[QUOTE=yawmwen;35462095]Yea, because this cycle had time to complete the crucible and had a chance to get to the catalyst before everything went to shit.
The Protheans lost because they never had a chance to use the Crucible, this cycle would have been no different.[/QUOTE]
Did you miss the part where the Protheans lost The Citadel instantly and had all of their Mass Relays deactivated, cutting off all of their forces from each other?
Doesn't look like I will be getting my Operation Raptor commendation pack any time soon.
They discovered the exploit people were using and have since suspended giving out the victory and commendation packs for raptor. I am told there is no eta on when they will fix it, but they will get the raptor pack to me as soon as they can.
Seeing as how I just waited 3 days to talk to them about getting this pack, I don't see me getting it any time soon.
[QUOTE=Grim Joker;35462130]Did you miss the part where the Protheans lost The Citadel instantly and had all of their Mass Relays deactivated, cutting off all of their forces from each other?[/QUOTE]
Yea, that made it so they never had the ability to complete the Crucible.
The key factor here is the Crucible. Without it, there is literally no hope for the cycle.
[QUOTE=Links;35459449]When talking about plot choices:
[quote]Number of variables - increased. "Insanely." 3500 different plot values, in ME1. (Some minor.) ME2 - 6400. ME3 15,000 (fifteen thousand) different plot states.[/quote]
I'm impressed they managed to compress all that into 3 of the same ending.[/QUOTE]
Yes, it's kind of a pity that the endings were so limited; it was as if nothing except getting to the Catalyst (with the Crucible docked) really mattered, in the end. Personally I think that those endings should've been the "Bad" endings, the ones that occur if all you do is get the Crucible docked, a swift kick to the balls of the casual latecomers that thought they could just jump in at the end. But for those who stayed true to the series, playing through all 3 of the games, they get a larger array of "special" endings that take into account choices made throughout the series, and reward certain playthroughs with a somewhat unique conclusion. They'd still involve the Catalyst, but instead of it being merely three buttons of dubious success, they act as a focus for the choices you've made, like a shotgun that fires whatever specialised rounds you load into it. I've been thinking of a few, the first one involving the Geth Consensus, the Collector Base, and the Illusive Man's ultimate objective, as well as a boss fight.
[U]Ending #1:[/U] [B]Direct Control/The Storm[/B]
This ending uses the Control method as the focus. Despite the Illusive Man wishing to control the Reapers, their influence on his mind would have made his apparent success a failure; they would essentially be controlling themselves. However, Shepard can still achieve this, yet exerting control over all of the Reapers would prove somewhat destructive for him as well, but if the right cards are played, Shepard could use the Catalyst to achieve this goal on a somewhat smaller scale.
The first card to play involves Legion's loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2; the heretics must be destroyed to avoid the risk of a relapse of "indoctrination". Second, the Collector Base must be preserved; Cerberus will be able to research how Harbinger's "direct control" actually worked. Whilst risky, it is one that needs to be taken for this to work. The third thing to do is ensure that the geth survive Priority: Rannoch; whether the quarians survive or not is irrelevant for this ending, though there's no penalty if peace is brokered between them and the geth. The fourth and final step to take will be to use the Control option at the Catalyst.
Once the "Direct Control" research has been retrieved from Sanctuary, the geth will take an interest in it, and begin work on a project that incorporates the technology behind Harbinger's ability to "possess" Collectors. After the Catalyst gives his reasons for why the Reapers do what they do, you will be contacted by a geth scientist on-board the Crucible; they have worked out how to apply the Crucible's power using the principles of Assuming Direct Control. They upload a specialised program to Shepard, combining the human-machine interface devised by Project Overlord with a remote-control program similar to the one utilised by Harbinger, and tell Shepard to connect himself to the Catalyst. By choosing the Control option, Shepard does not exert control over all Reapers, but instead focuses the Catalyst's energy on a single Sovereign-class Reaper; the Catalyst is notably unsettled and surprised at what Shepard is doing. The targeted Reaper seems to twitch and jerk as Shepard writhes in agony, yet he manages to form a grin on his face. His circuitry glows a bright-red; as do the lights on the targeted Reaper, and his mind becomes the driving force behind the Shepard Reaper. And all the while, Sovereign's theme plays in the background, reaching the crescendo as Shepard assumes control of the Reaper and heads directly towards Harbinger.
