50120 réponses à ce sujet

[SJNKD]

This particular chapter at least doesn't read as being Ashley-specific. Kudos for 'publishing'.
My honest opinion:
'looking at Ashley before looking down at the panel in front of him' -- the panel doesn't help you if you're trying to say that Shepard knew better than to engage eye contact with Ashley right now.
I don't get what was the point of that bickering sequence about Shepard not wanting Liara to go (on Thessia??? to 'protect' her? what is he, her babysitter?)
or Ashley, for that matter, she's a specter, a smart soldier, why do you have her counterproductively questioning Shepard's decision?
You make Shepard as quite a crappy commander actually: why does he shoot at a harvester, only to have it start firing at them, hindering their progress? And he ends up pinned down, so Liara has to come back, not to shoot at the harvester, but... grab Shepard's hand and pull him?
The 'combat' sequences are a tad awkward. Try to describe them from within, e.g. instead of just throwing a shockwave that slowed down the banshee, how about 'that staggered it for some precious few seconds of breathing room'?
All in all, I felt like I was reading something that is happening on a screen. A book is not a movie; I wanted to *feel* the characters' situation more.

Thank you for the constructive feedback, I'll go back and make some changes to the previous chapter. I'll admit I wasn't completely happy with it, I thought I could have done better. I rewrote the chapter twice because I wasn't happy. Might remove the bit about Miranda at the front, or even add a bit to flesh it out and get it more investigating like. Also will make changes to the next chapter.

[Aurora313]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I'm not continuing Duet Effect anymore. Too many bad memories are attached to it. And going back feels like picking at old wounds.

 

However, I have written down the major plot decisions for the first game's arc in the group's blog. You can find it here.

 

http://forum.bioware...ner/?p=19716312

 

PM with plot questions if you wanna know more.

 

Thank you.

[SGT NOOBSTER]

Sorry to hear that Aurora. You and Cpt. Data lead me to begin writing, and I have enjoyed it. I hope you don't give it up all together, your one-off dialogues were good.

 

And I missed posting on Ash page 2k. Oh well... here is a sorta Ash pic.

 

 

Or sorta Erica Cerra, you decide.

[DWH1982]

Sorry to hear you won't be continuing with that, Aurora. I never really had time to take a deep dive into fan fiction, but it's unfortunate when someone can't continue with something they've invested so much time in.

 

It's also understandable, though. I rarely listen to the ME soundtracks for similar reasons, even though I really like the music from ME. The ME3 music, in particular, dredges up lots of mixed feelings. For a long time, I didn't even keep "An End, Once and For All" on my MP3 player with the rest of the soundtrack, because it was too much of a reminder of the horrid endings.

 

Didn't finish my last ME3 playthrough. Just sort of stopped during my runthrough of the Citadel DLC, after most of the individual character meet ups but before the party, even. Not sure when I'll go back and do another trilogy playthrough. Been playing lots of Wasteland 2 lately, and it seems like there's lots to do in that game.

[Aurora313]

Yeah, its unfortunate, but the story reminds me too much of my late uncle whom I was very close to. I wrote the story as a coping mechanism.

 

With that said, I don't mind telling you the ending I had planned.

 

I had a spin on the Leviathan DLC where Katelyn offers to become their willing Agent if they help him against the Reapers. At the same time, John has been indoctrinated by the Reapers and essentially replaces Kai Leng's role in ME3.

 

The final chapter was a throw down between the twins before the final run. And even then, I was going to leave it intentionally vague as to who won and what ending took place.

 

As for the shipping aspects, the twins broke off with their respective partners for differing reasons.

[SGT NOOBSTER]

Thanks for the bullet points of where the story was headed. Sounds like it would be a good one.

[P. Domi]

Aurora, it's good to hear you're OK. I rarely visit this website, but I keep getting updates on you guys. I wrote my fic as a way to coping with the huge Mass Effect 3 disappointment. But writing it sometimes brought you memories of the trilogy's greatest moments, and the utter disaster wrapping up the story when it mattered the most. Writing is something you have to really be in the mood for, sometimes the late hours of the night, when you're alone and sipping from a cup of coffee or tea, you have this inspiration and start nailing paragraph after paragraph with almost no edits. Same for character conversations. 

 

If you have a chance to read "Spectres and Assassins", I recently finished the epilogue. I have to put my writing on an hiatus because of real life, but I'd like to write more stuff in the future.

[SJNKD]

Does anybody else when they see a character in the first game that dies in the second and third just laugh at the fact they are gonna die anyway and they have no hope of survival. Hehe.

