Alec Ryder (spoilers)

Hm, even after reading some messages ... Alec remains dead in my gameplay. Then the toothless one comes and asks, "How can you be sure?". Then I say: If the pops back alive and all that, then I'll consider him alive. If not, he's dead. Festering. 

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@Nykara360 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

If you breathe *only* inert gas. You breathe inert gas all the time. Breathing water will knock you out quickly too. I lost the mask on my suit, not my oxygen supply. It's blowing whatever is left of my supply out the hole. If I were underwater, there would be lots of bubbles.

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Er, Habitat-7 has a nitrogen-argon atmosphere, basically no oxygen. That's sorta the point.

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But are you intentionally missing mine? I have my own oxygen supply and have been using it all mission. I would continue to use it with (or without) a hole in my suit.

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Unless the knock to the face and the fall threw them out long enough to take some unintended deep breaths of the gas air, then it had its own effect and they weren't with it enough to think about using their hands.

Lots of ifs ! 

[snip]

We have hours to analyze it all. Alec had a couple of mins.

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Um, you see Ryder laying on the ground gasping for air as her father walks up. It's in the scene itself.

Alec had *moments* to make that decision. They both 'died' before the shuttle "in only four minutes" arrived and the doctor started resuscitating the PC.

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@Nykara360 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

If you breathe *only* inert gas. You breathe inert gas all the time. Breathing water will knock you out quickly too. I lost the mask on my suit, not my oxygen supply. It's blowing whatever is left of my supply out the hole. If I were underwater, there would be lots of bubbles.

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Er, Habitat-7 has a nitrogen-argon atmosphere, basically no oxygen. That's sorta the point.

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But are you intentionally missing mine? I have my own oxygen supply and have been using it all mission. I would continue to use it with (or without) a hole in my suit.

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Unless the knock to the face and the fall threw them out long enough to take some unintended deep breaths of the gas air, then it had its own effect and they weren't with it enough to think about using their hands.

Lots of ifs ! 

[snip]

We have hours to analyze it all. Alec had a couple of mins.

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Um, you see Ryder laying on the ground gasping for air as her father walks up. It's in the scene itself.

Alec had *moments* to make that decision. They both 'died' before the shuttle "in only four minutes" arrived and the doctor started resuscitating the PC.

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Sara / Scotts issue at that point was the SAM connection. It was also never established if Dad was dead when the shuttle arrived, or if he died later. It was also never established if he died due to suffocating or because he transferred SAM. We do know the Ryders SAM connection is complicated.

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@Nykara360 wrote:

Sara / Scotts issue at that point was the SAM connection. It was also never established if Dad was dead when the shuttle arrived, or if he died later. It was also never established if he died due to suffocating or because he transferred SAM. We do know the Ryders SAM connection is complicated.

After Ryder was clinically dead and Sam integrated itself into the PC to save them from being permanently dead. Doesn't Liam mention you were clinically dead for four minutes?

Ryder suffocated (and Alec died) due to the air. SAM being that connected was due to actions taken to save the PC's life.

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@Nykara360 wrote:

Sara / Scotts issue at that point was the SAM connection. It was also never established if Dad was dead when the shuttle arrived, or if he died later. It was also never established if he died due to suffocating or because he transferred SAM. We do know the Ryders SAM connection is complicated.

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After Ryder was clinically dead and Sam integrated itself into the PC to save them from being permanently dead. Doesn't Liam mention you were clinically dead for four minutes?

Ryder suffocated (and Alec died) due to the air. SAM being that connected was due to actions taken to save the PC's life.

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SAM being that connected is due to the modified implant the Ryders have. It had nothing to do with trying to save their lives. SAM being transferred is what almost killed the PC.

Alec was the one who transferred SAM to them, figuring he was going to die before the shuttle could arrive. He didn't transfer it to save them, the helmet was for that.

Yes, it was mentioned Ryder PC 'died' wasn't mentioned when, or how. SAM working out the connection to them may have ultimately been what saved them but it's also what caused the problem in the first place.

Ok, so one of two things happened here. Either Alec dies due to some combination of unexpected technical difficulties and bad decision-making, or he faked his death, probably to pursue his Benefactor concerns. Take your pick, although I'm enjoying the flashback of Liam Neeson in A-Team "So Satan walks into a bar..."

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@fudgietroll wrote:

Ok, so one of two things happened here. Either Alec dies due to some combination of unexpected technical difficulties and bad decision-making, or he faked his death, probably to pursue his Benefactor concerns. Take your pick, although I'm enjoying the flashback of Liam Neeson in A-Team "So Satan walks into a bar..."

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Or you have the slightest little bit of suspension of belief and understand that he died because he couldn't keep both of you alive in a hostile environment with the injuries and busted equipment.

My second option is obviously too hard for some people.

