125 réponses à ce sujet

[Noelemahc]

Will the poor stranded ones eventually get their touching dialogue (via QEC or in person) too?

Yes, they will =) QEC was my intention, with all the issues in, well, long-distance relationshipping that brings. I'm struggling with how the unvoiced version will work out, though. Miranda's going up today, Tali-via-holocall after that, today or tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, weekend was krazy and spent mostly IRL.

Text wall. Most won't read

I'm terribly sorry, I am unable to do the awesome song-and-dance that the creator of the Epilogue Slides did. Check them out instead, they are awesome, if a little less personal than my attempt.

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...

Will the poor stranded ones eventually get their touching dialogue (via QEC or in person) too?

Yes, they will =) QEC was my intention, with all the issues in, well, long-distance relationshipping that brings. I'm struggling with how the unvoiced version will work out, though. Miranda's going up today, Tali-via-holocall after that, today or tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, weekend was krazy and spent mostly IRL.

I guess then I'm in for a long wait, since you're going through all the girls first. It's okay, we can wait, my Shepard and I.

As for unvoiced version, I see how that could be a problem with two people who are half a galaxy apart have to communicate their intentions about each other. Maybe showing how the QEC connection is established, some intense staring, and then cutting to a montage of what would happen later?

One problem though with any detailed epilogue, and I've read a few, is everynyone has their own idea of what their Shepard, not pressured by the reaper threat anymore, would or wouldn't do and no way that can really be extrapolated from in-game variables. Like there are probably people out there who like Liara but don't necessarily want to have little blue children, crazy as it sounds.

So I think some things should be left for the player to decide - in your example with Jack the whole proposing thing really should not be streamlined. Make it a choice. We still have the dialogue wheel, right?
Unless it died in the RGB explosion.

[Noelemahc]

The idea was that it died, although I do see your point. I've been breaking my head at where the critical junctures dissecting Miranda's outcomes would be, and realized that there are NONE. Any deviation from "she's my carebear and I loff her forevar" and she either doesn't make it past the Suicide Mission or dies on Horizon. Literally. Will ponder that.

It's okay, we can wait, my Shepard and I.

Who'd your Shep pick, if I may ask? I already have Jacob mapped out (subtitled "in the unlikely event that you actually didn't do anyone after him"), but I'm hoping that's not the answer.

[a.m.p]

Good point about Miranda. The difficulty of keeping her alive on Horizon almost seems like an overcompensation for how very hard it was to kill her in the suicide mission. That plot armor was legendary.
Other romances though have more room for maneuver.

Jacob? God no. Talking to Jacob in me2 as femshep is the second creepiest thing in the series.
It was Alenko, since me1. I'm guilty of liking some good old-fashioned romance, when I'm not busy inventing ways to fight reapers.

[Noelemahc]

Ah, I do not yet know how his plot resolves in ME3, only played two Sheps for now and both saved Ash on Virmire. The Kaidan romancer is fourth on the list, I'm sorry =(

I'll bump her up, wanted to see how it ends myself =)

Other romances though have more room for maneuver.

Yep. For Garrus the crux points are Saleon, Sidonis, whether you argued he should be more of a cop or more of a SPECTRE, whether you were for tyrants or for benevolent rulers, whether you shot that bottle or missed =) Whether you recruited him in ME1 or not (I honestly never checked
He's almost done too, just needs formatting. Formatting is killing me.

Ashley.... the poetry books in the hospital, whether Shepard is a believer, your stance on Terra Firma, did you cheat on her, did you shout at her on Horizon in ME2, which lame come-on line you chose in the ME1 romance scene,  did you help her talk to her sister, how you reacted to her drinking, maybe some other stuff that's exclusive to her ME3 romance (she's very low on the import list, yeah).

I have NO ideas on a resolution for Thane other than dealing with his letter from LotSB and maybe Kolyat.

For Jacob a lot of things revolves around your stance on Cerberus - Akuze, Toombs, his career in the Corsairs, Miranda, Brynn, his father. Oh yeah, his father. Very important bit right there. He's done, except for formatting, AGAIN. Argh.

Tali... her father, her exile, the outcome of Rannoch, your final words in London, whether you helped her Pilgrimage in ME1, and that's about it, I think, if you want her to be alive. And I guess there's a need to resolve if she's dead and you didn't cheat on her memory with Allers (who's the only one available to you as an alternative by that point, IIRC).

Modifié par Noelemahc, 17 avril 2012 - 08:57 .

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...
I'll bump her up, wanted to see how it ends myself =)

It is somewhat weird in the beginning, like all other dialogue that involves multiple variables to construct, but it resolves appropriately.

As for Garrus, both Saleon and Sidonis and much of the other stuff could be probably summed up as your general influence on him. I'm going to go on a bit of a rant for a moment: I've personally always, since me1, had this vision of Garrus going spectre. He just fits there, whether you paragon or renegade him, much more than Ash/Kaidan. And in a post-reaper galaxy, provided we keep it from regressing into stargazer land, spectres are probably going to be needed. /rant over
I think a saw a video on youtube of how recruiting him in me2 plays out if you didn't meet him in me1 - it's a few different lines of dialogue, so that could be glossed over. No matter how long ago you meet Garrus, he's still Garrus and awesome.

