67 réponses à ce sujet

[Former_Fiend]

Alrighty, so, according to the leak we're going to have seven squadmates. Who knows if that's true, but it seems like a pretty good ball park. We can also probably assume that once again the ground team will consist of the PC and two squad members, leaving five out of seven squad members on the boat.

 

Now, I've been vocal about this in the past in regards to ME3 and DAI; I don't like this set up where the majority of our squad does nothing but sit on the bench. Yes, one way around this is increasing the number of missions where a specific squadmember is required, but that isn't the problem for me. 

 

I would like to see more missions where, while we tackle a primary objective, we assign the rest of the squad to secondary objectives that can have variable results. Maybe not anything that's going to result in their death if we choose poorly like in ME2, at least not until the end, but things that can have variable results that encourage experimentation and trying new combinations in subsequent playthroughs. 

 

I know this isn't a huge deal for everybody, but I think it was a good idea in ME2 that Bioware hasn't really followed up on or explored beyond that, and I'd still like to see more of it.

[Grieving Natashina]

I support this.  One of things I enjoyed about the SM was seeing the entire squad in action.  The devs did a great job of showcasing some of the squad mates strengths and potential weaknesses.  It's rare in games with a party system where you can see how everyone fits together as a whole.  Nice idea.

[dreamgazer]

So long as daddy issues don't dictate life and death again, sure.

[themikefest]

Don't know if we'll have another suicide mission like in ME2.  

 

I like the idea about squadmates doings things during a mission, but I would include crewmembers on a couple of them.

 

For example. You're sent to a location to find some missing people that no one has heard back from in awhile. You find them and learn there are some baddies close by. One of the people is seriously injured and can't be moved without treatment. Call in a doctor accompanied by a couple more squadmates from the ship to help deal with the baddies while the doctor treats the patient. Once the baddies are dealt with, the patient is evacuated back to the ship

[Grieving Natashina]

So long as daddy issues don't dictate life and death again, sure.

Okay, I agree with this too.  I liked the loyalty mission idea.  I liked the idea that you have to earn the trust of your teammates in order to be focused on the End Game. Some of them were well done.  I've mentioned Garrus in another thread.  I enjoyed Tali's mission, since it was just about as much about the politics of the Quarians as it was about her father.  I liked Jack's as well, because I felt that she had other issues rather than parental ones.  I also liked Grunt's, given that he was trying to find his place in the world. 

 

The rest...

 

 Samara--I think it was overall handled well, and probably had the best reason for her family problems.  Sure, it's getting done to death at this point, but stopping a serial killer that can live up to 1000 years seems like a decent reason.  Still, they had to make her a troubled mother.  Ugh.

Miranda--She has some decent reasons, but they just kept..hammering...her...father...issues...home.  

Thane--Without touching the rest, he actually created father issues for his kid and Shep helps him get over it. 

Jacob--"I've buried all but a body."  Right.  Sure, whatever you say Jacob.  

 

If BioWare can move away from that set-up of a lot of parental issues, then I think it would be even more fun to have a SM mechanic.  Maybe not as life or death, but themikefest's suggestion was pretty good. 

[Former_Fiend]

To be clear, I don't want it restricted to one big final mission. I want several of these kind of situations scattered throughout the game. 

 

I'd have success, and degrees of success, determined not by daddy issues or loyalty, but just by picking the best squad make-up/leader for the situation.

[Grieving Natashina]

To be clear, I don't want it restricted to one big final mission. I want several of these kind of situations scattered throughout the game. 

 

I'd have success, and degrees of success, determined not by daddy issues or loyalty, but just by picking the best squad make-up/leader for the situation.

I'm liking your idea more and more.  I toss you a couple of likes when I get some back, but here's an honorary one for the meantime:

 

Spoiler

[LordSwagley]

I like this. Sending my squadmates out to solve missions on their own would also help them feel more capable and reduce the whole "The Hero does Everything!" feelings I get.

[HuldraDancer]

That would help to feel like the squadmates are doing something instead of sitting on their hands, I assume we're going to have more than one ground vehicle or at least more than one drop off shuttle so I'm for sending the team out to do some extra things especially if they mix it up enough with a good vary of results depending on who goes out on it.

