Mass Shift - probably fake

Conflict 1) Shepard destroys synthetic life, and in turn, a great deal of his own physiology. The party must search the remnants of the Sol System to unearth technology that may be able to restore Shepard's memory and functioning.

Conflict 2) The Grand Sol War begins. The current inhabitants of the Sol System--which include the former occupants of the Citadel, the participants of the Battle for Earth, and the Crucible's escorts--war over dwindling resources in the Sol System. Certain species, unable to survive in Sol, make a desperate beeline for distant systems.

Conflict 3) Though resurrected, the character Shepard has ceased to be. The Catalyst has transmigrated into him via his synthetic components, and he has become "Advent".

Consideration: Player to be aware of Conflict 3 until Mass Shift, or cliffhanger for Terminator?

Consideration: Possible backlash?

Consideration: Dx does not want to drag out the character Shepard.

Approved: Player will be unaware of existence of Advent until Mass Shift. Make foreshadowing available.

Approved: Protagonist of Mass Shift is the next transmigration of the Catalyst.

Conflict 4) Advent seeks to halt advancement of synthetics across the galaxy. The character experiences a "dissociative identity disorder" related to integration with Shepard's and EDI's synthetics

Consideration: New galaxy, multiple galaxies. Dx NOTE: Too far ahead

Proposal for "Terminator" (DATE OF RELEASE: April 24):

CC1 - CC3 (Dx approve 3-17-2012)

Canonical statement: Refer to "Arrival", "Witch Hunt", "Dragon Age: Return"

Branch End Graph (Ping storyboards)

See ME3 branch templates for global event assumptions

Liara - Reconstruction of Thessia. Introduction of Prothean truths. Formal burial of mother at family gravesite.
BRANCH - Marriage

James - N7 induction ceremony. Consideration: Couple with formal Kaidan/Ashley Spectre induction.
BRANCH - Ask Dx about this

Garrus - Takes Hackett's place at helm of GSW. Foreshadowing of human turian integration. BRANCH - Marriage

Tali - Seeks reestablishment of the mass effect. BRANCH - Marriage

Kaidan/Ashley - Consideration: Introduction of eventual suicide plot device? DX Note: No, not in DLC, save for Shift
BRANCH - Ask Dx

EDI - Absent, integrated into Advent

Joker - Resigns from comic relief in aftermath of EDI.

Javik - Thought to have entombed himself. Killed by Advent during confrontation.

Proposal for "Mass Shift" (DATE OF RELEASE: 2014):

CC4+

Xy - Hanar exiled for his "problematic" confidence and impoliteness. (Approved)

Filbert - Biotic elcor too small/weak to live amongst his own kind. (Approved)

Liara - Matriarch (Approved)

Bresha - Female krogan, distant granddaughter of Wrex.

Advent - Protagonist (Approved)

Asad Grim - Shadow Broker and Director of Council Space. Volus villain-to-ally. (Storyboard available)

Murmur - The last Reaper, removed from the hivemind. (Approved)

NDA 67 68 69 70 71
PAGE 26 |


Last night I leaked the only available digital details of Terminator and Mass
Shift. After speaking with a close friend who is an attorney, I've decided
to take the risk of of expounding.

I am a virtual lightning technician who has been working for BioWare for over 8
years now. I've been the sole creator of the lighting partitions of all of
BioWare's engines and engine plugins in recent years. In layman's terms, I am
a very specific kind of graphics artist.

I am no longer a part of the companies in question.

My reasoning for the leak was to draw attention to what BioWare has become. The
company, for about 5 years now, has been dominated by EA Games' strict timetables
and budget restraints. I'd like to express my continuing admiration of BioWare and
the entirety of its staff--the most talented staff I've had the priviledge to work
with in my career, which spans 19 years. My admiration for them is why I even
bother to draw attention to the predicament that the company now faces.

I am not a doomsayer. BioWare likely has a successful road ahead of them, but the
money stops mattering so much when female colleagues get off the phone with EA
upper management crying over threats of replacement. The success stops mattering
when a dark cloud hangs over a team that is doing the best with the restraints
that have been placed upon them. Nothing was more heartbreaking than the moment
when Dragon Age 2, which was not yet in alpha status, was shipped out the
door. I thought that was a one-time thing, but it is becoming clear that that was
just the beginning.

To the staff: Though you and I are both under contract, know that EA will not
pursue you if you simply stand together. You are the most talented people in the
industry and every publisher would be honored to have you.

To the fans: Please do not be discouraged by what little PR EA allows to get out.
You haven't spoken to BioWare, the real meat of the company, in over 5 years.
BioWare is still full of people who love video games, who want to put passion into
their games--but they are being stifled. Don't be angry with BioWare. Be angry
with those who are stifling them. But your anger isn't enough. Speak with your
money. It's the only language EA Games understands. I know it can be very hard to
resist falling for pre-order and DLC ploys, but it must be done. Your forum posts
and petitions are meaningless when compared to the simple dollar.

