Proposal for a petition: Remake ME1, 2 and 3 into one game!

Hi everyone,
a few days ago, I had the following idea. I'd be glad to hear some opinions on it.
Looking at the Mass Effect trilogy, I always wondered what the older games could have been if they were remade with up-to-date technology. I thought about what an ME1 with decent squad AI, dialogue interrupts and the successors' optimized cover mechanics might look like. The reality, of course, is that it wouldn't be worthwhile for BioWare to do so, let alone for us to re-buy a game we already have.
Then I started thinking. PS3 games nowadays are generally sold on BluRay, more and more PCs have BluRay drives, and the next Xbox generation is very likely to have one. For non-techies, BDs have a capacity of 50 gigabytes, more than enough for all three games.
The idea I came up with is as follows: what if BioWare remade the entire trilogy with an updated game engine, additional content and more direct carryovers between the titles and published it on a single disc? While this might seem like a cop-out, both EA/BW and us gamers would be able to profit from that kind of move.
Here's my thoughts on what either side would be able to gain:

EA and BioWare:
- Re-releasing the existing games would cost a lot less, both in time and resources, than creating a new game, seeing as most pieces of the puzzle are already in place.
- Seeing as the result would be a game with more than 120 hours of playing time, full price may well be acceptable, assuming enough additional content is included.
- Adding more missions, gameplay features, characters etc. would actually work in the developers' interest. The more they include, the more people who already bought the original games will go from "What a cheap cop-out!" to "Hang on, this might actually be worth the cash.".
- The developers have an additional shot at improving their reputation, and that of the franchise, after the ending disaster.

Gamers:
- Owners of a PS3 will finally be able to play the entire trilogy. A remake would not be bound by ME1's status as a Microsoft exclusive.
- Every piece of DLC could be integrated, and then some. Owners of used copies would no longer be conned out of the available free packs.
- Since all three galaxy maps are on the disc, there is an option of revisiting ME1's Mako planets with ME2's Hammerhead. With a bit of additional work, this could add a lot more of depth to the game, especially if visited planets are visibly changed from game to game.
- New DLC could affect all three games at once. For example, a new companion could be introduced in the hunt for Saren, get his own loyalty mission and rejoin the crew in the final battle.
- The bugs stemming from importing characters would be completely gone.
- Easy ways to add more customization. Example: Starting with Shepard's resurrection, the ME3 leveling system could be introduced as early as ME2, especially since right now, ME3 characters start off at the imported ME2 save's level. Imagine, say, bringing your Biotic Charge up to level 6 as early as ME2.
- Locations from older games, especially ME1's Mako planet interiors, could easily be reworked with current technology.
- Using the old games' locations and weaponry, Multiplayer could receive a massive expansion.
- We'd have one of the most massive game overhauls in history - to a series most of us know and love, despite what happened to the ending.
- Seeing that a new generation of consoles is on the way, even ME3 could receive some massive improvements.

I'm considering turning this into a petition. What about you people? Would this be something you'd like to see BioWare do? And if this kind of remake was released, would you buy it?
I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on the matter.

Best regards,
Tom K

Tom, while this idea is very well thought out and I can easily see it's merit, I do think one massive improvement to ME3 would be required for me to buy it again. Y'know what I mean right? ^^ However, I do think that it should be put to petition as I'm sure lots of others would be interested.

While this is a really cool idea, it will never happen. Microsoft owns the distribution rights to the first Mass Effect, it will never be on the PS3.

Well, no one says they can't make some additional changes to the ending. The Extended Cut was done in a hurry, after all. With a few years, a decent budget AND the opportunity to integrate plot threads in all three games, this might actually get us a more coherent ending, if BioWare play their cards right. I'll be honest: I was quite happy with the Extended Cut. Not enthusiastic, but I did kind of like it. With some actual rendered cutscenes and better integration into the rest of the trilogy, it might actually be a good ending - and that's exactly what BioWare would have the chance to do.

I see your point. But let's not forget that a new generation of consoles is on the way, probably with a Blu-Ray drive built in by default. I'm not saying, after all, that BioWare should toss out this kind of game in a few months. With, say, two years of development time, the game could not only be released on one disc regardless of platform, but the ending controversy will have been mostly forgotten. Not to mention the fact that, by that time, game graphics in general will have advanced even further, throwing in some additional potential.

As an aside: I recently found out ME3 actually uses LESS hardware resources than ME1. I had ME1, ME2 and the demo installed on my netbook; while ME1 stuttered about on medium settings, ME3 ran smooth as butter.
My point is: with a new generation of consoles, there is a significant amount of room for further graphical improvement to the entire trilogy.

