Mass Effect 2 *spoilers around pg 29/30*

[Velorath]

I read somewhere that the DD edition crew member is called "the Prothean".

If you look on the pre-orders for a the collectors editions on Origins it's listed as "Day 1 DLC – the Prothean (Adventure/Character)".  On the Digital Deluxe version it's listed more generically.  Of course it's unclear as to whether or not the character is a Prothean or if that's just the name of the DLC.

[Amaron]

The earth section is apparently opening, you escape and then do the rounds getting the galaxy on one page to help you. The other bit of gameplay they've shown is happening in one of these "elsewhere" places.

How long is it supposed to take for the Reapers to demolish one planet?  That makes no sense.   They previously fucked over an entire galaxy and now they're going to twiddle their thumbs on one planet?

[Soulflame]

IIRC, in one of the games they specifically mention that it takes the Reapers decades or centuries to cleanse the galaxy.  The main advantage they have is we're using their tech, which means since they control the mass effect relays and can shut them down, they can isolate all of the planets at once.  I think the Protheans gave the Reapers a scare, because the Protheans advanced to the point where they understood how the mass relays work, which was how they managed to spike the Citadel relay.

Having a Prothean with Shepherd makes sense.  I wonder now if the Reapers are going to pay severely for turning the Protheans into the Collectors, instead of wiping them out.

[tmp]

How long is it supposed to take for the Reapers to demolish one planet?  That makes no sense.   They previously fucked over an entire galaxy and now they're going to twiddle their thumbs on one planet?

They are harvesting it rather than demolishing. How long it's going to take? A fraction of their 50 thousand year harvest cycle. If i recall right in ME the prothean AI says something to the effect it took few hundred years for the Reapers to eliminate the protheans fully and cover up their tracks.

To put it in some perspective, our most bloody war to date resulted in 50-70 million of casualties, and that took 5 years. And that amounts to something like 1% of total population. Sure, it could go quite faster with nukes and whatnot but long-term that's shitting in your own dining dish, and a planet that's actually populated to "normal" degree instead of being the StarWars'esque "one city per solar system" ... that's something enormous, and is bound to take considerable time to fully subdue.

[Sjofn]

They're also in absolutely no rush, as they've done this countless times before and have always won, you know?

[Fordel]

Why isn't earth surrounded in MAC's? 

[jakonovski]

Why isn't earth surrounded in MAC's? 

Earthgov figured some trucks with machine guns would be enough.

[Sky]

Maybe it's got a Hemi.

Donald Rumsfeld's Earth Defense Force.

[Stormwaltz]

Fairly long chunk of early Earth level

Looks like they completely gave up on the idea of every Reaper looking like the race that spawned it, which makes the "human Reaper" at the end of ME2 look even more ridiculous in retrospect.

I don't think I'd be able to play this. Combat moves way to fast for my RPG reflexes.

Nice ship explosion. Though if that was an Alliance warship, Shep and Anderson just took a big dose of radiation from the antimatter thruster propellant.

Also, nice water.

If it were me, I'd say Earth isn't surrounded by MACs because the only ways to get to it are:

1) Go through the Arcturus relay.

2) Spend a few years picking your way through a long chain of systems within drive charge dumping range.

Don't fortify your bed, fortify the door.

[Fordel]

Then why wasn't the Arcturus relay surrounded in MACs! 

[Ingmar]

With the 'human Reaper' I think I finally settled on deciding that the heavy metal cover dude was going to get put INSIDE a regular Reaper shell after he was done. I probably just made this up to protect my own sanity, but I don't remember for sure.

[jakonovski]

Then why wasn't the Arcturus relay surrounded in MACs! 

Space trucks.

[Sjofn]

Looks like they completely gave up on the idea of every Reaper looking like the race that spawned it, which makes the "human Reaper" at the end of ME2 look even more ridiculous in retrospect.

Honestly, I feel that is probably for the best. I also decided the human reaper was going to get to go inside a real reaper ship (I think a lot of people who hated that thing probably decided this), so it all works out!

Poor human reaper thing. So unloved.

[Velorath]

With the 'human Reaper' I think I finally settled on deciding that the heavy metal cover dude was going to get put INSIDE a regular Reaper shell after he was done. I probably just made this up to protect my own sanity, but I don't remember for sure.

They actually confirmed that in an interview in the Mass Effect 3 issue of Game Informer.

The exterior of the Reapers does follow a similar pattern, an efficient design for the purpose they were created for. However each Reaper is created from a unique species, and as we saw at the end of Mass Effect 2, the core of each Reaper is designed in the likeness of that species.

It would make sense given that the fleet of Reapers we see at the end of ME2 all look the same, so this isn't just something that they changed for ME3.

Edit:  The human Reaper thing was still pretty silly though.

[Stormwaltz]

Then why wasn't the Arcturus relay surrounded in MACs! 

How do you know it wasn't? They didn't show that part. 

[UnSub]

Then why wasn't the Arcturus relay surrounded in MACs! 

Because Earth is protected by:

1 Shepherd

and that's all it needs.

[Fordel]

Then why wasn't the Arcturus relay surrounded in MACs! 

How do you know it wasn't? They didn't show that part. 

There would be nothing but reaper carcasses then!