Thus begins the final stage, revolving around space-combat similar to a schmup only with a bit more freedom of movement, with Harbinger sending other Reapers (Oculi, Destroyers, even other Sovereign-classes) at the "abomination" in an effort to destroy it, but Shepard is too determined to let them stop him, and is capable of firing the Reaper's main cannon to tear up incoming forces. Despite being a Reaper now, Shepard can still take damage from enemy Reaper beams, but depending on Shepard's character class his "puppet" can utilise certain abilities to change the course of battle; a Sentinel can Cyclonize his barriers, which boosts shields, whilst an Infiltrator can Scramble the sensors of enemy Reapers to avoid being detected, or an Adept could launch a massive Singularity to send the enemy Reapers swirling into oblivion.
Once Shepard reaches Harbinger, it does all it can to survive, blasting the "Shreaper" with his lasers, hurling massive biotic attacks, and even trying to reason with the unrelenting force it faces, trying to explain how if left unchecked, organic life would create a mass effect technology so powerful it would result in the annihilation of all life in the galaxy. Once Harbinger is at critical integrity, laying crippled next to Big Ben, it explains that the first Reapers saw what lies far beyond the galaxy, a force far greater than the Reapers themselves, one that as of yet has not fully noticed the Milky Way. Harbinger doesn't know what this force wants with the other galaxies, other than the fact that all other galaxies it visited were wiped clean of all life ("they could not find even the smallest microbe"), with the only evidence left behind being that of mass effect technology on a scale far greater than all of the Milky Way's mass relays put together, as well as the shattered remains of what once were assumedly life-bearing worlds.
This left Harbinger with the conclusion that the inhabitants of the other galaxies unwittingly attracted the attention of the all-consuming force through unimaginably-powerful dark energy technology, and thus the first Reapers kick-started the grim cycle of destruction, in an effort to prevent the "Storm", as the Reapers called it, from noticing the Milky Way and wiping out all life in the galaxy. However, the original reasons for the Reapers were buried beneath a newer doctrine, one formulated for the younger Reapers to comprehend; the belief that all organic life would be wiped out by advanced synthetics without the intervention of the Reapers. When Shepard asks if the Storm is synthetic, Harbinger replies that the other galaxies were devoid of all synthetics as well, so whatever destroyed life in the other galaxies is likely beyond even the Reaper's comprehension.
This brings Harbinger to it's ultimatum; continue the cycle and keep the galaxy hidden from the Storm, or condemn life to complete and utter annihilation by destroying the one force that has kept the galaxy safe for billions of years. Shepard attempts to press a third option; include the rest of the galaxy in preventing the coming of the Storm, a notion that Harbinger both commends and mocks, as it is a potential solution as well as a nigh-impossible feat, though it realises that Shepard himself rallied the entire galaxy to fight against extinction, despite remaining sceptical as to how Shepard could possibly hope to rally the galaxy against a threat that the Reapers themselves do not fully understand. But the choice is still Shepard's; the "Shreaper" is standing over the broken carapace of Harbinger, contemplating his next move. If you decide to destroy the Reapers, regardless of Harbinger's warnings, the remaining Reapers flee from Earth, attempting to regroup elsewhere in the galaxy and complete the cycle before organics attract the attention of the Storm. If you choose to continue the cycle, the cycle continues, and galactic civilisation is destroyed, though life will still exist and regrow over the next 50 thousand years.
Choosing to involve non-Reapers in the defense against the Storm has two outcomes in itself; you can choose to spare or destroy Harbinger. In sparing Harbinger, the Reapers involve organics through indoctrination, with them serving the great plan under the Reaper's doctrine. The cycle may have been broken, but instead an eternal rule now presides over the galaxy; the Reapers now command an inquisition of synthetics to prevent the emergence of any technology classified as "Stormbringer" amongst the organics, which is to say anything that could attract the Storm's attention to the Milky Way. However, if you destroy Harbinger, Shepard "keeps what he kills" and becomes the new leader of the Reapers, pursuing a solution to the threat of the Storm on his own terms, with the Reapers serving organics and seeking to further their understanding of the Storm, in the hopes of one day defeating it and permitting life to flourish in the other galaxies once again.
