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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I don't think he *lied* at that time since the article is like 1 year old. What I do think is that at this point he had no idea on how it was going to end. Then Walters came with his high level writing idea, and well we know how that went.

Yeah. The ending was written in November of last year. Because they were rushed and/or because of horrific management, they didn't know what to do with the Crucible or how the series would end until the last minute.

Then, suddenly, space Casper and the off button(s).
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Hey, there's no reaper off button. It's a reaper off tube. Totally different thing.

One has to wonder what that tube was even for. Why do you have to shoot it? Does it power the reapers or something? Why would you have to destroy it, I mean why is that a built in option? What would have happened if Shepard didn't have a gun?
 

LiK

Member
Yeah. The ending was written in November of last year. Because they were rushed and/or because of horrific management, they didn't know what to do with the Crucible or how the series would end until the last minute.

Then, suddenly, space Casper and the off button(s).

man, this ending really makes me almost forget all the awesome moments in the game. it's pretty amazing how a bad ending can ruin something.
 
One has to wonder what that tube was even for. Why do you have to shoot it? Does it power the reapers or something? Why would you have to destroy it, I mean why is that a built in option? What would have happened if Shepard didn't have a gun?

He'd chew through it without thinking twice. This is Shepard after all!
 

Massa

Member
Yeah. The ending was written in November of last year. Because they were rushed and/or because of horrific management, they didn't know what to do with the Crucible or how the series would end until the last minute.

Then, suddenly, space Casper and the off button(s).

They probably failed to reach an agreement of what the end should be, which would explain why Casey Hudson allegedly decided to take one of the writers and just do it themselves.

He should have done that sooner, it's a shame really.
 
One has to wonder what that tube was even for. Why do you have to shoot it? Does it power the reapers or something? Why would you have to destroy it, I mean why is that a built in option? What would have happened if Shepard didn't have a gun?

Should have just vanguard charged it.
 

Khal_B

Member
Someone at BSN found an old copy of Game Informer that dealt with ME3 (May 2011 #217)

Wow, that's just crazy. So was he just flat out lying, or was development so rushed that they weren't able to achieve what they set out to do or what? Reading that at first actually made me think someone made it up with how the game turned out.

Now I really wish the game had another year in development. Damn you EA.

Definitely. Especially considering it was the end of the trilogy.
 

DTKT

Member
One has to wonder what that tube was even for. Why do you have to shoot it? Does it power the reapers or something? Why would you have to destroy it, I mean why is that a built in option? What would have happened if Shepard didn't have a gun?

Look at it as a representation of the Reapers. Not the actual conduit that transmits the space magic to the Reapers. That would just be silly.

As for the rest, it's just set pieces to help the ending.
 

daoster

Member
"Absolutely," he says. "Definitely. The challenge is to make the game better than ever before, to make it a great entry point for new players, and to make it the ending fans deserve. It's about making sure it starts the way a great story should start versus just being a continuation. And thats tough because there is no canon except for what the player has chosen. In the end, its their game".

Bu-bu-but the gamers are entitled and NYT told us it was perfect! I still can't believe the first Ray mentioned when he "apologized" to the fans was that...the critics gave the game high scores!!11

Anyways, I just watched the indoctrination video for the first time, and I have to say...they make some great points that make the theory ALMOST believable...

...but that would be putting too much faith in the ability of Walters to come up with a story as subtle as this.
 

def sim

Member
Revise the GAF poll, put me in as yes for the new and improved IT.

My Shepard has been a drunk since ME2 and this explains everything.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
The Reapers are basically cops coming to bust Shepard's frathouse piss up.
 
Bu-bu-but the gamers are entitled and NYT told us it was perfect! I still can't believe the first Ray mentioned when he "apologized" to the fans was that...the critics gave the game high scores!!11

Anyways, I just watched the indoctrination video for the first time, and I have to say...they make some great points that make the theory ALMOST believable...

...but that would be putting too much faith in the ability of Walters to come up with a story as subtle as this.

The problem with the IT is that there is very little evidence supporting it. The theory is logically consistent, and it contradicts the universe rules and themes less than the actual endings, but there is almost nothing that directly supports it.

