83 réponses à ce sujet

[Malanek]

Sol is not an "uninhabited out of the way system". Anyone with a radar and/or ladar would have been able to detect the arks in Earth's orbit with ease.

They didn't have to be constructed there. They simply had to jump in and pick up some people.

[Heimdall]

Sol is not an "uninhabited out of the way system". Anyone with a radar and/or ladar would have been able to detect the arks in Earth's orbit with ease.

What Malanek said.

[Kabooooom]

They didn't have to be constructed there. They simply had to jump in and pick up some people.

True, but if you look carefully in the trailer, next to each Ark is a large, circular object with three long arms. I'm not sure if they are orbital construction devices or what they are, but they are certainly separate from the Arks and in orbit with them. Which gives slightly more potential evidence for a construction in Earth orbit.

Which would be stupid, I agree.

[UpUpAway]

Except Anderson could be the councilor and he's isn't one to keep secrets from Shepard. Not to mention since the ships are clearly seen orbiting earth (the great lakes are visible) there is no why the ark project could be kept secret from Shepard.

 

 

?? - He certainly didn't tell Shepard about either Kaidan or Ashley being on Horizon and he confesses that he wouldn't have told him/her in any event.  Let's not forget that ME1 begins with Anderson having not told Shepard about the true mission to Eden Prime; and then there's the fact that he had to be pressed by Shepard to tell him/her the truth about being a Spectre candidate.  Anderson is, by Harkin's description, very much a military man (stick up his...) and he would not divulge secret information (i.e. information that was on a "need to know" basis) to an individual who did not need to know.  Shepard's assignment is to fight the Reapers... he/she simply did not need to know that the Alliance/Council had a backup ARK in the works and it may have jeopardized his/her performance of his/her mission if he/she had.  That is, Shepard might have wanted to get on board an ARK instead of fighting the Reapers to his/her "bitter" end.

 

As I've said many times - the ARKs are not clearly seen in orbit above earth.  Six shuttles leave Earth - that is clear.  The video breaks angle and six shuttles are seen arriving at the ARKs (but earth is no longer visible in the shot).  Yes, it could still be there but it could also be that the shuttles travelled some distance from earth and joined up with the ARKs further out in space.

[Mcfly616]

The arks were obviously built before reapers showed up. But did we leave to explore or did we know they were on the way?

The whole idea of the Ark better be because they knew the Reapers were coming and wanted to ensure civilization continue in the event the Reapers wiped everything out in the Milky Way. Just lends credence to the overwhelming threat that the Reapers were and the impossible odds they posed for organic life in the galaxy.

 

If the Ark was simply made for the thrill of exploration then it's a bloody asinine idea that used a ridiculous amount of resources better served elsewhere, considering 99% of the Milky Way has been left unexplored by the Citadel species of the MEU. You don't set out to explore a whole new galaxy when you haven't even discovered what's in your own cosmic backyard....unless some monsters are coming to burn it to ashes.

[Drone223]

The Shepard doesn't need to know. He/she not the one leading it. He/she has their own problems.

I'm sure Shepard wouldn't mind know that there is a form of continuity of existence should the crucible fail.

 

Space is big, and filled with uninhabited out of the way systems. Their size isn't really a factor in keeping them hidden. Cerberus and the Shadow Broker aren't omniscient. They don't know everything. This can just be one of those things they don't know.

Those ark ships look as big as the crucible and will obviously require large amounts of resources there is no why such a massive project would go unnoticed.

 

Cerberus and Liara had their attention diverted to other areas. We don't know everything the previous shadow broker knew because we killed it. We do know it believed in the Reapers and was looking for means to escape, hell it could have even been the previous shadow broker who was partly responsible for starting this. It would be a stretch for a multi government task force to keep this a secret, but a private organisation is more equipped for that.

Unless that private organization has the same amount of wealth as multiple space faring species to afford such a project they won't fair much better.

[Malanek]

 

Unless that private organization has the same amount of wealth as multiple space faring species to afford such a project they won't fair much better.

