7052 réponses à ce sujet

[goose2989]

I apologize if this idea has been mentioned already, but I feel it is extremely viable to both parties in this debacle.

While the details of continuity are up in the air, an Expansion Pack similar to Dragon Age Origins: Awakening would be a great way to solve this problem. As you already know, the "Destroy" option at the end of the game seems to be, by far, the most common choice. It is also the only choice that shows Shepard surviving to any extent. This is also where the "Indoctrination" theory can come into use. Because choosing the "Destroy" option seems the most logical, as it is Shepard breaking Indoctrination, it would be required to continue on to play.

The expansion can pick up here, directly from the end of the game. And as far as the Relay Network being destroyed.... I would hope that it was merely a hallucination from the Reapers, as the Relays are far too important to the entire Mass Effect Galaxy. Not to mention the destruction of a Mass Relay doesn't help those living within it's solar system.

As for the Normandy's crash, I still have not formed an opinion on whether or not it actually happened. The expansion could focus on the Normandy's rescue, or in the case it was part of Shepard's hallucinations, then a new plot could be followed. Perhaps a clean-up of Cerberus forces? I enjoyed fighting them. Also, regardless of the plot, I don't think the two squad mates that were with Shepard in the charge for the Conduit should be dead. I'm not sure if they are or not, but if this expansion were released, players would simply take their two least-favorite squad members for that push. I for one wouldn't want to see Tali and Garrus die from Harbinger.

Most important of all, a significant portion of this expansion would deal in REAL closure for the characters we've all come to love so much. Short clips for major characters would suffice, and a special scene for Shepard and his/her Love Interest would be important. Showing Shepard and Tali build their house, or little blue babies would make most fans cry tears of joy. We saw enough friends die through the course of three games; can't we get the chance at some real happiness?

As for the fate of the Citadel, I don't mind if it really was destroyed, or if it was part of another hallucination. As long as the Relays are intact, I feel that is what caused more outrage than destroying the Citadel itself.

EMS would play into this, as Shepard can only survive with a high enough score. I don't see it any different than dying on the Suicide Mission; if a player is reckless enough to rush through the game and get himself/herself killed in the final battle, why should they be given the chance to continue playing? The higher the EMS, the better the state of the galaxy when this Expansion takes place.

The fans want a real ending, a satisfying ending, to the series we have spent hundreds of hours playing. And most of us are realistic enough to realize paying for it is the best solution to satisfy both parties involved.

[vkt62]

Skirlasvoud wrote...


"Spreadsheet"

Someone please replace the staticians with writers.


We don't need numbers or scientists. We need a proffesional writer who sees potential and does a proper job at it.

Not always. professional writers ruined Crysis 2. But if the person who wrote the ending is not the same as the one who wrote ME1, please bring him back. Hell just get Lucas and ask him to make the star child Shepard's father.

I was okay with Shepard Dying and some of the ending options. But I would like a lot more back story and by back story I mean pre Prothean to the beginning of the reapers. I already know everything thats happened after that anyway. If the star child was one of the first species or a machine from that era, explain it. And please don't make him into a god. Please also add some option that doesn't make me regret all 3 choises though controlling the reapers sounded he best.

Oh and please add a SAVE OPTION FOR THE LAST 2 HOURS. You cannot save for 2 hours at the end. Who makes a game with such a long no save option at a critcal moment?

Modifié par vkt62, 20 mars 2012 - 03:45 .

[Tony208]

Maybe there could be some special extended epilogue for players who've gone through all this on one save file:

ME1
ME1 NG+
ME2
ME2 NG+
ME3
ME3 NG+

Of course the ME3 endings would have to be fixed first or else no1 would even bother.

[Brass_Buckles]

There are a few things that would make the game more awesome.  More dialogue wheel choices.  More exploration (yes, it's in the middle of a war, but it's disappointing when everyone wants artifacts brought back and I can't go visit the planet where I'm bringing them back from).

But mostly?

How about we just forget that god-child fiasco ever happened?  We don't even have to make it as far as the indoctrination theory--even though that theory makes a strange amount of sense in the midst of all the nonsense in the ending.

Clean up the dialogue leading up to the Crucible scene so that it makes sense for Anderson to be there before you.  End the game as Anderson dies, with the last thing Shepard sees being the Crucible firing up.  It would be a beautiful, epic moment--and if the game had ended like that, I'd be satisfied whether Shepard lived or died.  That was a beautiful moment, and then you ruined it with the elevator taking Shepard up to meet Godchild-Reaper.  If players did really fantastic, maybe give them a scene of Shepard being rescued.  Want it bittersweet?  If you didn't do quite as well, Shepard dies anyway just when help arrives, but knowing that she saved the galaxy.  Or don't let us know if Shepard survives afterward.  Or have Shepard be permanently incapacitated and forced into retirement.  But if players didn't do so great, show us Shepard dead for sure.  Maybe the Reapers win.  Maybe they attack the Citadel.  Maybe they use the weapon to destroy Earth.  Show us the squadmates mourning as they should, instead of smiling at a tropical planet.  Why would they smile so brightly so soon after their hero (or possibly lover) has died?  Win or lose, you'd be mourning that event. Give us the option to have either the happy ending, the sad one, or the bittersweet one.

