9961 réponses à ce sujet

[noxiuniversitas1]

lillitheris wrote...

Someone somewhere must have studied the shower ideas thing…my theory without any factual basis is that the water overloads your external senses to a degree that trying to take it all in lets the other parts of your brain escape their normal constraints free to explore ideas.

(Probably also helps that it’s typically a small enclosed space with very little external noise and very few visually interesting things.)

It's one of the few times you're truly alone (well, shush, you dirty minded people) and not required to concentrate on anything else. That's what does it for me, at least.

[fluffywalrus]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Speaking of the Mako... I have a hard time making any segments which involve it seem even remotely interesting. Anyone have any insight to offer?

Hrm. I'm not sure about insight...see, I adore the Mako. I love it dearly, and it was near the top of the list of reasons I didn't play mass Effect 2 immediately when it came out, why I waited a year (yes I was that upset).

I haven't written about it yet, but...I'd probably try to convey how awesome it is, how it controls like an agile cat, how its cannon puts the thanix to shame, how it's boosters can practically make it fly...how brilliant the design is for the Mako...<3

That, and how reckless Shep can be behind the wheel.
I wouldn't get too caught up with details. It's just an armored transport, so don't spend too much time on it(that helps it keep its mystique). Maybe as a segway between finds on planets, where characters discuss stuff with each other, or a scene, while fighting Geth, with Shepard taunting garrus for his terrible aim with the guns while Garrus taunts Shepard about her awesome driving abilities

Modifié par fluffywalrus, 14 juin 2012 - 08:13 .

[Theodoro]

fluffywalrus wrote...

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Speaking of the Mako... I have a hard time making any segments which involve it seem even remotely interesting. Anyone have any insight to offer?

Hrm. I'm not sure about insight...see, I adore the Mako. I love it dearly, and it was near the top of the list of reasons I didn't play mass Effect 2 immediately when it came out, why I waited a year (yes I was that upset).

I haven't written about it yet, but...I'd probably try to convey how awesome it is, how it controls like an agile cat, how its cannon puts the thanix to shame, how it's boosters can practically make it fly...how brilliant the design is for the Mako...<3

That, and how reckless Shep can be behind the wheel.
I wouldn't get too caught up with details. It's just an armored transport, so don't spend too much time on it(that helps it keep its mystique).

It's not the Mako that you should be looking at; it's the environment in which it is used. The main reason why some people complained about the Mako was actually related to the fact that they couldn't manoeuvre around the landscape, and that it may have been repetitive without a lot of actual structures on the surface. To make things more interesting, add a lot of things that can be seen or interacted with when driving the Mako, but also set the scene. I loved how different the planet environments can be in ME1, ranging from volcanic to ice planets, with one or several moons and stars in their system... There's a lot of potential to be innovative here.

P.S. Hey fluffywalrus, I'm Theodosius from FFN! Just wanted to say how much I enjoy Floatsam here, as well - and thanks for the reply to my review!  

[noxiuniversitas1]

Haha, yeah, I've done reckless Shep behind the wheels already... and Shep catapulting herself off one. But I fully intend to bounce around in it a little more... maybe with Liara in tow

I can't wait to see Amber in a Mako! I think given how you've written her, it should be an awesome ride.

And... really? You love the mako? I mean, it's cute and everything but the gameplay... -.-

[dpMeggers]

fluffywalrus wrote...

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Speaking of the Mako... I have a hard time making any segments which involve it seem even remotely interesting. Anyone have any insight to offer?

Hrm. I'm not sure about insight...see, I adore the Mako. I love it dearly, and it was near the top of the list of reasons I didn't play mass Effect 2 immediately when it came out, why I waited a year (yes I was that upset).

