67 réponses à ce sujet

[Mathias]

Not sure what you mean by "weirder", but Andromeda needs to lean more towards what Mass Effect 1 was. The shift in tone between ME1 and ME2&3 is enough to measure on the richter scale. Mass Effect went from a quiet, subtle, and techy sci fi with horror elements, to a high octane space adventure.

 

The best way to describe it is Mass Effect 1 is Star Trek, and Mass Effect 2&3 are both the JJ Abrahams version of Star Trek. Don't mistake me I think both styles ended up working in the setting they were in. But if Bioware is throwing us into the unknown again like they did with ME1, I think they need to lean more towards ME1's tone in that regard.

 

 

UNLESS!

 

The developers really go for that Wild West theme and tone with Andromeda. Because that's essentially what Mass Effect 2 was. It was just you and a crew of misfits going on a bunch of adventures in space, getting into trouble. I know people take issue with ME2's divergance from the Reaper story, and I do as well. But I still love ME2 because on it's own merits it's a fantastic game with a really fun story and set of characters. So if they go for that ME2 feel with Andromeda, I can see that working as well.

[O'Voutie O'Rooney]

I would much prefer that it go toward hard sci fi. This does not prevent it from becoming weird, so long as the weirdness (or strangeness) is based on things that are scientifically and technologically possible. Such things can still be surprising and thought-provoking without being fantasy.

[Mcfly616]

I would much prefer that it go toward hard sci fi. This does not prevent it from becoming weird, so long as the weirdness (or strangeness) is based on things that are scientifically and technologically possible. 

 Fat chance.

[KaiserShep]

I would much prefer that it go toward hard sci fi. This does not prevent it from becoming weird, so long as the weirdness (or strangeness) is based on things that are scientifically and technologically possible. Such things can still be surprising and thought-provoking without being fantasy.

I think that ship sailed a long time ago, in a mass-free corridor.

In any case, I don't think going "hard" scifi would really make it any better. All it really should do is stick to its own rules more consistently.

[sjsharp2011]

How are those more weird then Mass Effect? People have different things that they consider weird and to me all that you list are about as weird as Mass Effect.

Agreed I'd asy M|E is about that sort of level already with a bit of X files thrown in for good measure as well. I'd rather they kept it as it is in terms of weirdness. I can see them maybe adding different types of aliens but i doubt they'd go further than that.

[FKA_Servo]

Are we talking Mieville level weird here?

Although I like China Mieville's work, I think that would be way too high a degree of weirdness for most people - putting something like Embassytown into movie/tv/game form would be difficult. Anyway, my personal opinion is that ME might not quite be hard sci-fi, but it tilts in that direction. Though I like Farscape a lot (was a huge fan) and saw the OP mention it, I don't quite see the ME-verse suddenly populated by Rygel-like characters, heh.

 

Mieville is so weird, but his weirdness is on point. A teensy bit of it would be beautiful.

 

I'd like it to channel ME1 more than anything else, but a little bit of that here and there would be terrific. I like the hokey "humans in masks and body paint" aesthetic, but the ariekei are exhibit A of an alien race done right.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Define "weird" ... are we talking Plan 9 From Outer Space weird? Zardoz weird? Mars Attacks weird?

 

... or something more grounded yet creepy weird like Event Horizon or Pitch Black?

 

... or mess with your head weird, like A Scanner Darkly or Dark City?

 

 

Weird really is terribly subjective.

 

Maybe Dead Space-level of weird, i.e. have at least one form of life as strange and inscrutable as the markers / brethren moons? Not necessarily an enemy, just something/someone such that we know they're there, but have difficulty communicating with them or figuring out what they're trying to accomplish.

 

An Event Horizon-type concept would cross the line, IMO - that was really more a supernatural horror story set on a spaceship than a science fiction story.

[Chealec]

I'd be happy if the "weirdness" was just a sense of alien that actually had some thought behind it...

 

For example, on Earth we have a yellow sun. Plants are generally green because chlorophyll doesn't really use green light... would it still be chlorophyll as the primary mechanism for utilising sunlight if the sun was a White Dwarf or Blue Giant where there is less red light in the mix? What colour would the plants be, red maybe?

 

What about Earth-like planets that have very low levels of oxygen? There's a purple bacteria that thrives in warm, low oxygen waters on Earth... it produces sulphur which oxidises to sulphuric acid; pinks seas and green, toxic acidic skies anyone?

 

Higher oxygen levels are more conducive to invertebrates - part of the reason we don't have dragonflies with 2 metre wingspans any more is that there's not enough oxygen in the air for them to absorb which limits their size. A planet of large, intelligent insect type things might be a jungle world with plants pumping lots of oxygen into the air (fire hazard!)... or a world with vast oceans and lots of oxygenating algae.

 

Low gravity worlds with high water content could give a whole new spin on flying fish... and do something with the physics so that a low gravity world actually feels like a low gravity world. The same goes for higher gravity worlds.

 

If a creature is obviously an egg layer (bird or reptile like for instance) don't slap boobs on it can call it female! (I'm looking at you XCOM 2) Even those sharks that give birth to live young don't suckle them.

 

 

It's never going to be strictly scientifically accurate but I'd like to be able to see that some thought had gone into matching life to its environment and going "ooooh, clever" ... of course, most planets should probably be barren lifeless rocks (or gas giants) but hey.

