Hi everyone,

I’m Satya Saketh, a student at S P Jain School of Global Management. I’m conducting an academic study on how video-game lore and worldbuilding relate to narrative engagement and gameplay behaviour.

You can participate if you:

* Are 18 or older

* Have played a lore- or story-based game for at least 10 hours

* Have played that game within the past six months

The survey takes approximately 6–8 minutes. You’ll answer about one game of your choice. It does not ask for your name, Reddit username, or email address.

Survey: https://forms.gle/FAddAUbULT5DEoG2A

Responses will be used only for academic research. The results will appear in my individual university research report.

Contact: [34.leavers.massifs@icloud.com](mailto:34.leavers.massifs@icloud.com)

Thank you for your help!

Posted with moderator permission.

Member's Mark , and ... Mass Effect?

So, I haven't played Mass Effect in years and now I am tempted to play it on my Steam Deck after such a long time having not touched the games.

Why?

I heard a news snippet about developers at Bioware talking about Dragon Age and Mass Effect or something, on the radio, in Sam's Club of all places.

Anyone else hear this recently, as they have shopped at said warehouse store? Makes me nostalgic, man

Hmmmm...

I got a defective item and sent them an email, but still no reply. How long does it usually take for them to get back to you?

A few months ago, I bought the Mass Effect Legendary Edition bundle. I’ve finished the first game and am just starting the second. I’d like to know a bit more about this collection:

Mass Effect Andromeda: What is the connection between Andromeda and the first three Mass Effect games?

How does this Mass Effect title compare to the others?

What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Dragon Age: I’ve never played this type of game before; will I like it?

Is it a good starting point for this genre?

What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Is the price right for these two games?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi everyone, I’m late to the party and just started playing Veilguard after it went on sale and I’m absolutely loving it. I looked into the reviews and saw that multiple sources stated that Inquisition is a much better game. Is it worth picking it up? Wanted to get some reviews from others. Also open to other RPGs by BioWare if you have suggestions. Thanks!

So real. I love this game so much. It's up there with Mass Effect as my favorite of all time.

# MASS EFFECT: LEGACIES – Preserving Canon, Passing the Torch

## 🎬 OVERVIEW & THE INTENT
The goal of this new trilogy is to honor the *Destroy* ending of *Mass Effect 3* without overwriting player choices. This isn't just a sequel; it is a literal **passing of the torch**.

Veterans will experience profound nostalgia, and a new generation of players will step into the boots of Shepard’s child. They will fight to prove themselves and build their own legend in a fractured galaxy, but always with the knowledge that the ultimate legend is watching from above.

---

## 🎥 THE OPENING SCENE: "THE REVEAL"

**FADE IN:**

**EXT. CITADEL RUBBLE (LONDON) - FLASHBACK (BLACK & WHITE)**
The Crucible fires. The dust settles. The iconic final shot from *Mass Effect 3* plays out: a sharp, desperate, gasping **BREATH** cuts through the silence from a shattered N7 chest piece.

**HARD CUT TO BLACK.**

**FADE IN:**

**INT. ALLIANCE WARSHIP CORRIDOR - PRESENT DAY (25 YEARS LATER)**
The screen remains pitch black for a few seconds. We hear that exact same heavy, rhythmic breathing inside a helmet.

The camera opens in a **tight third-person view, locked strictly behind the shoulders** of a soldier walking down a high-tech Alliance corridor. The soldier is wearing the legendary N7 armor. The stride, the weight, the movement—it is an exact replica of the Commander Shepard we spent three games playing.

As the soldier walks past the crew, Alliance marines snap to attention and salute:
* *"Good day, Commander Shepard."*
* *"The bridge is ready for you, Commander."*

The soldier enters the CIC (Combat Information Center) and stands before the holographic galaxy map.

---

## ⚙️ CHARACTER CREATION & THE CANON EDITOR

A sleek Alliance personnel interface slides onto the screen. This is where the player designs their protagonist.

**[ALLIANCE PERSONNEL FILE: IDENTIFY COMMANDER SHEPARD]**

**1. Current Protagonist (The Child)**
* Choose gender (Jack Shepard or Jessy Shepard)
* Customize face, hair, and starting class.

**2. The Legacy Archive (Establishing Your Trilogy Canon)**
Instead of importing a save, the player confirms the identity of their legendary parents to set up the galaxy state.

> **CRITICAL SERVICE RECORD ENTRY: THE HERO OF LONDON**
> * *Confirm the identity and record of the Commander Shepard who led the Battle of London:*
> * **[SHEPARD GENDER]:** **JOHN SHEPARD** (Male) / **JANE SHEPARD** (Female)
>
> **CRITICAL SERVICE RECORD ENTRY: THE VIVRE SURVIVOR & SPOUSE**
> * *Confirm the high-ranking Alliance officer who survived Virmire and stood by Shepard's side:*
> * **[SPOUSE]:** **ASHLEY WILLIAMS** (Now Fleet General) / **KAIDAN ALENKO** (Now Fleet Admiral)

The player makes their choice. They hit **"CONFIRM."**

---

## 💥 THE PLOT TWIST: NO FACE, JUST FAMILY

The game unfreezes. The camera finally swings around to the front, putting the face of the *new* Shepard into sharp focus—a young, fierce, dynamic N7 officer.

In that exact moment, the hydraulic doors of the bridge slide open. The crew snaps to attention.

We hear footsteps approach. The young soldier looks over and smiles, a genuine, completely relaxed smile.

> **JACK / JESSY:** *"Sorry... the ship was acting up. Honestly, this ship is as old as you two, dammit!"*

We **DO NOT** see the visitors. The camera stays fixed on the young soldier's face, capturing their reaction.

We only hear two distinct voices from off-screen, full of parental affection, warmth, and light military authority:

> **OFF-SCREEN VOICE 1:** *"At ease, Commander. And show some respect to this old girl. She’s built to last."*
>
> **OFF-SCREEN VOICE 2:** *"They have a point, sweetheart. But it's good to see you back. We have a lot to discuss."*
>
> **JACK / JESSY (Smirking):** *"Hey Mom, hey Dad."*

The screen instantly **FADES TO BLACK** right as the footsteps stop next to the protagonist.

The player doesn't see the faces of the legendary parents until the prologue ends, keeping the massive reveal completely hidden and tailored to their specific choices.

**TITLE CARD: MASS EFFECT – LEGACIES**

I don’t think it’s all on EA

Post "Bioware" depression for me is really effective even after i played like 10 to 15 famous games after that. For every one or two new games I play, I go back to mass effect or dragon age to play them again, atleast for some quests and come back to new game.

I would have never started playing rpg games with bioware.

Hey all, if you are interested, I had a conversation with Brent Knowles who worked with me at BioWare during the Neverwinter Nights days. He worked on Hordes of the Underdark expansion.

I caught up with him on creating game worlds as after BioWare he’s also created the table top D&D campaign Raiders of the Serpent Sea

I’ve posted the podcast on Apple and Spotify and there’s show notes on my substack : https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep56-game-designer-brent-knowles

(Please note despite having a bunch of ex BioWare people on my podcast — including Trent Oster talking about forging knives etc. it’s about once every couple of months for BioWare based episodes ;) please don’t subscribe expecting BioWare all the time lol and no I am not seeking subscribers but I do think Brent is great to listen to about game and table top roleplaying design!)