I haven't written about it yet, but...I'd probably try to convey how awesome it is, how it controls like an agile cat, how its cannon puts the thanix to shame, how it's boosters can practically make it fly...how brilliant the design is for the Mako...<3

That, and how reckless Shep can be behind the wheel.
I wouldn't get too caught up with details. It's just an armored transport, so don't spend too much time on it(that helps it keep its mystique). Maybe as a segway between finds on planets, where characters discuss stuff with each other, or a scene, while fighting Geth, with Shepard taunting garrus for his terrible aim with the guns while Garrus taunts Shepard about her awesome driving abilities

Or as a place for characters who don't have their own personal quarters to have a semi-private conversation while on board the Normandy?

[Theodoro]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Haha, yeah, I've done reckless Shep behind the wheels already... and Shep catapulting herself off one. But I fully intend to bounce around in it a little more... maybe with Liara in tow

I can't wait to see Amber in a Mako! I think given how you've written her, it should be an awesome ride.

And... really? You love the mako? I mean, it's cute and everything but the gameplay... -.-

While it may have been monotonus, investigating planets personally gave me a wonderful feeling of being a discoverer and explorer of remote, mysterious worlds that never really returned in future games. The only reason I can think of not to like it is the layout of the garden worlds with spiky mountains that drove me mad while I was trying to go through them! But the concept of describing an experience with the Mako is something that deserves the right amount of attention!

[noxiuniversitas1]

Theodoro wrote...

It's not the Mako that you should be looking at; it's the environment in which it is used. The main reason why some people complained about the Mako was actually related to the fact that they couldn't manoeuvre around the landscape, and that it may have been repetitive without a lot of actual structures on the surface. To make things more interesting, add a lot of things that can be seen or interacted with when driving the Mako, but also set the scene. I loved how different the planet environments can be in ME1, ranging from volcanic to ice planets, with one or several moons and stars in their system... There's a lot of potential to be innovative here.

P.S. Hey fluffywalrus, I'm Theodosius from FFN! Just wanted to say how much I enjoy Floatsam here, as well - and thanks for the reply to my review!  

Brilliant suggestion, cheers! I remember now, I think Theodur had a drive in the Mako for one of his chapters... it was very well done. Scenery could definitely be something to explore, will have to think

[noxiuniversitas1]

dpMeggers wrote...


Or as a place for characters who don't have their own personal quarters to have a semi-private conversation while on board the Normandy?

Or.. to quote fainmaca... the loveboat

[Spartanburger]

fluffywalrus wrote...
...how it controls like an agile cat, how its cannon puts the thanix to shame, how it's boosters can practically make it fly...

>Mako
>Agile
>Better than the Normandy's Thanix
>Practically able to fly






Yes... Agile. Like a fat man riding a unicycle. Powerful, as in how it takes far longer to kill a colossus on insanity using the Mako in ME1 than it does using the Hammerhead in ME2 (also on insanity). Able to fly as in



Sorry, couldn't help myself. The Mako was only ever useful to me as a piece of cover for me and Garrus to snipe everything with. The Hammerhead just chewed through everything, as long as you knew what you were doing and didn't charge headlong into enemies.

Each to one's own I guess.

Okay, on topic.

fluffywalrus wrote...

That, and how reckless Shep can be behind the wheel.
I wouldn't get too caught up with details. It's just an armored transport, so don't spend too much time on it(that helps it keep its mystique). Maybe as a segway between finds on planets, where characters discuss stuff with each other, or a scene, while fighting Geth, with Shepard taunting garrus for his terrible aim with the guns while Garrus taunts Shepard about her awesome driving abilities

Yeah, Mako (and in a way Hammerhead) sequences are a good opportunity to add a bit of humor to your story. Another thing to note is with Sole Survivor Sheps and the occasional Thresher Maw encounters, there would no doubt be a reaction in Shepard.

Modifié par Spartanburger, 14 juin 2012 - 08:25 .

