Mass Effect 3/YMMV: Difference between revisions

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* [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]:

** Jacob Taylor. Even if you romanced him as FemShep he still hooks up with Dr Cole during your incarceration. Given that he ''also'' hooked up with Miranda at one point, are we still sure she was the one to end things? And if she did, was it because she realised that Jacob might be obsessed with screwing the boss to get the "The priiize". It certainly puts his hatred of the Illusive Man into a [[Foe Yay|strange new light.]]

** Speaking of TIM, he gets more of this in 3 than in 2(and he got a lot of interpretation in 2); most of it comes down to ''when'' he was indoctrinated. The novels suggest he's been subtly indoctrinated for the last twenty years, where as he didn't get fully enhanced to Saren-levels until fairly late in the game. This causes some debate over how responsible he is for his own actions; if he wasn't indoctrinated(or at least not enough that it could be called [[More Than Mind Control]]), then he did a running leap over the [[Moral Event Horizon]] a ''long'' time ago. If he ''is'' indoctrinated, then he gets demoted from part of a [[Big Bad Ensemble]] with Harbinger {{spoiler|and the Catalyst}} to being a [[Dragon ~~With~~ an Agenda]] {{spoiler|or worse, the [[Evil Genius]] to the Catalyst's big bad and Harbinger's dragon}}. Incidentally, this would also bump Kai Leng down from [[The Dragon]] to [[The Brute]].

** Speaking of TIM, he gets more of this in 3 than in 2(and he got a lot of interpretation in 2); most of it comes down to ''when'' he was indoctrinated. The novels suggest he's been subtly indoctrinated for the last twenty years, where as he didn't get fully enhanced to Saren-levels until fairly late in the game. This causes some debate over how responsible he is for his own actions; if he wasn't indoctrinated(or at least not enough that it could be called [[More Than Mind Control]]), then he did a running leap over the [[Moral Event Horizon]] a ''long'' time ago. If he ''is'' indoctrinated, then he gets demoted from part of a [[Big Bad Ensemble]] with Harbinger {{spoiler|and the Catalyst}} to being a [[Dragon with an Agenda]] {{spoiler|or worse, the [[Evil Genius]] to the Catalyst's big bad and Harbinger's dragon}}. Incidentally, this would also bump Kai Leng down from [[The Dragon]] to [[The Brute]].

* [[And the Fandom Rejoiced]]:

** We can finally, ''finally'' go to Earth. [[Player Punch|AFTER it's been wrecked...]]

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** [http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/mass-effect-3-extended-cut-dlc-free-this-summer-offers-furth The Extended Endings DLC will be free], as will the Resurgence Pack, which opens up ''geth and batarian characters'' for multiplayer - not to mention the Krogan Vanguard and Asari Justicar Adept. Plus two new multiplayer maps and a few extra guns to play with.

** [[Play Station]] 3 players can now finally [http://www.gamezone.com/products/mass-effect-3/news/mass-effect-3-multiplayer-challenges-now-supported-on-ps3 join in on the N7 Weekend Challenges, starting with Operation Exorcist on the weekend of April 27 to 29, 2012.] Before this, only PC and Xbox 360 players were able to participate in the N7 Weekend Challenges; Sony users were excluded due to undisclosed reasons, with [http://www.gamezone.com/products/mass-effect-3/news/sony-not-allowing-mass-effect-3-multiplayer-challenges-on-ps3 Sony and BioWare][http://www.computerandvideogames.com/344481/sony-working-on-mass-effect-3-mp-challenges-for-ps3/ claiming the other as responsible for holding things back.]

** At [[E 3]] 2012, a [[Wii U]] version was announced, complete with additional features such as a more user-friendly menu thanks to the controller's touch screen. Made more notable when coupled with the Wii U version of ''[[Batman Arkham City]]'', as it's a good sign that Nintendo consoles won't be left out of big projects anymore.

