529 réponses à ce sujet

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Okay, I'll write you a story. Whether it's a good one or a bad one is up to you to decide. Picture this, it's the end of ME1. Shepard's vision about the Reapers seems to be true. This however is known among some circles because the Council is obviously worried about causing a widespread panic. Indeed, they would go on to downplay the Reapers' existence in later games. The Council decides to study the remains of the Reaper Sovereign in the hopes they can develop some sort of countermeasure. Now, whether this next part was part of the Council's agenda or some cabal I leave up to you. The research eventually turns out something useful: the means to achieve intergalactic travel. This in turns fosters the idea of creating an Ark in order to preserve the different species and their knowledge before the Reapers' return. Naturally, none of this can be made public in order not to start a panic. This organization begins the selection process and probably creates some sort of cover story about exploring uncharted territory within the Milky Way (a bit thin, I grant you that, considering we have mass relays). This will be a years-long expedition since they'll be using FTL and not the relays so throw in some cryogenics for good measure. Thus, losing contact with the expedition for a few years may not be such a big deal.

 

Come to think of it, I recall suggesting an Ark story as DLC for ME3. I'll have to look it up.

 

In any case, the point is you can make lots of stories to explain this or that. At some stage however, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required. How else could we have resurrected Shepard in ME2 after all?

But why keep the technological breakthrough of a Mass Effect drive with an unlimited or even exponentially further capability secret? The Ark Project in it's entirety sure, but the Mass Effect drive alone would be huge, both commercially and especially militarily since then the Mass Relays are no longer needed so the Reapers can't trap us in systems and wipe them out one by one(I know they don't do that in ME3, but that's because Bioware had to give them the Idiot Ball so we would have a game). And revealing that doesn't put the Ark Project at risk since they can just act like it was a regular breakthrough, and if anything would make that project even more successful because then more people could escape the Reapers. 

 

A suspension of disbelief could be needed yes(though there is ways to do this within their own lore ie Black Ark Theory), but too much and it shatters that. You mention the Lazarus Project, which in my opinion is still easily the single worst decision they made in the entire Mass Effect franchise. 

[AsheraII]

I figure the departure takes place around the time of the Citadel attack in ME3. Maybe shortly before it, but still during ME3, after Mars. Basically, the short period where all options were still open.

[The One True Nobody]

Space is big. We never heard of the collectors, the vorcha or the drell before ME2, yet they were always there. Cerberus became a space empire, built a giant Normandy replica and brought a man back from the dead with no one the wiser. The Reapers were retconned every other game. The Crucible appeared out of nowhere, on Mars of all places, when it was convenient.

 

Not terribly good writing, but standard Bioware fare.

 

Let me put it this way:

 

Why in blazes would they bother with "durrr pre-Reaper War escape ship that somehow no one knows about" when it's simpler to just say it happened some anonymous amount of time later, have a switch-on/switch-off green glow effect for the Synthesis outcome, and vaguely reference whatever happened back in the Milky Way the way they usually do with plot choice imports?

[mat_mark]

Maybe they'll pull a Daggerfall and establish that every ending happened at the same time LOL.

that would be awful 

[LinksOcarina]

Maybe they'll pull a Daggerfall and establish that every ending happened at the same time LOL.

id rather not have a Warp in the West here...that always bothered me with Elder Scrolls Lore. 

[Sekrev]

that would be awful 

 

I rather liked how that was handled, it made for some very interesting lore. It would be beyond awful in this situation though yeah.

[Gwydden]

Let me put it this way:

 

Why in blazes would they bother with "durrr pre-Reaper War escape ship that somehow no one knows about" when it's simpler to just say it happened some anonymous amount of time later, have a switch-on/switch-off green glow effect for the Synthesis outcome, and vaguely reference whatever happened back in the Milky Way the way they usually do with plot choice imports?

As I said in the other thread, you're looking at it backwards. I don't think they're trying to make Andromeda fit the endings, but to sidestep the endings altogether. Again, there's no narrative reason to go to another galaxy other than avoiding the endings. Anything else can be done just fine in the Milky Way.

