29 réponses à ce sujet

[MarioRB]

I had the fortune of avoiding the original ending and spoilers, so the Extended Cut was the first one I played.  It was fine, but I'm one of those softies who would have liked a chance to save my character in the end, especially where there was a mechanism already in place in the game to do so - the paragon/renegade persuade.  This is my version of a Paragon persuade option which meets Bioware part of the way - keeps in the godchild, the same basic framework of the EC ending, etc.  I'd have made it available as a reward if you came in maxed out  - over 6000 war assets, full paragon reputation, and in particular unshackling EDI and making peace between the Geth and Quarians.  It's Paragon because that's how I played, but I could also envision a renegade version.  I'm sure there are others out there who've come up with similar endings, but I just felt like I had to get this out somewhere, and this was as good a place as any.  The scene picks up after Shepherd has made it to the Catalyst and discussed the classic three options:


Shepherd:  Is that it?  Those are the only things the Crucible can do? 

Catalyst:  Those are the only things you can do.  Now, you must choose.

Shepherd (paragon persuade): 
No, there has to be another option. 
There’s always another option.  You’re
a part of the Citadel, isn’t there anything you can do?

Catalyst:  You have
already been offered a way to end this war. 
Is that not enough?

Shepherd (PP):  No it’s not!  Every choice you offer destroys life or changes it without the will of the changed.  This entire war, from Saren to this moment, I’ve fought for freedom, for the right of life to make its own decisions, not have
them imposed.

Catalyst:  You fought to end the cycle.  This is what I offer you.

Shepherd (PP):  You said the Reapers are your solution, your tools – why can’t you give them an
order?  Turn them off?  Send them away?

Catalyst (pauses):  It is . . . possible . . . but . . .

Shepherd (PP):  But you’re scared.  Afraid you’ll make the wrong choice.  Afraid that you’ll fail in
your mission.  If I make the choice, it wasn’t your decision, and the consequences aren’t your responsibility.  That’s it, isn’t it.

Catalyst:  You . . .have changed some of the variables.  But the problem still exists.  Synthetics and organics will war.  Synthetics will destroy organics completely without the cycle leaving nothing behind. But I am no longer certain of the solution.  I am . . . adrift.

Shepherd (PP):  Do you need more variables?  More data?  Then take them.

(Shepherd activates his omni tool and, with the last of his strength, plunges it into the hologram. 
Scenes flash of EDI on Luna, her evolution, friendship with Shepherd, relationship with Joker.  Scenes flash of
the Geth, of Legion, of his sacrifice and the peace between the Geth and Quarians.  The catalyst staggers back a
step.)

Shepherd: Do you see now?  Organics and synthetics are not doomed to war.  They can co-exist.  They can make peace, if you allow them the chance to choose it.

Catalyst:  I . . . understand.  My assumptions may have been . . . incorrect. 

Shepherd:  Then let them go. 

Catalyst:  This is not a small thing you ask.  So much has been done based on my solution.  Mllions of civilizations harvested.  Trillions of lives . . . trillions . . . so many . . .

(Pause.  The catalyst turns around.  The beam flickers and sparks fly)

I have readjusted the interface between the Citadel and the Crucible.  The energy wave will now carry a signal, my
signal.  It is a kill-switch for pure reaper codes only.  I am not certain it will work, Shepherd, but I have
decided that the cycle should not continue.  The discharge will still destroy this station, however, and damage the relays.

Shepherd:  What about the people on the Citadel?  There must be survivors!

Catalyst:  I have already directed the Keepers to guide all Citadel survivors to escape transports.  A few organic lives had never seemed important before.  Now . . . I will save as many as I can.

Shepherd:  Thank you . . . (weakly) thank you.  (slumps to ground, goes on commlink)  This is Commander Shepherd.  The Crucible is about to fire.  (Cut to scene of Joker and the Normandy crew listening) The Citadel will be destroyed.  All ships clear the area around the Citadel.  Repeat, all fleet vessels move away from the Citadel.

