inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Jun 16, 2019 22:58:04 GMT
with a bit of luck I'll be able to finish up Cameo's ME2 Sentinel run tomorrow (currently at the level cap of level 30, was able to locate all my points so I have no left over) my current build (which I might adjust for ME3 import, not sure yet) My recommendation: Reset your skill points before importing into ME3, but do not actually assign any of your points. That way you have 60 free talent points to spend when you get control of Shepard in ME3. That is enough to max two talent bars (21 points each) and almost max a third. When you hit Mars, you will hit level 31 and should have enough points to max a third bar. So by the beginning of Mars, you can max the three powers you intend to use the most in ME3 right away.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 28, 2019 23:14:36 GMT
I ended on level 56 this time around...I might've been able to reach level 60 if I'd killed everything I came across on foot... Just FYI, you CANNOT reach level 60 in one playthrough. Highest level you can reach in one playthrough is 58. You need at least two playthroughs to reach level 60.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 26, 2019 18:15:36 GMT
I joined a couple of matches in progress that went well, then another where we wiped on wave 10.
To those who I played with (if you are on here): I am sorry, but this is my second day back playing ME3 multiplayer on PC in over a few years (and I just ramped it up to Gold difficulty) and I am terrible with a keyboard and mouse. I am used to playing with a controller, so I end up spending too much time trying to hit the right keys to use powers or equipment, then hoping I get my fingers correctly back onto WASD.
I may have to look into installing a controller mod to see if that helps.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 26, 2019 2:17:01 GMT
So I played ME3 multiplayer on the PC for the first time in what felt like forever. I am so bad with a keyboard and mouse. I played a few Silver matches to try to get back into the swing of things. I might bump it up to Gold next time, but I am thinking of installing a mod for controller support since that is what I am used to using.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 22, 2019 11:32:19 GMT
And shotguns are always good, even my engineers in ME1 have shotguns and a lot of times play close and personal when fighting. Shotguns are fine on all characters, but Carnage -- the shotgun-specific power -- is not. If you have Barrier active, using carnage will end Barrier's duration prematurely. So it can affect Vanguard, Adept, Sentinel, and Soldier. (Although why would you put Barrier on a Soldier when you have Immunity?)
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 18, 2019 13:57:45 GMT
Played almost three Geth Incursion missions today. Chilled somewhere over the cover of a cliff and sniped me some sitting duck Geth dropping out of a Dropship. Took about eight lvl.4 sniper rifle shots each on Insanity, but wanted that bonus EXP from out of MAKO kills. Once finished, returned to a burning MAKO behind me. Doh, should have picked a better parking spot. As long as the Mako still has shields or health, it is fine to drive. If it has no health ans shields, you die as soon as you enter it. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 15, 2019 23:27:08 GMT
I dig Aria's Flare and Nyreen's kit. Reave and Lash are better abilities for Aria than Flare. Flare has a punishing cooldown on Aria, which would be better spend on Reave or Lash. I generally just use Lash most of the time on Aria.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 14, 2019 23:32:12 GMT
Now I'm curious. Why in the world would you put a krogan in the spectre branch? Because you want a lot of things to die with a badass one-liner? More seriously, Spectres are supposed to be the "best of the best". Spectres are mostly shown to be picked for their combat and tactical prowess (Bau and Kaiden/Ashley in ME3 notwithstanding). Krogan live long lives, rivaling that of the Asari. Krogan are naturally aggressive with a history of violence and war, which means lots of combat experience. It would make sense that a Krogan at some point would be considered Spectre-worthy. Not all Spectres are not exactly subtle, either. In Mass Effect 1, the Alliance estimates there are under 100 Spectres, but boy do people know in a hurry that Shepard is a Spectre. From the novels and in Mass Effect 1 we learn Saren does not exactly handle missions with a delicate or subtle touch. See also Tela Vasir in Mass Effect 2 (and Cerberus News Network during Mass Effect 2). See also the first Spectre, shown in the Mass Effect 3 Citadel Archives (Citadel DLC). For the most part, the Mass Effect games have Krogan NPCs fit a narrow template, but you can also say the same about the Volus, Batarians, Elcor, and Hanar. I just figure a Krogan would be the most likely Spectre candidate from the options provided in the opening post.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 10, 2019 11:00:34 GMT
I went back to the XP Guide. It is 50% penalty for Normal mode, and 60% penalty on Hardcore and Insanity (not quite 2/3) I hate this so much. "Hey, here's a cool tank you get to use! But we're going to punish you for using it."