I disagree. ME3 has plenty of open areas like, say, Palaven or the Presidium. The main reason it has a better performance is related to the Unreal engine: in ME3, BioWare excessively uses LOD technology to great effect. For those who don't know: LOD (Level of Detail) is a procedure in which everything outside the player's immediate point of view is pre-rendered in lower quality. Since the player will never get close to these areas, there is virtually no noticeable difference - except a massive increase in performance. If you look at Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption or Fallout 3, they use the same technology for anything more than ~100 metres away from the player.
The most noticeable scene is the escape from Earth. The Reapers and the action involving the exploding dreadnought are all part of the LOD. ME2 also has a fair few interesting uses, such as the exterior of the Shadow Broker's ship. Using that kind of tech all over the trilogy could be a massive benefit. In ME1, for example, the Presidium could look a lot better at no additional hardware draw.

My point exactly. Right now, BioWare is unable to rewrite anything in ME2. After all, who would buy a story DLC for ME2, especially if it only fixes some minor plot threads?
It would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, both for them and for us. Now that BW know how the plot will develop, they'd be able to include clues and/or new plot threads left, right and center. After all, we all know by now that the ending we got was not the original one - BW had to scramble to get a new one integrated, and obviously messed up initially. Now, with all three games back on the drawboard... it could be exactly what we've been hoping for.

This would be a phenomenal idea, and would be amazing. I'd definitely buy it.

But I think a project of this scope would stand a snowball's chance in hell of being funded. They couldn't even get the time or money to do one installment right. It would have to be out for next gen consoles, and you'd need a ton of resources just to fix what is wrong with ME3 alone. I think it's a great idea, don't get me wrong, but I just don't see it ever happening. I'd sign my name on a petition for good measure, though.

Good point. But in this case, there is a factor that could make funding this kind of endeavour VERY attractive for EA: they could sell the game at full price, and would only need a fraction of ME3's budget to develop it. After all, each installment of the Mass Effect series cost an eight-digit sum to create (cf. http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_9268/Game_Development_Budget_Somewhere_Around_25_Million ). For a port with revised technology, I doubt they'd need as much as $10 million, even if they packed the game with lots of extras. My basis for this assumption is as follows:

- All three games are based on the same engine. The integration, therefore, would not require much programming effort.
- The games' level designs are most likely compatible for the above reason. Any changes made to gameplay, such as the improved cover mechanics, would automatically be applied once the old levels are loaded in ME3's engine.
- The improved AI used in ME3 already exists and works perfectly. BioWare would just have to apply it to the old games' opponents.
- Applying ME2's armor/barrier/shield/health damage model to ME1 is a question of a few clicks.
- Most voice actors would not have to be re-hired; EA would only have to pay them a fee for re-using the existing files.
- Level testing could be kept to a minimum, since almost every existing area of the games already works.

In short: the pieces are there, they just need to be put together the right way. And speaking from experience (I've spent two years' worth of free time in database modding for Fallout 3), that's a lot easier and cheaper than creating content from scratch.

A petition like this would need millions of signatures...maybe half of the pre-order numbers...for BioWare/EA to think this would be something viable. They'd need some re-assurance that there's a market for this...they normally don't pull FF-style remakes. And, as we all know, they are all about their bottom line (well, EA is), so it would have to be some big, promising benefits for them to even think about sinking $10 million or more into a project. They don't want to part with their precious monies.

Not saying we can't try, but it would be a stretch.

Just found the following after a bit of research: the post-release combination of three BioWare games (!) into a trilogy has already been done before. By fans, on a budget of zero.
http://www.shsforums.net/files/file/54-baldurs-gate-trilogy-weidu-115/
Now, I'll concede that Baldur's Gate is an older and less sophisticated game series, at least in terms of technology. I never played it, since it was released way before I found my way into role-playing games. But the point is: this shows it can be done, without much of a budget.

If I may toss in a more contemporary example: a few years back, a group of modders managed to port the entire world map of TES III: Morrowind (complete with interiors, items, NPCs and even most of the dialogue topics) to Oblivion (cf. http://morroblivion.com/ ). Bethesda, the studio responsible for the creation of the Elder Scrolls series, did not support it due to licensing issues, since most of the game data had been licensed for Morrowind only.
Still, despite the enormous complexity of both games and the fact that, once again, it was a zero-budget fan project, it worked. Development has been going on for a few years, but as you can see from the page I linked, the result is an undeniable success.

