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[Element Zero]

I'm fully prepared to be less than thrilled with the explanation of when and how these Arks were built. They had every intention of ending Mass Effect with the original trilogy. Hell, the didn't even know what they were going to do from one game to the next within that trilogy. That being the case, they may not be able to come up with a suitable explanation that doesn't involve some sort of BS in one form or another.

I'm far more concerned that the science (fiction) maintain at least some continuity with what we know. And, most importantly, I want the game to be great once we get to Andromeda. That's what really matters.

[RoboticWater]

This is a good point. Still, building one of these things in six months (assuming post ME2, pre ME3 departure) is a massive undertaking...but building three??

I still favor (Han's, iirc) idea that they are actually ancient ships, built by the Asari during the Rachni war as a plan B in case the Krogan failed. After all, the Reapers weren't the first time the galaxy faced extinction.

Not that aesthetics are any definitive indication, but the Ark ships don't look like Asari craftsmanship at all, and considering that even Asari weapons still conform to their swoopy style guide, I wouldn't be inclined to believe that the chunky Ark ships were an Asari initiative. Turian-designed maybe, but to me, human still seems like the most likely culprit from a visual standpoint.

[Kabooooom]

Not that aesthetics are any definitive indication, but the Ark ships don't look like Asari craftsmanship at all, and considering that even Asari weapons still conform to their swoopy style guide, I wouldn't be inclined to believe that the chunky Ark ships were an Asari initiative. Turian-designed maybe, but to me, human still seems like the most likely culprit from a visual standpoint.

Except they don't look like human design at all either. In fact, if we are being honest, they look like nothing we have ever seen before, and resemble some weird Citadel-Crucible reminiscent combination more than anything else.

An idea I had back in some of the previous Ark theory discussion threads were that these vessels were actually Remnant in origin, and they were found prior to the Reaper War and utilized to get to Andromeda. This would neatly explain how the MW species know of the Remnant and why they are so interested in uncovering more of their technology. However, this would also be an admittedly horribly convenient plot device akin to the Crucible, and we already have enough of those.

[rossler]

They had every intention of ending Mass Effect with the original trilogy. 

 

Not from what I've read. 

 

Look at the date of the article. This was before ME2 was released. 

 

They did have every intention of no more Shepard after ME3 though. Which is exactly what they said, because this new game features a new protagonist. 

[UpUpAway]

What am I making up here? There is no other technology in the Mass Effect Universe that allows ships to travel that fast. The only ships that can travel at that speed are Reapers, so we can deduce that they must be using Reaper technology. Either that or the Alliance had technology even more advanced than the Reapers hidden away throughout the whole of ME3. But they clearly didn't, or they would have used it.

 

We don't know how fast the Protheans could travel.  We don't know a lot about the Prothean's technology.  We do know that they were building a crucible and just couldn't finish it, but whose to say that a weapon is the only use the Protheans identified for Crucible technology.  As of the end of ME1, we do have a potential source for some of that information in Vigil.

 

Also, the Mu Relay is somewhat unique in that it was "lost" because of the local star going Supernova.  We also know that it "could lead to dozens of systems" - not just the one that contains Ilos.

[Jagaro]

Impossible if done before ME3

Insanely dangerous if after Remember what happened in Arrival

Never said everyone was but you seemed to be frothing at the mouth.

[Arcian]

Nope OP, Walters more or less just confirmed that the ark ships leave pre ME3:

He wasn't even very cryptic about it. He said "the ME3 endings won't matter at all in Andromeda, and from that you can infer when the travelers left the Milky Way to a certain extent".

If the Arks leave pre-ME3, that basically guarantees Cerberus will make an appearance.

[Arcian]

^Which is why the speculations^TM are that they are using something like a Reaper core which allegedly doesn't need to be refueled or discharged.

Reapers still need to discharge, they can just hold it in much longer. You can see them discharging whenever they land on a planet and start shooting lightning out of their hulls.

[Arcian]

And, most importantly, I want the game to be great once we get to Andromeda. That's what really matters.

Unfortunately this game is being penned by Super MAC. He's going to put out the most trite, humanphiliac sci-fi garbage you've ever seen and ever will see.

[Xerxes52]

They just need plasma contactor units, that's what the International Space Station use to discharge itself...