And most of all, give us an epilogue to give us some notion of what became of all of those other races.  Destroyed the quarians?  Okay, then do the geth rise up against organics?  Reconciled the geth and quarians?  Okay, does that bite the future in the ass?  And if you saved the krogan, do they ever have another Krogan Rebellion?

I'm even okay with the Relays being destroyed, provided there's some way to do so without blasting all the star systems and fleets to bits.

But whatever you do, please fix the ending.  It makes no sense as it stands; it does not mesh with the rest of the series and there are gaps in logic within it wider than the Grand Canyon.  And fix it for free, because we already paid for this game, and we paid for it after being told we'd get a very different ending to the series from what we actually got.

[MikeFL25]

I'm not a writer, nor do I claim my idea is anywhere near the best idea or better than anyone else's here.  This is just an ending I thought up that I felt would provide more closure and perhaps satisfy the demands of people like me who have become emotionally intested in the series.  Hope you enjoy it, feel free to comment.  I'm not attempting to address everything here, just provide a general framework for what I think might be a good ending based on my hopes and the hopes of others I have read/listened to.  

Preface:  My ending would include everything up to the point where Shepard gets hit by Harbinger's beam.  In my ending, Shepard still gets hit (grazing blow), enough to hurt him and mess up his armor but not enough to stop him.  His two companions help him up and they all reach the portal.  From there, the Illusive Man could still appear on the Citadel, he explains how he got there and why he tipped off the Reapers (perhaps he wanted to get as many together in one place as possible so he could control them easier, and hiding abord the Citadel was his best way to accomplish this...?) at any rate, what is important is that he is there, and he tells Shepard about a possibility to control the Reapers.  At this point, its safe to say that most players, even Renegades, would tell him to take a long walk off a short pier, but for the sake of player choice (because that's what the Mass Effect series is about people!) you will have the option to control the Reapers and send them away.  Otherwise, you shoot TIM right then and there, ending his nonsense.

The "Star Child" never happens.  There is no synthesize option, and no control option (unless maybe you side with TIM).  Recall the dialog in Mass Effect 3 where the Catalyst is described as a way to harness the Crucible's energy and direct it the way that is needed.  We have already established that the Citadel is Reaper tech, and through some quick dialog, Shepard is able to lock the Crucible onto the Reaper's energy signature, so that ONLY the Reapers  are targeted (not Geth and not EDI, even though EDI is derived from Reaper tech, and the Geth may or may not be upgraded with Reaper codes, the Citadel will be able to distingish between Geth/EDI and Reapers, meaning that only the Reapers are targeted.

Whether or not the Rachni lived, if the Council was saved or not, what happened to the Geth heretics, whether Collector Base was saved, etc. would all somehow factor in.  That goes for all of these endings. 

From here, "my" ending would have 3 key elements:

1st Element: Resolution of the main conflict, with good, bad and middle-ground endings.

- The "bad" ending: Depending on choices from ME1-3, you did not garner enough support, the Crucible was not built properly, and you didn't bring enough forces to the battle.  Shepard arrives at the Citadel, but the fleet couldn't delay the Reapers and they attack and disable the Crucible.  The joint fleets are being overrun and the battle is being lost.  Shepard, knowing that the end is at hand, returns to the Normandy and broadcasts a message to all fleets in the battle that this will be their last stand.  Coordinated with the Normandy, all of the fleets rally to make a last stand.  The game ends with the fleets being decimated, Shepard stands in the cockpit of the Normandy with the whole squad, Shepard is holding his/her love interest, they hug/kiss as the Normandy is hit by a Reaper weapon and explodes.  After a cutscene showing the fleet being completely destroyed by the Reapers, scenes from battles across the galaxy are shown as the Reapers completely begin to wipe out all advanced life.  The screen cuts to black and you see Liara's holo-recording of galactic history somehow preserved on Earth or another planet, waiting to warn future civilizations about the Reapers and to tell future generations about Shepard's sacrifice.

- "Middle-ground" ending: Depending on choices from ME1-3, Shepard gains enough support to wage an even battle against the Reapers, but not as much as possible.  Shepard arrives on the Citadel, but a Reaper was able to get a few shots off and damages the Crucible.  While Shepard & team are fixing it, the fleet begins to sustain heavy losses, and large percentages of the fleet are wiped out.  Shepard finally gets the Crucible to work and it releases its energy, wiping out all of the Reapers in the Sol system, including Harbinger.  
Then the Crucible fires a wave of energy at the Mass Relay, which then spreads the energy throughout the galaxy, deactivating some of the remaining Reapers throughout the galaxy, but leaving the Relays intact.  The fleets celebrate their victory...the Normandy docks with the Citadel and the crew rush to greet Shepard (who needs medical attention).  Shepard's LI embraces Shepard and the crew crowds around them congratulating each other as Admiral Hackett congratulates the remaining fleet over the communicators.   There are still Reapers left in other parts of the galaxy, but with Harbinger out of action and a good portion of the Reapers deactivated, the remaining Reapers calculate that any further war would only result in a stalemate or defeat and they retreat back into dark space.  A Reaper contacts Shepard and the fleet, saying that eventually, many millenia from now, the Reapers might strike again.  For now, the galaxy has achieved victory.  At a price -- most of the fleets in the Sol system have been destroyed, but many remain alive and victory has been won.

