I feel they played it too safe with the Andromeda Aliens

I have no idea how your post relates to mine.



Thanks for that link. Interesting read.

Interesting read. I think the sci-fi author sums up the problem pretty well: "Three things are generally intrinsic about human beings: 1. We think we know everything. 2. We think everything is about us. 3. We need things to be about us in order to care. [...]"
That guy could write for Bioware...

Perhaps. I don't see how you can't explore those themes with bi pedal aliens. Again in terms of thematic norms humans have been dealing with human like 'aliens' for generations. And yet we've been able to advance pretty compelling themes. Including MEA

And no i don't want mass effect to be utterly average. But since Andromeda is one of the six or seven best video games I've ever played, out of around fifty. And its the second best Mass effect game I've played. And the second best RPG of the generation (best being inquisition) the game is hardly average. (Which would be a tier 3 or 4 on my scale...so Origins)

I was straight-up agreeing. It is the same for aliens as for planets. Evolution in the MEU produces mostly humanoid races, and a high percentage of those are close enough to humans to fill a romance slot.

The angara are exactly what we should expect to find in Andromeda. Although in retrospect Bio probably should have put the zots into doing a cheap cameo race or two like the hanar, just to stop conversations like this.

That's assuming that BioWare is even leveraging those themes adequately. BioWare are still exploring the basic themes of coexistence, teamwork, and one-dimensional ideological extremism, and frankly, with the premise they've given themselves, that's all they can really do (assuming their writing acumen doesn't drastically improve). If the Kett or Angarans were biologically different to a significant extent, then coexistence becomes a more interesting conflict because part of that struggle becomes finding common ground between two disparate entities rather than simple human cooperation.

having more interesting aliens is a simple fix. Imbuing realistic fiction with interesting subject matter and themes is difficult; it requires that the characters and plot be that much more solid to make up for the inherently less interesting back drop. I don't believe BioWare are really capable of that. All of their games require a good amount of that sci-fi/fantasy zest to supplement their great, but frequently average writing.

The fact is, this game is sitting at around a 70 average for a good reason. I'm tired of defending against "well I liked it, so ha!" Andromeda is average. It may appeal to you more than other games you've played, but when I say it's average, this is me assessing the game not only from my own extensive experience with both games and science fiction media (literature, movies, television, etc.), but also just the prevailing opinion that is so very easily divined from the internet. Andromeda is an average game. Many games do what it does, but better. It has average writing. It has average characters. It is average science fiction.

But regardless of all that, my simple question is this: would Andromeda not have been better had the new species been more exotic? As much as you may like the game, do you not think it could have been improved in this regard?

Weird with thought being put into it to make it appear plausible is fine - it's great in fact, and is what really good science fiction does. It's a world away from being weird for the sake of it and making it look ridiculous "because it's cool". My worry is that they'll settle for the latter if they do go down the different route, which I think I'd find harder to swallow than playing it safe. Do something random without thought then claim "people don't accept weird aliens", because that's easier than accepting that you haven't bothered building up the whole picture in which those weird aliens exist. Always easier to blame the concept than admit that your implementation of it didn't stand up.

Then why bother with science fiction sectting to begin with? If the intent is to recreate the environments of earth in a superficially different but broadly identical manner, than there is no need to spread the game out across multiple planets and multiple star systems; Voeld, Kadarda, Eos, Eladeen and Havarl could all be different locations on the same planet, with little adjustment. To limit yourself to the presumtions listend in the above post is detrimental to the creative value of your universe.

Same can be said about the sapient lifeform in Mass Effect. Admittedly, the series has been big on making alies look and act alien, generally, the less human an alien species get, the least screentime it gets. Still in terms of visual design and behaviour, the Angara ar less alien in appearance and behaviour than the Salarians in ME1 and that game had the Elcor, Hanar and Rachni.

The larger implications are here as well, the symbolical gap between travelling from galaxy to galaxy only the encounter worlds and aliens that are broadly similar to what we allreadly know is thoroughly dissapointing. You say that weird for the sake of weird must be avoided, I disagree, this is a Sci-Fi univese in which we just crossed the threshold of intergalactic travel. Bioware is totally justified in creating the most outlandish and otherworldy enviroments and lifeforms more so than sticking with what we allready know just because the can.

This is the kind of aesthetic route I hoped they'd go down when Andromeda was announced. Very alien, but still visual aspect that are recognisable and relatable (heads, limbs, eyes, mouths, whatever).

I liked some of the early concept art for the Kett, but the in-game version is a bit G.I. Joe for my liking. I think that's a bit of an issue with early release info, it's hard to get it out of your head and then accept the finished product.

I liked the Angaran design but I was hoping to move away from yet another a sexually dimorphic bipedal race (and another blue one!).

Thinking about Star Trek-one of the discussions that comes up so often is "Why so human looking aliens?" and one of the answers in that case is actors. In games you can really push the boat out because you can literally create from the inside out. New movements, new communication methods...you can create a crazy environment and go "What would a living creature need to survive this environment?".

I agree it was very safe, and also a bit bland. Even the wildlife was very familiar. Fungus and bugs. And the weather? Snow, desert, rock, jungle. The remnant and the scourge were fantastically exotic though.

I hope that the rest of Andromeda has much more alien species, ones that are harder to understand, and that their alien-ness will make first contact difficult (and in some cases with no possibility for peaceful co-existence). 

Still, I love the game.

I know. This is more to do with "why not use some of the assets from Dragon Age Inquisition" for some interesting aliens.

I posted the picture of the giant from DAI bc I thought that would work well.

...Which is a shame.

...why wouldn't i?

I mean.the Angarra are my second favorite race introduced in me...and again looks are just a part of a character be it the individual or a group...the smallest and most unimportant part.