Ashley is difficult, yes. Liara probably even more difficult with the amount of interaction, some of it DLC-exclusive, she gets. I guess in the end it boils down to the little blue children - whether one wants that or not. In my game she expressed no desire to settle down and stop being the Shadow Broker. Does she change her mind if you romance her?

See, I was thinking not so much in terms of accounting for previous little choices in the dialogue (that is great of course) but giving some more choice in where you want this relationship to go now, with the war over.

Modifié par a.m.p, 17 avril 2012 - 10:03 .

[Noelemahc]

See, I was thinking not so much in terms of accounting for previous little choices in the dialogue (that is great of course) but giving some more choice in where you want this relationship to go now, with the war over.

Yeah, I got that, but the self-imposed challenge is that each scene should work with no dialogue whatsoever. Jack's would already look weird as it is without choices, and while I'm sure that this isn't the only possible way to end it, it's the one that's most consistent with the only path of behaviour Shep can take to romance her to completion in ME2.

Mayhap account for Para/Rene interventions (maybe even make them selectable via Dialogue Wheel, sorta how the dialogue system works in Bard's Tale - you only got masks with facial expressions to choose from, not the actual lines)), see where that leads me. That means making spreadsheets or flowcharts. I hate flowcharts =(

I think a saw a video on youtube of how recruiting him in me2 plays out if you didn't meet him in me1 - it's a few different lines of dialogue, so that could be glossed over. No matter how long ago you meet Garrus, he's still Garrus and awesome.

He fanboys over Shepard less if you did that, to the point where the homosexual subtext with ManShep is gone. I'm fairly certain I'm the only one who regrets Garrus isn't a same-sex option, so yeah, not a big impact on the ending except for maybe whether he will or will not approve of choosing the Red ending. "Better dead than red" sounds very much like what a Paragon Garrus would choose. Renegade Garrus will pick Red without second thoughts, IMHO. The Sidonis choice ends up the same way as the Saleon one, in the long run - do you want him to be Space Dirty Harry or Space Batman?

Overall, I have this sensation that he's the only squaddie we actually have an influence on (ther than Jack, and to "fix" Jack you GOTTA romance her.
Oh, KotOR2, we really miss you, yes we do, who's a good unfinished RPG, yes, you are, you aaaare ()

In my game she expressed no desire to settle down and stop being the Shadow Broker. Does she change her mind if you romance her?

Blue babies, yes, living the rest of her life with Shepard, yes, stepping down as the Broker, not yet. Have only passed Horizon on the Liaramancer playthrough, however, so it might be resolved come London.

Modifié par Noelemahc, 17 avril 2012 - 11:08 .

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...

Yeah, I got that, but the self-imposed challenge is that each scene should work with no dialogue whatsoever. Jack's would already look weird as it is without choices, and while I'm sure that this isn't the only possible way to end it, it's the one that's most consistent with the only path of behaviour Shep can take to romance her to completion in ME2.

Mayhap account for Para/Rene interventions (maybe even make them selectable via Dialogue Wheel, sorta how the dialogue system works in Bard's Tale - you only got masks with facial expressions to choose from, not the actual lines)), see where that leads me. That means making spreadsheets or flowcharts. I hate flowcharts =(

Fair enough. Though the question whether a cheap unvoiced version should just omit choices or suddenly introduce a new mechanic to achieve them is debatable. Maybe then just cut it before the "Now what?" part and show only the reunion itself, then cue speculations? As long as the reunion happens, everything else easily writes itself in each individual player's head.

Oh, KotOR2, we really miss you, yes we do, who's a good unfinished RPG, yes, you are, you aaaare ()

Come now, KotOR2's ending had Kreia who was the best thing that happened to Star Wars since the emperor. That alone redeems it.

[Noelemahc]

Maybe then just cut it before the "Now what?" part and show only the reunion itself, then cue speculations? As long as the reunion happens, everything else easily writes itself in each individual player's head.

Gotcha. Great idea, thank you =)

Come now, KotOR2's ending had Kreia who was the best thing that happened to Star Wars since the emperor. That alone redeems it.

Considering they retconned almost all of KotOR2 away in TOR, it's like BioWare wanted everyone to forget how awesome the way she broke the Light-and-Darkness system was. This was the first time someone IN A VIDEOGAME made me regret doing kind things to random people.

EDIT: Wormed in a Paragon/Renegade choice into Jack's story. Will now invent one for Miranda and put her up, finally.

EDIT2: Now with 200% more Miranda! And blue babies from an unplanned direction!

Modifié par Noelemahc, 18 avril 2012 - 03:43 .

[a.m.p]

Okay, read Miranda.
Maybe a little too much focus of the can't have kids issue, though I'll be the first to admit that adds depth to her character. The moment when I went from constant irritation to cautious respect towards her was when I read that dossier.
I like what you're doing with the interrupts in general - not breaking the flow of the conversation and all, but they suffer from the same problem as the existing in-game interrupts. Almost no way of knowing what exactly Shepard will do when you take them. Not sure there's away around that problem short of reviving the wheel.
And I finally figured out what bugs me about your ManShep. He's got an awful amount of personality. Good job on that.
Ah yes, and the blue babies snuck into the game again. Can't hide from blue babies.