** At [[E 3]] 2012, a [[Wii U]] version was announced, complete with additional features such as a more user-friendly menu thanks to the controller's touch screen. Made more notable when coupled with the Wii U version of ''[[Batman: Arkham City]]'', as it's a good sign that Nintendo consoles won't be left out of big projects anymore.

* [[Author's Saving Throw]]:

** After the flak they got because of the endings, Bioware's founder apologized to the fans in the company's blog and promised that they would work on giving the endings a greater feeling of closure. Some fans decided to stop the cries of [[Ruined FOREVER|RUINATION]] until more information was revealed, others didn't.

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* [[Best Boss Ever]]:

** Any battle with a Destroyer Reaper, but the one on Rannoch in particular. Defeating a ''Reaper'', {{spoiler|ON FOOT}}.

** The final showdown with Kai Leng. He may have gotten [[Cutscene Power to ~~The~~ Max]] in your previous sequences, but both the fight and its [[Kick the Son of A Bitch|aftermath]] are outstandingly satisfying. The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTtDk4UEnU music] is pretty awesome too.

** The final showdown with Kai Leng. He may have gotten [[Cutscene Power to the Max]] in your previous sequences, but both the fight and its [[Kick the Son of a Bitch|aftermath]] are outstandingly satisfying. The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTtDk4UEnU music] is pretty awesome too.

* [[Boring but Practical]]:

** The Mantis sniper rifle, particularly in multiplayer. It's slow firing but powerful, is the lightest of the sniper rifles. It doesn't have the raw damage of the Widow, but a skilled player who can consistently [[Boom! Headshot!|headshot]] enemies doesn't ''need'' that much damage.

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* [[Creator's Pet]]:

** Fans have accused Liara and "Team Dextro" -- Garrus and Tali -- of being this.

** Bioware themselves have admitted to being fans of Liara, which some have complained resulted in her having more dialogue than Garrus and Tali combined. This isn't helped by the fact that Liara's the only ''ME1'' squad member guaranteed to still be alive by the time of the final battle with the Reapers, and {{spoiler|1=unless Shepard romanced Kaiden or Ashley, his/her last thought will ''always'' be of Liara}}. In fact, even if {{spoiler|they survive [[Mass Effect ~~(Video Game)~~|Virmire]] or the [[Mass Effect 2 ~~(Video Game)~~|Suicide Mission]], Tali & the Virmire Survivor can still die depending on if the player's actions in this game}}.

** Bioware themselves have admitted to being fans of Liara, which some have complained resulted in her having more dialogue than Garrus and Tali combined. This isn't helped by the fact that Liara's the only ''ME1'' squad member guaranteed to still be alive by the time of the final battle with the Reapers, and {{spoiler|1=unless Shepard romanced Kaiden or Ashley, his/her last thought will ''always'' be of Liara}}. In fact, even if {{spoiler|they survive [[Mass Effect|Virmire]] or the [[Mass Effect 2|Suicide Mission]], Tali & the Virmire Survivor can still die depending on if the player's actions in this game}}.

* [[Critical Dissonance]]: The game received universal acclaim from critics, with ''over 70 perfect scores''. Fan opinion, however, is possibly the most wildly divided out of any game in Bioware's history. Considering the default state of the fandom is a [[Broken Base|base broken into about a dozen or more pieces]], that's ''really'' saying something. [http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/03/22/mass-effect-3-gears-of-war-3-and-why-reviewers-fail/ Examined here]

* [[Demonic Spider]]:

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{{quote| '''Joker:''' Mutating people to turn them into living weapons is one thing, but the yelling? Why make them yell? That's totally uncalled for. }}

* [[Hilarious in Hindsight]]:

** Shepard's assessment of the situation as the game begins is; "Unless we're planning to ''[[Talking the Monster To Death|Talk The Reapers To Death]]'', the committee's a waste of time." Except Shepard seems to have forgotten that the critical moments of his career were decided not by blowing things up, but by talking people into agreeing to do what Shepard wanted. {{spoiler|And in the endgame, the [[MacGuffin]] ends up being a way for an organic to have a face-to-face conversation with the controlling intelligence of the Reapers.}}