 

 

In other words OP,

[PCThug]

Even if it's restricted to the final mission, I'd love for this to be implemented again.

[Sartoz]

 snip

 

I would like to see more missions where, while we tackle a primary objective, we assign the rest of the squad to secondary objectives that can have variable results. Maybe not anything that's going to result in their death if we choose poorly like in ME2, at least not until the end, but things that can have variable results that encourage experimentation and trying new combinations in subsequent playthroughs. 

 

I know this isn't a huge deal for everybody, but I think it was a good idea in ME2 that Bioware hasn't really followed up on or explored beyond that, and I'd still like to see more of it.

 

                                                                            <<<<<<<<<<()>>>>>>>>>>

 

Not a bad idea, especially if they come back bruised and need recovery time. More interesting if the next mission forces you to choose another squad mate with less than top notch mission skills requirements.

[BraveVesperia]

I would really like this to happen. It bothered me a fair bit in DAI that companions were always talking as though they were present for a mission and I'm there thinking "really, 'cause I never saw you there."

 

They could implement it in any number of ways, whether we assign missions at the start and don't really see them again, or chat to them over the comm as they complete their separate task, or maybe see them a few times. Virmire had this to a degree, since Ash/Kaidan helps Kirrahe's squad, the other helps with the bomb, and you have two people on your team. That leaves just two bench-warming (or zero if you didn't recruit them).

 

If you have a team/squad, I want it to feel like one. Especially during the final mission, but before too. After my first PT (where I switch people a lot), I tend to stick to a pair-per-PT set-up (e.g full game with Ashley and Tali) to see the full dynamic and comments, then switch to another pair for the next PT. That means a lot of bench-warming from the rest of the team. It'd be better for them to have an active role in some other way.

[Former_Fiend]

You know, even while there hasn't been a lot of response yet, I'm surprised it's been mostly positive. When I suggested this for DAI most people were at best ambivalent towards it.

[BabyPuncher]

So long as daddy issues don't dictate life and death again, sure.

 

This is a stupid complaint.

 

Characters need conflicts. Meaningful conflict and resolution is the basis of dramatic storytelling. Without that, you get a cast full of vapid dullards. I do hope you understand that, yes?

 

Now, unlike almost single other story in existence aside from a handful of RPGs, BioWare is extremely limited in the type of conflicts they can give these characters because players of choice-based RPGs are vehemently opposed to companions participating heavily in the central plot. It doesn't help in that the relationship between the player character and companions is limited to the player character being their superior and the player character liking them and finding them useful enough to keep them around. Compared to nearly every other kind of story, this places very severe limits on the kind of relationships that can be developed between central characters. Thus, the conflicts in question generally are regulated to personal issues. 

 

Even if none of that was true, your implication that there's somehow something wrong with writing about personal conflicts is bad enough. But the fact that it's not only perfectly valid by itself, but pretty much necessary in the medium of party driven RPG, and it makes ridiculous.

[Grieving Natashina]

You know, even while there hasn't been a lot of response yet, I'm surprised it's been mostly positive. When I suggested this for DAI most people were at best ambivalent towards it.

I think it's because there is a prescient for this type of setup in the ME series.  I noticed that after DA:I came out, more and more posters starting talking about how much more fun the last Cory confrontation would have been if something like this was in place.  I guess I missed those threads that you started, otherwise I would have supported them too.  

[The Heretic of Time]

I also heard that we might have a war table in ME:A similar to the war table of DA:I. It might be cool if you can assign squad members to war table missions (and while those squaddies are out on their own war table missions you can't take them with you on your own missions).

 

It might not be as showy as the suicide mission, but it would definitely give the squad members a life of their own. Bonus points if the squad members will personally tell you about their experiences and results when they return from their war table missions.

[Grieving Natashina]

I also heard that we might have a war table in ME:A similar to the war table of DA:I. It might be cool if you can assign squad members to war table missions (and while those squaddies are out on their own war table missions you can't take them with you on your own missions).