Modifié par a.m.p, 19 avril 2012 - 09:35 .

[Noelemahc]

Maybe a little too much focus of the can't have kids issue, though I'll be the first to admit that adds depth to her character.

Sorta intentional. All her other issues were resolved, it's about time she and Shep faced the music. Even if they stay together, having kids is something they will never have. Juxtapose that with Ori finding solace in someone's blue arms and poof, instant angst. (Yes, I know that LotSB gives us Oriana discussing a crush on a boy with Miranda, but that's part of the fun of it -- it might be a phase, it might not, who knows how the boy reacted?)
It's not like Miranda is keen to discuss the fate of the Normandy or anything, most of the crew dislikes her, remember? =)

And I finally figured out what bugs me about your ManShep. He's got an awful amount of personality. Good job on that.

As I said, can't be helped. Liaramancers can turn into Stoic Heroes or Sulky Heroes depending on what they do in their romances. Talimancers can be either Cynical Protectors or Caring Benefactors. With Jack, unless you want to be frellbuddyzoned, you HAVE to be the Bleeding Heart; with Miranda, unless you want to be widowerzoned, you HAVE to be the Constant Enabler.
The plot sorta writes the personality from then on.

Tali-by-holocall and Jacob are next up, I hope I did a decent job of not letting either degenerate into slapstick, because the situations sure as hell call for it.

Modifié par Noelemahc, 19 avril 2012 - 10:42 .

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...

Sorta intentional. All her other issues were resolved, it's about time she and Shep faced the music. Even if they stay together, having kids is something they will never have. Juxtapose that with Ori finding solace in someone's blue arms and poof, instant angst. (Yes, I know that LotSB gives us Oriana discussing a crush on a boy with Miranda, but that's part of the fun of it -- it might be a phase, it might not, who knows how the boy reacted?)
It's not like Miranda is keen to discuss the fate of the Normandy or anything, most of the crew dislikes her, remember? =)

Fair enough.

As I said, can't be helped. Liaramancers can turn into Stoic Heroes or Sulky Heroes depending on what they do in their romances. Talimancers can be either Cynical Protectors or Caring Benefactors. With Jack, unless you want to be frellbuddyzoned, you HAVE to be the Bleeding Heart; with Miranda, unless you want to be widowerzoned, you HAVE to be the Constant Enabler.
The plot sorta writes the personality from then on.

I mean underneath all that. There are many ways of being a constant enabler

ME1 Shepard was generally kind of bland. ME2 Shepard was badass and bland. That was done to allow all sorts of interpretations of the character, I think. ME3 Shepard got a lot more nuanced but it didn't go well with people who had a different idea of the character than these nuances implied, hence all the complaints about auto-dialogue. Well, that and there was a lot of auto-dialogue (me - I didn't have a problem with that, it was mostly in line with how I see my Shepard).

I think you hit a good balance here between generic lines + possibility for interpretation and being locked into one particular personality, if a fleshed out one. Hence, good job.

Though again, that comes from a person who never did a full playthrough with ManShep (all the more respect for the effort and thought you're putting into this). Would be interesting to ask someone who actually did those romances and see if there's any disconnect between their ManShep and your ManShep.

It's really interesting to look at this problem from a writer's perspective. Not an easy job - interactive storytelling.

Looking forward to Tali. And to your take on FemShep.

[SogaBan]

omikron199 wrote...

Text wall. Most won't read

The statement made is so true to the profile picture... lol

Imagine Wrex being given a long report... and he will be reacting exactly the same...

Sorry if was rude and I apologize.

By the way, that "text wall" was quite well thought... which I am unhappy to say, Bioware is lacking these days (starting from Dragon Age 2).

Modifié par SogaBan, 20 avril 2012 - 11:12 .

[Orumon]

Very thorough and well thought out. However, It's going to take a while for you to write out a full series of epilogues for everything though.

I'm going to follow this with great interest.

:Edit:

And I love the Yahg endings. Both of them are pure awesome.

Modifié par Orumon, 20 avril 2012 - 05:18 .

[Orumon]

SogaBan wrote...

omikron199 wrote...

Text wall. Most won't read

The statement made is so true to the profile picture... lol

Imagine Wrex being given a long report... and he will be reacting exactly the same...

Sorry if was rude and I apologize.

By the way, that "text wall" was quite well thought... which I am unhappy to say, Bioware is lacking these days (starting from Dragon Age 2).

Actually, I imagine Wrex WOULD read it, but he'd complain about it. He'd also comment how most Krogan WOULDN'T read it.

[jumpingkaede]

Read it then looked for Resolution section and didn't find it so now I'm sad.

[MrNose]

Noelemahc wrote...

The idea was that it died, although I do see your point. I've been breaking my head at where the critical junctures dissecting Miranda's outcomes would be, and realized that there are NONE. Any deviation from "she's my carebear and I loff her forevar" and she either doesn't make it past the Suicide Mission or dies on Horizon. Literally. Will ponder that.

Actually, as long as you don't break up with her at the beginning there isn't any further need for romance actions.  

