Codex Zealots.

[YesConsiderably]

I was just banned from the BioWare forums for posting this as a discussion.

Codex Zealot: A Mass Effect fan who adheres to the codex with undue and excessive zeal. Someone who would sacrifice gameplay and artistic appeal for the sake of appeasing a codex entry.

Although i have only really regularly posted here for little over a week, i've noticed that many fans are demanding changes be made that would unnecessarily hamper the artistic license and aesthetic sensibilities of future Mass Effect games.

I refuse to believe that these zealots comprise a significant percentage of the Mass Effect fanbase at large, so i'm just looking to get the thoughts of some more rational social.bioware users.

I suppose the word "zealot" invokes a somewhat negative image, though it felt fitting considering the way in which some players revere the codex as a holy text. Unfortunately the moderator in question is too stupid to appreciate that some words have multiple meanings.

That aside, i'm wondering how other gamers feel about this. For those of you that haven't played Mass Effect, the codex is essentially a collection of articles designed to explain some of the history and science and scientific concepts of the game universe.

Obviously adhering to the information presented in these articles is important in retaining a feeling of continuity, but there will always exist a weird area in gaming where gameplay mechanics and artistic flair wont always match up with the established rules of the universe. Not without significantly hindering gameplay or aesthetic feel, at least.

 

[YesConsiderably]

This came up originally in regards to armour. Some players feel that all team members should wear combat armour in Mass Effect 2, partly because of the way medi-gel is said to work in the codex.

Personally, i don't mind taking a little artistic license with the established rules of the universe if it means making cool looking characters. I like that Mordin looks like a doctor instead of a space marine, and that Samara looks like a warrior monk.

 

[Souplex]

I feel everyone should wear armor, because it's just stupid to go out without it. Bullets hit hard, space is cold.

Samara looks like a warrior monk.

Samara looks like a stripper.

 

[YesConsiderably]

Samara looks like a stripper.

Because she wears high heels and is displaying cleavage? My oh my, what a progressive attitude on women you have.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I thought that this was going to be about RPG Codex but I'm still satisfied with the level of pathetic RPG forum drama. Hats off to you.

 

[YesConsiderably]

I thought that this was going to be about RPG Codex but I'm still satisfied with the level of pathetic RPG forum drama. Hats off to you.

Oh, i just explained that i was banned from the BioWare forum for a little backstory and so that i could just cut and paste my comment without having to reword it.

I'm not so much after any opinions on my banning, even though it was totally unfair, as much as i am interested to hear how much artistic license other players are okay with seeing taken with the established rules of an in-game universe.

 

[JLML]

Damn, I thought this was about the Codex Astartes...

Oh well, I partially agree with you. The codex (Astartes(ok, I'm gonna stop it now...)) should be followed as long as it's beneficial, but when it's not it shouldn't play too big of a part. Still, I think the armour part is somewhat messed up in the game. A simple breathing mask to protect from the vacuum of outer space? Wouldn't the rest of your face be pretty badly damaged from temperatures around absolute 0 and complete vacuum? <.<

 

[YesConsiderably]

Damn, I thought this was about the Codex Astartes...

Oh well, I partially agree with you. The codex (Astartes(ok, I'm gonna stop it now...)) should be followed as long as it's beneficial, but when it's not it shouldn't play too big of a part. Still, I think the armour part is somewhat messed up in the game. A simple breathing mask to protect from the vacuum of outer space? Wouldn't the rest of your face be pretty badly damaged from temperatures around absolute 0 and complete vacuum? <.<

That's the one area in which the lack of armour begins to impede my ability to suspend disbelief.

In a straight up firefight, the lack of armour is a non-issue, but i would agree that all characters should wear sealable hardsuits for extra-planetary endeavers or while traversing otherwise inhospitable enviornments.

 

[Frotality]

well i feel your party should wear armor because they look kinda stupid running around in clothing while every other combatant in the universe (like shepard) has the sense to wear armor; and chlorine atmospheres burn like hell...

mordin and jacob have actual pieces of armor on their outfits, so if its something at least half- sensible like that, im fine with it; jack is batshit insane, so she gets a free pass to. frankly, i didnt even know their was a contradiction with medi-gel, because the real problem is that ME1 gameplay had already established that every cheap mercenary, poor pirate, and irate schoolgirl wouldnt be caught dead without armor, so its a contradiction of a basic and consistent element of the 1st's gameplay. im all for taking a bit of artistic license; garrus looks badass with that giant scorched hole on his armor even if logically he really should fix it; but ME2 took it to ridiculous levels with them running around hostile and non-atmosphere environments cleavage freely exposed. It makes your team feel more like a group of dumb thugs than the supposed best of the best professionals who would at the very least wear a sealed catsuit in alien atmospheres. i certainly agree that some people take minor details way too seriously, but bioware really strained my suspension of disbelief with some of the things they did in ME2.

 

[Mittens The Kitten]

I feel everyone should wear armor, because it's just stupid to go out without it. Bullets hit hard, space is cold.

Samara looks like a warrior monk.

Samara looks like a stripper.

Strippers don't wear formfitting jumpsuits, at least not on stage. Removal takes too long and cuts the flow of the preformance.

