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[Heimdall]

So, our PC is in a settlement of some sort, somewhere in a GNOCA and permanently cut off from anyone, anywhere, anything from the trilogy games. The timeframe is centuries or more removed from the trilogy games. The region is governed, if it is governed, by some authority we've never heard of. Our adversary, when we get one, is one we've never heard of before. 

 

What, if anything, makes this a Mass Effect game? Is it enough to repurpose some concept art from the trilogy, and musical themes from the Mass Effect soundtracks, and to stick an N7 decal on your character's armor?

The races are there, the technology is still Mass Effect based, the history between the races is still there + a few centuries, the immigrants brought their cultures with them, none of that disappears.

 

Locations don't make Mass Effect what it is.

[Senior Cinco]

What's a GNOCA?

[durasteel]

You do realize that you just exactly described how all of us felt when we were first introduced to Mass Effect at the start of Mass Effect 1, right? We were dumped on a colony none of us cared about, governed by an organization none of us heard of, which itself was part of a larger organization none of us heard of, composed of multiple unfamiliar species to which we had no emotional attachment, and we were introduced to an enemy that we had never encountered before.

Again, wtf is up with all this nonsense talk about what Mass Effect *should* be and what defines it? Do you seriously think that you couldn't start fresh with a new trilogy in a brand new setting and have it NOT be Mass Effect?

I'm sorry man, but that seems super closed-minded to me. And unadventurous.

 

Before we were introduced to that setting, Mass Effect was a clean slate. That setting became Mass Effect, textured and refined across three games. If you then change everything about the setting including the people, the places, and the time... it might turn out to be a good game, but it won't really be Mass Effect, you dig?

 

See, I can easily come up with a great story that fits within this "ark theory." I can pretty easily imagine a cool game set in it. I would want to play that game, but it would be a spin-off, and it would leave me still waiting for the next proper Mass Effect game set within the established Mass Effect setting (i.e. The Milky Way.)

[Heimdall]

Before we were introduced to that setting, Mass Effect was a clean slate. That setting became Mass Effect, textured and refined across three games. If you then change everything about the setting including the people, the places, and the time... it might turn out to be a good game, but it won't really be Mass Effect, you dig?

 

See, I can easily come up with a great story that fits within this "ark theory." I can pretty easily imagine a cool game set in it. I would want to play that game, but it would be a spin-off, and it would leave me still waiting for the next proper Mass Effect game set within the established Mass Effect setting (i.e. The Milky Way.)

The main Mass Effect Titles were all about Shepard and revolved around him entirely.  Remove that, and do you still think its Mass Effect?

[Kabooooom]

Before we were introduced to that setting, Mass Effect was a clean slate. That setting became Mass Effect, textured and refined across three games. If you then change everything about the setting including the people, the places, and the time... it might turn out to be a good game, but it won't really be Mass Effect, you dig?

See, I can easily come up with a great story that fits within this "ark theory." I can pretty easily imagine a cool game set in it. I would want to play that game, but it would be a spin-off, and it would leave me still waiting for the next proper Mass Effect game set within the established Mass Effect setting (i.e. The Milky Way.)

To me, mass effect is about exploring the vast unknown of space, interacting with alien cultures and discovering the irrelevance of an anthropomorphic cosmological worldview. Throw some biotics and familiar tech in that and you've got mass effect. The setting, locations, and even species do not necessarily matter at all to me.

Final Fantasy started anew each time, with a few carryovers for familiarity. And it worked fine. It worked great even, until the games started sucking.

[Medievalist]

[...]

 

The Basics - The basic idea of Ark theory is that some group, possibly but not necessarily bankrolled by the Council, has been working on a plan to escape the galaxy to avoid certain death at the hands of the Reapers.  This group, more of a secret society maybe, may have known about the Reapers for years, like Saren, and been assembling resources since long before the Reaper's arrival.  The "Ark" could be a single massive ship or a fleet of smaller vessels.  Another idea put forward is the Ark could be a Prothean vessel, built for the same purpose, but incomplete.