I'll give it one thing, though : it is really strange that whoever modeled that scene decided to add those dreams trees after you're hit with the beam. There is no reason for this to happen, and it actively took someone to decide to add those trees there.
 

Vamphuntr

Member
Yeah. The ending was written in November of last year. Because they were rushed and/or because of horrific management, they didn't know what to do with the Crucible or how the series would end until the last minute.

Then, suddenly, space Casper and the off button(s).

Even if they were rushed it's pretty sad that it ended this way. It shows that they had not planned the ending before even working on the game. The one in charge of the trilogy didn't try to have hints on how defeating the reapers in the first two games so in the end they were forced to come up with a weapon that would act as a way to build alliances and unite the galaxy.

I mean, on paper and on a very basic level or reasoning I can understand why they simply didn't want to have the crucible destroy all the reapers. I think they knew themselves how it was quite the stretch to come up with the crucible in the last game and at the very instant the reapers attacked. I would presume it is why they wanted the solutions to come from something else but in the end they failed to pull it off properly.

It would have been cliché but much more sensical and rewarding if the crucible simply did nothing but only acted as a display of how the races in this cycle were united and had the technology and the power to win with their fleets. Instead you get space wizard which try to explain the whole existence of the reapers in 2 minutes while giving you outrageous options.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Should I or should I not pursue the Insanity achievement? I've done it with Mass Effect 1 and 2 (trying to get it in 2 was one of my fondest gaming moments this gen) so it seems "incomplete" not doing it in 3.... but that ending.............. *sigh*

Do we even get bonuses from clearing the game like extra materials/funds in Mass Effect 2?
 

rozay

Banned
Should I or should I not pursue the Insanity achievement? I've done it with Mass Effect 1 and 2 (trying to get it in 2 was one of my fondest gaming moments this gen) so it seems "incomplete" not doing it in 3.... but that ending.............. *sigh*

Do we even get bonuses from clearing the game like extra materials/funds in Mass Effect 2?
You keep all your weapons and things you've purchased and have the ability to get them to level X (another achievement).

I tried to get the insanity achievement but I've lost interest in finishing the game with this ending. Let it sit for a while and come back to it when you feel better or after we know what the new ending supplements are.
 

Vamphuntr

Member
Should I or should I not pursue the Insanity achievement? I've done it with Mass Effect 1 and 2 (trying to get it in 2 was one of my fondest gaming moments this gen) so it seems "incomplete" not doing it in 3.... but that ending.............. *sigh*

Do we even get bonuses from clearing the game like extra materials/funds in Mass Effect 2?

In NG+ you keep your levels and credits and the levels of your weapons/mods. You can also upgrade weapons up to level 10 (X) once you pick them up.
 

Fathead

Member
Even if they were rushed it's pretty sad that it ended this way. It shows that they had not planned the ending before even working on the game. The one in charge of the trilogy didn't try to have hints on how defeating the reapers in the first two games so in the end they were forced to come up with a weapon that would act as a way to build alliances and unite the galaxy.


That's one thing I don't understand. I can understand not having an ending planned in 2007 when ME launched. If it bombed, that ending was not going to see the light of day. But when ME lead to ME2, that's the point that you sit down and hammer out what you want your conclusion to be. Then you can build everything up to that conclusion. It doesn't have to be a straight line to the conclusion, but you've got your destination set.

To hammer out an ending in November with a March launch? That's just stupid. And then to not have any peer review on it? Hudson and Walters are idiots. There is no other explanation that makes sense. Just 2 idiots who decided that their opinions were the only ones that mattered.
 

DTKT

Member
tumblr_lzpeb6DUla1roycqeo1_250.gif


Yes. This is so much better than the Indoc theory.


That's one thing I don't understand. I can understand not having an ending planned in 2007 when ME launched. If it bombed, that ending was not going to see the light of day. But when ME lead to ME2, that's the point that you sit down and hammer out what you want your conclusion to be. Then you can build everything up to that conclusion. It doesn't have to be a straight line to the conclusion, but you've got your destination set.