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 9, 2019 11:55:49 GMT
Mako is drastic, it multiplies XP by 1/3 IIRC. Back when I first played ME1 and didn't know anything, it took me at least three games to get to 60, haha. My very first guy only hit 42, but I did also skip a fair amount of things. From what I recall on the old forums -- and so what I keep repeating on these forums -- is that killing with the Mako reduces XP by 50%. It seems to make the biggest difference early game when the XP required for early level increases are at their smallest. That being said... I have both Pinnacle Station and Bring Down the Sky DLC. With all XP bonuses from achievements active (which I think is +20% or +25% XP), I was able to hit level 58 by the end of the game in a single playthrough by not killing anything in the Mako. The last few runs where I decided to use the Mako -- at least early game when it was easier -- I hit level 56 by the end of the game. So I think the Mako XP punishment is a little overblown. Even without DLC, you should be able to hit level 56 or 57 without the Mako, and level 54-55 with the Mako, provided you do everything. Not sure how much those extra 2-3 talent points will help you, depending on your build. You might just be putting those talent points into a point sink at that point.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 8, 2019 11:49:58 GMT
Question: How do I determine to use throw or warp as a finisher? I admit I'm used to using Warp (i have it mapped on my controller.) I only get 3 choices - right now that are Singularity, Warp and Pull. How much better is Javik than Kaidan? As I said, I think I am over-valuing his Overload. For detonating combos: - Detonate biotic explosions with Throw. - Detonate tech (cryo/electric/fire) explosions with Warp, since Warp will then prime for a biotic explosion which you can then detonate with another biotic power such as your throw. For example: Overload > Warp (tech burst/electrical explosion) > Throw (biotic explosion). * further regarding chaining explosions: Some powers -- such as Overload, Incinerate, Warp, and Reave -- can both prime and detonate explosions. If you detonate an explosions with one of these powers, they will then immediately prime the target (if the target is still alive) for another explosion. However, you can only dual detonate+prime if the detonating power primes for a different type of explosion. For example, you can detonate Incinerate with Overload (fire explosion) and prime for a tech burst, but if you detonate Energy Drain with Overload, it will create a tech burst but not prime for another tech burst since they are both electric. This allows you to go tech primer > biotic detonator (tech explosion) > biotic detonator (biotic explosion). The Engineer can alternate Incinerate and Overload for alternating fire explosions and tech bursts. On a controller, I would map: Throw, Singularity/Pull, and Throw As for Javik versus Kaiden with an Adept Shepard: - Javik's Pull is greater than anything Kaiden has for health-only enemies. - Kaiden's Reave is better than Javik's Dark Channel. Reave can both prime and detonate biotic explosions; Dark Channel can only prime. Kaiden get get a quicker cooldown with Reave than Javik can with Dark Channel. Reave can hit multiple enemies at once (with rank 4 Radius), whereas Dark Channel is single-target. Dark Channel can jump to a new target when the first target dies, but in practice it does not happen all that often. Since single player has mostly health-only targets, Javik tends to get more use than Kaiden. But you start to see more protected enemies in the later missions, so Kaiden can be more use there.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 7, 2019 12:21:23 GMT
From Mass Effect 1, when talking with Jenkins and Chakwas about Spectres (emphasis added):
SHEPARD: Why don't we have any of our own people in there? CHAKWAS: Spectres usually come from the council races, like the Turians. We've been trying to get a human accepted into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened.
So it should be pointed out that you can be a Spectre while not being a council race. Remember: Shepard was made a Spectre while humans were still not a council race.
Of the races you mention, a Krogan is most likely to actually be a Spectre.
A Drell -- specifically a Drell Assassin could also likely be a Spectre considering their assassin training and experience. Hard to say if the Hanar would allow it considering how few (relatively speaking) Drell are left and how many Drell would actually be trained as assassins.
A Quarian Spectre seems unlikely. It seems Quarians rarely leave the flotilla except for Pilgrimage, exile, or for approved scientific or military missions.