 

[...]

 

IMO, this is causes some problems: If it were true, that some super secret group (private or governmental or military) planned, funded and executed this plan, they would retcon the whole effort regarding the Crucible. ME3 is in large part about Shepard trying to unify the Council races and other groups to help build the Crucible. This is necessary, because no single Council race would be able to come up with the necessary resources.

Furthermore, especially if the "Ark plan" would've been conceived before the ME3 finale, differences between the Council races (Salarians/Krogans; Turians/Krogans; everyone/Humans) were just too strong. Without a mediator like Shepard, it is hard to imagine that such a project would've worked.

Then there's BioWare's trailer, which serves as the basis for the "Ark Theory". Let's take contrary evidence fom there: It shows uniforms that carry Alliance insignia. So if it were true, the Alliance would've been officially (although maybe secretly) involved... which again contradicts the premise as shown above....

[durasteel]

What's a GNOCA?

 

Galaxy No One Cares About.

 

In other words, a galaxy without "baggage." Presumably ark advocacy is motivated in large part by the belief that people care so much about TMW that whatever is set there going forward will inevitably upset someone, so a new galaxy in which one may blow things up with impunity is required.

[durasteel]

The main Mass Effect Titles were all about Shepard and revolved around him entirely.  Remove that, and do you still think its Mass Effect?

 

Absolutely. The novels avoid Shepard entirely, and they are definitely Mass Effect products. Most of the comics are as well. It's well established that a Mass Effect story can be told without Shepard, but if you divorce your story from any connection to the Systems Alliance, the Citadel and Citadel Council, Omega, and the worlds and races we're familiar with, you might as well just work on a new IP.

[Senior Cinco]

Galaxy No One Cares About.

 

I carer about it. Over half of the members that posted in the Andromeda thread cares about it. I think it would be more accurately represented if it were... GTMCA - Galaxy That Most Care About.

[felipejiraya]

I still don't think this Ark Theory is plausible, we know very little details about the game to really discuss this like a real option.

 

And there's the problem durasteel said here in the thread: if you take away all the things that make ME it becomes another IP.

[Heimdall]

IMO, this is causes some problems: If it were true, that some super secret group (private or governmental or military) planned, funded and executed this plan, they would retcon the whole effort regarding the Crucible. ME3 is in large part about Shepard trying to unify the Council races and other groups to help build the Crucible. This is necessary, because no single Council race would be able to come up with the necessary resources.

Furthermore, especially if the "Ark plan" would've been conceived before the ME3 finale, differences between the Council races (Salarians/Krogans; Turians/Krogans; everyone/Humans) were just too strong. Without a mediator like Shepard, it is hard to imagine that such a project would've worked.

Then there's BioWare's trailer, which serves as the basis for the "Ark Theory". Let's take contrary evidence fom there: It shows uniforms that carry Alliance insignia. So if it were true, the Alliance would've been officially (although maybe secretly) involved... which again contradicts the premise as shown above....

The secret group would probably have to be private, separated (but perhaps including officials) from the governmental powers.  Heck, it could even be Terminus based.  Shepard isn't the only person capable of getting people to cooperate when its in their best interest.  It probably wouldn't require building something as incredibly large as the Crucible (Especially if they chose to pull it off with fewer smaller ships instead of massive ones.  They could refit existing ships instead of building new ones if need be), so fewer resources would be needed and if they started years before Sovereign's attack, its less inconceivable that they could have assembled the required resources.

 

I assume you're referring to the N7 insignia.  It could be that the defenders of this new galaxy colony have been inspired by Shepard and adopted it.  N7 isn't a secret, its presence doesn't require the Alliance's official involvement.

 

Absolutely. The novels avoid Shepard entirely, and they are definitely Mass Effect products. Most of the comics are as well. It's well established that a Mass Effect story can be told without Shepard, but if you divorce your story from any connection to the Systems Alliance, the Citadel and Citadel Council, Omega, and the worlds and races we're familiar with, you might as well just work on a new IP.