Anyway, any Miranda ending should properly address her actions after Sanctuary, which apparently involve assembling a team of her own and going on Cerberus raids.  Her career is too much a part of her story to be sidelined entirely by Oriana and infertility.  

[Noelemahc]

Her career is too much a part of her story to be sidelined entirely by Oriana and infertility.

Yeah, I remembered that as my FemShep playthrough reached London. Will rewrite, worry not. I'm currently editing Tali, went overboard with the text, don't want to have 15 minutes of screentime of two peeps just talking via holo (>_<)

Sorry.

EDIT: Added, also added ME:Infiltrator reference. Not the last one, I hope.

Read it then looked for Resolution section and didn't find it so now I'm sad.

I'm really really sorry, but I'm gonna polish it and publish it only after at least all the Red Ending LI resolutions are done. Unless you want superclosure and will accept that you'll read the rest of the possible middles after you've read the beginning and the end =)

However, It's going to take a while for you to write out a full series of epilogues for everything though.

Since a lot of it hinges on playing the game personally instead of proxy-learning stuff via YouTube, yes. Sorry again, I will be done before the EC DLC is released, I can promise that much =)

Modifié par Noelemahc, 21 avril 2012 - 03:56 .

[TheBastian]

As sad as it is, this is way better than the original ending. I am really looking forward to your Tali ending, keep up the good work

[Noelemahc]

<<<CONCLUSION>>>
...as your LI opens the door, in walks The Doctor. If in holocall, Shepard excuses himself (see relevant holocall ending) and switches attention to the doctor.
If you had a pick between Chakwas and Michel way back in the prologue, it will be the one you left behind. If you didn't (i.e. you had a no-import or Chakwas didn't survive the Suicide Mission and Michel is now stranded with the Normandy), it's the nurse that reacted when Shepard woke up. Most of their lines are shared, I will outline unique ones... which WILL get more diverse after my with-Michel playthrough will be done over. So far my knowledge of her ME3 actions is limited to the fact that it's vaguely implied that she's lusting after Garrus.

Your LI, if present, settles down on a chair in the back of the room as the doctor circumnavigates the bed (or the holoprojector and then the bed).

IF ONE OF THE DOCTORS:
CHAKWAS: "I guess I owe you thanks, Commander. You apparently saved me from the fate of being marooned on some unknown world right now." Shepard smiles, but Chakwas continues. "Unfortunately, this also means that you saved your crew from being tended to by someone capable of handling such a situation. I hope that Doctor Michel is up to the task."
"As do I, doctor. As do I. How'd laboratory work treat you?"
Chakwas frowns.
"Rudely. Apparently, you lose laboratory credibility if you are stuck doing real medical work out in the field. Doesn't even matter if you did it next to the salarian that worked on the genophage, or in the depth of the Collector Base, because "field work is not lab work", and "a ship's lab is not a real lab, not real at all"." {angry gestures, montage of her on the SR-2, at the Collector Base, etc}
"I'm sorry I put you through it, but it was better than running the risk of subjecting you to another Collector Base. Or worse."
She sighs.
"I know. It's just... Well, never mind." {brandishes datapad}

MICHEL: "And so we meet again, Commander. I better get you back onto your feet, because apparently there's a laundry list of people who need you out there in the world, doing hero things again."
"Doctor! It's good to see you. But... I thought everyone who was on the Citadel when it was overrun--" {nightmare montage: dead bodies in the Citadel's halls}
"No, Commander, thanks to the Citadel Defense Force, most of the population was evacuated when the Reapers forced the arms open." {quick montage: panicking crowd, escape pods, Citadel open before two Reapers}
"I was wondering about that, actually. Didn't we disable the mechanism after Sovereign's attack?" {fuzzy image of Saren at the Citadel Control Center}
"Unknown. It appears that they have had some sort of backup plan available. Perhaps more indoctrinated agents?" {fuzzy image of husks at same}
"Perhaps. In any case, to what do I owe the visit?"

IF NOT: "Commander Shepard, glad to see you up and-- well, up, at least. I'm your attending nurse, my name is Rachel."
"Nurse Rachel? How am I doing?"

CONVERGENCE: "It's time for your checkup, Commander. We have to check how you're healing." {omni-tool comes out, a holoprojection of your class's implants show up -- as seen on the ME2/3 class selector}
"Yeah, I wanted to know myself. I thought that after a month's worth of sleep, I'd be in better shape." {stretches, winces}
"But you are. Whatever it is you did in the Crucible, has not only caused mild and rather intriguing burns across your body, it has also burned out most of your cybernetics. Rebuilding the organic part of your body was easy -- but fixing the Cerberus implants? Next to impossible." {quick montage of Shepard in the tube explosion, little discharges of electricity across his/her face and arms in a close-up}
Jack, if present, scowls. Miranda purses her lips and folds her arms.
"Alright, I'll bite. What have I got inside me, then? Slag?"
"Mostly, yes." {holo of implants flashes red all over the non-organic parts}
IF BIOTIC class: "So I'd suggest not trying to use your biotics as yet. Your amp is fried, so at best, you'll get a splitting headache." {taps side of head}
"And at worst?" {tilts head to the side}
"Hard to predict, with this sort of damage. An aneurysm, maybe?" {shrug, mimes explosion with the hand used to tap head}

