Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[O. Hinds]

Huh. I've never lost a file to that sort of thing. I do have a backup drive in case of hardware failure, though.

[Vinylshadow]

Computers are fickle creatures

Treat them well

*noms on fast food while typing this*

I r a hypocrite

[Somber]

Turns out Windows has a file recovery system that if you dig through long enough, you can find a lost file.  Granted, everything over three pages was corrupted, but three pages is okay.  I can build on three pages.  Rewriting is a nightmare though.  I can't repeat the feeling I get from a first time down, and it frustrates me.

Anyway, editing chapter 7 of accords today.

[Vinylshadow]

Best of luck to you with that endeavor

[Somber]

And up.  ::crosses hooves and hopes it gets featured.::

[Vinylshadow]

Strange that I prefer Triptychverse one-shots over the actual story itself

Excellent, more reading material for tonight.

[Caoimhe]

Wait, "lukewarm" for what the sacrifice was, or

that detail:

Lukewarm as in

Spoiler:

[Vexd]

Pip is stubborn like that

Epilogue:

But that's just me

[Scienza]

Pip is stubborn like that

Epilogue:

...I liked ME3's ending. Mostly. It had some pretty severe issues.

[Silver136]

Pip is stubborn like that

Epilogue:

...I liked ME3's ending. Mostly. It had some pretty severe issues.

I liker it too...though I understand why so many people were unhappy with it.

[Vinylshadow]

Just do what I do: Consider ME3 non-canon and stick to the first two

[Somber]

ME3... was perfect till you went to earth.  Then, all of a sudden, it turned into a monopath grind.

If I were doing it...

Hackett: If these were Allicance forces, I'd feel better assigning formations, but with mixed fleets... I'd like to get your feel on who should go where Sheppard.

Then you assign which fleet will be the core.  Which will be the vanguard.  Which will be the the right wing.  Which will be the left wing.  Which will be assigned to skirmish.  Which will be held in reserve.

Some wonderful cut scenes and speeches and what not.  Then you go to earth.

Now you have three required missions to reach the portal to the citadel... but there's numerous side missions too.  There's also a number of reaper units on the minimap too.  Doing side missions may save civilians / researchers... come to the aid of Krogan ground troopers... Capture a fallen reaper...  Whatever.  You have to get to the portal before the reapers cut you off completely, but the ground assets you gathered buy you more time and make the three required missions a little easier.

Of course there's interspaced cut scenes were we see whomever is assigned to the vanguard blown away in the opening salvo.  Then the wings getting hit.  The skirmishers attacking the reaper's flanks.  And then another levithan class dreadnaught reaper pops in and the reserves get called up to deal with it.

When the space battle is done, the value of each fleet remaining determines the 'global space' situation.  The events in project hammer cultivate the end of specific story lines.  And rather than having the star child... a harbinger reaper makes a final attempt to cut you off from it.  You now have three choices.  Fight it: which leads to the 'red' ending.  Believe the elusive man, fight your way into the Reaper's AI matrix and assume command of it, downloading shepard into the reaper collective programing via the crusible.  Or you have to make a number of speech checks and get Harbinger to admit that the cycle isn't achieving its goal and maybe there's another way.  Failure gets Shepard obliterated in a beam of red light.

And done.

[Vinylshadow]

Why haven't we packed you off to Bioware?

[Somber]

I'd work for Bioware in a heartbeat.

[Scienza]

I'd work for Bioware in a heartbeat.

Holy shit this would be awesome.

[O. Hinds]

I haven't even played any of the Mass Effect games, and that sounds like a good ending to me. You keep doing this, Somber! :D

[Scienza]

The characters would be mind-blowing. Bioware is my favorite dev because their characters are just so goddamn good (among other things), and I've already fangushed like mad over PH's characters, so a Somber-written Bioware game would be a dream come true for me.

[SilentCarto]

Wait, "lukewarm" for what the sacrifice was, or the detail in the epilogue that states she can leave at any time?

