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[Lady Artifice]

I keep thinking about Battlestar Galactica (the reimagined series) and the way it depicted politics as another part of a desperate scramble for survival. Content as I am with the move to Andromeda, the one thing I'll regret leaving behind with the old trilogy will be the sense that we're exploring an immense galactic civilization at it's pinnacle, with all the excess that comes with it. Humanity was rising towards the top of an interlacing society of different, ancient, cultures. All I can imagine for the future is something more fragmented, splintered by cataclysm. A war and the aftermath that can unite people or turn them against each other. I personally liked the council, and I really liked the idea of the shadow broker when I first encountered it in ME1. 

 

Plus, I think I've seen some ongoing improvement in how Bioware approaches political dilemmas, and I hope we get more. More political machinations, more subtext heavy dialogue, more characters like the Shadow Broker and Lorik Qui'in. Or maybe exactly Lorik Qui'in. Basically, I hope we retain big aspects of those elements as we touched on them in the trilogy. 

 

This is the part where I'd usually go, "Thoughts?" but I don't like that question anymore.

[Donk]

I keep thinking about Battlestar Galactica (the reimagined series) and the way it depicted politics as another part of a desperate scramble for survival. Content as I am with the move to Andromeda, the one thing I'll regret leaving behind with the old trilogy will be the sense that we're exploring an immense galactic civilization at it's pinnacle, with all the excess that comes with it. Humanity was rising towards the top of an interlacing society of different, ancient, cultures. All I can imagine for the future is something more fragmented, splintered by cataclysm. A war and the aftermath that can unite people or turn them against each other. I personally liked the council, and I really liked the idea of the shadow broker when I first encountered it in ME1. 

 

Plus, I think I've seen some ongoing improvement in how Bioware approaches political dilemmas, and I hope we get more. More political machinations, more subtext heavy dialogue, more characters like the Shadow Broker and Lorik Qui'in. Or maybe exactly Lorik Qui'in. Basically, I hope we retain big aspects of those elements as we touched on them in the trilogy. 

 

This is the part where I'd usually go, "Thoughts?" but I don't like that question anymore.

 

As much as I hate politics (in real life) it certainly made the game more interesting, and whether you wanted to play a Shepard who was "politically correct" or "screw politics" was fun.

 

The council pissed me off, Udina especially pissed me off (which was satisfying when I could finally shoot the ******) and I liked making a point that they are useless and to go above politics to save the galaxy. I love the theme in that.

 

It all depends on the plotline. I've been out of the loop for a while so I don't know if there's been any new indicators of what the story is going to be about.. but I'm sure there will be some aspects of it. I don't imagine Andromeda would be a galaxy filled up with free-for-all, hungry savages

[Xaijin]

The wild west was devoid of politics until the robber barons showed up, and this game will probably be a very large exercise in avoiding politics.

 

Which is fine.

 

If this has a connection to 3, then it's perfectly crystalline exactly exactly how ****** stupid doing things the asari way was. There will be no etiquette, nor political protocols, there will be making good on your promises of aid and support, and making equally good on your threats of bullets into asses. Out with asari and in with krogan.

 

That's how you win a frontier.

[Lady Artifice]

The wild west was devoid of politics until the robber barons showed up, and this game will probably a very large exercise in avoiding politics.

 

Which is fine.

 

If this has a connection to 3, then it's perfectly crystalline exactly exactly how ****** stupid doing things the asari way was. There will be no etiquette, nor political protocols, there will be making good on your promises of aid and support, and making equally good on your threats of bullets into asses. Out with asari and in with krogan.

 

That's how you win a frontier.

 

That is specifically what concerns me.

 

Except for the more Krogan part, I'm fine with that. 

[Xaijin]

It's not necessarily a negative and still relies on the type of character you make and what that character as Pathfinder chooses to do. The alliances you build will simply be more directly garnered and brokered.

 

Moreover every ->strictly<- political decision you made in ME didn't remotely matter, the moral and action based ones did.

 

Kind of telling.

[bondari reloads.]

BW's handling of established structures letting Shepard get a whiff of the intergalactical bureaucracy was so intriguing that I much prefer ME1 over ME3, but the Wild West atmosphere doesn't worry me - where there are factions, there are politics. I only wish they would have explored the underworld angle about Aria a bit more.

Interesting thread, by the way!

[countofhell]

I imagine Andromeda as a non political Galaxy. There is no all-time ruler Government with the potential races but Major Corporations rule the Andromeda and all is about the resources.

[DarthLaxian]

I imagine Andromeda as a non political Galaxy. There is no all-time ruler Government with the potential races but Major Corporations rule the Andromeda and all is about the resources.

 

Where did you get that from - I'd say if there isn't any form of unified bureaucracy/government (which I doubt, even if the only people on the arch are military and scientists, I am sure that they would have some sort of chain of command), why would there be corporations (who would have told them about the arch and why? - It's a government project, there's no reason to involve them or even if they did: To give them the power over the new galaxy!)