Note: none of the projects mentioned above had any kind of access to the game engines' source code. For non-programmers: working on a port without the source code is like performing surgery blindfolded. It involves programming your own modding tools, lots of guesswork, and months of trial and error.

Now imagine what an experienced team like BioWare could do with full access to all related source material and a decent budget behind them. If we play our cards right, I see a decent chance that EA will at least consider the idea.

Concerning point 1: actually, the game would still be a bargain even at full price. You would, after all, be getting three full games plus every bit of DLC that's been released to date - at least, the latter would be a logical step, since including them would not increase development costs at all. Toss in the effect the new engine will have on ME1 and ME2 (cf. above), and you've got yourself a bargain.
As for points 2 and 3, Noelemahc already said it better than I could have.

Valid point, once again. I did a bit of research based on what you said, and I think we wouldn't need quite as many signatures. My conclusion is based on the following calculations:
- According to the Video Game charts (cf. http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=mass effect 3 ), Mass Effect 3 has sold 3,76 million copies to date.
- Assuming that 10% of these people would purchase a possible remake and assuming it's sold at full price, it would still make $22,5 million's worth of raw income.
- Assuming less than half of this money actually made it to EA (minus pre-order bonuses, percentages for retailers, etc.), they would still break even, assuming a budget of $10 million.

Personally, I believe the sales figures might end up a lot higher - after all, this would be the first chance for PS3 gamers to play the entire trilogy. But that's moving into speculation now, and I've waffled on long enough. ^^

Sure, why not? =) You'd be surprised how quickly odds can disappear, especially in modding.
I hope you'll allow a short deviation into off-topic. Technobabble ahead.
I worked on two larger projects in the past, both of which worked despite the engines being less than friendly:
i) the Gothic 3 Community Story Project (cf. http://page.g3csp.bplaced.de/?lang=en ). We built on Humanforce's Quest Expansion for Gothic 3 (cf. http://www.worldofgothic.de/dl/download_433.htm ; the guy hard-coded more than sixty new quests directly into the game files without an editor or anything ) and the Community Patch ( http://www.worldofgothic.com/dl/?go=dlfile&fileid=166 ). I was just a story writer, but I got a fair bit of insight into what was going on: despite the mesh format being entirely proprietary, a few of our coders were able to monkey-wrench a new file format based on Gothic 2 and a large amount of hex editor work. Fact is: it worked, without any kind of insight. My point: even the most convoluted of proprietary formats can be decoded if it's done right, even if the engine's putting rocks in people's paths.
ii) my own solo project, Total Tamriel. While it started out as a manual reconstruction of the entire Tamriel heightmap (which, by the way, many people told me I was overenthusing about while it was still in development ), I eventually ported the original Vvardenfell heightmap, using a fan-made tool called TESAnnwyn. If it took an amateur like me (I had less than six months' worth of modding experience at the time) less than two weeks to do the job (despite the issue of scaling, getting the ported worldmap to fit into the right corner of the Tamriel worldmap, and the Heightmap Editor regularly screwing up my files by filling the map with glitches), I am quite sure the original developers could realistically do an ME trilogy port in less than two years.

No argument there. For a fan project, doing a ME trilogy package is definitely a no-go, especially given the lack of proper editing tools. My intent with the above examples was to show that the technology behind a port isn't really that difficult to master - provided you either have code access, or an engine that works your way.
And BioWare may well have both, especially given how many elements of previous Mass Effect games were carried over. Another example: with a tweak in the Coalesced.ini, you can reintroduce ME1's ammo model in ME2.

Actually, the access isn't as unrestricted as you might think. With Morrowind, perhaps, but the Oblivion Construction Set is fundamentally broken, with several key components barely functional. I wouldn't believe even for a second that Bethesda actually used that buggy mess of a program to create Oblivion.

No argument there, either. I was just going for a rough approximation.

No offense or discouragement taken. On the contrary, I'm more than glad you brought those points up, since I do have the tendency to lose myself in ramblings on occasion.

In preparation for the petition, there is something I'd like to request help with. I have compiled a list of ideas that could be easily integrated if a remake was to happen. If you have any thoughts to add, please feel free to post them. What I'm primarily looking for are noticeable improvements to either one of the three games that can be done using the existing technology and/or concepts ported from other games in the trilogy - things that we could present both to EA/BioWare and gamers who might be willing to sign the petition. The point is to illustrate that many major improvements can be made with little time and cost.

Here's my list. I'd more than appreciate your feedback, criticism and/or additional ideas.

