Mass Effect 4

[Mangalore]

How the hell did ME end up in the Andromeda galaxy when it is a friggin big deal for the Reapers to get anywhere from outside the galaxy? You know, that universe defining arch nemesis that scattered all the advanced tech all over the galaxy and killed everyone that was about to make better tech with it, is billions of years old but can't travel quickly without building Mass relays first?

Also, the Council was very hesitant on opening Mass Relays since the Rachni implying the galaxy still has lots of sectors unexplored... what the hell are people looking for in Andromeda any time soon?

Is this supposed to be concurrent to ME3? If yes, than that's dumb. If no, let's hope they advance the plot far enough to explain this stuff at least to some extent though the base concepts sadly sound like a repetition of ME1 with may be more strategic open world game mechanics. I'm not against that but why call it Mass Effect? What they introduce will be so different it sounds like it may just as well be an independant IP.

Or they want to join the Halo universe. Remnant sounds familiar...

[Gaidin]

When the Reapers aren't there to stymie research anymore you might be surprised.

Also, it's called Mass Effect because it's in the Mass Effect Universe. Get over it.

[the_mango55]

Has Bioware confirmed that ME4 won't be in the milky way?

[Mangalore]

When the Reapers aren't there to stymie research anymore you might be surprised.

The Reapers had tech that puzzled everyone, the sole reason races used mass relays for millenia without building any of their own or barely being able to think about building one of their own. But sure, take them away and the basic dynamic of how travel works in your SF universe is obsolete.

That stuff is kind of important for the internal consistency of a Sci Fi franchise.

Also, it's called Mass Effect because it's in the Mass Effect Universe. Get over it.

When the relevance is zero because it doesn't play in the same galaxy, without the same factions in a different time frame one can still question if this is a sensible usage of a franchise or just a sell out.

I would also get behind the idea if the gear in the screenshots we saw would suggest an advance in technology but I don't think we get that either. It's called Mass Effect because it doesn't frighten investors. The end.

Has Bioware confirmed that ME4 won't be in the milky way?

I took that from the prior posts / links. Hopefully they stay in the milky way.

[Gaidin]

The Reapers had tech that puzzled everyone, the sole reason races used mass relays for millenia without building any of their own or barely being able to think about building one of their own. But sure, take them away and the basic dynamic of how travel works in your SF universe is obsolete.

That stuff is kind of important for the internal consistency of a Sci Fi franchise.

"The next Mass Effect game takes place in the Helius Cluster (a cluster of 100s of solar systems in the Andromeda Galaxy), far removed by time and space from Commander Shepard’s heroic acts and the final events of the Mass Effect trilogy. "

Take your time doing your research setting up the next game's technology. you have time, good sir. No evul race of evul creatures will come and curbstomp you evully after all.

When the relevance is zero because it doesn't play in the same galaxy, without the same factions in a different time frame one can still question if this is a sensible usage of a franchise or just a sell out.

Actually that's the relevance of the Herbert analogy. I'm kinda surprised you can't at least catch it. I guess you're still obsessed with the webcomic after all. I'm disappointed.

I would also get behind the idea if the gear in the screenshots we saw would suggest an advance in technology but I don't think we get that either. It's called Mass Effect because it doesn't frighten investors. The end.

It would hardly be the first science fiction, science fantasy, or fantasy realm to take a huge leap forward after a major event. In fact, ME3 is the perfect place to have it because after the major discovery of the Reapers and the subsequent handling of them you'd inevitably have a huge diaspora of all populations trying to get away from where they were being held under the boot of the reapers(See Herbert analogy nobody can seem to catch). Of course, far removed by time, just might give them the technology they need through research to put something on their ships...

What do I know, I've only read authors like Peter F. Hamilton who've explored ideas exactly like this. You know. Only having wormhole-like technology and then needing to find a way to have ship-FTL technology as fast as possible for reasons. It makes an interesting world. You? Your balls haven't dropped as far as the chicken scared writers at Bioware yet if they're willing to leak this idea and you don't even want them to do this.