In our world the wealthiest 1% easily own more than half the worlds wealth. In a society that has effectively been capitalist for thousands of years there is no reason to believe there are not plenty of extraordinarily wealthy individuals. Get a few who travel in the same social circles together and, with their lives at stake, you have more money than you could spend in that amount of time.

 

I'm not saying the project would be easy. But instead of cash, the project would be bound by the technological feasibility and great need for secrecy. But it isn't so convoluted that it is unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the council believed in the Reapers during ME2.

[Drone223]

In our world the wealthiest 1% easily own more than half the worlds wealth. In a society that has effectively been capitalist for thousands of years there is no reason to believe there are not plenty of extraordinarily wealthy individuals. Get a few who travel in the same social circles together and, with their lives at stake, you have more money than you could spend in that amount of time.

 

I'm not saying the project would be easy. But instead of cash, the project would be bound by the technological feasibility and great need for secrecy. But it isn't so convoluted that it is unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the council believed in the Reapers during ME2.

Building three crucible size ships above earth or any colony for that matter is not even close to the definition of secrecy and the galaxy clearly lacks the technology to travel to other galaxies.

[Stakrin]

This has been brought up before.

While I doubt the developers had thought of Andromeda when that was written, I absolutely believe the Arks must be a multi-species if not a Council initiative.

I don't see why not- I'm sure they had the idea of continuing the series after three, and in three, didn't a news report mention andromeda? I don't see why they couldn't have bad a concept to hint at-even if they weren't ready to commit entirely?

[Mcfly616]

I don't see why not- I'm sure they had the idea of continuing the series after three, and in three, didn't a news report mention andromeda? I don't see why they couldn't have bad a concept to hint at-even if they weren't ready to commit entirely?

Doubtful. They had no idea how badly the ending would be received. And that line was in the vanilla game. I don't think they set out to make ME3 with the foresight that they would have to avoid the endings of the game entirely for the next installment. That's either giving them too much credit or it's saying they knew the ending would screw the whole galaxy (storytelling-wise) from here on out and thought it was okay. 

[DarthLaxian]

The notion of spending incalculable resources to make expeditions to the Andromeda Galaxy before knowing there were Reapers is so preposterous.  

 

Our galaxy has an estimated 100 billion stars... you could never have a completely mapped galaxy as it would be changing faster than you could map it.  

 

Forget about another one. 

 

The only viable option is if we HAD to leave... let's say, because some uppity robot cutlefish from beyond time decided it was time for some spring cleaning.

 

Not exactly true, but it would be very very very difficult (you'd need to set up a galactic scanning network that updates in real-time through FTL-Communication and you might - in broad terms - know every system, that doesn't mean that you'd be able to map every planet and know every species in the galaxy...but you'd know which star might go supernova etc.) a project not completed in a single lifetime (not even if you are an Asari - you'd have to be pretty much immortal to see this through (or make an AI that does it for you!))

 

Yeah, I hate obsessive cleaners (maybe we should start fighting those - but we might lose because those with OCD aren't easily deterred and shooting them is kind of frowned upon!)

[Grieving Natashina]

I've got a fan theory about it, but I know it's got some issues. It does involve the Asari and Salarians.

http://forum.bioware...4#entry20315800

[Stakrin]

Doubtful. They had no idea how badly the ending would be received. And that line was in the vanilla game. I don't think they set out to make ME3 with the foresight that they would have to avoid the endings of the game entirely for the next installment. That's either giving them too much credit or it's saying they knew the ending would screw the whole galaxy (storytelling-wise) from here on out and thought it was okay.

They knew just how drastic the endings would be; and some choices. The genophage, the Quarian/Grth conflict, Synthesis/Destroy/Control

All are very different outcomes (yes, even before extended cut. Even if you don't see it, we know it happens still)

So they always knew that this would be incredibly difficult to write off, and I doubt they ever planned to pick a canon ending.

[Mcfly616]

They knew just how drastic the endings would be; and some choices. The genophage, the Quarian/Grth conflict, Synthesis/Destroy/Control

All are very different outcomes (yes, even before extended cut. Even if you don't see it, we know it happens still)

So they always knew that this would be incredibly difficult to write off, and I doubt they ever planned to pick a canon ending.

