529 réponses à ce sujet

[AlanC9]

It didn't look all that clear on my screen; I couldn't actually see the Great Lakes, just a vague dark area that was kinda sorta the same area. I didn't see Cape Cod or Long Island either, but that might be because they've changed the coastlines because of sea level rise.

[DextroDNA]

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, Grunt and Wrex would still be alive to hop on-board the Ark. I seriously doubt Bioware would do this as they want new characters to focus on but... everyone loves Liara, right? 

[dreamgazer]

Hm. Maybe they are jumping ahead far into the future.

[LinksOcarina]

Hm. Maybe they are jumping ahead far into the future.

 

Ive only been arguing that for a year now as a possibility. I get the feeling I might be right now...

[DextroDNA]

Hm. Maybe they are jumping ahead far into the future.

I think that's a definite now. Even if the Ark does leave only a few years after the end of ME3, it's going to a LONG time before it arrives in Andromeda, as indicated by the woman at the end waking up from cryo-stasis and saying "We made it"

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Okay, say it's Earth. Earth, in a joint effort with other civilizations, launched an intergalactic colonization project after the events of ME1 (while Shepard was dead, maybe) arguing vague reasons (basically, an Ark just in case Shepard was telling the truth). They lost contact with it soon after and nobody else thought about bringing it up because they had more pressing concerns. I've heard worst reasons.

That still leaves a plot hole the size of a supermassive black hole though: the fact that our cycle at that time did not have technology capable of intergalactic travel. Our ships can't go more than 50 light years without having to stop and discharge the static. The only races that had that capability are the Reapers and Collectors. But if after Mass Effect 1, the only Reaper core we have to play with is Sovereigns, and we clearly see more than one Ark ship. 

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I think that's a definite now. Even if the Ark does leave only a few years after the end of ME3, it's going to a LONG time before it arrives in Andromeda, as indicated by the woman at the end waking up from cryo-stasis and saying "We made it"

Yep. Even with Reaper-equivalent drives, it would take about 240 years to get to Andromeda. 

[DextroDNA]

That still leaves a plot hole the size of a supermassive black hole though: the fact that our cycle at that time did not have technology capable of intergalactic travel. Our ships can't go more than 50 light years without having to stop and discharge the static. The only races that had that capability are the Reapers and Collectors. But if after Mass Effect 1, the only Reaper core we have to play with is Sovereigns, and we clearly see more than one Ark ship. 

Pretty much this. That suggests the Ark leaves after ME3, meaning the ending is going to have to be addressed in SOME way. Whether that's through a canon ending, a retcon, or just completely ignoring it altogether, it has to happen.

[dreamgazer]

I think that's a definite now. Even if the Ark does leave only a few years after the end of ME3, it's going to a LONG time before it arrives in Andromeda, as indicated by the woman at the end waking up from cryo-stasis and saying "We made it"

Oh, well, of course they'll have to jump ahead in time. They've got to actually get to Andromeda.

I meant that it's possible the narrative jumps ahead far into the future before even leaving for Andromeda.

[DextroDNA]

Yep. Even with Reaper-equivalent drives, it would take about 240 years to get to Andromeda. 

I think it's safe to say Reaper technology is going to be used for this if it's post-ME3. 250 years after ME3 sounds like a good timeframe. Even better considering that for the characters in the game, it won't have felt like 250 years at all if they've been in stasis.

[Armass81]

That still leaves a plot hole the size of a supermassive black hole though: the fact that our cycle at that time did not have technology capable of intergalactic travel. Our ships can't go more than 50 light years without having to stop and discharge the static. The only races that had that capability are the Reapers and Collectors. But if after Mass Effect 1, the only Reaper core we have to play with is Sovereigns, and we clearly see more than one Ark ship. 

A wizard did it.