[Mangalore]

"The next Mass Effect game takes place in the Helius Cluster (a cluster of 100s of solar systems in the Andromeda Galaxy), far removed by time and space from Commander Shepard’s heroic acts and the final events of the Mass Effect trilogy. "

Take your time doing your research setting up the next game's technology. you have time, good sir. No evul race of evul creatures will come and curbstomp you evully after all.

Which is irrelevant to anything.

Actually that's the relevance of the Herbert analogy. I'm kinda surprised you can't at least catch it. I guess you're still obsessed with the webcomic after all. I'm disappointed.

*rofl* What web comic? Way to make assumptions based on nothing. And maybe reveal the great revelance of the analogy? It doesn't actually make things better just to have something else being similar that is however an entirely different story. You mean Butler's Jihad or the Scattering? Both only makes sense in the Dune universe which propagates religious ideology and fate to dertermine the development of mankind. It doesn't automatically make any sense for other universe building.

It would hardly be the first science fiction, science fantasy, or fantasy realm to take a huge leap forward after a major event. In fact, ME3 is the perfect place to have it because after the major discovery of the Reapers and the subsequent handling of them you'd inevitably have a huge diaspora of all populations trying to get away from where they were being held under the boot of the reapers(See Herbert analogy nobody can seem to catch). Of course, far removed by time, just might give them the technology they need through research to put something on their ships...

That makes no lick of sense... what boot of the Reapers? They are dead, they have done no boot stomping for the thousands of years everyone lived in that galaxy and they are gone now after let's say 10years of only one time effective boot stomping so everyone can keep living in said galaxy which is largely unexplored, uninhabited and ununited. It's not like anyone experienced the Reapers as a subjugating force ever. All precedessors died and the current ME galaxy only perceived them as an ancient outside threat it managed to destroy. Scary death machines from beyond the milky way that are dead now hardly qualify as much of an incentive to live somewhere else given the amount of real estate a galaxy has.

Even if you want your diaspora, in galaxy it would maybe make some sense as former homeworld are too destroyed to serve the same populations again. However there are plenty of colony worlds capable to replace them who weren't nearly as destroyed or affected by the Reapers or just mapped Garden worlds that are yet to be inhabited. The problem of Mass relay travel and FTL limits also remains but if the speculation is true will be handwaved to relocate to the Andromeda galaxy.

In essence, I repeat myself, they could have made a new IP because they will handwave fundamental principles established about the Mass Effect universe anyway. If you need to do that to your franchise to keep it alive it actually means it's dead already.

What do I know, I've only read authors like Peter F. Hamilton who've explored ideas exactly like this. You know. Only having wormhole-like technology and then needing to find a way to have ship-FTL technology as fast as possible for reasons. It makes an interesting world.

Nope. It can make an interesting world assuming you need to construct an interesting world, e.g. in a new franchise. It makes no sense in an established universe and is just a cheap escape to not deal with your own creation.

Yeah, others did it, too, what kind of argument is that even supposed to be?

You? Your balls haven't dropped as far as the chicken scared writers at Bioware yet if they're willing to leak this idea and you don't even want them to do this.

I will ignore that ad hominem. Someone spat in your coffee this morning or something?

[Gaidin]

Which is irrelevant to anything.

Yea. We now have all the time in the world to develop what we need. Totally irrelevant. Right.

*rofl* What web comic? Way to make assumptions based on nothing. And maybe reveal the great revelance of the analogy? It doesn't actually make things better just to have something else being similar that is however an entirely different story. You mean Butler's Jihad or the Scattering? Both only makes sense in the Dune universe which propagates religious ideology and fate to dertermine the development of mankind. It doesn't automatically make any sense for other universe building.

So you've never read Herbert to any relevant degree. You pretty much know nothing here.

