inherit
975
0
1,681
cloud9
3,876
Aug 14, 2016 11:41:22 GMT
August 2016
cloud9
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2
sicklyhour015
|
Post by cloud9 on Apr 17, 2017 15:47:01 GMT
Link to full article : www.gamespot.com/articles/mass-effect-andromeda-mac-walters-interview/1100-6448749/I suggest you read it. There's a lot of intersting reflections regarding the trilogy, the ending and Mac's ideas about what Mass Effect should be about. He also concedes why Mass Effect 2 is the best game in a lot of ways. Actually, this is pretty much related to MEA's endgame. Can we move it to spoiler-board for the discussion? To Mr. Mac Walters
|
|
inherit
1148
0
858
armass81
684
Aug 23, 2016 11:48:55 GMT
August 2016
armass81
|
Post by armass81 on Apr 17, 2017 15:54:57 GMT
So thats what im afraid, that ME will dissolve into: a relationship and romance simulator in space, with as generic as it can be background for alien contacts and interstellar wars, far in the background.
Like playing Star Control, but with no story, soul or plot to keep you hooked, just dozens upon dozens of races you can talk shit to about nothing pretty much, fight against endless horde of faceless enemies, or a harem of space babes or males to romance. Star Control 3 in other words.
I dont want a series of ME2 like games, all over each other. Dont emulate a game that has tons of character stories but no plot or a bare bones plot.
|
|
pdusen
N3
Posts: 296 Likes: 974
inherit
394
0
974
pdusen
296
August 2016
pdusen
|
Post by pdusen on Apr 17, 2017 16:38:48 GMT
What on earth is "true ending" supposed to mean? DA:I had an ending. I haven't played Trespasser myself yet I don't think Inquisition was incomplete for me. It was already generous of them to waste development resources scaling down the game to the previous-gen consoles; why would you expect bonus content? Get over yourself. You haven't played Trespasser yet you feel like opining with your ass. Good talk! I have played Trespasser. It's not the "true ending" of DAI. At worst, it's a mini-sequel. Really, it's just setting us up for DA4.
|
|
inherit
738
0
4,633
Link"Guess"ski
3,882
August 2016
linkenski
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda
Linkenski
asblinkenski
Linkenski
|
Post by Link"Guess"ski on Apr 17, 2017 18:16:32 GMT
So thats what im afraid, that ME will dissolve into: a relationship and romance simulator in space, with as generic as it can be background for alien contacts and interstellar wars, far in the background. Like playing Star Control, but with no story, soul or plot to keep you hooked, just dozens upon dozens of races you can talk shit to about nothing pretty much, fight against endless horde of faceless enemies, or a harem of space babes or males to romance. Star Control 3 in other words. I dont want a series of ME2 like games, all over each other. Dont emulate a game that has tons of character stories but no plot or a bare bones plot. Exactly. You have a special and super intricate setting with tremendous potential for storytelling just within those details and you're actively wasting it by using space magic and other plot-excuses for the sake of telling "character-driven" stories full of melodrama and sensationalism. I like ME2 because its side-stories at least explore certain lore-topics in depth like Mordin's mission, Samara's and Thane and Legion but too often they tread lightly over the Mass Effect setting as a backdrop and put cliched human interactions in the forefront and revolve the drama around the interaction of people but they don't insert the details of the IP often enough to develop the story like they did in the best parts of ME1.
|
|
inherit
4578
0
5,014
griffith82
Hope for the best, plan for the worst
4,259
Mar 15, 2017 21:36:52 GMT
March 2017
griffith82
|
Post by griffith82 on Apr 17, 2017 18:21:02 GMT
So thats what im afraid, that ME will dissolve into: a relationship and romance simulator in space, with as generic as it can be background for alien contacts and interstellar wars, far in the background. Like playing Star Control, but with no story, soul or plot to keep you hooked, just dozens upon dozens of races you can talk shit to about nothing pretty much, fight against endless horde of faceless enemies, or a harem of space babes or males to romance. Star Control 3 in other words. I dont want a series of ME2 like games, all over each other. Dont emulate a game that has tons of character stories but no plot or a bare bones plot. I didn't get that vibe at all.
|
|
sherlockholmes
N1
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 26 Likes: 31
inherit
7712
0
May 12, 2018 14:29:04 GMT
31
sherlockholmes
26
Apr 16, 2017 14:19:42 GMT
April 2017
sherlockholmes
Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda
|
Post by sherlockholmes on Apr 19, 2017 15:05:40 GMT
Thanks for providing the link. The Mac interview answered a lot of questions for me. I always wondered how they approached ME:1 after KOTOR II (I know Obsidian developed it, but it was under the auspices of BWare). The KOTORs had, of course, the SW universe as a background to write the story, something I'm guessing most players were familiar with when they played those games. Mac said basically they had a blank slate to develop ME, constrained only by time, resources and imagination (along with avoiding any copyright restrictions from LArts). He reminisced about recreating that feeling of awe and wonder in a cinematic way. At least that's what I got from parts of the interview. What was lost/gained by that transition from KOTOR to ME would be a subject of another thread.
But that led me to wonder about how writers of these games succeed at all. To me the biggest hurdle is the fact that "interactive fiction" is itself only 30 or so years old. How do you write a believable, consistent, compelling plot with credible interactive characters--including the gamer him/herself--engaged in meaningful actions with reasonable choices? And in a trilogy, that main plot arc has to be maintained throughout the series, but each "installment" has to have a self-contained subplot, something I think Mac was alluding to with the "standalone" comment. Of course, we gamers are a varied lot. At risk of overgeneralizing, I'd say on one end of the spectrum are those of us who enjoy mostly story and the other end those who enjoy mostly action, with most of us falling somewhere in-between. Write too much narrative, and the game becomes a book. Too much action, and it becomes an arcade. Something I think writers take into consideration by including level choices such as in ME:A with Narrative on one end and Insane on the other. (Of course, there are other reasons for those choices.)
Whatever the writer envisions then must be transmitted via narration, missions (involving major plot, subplot, loyalty, non-consequential), cut-scenes, dialogue trees, and text. How all that comes together is beyond me. Really an amazing process!
|
|