97 réponses à ce sujet

[TeaCokeProphet]

It seems that every important spacefaring race is humanoid, with two legs, two arms, eyes, a mouth, some kind of ears...the likelihood of convergent evolution occuring at this scale is...unlikely, to say the least. It's a sci-fi cliche, and making a bunch of aliens as different from us as the hanar is annoyingly difficult to do, but everytime I think about everything in the galaxy being all too similar throws me out of immersion with the game. Not really complaining, just making an observation.

[Gill Kaiser]

I agree, but you have to accept that it's kind of necessary. We as a species find it very difficult to read emotions or empathise with creatures who don't resemble us in some way.

[Llandaryn]

TeaCokeProphet wrote...

It seems that every important spacefaring race is humanoid, with two legs, two arms, eyes, a mouth, some kind of ears...the likelihood of convergent evolution occuring at this scale is...unlikely, to say the least. It's a sci-fi cliche, and making a bunch of aliens as different from us as the hanar is annoyingly difficult to do, but everytime I think about everything in the galaxy being all too similar throws me out of immersion with the game. Not really complaining, just making an observation.

Legs and arms are needed. How else would you reach the brake pedals of your car or fly your space-ship, unless you had amazing telekinetic powers.

Besides, not all are humanoid. Hanar, Elcor, Rachni... it merely seems that evolution favours the species that can pick up and fire a gun.

[Kerberus88]

That is the best thing I have ever read.



Llandaryn: ... Evolution favours the species that can pick up and fire a gun.

[NoUserNameHere]

We've got bird people, salamander people, gila monster people, and armored frog people.



Thats diverse enough for me.

[Jigero]

Hanar, Elcor, Thresher Maw and Rachi, kinda make that point false. Turian, Krogan, Quarians are vaguely humanoid too.

[Himmelstor]

Kerberus88 wrote...

That is the best thing I have ever read.

Llandaryn: ... Evolution favours the species that can pick up and fire a gun.

Should be in his signature.

[T1l]

"Crap! We need another alien."



"All good! I'll just duct-tape some stuff on to Steves head!"



"INSTA-ALIEN. Brilliant."

[Archereon]

The aliens in Mass Effect are a bit too humanoid. The Krogan and the nonhumanoids are the only plausible designs, the others are way to human looking. You don't need arms and legs to be a successful species, just a grasper and an efficient brain.

Modifié par Archereon, 06 février 2010 - 09:29 .

[xMister Vx]

Has anyone else noticed that they've all got three fingers? Except the asari (if that bachelor party dialogue is a joke).

[Kerberus88]

Name one other species on earth that is advanced as us. Can't? Not bipedal and no digits.

[Archereon]

@Kerberus88: That's because once a species is sufficiently adapted to begin producing meaningful technology, it would likely out compete all other contenders for dominant species in short order.

[Vorscythe]

Anyone else notice that most of the other species (Krogan, Asari, Turian, Quarian(I think)) all breathe oxygen? While it might not be a valid argument, that shows each species had a vaguely similar environment as us, so they evolved along the same lines.

[TeaCokeProphet]

Brakes don't need feet, they just need something. The technology in the galaxy is made primarily for humanoid species, because most of them are humanoid. And I didn't really address the fact that there are other sapiant species that inhabit the galaxy, but those other species aren't really addressed in-game either. They're irrelevant. Thus, most important species seem to be very human-like. Vocal chords and everything.

[Riot Inducer]

xMister Vx wrote...

Has anyone else noticed that they've all got three fingers? Except the asari (if that bachelor party dialogue is a joke).

Batarians have standard human five-fingered hands.

For the most part I do agree, however with some things like the Asari the concept artists worked a long while on trying to make something not human but still appealing, in the end they found they really couldn't change much and have it still look appealing.

Still in most any space fantasy you have to accept that the majority of the aliens are going to be at least vaguely humanoid if only to give us perspective and perhaps empathy for them. 

[Llandaryn]

TeaCokeProphet wrote...

Thus, most important species seem to be very human-like. Vocal chords and everything.

It's quite the cause/effect conundrum indeed. Are the human-like species important because they are human-like, or
are they made human-like because they're seen as important.

[Gill Kaiser]

Kerberus88 wrote...

Name one other species on earth that is advanced as us. Can't? Not bipedal and no digits.

It depends on how you define 'advanced'. If you mean technology, sure. But what if dolphins are much more socially advanced than us, for example?

