Thins games probably should've explained better

[Xan Krieger]

Was playing Mass Effect 2 recently doing some heavy mining when I realized something horrible. The planet I was firing mining probes at was home to a few hundred thousand salarians. What the game doesn't mention is if I'm killing any or if the probes automatically avoid settlements. Imagine the following

mining officer: Commander Shepherd, the mining probe is reporting something unusual. 95% palladium and 5% protein.
Shepherd: I'll come down there and open the probe.
*Shepherd opens the probe revealing chunks of baby salarians causing everyone on the deck to vomit*
Shepherd: What coordinates did we drop it at?
mining officer: Um sir, it appears we dropped it on a salarian orphanage
Illusive man: Shepherd..... *facepalm* fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

What other details did games leave out that they probably should've explained?

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Strictly speaking in your example, there is relatively little threat. If I were to go into space and start hurling refrigerators to the surface, the chance of it hitting a person are almost insignificantly small; the entire human race, if collected together, would take up approximately Rhode Island - a mere fractional percentage of total land area (much less surface area) of the planet.

So, rest easy: unless the planet in question had hundreds of billions present, odds are good any particular probe landed far from anywhere. Any planet with significant population in that game was relatively light on resources anyhow.

 

[RJ 17]

Was playing Mass Effect 2 recently doing some heavy mining when I realized something horrible. The planet I was firing mining probes at was home to a few hundred thousand salarians. What the game doesn't mention is if I'm killing any or if the probes automatically avoid settlements. Imagine the following

mining officer: Commander Shepherd, the mining probe is reporting something unusual. 95% palladium and 5% protein.
Shepherd: I'll come down there and open the probe.
*Shepherd opens the probe revealing chunks of baby salarians causing everyone on the deck to vomit*
Shepherd: What coordinates did we drop it at?
mining officer: Um sir, it appears we dropped it on a salarian orphanage
Illusive man: Shepherd..... *facepalm* fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

What other details did games leave out that they probably should've explained?

You do have a point in that "they could have explained it better". The explanation you're seeking, however, is that you're firing the mines into mineral deposits to mark their location for future gathering. Kinda like how in the first game when you're driving around and you find the mineral deposits on the planets. Shepard doesn't break out a pick-axe and go to work, he/she sets up a beacon so that a mining crew knows that something's there.

That said, it is funny to think that your launching probes into Salarian mining facilities, which explains the high readings on your scanner.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Was playing Mass Effect 2 recently doing some heavy mining when I realized something horrible. The planet I was firing mining probes at was home to a few hundred thousand salarians. What the game doesn't mention is if I'm killing any or if the probes automatically avoid settlements. Imagine the following

mining officer: Commander Shepherd, the mining probe is reporting something unusual. 95% palladium and 5% protein.
Shepherd: I'll come down there and open the probe.
*Shepherd opens the probe revealing chunks of baby salarians causing everyone on the deck to vomit*
Shepherd: What coordinates did we drop it at?
mining officer: Um sir, it appears we dropped it on a salarian orphanage
Illusive man: Shepherd..... *facepalm* fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

What other details did games leave out that they probably should've explained?

You do have a point in that "they could have explained it better". The explanation you're seeking, however, is that you're firing the mines into mineral deposits to mark their location for future gathering. Kinda like how in the first game when you're driving around and you find the mineral deposits on the planets. Shepard doesn't break out a pick-axe and go to work, he/she sets up a beacon so that a mining crew knows that something's there.

That said, it is funny to think that your launching probes into Salarian mining facilities, which explains the high readings on your scanner.

But then explain how I'm spending the resources on research. Am I going to Mordin and giving him an I.O.U. every time I ask him to research something?

If I am mining it right then then I've got at this point in the game a planet behind my ship, a massive ball of all the hundreds of thousands of whatever units the game measures resources in. I could build a life size replica of the Normandy out of the platinum alone.

 

[RJ 17]

Was playing Mass Effect 2 recently doing some heavy mining when I realized something horrible. The planet I was firing mining probes at was home to a few hundred thousand salarians. What the game doesn't mention is if I'm killing any or if the probes automatically avoid settlements. Imagine the following

mining officer: Commander Shepherd, the mining probe is reporting something unusual. 95% palladium and 5% protein.
Shepherd: I'll come down there and open the probe.
*Shepherd opens the probe revealing chunks of baby salarians causing everyone on the deck to vomit*
Shepherd: What coordinates did we drop it at?
mining officer: Um sir, it appears we dropped it on a salarian orphanage
Illusive man: Shepherd..... *facepalm* fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

What other details did games leave out that they probably should've explained?

You do have a point in that "they could have explained it better". The explanation you're seeking, however, is that you're firing the mines into mineral deposits to mark their location for future gathering. Kinda like how in the first game when you're driving around and you find the mineral deposits on the planets. Shepard doesn't break out a pick-axe and go to work, he/she sets up a beacon so that a mining crew knows that something's there.

That said, it is funny to think that your launching probes into Salarian mining facilities, which explains the high readings on your scanner.

But then explain how I'm spending the resources on research. Am I going to Mordin and giving him an I.O.U. every time I ask him to research something?

If I am mining it right then then I've got at this point in the game a planet behind my ship, a massive ball of all the hundreds of thousands of whatever units the game measures resources in. I could build a life size replica of the Normandy out of the platinum alone.

Actually, yeah, it's something sort of along those lines.

By shooting out a probe/beacon, you've claimed the rights to that mineral deposit. When buying upgrades, you're selling the rights to those mineral deposits to whatever company you're buying the upgrade from (seeing as how Mordin doesn't actually sell you upgrades, he just runs the research lab that your buying-upgrades console is in). It's like you're telling the Serrice Council corporation "Gimme these biotic amp upgrades and I'll give you the rights to this big deposit of eezo."