Originally Posted by
Ensu
Since you replied to several of my posts in a row I'll try to respond to each.
The buildings in San Francisco are part buried, flooded, rubble, or melted sprays of concrete. If you go up to the first story(above rubble) you'll notice there is plenty of headroom.
Epic storylines are not gameplay mechanics or AI. These things are separate.
The story of Defiance:
Alien races from distant planets band together to escape their dying star. They set out across the distance to a planet within the habitable band of a relatively young and stable star, taking with them the means to terraform that planet into patchwork ecosystems based on their varied planets.
On arrival at Earth, or shortly before, they discover that the planet is inhabited by another sentient species. Humans. The humans detected the alien approach and have created military solutions to the situation. Nevertheless, both sides attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution to the immigration crisis. Some aliens touch soil in Brazil, others remain in cryogenic stasis onboard the arks.
The peace process is repeatedly sabotaged by agents of discontent on both sides who, at some points, work together to foster war. Human and Votan relations become increasingly hostile until war begins. With its preparation in the years prior to the alien arrival, Human military forces are able to resist the more technologically advanced Votan military.
Eight years of war later, the arks are sabotaged and explode simultaneously. The unregulated expulsion of terraforming technology directed by Ark-Brain AI leads to the rapid and random terraforming of Earth. The war continues for almost a year longer, until the battle of Defiance where the Votan and EMC face off against one another. Between them is a peaceful settlement where Votan and Humans live in harmony and are de-militarized. Captain Jon Cooper and Corporal Joshua Nolan at first are sent to garrison this community, but discover that the EMC plan to steamroll over it. They decide to protect the peaceful colony despite orders to the contrary. Votan soldiers are similarly conflicted, and join in the defence of the community.
Using the dangerous Votan terraforming technology as a weapon, the Defiant Few turn the approaching EMC and Votan armies into soup. Thousands die in an instant. San Francisco is forever scarred with the spray of molten skyscrapers and the ash of the fallen soldiers. Sinkholes swallow whole city blocks.
Ultimately war criminals, the Defiant Few conceal their misuse of the terraforming technology and are touted heroes by the people they've saved. The defeat of EMC and Votan forces by a joint Human-Votan force turns the tide of sentiment towards co-existence. The people are tired of war.
With the collapse of government, new geo-political powers spawn across the globe. Savage, internecine wars break out, though nothing on the scale of the global conflict dubbed "The Pale Wars". Into that mess of political infighting, mercenary exploitation and base survival comes the new VBI Ark Hunter(s). Transhuman/votan AI hosts, turned to the purpose of the highest bidder, or the highest ideal. The new world is carved out according to their whims, or the whims of those able to enlist them.
Certainly on par with Mass Effect's main story premiss.
105 million was the total budget for both tv series and the game. Not just the game. Fallout 3 spent more years in development than Defiance, and still was a buggy mess despite only being single-player.