IF TECH class: "So I'd suggest not trying any of your augments as yet. The circuitry is fried, and the results could be unpredictable." {shrugs, gestures at the flashing red of the holo}
"Within what range?" {raises eyebrow questioningly}
"Unpredictable means unpredictable, Commander." {stern look} "Nothing might happen, or you might get a nerve feedback strong enough to cripple you for the rest of your life. Take care, alright?" {taps the omni-tool, legs and arms on the holo also flash red and then fade to black along with the entire circuitry grid of the implants}

CONVERGENCE
"Great." {falls back into bed}
"We have arranged for replacements for most of them already, it was only a matter of ascertaining how much damage your brain has sustained." {a readout flows by on the holo, separate implants flashing blue briefly as relevant lines in the readout also flash}
"Is that why my head feels like someone stole bits of it while I was out?" {runs hand through hair}
Quizzical look from the doc.
"You feel like you're missing pieces?" {taps on the omni-tool}
"Yeah. I don't suppose it's a side-effect of the burnout... right?"
"We'll have to run some scans. Maybe exploratory surgery." {close-up of the head section of the body schematic, taps the head, makes cutting motion with finger}
"You couldn't do that while I was out?" {Shepard winces}
"Not until you woke up so we could ascertain that you were still... functional, Commander."
"Great. Now I'm really wondering if this is all a contrived hallucination that I'm experiencing while lying flat on the floor of the Crucible control room." {nightmare montage: Shepard collapsing at the feet of the Starchild, pool of blood spreading around him/her}
"If this was a hallucination, would I do this?" {pokes Shepard in the forehead with a fingertip}
"Ow! No, I guess not." {rubs forehead}
"That's settled then." {shuts off holo, taps on the datapad, turns to LI if she's there (you have no earthbound male LIs to stick around, remember?)} "This better be brief." {said to LI if she's there, or into the omni-tool if not}.

>>>RE:NORMANDY<<<
If you don't have the holoprojector installed right now, the installation scene plays out same as outlined before, except that the LI and the doc watch it happen and listen in to Shepard's exchange with the comms tech. Everything up to the part where your Normandy-bound LI would barge in is the same, divergence occurs after Joker says "AGAIN?"

The crew is gathered round, and Shepard addresses each of them in turn, as sort of a reaffirmation of what was said and done. In silent mode, this is treated as a quick montage instead.
GARRUS
Non-Romanced: "So, how's that bar working out for you, Vakarian?"
"They lied to us, Shepard. There's no bars in heaven. In fact, thanks to Tali, there's no turian brandy here anywhere. At all." {If Tali's dead before Horizon, the last bit is changed to "In fact, as of a few days ago, there's no turian brandy here anywhere".}
Romanced: {to be added when I finish appropriate playthrough}

TALI
Non-Romanced:: "Hey, Tali, how's life planetside treating you? Not too quiet?"
"Are you kidding? I cannot sleep for all of the noises this jungle makes! I look forward to Rannoch - it, at least, doesn't have insects!"

Romanced: "So, miss Vas Normandy, are you having fun yet?"
"I've been learning to live without my helmet constantly on. Preparing for Rannoch. Turns out, it's not as hard as I thought - so long as I stay out of direct sunlight. After adapting to you, the local bacteria don't give me any trouble!"
"Heh. Glad I could be of use."

TALI and GARRUS (if they hooked up)
"So, on behalf of dextros everywhere, tell me, how's the power of love helping you?"
"Love? I'm still only using him for his body!" {hugs Garrus}
"Yeah, but the body doesn't mind. And yours is quite flexible..." {half-lifts Tali by her waist, she giggles}
"I was wondering, how're you set for food?"

If Michel is ship doctor: Tali: "Dr. Michel was quite taken with Garrus... so we have dextro rations enough to actually last us longer than the rest of the crew until someone has to resort to hunting."

If Chakwas is ship doctor: Garrus: "Are you kidding? Dr. Chakwas was paranoid enough to have an entire crate of emergency dextro-friendly food stowed away. Since it only feeds us two, we could probably last the longest before we'd have to try the "local cuisine"!"

ASHLEY
Non-Romanced: "Lieutenant Commander? How're you doing?"
IF TALKED TO HER DRUNK and TO VEGA IN SAME SEQUENCE: "Pretty well, actually. James has... been good company," {she pauses with a half-smirk half-smile} "Even though his cooking's terrible."

OTHERWISE: "Pretty well, actually. Especially now that I know we didn't kill you or anything by running out on you."
Romanced: <to be added once I complete the appropriate ME3 playthrough>

TRAYNOR
Non-Romanced: "Specialist Traynor?"
"It's Samantha, Commander. I think I've earned as much."
"Yes you have, Sam. Yes, you have."
Romanced: {to be added when I finish appropriate playthrough without reloading it halfway through while frantically thinking "I don't want to see Liara jealous, I don't want to see Liara jealous!"}

LIARA
Non-Romanced: "How's the book coming along, Liara?"
"Pretty good. I think I've narrowed the name choice down to five or ten options."
"Attagirl. Just so long as you don't write the actual book at that pace."
"Shepard! {laughs} It's already half-done, I'll have you know!"

