7052 réponses à ce sujet

[Riion]

Just thought I would post this video here, in case the original post is buried in FTL forums. I think this video very accurately depicts the CORE problems many people have with the ending, and it is these problems which should be addressed in the Extended Cut. I think that if solutions to these problems are implemented, most people won't care how or in what manner you did it.

Edit: I also agree with the poster below me, destroying the Relays just seems like a very unnecessary attempt at symbolism regarding the shackles of Reaper technology (respost of my response to another thread). 

Modifié par Riion, 09 avril 2012 - 04:07 .

[generalleo03]

I mentioned this in another thread, but in retrospect it belongs here as well. I apologize if this has been said before.

One thing that kinda bothers me. Within the first 10 minutes of cutscenes in Mass Effect 1 Nihlus states categorically that "Without their [the Protheans] mass relays, interstellar travel would be impossible". That's a pretty bold statement. There's not a lot of room for interpretation. Destroying the mass relays and they saying "oh FTL still exists, galactic society can still happen" seems to smack this in the face. I'm just not sure how these two concepts can be resolved, short of just saying Nihlus was lying or stupid, which doesn't make much sense considering he was a spectre.

For those who don't remember: around 8:20.

The point of this exposition is not to establish the character of Nihlus, but to ground the player in the universe of Mass Effect. It should be assumed that the player doesn't know anything about the universe of Mass Effect in the first 10 minutes and thus needs a little exposition. It's the same reason for Vega in Mass Effect 3, to give new players someone that appears to know less and needs some of the other stuff explained. It's a common tactic for stories to present a character that needs explanations to give the reader some information.

I personally think that was the exact point of the entire conversation, to describe the universe. In that case, this directly contradicts what Gamble and company are saying now. It just seems strange.

[Menagra]

Honestly I think the indoctrination theory sounds like a fabulous idea because I really wanted the ending to be incredibly fleshed out and fun. I was hoping that the last 5 hours of the game happened AFTER the reapers are defeated. Like I was hoping the DLC would revolve around cleaning up the galaxy in the aftermath rather than extra missions before the ending.

I know it's sort of a thing that is mute at this point, but I really was hoping to help restructor governments, or see my shepard's life up to old age in 80's style montage "don't you forget about me..." lol with shepard having a family with their LI and all. In all seriousness we go through all this trouble for romances and it just doesn't ever seem to have closure with the romances. I mean I would rather see Shep and their LI die with eachother than a half hearted "you were important to me" before the end battle. (like in DA2, DA1, ME2, ME1, KOTOR, BG, BG2, JE, ETC).

If indoctrination theory isn't true...than what if years later your LI finds a way to build a mass core relay and jumps back to earths system and just .... shows up before shepard hears the news of the new mass relay (I am assuming they'd build 2 and jump along side of one.

like the movie in the link below was horrible -- but if you ended this story in a similar nostalgic fashion up to 1:50 I think it would be heartbreakingly beautiful (just ditch the rose and don't have shepard slowdance it's CHEESY). With Susan Sarandon's character representing shepard being involved in some postware clean up task, and Richard Gere's character being your LI showing up randomy-- and just being there all of a sudden as a shock.



(and the two ladies in the background could be EDI and Joker, and for the maleshep just have the LI interupt shepard midsentence with a sexy kiss instead of a romantic cuddly thing that femshep would get before the kiss so it's not to "gushy" for maleshep).

End it like that...do the credits...and then have Buzz Alder's ending much later...

It would be perfect


(I'll try to come up with a better example than Shall We Dance, it's just the only movie that came up on youtube's search for "really romantic endings)


----

On another note I hope we end up in Omega at some point, can't wait to see how our decisions pan out in the extended version cutscenes and I still really want a batarian squadmate. Heck I want squadmates or Crewmates from every race, and would like to see old NCP's like Kal Reegar and Shiala.

Modifié par infraredman, 09 avril 2012 - 04:54 .

[Poritolka]

To the BioWare Extended DLC Development Team:

Having read the Kotaku liveblog of your PAX East Mass Effect panel, I am encouraged by your company’s commitment to repair the ending of Mass Effect 3. Although I regret that BioWare will not be replacing the ending altogether, I sincerely hope that you can successfully re-edit the ending sequence to not only provide your customers with a sense of closure for the series, but to resolve the dissonance in narrative coherence introduced in the conclusion of the game. You have once again asked your fans for input to help guide your creative efforts, so I am therefore writing this post for your review. I'm going to start by talking about another company that found itself in a similar situation to the one that your company is finding itself mired in right now.


Way back in 1995, there was a Japanese company named Gainax that released an anime series called Neon Genesis Evangelion. NGE was a 26 episode series that deconstructed the “giant robot” anime genre and was the canvas upon which the writer and director (Hideaki Anno) worked through his clinical depression. It spent a great deal of time ruminating on the pain of the human condition and attempts to come to terms with it via psychology and philosophy, but was well received by Japanese viewers despite its unorthodox choice of subject matter and medium for expression.

