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[JeffZero]

Y'all make me feel so guilty for loving human-fuck-yeah-ism.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Maybe I was just spending it in the wrong section of BSN but I frequented the Mass Effect 3 and DAI board on BSN quite often but they're really not bad, at least not in the way that you two implied in here. Really, lots of reasonable, well-natured people in there. It's not really any better or worse than GAF, actually.

Idk the last time I checked it out, couple months prior to DAI release, it was 90% "omg look at witcher 3" and 9% "women so fugly" threads.

There was some nice tidbits of info Ladlaw posted from time to time on it though.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Already false since you can't play as other races =(

I prefer it this way to be honest. More focus and less probability of story/lore inconsistency.

I mean, just an example, how in the friggin world does the people of Thedas are willing to accept a Qunari, of all things, to become a leader/inquisitor of a highly religious paramilitary organization that is supposed to be a representation of Andrastian faith?

Idk the last time I checked it out, couple months prior to DAI release, it was 90% "omg look at witcher 3" and 9% "women so fugly" threads.

There was some nice tidbits of info Ladlaw posted from time to time on it though.

Hahaha, well I don't deny there are in occasion threads like that, but that is true even in GAF

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I prefer it this way to be honest. More focus and less probability of story/lore inconsistency.

I mean, just an example, how in the friggin world does the people of Thedas are willing to accept a Qunari, of all things, to become a leader/inquisitor of a paramilitary organization that is supposed to be a representation of Andrastian faith?

Hahaha, well I don't deny there are in occasion threads like that, but that is true even in GAF

Vashoth, and I mean the cutscenes took away some of the grandeur but you were being painted as JesusMohammed and you're not really accepted everywhere you go.

Oh gaf often ain't better than the rest of the internet when it comes to opinions.

 

[BouncyFrag]

 

[EatChildren]

It's all in the context and execution. As said additional work would be required by default of necessity to deliver dialogue and animation work associated for each playable species, but generally narratively there would be no issue of the story context did not present any hurdles. There's no objectivity, like it suddenly be 'totes impossible for Mass Effect to have different species as protagonist in the campaign, a nigh impossible bar to hit because of mysterious, unexplainable forces. BioWare just doesn't want to do it. They're making very conscious choices to specifically tell narratives in which "being human" is an underlining theme and key factor in the chain of events.

I don't agree with it, and I'm disappointed Andromeda isn't exploring the alternative, but whatever. Is what it is.

 

[GlamFM]

No idea where the wish to play alien races comes from, because to me that´s absolutely not what ME is all about.

Much like Star Trek this is about humanities first steps in space and I like it.

There is room for an Alien Spin off, but Mass Effect should be all "fuck yeah humans".

IMO of course.

 

[JeffZero]

No idea where the wish to play alien races comes from, because to me that´s absolutely not what ME is all about.

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

 

[jimbobsmells]

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

Great post.

 

[SomTervo]

It´s just the greatest thing EVER.

Can you give any slight hint at what the mechanic is like?

Are we looking at a 'sitting in the cockpit' situation? "Traditional driving controls"? I assumed there's no space combat and it's just for traversal?

On paper the idea sounds so un-Mass Effect, but in principle I think the idea is great and it sounds like we'll actually be involved in the exploration process. 2016 is going to be a great year for sci-fi with this, No Man's Sky and Quantum Break. (Not to mention all the other great sci-fi I can't remember right now.)

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

Well said. I think the desire for a non-human protagonist stems from fantasy-fulfilment more than anything else. It would be really nice but isn't in any way necessary or important to the concept.

 

[EatChildren]

I hold no personal investment in "humanity's journey through the cosmos" post trilogy due to much of the other species sharing the space in equal measure having been explored. I understand it from the perspective of the trilogy as it is Writing 101 to make your protagonist someone relatable and likeable (which is why cinema and TV almost always have a human taking centre stage), but in a role playing game three major titles in in which exploring the ins and outs of the key species has long been established and developed in full (and was arguably a core arc for the trilogy entire) I welcome wiggle room in protagonist identity. I no longer need a human to project my identity and choice of play, and given the premise for Andromeda most definitely do not need a human arc to feel emotionally invested in the journey. Andromeda, of all things, puts literally everybody off on the same foot in the same galactic wild west. "Helping humanity find a new home" is utterly irrelevant to me as a specific, and I weight it as no more important than finding the other species a new home as well.

