This article is to give mod users a single location where they can offer up ideas for the mod. I'll then be able to find them all in one place, which will simplify it for me.
Feel free to comment and give whatever ideas you can think of. :)
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Another Idea I had for a spectre authorization:
-Send a research team to the dead reaper from ME2
It could be done two ways, one a standard research team is sent with a high chance of being indoctrinated but a small chance of getting 10 or so war assets. The other one is a weapon testing team is sent to test out experimental weapons on the ships hull, far away to prevent indoctrination
Ark Mod initially intended to use that map; but with no more work planned on the mod, perhaps you could integrate it into your missions. The objective could be as simple as finding dog tags for fallen soldiers or recovering sensitive intel before the Reapers do. I would assume an unused MP map like Rio would require less effort to implement than making something from scratch.
-After the Citadel DLC, the player can purchase a contract from Cat6
-The Grim skulls, even though in lore I know Saren wiped out the majority but what if the survivors were able to rebuild, if that's the case perhaps the player could buy their contract.
-I'm unsure if you take non-lore based mercenary groups considering there exist tons of merc companies named and unnamed in the mass effect universe in all corners of the galaxy, but here are a few made up ones and real life merc companies.
-Academi or better known as black water could provide some help in retaking earth (in real life they have 20,000+ soldiers)
-Triple Canopy, they can be used to protect things of importance such as bases if their contract was bought (in real life they are made up of former US special forces)
-G4S Secure Solutions, they have a major presence on earth in real life and could be a big help in retaking earth if the player buys their contract I would imagine if they existed in the mass effect universe they would also have a large presence in the sol system/Alliance space.
-Noriaga a made up mercenary company specializing in stealth activities, if the player bought their contract it would be a good boost in war assets.
-Amandla based in South Africa originally, they expanded their operations into the traverse but then the Reapers attacked, they have taken contracts from minor companies needing security and could offer much-needed help to the commander.
-Pikara another made up company Led by an old krogan battle master, The Pikara merc company is often hired as brute muscle, before the reaper war they loss half of their numbers to an ambush by the blue suns, if the player was to buy their contract it would slightly boost the krogan assets.
I'll say immediately that I won't add real-world mercenary groups, in part because it would feel I am glorifying them. I enjoy mercs in stories, or even reading about them in the ancient/medieval eras, but I don't really want to endorse currently active forces.
When it comes to made up mercenary companies then I have a lot more leeway with it than I would with real-world mercenaries. But I am still reluctant to use them. That does not mean that I won't use them, just that I have to give them more thought. I am probably more likely to flesh out one of the existing megacorporation forces (such as Sonax, Binary Helix, Synthetic Insights, etc) rather than invent new ones, but I may change my mind. If I ever add more mercenary contracts then they will focus on alien merc companies rather than humans, as I find humans a bit boring.
CAT6 Mercs are available post-Citadel DLC. You can buy their contract from Harrot's Store. The Grim Skulls... well, I won't say much, but I definitely considered adding them to the mod as a contract, but Spectre mods story took a different turn and they were used elsewhere. I did, however, use two merc companies that are barely known by most fans; Nalinox (referenced in a single advert on Omega) and Tiburón Rojo (a mexican mercenary company).
Thank you very much for the ideas, they've reminded me that I need to try and find a way to use the mercenaries that you can purchase. Once you've finished your playthrough of the mod, please come back with more ideas. I'd be glad to hear them.
Shepard could use Spectre authority to have them scout out Reaper movements, giving you a moderate war asset. But the cost would be:
*a grouchy email from Bailey
*eventually news that mechanical troubles and fights over supplies have led to the destruction of several refugee ships, because nobody is policing them or doing roadside assist
*harder to get the asari civilian armada from evacuating Thessia, because there's no confidence that anyone can keep the armada in any kind of order
Also, this mod adds a Minor Races fleet to the war assets. Would it be possible to place it also on the map where you see all the assembled fleets just prior to the final attack on Earth?
- recover reaper cruiser for study him
- recover collector tech in cerberus station
- deploy ERCS teams
- research for create prothean-like weapons
- use the cerberus research for control reaper forces
- study leviathan technology
- send ex-Cerberus Project Phoenix agents on Mission
- use the Elbrus (the ship of General Petrovsky)
- contract with illegal organization to supply weapons
- contract with the black market to supply nuclear grenades (it exists)
- buy equipment with illegal improvements / optimizations
- implement cerberus tech in soldier
Various Micro Written Quests:
- retake Rio
- retake Tokyo
- retake Paris
- retake Washington / New York / Los Angeles
- retake Vancouver
- retake Buenos Aires
- retake Moscow
- massive deployment on Menae (better turians war assets)
- secure the salarian territory
- exploit resources in krogan territory
- operation bases in krogan territory
- special operation to kill Aria T'Loak (complicated but possible)
- Tropical Nightmare (operations in Cuba)
I'll be honest, anything involving battles on Earth is a big no from me. Though I'm sure interesting stories could be written for the different cities, I have to admit that I found the prospect of visiting earth in ME to be dull, and still find it a shame that ME3's story focused on Earth so much when the Citadel is far more important to the galaxy. A big part of mod is about spreading the content out among the different alien races to deflate the human focus of the game. So I'll have to pass on those, sorry.
However, there are a lot of interesting ideas that you've posted for other content. I'll have to think on which might be useful for the mod, but they're interesting ideas regardless. If you ever think of any more, I'd be glad to hear them.
that not a mod specific idea btw.