Yes, mostly the fact that she can leave at any time and the only reason she has to stay is a misguided sense of responsibility toward Celestia. If the process was permanent, it would be rather more of a sacrifice. (Not that I think Rainbow Dash would approve of a permanent process in the first place.)

[SilentCarto]

ME3... was perfect till you went to earth.  Then, all of a sudden, it turned into a monopath grind.

If I were doing it...

...This is the game I want.

Stick the Vorcha up in the vangard. They'll appreciate the honor, and nobody will mind when they get blown away.

I note that this would give you a serious benefit for completing the Quarian missions -- you lose Legion, but the combined Quarian-Geth fleet would be a fantastic core for the fleet, beyond the rather bland +X% bonus to War Resources. The Rachni would also make an interesting contribuition.

[Scienza]

ME3... was perfect till you went to earth.  Then, all of a sudden, it turned into a monopath grind.

If I were doing it...

...This is the game I want.

Stick the Vorcha up in the vangard. They'll appreciate the honor, and nobody will mind when they get blown away.

That, and the fact that they're OP as hell. Dat flamer...

[Vexd]

That, and the fact that they're OP as hell. Dat flamer...

Annnnd, now I miss the multiplayer

I'd get it on PC:

[Somber]

Well it would be like this for the vanguard:

Alliance Fleet: Earth was the first system invaded by the Reapers.  The Alliance Fleet was the first to take the fight back to them.  The united 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 9th fleets met the enemy with valor, and received annihilation.  Alliance suffered over 95% casualties, but through their sacrifice, the remaining fleets held strong following the battle.  The terran alliance never regained their military footing, and many colonies and outposts were abandoned in the wake of the war.  However, in the centuries that followed, humanity emerged on the galactic stage with a newfound respect from all Council races, and successfully shaped the future of the galaxy.

Taurian: The Tuarian fleet were the greatest and strongest military the galaxy had ever seen.  In the battle for earth, many Taurians cried for vengence for Palaven and the millions who perished there.  The Taurian fleet unleashed firepower that even gave the Reaper pause... breifly.  In the exchanges that followed, Taurian firepower was battered, then broken, against the relentless firepower of the reapers.  The taurians would never recover from this conflict, and their military prowess and pride would be rendered a footnote in the annuls of military history.

Quarian: With the largest fleet ever known, the migrant fleet took their position at the head of the formation.  Their life ships empty of their civilian cargo, deposited on Rannoch, the Quarians crashed against the Reapers like a mighty wave, and with sheer mass, broke the enemy lines.  Sadly, they would weather the counter attack poorly.  When the reapers were beaten, the admiralty assessed that the migrant fleet was essentially no more.  However, in light of their reacquisition of Rannoch and the eliminatation of the Reapers, this was deemed an... acceptable loss.

Geth: The geth fleet initated the battle with the reapers and for the first time in Reaper history, synthetics willingly fought on behalf of organics.  This was a holy war, and the Reapers employed annihilation on the Geth with unusually excessive zeal.  The Geth fleet was utterly decimated in the engagement, but in their distraction, bought precious time for other races.  Those Geth who survived withdrew back behind the persius veil, and some believe departed the galaxy forever, to try to find new truths, and a new way for their kind.

Quarians and Geth: Never before had organics and synthetics united willingly in opposition of the reapers.  Never before had slave stood with master, nor abuser with victim.  In the long and torturous history of the Geths and Quarians, few imagined it could end peaceably.  Thus, few could envision the combined Geth and Quarian fleets charging into the heart of the Reaper armada.  Synthesizing AI processing power, electronic warfare, and sheer numbers, the combined fleet instituted a hammer blow that gave pause to even the Reapers.  So furious and effective was their assault that they were able to withdraw before being utterly destroyed.  In the time that followed, Geth and Quarians returned to Rannoch and established a new and vigorous power in the Terminus systems, and eventually, took their place among the council races.