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@fudgietroll wrote:

Ok, so one of two things happened here. Either Alec dies due to some combination of unexpected technical difficulties and bad decision-making, or he faked his death, probably to pursue his Benefactor concerns. Take your pick, although I'm enjoying the flashback of Liam Neeson in A-Team "So Satan walks into a bar..."

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Or you have the slightest little bit of suspension of belief and understand that he died because he couldn't keep both of you alive in a hostile environment with the injuries and busted equipment.

My second option is obviously too hard for some people.

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So some combination of unexpected technical difficulties and bad decision-making for you then.

Also, don't hate on the conspiracy theorists. We may be crazy, but we have more fun!

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@fudgietroll wrote:

Ok, so one of two things happened here. Either Alec dies due to some combination of unexpected technical difficulties and bad decision-making, or he faked his death, probably to pursue his Benefactor concerns. Take your pick, although I'm enjoying the flashback of Liam Neeson in A-Team "So Satan walks into a bar..."

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Or you have the slightest little bit of suspension of belief and understand that he died because he couldn't keep both of you alive in a hostile environment with the injuries and busted equipment.

My second option is obviously too hard for some people.

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Fill the plothole with whatever you want, but you are going to have to stretch belief to fill it with science. It *was* dramatic, and, obviously, important to the storyline.

You don't see his corpse or even ask where he lies. Pop and I close? I never look back... but neither do you.

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

Fill the plothole with whatever you want, but you are going to have to stretch belief to fill it with science. It *was* dramatic, and, obviously, important to the storyline.

You don't see his corpse or even ask where he lies. Pop and I close? I never look back... but neither do you.

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No, real science says that you can pass out and start dying within seconds. Buddy sharing may not work that well (especially with it having to flush out the atmosphere against 2.3 standard Earth atmosphere. People are actually reaching to 'prove' that it was a stupid death.

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

Fill the plothole with whatever you want, but you are going to have to stretch belief to fill it with science. It *was* dramatic, and, obviously, important to the storyline.

You don't see his corpse or even ask where he lies. Pop and I close? I never look back... but neither do you.

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No, real science says that you can pass out and start dying within seconds. Buddy sharing may not work that well (especially with it having to flush out the atmosphere against 2.3 standard Earth atmosphere. People are actually reaching to 'prove' that it was a stupid death.

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The great thing about science is it doesn't care what anyone's opinion about it is. In the first post I gave a half dozen ideas for ways around his death off the top of my head. Follow up posts, some with links, and there's no shortage of evidence that stopping your breathing OR your heart is not an automatic death sentence - today or in the future. It is part of this storyline actually.

I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sure Bioware is glad as well. It is their story.

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

The great thing about science is it doesn't care what anyone's opinion about it is. In the first post I gave a half dozen ideas for ways around his death off the top of my head. Follow up posts, some with links, and there's no shortage of evidence that stopping your breathing OR your heart is not an automatic death sentence - today or in the future. It is part of this storyline actually.

I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sure Bioware is glad as well. It is their story.

So, in other words, if someone brings up anything that counters your off the top thoughts, it doesn't matter at all.

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

The great thing about science is it doesn't care what anyone's opinion about it is. In the first post I gave a half dozen ideas for ways around his death off the top of my head. Follow up posts, some with links, and there's no shortage of evidence that stopping your breathing OR your heart is not an automatic death sentence - today or in the future. It is part of this storyline actually.

I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sure Bioware is glad as well. It is their story.

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So, in other words, if someone brings up anything that counters your off the top thoughts, it doesn't matter at all.

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No, in other words, you just want to argue. Get your own thread if that's what you're after.

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

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@arthurh3535 wrote:

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

The great thing about science is it doesn't care what anyone's opinion about it is. In the first post I gave a half dozen ideas for ways around his death off the top of my head. Follow up posts, some with links, and there's no shortage of evidence that stopping your breathing OR your heart is not an automatic death sentence - today or in the future. It is part of this storyline actually.

I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sure Bioware is glad as well. It is their story.

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So, in other words, if someone brings up anything that counters your off the top thoughts, it doesn't matter at all.

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No, in other words, you just want to argue. Get your own thread if that's what you're after.

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Agreed!

There is a big difference between differing opinions, having a healthy debate over it.. or someone getting hostile.

Respect for others opinions goes both ways.

Debates often include well informed counters.

When it gets to personal insulting someone and general hostility its not a debate anymore.

In a good debate you can also see the other persons pov - even understand it and then offer a counter of your own.

This is just different. Taken a not so nice turn.

i'm still convinced it was a death sentence for one of them. in such a situation being one helmet shy just isn't survivable for the one to be without, as shuttle extraction simply takes too long. even if sara/scott wasn't out cold survival is unlikely, but that's what really put the nail in the coffin.