 

Having a PCU installed on a ship could indeed solve the electrostatic discharge issue. Good catch there.

[The Elder King]

It's sounding again like they are taking the cowards way to set MEA up. The pre-ME3 ending lore bail out created by jumping to Andromeda before ME1,2,3 is outlandish insulting trash.

Where did they say we go for Andromeda before ME and ME2, or even before some of the events of ME3?

 

If the Arks leave pre-ME3, that basically guarantees Cerberus will make an appearance.

 

 

Unfortunately this game is being penned by Super MAC. He's going to put out the most trite, humanphiliac sci-fi garbage you've ever seen and ever will see.

I'm not looking foward to that.

Not that I disagree on Walter's focus on humanity, but ME was from the start a story focused on humanity's rise in the galaxy, as well as humanity being special compared to the other species. While we weren't in the dominant position, no other species reached our position (both before the start of the game, and during the game) in the galactic community as fast as humanity.

 We can argue the writing was better before Walters took over, but the IP was always meant to be about humanity first and foremost.

[Urizen]

Except it clearly isn't, at no point in the time frame of the trilogy did the galaxy show any indication of developing the means to travel to other galaxies. Developing such technology would take decades at best.

 

I already said that engines are a problem, so what´s your point? Let me repeat myself: Engines aside, the construction of the arks is indeed possible. We already have stasis pods, as is evident if you look around the SR-1. Hull? Check! Systems? Check! Leaving the engines. That is the problem.

 

I'm sick of Bioware restoring to retcon's in order for the story to work, its a sign of bad writing. Also its made apparent that there is no plan B if the crucible failed since the galaxy is pretty much pouring all of its resources into its construction not to mention they can't afford the resources  two extremely large scale project existing at the same time.

 

 

That's just completely out of character for Liara not to mention yet another example of bad writing, she's not one to keep secretes from Shepard especially if its a matter of survival.
 

FTL without the relay's is limited to short range at best, its why the whole idea of the galaxy suddenly developing FTL capable of traveling to other galaxies in the time frame of the trilogy is contrived.

 

That particular post was made under the assumption that the arks leave during ME3. Looking back at the trailer, that was a foolish assumption. If they leave between ME2 and ME3, there is no need to mention a Plan B, as that plan no longer exists. Could you call it a retcon? Yes. But compared to the engine problem, it really is a very minor one.

[Arcian]

We already have stasis pods, as is evident if you look around the SR-1.

Sleeping pods =//= Stasis Pods.

[JohnC2211]

Didn't an IGN article all but confirm that the explorers left prior to the events of ME3?  

 

If I had to write it in, I'd explain how although the Council were idiots to Shepard about denying the existence of the reapers, somehow enough people ended up believing the threat to propose this solution.  If the Reapers win and destroy life in this galaxy, lets send life to our nearest galaxy to begin anew, kind of thing.

 

It's going to definitely take some retconning on behalf of Bioware because as the trailer shows, the Ark is a monumental undertaking which simply would not have gone unnoticed.  Unless we're going to try and say that the entire construction and departure occurred in the 2 years that Shepard was being rebuilt prior to ME2?

 

Even so, you'd think someone would have mentioned it.  

[shepskisaac]

Didn't an IGN article all but confirm that the explorers left prior to the events of ME3? 

Yes, it just did. It's exactly what people speculated would happen years ago really

[Vortex13]

If the Arks leave pre-ME3, that basically guarantees Cerberus will make an appearance.

 

 

Why? Why does BioWare hate me so?

 

 

Human only protagonist? Check.

Human-centric plot? Check.

Humans once again being the Mary Sues of the universe? Check.

And now pro-human terrorist organization (most likely) showing up in the new game, who's whole premise was to distance itself from the mess of ME 3? Check.

 

 

I at least hope the multiplayer is good...

[UpUpAway]

Didn't an IGN article all but confirm that the explorers left prior to the events of ME3?  

 

If I had to write it in, I'd explain how although the Council were idiots to Shepard about denying the existence of the reapers, somehow enough people ended up believing the threat to propose this solution.  If the Reapers win and destroy life in this galaxy, lets send life to our nearest galaxy to begin anew, kind of thing.

