Give Feedback
The full details on the mechanics are given below. It is not absolutely necessary to read the following, as the new mechanics should be mostly self-explanatory while playing. However, since my goal was to create a system that remains interesting even when the mechanics are known, it should not "ruin" the experience either. You can also check the specific details and probabilities sections (marked as spoiler), which is even less necessary, but not problematic either.
General Notes:
Part 0 - Squadmate Readiness
A Readiness score is used to describe how well each squadmate is prepared and motivated for the mission. It can take 5 possible values: Very Low - Low - Medium - High - Very High. Squadmates with higher Readiness are more likely to succeed at any assigned task. But squadmates with lower Readiness have more to gain (in terms of their own motivation) if you trust them to accomplish certain tasks. The Readiness score of squadmates will be shown before any decision where it matters.
An initial value of the Readiness score is evaluated at the moment you go through the Omega-4 relay. All squadmates are on the lowest rank by default (Very Low), but may gain ranks depending on Loyalty, Romance, and Field Experience (presence on the Horizon, Collector Ship, and Derelict Reaper missions). During the suicide mission, selecting a squadmate for the fighting squad or for some specific tasks will give that squadmate a motivational boost, which will translate in a significant increase of their Readiness score (unless it was already very high).
Computation of the Readiness score.
Spoiler:
The starting rank for all squadmates is Very Low. Maximum rank is Very High, further bonuses will have no effect.
Loyalty:
* All loyal squadmates: +1 rank.
Romance:
* Romanced squadmate: +1 rank
* If nobody from the ME2 team is romanced, Shepard will have spent more time training and motivating the Normandy crew, so they will have larger chances of survival (see below).
Field Experience:
* Squadmates who encountered and fought Collector forces will be more prepared for the mission.
* Squadmates present on Horizon: +1 rank
* Squadmates present on the Collector Ship: +1 rank
* Squadmates present on the Derelict Reaper (and Legion): +1 rank
* In case the mod was not yet installed when playing these missions, the bonuses will be given by default to Mordin and Miranda for Horizon, to Thane and Garrus for the Collector Ship, and to Jack and Grunt (+Legion) for the Derelict Reaper.
* In case you are using the Early Recruitment mod with the Legion module, and recruit Legion early, he will receive the bonuses for being in squad in any of those missions. If Legion doesn't appear on the Derelict Reaper for that reason, he won't get the bonus point for being there (unless in squad), but a random squadmate will receive +1 rank when going through the Omega-4 relay, to compensate.
During the suicide mission:
* Squadmate selected as Tech Specialist (in the vents): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Fire Team Leader (infiltration): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Biotic Specialist (long walk bubble): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Fire Team Leader (long walk): +2 ranks
* Squadmates selected to be part of the combat squad (either infiltration or long walk): +1 rank
Show
The starting rank for all squadmates is Very Low. Maximum rank is Very High, further bonuses will have no effect.
Loyalty:
* All loyal squadmates: +1 rank.
Romance:
* Romanced squadmate: +1 rank
* If nobody from the ME2 team is romanced, Shepard will have spent more time training and motivating the Normandy crew, so they will have larger chances of survival (see below).
Field Experience:
* Squadmates who encountered and fought Collector forces will be more prepared for the mission.
* Squadmates present on Horizon: +1 rank
* Squadmates present on the Collector Ship: +1 rank
* Squadmates present on the Derelict Reaper (and Legion): +1 rank
* In case the mod was not yet installed when playing these missions, the bonuses will be given by default to Mordin and Miranda for Horizon, to Thane and Garrus for the Collector Ship, and to Jack and Grunt (+Legion) for the Derelict Reaper.
* In case you are using the Early Recruitment mod with the Legion module, and recruit Legion early, he will receive the bonuses for being in squad in any of those missions. If Legion doesn't appear on the Derelict Reaper for that reason, he won't get the bonus point for being there (unless in squad), but a random squadmate will receive +1 rank when going through the Omega-4 relay, to compensate.
During the suicide mission:
* Squadmate selected as Tech Specialist (in the vents): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Fire Team Leader (infiltration): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Biotic Specialist (long walk bubble): +2 ranks
* Squadmate selected as Fire Team Leader (long walk): +2 ranks
* Squadmates selected to be part of the combat squad (either infiltration or long walk): +1 rank
Part 1 - Approach
As in vanilla, up to 3 squadmates can perish in the Normandy during the approach, depending on whether or not the ship upgrades (Armor, Shield, Weapon) have been purchased. However, with this mod, the outcome is not systematic. Even with the corresponding upgrade, there is still a small chance of death. And even without the upgrade, there is still a significant chance of survival. The cutscenes have been adapted for the "no upgrade but no death", and "upgrade but death anyway" situations (except that Miranda always says "As long as the new plating holds" when nobody dies, but she is talking about the "new" plating installed by Cerberus when rebuilding the Normandy, obviously).