[rk47]

Yeah that always struck me as odd. If Mass Relays are the only way for ships to travel quickly between systems, then why not just setup a huge blockade instead of spreading your armada right next to the populated planets? Sure, they can try sneaking in by traveling slowly....but a little routine scouting would solve the problem imo.

[Ingmar]

Well in the case of the Reapers, they can apparently turn the relays off, although maybe only from the Citadel. In that sort of situation I sort of assume those space fleets hanging around relays outside their home systems would be more or less facing a 'starve to death before you can fly anywhere useful' scenario.

[Amaron]

IIRC, in one of the games they specifically mention that it takes the Reapers decades or centuries to cleanse the galaxy. 

If they took 300 years that means they'd have to cleanse approx 35 million star systems per day.    Obviously not even a small fraction would likely be inhabited but even if they took 1000 years they don't have time to dick around.

[Fordel]

Yeah that always struck me as odd. If Mass Relays are the only way for ships to travel quickly between systems, then why not just setup a huge blockade instead of spreading your armada right next to the populated planets? Sure, they can try sneaking in by traveling slowly....but a little routine scouting would solve the problem imo.

That's actually how it works in the ME universe as far as I know. The bulk of the human fleet sits at Arcturus and similar 'gate house' relays, with only small scouting squads actually in the various systems.

[Merusk]

IIRC, in one of the games they specifically mention that it takes the Reapers decades or centuries to cleanse the galaxy. 

If they took 300 years that means they'd have to cleanse approx 35 million star systems per day.    Obviously not even a small fraction would likely be inhabited but even if they took 1000 years they don't have time to dick around.

They know which are inhabited and are only concerned with those systems that have Mass Relays that are being used and a high enough tech level for spaceflight.  The question is just how many mass relays are there.  Also, from what we've seen there's only a few dozen species out there, with the Assari being the most widespread/ longest in space.

We've never been told how many planets they've colonized in their 2,500ish years in space, though. Which for Assari would only have seen the death of 2 1/2 generations.  Given their 'long view' and cautious approach to things, I can't imagine they've colonized in more than a few hundred or so systems.  That'd be moving pretty fast for a long-lived species.

[Amaron]

They know which are inhabited and are only concerned with those systems that have Mass Relays that are being used and a high enough tech level for spaceflight. 

Exactly but don't forget it isn't just the citadel races who use the mass relays.   It's still preposterous they'd have time to dick around.   From the data though it sounds like maybe they aren't really harvesting the Earth.

[Sky]

Why don't we have a ME3 thread?

[tmp]

Exactly but don't forget it isn't just the citadel races who use the mass relays.

They are operating on the model that each race which achieves development level worthy of harvesting comes into contact with the relay system and other such technology (and gets influenced by these highly advanced designs, adapting them for their use) and then quickly finds either the Citadel or a race already present there, following the relay chain.

They seem to cut down the "tall grass" mainly and that doesn't seem to be too many species (and planets) per cycle.

[Lantyssa]

Why don't we have a ME3 thread?

ME is jealous of how Star Wars incites multiple 200 page threads.

But I've been wondering the same thing.

[Soulflame]

I thought this was the ME3 thread.

[Sky]

It is, except for the 2.

[Margalis]

Bioware seems so wedded to the "spend most of game rounding up dudes" formula that they'll use it even when it doesn't make sense.

Also after 2 games haven't you rounded up enough dudes already? Does Shep smell really bad or something?

[Rasix]

Bioware seems so wedded to the "spend most of game rounding up dudes" formula that they'll use it even when it doesn't make sense.

Also after 2 games haven't you rounded up enough dudes already? Does Shep smell really bad or something?

Sometimes dudes go on vacation or personal leave after destroying the big bad.  Gotta round up those dudes again.

Sometimes dudes die.  Must round up more dudes to replace them.

Sometimes the dudes you got just aren't tough/smart/krogan enough for the task. Your dudes are simply not bad enough. Go round up better dudes.

Sometimes you think you might have enough dudes.  Not so.  You definitely need more dudes.  Get more dudes.

Some dudes just don't want to save the world again.  You lost some dudes.  Back to rounding up more dudes.


There are just a lot of situations where you find yourself with an insufficient amount of dudes.  There is a very strict formula for determining the amount of dudes (and some times how loyal they need to be) before you can save the world.  

[Velorath]

Bioware seems so wedded to the "spend most of game rounding up dudes" formula that they'll use it even when it doesn't make sense.

Also after 2 games haven't you rounded up enough dudes already? Does Shep smell really bad or something?

In the first game, you have all but one party member by the time you leave the citadel.

[LK]

When your game's Critical Path entails dealing with new characters and new situations, it's bound to happen.

Most of the character's central stories have been told. It's why after they've had all their developments, their only purpose is cannon fodder and color commentary.

[UnSub]

Also after 2 games haven't you rounded up enough dudes already? Does Shep smell really bad or something?

Maybe, but he definitely can't use a phone. He's got to visit everyone in person.

[jakonovski]

Also after 2 games haven't you rounded up enough dudes already? Does Shep smell really bad or something?

Maybe, but he definitely can't use a phone. He's got to visit everyone in person.

I don't think phones exist in the ME universe.

[cironian]

Maybe, but he definitely can't use a phone. He's got to visit everyone in person.

Shepard kept sending the team lolelcors pictures ("Excited shout: Invisible reaper"), so everyone has flagged his mails as spam.