That makes no lick of sense... what boot of the Reapers? They are dead, they have done no boot stomping for the thousands of years everyone lived in that galaxy and they are gone now after let's say 10years of only one time effective boot stomping so everyone can keep living in said galaxy which is largely unexplored, uninhabited and ununited. It's not like anyone experienced the Reapers as a subjugating force ever. All precedessors died and the current ME galaxy only perceived them as an ancient outside threat it managed to destroy. Scary death machines from beyond the milky way that are dead now hardly qualify as much of an incentive to live somewhere else given the amount of real estate a galaxy has.

That's the point. In case you missed it by ducking. While saying it. Ironically.

And humans/aliens don't need a logical reason, just an instinctive one. We aren't logical creatures. I'm not sure where people get this logical thing from. We're biological creatures. We have to be trained in logic. It's why pretty much nobody grasps logic until taught.

[Captain Jin]

I have to agree with Mangalore. It just doesn't make much sense to set the game in Andromeda when they've built up all this literature on the limits of our FTL capabilities as well as the reliance on mass effect relays. Now I'm sure they'll find some way to get over that, but it is disappointing and one cannot criticize that regardless of whether the game is out. I like the universe created in the Milky Way, I wanted to explore locations I've read about, heard about, or only seen a bit of. I want to see more of the back and forth politics between the Citadel races. All that has been created in the Milky Way is what I like about the game, so moving it away from there certainly disappoints me. It doesn't mean the game will be bad. It doesn't mean they won't tie some of that into the new game, but it still disappoints me. Saying that's silly or nonsense to be disappointed in their decision to go that direction is asinine.

As it is it sounds like they're really just trying to clean the slate as much as possible. We'll see as more information becomes available. But I'd prefer a post-Reaper universe trying to overcome the aftermath of this cataclysmic galactic war and how everyone is coping everywhere. I mean you'd have power vacuums everywhere. You'd have general lawlessness in many areas previously safe. You'd have bickering, betrayal and political maneuvering between the Citadel Races, potential conflicts all over the place... just a myriad of opportunities to play with in the post-Reaper Milky Way, despite the fact they basically painted themselves into a corner with ME3.

I'm also a little skeptical of this 'remnant'. It's a bit repetitive when you think about. The cheesy name aside, we're going to be rediscovering alien tech and it's all mysterious and enigmatic and all of that. Sounds like the Protheans. And then you have the Ket, or Keth or whatever it was. Just seems unnecessary when they have this rich universe they've already created and there are lots of powerful race dynamics they could have played with.

[Gaidin]

I have to agree with Mangalore. It just doesn't make much sense to set the game in Andromeda when they've built up all this literature on the limits of our FTL capabilities as well as the reliance on mass effect relays. Now I'm sure they'll find some way to get over that, but it is disappointing and one cannot criticize that regardless of whether the game is out. I like the universe created in the Milky Way, I wanted to explore locations I've read about, heard about, or only seen a bit of. I want to see more of the back and forth politics between the Citadel races. All that has been created in the Milky Way is what I like about the game, so moving it away from there certainly disappoints me. It doesn't mean the game will be bad. It doesn't mean they won't tie some of that into the new game, but it still disappoints me. Saying that's silly or nonsense to be disappointed in their decision to go that direction is asinine.

They've built up all the limits based on what was put in place by the Reapers. The Reapers aren't there to both, A) keep those limits in place, and B) curbstop races that get too advanced. Meaning go forth, and multiply. Research and come up with new things. You noticed those parts of the series right? With the Reapers gone limits are gone? Or am I the only one noticing this. I'll assume you have shades over your eyes too. Now once the curbstomping super aliens aren't an issue, most species have this thing of wanting to put a back up plan in place. At least if authors are thinking realistically. Send out a mothership full of colonists. Well, maybe step A would be find a place to send a mothership. But what do I know, I've only seen it done in at least two sci-fi worlds, one decades old one only a few years.

Now if you don't want to play in another galaxy that's one thing. But saying it's an unrealistic thing for them to do or be able to do? That's total and utter . I will call you and mangolore on it all day long until the Reapers backup plan shows up as Biowares ace in the hole that they don't tell us about until release day 101.