Catalyst:  Shepherd, this area of the Citadel is isolated.  Given your current condition, I do not believe you could reach safe transport in time.  I am . . . sorry.

Shepherd:  That’s OK.  (coughs)  Sometimes I feel like my life didn’t truly begin until the day I first stepped onto the Citadel.  It's fitting that it ends here.  (pause)  Can you . . . stay with me?

Catalyst:  Of course.  (Sits down next to Shepherd. As the conversation continues the catalyst’s form gradually coalesces to the child from Shepherd’s dreams)  You truly are a remarkable individual, Shepherd.  Even though you fought synthetics, you still gave them the chance to truly live when the moment came.  You let the Rachni live, gave the Krogan a chance to breed again.  You are a soldier, and yet you sought peace even with those who were your enemies.  Why?

Shepherd:  I was just . . . tired.  Tired of seeing people die.  Tired of not being able to stop it.

Catalyst:  But you did save many, Shepherd.  (By this time, the vision and the voice has completely become the boy from Earth, and we are in Shepherd POV)  You did the best you could.  Get some rest, now.  (screen fades white)

(Normandy bridge.  Hackett is ordering all ships to clear the Citadel.  Joker hesitates, and exchanges glances at the
others. He looks back to his screens, then at EDI.  She gives a slight nod)

Joker (to others behind him):  Grab onto something.

(He flicks a display to the right.  The music shifts – think ME2 “Suicide Mission.”  The Normandy dives towards the Citadel, dodging the battle still raging around them)

Hackett:  Normandy, what are you doing?  You are to retreat from the Citadel.  That is a direct . . .

(Joker shuts off the comm)

Joker:  There goes the promotion.

(The Normandy flies into the Citadel)

EDI:  I have the Commander’s emergency beacon.  On-screen.

Joker: This'll be tricky, I’m gonna need you, EDI

EDI:  I’m here, Jeff

(The Normandy pulls up to the Catalyst’s platform.  The ramp opens, and the squadmates leap out.)

Gareth:  Normandy, we see him.

EDI (on comm):  Be alert, I am reading Reaper synthetics closing in on the Commander's position.

(They race to Shepherd’s body.  Liaria begins to work on him)

Kaidan/Ashley:  How is he?

Liaria:  Bad.  We have to get him to medbay immediately, but I’m afraid of what moving him may do.

(Husks begin to swarm to the platform, climbing up over the sides.  At the same moment, the Crucible
begins to power up.  Explosions, electrical discharges, pieces of the citadel begin to come down)

Vega:  No time for careful.  (He picks up Shepherd in a fireman’s carry)  Let’s go!

(They run back to the Normandy, as the Citadel begins to come apart.  The Reaper troops pursue,
and the squad members fight desperately as they run.  They board just ahead of the horde.  Scene shifts back to Joker.)

Kaidan/Ashley (over comm):  We’ve got him, Joker.  Go, go!!

(Joker pilots the Normandy out.  Scene pulls back, and we see the Crucible fire a white light, accompanied by the “Reaper noise.”  It hits the relay, and things proceed as usual.  The beam then backfires into the Citadel, which
explodes.  Joker is frantically piloting the Normandy, trying to get clear of the blast wave.  Scene blacks out.)

(The screen comes up white, slowly fades into color.  We see the Normandy doctor’s face from
Shepherd’s POV, on the left, and then on the right the Love Interest.   We see Shepherd slowly sit up, heavily
bandaged, bloodied and bruised.)

Shepherd (voiceover):  In the end, I missed it.  I didn’t see what we had fought so hard to win.  The others told me, though.

(Scene shifts to the sequences where the light flows over Earth and the various species’ homeworlds.  Reapers and husks simply drop, as if a switch was thrown, as the defenders celebrate). 

