Mass Effect

[SomTervo]

A lot of the "get resources/build colonies" stuff sounds more like the whole resource gathering probe mechanic of ME2. So you'll likely have a map to plonk colonies, pay a cost n for most part it'll be that. Rather than anything vaguely more developed as like a "simcolonies" or something.

 

Afraid not, Deanio!

 

The leak details Mako.

 

Apparently you'll be able to seamlessly walk about your ship, land on planets, get out your ship, get into the Mako, drive around on the surface, yadda yadda. Same goes for docking with space stations.

 

Mako was a nice idea implemented like shit. If they do it right, it could be great.

 

And the resource stuff isn't resource-based. It's side-quest based. The idea is that you go to a planet, help the inhabitants out, and then that planet is now a 'colony' or 'station'. Then you get resources. But periodically, randomly generated events will happen to them, and if you don't go help them (in person or via Strike Team) you'll stop getting the resources.

 

None of it is confirmed, obviously. But all sounds like a very nice evolution of the series' mechanics.

 

Good shout about the Dragon Age Inquisition war room. Sounds v similar

Edited April 20, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[deanb]

Mako in the older games was used as a transport for getting around levels, or in the semi-openwordish mini planet drop points to pick up mineral deposits, the pods/logs/medal collectibles etc. Can't see it being used too much in colony making. Also with what you've posted up and decide what type of colony they'll be (e.g recon/mining), I can't see that applying to pre-existing areas you visit in story missions.

[SomTervo]

I suppose it does tie to the resource building aspect - my main point was that it sounds like they're dumping the ME2 scanning/resource system entirely and going back to the Mako on-ground system.

 

The Mako itself isn't used in colony-making, they say the planets will feature side quests with alien races, and chances are we'll be able to explore the planets/get around with the Mako to do this. I remember quite a few ME1 side quests where we had to drive the Mako from base to base on certain planets, or use it to get to certain side quests on a planet's surface. I think the idea is that you drive around on a planet, do a sidequest, then the planet becomes a 'colony' (ie we set a human colony/embassy/mine up on it).

Edited April 20, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[TheMightyEthan]

Yay!

 

*Edit - Also, re ME3: they really fixed a lot of the problems with the ending with the Extended Cut.

Edited April 20, 2015 by TheMightyEthan

[SomTervo]

Yeah so I've heard – is it a free DLC? If so then I'm a hundred times more likely to jump back in

[TheMightyEthan]

Yes it's free.

[Thursday Next]

It is free DLC.

[Vecha]

Glad to hear the mako is back....missed it dearly in ME2 and ME3(they kinda added something similar back...). Just wasn't as immersive as the deadly loneliness of space. Though, I'm all for more diverse planets!

Edited April 20, 2015 by Vecha

[TheMightyEthan]

Dear God, can you imagine the backlash if they'd tried to charge for DLC to "fix" the ending that everyone flipped their shit about?

 

[SomTervo]

Yussssssssssssssss

 

Edit: that would have been insane. And very un-Bioware.

Edited April 20, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[Vecha]

I also haven't played the alt-ending. I would go back....but I have so many current games to play. 

[TCP]

I really hope my boy Garrus is making the trip to Andromeda. 

[TheMightyEthan]

I really doubt it. Based on this information along with other rumors it seems like this is going to be set enough removed (both in time and space) from the original trilogy that they don't have to worry about accommodating different outcomes or choosing a canon one. That wouldn't really work if a member of Shepard's team was involved.

[Mr. GOH!]

My guess is that it takes place centuries after the events of ME3 and/or the Andromeda colonies of familiar races were established by colonization fleets that left before the events of ME3.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Mr. GOH!

[TheMightyEthan]

From what I can find, standard (non-mass-relay) FTL maxes out around 11,000x the speed of light (that's how fast Reapers can go, and they've had millions of years to develop it.  Citadel-race ships from the time of the trilogy max out at around half that.  At Reaper speeds it would take ~230 years to reach Andromeda, and at Citadel speeds it would take close to 500.  If they, for whatever reason, decided to use a generation ship model rather than cryosleep then even just the travel time would put them far removed from the events of ME3.

 

ME3 ending spoilers:

 

 

Also, with the loss of the mass relays in-galaxy it's likely there would be a significant period of rebuilding prior to anything on this scale being undertaken, so that could also account for the time gap.  Although I'm not convinced that time alone is sufficient to wipe out potential conflicts, because the endings are so galaxy-changing.  Wiping out all the Geth, or controlling the reapers, or fusing organics and synthetics would all have repercussions that wouldn't be forgotten after only a few centuries.  About the only thing the could do is set this many thousands of years later, and just have very vague references to the Reapers attacking, eventually being destroyed (whether by Shepard or after the control ending), the Geth having faded away somehow, and fusion happening at some point (whether by Shepard or independently later), with none of the details specified.

 

 

For that reason, I think GOH's suggestion of the ships having left before the events of ME3 makes the most sense in the context of this game, but it seems contrived because it was never mentioned in the previous games.  I'm skeptical that an apparently multispecies series of expeditions like this could be kept secret from all the high-clearance people on Shepard's team, and especially not the Shadow Broker.

[Mr. GOH!]

To be fair, any way in ME 4 that Bioware deals with the problem of the different ME 3 endgame choices would end up contrived.

 

Edit: The Milky Way races may have a fast journey to Andromeda if there's an independent mass relay network set up by Andromedans in Andromeda with a hidden terminus (or two) in the Milky Way that were not affected by the collapse of the Precursor network. Could also be a different way of achieving very fast FTL, too, that links the two galaxies. I just think this solution would be lamer than generation or coldsleep ships.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Mr. GOH!

[TheMightyEthan]

That is most definitely true.

[Thursday Next]

Our galaxy has billions of stars...

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Hundreds of billions.

[TheMightyEthan]

I'm just putting this in here for future reference: I'm guessing the title is going to be either Mass Effect: Pathfinder or Mass Effect: ARKON, in that order.

[SomTervo]

All of the above sounds very reasonable. Bioware said it will be very separate from the original trilogy, and to be in another galaxy, the above working adds up.

 

Also Mass Effect: Pathfinder sounds like a) a good title and b) a realistic title. I hope they go with something like this.

 

I really hope my boy Garrus is making the trip to Andromeda. 

 

Holy shit. As others said, he almost certainly won't be in this one...

 

... pre-order cancelled

[Mr. GOH!]

Although I imagine there are others here more in the know, I suspect that they won't go with Pathfinder because there's established RPG intellectual property already called Pathfinder.

[Alex Heat]

In theory, any of ME3's endings wouldn't interfere with a game that takes place in the future or in another galaxy.   They all share one common thread.

 

 

That being that Reaper technology could be studied/expanded on.  The only difference is how they would gain access to it.  Either from all the dead Reapers and Reaper tech in the Red ending, Techno-God Shepard sharing it with the galaxy in the Blue ending or the Reapers sharing it themselves now that everyone's a cyborg in the Green ending.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, but I think you'd have to go WAY into the future, several thousand years at least, before the different options become blurry enough that you don't need to distinguish between them.

[Hot Heart]

I saw the details, and it sounds cool and all. I'm just struggling to find any actual excitement for it. That and I'm as confused as anyone as to how it would fit in with what happened in ME3.