[LinksOcarina]

That still leaves a plot hole the size of a supermassive black hole though: the fact that our cycle at that time did not have technology capable of intergalactic travel. Our ships can't go more than 50 light years without having to stop and discharge the static. The only races that had that capability are the Reapers and Collectors. But if after Mass Effect 1, the only Reaper core we have to play with is Sovereigns, and we clearly see more than one Ark ship. 

 

Not necessarily.

 

Plot-wise, after the Reaper war there is ton of Reaper tech all over the place in all of the endings, either destroyed or helping out in the rebuilding of the galaxy.

 

It could literally be a case of reverse-engineering reaper tech so they can create ships that can travel long distances in a relatively short amount of time.That is all they have to say too...they don't have to go into the details of the Reaper War....

[OdanUrr]

That still leaves a plot hole the size of a supermassive black hole though: the fact that our cycle at that time did not have technology capable of intergalactic travel. Our ships can't go more than 50 light years without having to stop and discharge the static. The only races that had that capability are the Reapers and Collectors. But if after Mass Effect 1, the only Reaper core we have to play with is Sovereigns, and we clearly see more than one Ark ship. 

 

Maybe someone did and kept it a secret. There are numerous ways around this. Don't dwell too much about it. They did, after all, give us the ending to ME3.

[AlanC9]

It can't have done. That fleet is HUGELY obvious above Earth, meaning we would definitely have heard of the project happening sometime during ME1-2. Like I said, it can't have happened DURING ME3 because the Reapers were attacking.

By "fleet" you mean the arks themselves? The rest of the ships are pretty ordinary stuff.

[DextroDNA]

Oh, well, of course they'll have to jump ahead in time. They've got to actually get to Andromeda.

I meant that it's possible the narrative jumps ahead far into the future before even leaving for Andromeda.

Yeah, it's possible, but they'd still have to do something with the ending. Even if it begins a long time after ME3, the impact of the endings will still be felt. The Reapers would still be there, or they wouldn't, or everyone would be synthesised. If this theory proves true in any way, the ending is going to have to be addressed in some way. Or completely ignored, which wouldn't surprise me 

[dreamgazer]

A wizard did it.

Hey, a wizard created magic brain filters and a giant sentient plant that craps out asari clones. Maybe they swung by the ark ship along the way.

[DextroDNA]

By "fleet" you mean the arks themselves? The rest of the ships are pretty ordinary stuff.

By "fleet" I mean the huge amount of Alliance ships surrounding the Ark(s) that seem to be protecting/accompanying it.

[dreamgazer]

Yeah, it's possible, but they'd still have to do something with the ending. Even if it begins a long time after ME3, the impact of the endings will still be felt.

Eh, the universe gets at least partially unified/homogenized at some point in the future. The Stargazer scene taking place in every ending proves that.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Not necessarily.

 

Plot-wise, after the Reaper war there is ton of Reaper tech all over the place in all of the endings, either destroyed or helping out in the rebuilding of the galaxy.

 

It could literally be a case of reverse-engineering reaper tech so they can create ships that can travel long distances in a relatively short amount of time.That is all they have to say too...they don't have to go into the details of the Reaper War....

After the Reaper War, absolutely. The person I was replying to said after Mass Effect 1, which is before the Reaper War. 

 

Maybe someone did and kept it a secret. There are numerous ways around this. Don't dwell too much about it. They did, after all, give us the ending to ME3.

Why would they keep that secret? That would be the greatest discovery in our cycle's history. There would be no reason to keep it secret. 

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I think it's safe to say Reaper technology is going to be used for this if it's post-ME3. 250 years after ME3 sounds like a good timeframe. Even better considering that for the characters in the game, it won't have felt like 250 years at all if they've been in stasis.

Yeah. I think either Reaper or even Collector tech will be used as the backbone for these Ark ships. 

[Gwydden]

Hey, a wizard created magic brain filters and a giant sentient plant that craps out asari clones. Maybe they swung by the ark ship along the way.