[T1l]

Kerberus88 wrote...

Name one other species on earth that is advanced as us. Can't? Not bipedal and no digits.

Being bipedal isn't essential to be a dominant species, but being able to grip is. The thumb is, or was, pretty essential in our brains evolving higher functions. As someone has already said; the things that are most important are a "gripper" of some description and a decent brain.

Then again, all we have to base this off is evolution on Earth. Our reasoning is limited. I don't think anyone could say with any certainty what alien life may or may not look like. Alien life may not even problem-solve on a level we can perceive as cognitive. They may communicate and function in ways we currently can not understand.

...and I guess this is why sci-fi is bound the way it is. People are working with what they know; we know bipedal creatures with opposable digits flourished on Earth, therefore, this was the case in the rest of the galaxy. Somewhat short sighted, maybe, but understandable.

[Doug84]

Gill Kaiser wrote...

I agree, but you have to accept that it's kind of necessary. We as a species find it very difficult to read emotions or empathise with creatures who don't resemble us in some way.

Agreed. Look at it this way - at least they look alien, unlike, say, Star Trek or Star Wars (especially you Star Trek with your space elf Vulcans and original Klingons).

[supakillaii]

Prothean involvement I believe.

Also, the Protheans weren't "humanoid". They were more like Cuddlefish's.

[Treeey]

If you read the description when probing planets, it sometimes say there are organisms on the planet but they are not carbon-based organisms. While asari, krogan, human, turian, batarian, etc are all carbon-based species.



Therefore, there are other organisms in the galaxy, we just haven't seen them yet. (or the devs found them out of context or hard to create or introduce them)

[Doug84]

T1l wrote...

Kerberus88 wrote...

Name one other species on earth that is advanced as us. Can't? Not bipedal and no digits.

Being bipedal isn't essential to be a dominant species, but being able to grip is. The thumb is, or was, pretty essential in our brains evolving higher functions. As someone has already said; the things that are most important are a "gripper" of some description and a decent brain.

Then again, all we have to base this off is evolution on Earth. Our reasoning is limited. I don't think anyone could say with any certainty what alien life may or may not look like. Alien life may not even problem-solve on a level we can perceive as cognitive. They may communicate and function in ways we currently can not understand.

...and I guess this is why sci-fi is bound the way it is. People are working with what they know; we know bipedal creatures with opposable digits flourished on Earth, therefore, this was the case in the rest of the galaxy. Somewhat short sighted, maybe, but understandable.

Pretty much - though I wouldn't really call it short sighted. As far as we know, bipedal might be the norm for the galaxy. Or we might be utter freaks. Or we might be all alone in the galaxy (at least, as far as intelligent, technology using species go - I find it borderline impossible that we're the only life in the galaxy at all).

The matter of fact is, we just don't know, and all we can do is guess. Even NASA's work is ultimately guesswork based on what we know from Earth.

[T1l]

supakillaii wrote...

Prothean involvement I believe.
Also, the Protheans weren't "humanoid". They were more like Cuddlefish's.

I don't think anyone quite knows what the Protheans originally looked like. The Collectors are the genetic remnants of what the Protheans were, but as EDI explains, they've been changed a great deal and currently it would be a misnomer to label them as actually "Prothean".

If Prothean art is anything to go by, and I think it should as it is representative of their culture, they most likely originally looked like Illithids.

[T1l]

Doug84 wrote...

The matter of fact is, we just don't know, and all we can do is guess.

Exactly right.

Also, thanks to everyone in the thread for interesting discussion. It's nice to have a thread that talks about something more than "omg why u haet tali", "how u bang kely", "DAT ASS" etc. Not that there's anything wrong with Miranda's ass, mind you.

Modifié par T1l, 06 février 2010 - 09:54 .

[Doug84]

T1l wrote...

Doug84 wrote...

The matter of fact is, we just don't know, and all we can do is guess.

Exactly right.

Also, thanks to everyone in the thread for interesting discussion. It's nice to have a thread that talks about something more than "omg why u haet tali", "how u bang kely", "DAT ASS" etc. Not that there's anything wrong with Miranda's ass, mind you.

Thank you, thank you, I'd like to accept the award for winning the thread on behalf of...well, myself...

Joking, joking, please stop throwing bricks! Also, I like Tali! Though Miranda does have a very nice ass.