 

The alternative is believing that they just decided "hey, let's go to Andromeda!" because it sounded cool even though it made very little sense and would be pulled off awkwardly at best. Possible? Yes, but I'd like to believe they haven't fallen that low yet.

 

EDIT: Also, it's pretty clear they had no idea what MEA was going to be about when they first set out to make it. They even made a poll asking the community whether they preferred a prequel or a sequel. When sequel won overwhelmingly, I imagine they had to come up with a way to make it work.

[Jedi Comedian]

that would be awful

Easy, I don't think they could really establish a universe in which the Reapers were destroyed/controlled/synthetized organics/refused.

[DextroDNA]

 

EDIT: Also, it's pretty clear they had no idea what MEA was going to be about when they first set out to make it. They even made a poll asking the community whether they preferred a prequel or a sequel. When sequel won overwhelmingly, I imagine they had to come up with a way to make it work.

This is tragically true. We're going to get some bullshit explanation for this because Bioware doesn't know what they're doing in regards to the ending of ME3 and the beginning of ME:A

[Drone223]

Like I said, even if it's not Earth - it is a planet in the Milky Way. Which means it must be post-ME3. No fleet that size would go unnoticed anywhere.

 

And no, it doesn't look that dark outside that one area. That is a HUGE landmass those lights are covering, a lot bigger than a single colony. That's a country.

 

The point remains that this is a planet in the Milky Way, and is likely Earth. Which means post-ME3 unless Bioware is retconning this thing into the game's lore pre-ME3

Not to mention the great lakes can been seen.

[Sekrev]

Not to mention the great lakes can been seen.

 

Yeah I posted a pic that seems to literally be the texture used on the last page. http://eoimages.gsfc..._states_lrg.jpg

[The One True Nobody]

As I said in the other thread, you're looking at it backwards. I don't think they're trying to make Andromeda fit the endings, but to sidestep the endings altogether. Again, there's no narrative reason to go to another galaxy other than avoiding the endings. Anything else can be done just fine in the Milky Way.

 

That IS sidestepping, though. A vague cosmetic change and a few dialogue references to make importing feel worthwhile, some shallow variant quests. Dragon Age II Kirkwall 2.0, distance equals simplicity. You're all overthinking it if you're trying to find ways they can escape the endings completely. They don't have to. They just need to arrange a situation where the endings matter less. Shepalyst's Reapers would be back in the Milky Way. Synthesis can be hand-waved. Destroy is the obvious "nothing special" default. The bulk of the geth/quarian/krogan peoples would be back in the Milky Way, too, with any NPCs of those races being remnants of a destroyed people if things went sour for them in ME3. The endings can happen and still have NO significant effect on this game.

[Heimdall]

Like I said, even if it's not Earth - it is a planet in the Milky Way. Which means it must be post-ME3. No fleet that size would go unnoticed anywhere.
 
And no, it doesn't look that dark outside that one area. That is a HUGE landmass those lights are covering, a lot bigger than a single colony. That's a country.
 
The point remains that this is a planet in the Milky Way, and is likely Earth. Which means post-ME3 unless Bioware is retconning this thing into the game's lore pre-ME3

A colony can be the size of a country, there's no reason it couldn't be, human colonies have millions of inhabitants, besides which I find it difficult to gage the precise size of the landmass. Plus, launching from Terra Nova (In the EXODUS cluster) has a bit of poetic irony to it.

It might even be as another poster said, that this is pre-ME3 Earth, with the Ark moved to orbit under the guise of a naval exercise to take on passengers.

[OdanUrr]

Found it! My Ark story was a bit different though.

 

http://forum.bioware...post&p=14360169

[OdanUrr]

But why keep the technological breakthrough of a Mass Effect drive with an unlimited or even exponentially further capability secret? The Ark Project in it's entirety sure, but the Mass Effect drive alone would be huge, both commercially and especially militarily since then the Mass Relays are no longer needed so the Reapers can't trap us in systems and wipe them out one by one(I know they don't do that in ME3, but that's because Bioware had to give them the Idiot Ball so we would have a game). And revealing that doesn't put the Ark Project at risk since they can just act like it was a regular breakthrough, and if anything would make that project even more successful because then more people could escape the Reapers. 