I don't get people expecting Bioware to come up with some clever, lore-consistent explanation for the Ark. It was always going to be some half-cooked explanation pulled straight out of their collective ass. They have always been painstakingly bad at plotting and continuity. Just not their thing.

 

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

[DextroDNA]

Eh, the universe gets at least partially unified/homogenized at some point in the future. The Stargazer scene taking place in every ending proves that.

That literally makes no sense. How could the 3 endings lead to the same development for the Galaxy, even after centuries? if the Reapers were destroyed, no amount of time will bring them back. If Synthesis happened, the Reapers are there to stay and the biological makeup of every living thing in the Galaxy is altered. If Control happened, then the Reapers will also still be hanging around but everything else will be the same.

 

No amount of time could lead to those 3 things having the same effect on the Galaxy.

[Gwydden]

No amount of time could lead to those 3 things having the same effect on the Galaxy.

Just so. The Stargazer scene is intentionally vague. It's a static picture of a landscape (ripped off DeviantArt by the way) where you can make out two tiny humanoid figures in the distance. That it could belong to any ending doesn't really say anything.

[Malanek]

I really wish they would answer the question about how and when they get to Andromeda. I wouldn't read too much into this trailer. Firstly it might not be Earth. I admit I did get the impression of Earth instantly, but I don't think that is 100% clear. Secondly, it could all be symbolic. Are we sure we are even going to see such a scene in the final game? Thirdly, are we sure it is actually "the Ark". It could have been a project created years ago, long range scouting/colony ships for systems with no mass relay, and then actually utilised once the Reaper threat was understood.

 

I don't feel it is set far in the future, the technology is too similar. It could be within 10-20 years of the ending but I wonder why they would even go to Andromeda.

 

I suspect the answer to how and why we get to  Andromeda is going to be kept very vague. I would be disappointed by that but I suspect I would find any of their attempts at explaining an Ark journey to Andromeda unconvincing. They can still create a good game without explaining the origin of it.

[The One True Nobody]

Mostly speculation here, but there's really no bones about this first part:

 

Moving to the Andromeda galaxy is the same thing as moving to Kirkwall in Dragon Age II as far as save imports are concerned. The characters exist in the same plane of reality and some shreds of past plot, character cast, and player choice may float on over, but by distancing itself from the vicinity of previous events and locations, Andromeda sidesteps the need to really show much of the direct effect of Shepard's choices. This plus a timeskip will allow BioWare to consolidate save-import variables and start planning them out in a more-structured way than before. Trying to account for everything Shepard might have done over the past three games would complicate matters for the developers, when Andromeda is best approached from a player and developer standpoint as a potential fresh start for the series, with connections to past events and lore being more of a charming extra than a selling point at this stage.

 

The fact that technology in Mass Effect's universe has reached a point where it's possible to travel to Andromeda is also telling, because it means technology has in fact advanced, so a significant time skip is necessary; travel to Andromeda would also require a large time gap as well. A chief limiting factor to space travel in the trilogy was the need for a ship to discharge its drive core near a physical outlet: usually a gas giant. Dark space would not allow for this, yet Reapers were capable of dwelling in and spending a good deal of time flying through dark space.

 

Another classic case of "multiple choices leading to the same outcome" as BioWare is wont to do:

 

- Destroy ending: the technology to travel in dark space is adapted from the many now-dead Reapers littering space and the various planets they were attacking at the time of the Crucible's activation.

 

- Control ending: Shepalyst voluntarily shares this technology in order to gain the trust of the galactic civilizations, who would no doubt still be very, very wary of the Reapers whether they know of Shepalyst's control or not.

 

- Synthesis ending: the Reapers have shared past cultural and technological knowledge, including that which the Reapers themselves monopolized.

 

Now that the Citadel races have access to this, they advance it and, rather than trying to use it simply for one galaxy, a project is launched to reach another galaxy, with the eventual hope of linking the Milky Way and Andromeda via newly-built Mass Relay. Once the two galaxies are properly linked, standard FTL exploration efforts can commence.