Shepard has reached the top level of special forces training and proficiency, he/she would likely have undergone more advanced psychological screening than we have available today.
Add to that the fact that Shepard was inducted into the Spectres, an even more selective group, he/she would have to be tough enough to endure the pressures of what he/she has been through. Either that or every psychiactric professional at each stage has made a monument stuff-up... unlikely.