Batarians Spectres are also highly unlikely given that the Batarians broke away from the Citadel and have strained relationships with other races ever since.
As much as I love the idea of a Vorcha spectre, it is too unlikely given their short lifespan and the amount of training and experience required to even be considered as a Spectre.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 6, 2019 23:55:58 GMT
So, it seems Liara is a no-brainer to combo with an Adept - for the 2nd slot, I see people mention Javik and Kaidan. I was figuring Kaidan was better since he had Overload plus a combo starter/finisher. Am I putting too much stock into Overload? I'll prob use him once I get him back since he's my L.I. but wanted some feedback on other options. As I posted earlier, EDI seems kinda meh. Garrus was alright, but I guess I need a 2nd biotic combo buddy. Any other good thirds for an Adept party? Also, which bonus power would u suggest for an Adept - was gonna pick Stasis just to lock-down some enemies but i'd like some input. 1. Regarding a second squadmate: I recommend Javik, or Kaiden later if you want. As I stated earlier, I like using both Liara and Javik since I can alternate their Singularity and Pull for health-only enemies (which is the norm), and they also have Warp and Dark Channel for protected enemies. Basically, you are a Throw-bot most of the game, pulling out your Warp and maybe Cluster grenades on occasion. You can always swap out Javik for Kaiden later you want since his Reave can be both a primer and detonator on anything. 2. Regarding bonus powers, the best bonus powers for the Adept are probably Fortification (or Barrier or Defense Matrix), Warp Ammo, and Energy Drain Of Fortification/Barrier/Defense Matrix, Fortification has both the best power damage (+30%) and damage reduction (+40%) bonuses. You can swap out Fortification for Defense Matrix if you want the shield boost on purge ability, or use Barrier if you are a stickler for class-based powers. Barrier's purge ability -- lift enemies if they are hit in by the purge radius -- is not very good. I have tried a couple of times to try to build a playstyle out of it, but it just sucks too bad to be useful. Warp Ammo is good for the extra damage you can do to enemies affected by other biotic powers, although it does not work on all biotic powers. (Someone tested it once and discovered it does not work with Dark Channel? I cannot remember; I don't think that information is on these new forums.) It should work with Warp and Reave. Energy Drain is good if you want your own anti-shield power instead of relying on a squadmate with Energy Drain or Overload. Reave can also work if you want to use it instead of Warp.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 6, 2019 1:40:43 GMT
I just killed the fish. Again. *sigh* Don't feel bad. They were clearly indoctrinated. (Also, this is why you do not buy fish until just before you import into ME3. Saves you from needing to feed them. Or just do not buy any fish. A lot of may Shepards have an empty fish tank.)
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 6, 2019 1:39:20 GMT
Not a glitch.
You do not get any XP for killing the Rachni that are attacking the marines at the listening post. You may get XP for surviving the encounter, but I do not remember (I do not think you do).
At Pinnacle Station, you do not get any XP for 'killing' individual enemies. You get XP for getting first place on each mission (but only the first time you do it) and for completing Ahern's special mission.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 5, 2019 12:33:43 GMT
ME3 Squadmate build suggestions here: Squadmate Build Compendium: Mass Effect 3 Edition, by sageoflife (and a post by me). Since I usually start with a level 30 import, I have more to work with starting in ME3. For Liara: 1. I usually max her Singularity (Radius- Recharge Speed - Expand) and get her passive to rank 4 Recharge Speed. For new players, maxing her passive first may be better. 2. From there, I like to get her Warp to at least rank 4 Detonate. 3. I rarely, if ever, use Stasis, but you can at least put one point into it as soon as you want. I max this last. 4. After that, I usually finish maxing her passive, then Warp. Alternatively, you can finish maxing her Warp, then passive. Up to you. 5. I never use Warp Ammo on her since I typically am rarely shooting as an Adept. It is mostly just biotic detonations. For a more balanced Liara, I would take Squad Bonus on her passive; her squad bonus affects all her powers. If you only care about Singularity on her, then take Singularity Recharge. I usually take squad bonus myself. For Javik: 1. I usually max his Pull first (Radius - Expose - Recharge Speed). 2. I max his Dark Channel second. (Damage - Recharge speed - Pierce) 3. Then I max his passive: Durability (power damage) - Power Damage, Squad Bonus (power damage). 4. Lift grenades last (Damage - Grenade Count - Damage). I play on Xbox, so I have to pause to use his grenades so I end up never using them but they are nice to have. On PC, you can use them more often, so you may want to max them first before his passive. For EDI and Garrus's Overload: I prefer single target since protections are more rare, and you can always combo off it for a tech burst that deals shield damage to everyone around the target so chain overload is less useful. Chain Overload is more needed for multiplayer. Hope that helps.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 4, 2019 13:16:57 GMT
