Support NeoGAF

[aparisi2274]

Hey qq...

I am moving along nicely now, and I am currently saved on Noveria, trying to get to Peak 15.. My squad is at level 13, so I am still WAY early, but I was wondering, to the people who beat the game, whats a good level to be at to beat the game? I am just curious...

Thanks

 

[sangreal]

Hey qq...

I am moving along nicely now, and I am currently saved on Noveria, trying to get to Peak 15.. My squad is at level 13, so I am still WAY early, but I was wondering, to the people who beat the game, whats a good level to be at to beat the game? I am just curious...

Thanks

the difficulty scales with your level so it shouldn't matter too much. I think 30+ though sounds about right

 

[aparisi2274]

the difficulty scales with your level so it shouldn't matter too much. I think 30+ though sounds about right

Nice thanks... So basically if you are at level 60, then the final boss of the game would also be around that level...

 

[Captain Glanton]

Nice thanks... So basically if you are at level 60, then the final boss of the game would also be around that level...

Yes, but the combat sort of levels unevenly. If you are leveling your skills with an eye toward combat [as opposed to lockpicking or speech], and you're a combat-heavy class, you'll find that you get your clock cleaned at low levels but pretty soon you're smashing fools open.

 

[KLoNe]

I've just a started a new game as an Adept. Is there a way to map your powers to a face button? or do you have to go through the whole 'powers' screen every time?

Yes, I do see the 'Map to button' button, but it doesn't do batshit.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Yes, I do see the 'Map to button' button, but it doesn't do batshit.

Yes it does. It maps the action to RB

 

[KLoNe]

Yes it does. It maps the action to RB

Excellent. I think I was trying to use X or something :lol

 

[kmfdmpig]

It's pretty easy to hit 60 over two games... but only once you've unlocked the raised level cap so that you can level past 50 during the first game (my second playthrough was with a new vanguard, who hit 54, then hit 60 in newgame+ midway through Virmire).

Second playthrough ever isn't going to manage it, though, as 50-60 just takes too much XP to do in one game.

I'm on my second playthrough ever and I think I'm going to come extremely close to level 60. Right now I'm about 80k away and I still have Ilos and Saren left. I've done everything both times through though (surveyed all minerals, all side quests, etc.. The first time through I got to 50 pretty early on, and there were a lot of enemies killed after I reached the level cap of 50. Based on what I remember I think that Ilos and the end should give me enough enemies to hit 60.

 

[Drakken]

Just finished the game for my first time. I played through as the default male Shepard, Paragon the whole way.

The endgame was way too easy; I guess I leveled up too much? I was around level 44.

It's unfortunate that you can't continue playing after you finish the game; I would have liked to finish going around to the different planets, finding the remaining metals, medallions, etc. I don't understand why more games don't let you continue playing after beating them (yes, there would likely be story continuity problems...oh well).

Short of starting a new game and playing through as a Renegade, I'm not sure what else there is to do at this point. Are there any planets I wouldn't have already visited for one of the side-quests (did all except the

Spoiler

crime lord one

) that have something worth seeing?

Oh, and as for the thread title:

Spoiler

Is that a reference to something not in the game? Just being silly? I don't get the elevator part.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

thanks for the reply's, looks like its going to be a third run though for me.

 

[Alcander]

Just beat the game tonight. I pretty much agree with most of the sentiments in this thread, but wanted to reiterate:

-Combat takes some getting used to, but once you start playing it more like an RPG than a 3PS, it becomes much easier. I also thought it improved greatly towards the end of the game, but that was probably just me getting better.

-Level design is really, really well done. Ilos looks amazing, as do most of the other levels/areas.

-While some of the dialog scenes are hit or miss in terms of graphics, the vast majority are extremely well done. The lip syncing, expressions, and voice acting are simply unrivaled for the most part.

-Finally, the game has an amazing ending! I can't believe how happy I am to say that, as I thought the story dragged for a bit, and was worried it may fall apart in the end. Happy to say that my fears were unfounded, the ending delivers, and then some!

For the sequel:

-Fix the Mako controls. I found them to be too floaty. Just copy the warthog controls guys!

-Tighten up the combat a bit. While it gets the job done, it could be better. I'd even go as far as to say ripping off Gears' shooting mechanics would be A-OK in my book.

-Space out squad finding! I was really annoyed that pretty much every member of the squad was added within the first 2 hours or so, it made each member seem less significant. Maybe a protheon in the squad?

-Let us travel to Earth!

-Obviously, iron out the texture pop-in/framerate issues.

Can't wait till Mass Effect 2!!!