Good to know:
- As in vanilla, Miranda, Jacob, and Mordin are safe during this phase, and squadmates you take to fight the Oculus are safe for the Shield check. But other than that, all other squadmates can die from any of these 3 events.
- Squadmate Readiness does not play a role during the approach, so deaths during this section are mostly random.
Specific details and probabilities:
Spoiler:
Show
- If the upgrade (Armor/Shield/Weapon) is installed, there is 25% chance that a squadmate will die anyway during the corresponding event.
- If the upgrade is not installed, there is 50% chance that a squadmate will die during the corresponding event.
Part 2 - Infiltration
Before leaving the Normandy, you must choose a Tech Specialist and a Team Leader. Both have to succeed at their task, or the Tech Specialist will die. The chances of success depend on the Readiness score of each. In addition, Tali, Kasumi and Legion receive a specialisation bonus for the task of Tech Specialist. Miranda, Jacob, Garrus AND Zaeed receive a specialisation bonus for the task of Team Leader.
After this segment, the Team Leader (even in case of failure) and the Tech Specialist (if they survive) receive a motivation boost corresponding to 2 Readiness ranks.
Good to know:
* The specialisation bonus corresponds to one Readiness rank. So Tali with Medium Readiness and Jacob with High Readiness have the same exact chances of succeeding as Tech Specialist.
* Since Very High is the maximum Readiness score, squadmates with Very High readiness have nothing to gain from the motivation boost, and squadmates with High readiness will only gain +1 rank.
* Therefore, choosing squadmates with higher Readiness gives larger chances of success, but squadmates with lower Readiness will benefit more from the motivation boost, which may end up being the only thing saving their asses later in the mission.
Specific details and probabilities:
Spoiler:
Chances of success (for each task: Tech Specialist and Team Leader)
* Readiness Very Low: 50%
* Readiness Low: 60%
* Readiness Medium: 70%
* Readiness High: 80%
* Readiness Very High: 90%
* Readiness Very High + specialisation bonus: 100%
Importantly, both the Tech Specialist and Team Leader have to succeed at their task.
Examples:
* With Tali (Readiness Medium) as Tech specialist and Miranda (Readiness High) as Team Leader. Tali will have 80% chance of success, Miranda will have 90% chance of success (since they both get the specialisation bonus). So Tali will have 72% chance of survival.
* With Thane (Readiness Low) as Tech specialist and Jack (Readiness Medium) as Team Leader. Thane will have 60% chance of success, Jack will have 70% chance of success. So Thane will only have 42% chance of survival.
Show
Chances of success (for each task: Tech Specialist and Team Leader)
* Readiness Very Low: 50%
* Readiness Low: 60%
* Readiness Medium: 70%
* Readiness High: 80%
* Readiness Very High: 90%
* Readiness Very High + specialisation bonus: 100%
Importantly, both the Tech Specialist and Team Leader have to succeed at their task.
Examples:
* With Tali (Readiness Medium) as Tech specialist and Miranda (Readiness High) as Team Leader. Tali will have 80% chance of success, Miranda will have 90% chance of success (since they both get the specialisation bonus). So Tali will have 72% chance of survival.
* With Thane (Readiness Low) as Tech specialist and Jack (Readiness Medium) as Team Leader. Thane will have 60% chance of success, Jack will have 70% chance of success. So Thane will only have 42% chance of survival.
Part 3 - Normandy Crew and Escort
Like in vanilla, whether the crew members can be extracted alive from their pods depends on the number of missions completed after their abduction. However, with this mod, the outcome is not systematic. Even if the Suicide Mission was started directly, there is still a small chance of losing some team members. And it is possible to complete a few missions before the Suicide Mission and still have a good chance that everyone makes it out alive.
When what is left of the crew returns to the Normandy, you can choose to send a squad member as escort to accompany them. The Readiness score of the escort will determine the chances of everyone reaching the Normandy alive. If Shepard did not romance anyone from the ME2 team, the crew receives a bonus corresponding to one Readiness rank.