- "Best" ending: 
Depending on choices from ME1-3, Shepard gains enough support to make the best possible attack against the Reapers.  Shepard arrives on the Citadel as the fleets hold off the Reapers -- the fleets take casualties but hold their own against all odds.  Shepard activates the Crucible and all of the Reapers in the Sol system are deactivated.  Then the Crucible fires a wave of energy at the Mass Relay, which then spreads the energy throughout the galaxy, deactivating all of the Reapers throughout the galaxy, but leaving the Relays intact.  The fleets celebrate their victory...the Normandy docks with the Citadel and the crew rush to greet Shepard (who needs medical attention).  Shepard's LI embraces Shepard and the crew crowds around them congratulating each other as Admiral Hackett congratulates the fleet over the communicators.  

2nd Element: A general conclusion to galactic events

Assuming that the player gets the middle-ground or best ending, a cut-scene plays that gives an overview of galactic events following the battle.  Decisions from ME1, ME2 and ME3 all factor in to the long-term galactic rebuilding effort.  If the Council survives or if there is a new Council, their actions will differ in the rebuilding effort, based on what their priorities are (i.e. human rebuiling first then aliens later, or all equally getting Council funds).  If the Rachni survive, it shows how they contribute to galactic rebuilding and how they interact peacefully with the other races.  Based on the outcomes of the Turian/Krogan segment and the Geth/Quarian choices, it shows what the outcomes are in their long-term rebuilding efforts and co-existence (or non-coexistence if you sided with one over the other).  In short, all of the main choices from ME1-3 will be quickly revisited and given a general conclusion on "what happens after".  Paragon/Renegade choices will have different long-term consequences and results, and will be briefly but definitively outlined as all of the major choices are explained as they factor in to the rebuilding effort.  


3rd Element: Closure with all squad members past and present who are still alive, as well as closure on Shepard and his/her love interest.

This part will be simple.  Either Admiral Hackett or Anderson does a voice-over while a series or short cutscenes play that briefly (but conclusively) say what happens with each past or present squad member after the battle.  Something like:
"After the showdown on Earth, Garrus joins the Spectre's and leads the recovery effort on Palaven.  Months later, he returns to Omega with a contingent of Spectre's and helps establish it as a safe haven and refugee camp which would house millions of displaced civilians of all races.  He still stays in contact with Shepard, and will jokingly boast how he once bested the famous Spectre in a shooting contest."  
Or
"Miranda Lawson returned to her sister after the chaos had ended.  Free of the influence from Cerberus and their father, both Miranda and Oriana finally had a free life they could call ther own.  They moved to a refugee colony and spent the next few years helping survivors of the Reaper War.  Miranda used her knowledge and expertise to coordinate hospitals and local engineering efforts.  Despite her years with Cerberus believing in their cause, she would remark that helping the refugess was the most rewarding thing she had done with her life."  

Brief but conclusive cutscenes like these would play for all of the surviving squad mates from all 3 games.  

Finally, it would cut back to a scene of Earth from orbit.  Debris is still scattered in orbit, and as the scene continues, cities like London and the city from the beginning of the game would be shown with Reaper wreackage and other damage being gathered up.  Reconstruction is obviously taking place.  Whoever did the voice-over for the character scenes will still be talking, saying things like: 
"The recovery effort is ongoing and will take years, maybe even decades.  But the galaxy survived, and we took Earth back.  All across the galaxy, old worlds are rebuildingand new colonies bring new hope to survivors.  And its all thanks to Shepard."

At this point the narrator pauses.  He then continues:

"Shepard made sure the galaxy was at peace.  After the battle, he/she remained with the Normandy while the Council and the Alliance made reconstruction plans.  Shepard stayed on Earth for a while, then went from world to world helping to rebuild, even though no one asked it of him/her.  Shepard's team stayed with him through all of it.  Then, like that, he/she was gone.  Alliance high-command went into a frenzy, but the few people who knew Shepard best understood.  He had seen enough of war.  He had earned his peace.  Officially, no one knows where Shepard disappeared to, but when he did, [insert love interest here] went with him.  After that, his crew moved on...but they never forgot the man/woman who had brought them all together, and saw them through impossible odds time and again.  They would never forget their Commander, their hero...their friend.  Officially, Shepard's former crew denies any knowledge of his/her current whereabouts, although every so often they take a leave of absence to "take a trip".  
 People constantly ask them about the famous Commander Shepard - what he was like, if the stories were really true...if they know where Shepard is now.  People have said that when asked, Garrus just smiles, mutters something about meeting someone at a bar off planet, then leaves.

"As the galaxy rebuilds, it remembers the one who made it all happen.  Shepard...wherever you are...live well, my friend."