Nice. Question though: 1. I get that you can assume non-lethality. But that is no reason to exclude the most powerful biotics or tech. Under an arena simulation, the most powerful biotics or tech would still work, just as a non-lethal simulation. 2. I would totally do a 10 team bracket as I did above because the Arena is just a simulation and so could indeed simulate Rachni and Geth. 3. I also think that The Alliance N7 have come a long way since the Contact War. So yes Turians are more disciplined as a whole, but in terms of tech and biotics, Alliance have caught up. N7 also has more flexibility and better utilization of combined squad roles in their tactics (as opposed to putting biotics in "Cabal" units and not using them in tandem with the Blackwatch) 4. I do think the Batarian SIU, judging from the success of their methods via the Blue Suns, would be a very hard challenge for even the Turian Blackwatch. I agree that 1v1 Turian Blackwatch operative outclasses SIU. I agree also that equal members of squad vs squad SIU loses too b/c Blackwatch would be far better pound for pound. SIU is interesting b/c I suspect that they would show up with more guys though, in any given situation. Out of all the special forces, I think the Batarians have found a way to come as close as possible to mass producing Special Forces. Even in the real world, nobody can do that. But the success of the Blue Suns hints that the SIU has the potential to train more people than all the others. Which in a realistic scenario, there would be a smaller number of Turian Blackwatch operatives versus SIU. The outcome then would be in doubt. Turians might have more reliable weaponry, but Batarian State Arms really packs a punch. It would come down to just how much force can the SIU bring to the field to overwhelm the Blackwatch. Interesting thought. I will answer your question and provide additional clarification on your other comments. I've numbered your questions and comments above for clarity. 1. Since you asked about a tournament, I would have to assume this tournament needs to enact some form of rules to govern the competition. I had to make the assumption that this tournament was organized and run in such a way that all competing worlds would allow their special forces units to compete head-to-head. That means non-lethal with as much reduced risk of injury as possible. Each species' government has sunk millions or billions of credits into each special forces soldier (training and equipment), so there is no way they would risk those soldiers in a tournament that was a series of deathmatches. Therefore, non-lethal tournament with as little risk to injury as possible. To prevent injury and death requires limits or restrictions with what you can do with biotics and tech. From the ME1 codex, there are three branches of biotics: - TELEKINESIS uses mass-lowering fields to levitate or impel objects. - Mass-raising KINETIC FIELDS are used to block or pin objects - DISTORTION uses rapidly-shifting mass fields to shred objects Unless you restrict or limit biotics in some way, Telekinesis and Distortion biotics run the risk of harming or killing opponents. We see several examples of these biotics in the games and books. The lore (I think in the codex) states something like biotic users can put on two or three 'impressive' displays of biotics before they are exhausted. This lore is side-stepped in-game to improve the gameplay loop. We also see some 'impressive' displays of biotics in game cutscenes, almost to a comical degree (Jack in ME2 when she destroys 2-3 YMIR mechs, some Asari in Mass Effect Andromeda with massive barriers). Tech in the Mass Effect universe is much more nebulous, and can essentially boil down to "what do we need tech to do?". But tech can also do harm so it would also need to be limited or restricted in some way. It should also be noted in game, biotics started stretching or breaking the lore as the series progressed, and tech changed a bit from ME1 to ME2, and morphed again in ME3. "Tech" could also apply to various 'combat' abilities in the games. By removing or restricting biotics and tech, I am most certainly restricting or removing primary abilities or differentiators from various units. There is no way to avoid that if I am to make this tournament non-lethal. Arena simulations such as Armax Arsenal Arena or Pinnacle Station are player versus environment, not player versus player. They are designed to be non-lethal because you have an organic team competing against a virtual/simulated opponent. As soon as you pit two teams against each other, it is no longer simulated. Hence, the need to limit biotics, tech, and weapons to avoid injury or death. 