221 réponses à ce sujet

[SolNebula]

I'm actually open to see what he is planning in this game. Personally I disliked the endings of ME3 but I'm willing to give him a second chance. He wrote most of my favorite characters of ME, he did contributed to create something I love so I think that he really deserve the benefit of doubt. Let's see how the game will look like. Don't condemn the guy just for one mistake.

[Heimdall]

I definitely take issue with some of Mac's writing in ME2 and ME3, but I'm optimistic that he's learning things along the way.

[Sainta117]

Interesting. I see this very differently, and I was rather unhappy to see this news. Obviously, it's always hard to be sure exactly what goes on behind the scenes, but as the lead writer overall responsiblity for the storyline of ME3 clearly belonged to him. Can people learn from mistakes? Absolutely, but a lot of what he and Casey Hudson said and did afterwards made it fairly clear to me that there's something deeply wrong with their storytelling instincts. I'm astounded that Bioware wouldn't find a way to quietly replace him. I figured that was what was happening when Mr. Hudson left Bioware in August.

 

On the other hand, Yamamoto Tsunetomo said "never trust a man who's never made a mistake," so maybe you're right and Walters will learn the right lessons from ME3. I did read an interview with him last year that suggested he has at least thought about the difference between interactive and non-interactive storytelling and how it affects reader reactions.

 

Anyway, I'm hoping for the best, but frankly, fearing the worst.  I wish Mr. Walters great success, but I do wish they'd found somebody else to be Creative Director of ME4.

[SimonTheFrog]

It's so hard to tell how much and what kind of influence any one individual had or has.

 

But looking at the overall direction ME took after the first installment and by reading the comics, I got the impression that Mr. Walters stands for a more "rule of cool" - approach rather than a "suspension of disbelieve" - one.

 

But I might be wrong, of course. It's just the impression I got from all the pieces of the puzzle.

 

So, anyway, I don't like "rule of cool". I like cool, but it has to stay within the defined rules, not bend them just for the effect. It can make it necessary to put in a bit more thought into the plot and the twists, but it surely is worth it.

 

Which brings us to my next point. The first part of the trilogy was the easiest to get right concerning the overall story. They could borrow from the BioWare style heroes journey and establish the lore as they went. Part 2 and 3 of the trilogy must have been much harder to get right (even with the right mind-set). Much of the lore and factions were established and just redoing the heroes journey would have felt stale. 

Also, there was probably a lot more interfering by "money" and "user experience" this time around.

 

Anyway, not planning ahead in a trilogy concerning the "big decisions" and the overall arc so that it leads to a satisfying ending (where the player feels rewarded for all the years of emotional investment) can't be one man's fault. They didn't know if there was going to BE a 2 and 3.

 

If ME:Next can be planned better and then written by someone who is humble and stays true to the laws of physics and common sense as far as possible and fun, then I wouldn't be too afraid of interference by Creative Direction.

[TheRealJayDee]

After ME3, it's endings and everything that happened around it I have little to no interest left in the Mass Effect franchise, therefore I have no strong feelings towards this development in any way. There was much I thought went wrong about making the ME trilogy, but that's the past now and there's no use in holding on to disappointments and keeping grudges.

 

All the best to Mr. Walters and everyone else involved in making the new game! 

[Revan Reborn]

Mac Walters is such a divisive issue for many, and I believe a lot of this criticism is unwarranted. Yes, he was the lead writer behind ME3 and yes there were some questionable choices made that led to how it ended (for some anyway). However, he was also the lead writer of the critically-acclaimed ME2, of which I would consider to be the best in the trilogy, even if it had the most simple of stories. Walters may have made a few mistakes, but those are vastly outweighed by the good he has added to the Mass Effect franchise. He might not be a Drew Karpyshyn, but he knows Mass Effect just as well.

 

I'd also like to provide some clarification on the position of "Creative Lead." All that essentially means is he is going to oversee the writing team and make sure everything they do in terms of story makes sense in Mass Effect. You could consider his position to more or less be a lore master of sorts. He, himself, won't be contributing to the stories, characters, or any of the experiences. He will, however, make sure that the vision is consistent with Mass Effect and that the writing team does not go too far off the deep-end. I find this to be an appropriate position for him considering he knows the franchise very well and it's time to get some new blood to create new, unique, and different stories to be told in the Mass Effect universe.

[goishen]

A few months ago he was the narrative director, but now he is the creative director and the game doesn't have a narrative director anymore I believe... very weird.

 

This decision does rub me in the wrong way, but he is allegedly not responsible for writing anymore, so I guess that is okay.