As it is it sounds like they're really just trying to clean the slate as much as possible. We'll see as more information becomes available. But I'd prefer a post-Reaper universe trying to overcome the aftermath of this cataclysmic galactic war and how everyone is coping everywhere. I mean you'd have power vacuums everywhere. You'd have general lawlessness in many areas previously safe. You'd have bickering, betrayal and political maneuvering between the Citadel Races, potential conflicts all over the place... just a myriad of opportunities to play with in the post-Reaper Milky Way, despite the fact they basically painted themselves into a corner with ME3.

I'm also a little skeptical of this 'remnant'. It's a bit repetitive when you think about. The cheesy name aside, we're going to be rediscovering alien tech and it's all mysterious and enigmatic and all of that. Sounds like the Protheans. And then you have the Ket, or Keth or whatever it was. Just seems unnecessary when they have this rich universe they've already created and there are lots of powerful race dynamics they could have played with.

Pretty irrelevant to comparative analysis.

[Captain Jin]

They've built up all the limits based on what was put in place by the Reapers. The Reapers aren't there to both, A) keep those limits in place, and B) curbstop races that get too advanced. Meaning go forth, and multiply. Research and come up with new things. You noticed those parts of the series right? With the Reapers gone limits are gone? Or am I the only one noticing this. I'll assume you have shades over your eyes too. Now once the curbstomping super aliens aren't an issue, most species have this thing of wanting to put a back up plan in place. At least if authors are thinking realistically. Send out a mothership full of colonists. Well, maybe step A would be find a place to send a mothership. But what do I know, I've only seen it done in at least two sci-fi worlds, one decades old one only a few years.

Now if you don't want to play in another galaxy that's one thing. But saying it's an unrealistic thing for them to do or be able to do? That's total and utter . I will call you and mangolore on it all day long until the Reapers backup plan shows up as Biowares ace in the hole that they don't tell us about until release day 101.

Yes, you can continue to call Mangalore and I out that you don't agree, but your opinion isn't anymore valid than ours. Why in the world is more realistic that they would send out a ship to another galaxy when they haven't even colonized all of the Milky Way? The Reapers have nothing to do with the argument that we're making. You say they were there as a restriction, except that even with them gone there's still a lack of understanding how the relays work and the fact that the reason every Citadel species got as far as they did in development was because of Reaper tech. So either this takes place waaaay in the future, in which case that's disappointing for me PERSONALLY, or it takes place not long after the original trilogy in which case it doesn't make much sense to go all the way to Andromeda rather than try to fix what the Reapers trashed.

So again, you can prattle on all you want, but calling either of us out on whatever imagined thing you've built up in your head has nothing to do with our personal attitude or perception toward what we know about the game. Nor does it change the fact that I would have rather seen the series go in the direction that I described.

[Gaidin]

Yes, you can continue to call Mangalore and I out that you don't agree, but your opinion isn't anymore valid than ours. Why in the world is more realistic that they would send out a ship to another galaxy when they haven't even colonized all of the Milky Way? The Reapers have nothing to do with the argument that we're making. You say they were there as a restriction, except that even with them gone there's still a lack of understanding how the relays work and the fact that the reason every Citadel species got as far as they did in development was because of Reaper tech. So either this takes place waaaay in the future, in which case that's disappointing for me PERSONALLY, or it takes place not long after the original trilogy in which case it doesn't make much sense to go all the way to Andromeda rather than try to fix what the Reapers trashed.

I say there's no restriction. So why not explore outside of it once you figure out the technology to. Period. People seem to want to keep the Mass Effect Universe quite stagnant on the Reaper tech. Why? I have no fracking clue. Me? I really don't trust the Reaper tech. I never will. Why? See the original Mass Effect Trilogy for REFERENCE. You know, where they use their technology as a part of their little trap. I want them to develop something of their own. Get out from under the Reaper Tech. Get out of the nest that is the Milky Way. Explore.

