32 réponses à ce sujet

[Kabooooom]

I had a dream. Well it was more like a nightmare. Or, rather, an extremely annoying and irritating series of events and images while sleeping. Is there a word for that? Eh, whatever.

Anyways, I had a dream that some official news was made about Mass Effect 4 - and it was god awful. A midiquel/alternate universe, essentially resetting the series in a "what if?" scenario. Not a prequel. Not a sequel. It ignores the endings to Mass Effect 3 and Shepard's story entirely. It sidesteps trying to find a new threat that would not be overshadowed by the Reapers since the Reapers are still a threat.

The premise was basically like this - it was Mass Effect: Contact centered around a "what if" scenario of "what if first contact with the Turians was never made by the Council?", and the setting was shortly before the events of Mass Effect 1, showcasing humanities newfound exploration of the galaxy as they activate relay after relay, never coming into contact with the Turians (except perhaps later in the game in a first contact scenario), which never results in the First Contact War. Instead, humanity meets the Council races and a drastically altered galactic landscape from the original trilogy. Don't get any ideas, Bioware. This is a horrendous idea for a game and it would ****** off pretty much all of the remaining fans, I think.

I woke up annoyed, but then I started thinking - this is actually a pretty interesting topic to think about. So what IF the council never met the Turians?

How would that have altered the outcome of the Krogan Rebellions?

How would the absence of a First Contact War have changed the political atmosphere of humanities' entrance onto the galactic scene? Would humans have continued accessing dormant relays until they either ran into the Council races or, more interestingly, an unknown threat that was never encountered during the original trilogy?

How different would things be if the Turians were the newest race on the galactic scene, after an additional 1,500 years of building their empire before first contact?

Who would Sovereign have chosen as his pawn? The Batarian scientist that initially found it? Hardly an ideal choice.

Without Saren, would Anderson have become the first human Spectre?

Without the Turians there would be no Volus. Without the Volus there would be no comic relief. Well, I guess there's still the Hanar...

[FlyingSquirrel]

My guess is that the Council either includes considerably more races *or* is even more exclusive and more viewed as an "elite" than it already is. It seems to me that the various races, if ranked in order of power and influence, are roughly as follows:

 

Asari

Salarians, Turians

Humans

Volus, Elcor, Hanar

Drell

Quarians, Batarians

Krogan

 

So with no turians and no humans, there's a considerably larger "gap" between the asari and salarians and the rest, so they'd have to lower the threshold by quite a bit to expand the council.

 

I'm not sure if Sovereign really *needed* a Spectre as its pawn - it was just convenient that it happened to find one. Saren presumably helped come up with the cash for things like hiring krogan bounty hunters and researching the genophage cure on Virmire, but I don't think the Batarian Hegemony is impoverished, and if the scientist had convinced his government that this would pay off, they might well have provided the investment. The geth heretics would have sided with Sovereign with or without Saren's involvement, and the krogan criminals might actually trust the batarians a little more than they would a turian Spectre.

 

Noveria might have been the one place where it made a difference - I don't remember seeing any batarians there, and obviously there were no geth at Port Hanshan outside of Benezia's crates, so Saren might have had an easier time operating there without drawing suspicion. The operations on Eden Prime, Feros, Therum, and Virmire, however, probably still could have been carried off without a Spectre involved.

[Farangbaa]

Wait a minute

 

You dream about ME?

 

*slowly backs off*

[TheOneTrueBioticGod]

Humanity would remain a third-rate power that didn't deserve its council spot over the Volus. 

We Volus demand justice. 

[ImaginaryMatter]

Well, there would be no Cerberus. That would make things very different since apparently they were behind 96.8% of the events that happened in the MEU.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Humanity would remain a third-rate power that didn't deserve its council spot over the Volus. 

We Volus demand justice. 

 

Go take a nap. Destroy the universe later.

[TheOneTrueBioticGod]

Go take a nap. Destroy the universe later.

Arrogant humans. If we Volus had been granted the Council seat we deserved, the Reapers would've been nothing more than a border skirmish.

[cap and gown]

Arrogant humans. If we Volus had been granted the Council seat we deserved, the Reapers would've been nothing more than a border skirmish.