Obviously it all depends on what story is being told, and how. So I'm not suggesting the choice to go with human only is inherently a bad one, or that a great story cannot be told without "you are human" being a necessary point of context. But I personally do not feel, in a role playing series about galactic exploration and multiple species, that a humanity integral plot, as in a narrative woven around this facet, is a core identity of the series and necessary for it to be good.

Because yeah, as I said earlier it comes down to context and the story being told. Obviously humans would ideally always be a playable option. I just personally dislike it when "HEY YOU ARE HUMAN HOW IS IT TO BE HUMAN HEY HUMAN ITS ALL HUMAN HUMAN STUFF HOW BOUT THOSE HUMANS" is the absolute framework for the entire story being told. For me it's a bit tired, boring, and trite in a franchise ripe for taking you on so many interesting journeys where "I am human" can have nothing to do with it. Hell, many of the series best arcs and moments happen completely irrelevant of your species identity.

 

[Random17]

I hold no personal investment in "humanity's journey through the cosmos" post trilogy due to much of the other species sharing the space in equal measure having been explored. I understand it from the perspective of the trilogy as it is Writing 101 to make your protagonist someone relatable and likeable (which is why cinema and TV almost always have a human taking centre stage), but in a role playing game three major titles in in which exploring the ins and outs of the key species has long been established and developed in full (and was arguably a core arc for the trilogy entire) I welcome wiggle room in protagonist identity. I no longer need a human to project my identity and choice of play, and given the premise for Andromeda most definitely do not need a human arc to feel emotionally invested in the journey. Andromeda, of all things, puts literally everybody off on the same foot in the same galactic wild west. "Helping humanity find a new home" is utterly irrelevant to me as a specific, and I weight it as no more important than finding the other species a new home as well.

Obviously it all depends on what story is being told, and how. So I'm not suggesting the choice to go with human only is inherently a bad one, or that a great story cannot be told without "you are human" being a necessary point of context. But I personally do not feel, in a role playing series about galactic exploration and multiple species, that a humanity integral plot, as in a narrative woven around this facet, is a core identity of the series and necessary for it to be good.

Because yeah, as I said earlier it comes down to context and the story being told. Obviously humans would ideally always be a playable option. I just personally dislike it when "HEY YOU ARE HUMAN HOW IS IT TO BE HUMAN HEY HUMAN ITS ALL HUMAN HUMAN STUFF HOW BOUT THOSE HUMANS" is the absolute framework for the entire story being told. For me it's a bit tired, boring, and trite in a franchise ripe for taking you on so many interesting journeys where "I am human" can have nothing to do with it. Hell, many of the series best arcs and moments happen completely irrelevant of your species identity.

I'd also like to add on the fact that some of the species are similar to humans both physically and culturally anyway, especially the Asari, Quarians and to a lesser extent the Turians.

 

[JeffZero]

I hold no personal investment in "humanity's journey through the cosmos" post trilogy due to much of the other species sharing the space in equal measure having been explored. I understand it from the perspective of the trilogy as it is Writing 101 to make your protagonist someone relatable and likeable (which is why cinema and TV almost always have a human taking centre stage), but in a role playing game three major titles in in which exploring the ins and outs of the key species has long been established and developed in full (and was arguably a core arc for the trilogy entire) I welcome wiggle room in protagonist identity. I no longer need a human to project my identity and choice of play, and given the premise for Andromeda most definitely do not need a human arc to feel emotionally invested in the journey. Andromeda, of all things, puts literally everybody off on the same foot in the same galactic wild west. "Helping humanity find a new home" is utterly irrelevant to me as a specific, and I weight it as no more important than finding the other species a new home as well.

Obviously it all depends on what story is being told, and how. So I'm not suggesting the choice to go with human only is inherently a bad one, or that a great story cannot be told without "you are human" being a necessary point of context. But I personally do not feel, in a role playing series about galactic exploration and multiple species, that a humanity integral plot, as in a narrative woven around this facet, is a core identity of the series and necessary for it to be good.

Because yeah, as I said earlier it comes down to context and the story being told. Obviously humans would ideally always be a playable option. I just personally dislike it when "HEY YOU ARE HUMAN HOW IS IT TO BE HUMAN HEY HUMAN ITS ALL HUMAN HUMAN STUFF HOW BOUT THOSE HUMANS" is the absolute framework for the entire story being told. For me it's a bit tired, boring, and trite in a franchise ripe for taking you on so many interesting journeys where "I am human" can have nothing to do with it. Hell, many of the series best arcs and moments happen completely irrelevant of your species identity.

