Mass Effect 3 "Change The Ending" Petition (almost certainly spoilers)

[JayElleBee]

Personally, I have mixed feelings on the ending. As far as Shepard, I'm happy with how her story ended. I would have liked some more information on what happens after the ending, like how many races survive (not everyone was in the Sol system after all, so rebuilding is a possibility), what becomes of the squad, etc.

And while I wouldn't argue with the inclusion of a happier ending (little blue babies. D' I'm not going to associate with any of the people I've seen complaining about the ending on the Bioware forums. They take their hatred of the ending to... disturbing levels.

 

[Turing '88]

You pretty much answered your own question.

It is their story, you have no say in how it is written. That is how it should be.

Yep, all you've done so far is agree with me. Thanks.

If you don't like it, don't buy it from them anymore. That is the only thing you are entitled to do as a consumer. Asking for anything above and beyond that is just selfish whining.

Oh good, here we go. Why is that all I can do? If Bioware decided to end Mass Effect 3 with a hardcore rape scene, that's still their choice. Would you still not like me criticising the ending? I also pointed out that Bioware would much rather know why people are pissed off than people just stop buying their products

The immature response would be "I hated that ending, I'm not buying a Bioware game again until they use their psychic powers to figure out what I didn't like and fix it."

Telling a company you disliked their product, and why, is what they want!!!!

Edit: I find it funny that many people above have mentioned the same points. Maybe we're all just entitled bitches, or maybe having and voicing an opinion is an important part of companies improving their products. Who knows for sure

 

[Aeonknight]

You pretty much answered your own question.

It is their story, you have no say in how it is written. That is how it should be.

Yep, all you've done so far is agree with me. Thanks.

If you don't like it, don't buy it from them anymore. That is the only thing you are entitled to do as a consumer. Asking for anything above and beyond that is just selfish whining.

Oh good, here we go. Why is that all I can do? If Bioware decided to end Mass Effect 3 with a hardcore rape scene, that's still their choice. Would you still not like me criticising the ending? I also pointed out that Bioware would much rather know why people are pissed off than people just stop buying their products

The immature response would be "I hated that ending, I'm not buying a Bioware game again until they use their psychic powers to figure out what I didn't like and fix it."

Telling a company you disliked their product, and why, is what they want!!!!

Edit: I find it funny that many people above have mentioned the same points. Maybe we're all just entitled bitches, or maybe having and voicing an opinion is an important part of companies improving their products. Who knows for sure

As I said to someone else, there is a difference between player feedback, and players demanding they redo it. There's a difference between telling the company why you dislike it, and this:

Spoiler

So yea, there's expressing discontent, and then there's spitting in the face of the developers. Even though most nay-sayers agree that 99% of the series was absolute gold. Bioware doesn't deserve this level of bullshit. No developer does.

 

[Animyr]

How many years of game development experience do you have? None? hmm alright then, any professional writing experience? no? okay... any graphic design experience? music? narrative work? cinematography?

I have not actually seen the endings yet, so I cannot give my personal opinion on it. Nor am I a professional writer or graphic designer or a game designer, though I'm trying to learn all three. And what experience I do have shows me that all of those things are a ***** to work on. Alot of thought and alot of sweat goes into all of those things, and I'm sure the same applied for ME3's ending.

And you know what? No matter how much work you put into it, no matter how professional you are, no matter what reasoning or excuses you had, that does not mean you cannot make crushing mistakes. Now many people like to be armchair writers or game developers and call out devs/creators on every tiny mistake or percieved misstep and embrace 20/20 hindsight like they're the genius who invented it, and those people can take a hike for all I care.

