My fiancee is very interested in plot-focused video games, but can't (because of her eyesight) easily navigate some game environments or follow real-time combat. Naturally, I had to show her the Mass Effect series somehow. Here's the setup: She chooses all the conversation options, chooses what mission/destination to go to and so on, while I pilot combat on Casual to speed things up. We've both had a great time so far, but I'm already anticipating some questions for when I bring her in to ME2. I wanted to solicit some opinions on the following:
1) How do I manage interrupts?
While I've played ME2 enough to know where all the interrupts are, it's still going to be tricky to verbally communicate the interrupt opportunities and give her time to react. I want to preserve the "snap decision" quality of interrupts and minimize reloading or reconsidering missed chances, but she's been very deliberate with dialogue so far and gives choices proper consideration. Interrupts pose a problem—while some interrupts do linger for a bit, some are there and gone pretty quickly. The audio cues will help, but that does nothing to comunicate what the action will be. I have a good impression of her character, and that will only improve as we continue through ME1, but it would still feel wrong to make the choices for her based on that knowledge. Should I try to call out the opportunity ("Quick, do you want to shoot him!? Choose now now NOW!"), give some advance warning ("Okay, you're gonna have a chance to shoot this guy soon..."), or something else?
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
So far, her Shepard has been matter-of-fact and efficient, but rarely to the point of rudeness. In ME1, this tends to manifest as Neutral choices. She'll pull out the Charm when the situation calls for it, and she's fairly unforgiving to those who are outright hostile, but she's sticking to the middle pretty firmly. She's a role-player in the character-focused sense, and is a bit crestfallen when her choices limited by systems, so I've kept both social skills maxed to broaden her options. ME2 presents an issue there. While some decisions (Tali's loyalty, the crew fights) are a great deal more compelling without the blue/red "win buttons," just knowing the choice is there and unavailable will undoubtedly be a problem for her. And I definitely don't want her dialogue choices made less interesting out of a need to earn "points"—that would drive her nuts. Should I explain in a non-specific way that Charm/Intimidate are only open to those with a certain "force of personality" in ME2, fully detail the system (which will probably take the wind out of her sails a bit), or just use a save editor to max out Paragon and Renegade? The last option seems the most straightforward, but is it a good idea?
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
When I first played ME2, I naturally did not know what the Reaper IFF mission led to, and when I chose to finish up loyalty missions before going after the crew, the consequences were powerful. I saved all my squad, but it came at a cost. I still have that save for import into ME3, because I appreciated what that choice represented, and part of me is a bit bummed at how easy it is to avoid that. But I also know that my choice to delay came, at least in part, from a metagame perspective, because timing was never an issue before then. You can do any number of missions before following Thane, recruiting Samara, or saving Tali, even though those situations are ones where, realistically, the opportunity would be gone after a day or two. If she misses the significance of the in-game warnings from Miranda and Jacob's discussion, should I let her know this one area of the game works differently? My preliminary thought is to make no mention of the "clock" that starts when acquiring the Reaper IFF, but being up-front about the fact that delaying the trip through the Omega-4 relay matters in a unique way if she doesn't pick up on it.
Thanks for reading. Any input is welcome.
Questions for a guided ME2 playthrough
Débuté par
Alraiis
, août 09 2011 06:06
Retour en haut
#2
Posté 09 août 2011 - 06:57
izmirtheastarach
-
- Members
- 5 298 messages
Seems like you are looking for opinions, so here we go.
1) Not sure how you would handle this. I think you have to give her some warning. There's not really enough time given for careful consideration. You could also save and reload, but some of those sequences are quite long, especially at the beginning of the game. All in all, even if she missed all the interrupts, it wouldn't really impact the game that much.
2) This is by far the most interesting question. It's almost like you are doing an experiment on her. Either you approach it as a pure RPG, and she is just stuck with the consequences of her choices, or you max out the stats with the editor. Giving her no clear advice or cheating help would almost certainly result in squadmates dying at the end of the game. Whether that would make the experience better for her or not is something you will have to decide.
3) This is sort of a similar issues to the second. For myself, I am an ardent completionist, so on my first playthrough I did every loyalty mission and ended up not losing any squadmates or crew, without ever really knowing exactly how to make sure of that result. The negative result is quite logical if you think it through, so giving her a vague warning may work. Two ways to go, and either would be interesting for sure.
1) Not sure how you would handle this. I think you have to give her some warning. There's not really enough time given for careful consideration. You could also save and reload, but some of those sequences are quite long, especially at the beginning of the game. All in all, even if she missed all the interrupts, it wouldn't really impact the game that much.