** Shepard's assessment of the situation as the game begins is; "Unless we're planning to ''[[Talking the Monster to Death|Talk The Reapers To Death]]'', the committee's a waste of time." Except Shepard seems to have forgotten that the critical moments of his career were decided not by blowing things up, but by talking people into agreeing to do what Shepard wanted. {{spoiler|And in the endgame, the [[MacGuffin]] ends up being a way for an organic to have a face-to-face conversation with the controlling intelligence of the Reapers.}}

** Bioware's "promises" that [[ME 3]] wouldn't end with some buttons letting you pick A, B, or C. {{spoiler|Instead, you pick Red, Blue or Green.}} Still, the endings [[Comically Missing the Point|weren't chosen by pressing buttons]] {{spoiler|but by Shepard limping to the desired choice.}}

** Bioware's "promises" that [[Mass Effect 3]] wouldn't end with some buttons letting you pick A, B, or C. {{spoiler|Instead, you pick Red, Blue or Green.}} Still, the endings [[Comically Missing the Point|weren't chosen by pressing buttons]] {{spoiler|but by Shepard limping to the desired choice.}}

* [[Internet Backdraft]]:

** Fan support for a female Shepard was so great that [[~~Bio Ware~~]] decided to give her default appearance a redesign, held a contest and asked fans to pick one out of six possible designs. When the blonde Shepard started winning by a huge margin, accusations started flying around that the entire contest was a "beauty pageant" and people were accused of automatically picking the cliched Barbie-lookalike. [[Unfortunate Implications|All this stemming from hair color]]. To wit, her face is identical to two of other options and the rest ''very'' similar, two of the extolled "diverse" options both had loose hanging hair, and all of them had plenty of eye make-up. The controversy seems to completely extend from her hair color. Referenced here in [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/8/3/ Penny Arcade]. The fact that the original default model (i.e. the one a lot of FemShep players used) wasn't even an option was also a factor.

** Fan support for a female Shepard was so great that [[BioWare]] decided to give her default appearance a redesign, held a contest and asked fans to pick one out of six possible designs. When the blonde Shepard started winning by a huge margin, accusations started flying around that the entire contest was a "beauty pageant" and people were accused of automatically picking the cliched Barbie-lookalike. [[Unfortunate Implications|All this stemming from hair color]]. To wit, her face is identical to two of other options and the rest ''very'' similar, two of the extolled "diverse" options both had loose hanging hair, and all of them had plenty of eye make-up. The controversy seems to completely extend from her hair color. Referenced here in [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/8/3/ Penny Arcade]. The fact that the original default model (i.e. the one a lot of FemShep players used) wasn't even an option was also a factor.

** According to the marketing director, many people picked her for her hairstyle, and not hair color, and a second [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112376-BioWare-Pits-Blonde-Against-Brunette-in-New-FemShep-Poll contest] was created determine her hair color with the red headed FemShep the runaway winner.

** And ''now'' current internet squabbling is over whether the default FemShep in the game actually looks at all like she did in the voted for concept art.

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** It was leaked that getting the Collector's Edition (Retail) or Digital Deluxe Edition (Origin) of the game would include an additional character in your team, of an alien race never before available as a squadmate (specifically, {{spoiler|Prothean}}). Players who don't get the Collector or Digital Deluxe Editions will be able to purchase the character as a $10 DLC, and it will be made available right from the release day. Accusations abound that Bioware deliberately cut content from the game to make a DLC of it. In response to this, Bioware has clarified that the character will appear in the regular game without DLC, but the DLC makes said character an actual squadmate. This was a complete lie; that character does not appear during normal gameplay, nor indeed ''any'' member of his species. This is made worse by the apparent hacking of the game which reveals that some of the files for the secret character are [http://kotaku.com/5892307/part-of-mass-effects-controversial-day+one-dlc-is-on-the-disc-video-alleges- already in the game].