I have to clock into work now, but I'll offer this the response it deserves later today. In the meantime (semi-joking here obviously) let me know if you ever feel like doing a podcast special where you and one other guy creatively argue the nuances of the Mass Effect franchise. I get the impression we have some big differences between us -- in a good way.

You're pretty good at making me stop and consider valid angles I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[GlamFM]

Can you give any slight hint at what the mechanic is like?

I promised not to, sorry.

 

[EatChildren]

I have to clock into work now, but I'll offer this the response it deserves later today. In the meantime (semi-joking here obviously) let me know if you ever feel like doing a podcast special where you and one other guy creatively argue the nuances of the Mass Effect franchise. I get the impression we have some big differences between us -- in a good way.

You're pretty good at making me stop and consider valid angles I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

I should probably add that in creative mediums a part of me is always in search for more abstract, unorthodox stories and characters as it's what most engages my curiosity. In writing (regardless of mediums) it's classical to use a human and humanity centric arcs as the central themes for extremely good if not necessary reasons. End of the day the journey of humanity through whatever it is will be a more intimate and personal one, and a human central to that not only makes sense but is also far easier to connect with.

But, well, I like weird shit and when given the option 99% of the time I'll chose that weird shit. And I guess in Mass Effect I think it would be neat to have a story wherein a band of nobodies get caught up in an adventure far bigger than themselves, their leading character (you) not being tied to any particular species trait. BioWare prefers bigger, more species integral stories, probably for classical sci fi reasons. I can't blame them, but I can hope for more.

 

[Caipirinha]

a petite, buxom, blonde human woman

5 of my favorite words, all in one sentence.

 

[DouglasteR]

• Traditional galaxy map navigation gone. Galaxy traversal now done via first person view of the ship, manually flying to locations.

WAT ? Why you would destroy one of your best IP references ?

 

[GlamFM]

WAT ? Why you would destroy one of your best IP references ?

What stops you from manually flying to a mass relay?

 

[Replicant]

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

Pretty much. Those "Aliens" problems are actually the very kind of problems that most humans face anyway.

 

[SomTervo]

So the plan is to go the galaxy that's going to collide with the Milky Way the soonest?

Brilliant.

Bioware should know all this since they pretty clearly read Revelation Space.

Abundantly clear they did.

At least:

1.) there are no Reapers in this other galaxy (as far as we know?) and

2.) the collision isn't set to happen for... What another 1 billion years? Plenty of time!

I promised not to, sorry.

That's OK, mate. Thanks for the insight anyway!

 

[Bisnic]

What stops you from manually flying to a mass relay?

Considering how big space is and how much of a distance there is between planets, space stations and mass relays(if they're even in this game), i wonder how they can make this first person flying not boring as hell. Do you just move above light speed all the time or what?

 

[GlamFM]

Considering how big space is and how much of a distance there is between planets, space stations and mass relays(if they're even in this game), i wonder how they can make this first person flying not boring as hell. Do you just move above light speed all the time or what?

I don´t know how this will work exactly, so my guess is as good as yours.

I´d assume:

-Travel between solar systems via Mass Relay
-Travel within a system at lightspeed (semi interactive)
-Full manual control once in or close to orbit.

I´m sure there will be fast travel options, but I find the idea of flying for an hour between two locations tempting. At least every once in a while.

 

[Bisnic]

I don´t know how this will work exactly, so my guess is as good as yours.

I´d assume:

-Travel between solar systems via Mass Relay
-Travel within a system at lightspeed (semi interactive)
-Full manual control once in or close to orbit.

I´m sure there will be fast travel options, but I find the idea of flying for an hour between two locations tempting. At least every once in a while.

The only part I find tempting with flying around space is if you're extremely close to a planet so you can just decide where to land yourself, be it the planet, it's moon(s) or one of the space spation around(and it would have to be seamless, no loading screens). But flying between 2 planets in that empty space void for 30 mins/1 hour? Shit gonna be boring for 95% of the playerbase, unless there is space combat or whatever.

I seriously doubt Mass Relays are gonna be there, since this is a new galaxy.