 

[Slackbladder]

Such a shame that when you do a game+ with a character at, say level 50 you can't change the point allocation of your skills, like you can with the other characters. This means that you can only play with the same skills over and over again whereas skills that may have not been used are never used. I hope they change this and add it to a patch or DLC (along with an increase in your level so you can get ALL the points for your skills).

 

[Kill Your Masters]

I started my 3rd playtrough right now, again, playing it different and getting somewhat different outcomes. This game just doesnt get boring.

Also I found the Infiltrator to be my favorite Class, the biotic powers are nice and all, but I prefer overloading and sabotaging enemies over biotic powers, combined with a Sniper, it's the most combat fun I had yet in ME. And together with Liara and Wrex, it's a real killer combo. Where I had problems with certain sidemissions in the beginng of the game with my other 2 Careers (Normal and Veteran difficulty), I'm just bashing my way trough the enemies on Hardcore right now.

 

[Hootie]

Space out squad finding! I was really annoyed that pretty much every member of the squad was added within the first 2 hours or so, it made each member seem less significant. Maybe a protheon in the squad?

I'm not sure it would be very easy to have an alien that's been extinct for tens of thousands of years be a member of your crew.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

I'm going to start a 3rd playthrough sometime this week. My first 2 playthroughs were with Earthborn + War Hero + Soldier. I was thinking of going Colonist + Ruthless + Adept w/ Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle. I'm a bit worried that I'll find having to bring up the skill wheel up all the time to be a bit annoying but it should be a good change from all the running and gunning I did with my soldier.

 

[Fatalah]

I just started playing this game. I had to get into the right mood to play it.

I really love the story-driven nature of the game BUT

Here are a few things I don't like:

++ What's up with the framerate? Everything feels like slow motion. It's like glue.


That's it so far hehe.

 

[Psychotext]

++ What's up with the framerate? Everything feels like slow motion. It's like glue.

It does get better toward the end of the game... but it's one of the main flaws with Mass Effect.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

Just something I noticed on my third playtrough: there is this Planet, which is similar to the home planet of the Hanar, so its basically all water. According to his description they are currently trying to create a stable underwater world on it, or better, under it. (because the surface is too hot or something like that)

Rapture coming to ME2? Would be cool, IMO

 

[Splash Wave]

How do I revive my party members?

 

[sangreal]

How do I revive my party members?

You need to get out of combat, or use the Unity skill from the Spectre Training line

 

[kmfdmpig]

I'm on my second playthrough ever and I think I'm going to come extremely close to level 60. Right now I'm about 80k away and I still have Ilos and Saren left. I've done everything both times through though (surveyed all minerals, all side quests, etc.. The first time through I got to 50 pretty early on, and there were a lot of enemies killed after I reached the level cap of 50. Based on what I remember I think that Ilos and the end should give me enough enemies to hit 60.

Well I finished the second playthrough and ended up about 8-10k short of reaching level 60. I did everything except the extra side quests opened up if you have enough renegade or paragon points.

With future characters it should be pretty easy to get there on two playthroughs as the first would likely go to 54 - 55 and there is also a +5% experience bonus for getting the achievement that you get when you hit level 60.

I've got to say that one of the things that most impresses me about Mass Effect is the way in which they make use of the achievements to actually make them important to the game, and not just rewards to pad a gamertag.

 

[HK-47]

Playing Mass Effect made me relize I'm not looking for KotOR 2.0 but a Firefly RPG

If you get what I'm saying then kudos

 

[Chinner]

For the sequel:

-Tighten up the combat a bit. While it gets the job done, it could be better. I'd even go as far as to say ripping off Gears' shooting mechanics would be A-OK in my book.

Can't wait till Mass Effect 2!!!

There's a few things they could do in Mass Effect 2 to spice up the combat, which would also help out the learning curve:

- Implement specific damage areas. Ya know, head shots take more damage and so on. This could be taken further such as making it so that a leg shot will take someone down quicker, which would be hella useful actually.

- Bring back the old squad control system shown in the old trailers. Allow us to control and move the other team members to do specific jobs each. It would make the game hell of allot more strategic.

- Give the weapons more visual 'oomph'. Whenever you shoot at the enemies, they just stand still and appear not to be unaffected.

- Fix the controls (kinda). Doesn't really maker sense why they have "X" to deploy your weapon, and "B" to put back again. Just a waste of a button.

 

[Twig]

I am confused by certain things. When you beat the game, do your stats carry-over for a second playthrough if you want to? I think they do. If that's the case, I'm going to assume you have to be the same character and even the same class, which would make me sad. I'd like to be that level but perhaps make a new character, and just have all the available skill points that I should have, but unspent. Just to try things out without having to level up all the way again.