 

It's going to definitely take some retconning on behalf of Bioware because as the trailer shows, the Ark is a monumental undertaking which simply would not have gone unnoticed.  Unless we're going to try and say that the entire construction and departure occurred in the 2 years that Shepard was being rebuilt prior to ME2?

 

Even so, you'd think someone would have mentioned it.  

 

I really don't buy into this insistance that building a series of ARKs would have simply gone unnoticed... we're talking about one project with a setting of an ENTIRE GALAXY with a population of billions upon billions more than Earth currently.  Even a huge project could easily go completely unnoticed by the few individuals we know from the ME Trilogy.  Perhaps Anderson or Hackett or the Council knew about it... but they are very unlikely to share all their intelligence with a single operative.  Also, that operative is a Commander, not a General or Admiral (i.e. not really all that high ranking an officer).  As for the Shadow Broker, I revert to the post about Liara not even knowing that her own people possessed a working Prothean beacon on Thessia after specifically "scouring the galaxy for every shred of evidence" on the Protheans for 52 years before even becoming the Shadow Broker.

[AlleluiaElizabeth]

EDIT: Also, I still maintain that the Ark leaves before the ME3 ending. Otherwise, there's absolutely no point in going to Andromeda.

I agree with this sentence. There's no reason to send such a huge, inter-species, colonizing expedition to Andromeda on a one way trip (looking back "one last time", "know, wherever you are, we are with you", and just the general tone of the N7 day trailer) when you have plenty of Milky Way to explore and colonize still, unless you have to. Its desperate. You have to have a reason for the desperation and the only reason that makes sense is a galactic-level threat. Story-wise, the only thing that makes sense is an ark to escape the Reapers.

[Urizen]

Why? Why does BioWare hate me so?

 

 

Human only protagonist? Check.

Human-centric plot? Check.

Humans once again being the Mary Sues of the universe? Check.

And now pro-human terrorist organization (most likely) showing up in the new game, who's whole premise was to distance itself from the mess of ME 3? Check.

 

 

I at least hope the multiplayer is good...

 

Human only protag was a given, I´ll give you that.

Human-centric plot? Given that its find a new home for humanity, it´s pretty much a given as well.

Humans being Mary Sues? Here you are jumping to conclusions though. We don´t know exactly what BW has planned for the sequels.

Cerberus? Nope, no appearance. Maybe the odd defector, though he wouldn´t make it public knowledge, but as a whole unlikely. TIM was deluded into thinking he can control the reapers, remember. So why should Derperus go along with something when they already have a different plan? But I can see a group with the same "Humans first" ideology though.

[Vortex13]

Human only protag was a given, I´ll give you that.

Human-centric plot? Given that its find a new home for humanity, it´s pretty much a given as well.

Humans being Mary Sues? Here you are jumping to conclusions though. We don´t know exactly what BW has planned for the sequels.

Cerberus? Nope, no appearance. Maybe the odd defector, though he wouldn´t make it public knowledge, but as a whole unlikely. TIM was deluded into thinking he can control the reapers, remember. So why should Derperus go along with something when they already have a different plan? But I can see a group with the same "Humans first" ideology though.

 

 

Well, considering that Mac is the lead I'm pretty sure you can count the whole 'humanity as a species of Mary Sues' and Cerberus (or Andromeda's 'Not' Cerberus) showing up, as to givens as well. 

 

This is a head writer that forced Chris L'Etoile (the best writer to ever work for BioWare IMO) to make the character of Legion in ME 2 to be more human, and drummed up the whole 'Pinocchio-bot' thing in ME 3 because he didn't like the fact that something could be uniquely different than humanity and not be lesser for it. He is also the one responsible for Cerberus becoming the main antagonist in a series about the impending Reaper invasion, and had Cerberus front and center in practically all of the Foundation comics.

 

So yeah, things aren't looking to good for anything not human in the setting of Mass Effect if recent trends are anything to go by.

[dorktainian]

At the end of the EA Play trailer we're seen Alliance fleets amassing around what we're assuming to be the Ark. What's interesting is... this is all above EARTH.

 

The Ark obviously wasn't preparing to leave during the events of ME1-2, someone would have noticed that huge fleet hanging about Earth. It definitely can't have been during ME3 because obviously Earth was under siege.