2) This is by far the most interesting question. It's almost like you are doing an experiment on her. Either you approach it as a pure RPG, and she is just stuck with the consequences of her choices, or you max out the stats with the editor. Giving her no clear advice or cheating help would almost certainly result in squadmates dying at the end of the game. Whether that would make the experience better for her or not is something you will have to decide.
3) This is sort of a similar issues to the second. For myself, I am an ardent completionist, so on my first playthrough I did every loyalty mission and ended up not losing any squadmates or crew, without ever really knowing exactly how to make sure of that result. The negative result is quite logical if you think it through, so giving her a vague warning may work. Two ways to go, and either would be interesting for sure.
#3
Posté 09 août 2011 - 07:17
Raven4030
-
- Members
- 198 messages
Alraiis wrote...
1) How do I manage interrupts?
Warn her when the opportunity shows up. The choices are meant to be snap decisions made by Shepard, so in my mind making the decision spur of the moment is more 'pure' in terms of role playing than taking time to weigh the actions carefully.
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
I see no problems with cheating here to max out the paragon/renegade points. Some might call it cheating, but I always found it ludicrous that just because your particular Shepard saves as many people as possible that means he is suddenly unable to put the fear of God into somebody.
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
Again, if you're going for a more 'pure' roleplaying experience for your fiancee, don't give any warning at all and let things happen as they will. It's a lot more difficult to play your character as a person when that character is anticipating events they have no reason to anticipate.
Modifié par Raven4030, 09 août 2011 - 07:18 .
#4
Posté 09 août 2011 - 07:33
Praetor Knight
-
- Members
- 5 772 messages
I just first have to say that's really cool! 
1) How do I manage interrupts?
I'd say the best way to keep ready for the interrupts during dialogue is to not relax too much and to keep prepared on the controls.
They generally come up rather naturally, and I can only remember the ones in LotSB being very fast. So this aspect should be fine, considering how she wants to play Shepard. And you don't need to use interrupts since you will still have followup dialogue, generally, as well.
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
The main concerns I see is with the Kelham interrogation in Thane's LM, Samara's LM, Tali/Legion and Miranda/Jack, so there are steps you can take to help. Such as boosting points though the merchants on Hub worlds and not waiting too long for these tough situations, but that shouldn't be too problematic.
One thing that helps is evolving the passive to the 100% bonus. Then the Death Mask and Inferno Armor could help when off of the Ship. And having an ME1 import with the 190 point boost for each bar is very helpful.
But, if you want to use the save editor that might be the easiest way to keep options available, since it is tough to describe the system. And you can also help her with the info in these threads:
social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/2907273, social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/2990124
and the Wiki: masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Morality_Guide_%28Mass_Effect_2%29
Edit: and to be more clear with the guides I linked, I mean to answer any questions she has, and to anticipate any issues depending on how you both move through ME2.
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
Interesting problem indeed. I guess as the dialogue goes in-game, this would partially depend on how she evaluates the situation. I'd say just let her ask you questions and then you provide input so that you don't metagame.
My first run was awesome for how epic it was, and tragic for who I had lost, so I recommend playing it by ear, off of what she tells you, as you both play.
1) How do I manage interrupts?
I'd say the best way to keep ready for the interrupts during dialogue is to not relax too much and to keep prepared on the controls.
They generally come up rather naturally, and I can only remember the ones in LotSB being very fast. So this aspect should be fine, considering how she wants to play Shepard. And you don't need to use interrupts since you will still have followup dialogue, generally, as well.
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
The main concerns I see is with the Kelham interrogation in Thane's LM, Samara's LM, Tali/Legion and Miranda/Jack, so there are steps you can take to help. Such as boosting points though the merchants on Hub worlds and not waiting too long for these tough situations, but that shouldn't be too problematic.
One thing that helps is evolving the passive to the 100% bonus. Then the Death Mask and Inferno Armor could help when off of the Ship. And having an ME1 import with the 190 point boost for each bar is very helpful.
But, if you want to use the save editor that might be the easiest way to keep options available, since it is tough to describe the system. And you can also help her with the info in these threads:
social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/2907273, social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/2990124
and the Wiki: masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Morality_Guide_%28Mass_Effect_2%29
Edit: and to be more clear with the guides I linked, I mean to answer any questions she has, and to anticipate any issues depending on how you both move through ME2.