But there comes a time when even the barrier of skill and education does not mean that all unschooled gamers should shut up. There are times when the "professionals" make errors or oversights so huge that they deserve to be called out, even if those calling them out know nothing about the process behind it. They might not understand the process, but they do understand what the process is trying to do; in this case, make a game and a story they enjoy. And they can tell if it's working or not. Now of course ME has always had vocal detractors, some for legitimate reasons and some merely for reasons of personal taste, but even with DA2 and the sometimes questionable writing and design choices in the ME series, and even some of the missteps in the main section of ME3, most people were not too bothered. Sure there were mistakes, but nothing to blow a gasket over. The fanbase was (overall) understanding of the devs and the challenges they face. I know I was (am?) Most of that fanbase seems to have liked the first forty hours of the game, regardless of its flaws, regardless of the Day one DLC, the Tali Face thing, the auto dialogue, the gay sex and so on. People have complained but on a whole they just shrugged and kept playing. Judging from what I've heard.

Most of that fanbase is now at once depressed and enraged, all because of the ending. It's not a vocal, fickle minority as it usually is. It is a clear and unmistakable majority. I submit the idea that such a dramatic reversal doesn't happen for no good reason. I won't comment on the petition. And ultimately, the truth is that it's all up to the devs. But I think it's clear that Bioware undeniably screwed up beyond a simple "no ending would satisfy anyone" or "design difficulties got in the way" if they managed to piss off or alienate most of their dedicated fans in just 15 minutes. And many of those who didn't get PTSD over the ending seem to be simply underwhelmed.

 

[random281]

Penny Arcade's new comic seems to be lampooning the movement to get the ending changed.

That said, and I'm just throwing this out there, perhaps Bioware should tap them to rewrite the ending. The one they're presenting is pretty fucking boss.

 

[JJMUG]

I like the recurring theme in a lot of this thread that you're allowed to not like the ending, but don't you dare ask Bioware to change it. Why the fuck can't we ask Bioware to change it? If people were forcing Bioware to change their game, via threats of violence or whatever, I'd say that's out of order.

What's actually happening however is people are letting Bioware know we would rather they rewrote the ending, and it's up to Bioware to decide for themselves if they do that. They might come back and say "Nope, this is our story, this is how we wanted to end it. Deal with it bitches.", which they are well within their rights to do; I'm well within my rights to *****, moan and never buy another Bioware product.

You pretty much answered your own question.

It is their story, you have no say in how it is written. That is how it should be. If you don't like it, don't buy it from them anymore. That is the only thing you are entitled to do as a consumer. Asking for anything above and beyond that is just selfish whining.

That is not how it works, not even close. Bioware exists because we as consumers allow them to exist. If we as consumers find a product to be sub-par we are allowed to complain, we are allowed to demand change. If the demands of the consumer are not met the company loses money, and if enough is lost the company will no longer exist. I would also read the several articles on Forbes to better understand why Bioware is at fault and why they need to fix it. Instead of deflecting the complaints, and other standard PR tactics.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/15/upset-mass-effect-fans-entitled-gamers-or-responsible-consumers/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/13/mass-effect-3-and-the-pernicious-myth-of-gamer-entitlement/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/03/12/how-bioware-could-find-redemption-using-mass-effect-3/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/03/13/why-fan-service-is-good-business/

 

[Amaror]

Just beat the game not five minutes ago.

I liked the ending. I wish it were happier, but I understand why it wasn't. Good stuffs. Catalyst-being was retarded though, just going to pretend that my Shep hallucinated that.

Also who cares what happens to the Geth now. My bro-geth is gone ;_;

The Problem is not that their sad, i knew there wasn't going to be a happy end.
THe Problem is that with the normandy and all, it all seems wrong and unfinished.
The game did the best to answer many question and makes a dozen new questions right at the ending.
And i don't know how you're feeling but everything after "The Hit" just seems not really like Mass Effect.
It's hard to explain but the Ending (Cause there is only one) just seems wrong.

 

[omega 616]

You're right that Bioware has the right to do any ending they want. However, players ABSOLUTELY have the right to ask for a better ending than the one that was given

No they don't, it's the same with books and films. Imagine asking a J.K Rowling to change the ending of her books or George Lucas to add "nooooo" to his films (hehehe), you ABSOLUTELY have no right.

Why would you think you do? 'cos you bought it? You aren't an investor in the game, you have no power over how it should be crafted. They already have your money so they have no intensive to give you what you want.

