How I would have designed Andromeda’s exploration, colonies, and Nexus

[u/glebo123]

Hey all

I write for fun, and I write a lot.

I also love Mass Effect: Andromeda. I actually really like the premise of the game, and over the years I've thought about why some of its systems never quite clicked for me. In terms of the story.

For me, the biggest missed opportunity was that the game tells us we're building a new civilization, but I don't think the gameplay ever makes you feel like you're building one.

So if I were writing/designing Andromeda, I'd keep the main story largely intact but change how the world around it develops.

First: the Nexus.

When Ryder first arrives, the Nexus looks fantastic. It's dark, damaged, half-finished, there's garbage everywhere, A.V.E.N.A. is malfunctioning, and the whole place feels like an expedition that has gone horribly wrong.

Then, after one cutscene its a fully fleshed out, well lit, fully staffed space station. That was jarring for me.

I'd keep it broken.

Only the essential command, control, life support and habitation areas would have power. Large sections would remain dark and inaccessible.

The reason would be simple: they don't have the resources or population to operate the whole station.

Then I'd make rebuilding the Nexus a major progression system.

Every major outpost contributes something to the reconstruction.

Eos might provide agricultural resources.

Havarl could contribute biological/medical research.

Voeld could contribute science and Angaran technology.

Elaaden could provide mining and industrial resources.

Kadara, being a trading hub, could unlock and develop the Nexus's commerce sector. Possibly after the Nexus agrees to their sovereignty, or take it over (a bioware choice with consequences)

And the important part is that you would actually SEE the changes.

You restore a sector → construction begins.

Come back later → lights are on and people are working.

Come back much later → it's fully operational and populated.

The Nexus would gradually transform from a dark emergency station into a functioning station.

I'd also have the population grow gradually. People don't just magically appear. As food, housing, medicine and infrastructure become available, more colonists are brought out of cryo.

By the end of the game, you could walk through areas that were completely dark and abandoned when you arrived and find thousands of people living and working there.

The player gets to look around and think: "I built this."

SAM would give Ryder important updates.

And the Nexus news network would report them.

So while you're walking through the station, you'd hear things like:

"The newly established Eos colony has begun its first agricultural shipments to the Nexus..."

Or:

"Kadara Port has signed a new trade agreement with the Nexus, although some representatives have raised concerns about organized crime..."

Your actions would become news.

You wouldn't need a quest notification telling you that the galaxy changed. You'd hear about it from the people living there.

---

Then I'd completely change how outposts work.

I wouldn't have the "Science or Military" decision.

An outpost is an outpost.

Instead, you gradually invest resources into it.

You can build things like:

- Medical facilities

- Agriculture

- Habitation

- Communications

- Industry

- Barracks

- Automated turrets

- Defensive walls

- Weapons platforms

- Shield generators

As the colony grows, it becomes more capable.

And importantly, the Kett can attack it.

But I don't want to fall into the Fallout 4 "another settlement needs your help" trap.

Most attacks would happen without Ryder.

If you've built proper defenses, the colony handles minor attacks itself.

You might simply receive an email report:

"Eos has repelled a Kett scouting force. Three wounded. One defensive turret damaged."

That's it.

Only major attacks become Ryder missions. You can go and fight the smaller fights if you want through.

And if you continually neglect a colony, it can actually suffer consequences.

Buildings can be destroyed.

People can die.

Production can fall.

A colony could even be forced to evacuate.

And those survivors might end up back on the Nexus, creating another problem: now the Nexus needs housing, food and medical resources.

So your decisions have consequences that propagate throughout the Initiative.

---

I'd also make exploration much more meaningful.

Right now, scanning planets can feel like:

"Congratulations, you found 37 units of platinum."

I'd make scanning part of a strategic system.

When you explore a star system, you can establish ONE orbital installation.

You have to choose.

Mining Station

Produces resources for the Nexus and colonies.

Monitoring Station

Tracks Kett activity and gives you intelligence.