Fade to black.  Then the picture fades back in on a lush, tropical world.  A small colony is there, with very few buildings but large enough to sustain a small population.  Shepard emerges from a house with his/her love interest.  Two children (Asari with Liara, a young boy and girl with human LI) run out of the house as well.  "Mommy, daddy, lets go to the beach!" they yell, and begin running toward the shoreline.  Out in the ocean, just visible above the waves, is the werackage of a Reaper.  Shepard and LI hug, smile, and start walking after their kids.  Fade to black.  

End.  
-----

I forgot Tali or Garrus?  NOPE!  For the Tali LI, the scene remains the same, but its on Rannoch in a Quarian settlement.  I'm assuming that Talimancers would prefer that Shepard help Tali build her home on Rannoch.   I am also assuming that Shepard cannot have children with Tali or Garrus due to different DNA, and maybe Miranda cuz of her genetic alterations.  But the general scene is the same.  Maybe they adopt kids.  Who knows.

Also, assuming you side with TIM in this ending senario, the ending plays out similarly, but instead of deactivating the Reapers, Shepard controls them to leave, and doesn't die.  After all, we can all agree that even a Renegade Shepard would stop/send away the Reapers.  Although if you want an ending where you become a Reaper-controlling Shepard to rule the galaxy, I'm sure that could be a possible ending too :happy:

END NOTE: I undersrand this isn't 16 unique endings as the game advertised, but for the sake of this write up, I felt 3 was good enough to show wide variations in outcomes based on player choice, which is something I think we all hoped/are hoping for! :happy:

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Bioware for creating an AMAZING and EPIC series.  It is a testamet to their writing and game design that we players have become so emotionally invested in their world and their characters.  I thank you for the over 200+ hours of enjoyment I have expeienced throuhout all 3 games, and it is my sincere hope that a beneficial outcome can be attained in regards to the ME3 ending controversey.

Anyway, I hope you like it.  Sorry for the long post...just thought I'd put...finger to keyboard...and type out what I thought would be a good ending.  Enjoy!  Feel free to criticize or whatever...I just did this for fun   Feel free to post your own endings!

Stay civil, stay strong, and 

Hold the Line!

Modifié par MikeFL25, 20 mars 2012 - 03:52 .

[kalasaurus]

goose2989 wrote...

As for the Normandy's crash, I still have not formed an opinion on whether or not it actually happened. The expansion could focus on the Normandy's rescue, or in the case it was part of Shepard's hallucinations, then a new plot could be followed. Perhaps a clean-up of Cerberus forces? I enjoyed fighting them. Also, regardless of the plot, I don't think the two squad mates that were with Shepard in the charge for the Conduit should be dead. I'm not sure if they are or not, but if this expansion were released, players would simply take their two least-favorite squad members for that push. I for one wouldn't want to see Tali and Garrus die from Harbinger.

Most important of all, a significant portion of this expansion would deal in REAL closure for the characters we've all come to love so much. Short clips for major characters would suffice, and a special scene for Shepard and his/her Love Interest would be important. Showing Shepard and Tali build their house, or little blue babies would make most fans cry tears of joy. We saw enough friends die through the course of three games; can't we get the chance at some real happiness?
 

^^^ This.  The Normandy crash scene bothered me the most out of the entire ending.  If it's all a dream and the squad with you dies in the final push to the Conduit, then you should be able to choose the squad that comes with you and dies.  It might seem like "cheating" or whatever in the game, but it's our story and if we have to lose squadmates then we should be able to decide who dies.  You have that same agency in the Suicide Mission of ME2 by not gaining loyalty or picking the "worst" squadmates for certain parts (Jacob in the Collector Vents, Tali as the leader of the firesquad etc.)

I wanted a real conclusion with the love interest and squad, even if it's tragic.  Even if the Normandy scene all was a hallucination, it's still outrageously cheap and doesn't resolve anything.  That's the one thing I hope BW fixes.  Resolution to the squad and characters that we've all come to love through their awesome writing.

[SyyRaaaN]

Meh, nah. Wont bother to do your work =) .

Good luck.

Modifié par SyyRaaaN, 20 mars 2012 - 04:19 .

[jarms48]

I want Chiktikka vas Paus back, plus all the other in-combat dialogue from ME2 how I miss it so.

Just copy and paste the code and the dialogue that would make me happier.

Modifié par jarms48, 20 mars 2012 - 04:05 .

[Darknessfalls23]

A way to salvage some of the ending while still retaining the core idea of Mass Effect...
Amend at At Anderson death you can still have the Catatyst
1) Keep the original threat to the galaxy the Mass Effect it self, The use of mass effect is increasing dark energy, It is unstoppable and the use of mass effect relays accelerates it.
2) The reapers were created by the builders of the mass effect as a last ditch effort to preserve their minds in machines so they find a solution to the problem …. It wasn't working because they didn't feel they could think fast enough to come up with a solution, the Reapers kill all space faring civilizations and let evolutions reset. This goes for countless cycle how ever they are increasing running out of time by our cycle. Sovereign decides they can't wait any longer signals the evasion but the keepers at citadel don't respond recruits the Geth, Saren etc. Shepard and the humans get involved defeat sovereign. Harbinger decides humanity is the race that they must harvest.
3) ending three options) allow humanity to be turn into a reaper to save the galaxy, Stop cycle and solve the problem on our own. End the cycle and work with the remaining Reapers to save the galaxy (paragon).
4) The mass effect relays still get shut down after people get home!, the Normany can still be lost if that really floats your boat over there at Bioware. Or you let Shepard retire, or go off to lead a team to solve the Mass Effect
5) this story is still unique to Mass effect and isn't a terrible rehashing of Dues Ex, The whole Technology over comes civilization is over done and its part of reason a lot of people are angry

Modifié par Darknessfalls23, 20 mars 2012 - 04:15 .

