Alkonium Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 After the credits roll, ME3 dumps you back just before you launch into the final battle so you have a save for DLC, so they don't need to change the ending on that account. Which is the same thing they did for Dragon Age II. And in both cases, it's understandable, although I'm only guessing with Mass Effect 3, since I haven't beaten it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samnmax221 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 This is the most ****ing depressing game I've ever played. If Bioware doesn't make some changes, I'm not replaying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 By the way, after completing a second playthrough I can now seemingly confirm that Bioware are indeed lying about being able to get the best ending without requiring MP. Based on the various descriptions of the endings floating about, you need 5,000 EMS to get the best ending, which is absolutely impossible with a readiness of 50%. The maximum EMS you can get in that instance is about 3,500 or so, as I mentioned previously. Also, I think I get what they mean by "best" ending now: Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) They are referring to unlocking "merge with synthetics". At lower EMS levels you can apparently only choose the "destroy" or "control" endings. However, there are minor variations in each ending based on your EMS, the "best" of which requires an EMS not possible to achieve with SP alone. So it's a case of semantics basically. They can lie, albeit with an element of truth "from a certain point of view". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Interestingly, I just came to a completely different conclusion. I don't know which sites you've referenced, DarthParametric, but the one I looked at listed the possible endings based on "Readiness". I assumed that "Readiness" meant EMS, but having just hit 1,900 Total Military Strength (TMS) and seeing the minimum mark hit, I'm thinking that "Readiness" = TMS, not EMS. If that's the case, then Bioware didn't lie and the "Readiness Rating 5,000" that I've been looking at as the gold standard would be a EMS of about 2,500 (which is rather easy to get in single-player). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Readiness is the percentage that determines your effective strength from your total strength. It's 50% by default for SP, thus EMS will be half of TMS. I reached my conclusion based on the fact that Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) I have finished the game twice, once with a "Collector base destroyed" save imported and once with a "base kept intact" save. In both instances Shepard should apparently have survived in the "best" outcome of the particular chosen endings, but in both instances he died. This was with TMS scores of 6,500 and 7,000. Thus I concluded that the figure of 5,000 being floated around must be EMS, not TMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Readiness is the percentage that determines your effective strength from your total strength. It's 50% by default for SP, thus EMS will be half of TMS. I'm very much aware of this. I was merely pointing out that the site that I looked at referenced "Readiness" and I assumed that it was referring to EMS, when it appears that it was actually referring to TMS. I reached my conclusion based on the fact that Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) I have finished the game twice, once with a "Collector base destroyed" save imported and once with a "base kept intact" save. In both instances Shepard should apparently have survived in the "best" outcome of the particular chosen endings, but in both instances he died. This was with TMS scores of 6,500 and 7,000. Thus I concluded that the figure of 5,000 being floated around must be EMS, not TMS. And that may be the case. I came to my conclusion based on the fact that the site I looked at listed possible endings starting around 1,800 and that just happens to be the TMS when the EMS bar hits "Minimum". To your point Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) I was presented with three options when I finished. Shepard died via the one I selected and I didn't reload to play the other two, so it may be that one or both of them result in a non-dead Shepard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Yeah I said in an earlier post that the strength progress bar seems to equate to an EMS of about 3,000, given the the "minimum" line drawn on it is an EMS of 1,000 (at 50% readiness). That's why when I started my second playthrough I thought maybe the values floating around for the "best" endings were actually TMS. But then I again revised that view on finishing the second playthrough, as noted above. I could do the ultimate test to prove it one way or another by editing the save to set the TMS to some crazy high number like 20,000. But I'm not really in a hurry to run through the whole drawn-out end sequence again after having just burned through the game twice in a few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Or reload a save and see if the other options yield different results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Can't, as you can't manually save for about the last 30-40 minutes of the game, and the auto-save just before the end gets overwritten after the credits roll. Besides, there wouldn't be much point in reloading that late. I want to see if boosting the EMS to 5,000 or more actually does make a difference making the same choice. Also, I heard a suggestion that there may be some minor differences in Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) the survival percentage of the Hammer ground forces based on EMS. Which makes some sense, seeing as there is really no indication of what sort of success the fleet you assembled is having. I don't think this has any tangible outcome besides some dialogue, but it would be another indication of the effect of EMS if true. In my two playthroughs, at least half the Hammer forces got wiped out when landing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylthar Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Just for future reference, if you've never played MP on the xbox, you might wanna find a couple of friends to level up with, otherwise they'll probably kick you out of the game because you're only level 1. ._. happened to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Lol someone posted this over at the official forum and it gave me a laugh: *Warning - ending spoilers* Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) Edit: Also this one: Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swphreak Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 You don't have to play multiplayer to get the best ending. I didn't play MP and still got Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) the