Pretty much all I have for that one path. It's just one of what could be many; having a single option, no matter if it requires specific decisions or not, isn't good enough. I'll likely try to devise other endings that require different paths throughout the trilogy; I theorise that the next one would involve the rachni and their "song". But for now it's too damn late to write any more, and we need time for this to settle in. I'll see what I can do in the morning...
[QUOTE=Jedi_Rayne;35462043]72 hours have passed and I still don't have my commendation pack for Raptor, so looks like it is the waiting line of Live Chat for me.[/QUOTE]
like i said
where fun goes to die.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;35462178]Yea, that made it so they never had the ability to complete the Crucible.
The key factor here is the Crucible. Without it, there is literally no hope for the cycle.[/QUOTE]
It also made it so that they never had the ability to gather their forces.
The Prothean situation was so vastly different from the Human situation, it's hardly comparable. They were more militant, but that's about the only direct comparison. They didn't complete the Crucible (It's implied that it wouldn't have worked anyways) and they didn't have the Mass Relays to use when The Reapers attacked. They also had a completely different strategy.
loool holy shit
squad wipes right as extraction is about to finish
as long as your dead bodies last to :00 you are succesful
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/0rxmo.png[/thumb]
[QUOTE=Grim Joker;35462216]It also made it so that they never had the ability to gather their forces.
The Prothean situation was so vastly different from the Human situation, it's hardly comparable. They were more militant, but that's about the only direct comparison. They didn't complete the Crucible (It's implied that it wouldn't have worked anyways) and they didn't have the Mass Relays to use when The Reapers attacked. They also had a completely different strategy.[/QUOTE]
What part of "all of this comes down to the Crucible" do you not understand? It's stated [b]numerous[/b] times in the game that the Crucible is needed. If the Protheans were able to gather their forces, it wouldn't have meant ANYTHING because they didn't have the fucking Crucible!
[editline]7th April 2012[/editline]
The games first mission introduces the fucking Crucible. It's literally your goal from the start of the game. Everything else was to buy time and make sure the Crucible had the chance to be used.
[QUOTE=Grim Joker;35461759]What? They had almost no chance. All of their forces were cut off from each other. All they were doing was just using planets as shields against the Reapers to delay the inevitable and keep working on the Crucible. Even Javik says that Shepard's Cycle has a better chance than the Protheans did.
[editline]6th April 2012[/editline]
What?
If there are 300 Reapers and it takes 4 Dreadnaughts to take them out, that means we need about 1200 Dreadnaughts. Not 40,000. Where are you getting these random numbers from?[/QUOTE]
I'm getting these numbers from the same place you're pulling your completely hypothetical ability to blow up a capital reaper while it sits there and lets you all alone by itself from.
[QUOTE=ironman17;35462191]-Huge spoilers-[/QUOTE]
Wow, people don't even care about spoiling the ending anymore?
[QUOTE=gamerman345;35462352]Wow, people don't even care about spoiling the ending anymore?[/QUOTE]
I think the game has been out for long enough that it's assumed anyone who is going to be posting in this thread has beaten it as least once.
[editline]7th April 2012[/editline]
Also; Those weren't even spoilers. Those were his ideas for endings.
[b]Pretty major spoilers for the 'Destroy' ending in the Extended Cut:[/b]
[sp]@JessicaMerizan 0_o. So...there is hope for that "golden ending" after all? I did my very best to try to have shepard and crew survive.[/sp]
[sp]@MrBlazenGlazen yes but with some sacrifices depending on the end you chose. Ending is never perfect [u]but Shep/crew reunited is possible[/u] :)[/sp]
[[url='https://twitter.com/#!/JessicaMerizan/status/187955957643481088']Source[/url]]
That sounds hopeful.
[QUOTE=Goldenboy;35462740][b]Pretty major spoilers for the 'Destroy' ending in the Extended Cut:[/b]
[sp]@JessicaMerizan 0_o. So...there is hope for that "golden ending" after all? I did my very best to try to have shepard and crew survive.[/sp]
[sp]@MrBlazenGlazen yes but with some sacrifices depending on the end you chose. Ending is never perfect [u]but Shep/crew reunited is possible[/u] :)[/sp]
[[url='https://twitter.com/#!/JessicaMerizan/status/187955957643481088']Source[/url]][/QUOTE]
I actually like the idea that this dude's [url=http://shannon.users.sonic.net/masseffect/]epilogue generator[/url] put forward for Control.