NGE was critically acclaimed and was absolutely fantastic right up until the very end… at which point Gainax ran out of both time and money for production. The last two episodes of the series reused existing animation assets and relied on extensive voiceovers in an attempt to try and highlight the most salient ideas that they were trying to express throughout the course of the series. Unfortunately, the series finale failed to satisfy its audience.

Wikipedia sums up what happened fairly succinctly:

The radically different and experimental style of the final two episodes confused or alienated many fans and spawned debate and analysis, both scholarly and informal, and accusations of meaninglessness; even mainstream publications like the Mainichi Times would remark that "When Episode 25 first aired the following week, nearly all viewers felt betrayed… when commentator Eiji Ōtsuka sent a letter to the Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining about the end of the Evangelion series, the debate went nationwide."

Does this sound familiar?

In response to popular demand, Gainax released a film called The End of Evangelion that clarified what was seen in episodes 25 and 26 of the series and provided a more detailed, “real world” account of what was happening while the protagonist was trapped within his own mind. It presented 90 minutes of entirely new content
that managed to clarify and reinforce the central themes of their artistic vision while simultaneously providing viewers with a sense of closure by depicting what happened to the rest of the cast and the world at large during
the final moments of the series. 

The End of Evangelion did not have a happy ending. It was a rather dark and violent affair, and fans of the series were expecting that. But they needed to know what happened to their favorite characters and the fictional world that they invested so much of the time into, and Gainax thankfully obliged them.

Since TheEnd of Evangelion was released in 1997, the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise has gone on to be one of the most successful in the history of Japan. In addition to the original 26 episode series and The End of Evangelion film, Gainax has released several NGE manga series and an absolutely incredible amount of merchandise. Action figures, clothes, soundtracks, glasses, desk fans, love pillows… you name it. They are actually in the process of “re-telling” the original series in a set of four new movies with the latest and greatest computer animation and cell-shading that money can buy.  We’re talking about a franchise that has stayed strong and generated revenue for Gainax seventeen years now. It’s the kind of success that up until now, the Mass Effect series seemed certain to enjoy in the years ahead.

Granted, the Mass Effect franchise has already seen a great deal of success. But if you want to continue to have this kind of success, you need to follow in the footsteps of Gainax and release your own version of The End of Evangelion. Gainax's experience with NGE has shown us that you can create an entirely new set of ending content, so long as you drive home the essential artistic themes you originally intended yo explore. But before
you can do all of that, you’re going to need to resolve the primary issue inherent in the current ending – the presence of the Synthesis option.

Whenever your critics talk disparagingly about “Space Magic”, they are referring to the Synthesis ending. How exactly are you supposed to transform all organic life into biomechanical creatures with The Crucible? Does the same process also turn synthetics into biomechanical creatures? Why are biomechanical lifeforms more likely to ride out an intelligence singularity then regular organic and synthetics lifeforms? The Destroy and Control options have a lot of meticulous details that need to be addressed when writing an epilogue, but the entire idea of Synthesis and how it is supposed to be implemented by The Crucible breaks the verisimilitude of the world you have established thus far. Unless the conversation with the Star Child and the Synthesis option are indeed figments of the mind resulting from an indoctrination attempt, you need to cut this option altogether.

You also need to consider cutting the Star Child from the ending and replacing it with something that better reflects the menacing, alien, and inscrutible nature of the Reapers. Harbinger would be an excellent choice for spokesperson for the Reapers in this scene. You are also going to need to craft a much deeper, enriching dialogue with the player that really illuminates the history and the motivations of the Reapers. The fact of the matter is that your attempt to elaborate on the true concern of the Reapers (i.e. the rise of intelligence singularities) is obfuscated by a lack of dialogue and the inability to interrogate the Star Child to obtain the information necessary to make an informed decision, and you’ve ended up with memes about “synthetics killing organics” instead of really making your players think about what it would be like to live in a post-intelligence singularity world and the potential horrors that could arise from such a scenario.

What has happened so far to bring us to this juncture? Why do the Star Child and the Reapers believe that the only way to prevent the rise of intelligence singularities is through reglar periods of cleansing and genocide? Did transapient AIs evolve to the point that they ruled over the ancient galaxy like gods? Did organic civilizations become overly dependent on transapient AIs? Was the Star Child one of these AIs? Did it create the Reapers? Was it created in tandem with the Reapers? Did a civilization – organic, synthetic, or biomechanical - create the Star Child to try and subvert the order imposed on them by transapient AIs? Have the Reapers already tried to mitigate the impact of intelligence singularities on the galaxy – or perhaps other galaxies! – multiple times without resorting to genocide and failed miserably every time? What if this really looks like the first time in tens of millions of years that organic and synthetic life might be able to avoid the horrible fate that the Reapers have seen replayed out cycle after cycle? Can you actually establish a peace with the Reapers or send them into a rout without using the power of The Crucible? You might be able to find some valid alternatives to the Synthesis ending just by clarifying in your own minds what has come to pass to justify the Reaper's crusade to convert organic life into more Reapers.