 

It might not be as showy as the suicide mission, but it would definitely give the squad members a life of their own. Bonus points if the squad members will personally tell you about their experiences and results when they return from their war table missions.

I'll be honest.  I jump up and down hate the War Table as done in DA:I.  There was such a disconnection between what was happening on the table versus what was talked about in game.  Not to mention "fun" things like possibly killing off the PC's elven clan on accident.  

 

Sorry about the mini-rant.  I'm tossing you a like for your ideas, because of how much more organic that sounds over DA:I's approach.  If members of the squad come back and actually had some new dialogue talking about their experiences, then for me it would be more a direct connection.  

 

Nice idea, good sir.  <hat tip>

[Former_Fiend]

I think I only started one thread in the DAI forums though I'm sure I talked about it in multiple threats. I was vocal on other boards, though.

 

I think the initial attack at Haven would have had a little extra to it if  you had the rest of your team with you, or at least doing something visible. Most of the major story missions would have benefited from it, as well. The attack on Adamant and the Arbor Wilds, major battle sequences - it would have been nice to see your not used squadmates there. The Winter Palace as well; dialogue places them all there, anyway, so just have them all there for the Ball parts and only take a couple with you when you sneak out into the combat areas. 

 

Of course this doesn't have to be a visible thing and in that regard ME lends itself towards it better with radios allowing you to hear what the other squads are doing without it having to be in visible range; maybe at certain set pieces in the mission we see the other squads fight, like in Grunt's mission in ME3. 

 

While I'm just throwing out ideas, this could also be a good way to play into co-op which is a feature a lot of people want. Just a thought.

[The_Shade]

Yup, fully support this. 

[Former_Fiend]

I'll be honest.  I jump up and down hate the War Table as done in DA:I.  There was such a disconnection between what was happening on the table versus what was talked about in game.  Not to mention "fun" things like possibly killing off the PC's elven clan on accident.  

 

Sorry about the mini-rant.  I'm tossing you a like for your ideas, because of how much more organic that sounds over DA:I's approach.  If members of the squad come back and actually had some new dialogue talking about their experiences, then for me it would be more a direct connection.  

 

Nice idea, good sir.  <hat tip>

 

Man, just the fact that they can't have any kind of reaction to that. My elfquisitor would have sobbed into Blackwall's beard.

 

But I digress.

 

Very much in favor of a tighter connection with the things going on on the wartable - assuming one exists - and the story, and I'd be ok with that being a part of how this idea gets incorporated into the game should that happen.

[Catastrophy]

I also heard that we might have a war table in ME:A similar to the war table of DA:I. It might be cool if you can assign squad members to war table missions (and while those squaddies are out on their own war table missions you can't take them with you on your own missions).

 

It might not be as showy as the suicide mission, but it would definitely give the squad members a life of their own. Bonus points if the squad members will personally tell you about their experiences and results when they return from their war table missions.

A little cutscene maybe here and there might be nice, too. Could be dramatic, could be silly.

[Grieving Natashina]

You guys are going to eat up all of my likes at this rate.  I'm really enjoying the variety of ideas in here.  

 

Edit: Aaaand my likes are gone.  This isn't a big thread yet, but it's a damned nice one.  Thanks for starting this, Fiend.  

[rashie]

If the outcome depends on tactical choices rather than if people have unresolved daddy issues, sure.

[Han Shot First]

One like isn't sufficient.  At the very least the last mission should involve the entire squad.

 

That being said, whether or not that last mission should be a suicide mission where anyone can die should depend in part on whether or not this game is a standalone or the start of a duology or trilogy. If it is the first game of a series I think that outside of perhaps a Virmire scenario, they should hold off on putting too many squadmates in the line of fire. In a multigame series you should have most of the potential squadmate deaths be postponed to the last chapter so you don't get so many variables that it results in surviving characters being sidelined or getting disappointing cameos in sequels.

[SardaukarElite]

Solid idea. I'd actually like to see that used in all missions, even if it didn't always result in much of an impact on gameplay I think it would add a lot flavor. It would also let more team mates participate in any conversations if they're listening in on the comm.