 

[SomTervo]

Considering how big space is and how much of a distance there is between planets, space stations and mass relays(if they're even in this game), i wonder how they can make this first person flying not boring as hell. Do you just move above light speed all the time or what?

I don´t know how this will work exactly, so my guess is as good as yours.

I´d assume:

-Travel between solar systems via Mass Relay
-Travel within a system at lightspeed (semi interactive)
-Full manual control once in or close to orbit.

I´m sure there will be fast travel options, but I find the idea of flying for an hour between two locations tempting. At least every once in a while.

Presumably travel technology is vastly improved. Perhaps Mass Effect systems are now on-board space ships (going full blown Revelation Space here).

So maybe it'll be like Elite Dangerous: slow travel speed in-system, then a super-fast Mass Effect drive to travel between star systems.

I loved in Revelation Space how, when they started using the super-fast drives, it would mess with the physiology (and thus psychology) of everyone on board. Clearly doesn't happen in ME, though.

 

[Renekton]

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

Aliens will be more interesting even if they are ultimately human fiction. The mind of the authors are far less contrained when they don't have to make sure the scenario is realistic for a human. E.g. it is unrealistic for humans to have synthesis with another race (e.g. Chenjesu + Mmhrmm).

 

[GlamFM]

The only part I find tempting with flying around space is if you're extremely close to a planet so you can just decide where to land yourself, be it the planet, it's moon(s) or one of the space spation around(and it would have to be seamless, no loading screens). But flying between 2 planets in that empty space void for 30 mins/1 hour? Shit gonna be boring for 95% of the playerbase, unless there is space combat or whatever.

I seriously doubt Mass Relays are gonna be there, since this is a new galaxy.

I think it´s also important to consider that your main ship is not the one you land on planets with. That would be a good way to hide loading or whatever.

Fly up to planet in your main ship - go to landing ship and land.

 

[BrassDragon]

Cerberus... urgh. That's one way to undermine a fresh start. The villains have always been the weakest part of Mass Effect since the first part (come to think of it, Dragon Age suffers from this problem too) and this is not promising.

I hope that's a miscall by the original source.

 

[SomTervo]

a petite, buxom, blonde human woman

Where's my buxom, blonde human man?

Aliens will be more interesting even if they are ultimately human fiction. The mind of the authors are far less contrained when they don't have to make sure the scenario is realistic for a human. E.g. it is unrealistic for humans to have synthesis with another race (e.g. Chenjesu + Mmhrmm).

Soooooo, fantasy fulfilment.

 

[Rushersauce]

*now with even less RPG

 

[Bisnic]

*now with even less RPG

Considering how the gameplay of ME3 was more RPG than ME2(especially everything related to combat), other than dialogue options, and how we've seen nothing of MEA yet, I'm not sure why you would even presume that? Or are you part of that annoying "ME1 was the only true RPG, the franchise is doomed to have generic TPS to please the casuals" crowd?

 

[Silent Chief]

In 4 billion years. Also, our sun will go white dwarf in about 5 billion, so we are only loosing a billion years, really.
To put that into context, the universe is (assumed to be) 12 billion years old.

It will become a red giant first at which point the earth will be inside the sun.

At any rate the sun is getting 1% brighter every 100 million years, which means the oceans will be boiling well before 1billion years has passed.

Apart from us being in it, there's nothing remotely interesting about the Milky Way and it sounds ridiculous that something could threaten the galaxy but that we can just flee from it. Let alone flee into an older galaxy rather than a newer one.

 

[LogicStep]

My fear is this will be Dragon Age Inquisition in Mass Effect wrappings.

Yup. I hope they don't fuck it up.

 

[shinobi602]

I should probably add that in creative mediums a part of me is always in search for more abstract, unorthodox stories and characters as it's what most engages my curiosity. In writing (regardless of mediums) it's classical to use a human and humanity centric arcs as the central themes for extremely good if not necessary reasons. End of the day the journey of humanity through whatever it is will be a more intimate and personal one, and a human central to that not only makes sense but is also far easier to connect with.'

But, well, I like weird shit and when given the option 99% of the time I'll chose that weird shit. And I guess in Mass Effect I think it would be neat to have a story wherein a band of nobodies get caught up in an adventure far bigger than themselves, their leading character (you) not being tied to any particular species trait. BioWare prefers bigger, more species integral stories, probably for classical sci fi reasons. I can't blame them, but I can hope for more.