You also need to make the player feel like they have the power in the situation, that they are still the protagonist in control of the destiny of the galaxy. The player’s interaction with the Star Child as it stands right now is much too passive and takes away from the dramatic impact of the climax. But they also have to have doubts about the fitness of each option, and the ability to ruminate upon and select these options needs to be independent of game mechanics such as EMS, Morality scores, or Reputation scores. They need to be given the power to make a meaningful choice and understand the possible repercussions of their decision in order to feel really satisfied with the conclusion of the game. It's fine and dandy to allow EMS to influence whether or not you are alive after making your respective decision, or whether or not your decision nukes Earth because The Crucible wasn't constructed properly or defended well, but your players shouldn't be railroaded into making just one or two decisions because their EMS wasn't high enough.

Keep in mind that even if you make these changes, you are still going to need to resolve the multitude of  unresolved questions that were not addressed by the ending. You made some significant strides forward at the PAX panel by clarifying what happened to the Citadel in the wake of the Reaper’s assault, but there are a ton of other little details that need to be considered whenever crafting the new ending sequences. Writing a list of these issues would be a major post in and of itself, but you will need to address them in order to create a really satisfying ending. 

On a completely unrelated note, I would also suggest uncoupling Ken & Gabby’s banter from Ash’s relationship meter in the DLC – it’s very strange walking into Engineering without hearing their banter given how chatty they were in ME2!

You have stated on multiple occasions that you are looking for player feedback, and I sincerely hope that what I have written here has given you some food for thought in the days ahead as you work on the Extended Cut DLC.

And now it is time to crash.

Poritolka

Modifié par Poritolka, 09 avril 2012 - 05:28 .

[BlackCat]

 
I also checked my settings when I first played the game because I thought I was in "Action" mode. During missions the dialogue wheel barely appears and there are cut scenes with little-to-no interaction from the player. I felt disconnected from my Shep.

The Journal is sloppy and overwhelming. Missions should’ve been separated into at least 2 categories, and updated.

The game is too linear. Priority missions all have to be done in a certain order. Some side missions only appear at certain times and have to be completed by a certain time. And the majority of side missions consist of Citadel “fetch quests”. I wish there had been better/more N7 missions, similar to ME2.

This game discourages exploration. There are no hub worlds, aside from the Citadel. What happened to Illium? Everything feels so fast-paced, and more action oriented than ever. You’re fighting enemies the second you land on a planet. It does seem like ME3 was more geared towards Shooter/MP gamers than RPG gamers, which is sad.

It doesn’t feel the same without at least some of the ME2 squad as part of the Normandy. With the exception of Mordin and Legion, ME2 squad members were neglected.

Modifié par Cat71, 09 avril 2012 - 06:29 .

[jspiess]

As long as it makes sense, I will be fine with extended cut.

Currently, however, the entire thing post elevator ride is rubbish.

[KitaSaturnyne]

One of the great things about ME2 was the many distinct worlds one could visit. Along the same vein, the great things about both the first and second games involved planetary exploration in vehicles. Both of these things are glaringly absent in ME3, save for the main story missions. I was hoping I'd be able to drive about on Dekuuna, having to overcome the challenges a high gravity planet presented when piloting a vehicle that could manipulate its mass.

I also agree that being able to holster your weapon when out of combat would also be a welcome addition. It makes searching for items as well as inspecting the enviroments much easier because the FOV is wider.

[dsl08002]

Another thing to say about ME3 is it is some what unsatisfying. there was some things that i felt was missing.

[Jassu1979]

A lot of people have contributed to this thread already, and I feel that by this point, we have not only established what's objectively wrong with the ending in terms of story-telling, continuity, internal consistency and interactivity, but also offered you countless valuable suggestions on how you might resolve these issues with relatively little effort.

And yet, in spite of your claims that you ARE listening and want this input, I still cannot shake the impression that you are far more concerned with fighting a Public Relations war rather than actually take into account what you can read here. Why do I feel that way?
Because after more than 250 pages on this thread alone, you still seem to think that all the current ending needs in order to resolve the conflict is "more clarification".

Well, I hate to break it to you, but unless you stretch the meaning of the verb "clarify" to its utmost limits, there is NO way you could possibly turn the final five minutes into less of a catastrophe.

There is no way to turn the star child into anything less of a blatant deus ex machina.
There is no way to make its explanation, motivation and rationale less detrimental to the internal consistency of the whole series.
There is no way to undo the damage to the Mass Effect universe's internal consistency unless you reveal the final five minutes to be some sort of illusion.