[sp]If Shepard is now a Reaper or whatever, why couldn't they:
A. Rebuild the Mass Relays
B. Generally fix shit up and then leave.
and C. Try to find some way to extract Shepard's "signal" from the Reapers to 'bring him back,' in some form.[/sp]
I just don't understand this fucking suicide fetish that everyone is passing off as "a story about sacrifice." I don't know what the fuck kind of Shepard you were playing, but my Paragon Shepard was pretty adamant about how they were making too many sacrifices already. He scoffed at Garrus' "ruthless calculus," expressed concern at Tali about "wondering whether it's worth seeing tomorrow if there's nothing left by the end of today," and all kinds of shit to that effect. I did not get the Space Jesus vibe from this story, and I don't get how people are so easily pretending it was a fucking Christ allegory all along. I'm not seeing it.
[IMG]http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l316/lankist/5f0kl.jpg[/IMG]
nope
[QUOTE=the_killer24;35461662]i like how in me2 the oculi lasers were beams and in me3 they were pew pew star wars[/QUOTE]
Best part is when on earth at the start of ME3, it was a splazor still.
[QUOTE=Lankist;35461619]i saw a complete lack of strategy and a red/blue lazer-filled clusterfuck for cinematics' sakes.
i honestly do not think the people who scripted that battle gave enough of a shit to think about it like you guys are.[/QUOTE]
I agree but, and this might make me a bit shallow, I am more than okay with liberal use of "Rule of Cool" when it comes to depicting an incredible cinematic battle. That whole sequence is one of my favorite space battle scenes of all time in a game, despite the lack of strategy.
[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;35462989]I agree but, and this might make me a bit shallow, I am more than okay with liberal use of "Rule of Cool" when it comes to depicting an incredible cinematic battle. That whole sequence is one of my favorite space battle scenes of all time in a game, despite the lack of strategy.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I don't really give a shit what's on the screen as long as it doesn't insult my intellect. I can deal with lazer space raves as long as they don't try to pretend they're anything more than that, pissing all over my forebrain in the process.
Like a certain portion of the game did.
Post-Crucible, Day 41
Memorial speech delivered by Provisional Councilor Kahlee Sanders, at the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, London
On behalf of the Provisional Citadel Council, and all member races, I have the honor of addressing you today. We come together in both grief and triumph, to honor the lives of so many brave individuals of every species, who fought to their last breath against the Reapers so that we might stand here together.
On this occasion, as we honor their sacrifices, I would also like to announce that the Provisional Council has unanimously voted to award Commander Dick Shepard the unique title of Last Defender for his service in the Reaper Wars. This is a title that has never before been granted—and, we devoutly pray, never will be again.
Although Commander Shepard's condition reportedly remains critical, and he cannot be here with us today, we nontheless recognize that it was his unwavering devotion to duty that has allowed this day to dawn. Though we grieve for all we have lost, we also look forward in hope.
We stand here, victorious, on the battlefields of Earth. And above us, there are those standing on a multitude of allied fleets who hear our words. We have done the impossible, done what so many other civilizations over the immense course of galactic history have failed to do: we have beaten the Reapers. It may take time to re-establish mass relay communications and transit, but—because we were victorious here—we have that time. We have a future.
So we grieve, but we also rejoice. To so many of those who gave their lives in the fight: we thank you. To Commander Shepard, our Last Defender: we honor you. And to each and every one of us who stand together in this hour: I can imagine no greater privilege. Thank you.
[QUOTE=supertribute;35463051]Post-Crucible, Day 41
Memorial speech delivered by Provisional Councilor Kahlee Sanders, at the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, London
On behalf of the Provisional Citadel Council, and all member races, I have the honor of addressing you today. We come together in both grief and triumph, to honor the lives of so many brave individuals of every species, who fought to their last breath against the Reapers so that we might stand here together.
On this occasion, as we honor their sacrifices, I would also like to announce that the Provisional Council has unanimously voted to award Commander Dick Shepard the unique title of Last Defender for his service in the Reaper Wars. This is a title that has never before been granted—and, we devoutly pray, never will be again.