[Doctor Quinn]

Okay first if I were to be the one tasked with making an ending dlc I would first embrace indoctrination theory. There is plenty of in game stuff to support it as plausible and it would make a great entrance into the final stage of the game which will generally play out two ways.

1. Shepherd is indoctrinated and goes into the citadel under Reaper control alone. Squadmates whom you control follow after him. In this scenario shepherd is your final boss and to win you must defeat him and talk him out of making a horrendous error in destroying the crucible. Shepherd becomes a tragic hero in this case and sacrifices himself in vain or for the better (depending on ems score and choices). He cannot be saved in this scenario. Perhaps he can live and become a vegetable.

2. Shepherd passes the trials of indoctrination and goes with squadmates to citadel level. Eventually stands off with some avatar for Harbinger (such as the Illusive Man) or Harbinger himself. They argue over the conflict of control vs. free will, diversity vs. homogeneity. To win you defeat harbinger/avatar whatever and the endings play out based on ems and choices.

EMS recalculations for endings:

Low EMS worst ending: Crucible is destroyed before deploying. Allied fleets defeated utterly and retreat in disarray.  Indoctrinated Shepherd can't overcome indoctrination and destroys crucible.  Shepherd and crew dies. Galaxy lost. Protheans did a better job in comparison.

Low Mid EMS: Crucible is destroyed before it is able to deploy. Allied fleets defeated and retreat in organized fashion that maintains operation capability for future battles in a losing war. Survivors i.e. Liara makes preparations for future cycles to come after. Non-indoctrinated Shepherd Sacrifices himself to save members.  Indoctrinated Shepherd shoots himself before he destroys crucible.  Some crew members die in retreat non Liara love interest dies. Shepherd's cycle did as good as the Protheans did.

Mid EMS: Crucible is able to deploy but is destroyed afterward. Fleet scores a Pyrrhic victory over the Reapers. Admiral Anderson and Hackett die. As do many others. Indoctrinated Shepherd deploys crucible, but must kill himself to prevent himself from stopping the crucible's deployment.  Non-indocrinated Shepherd sacrifices himself to deploy weapon. Not all crew mates survive but at least LI does.

Upper Mid EMS: Crucible is able to deploy but is destroyed afterward. Fleet scores a less Pyrrhic victory. Admiral Anderson dies. A selection of notables from war assets sacrifice themselves for the cause. Shepherd sacrifices himself to deploy weapon. All of Shepherd's crew survive.

Highest EMS: Crucible is able to deploy and is heavily damaged afterward. Fleet scores an even less Pyrrhic victory. Admiral Anderson becomes rescuable but only under proper conditions. Unindoctrinated Shepherd can survive under proper conditions. Indoctrinated Shepherd becomes a vegetable. Less important people die than from previous endings.

Mass Relays
If the crucible is deployed the mass relays are destroyed. I agree with you on that. The point is to be free to self determinate, which means be free to make your own path. The only change is rather than the destruction be instantaneous we have some sort of time threshold for galactic civ to adapt. Perhaps a year. At least let everyone get home, you know. But yes they must go if you defeat the Reapers.

Epilogue:
Have a proper epilogue that weighs the effect of our choices. This is a lot but I think if you deliver an extremely satisfying final confrontation with the Reapers you can get away with wrapping up with some goodbyes or shep funeral followed by a slideshow of the aftermath.

Other possibilities: If you wanted to experiment with limatations of choice we can sideline non-indoctrinated shepherd instead. In this scenario he has sends out commands that makes the final battle play out. His options are limited by EMS and the endings based on scores can play out with minor different results on which notables survive and squadmates survive.

Anyway take it for what it's worth. I really loved this series and have been a huge bioware fan since the old infinity engine days with Baldur's Gate. This ending was a disappointment for me for lots of reasons but I don't see it as unfixable given the indoctrination route. In fact it could be leveraged for a really immersive final chapter in what feels like an unfinished story.

Modifié par Doctor Quinn, 20 mars 2012 - 04:14 .

[georgeversion1]

One thing you guys can fix is abysmal Quest section of your Journal. I feel like that is something that should have been caught in development. The problem with it is that while it tells that the quest is active or not it doesn't tell you how far along you are from completing or what the next step is. When you are traveling around the galaxy collecting items it would be nice to know the what system this item is located in, if you have collected the item & where to take it when you are done. You know like the it was on the previous Mass Effect games.

