S.A.M - Simulated Adaptive Matrix (Official Thread)

The synthetic enemy the Prothean Empire faced were called the Zha'til, not the Metacon. That's just what they called the war. 
I doubt Bioware would do that, since that will have the Reapers be a major part of a major character's backstory and it seems they want to keep that topic small. Plus I doubt the Reapers would let the Zha'til live considering their mandate, or rather either they'd be wiped out or used to serve the Reapers like how the Heretics were planned to be the new Keepers or Collectors. 

Where did all that info come from?  I've recently completed a re-run of ME3 with Javik in it and I only recall one mention of the metacon war in his dialogues with none of that extra detail. Admittedly I picked Javik up pretty late on this run-through and my previous run-throughs were a couple of years ago but, still, it doesn't ring any bells. Did the extra stuff come from a comic or some other external source or did I just miss it?

I deliberately held off until after Thessia as someone had mentioned it changes the dialogue of that mission and I wanted to experience the difference.

I've just started another run and picked him up early (just before the summit with the Krogan, Salarian and Turian leaders).

In the first scene with him after the mission he mentions the metacon war and says they had nearly won it when the Reapers arrived. He also says that it took the united efforts of all the subject races to get to that point.

I remember a discussion between him and Garrus in the lounge where, in response to the talk of the Geth, he mentions that the Zha'til turned on the Zha (amongst other conflicts).

Just after Grissom Academy on this new run Edi was talking to Shepard about transhumans but I don't remember that being related to anything Javik said.

I guess we'll see if my new runthrough reveals any more info

That would make sense.  I may take him on the Geth missions, he's certainly no lover of synthetics so it could be interesting

I’ve read all of the thread in a single session, and I’ve to say I’m very interested in the discussion going on here: more for the collaterals than SAM, but let’s try to stay on target first and widen the scope later.

So, SAM: for me, it could be the acrostic for “Self-Aware personality Matrix.” and its origin should be searched nearer (and farer) than others have already suggested. Personally, I think SAM could be the first “smart” VI of its kind, based though on the model of Protheans VI like Vigil on Ilos.
From ME1, we know that the Protheans built “virtual constructs” with personality traits derived from their programmer or the person in charge of the project it superintends (If I remember correctly, Vigil was based on Ksad Ishan, head researcher of the Conduit Project). Possibly, this was made by the Protheans to serve 3 distinct purposes:

1) Avoid true AI, which we know the Protheans actively fought, first in the Metacon war and then against the Reapers
2) Create a smarter instrument than “dumb” VI for the needs of their empire. Being a warmongering civilization, fixated with excellence (as in evolutive excellence), dumb VI was… not really unacceptable, but unsatisfying for the Prothean (Avina anyone?). A virtual intelligence without the desire to expand its consciousness, but an intelligence nonetheless, would have been a lot better, even from the mere standpoint of resources management. Picture a self-improving VI without the need to be instructed on how to better complete its task…
Or at least, this is how I’ve interpreted Vigil, which brings me straight to the last point.
3) Create a helper aligned for purposes and guidelines to their organic administrator/ users. Which would be (or could be, among other things), a failsafe against both hacking and the dangers of self-awareness (as in revaluation of their objective, as the Heretics Geths did aligning with the Reapers).
Basically, why trust an entire project on one head honcho, when you can have a guardian/helper/trusty VI incapable of defection to help him/her, reminding with his/her same words and mannerism why he/she can’t give up?
Implications… disturbing for their opportunities for manipulations, but the Protheans strike me as a pragmatic and paranoid enough civilization to indulge in this kind of VIs.

A smart VI of this kind wouldn’t have the need to expand their horizons (lacking the base need for it) but at the same time could become better at its purpose, refining and evolving its collaboration with its main user/creator. In short, reaching a better synergy with its users without sacrificing focus.
So, if SAM is this kind of VI, I think it will be based on Ryder: Alec first, and after the beginning of the game enriched with traits from Bro/Sys Ryder, all done with the purpose of helping us in the Pathfinder role. Basically, with the progressing of the adventure, SAM would effectively become… well us. A “ghost in the shell” version of us, spawned from a mix and match of ourselves and Alec Ryder (or DadRyder and the twin we’re not playing).
Which, if true, could explain the bonding process between us and it: almost like the third kid of the Ryder family (or a substitute should one of the two die at the beginning of the game). A lot less charismatic true, but with access to superior clocking power: I think it will sacrifice itself for us during the course of the adventure, possibly 20 minutes after acquiring a shiny metal ass.
You know, because Legion sacrifice wasn’t heart wrenching enough: we all need to suffer for our sins.

