Mass Effect 3's Ending Was Intended To Polarize

[mgs16925]

I find it strangely infuriating that every time this topic comes up, I have to remind people that the galaxy still has FTL travel, even if the mass relays are destroyed...

Check the codex. The space between relays would take decades or centuries to cross on FTL drives, and that ignores the problem of fuel on ships not designed for long hauls like that.

 

[Berserker119]

You know, maybe I'm in the minority, but I actually didn't find it that bad. I just have to try not to overanalyze everything, and ignore the angry 'fans'.

 

[Rhedd]

A

I find it strangely infuriating that every time this topic comes up, I have to remind people that the galaxy still has FTL travel, even if the mass relays are destroyed...

And I'd have to remind you that conventional FTL travel is fuckin' slow in ME universe. It may take years, decades or even centuries to get to other cluster

And, at least in the destruction option, the catalyst suggests that all Reaper based technology would also be destroyed which presumably would include the FTL drives? That was my understanding at least.

 

[Czaran]

I'm at the point where I doubt all of this bs is EA's fault. Bioware says "You wanted a good game and ending? Nope we want YOU to discuss what actually happened for some stupid reason. It was the plan all along."

They didn't want to game to be forgettable, and to achieve that reasonable goal they made everyone want to forget it.

The fact that you thought it was EA's fault in the first place tells us exactly what your stance is. And exactly why we shouldn't care.

I didn't blame EA for what happened to the ending, I blamed EA for pre-order incentives, day one DLC, etc. I really don't know if EA pressured Bioware into day one dlc, but Bioware admitted the DLC was created right away after the game so I don't think its ridiculous to think EA had nothing to do with it in the first place.
I really don't know if Bioware has gone in that money making direction instead of deepening in game aspects, but all I'm doing is speculating.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

am i the only person that thought the reapers idea of saving organics from themselves was a good idea? and that there should be an ending where shepard lets the reapers succeed? even if it goes against everything we've been fighting for, shepard does know that the reapers have semi-good intentions.

Except their logic for existing is absolutely ridiculous

Spoiler

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

am i the only person that thought the reapers idea of saving organics from themselves was a good idea? and that there should be an ending where shepard lets the reapers succeed? even if it goes against everything we've been fighting for, shepard does know that the reapers have semi-good intentions.

Except their logic for existing is absolutely ridiculous

Spoiler

that is the best reply of a comment i have ever seen in my time on the escapist. i applaud you, good sir.

 

[Raesvelg]

Check the codex. The space between relays would take decades or centuries to cross on FTL drives, and that ignores the problem of fuel on ships not designed for long hauls like that.

12 light years per day is the quoted average figure.

The galaxy is heavily settled, lots of fuel depots, and stars don't move around much. Ships wouldn't be trying to make the 800 or so light year journey in a single jump, they'd be moving from populated system to populated system.

12 light years per day means the Migrant Fleet could probably make it home in less than 30 years, and they've got the farthest to go of anyone.

Long time? Sure. But given that the Quarians have already spent hundreds of years swanning around anyway, it's clearly not an insurmountable challenge.

In short, it's not the death sentence that people make it out to be, nor is it the collapse of galactic civilization. It's inconvenient, not apocalyptic.

And, at least in the destruction option, the catalyst suggests that all Reaper based technology would also be destroyed which presumably would include the FTL drives? That was my understanding at least.

Your understanding is flawed.

The Destruction option destroys synthetic life forms. That's it. Just synthetics. So the Geth, EDI, and a few other minor entities get wiped out, along with the Reapers and the mass relays (to power the magic macguffin). Everything else still works the same as always.

Except their logic for existing is absolutely ridiculous.

And ugh.

I swear I'm starting to hate that picture.

Yes, the Reapers kill organic life forms. Selectively, with the stated goal of preventing organics from creating synthetics that will wipe out organics entirely.

Think of it the same way as managing wildlife populations; we kill some of the deer so that the stupid things don't breed until they starve to death.

 

[Tommahawk]

A

I find it strangely infuriating that every time this topic comes up, I have to remind people that the galaxy still has FTL travel, even if the mass relays are destroyed...

And I'd have to remind you that conventional FTL travel is fuckin' slow in ME universe. It may take years, decades or even centuries to get to other cluster

And, at least in the destruction option, the catalyst suggests that all Reaper based technology would also be destroyed which presumably would include the FTL drives? That was my understanding at least.

I was just focusing on "relay problem" and in other endings reaper tech and synthetics can stay "alive". And I even can see FTL travel staying even in destruction ending. Yeah it may have been based on reaper tech, but at least SSV Normandy(orginal one) had a tantalus drive core that was produced by Turians and Humans. And the principle on which FTL "operates" is a natural phenomenon/law of nature which exists in ME universe. So in worst case scenario it could be reverse engineered quite quickly

 

[Daystar Clarion]

And ugh.

I swear I'm starting to hate that picture.

Yes, the Reapers kill organic life forms. Selectively, with the stated goal of preventing organics from creating synthetics that will wipe out organics entirely.

Think of it the same way as managing wildlife populations; we kill some of the deer so that the stupid things don't breed until they starve to death.

Or, you know.

The reapers could have just shown up.


"Oh, hey guys, don't be buildin' any robots, ya hear, trust us, it doesn't end well."

 

[Raesvelg]

Or, you know.