They told me how the Catalyst’s signal spread across the galaxy, how the last defenders found themselves delivered from destruction into salvation.  How in an instant we went from having no future, to having a second chance.

(Scene shifts to the Normandy Memorial.  The crew is gathered, and Shepherd, still bandaged and wounded, holds Captain Anderson’s plaque in his hands, then places it on the Memorial.)

But it was a chance that came at a cost . . . (flash to the faces of the dead, beginning with Anderson, then Thane, Mordin, Legion, etc., until ending with Kaiden/Ashley from ME1) . . . so many who paid the highest of price.  We have to prove that the Catalyst was right to end the cycle.  We have to show that we can build a lasting peace between all life in the galaxy, regardless of form, regardless of origin, and without the Reaper threat.  We owe the lost nothing less. 

(Shepherd looks out the Normandy windows at Earth, still burning in large areas.  As the VO continues, his/her love interest walks up next to him/her.  They trade a look, and Shepherd puts an arm around him/her.  The rest of the crew
moves up alongside, and they look out the windows.  The scene is reminiscent of the beginning of ME1, only Shepherd now stands with his friends instead of alone.)

And I will be there along the way, working to repair, to rebuild, to raise up.  Watching over the peace we
have begun, guarding it against all threats.  Doing everything I can to honor the sacrifice of so many.  I
owe them nothing less. 


                                             END

Modifié par MarioRB, 09 juillet 2012 - 05:31 .

[.Acer]

this is an ending script that is acceptable, unlike the others from this forum that just have a cheap happy ending
you got the characters quite well =)

[Niulus Kriyk]

This is the ending I wanted.

[twi323]

very nice!

[Xx_Belzak_xX]

Now THIS is a good ending! Very well done.

[Grub Killer8016]

This is what I imagined before seeing the ending. I WANT THIS ENDING

[Titan147]

Awesome. Should have been a possibility if evrything was done right and high EMS. Shame.

[SnakeEyes]

Gotta say, that was well done. How is it a bad thing to want a happy ending for my Shepard, after every thing he went through?! He and Tali deserve a happy life together on Rannoch... o.o

[MarioRB]

Thanks all for the great comments. I went back to edit the formatting, which got messed up somehow. I also apologize to the Femsheps - I tried to keep this neutral but realized I slipped up a couple of places and defaulted to my Broshep. Gives me some appreciation of the job the game writers have to do to keep it all straight.

As I mentioned, I have a Renegade version of this kicking around in my head, which I might put up. I want to be sure I know the Renegade storyline a bit better, though, before I do.

[JKA_Nozyspy]

Great work!

[snackrat]

I assume this would only be available if you have negotiated peace between those of Rannoch and encouraged EDI to be with Jeff? Makes sense as a form of evidence, though there is a snag:

Some of my Sheps, even Paragon, have... well, not opposed Jeff/EDI per se, but they see synthetic life on its own, separate from organic, though not necessarily less. Different, but no better or worse. Like... loving a pet cat, and loving a pet dog, but not being so foolish as to think they are the same or act the same.

Legion says as much in ME2 talking about the reprogramming of the heretics. Though Squadmate (whoever else you brought) may say 'sounds like brainwashing' (regardless of whether they then approve or disapprove) choose the renegade, hear Shep say "we're organic. They're not. Our morality doesn't apply to them". Legion agrees (to Squadmate's suprise), saying that assuming it would is "anthropomorphism. Even benign racism".

So, as far as those Shepards are concerned, having those two hitched doesn't show equality. It shows homogeny. As though synthetics only way to be 'life' is to emulate and act as organic life does. And those Shepards would see that as being where the cycle comes from in the first place.

Is there a way to account for that?

Modifié par Karsciyin, 09 juillet 2012 - 07:04 .

[grimlock122]

patches! activate!

BIOWARE MAKE THIS REAL!

Modifié par grimlock122, 09 juillet 2012 - 09:13 .