[Sanunes]

Maybe Dead Space-level of weird, i.e. have at least one form of life as strange and inscrutable as the markers / brethren moons? Not necessarily an enemy, just something/someone such that we know they're there, but have difficulty communicating with them or figuring out what they're trying to accomplish.

 

An Event Horizon-type concept would cross the line, IMO - that was really more a supernatural horror story set on a spaceship than a science fiction story.

 

Didn't they try that with the Reapers already? It feel apart when they tried to give them a reason, but before that is seems pretty close to me.

[Iakus]

How much weirder could it get??

Well ME3 was rapidly approaching Solaris levels of weird, so...

 

Andromeda is a huge galaxy spanning space exploration focusing on probing planets to the sound of Tricia Helfer's voice.

 

You're welcome.

Judging by the trailer, I think she'll reprise her Queen of Blades role instead.

[DoomsdayDevice]

So the OP is saying we need more space magic?

[FlyingSquirrel]

Didn't they try that with the Reapers already? It feel apart when they tried to give them a reason, but before that is seems pretty close to me.

 

Not quite, I don't think. We knew as far back as ME1 that Reapers had identities and personalities in the way we understand those concepts. Sovereign refused to elaborate, but we knew that what they were doing was intentional and guided by an intelligence, not just some automated process or bizarre phenomenon that we didn't understand.

 

Dead Space leaves it unclear until fairly far into the third game how exactly the Markers and necromorphs function, and even then, it's unclear how this all started or why they function in this way. It seems highly unlikely that 

Spoiler

a group of sentient moons that reproduce by killing species and turning them into necromorphs who then form the biological matter of new sentient moons

would have evolved naturally. On the other hand, if it began as an artificial process, then either whoever initiated it has lost control of it or has equally inscrutable motives. There is also no direct communication from the necromorphs, the Markers, or the moons until the end of a DLC for DS3. 

[Silvair]

Id rather we focus more on tech less on magic. Like in star wars I'm more into the military and commandos less the jedi

[Zekka]

Maybe a planet that is still stuck in the ice age or a planet that has 1940's style technology but with aliens

[Ruadh]

Really? Citadel dlc wasn't forth wall breaking weird enough for you? Not to mention the Lovecraftian big bads, the Rachni and the ending we're not supposed to talk about.

 

Andromeda needs to be another Mass Effect game. It needs to make fans fall in love all over again. It needs to keep the balance, the lore, the themes and believability/immersion the previous games set up, instead of resorting to a space magic enema for all, and making things weirder just because other things are weirder.

 

It needs to be weirder like it needs more Cerberus.

 

Also, I now hate the word 'weird'.

[Black Jimmy]

Part of the appeal of Mass Effect is the Hard Science Fiction aspect of it. Because, with the addition of Element Zero, this could be us.

 

Destiny does that Fantasy Sci Fi of Star Wars very well. It's a shame it's all on the Bungie website though.

[Samahl na Revas]

So essentially by ME3 the Mass Effect Universe seemed pretty standard SciFi so I'm hoping the change of venue ratchets up the weirdness factor in Andromeda. 

Space magic wasn't enough?

[FlyingSquirrel]

Part of the appeal of Mass Effect is the Hard Science Fiction aspect of it. Because, with the addition of Element Zero, this could be us.

 

Destiny does that Fantasy Sci Fi of Star Wars very well. It's a shame it's all on the Bungie website though.

 

I'm not sure I'd really consider Mass Effect "hard sci-fi." I'd say it's marginally more realistic than Star Trek - it's loosely based on real science and has a lot of terminology that *sounds* convincing, but I doubt that Bioware made credibility a priority when designing the ME universe. (I rank it slightly above Star Trek simply because it doesn't have teleportation or "fun with DNA" stories where people mutate into other species and back again.) Has it ever been explained how "conventional FTL" is supposed to work, other than not using mass relays?

[Chealec]

...Has it ever been explained how "conventional FTL" is supposed to work, other than not using mass relays?

 

The Mass Effect drive lowers the mass of the ship, presumably to negative levels, to allow for faster than light travel... no, it doesn't make much sense to me either.

[jstme]

I agree. Though to be weirder Sci Fi then certain aspects of ME3 it will need to incorporate elements of Discworld, Flubber ," Honey,I Shrunk the Kids" and Ghostbusters. And even then it will be a tough call.

 

[spinachdiaper]

Too weird would be along the lines of The Lathe of Heaven, Videodrome, and Return to Oz.

[capn233]

If weird means metaphysical mumbo jumbo, then I am against.

 

If it just means things like in Chealec's post above, that sounds fine.

[Oldren Shepard]

I would much prefer that it go toward hard sci fi. This does not prevent it from becoming weird, so long as the weirdness (or strangeness) is based on things that are scientifically and technologically possible. Such things can still be surprising and thought-provoking without being fantasy.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" 200 years ago was considered by most people that flying would be just fantasy, now look and be amaze.

[Lord Bolton]

You mean, you want different setting? Is it really necessary? I want ME games to be coherent regarding the artstyle and everything. I don't want BW's artists to change everything each game. I don't want another DA- series without artistic identity.

Maybe they'll create something different with their new IP.

[Just Here For Popcorns]

Want weird ME eh?Well then, here have this your wish is granted