 

A suspension of disbelief could be needed yes(though there is ways to do this within their own lore ie Black Ark Theory), but too much and it shatters that. You mention the Lazarus Project, which in my opinion is still easily the single worst decision they made in the entire Mass Effect franchise. 

 

You do have a point. Sharing the discovery would increase the likelihood of survival during the events of ME3. On the other hand, maybe they were worried that announcing the discovery would somehow bring the Reapers sooner? They did have agents like the Collectors loitering about. Ah, who knows, I'll let BioWare figure it out.

[Drone223]

It might even be as another poster said, that this is pre-ME3 Earth, with the Ark moved to orbit under the guise of a naval exercise to take on passengers.

There is no way anyone would believe that.

[Gwydden]

That IS sidestepping, though. A vague cosmetic change and a few dialogue references to make importing feel worthwhile, some shallow variant quests. Dragon Age II Kirkwall 2.0, distance equals simplicity. You're all overthinking it if you're trying to find ways they can escape the endings completely. They don't have to. They just need to arrange a situation where the endings matter less. Shepalyst's Reapers would be back in the Milky Way. Synthesis can be hand-waved. Destroy is the obvious "nothing special" default. The bulk of the geth/quarian/krogan peoples would be back in the Milky Way, too, with any NPCs of those races being remnants of a destroyed people if things went sour for them in ME3. The endings can happen and still have NO significant effect on this game.

And if they did that, they could just stay in the Milky Way. Everyone seems to be ignoring that. If merging the endings was something they were considering they wouldn't have had to move shop. Same with choosing a canon ending, which would be even better and yet they said they weren't going to do it. It would be a veritable spit in the face if they weren't willing to choose a canon because it would cheapen the decision even further or whatever, but were willing to merge all three of them into an unrecognizable mass (and retcon Refuse after they went out of the way to add it) which would be ten times worse than just going for a canon and leave it at that. As bad as the explanation for the Andromeda trip occurring before the endings might be, it won't be worse than that. But I guess we'll find out.

[Heimdall]

There is no way anyone would believe that.

Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter at that point. Knowing that the Alliance has a really big ship isn't the same as knowing its capabilities or mission. They would only do this just before launch.

[Malanek]

There is no way anyone would believe that.

Why not? Its really more of a question of what people wouldn't believe. People refused to believe Sovereign was a Reaper but rather some sort of Geth ship. People believe the most realistic thing possible. In this case a bunch of Alliance warships is much more believable than an intergalactic arkship.

[dreamgazer]

There is no way anyone would believe that.

Dude, it's the same universe where "covert" Cerberus members and ships go around with their logos plastered all over 'em. Of course they would.

[Drone223]

Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter at that point. Knowing that the Alliance has a really big ship isn't the same as knowing its capabilities or mission. They would only do this just before launch.

Given that the huge logistical needs of building these ships there is no why they can keep nature of such ships secret for long.

[Heimdall]

Given that the huge logistical needs of building these ships there is no why they can keep nature of such ships secret for long.

That's an assertion, not a given. They kept the Crucible a secret, and it was even bigger.

[The One True Nobody]

And if they did that, they could just stay in the Milky Way. Everyone seems to be ignoring that.

 

No, they couldn't, because the Milky Way is where ALL OF THE EFFECTS THEY'RE TRYING TO SIDESTEP ARE.

 

You don't "sidestep" a T-Rex by walking into its goddamn mouth.

[mat_mark]

Easy, I don't think they could really establish a universe in which the Reapers were destroyed/controlled/synthetized organics/refused.

Ever heard of Deus Ex: Invisible War?

[Beerfish]

If you don't challenge the building of the crucible don;t see how you can challenge the arks.  Very  easily explained and in a reasonably logical way for most people, though there will be ones who simply get ticked off about it.

 

It's as simple as saying it was a top secret project funded by whomever you choose, that was under way as early as the end of ME1 as a fail safe to the Reapers succeeding.  No less plausible than any other part of the story in my mind.  Just because shepard didn't know about it at the time doesn't mean it was not going on.  Heck it could have been a plan made by the protheans to escape for future generations for all we know.  Just as plausible.