No amount of creativity can integrate the Star Child into established ME-canon, for example.
It has been established that the Citadel has been specifically created as a trap for space-faring races, and that along with the mass relays, this technology was puposefully left behind to steer the cultural evolution of galactic civilization in a certain direction, right until it is "ripe" for the harvest.
It has also been established that the Protheans modified the Citadel to the point where the Reapers could no longer use it - which was pretty much what the conclusion of the first game revolved around.
It has also been established that the Reapers are a vastly superior and somewhat inscrutable intelligences (at least somewhat inspired by Lovecraft's Old Ones) - even in ME3, when Legion describes his interaction with reaper-consciousness.

All of this is unmade by the Star Child, literally unravelled, ignored or broken apart.
There are moments when such fundamental retcons can be beneficial, turning a seemingly unmotivated act of "pure" evil into an act of misguided good intentions (which, I suppose, is what the writers of these final five minutes were aiming for).
But for such a move to work, you need to seed little clues throughout the preceding storyline, making it possible for people to go back and see it all in a new light.
You cannot simply ignore everything that came before - such surprise endings need to be deeply embedded within the very fabric of the story, or else they fail spectacularly.

[hutzus]

Let us forget for a moment those endings. There is something i miss a little in Mass Effect 3. If it would up to me, I would have made Mass Effect 3 much longer than the previous two games. I would have implemented much more Priority missions and put them in three parts.

What do I mean with three parts:

The first part of the game would be like the actual game, you searching around the galaxy for allies and helping them with their problems.

The second part would include rescue and defending missions, where you and your crew helping everywhere you can in the galaxy, until the cruicible is finished. You know helping people on Noveria, Feros and all those planets you visit during the main missions in ME 1 and ME 2 and meeting all those characters you met there.

In the third part I would have wanted missions where you fight against the reapers everywhere in the galaxy with your allies in space and on ground with little minor victories on one hand and also some backlashs on the other hand, until the final confrontation on earth. And in the final mission there would be choices to made like you have to do in the final mission of ME 2, which also can change the ending in the end in consideration what you have done in previous missions of all three games.

Modifié par hutzus, 09 avril 2012 - 10:54 .

[LittleDannyD]

You want feed back? Well then here are my thoughts:

1: First off the endings. There are some major changes that need to be made here, but by now I'm sure you are familiar with this request and have read the may different suggestions regarding how the end should change. Most of the previous suggestions in regards to the endings I agree with as such I'm happy enough to leave you to pick from previous suggestions here rather than writing my own which would only vary slightly from many others.

2: This is a small matter really and one that should be easily fixed. When I'm on a planet and not in combat please allow me to put my gun away. I find it really irritating that I am now forced to run around with my gun levelled constantly and would rather not look like I'm threatening whom ever is unfortunate enough to walk in-front of me. Both ME and ME2 allowed me to holster my weapon when not needed so why can't I do the same in ME3?

3: Bring back the third conversation option. Both ME and ME2 had an option on the conversation wheel that lay between the top and bottom options, this option was always the neutral ground between Paragon and Renegade. There are times when I'd rather not be overly nice or a complete d*ck to people and it's at these time's that I really miss the neutral option.

4: Another small matter. When on the Normandy in ME1 and ME2 at any time I could enter a conversation with my crew and actually decide what my character would say and I would like this back. It is a small thing and quite often I could only ask for their opinion on how the mission was going or if they had any upgrade ideas but it really helped with my immersion, I felt like I was actually talking to them unlike ME3 where a lot of it was a scripted thing that I could hardly hear if my camera wasn't at a certain angle.

5: Give me back my Mako or Hammerhead, or better yet give me a new vehicle that combines the Mako's ability to take punishment and the Hammerhead's handling. The ability to land on planets in ME in the Mako made the galaxy feel much bigger and more alive, the removal of that left me feeling like the galaxy had shrunk drastically to include only a few actual planets.

6: Give me more squad members, the reduction from 10 squad mates to 7 (if you have from ashes, Tali and Garrus don't die in ME2 and also if Tali doesn't commit suicide on Rannoch if you side with the Geth and can't resolve the war peacefully) from ME2-ME3 not only made the Normandy feel less alive but also the lack of choice when going planet side is horrible (I hate using Liara as a squad mate on the ground, she's my only proper biotic and she can't take more than three shot's before she's down). Even if what you do is just give us squad mates from older games instead of making new ones (on that note I'd love to have Grunt or Wrex become proper squad mates again).

7: Fix the damn glitches. To many times have I seen NPCs on top of railings, or my squad has gotten stuck inside a wall.

Well that's all I can think of right now please take these requests into consideration and Thank you for reading.

Modifié par LittleDannyD, 09 avril 2012 - 11:28 .

[Dot.Shadow]

Remove the god child.

No, let me make this clear

Remove the god child

And give us a happy ending. Why the **** not?