 

[JLML]

Damn, I thought this was about the Codex Astartes...

Oh well, I partially agree with you. The codex (Astartes(ok, I'm gonna stop it now...)) should be followed as long as it's beneficial, but when it's not it shouldn't play too big of a part. Still, I think the armour part is somewhat messed up in the game. A simple breathing mask to protect from the vacuum of outer space? Wouldn't the rest of your face be pretty badly damaged from temperatures around absolute 0 and complete vacuum? <.<

That's the one area in which the lack of armour begins to impede my ability to suspend disbelief.

In a straight up firefight, the lack of armour is a non-issue, but i would agree that all characters should wear sealable hardsuits for extra-planetary endeavers or while traversing otherwise inhospitable enviornments.

Indeed. Even a true Astartes marine can't survive for long in space, and they're a million times more durable than even the krogans of Mass Effect. Or something.

No but seriously, the armour should be fully sealed in space, and in combat it should be more probable for someone with armour to survive for long than someone who's half-nude. *looking at you Jack*

Still, the game would probably also get pretty boring if they followed the Codex (Astarte- dammit, this isn't WH40K <.<) completely. It's good they give the designers some freedom from the story and random facts.

 

[Fidelias]

Maybe they should all just wear armour in the vaccuum of space? But make it unique to each character. Samara has some strange armour with elegant designs and colors, while Jack's has battle scars and patches from other armours and spikes, etc.

But in a normal environment have them wear their unique outfits. Or maybe make it optional for them to wear their armour inside as well.

I myself don't really care as long as Bioware delivers yet another epic game that does Mass Effect justice. I'd rather Mass Effect 3 takes a little artistic license then to try to make a very unrealistic game into a realistic one.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I'd feel pretty stupid running around in a fire fight wearing clothes when I could just as easily be wearing projective gear. Not that I would want to be in that sort of situation. But on the screen characters in situations like that are often not even allowed to wear helmets because then you can't see their pretty faces. Wearing a helmet should be the first priority in a situation like that. I guess that not every game can be as believable as Halo.

 

[Souplex]

I feel everyone should wear armor, because it's just stupid to go out without it. Bullets hit hard, space is cold.

Samara looks like a warrior monk.

Samara looks like a stripper.

Strippers don't wear formfitting jumpsuits, at least not on stage. Removal takes too long and cuts the flow of the preformance.

Fine, she looks like a dominatrix.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

It is just one more thing they got wrong in the second game. Tali was the only one with a valid excuse in 1 but in 2 "screw precedents, let's make them look cool". Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Samara, and Mordin need to put armor on. The only reason my Shep didn't wear a helmet is because he was a sniper and used the visor Garrus-style.
Of course, these are the same developers who tried to justify using finite ammo clips in battle over a weapon that could fire thousands of rounds before needing reloading/maintenance.

 

[YesConsiderably]

It is just one more thing they got wrong in the second game. Tali was the only one with a valid excuse in 1 but in 2 "screw precedents, let's make them look cool". Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Samara, and Mordin need to put armor on. The only reason my Shep didn't wear a helmet is because he was a sniper and used the visor Garrus-style.
Of course, these are the same developers who tried to justify using finite ammo clips in battle over a weapon that could fire thousands of rounds before needing reloading/maintenance.

As far as retcons go, the explanation given for the swtich to an ammo-based system was pretty good.

Much better than your suggestion that being a sniper makes you more impervious to headshots.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

It is just one more thing they got wrong in the second game. Tali was the only one with a valid excuse in 1 but in 2 "screw precedents, let's make them look cool". Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Samara, and Mordin need to put armor on. The only reason my Shep didn't wear a helmet is because he was a sniper and used the visor Garrus-style.
Of course, these are the same developers who tried to justify using finite ammo clips in battle over a weapon that could fire thousands of rounds before needing reloading/maintenance.

As far as retcons go, the explanation given for the swtich to an ammo-based system was pretty good.

Much better than your suggestion that being a sniper makes you more impervious to headshots.

My point being that, theoretically, I would be nowhere near the fighting. The visor optimizing my accuracy. Everyone else charged in, guns blazing. They better have a helmet if they want to survive for longer than 10 seconds.

 

[YesConsiderably]

If you say so. The fact is that body armour isn't a real source of protection in the game universe anyway. Barriers and shields do a better job at keeping bullets out, and all of the lesser protected team members are biotics.

 

[Souplex]

Samara looks like a stripper.

Because she wears high heels and is displaying cleavage? My oh my, what a progressive attitude on women you have.

She goes into battle with a large patch of flesh exposed to enemy attacks. I don't know what the internal body structure of the Asari is like, but I'm guessing most vital organs are in the torso.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Samara looks like a stripper.

Because she wears high heels and is displaying cleavage? My oh my, what a progressive attitude on women you have.

She goes into battle with a large patch of flesh exposed to enemy attacks. I don't know what the internal body structure of the Asari is like, but I'm guessing most vital organs are in the torso.

And high heels hardly seem like suitable footwear for combat.

So basically, wearing high heels and displaying cleavage in day-to-day life? Fine. Doing the same in a combat situation? Stripperiffic!