Although Commander Shepard's condition reportedly remains critical, and he cannot be here with us today, we nontheless recognize that it was his unwavering devotion to duty that has allowed this day to dawn. Though we grieve for all we have lost, we also look forward in hope.
We stand here, victorious, on the battlefields of Earth. And above us, there are those standing on a multitude of allied fleets who hear our words. We have done the impossible, done what so many other civilizations over the immense course of galactic history have failed to do: we have beaten the Reapers. It may take time to re-establish mass relay communications and transit, but—because we were victorious here—we have that time. We have a future.
So we grieve, but we also rejoice. To so many of those who gave their lives in the fight: we thank you. To Commander Shepard, our Last Defender: we honor you. And to each and every one of us who stand together in this hour: I can imagine no greater privilege. Thank you.[/QUOTE]
Maybe...maybe just call him John Shepard...
[QUOTE=supertribute;35463051]Post-Crucible, Day 41
Memorial speech delivered by Provisional Councilor Kahlee Sanders, at the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, London
On behalf of the Provisional Citadel Council, and all member races, I have the honor of addressing you today. We come together in both grief and triumph, to honor the lives of so many brave individuals of every species, who fought to their last breath against the Reapers so that we might stand here together.
On this occasion, as we honor their sacrifices, I would also like to announce that the Provisional Council has unanimously voted to award Commander Dick Shepard the unique title of Last Defender for his service in the Reaper Wars. This is a title that has never before been granted—and, we devoutly pray, never will be again.
Although Commander Shepard's condition reportedly remains critical, and he cannot be here with us today, we nontheless recognize that it was his unwavering devotion to duty that has allowed this day to dawn. Though we grieve for all we have lost, we also look forward in hope.
We stand here, victorious, on the battlefields of Earth. And above us, there are those standing on a multitude of allied fleets who hear our words. We have done the impossible, done what so many other civilizations over the immense course of galactic history have failed to do: we have beaten the Reapers. It may take time to re-establish mass relay communications and transit, but—because we were victorious here—we have that time. We have a future.
So we grieve, but we also rejoice. To so many of those who gave their lives in the fight: we thank you. To Commander Shepard, our Last Defender: we honor you. And to each and every one of us who stand together in this hour: I can imagine no greater privilege. Thank you.[/QUOTE]
If there isn't a scene like this in the epilogue, I'm shooting someone.
[QUOTE=Goldenboy;35463064]Maybe...maybe just call him John Shepard...[/QUOTE]
mine is called bitches shepard
shepherd of the bitches
Dick Shepard because he went all bad assery renegade.
Garrus Vakarian was among the first of the Normandy survivors to give interviews and release his story. FCC News partnered with Vakarian to produce both a well-received documentary (The Last Days of the Normandy) and an action-adventure holovid "based on the true story of Garrus Vakarian." A spinoff edutainment line aimed at children, [B]Archangel and the Reapers: Adventures in Learning, is entering its seventh season.[/B]
Vakarian himself is reported to maintain a residence in the "Tahiti" region of Earth.
[QUOTE=supertribute;35463120]Dick Shepard because he went all bad assery renegade.
[/QUOTE]
I have yet to discipline myself enough to do a true Renegade playthrough. I can get a few hours in, but I care about these characters way too goddamn much.
Why is Pinnacle Station so weird?
I want to see Javik & Liara signing books in the 'good' Javik ending.
I can't imagine the 'bad' Javik ending as being anything other than immensely depressing though...
[QUOTE=Lankist;35463077]mine is called bitches shepard
shepherd of the bitches[/QUOTE]
"Tell me another story about the Bitches, grandpa!"
[QUOTE=Goldenboy;35463184]I want to see Javik & Liara signing books in the 'good' Javik ending.
I can't imagine the 'bad' Javik ending as being anything other than immensely depressing though...[/QUOTE]
I deeply regret forcing him to touch that memory shard.
[QUOTE=Lankist;35463077]mine is called bitches shepard
shepherd of the bitches[/QUOTE]
Saviour of Space Orphans.
I am Reaper. Hear me BRRRRRRRRRRRT
[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;35463211]I deeply regret forcing him to touch that memory shard.[/QUOTE]
To be fair, it was a case of [url='http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NiceJobBreakingItHero']Nice Job Breaking It Hero[/url], and I was kind of glad; I'm all for Paragon options that have negative outcomes.
(TVTropes warning etc.)
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