Artorias of the Abyss
Neo Member
sauce plz, yes?
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Fan writes 400-page blueprint to 'fix' Mass Effect 3
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
sauce plz, yes?
I'm reading it. So far is a lot of dialogues and changes to characters so... fanfiction (some things are good but I do enjoy fanfiction even the crappy ones). And the guy claims that he desires a job in the industry so it makes sense now to make all this effort.
Still... it goes against all I know (as a ultra-noob in the industry) that he could get a job with this because not only he's doing something relatively easy as is changing an already finished product but he also doesn't take into account things like technical and financial limitations. If he appeared in a developers forum, he would be considered an "idea guy", a specially dedicated and creative one but still an idea guy... and you don't want to be that (but who knows, maybe he gets a job at Bioware or somewhere else where people wants to take advantage of this exposure).
I kind of did.
He basically proposes a metric fuckton of changes, about 150 pages of them to gameplay, which i have no clue what they are.
I skimmed directly to the ending, paused for a laugh when he had to specify "Since the ending is modular and very long a menu loader to pause\resume would be needed", and then gone forward.
Basically he wants a small clip for every character, of which there's 3-4 options for, depending on all your choices, plus wants things such as choosing councillor \ rachni \ etc to matter heavily.
The whole ending changes up a ton and i'm not gonna read the 80 pages about 'Battle for Earth', but it seems a bunch of it depends on your military score.
A choice quote:
After the whole Citadel bang they find another Prothean, the Last Prothean, that explains to Shep what's the Crucible (a power source) and our favourite Mary Sue Shep is the Catalyst. They still use a console (no beam to the crucible and no starchild) to choose R \ G \ B, which is determined by paragon (blue - destroy) | renegade (red - control) | mixed (green - synthesis), based on the paragon\renegade and not changeable at the last.
Apart of R\G\B every ending can be alpha, beta, delta1, delta2, zeta depending on EMS...
There's flowcharts at page 341+ for the whole ending, and past that, a truckton of things for EVERY SINGLE MINOR AND MAJOR CHARACTER.
I'd say the ending, in practice, is the same thing.. still crucible fires and go go RGB, just more fleshed out.
GingerOfEden
Member
I agree. I feel like ME3 raised the stakes and provided a substantial ending. Although I understand people's disappointment with the ending, I had no real problems with it.
TetraGenesis
Member
Just want to be another person mentioning how perfect the first post was.
The Silver
Member
400 fucking pages?
This isn't something to admire, this is something to be concerned about
This isn't something to admire, this is something to be concerned about
First 6 pages were "I'm not in the industry. I blog professionally. Expletive. I think your game's ending was shit. Artistic vision, blahblah. Here's my artistic vision. Expletive. Oh hey, I wouldn't mind being hired, wink wink!"
Then it cuts to a shirtless Turian and romance options.
Christ. 400 page slashy. Thanks GAF!
NaDannMaGoGo
Member
Hmm the interesting question is whether it's any good. I mean, if he did write 400 pages of really good ME3 fanfiction then kudos.
If it's mediocre and worse then... not even worth giving a shit about.
If it's mediocre and worse then... not even worth giving a shit about.
What Bioware actually needed to do was keep the ending simple. Not try to do any sort of twist or explain the meaning of life or try to give the Reapers some higher purpose to their actions, just keep the shit simple.
It didn't need to be any more complicated than that, but unfortunately they tried and got crushed under the weight of their own ambition... or more likely deadline.
Let the Reapers come and harvest species every 10,000 years so they can live and grow their own numbers. They are alive so they want to stay alive, pretty much like any other species in existence. It's pretty much foreshadowed and speculated and hell, even some of the same words are used to say exactly that in past games.
bigdaddygamebot
Member
Always a couple in every thread.
I don't understand why people think it was a good game minus its ending. It was just as bad as Mass Effect 2, if not worse, from the get-go.
Well, Marvel isn't anywhere near as broken as ME3's ending.
NTIETS13A_Superiority
Banned
Apart from all-around bad combat, ME3s biggest problems were
1. They never tested this game in hard mode, did they? absurd difficulty spiks early(there were something like 3 hard parts in the game and they were not "fun-hard"). Childs play the rest.