[drawnacrol]

More squad members. The only usable ones were Liara and Garrus IMO. Everyone else fell short.

[SandMan2012]

 Ok so I have said this in another thread but I would like to go into more detail because as soon as I had this realization, it really bothers me.  

Mass Effect 1,2,3 are the tales of a hero, Commander Shepard.  Throughout all three games he overcomes incredible odds and still manages to be on top, somehow, except at the very end.  The best example comparison I think I can make is between the endings of 1 and 3.  At the end of ME1 you kill Saren and defeat Soverign.  You see Anderson come running over to your two squad mates and looking distressed at not seeing Shepard.  Then the camera shifts, and lo and behold you see Shepard come out victorious atop the rubble.  A truly heroic moment.  Back to ME3, queue ending.  You talk to TIM and then hit the controls.  After your goodbye with Anderson you hear Hackett crackle over the comms, nothing is happening, it's not working.  Shepard trys to move to save the day but doesn't make it to the panel.  Now, you take a ride up the mystical elevator to find....*drum roll here*....a 'god' if you will, in the form of a small child.  However, at this point Shepard has not yet lost his 'heroic nature.'  Once you being talking to the child he then begins to fade.  I get it, hes near death, tired of it all, and just toast (laser beams tend to do that to you) but he doesn't even sound like the Shepard we have come to know and love.  All he does is except the rule of the god child and his biggest rebuttle? "Maybe."  The conversation is really where we lose the hero of the story, and sadly I think this point had the most potential to give s/he a heros finale.  In my case, I chose destroy, which felt the most satisfying to me, however, Shepard is really quite powerless in all three.  Why you might ask, simply put it is because he hits the big red, green, or blue button.  It's like having a kill switch.  How is that heroic, he** even a caveman could do it!  

Having said all this, and hopefully explaining my point well, I would simply like to put that I understand what the team was going for here, however I do not think it was achieved, there was no blaze of glory, there was no final fight, but instead Shepard hit the button and went quietly into the blackness.

Bioware, you have created and truly amazing galaxy and franchise.  I have never seen a game with such a loyal and passionate fan base as well as staff.  I trust you to do right by the fans and I hope this helps you to do so.

Thanks.

[kal_reegar]

Remove the starchild.
You can't introduce, 10 minutes before the end:
- new story elements
- a semi-divine charachter that change the prospective and the spirit of the entire trilogy (it was supposed to be science fiction, not "magic fiction")
- new questions and plot holes

So, remove the starchild.

or, if you won't/can't litterally remove the cutscene with the starchild (and, belive me, I understand the risks), FIND A WAY TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE HIS IMPACT. Explain how and why he was lying or something.
Indoctrination theory could also serve you well.


of course, as many others, I suggest more closure, focus on team-mates e and consequences, fix the plotholes, maybe some sort happy ending.... but what I really care is that you understand that the source of all problems is the starchild itself

[Subject Alpha]

It's funny, the one thing people want changed the most is the one thing they're too arrogant to admit they got wrong. What's really the point of this thread? A place for us to vent our frustrations while they ignore us?

[Freckle Face]

From another thread:

Freckle Face wrote...

Memmahkth wrote...

....Although, I think it'd just be funnier if Shepard were presented only control or synth by the starchild, and then Shepard could also choose destroy on his/her own.

I think it would be really awesome (and make more sense) if Star Child gave you only the options to control and merge, but Shepard said "Nah... f**k that" and walked over to shoot the tube.  I think a lot of people would be happier with that than the Star Child saying "btw, here is the off switch! Vulnerable for your convenience." Much more satisfying to just discover that you can blow the hole thing to Hell. Preferably with the Star Child trying to talk you out of it every step of the way.

I'm not sure if Memmahkth was the first to have this idea, but he was the first I saw to propose it. I think this is a great, easy way to make the ending a little more satisfying, without really changing anything. We all already know destroy is an option, but it doesn't make sense for the Star Child to tell us that. Just wanted to do what I could to make sure the idea was heard by the devs!

Modifié par Freckle Face, 09 avril 2012 - 03:54 .

[aj2070]

I just had a thought comparing another sci-fi endings vs Mass Effect 3. 

I just watched "I, Robot" with Will Smith last night.  Imagine once the AI, V.I.K.I., is revealed to be the true enemy and the AI gives the "we are saving you by curbing your rights and freedoms" speech if Will Smith's character just says "okay".  Most people are going to say "Okay? Okay!?! Where is the resistance?" Or if Capt. Picard just accepted the Borg's asertion that "resistance is futile".  In my opinion, that is what Shepard has to do with two of the three currently existing choices.  Third choice is synthetic genocide; not a welcome choice if you took the time to reconcile the quarian and geth conflict.