** For those in the UK who preordered through the Game Group, who had exclusivity on the N7 Collector's edition and Warfare gear, were informed that they would not be stocking ''any'' edition of the game, standard or Collector's, ten days before the release date. Other online retailers gained access to copies of the N7 Collecter's Edition, but quickly sold out. Those that placed a pre-order and couldn't get a chance to order from else... well, it's not pretty.

** In addition to the aforementioned DLC files appearing on-disc, ''all'' of the Collector's Edition weapons, the robotic dog, the N7 hoodie for Shepard and all of the pre-order bonuses (including the N7 Valkyrie and Warfare Gear, the bonuses from ''[[Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning]]'' and the multiplayer content for owners of ''[[~~Battlefield 3 (Video Game)|~~Battlefield 3]]'') were also present on the game files behind unlock keys. Modders were able to integrate them back into the game easily, and criticized the company for making the CE edition effectively pointless when it was on everyone's copy to begin with.

** In addition to the aforementioned DLC files appearing on-disc, ''all'' of the Collector's Edition weapons, the robotic dog, the N7 hoodie for Shepard and all of the pre-order bonuses (including the N7 Valkyrie and Warfare Gear, the bonuses from ''[[Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning]]'' and the multiplayer content for owners of ''[[Battlefield 3]]'') were also present on the game files behind unlock keys. Modders were able to integrate them back into the game easily, and criticized the company for making the CE edition effectively pointless when it was on everyone's copy to begin with.

** [[Downer Ending|The]] [[Gainax Ending|end]][[No Ending|ings]]... To expand on this, when fans started reaching the ending of the game, ''all Hell broke loose''. A high-selling game with good critical reviews now boasts 2 stars on Amazon, and a Metacritic User score of 3.5 (compare the critical score of 9.5). All message boards dealing with the topic are inundated, and there are multiple polls and petitions which indicate that some ''ninety-eight percent'' of ''Mass Effect'' fans are dissatisfied with the ending. There may have never been a stronger negative reaction to ten minutes of a game in the history of the medium. For a brief idea [http://social.bioware.com/633606/polls/28989/ see this]. As of this posting, that number of people who said they were satisfied with the endings is up to about 1000. Compared to about 60,000 votes that the endings were bad<ref> mood-wise; this poll doesn't even have an option for people who hated the plot holes!</ref>. There's also a [http://www.facebook.com/DemandABetterEndingToMassEffect3 Facebook group] demanding a better ending for the game. It already has a membership total in the tens of thousands. One fan even went as far to [http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/03/17/mass-effect-3-ending-fighter-goes-to-the-ftc.aspx report to the Federal Trade Commission] over false advertising regarding the ending.

** [http://youtu.be/4H_A7SeawU4 These] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MlatxLP-xs&feature=related three] [http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/bt/aj/topreasons/34623-why-we-hate-me3s-ending videos,] and [http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/ this article] do the best at explaining why most people have such a problem with this ending.

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** Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, provided you take the Paragon interrupt. Or even if you don't - {{spoiler|she can KNOCK SHEPARD OUT.}}

** When James Vega was first revealed, there were complaints about his design or him taking a spot that could have gone to either an older character or an alien one. These days, the biggest complaint about him seems to be that he's not a romance option.

** {{spoiler|Udina ''looked'' like this would happen to him - nowhere in the whole series is he as sympathetic as the first time you meet him in 3. Instead, you get to [[Kick the Son of A Bitch|pop him one]] as he tries to kill the Asari councilor.}} And he's ''still'' more sympathetic than in the previous two games. He did it for [[Tear Jerker|Earth]].

** {{spoiler|Udina ''looked'' like this would happen to him - nowhere in the whole series is he as sympathetic as the first time you meet him in 3. Instead, you get to [[Kick the Son of a Bitch|pop him one]] as he tries to kill the Asari councilor.}} And he's ''still'' more sympathetic than in the previous two games. He did it for [[Tear Jerker|Earth]].