Also on another note, I've played the first that many times I'm remembering dialogue by heart, it was quite funny actually when I realised. Never noticed it before but apparently I do it all the time according to my brother, Shepard and Ashley romance scene. Totally saying what they were saying before they said it.

[SJNKD]

New Version of Chapter 30 is up, I really took my time and and tried my best to edit but editing is not my strong suit.

 

EDIT: totally forgot the link, oops.

 

https://www.fanficti...y-The-Final-Act

[Whitering]

I am just coming up on the end of my all three game playthrough.  I finished the combat portions of Citadel DLC last night, pretty well done, bit shocking, great DLC. Since I am using MEHEM and Citadel ending though, I left the party and all the Silver Sun Strip interactions for after the end.

 

Ashley does not mesh with the rest of the crew the way Kaidan does. I kept Ashley because I felt she'd make the better Spectre, but I think I might as well send her to Hackett.

[SJNKD]

I am just coming up on the end of my all three game playthrough.  I finished the combat portions of Citadel DLC last night, pretty well done, bit shocking, great DLC. Since I am using MEHEM and Citadel ending though, I left the party and all the Silver Sun Strip interactions for after the end.

 

Ashley does not mesh with the rest of the crew the way Kaidan does. I kept Ashley because I felt she'd make the better Spectre, but I think I might as well send her to Hackett.

 

Ashley wasn't given the best content in Mass Effect 3, I was disappointed with what she got. I felt they could have done more than what they did. The only decent scene is probably her sex scene and probably what they put in the Extended cut. But then, that was put in after the initial game was released.

[DWH1982]

I think maybe they wanted to focus on members of the squad who were either popular or new. Ash has never been popular, at least to judge by what I've read on BSN and elsewhere. A lot of people genuinely don't want her on the squad in ME3, and more than a few take the second chance to kill her off.

 

I wonder if at least some of the remaining creative team just didn't care for her that much, too. There is some good content in there, at the hospital, for example, and the Citadel conversation where you can restart the relationship. But other times it feels like she's only in there because they felt they "had" to put her in. It is correct that she doesn't mesh well on the Normandy at all. Very few real conversations with Shepard, very little interaction with the other crew members. The game touches on parts of her character, but seems at times as though the writers were incapable or unwilling to go very deeper.

[CYRAX470]

Ya know, I always thought this was a bit odd. But, Ashley' second alternate outfit, the one with the Delumcore Overlay, doesn't have an Alliance emblem. Though Liara's very same outfit, does.

[DWH1982]

Can't say I ever noticed, though to be honest I never bothered with the alternate outfits that much.

[CYRAX470]

Can't say I ever noticed, though to be honest I never bothered with the alternate outfits that much.

 

It doesn't really bother me either, I love that outfit for Ashley. I just don't get why it wouldn't have an Alliance emblem. 

[themikefest]

I think maybe they wanted to focus on members of the squad who were either popular or new.

I believe you're correct. They brought in James for new players. Ashley/Kaidan could've filled that role. It wouldn't of been hard. When heading to Mars, Shepard is briefly introduced to Traynor and Steve. Steve drops off Shepard and Ashley/Kaidan. After dealing with the first wave of Cerberus soldiers, tell Steve to be on the lookout for more. The mission plays out the same except, Steve fires at the Cerberus shuttle causing it to crash to the ground. The evabot is dealt with without any injury to Ashley/Kaidan.

 

Ashley/Kaidan are able to go to Menea and Sur'Kesh. Even say a few words to Kirrahe. Ashley/Kaidan and Tali are the only ones guaranteed to meet Kirrahe in ME1 Both can have dialogue talking with Wrex if he's alive.

For the coup, have it where you learn that the council is trying to escape from thewir pursuers and Shepard heads that way. Once Shepard is caught up with the councilors, Udina tries to convince the other members that Shepard is with Cerberus. That will fail and he grabs the asari councilor at which point Shepard or one of the squadmates shoots Udina.
 

Ash has never been popular, at least to judge by what I've read on BSN and elsewhere. A lot of people genuinely don't want her on the squad in ME3,

I like her and I do the fewest amount of missions to get her back on the Normandy
 

and more than a few take the second chance to kill her off.