Then there is everything having to do with the ending. I want to state that I don't mind a bittersweet ending. It is actually something that I would come expect with the game. However that isn't what was delivered. What we got was an ending filled with plot holes you can drive a truck through.

Now how can you make it better. Well lets start with comparing it tot he previous games ending Mass Effect 2. This should be your template the ending to Mass Effect 3. First, through out Mass Effect 2 we were preparing for the eventuality of attacking the Collector Base. As such we had to upgrade the Normandy to even make it to the Base with our entire party intact and has a visible effect in the game. I feel this what you were going for with the war assets and the multiplayer parts of the game. However you really didn't deliver with it, at all. To change make it so that having the war assets and galaxy readiness brought have effect on the actual war going on in space and on the ground. If we are overwhelming the reaper forces we should be able to see that. Maybe in the final push have lesser enemies to fight if we are winning. If we are losing then we should have more enemies to fight and tougher ones at that as well. Also the cinematic scenes of the final push should reflect this and the ultimate outcome of the game as well.

Now on the final assault on earth should have been like going into the Collector base. We should have had a war council of sorts and deiced on the best to approach taking out the Reaper Cannon and the Reaper guarding the teleporter. Assigning as secondary fire team to lead or accompany forces in such parts of the game. Assigning a tech or demo team to remove obstacles. Once again this should have been supplemented by our war assets and the main character's, such as Grunt and Miranda, who have forces they brought with them to aid in these missions. Making right or wrong choices here could lead to differing degrees of success in the missions. Like choosing the wrong leader could lead to secondary fire team being completely killed or partially killed or none dieing at all. Depending on your war assets gathered this should help determine these things.

Next comes the part where Harbinger comes down. This once again should be dependent on you war assets and how much a fleet you actually accumulated. If you gathered enough war assets and have got the galaxy readiness up enough it should reflect on whether this actually occurs. Honestly If you have it high enough to where you are driving the Reapers back then it should occur at all, and you have a clear shot to the teleporter.

Fourth, comes the part with the Catalyst. Alright let me start with the Catalyst is using circular logic which prove to be false logic if you bring peace between the Geth and the Quarians. The second act of the game literally disproves the logic used by the Catalyst. So this should be brought up in the conversation with him. Making peace with the Geth and Quarians should lead you down a different path of an ending. Having a high enough Paragon or Renegade rating should open up new dialogue choices here to drive your conversation into new directions and thus new possible endings. Like convincing the Catalyst that what he is doing is wrong or choosing to let your fleets fight it out while you both look on from the Citadel. Also you should be able to save Anderson, once again dependent on Paragon and Renegade rating, in doing so this should open the possibility of Anderson dying instead of Shepard in the Control or Synthesis ending.

Fifth, the Mass Relays being destroyed. This only works in the Synthesis ending. In fact it isn't brought up at all, that the Mass Relays will be destroyed, except when the Catalyst talks about that ending. Honestly it makes sense there, but only in that ending. Now along with the other ending possibilities created you should eliminate the Mass Relays from blowing up in the Control and Destroy endings. There is no reason they should be destroyed in those endings, and as fans have point out that really makes the situation look very grim for the galaxy cause it seems to sentence the fleet and everyone left there to death. Either by starvation or being caught up in a supernova like explosion. So just eliminate that part of those two endings.

Sixth, and finally, give us closure. We don't need or want an ending we can speculate on. We want to know what happened to our characters at the end of the game. Now we are not expecting some Star Wars type of medal ceremony or anything of the sort. However, why not have the survivors coming to together and sharing some dialogue amongst each other about the intend to do next or at least sharing a drink to fallen comrades. A good example of where to take this is the ending given to us at the end of Dragon Age: Origins. If Shepard survives then it should show him amongst his friends that survived as well. Talking with them and such. If he dies then we should see them holding a funereal for him and all of the other fallen. We should also learn the consequences of our action in the game the effect it had on the galaxy. Once again this one thing where Paragon and Renegade dialogue choices should have come into play. Like saying survival at all cost at the beginning of the game should have an effect on the death toll and state of the earth. Saving the Krogan and Rachni should have an effect on the state of galactic politics and the rebuilding of the galaxy. Taking control of the Reapers, do they return, leave forever or help rebuild. These things should be known.

Those are things I think need to be changed, why they need to be changed & ideas on how to change them. There you go.

[ThaDan64]

GBernhard wrote...

Can the Reaper IFF from ME2 be repurposed for use in the Crucible? That way the Crucible would target only Reaper tech instead of all synthetics.

This.

Is a brilliant idea.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

1. Please completely divorce the Single Player EMS from the Multiplayer game. People aren't always going to be playing the multiplayer, but they will be playing single player. Don't penalize the single player people. Also divorce the EMS from the iOS stuff. The EMS should be completely based on War Assets multiplied at 100%.

This will also make decisions matter more, too. Right now we can cheese things by playing more multiplayer.

2. The ENDING -- MAJOR STUFF -- get rid of the Blue, Green, Red.

I saw this on a 30 minute video on Youtube. It sounded good to me. It's a lot better than what we have.

First, we need to know HOW the Citadel got to Earth.