• Elements of ME3 that could be introduced in ME1 and ME2, significantly improving the overall quality with little effort:
  i) the upgraded AI.
  ii) the graphics engine.
  iii) the improved cover mechanics.
  iv) ME3's equipment management (with the exception of ME2's heavy weapons).
  v) the weapon modification system.
  vi) the management of Paragon/Renegade points - players would no longer be forced to play a polar character in ME2.
• ME2 could directly use ME3's skill system. Since players start ME3 at Level 31 (or whichever level was imported), they could already profit of the advanced skill choices provided by ME3 - with a few probable exceptions, such as ME3's superior health/shield/barrier bonuses.
• Paragon/Renegade interrupts in ME1.
• Carryover missions betweek ME2 and 3. For example, the Zaeed/Kasumi loyalty missions and the Shadow Broker mission could easily be shifted to ME3 if the player didn't do them in ME2.
  This may be linked to the option of re-recruiting Zaeed and/or Kasumi in ME3. Since they would be included for all players, it would not ruin the general balancing.
• The Arrival DLC could be used as direct transition between ME2 and ME3.
  I.e. Shepard could receive Hackett's message directly after the battle at the Collector Base. Then the player could still keep on exploring for a while. After the destruction of the Alpha Relay, Shepard would immediately turn him/herself in, leading straight into ME3.
• Loot. The ME1 system is rather unrealistic at the moment. For example: why do all squad members carry around a bunch of rifles they can't use? And why can the squad easily carry around hundreds of rifles everywhere? After all, every piece of loot can be equipped at any time.
  This could be completely averted by introducing ME3's weapon system in ME1. With one key difference: weapon upgrades could still be gained by loot. For example, acquiring the Avenger V would instantly upgrade all Avengers currently in use.
• Grenades. ME3's multiplayer has class-specific grenades; introducing them in ME2 would only require a bit of rebalancing.
• Multiplayer bosses. ME1 and 2 have several enemies that could serve as final bosses in MP, such as gunships and Geth Colossi.
• Mako worlds. With a few modifications, they could be revisited in ME2, perhaps even with some Hammerhead-related content.
• Side missions. The newly created multiplayer maps could easily be used to replace some of the copy/paste "dungeons" in ME1.
• Mako/Hammerhead multiplayer content. How about field battles, for example? The Mako/Hammerhead controls, the concept of dropships and various vehicle-worthy opponents have already been implemented in ME1 and ME2. Using them to introduce a new Multiplayer mode with, say, both vehicles, normal and heavy weapons could introduce the trilogy to a completely new target audience while still keeping a consistent tone.
• Mako/Hammerhead battles in Singleplayer. Here's an idea: how about beginning Priority: Earth with a full-scale assault, as could be seen in the cinematic trailer? Have Shepard and his/her squad pilot the Mako and add some battle scenes going on in the LOD (cf. http://www.holdtheline.com/threads/...ke-me1-2-and-3-into-one-game.2707/#post-81346). This may sound like a lot effort, but look at it this way: most of the London visuals are already in the game, the Mako is fully implemented, and mixing several Harvesters in with the Reaper ground troops would provide a significant challenge. The only thing that might need a bit of work is the development of friendly AI.

Answer 1: Open Source. A fan-based project is perhaps best supported by the very public of which it's maintained. Too many closed-source projects have seen a premature end, much less the light of day.

Two: Creating the tools necessary to bring everything together, such as animation and choreography suites. Again, for what it's worth, use open/community-sourced resources. Not towards the benefit or acknowledgements of any one person, but in doing so that others may become inspired to contribute in what ways they can.

Three: Knowing that a perfect remake is definitely unlikely, the most successful method would be to create a platform that supports as many features of the original title which can be implemented in the fan-version.

Four: Direction. Bringing the core of the series back to life requires dedication, with focus on vitalizing key storyline elements (should it be desired to be tweaked). Everyone should understand that not everything can be re-implemented without the same budget and tools, let alone time schedule, and that summarization of key events would be optimal for the project, if not substantially beneficial.

Five: If the community can manage to rehash some eloquence in the fan game, spinoffs of Mass Effect could be possible. Similar to a community-written fanfic. Of course I know a game and a fanfic are entirely different types of projects, but how much dissimilarity is there preventing the conjuring of additional and beneficial content? Say, towards the graphics, or the screenplay, or game engine. All can be accomplished with solid contributions. I personally think that the talent requirements have already been met; we simply need someone capable of directing traffic.

There is a strong community here, to which I instill great faith. If anything, it would be something shy of an insult to say that there aren't enough brilliant minds at HTL that are capable of contributing to put together such a phenomenal feat. Improbability perhaps, but not an impossibility.

These are just my thoughts. A two-cent focus for the day.