[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Fable was very ambitious, but in the end, it was not as nuanced as I would have liked. But much like Howard Stark, it was limited by the technology of its time. Ah, I remember how it was impossible to get a proper halo or horns until you had to decide the fate (kill or let go) of a merchant at the end of Act 2:



Mass Effect was an odd one, you could not be truly evil because Reapers were cast in that role, but being a Renegade with the whole "ends justify the means" attitude had a few moments. Still, I did not take that route and I only did one playthrough. But hey, they are making part 4 now!

MF has decent advice sometimes, that's where I learned about the Daevabad trilogy that I mentioned to you before. As with any reviews it can be hit or miss, but if you know what you like it can be helpful at times.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch That image encapsulates the Fable games so well 😂😂😂 Everything I read about Peter Molyneux (the creator of Fable) is just so entertaining 😂

It would've been amazing if they implemented an inverse of the "best" ending—the one you get with the highest alliance points—but in this renegade ending, let Shepard seize the Citadel or something like that. Speaking of Part 4, N7 Day draws near 👀

That sounds pretty cool! I guess it will take a long time for A.I. to match the personal touch that these critics and reviewers provide.

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH He is entertaining, that's true. One may even say that his entertainment value rivals that of his games 😅

I guess that would be a bit out of character. Shepard never (as far as I remember) blatantly disobeyed orders; it's just how he got results that were different. He had no "ambition" to rule the galaxy or somesuch.

That being said if they make Part 4 with a new main character (like they do in Dragon Age), then making them an operative of what's left of Cerberus could be an interesting take. There such ambition would not be entirely out of place.

Ah, yes, the N7 Day. Interesting how they dedicated a special day to Mass Effect, did not realise it was big enough to have one of those. Any special plans?

AI is god in making comparisons, the "If you liked A, you may like B" type of recommendation. Critics and reviewers are better at helping to understand if it is worth it to try something new or different, the "You like A and B, but try C because X" type of advice. To me, at least. So everyone has their merit and uses.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch

He is entertaining, that's true. One may even say that his entertainment value rivals that of his games 😅

Facts lmao 😂

That's true, but I would've liked an option where Shepard sees how inefficient the Citadel Council is and somehow takes control of it to combat the Reapers. I love your Part 4 take! Speaking of out of character, they just announced a new Mass Effect live-action series by Amazon during N7 Day 😅 Seeing what they did with the Yakuza live-action, it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

I actually made my own AI book recommendation website to see how the AI works, and it is exactly as you described 😅

- - - Updated - - -

Oh btw, I finished The Color of Magic! What a great read! The past few days have been busy as hell, so it was refreshing to read something clearly divided into different acts and regions—it felt like a proper adventure. Here’s hoping The Light Fantastic actually reveals what Rincewind's deadly spell is 😂 Thanks again for the amazing recommendation and for actually making my dive into the world of Discworld much easier!

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I'd say Shepard is never given the opportunity to look into the scale of things. I mean, to truly see how inefficient an organisation is, convincingly from a narrative perspective you need to experience it from the inside. But Shepard is a Specter, not a politician or administrator, he can only really see the surface of things and from a frontlines perspective, too. Surely Council deals with much more than Shepard does: Logistics, global morale, transport, fleet repairs, recruitment, resource distribution, and numerous other issues. With his background, is Shepard really equipped to do a better job?

Well, that, and from a purely logical chances viewpoint, a world-ending scale crisis like the Reaper invasion is not an opportune time to seize control, not when the adversary is so strong, you may end up divided and be the ruler of nothing in the end. It is after Reapers are repelled that a cunning ambitious man makes his move.

Ah yes, the series. Amazon and possibly Henry Cavill. Exciting stuff, but after Rings of Power and later seasons of Witcher, I take this news with a big grain of salt... Hopefully, it will be good.

Oh nice, do you have a link for that by any chance? Curious to see what it may tell me. 😉

Glad you liked The Color of Magic! A great read indeed, and the inspiring news is it only gets better from here. And after Light Fantastic you'll get to meet Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg in Equal Rites. By the way, for several Witches books, it helps if you have a general familiarity with Sheksperian plays because the plot often has hints and nods towards them. Not a problem if you do not, but you'll get more out of reading if you know those plays even generally. Just so you know.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch Shepard's marketing skills > whatever the Council does. But seriously, you raise a great point. For Captain Anderson, it probably took decades of experience with the Council to understand all their ins and outs. Imagine if the Normandy's crew was tasked with taking over the council's duties. Liara with the resources of both the Shadow Broker and the Citadel 😵

It is after Reapers are repelled that a cunning ambitious man makes his move.