Citadel Forces: Though technologically advanced, the mixed Citidel forces were ill suited to face the brunt of the Reapers' first salvo.  Asari dreadnaughts inflicted horible damage, but were quickly torn down by the reapers.  Volus fighter bomber squads were torn to pieces.  Elcor support vessels were utterly annihilated.  The Salarian home fleet was undone.  In a span of minutes, the citidel races were rendered militarily obsolete.  For centuries, the Asari, Salarians, Volus, and Elcor accused the alliance of deliberately sending their forces to their deaths to secure power for the new citadel leaders, but this was never proven.  After the reapers, even the mighty asari were reduced to a footnote in the annuls of history.

Terminus Fleet:  The terminus fleet bore the initial attack of the reapers quite well; cutting and running just before the first shots were fired.  Exposing the formation to the Reapers, they fled back to their bases and dens.  Following the destruction of the reapers, the Terminus fleet became a bane unlike any ever seen.  Eventually, a deal was made granting autonomy and legitimacy to the Omega Confederation for a time.  But it would not be long before old habits would ignite the terminus systems in war once more.

[Silver136]

That, and the fact that they're OP as hell. Dat flamer...

Annnnd, now I miss the multiplayer

I'd get it on PC:

The multiplayer is well worth it, trust me. That's one of my friends and my favorite games for co-op.

[Scienza]

Seconded. The multiplayer is incredibly fun and, complaints about the ending aside, the single-player is still fantastic. Especially Citadel. Citadel is the best thing ever.

[SilentCarto]

Well it would be like this for the vanguard:

Maybe I misunderstand the purpose of the core fleet, then -- I thought they'd be the ones absorbing the bulk of the fight while the vanguard would scout and engage the lighter vessels, like a destroyer screen. Are you proposing instead that the vanguard engages the Reapers while the core fleet protects the landing craft as they punch through?

[Somber]

The vanguard takes the first wave of hits.  They're the front of the line.  The core actually does the slugfest once the fleets close.

[Vergil]

Ugh. When I invent time travel, I'm finding a way to put Somber in charge of ME3. The ending we got isn't even in the same league as yours (if it's even playing the same sport).

As for the comments on 70...as I hoped, Cai hit the nail more or less on the head for me. Thanks for that! (She's far more eloquent than me when it comes this this kind of stuff, and I was a bit too out of it at the time to make an attempt anyways.) I'm still okay with how this is all shaking out and can't wait to see where it goes, though. (Also, this all really makes me wish Van Buren had been a thing.)

[Icy Shake]

Yeah, so. Chapter 55. I don't think that it had quite the peaks of emotional impact that the first third of 54 did, but it did some heavy lifting in showing how Blackjack's been growing up. She's putting more thought into things, and trying not to just get caught up in doing what feels right when the costs (particularly to others rather than her) could end up being worse than what she wants to fix. Add to that a great moment with P-21, Grace, who I think is a lot like the Applejack of her family, but with more that she wants to accomplish and more she needs to protect what she already has against (and thus far, far more interesting), and a bunch more, and you've got a pretty good chapter.

Chapter Fifty Five Running Thoughts:

Chapter Fifty Five Overall Thoughts:

[Icy Shake]

I haven't even played any of the Mass Effect games, and that sounds like a good ending to me.  You keep doing this, Somber!  :D

It's true! Also, I haven't played it either.

Why haven't we packed you off to Bioware?

And,

I'd work for Bioware in a heartbeat.

But we need you to go to Warner Brothers and make DC Comics live-action screenplays that are good and closely related to the source material! (Their straight to DVD animated movies, from what I've seen, tend to be pretty good, as were the first two Nolan Batman movies, but . . . )

Somber's The Dark Knight Rises:

Chapter Fifty Five Editing:

[Vergil]

Never saw Dark Knight Rises.

Now I don't need to anyway.

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