I think this is what they refer to as "entitlement"

 

[sumanoskae]

A: The ending isn't tragic, it's just bleak and nonsensical. The artistic equivalent of spontaneous combustion. No rhyme, no reason, just death. There are numerous plotholes, betrayals of character and a huge deus ex machina, not to mention the disregard for your decisions thus far. On top of that, it even looks rushed. The final scenes are literal palate swaps of each other.

B: I don't think I'm entitled to anything, I think the ending sucks and the game would be better with a new one. Bioware has always listened to criticism, why should this be any different?, all I'm asking id for them to take into consideration and give us a straight answer. If they agree and it can be done, why not do it?. If Bioware honestly thinks this is best way to end their series, fine, that's their right, and I'm not buying DLC or ever replaying the games. Not because I want to strong arm them, but at this point, I just want to forget the whole series and move on to other games. Bioware can end it however they want, and their customers can react to it however they want.

C: Judging from all the flat out hypocrisy they've spewed since the ending, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a better one in mind that got scrapped due to an internal issue. If that isn't the case, they should make that clear, because they can produce whatever they want, but they can't insult us by pretending it makes sense

People have gotten so used to fanboy bitching that they don't even notice when the fans actually have a point

 

[sumanoskae]

You're right that Bioware has the right to do any ending they want. However, players ABSOLUTELY have the right to ask for a better ending than the one that was given

No they don't, it's the same with books and films. Imagine asking a J.K Rowling to change the ending of her books or George Lucas to add "nooooo" to his films (hehehe), you ABSOLUTELY have no right.

Why would you think you do? 'cos you bought it? You aren't an investor in the game, you have no power over how it should be crafted. They already have your money so they have no intensive to give you what you want.

I think this is what they refer to as "entitlement"

We have a right to ASK for a better ending, not a right to one. Bioware can do whatever it wants, sure, but they've never turned away from criticism before, and they have released content, GOOD content, by popular demand. There's nothing wrong with an artist taking their viewers opinions into account and simply changing their mind about what would work for their story. They certainly don't HAVE to, but considering how upset everyone is, it would certainly be appreciated for them to follow the business model they've set up and think hard about if this is really how they want to end things.

If they're free to express themselves, no matter how much it might upset us, then we have a right to do the same

 

[Falsename]

My initial reaction was EXACTLY THIS:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Isjgc0oX0s&feature=related

 

[Fredvdp]

I think the ending was fine, but it felt rushed. I think they need to explain a couple of things:

Spoiler

If the Reapers were in control of the Citadel, why didn't they use it to turn off the relay network as they did in previous cycles? Wouldn't that be a better defense than just parking it in sol where their fleet is thickest? With the relays off the Crucible and the fleets could never arrive in the first place.

With a high enough military score your squadmates survive Harbinger's attack at the Conduit. But how did they get on the Normandy and why did they need to get there in the first place?

Why is the Normandy going through a relay in the end?

How is it possible that Shepard can survive in the end? The Citadel blows up and he's lying under the rubble in London. This can only be explained with the 'indoctrination' theory.

Since the Reapers turned off the relays in previous cycles it can be assumed they can travel relatively quickly from one system to the other without needing relays. They got from the alpha relay to the nearest relay on their own power within a year. Why then, when Shepard chooses to control the Reapers, does he fly them out of the galaxy? Can't he use the Reapers to transport the races to their homeworlds?

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

And the -Everyone who doesnt want it changed is just dumb and doesnt understand- Is just as stupid an arguement as -Everyone who wants it changed are just too dumb to understand-

Usually that's true. But in this case people who like the ending really have to be oblivious of all the inconsistencies. They are so obvious and the lack of logic in the ending is so obvious. You have to ignore or not understand the entire ending in order to like it. That's not a bad argument, that's a fact that stems from the nature of Mass Effect 3 ending. There is no point in trying to deny it.

 

[Nikolaz72]

And the -Everyone who doesnt want it changed is just dumb and doesnt understand- Is just as stupid an arguement as -Everyone who wants it changed are just too dumb to understand-

Usually that's true. But in this case people who like the ending really have to be oblivious of all the inconsistencies. They are so obvious and the lack of logic in the ending is so obvious. You have to ignore or not understand the entire ending in order to like it. That's not a bad argument, that's a fact that stems from the nature of Mass Effect 3 ending. There is no point in trying to deny it.