2. To do a proper single-elimination bracket tournament, the number of teams/individuals in the bracket need to be an exponent of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64...). Otherwise, certain teams or individuals will get a bye into the next round. Take American Football for example. In the National Football League (NFL), you have a regular season, followed by a single-elimination bracket tournament to determine the winner of that season. In the NFL playoffs, some teams based on their regular season record will get a first-round bye, meaning they will skip the first round and then play their first playoff game in the second round. For this though exercise, it was easier to immediately eliminate 2 of the 10 teams (to get 8 teams), then it was to try to determine who gets a bye and where in the tournament bracket. 3. Turians tend to move their biotics into their own Cabals, but there is nothing to suggest that biotics are prevented from becoming members of Blackwatch. We have no way of knowing how many biotics are actually in Blackwatch. Cabals are essentially biotic-only military units, but Blackwatch can draw from any lesser military unit. 4. Do not confuse mercenary bands that have Batarian members, with the Batarian SIU. The Blue Suns are a Private Military Corporation (PMC), as are the Eclipse, Blood Pack, Talons, and so on. PMCs are privately-owned and operated; they are not run by a world/government-associated military. PMCs exist in our current world; PMCs in Mass Effect operate on similar principles. Now, that is not to say that PMCs cannot be used by governments; they most certainly can be. Governments can use PMCs as a cheaper alternative to using their own militaries for some conflicts or 'peace-keeping' measures (with all the plausible deniability), or used for state-sponsored terrorism. Modern special forces units undergo extensive training, including: extensive weapons training, environment training, tactics, and so on. Special Forces in the Mass Effect universe are like our modern special forces except on steroids; think zero/low/heavy-gravity training. Special forces are have specialists like snipers, demolitions, and communications; same would be true in Mass Effect but also on steroids such as various tech and biotic specialties. PMCs will have training and equipment, but special forces will have millions or billions of credits poured into them. PMCs are corporations that need to make a profit to survive; special forces have a budget pulled from a larger military budget pulled from a single government source of income (taxes). Batarian SIU is greater than all PMCs, but that does not mean that the Batarian SIU is on par with other special forces units. = = = For the record, a deathmatch tournament would play out much differently, but there are too many unknown variables at that point to predict a winner. It could just boil down to "who shot first"? For example, the Asari Commandos could just overwhelm their opponents with superior biotics each time, unless "damping" is still a thing, at which point their opponents would win. Or maybe the Asari Commandos attack the Salarians, only to discover they just "killed" decoys and the Salarians win. Taking off the limiters makes it really hard to determine who is actually better, but no limiters = death, and I did not think this was meant to be a deathmatch.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on May 2, 2019 11:48:29 GMT
It does not really matter. Depending on your preferred Adept build and squadmates, you are pretty much playing without shooting a weapon anyway. Basic Adept builds will be using Throw and Warp, and either Singularity or Pull (I prefer Pull), but mostly Throw and Warp. If you use Liara (Singularity) and Javik (Pull) for most of the game, you will rarely use your own Singularity/Pull. You end up just spamming Throw on health-only enemies, and Warp+Throw (and maybe Cluster Grenades) on everything else. That being said, Pistols are generally better than SMGs: - Scorpion (Sur'Kesh) can be good for its stagger when it hits.
- Executioner (DLC) because it is essentially a Mantis/Widow sniper rifle in handgun form.
- Acolyte Pistol (DLC). It is a charged-shot weapon, but it has a crazy 500% shield/barrier multiplier (meaning it deals 5x damage to shields and barriers).
- The "real" Suppressor (Citadel DLC) is always good if you can score headshots. (In the Ambush section of the Citadel DLC, you get a "fake" Suppressor that is nothing like the "real" Suppressor. The "fake" Suppressor is a noticeably a lot heavier, and I think it deals less damage.)
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 30, 2019 0:10:35 GMT
In modern militaries, special forces are the best soldiers in the world. They have gone through a rigorous selection process, and are given the best training and equipment. In the Mass Effect universe, the various special forces units are much the same, but with more 'space magic'. I find the question of "which race's special forces unit would win in a tournament" hard to judge because how would you construct such a tournament? TOURNAMENT SETUP: In the opening post, the tournament rules include "Assume Squad v Squad scenarios". This rule infers that it will be a bracket tournament system, not a series of "team versus environment" scenarios that would be scored by time or a panel of judges. So we would have to assume that these would be non-lethal team-versus-team combat scenarios, similar to paintball. So this assumes an Armax Arsenal Arena or Pinnacle Station virtual combat arena with non-lethal firearms. The rules also state "Take into account weapon differences if any" so these would have to take into account non-lethal rounds or non-lethal weapon replicas. I repeatedly state "non-lethal" because it is assumed that such a tournament was designed to avoid injuries and death as much as possible while remaining fiercely competitive. One slight change I have to make: I will only consider 8 of the 10 given units for this tournament. Using only eight units allows for a three-round bracket without needing to figure out first-round or second-round byes. Therefore, I will remove two of the following units: - Drell Assassins, on the grounds that one race cannot compete on behalf of another race (in this case, the Hanar)
- Geth Primes, on the grounds that since Artifical Intelligence banned in Citadel space, the Geth are prohibited from competing in the tournament. (Note that Batarians are not a Citadel species any more, but we can fudge their inclusion.) NOTE: It should be noted that Legion was considered a unique platform hosting over a thousand programs. It is unclear if one Geth Prime platform = one Geth program, especially if we want to limit unit size to 12.
- Rachni Brood Warriors, on the grounds that none exist anymore.
Of the preceeding three units, I will eliminate Geth Primes and Rachni Brood Warriors from the tournament. One last thing: Matchups will be based on the order that teams appear in the poll. ASSUMPTIONS: One assumption I will have to make is unit size. We will have to assume that all units are restricted to the same number of soldiers, no more or less. Another assumption I will make: in each tournament match, each team will be at their best. I make this assumption to avoid the 'luck factor'. It also allows me to assume that the winner will be the same for a single-elimination as it would be for a best-of/first-to series. Another assumption: Since I made a previous assumption that such a tournament would be as non-lethal as possible, we will assume that any use of biotics would be banned or strictly limited in how they are to be used in the tournament. Since biotics can potentially injure or kill an opponent, biotics would have to be banned or strictly limited to prevent injury or death of an opponent. One last assumption: Like biotics, tech would also have to be limited to non-lethal uses. ROUND 1: 1. Alliance N7 -versus- Asari Commandos With biotics restricted or banned, the Asari Commandos are entering into the tournament at a disadvantage. The Alliance N7 would also have some biotics in the unit, but only a few members would be affected by this rule. Some tech-heavy users may also be affected by strict tech limits, but these restrictions should affect the Alliance N7 more than it would the Asari Commandos. The Asari have much more vast experience than the human Alliance squad, measuring experience in centuries instead of years. WINNER: Alliance N7. The N7 unit are able to overcome the biotic and tech restrictions, but the biotic restrictions prove to be too detrimental to the Asari Commandos 2. Batarian SIU -versus- Krogan Aralakh Company The Batarians are essentially a third-world, uh,... world, having cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy. As a result, the Batarians would lack proper resources for training that would be on par with other races, even the Krogan. While Krogan would be more reckless, even non-lethal replicas of their weapons would be devastating. This would be a one-sided fight. WINNER: Krogan Aralakh Company. (For the record, I think all other units in this tournament would beat the Batarians.) 3. Salarian STG -versus- Turian Blackwatch A Turian Blackwatch unit would have few biotics if any, since biotic Turians tend to be put into their own Cabal units. Turians are a more militaristic society, with mandatory military service. This mentality permeates their entire society, with the Turian Blackwatch being exemplary examples of Turian military might. Salarian STG's motto is to win a fight before it even begins. However, that philosphy is impossible in a bracket-style tournament such as this one. Restrictions on tech would also likely hinder the Salarian STG unit more than the Turian Blackwatch unit. The Salarian STG is more capable at fighting than some people give them credit for, but in this bracket, they pulled a bad matchup. WINNER: Turian Blackwatch. 