To hammer out an ending in November with a March launch? That's just stupid. And then to not have any peer review on it? Hudson and Walters are idiots. There is no other explanation that makes sense. Just 2 idiots who decided that their opinions were the only ones that mattered.

Lets hold off insulting anyone. Most games ending are done, surprisingly, at the very end of the dev cycle. ME had a rushed development, there is no doubt about that. I doubt either Casy Hudson or Mac Walters wanted to create a bad ending.
 

Fathead

Member
Man, Renegade Shepard on Tuchanka is a monster.

I'm a monster.

I'm thinking about replaying 1 and 2 just so I can kill Wrex on Virmire and destroy Maelon's data just so I can save Mordin and screw the Krogan. Because I am evil. I am a Monster.
 

Vamphuntr

Member
[

Lets hold off insulting anyone. Most games ending are done, surprisingly, at the very end of the dev cycle. ME had a rushed development, there is no doubt about that. I doubt either Casy Hudson or Mac Walters wanted to create a bad ending.

I don't think it's insulting them to call them idiots for the way they ended the game though. In this case they deserved it. Now if you personally slandered them well of course you would go to far.

Even if they were short on time it doesn't excuse the atrocity they came up with and that they tried to pass it off as a "high level" of writing. Especially since they already had given many interview saying that it wouldn't be about space magic in the end. If all the leaks are true then the other writers were against the ideas but they ignored their feebacks and went along with their plan anyway. Now that is stupid too.
 

Zen

Banned
https://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=Vw_2boz9miNaqEfEQzUN0o9x6fb1L4vwDM2rWBmgdEPFg_3d

Some interesting data. The survey was started in the ME subreddit. So, I guess that the basic individual probably played ME1 and follows the franchise. Also, about 30% believe that the indoctrination theory is real. SMH.

I believe in the indoctrination theory so much as it could be true, and is still way better than what we got, even if it isn't likely that it is. I think a lot of people actually fall into taht camp, but I wouldn't say 'I believe in the indoc theory' without being able to attach qualifiers to it.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
I'm thinking about replaying 1 and 2 just so I can kill Wrex on Virmire and destroy Maelon's data just so I can save Mordin and screw the Krogan. Because I am evil. I am a Monster.

Technically killing Wrex in 1 would be better because Mordin lives. If you don't, Mordin, Wrex, and Eve dies and Wreav will rule anyway. So you need to let him live to truly be a monster!
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
You keep all your weapons and things you've purchased and have the ability to get them to level X (another achievement).

I tried to get the insanity achievement but I've lost interest in finishing the game with this ending. Let it sit for a while and come back to it when you feel better or after we know what the new ending supplements are.

In NG+ you keep your levels and credits and the levels of your weapons/mods. You can also upgrade weapons up to level 10 (X) once you pick them up.

Thanks guys for the fast responses. So if I create or import another character he or she will not enjoy any benefit at all unlike in Mass Effect 2?

Rozay--yeah, the problem is I really really enjoyed my Mass Effect 3 experience up to the ending. JUST the ending. So on a hindsight replaying all of those in Insanity might not seem to be a really bad idea... Dunno, just logging out the game once the achievement pops out or something.

Gah goddamnit.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
I didn't know that Shep could wake up in the elevator. How much do you have to drink?

I think it happens the third time you pass out.

Thanks guys for the fast responses. So if I create or import another character he or she will not enjoy any benefit at all unlike in Mass Effect 2?

Rozay--yeah, the problem is I really really enjoyed my Mass Effect 3 experience up to the ending. JUST the ending. So on a hindsight replaying all of those in Insanity might not seem to be a really bad idea... Dunno, just logging out the game once the achievement pops out or something.

Gah goddamnit.

If you make a new character in 3 after beating it, it still allows you to give them one of the squadmate abilities at the start.
 
Yeah. The ending was written in November of last year.


3 months...to launch.

And really...they write the ending. That needs to get turned into cinematics and it gets pushed off for going gold.

It's like they wrote it the day before it had to be pressed onto the discs.


Crazy...so crazy.


Man, Renegade Shepard on Tuchanka is a monster.

I'm a monster.

Being a renegade on Tuchanka was fucking great. Every time they give you a chance to tell the truth and you renegade through.