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@CasperTheLich wrote:

i'm still convinced it was a death sentence for one of them. in such a situation being one helmet shy just isn't survivable for the one to be without, as shuttle extraction simply takes too long. even if sara/scott wasn't out cold survival is unlikely, but that's what really put the nail in the coffin.

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Honestly they weren't actually out cold, not at first. Totally stunned though but Dad puts helm on head, says take deep breaths and they followed his instructions but they weren't really with it. On the verge I think.

iirc, even after alec puts the helmet on sara/scott s/he passes out almost immediately. or am i miss remembering?

Yeah I think its pretty immediate as the helm is put on and they do the breathing thing - SAM is transferred- they hear that bit.

The fade then is either a fade to the next part or them passing out, I'm pretty sure in this case it was symbolic to them loosing conciousness.

In all honesty Dad talking is his death sentence. You can't talk without breathing so in talking he was breathing in the atmosphere. Instead of holding his breath. He couldn’t transfer SAM without talking and he wasn't taking chances of it being passed to Cora instead.

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@Nykara360 wrote:

Yeah I think its pretty immediate as the helm is put on and they do the breathing thing - SAM is transferred- they hear that bit.

The fade then is either a fade to the next part or them passing out, I'm pretty sure in this case it was symbolic to them loosing conciousness.

In all honesty Dad talking is his death sentence. You can't talk without breathing so in talking he was breathing in the atmosphere. Instead of holding his breath. He couldn’t transfer SAM without talking and he wasn't taking chances of it being passed to Cora instead.

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Even if you fill your lungs with inert gas (or water) if you clear them you can start breathing again. Your heart usually beats for minutes after you stop breathing - unless your heart stopping is the reason you quit breathing.

Watched it one more time. Your faceplate is intact after you get struck by whatever it is that knocks you off. Runtime from the moment they focus on you on your back to when dad puts his helmet on your head is thirty seconds. You change position, but make choking noises the whole time. It is unclear how long you've been on your back without a faceplate.

Dad is harder to figure. It starts with his helmet off and you have to work from SAM's replayed memory... and for some reason SAM's "initiating transfer" line is missing from the memory. So you have to just find the earliest possible time SAM could of said that and plug it into the original scene. Your memory from that point to black is 14 seconds, your dad's memory from that to you falling over is 9 seconds. In total, he lasts for 17 seconds without a helmet and ends with his last word.

i'd still like to know if it was transferring sams functions to scott/sara that actually killed alec? as we can't really be sure what happened in the end.  

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@CasperTheLich wrote:

i'd still like to know if it was transferring sams functions to scott/sara that actually killed alec? as we can't really be sure what happened in the end.  

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Maybe dad smoked for years and then quit, and had COPD. 🙂

Only half kidding - it is possible he had some medical reason to be at reduced lung function. Lots of people either got medical waivers or skirted requirements to make the trip.

Isn't the transferring of SAM a very ... debilitating thing?

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@PandaTar wrote:

Isn't the transferring of SAM a very ... debilitating thing?

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Totally unknown, actually. We've never seen one done in a non-emergency (or post emergency) situation.

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@PandaTar wrote:

Isn't the transferring of SAM a very ... debilitating thing?

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The mechanics aren't particularly clear, and you add to that with the human SAM also being an atypical SAM.

Do you think it even possible to 'abdicate'? Does the transfer of a SAM require a death as some sort of sacrifice to the AI/VI gods?

Sarissa's will transfer without killing her. The human one has been tinkered with past that point so it is iffier. You are also uniquely bonded to it beyond pop's tinkering  - so are an even bigger maybe.

I wonder what I have for onboard memory. Usually a field panel, like me, has some that retains setpoints and parameters if it quits talking to the server. I wonder if that is what is keeping me alive when the network crashes - or if I really can survive without SAM.

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@jpcerutti1 wrote:

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@PandaTar wrote:

Isn't the transferring of SAM a very ... debilitating thing?

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The mechanics aren't particularly clear, and you add to that with the human SAM also being an atypical SAM.

Do you think it even possible to 'abdicate'? Does the transfer of a SAM require a death as some sort of sacrifice to the AI/VI gods?

Sarissa's will transfer without killing her. The human one has been tinkered with past that point so it is iffier. You are also uniquely bonded to it beyond pop's tinkering  - so are an even bigger maybe.

I wonder what I have for onboard memory. Usually a field panel, like me, has some that retains setpoints and parameters if it quits talking to the server. I wonder if that is what is keeping me alive when the network crashes - or if I really can survive without SAM.

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The whole point of other twin's remote chip reboot was that SAM had taken over so much his absence was killing you, but post reboot, during and after the meridian battle, you should be independently survivable, although at reduced capability without SAM. If Alec had the same Pre-reboot issues losing SAM would have killed him without someone to do a reboot.