** When Javik was revealed many fans felt slighted that a someone from a race said to be completely dead could be a squadmember as well as being day one dlc. However with his dark and angry snarky attitude, surprising character depth, and his [[Fish Out of Temporal Water]] situation, he has grown a fanbase of his own.

* [[Ruined FOREVER]]:

** Because the Reapers are invading, [[Humans Are Special|because humans are implied to be special]], because Earth is featured, because the Reapers are attacking Earth specifically, because the casualties are too low, [[~~Bio Ware~~]]'s releasing it too soon, and because Shepard is a [[Space Marine]] who has to protect Earth from an alien threat. And considering how little is known about the game, it's possible that none of these things will be true anyway.

** Because the Reapers are invading, [[Humans Are Special|because humans are implied to be special]], because Earth is featured, because the Reapers are attacking Earth specifically, because the casualties are too low, [[BioWare]]'s releasing it too soon, and because Shepard is a [[Space Marine]] who has to protect Earth from an alien threat. And considering how little is known about the game, it's possible that none of these things will be true anyway.

** Jack Wall will not be composing [[~~Mass Effect 3 (Video Game)|~~Mass Effect 3]]. Even with Hollywood composer [[Clint Mansell]] as a replacement this has left some fans very unhappy.

** Jack Wall will not be composing [[Mass Effect 3]]. Even with Hollywood composer [[Clint Mansell]] as a replacement this has left some fans very unhappy.

** With the recent delay of ''[[~~Mass Effect 3 (Video Game)|~~Mass Effect 3]]'', EA announced that they were attempting to make the game appeal to a broader market. Obviously, with a statement that vague, we can tell that the game will be "dumbed down", be turned into a ''[[Call of Duty]]'' clone and multiplayer is inevitable.

** With the recent delay of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', EA announced that they were attempting to make the game appeal to a broader market. Obviously, with a statement that vague, we can tell that the game will be "dumbed down", be turned into a ''[[Call of Duty]]'' clone and multiplayer is inevitable.

** The announcement that you will no longer be working with Cerberus had many fans have leaping to the conclusion Bioware has decided to forsake Renegades.

** [http://twitter.com/#!/CaseyDHudson/status/69833443067969536 This tweet] from Casey Hudson, confirming homosexual romances for a male Shepard, is generating a lot of ire. [[Fan Dumb]] and clearly homophobic issues.

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** Just when Bioware thought they had some reprieve from the endless barrage of complaints, [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/9661093 this happens]. Although character decisions are unaffected by the import, losing the custom Shepard's face has sparked even more passionate discussion. Now that they have fixed it in a patch, people are reporting that their custom Shepard still doesn't look correct.

* [[The Scrappy]]:

** Kai Leng is turning out to be this for a lot of people, mostly due to his ridiculously blatant [[Cutscene Power to ~~The~~ Max]]/[[Story-Driven Invulnerability]], his character design (described by some as "Capcom game villain wannabe"), his shallow characterization, and the way he fights (essentially like a powered-up Phantom). And he induces [[Cutscene Incompetence]] on everyone around him. Which is worse, really.

** Kai Leng is turning out to be this for a lot of people, mostly due to his ridiculously blatant [[Cutscene Power to the Max]]/[[Story-Driven Invulnerability]], his character design (described by some as "Capcom game villain wannabe"), his shallow characterization, and the way he fights (essentially like a powered-up Phantom). And he induces [[Cutscene Incompetence]] on everyone around him. Which is worse, really.

** Two other characters that get a lot of hate are the little boy on Earth and {{spoiler|the Catalyst}}. The kid's hated for poor voice acting and emotional baiting. {{spoiler|The Catalyst}} is hated because the second he shows up, [[Gainax Ending|the ending goes off the rails]]. Plus, {{spoiler|the Catalyst is basically a holographic version of the kid, which certainly doesn't help him}}.

** Diana Allers is often hated for the voice actress' [[Dull Surprise|bland delivery]], [[Flat Character|limited character development]], [[Uncanny Valley|facial expressions]], and connections to IGN that have led to accusations of pandering on Bioware's part. To add to that, Emily Wong, a much more popular reporter, got killed off before the release of the game, prompting cries of [[Replacement Scrappy]]. Even worse, her 'romance' is far and away the most shallow in the series.