I'd have the crucible dock with the Citadel without anyone having to be on the Citadel while we're fighting the Reaper on the approach to Harbinger. During this time the united fleets make their attack on all of the Reapers with their Thanix weapons and we kick the Reapers in the daddy bags. How badly? depends upon War Assets. The "Hold The Line" battle with Shepard and team starts where Anderson and the crew's APC stop in the original final push, EXCEPT we don't go down into the beam.

The Crucible: perhaps this just needs to interface with the Citadel, and it just tracks where each reaper is located, and it just confirms that ALL of the reapers are at Earth -- you get this info via EDI, but Shepard shouts over the com for the fleet to pound the Reapers with everything they have, and Shepard's squad and a company or two of marines hold the line. This is going to involve moving from pillar to pillar, and from building to building while killing mooks that come at them.

Eventually there is only Harbinger left, and a final conversation with Shepard, where Shepard tells it that it is defeated, and the Normandy comes in and hits it while it is distracted with Shepard with its thanix cannon from the underside. And Harbinger is defeated and falls over.

Then there's celebration in the rubble, and Shepard goes from hero to legend. Depending upon military readiness there will be losses. Shepard honors the fallen. Now go to the epilogue, and you can show what happened to each of the surviving team members, main characters, then finally go and tell what happened to Shepard after retirement from the military (raised blue babies, went fishing somewhere, did mercenary work, whatever).

The End.

You can even leave the Stargazer storyteller post credits thing in if you want.

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 20 mars 2012 - 04:22 .

[Neverwinter_Knight77]

ThaDan64 wrote...

GBernhard wrote...

Can the Reaper IFF from ME2 be repurposed for use in the Crucible? That way the Crucible would target only Reaper tech instead of all synthetics.

This.

Is a brilliant idea.

Ah, but as a plot twist, it has to be recalibrated first.  Garrus must be alive to get the best ending.

[jarms48]

ThaDan64 wrote...

GBernhard wrote...

Can the Reaper IFF from ME2 be repurposed for use in the Crucible? That way the Crucible would target only Reaper tech instead of all synthetics.

This.

Is a brilliant idea.

Support

[mauro2222]

Less autodialogue? You know because it kills replay value.

[Genun]

I'm sure someone has mentioned this, but if not this guy has some great ideas.

[ElectronicPostingInterface]

That IFF idea is cute.

[Taroky]

 Mass Effect 3 is a really great game with many heartwrenching moments right up until the final few moments of the game. Things I would like to see fixed are the endings. For a game that advertised 16 different endings I really do not see the point in simply changing the colour. I would be all for a happily ever after ending at least included in there somewhere. Mass effect has always been about overcoming insurmountable odds and if my Sheperd dies then I feel that it was all for naught. I dont mind having dark endings or bad endings as they add to replayability of the game but that doesn't mean a good ending cannot be added as well. I know a lot of people have said it far more eloquently than I ever could manage but a few different endings and general clearing of plotholes (such as how Anderson, a man considerably older than my Sheperd, gets hit at the same time by Harbinger as Sheperd and yet appears to be fine while Sheperd bleeds from every pore)  I am a long time supporter of the series and most of Bioware's games in general and the ending just felt like a betrayal. At the very least I would like an epilogue of sorts to tell me what happened to all the squadmates that I came to care about over this epic journey. I ended up feeling as if I had no resolution and as if all my choices had been in vain.

Thanks again for a great game Bioware, i hope that I will be able to continue to support the company in the future but we shall see! 

and good job for everyone holding the line without people like you I wouldnt even have any hope for a better ending

[WilliamDracul88]

Did you see the ending of Mass Effect? EPIC. Did you see the ending of Mass Effect 2? EPIC.
GLADIATOR epic level. BRAVEHEART epic level. That level of epicness.
Also, this is not DEAD SPACE, in which you pretty much know you are ****ed since the first scene. This is an EPIC SPACE OPERA, with a lot of funny moments, a lot of dramatic moments, a lot of action... This is NOT a survival horror, NOT an existencialist essay... but THAT is what we get at the end, and it appears suddenly from NOWHERE.
THAT needs to be changed. Epic doesn´t mean "everybody lives". NOT AT ALL. But epic means NOT THE ENDING OF 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Thanks.

Modifié par eghbdgdsgh, 20 mars 2012 - 05:05 .

[Storenumber9]

Here is another post in regards to the ending:

I'm not saying I know how to end the series better than Bioware, nor am I going to make a huge post outlining my ideas on how it should end. I'm just going to say that Bioware needs to seriously sit down and look at this game and put some thought into a new ending.

- A new ending that should be as varied as we were promised. (Promised 16 different endings, we barely got 6)
- And ending offering closure to the series.
-Something that's much more flexible and can appeal to a larger portion of fans.

[monsoontide]

No doubt already mentioned, but: (lol)

THERE HAS TO BE CONSEQUENCES to Shepard's decisions/actions.

To be more slightly less vague, I would like to have seen the story expand to the retaking of Palavin, and Thessia once Earth is retaken (assuming your Shepard makes those choices), discover that because you didn't help group X, that they are all wiped out now and it was your fault (possibly in DLC), which of course would allow for new types of Multi-player experiences/expansions.