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
Interesting problem indeed. I guess as the dialogue goes in-game, this would partially depend on how she evaluates the situation. I'd say just let her ask you questions and then you provide input so that you don't metagame.
My first run was awesome for how epic it was, and tragic for who I had lost, so I recommend playing it by ear, off of what she tells you, as you both play.
Modifié par Praetor Shepard, 09 août 2011 - 07:39 .
#5
Posté 09 août 2011 - 07:47
Alraiis
-
- Members
- 378 messages
I really appreciate the opinions and feedback, folks. Thanks a lot!
#6
Posté 10 août 2011 - 12:32
faeriehunter
-
- Members
- 67 messages
1) How do I manage interrupts?
Personally I don't think that you should warn her beforehand. They're meant to be decisions that Shepard only gets a few seconds to think about before the opportunity is lost. However, the result of an interrupt is hinted at visually, so if your fiancee has trouble interpreting the visuals fast enough, maybe you should call out what Shepard is going to do. After all, Shepard knows what he or she is going to do, so it shouldn't be a surprise to the player. I'm not sure how well calling out results would work though.
It's probably best if you and your fiancee try out an interrupt or two to determine how best to handle them.
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
In my opinion ME2's charm/intimidate system is flawed. I think that you're supposed to increase in persuasiveness as the game progresses and the paragon/renegade meters fill up, which signifies practice at charming and intimidating as well as reputation. Instead, your persuasiveness is all but guaranteed to decrease as the game progresses because of how the system works.
With that in mind I recommend using a save editor so that your fiancee doesn't miss out on roleplay options. Still, it's a form of cheating, so you should discuss it with your fiancee first and not do it behind her back.
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
The events after the Reaper IFF mission are meant to be a surprise for Shepard and to put him in a moral quandary, so I think you shouldn't give your fiancee any advance warning of that. However, I think it best that, should she delay going beyond the Omega-4 relay, you ask her why. If it's a roleplay decision then everything is fine, but otherwise you should warn her that delaying the suicide mission has consequences. I know that the discussion between Jacob and Miranda is meant to warn of this, but that doesn't warn the player that delaying the suicide mission results in a subversion of the usual "take your time, whether you'll arrive just in time or too late is pre-written and not affected by anything the player does" metagaming.
Personally I don't think that you should warn her beforehand. They're meant to be decisions that Shepard only gets a few seconds to think about before the opportunity is lost. However, the result of an interrupt is hinted at visually, so if your fiancee has trouble interpreting the visuals fast enough, maybe you should call out what Shepard is going to do. After all, Shepard knows what he or she is going to do, so it shouldn't be a surprise to the player. I'm not sure how well calling out results would work though.
It's probably best if you and your fiancee try out an interrupt or two to determine how best to handle them.
2) How much do I communicate about ME2's Charm/Intimidate system?
In my opinion ME2's charm/intimidate system is flawed. I think that you're supposed to increase in persuasiveness as the game progresses and the paragon/renegade meters fill up, which signifies practice at charming and intimidating as well as reputation. Instead, your persuasiveness is all but guaranteed to decrease as the game progresses because of how the system works.
With that in mind I recommend using a save editor so that your fiancee doesn't miss out on roleplay options. Still, it's a form of cheating, so you should discuss it with your fiancee first and not do it behind her back.
3) Should I hint/mention that the Reaper IFF mission will trigger the beginning of the endgame or that waiting to save the crew will get them killed?
The events after the Reaper IFF mission are meant to be a surprise for Shepard and to put him in a moral quandary, so I think you shouldn't give your fiancee any advance warning of that. However, I think it best that, should she delay going beyond the Omega-4 relay, you ask her why. If it's a roleplay decision then everything is fine, but otherwise you should warn her that delaying the suicide mission has consequences. I know that the discussion between Jacob and Miranda is meant to warn of this, but that doesn't warn the player that delaying the suicide mission results in a subversion of the usual "take your time, whether you'll arrive just in time or too late is pre-written and not affected by anything the player does" metagaming.
#7
Posté 10 août 2011 - 05:34
008Zulu
-
- Members
- 1 029 messages
Some level of autonomy is going to be needed, find out if she wants to be the "all loveable hero" (Paragon) or "the jerk people want to drop kick out the airlock" (Renegade). When the interrupt comes, select the one she has already chosen.
As for decisions on how to affect the linear progress of the game, just let her play it how she wants to the first time. Once completed, then offer advice if asked for it.
As for decisions on how to affect the linear progress of the game, just let her play it how she wants to the first time. Once completed, then offer advice if asked for it.