I agree. Of course that scene was lame. Why couldn't the other squadmates speak up and say that we've killed numerous Cerberus baddies and that Shepard is not with Cerberus? That might be enough for Ashley/Kaidan to lower their weapon. Unfortunately that doesn't happen, but the squadmates sure have no problem with shooting Ashley/Kaidan
 

[DWH1982]

Oh, Ash is still my favorite squadmate in the trilogy, even if many of the other fans dislike her. It's unfortunate - even with getting forced into Cerberus, there's still so much that feels right about ME2, to the point where it's possibly my favorite game in the trilogy. But, Ash isn't on the squad, and isn't in it at all except for the unpleasantness on Horizon.

 

I like your version of ME3, by the way. In the version that I kick around sometimes, Miranda is on Mars instead of Liara - who stayed behind to do Shadow Broker things and asked Miranda to go in her place. Miranda is the one who gets hurt by Evabot, ends up in the hospital and comes to the squad after the coup attempt. Ash, meanwhile, is on the squad the whole time after leaving Earth.

 

Liara would still be on the squad as well. She'd just be recruited after Mars. Perhaps even the Cerberus attack on the Shadow Broker vessel that she talks about would be played out in game as her recruitment mission.

[Gkonone]

Ash will always be my favorite squadmate in the trilogy, she's beautiful inside and out. Yes, she has her quirks and her strong believes, her shortcomings, and her passion, but all those traits made her real. She isn't always politically correct in her opinions or actions, but they are understandable considering her background and the context. Perhaps that's something people don't want to come to terms with, or is too confronting. She's just a person like you and me, except she's in a very turbulent and hostile universe trying to get by.

 

It's amazing how people can get focussed on a couple of conversations/actions and basing their total opinion on those. It's human nature I guess, where one negative aspect outshines a dozen positive ones. 

In other games where I meet people that have played Mass Effect and I mention Ashley, the first reaction is always 'that racist b*tch'.

Oh well, it is what it is, and enough has been said on this subject.

[CptData]

I'm still alive.

 

And I made it through ME1 last sunday, 5am in the morning

Of course, my Shepard still remained faithful!

Now I'm giving ME2 another playthrough. I miss Ash, but I also enjoy the gameplay, the "more" dialogues in general and the sheer amount of stuff I can do. Also, the combat system is way better. I wonder if Bioware ever updates ME1 in that field ...

Actually, I'd pay for such upgraded Mass Effect: better combat system, better exploration system and more dialogues for everyone. Especially Garrus and Tali - they have awfully few lines compared to Ash and Kaidan ...

 

And likewise. Somehow Ash is only remembered as "racist". Which is odd, since the game is full of racism and racists / speciests.

[DWH1982]

I think in terms of just being a fun game to play, ME 2 is probably the best in the trilogy. The combat works well, and, as you said, there's lots to do. ME 3 felt almost a little too streamlined. There's an argument they did that to drive home the urgency of the war, but it didn't make for an RPG experience that was as enjoyable. I would have liked extra side quests with missions I could actually play instead of a bunch of scan and fetch quests.

 

Maybe we'll get more info on ME: Andromeda over the holidays this year? It's too bad there's probably no way for Ash to be in it, but I am curious for more information on what it's going to be like.

[P. Domi]

It's nice to see this thread is still going strong. Based on rumors posted out there, it seems like Mass Effect Andromeda is going to have many features in common with Dragon Age Inquisition, in terms of large maps, collecting resources, establishing outposts, etc. They also seem intent on finding a way to integrate multiplayer with the single-player campaign (in a non-intrusive way). My main issue with the franchise as it is right now is that 99% of the original writers are no longer writing for Mass Effect. Or BioWare, for that matter. Patrick Weekes, for example, will be the lead writer for DA from now on, and he'll probably have his hands full.  I'm not hyped at all for that game. Maybe it's because you grow old and jaded, real life stuff takes over most of your schedule, etc. I don't think I'll ever complete a second ME 3 playthrough, just not interested anymore.

 

I'm not even sure I will ever buy Andromeda. I hope it's good, I hope it's a game that doesn't compromise the aspects that brought so many players into the Mass Effect universe. 

 

Up to this day, Mass Effect 1 is my favorite game of the trilogy.   

[CptData]

Also not sure if I should give ME4 a try.

 

I'm not concerned about the lack of Shepard or Ashley. Their story is told and we won't see anything new here, except maybe some fanfiction or stuff from DA. Therefore this is not a reason why I'm not fully convinced.

 

It's more about the setting. To avoid "retconning" of two out of three endings, a new galaxy was picked for exploration. Although I can understand the basic idea behind this, it's odd since (as the lore said) 99% of the Milkyway galaxy wasn't explored yet in the 2180ies - so why do they try to move to the Andromeda galaxy in the first place? 99% non-explored galaxy means also 99% of unoccupied space for all species and 99% unexploited resources. There's simply no need to move to another galaxy.