The reapers could have just shown up.


"Oh, hey guys, don't be buildin' any robots, ya hear, trust us, it doesn't end well."

Because I'm sure that would be so much more effective.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Or, you know.

The reapers could have just shown up.


"Oh, hey guys, don't be buildin' any robots, ya hear, trust us, it doesn't end well."

Because I'm sure that would be so much more effective.

I don't know man, if a legion of huge armageddon robots showed up and told me it was a bad idea to create AI, I'd listen.

It doesn't involve the wholesale slaughter of all civilised life.

 

[Raesvelg]

I don't know man, if a legion of huge armageddon robots showed up and told me it was a bad idea to create AI, I'd listen.

It doesn't involve the wholesale slaughter of all civilised life.

Given that a legion of huge Armageddon missiles is pointed at North Korea and they went ahead and developed their own nuclear weapons after being repeatedly told that they shouldn't, I suspect that the same result would inevitably unfold.

"These Reapers are threatening to destroy us all if we make synthetic life forms! Obviously, the answer is to make synthetic life forms, because for some reason the Reapers fear them!!"

Alternately, the Reapers sit around long enough until the organics are technologically on par with the Reapers, tell the Reapers to go fuck themselves, start a war, organics win, organics make synthetics even better than the Reapers, get wiped out, end of organic life.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I don't know man, if a legion of huge armageddon robots showed up and told me it was a bad idea to create AI, I'd listen.

It doesn't involve the wholesale slaughter of all civilised life.

Given that a legion of huge Armageddon missiles is pointed at North Korea and they went ahead and developed their own nuclear weapons after being repeatedly told that they shouldn't, I suspect that the same result would inevitably unfold.

"These Reapers are threatening to destroy us all if we make synthetic life forms! Obviously, the answer is to make synthetic life forms, because for some reason the Reapers fear them!!"

Alternately, the Reapers sit around long enough until the organics are technologically on par with the Reapers, tell the Reapers to go fuck themselves, start a war, organics win, organics make synthetics even better than the Reapers, get wiped out, end of organic life.

Hey, I never said it was a great idea

The whole idea of killing off organics to stop them from being killed by organics just seems rather...

Silly.

 

[Krantos]

Casey mentioned that players will be seeing some "really great single-player content" in the future, lending some credibility to the numerous theories that the game's endings aren't as final as they might first appear.

Still say this is worse than simply having a disappointing ending. Yes, the ending is kind of a dick move, but really, I suspected that this would happen. Giving the series the ending it deserves, I think, is really unfeasible, largely due to the fact I think BioWare created something beyond themselves when they made Shepard. More on that at another time. Important thing is I never really expected to be pleased with the ending.

However, if its true this isn't the REAL ending and they're holding out for DLC... That's just a REALLY big dick move. If true, I think it would be fair to say ME3 is unfinished. Producing an epilogue that continues the story is one thing (see Dragon Age: Awakenings), but when the "real" ending is only available through DLC, you've basically produced an incomplete product and are holding the ending ransom.

I haven't agreed with a lot of stuff BioWare has been doing, but that would the worst thing they've done yet. That's why I hope the ending they gave us is the real ending, no matter how disappointing.

 

[Raesvelg]

Hey, I never said it was a great idea

The whole idea of killing off organics to stop them from being killed by organics just seems rather...

Silly.

It may, but if you're looking at it from the perspective of someone who is absolutely confident that organics will inevitably create synthetics that will inevitably destroy them, and you have some bizarre attachment to organic life, it's pretty much the only real option you have, silly at it may seem.

You give organics their time in the sun, and prune them back when they start to get dangerous.

 

[Emiscary]

Alright, I've got to ask something that's been bugging me for a while:

Why are the vocally apathetic and Bioware apologists even taking part in this dialogue? If you're not emotionally invested in this (or any) fictional setting or game, then good for you. You're under no compulsion to do so, and I welcome you to go celebrate your lack of interest in quiet dignity under your own recognizance. And if you're RELIGIOUSLY invested in keeping the ending you got, then please say so and explain why. But as for the droves of people chiming in with this whole "it's not *THAT* bad" shpeel- please, just stop. You're annoying us and embarrassing yourselves. By your own admission it's not a good ending (*hint* nobody describes something they found fulfilling the same way they describe a dentist appointment), so how does standing up and proclaiming: "PLEASE SIR, I DON'T WANT ANYMORE SOUP. IGNORE THOSE KIDS, THEY'VE FORGOTTEN THEMSELVES." make any sense? If you thought the ending was only mediocre then just hush up and let us throw our consumer temper tantrum. With any luck we'll get some DLC or a patch- y'know, more and better game content. And that's something everyone can enjoy, yes?

 

[JoesshittyOs]

Are they really trying to make us pay for the real endings? Is that what it's boiling down to?

Oh damn EA. You are playing with some fire right about now.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

I find it strangely infuriating that every time this topic comes up, I have to remind people that the galaxy still has FTL travel, even if the mass relays are destroyed...

Which would still take them about five years to get to the closest galaxy cluster.

 

[SushiJaguar]

I'd just like to remind everyone that it takes several months to complete the events of a Mass Effect game. It takes several months to shuffle about the galaxy completing strike missions that would realistically take the same amount of time as they do in-game.

That's /with/ the relays. Straight-up FTL around the stars? I imagine that would take significantly longer than thirty years.