I do personally feel that the battle for earth should have just been the beginning of the potential Reaper defeat... they go down to easily. The Macguffin of the catalyst being all powerful is silly.
I definitely feel that My war assets should play a much greater part / influence on things

Also, why can't Shepard shoot the keeper in the body tunnel just before the final meeting with Anderson and TIM? Shepard's gun seems almost pointless at the end.

I would also like to see the proper time and resources applied to ANY future DLC or "changes" to make them worthwhile - I would rather wait 8-12 months for something exemplary, rather than something rushed out of the gate just to placate the large and "enthusiastic" Mass Effect fan base.

Apologies if most of this has been mentioned before but for some reason BIOWARE made Me actually care about the outcome of this series and what happened to My Shepard and his crew.

[RaptorWind 257]

I only had a couple of issues with the ending, mostly relating to plot holes. Many things reguarding the general storyline and lore of Mass Effect's universe seems to be ignored, even thrown out the window completely by any of the endings, leading to some choices made by the writers and creative team leaving me utterly baffled. Allow me to be more specific: if every mass relay was truly destroyed, wouldn't that mean the destruction of millions of planets and lives? Sure, I stopped the Reapers, but I was left with the feeling that I had just left the galaxy with an even bigger problem than a Reaper invasion. Furthermore, what was the Normandy doing, fleeing the fight? Why was Harbinger seemingly absent from most of the climax, when his role in ME2 seemed to set him up as a personal adversary to Shepard? And most importantly, what of the rest of the galaxy's races, whom I fought so hard to recruit, now seemingly stranded on Earth with no way to travel home? Such thoughts plagued me long after I finished the game, and to be quite frank, it almost leads me to believe that the progress I made throughout the entire trilogy was all for nothing.

What I believe is everyone's biggest concern, though, is the apparent lack of choice I had in the fate of the galaxy. Sure, I could choose to control, destroy, or synthesize the Reapers, but upon further investigation it looked like each choice yielded the same result. To make matters worse, as interesting as the choices were at the time, none of us are allowed to see the long-term (or even short-term) effects of the choice we made, unless this was planned to be addressed in a future title. Finally, I failed to see the point of War Assets. Since deciding the fate of civilizations ultimately led to different assets obtained to face off against the Reapers, one would assume different outcomes during the main story would lead to different outcomes during the final battle. In my opinion, this approach successfully captures the idea of choice and consequence that defines part of the Mass Effect experience.

I believe that the solution to these concerns do not require a massive change, nor would it even need to be in-game. Really, all I humbly ask for is clarification. Explanation. Open discussions between you and your fans. And maybe a little more closure.

But all this brings me to my next point: you, Bioware, are one of my favorite and most respected developers. The fact that you are open to feedback on an issue like this one is simply another reminder of that, and I thank you profusely for the opportunity. I believe most of the more extreme attacks against you guys are honestly unfair. Mass Effect 3 was still an utterly fantastic game in every respect, which I will cover in a review on the forums later. This universe is YOUR project, YOUR story, YOUR work of art, and I hope it stays that way... because it's brilliant. I've only offered you my thoughts on the ending in the hopes of making it better, because I genuinely care about this series. Much thanks!

Modifié par RaptorWind 257, 20 mars 2012 - 05:34 .

[RaenImrahl]

eghbdgdsgh wrote...

But epic means NOT THE ENDING OF 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Thanks.

I have a slightly different take on this-- one could argue that the ending of the film version of 2001 was indeed epic, but in a very metaphorical way.  The book, on the other hand (written concurrently with the screenplay) was very literal.  It explains everything.  They represent two extremes of the spectrum.

It seems many fans wish the ME3 struck a better balance, found a better center-point, between those two types of endings.

[Navywife64]

Going into this game I thought that my first playthru I will prob mess up and learn from my mistakes, then play again and again until I got the ending I wanted or earned thru my choices. This is what I thought it would be:

On Earth there would be the push towards the teleport beam, just like what we got, except I expected to see all the ground troops I had collected not just a handful. I really wanted to see some Elcor with their guns strapped to their backs. Then the final run; having to perfect it so the beam doesn’t kill me to get to the portal. Once on the Citadel I expected to fight Cerberus and Reaper forces to get to the control center. TIM being in the control center didn’t surprise me just what I thought would happen. Defeat TIM either thru combat or talking, didn’t matter. Activate the Citadel and the crucible attaches. This connection creates a Reaper jamming device that disables all their defenses and allows the fleet and ground troops to decimate them. Shepherd and squad are picked up by Cortez in the shuttle and taken back to Earth to help the ground troops. Going to lose some and some are going to survive. Earth is taken back from the Reapers. We remember the fallen heroes. Then we prepare for the next battle. These can be in DLC form or just cinematic form. This is Take Back Earth but what about Palaven and Thessia.  A short scene with your LI on the Normandy, heading for the next battle. Then end with epilogue like DA:O or a slide show.
Shepherd has always been about saving the Galaxy not destroying it, the endings as they are have destroyed the ME universe as we know it. That is what makes me go WTF.

Hold The Line.