 

[Alcander]

I'm not sure it would be very easy to have an alien that's been extinct for tens of thousands of years be a member of your crew.

Well I thought part of the reveal of ME2 might be that they aren't really extinct or something to that effect. Possibly one survived in one of those cryo-tubes at the end!

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Well I thought part of the reveal of ME2 might be that they aren't really extinct or something to that effect. Possibly one survived in one of those cryo-tubes at the end!

And it also implied that there might be a few who survived on the Citadel.

 

[Alcander]

I am confused by certain things. When you beat the game, do your stats carry-over for a second playthrough if you want to? I think they do. If that's the case, I'm going to assume you have to be the same character and even the same class, which would make me sad. I'd like to be that level but perhaps make a new character, and just have all the available skill points that I should have, but unspent. Just to try things out without having to level up all the way again.

If I were to design the game, I would allow you to either have a straight port of your previous character or a character of the same level, skill points unspent.

I'm guessing it will be the latter, as they will most likely tweak the skill trees somewhat, requiring you to respend your points.

[Edit] Oops, I thought you were talking about for ME2. I'm not sure about game +

 

[arhra]

- Bring back the old squad control system shown in the old trailers. Allow us to control and move the other team members to do specific jobs each. It would make the game hell of allot more strategic.

Apparently they had both of them implemented and working for some time during development, and after extensive testing they decided that the more streamlined system worked better. So i don't think we'll see a full revert to the old system they originally demoed. What i would like to see is switching the squad commands (ie hold position, attack target, move to location, etc) from the dpad onto the ring menus, so you can order your squadmates around individually, which would fix the major problem with the system in the first game (which is that both squadmates have to be ordered around together, other than ability usage, so if you've got, say, wrex with a shotty and garrus with a sniper, one of them will always be at the wrong range).

- Fix the controls (kinda). Doesn't really maker sense why they have "X" to deploy your weapon, and "B" to put back again. Just a waste of a button.

There's a reason they did that, apparently - they originally had a combined draw/sheathe button, and people jammed it automatically when entering combat, which meant that when they got dropped into combat after a cutscene with their weapon auto-drawn, they were putting it away...

Hopefully they can fix up the controls in a lot of ways for the sequel, as they were a bit of a mess in general.

 

[Mejilan]

They need to do more with the Mako in the subsequent games than just fixing the controls. They need to give those sequences an actual point. Because 95% of the Mako sequences in the game (usually in the sidequests) were a horribly boring waste of time. Not only is it utterly pointless and poorly controlled, but it amounts to little more than exp theft.

Oh, and as for the thread title:

Spoiler

Is that a reference to something not in the game? Just being silly? I don't get the elevator part.

I thought it just referred to the constant elevator load times while in the Citadel.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

Biotic powers are just too awesome. Lift + Throw while outdoors is incredibly fun.

 

[-Rogue5-]

Are there any other games like Mass Effect? Heavily story-driven RPG that doesn't take long to go through just the main quest and uses real-time combat (aka Western RPG)?

I was hoping to get some realtime combat RPG love on the go -- for the PSP maybe. Can anyone recommend anything?

 

[Ark-AMN]

For ME2:

Definitely needs more interaction between you and your team members. Only having actual conversations just on the Normandy was too little for me.

More props and foliage on the Mako worlds. True, this may cause issues with the roaming of the rover, but some worlds definitely could use more to them than just barren terrain.

More romance options.

Other possible races for teammates, such as Volus, Elcor or maybe even a Hannar

 

[yukoner]

- Fix the controls (kinda). Doesn't really maker sense why they have "X" to deploy your weapon, and "B" to put back again. Just a waste of a button.

Ya that was really idiotic.

Rather than simply having one button toggle the weapon, they dedicate one button to deploy, and another to holster. Then they map grenade to 'Back'?

WTF?

For such an experienced deveoper, this is a pretty embaressing oversight imo.

 

[MWS Natural]

Biotic powers are just too awesome. Lift + Throw while outdoors is incredibly fun.

Wait you can lift and throw at the same time for an effect?? Oh geez I'm on 1 1/4 playthrough's and I didn't know that:lol

 

[Kill Your Masters]

Wait you can lift and throw at the same time for an effect?? Oh geez I'm on 1 1/4 playthrough's and I didn't know that:lol

Well not really, you can lift, then throw the enemy far far away, really funny in non-gravity areas...

 

[Tabris]

I just beat the game and I have come to the decision that Mass Effect = game of the generation so far.