I don't know why you keep mentioning races as being eliminated.  Ark theory includes their survival.  For me, that doesn't make it a new IP at all.

[durasteel]

I carer about it. Over half of the members that posted in the Andromeda thread cares about it. I think it would be more accurately represented if it were... GTMCA - Galaxy That Most Care About.

 

LOLwut?

 

You don't even know what it is, man. The ark theory is vague on that point--it could be Andromeda, it could be wherever... and you don't pretend to know what's going to be there. New races, new tech, the vacant ruins of a galactic civilization that was wiped out and never replaced? 

 

You don't give half a crap about this presumed new galaxy, because it doesn't even exist yet except in the minds of people who haven't told you about it except, maybe, to flash you an image of a work-in-progress map of it without anything marked or labeled. It could have been a 3D scan of a Krogan's colon for all we know.

 

You don't care about the imaginary new galaxy at all. The only thing you care about is leaving the one you played in as Shepard.

[Senior Cinco]

And there's the problem durasteel said here in the thread: if you take away all the things that make ME it becomes another IP.

 

But... It's going to be another IP.

[durasteel]

...

I don't know why you keep mentioning races as being eliminated.  Ark theory includes their survival.  For me, that doesn't make it a new IP at all.

 

Some, maybe most, but certainly not all. Geth? Quarian? Batarian? Drell? How big is your ark?

[Senior Cinco]

You don't care about the imaginary new galaxy at all. The only thing you care about is leaving the one you played in as Shepard.

 

Are you serious? You know what I'm thinking, now? What's wrong with you people?

 

I'll ask to not put words in my mouth.

[durasteel]

But... It's going to be another IP.

 

So, yeah... if you're talking about this "ark theory" for BioWare's new IP, then suddenly I'm on your side of the argument.

 

But you're not. You're talking about the next Mass Effect game, so... Mass Effect is the IP in question.

[Heimdall]

Some, maybe most, but certainly not all. Geth? Quarian? Batarian? Drell? How big is your ark?

Some of them probably wouldn't make it.  The Geth, because nobody would trust them though I wouldn't rule them out.  The Quarians because the Migrant Fleet recalled all of them back from pilgrimage prior to attacking Rannoch.  The only Quarians around to go would be scattered exiles (Though a Quarian society built entirely by their social outcasts could be interesting).  I could do without the batarians.  The hanar would probably bring a population of drell with them, though it'd be small.  I don't have any hopes for the vorcha.

 

Still, the majority would be present and we'd have new species to discover.

[durasteel]

Are you serious? You know what I'm thinking, now? What's wrong with you people?

 

I'll ask to not put words in my mouth.

 

Yeah, you've made what you're thinking in this regard pretty apparent to anyone who can read.

 

But go ahead, buddy... explain to me how you care so much about this galaxy you know nothing whatsoever about, including whether or not it even exists. While you're at it, explain to me how you know that half the members who posted in the Andromeda thread care about it, and how they have expanded into "most." You seemed pretty confident that you know what they're thinking.

 

Take your time, I'll wait.

[Heimdall]

It's like the Indoctrination Theory; overblown, dumb, and senseless. The Ark Theory seems to me, like a few others have said, to basically be a big "**** you" to much of the canon. I think it's one of the worst theories for a game setting/idea I've ever seen.

It preserves canon, all canons, no other idea to date does that.

[Heimdall]

If it preserves all canons, then no canon is special or of importance.

Exactly

[durasteel]

It preserves canon, all canons, no other idea to date does that.

 

I think our philosophical difference stems largely from my rejection of the idea that after the space magic ending, "all canons" are even remotely worth preserving.

[Heimdall]

I think our philosophical difference stems largely from my rejection of the idea that after the space magic ending, "all canons" are even remotely worth preserving.

Probably