2. Dialogue options did not represent outcome well enough. Sometimes I had to quess what gives wanted outcome and two times i chose wrong one. Dialogue system was from ass.
1. They never tested this game in hard mode, did they? absurd difficulty spiks early(there were something like 3 hard parts in the game and they were not "fun-hard"). Childs play the rest.
2. Dialogue options did not represent outcome well enough. Sometimes I had to quess what gives wanted outcome and two times i chose wrong one. Dialogue system was from ass.
crazyrabbits
Banned
This. People who seriously believe the entire game was great are willfully unaware of the major plot issues the game had. The opening was horrible. You had stuff like:
- James "hey, remember me?" Vega
- Shepard acting like a moron (we fight or we die vs. we have to survive so we can fight again)
- the kid who runs down a building, then up another to "escape" the Reapers
- The Virmire Survivor still holding some juvenile grudge over Shepard working for Cerberus
- P/R choice from the previous game doesn't matter- The Illusive Man hates you either way
- Mars researchers didn't find the Crucible because they weren't desperate enough
- Magic deus ex machina plot device (Crucible) that was never mentioned before
Etc, etc.
Grimson academy? the rest of the game was a cakewalk maybe thats why removed the opition to equip heavy weapons it would make even more easy. once a put a typhoon X with the squadmates they took down a atlas in like 5 secs on insanity before i could use overload on the atlas.
Basically cut out the entire trial which should've been there to ease you into the game and ramp up the pace. Any previous Mass Effect game would've had it. That way it also creates a consistent atmosphere + a contrast between a peaceful Earth full of people going about their lives, and it being attacked. Instead Earth just became a video game level.
Also lets you reaffirm your Shepard's beliefs before they're put to the test.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
thank you all once again. I am truly humbled.
Pharaoh 117
Member
You sir, deserve a tag.
NTIETS13A_Superiority
Banned
Googled. I did not find that part hard (at least from what i remember). I always used female support characteres, even when they did not suit my playstyle atall. Made the game bit harder, but I found it stupid when game became ingreasingly easier more I played. Maxing best skills.
I agree a sentinel with tech armor and fortification is a "bit" overpower.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
it's funny, I never even played a Mass Effect game
Nothing will ever "fix" the game.
Took me a while before realize it
10/10 would read again
Now THAT'S really something.
KingGiddra
Member
At this point it's more a "manifesto" than a blueprint. This guy needs to go on some lists.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
But why would you want to fix the awesome that was the multiplayer.
Truthfact I spent more time in the multiplayer than I did in the entire triology of games.
It really went beyond the ending. The entire plot and lore was inconsistent across the three games. They pretty much lost the thread in Mass Effect 2, and 3 was just a complete disaster. But honestly, Mass Effect 3 is terrible front to back. There is only a couple side missions that are excellent and well written. The rest is a mess.
People focus on the ending, but Mass Effect 3's entire script is terrible. In order to fix the story, you would need to go back to the beginning and start re-working the story so it makes sense and follows through each game.
I was talking exclusively about the Single-Player, but I actually heard the multiplayer was really fun. I'm not a big Multiplayer guy though, and I don't have a XBL account, so I never actually played the multiplayer.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Fair enough I can understand about fixing single player...., The multi vindicated the purchase from me surprisingly.
Early contender for first reply of the year here, folks. Flawless.
I feel stupid for not getting it. Is it a ME reference?
It's because at the end of ME3
the decisions you've made only change the color of a planet blowing up or something
My dream is to write a book titled "Here's how to fix Sonic the Hedgehog" and send it to Sega.
Ironically it was the thing that most people were bitching about pre-release if I recall correctly.
I've been paging through this; it's clear a lot of work went into it, and while lord knows there's enough bad fanfiction out there, the sheer scope of it makes it worth a look in my book rather than just dismissing it.
It's... certainly a thing. I respect the scope and level of detail he's given: just about any dangling plot thread or character gets picked up on or added on to. But it's also pretty clear this is the work of one person who's not happy with ME3's original ending and not really paying any mind to developmental constraints.
I like fanfiction. I've read some really good ones, and of course some really naff ones, and I respect writers that put their effort into fanfic and really try to write something great, something that adds to the universe. It can be a great way to practice writing and get to know people interested in discussing your work. But something like this just feels off to me.