Furthermore, saying Shepard is partially synthetic is like saying someone with a pace maker or prosthetic limbs are partially synthetic.  From what I have seen in the story, there are no artificial intelligences involved in keeping Shepard alive.

[Roflty]

Everything any gamer or designer needs to know is right here:

[Dead_Meat357]

Valk72 wrote...

Jessica Merizan wrote...

Guys, this is an ongoing dialogue. Casey's post is not the final definitive answer to your concerns. This is a collaboration.

In order to be successful in this, I need you to help me gathering feedback and tell us what you want to see. I understand that people are still feeling emotionally raw or untrusting, and I'm not saying it's not valid to feel that way. However, if you want to see your feedback implemented, this needs to become constructive and rational.

Complaining more isn't going to get you what you want. Tell us what you need. Make polls, collect your thoughts. Chris and I are gathering this information and the developers are listening.

This is a partnership. Let's have hope and make your voice heard - that includes positive feedback too (if you like something we're doing, tell us so we know to keep it up!).

Alternative Ending. We don't want to be forced with basically three downer ending which have the same consequences on the galaxy ( blowing up the relays). You promised us a golden/happy ending, it's time to keep that promise. We also want closure and an epilogue, even if just like the one in DAO. I'll be totally honest, for now the game has absolutely no replay value for me because of the ending. For the same reason, i don't see the point to buy DLC.

And to conclude, i will say that it's a damn shame that the ending is so awfull when the rest of the game was so awesome.

I've got to agree here. As I've said many times already, the ending, if it is to be taken at face value leaves a lot to be desired. Pretty much all the outcomes are fairly to extremely negative. Everyone Shepard cared about is either dead or stuck in a bad situation. (Being stranded via a crashed / destroyed Normandy on what appears to be a primative and savage world. Anderson, Legion, Thane, etc. are all dead.) 

Taking an upbeat view of things, the relays will all need to be rebuilt which will take centuries or more to do. This is assuming that they can be recreated. Though Matriarch Atheyta's dialog in Mass Effect 2 makes this sound extremely likely, and ME3 affirms this given that the Protheans created their own "mini-relay" as a conduit into the Citadel. Given that the Protheans guided the Asari, this seems valid. Now how well Thessia stood up to the Reaper invasion really determins how feasable this is. They were hit later, but hit hard by the Reapers. Probably due to being more advanced than the other races. In short the writers could go to either extreme on this point. but new relays do seem possible in the future. If the control ending was selected than the Citadel survives. This bodes well for Earth for the most part because advanced manufacturing, data, weapons, tools, and medical care are all likely intact. So that all in all isn't too bad.

What really pisses me off is the Normandy crash sequence. Plot holes about Shepard's squad mates appearing on the ship aside, this bothers me because being marooned on a untamed planet with limited resources and no technology is a harsh and bitter way to end up after all they've done in the story. Basically Shepard and company get screwed over by death or being stranded. They deserved better than that. Being the seed of a new civilization (let's assume for a second this is even remotely possible with the limited personnel aboard the Normandy) is a harsh way to live. Relay issues not withstanding, Shepard and crew don't get to enjoy anything that's left of the galaxy? That's just crap. It may sound like a cool legend in a vague way down the line, but it's crap for them.

[cardinalally]

1. One of the biggest problems is the Star Child (as he has become called) we are unable to argue with him.  Allowing the player to point out the flaws in his logic and ask why he felt the would be the best option would explore this character in more depth.  As of right now the character is just confusing because he was introduced so late with minimal foreshadowing.  Arguing with the the Star Child will not change the eventual end (just like with TIM or Saren) no matter what you said both still died but hearing them say they perhaps were wrong gives the player a sense of agency even if the end is predetermined.  So perhaps is Shep has enough reputation he can convice the Star Child that his solution never really worked in the end.  But the Star Child can then say 'perhaps, but that still leaves us in our current situation.  We need to find a solution'  then present the three options.  We will all get to the same end but the ability to shape how we get there would make the player feel like they had more control.

2.  Star Child seems to be almost god like and this is a bad idea.  Perhaps make it known through the above conversation that the he is in fact a shackled AI, unable to access the functions of the citideal.  This would fix the continuty issues of what was the point of ME1 and the keepers.  Think of EDI for most of the last game.  She had no access to primary functions of the ship just like the Star Child has no access to citideals primary systems.  This is why he couldn't open the relay in 1 or create the change at the end of 3.  This could also explain why he came up with this solution, he experiences the world through gloves and so therefore doesn't have full understanding of the world and just how bad his solution actually is.  

3.  I would personally make it clear that while the Reapers are the solution Star Child created, but he does not control the Reapers.  They are fully senitant and believe in the cycles but they are not controled by Star Child.  This would allow the Reapers to remain awesome and not toys for an AI.  