Note that the survival chances for squadmates with Low or Very Low readiness are not great, but higher than for the final battles, so if you have too many squadmates with low readiness, this may be a chance to save one of them, by putting the crew at higher risk.
Specific details and probabilities:
Spoiler:
Pod survival depends on the number of missions between abduction and omega-4 relay. One mission is removed from the count if Shepard did not romance anyone from the ME2 team.
* (there are 3 possible outcomes: everyone survives / a part of the crew survives / only Chakwas survives)
* 0 mission, no romance: 100% / 0% / 0%
* 0 mission: 90% / 10% / 0%
* 1 mission: 70% / 20% / 10%
* 2 missions: 50% / 20% / 30%
* 3 missions: 30% / 20% / 50%
* 4 missions: 10% / 20% / 70%
* 5 missions: 0% / 10% / 90%
* 6+ missions: 0% / 0% / 100%
Escort outcome depends on the Readiness of the squad member chosen as escort. If Shepard did not romance anyone from the ME2 team, the squadmate+crew gain a bonus corresponding to 1 rank of Readiness.
* No escort: crew dies, as in vanilla
* Readiness Very Low: 40% chance of success
* Readiness Low: 50%
* Readiness Medium: 60%
* Readiness High: 70%
* Readiness Very High: 90%
* Readiness Very High + no romance: 100%
In case of success, everyone survives. In case of failure, there is 50% chance that the squadmate sacrifice themselves and saves the crew, and 50% chance that everyone (squadmate + crew) dies.
Show
Pod survival depends on the number of missions between abduction and omega-4 relay. One mission is removed from the count if Shepard did not romance anyone from the ME2 team.
* (there are 3 possible outcomes: everyone survives / a part of the crew survives / only Chakwas survives)
* 0 mission, no romance: 100% / 0% / 0%
* 0 mission: 90% / 10% / 0%
* 1 mission: 70% / 20% / 10%
* 2 missions: 50% / 20% / 30%
* 3 missions: 30% / 20% / 50%
* 4 missions: 10% / 20% / 70%
* 5 missions: 0% / 10% / 90%
* 6+ missions: 0% / 0% / 100%
Escort outcome depends on the Readiness of the squad member chosen as escort. If Shepard did not romance anyone from the ME2 team, the squadmate+crew gain a bonus corresponding to 1 rank of Readiness.
* No escort: crew dies, as in vanilla
* Readiness Very Low: 40% chance of success
* Readiness Low: 50%
* Readiness Medium: 60%
* Readiness High: 70%
* Readiness Very High: 90%
* Readiness Very High + no romance: 100%
In case of success, everyone survives. In case of failure, there is 50% chance that the squadmate sacrifice themselves and saves the crew, and 50% chance that everyone (squadmate + crew) dies.
Part 4 - The Long Walk
For this part, you must choose a Biotic Specialist and a Team Leader. Both will be tested individually against their Readiness. If the Biotic Specialist fails, one of the two members of your combat squad will perish. If the Team Leader fails, they will die themselves. Note that Miranda cannot die at this point, so if she is chosen as Team Leader and fails at her task, somebody else will take over and die instead. Jack, Samara, and Morinth receive a specialisation bonus for the task of Biotic Specialist. Miranda, Jacob, Garrus AND Zaeed receive a specialisation bonus for the task of Team Leader.
After this segment, the Team Leader (if they survive) and the Biotic Specialist (even in case of failure) receive a motivation boost corresponding to 2 Readiness ranks.
Good to know:
* The specialisation bonus corresponds to one Readiness rank. So Jack with Medium Readiness and Jacob with High Readiness have the same exact chances of succeeding as Biotic Specialist.
* Since Very High is the maximum Readiness score, squadmates with Very High readiness have nothing to gain from the motivation boost, and squadmates with High readiness will only gain +1 rank.
* Therefore, choosing squadmates with higher Readiness gives larger chances of success, but squadmates with lower Readiness will benefit more from the motivation boost, which may end up being the only thing saving their asses later in the mission.
Specific details and probabilities:
Spoiler:
Chances of success, for each task: Biotic Specialist and Team Leader.
* (specialisation bonus gives one additional rank for the corresponding task)
* Readiness Very Low: 10%
* Readiness Low: 30%
* Readiness Medium: 40%
* Readiness High: 60%
* Readiness Very High: 80%
* Readiness Very High + specialisation bonus: 100%
Show
Chances of success, for each task: Biotic Specialist and Team Leader.