Alternatively, non-Romanced, Javik is there: "How's the book coming along, Liara?"
"Pretty good. "Journeys with the Prothean" is what we decided to call it."
    if Javik did not use the Memory Shard: "Javik has been most helpful, although his manners could still use a lot of work."
    Javik: "Dr. T'Soni, my manners are fine. It is the customs of this time that I have issues with."

    if Javik did use the Memory Shard: "Javik has been a treasure trove, although his mood is... less than pleasant."
    Javik: "Alas, this planet has nothing that could give me a worthy death, and I am consigned to serve as a living encyclopaedia."

Romanced: "Have you given it any thought, Liara?"
"I have. And three is not such a scary number anymore."
"Wow. I guess I'll start picking names then?"
"Sorry, mother's prerogative." {smiles}

JOKER
Non-Flirted: "Joker? You alright?"
Flirted: "Jeff? You alright?"
{otherwise identical}
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Tali's been tinkering with EDI's chassis - she still thinks we can recover her. Sam and Adams are helping - not that we all have much else to do right now." {If Tali's dead, it's "Adams's been tinkering... Sam is helping", or "Sam, Gabby and Ken are helping" (remove dead ones as necessary)}
"Glad to hear it. I hope it's going to work out."

Non-Flirted: {sad smile} "Yeah, me too. I know it's a long shot... but I miss her."
Flirted: "I know it's a long shot, but... Life goes on, right?"
{still if flirted} Shepard: "Perhaps, the best is yet to come?" {smiles}

CORTEZ
Non-Romanced: "Steve? How are you? Crashed any more shuttles lately?"
"Nah, Commander, one time was enough. I am mapping out the planet, however. James has been most helpful in that regard. It's uninhabited -- at least, uninhabited by anything sentient -- and the predators aren't large enough to give us any trouble. I'd call it paradise if we weren't permanently stuck here."
Romanced: {to be added once I can admit that a gay or bi DudeShep can fall for anyone who is not Kaidan and complete the appropriate playthrough}

KEN and GABBY
KEN is sole survivor "How're you holding up, Donnely?"
"Alright, Commander. Engineer Adams and I have been spending time working on EDI - it's quite a challenge!"

KEN and GABBY survived, but did not get together because you have no soul or didn't defeat the Ashleyless bug
"Daniels, Donnely, How're you two holding up?"
"Pretty well, Commander. Looking forward to when we can get EDI back up and running!"
"Oh yeah, Kenneth, running robotic ladies with big airbags is something you always look forward to!"

KEN and GABBY hooked up
"Ken, Gabby, how'd you two work out?"
"We're great, Commander. Thanks again for pointing it out."
"Yes, Commander, thank you for defeating the oblivious." {nudges Ken playfully with an elbow, then kisses him}

KAIDAN
<to be added once I complete at least one ME3 run where he lived... and then a few more because his DudeShep and FemShep romances are actually different, unlike Liara's>

CHAKWAS
IF SHARED DRINK, CALLED HER NAME "Karin? How's my crew looking?"
IF NOT "Doctor Chakwas? How's my crew looking?"
{otherwise identical}
"Rather good, Commander. I should say, while I try to prepare for everything, this is certainly not something I expected to get when I asked to go on the Normandy again!"
"Well, to be fair, I did warn you."

MICHEL
<to be added once I complete at least one ME3 run with her on the team>

VEGA
If seen flirting dialogue line to the end: "So, Mister Vega, still not gonna make good on the flirting?"
If you are taken or flirted with Joker also:"Sorry, Lola, I think you're already spoken for."
Otherwise: "Well, Lola, that's something best left for a private discussion." {wink, grin}

Instead, if the Ashley-drunk scene seen AND the Vega-talking-when-Ashley-drunk done: "So, you gonna make a move on the LT any time this century?"
"Who, Heels? We're cool, I think I'm doing great!"
Ashley's voice: "You're the WORST Commander."
Shepard: "You're the worst Commander...?"
Ashley: "Sir"/"Ma'am".

Instead, if none of the above: "So, Mister Vega, any other nicknames I should be aware of?"
"Well... Sparks you already know..." / "There's Sparks, the twitchy one in the isolation suit." (Tali's voice: "Twitchy?!")
"There's Heels, because any other options would get me a bullet to the head..." (Ashley's voice: "And for good reason!")
"Err... Cat-face, because seriously, have you seen his nose move when he talks?" (Garrus's voice: "Why am I a cat? What's a cat anyway?")
"Also, Indiana, for the resident archaeologist." (Liara's voice: "It's something human, right?")
"Four-eyes is self-explanatory..." (Javik's voice: "Primitives. I'm still surrounded by primitives.")
"And I still can't think of a non-offensive one for Traynor. Sorry, Sam." (Sam's voice: "No worries, Stripes. Take your time.")

THE CREW TOGETHER
"Hang in there, people, we're gonna get you out of there ASAP. Everybody keeps dropping fat hints at me that it's sooner rather than later and--"
Earthbound LI or the Doctor gestures at Shep, then the door.
"---and apparently I should go. Keep in touch! Shepard out."
"You too, Commander," Joker replies, "Normandy out."