[Theodoro]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...
Brilliant suggestion, cheers! I remember now, I think Theodur had a drive in the Mako for one of his chapters... it was very well done. Scenery could definitely be something to explore, will have to think

Happy to help! I wonder whether Shepard will also have a similar episode to Nova et Vetera. With her attitude, I think she's going to be really pissed the moment she starts going up the first mountain! :happy:

[lillitheris]

fluffywalrus wrote...

That, and how reckless Shep can be behind the wheel.
I wouldn't get too caught up with details. It's just an armored transport, so don't spend too much time on it(that helps it keep its mystique). Maybe as a segway between finds on planets, where characters discuss stuff with each other, or a scene, while fighting Geth, with Shepard taunting garrus for his terrible aim with the guns while Garrus taunts Shepard about her awesome driving abilities

“Come on, you wimps!” Shepard shouted from the top hatch of the MAKO, ducking back in as she saw Garrus and Liara exchange a look and reluctantly approach the vehicle.

-----

Liara unbuckled her straps, trying to roll to soften the blow as she fell down onto the hard inner roof of the MAKO. She would have to remember to ask Garrus to install some cushioning to the ceiling before they took it out the next time.

…

:happy:

[noxiuniversitas1]

Theodoro wrote...

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...
Brilliant suggestion, cheers! I remember now, I think Theodur had a drive in the Mako for one of his chapters... it was very well done. Scenery could definitely be something to explore, will have to think

Happy to help! I wonder whether Shepard will also have a similar episode to Nova et Vetera. With her attitude, I think she's going to be really pissed the moment she starts going up the first mountain! :happy:

Haven't you heard? The Mako farts singularities!

[dpMeggers]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

dpMeggers wrote...


Or as a place for characters who don't have their own personal quarters to have a semi-private conversation while on board the Normandy?

Or.. to quote fainmaca... the loveboat

It wasn't the loveboat in ME1. Well maybe. But we don't see it. And besides Garrus was fixing it all the time. So unless Garrus was......Oh God the ideas. 

[noxiuniversitas1]

dpMeggers wrote...

It wasn't the loveboat in ME1. Well maybe. But we don't see it. And besides Garrus was fixing it all the time. So unless Garrus was......Oh God the ideas. 

The barrel of the gun was quite sizeable... and Garrus does have reach...

[Theodoro]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...
Haven't you heard? The Mako farts singularities!

Haha, now that would be something to see! Something that a biotic Shepard would most certainly do... Though then I can see why his/her crew would always think of him/her as the worst Mako driver in history!

[MrStoob]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Speaking of the Mako... I have a hard time making any segments which involve in seem even remotely interesting.

Sounds like the game... ha!

Sorry lol.

Other than arriving at, or leaving for, I could only see the mako making an interesting element if humour was involved somehow.  Whether for driving reasons, or the 3 squaddies stuck together in close proximity or whatever.

Edit : I see this has been said above now

Modifié par MrStoob, 14 juin 2012 - 08:42 .

[fainmaca]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

dpMeggers wrote...


Or as a place for characters who don't have their own personal quarters to have a semi-private conversation while on board the Normandy?

Or.. to quote fainmaca... the loveboat

On the plus side, at least Tali doesn't have to worry about the ship being to quiet now, what with all the bedspring action echoing through the halls....
*shudders*

But as for the Mako... I really liked it. I just think the jagged landscapes really hampered the mechanics of the thing. The number of times I ended up spending five minutes zigging and zagging just to get to some elusive mineral.... Would have been cool if we could have taken it around a few more setllements and stuff. Charging across the plains of Tuchanka alongside countless Tomkahs, outrunning the Reaper on Rannoch in some capacity that felt a little more involved than that on-rails bit we had.

anyway! when i write vehicle segments, I try to come up with inventive ways to pit the landscape against the vehicle, like the street chase on Khar'Shan, the segment on Omega after recruiting the Revenant, and so on. Remember that obstacles to you as a person don't apply to a car. It can also be good to get the cramped atmosphere inside, the jostling squad, the frantic manipulations of the controls etc. Is Shepard at the wheel, or on the gun? Does the crew have any kind of record table of who killed the most Geth in one shot/ farthest jump of the Mako etc? would they try out new tricks like running the bad guys over, or stick to a distance and blow them up.