* (specialisation bonus gives one additional rank for the corresponding task)
* Readiness Very Low: 10%
* Readiness Low: 30%
* Readiness Medium: 40%
* Readiness High: 60%
* Readiness Very High: 80%
* Readiness Very High + specialisation bonus: 100%
Part 5 - Hold the Line and Final Battle
The last decision Shepard has to make, is to choose the two squadmates that will join her/him for the last battle. The rest of the team will be holding the line as a group. During this phase, each squadmate still present and alive will have to pass an individual test against their current Readiness score. Squadmates with higher Readiness have a higher chance of survival.
The catch is that, in the group holding the line, squadmates that successfully pass the test have a chance to perform a heroic action and save a squadmate that failed the test. The two squadmates present at the last battle are "on their own" and cannot be saved, nor save anyone else.
Good to know:
* There are no specialisation bonuses for this phase. Mordin or Jack are just as capable to hold the line as Grunt or Garrus (at equivalent Readiness).
* In the group Holding the Line, squadmates with Low or Very Low Readiness still have a very good chance of survival, if they are accompanied by enough squadmates with High or Very High Readiness. So a balanced team is ideal (two squadmates with Medium Readiness are more likely to die than one squadmate with Very Low and one with Very High readiness).
* In your squad for the last battle, taking squadmates with relatively low Readiness is dangerous as they cannot be saved by other squadmates and are thus more likely to die. However, taking squadmates with relatively high Readiness means that they will not be able to save anyone else, which may lead to more deaths in the Hold the Line team.
Specific details and probabilities:
Spoiler:
There are 3 possible outcomes for each squadmate (Failure / Success / Heroic Success):
* Readiness Very Low: 90% / 10% / 0%
* Readiness Low: 70% / 20% / 10%
* Readiness Medium: 50% / 20% / 30%
* Readiness High: 30% / 20% / 50%
* Readiness Very High: 10% / 20% / 70%
Failure means that the squadmate dies, unless saved by another squadmate (only possible in the Hold the Line team).
Success means that the squadmate survives.
Heroic Success means that the squadmate survives, and saves another squadmate (if in the Hold the Line team).
Examples:
* There are only two squadmates holding the line, one with Very High and one with Very Low readiness. The squadmate with Very Low readiness has 90% chance of failure, but the squadmate with Very High readiness has 70% chance of Heroic Success. Altogether, there is 9% chance that both die, 19% chance that one of them dies, and 72% chance that both survive.
* If the same two squadmates (one at Very High, and one at Very Low) are taken in the squad for the final battle, they cannot save each other. So in that case, there is 9% chance that both die, 82% chance that one of them dies, and 9% chance that both survive.
Show
There are 3 possible outcomes for each squadmate (Failure / Success / Heroic Success):
* Readiness Very Low: 90% / 10% / 0%
* Readiness Low: 70% / 20% / 10%
* Readiness Medium: 50% / 20% / 30%
* Readiness High: 30% / 20% / 50%
* Readiness Very High: 10% / 20% / 70%
Failure means that the squadmate dies, unless saved by another squadmate (only possible in the Hold the Line team).
Success means that the squadmate survives.
Heroic Success means that the squadmate survives, and saves another squadmate (if in the Hold the Line team).
Examples:
* There are only two squadmates holding the line, one with Very High and one with Very Low readiness. The squadmate with Very Low readiness has 90% chance of failure, but the squadmate with Very High readiness has 70% chance of Heroic Success. Altogether, there is 9% chance that both die, 19% chance that one of them dies, and 72% chance that both survive.
* If the same two squadmates (one at Very High, and one at Very Low) are taken in the squad for the final battle, they cannot save each other. So in that case, there is 9% chance that both die, 82% chance that one of them dies, and 9% chance that both survive.
Part 6 - Epilogue
As in vanilla, Shepard will survive if at least two squadmates survived. I did not change that. If you start with 12 squadmates, it is technically possible to lose 11 or even all of them, but extremely unlikely.
If you can't deal with the losses
Once you regain control of the Normandy after the mission, a cheat gives you the possibility to revive all dead squad and crew members. Go to the Captain's cabin in the Normandy and interact with the Prothean Relic (it will be there even if you did not complete the Firewalker missions). You will have a few opportunities to cancel, but if you go on, everyone will be revived, and all (in principle) plot bools will be set as for a "perfect run". Even your fish will be revived (after leaving the cabin and coming back, don't clean the tank).
This will only work if my mod was installed when starting the Suicide Mission, and will only revive squadmates that were present and activated at that moment.
0 comments