I felt like a piece of shit every time.

The encounter with Wrex long after that was surprising and great. A shame it didn't impact the final battle at all but still...Tuchanka on renegade was memorable.
 

DTKT

Member
I don't think it's insulting them to call them idiots for the way they ended the game though. In this case they deserved it. Now if you personally slandered them well of course you would go to far.

Even if they were short on time it doesn't excuse the atrocity they came up with and that they tried to pass it off as a "high level" of writing. Especially since they already had given many interview saying that it wouldn't be about space magic in the end. If all the leaks are true then the other writers were against the ideas but they ignored their feebacks and went along with their plan anyway. Now that is stupid too.

It might not be that cut and dry. Casey had to be the one making the "hard" decisions. The choice to actually go with the current might not have been a choice. They had to go gold, they could not push the release date. They had to have a finale and that's all they could do in a minimal amount of time. These are the kind of decisions that happen every day in this industry. I give Mr.Hudson the benefit of the doubt. He's the one who pushed for ME1, created ME2 and was there for ME3. We'll never know if he's satisfied but I like to think that he's honest with himself.

tl:dr I still believe that Hudson is a good guy.



I believe in the indoctrination theory so much as it could be true, and is still way better than what we got, even if it isn't likely that it is. I think a lot of people actually fall into taht camp, but I wouldn't say 'I believe in the indoc theory' without being able to attach qualifiers to it.

I honestly don't mind anyone believing in it. I just believe that Bioware will not fix the ending to the extent that most fans want. I'm just done, I don't want to expect anything to just be disappointed again.

That's why the Indoc theory is insane. It's just setting you up for more tears.
 

Fathead

Member
Technically killing Wrex in 1 would be better because Mordin lives. If you don't, Mordin, Wrex, and Eve dies and Wreav will rule anyway. So you need to let him live to truly be a monster!

I want to convince Mordin that making up for his mistake is wrong, and that his only course of action is to screw the Krogan once again, but not let them know it. I want him to think about that the rest of his existence (which is brief since LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE).
 

Aaron

Member
That's one thing I don't understand. I can understand not having an ending planned in 2007 when ME launched. If it bombed, that ending was not going to see the light of day. But when ME lead to ME2, that's the point that you sit down and hammer out what you want your conclusion to be. Then you can build everything up to that conclusion. It doesn't have to be a straight line to the conclusion, but you've got your destination set.

To hammer out an ending in November with a March launch? That's just stupid. And then to not have any peer review on it? Hudson and Walters are idiots. There is no other explanation that makes sense. Just 2 idiots who decided that their opinions were the only ones that mattered.
Ever have a friend who had a crazy idea that he thought was the most brilliant thing in the world, and no matter what you said you couldn't convince him that it was stupid? Usually the friend is high in this case, but that's how I consider the ending of ME2. They obviously thought it was clever as shit at the time, not realizing it was just shit.

They should have had a general idea for an ending in making ME1 if their intent all along was a trilogy. No excuses not to.
 
3 months...to launch.

And really...they write the ending. That needs to get turned into cinematics and it gets pushed off for going gold.

It's like they wrote it the day before it had to be pressed onto the discs.


Crazy...so crazy.

The ending must not be changed! Dangerous precedent! Artistic integrity!
 
I wish Bioware cared about it's fans and such. I'd love to see a documentary style discussion ect . about the end of the game and the decisions that went with it. And just talk legitly about what happened/their thoughts. Hopefully we get that one day...
 

rozay

Banned
Thanks guys for the fast responses. So if I create or import another character he or she will not enjoy any benefit at all unlike in Mass Effect 2?

Rozay--yeah, the problem is I really really enjoyed my Mass Effect 3 experience up to the ending. JUST the ending. So on a hindsight replaying all of those in Insanity might not seem to be a really bad idea... Dunno, just logging out the game once the achievement pops out or something.

Gah goddamnit.
I feel exactly as you did, the ending really just put a damper on everything. I normally would've jumped straight into NG+ like I did in ME1 and ME2, this time I had to let it sit for a week before I wanted to start, and even then I haven't had the heart to keep going when that ending is looming overhead :(
 
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