* [[Scrappy Mechanic]]:

** Due to almost every action being mapped to the spacebar, the difference between going into cover, storming, using an item, reviving a squadmate are all mapped to one key. It is quite easy to go into cover when one meant to storm out of the way, or to start reviving a squadmate when one was attempting to leap over a barricade.

** Ditto with the A button on the Xbox version (and presumably the X button on the [[PS 3]]).

** Ditto with the A button on the Xbox version (and presumably the X button on the [[Play Station 3]]).

** The Galaxy at War mechanic is almost universally despised, since it is impossible to get the perfect ending without playing at least a few hours of multiplayer or one of the IOS apps. Even worse, galactic readiness goes down by itself over time, and to get it up again you have to play even more multiplayer.

* [[Shocking Swerve]]: {{spoiler|The motivations of the Reapers, and ''everything'' about the Catalyst}}.

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* [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks]]:

** The initially released image of the redesign of Ashley Williams has quickly fallen under this; with an Ash who wears her hair down, dresses a more form-fitting attire, and seemingly has a boob job. Some images suggest her skin has lightened.

** Omnitools being used as a knife has been met with divided opinions, with those who think there's no logical reason for the omniblade to work as a knife (ignoring the fact that it has been used both as a melee weapon and a shield before in the game), or that it doesn't fit in with the aesthetic of [[~~Mass Effect (Video Game)|~~Mass Effect]].

** Omnitools being used as a knife has been met with divided opinions, with those who think there's no logical reason for the omniblade to work as a knife (ignoring the fact that it has been used both as a melee weapon and a shield before in the game), or that it doesn't fit in with the aesthetic of [[Mass Effect]].

** In addition, there have been complaints that the Sentinel's [[Dual-Wielding|dual omni-blades]] are unoriginal and don't fit the class. Others have pointed out that it's [[Rule of Cool|just cooler that way.]]

** And of course, the leaked "New Game" screen where there are three displayed options - Action Mode (which automatically chooses conversation reactions, eliminating the RPG aspect), RPG mode (aka "Standard" mode), and Story Mode (which allows players to focus primarily on the storyline, rather than the combat). To say that this generated [[Internet Backdraft]] would be a massive understatement ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah6OAaekaWw#t=06m05s even though footage shows that the difficulty options are separate from narrative options]).

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** {{spoiler|Particularly wallbanging due to the fact that Male!Shep, Liara, Samara and Diana Allers all used actual models for their appearance. This has lead some fans to question why Jessica Chobot of IGN was fully rendered into 3D, despite having very little to do with the story, while Tali, your erstwhile companion for three games, was reduced to a stock photo that had been photoshopped.}}

** The art book that comes with the collector's edition is obviously cut down from the full-size one that's for sale. It wouldn't be obvious except that the text constantly refers to art that isn't in this version.

** Some of the resolutions to the romances from ''2'' are coming under fire for this; {{spoiler|specifically [[Derailing Love Interests|Jacob's]] and [[Dropped a Bridge On Him|Thane's.]]}} This is true of many of them, as the time spent with the love interests is short, and most of the dialogue is regular, non-romanced friendly dialogue. It shows.

** Some of the resolutions to the romances from ''2'' are coming under fire for this; {{spoiler|specifically [[Derailing Love Interests|Jacob's]] and [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|Thane's.]]}} This is true of many of them, as the time spent with the love interests is short, and most of the dialogue is regular, non-romanced friendly dialogue. It shows.

** Some players also noticed a number of glaring graphical shortcuts for such a big budget game, such as sloppy textures and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diMaNyXBWvk literal cut-and-paste] NPCs.

** {{spoiler|The ending itself which consists of nearly identical scenes with only minor visual alterations for all three choices. In addition, the fact that Shepard's last thought will always be Liara unless you romanced Kaidan or Ashley, no matter what.}}