As said above, encounters like Thresher Maws really do break up the journey and add flavour.

[lillitheris]

I’ll entertain/bore you with another graph, click for larger:



This one’s daily new reads* (vertical axis) per chapter (horizontal axis). In addition to having PRETTY COLORS!!, it’s fun to trace the thicker lines to see how a release of a new chapter affected readership of the earlier ones etc. I like pretty lines much more than numbers…

This one’s not a complete time series, so the earlier chapters aren’t represented in full (in reality, the hump in the middle doesn’t exist, it’d be a downward slope to it)… but there’s an interesting uptick that you see in the left side. That’s the influx from when I linked Chapter 4 as an explanation for the Normandy scene on General or somewhere.

(I swear, I don’t spend much time on these…I just input the values and the graphs are generated for me by the power of software!)


* Visitors in FFN parlance.

Modifié par lillitheris, 14 juin 2012 - 09:09 .

[fluffywalrus]

dpMeggers wrote...

Or as a place for characters who don't have their own personal quarters to have a semi-private conversation while on board the Normandy?

Very useful for that too! There's all kinds of nooks and crannies in the Normandy. And certainly, if two individuals were to have a private, intimate chat, the mako certainly would set the stage quite nicely

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Haha, yeah, I've done reckless
Shep behind the wheels already... and Shep catapulting herself off one.
But I fully intend to bounce around in it a little more... maybe with
Liara in tow

I can't wait to see Amber in a Mako! I think given how you've written her, it should be an awesome ride.

And... really? You love the mako? I mean, it's cute and everything but the gameplay... -.-

I loved the Mako. Of course, my videogame hobby after RPGs is rally racing games(and racing in general, I guess), and I've played mechwarrior enough to be able to handle burly, unwieldly machines, so the mako handled like a dream to me It was so much fun! I just wish there was more I could do with it in ME1.

Of course, I would hope that the crew would put their seatbelts on, or hold onto the nearest graspable object in case of a barrel roll. Sometimes there's too much fun on the Mako, and it seems Liara and the rest of the squad prefer a low to moderate degree of fun.

I think the Mako ride on Ilos would be fun to write...Liara trying to get a good look at all the scuptures and ruins while Shep just barrels through everything with the grace of a young wildebeest.

Theodoro wrote...

It's not the Mako that you should be
looking at; it's the environment in which it is used. The main reason
why some people complained about the Mako was actually related to the
fact that they couldn't manoeuvre around the landscape, and that it may
have been repetitive without a lot of actual structures on the surface.
To make things more interesting, add a lot of things that can be seen or
interacted with when driving the Mako, but also set the scene. I loved
how different the planet environments can be in ME1, ranging from
volcanic to ice planets, with one or several moons and stars in their
system... There's a lot of potential to be innovative here.

P.S.
Hey fluffywalrus, I'm Theodosius from FFN! Just wanted to say how much I
enjoy Floatsam here, as well - and thanks for the reply to my review! [smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/smile.png[/smilie] 

Sage advice, right here. The environment is key, because without an environment, the Mako can't decide how much fun to have. Adding buildings, ruins, mines, crashed pods, wonderful wildlife and rock formations and all that...just a nice little description of what the planet is like...getting to basically build your own planet, in a way. Like you say, lots of potential when the Mako is involved, and it's only fitting

And oh hey! No worries about the reply, I'm just thrilled you're enjoying my story I'm going to see if I can swing the time tonight to read one of your other ME fics. It's been a slow week in general for new fics, so I'm going to try and work away the the queue in front of me

[fluffywalrus]

Spartanburger wrote...

fluffywalrus wrote...
...how it controls like an agile cat, how its cannon puts the thanix to shame, how it's boosters can practically make it fly...