My suggestion is something minor that I thought about today while playing Citadel DLC. Maybe afterwards, an email from the Council or the Archives asking you to go back and change the fingerprints back to yours after the clone introduced theirs? Or a simple email informing you that the matter is solved and the fingerprints have been already restored?
An interesting idea though, and definitely one I thought about ^^
allerca1234:
This mod is fantastic and I love it but I have a few requests for this mod
1.Give us an option (either through email or spectre terminal)to send captain kirrahe away on a mission before the Cerberus coup.If he is sent on the mission then he won't be present during the coup and if the councilor lives he recieves a slight bonus to his assets .If you are able to do this then (in combination with thanemod if you are planning to or already have made this mod compatible =) ) would give the player complete control over the salarian councilor situation which is made very important by egm.
2.Make the decision between anderson and udina as councilor matter more.It kinda disappointed me when egm didn't do this and it really annoyed me when Bioware didn't in the first place.Maybe have anderson have a slight boost to the citadel assets and lessen the blow of the coup on csec forces and have udina give a slight boost to the alliance fleets present during the geth attack at the citadel and a even smaller boost to the cerberus assets received from n7 missions (this boost wont appear until after the coup) but at a cost of heavier csec losses due to deeper infiltration .this is just an idea template so if you decide to do this you can go a completely different direction if you want.
Thank you for this great mod and I hope you consider these changes (especially 1 because kirrahe is a character I really enjoy him as a character and I don't wanna doom him to save the councilor or thane (in the case of thanemod))
KJ:
About Kirrahe, what about just a message that he didn't die. Thane didn't die from virtually the same injury, they were able to get him to the hospital and into surgery quickly enough that he would have survived without the complications from K's syndrome, so why not Kirrahe? Just have a message from the salarian councilor that Kirrahe was taken to the hospital and while still unconscious transported to Sur'kesh for treatment. Then a follow-up letter that he is okay but is going to have to sit the rest of the war out and direct STG from a hospital bed. You could base that on having enough war assets or something related to the salarians. (That's my headcannon anyway ;)
Side note: What about something about the Blue Sun's quest and how you resolve it? It seems to me that if you got the black market artifacts for the illegal arms merc and he sells them to the turian that the citadel security should be higher than if you either intimidate or kill the turian.
allerca1234:
It has less to do with saving kirrahe and more to do with being able to have the salarian counciler die without killing kirrahe in me1 and killing thane in me2.
Simply put my idea is to have more control over that situation.with thanemod and this mod ideally you can save thane and kirrahe but doom the councilor,save thane and the councilor but doom kirrahe,or doom thane but save kirrahe and the councilor all dependent on your chioces made in me 3 instead of me 1 and 2..in fact that is how I wish thanemod went.
NEW KJ:
I don't see sending Kirrahe on a mission, as you don't have the authority and you don't send anyone else on missions. So it would seem odd. And it isn't like with STG he doesn't have enough to do. Him showing up at the Citadel is connected with STG investigating Cerberus after the attack on Sur'kesh. So if they think something might be going on on the Citadel or with the Councilors, that where he's going to be. He isn't going to let the councilor be attacked. Personally, I like that you don't have power over everything, that characters act independently but I don't like the game setting up false choices, the 'someone has to die' even if it doesn't make sense or how everyone automatically dies in cutscenes (looking at the virmire survivor there). Now my idea would be that if other choices are made (like getting black market guns for C-Sec or whatever) then while Kirrahe is unconscious he may not be dead. The councilor is right there and Thane survived it.
Speaking of the Virmire survivor... this is probably beyond the scope of the mod but I"ll say it anyway... I wish there was a way to shoot them and not kill them. I mean they are wearing armor and can't survive one pistol shot? Why isn't it possible to shot them enough to get them out of the way but not kill them? Shepard is a good shot and Garrus who is the main squadmate who shoots them, is a marksman by turian standards (which is saying something) and shot Shepard a couple times in ME2 and didn't do more than take out their shields. Or someone could use biotics (Liara has status, etc) Here if they survive could depend on who shoots them, i.e. Garrus, Liarra: yes; James and Edi: no. Now that would require alteration of the coup scene but not much (take out the 'it was an honor' and the actual 'death' scene and Shepard refers to the cost of the coup, etc) then a message that they survived and were released from the hospital and then Shepard meets them at the dock. Not perfect granted but perhaps workable.
attention. as for the virmire survivor that would massively lower the stakes as well coupled with the fact that there is already several ingame ways to not shoot them. having the gun pointed at them is already the worst case scenario and can be completely avoided.
"someone's gotta die" well, no they don't. That's the game killing people off for no reason or to try and make it dramatic despite it not really making any sense. There is no logical reason why someone has to die there or why there can't be a way to avoid it, i.e. build up the Citadel's defenses or something. If killing someone off is the only way to have an emotional impact... that's lazy writing.
If only falls into thanemod if he is alive and you use the mod and I doubt that the author is interested is giving more choices about that scenario outside of Thane living.
I don't understand how that lowers the stakes, I guess if it isn't a life or death situation for the survivor it isn't dramtic? But the point is that again the scenario doesn't make any sense. They have full body armor on and can't withstand one pistol shot? Especially if the shooter could aim not to kill. There is no logical story reason why they have to die in that scenario, outside of killing people off for no reason and artificially making things dramatic. To me the scenario that they didn't trust you but were wrong and now they have to deal with that and Shep has to deal with them is much more dramatic and interesting from a story and character standpoint.