Derailing a little from the thread, I’m really looking forward on how technology and the misuse of it will play out in Andromeda. It almost seems as Bioware is preparing a second match between synthetic and organics, but this time without all the problem related to self-awareness. Maybe I’m reading too much in it, but I really don’t think it’s a case the Kett seem to possess an organic kind of technology, while the Milkiwaians are deep in post humanism territory: implants able to give biotics and tech abilities…
I really want to see how they will justify this from a lore standpoint, considering how fleshed out biotics theory was in the trilogy, but we will see.



Or maybe it will be only used as an additional spark to lit the initial strife between the 2 galaxies. Who knows, maybe it won’t amount to anything in the end, but I doubt it.
Anyway, my two dollars on the matter: surely it’s more than a couple of cents, but for this I’m not sorry.
It’s one of the best quality of the ME franchise, imo: the ability to light up intelligence and imagination with the consequences of actions in a sci fi setting, while staying grounded in a deeply thought and rich scenario. It’s a world with a finished number of variables, at the same time easily understood, but an almost infinite number of possibilities.
Now, if only EA this time could avoid gobbling our very blood with DLCs containing mandatory elements, I would be so much happier… to the point I could actually buy more EA games!

Sorry if I missed this as I haven't read the whole thread but do we know who the VA is? I bought The Division and the AI was voiced by Garrus. Would be cool if we got that here.

Something i missed in the previous trailer.

Looks like the Combat Drone.

The combat drone is a passive!

So yeah, while I had freaked out a bit in the beginning where it looked like we'd only have three active powers at a time, it looks like we'll have passive abilities that used to take up those power slots. Ammo types also don't take up power slots, but will be consumable. Which is cool because these things might not affect our cooldowns maybe? And we'll have an 'upgraded' version of each of our active powers if we level them up accessible by holding down the button instead of pressing it (overload becomes chain overload for example). So we have other 'powers' at our disposal that don't count as powers in the same way anymore. So while I'm still not thrilled with the new system, we do have more options available to us than it appears at first glance.

Oooh, I like this idea! This is the kind of sci-fi weirdness I personally love! SAM as software installed into the hardware of our brains? Spooky stuff, but I'm down. I actually read a short story once that had something like that. I don't remember what it was, but I remember people having implants in their brains that AIs could access to make people more 'efficient.' Of course they started taking over - enter typical 'rise of the machines' plot, so and so forth, I don't remember how it ended or if I even finished it, but the general concept was cool and sounds a bit like what SAM is to us with all this reconfigurable implant business. I know some people on this forum would hate the idea but I think it would be interesting provided the game devs don't go re-hashing oft-used sci-fi plots with it. Conflicts with artificial life are cool and all, but we got enough of that in the trilogy.

Could make for an interesting subplot though. I do think SAM might have something to do with our family mystery that's been mentioned. SAM was connected to our father before it became ours, apparently, so it would be interesting if SAM has some of our father's memories and lets something slip.

SAM?, like an actual SAM?.

ok, i should go.

I totally support the idea of SAM as a default VI for the Pathfinders, but with some special features. Considering the specifics of the Pathfinder work - SAM could be like nanosuits in Crysis series: symbiotic thingy able to blend with alien tech so SAM's user can use it.

N7 day trailer shows us that DadRyder is trying to open something in Remnant vault, so maybe this is the case when SAM is "upgraded" with Remnant tech. Something then happens to Alec and this ability to use Remnant tech (terminals, "Remnant VI" ability and stuff) with SAM on board is somehow transfer to us (Crysis 2 intro-like?). Also considering that there is a LOT similarities with the ME1 in MEA, this could be an Andromeda's analog for prothean cipher that Shepard aquired from the beacon.

Speaking about profiles and implant reconfigurations - stock version of the implant could possibly not customizable in the first place until SAM and implant were not upgraded with Remnant software in the beginning of the game. This is how they can explain profiles in the story.

We can also return to N7Day trailer's ending scene with the Chosen Kett. This Remnant Cipher and SAM could be the reason why this Chosen one knows "what makes you (Ryder) special". This Kett can also be the Chosen due to his own ability to control Remnant tech - just like Ryder. Saren sends his regards, lol.

I see him being a lot like EDI, you land on a planet, he tells you some mission details and probably is involved in a few story missions.

I don't think so, I hear a male voice...granted, I am terrible at voice recognition so I might be wrong.