[Catastrophy]

Nice, the persuasion part could be improved but overall this is a good read.

[dima_che]

Improve persuasion part. Spell checks for names.
Apart from that, marvelous, you made me imagine this.
Thank you.

[2Shepards]

Very very very awesome job. Need a tiny bit more oomph on the persuade parts, more due to the Catalyst being a major bag of *****, and not your writing, just abit more force.

But that was quite beautiful, and I especially love how you harken back to Shepard alone at the window in me1 and now Shepard is no longer alone. Freaking great!

[XqctaX]

Bioware, read this. this is art

[MarioRB]

Quick reply to Karsciyin - By the game rules a pure paragon player (say that 3 times fast) would end up encouraging EDI and Jeff, but I get that many Paragons were still squicked out by the robot love. I don't think, however, that encouraging the relationship would be a deciding factor in getting my persuade option - what's more important is that Shepherd unshackle EDI in ME2 and then make peace between the Quarians and Geth in ME3. I'd consider those required, as they provide the framework for Shepherd's argument to the Starchild (I'm sick of calling him that - can we just call him, say, Billy?) that synthetics and organics can co-exist. Otherwise, a Paragon who was hostile to synthetics (didn't free EDI, killed the Geth) would fit pretty well within Bioware's existing "Destroy" option, because she wouldn't care about synthetic collateral damage.

[MarioRB]

BTW, I agree with those who think the persuade options could be stronger. I wanted to leave the conversation between Shepherd and Billy intact, to see if I could graft a different ending on just by using what Bioware had already left lying around. Turns out it's kind of hard to write convincing dialogue between a man and a cold super-advanced AI if you're taking it at face value. I actually agree with those who would leave Billy out altogether, but I can see where Bioware was trying to go - give Shepherd that one last choice to decide the fate of the galaxy.

[Mad-Hamlet]

Not a bad read. I utterly reject the inclusion of Glow-Boy though. It violates far too many rules of good writing, regardless of how it's handled.

An analogy- I don't care how good one is at it, I'll never accept juggling live grenades in a pre-school as quality entertainment.
Think about making a vid of your ending. You'd have to have text of course but it could be done.
I did it.

[TheImmortalBeaver]

MarioRB, I applaud you for a very well-written alternate ending. I thought that some bits were poorly constructed, as I don't think the Normandy would've had any more time to pick up Shepard in this ending as opposed to any of the other ones, but I suppose you could argue that there are several such plot "stretches" in the current endings that it's allowable. The part where it ends with the same shot as the opening from ME1 was a stroke of pure genius.

However. As much as I got a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach for the thought of a "perfect" ending, I don't think it fits very well with the events of the whole series, and especially the tone of Mass Effect 3. Throughout the series, BioWare has at least tried to present moral situations with no clear "correct" outcome. The Geth/Quarian magical friendship fix notwithstanding, the moral choices of the franchise never have some easy out. In Mass Effect 1, either Ashley or Kaiden die because you couldn't save them. Who you save arguably comes down to personal preference, which almost makes it worse. You pick favorites, and leave someone to die because of it.

Why should the end of Mass Effect 3 be any different? An "everybody's happy" solution undermines the one of the basic tenets of the series which, I would say, is that hard choices need to be made. If Shepard can just get off with only a few injuries, where's the sacrifice? Are the Reapers so trivial that Shepard barely needs to sacrifice anything himself to beat them? Destroy was a pretty happy ending, in my opinion, but even so you know that it comes at a cost. A very, very great cost. If it's so easy for Shepard to just talk his way out of the end of the universe, the other choices in the series lose their meaning. They become Shepard toying with people, sending them to their deaths to ensure a victory that only requires a few simple words to attain. Without Shepard (and the player), finally paying the price for the war, I just don't see how the overall series would stand.