No I still stand by my point. Your opinion is no better than those who think the ending is fine. And its no more right either, but I have a feel I know which group is gonna end up being pleasantly suprised. In the end anyway.

 

[Kushan101]

Once again, someone else who hasn't played the game feeling they can tell those who are dissatisfied with the endings that they have no right to demand a different ending? So far, 90% of those I've seen defending the ending has come from people who haven't finished it.
I love the mass effect series, and don't get me wrong, the third one was fantastic - up until that goddamn ending.

It's especially a slap in the face since the guy in charge of bioware said there will be multiple endings to reflect your choices not just "a decision between ending a, b or c" which was exactly what we fucking got. I'm perfectly willing to pay for a new dlc ending, that's how much I'd like it changed (and a small part of me suspects that is ea/bioware plan anyway).

Quite frankly I'm fed up of being called "entitled" or "whiny", if you havent played the series, your argument counts for nothing. You are, for all purposes, trolling. The whole "you can't change art" is bullshit, this isn't art; it's a mass produced electronic consumable intended to make a profit - it can be changed if it benefits the consumer and/or helps drives the sales of its creator

 

[Francis Budden-Hinds]

How many years of game development experience do you have? None? hmm alright then, any professional writing experience? no? okay... any graphic design experience? music? narrative work? cinematography?

So... what exactly makes you think you can tell Bioware to write up a new ending? Your $60? Here's the thing about your $60. It only gives you power when you choose to withhold it. They already got paid for what they delivered, their job is done. They may come to regret that decision when the next title comes out, but considering how paperthin every boycott/threat by the gaming community is... don't be surprised when they call your bluff.

In Crysis 1, before it got patched, there was a bug in which a North Korean soldier would try to walk across a bridge which wasn't their and fall to his death. I'm not a professional programmer. That doesn't mean I can't tell that's a bug. Similarly, people can tell an ending is crap and unsatisfying cause. . . you know it's crap and unsatisfying?

Maybe you're right and support will fall apart for this and people will buy all the DLC or whatever anyway. I however am not going to. So they've missed out on my cash at the very least.

 

[Francis Budden-Hinds]

Think about this for a minute. Do you really think it's a good idea to force the developer to re-write the game? What king of message would we as a community be sending out?

The message that you should uh... write better endings?

I'm seeing a lot of people saying one of two things in this thread. Either variations of "It's silly to ask for a new ending!" Or "If we bioware gives in than where will it end?!" I don't really see either of those.

To answer the first: Well, why is it silly? Like, it's technically possible. The product is already due a bunch more DLC, why not some ending DLC?

To answer the second: as I said above. Maybe they'll learn not to write endings that totally break the usual laws of story structure and pacing. At the moment we're stuck with an ending which seems at worse a rush job, at best a transparent excuse to try to get us to buy DLC in order to get some closure. I think fans have every right to complain here.

 

[Aeonknight]

I like the recurring theme in a lot of this thread that you're allowed to not like the ending, but don't you dare ask Bioware to change it. Why the fuck can't we ask Bioware to change it? If people were forcing Bioware to change their game, via threats of violence or whatever, I'd say that's out of order.

What's actually happening however is people are letting Bioware know we would rather they rewrote the ending, and it's up to Bioware to decide for themselves if they do that. They might come back and say "Nope, this is our story, this is how we wanted to end it. Deal with it bitches.", which they are well within their rights to do; I'm well within my rights to *****, moan and never buy another Bioware product.

You pretty much answered your own question.

It is their story, you have no say in how it is written. That is how it should be. If you don't like it, don't buy it from them anymore. That is the only thing you are entitled to do as a consumer. Asking for anything above and beyond that is just selfish whining.