I mean, that's it right there. I'd be open to playing as other species in ME, but for me (and many others obviously), 'I am a human being, a homosapien' plays a central role. Seeing our species hundreds of years into the future, what they've accomplished, where they've gone, etc is a tantalizing thought simply because of what I am, a human. I don't care about the conflict itself in the game being relegated or controlled exclusively by the player's humanity, but there is something about seeing that conflict through a human's eyes that hits home and like you said, makes it very personal. Much more personal than playing as say a Turian or Quarian or some such. It brings a particular perspective into the mix that couldn't be particularly filled by a Turian, Quarian, etc. Sure the main conflict could still play out the same way, but it could take away the special angle only a human protagonist brings and would require more generic scenarios, possibly. Maybe Bioware could circumvent that, I don't know. I don't want every quest, conversation and bathroom visit to be about being a human out in the vastness of space, but the overall arc.

I hate to go to Star Trek but it's somewhat true. The reason why I love Star Trek is because it's the voyage of my species through the cosmos. It's incredible seeing it. It wouldn't be the same watching a show about the voyage of the Klingons or Romulans. They could still tell interesting stories that are unique and fun to watch in themselves by being Klingons or Romulans, but it wouldn't hit home for me. I'm not saying BioWare shouldn't do it, and again I wouldn't mind multiple playable species (I'm a nice guy), but I *get* where they're coming from.

 

[10k]

 

[Poodlestrike]

*now with even less RPG

That would be odd, considering that ME3 was much, much more of an RPG than ME2, and a better one mechanically than ME1.

 

[Escape Goat]

Lawl, poor Cortez...

Corteeeeeeeez!

 

[Wulfram]

Where's my buxom, blonde human man?

Well, in Dragon Age Cullen is blond and Human, but you need Iron Bull for the buxom

 

[bati]

Corteeeeeeeez!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqBXQVxS-qk

 

[Salz01]

I hope they don't skimp out on the customization. It always feels so lackluster in their games.

 

[Squire]

WAT ? Why you would destroy one of your best IP references ?

Probably because the new thing is fuckong cool. Sure sounds like it. If the controls are good and music is similiar in spirit to the original, I can't say I'm going to miss just picking an option off a stylized menu all that much.

 

[IronicSonic]

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

An alien POV could be interesting to see our flaws as a specie in the same context though. That human-centric, save-the-day focus was well covered by the original trilogy

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Likewise. I dreaded a multispecies option announcement almost as much as I dreaded a prequel announcement. Blissfully, neither has come to pass. I'm not without empathy for all those who wanted this, but it does sting whenever I read posts about how boring humans are. We're a beautifully diverse people, us humans, capable of a personality for every roleplaying desire. We can be militaristic like turians, sensual like asari, proud like krogan, smart like salarians. We can lose everything and fight to get it back, like quarians. Hell, some of us are drones like geth.

This focus on us, our place in hypothetical space, our beautiful human struggles to find ourselves and to protect what we cherish in the wake of a universe far bigger than we imagined -- that's what I love most about space opera, and that's what I love most about Mass Effect. It's a human adventure through and through.

The counterpoint of course is that those same ideas can be conveyed in any other race, if I'm so hellbent on claiming we have a little bit of all those other races in us anyway. True enough, but to me it just wouldn't be the same. And by shelving this, by shelving the blatantly humanistic undertones, Mass Effect would not be the same. I'd like it, maybe even love it, but this element is vital to my full appreciation.

Humans aren't boring. No more so than any other species in this fictional galaxy is interesting. Because all those species were written with human literary ideas in the minds of their authors. Because that's how Mass Effect is, and Star Trek is, and Babylon 5 is. That's how it works. We're awesome.

I wish there were some middleground. Maybe ME5 comes along and we get multiple species options and I'm wrong and I love it and I bless everyone for demanding it. Who knows.

but like none of that is covered in mass effect anyway. there was no "beautiful human struggles" in mass effect. we were the chosen race, we were the gods that save the universe due to shitty writing and plot points.

 

[inky]

Sounds really interesting, but there's no chance Bioware isn't going to Bioware it, so eh.

I don't watch to catch myself being slightly interested by this only to be disappointed again.