 

The ships are obviously Alliance design, but they look slightly more advanced than the ones in the original trilogy. The Kodiak for example looks considerably different and updated, but is obviously still the Kodiak. This advancement in technology would suggest that this is POST-ME3. That, or they have completely retconned the designs for the ships in the OT.

 

So if ME:A begins with the Ark leaving for Andromeda, does that mean we're going to see Earth/the Milky Way post-ME3 for a short while before we leave? If everyone onboard the Ark is leaving post-ME3, that means that the chosen ending will have directly affected them.

 

So this brings forth the question... have Bioware made one of the endings canon? If this is the case; nobody in the trailer looked "synthesised" (green eyes, circuits all over the body) which means either Control or Destroy was canonised.

 

The other possibility is that they retconned the ending entirely. Either that or the final scenes in the trailer aren't of Earth or a planet in the Milky Way and we have already colonised an entire planet in Andromeda and built cities all over it (which is incredibly unlikely). Looking at the planet more closely, you can clearly make out features of Earth such as the NA coastline.

 

If this is true, then that scene HAS to be post-ME3. Which means Bioware have either made an ending canon or retconned the ending altogether. Or more unlikely, we can import our ME3 save and the ending we chose will actually have an impact, but we all know that isn't going to be the case.

 

Thoughts?

 

EDIT: If the Ark does leave post-ME3, this opens the door to certain characters from the OT coming along with us... even if the Ark leaves centuries after the end of ME3 instead of just a few years after, Liara and Grunt would still be alive to hop onboard the Ark. I seriously doubt Bioware would do this as they want new characters to focus on but... everyone loves Liara, right? 

Shep climbed out the rubble caused by Sovvie crashing into the citadel, told the council of what he had seen, they didn't lock him up in a padded cell but instead listened to him, built a fleet of ships to evacuate everyone and tally ho...... ME:A.

[JohnC2211]

I really don't buy into this insistance that building a series of ARKs would have simply gone unnoticed... we're talking about one project with a setting of an ENTIRE GALAXY with a population of billions upon billions more than Earth currently.  Even a huge project could easily go completely unnoticed by the few individuals we know from the ME Trilogy.  Perhaps Anderson or Hackett or the Council knew about it... but they are very unlikely to share all their intelligence with a single operative.  Also, that operative is a Commander, not a General or Admiral (i.e. not really all that high ranking an officer).  As for the Shadow Broker, I revert to the post about Liara not even knowing that her own people possessed a working Prothean beacon on Thessia after specifically "scouring the galaxy for every shred of evidence" on the Protheans for 52 years before even becoming the Shadow Broker.

 

While I agree with you in principle, the arks are in dock above Earth, man.  There's no way that goes unnoticed.  Especially with humans and humanity being a relatively recent addition to the ME universe, if we started building ark ships above our home planet that would certainly raise some eyebrows.  

 

One thing that I noticed was the Tempest seems to be derived from Normandy's design which was, in itself, a combination of Turian and Human technology.  Which would suggest the Arks are a collaborative effort, but this still begs the question as to why they're departing from Earth rather than Thessia or Palaven.  

[Iakus]

Why? Why does BioWare hate me so?

 

 

Human only protagonist? Check.

Human-centric plot? Check.

Humans once again being the Mary Sues of the universe? Check.

And now pro-human terrorist organization (most likely) showing up in the new game, who's whole premise was to distance itself from the mess of ME 3? Check.

 

 

I at least hope the multiplayer is good...

Don't forget this inexplicable quantum leap forward in FTL technology, likely gained either by "resources" or yet another conveniently located alien artifact.

Followed likely by a "bittersweet" ending that makes you feel like you accomplished nothing.

 

I wonder how stripperiffic the companions' outfits will be?

[Sigzy05]

Don't forget this inexplicable quantum leap forward in FTL technology, likely gained either by "resources" or yet another conveniently located alien artifact.

Followed likely by a "bittersweet" ending that makes you feel like you accomplished nothing.

 

I wonder how stripperiffic the companions' outfits will be?

 

Maybe they didn't, maybe they didn't need to. They were on stasis which means the expedition took a huge amount of time, at least a century.

[Iakus]

Maybe they didn't, maybe they didn't need to. They were on stasis which means the expedition took a huge amount of time, at least a century.

Even with Reaper technology, it would take close to three centuries to reach Andromeda.

 

Assuming the ship doesn't melt first.