synthesis option . Granted, I pretty much did every side mission I could. Wow, what a terrible ending. No matter what option you choose, the endings are the same and there's the one stupid epilogue. Major endgame spoiler: Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) Seriously, the Citadel is the AI? Why didn't it help Sovereign in ME1? Why did it let the Keepers get reprogrammed? Was that Bioware's plan the whole time, or did someone get high one evening and came up with that. :-/ I give the game, before the final mission, a 5/5. I think it's pretty sweet. As far as I'm concerned, the ending doesn't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salzella Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Well I hate to be that guy who injects a bit of positivity into what is otherwise a round-bollocking session, but i thought the Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) mission to cure the Genophage on Tuchanka was one of the most intense gaming sequences I've ever had to pleasure of playing, starting in those deep catacombs, onto the bit where you're running around not knowing what the **** is going on because of all those brutes and then when the cure is actually injected and the beautiful sequence that follows. I was floored. Going back there armed with fraps for some screenshots ASAP. Kind of annoyed with myself that I annoyed Liara by utterly failing to resist the temptation to jump into the shower with Samantha Traynor. Also slightly annoyed that my N7 rank from the demo didn't pass along into the multiplayer, but ho-hum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Well I hate to be that guy who injects a bit of positivity into what is otherwise a round-bollocking sessionIt's just the ending that is the problem (well and the popamole combat, but that's not unique to this entry). The rest of the game is pretty good. Sure, there are the inevitable eye rolling moments that are part and parcel of any recent Bioware game, but there is plenty of great stuff to balance it out. As ever, some of the best moments are the crew interactions, both with you and each other, especially between the old hands Liara, Garrus and Tali. It's a shame so much of their dialogue is ME2 DLC-style ambient rather than interactive (the Virmire survivor seems particularly shafted in this regard - well Ashley at least), but better that than nothing. One thing I liked that I think they didn't quite capitalise on was the flashlight sections. They probably trotted it out a few times too many, but once or twice it provided some nice, albeit brief, tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swphreak Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Endgame Spoilers: Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) After reading the Bioware forums, it seems we all might have been rick rolled by Bioware... The ending may have been a hallucination or Shepard may have been indoctrinated? I still don't like the endings, but that's something to think about, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Wishful thinking. That idea gives the writer/s far too much credit. It's just a hack job, plain and simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 TMS/EMS impact on available endings would seem to suggest that this is not the case. If it were, then there would be one ending for everyone. In other words, I'm with DP on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swphreak Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Probably. They should have had Drew Karpyshyn finish the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Hessian Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 They should have had Drew Karpyshyn finish the series. Yes, they probably should have. Instead, he was involved in some of the writing in TOR and the Revan novel - and we all know how that turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taak Farst Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Kay, I've finished the game. Cried a helluva lot. It's been one hell of a ride, but I'm hoping DarthParametric and such can untangle my confused mind on the ending. I went with the Synthesis option, and I must say, it definately was a forced ending, as no matter which you picked, Shep died. This disappointed me to be honest. But anyway; What became of Joker, EDI and the rest of the Normandy crew? They crash landed then got out of the ship and looked on. I didn't understand. Was this a total step back in history (theoretically, not literally) because of what synthesis did? I mean, did they just find a new planet that they had to start totally fresh on? What happened to Earth? Surely, if I understood it and the races HAVE started all over again, surely, that means the Mass Effect Universe is over and cannot be continued upon? And I am interested to know about this 'One More Story' the stargazer speaks of. I'm guessing major story DLC in ME3. Man, I miss Shepard :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Yes, they probably should have. Instead, he was involved in some of the writing in TOR and the Revan novel - and we all know how that turned out. Haven't read the Revan novel, but if it is anything like TOR, I guess we all think it was great.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Hessian Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Haven't read the Revan novel, but if it is anything like TOR, I guess we all think it was great.... I was thinking of the novel, I just said he was working on TOR because he could have been working on ME3 at that time instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taak Farst Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 It's funny, everywhere I read, there is a division of people who hate the ending, and the others that also hate the ending, but are optimistic that it was a dream and there is a new ending DLC coming. But surely, that would put the nail in the EA coffin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Hessian Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 But surely, that would put the nail in the EA coffin? Never doubt EA's willingness to churn out more material. If not some DLC's, then wanna bet that there will be a ME4 or something similar? Perhaps set during the First Contact War and starring Jon Grissom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taak Farst Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 No. There cannot be a Mass Effect 4. It would need a new name. There can't be a fourth ME, if it doesn't continue on Shep. Or the rest of the storyline for that matter. EDIT: Just rewatched the ending...It kinda makes me not want to play the ME games again for some reason...it just kinda put the whole series down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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