 I never said they planned to make anything, let alone a canon ending. I said it was doubtful they planned to run away from the Milky Way all the way back during ME3's development.

[Stakrin]

I never said they planned to make anything, let alone a canon ending. I said it was doubtful they planned to run away from the Milky Way all the way back during ME3's development.

I know you didn't say it; I'm asking why you think they never planned on running away. Your previous answer was that they didn't know the ending would be so poorly recieved

I'm saying that even if we all loved the ending, it would still leave with too man variables to write off and start anew, so I think they always knew they'd have to go to Andromeda, and since a news station mentioned something about a relay pointing towards andromeda, and lines like the above-I think it's likely they had ideas to go to andromeda for quite a while, maybe even sometime during the development of ME3.

[Kamal-N7]

I have a theory. It does not answer all the questions,but i feel it is fits with all the knowledge we know so far. My theory is that the ARKs launched right before the beginning of Mass Effect 3, when after you hear Anderson and Hackett talking you see the human fleet above earth. There is no destruction or devastation to earth so it would fit with the little glimpse we saw the latest trailer. Now yes I know there would probably be some retcons but I think we were all expecting that anyway. Also. I hear a lot of people hear saying that Shepard did not know about the ARK, when in fact we Shepard does know. They confirmed it in the N7 day trailer. Shepard giving a speech to the new explorers that will travel to Andromeda. As to whos funding the project the only plausible groupe would have to be the council. As to why they plane for this if they didn't believe in the reapers does seem far fetched, but until we get more info in the fall all we can really do is speculate. I know it is not the most solid theory and some people have some better ones. But with what little info we have, I think that this is the best that fits until we get more info in the fall.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Also. I hear a lot of people hear saying that Shepard did not know about the ARK, when in fact we Shepard does know. They confirmed it in the N7 day trailer. Shepard giving a speech to the new explorers that will travel to Andromeda.

I believe Bioware said that Shepard wasn't actually talking to the colonists, but rather the players in a meta sense. It was a way of expressing passing the torch from Shepard to the new characters. 

[Heimdall]

Those ark ships look as big as the crucible and will obviously require large amounts of resources there is no why such a massive project would go unnoticed.

Actually I think they look closer to the size of a Reaper, maybe a little bigger, substantially smaller than the Citadel or the Crucible. Anyway, the amount of resources only looks suspicious of they transfer them all at once, if they acquired them in small amounts from many different suppliers it wouldn't be that difficult to hide the project.

[Mcfly616]

I know you didn't say it; I'm asking why you think they never planned on running away. Your previous answer was that they didn't know the ending would be so poorly recieved

I'm saying that even if we all loved the ending, it would still leave with too man variables to write off and start anew, so I think they always knew they'd have to go to Andromeda, and since a news station mentioned something about a relay pointing towards andromeda, and lines like the above-I think it's likely they had ideas to go to andromeda for quite a while, maybe even sometime during the development of ME3.

Casey asked on Twitter if we'd to prefer to see a prequel or sequel. A prequel would've kept us right in the Milky Way. A sequel could've gone any which way. They chose Andromeda because it's the best way to ****** off the least amount of people

[Urizen]

It still has the problem that there is not really a good explanation as to why they simply don't turn around once the Reapers are defeated, but at least it has fewer problems.

 
No there isn´t. Without Comm buoys and Mass Relays, communications travel at the speed of light. Here´s what the codex says:
 

"Communications

Real-time communication is possible thanks to networks of expensive mass relay comm buoys that can daisy-chain a transmission via lasers.
Comm buoys are maintained in patterns built outward from each mass relay. The buoys are little more than a cluster of primitive, miniature mass relays. Each individual buoy is connected to a partner on another buoy in the network, forming a corridor of low-mass space. Tightbeam communications lasers are piped through these "tubes" of FTL space, allowing virtually instantaneous communication to anywhere on the network. The networks connect across regions by communications lasers through the mass relays.
With this system, the only delay is the light lag between the source or destination and the closest buoy. So long as all parties remain within half a light-second (150,000 km) of buoys, seamless real time communications are possible. Since buoys are maintained in all traveled areas, most enjoy unlimited instant communications. Ships only suffer communications lag when operating off established deep space routes, around uninhabited outer system gas giants, and other unsettled areas.
During wartime, comm buoy networks are the first target of an attack. Once the network is severed, it can take anywhere from weeks to years to get a message out of a contested system. In systems where a buoy network has not yet been built or has been destroyed, rapid communication means ferrying information through high-speed courier ships and unmanned data drones."
 