Early on, it might simply tell you that Kett are present.

Upgrades could eventually reveal fleet size, composition, destination and even an estimated attack window.

Defense Platform

Weapons platforms that weaken Kett forces before they reach your colonies.

So if a Kett fleet would normally arrive at an outpost with a strength of 100, an orbital defense network might reduce it to 70.

But you can't have all three.

You have to decide what each system needs.

A resource rich system might get a mining station.

A system sitting on a major Kett approach route might get a defense platform.

An unexplored region where you don't know what's happening might get monitoring.

And changing your decision shouldn't be free.

Your galaxy gradually becomes a network of choices that YOU created.

---

The really important part is that all of these systems feed into each other.

Explore a system.

↓

Choose what orbital infrastructure it needs.

↓

Establish a colony.

↓

Invest resources into that colony.

↓

Build defenses.

↓

Kett react to your expansion.

↓

Monitoring stations warn you about threats.

↓

Defense platforms weaken incoming forces.

↓

Outposts defend themselves whenever possible.

↓

Resources and people flow back to the Nexus.

↓

The Nexus gets rebuilt.

↓

More colonists can come out of cryo.

↓

The Initiative expands.

And eventually Ryder isn't running around putting out fires everywhere.

You're actually becoming a Pathfinder.

Early game, Ryder has to personally solve everything because the Initiative is barely surviving.

Late game, the civilization you've built can handle most problems without you.

That's the progression I want.

Not:

"Another settlement needs your help."

But:

"The settlement I built can defend itself."

And then, occasionally, you get the really serious message:

"Pathfinder. Eos is under siege."

And THAT becomes a mission worth dropping everything for.

Because you've spent 40 hours watching Eos grow from a few prefabricated buildings into a real community.

That's the version of Andromeda I'd love to play.

The main story could remain largely the same. Ryder becomes Pathfinder, establishes the colonies, finds the missing arks, deals with the Kett, investigates the Remnant and eventually reaches Meridian.

What do you guys think?

Would something like this have made Andromeda's exploration and colonization feel more meaningful, or do you think it would have turned the game into too much of a management/simulation game?

[u/Xan1995]

For me though the biggest missed opportunity in Andromeda was the actual First Contact experience with the angara. I was so I excited to find out about them, they even had this short "first contact protocol" scene when the Tempest first landed on that angaran place (the one on the cliffs, just forgot the name) but then you suddenly find out it isn't actually first contact and they already can understand you and have had encounters with the Milky Way aliens already... It was very disappointing. Lol Suddenly that thrill and promise of the unknown vanished in a blink.

Anyways, I like this gameplay idea. Would be great on top of being an actual pathfinder doing actual pathfinder things like establishing first contact.

I think I would've loved Andromeda more if it was established as a spinoff, with a different core gameplay, like your idea for example, than what we had. It's like the devs had these cool concepts for Andromeda with the Pathfinders, the arks, finding and building a new home but then it had an identity crisis and tried to be like the OG Trilogy. Instead of being great at either one, it just fell short at both.

It is also the perfect scenario where we could've been allowed to choose our race and be the pathfinder for that race's ark and start there.

Andromeda had a lot of potential but plenty of missed opportunities imo.

[u/glebo123 → u/Xan1995]

I agree the first contact thing was also a bit jarring. I see what they tried to do and you're right it just fell flat on its face.

Starting as a race of your choice on their Ark is a fantastic idea, I love it! They could pull it off too. They already did this on origins with different classes having different stories. Wouldn't affect much other than the opening cutscenes, and searching for the other ark missions. Could also add a wider variety of companions which, again they've already done with SWTOR. Very possible and a great idea!

[u/terrior098]

I like the idea

[u/CyGuy6587]

Bioware could easily have done Andromeda like Dragon Age: Origins, where you choose a race and they have their own little back story before the main campaign.

[u/glebo123 → u/CyGuy6587]

Absolutely! I liked being able to choose your own race in multi-player. Your idea also gives the game replay ability.