The softy in me wants that super happy ending, but in my opinion, the current endings, and the series in general means so much more to me because Shepard finally does have to make serious sacrifices that he may never come back from.

I apologize if something is unclear, as I'm half-asleep as I type this, but if anything comes across as confusing or stupid, I'll try to explain myself after I've gotten some sleep. And like I said at the beginning, I believe this alternate ending is well-written, but I just don't think that Mass Effect 3 would work with a happy ending.

[Karimloo]

Misterpinky0 wrote...

MarioRB, I applaud you for a very well-written alternate ending. I thought that some bits were poorly constructed, as I don't think the Normandy would've had any more time to pick up Shepard in this ending as opposed to any of the other ones, but I suppose you could argue that there are several such plot "stretches" in the current endings that it's allowable. The part where it ends with the same shot as the opening from ME1 was a stroke of pure genius.

However. As much as I got a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach for the thought of a "perfect" ending, I don't think it fits very well with the events of the whole series, and especially the tone of Mass Effect 3. Throughout the series, BioWare has at least tried to present moral situations with no clear "correct" outcome. The Geth/Quarian magical friendship fix notwithstanding, the moral choices of the franchise never have some easy out. In Mass Effect 1, either Ashley or Kaiden die because you couldn't save them. Who you save arguably comes down to personal preference, which almost makes it worse. You pick favorites, and leave someone to die because of it.

Why should the end of Mass Effect 3 be any different? An "everybody's happy" solution undermines the one of the basic tenets of the series which, I would say, is that hard choices need to be made. If Shepard can just get off with only a few injuries, where's the sacrifice? Are the Reapers so trivial that Shepard barely needs to sacrifice anything himself to beat them? Destroy was a pretty happy ending, in my opinion, but even so you know that it comes at a cost. A very, very great cost. If it's so easy for Shepard to just talk his way out of the end of the universe, the other choices in the series lose their meaning. They become Shepard toying with people, sending them to their deaths to ensure a victory that only requires a few simple words to attain. Without Shepard (and the player), finally paying the price for the war, I just don't see how the overall series would stand.

The softy in me wants that super happy ending, but in my opinion, the current endings, and the series in general means so much more to me because Shepard finally does have to make serious sacrifices that he may never come back from.

I apologize if something is unclear, as I'm half-asleep as I type this, but if anything comes across as confusing or stupid, I'll try to explain myself after I've gotten some sleep. And like I said at the beginning, I believe this alternate ending is well-written, but I just don't think that Mass Effect 3 would work with a happy ending.

Then ignore this and enjoy your emotional endings with dying and crying and nobody can be saved and oh god we are doomed.

I don't see why people who already have tough lives can't leave Mass Effect satisfied they made the choices they wanted, given the options they were promised.

[ShadowLordXII]

I like this ending 100%! I only liked the EC endings 80%...or was it that high?

[MarioRB]

Hey Mad-Hamlet, that's very impressive work on the video. I have nowhere near those skills. And yeah, Billy is a huge problem. Up until the last ten minutes the Reapers are an incomprehensible threat, massive predators for which organics are plankton on the food chain. Then, we're suddenly in Douglas Adams territory except instead of "42" the computer spat out homicidal robots.

MisterPinky, I hear what you're saying. Heck, my first human noble bought the farm in DA:O doing the "noble sacrifice." But I don't think an ending where Shepherd survives means the Reapers went down easy. Several of your friends and billions of beings still die, after all.

I actually would have been fine with the destroy ending if they hadn't casually tossed in the "oh yeah, the synthetics you fought for and befriended? They'll die too." They're requiring Shepherd to commit murder, which is going to force most Paragon players to one of the other two options. That's fine, it's Bioware's game and I can live with the EC Synthetic ending. Still, I thought it was possible to allow more player choice (as in ME2) and mostly remain true to the theme and story, which is what I attempted.

[TheImmortalBeaver]

Karimloo wrote...
Then ignore this and enjoy your emotional endings with dying and crying and nobody can be saved and oh god we are doomed.