So why send a signal when the arks most likely are travelling at FTL speeds?
 

Sol is not an "uninhabited out of the way system". Anyone with a radar and/or ladar would have been able to detect the arks in Earth's orbit with ease.

 
 

They didn't have to be constructed there. They simply had to jump in and pick up some people.

 
This pretty much. We see some Kodiaks leaving Earth orbit and travelling towards them, but that doesn´t necessarily mean they were constructed in orbit. Also there is a cut in between seeing the kodiaks leave earth and arriving at the arks, so the position isn´t exactly 100% clear, now is it?
 

As I've said many times - the ARKs are not clearly seen in orbit above earth.  Six shuttles leave Earth - that is clear.  The video breaks angle and six shuttles are seen arriving at the ARKs (but earth is no longer visible in the shot).  Yes, it could still be there but it could also be that the shuttles travelled some distance from earth and joined up with the ARKs further out in space.

 
Which I believe to be highly likely btw.

[Mistic]

Casey asked on Twitter if we'd to prefer to see a prequel or sequel. A prequel would've kept us right in the Milky Way. A sequel could've gone any which way. They chose Andromeda because it's the best way to ****** off the least amount of people

 

That's basically saying that they had ideas for both prequels and sequels, not that they started thinking of them just then. The specifics are always the last to be discussed, but it wouldn't be hard for any writer to think of ideas like "what if the next ME game happened in another galaxy?" in the middle of development.

 

Especially when you are a company used to making sequels and you can't rule out a continuation. "Pinky swear this is the end of the franchise" has rarely won against "more money to be made", for better or worse. And as Stakrin pointed out, although they didn't know that the endings would be so criticized, they knew that they changed the Milky Way a lot.

[Vortex13]

My issue with an earlier departure for the ARKs (pre-ME 3) is that it makes no sense for the leaders of the galaxy to construct such a cosmic life raft but not tell their own militaries to prepare for the arrival of the Reapers. If the various Council species did in fact take the threat of the Reapers seriously, and they were doing something about it, then why is the collective armed forces of the galaxy caught with their pants down the moment the Reapers show up in ME 3? 

 

Earth is conquered in a matter of a few hours, and most of the Alliance fleets are wiped out in a 'surprise attack' but why? If the Council truly believed Shepard's claims about the Reapers enough to build several intergalactic vessels, then why did they not inform their fleets to be on the lookout for a massive invasion force?

[Kamal-N7]

I believe Bioware said that Shepard wasn't actually talking to the colonists, but rather the players in a meta sense. It was a way of expressing passing the torch from Shepard to the new characters.

Do you have a link to when they said this. If so i will retract that part of my theory.

[Ahriman]

Earth is conquered in a matter of a few hours, and most of the Alliance fleets are wiped out in a 'surprise attack' but why? If the Council truly believed Shepard's claims about the Reapers enough to build several intergalactic vessels, then why did they not inform their fleets to be on the lookout for a massive invasion force?

You are forgetting about six months before it, when even most skeptical part of government should have get the message. But naturally IQ of politics in ME is below 50, so everyone apparently was sure that Shepard is blowing up Relays for fun.

[Vortex13]

You are forgetting about six months before it, when even most skeptical part of government should have get the message. But naturally IQ of politics in ME is below 50, so everyone apparently was sure that Shepard is blowing up Relays for fun.

 

 

Yeah, "all politicians are corrupt and/or stupid" according to BioWare except when they do stupid things to help explain a massive retcon of the series.

 

I mean really, you are looking at negative levels of IQ for a government to construct a contingency plan, but then not tell the people defending them that an attack is on the way.