4. EXPLAIN THE CHOICES. Please.  
A. Destroy: Low EMS, earth, edi, geth and shepard die.  Relays are destroyed through dialog have it explained that it wont destroy the systems.  Mid EMS, edi, geth and shepard die.  Relays still destroyed.  High EMS (able to get with SP only ) Relays destroyed only.  Seriously I spent 3 games wanted to destroy the Reapers there should be a way to do it without sacrificing the geth and edi.  Maybe make it contingent on making peace between quarian and geth.  So only have geth or quarian, well your then out of luck.

B. Control: perhaps have Shepard question himself/player on does he trust himself with that type of power.  Explain how it would work better.  Like does Shepard become a part of the citideal.  Does he retain his mind and upload it but his body is destroyed.  Relays should not be destroyed.  They should be damaged or deactivated.  Having all of the relays destroyed in every ending felt shoehorned.  That should be something the player should have to consider.  How much do we value the relay's.  This is the only option where the citideal survives intact.

C. Synethesis: This is the hardest one because I honestly don't see how it makes sense in the world you have created.  If you can make it fit, then I bow before you and you are ninjas .  My only advice, change the dialog about the final evolution.  Evolution has no final state because it has no goal so that just bugged me.  Perhaps say the next great stage of evolution or something.  A new platou of evolution.  Again explain through dialog cause I'm sure Shepard is confused as the player

*Shepard living might be based on reputation as well.  This should be really hard to achieve and perhaps make it based on past player action (could you convice TIM to shoot himself etc.)  How well can the player convice the Star Child it is wrong.  Because the Star Child is impressed with Shepard its final act is encasing shepard in a mass effect field strong enough to withstand re-entery to earth or something.  He is found and in hospital for a couple of weeks.

There are a lot of things that this doesn't address, like ending closure and if Shepard is alive scence with LI.  I know this is a lot of work and will require VA but doing this will personally make the Star Child less hated.  Perhaps he'll even grow on me.  I've said this before and I'll say it again.  The ideas of the ending are not bad but they don't seem to fit within the overall story.  They are not well explained in the end and not really explored in game.  So to make it fit you need to give more explaintion so the player isn't pushed out of the story.  Because priority earth went like this ----<_<--.  It would have taken to long to explain in words so excuss the smilies but I think you can get the point.  But I have faith and hope this can be addressed because I love Bioware games and I love Mass Effect.  And I would really love to play ME3 (which I love for 98% of it) without getting a pit in my stomach everytime I start priority earth because I know what is coming will not be fun.  If you did read this that Cool and Thanks!!!

[Metanash]

Dear Jessica and Bioware team

Congratulations on the whole trilogy; its been a truly amazing experience, although as many people here, I would like to contribute to suggestions regarding the end of the game.

 I am actually not pissed off by the core elements composing it, and understand why canon-wise speaking, the three
endings follow several patterns; after all, what matters is how Shepard decides to end the war. Ultimately, I am not displeased with the Matrix-like, deus ex machina endings, on which the starchild would only be the form in which the catalyst manifests to Shepard, similarly to what Jodie Foster experiences in Contact (influences from this book/film made it to the games?). Heck, even a little of space magic can be introduced, for all I care; the important thing is that our Shepard is able to put a definite end to the Reaper War. In truth, that was what I was hoping from the first game, without caring much how it was done; and as a hero’s journey, I always expected coming from the adventure dead (Neo) or changed forever (Frodo). And although I admit that the IT has its beauty; I think I would not want it to be true (too many unanswered questions implied).

Moreover, I do not feel cheated by the last choice in the game, although I agree with other players that more
answers/explanations are needed during that last conversation. The way I see it, Shepard is already tired, dead (OK, in one ending maybe not that much) and even in peace with himself, as seen in the last conversation with Anderson; the war is over and he only must choose how to end it. I do not mind that previous choices do not influence this last decision; it stands much on its own; infact, as will explain later, the importance of those decisions lies on the war assets; and as such those should be the ones which truly reflects them.

However, where the game left me cold was in the lack of personalization and closure during the last act and ending of the game. And how fast everything happened (despite the frenetic last battle, I kind of missed a boss). As has been pointed out in this forum, this should at least manifest itself in several forms:

·     The importance of war assets: Maybe it would be nice to see more of the war assets obtained during the final
battle (both on ground and space), via cinematic scenes between battles. Heck,I want to see Aria kicking some reaper ass!

·     A collector-base approach to the last mission, where all characters play some role and can at any given
point, die.

·     Yeah, we need to know how our squadmates make it to the Normandy, and why is it making a run for it (I
imagine they are not the only ones).

·     A clear epilogue to all living team members (from all games) who are still alive, maybe just as a small
glimpse of how they get on with their lives (in the good ol’ jRPG fashion); please do not leave them stranded on some wild planet!