I don't see why people who already have tough lives can't leave Mass Effect satisfied they made the choices they wanted, given the options they were promised.

And suddenly you know how tough my life is because I expressed a preference for Mass Effect ending on a darker note? I've had plenty of awful things happen to me quite recently, thank you very much.

If you included a "perfect" ending (which I don't remember ever being promised, and I paid attention to just about every bit of pre-release information out there), then every single gamer would choose that because why on earth wouldn't you? It would mean that the other endings essentially become failure screens and are pointless as very few players who ever reached the end would intentionally choose a sadder ending when a magical win button has been presented. And without sacrifice, the ending to ME3 would be pretty meaningless anyway.

There would be a decent compromise, which I wrote about in the bottom paragraph of this post, to providing both sets of players what they want.

MarioRB wrote...
MisterPinky, I hear what you're saying.
Heck, my first human noble bought the farm in DA:O doing the "noble
sacrifice." But I don't think an ending where Shepherd survives means
the Reapers went down easy. Several of your friends and billions of
beings still die, after all.

I actually would have been fine
with the destroy ending if they hadn't casually tossed in the "oh yeah,
the synthetics you fought for and befriended? They'll die too."
They're requiring Shepherd to commit murder, which is going to force
most Paragon players to one of the other two options. That's fine, it's
Bioware's game and I can live with the EC Synthetic ending. Still, I
thought it was possible to allow more player choice (as in ME2) and
mostly remain true to the theme and story, which is what I
attempted.

Yeah, I can see what you're trying to do (and do pretty well), and I'll admit that the more I think about it the more I'm conflicted. As it was, it was so difficult to get a "bad" ending in ME2 that I think that sort of thing is exactly the wrong way to go about it, but I'll also admit that there is a certain amount of pleasure gained from a happy ending. I mean, heck, who doesn't like happy endings? Even so, I'd also still hold by my stance that including an "everybody wins" scenario when fighting the freaking Reapers would make the ending meaningless. Fun and happy, but meaningless.

In terms of the Destroy ending, I think the idea was to present what we'd wanted all along, to destroy the Reapers, and make that goal painful to achieve. It's also the only ending where Shepard can survive, leaving it as a no-win situation given that it also destroys the Geth. I actually think it could've been better if it was the only ending that completely destroyed the Mass Relays or killed a whole lot of everyone, not just synthetics. I feel that would be a harsher price to pay overall, but it would be less focused on a single race (+ Edi) making it less... uncomfortable. Singling out the Geth after all that hard work comes across as some writer's idea of a joke more than anything, but maybe that's just me (I choose Conrol anymore, long story).

I could actually see implimenting a happy ending working under very specific circumstances. In the game Max Payne 2, a main character dies at the very end, but that death can be avoided if you play through the game multiple times to unlock the hardest difficulty, then beat the hardest difficulty. Then, and only then, you get a happy ending. This would allow the original endings to still carry the meaning and original intent of the series forward, while still allowing the people with the skill, or just plain determination to get a happy ending, get an ending like that for beating the game several times, beating it on Insanity, getting 90% (or more) of all War Assets, having a high galactic readiness, or some combination of those things. Some might find something like that a little grindy, but to reiterate, it gives the "Happy Ending" crowd something to aim for, and the people like me who want harder choices at least a couple of playthroughs where getting the best ending is impossible, so it won't mess with what we see as the artistic vision. It would also make that happy ending feel earned and important, rather than an easy to obtain Charm/Intimidate option that most players who reached the ending could easily achieve. I doubt that this would ever happen, mind you, but it's the sort of thing I think most people could get behind as a great way to extend replayability and make everybody happy. Or at least happier.

Quick Edit: Just fixed a grammatical error that was really bugging me.

Modifié par Misterpinky0, 10 juillet 2012 - 01:44 .