 

Hmm. Which power is that? I am starting to think my Volus Adept would be good for a Platinum solo.

[Ryriena]

Arrogant humans. If we Volus had been granted the Council seat we deserved, the Reapers would've been nothing more than a border skirmish.

Go take a nap Volus your high again.

[TheOneTrueBioticGod]

Hmm. Which power is that? I am starting to think my Volus Adept would be good for a Platinum solo.

It is merely the skill of a young child, not worthy of a name.

We have merely been testing the peoples of the galaxy. Their disregard for the mighty Volus is their downfall. 

[FlyingSquirrel]

Hmm. Which power is that? I am starting to think my Volus Adept would be good for a Platinum solo.

 

Bioware should have given Volus Adepts a power called "Mighty Wind" for multiplayer, with that drug from Illium enhancing the effects but also creating a small chance that the character goes crazy and kills his own teammates by accident.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

If this worked like they said it would in the game, Sovereign never would have made it off Eden Prime.

 

[SporkFu]

If this worked like they said it would in the game, Sovereign never would have made it off Eden Prime.

 

The team watches as Sovereign flies through the air to crash just over the horizon.

Ash: *cheers*

Kaidan: *stifles a giggle*.

Shep: That was for Jenkins, you son of a b**** !!

 

Later...

Joker (over the intercom): Team is back from investigating the crash site, Captain. Reports no survivors.

Anderson: Good. Take us to the Citadel, Joker. We have a prothean beacon to deliver.

 

At the same time, back on Eden Prime...

Dr. Warren: Vanguard of our destruction, eh? 

Dr. Manuel: But-

Dr. Warren: Say goodnight, Manuel...

[Excella Gionne]

Sounds like we're playing a Turian in the next game....*looks at Garrus and then at Nihlus*

[Kabooooom]

Wait a minute

You dream about ME?

*slowly backs off*

I never have before. And the first time I did, it ends up being about Bioware ****** up. Too bad it couldn't have been an awesome mass effect dream. I'd think it were funny if I wasnt secretly worried that they will end up pulling something this incredibly stupid for real.

An alternate universe is, without question, the easiest way to continue the franchise while simultaneously avoiding the corner that they wrote themselves into AND the veritable cluster that was the endings. I'm sure their writers have considered this.

[cap and gown]

Bioware should have given Volus Adepts a power called "Mighty Wind" for multiplayer, with that drug from Illium enhancing the effects but also creating a small chance that the character goes crazy and kills his own teammates by accident.

 

"Might Wind," eh? Good thing xbox controllers don't have an olfactory output. Every coop game would end up being nothing but people passing wind.

[Kabooooom]

Humanity would remain a third-rate power that didn't deserve its council spot over the Volus.

We Volus demand justice.

The Volus probably wouldn't even be around, considering that the only way that we see to access their home cluster is via the Turian's cluster. Granted, maybe contact could be made via another route through the relay network, but meh. The galaxy probably wouldn't be able to appreciate their biotic godhood.

[Kabooooom]

Noveria might have been the one place where it made a difference - I don't remember seeing any batarians there, and obviously there were no geth at Port Hanshan outside of Benezia's crates, so Saren might have had an easier time operating there without drawing suspicion. The operations on Eden Prime, Feros, Therum, and Virmire, however, probably still could have been carried off without a Spectre involved.

You made an interesting point about Noveria. The only way that Sovereign learned the location of the Mu Relay is because of Benezia learning the location from the Rachni Queen on Noveria, and the only reason why she had access to the queen is because Saren was a majority shareholder of Binary Helix, and the only reason the queen was there is because Binary Helix found the egg, and the only reason Sovereign/Saren knew this priveliged information about the discovery of the egg is again because Saren basically owned the company. That aspect of the story would be completely different. Sovereign might not be able to even find the relay, and Ilos, and the Conduit if the queen was never found or known about.

[TheOneTrueBioticGod]

That's what you saw when you were on drugs.

 

 

Then reality kicked in.

 

 

.... All you humans are racist. 

[Ryriena]

I would cry, as, I wouldn't be able to have Garrus as my Shepard's boy toy .