That is not how it works, not even close. Bioware exists because we as consumers allow them to exist. If we as consumers find a product to be sub-par we are allowed to complain, we are allowed to demand change. If the demands of the consumer are not met the company loses money, and if enough is lost the company will no longer exist. I would also read the several articles on Forbes to better understand why Bioware is at fault and why they need to fix it. Instead of deflecting the complaints, and other standard PR tactics.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/15/upset-mass-effect-fans-entitled-gamers-or-responsible-consumers/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/13/mass-effect-3-and-the-pernicious-myth-of-gamer-entitlement/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/03/12/how-bioware-could-find-redemption-using-mass-effect-3/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/03/13/why-fan-service-is-good-business/

What's funny is I actually agree with Taveras who was quoted in the first article.

On artistic grounds, not a single one of you has the right to demand a rewrite. You can not like it all you want, you're entitled to that much. Everyone is. Hell even people who never played it can say the ending sucks (for what little that's worth). But what gives you the right to say "do it again, and make a cliche good/bad/neutral ending this time"? And do NOT say because you paid for it. It is because you already paid for it that your opinion is nullified. At least until the next game comes out, which you all will buy anyway despite this holocaust of the Mass Effect trilogy.


This is probably the last I'm going to say on the subject, as repeating myself is getting boring and this has been going on wayyy longer than it's worth. To all who think Bioware should rewrite the ending just to appease you:

All I've done so far besides play devil's advocate, is defend a developer's right to be creative on their own terms, without letting your dollar be the primary deciding factor in any/all design decisions of the game. Even if it means making a mistake. But this mob mentallity you all have is the exact reason why companies like Activision are too afraid to stray from the Call of Duty formula. This outrage is why investors won't let developers take any risks. This bullshit is what's holding the medium back. So thank you for a whole lot of nothing, hope your DLC ending is worth it.

 

[Yeager942]

It's not self-entitlement or 'stupid'.

The fans aren't asking for an ending they deserve. They're asking for an ending that Mass Effect deserves.

Quoted for the fucking truth.

I want to believe in the indoctrination theory, but at this point I'm just trying to put this debacle behind me. The worst feeling the game gives you is that all your time with ME 1&2 was wasted. What the hell was point of saving the council? The rachni queen? Brokering peace between geth and quarian? The genophage? Mordin's sacrifice? (Fucking man tears there.) I'm getting suck just thinking about it

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Penny Arcade's new comic seems to be lampooning the movement to get the ending changed.

Hardly. Read the news post. Tycho is perfectly comfortable with the concept of making alterations to existing works. He talked about it on Wednesday, and he's talking about it again today.

The official line has shifted from ?our endings are invincible chocolate platinum? to ?okay, let?s talk about the endings later, after more people have finished it.? Personally, I?m still hooked on the Indoctrination theory; I like creeping, gnawing ideas of this kind, ones that call the understood narrative into question. The first Force Unleashed did that especially well.

I?ve been in the habit of making things for public consumption so long now that a lot of the mystery that is bound up in Creative Endeavor evaporates. Patrick Rothfuss had me on as a ?beta tester? for Wise Man?s Fear, which I was more than happy to do: I wrote NO in thick black sharpie over entire pages, and I think I even shook my fist at one point at an impotent God. I don?t know how the book turned out because I never read the ?real? version, but this very act horrified Gabriel. He thinks of books as being Absolute Things, like Sandwiches, as opposed to something that vibrates or shifts in any particular. I didn?t find it particularly weird, but you come into this stuff with a lot of your own shit. Perspective is, to him, more or less inviolate. That?s something I get.

When it comes to Mass Effect 3, certainly they have the ?right? however vaguely enumerated to make what they want, and those who consume it have the ?right? however vaguely enumerated to say that what they have done is wrong/bullshit/authentically evil. These ?rights? don?t necessarily overlap: they exist as perfect spheres, bouncing off one another in space. Creating or critiquing is just a way to pass the time until you die. I won?t say ne?er the twain shall meet, but they might not, and they don?t have to.

Ownership is a very complicated business when it comes to cultural product, though. They succeed by virtue of the fact that we, as players, incorporate these stories into our lives. I?ve always wondered what the conflux of digital goods, interactive storytelling, algorithmic content creation, and democratized funding mean for an idea like authorship. I think we?re beginning to find out.