 

 

How ironic.

 

 

Either that or the story is already written, or the outline is already formed.

 

EDIT :   I mean, I have no problem.  It's not like he's the one and only writer for ME.  There's an entire team there. 

[CroGamer002]

I definitely take issue with some of Mac's writing in ME2 and ME3, but I'm optimistic that he's learning things along the way.

Foundations comics are the worst written comics in ME franchise( which are bad in general) and are the most recent work made in ME franchise.

 

So no, he's not really learning.

[Tonymac]

Foundations comics are the worst written comics in ME franchise( which are bad in general) and are the most recent work made in ME franchise.

 

So no, he's not really learning.

 

We'll have to see.  The fact that Mac is still there means I will look at it all from the standpoint of a skeptic.  I expect that ME: Next  will ultimately be considered lackluster  because of the influence of Mac.  I think he lacks the skill, talent and capacity to help the series along.  One thing he has accomplished is to poison the ending(s) of ME3.   This is something I will never forgive, or forget.  I see that as the precedent for his ....  ability (or lack thereof).

 

Yet, I might be surprised with ME: Next.  Perhaps the man might redeem himself, although I don't see how he possibly can.   Perhaps by promoting him to a place where he cannot directly deal as much damage might make things work out.

 

In any event, I will remain aloof.  Mass Effect has no magic for me.  But that just my own little tirade.  There are many people in BioWare with huge amounts of talent - and perhaps they can shine brightly enough to bring back the magic.  Time will tell, and we have lots of it to go before the game is released.

[InWeirdPeril]

The ME Comics he wrote are actually pretty decent in my opinion. And personally I don't think it's a lack of creativity or skill. First drafts are usually not spot on. The Problem he seems to have (And I am just guessing. Don't know the man, don't want to...) is that he forces it if he thinks it is exactly what he wants (Though to be fair, he was not the only one who borked the endings). Others could change it so much it is no longer his vision/idea/whatever. But, like I said... just guessing. I am not too happy about it either (Neither forgetting, nor forgiving).

 

Well, if anything I am pretty sure after what happened with the ME3 ending he will be more careful and considerate with future projects. Sadly... I don't think past projects will benefit from that with a possible remastered release...

 

 

I'd also like to provide some clarification on the position of "Creative Lead." All that essentially means is he is going to oversee the writing team and make sure everything they do in terms of story makes sense in Mass Effect. You could consider his position to more or less be a lore master of sorts. He, himself, won't be contributing to the stories, characters, or any of the experiences. He will, however, make sure that the vision is consistent with Mass Effect and that the writing team does not go too far off the deep-end.

 

So... in short he is still the one who enforces artistic integrity and makes sure that the ME3 Endings will leave no room for some of the mising closure within their limited wiggle-room. This sounds, to me at least,  like a worst case...

[Vazgen]

Many people underestimate the difficulty of working on a trilogy. Drew Karpyshyn was the lead writer for ME1, his dark energy theory was, arguably, one of the most prominent themes in ME2. Drew left the team and Mac had to deal with everything introduced in ME1 and ME2 in the final part of the trilogy. He's not flawless and made some bad choices along the way, but he does not deserve all the hate he receives.

I'm pretty sure ME:Next will be quite consistent with what we know about ME universe, which is, well, the job of a creative director

[Iakus]

Many people underestimate the difficulty of working on a trilogy. Drew Karpyshyn was the lead writer for ME1, his dark energy theory was, arguably, one of the most prominent themes in ME2. Drew left the team and Mac had to deal with everything introduced in ME1 and ME2 in the final part of the trilogy. He's not flawless and made some bad choices along the way, but he does not deserve all the hate he receives.

I'm pretty sure ME:Next will be quite consistent with what we know about ME universe, which is, well, the job of a creative director

 

Given all the inconsistencies, what do we know about he Mass Effect universe?

[Vazgen]

Given all the inconsistencies, what do we know about he Mass Effect universe?

Let's see, there is this thing called eezo, that can create mass effect fields when you run an electrical current through it. This mass effect is used to achieve FTL travel, in construction, in military etc. That's why the game is called Mass Effect and that is what defines ME universe. Everything else is a result of humanity developing this technology.

We know of other races like turians and krogan (one we saw in E3 trailer) and humanity's place among them. What else do you want to know? Really, why ask such a question?

[Revan Reborn]

Many people underestimate the difficulty of working on a trilogy. Drew Karpyshyn was the lead writer for ME1, his dark energy theory was, arguably, one of the most prominent themes in ME2. Drew left the team and Mac had to deal with everything introduced in ME1 and ME2 in the final part of the trilogy. He's not flawless and made some bad choices along the way, but he does not deserve all the hate he receives.

