I initially came up
with about forty ideas for this assignment; to narrow it down, I've
restricted myself to ship-based combat. Using the same criteria as my
previous Star Wars assigment, I managed with some difficulty to
narrow my options down to five six (I came up with
another while writing this post!) which shall (in no particular
order) be discussed below:
1.
Mass Effect 1: Battle of the Citadel
The
Reapers arriving at the start of this battle. It would definitely
feature
Sovereign, Geth transports (which, thanks to a very
convenient plot, look like tiny Sovereigns, so would really require
little changing besides ten seconds with the Scale tool), the
Citadel itself, and the
Destiny Ascension, the flagship of the Citadel Fleet.
Optionally, it could also contain a couple of other ships that are at
the Citadel, and the
Mass Relay they arrive through - but these could
easily be cut out.
Pros:
It's a good plot-heavy clip, and it's a cutscene - thus giving me
something to base this assignment off.
Cons:
No Normandy!
2.
Mass Effect 1: Battle of the Citadel (again)
The
arrival of the
Normandy SR-1 and the fleet saving the Destiny
Ascension from the Geth ships.
Pros: It's
a nice heroic moment as the Normandy saves the flagship. Other than
this, see idea 2.
Cons: It
would have to contain quite a lot of models: Citadel, Mass Relay,
Normandy, Geth Ships, and at least a couple of ship designs from the
fleet. Quite possibly this would be too many...
3.
Mass Effect 2: Suicide Mission
The
Normandy SR-2 arriving through the
Omega 4 Relay, and the
Oculus fight on the other side. The clip would end with the last Oculus
breaking into the cargo bay.
Pros:
The several Oculuses (Oculi?) in the cutscene can all be based off
one model. It's also a fast-paced action scene, and is, if you cut
out the scenes inside the Normandy which I obviously won't animate,
just about the right length.
Cons: This
cutscene requires a
debris field. I do not want to model a debris
field.
4.
Mass Effect 2: Suicide Mission (again)
The
Normandy SR-2 arriving at the
Collector Base, and her victorious
fight against the
Collector ship that destroyed the Normandy SR-1 and
killed Shepard (albeit briefly).
Pros:
I always enjoy seeing that thing blow up. Animating it ought to be
fun.
Cons: That ship is the least symmetrical thing I could imagine modeling. And
that's not even touching on the base itself, which is only really
seen from one angle. Quadruple my workload? No thanks.
5. Mass Effect 3:
The Battle for Rannoch
This would mostly
feature Geth and Quarian ships fighting in the
battle, little of
which is actually shown in the game.
Pros:
Most of the ships would be very similar, thus allowing a largeish
battle to be animated with relatively few models.
Cons:
Difficult to explain in a proper way, but it just doesn't feel right
doing a Mass Effect animation without the Normandy! Also, it'd be
hard to find a good plot-related clip to animate, considering how
long the battle is in the game.
6. Mass Effect 3: Battle for Earth
This would involve the
Normandy SR-2 (repainted in Alliance colours) fighting in the final battle for Earth. I quickly discarded this idea as I don't like it as much as most of the others.