<<<THE VERY DEFINITELY FINAL EPILOGUE!!!>>>
If LI is here, she opens the door and gestures at the other side. If not, the doctor does it. In file all the SM survivors, and also one or more of the following: Coates, Rodriguez, Ezno, Shiala, Kelly, Gardner, one randomly chosen representative of each MP class you have promoted up to this point. Cutoff amount is nine (plus your LI if she's already here, the doctor doesn't count) people, priority given to SM survivors, then to Coates, Kelly, Shiala, Ezno, Rodriguez and the MP guys in order of diminishing importance as "From the Rubble" from ME1 plays.

Liner notes: Zaeed has a battered old rifle on his back -- he fixed Jessie. Kasumi doesn't enter, she decloaks walking up from a corner opposite the entrance, implying that she was standing there all along. Jack has her arm around Rodriguez if she has enough space to show up, Coates is in the non-armour outfit of the same type that Shep wears by default, Kelly is wearing an Alliance outfit, Ezno is in his trademark armour, glowing whichever colour you imported him with last (provided ME:I can actually tell ME3 if he was Paragon or Renegade), Shiala is still green and is wearing a human armour, not her original Commando uniform, Jacob looks hesitant to be here to begin with, Samara looks at some of the additions quizzically, Grunt is ecstatic for action. Had they survived, Not-Jack and Not-Jacob will also be here. IIRC, all other Not-Squaddies die at the ends of their respective missions regardless of what Shepard does, and Shala'Raan (Not-Tali) has too much of a post to join us.

Coates and his plot armour step forward, handing over a datapad to Shepard.
"Commander, the Alliance has a new assignment for you."

"One that needs you all here?" {throws an indicative look at the crowd, then turns to the datapad}

"Almost. By the time you get out of here, we estimate the first prototype Reaper Drive will be complete. As it stands, it was deemed that you deserve the honor of captaining the first test flight of a frigate outfitted with the experimental engine."
Kasumi: "In other words, potentially going up in a ball of flame."

Coates: "For this mission, you will need a crew. Those present here have either been suggested by Alliance Command as fitting candidates or have volunteered and been accepted as viable candidates for the mission."

Jack: "Or pressganged into volunteering." {she squeezes Rodriguez's shoulder to indicate who she's speaking of, Rodriguez squirms and smiles weakly}
Zaeed: "We owe it to ya, Shepard."
Mordin: "Have responsibility to fulfill. Willing to serve with you again."
Grunt: "Can't leave my old battlemaster alone, can I?"
Shiala: "Now that the Reapers are gone, indoctrination is not an issue, I am my own person again. And I still have a debt to repay you, Commander." {adds a smile if she flirted with you in ME2}
Ezno: "Made a promise. Gotta keep it."
Samara: "It seems our paths have crossed again, Commander. The Code dictates I follow you into the unknown."
Jacob: "Believe it or not, I'm liaison for the science team. Brynn will be overseeing everything from Earthside."
Kelly: "You will need assistance, Commander, and I am willing to give it."

Coates: "The final decision on their inclusion is, of course, on you, Commander. As soon as you are ready, we shall visit the Normandy SR-3--"
Shepard: "No."

Coates: "I beg your pardon?"
Shepard: "The Normandy's crew has dubbed their unknown planet Normandy. Can't actually call our ship that now, can we? I've had an idea..."

Coates: "Well, then the regs state we should pick one according to the manual."

<bullet time, PARAGON and RENEGADE INTERRUPTS appear one last time>


Shepard: "Very well. What does the manual suggest as the next frigate name?"
Coates: {taps omni-tool} "Omaha."


Shepard: "Don't I get a final say as the future captain?"
Coates: "Not that I know of. You CAN get one as the one who defeated the Reapers, however."
Shepard: "That works too." {shrug}
Coates: "So, what's your idea, Commander?"
Shepard: "Omaha."

CONVERGENCE:
Shepard: {grins} "I find it rather appropriate, Major. Don't you?"
Coates: {nods} "Yes indeed, Omaha it is then. We should let you get some rest... Captain."
He salutes Shepard and ushers the crowd out. Shepard looks at the datapad again.
"Here we go again..."
Fade to black.

Swift montage to the rise of the original ME1 intro theme:
Shepard making his first tentative step out of bed, Shepard being operated on, Shepard trying out his biotics/omni-tool to the cheers of the doctor and the LI (either in person or via holo), Shepard doing physical adaptation training, learning to walk again, then run; finally, Shepard, in fresh dress uniform, walking up a ramp to the new frigate, proudly bearing the name OMAHA on the side.

A-la ME1, he walks around the ship, nodding at the new pilot (a turian), navigator (quarian or, if you eliminated them, salarian), Kelly or Rodriguez at the assistant station, as he ascends the steps to the galaxy map in the CIC... (this should be timed to the highest point of the theme, seguing instead into M4 Part One for its distortion opening to sync up with the orchestral rise at the end of the theme, which fades in to the beat just as Shepard speaks)

"It's about time we got our people back, I think. Let's take this baby out for a spin."