I'm pretty sure ME:Next will be quite consistent with what we know about ME universe, which is, well, the job of a creative director

Yeah. I'm sure Drew probably gave a rough sketch or an outline of how he would have saw Shepard's story to the end. However, he moved on to continue Revan's story in SWTOR and retired from BioWare shortly after that. Mac was arguably put in an impossible situation of filling the shoes of who I would argue was BioWare's most powerful and talented writer. Mass Effect 1 was an incredible success and the birth of a new franchise.

 

Mass Effect 2 raised the stakes even higher and truly put the franchise on another level. Mass Effect 3 was already fighting an upward battle, and not to make excuses for him or anything, but I certainly would not have envied Mac's position. With all that aside he has been with Mass Effect since the very beginning, so I'm not concerned at all as he is likely the only person in BioWare, besides Drew or Casey who left, who truly has a real grasp of the Mass Effect universe.

[goishen]

 

We know of other races like turians and krogan (one we saw in E3 trailer) and humanity's place among them. What else do you want to know? Really, why ask such a question?

 

 

Hmmm, yah, I forgot all about that.  Forget about this being a prequel.   lol

[TMA LIVE]

Foundations comics are the worst written comics in ME franchise( which are bad in general) and are the most recent work made in ME franchise.

 

So no, he's not really learning.

I thought the first Foundation comics was pretty good, and a good backstory for Brooks. And a good little twist too. However, the comics after that were boring retellings of the backstories of ME characters, and done in a way wasn't given much effort.

 

I hope after what happened to ME3 that Mac doesn't turn into a Paul W.S. Anderson. When Anderson started writing, though his work felt like a first draft that never got  proper rewrite, you felt like he was trying to write something cool. But then everyone gave him crap for his writing for Resident Evil and AVP despite the money they made, and now he writes and directs without a care for logic, consistency, originality, dialogue, good acting, heart, soul, and anything that involves characters or a plot in ever movie he has made since. Thus the talent that made Event Horizon is dead now.

[Nethalf]

He isn't a bad writer.

He is. And that is the worst problem of the franchise.

 

ME2. It's a great game, it's my favorite in the trilogy, my little precious. But main plot... meh. Again, what were we doing back in ME2? Stopping Collectors who were about to do... what? We saved the galaxy again, but a lead writer never could explain, from what.

ME2's main plot has nothing to do with the franchise's main plot. And that is a lead writer to be blamed for.

 

ME3. I can't really understand how the endings and the whole game are tied together. The endings are neither good nor bad, they're just not a logical conclusion of our playthrough. In other words, the plot has crumbled to pieces and that's a mistake of writing.

 

Comics. I don't even know where to start.

[Revan Reborn]

He is. And that is the worst problem of the franchise.

 

ME2. It's a great game, it's my favorite in the trilogy, my little precious. But main plot... meh. Again, what were we doing back in ME2? Stopping Collectors who were about to do... what? We saved the galaxy again, but a lead writer never could explain, from what.

ME2's main plot has nothing to do with the franchise's main plot. And that is a lead writer to be blamed for.

 

ME3. I can't really understand how the endings and the whole game are tied together. The endings are neither good nor bad, they're just not a logical conclusion of our playthrough. In other words, the plot has crumbled to pieces and that's a mistake of writing.

 

Comics. I don't even know where to start.

You do realize he has been part of the process for Mass Effect since the very beginning? He wasn't the lead writer for ME1 (Drew Karpyshyn was), but Mac Walters was the lead writer for ME2 and ME3. Also, it's worth pointing out that BioWare doesn't hire "bad" writers. You may not like their style and choice, but he is far from bad. BioWare is the one studio where it's incredibly hard to become a member of their writing team.

 

ME2's plot was simple, but certainly tied into the first game. Saren and Sovereign's plan were a failure. The Harbinger decided to step in and use the Collector's to create a human reaper because of how Shepard thwarted their plans previously. It was about finding a new solution to wiping out all species. That inevitably fails to, and the reapers opt for their final solution of full-scale invasion in ME3. As far as endings, DESTROY is the only option that makes sense and ties back into ME1. Shepard's goal was to always destroy the reapers. It's the only option he is able to fulfill that. Control, Synthesis, and Refuse are just ridiculous yet give people options on how to end the threat.