 

I certainly do hope that there is politics (in addition to cloak and dagger stuff and things like assassinations etc. - I'd love to be able to go full shadow-broker on other other people (as in blackmail, political assassinations etc. if need be - or be totally nice and help them out (and hope they don't screw me over!))

 

greetings LAX

[katamuro]

I actually hoped that was going to be the central focus of ME4 before we knew anything of MEA. I hoped that instead of some new alien menace or some kind of new galactic disaster. I hoped it would depict the galaxy some 10-50 years after the ME3. The age of galactic unity after the war did not last long and the old rivalries surface. 

[Vortex13]

The wild west was devoid of politics until the robber barons showed up, and this game will probably be a very large exercise in avoiding politics.

 

Which is fine.

 

If this has a connection to 3, then it's perfectly crystalline exactly exactly how ****** stupid doing things the asari way was. There will be no etiquette, nor political protocols, there will be making good on your promises of aid and support, and making equally good on your threats of bullets into asses. Out with asari and in with krogan.

 

That's how you win a frontier.

 

 

A morally grey area, especially those in the realm of politics has always been one of BioWare's weak points (IMO). All too often the "politicians are weak or corrupt and only stand in the way of the hero with the gun" troupe shows up, and while real life politics does have those elements to it, the situation is nowhere as cut and dry, as black and white as BioWare likes to paint things. Now while I don't expect to see a political drama in the next game, it would be nice to see some murky grey areas our hero has to trudge through.

 

Though if the game is better served to not delve into such elements I would be okay with that as well.

 

 

 

P.S. The Krogan aren't blameless in their political machinations, even in ME 3. Sure, the Asari may have taken first prize in political idiot of the galaxy, but the Krogan were perfectly fine with holding the galaxy hostage to force the Genophage cure, and if their efforts are sabotaged, they would rather go to war against the very people fighting to save everyone in the galaxy than try and fight the Reapers. And all of this after Wrex's numerous conformations of total support in ME 2.

[X Equestris]

The wild west was devoid of politics until the robber barons showed up,

That's a rather ridiculous assertion. Politics goes where people go, in all its myriad forms. It may be small scale conflicts over who gets to be town marshal or range wars between farmers and ranchers, or it could be large scale things like the Indian Wars and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. And I'm sure political conflicts, large or small scale, will feature in Andromeda.

[Jeremiah12LGeek]

I hadn't really thought about it before, but the way the first Mass Effect brought the player into the broader political landscape to establish the setting was certainly something I appreciated a great deal about it.

 

The politics in ME:A will take a different form, but it's hard to guess the role they'll play in the game at this stage.

 

I don't really have any hopes or expectations for ME:A (other than hoping that the Multiplayer is an evolution of what they did in ME 3.)

[Dirgegun]

I feel it would be really strange if we don't run into any political shenanigans in Andromeda. After all, while we're the new kids in the galaxy, the same can't be said for the native races and they've lived in a galaxy that (presumably) doesn't have cycles of harvesting interrupting civilisations and advancement. Saying that, it would be the Milky Way all over again if there's a council to contend with and the like, I feel. So, while I expect politics I don't expect the same kind of politics. Maybe Andromeda is ruled by corporations and businesses and we'll get a dystopia feel from the galaxy or something?

 

We only have speculation at this stage, of course, but it would certainly raise some eyebrows if Andromeda has nothing in the way of governments and the like.

[Helios969]

Politics exist at every level...from the smallest social click to the largest imaginable government. I don't see how it can be avoided.

[Killdren88]

Yes. Let us have an alagory to the bourgeoisie. And take shots at the Koch Brothers. Glory to the revolution comrade.

[Xaijin]

A morally grey area, especially those in the realm of politics has always been one of BioWare's weak points (IMO). All too often the "politicians are weak or corrupt and only stand in the way of the hero with the gun" troupe shows up, and while real life politics does have those elements to it, the situation is nowhere as cut and dry, as black and white as BioWare likes to paint things. Now while I don't expect to see a political drama in the next game, it would be nice to see some murky grey areas our hero has to trudge through.

 

Though if the game is better served to not delve into such elements I would be okay with that as well.

 

 

 

P.S. The Krogan aren't blameless in their political machinations, even in ME 3. Sure, the Asari may have taken first prize in political idiot of the galaxy, but the Krogan were perfectly fine with holding the galaxy hostage to force the Genophage cure, and if their efforts are sabotaged, they would rather go to war against the very people fighting to save everyone in the galaxy than try and fight the Reapers. And all of this after Wrex's numerous conformations of total support in ME 2.

 

I'm not intimating they're blameless saints blinded by technology and shinies, I'm saying the era of smiling and lying and using committees and basically letting the council take all the blame/praise whilst doing the heavy logistical lifting behind the scenes with backroom deals isn't going to accomplish much, even if the Ark is large enough to be a mini-citadel of its own accord.