However, the Volus would never have been in the game. The races would be entirely different I hope that we at least get some Turian's in the game later on have a Turian squad mate in the second game. I would say the second contact war would be held in game two with the Turian race coming after earth after they activated their relay. But thanks to the Asari they were able too lessen the war too two weeks and thus entering into the first game.

[Kabooooom]

I would cry, as, I wouldn't be able to have Garrus as my Shepard's boy toy .

However, the Volus would never have been in the game. The races would be entirely different I hope that we at least get some Turian's in the game later on have a Turian squad mate in the second game. I would say the second contact war would be held in game two with the Turian race coming after earth after they activated their relay. But thanks to the Asari they were able too lessen the war too two weeks and thus entering into the first game.

Yes, they are militaristic, but the only reason they attacked during the FCW was because of the strict laws enacted by the Council. When first contact was made with the Turians by the Salarians and Asari, war did not break out and an alliance was formed.

But, 1,500 years of the Turian empire expanding in isolation could definitely change things. Maybe it would even make them an antagonistic aggressor race.

[Ryriena]

Yes, they are militaristic, but the only reason they attacked during the FCW was because of the strict laws enacted by the Council. When first contact was made with the Turians by the Salarians and Asari, war did not break out and an alliance was formed.
But, 1,500 years of the Turian empire expanding in isolation could definitely change things. Maybe it would even make them an antagonistic aggressor race.

That is what I am saying somewhat that while the Turian's are in deep isolation they could become an aggressor type race thus start a war with other races. However, to have some squad mates that are Turian they would also be the ones that favor peace like those that are less militaristic like Garrus for an example. Heck, even General Victus could become a squad mate as they have that view point in retrospect of wanting to bring peace.

[shodiswe]

My guess is that the Council either includes considerably more races *or* is even more exclusive and more viewed as an "elite" than it already is. It seems to me that the various races, if ranked in order of power and influence, are roughly as follows:
 
Asari
Salarians, Turians
Humans
Volus, Elcor, Hanar
Drell
Quarians, Batarians
Krogan
 
So with no turians and no humans, there's a considerably larger "gap" between the asari and salarians and the rest, so they'd have to lower the threshold by quite a bit to expand the council.
 
I'm not sure if Sovereign really *needed* a Spectre as its pawn - it was just convenient that it happened to find one. Saren presumably helped come up with the cash for things like hiring krogan bounty hunters and researching the genophage cure on Virmire, but I don't think the Batarian Hegemony is impoverished, and if the scientist had convinced his government that this would pay off, they might well have provided the investment. The geth heretics would have sided with Sovereign with or without Saren's involvement, and the krogan criminals might actually trust the batarians a little more than they would a turian Spectre.
 
Noveria might have been the one place where it made a difference - I don't remember seeing any batarians there, and obviously there were no geth at Port Hanshan outside of Benezia's crates, so Saren might have had an easier time operating there without drawing suspicion. The operations on Eden Prime, Feros, Therum, and Virmire, however, probably still could have been carried off without a Spectre involved.

I don't think the tiny Drell species should be that high on that list unless you count them as part of the Hanar Luminary. The Hanar only saved 375 000 of them 200 years ago. Which would have been around the time of WW2, or the decades right after.

[FlyingSquirrel]

You made an interesting point about Noveria. The only way that Sovereign learned the location of the Mu Relay is because of Benezia learning the location from the Rachni Queen on Noveria, and the only reason why she had access to the queen is because Saren was a majority shareholder of Binary Helix, and the only reason the queen was there is because Binary Helix found the egg, and the only reason Sovereign/Saren knew this priveliged information about the discovery of the egg is again because Saren basically owned the company. That aspect of the story would be completely different. Sovereign might not be able to even find the relay, and Ilos, and the Conduit if the queen was never found or known about.

 

Well, unless Saren had already been manipulating the situation. If they happened to find it on their own, then yes, he caught a big break, but I tend to think that it wasn't by chance and that he directly or indirectly encouraged them to try to find rachni survivors because he figured they might know where the Mu Relay was.

 

We know that Saren was running at least one other operation that apparently didn't pan out or just didn't directly impact the events of ME1 - Wrex reports that Saren was behind a raid on a supply ship that didn't have any obviously unique value. Maybe Saren was just gathering resources to pay for his other operations, but maybe it was somehow part of his attempts to gather the information he needed.