>Mako
>Agile
>Better than the Normandy's Thanix
>Practically able to fly




Yes... Agile. Like a fat man riding a unicycle. Powerful, as in how it
takes far longer to kill a colossus on insanity using the Mako in ME1
than it does using the Hammerhead in ME2 (also on insanity). Able to fly
as in *Incorrect image Redacted*

Don't talk to my baby like that! Just because you don't know how to make it purr doesn't mean it can't.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. The Mako was only ever useful to me as a piece of cover for me and Garrus to snipe everything with. The Hammerhead just chewed through everything, as long as you knew what you were doing and didn't charge headlong into enemies.

Each to one's own I guess.

I didn't play the hammerhead parts. I was too busy sulking over the lost Mako.

Yeah, Mako (and in a way Hammerhead) sequences are a good opportunity to add a bit of humor to your story. Another thing to note is with Sole Survivor Sheps and the occasional Thresher Maw encounters, there would no doubt be a reaction in Shepard.

Yeah, that part is certainly a possibility for a nice little narrative twist

[fluffywalrus]

fainmaca wrote...

Charging across the plains of Tuchanka alongside countless Tomkahs, outrunning the Reaper on Rannoch in some capacity that felt a little more involved than that on-rails bit we had.

 Is Shepard at the wheel, or on the gun? Does the crew have any kind of record table of who killed the most Geth in one shot/ farthest jump of the Mako etc? would they try out new tricks like running the bad guys over, or stick to a distance and blow them up.

Haha, if I ever write far enough down the line to ME3 plot arcs, you better believe I'm having my Shep take a Mako to Tuchanka, or running down heretic geth of Rannoch, or softly caressing it when they see one on Mars, etc.
It will make a comeback. And so will Geth Bowling

[noxiuniversitas1]

Hmmm, wading into dangerous territory here, but what do you guys think of fics which incorporate indoctrination theory? I must admit, I'm not a fan at all (reasons can go into ending bashing threads elsewhere)... anyone seen any which manage to float it?

[Spartanburger]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Hmmm, wading into dangerous territory here, but what do you guys think of fics which incorporate indoctrination theory? I must admit, I'm not a fan at all (reasons can go into ending bashing threads elsewhere)... anyone seen any which manage to float it?

I've yet to read any that implement it but it certainly could be done well.

It would have to be a reimagining of the indoctrination theory and the ending sequence though. There would be far more obvious hints as to what was going on and Shepard would have to break out of indoctrination at some point before the deed was done.

[fluffywalrus]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Hmmm, wading into dangerous territory here, but what do you guys think of fics which incorporate indoctrination theory? I must admit, I'm not a fan at all (reasons can go into ending bashing threads elsewhere)... anyone seen any which manage to float it?

I think that indoctrination of characters alone could work. But the Indoctrination theory/reimagination of the ME3 ending just....I don't see anyone pull it off well.

However, I'll fully admit I'm wholeheartedly put off by Indoctrination Theory, and I generally don't like to consider it, and I won't get into my reasons because there's no point.

[lillitheris]

fluffywalrus wrote...

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Hmmm, wading into dangerous territory here, but what do you guys think of fics which incorporate indoctrination theory? I must admit, I'm not a fan at all (reasons can go into ending bashing threads elsewhere)... anyone seen any which manage to float it?

I think that indoctrination of characters alone could work. But the Indoctrination theory/reimagination of the ME3 ending just....I don't see anyone pull it off well.

However, I'll fully admit I'm wholeheartedly put off by Indoctrination Theory, and I generally don't like to consider it, and I won't get into my reasons because there's no point.

I consider it a very useful tool for fixing the game. In fic, it seems a bit unnecessary to jump through all those hoops? You could incorporate indoctrination, but I’d stay away from replicating the ending in that case.