Lt. Commander Ashley Williams thread: "Don't 'Ash' me!" We're Back Baby!

DWH1982 wrote...

I think the way to handle ME2 wouln't have been to have Shepard realize he was working for Cerberus (which makes no sense at all for a paragon Shep, btw).

Someone else laid out this idea elswhere on the BSN. Basically, you'd be taking missoins from the Council, but they either don't want to deal with the Reapers or refuse to accept that they exist. They want you to clean up the last remaining pockets of the geth that are outside of the veil.

At the same time you're trying to do this, you bump into Miranda, who claims to be with "Alliance Intelligence." She puts you in touch with TIM, who also claims to be with that organization - and he offers missions that are relevant to the Reapers. The catch is, doing a Reaper mission costs you the chance to do a geth mission. So, you either have to find a balance between keeping the Council and TIM happy, or just say screw it, and pick one over the other. On top of those missions, you also have recruiting missions to put together a crack team (newcomers would perhaps be paired down to Miranda, Jacob, Thane, Mordin, and Legion) and their loyalty missions, though recruitment and loyalty missions would not "cost" you the chance to do any other missions.

In the end, you have a situation similar to what was going on in the Arrival DLC, and your ability to handle it without losing squad members depends on how much time you spent successfully investigating the Reapers. However, if you spent all of your time on the Reapers, you effectively alienate the Council, which puts you in a worse position going in to ME3.

At some point in the game, you also find out that Miranda and TIM are Cerberus, not Alliance Intel, forcing you to make choices there, and so on. Of course, this is all a very rough idea that also doesn't account for the impact of certain factors, such as if you have a human dominated Council led by Anderson (which would almost certainly believe you on the Reapers). But I think it would have been an interesting approach for ME2.

EDIT: You are right, though. Even if I wish ME2 had been done differently, I did enjoy the dynamic of "coming back to Ash" after all that time away from her. Which makes me think that, as much as I was bitter about not having Ash DLC, maybe it was better we didn't.

I just wish there were more meat to the Shepard-Ash relationship in ME3.

Interesting. I would re-write ME2 like this:

Mass Effect 2 According to Youth4Ever

Of the newly introduced characters, only four would have made it out of pre-production had I been in charge. Miranda, Mordin, Legion, and Thane. No one else has an impact on ME3's main storyline thus they aren't necessary in ME2. They take up screen time better spent elsewhere. Developing the main storyline, in my opinion. Garrus and Tali would have made the final roster cut and rounded out the squad at an ME1 style six members. The player isn't given as much squad variety, not nearly as many spare parts to tinker with. But that's just what ME2's extraneous characters were. Spare parts.

Squad pick-up would have been more effectively tied more to the main storyline a la Mordin for Garrus, Tali, and Thane. Loyalty missions would have overlapped with the one another and overlapped with the main plot. Miranda's and Thane's mission could have intersected. And obviously Tali's and Legion's could have crossed paths. Tali's squad pick-up would have more effectively established the dark engergy plotline as important for ME3. Mordin's would have been given a separate and Tuchanka centric mission. Garrus would have been given a separate and Omega centric mission with Aria T'loak playing a much more active role in shaping the view and landscape of Omega, establishing more firmly Omega's potential role in ME3.

Escape from Cerberus facility.

Freedom's Progress.

Mordin and Garrus Squad Pick-up as well as Garrus' "loyalty" mission. Garrus is already a friend his storyline will just be explored in depth earlier. Conversations about Archangel and his changes in attitude would still present themselves onboard the Normandy and be geared to shaping Shepard's attitude towards an any means necessary approach. Rejecting or accepting such an approach.

Horizon would still have taken place. Shepard would have attempted to explain, in vain, to the VS their temporary ties to Cerberus. A longer and more in depth argument would have ensued, however. Shepard would have made his/her best appeal to the VS's heart, not their head, and still weary, the VS departs. Later a voiced version of the apology email is received.

After Horizon Shepard goes to Anderson and encourages him to do something to protect colonies in the Terminus space from this boogeyman. Details how dangerous and real the Collector threat is. Anderson tells him the Alliance is doing all it can without starting a war in the Terminus systems and that this ultimately falls to Shepard.

Mordin Tuchanka-centric mission.

Tali Squad Pick-up. Dark energy plot established as critical for ME3. Tali has sensitive intel on Cerberus escapee Gillian Grayson. Explains the bad blood between Cerberus and the Quarian fleet. Reinforces Tali's distrust of Cerberus, but willingness to trust Shepard. Voices distrust of Cerberus Operative Miranda citing her blind distrust of Cerberus on Freedom's Progress. Brief confrontation between Miranda and Tali, nothing serious and is settled after Tali first boards.