As a tie in with this point, I think many of us agree on the need to explain further the future of the galaxy. After so
much work uniting people, I would not want them to be stuck on Earth without being able to reconstruct their lives back home (according to the codex, without the mass relays travel by FTL may last for years!). Again, showing
epilogues for characters getting on with their lives back home would be a nice way to implicitly tell us that, somehow, they made it. It would be kind of sad leaving the galaxy unconnected, after everything…

Thanks once again for this amazing journey! Hopefully, it will bring us players the closure it deserves too!! Thanks for listening to us too!!

Best regards!!

Modifié par Metanash, 09 avril 2012 - 07:19 .

[Akhara]

Just an fyi, apparently this guy has some ability to elegantly sum up the opinions of the masses. His newest opinion does a great job of talking about how fans are feeling in regards to the extended ending DLC...:

[Esorevik]

 Ok, I've wanted to post this for a loooooong time, so here we go.
Before, let me remind anyone else on this forum that this is my personal opinion, anyone has the right to agree, disagree or partially agree with any part of this post. However, I think that my opinion, just like everyone else's, deserves to be read/listened to.


To Bioware Staff:

As a last year student of Industrial Design I understand the difficult moment you are going through regarding the controversy about the Mass Effect 3 ending, as Industrial Designers are a rare mix of an artist, a marketing man and a mechanical engineer.

On one side, you regard your job as a piece of art, sort of. Just like a TV series, a bestselling novel, a Japanese Manga, or a movie, videogames (specially games that have such a heavy focus on having a good story like our beloved ME saga) need coherence, an artistic vision of the writer, and basically, they connect the viewers to the story the writer envisioned and propose to them the author's point of view. If they agree, fine. If they don't like it, well, it's their problem. 

However, as you use your art for profit, as your jobs, you also have the need to keep your customers happy, as they are your source of income, as well as your audience. So you are in a difficult spot where you can't betray the original concept of the writers while you must make millions happy because they didn't like the story.

Therefore, I'm glad to see that you guys do show like you care about your fans, and I think it was a very smart move the news about the Resurgence pack, the upcoming patch and the Extended Cut DLC. That is something that we, fans (or at least I think the most of us), will be really happy about.

Why? Because it addresses some of our biggest concerns about the ending (the Extended Cut). MY personal case was this: I met the saga thanks to someone I borrowed ME2 (PC) from. I liked it and they lend me ME1. Turns out I liked it so much I preordered ME3 Collectors Ed. and, as I kept my saved games , I played first with my first character, my noob Femshep. 

So, I finished my ME3 with my noob ME2 Femshep and all the noob mistakes she did, a couple squad members dead and all. I felt the adrenaline pumping through my body as I entered the Sol Relay with my united fleet and battled and landed and fought to the Forward Op. Base, to see that all my side missions and resources gathered, that Volus cruiser, the two rescued alliance frigates, the elcor soldiers I was promised, the difficult choices I made were rewarded by a mere "Quarian fleet standing by. All fleets standing by"...I was like "That's it?".
Hopefully the Extended Cut will correct this.

Then I finally got roasted by Harbinger, survived, managed to get to the citadel, saved Anderson from the Illusive Man, got to the Catalyst and the biggest WTF moment ensued..., I think the right japanese smiley for that feeling is between (-__________-), (O.O) and (X_x). After all my suffering, I got to choose from the Synthesis, the Control and the Destroy endings and hell! I went so far to destroy those goddamned Reapers I went to the red one. My Shepard destroyed the Reapers, Mass Relays and anything synthetic in the galaxy. Then I saw the survivors of the Normandy and a sneak peek at Shepard's chest moving after surviving another orbital reentry (If you count what happened at ME2 as surviving).
I was left with this awesome feeling of WHAT ON EARTH JUST HAPPENED.
I finished the game again and again to see the other endings and, I must say, the one that left me some true feeling of acomplishment was the Synthesis ending.

So, I hope that the Extended Cut gives us the Epilogue we were missing...what happened after victory at, for example Palaven? Did they had to endure a thousand years of Krogan soldiers running around with no option to leave to Tuchanka (or any other solar system)?

I am really thankful for the Extended Cut (Assuming it will be what has been announced), but I really think that there is a lot of room available to diversify possible endings. What about giving not three but six different endings? The three original endings and three new ones?

Also, I would've loved to help Aria to get Omega back, I'd be surprised if you guys didn't have that one planned as a DLC before. 
And what about the Take Earth Back Trailer? I loved that trailer so much, I missed not having this kind of epic battle with several Mako's and Hammerheads and Alliance Soldiers running around gunning down reaper forces while Shepard joins the skirmish...It would've been really awesome, and chaotic, but I know that would have been a pain in the ass to program,  so I'll let that one alone.

After this ESSAY LONG post, I hope you didn't die of boredom (if anyone is still reading at this point) and that you know that I loved ME3, when you view it as a whole, and regardless of those things that I would change, I plan on getting all DLCs so I can have the fullest ME3 experience ever.

Sincerely,
Esorevik