 

[Revas]

Considering how the gameplay of ME3 was more RPG than ME2(especially everything related to combat), other than dialogue options, and how we've seen nothing of MEA yet, I'm not sure why you would even presume that? Or are you part of that annoying "ME1 was the only true RPG, the franchise is doomed to have generic TPS to please the casuals" crowd?

Mass Effect 2/3 did not feel like an RPG at all to me. I'm hoping the ME:A is more akin to ME1 in terms of pace and environment.

 

[EatChildren]

I hate to go to Star Trek but it's somewhat true. The reason why I love Star Trek is because it's the voyage of my species through the cosmos. It's incredible seeing it. It wouldn't be the same watching a show about the voyage of the Klingons or Romulans. They could still tell interesting stories that are unique and fun to watch in themselves by being Klingons or Romulans, but it wouldn't hit home for me. I'm not saying BioWare shouldn't do it, and again I wouldn't mind multiple playable species (I'm a nice guy), but I *get* where they're coming from.

I suppose what drives my interest in Mass Effect exploring multiple playable species is that despite loving the series I personally don't enjoy the human centric component anywhere near as much as I do something in Star Trek. The nicest way I can put it is that outside of the very first game, which is literally finding humanity's place in an already established galactic cosmos and thus believable and interesting, I don't feel BioWare have done a very good job of making humanity a believable centric arc. Mass Effect 2 makes them the chosen special children for the Reapers and sets Shepard on a course for Mass Effect 3 which further doubles down on "humanity is special" and transforms Shepard into Space Jesus.

So while I'm totally cool with the sensible direction of something like Star Trek, it's compounded by how realistically levelled humanity is with everybody else. In Star Trek humanity isn't special beyond simply being us, which helps me empathise and get involved in their struggle. Despite loving the adventure itself, the "humanity" component goes so far off the deep end once Mass Effect 2 rolls around that, to me, it diminishes the importance and interaction with everybody else in the galaxy. Humanity is no longer centre stage because they're us. They're centre stage because they're literally the MacGuffin and propped up as far more important than they'd naturally be.

So yeah. TLDR: Humanity story = fine. BioWare humanity story = boring. For me.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

I hold no personal investment in "humanity's journey through the cosmos" post trilogy due to much of the other species sharing the space in equal measure having been explored. I understand it from the perspective of the trilogy as it is Writing 101 to make your protagonist someone relatable and likeable (which is why cinema and TV almost always have a human taking centre stage), but in a role playing game three major titles in in which exploring the ins and outs of the key species has long been established and developed in full (and was arguably a core arc for the trilogy entire) I welcome wiggle room in protagonist identity. I no longer need a human to project my identity and choice of play, and given the premise for Andromeda most definitely do not need a human arc to feel emotionally invested in the journey. Andromeda, of all things, puts literally everybody off on the same foot in the same galactic wild west. "Helping humanity find a new home" is utterly irrelevant to me as a specific, and I weight it as no more important than finding the other species a new home as well.

Obviously it all depends on what story is being told, and how. So I'm not suggesting the choice to go with human only is inherently a bad one, or that a great story cannot be told without "you are human" being a necessary point of context. But I personally do not feel, in a role playing series about galactic exploration and multiple species, that a humanity integral plot, as in a narrative woven around this facet, is a core identity of the series and necessary for it to be good.

Because yeah, as I said earlier it comes down to context and the story being told. Obviously humans would ideally always be a playable option. I just personally dislike it when "HEY YOU ARE HUMAN HOW IS IT TO BE HUMAN HEY HUMAN ITS ALL HUMAN HUMAN STUFF HOW BOUT THOSE HUMANS" is the absolute framework for the entire story being told. For me it's a bit tired, boring, and trite in a franchise ripe for taking you on so many interesting journeys where "I am human" can have nothing to do with it. Hell, many of the series best arcs and moments happen completely irrelevant of your species identity.

She's a beauty.

 

[Dennis]

I am all about the scif-fi atmosphere, techno-optimist and alien visuals, and the exploration focus.

So yeah, the first game was tops for me.

The story is secondary to me though I did find the story in the first to also be far more compelling in the first game.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I hope they don't skimp out on the customization. It always feels so lackluster in their games.

you can choose between all of these military haircuts.

God I hope they bring in a customization system at the least similar to DAI

 

[Disxo]

you can choose between all of these military haircuts.

God I hope they bring in a customization system at the least similar to DAI

With actual beards though.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

With actual beards though.

I need my muttonchops character.