--

I'd like to clarify some things about the leak:

- The leak is the content of a digital blackboard we have at the office. It's the
first thing you see when you walk into Production. It's right next to our
storyboards. Only the director and writers can edit the outline, but the entire
team is asked to make suggestions throughout development. The outline always
changes dramatically during development. Sometimes, major plot twists are totally
changed, or characters are removed. Generally, the artists and the director have
the final say. You may think that it's odd that artists have so much power, but
throwing away completed models and other assets that have consumed a lot of time
is frowned upon. If they've worked on something long enough, they are going to
implement it somehow.

- Like in most development cycles, the outline is relatively abandoned right now,
replaced by the storyboards. But I can't exactly take the storyboards off of the
walls and scan them.

- Terminator is a post-ending DLC. It's been in production for months. Javik was
originally from Terminator, but they bumped him up because they felt that ME3's
cast was too small. Terminator is about the party crash landing on a Prothean
planet on the edge of Sol, and then they have to figure out a way to make contact
with the rest of the system and get off of the planet.

- When they do get spaceborne, they return to Earth, which is gripped in a war.
Certain species are demanding they be allowed to take the most advanced space
ships out of the system, because Sol cannot support them. There is also mass panic
because the relay transport system has been destroyed, and Sol's remaining resources
are going to run out in less than a year.

- Shepard has been found on Earth, but he is badly injured and in a coma. He was
burned badly during atmospheric re-entry, and certain synthetic components of his
brain were shut down. Chakwas is certain that if he ever awakens, it will be in a
vegetative state.

- At this point, it is suggested that Shepard's broken synthetic parts could be
replaced with new ones. The party then splits up, and you go to three different
planets/areas to find synthetic components that may be able to help him.

- It is revealed that one of the valid components can be extracted from EDI. Joker
allows them to do so.

- Though still badly wounded, after the synthetic pieces are installed, Shepard
finally awakens. He makes a speech at the Spacescraper (a piece of the Citadel
that crash landed on Earth along with Shepard, now used as a center of
operations) that ends the Sol War. After that, you get a unique cutscene based
on who you did or did not romance in ME3.

- This is not addressed in the Terminator DLC, but from the moment Shepard comes
out of the coma, he is the Catalyst. Shepard permanently died during atmospheric
re-entry. The characters and the player in Terminator are unaware that it is not
the real Shepard, and this will not be revealed until Mass Shift, the spiritual
successor to the Mass Effect series.

- Mass Shift is not Mass Effect 4. Mass Shift will involve the same universe,
characters, and story, but it will be more action-oriented. Space flight, for
example, will be as intricate as ME3's combat. In Mass Shift, you will actively fly
Murmur, a Reaper that is controlled by the Catalyst. Storyboards have not been
drawn up for exactly how this will work yet, but when we came up with the initial
concept, we were comparing flight to "Gradius III and Kingdom Hearts 2", and the
relationship between the Catalyst and Murmur was compared to the one between the
boy and the monster in "The Last Guardian".

- Xy was actually going to be a DLC character for Mass Effect 2, but he was axed in
favor of Kasumi, who was modeled after the sister of a staff member who kept baking
the entire staff cookies. They're introducing him in Mass Shift instead.

- BioWare has been meaning to introduce a main character suicide plot element for some
time now. They intended to do this with Kaidan/Ashley in Mass Effect 2, wrought with
guilt over the death of the other, but this idea was discarded when the director felt
that it would be too forced, and that players would feel as though BioWare simply
killed them off so that they wouldn't have to deal with their character branches
anymore.

- Though the details are very sketchy at this point, Mass Shift revolves around
the Catalyst (who now inhabits the body of Shepard), who seeks to prevent the
galaxy from advancing synthetics. This pits the Catalyst against virtually the
entire galaxy, which is quickly forgetting about the threat that synthetics pose.
The Catalyst, throughout the game, will endure inner turmoil caused by
his "other side" (EDI), who carries the belief that synthetics and organics can
peacefully co-exist.

- Mass Shift will feature more tactical combat, but with less cover. For example,
Filbert, while slow on the battlefield, can create a sphere of biotic energy around
himself that can repel a certain amount of fire. This will allow party members to
stand around him to receive all kinds of interesting "buffs".

- Other minor things have changed. For example, storyboards indicate that Asad
Grim, Mass Shift's primary (but not final--he joins your team) antagonist does not
wear a typical Volus suit. You will be able to see most of his body.

- Mass Shift takes place about one millennium after the events of ME3.

- Note that branching is the last stage of development. BioWare always begins with
a canonical outline, and then adjusts the outline details to accommodate player
choice in most scenarios.

Witch Hunt is a Dragon Age DLC. It caused an in-house shitstorm because of canon
issues. An employee quit over it. It's used as a reference for how to "correctly"
deal with design plans that may interfere with player choice. It has nothing to do
with Mass Effect.

I don't know what Dragon Age: Return is, but Dragon Age 3 is codename "Redfish" right
now. It's in development.

This is the last you will hear from me. Bye.