39 réponses à ce sujet

[Fiery Phoenix]

Simple request for you, BioWare: Don't overdo them. It is about showing, not telling. That's what makes any story compelling. 

[MrFob]

Agreed. It was a nice tool to deal with some minor consequences for minor characters from the previous games but in general, I'd rather use them with care.

 

A nice addition would also be the opportunity to reply sometimes. Alpha Protocol had a very nice way of doing that with the dialogue wheel, IMO. I wouldn't mind seeing something like this in the future in ME.

[CaIIisto]

I didn't mind the emails per se, until I got the one from Kai Lame that sounded like it had been written by a 5 year old....

[Fiery Phoenix]

Agreed. It was a nice tool to deal with some minor consequences for minor characters from the previous games but in general, I'd rather use them with care.

 

A nice addition would also be the opportunity to reply sometimes. Alpha Protocol had a very nice way of doing that with the dialogue wheel, IMO. I wouldn't mind seeing something like this in the future in ME.

I wouldn't mind being able to reply, but I also don't really care either way.

 

The main thing is to avoid using emails as a substitute to meaningful content. Both ME2 and ME3 suffered from this, although it was slightly less annoying in ME3.

[Dutch's Ghost]

I always liked them.

[SardaukarElite]

I'd cut them entirely.

[Remix-General Aetius]

instead of reading them, how about watching them instead? like Thane's Citadel DLC messages.

[Fredward]

I was fine with the emails? How were they overused?

[KaiserShep]

Other than the silly post-Thessia email from Kai Leng, the only time I ever really see complaints about the message box is for the ANN stuff, like Reegar and Wong's deaths that amount to a message blurb. Other than that, just about everything else was simply straightforward correspondence from various characters, and occasionally an NPC that you rescued in an N7 mission. Not sure how this is really telling without showing, when a lot of these messages are the result of you actually doing something prior. I guess they could just show a cut scene of the turian bomb going off in the valley if you failed to do that mission, but that seems kind of weird to suddenly take focus away from whatever we're doing as Shepard to show this big scene that Shepard can never see or really react to. 

[v0rt3x22]

I agree - I liked the e-mails in ME2 but it got a bit much, especially for characters or consequences I would've really preferred to see rather than being told.

[fraggle]

I liked the e-mails, when there actually were some (yes, I'm looking at you, Kelly). Would I have seen some things rather than read about them? Sure. But I don't sweat it either.

I also really liked the e-mails from the ME3 crew, when they wanted to meet on the Citadel, or from the VS when they were in the hospital. Or even characters that were new to typing e-mails

[YouKnowMyName]

I'm partial to this. On one side, I did like them, and thought it was a nice way to reference the past. But on the other side, I agree with you in that there needn't be too much emails, though I didn't think ME3 was too bad in that regard.

[Ahglock]

If there ever was somethng easy to ignore or skip its the emails.  Click link, don't read move to next.

[Ink is my sin]

I think they souldn't cut them, but limit them and make them more cinematic and entertaining. This is the future right, so make them like video calls. Something like what we got in arrival DLC from Hackett, but on the protagonists computer screen. If BW makes emails more engaging they could be exciting to receive.

[Vanilka]

I liked the emails, but I think they should be used sensibly. For example, I'd rather my crew invited me to the meeting on the Citadel personally instead of writing an email about it when we're literally one floor away from each other. I admit some emails - like the one from Talitha, the traumatised girl whom you can save in the I Remember Me mission in ME1 or from the Virmire Survivor - made me stupidly happy. (I do think it would still be nicer to [also] meet them or have a small side mission including them, but I realise that would add a lot of extra work.) So, I agree with the OP. Emails are nice, but please, show, don't tell, if you can.

 

I liked the e-mails, when there actually were some (yes, I'm looking at you, Kelly). Would I have seen some things rather than read about them? Sure. But I don't sweat it either.

I also really liked the e-mails from the ME3 crew, when they wanted to meet on the Citadel, or from the VS when they were in the hospital. Or even characters that were new to typing e-mails

 

B... but... imagine if James sneakily whispered to your ear he needs to see you in private instead of sending you an email about it...? 

 

Heh, jokes aside, I agree with you. There were moments when the emails were genuinely nice.

[fraggle]

B... but... imagine if James sneakily whispered to your ear he needs to see you in private instead of sending you an email about it...? 

 

Heh, jokes aside, I agree with you. There were moments when the emails were genuinely nice.

 

You are evil

But see, it was also interesting to see James signed the e-mail with "Vega" instead of his first name. It's the little things, haha

 

I loved Javik's e-mail, it was too funny! Grunt was great as well!

[Vanilka]

You are evil
But see, it was also interesting to see James signed the e-mail with "Vega" instead of his first name. It's the little things, haha
 
I loved Javik's e-mail, it was too funny! Grunt was great as well!

 

I know. 

 

This makes me feel sad that I picked the game up too late to enjoy the Mass Effect: Datapad because some of the messages make me want to cry...
 

Javik: "Water is significantly more intuitive than this clumsy apparatus. I am limited in how many charact"

 

... from laughter. 

[CavalierToast]

Text emails/codexes/quest descriptors are a lot cheaper to include in the game than cutscenes.

[Rappeldrache]

I LOVED them: There were never enough!

 

So sorry to say this, but: PLEASE MAKE A LOT! A LOT! A LOT OF MORE! 

[Tim van Beek]

Agreed. It was a nice tool to deal with some minor consequences for minor characters from the previous games but in general, I'd rather use them with care.

Of course this is just a simple and cost efficient way for writers to add background information. I think the alternatives are to either have that or not have that, not to have that or have interactive or cut scenes instead   . All of them were optional, weren't they?

 

I think I once had an ending mod installed for ME:3 that also added a lot of emails that tried to fill plot holes. 

 

For example there was an email explaining how Liara covertly distributed her after-reaper-probes (like the one that is shown in the refusal ending) all over the galaxy in the hope that at least some would go undetected. 

 

You could add all of your ending ideas this way, too  . Some of the scientists working on the crucible could send emails that develop the background of the crucible, for example. 

 

"Shepard, we just discovered something strange about the crucible that you should know about..."

[Remix-General Aetius]

I know. 

 

This makes me feel sad that I picked the game up too late to enjoy the Mass Effect: Datapad because some of the messages make me want to cry...
 

 

... from laughter. 

 

...........although it isn't made of silver and it's not near a sun. Stupid primitives.

[Catastrophy]

Where did they get "my" adress from I wonder? Did Shepard leave a calling card or what?

[caradoc2000]

Where did they get "my" adress from I wonder? Did Shepard leave a calling card or what?

From Shepard's homepage: www.awesome.org/~Shepard

[Majestic Jazz]

They should not all be text. This is supposed to be the 22nd Century (maybe 23rd in MEA). In DAI it makes sense for letters cause of the technology available. For MEA, there should have been a combination of text, voice, and video messages.

[Elhanan]

Due to the lack of reading some Players are willing to utilize in modern games, may I suggest using hand puppets to demo the information to the new Commander....