 

We see with the krogan rebellions and ME2 and 3 that the asari method was cartoonishly inept in the face of any form of organized discord or  contention, particularly without other folks to nod and smile and agree and then send actual troops in, the policy of letting things exist over there out of sight and raking in benefits from illicit stuff while decrying it publicly only works when the people decrying it or some other third party lack the guns and means to make their beliefs a physical reality.

 

 

 

Indian Wars and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad

 

 

You're conflating social interaction at all with politics. Manifest Destiny was re-introduction and reassertion of groupthink politics, local politics was predominantly one and one or with and had very little to do with anything other than very clean and clear greed (brush wars, cattle vs sheep, settler encroachment) or personal/social contention (indian wars, chinese mistreatment and subjugation, mexican contention) which doesn't require politics to be a precedent or antecedent in the least. Most of the drive west was for the average citizen to get away from politics, period, and that's a matter of historical record, not speculation.

 

Not quite sure how to break this to you but life isn't like a Kotaku article, and people that think it is at that every organized group of ________ is subject to the laws of Diogenes and Machiavelli tend to be college and high school students who've spent about 5 minutes interacting with the larger world without the safety net of parental logistics and academic insulation, the real world tends to operate far more on avoiding harm and enhancing zeitgeist than any need to make _______ happen, and steadily dwindling voter turnout in the face of technological and social progression bears that out pretty absolutely.

[Linkenski]

With John Dombrow and rest of senior staff, sure!

 

With Chris Schlerf or Mac in charge... probably not.

[dreamgazer]

With John Dombrow and rest of senior staff, sure!
 
With Chris Schlerf or Mac in charge... probably not.

Why's that? Last I checked, the "politics" in ME1/2 were terrible and ME3 was the most politically-focused entry in the entire series.

[Linkenski]

Why's that? Last I checked, the "politics" in ME1/2 were terrible and ME3 was the most politically-focused entry in the entire series.

I was thinking of Dombrow and Patrick's conributions in the Krogan/Quarian arcs as opposed to Mac's character assassination of Udina.

 

Yeah, ME1 has very stoic and hammy politics regarding the council and how it's handled post-soveregin invasion, whereas there's more rationale to ME3's "help me help you" politics and negotioations. (which were mostly prominent in missions where Dombrow was lead)

 

I still think ME1 did a great job to show all sorts of several POVs on the galactic stage, like Terra Firma Party, The C-Sec turians and dislike towards humans, the idea of council-vs-non-council races-- I get it's not all directly politics, but IMO Mass Effect 3 didn't feel completely above ME1/2 and certainly not in how Udina was used or how the whole "retake Earth" mantra was being knocked over my skull. Menae, Tuchanka/Rannoch = A-OK though.

[Lady Artifice]

As much as I hate politics (in real life) it certainly made the game more interesting, and whether you wanted to play a Shepard who was "politically correct" or "screw politics" was fun.

 

The council pissed me off, Udina especially pissed me off (which was satisfying when I could finally shoot the ******) and I liked making a point that they are useless and to go above politics to save the galaxy. I love the theme in that.

 

It all depends on the plotline. I've been out of the loop for a while so I don't know if there's been any new indicators of what the story is going to be about.. but I'm sure there will be some aspects of it. I don't imagine Andromeda would be a galaxy filled up with free-for-all, hungry savages

 

I hear you. When I say I "liked" the council, I don't mean I admired or enjoyed the characters in the same way I do, say, Mordin Solus. I mean that I enjoyed that touch upon the political perspective. At the same time, I found it overly simplistic. I think by ME3, they were stepping away from the politicians = bad, soldiers = good approach in favor of a more rounded and balanced depiction of both, which I liked. 

 

Which is not to say that I don't want shady/ruthless political characters, because I really do. 

 

[Killdren88]

I wouldn't be surprised if they were going for the Space version of Manifest destiny and the ups and down it comes with. Just hope it isn't too heavy handed is all. Yes, yes the settlers did some pretty atrocious things. But it was years ago, so lets bygone be bygones.

[Lady Artifice]

I wouldn't be surprised if they were going for the Space version of Manifest destiny and the ups and down it comes with. Just hope it isn't too heavy handed is all. Yes, yes the settlers did some pretty atrocious things. But it was years ago, so lets bygone be bygones.

 

For once, we agree. I don't want to sit through a preachy, "humans are bastards" plot anymore than I want to sit through one that depicts us as the indispensable superstars of the universe. 

[Killdren88]

For once, we agree. I don't want to sit through a preachy, "humans are bastards" plot anymore than I want to sit through one that depicts us as the indispensable superstars of the universe. 

 

For once? Have we butted heads on other topics before? forgive my ignorance as I do often pay attention to where my past posts lead to.

[Larry-3]

I do not mind a little bit of politics in a story.

[Lady Artifice]

For once? Have we butted heads on other topics before? forgive my ignorance as I do often pay attention to where my past posts lead to.

 

Not butted heads, exactly. I didn't mean to imply we've been directly confrontational, but we've never exactly been on the "same side" in any discussion either.

 

Also, if I remember accurately, there's Cullen. Whom I like and I believe you really don't.