You? Stagnation. Complete. Utter. Stagnation. Why? Let's explore the galaxy for MORE REAPER TECH. Brilliant idea, yo. Because that didn't get us in trouble before.

[Sir Adrian]

Reapers had the technology to travel in intergalactic space very very quickly (it takes them like 1 year to reach earth from ~10.000 light years outside the galaxy). In every single perfect ending in ME 3 the galaxy gets access to almost all the reaper tech in a more or less usable or repairable shape.
There's also the leviathans who can come up with the required technology fairly easy. And let's not forget about all the Remnant mumbo jumbo (basically Andromeda's Protheans) which be used to justify any plot hole. Ex: One ship traveled to the Milky Way to escape whatever caused them to go extinct and stayed dormant. Council discovers it, reverse engineers tech, race to Andromeda is on.

They have plenty of sensible options to bridge the story.

[Captain Jin]

I say there's no restriction. So why not explore outside of it once you figure out the technology to. Period. People seem to want to keep the Mass Effect Universe quite stagnant on the Reaper tech. Why? I have no fracking clue. Me? I really don't trust the Reaper tech. I never will. Why? See the original Mass Effect Trilogy for REFERENCE. You know, where they use their technology as a part of their little trap. I want them to develop something of their own. Get out from under the Reaper Tech. Get out of the nest that is the Milky Way. Explore.

You? Stagnation. Complete. Utter. Stagnation. Why? Let's explore the galaxy for MORE REAPER TECH. Brilliant idea, yo. Because that didn't get us in trouble before.

I understand what you mean by being concerned about stagnation. But I'm saying the universe they created was rich enough that they could explore a lot of aspects without it feeling like they were being stagnant. There's just a bevy of different routes they could go that I've already listed that I would have preferred. And instead they're going to Andromeda and sound like they're wiping away much of the familiarity. Yes, the stuff is there for reference, but when you remove yourself entirely from the universe that was created you can totally see why Mangalore would say not just do a new IP?

Staying in the Milky Way and exploring any number of the options that have been recommended in this thread or the ME3 thread does not equate to stagnation. Nor does it mean they have to necessarily stick to Reaper tech.Hell the destruction of the Relays could serve as a mechanism that leads to radical change in how the races we know and love operate within the galaxy after the Reaper's were destroyed. To me the opportunities available in the immediate post-Reaper situation are many. And instead it feels like they are abandoning a lot of it in order to try to make things right with their ME3 ending and avoid any sort of confirmed official ending to that trilogy. So if its 200 years in the future in a completely different galaxy with all new races and a new enemy etc etc why not do a different IP if you're going to take away all these aspects that made the franchise popular to begin with?

Moreover it sounds like they're trying to start up another massive trilogy with lots at stake, what with old alien tech being discovered and a new major alien threat. But they could have kept the story tight in a given part of the milky way and still made the stakes high by relying on good storytelling and making us care about the characters.

[Gaidin]

I understand what you mean by being concerned about stagnation. But I'm saying the universe they created was rich enough that they could explore a lot of aspects without it feeling like they were being stagnant. There's just a bevy of different routes they could go that I've already listed that I would have preferred. And instead they're going to Andromeda and sound like they're wiping away much of the familiarity. Yes, the stuff is there for reference, but when you remove yourself entirely from the universe that was created you can totally see why Mangalore would say not just do a new IP?

I guess I'm hilariously familiar and comfortable with stories that make hundreds or thousands of years jumps as necessary. It just doesn't scare me in the slightest. I've read the Dune Series. Sure I've read the KJA/BH bs in piques of curiousity, but I'm really just talking about Frank Herbert's genius. I've read Peter F. Hamilton's science fiction. Again, story jumps forward millenia between books as needed. Duology ends, time leap. Duology ends, time leap. Final Trilogy. Different picture of society for each look. Not too scary an idea. First thing's first, it's the same IP.