Montage of the crew settling in -- Zaeed hanging Jessie on a wall; Jack or her stand-in dropping a duffel bag in a two-bunk room, smirking at a unicorn poster; Jacob or his stand-in putting up a picture of Brynn over a bunk, Samara gazing out an observation port at the receding dock; Coates at the CIC, looking at a readout, then glancing at Shepard; Miranda staring at a screen that bears "Known Cerberus Bases" above a multicoloured galaxy map; Mordin perusing a new lab; Shiala looking at the vines encircling her forearm which she apparently has control over as they move to the gestures of her other arm; the MP characters locking-and-loading in the armory; the doctor - be it Chakwas, Michel or Rachel - counting something visibly in the med bay; finally, Ezno spray-painting a SPECTRE logo onto the MAKO in the cargo hold.

Fade to a view of the Omaha in space, traveling on sublight drive. The montage should be timed, again, to the point where guitars fade in on the track. (2:05)

"All right, everyone ready for this?" Shepard says, resting against the railing above the galaxy map. "Flight officer, pick the second star to the right of Aldebaran, and run it straight on till morning light!"

The turian flight officer looks back from his seat quizzically, sees Shepard's serious expression, sits back, holds a hand up, as if counting stars, then taps his console. View outside the Omaha as it is covered in a webwork of red light, seemingly streaming from under every hull plate as it stretches out along with the space around it and red-shifts out of view into the distance. Timed to the rise in the rhythm guitars (2:40-ish). Sideswipe the view until the camera lowers into an atmosphere. It is the Planet Normandy, as we get a flyby of the camp, the crew members going about their routine, Those Two Girls bringing in some fresh killed beast to cheers; Vega chopping firewood -- the indication of time having passed as we see the Normandy almost covered by growth in the background, its landing trail almost overgrown already.

As the rise in music continues, someone points at the sky. Everyone looks up, pointing, cheering, screaming, we see their faces, one by one - smiling, even Joker, even Tali -- in her mask, we see the reflection of the Omaha blue-shifting in, the red glow on the hull receding, as she takes it off to when the cymbal beat fades in (~5:00). The camera then fades out on her smile, as everyone bunches up around her, and the camera continues zooming out to the guitar rise, as the ship discharges a shuttlecraft, zooming further out, out, until we get that line-up of the planet's circular form to fade to the game's logo, sans the number (at 6:42 as the tune shifts), and it holds for a short bit, and then fades out (6:57) and the credits start rolling. You can maybe sorta-kinda fire up Das Malefitz when M4 ends. Or, better yet, fade to M4 Part 2 =)

THE END.

Oh, and you can totally still have the Stargazer scene after the credits. Check how your feelings about it change NOW!

Modifié par Noelemahc, 14 mai 2012 - 12:46 .

[Noelemahc]

Phew. That wall of text is done for. I decided not to torture you lot =) Tali goes up once I get some decent sleep to get rid of the rest of today's hangover, Jacob as soon as I cross-check one thing on YouTube -- he's the only LI I have no intention of touching in my own playthroughs, sorry. Both the final ending post and the LI resolutions will be updated as I finish more playthroughs for more impressions and conclusions.

Any comments, remarks and suggestions will be incorporated as soon as I can invent a way to add them without breaking the sequence of events. I will convert this into a CYOA-style PDF as soon as it's at least 80% finished for ease of reading. Have fun and remember to salt the fries!

EDIT: For those who might think this is a tad too cheery. The cheer only sets in AFTER Shepard mentions the possbility of brain damage and/or hallucinating the whole thing to whoever's here to check his health. I'll leave you on that train of thought for a bit =)

Modifié par Noelemahc, 22 avril 2012 - 05:22 .

[lordofdogtown19]

If this is the EC then I'll be pretty damn happy.

[Orumon]

lordofdogtown19 wrote...

If this is the EC then I'll be pretty damn happy.

Seconded.

Still missing the epilogue for the 'golden' ending. Granted, that's one you'd have to make up from whole cloth. What with EDI and the rest being fine and all.

Oh, and yeah, the stargazer scene would have been much better with your improvements than BWs current set. Still feel it should have been matriach Liara saying those lines though.

Modifié par Orumon, 21 avril 2012 - 10:02 .

[Noelemahc]

Added Tali's LI resolution.

Had a crazy idea. Would you folks, after this thread is done for, be interested in a "Fixing the BEGINNING on a shoestring budget"? I've thought up a rewrite of the Earth-That-Was along the lines of Candlekeep to both further the connection of an imported Shepard to his past exploits AND to provide a non-import Shepard with more exposure and exposition on the universe he has just entered foolishly for the first time.

[Orumon]

Noelemahc wrote...

Added Tali's LI resolution.

Had a crazy idea. Would you folks, after this thread is done for, be interested in a "Fixing the BEGINNING on a shoestring budget"? I've thought up a rewrite of the Earth-That-Was along the lines of Candlekeep to both further the connection of an imported Shepard to his past exploits AND to provide a non-import Shepard with more exposure and exposition on the universe he has just entered foolishly for the first time.

Tricky to do. If you pull that off you should go professional as a QA for any games company. Probably bioware.

However, go for it. It would have been nice to see an earth start to the story that actually gave us some connection.

Modifié par Orumon, 23 avril 2012 - 05:40 .