Thinking it through, maybe the reason I feel that way is that this is just essentially a giant middle finger to the creators. He's essentially saying, "I'm better than Bioware" and redoing the work of a dedicated team. It's not even fanfic that continues or creates; it's fanfic that retreads and says "I know better". In small doses, that's fine; I don't think there's a fandom out there that doesn't say "wouldn't it have been better if" all the time. But at this scale, it starts to feel overblown, self-important, and really just unnecessary.
All that said, as a fanwork, it's still an interesting read, and it does speak to that fan desire of "I would've liked to have seen..." very well.
It's... certainly a thing. I respect the scope and level of detail he's given: just about any dangling plot thread or character gets picked up on or added on to. But it's also pretty clear this is the work of one person who's not happy with ME3's original ending and not really paying any mind to developmental constraints.
- There are things thrown in that just scream "random fan desire", like a romance with Khalisha. It doesn't make sense and it's just not needed, even if the other things he does with the character might be.
- The scale he's asking for is clearly beyond Bioware's budget. Heaps and heaps of new dialogue and cutscenes in addition to the existing ones, crazy levels of branching... again, these are things that would have been nice, and Bioware could have done better on, but they also show no understanding that projects have limits.
- He leaves a lot of jabs in at Bioware's expense. If he wants this to be a good sample of his work to get into the industry... it doesn't work as that.
I like fanfiction. I've read some really good ones, and of course some really naff ones, and I respect writers that put their effort into fanfic and really try to write something great, something that adds to the universe. It can be a great way to practice writing and get to know people interested in discussing your work. But something like this just feels off to me.
Thinking it through, maybe the reason I feel that way is that this is just essentially a giant middle finger to the creators. He's essentially saying, "I'm better than Bioware" and redoing the work of a dedicated team. It's not even fanfic that continues or creates; it's fanfic that retreads and says "I know better". In small doses, that's fine; I don't think there's a fandom out there that doesn't say "wouldn't it have been better if" all the time. But at this scale, it starts to feel overblown, self-important, and really just unnecessary.
All that said, as a fanwork, it's still an interesting read, and it does speak to that fan desire of "I would've liked to have seen..." very well.
Well people do extensive fan fiction for things they like, I don't see how this case is crazier than any of the others.
On a side note I don't understand why people do that quoting thing where everyone feels the need to quote one post and add nothing to it. Like what's the point? I'm on page 4 and it's still happening, and it's not to say it's one off thing, I see that all the time.
Well, no one can question his dedication.
IÂ’ll download it to read at latter time, as IÂ’m full up on Mass Effect 3 fix fics for now. IÂ’m more about crossovers these days. The one where the Normandy discovers Equestria had me laughing for like five solid minutes. Seriously, oxygen intake was becoming an issue.
IÂ’ll download it to read at latter time, as IÂ’m full up on Mass Effect 3 fix fics for now. IÂ’m more about crossovers these days. The one where the Normandy discovers Equestria had me laughing for like five solid minutes. Seriously, oxygen intake was becoming an issue.
Mobius and pet octopus
Member
If he enjoyed doing it, who are you to judge him? Have your ever made a commitment to do something like this and followed it through just for the enjoyment of doing it? Creating art is fulfilling.
Takamura-San
Member
Actually waiting for your review.
Cross-Section
Member
Just finished reading it myself, and I agree with a lot of your points. A great deal of the dialogue that's he written (specifically in terms of Shepard), though... it just comes off as out-of-character. Renegade Shepard in particular reads as an actively-malignant asshole instead of simply a impatient one. Sure, Renegade Shep most definitely has multiple opportunities to be like that throughout the trilogy, but at least in most of those instances the game would allow you to variate (like genociding the Rachni being either a "I can't take that risk, sorry" or a "because FUCK YOUUUUU" type of affair in terms of Renegade dialogue options) Likewise for Shepard and co.'s new romance lines; it sounds like he outsourced to the BSN for quite a few of them.
The Khalisha stuff works for me as a Chakwas-Michel style option, with the different types of "journalist" leading to a different dynamic between Shepard and Khalisha as opposed to him/her and Allers. The romance, though, well, see the above.
Overall, by no means is this treatment perfect, but one thing I do absolutely adore and believe works 100% is the post-credits epilogue that replaces the Stargazer bit: