Mass Effect 1

Presumably sending back whatever relevant data they gathered. In that case they would be separated from the main hub since the Perseus Veil blocks most transmissions IIRC. Heretics wouldn't have that problem since their main hub is on this side of the veil.

The relevant data was a quarian singing about loss?

Yes because that is the only thing in the base that could possibly be sent.

edited 3rd May '13 12:55:48 PM by Badwolfwho

So someone suggested playing Mass Effect to me. The thing is that I have already played MF, and one particular thing bothered me in the game... orders. I'm not really a fan of games, where the player is basically about following orders (or you're an evil person :/). So I'm wondering if that changes at any point in the game? I really prefer playing characters that are free lancers/independent (Morrowind is an exception, but you can basically diss the main plot).

The first game is actually pretty good about this. Even though he's a soldier, Shepard's position as a Spectre basically gives you carte blanche to pursue objectives however you like. The alien Council check up on you occasionally and try to boss you around, but you can tell them to shove it or just hang up on them if you like.

The second game, however, is TERRIBLE about this. For most of the game you're taking orders from annoying idiots who should be your enemy, and you have no choice but to do what they say and thank them for it.

So, while looking for material for a potential Mass Effect RP campaign I wondered: Why does Sovereign need to go through all the hassle to open the Citadel to the other Reapers (possibly trying it for decades or longer), when the Reapers can just arrive in the galaxy within three years anyway?

Sovereign's been at this for, what, fifty years? Longer? Here's how I always figured it:

The Reapers were supposed to arrive decades ago, but didn't because the Protheans shut down the Citadel Relay. Sovereign sent the signal for it to open, it didn't, and he flipped out. He's spent the last several decades trying to seize control of the Citadel so that he can get it open again, largely improvising with no communication to the fleet because the whole plan went to shit.

Meanwhile, out in the depths of space, the Reapers realized the Citadel Relay wasn't working, started trucking it to the galaxy the hard way, and have been doing so for the last several decades since the Relay failed to open. Had Sovereign succeeded in opening the Citadel Relay, he would have been very shocked when absolutely no Reapers appear, because nobody's on the other end; everyone's on their way through the long path.

Sovereign was left behind with instructions on, "Do X," and he did, and when it failed, he panicked and scrambled to figure out how to fix it, while the rest of the fleet was busy fixing it their own way. Inability to communicate and coordinate their activities resulted in the right hand having no idea what the left was doing. The entirety of Mass Effect 1 could have been avoided if Sovereign had been given contingency instructions of, "dick around for several decades, do nothing to give our existence away" in the event the Citadel Relay shuts down, but I get the impression that he wasn't because nothing like this has ever happened before. The system not working flawlessly is unprecedented.

The same can be said of the rachni war, the krogan rebellions, even the First Contact War...really, most things that were shit about galactic history in the last few decades can be traced back to Sovereign panicking, not having any idea how to fix things, and desperately improvising. The fact that the galaxy was even able to put up a fight against the Reapers in the first place can be attributed to the same. The Protheans broke the system, Sovereign royally screwed up - and devastated the galaxy - trying to fix the system.

edited 11th Dec '13 7:58:07 AM by TobiasDrake

But wasn't Harbinger able to communicate with the Collectors and Shepard in 2? He was still in deep space back then, if my memory serves me right. Why not with Sovereign?

Because he was fifty years closer at that point. Besides, there is still benefit in taking over the Citadel; control over the Mass Relay network and galactic census reports to ensure a complete purge.

Nah, he was two years closer by ME 2 then by the time of ME 1. Assuming the Reapers got underway before Sovereign got destroyed. And according to the Mass Effect Wiki Harbinger contacted the Shadow Broker two months after the Citadel battle.

It's just that this discrepancy has given me the idea for an alternate universe, where the destruction of Sovereign delays the Reaper invasion for thousands of years, giving galactic society ample time to develop and prepare.

Depends on how you interpret the rachni wars, really. He could have been at it much longer.

The books seem to imply that Reapers can communicate with one-another no matter how far away they are. It's possible that they were "asleep" in dark space in order to conserve energy, but this is based on a theory by Vigil that may or may not be true.

I remember seeing something a while ago which stated Word of God claimed Reapers started trucking it the moment Sovereign died, and not before.

Never bothered to confirm it, though.

I think they also "sleep" in dark space between cycles so they can't be found by spacefaring species.

I exist because you are hungry, and you will eat me because I demand it.

So anyhoo, does Tali's armor have that geth-ish right arm on all armors in first game?

<_< I'm kinda wondering if she was supposed to have cyborg arm before in second game they were like "Huh, players want to romance her? Okay!"?

Doesn't seem like it...◊

The arm only looks "geth-like" in two of those armors, in my opinion... I think her right arm is just armored(because her right hand is clearly gloved. And there's no reason for that if the arm is metal), but I can't come up with a reason why her left wouldn't be armored as well...

That's her hacking arm, obviously.

^^Umm, her arm is identical except for color in all of the armors. Just look at tubes on right arm and compare it to left one in each of them. Especially the point where it connects to shoulder. Though, same applies to her left arm as well if you compare patches, they have same patterns except for color. Anyway, Tali was only quarian in first game and none of quarians in later games have had same type of arm design....

I guess it might be interpreted as armor that is patched together, but those armors are bought from companies. So why would they have asymmetrical design like that? I dunno whether that means cyborg arm either though. Might be just aesthetic they went for instead of something they changed. Though I'm pretty sure quarian concept art never had that asymmetrical arm thing.

Anyway, whether that was originally cyborg arm or not, its still pretty interesting design change. And yeah, if it wasn't ever intended to be cyborg arm as part of "Quarians are cybernetic" rumor, its darn weird design choice to make her right arm armored and symmetrical while left one matches the suit.

Also, speaking of random things like cyborg arms, does there exist an AU fan fic where Javik's protheans didn't die from cryogenesis, woke up on time and set up new prothean empire that rules everything and fic is about current ME races fighting the oppression? I'm not sure why that popped up in my mind. I guess its so obvious set up that I've been wondering for while if someone has actually done it due to how obvious set up it is for AU fic?

edited 25th May '14 1:23:23 PM by SpookyMask

So umm...

Did Progressive (un)intentionally reference Mass Effect?

Gar. Google "Progressive Price Tag Free Zone commercial".

edited 23rd Jul '14 7:59:13 PM by Cyran

Maybe. But "Decontamination In Progress" is too much of a Stock Phrase for me to say for sure.

Little Known Fact: The decontamination also had air freshener. Lavender/sandalwood scent.

Ooh~

I do love me some sandalwood.

Just been playing a bit of this, and recording some of my thoughts as I go.