 

Basically, the entire "lets move to another galaxy" idea simply renders all three endings non-essential. Shepard's job doesn't matter anymore, since it's a new galaxy, probably several centuries in the future. No one can tell what Shepard did - and they don't care. I think, only the four Council races will have a future, while quarians, geth, krogans etc won't be around anymore - since they didn't make it through the war or didn't catch a ride to the Andromeda galaxy ...

[DWH1982]

I'm going to play it. Bioware games are generally fun, and there simply aren't enough sci fi RPGs out there to give it a pass. Plus, I don't think that relocating to Andromeda will necessarily make it feel less like Mass Effect. I enjoyed Stargate: Atlantis despite the change in setting.

 

That said, it's really not my preferred direction for the next game. I would love to see how the galaxy rebuilds after the war, spend more time exploring the Milky Way, have a combination of "old" settings with new setings, etc. I guess it was just too much for them to handle with the endings, though, and they clearly don't want to change the ending.

[CptData]

This thread is a bit slow.

 

Udina, Anderson and Hackett trying to find a candidate for the first human SPECTRE

 

Udina: Well, your message says you found a candidate. I assume he won't make mankind and me looking bad, admiral?

Hackett: It's captain Anderson who recommended this candidate. And since he's a N7 operative AND a former Spectre candidate, he knows what's at stake.

Udina: Anderson, hmm? Didn't his one and only Spectre mission failed horribly?

Anderson: I did not fail, Ambassador. That Spectre I was working with sabotaged that facility as some sort of distraction - and blamed me for forcing his hand.

Udina: I don't care about details, Anderson. Let me see what you have.

Anderson: Lieutenant commander John H. Shepard, born to Hannah and James Shepard in 2154, and a warhero of the Skyllian Blitz. He held his own in the battle for Elysium until reinforcements arrived, saving thousands of lives. Spent most of his childhood and youth in space. I believe you know his mother, admiral?

Hackett: She's currently assigned as XO to the SSV Kilimanjaro, captain.

Anderson: And his father? I heard he's posted in the same fleet, 'though not the same ship.

Hackett: James Shepard is serving as the SSV Einstein's chief engineer.

Udina: I'm not interested in Shepard's family.

Anderson: Of course, Ambassador. Shepard took part in the N7 program and was personally trained by me. Excellent performance in most advanced tests, fast reflexes, even without stimulants. Highly intelligent and fast thinking, which is a rare combination. He made it though the program as one of the best.

Udina: "One of the best". Anderson, we're talking about a human Spectre. Is he the best or is he just one of the best?

Anderson: Shepard is the best. You won't find a better candidate.

Udina: Good. And how are you going to prove it?

Anderson: I won't. If the Council is still using the same process, they're already observing potential candidates, even in our ranks. Shepard is among them, I'm sure. And if they're interested, they'll send a Spectre testing him in a series of missions. That's how things worked the last time.

Udina: Where you failed. Make sure he won't fail.

Anderson: I'll give my best.

Udina: That won't be enough. You failed once and you may fail another time. However, since it's your candidate, you'll remain his mentor as long as the process may take. But you will need more resources.

Hackett: You're taking command of the SSV Normandy. Prototype ship, developed with turian support, a small and sleek ship. Shepard will be your XO, despite he's a marine officer, not part of the navy. If the Council is convinced and accept Shepard as a Spectre, make sure he'll take command of the Normandy. It's a bit tough paperwork, especially since Shepard won't be bound to Alliance protocol anymore, and the ship is a costly prototype. Make sure he won't crash it right into the next asteroid.

Udina: That means you'll need also the "best pilot" of the Alliance, Anderson.

Hackett: Exactly. The dossieres of three candidates are currently prepared. One is lieutenant Crooks, an extremely talented young man. Hancock is another excellent pilot, she's currently assigned to the SSV Trafalgar and has more than a thousand flight hours on her tally. And then there's Moreau, but I'm not sure if he's in condition to take this position.

Udina: I'm convinced you'll find your pilot, Anderson.

Anderson: Thank you, sir.

Udina: Don't thank me. Without the admiral, you won't be even here.

Hackett: You're dismissed, Anderson. I expect you for a briefing on the Normandy in 24 hours. Keep in mind you'll need a pilot - and if you have any recommendations for other posts, hand in.

[Obvakhi]

Anyone play Fallout 4? If so, be sure to join the Brotherhood of Steel for some Ashley Williams (she voices the female BOS soldiers).

Also heard Garrus in the game.