Tali's loyalty mission. Hendal and Gillian are aboard the flagship of the flotilla waiting for passage on another Quarian ship.

Shepard would be confronted with arguably Cerberus' most controversial and morally disgusting experiment. Using an autistic twelve year old child to push the ceiling of human biotics. A comparison between Shepard and Gillian would have been made to emphasize Shepard 2.0 as a Cerberus tool. Billed as being used for the greater good. Same as Gillian except s/he has accepted their role and fate. Out of the mouth of babes this would have an a profound affect on Shepard. Now s/he would slowly confront what and who they really are in their Cerberus incarnation.

Kai Leng would also have been introduced in ME2. The Cerberus villain tracking Gillian in Quarian space and Shepard's doppleganger. He contacts Miranda after learning the Normandy is operating in Quarian space for a potential lead. Exemplary Alliance soldier turned Cerberus drone fighting in the best interest of humanity etc. More soul searching on Shepard's part after this encounter. Trying to find out what Miranda knows, Leng would board the Normandy while Shepard and Tali and Garrus deal with the Geth. Thane and Miranda fight Kai Leng. Shepard would return to a tense situation on the ship. TIM would ultimately intervene instructing Leng to back down and leave the Normandy and the star cluster and begin a search for ex Cerberus operative Paul Grayson instead. Miranda would inform Shepard of Kai Leng and disapprove of his actions. Disapprove of what Cerberus did to Gillian. Mounting distrust of TIM.

Miranda's and Thane's joint loyalty mission on Ilium.

TIM orders Shepard to investigate the derelict Collector ship. Shepard begins to distrust and doubt TIM. More Shepard personal struggle against Harbinger. Exploration of modified reaper tech implanted in Shepard. Possible indoctrination mind game. Remind player how powerful enemy is and how many tricks the have up their sleeves, but also that Shepard has a strong will and is capable of defeating them. Symbolic of Shepard blocking everything else out, focusing solely on the Reapers, what he's willing to do/sacrifice to stop them. Will he sacrifice his humanity on all levels? His personal relationships, his morality and integrity, his individuality and will/control, has he already sacrificed his basic humanity as a cyborg? Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Emphasize this is not just a mission he has to see through. It is defining him. More confrontation on what he is. After the mission Shepard thinks on the events and on his situation. Laments on Wilson's betrayal. Was he trying to prevent something disastrous? Did his quote "Shepard's going to kill us all." really mean something? Laments on encounter with the VS. Acknowledges they were just trying to keep him honest and protect him.

Reaper IFF.

Legion's Loyalty mission.

Collector Base with Kai Leng foils. Mostly former Alliance soldiers who are working for Cerberus for the good of humanity. To do something worthwhile and impactful. Soldiers possibly in the mode of ME3's Major Coats.

Arrival DLC.

#32226
DWH1982

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:09

#32227
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:12

#32228
DWH1982

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:14

#32229
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:15

#32230
Ushanka

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:15

#32231
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:18

#32232
lil yonce

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:33

#32233
CptData

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:38

#32234
Ushanka

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:42

#32235
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:45

#32236
Ushanka

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:48

#32237
lil yonce

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:58

#32238
PMC65

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:59

#32239
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 10:51

#32240
dahellraider

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 11:10

#32241
Dannycni

Posté 24 mai 2012 - 11:25

#32242
DWH1982

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 12:11

#32243
Dannycni

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:11

#32244
survivor_686

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:14

#32245
Dannycni

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:16

#32246
DWH1982

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:40

#32247
Dannycni

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:44

#32248
Dannycni

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:00

#32249
DWH1982

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:04

#32250
BP93

Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:56

Lt. Commander Ashley Williams thread: "Don't 'Ash' me!" We're Back Baby!

#32226 DWH1982 Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:09

#32227 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:12

#32228 DWH1982 Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:14

#32229 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:15

#32230 Ushanka Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:15

#32231 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:18

#32232 lil yonce Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:33

#32233 CptData Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:38

#32234 Ushanka Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:42

#32235 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:45

#32236 Ushanka Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:48

#32237 lil yonce Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:58

#32238 PMC65 Posté 24 mai 2012 - 09:59

#32239 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 10:51

#32240 dahellraider Posté 24 mai 2012 - 11:10

#32241 Dannycni Posté 24 mai 2012 - 11:25

#32242 DWH1982 Posté 25 mai 2012 - 12:11

#32243 Dannycni Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:11

#32244 survivor_686 Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:14

#32245 Dannycni Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:16

#32246 DWH1982 Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:40

#32247 Dannycni Posté 25 mai 2012 - 01:44

#32248 Dannycni Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:00

#32249 DWH1982 Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:04

#32250 BP93 Posté 25 mai 2012 - 02:56

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