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[DigitalMaster37]

I wanted to edit the title to:

A scenario, question and case for open world exploration in ME4

 

So, from what we know already, ME4 will have some sort of "openness" going for it with some Mako driving and so on. On another thread I expressed my excitement for this and not many were on board. Some I felt was due to limited thinking (no offense), and others opinions seemed to be formed from past implementations in other games. This post is not about forming others opinions as it is a thread designed to express some of the possibilities of what can be in an open world ME4 game. Indulge me:

 

I know the plot of the next ME4 may or may not involve our new player character to be a Spectre or anything, we don't know enough yet, so here is just some ideas with random scenarios to get you thinking about what you might want an open world ME game to be.

 

Given some of the staples that are already in the ME series, like taking down rogue factions and doing your random citadel errands amongst other things, imagine it all in an open world. Let's say the council gives us a mission to head to planet "ABC" to find a rogue Spectre, or a rogue agent of some sort and you must scour the planet in order to track them down. 

 

Maybe, as you work your way up the ranks, you must take on these sort of missions to gain rank. As you reach certain tiers of rank, you can push the "main" story forward. It will give the feeling of earning your heroism. You start from the bottom and literally build your reputation to the top, getting more riskier and prestigious missions as you grow in rank. 

 

Even as we unravel the main story, we can be sent to travel across planets investigating clues and so on about our mission. These world come complete with different "cities" or hubs that are separated by the planets terrain (mountains, hidden bases, landmarks, claimable land, etc) maybe we could even purchase housing for our character on each planet so that it can serve as our base of operations on that planet. 

 

I don't know, but given the fact that ME is my favorite game series of all time, my mind is racing with ideas. I think there is so much potential for a fully explorable universe in ME4. It doesn't have to mean fetch quest and other boring and meaningless filler missions. I feel every mission or quest we are sent on can be meaningful in more ways than onee.

 

I have so many more ideas, but I won't have the space on this thread to write it. 

 

I am very curious as to what an open world ME game would mean for you?

Can you all think of some good open world type missions that could be inserted into the next Mass Effect game?

[StealthGamer92]

The random "planet side" missions in ME1 were pefect to a large extent to me. Like the Missing Survey Team and the one that asari diplomat(the one Thane kills in ME2) gives you. Just expand on that. Add tropics and/or forests/woods also put in a little more wildlife.

[Revan Reborn]

Based on what we know so far, the evidence seems to suggest we'll be an N7 Operative. My scenario will be built around such an experience:

 

The prologue of the game revolves around the various trials you must complete and overcome in order to gain the distinction of N7. After you have passed all the pre-requisites and have accomplished your heroic act, you are now a fresh recruit in the N7 Program. Being as you are part of an elite group of soldiers, you are immediately tasked with a suicide mission only an N7 could pull off. There has been recent instability on Parnack, the yahg home world. Due to receiving advanced technology from an unknown source, the yahg's culture was not ready for the advancement and as a result has abused its uses. Because of their immense krogan-like strength as well as their impressive salarian-like intellect, they have quickly began a campaign to conquer their sector of space.

 

You are tasked with infiltrating Parnack, finding whatever information you can about the source of this technology, and destroying all crucial technological installations without being detected to avoid incriminating the Systems Alliance. With your freighter-class Normandy SR-3, you are easily able to infiltrate the planet and you launch the Mako on its surface. You must be weary, as the surface of Parnack is rampant with dangers and will be difficult to traverse with the Mako. Using your advanced omni-tool to generate a virtual topography of the entire planet, you search for any large heat sources that could be your primary mission, but you are in no way forced to go there immediately. You can go in any direction you want, and there are plenty of points of interests, treasures, and dungeon experiences to be found, each offering their own miniature stories.

 

There are plenty of scanning opportunities to find items or resources as well as landmarks to provide codex entries and give context and background on the particular place or thing. There will also be emergent gameplay, as the wild creatures of Parnack will not only attack you, but other native creatures as well. This leads to a predator-based system with a survival of the fittest mentality. You may also stumble across a yahg hunting party, which would need to be neutralized if they were to detect you. Deciding what to do next is entirely up to you. Whether you want to just get to your destination and call for extraction immediately, or explore and find hidden treasures and secrets, it is up to you.

 

This is my personal idea of how an open world experience could work in the next Mass Effect. Just a lot of general concepts and potential features to make the world alive and interesting. Enough emergent gameplay, interesting places, and the ability to create your own player-driven experience through your exploration, and the game will offer infinite possibilities in terms of personal stories for players. Reactivity with your choices actually affecting gameplay would also go a long way to keeping things interesting.

[RoboticWater]

I just don't see the need.

 

Keep the hub worlds, bring back ME1 style exploration, make everything a bit more open, but don't get so hung up on a place. Mass Effect, like a lot of sci-fi, is more about the forest than the trees. I'd rather have a bunch of small, diverse, and detailed planets than only a few large landscapes. I've said it before, I can see the appeal of "limitless" gameplay and exploration of a vast world, but it doesn't really fit with Mass Effect. 

 

I don't see any way Bioware could push the envelope on open world mechanics. Every suggestion I've seen seems to conform to the popular tropes of the genre. Why homogenize when Bioware could stay in the same niche?

 

Yea, Bioware have proven they can put a decent story into a big world, but that's not the only problem they have to overcome. DA:I is infested with fetch quests, which may be avoidable, but still detract from the overall experience. TPS gameplay requires much more intricate level design. Even if Bioware nixed the cover mechanic, they'd still have more work than the DA team (there's a reason there aren't many open world shooters). There's a laundry list of other reasons I could mention, but I haven't the time right now.

 

Ultimately, I'm not seeing the benefits. Boiware should just expand on what they have. It works, it's fresh, and a lot of people seem to like it.