Edgy ninja boy Kai Leng and his bossman gave this a thumbs down 😂

The website is still in the initial stages and a bit wonky (especially on mobile), so please ignore any errors 😅
https://three-reads.web.app/

I'm so hyped! I'll start The Light Fantastic ASAP. I know the general outline of Shakespeare's works, so hopefully, that’ll provide some context 😄

[DoctorEldritch]

I imagine it as something like this:

Interviewer:
Director Shepard, it's been a year since you repelled the Reaper invasion and the galaxy entered an unprecedented era of peace with Repers integrated and working alongside the rest of Galaxy races. Please tell our viewers, how did you achieve this remarkable victory?

Shepard, Director of Marketing:
Oh, I would not call it a victory as much as a fiscal success. You see, one of the main obstacles preventing us from achieving our projected margin targets in that conflict was the unwillingness of the prior administration to approach Reapers as anything but the enemy. But in truth, they were not, they were not even our competitors (which would have been worse, really). What they were was an untapped consumer base. Old Council failed to see that, so it had to be removed. And once I've done that, it was a simple matter of a PR campaign and selling Reapers on the idea that organic life is more beneficial as collaborators. And that was as easy as broadcasting commercials about the value of us organics. And we have really outdone ourselves there, really brought out the big guns, you would not believe the content that the Shadow Broker database gave us access to. I am talking videos of yawning puppies, kittens asleep in teacups and babies tasting sour fruit for the first time. After all that, Reapers could clearly see that organic life is a commodity that should not be subjected to artificial shortages. So at the end of the day, it was pure marketing that saved the galaxy.

Or something along those lines 😉

Originally Posted by ZaidH

Edgy ninja boy Kai Leng and his bossman gave this a thumbs down 😂

Well, there is a fan theory which makes sense that Illusive Man was actually indoctrinated before Cerberus went rogue, and that is why he did it: it was his purpose to divide galaxy forces and weaken them for Reapers to conquer. If that theory has merit, then he did indeed try to usurp during the conflict, but not of his free will anymore.

I gave the site a go. 2 of the 3 books it came up for me I already read 😅 I will need to try with more unusual choices, maybe. Did you make it yourself?

In Witches stories, the hints are more clear, but in some others, they are more hidden. Even The Light Fantastic has a bit of a story connected to its name, you can read about it here. But it is one more thing to enjoy about these books, like a game: how many easter eggs and references you can find. This is probably true for many books, but Pratchett ones are in a league of their own.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch
This interview is a masterpiece LMFAO 😂😂😂 The mental image of Harbinger giggling to cat videos has me in stitches 🤣 It's time to reach out to your former employer EA, and ask them to be a dialogue consultant for the next Mass Effect 😁

Oh dang, so apparently in the comics, the Illusive Man came into contact with a Reaper artifact somewhere around the First Contact War and was probably indoctrinated there. As you mentioned, it might've been a slow mental takeover that fully took hold before the events of ME3. That's a cool bit of lore! I wish there was something similar for Kai Leng, because that man is not just a clown, but the entire circus 😂

Yep, I wanted to test how Google's Gemini AI worked, so I made this website. After all the bugs are sorted (and there are some, especially on mobile 😣), I'll try to add a feature where you can get more than 3 book recommendations when prompted by the user.

I tried reading the poem by John Milton, and my reading comprehension left the building 💀 Guess I'll dive blindly into The Light Fantastic 😅

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Aww, you are too kind 😊 Though I am not sure how fitting something like this would be in Mass Effect. BioWare just released that new Dragon Age Veilguard, and from the reviews that I read online, it seems that one of the most divisive aspects of the game for gamers may be the writing: some say characters behave and react too lightly in the face of an impending apocalypse. The tone should be more serious and dark, and they are keeping it light. Have not tried the game myself yet so do not know if that is true, but I'd say that Mass Effect deserves dark and mature settings. And I am more about light humour. But I am glad you liked it! 😉

I think Kai Leng appeared in comics as well, but he may not be as charismatic as Illusive Man, since the former is more a man of action and the latter is a man of cunning and planning. But either way, there is some lore to check out about them both.

The site is impressive even if made with Gemini. The idea itself is very good, too, helping people to find books to read. Practical and in essence self-assisting in finding a target audience.

Ah, well, in the case of The Light Fantastic, it is more of a trivia, you do not really need to know that for the story. But with other Witches stories, knowing play plots will play a bigger role in recognising the nods and easter eggs.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch Just stating facts here 😁 I haven’t played Veilguard either, but from what I’ve seen in videos, the dialogue feels MCU-inspired. The characters throw out witty one-liners, with dialogue and behavior that don’t match the game’s setting (same issue I noticed in God of War: Ragnarok 😞). I know Mass Effect is mostly serious, but your humor aligns well with its goofier moments.

Thank you for the kind words! I actually made this site for a Gemini competition, so I haven’t been able to correct errors or make updates until the winners are announced 😅

That’s good to know! I’ll refresh my memory on the plays before diving into the Witches books. By the way, I haven’t asked what you’re reading lately! Are you still working through the Daevabad books?