[Riven326]

You do realize he has been part of the process for Mass Effect since the very beginning? He wasn't the lead writer for ME1 (Drew Karpyshyn was), but Mac Walters was the lead writer for ME2 and ME3. Also, it's worth pointing out that BioWare doesn't hire "bad" writers. You may not like their style and choice, but he is far from bad. BioWare is the one studio where it's incredibly hard to become a member of their writing team.

 

ME2's plot was simple, but certainly tied into the first game. Saren and Sovereign's plan were a failure. The Harbinger decided to step in and use the Collector's to create a human reaper because of how Shepard thwarted their plans previously. It was about finding a new solution to wiping out all species. That inevitably fails to, and the reapers opt for their final solution of full-scale invasion in ME3. As far as endings, DESTROY is the only option that makes sense and ties back into ME1. Shepard's goal was to always destroy the reapers. It's the only option he is able to fulfill that. Control, Synthesis, and Refuse are just ridiculous yet give people options on how to end the threat.

Both sequels had inferior writing to the first. Whether it was all his fault or not isn't something I'll get into.

[Linkenski]

Mac clearly hasn't learned from the ending judging by what I've heard him say publically since the ending debacle, right from "People we're angry Shepard died" to him referencing to the theme of Organics and Synthetics being the big theme of the trilogy yet again in that N7 day live stream.

He has not listened enough to realize what the core of the whole issue was. Everyone at Bioware, even everyone's beloved Patrick Weekes disregards a lot of the criticism by shifting the attention towards the Sacrifice of Shepard.

Oh, and Shepard doesn't no matter what. Why else would a certain ending hint otherwise? It's not why people felt insulted over the endings by itself.

[cap and gown]

I did read an interview with him last year that suggested he has at least thought about the difference between interactive and non-interactive storytelling and how it affects reader reactions.

 

Could someone provide a link to this interview, please? I have lately been thinking about the differences between interactive stories, like games, and non-interactive, like books and movies, as one reason why one cannot just have an ending that is completely bleak, hopeless, and accomplishes nothing in a game. It seems to me you are asking the player to invest more than just time, but actual agency in a game versus a book, and to see all that effort be for naught is just too much. Why waste my time trying to make a difference if everything I do is futile? At least in reading a book or watching a movie "I" haven't done a thing beyond observing what happens.

[SilJeff]

 He wasn't the lead writer for ME1 (Drew Karpyshyn was), but Mac Walters was the lead writer for ME2 and ME3.

 

Drew was lead in 2 also. Both he and mac were.

 

ME2's horrible plot wasn't just Mac's doing

[Iakus]

Could someone provide a link to this interview, please? I have lately been thinking about the differences between interactive stories, like games, and non-interactive, like books and movies, as one reason why one cannot just have an ending that is completely bleak, hopeless, and accomplishes nothing in a game. It seems to me you are asking the player to invest more than just time, but actual agency in a game versus a book, and to see all that effort be for naught is just too much. Why waste my time trying to make a difference if everything I do is futile? At least in reading a book or watching a movie "I" haven't done a thing beyond observing what happens.

http://www.complex.c...er-white-moment

 

Complex: What are your thoughts on all the people who complained about the third game’s ending?

 

Mac Walter: It’s been 18-19 months since it came out and my thoughts on it are that we addressed it the best we could in the extended cut. We’re obviously not going to be changing anything now. We’re only going forward. But you know what’s interesting? The only view I’ve had on it was, well, I was watching Breaking Bad, and that deals with (spoiler alert) the main character dying. And in no way do I think that anybody was surprised that he died. It was set up, even from the get-go, that this was a character that was going to die. But the interesting difference there is that that’s not a character that people had control of. They didn’t have any say at any point at what would happen to Walter White. Period.

 

And I think that’s one of the things we really underestimated, which was how much ownership people would take over a character that they could do that. You know, you’ve been given free choice to make all these decisions with this character, with the fates of millions of people, and then, you don’t get to choose your own fate. And I’m not saying that our decision was wrong or right. I think we just underestimated the impact that would have on certain players. To be fair, I get people, especially at the Cons, who will say, “I loved it. It was heart-wrenching, but I felt it was right for my Shepard.” And to me, that’s why it was the right path. But because there was no choice, it was going to be right for some people, and for others, in the middle, and other people were obviously very upset about it. In hindsight, I don’t think there was anything we would have changed about that, but it is a really good lesson learned.

 

Emphasis mine.

[Drone223]

Drew was lead in 2 also. Both he and mac were.
 
ME2's horrible plot wasn't just Mac's doing

Actually Drew left when most of the writing in ME2 was done I think and Mac was then made lead writer.