4. Drell Assassins -versus- Quarian Migrant Fleet Marines The Hanar-trained Drell Assassins have been trained since childhood in all matter of combat. While assassins typically operate alone instead of a group, it is not inconceivable that they would occasionally fight as a unit when needed. However, acting as a unit is not their standard method of operation. The Quarian marines on the other hand, are trained as a unit, going up against Geth, pirates, and slavers. Their weakened immune system will not be a factor in this tournament, but the tech restrictions will hurt Quarians more than the Drell. The biotic restrictions are more likely to hurt the Drell than the Quarians, but it is unclear how many Drell are biotic. Biotic Quarians are extremely rare almost to the point of non-existence. WINNER: Quarian Migrant Fleet Marines. The Quarians are used to training fighting more as a unit than the Drell, which gave them the edge in this matchup. ROUND 2: 1. Alliance N7 -versus- Krogan Aralakh Company After an easy first-round matchup, the Krogan are now pitted against a more difficult opponent. Aralakh Company remain the same reckless, fearless group they always are, but now they are up against a better trained, better equipped, and better disciplined group in the Alliance N7. Despite the tech and biotic handicap, the Alliance N7 unit is more disciplined than the Krogan, and would exploit the reckless behavior of the Krogan unit. WINNER: Alliance N7 2. Turian Blackwatch -versus- Quarian Migrant Fleet Marines Battle of the Dextro units! The Quarians would have an edge in tech, but Turians outmatch the Quarians in every other category. This match was never really a contest. WINNER: Turian Blackwatch. ROUND 3 (FINAL ROUND): Alliance N7 -versus- Turian Blackwatch It is a First Contact War/Relay 314 Incident rematch/re-enactment. Who will win? It is a close match, but the Alliance N7 is hampered by the tech and biotic restrictions, and Turian society gives the Turian Blackwatch unit a native edge in unit cohesiveness. WINNER: Turian Blackwatch
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 27, 2019 21:30:23 GMT
It appears my capture device has failed. (I play single player on Xbox and use a capture device to record gameplay to a PC.) I am recording gameplay of Brandi Shepard -- a "Cryo DrainGuard", a Vanguard using just Cryo Ammo, Energy Drain, and Shockwave -- so I kind of want to finish recording the playthrough. All that is left for gameplay is: second half of Thessia, Sanctuary, N7: Communications Hub, then Cerberus HQ and Earth. I am not completely sure if the device itself failed or if my old crummy laptop is preventing it from capturing. The video-through works (video from my Xbox to TV monitor works) so it may just be the laptop that is not recognizing the USB input. I am going to try again later after another reboot to see if I can get it to work. Failing that, I may install the capture software on my desktop PC to see if that works. I would hate to leave this playthrough unfinished because my capture device failed. I do not want to buy a second device in less than a year. UPDATE: After some fiddling, I can confirm that my capture device is toast. Basically, none of my computers can recognize the USB, so I cannot record any gameplay with it. That sucks.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 27, 2019 17:16:48 GMT
To win a conventional victory you need superior numbers, superior weapons, or both. I would add how they go about attacking the reapers and who is leading the fleets as well. Well you did ask about a "conventional" victory. The issue is that a Reaper war is a fleet-based war that mostly takes place in vast emptiness of space. In our modern era, if you lack the numbers or equipment, you need to rely more on guerilla warfare: hit and run tactics, Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs), and so on. One of the conversations between the Normandy crew members guarding the door (I forget their names) mention that Reapers lack more conventional avenues of attack, such as supply lines or military bases. So that leaves tactics and the leaders planning the attacks. Reaper tactics: 1. Attack on mass, destroy obvious military resistance. 2. Indoctrinate masses of people, recruiting them to your cause. 3. Use indoctrinated forces to hinder or influence further resistance, and/or help with harvesting. 