PART 2 OF 2 FOR ME2.

Here ill attempt to do a comprehensive technical breakdown of the ME2 Normandy level space.

NORMANDY SR2

The Normandy of the second title in the MASS EFFECT trilogy is a 4 level space craft separated by loading screens to account for hardware limitations. It serves as a pre mission main character development and customisation hub for the player and crew.

CAPTAINS CABIN.

Located at the top of the ship is the captains cabin. Here you are viewing externally and the geometry that surrounds it is the star-field skybox, these star-field textures form a sort of bubble around each floor of the iconic space craft and are animated to give off the illusion of travelling through space when viewed outside the small windows.

If you have the arrival DLC installed, Admiral Steven Hackett is just hanging out on top of the space craft hull on a small set… Why you may ask? Well this is because the vid comm call you have with the character before the mission begins is not actually pre recorded. It is actually a transmission from a game camera directed at this tiny little set that plays on a texture on the wall of your cabin.

This technique was also used in the classic game Half life 2.

Its pretty friggin hilarious, but its a clever way to get a high quality call with the character thats not hindered by low resolution, static loop video of the character speaking.

Fun fact, the illusive mans office is actually located somewhere outside the ship aswell! Throughout the entire game characters who you see on ads or holograms may infact may just be hiding somewhere underneath or atop the level!

COMBAT INFORMATION CENTRE.

This is the cockpit and combat information centre where the player can access the lab, armoury, bridge and galaxy map. As you can see it too is also surrounded by the star-field bubble.

Turning the games rendering and texturing back on reveals the visual effects of the ship travelling through space, the MASS EFFECT field generated in front etc.

CREW DECK.

ENGINEERING.

Most of what has already been described applies to these floors aswell :) so here is just their external geometry.

I hope this was interesting to you all! :D