Staying in the Milky Way and exploring any number of the options that have been recommended in this thread or the ME3 thread does not equate to stagnation. Nor does it mean they have to necessarily stick to Reaper tech.Hell the destruction of the Relays could serve as a mechanism that leads to radical change in how the races we know and love operate within the galaxy after the Reaper's were destroyed. To me the opportunities available in the immediate post-Reaper situation are many. And instead it feels like they are abandoning a lot of it in order to try to make things right with their ME3 ending and avoid any sort of confirmed official ending to that trilogy. So if its 200 years in the future in a completely different galaxy with all new races and a new enemy etc etc why not do a different IP if you're going to take away all these aspects that made the franchise popular to begin with?

IIRC the first thing they did is draw down the destruction of the Relays depending on the ending chosen because anal reaction of fans. All things being equal they might be doing this just to say 'you didn't pick one of these two endings' and from there the story works. Well, depending on what we see later, I guess even the combination of tech/bio could work. But really, if you're at all familiar with how a series like this works it's not abandoning the IP so much as moving onto the next stage. Like I said, could be in Milky Way. Could be in Andromeda. Handled properly, if it's in the Milky Way we should see talk of colonizing Andromeda because of the races' diaspora after beating back the boot of the Reapers. A fast reaction for the hope and plan of not getting caught under something like that again, whether they think it's dead or not. No chances taken.

Moreover it sounds like they're trying to start up another massive trilogy with lots at stake, what with old alien tech being discovered and a new major alien threat. But they could have kept the story tight in a given part of the milky way and still made the stakes high by relying on good storytelling and making us care about the characters.

Eh, I know about five ideas I'd be willing to do, and I know what my top idea would be but that one seems to be the one people are the most hostile to mostly because nobody likes picking a specific ending and committing to it for the sake of a story of politics and infighting right after ME3. Whatever.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

They just showed a trailer: it's called Mass Effect Andromeda.

EDIT: Can watch it here:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/...day-2016?watch

[Wulfburk]

............ EH total meh. Cant play as another race again? n7 again? Its probably going to be as mediocre as Inquisition, if not i'll be pleasantly surprised since ME1 is like my favorite game of all time.

Instead of freaking Andromeda, they should have done something in relation to the terminus systems, the colonization and all that, could have been there in a ravaged and completely scorched earth territory after the reaper invasion while facing a resistance of those worlds who survived the invasion. I mean wtf, how many times have we heard that only something like 1 % of the galaxy was explored by the council races and all that. AND they have the need to go to freaking ANDROMEDA? Bioware and its writes omfg..... They just took the easy road after the biggest plotline fiasco of video games and decided that the only way is going to another galaxy so the players dont have to directly face the repercusions of ME3 ending again.


edit: ah this ing man, its Mass Effect i cant stop the hype even if those things that i wanted (not in andromeda and other races as main character) are already confirmed not happening. Holiday 2016 is too damn far

[SturmChurro]

Too many good games releasing (or released) this year.. No room for Mass Effect!

[Beregond]

I believe that by going to Andromeda BW confirms that they are afraid of trying to sort the mess created with ME3 endings
not really that hyped and not sure that moving to an alltogether new place is a good decision

[Gaidin]

Depends on how much time has gone by and how much they've changed things with that.

[saxdude]

Not a criticism on the game mind you, but I somehow feel that Sci-Fi (at least mainstream) creators often lose scope or don't properly comprehend the size of the universe. Frequently you get people wanting to destroy the universe, or the galaxy, or what have you, or multiple galaxy spanning Empires and what have you. Even with Warp drive, do they even comprehend how massive and difficult that is?

So I see news like this and think, yeah, thats a good way to ignore the crapout ME3 ending, but what are the implications here? Are you telling me the reapers forsaw this and made a Mass whatever for galaxy crossing? That once the reapers died out the technology advance to travel far enough to another galaxy? Is this an expedition? And what are the odds to encounter anything you can hope to understand even by reaper standards?

You see, I'm not against this, might be interesting... But Gundam U.C. managed to restrain itself to the first half of the solar system and it still felt massive either way. Galaxy wide sci-fi always feels a bit, fantasyesque.