4. Harvest people for new Reapers and/or turn them into ground troops to eliminate resistance and continue harvesting. So to fight a conventional war with the Reapers means to try to find ways to fight/destroy Reapers (Capital ships and destroyers), fight Reaper-created ground forces, and reduce/eliminate/cure indoctrination. In Mass Effect 1 and 3, the galaxy is only well-equipped enough to fight Reaper troops (Reaper-created creatures such as husks, cannibals, marauders, and so on), but not well-equipped enough to take out Reaper ships in a straight-up "conventional" fight. So the issue we have left is trying to come up with conventional methods for beating the Reapers but employing them in unconventional ways. But in what would amount to a lot of "air-to-air" or "air-to-ground" space battles, how do you beat the Reapers in such a way? What would be some guerrilla-style warfare methods that you could use to beat the Reapers? What would be the space equivalent of luring a Reaper into a forest, or blowing up a bridge with Reapers on it? If you have enough time and manpower and effort, you can maybe: 1. Build a giant gun (that was also a ship?) that could shoot asteroids? Although at that point you essentially have your own Mass Relay. Maybe try to turn a Mass Relay into a giant gun? And then if you did win the war, how would you prevent a species from using a Mass Relay as a weapon to threaten or destroy other species? For example, what would prevent the Krogan from using a Mass Relay to get revenge on the Turians and Salarians? Or will it (currently) be like our own nuclear powers on Earth where we hope that no one will use a nuclear weapon for fear that it will kickstart a mass extinction event? 2. Destroy Mass Relays by turning them into giant mines? Basically set up/program some sort of self-destruct sequence that destroys a Mass Relay when Reapers use it. Obvious issues: loss of star systems if they blow up like one did in the ME2 Arrival DLC; could destroy all habitable systems in the galaxy and still not kill all Reapers. Reapers can still travel using conventional FTL. - - - This is why I am wondering can you implant false data somewhere so that the Reapers will fly into a giant space trap. How would you do that? How would that work? - In ME1, Vigil says when the Reapers arrived, they took over the Citadel which had a ton of data such as census data. Could you -- and how, where would you -- plant false data to lure one or more Reapers. - Where and what kind of trap would you place to inflict as many Reaper casualties as you could while taking minimal losses. - How often would this work before the Reapers learned about this new tactic? Or are there other exploitable tactics that you could employ? Given enough time, would studying the remains of Sovereign have helped discover weaknesses in Reapers? Or perhaps studying Soveriegn's remains would have led to better weapons, ships, and shield technologies (like the Normandy weapon upgrade in ME2).
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 27, 2019 16:35:08 GMT
It appears my capture device has failed. (I play single player on Xbox and use a capture device to record gameplay to a PC.) I am recording gameplay of Brandi Shepard -- a "Cryo DrainGuard", a Vanguard using just Cryo Ammo, Energy Drain, and Shockwave -- so I kind of want to finish recording the playthrough. All that is left for gameplay is: second half of Thessia, Sanctuary, N7: Communications Hub, then Cerberus HQ and Earth.
I am not completely sure if the device itself failed or if my old crummy laptop is preventing it from capturing. The video-through works (video from my Xbox to TV monitor works) so it may just be the laptop that is not recognizing the USB input.
I am going to try again later after another reboot to see if I can get it to work. Failing that, I may install the capture software on my desktop PC to see if that works.
I would hate to leave this playthrough unfinished because my capture device failed. I do not want to buy a second device in less than a year.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 27, 2019 1:54:59 GMT
I started playing Brandi Shepard on a mission, but I was not really feeling it. then I kept dying in the same spot over and over again, until I finally quit after about 30 minutes. I'll probably pick it up again in a few days and then be fine.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 26, 2019 0:52:54 GMT
Brandi Shepard: 1. Helped a fellow N7 named Riley get a Turian Fuel Reactor back up and running.
2. Returned to the Citadel to return a bunch of presents.
3. Bumped into Wrex on the way back to the Normandy. He was pissed that Brandi would sabotage the genophage cure. C-Sec killed him before he managed to turn Brandi into swiss cheese.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
7,170
RedCaesar97
1,910
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 25, 2019 2:25:21 GMT
Brandi Shepard: 1. Brandi disabled some AA towers so Cortez could destroy a jamming tower so they could locate Admiral Korris. Then they rescued Korris.
2. Brandi went to the Geth Base to go destroy the Reaper signal. Turns out that the Reaper signal was being broadcast by an actual Reaper. After Brandi helped the Quarians destroy the Reaper, the Geth VI tried to upload the Reaper code upgrades to all Geth. When Brandi objected, the Geth VI tried to kill her. Tali stabbed the Geth VI to death. The Quarians then destroyed the Geth.
3. The Asari Councillor wants to meet with Brandi, but Brandi has to do a few things first.
|
|