empty planets in mass effect

[rpgcodexusername]

I heard a lot of complaints about exploring empty planets in mass effect.
What kind of things would make a planet worth exporing in that game?

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

what

 

[DraQ]

what

"wut" is the proper form on teh internets.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Most of the explorable planets in Mass Effect are empty because they're uninhabitable. Lack of oxygen, low gravity levels, etc. It makes sense that there aren't cities all over them.

 

[Nael]

Most of the explorable planets in Mass Effect are empty because they're uninhabitable. Lack of oxygen, low gravity levels, etc. It makes sense that there aren't cities all over them.

But I think what the OP is wondering is if they are truely empty with nothing to do on them whatsoever?

 

[JarlFrank]

It's a nice and simple way to make the game bigger without really having to add additional content, I guess.

 

[the_Consumer]

Speed-planet!

 

[Major_Blackhart]

No one's ever heard of terra-forming in this game world, eh? What about arcologies and Oxygen production facilities? There's always a way around this no breathable atmosphere crap. Underground cities anyone? Might make people a bit claustrophobic, but fuck it.

Edit: Not only that, but what about taking some crap from Warhammer 40k, like hive cities and what not. I mean for God's sake, what about some sort of primitive stone age race of aliens that you can enslave and force to mine precious stones and minerals, while they worship you and your men like gods because of your weapons and shiny crap. Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

 

[Norfleet]

Basically, empty planets only exist to give you filler. It's essentially a failed idea that makes more sense in the context of, say, a strategy game, where one can DO something with those empty planets.

 

[Nael]

Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

Only if they hand out erotic pictures of themselves would that be entertaining. IMHTWO.

 

[Helton]

I mean for God's sake, what about some sort of primitive stone age race of aliens that you can enslave and force to mine precious stones and minerals, while they worship you and your men like gods because of your weapons and shiny crap. Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

I'd like to do this in real life except for the boys.

 

[obediah]

Edit: Not only that, but what about taking some crap from Warhammer 40k, like hive cities and what not. I mean for God's sake, what about some sort of primitive stone age race of aliens that you can enslave and force to mine precious stones and minerals, while they worship you and your men like gods because of your weapons and shiny crap. Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

Blizzard has a monopoly on stealing warhammer shit for computer games.

 

[JarlFrank]

I mean for God's sake, what about some sort of primitive stone age race of aliens that you can enslave and force to mine precious stones and minerals, while they worship you and your men like gods because of your weapons and shiny crap. Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

I'd like to do this in real life except for the boys.

You should've been born in ancient times.

 

[Ismaul]

I mean for God's sake, what about some sort of primitive stone age race of aliens that you can enslave and force to mine precious stones and minerals, while they worship you and your men like gods because of your weapons and shiny crap. Then you get the best choice of the women and boys of the species for yourself and at night you have huge orgies that span a city or some crap like that. I mean fuck it, you know? You should be able to do that crap.

I'd like to do this in real life except for the boys.

You should've been born in ancient times.

Well, back then you'd have more chance to be the boy chosen to be fucked in the ass than the one chosing whose ass you're going to fuck.

 

[rpgcodexusername]

i was just curious because morrowind had great empty spaces and people liked the exploration in that game,
also games like star control and starflight had a lot of empty planets but they were good games

 

[Volourn]

Side quest planets usually have one side quest that leads you there along with some rnadom tidbits as well. Biggest problem with most non plot worlds is that they all seem to be uniformly mountainous/bumpy with no civilization at all plus the main bases are repetive.

That said, they do have some cool things happening. The battles can be challenging, and even have some good dialogue/quest solution.

Example: I just did a quest to look for a missing scientist whose compatriots have been found murdered. The situation there cna be solved numourous ways. That is all. Not bad for a 'throwaway quest' to be sure.

 

[Herbert West]

Bio couldn't afford to license Speed Tree ? WTF?

 

[DraQ]

Empty planets in Frontier>>empty planets in any other game.

 

[Norfleet]

Well, they're just as uninteresting and empty in Frontier, but at least occasionally a random military mission might spawn on one, and you can mine them.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

Bioware is trying to have a "full gameworld". Another step away from RPGs being story-driven games.

 

[Balor]

Well, having a shitload of empty planets in, say, SC2, amounted to:
1. Copy protection
2. Collecting minerals and organics.
3. Preventing you to stumble upon story-specific locations by accident while actually NOT making it entirely impossible.
4. Rainbow world hunting.
Etc. Do MA has anything like that?

 

[SuicideBunny]

Well, having a shitload of empty planets in, say, SC2, amounted to:
1. Copy protection
2. Collecting minerals and organics.
3. Preventing you to stumble upon story-specific locations by accident while actually NOT making it entirely impossible.
4. Rainbow world hunting.
Etc. Do MA has anything like that?

yes and no. you don't have the coordinates for systems with story locations you aren't supposed to visit, the only thing you can do on those empty planets is preemptively finish some sidequests (the first planet i landed on had wrex armor, didn't even know what it was), but not all, since most of the sidequest worlds also require coords which you only get once you trigger the quest. you do collect minerals (and writings, and tags, and data disks, which all amount to the same thing), but those are useless, entirely story unrelated collect this and this much stuff for money and xp sidequests without even the tiniest npc interaction.
those planetes are only good for power leveling, since fights in the mako = insta-win.

 

[WalterKinde]

the limiting factor for fully realized planets could have been the disc size.
Microsoft or perhaps bio didn't ake advantage of the 360 harddrive.
Its too bad that was denied the 360.
Imagine visiting a off the beaten path colony that had something you needed and needed tech from you.
Leave come back and find the tech of planet upgraded maybe a civil war going on between two groups, with you having to decide to end it or help one side or the other in exchange for whatever the colony had that you wanted.

 

[Pegultagol]

Maybe, just maybe Bioware have prepared them for possible downloadable or micropayment content or future expansion plans. :

 

[Norfleet]

the limiting factor for fully realized planets could have been the disc size.

Do you seriously believe that? The Elites had thousands of planets, hundreds inhabited, and fit on freaking floppies. By those numbers, MILLIONS of planets could have been in the game.