It does everything right. It's an evolution... no, revolution in western RPGaming. I was never a fan of western RPGs due to their use of a boring convuluted d20 battle system and boring fantasy cliches but no more. I want to see the dialogue system, presentation and battle system in some JRPGs!

 

[Lonesome_Raod]

I'm just waiting on the content reveal. Really itching for some new stuff.

 

[arhra]

Speaking of content reveals, Chris Priestly over at the official forums says: "If I were you, I'd be around here at 10am tomorrow".

That's 10am MST, for anyone who can't be bothered looking up what time zone Edmonton is in.

 

[newsguy]

Hey guys, did anyone read or is anyone currently reading the book? I saw it for $8 so I picked it up, the summary says the story is about the incident between Saren and Shepard's commander (the black guy, I forget his name). When I read it was a prequel I thought I would check it out, is it any good?

 

[clashfan]

I would love to see ME2 have more dating sim stuff.

 

[raYne]

I would love to see ME2 have more dating sim stuff.

So would Fox news.

 

[arhra]

Hey guys, did anyone read or is anyone currently reading the book? I saw it for $8 so I picked it up, the summary says the story is about the incident between Saren and Shepard's commander (the black guy, I forget his name). When I read it was a prequel I thought I would check it out, is it any good?

It's pretty decent.

Not exactly a literary classic or anything, but good, readable sf that does a great job of fleshing out the universe and providing some backstory.

 

[newsguy]

It's pretty decent.

Not exactly a literary classic or anything, but good, readable sf that does a great job of fleshing out the universe and providing some backstory.

Nice, thanks for the info.

 

[Phthisis]

Speaking of content reveals, Chris Priestly over at the official forums says: "If I were you, I'd be around here at 10am tomorrow".

That's 10am MST, for anyone who can't be bothered looking up what time zone Edmonton is in.

FUCK YEAH

 

[Quazar]

Speaking of content reveals, Chris Priestly over at the official forums says: "If I were you, I'd be around here at 10am tomorrow".

That's 10am MST, for anyone who can't be bothered looking up what time zone Edmonton is in.

Awesome, thanks for the heads up.

 

[KarishBHR]

Finally beat the game, took me 15 hours.

Loved it and cant wait for the sequel

 

[Proc]

I am really getting into the groove of this game. I just finished up with Port Hanshan and onto peak 15. I died in the vehicle mission about half way through and decided it was a good time to put it down as the last checkpoint was about 10 minutes behind me.

I loved Port Hanshan, the way you're able to really double cross everyone is just amazing. The pacing is lax and I really felt that there was multiple means to carrying out my main objective. What an awesome game! I hope the rest of the game holds up to my session with the game today.

 

[RSTEIN]

I am really getting into the groove of this game. I just finished up with Port Hanshan and onto peak 15. I died in the vehicle mission about half way through and decided it was a good time to put it down as the last checkpoint was about 10 minutes behind me.

I loved Port Hanshan, the way you're able to really double cross everyone is just amazing. The pacing is lax and I really felt that there was multiple means to carrying out my main objective. What an awesome game! I hope the rest of the game holds up to my session with the game today.

Interesting, my experience at Port Hanshan was completely different. Of all the missions (except maybe Ferros) I felt the most tense during this one. You really didn't know what was waiting for you up at the peak. I really wanted to get there but at the same time I was scared to find out :lol Bioware did such a good job... really drew me into the story. I found myself empathising with the characters, being genuinely scared of the enemies, and really a part of the universe. Can't wait for the DLC!

 

[DeadGzuz]

I finally put ME back in my 360.

I became a Spectre, which is a fancy acronym for counsel lackey, ok.

So I'm a badass now, they give me access to the good stuff via the equipment officer, they didn't tell me I had to buy it! So this stuff cost an arm and a leg and no one gave me any cash. Ok, no fun toys for me.

I jump into my new ship and fly to some desert planet where a beacon is going off. Some big ass worm comes out of the sand and since the controls are complete ass backwards I'm starring at the sky or the sand most of the time. Even if I do shoot it it doesn't seem to do anything. It kills me over and over. I turned my 360 total disgusted with ME. The game is either boring scripted conversations or lame combat, HTF was this a GOTY contender? I want to like this game, I paid for it. I loved KOTOR...

Ignore my rant ME fans, what am I supposed to do to the worm thing in the sand?

 

[Chrange]

Played ME last night, after a lengthy break, and can't believe I missed this....

Playing as a high hack/decryption/electronics character, heading to Peak 15, after turning in that dirty smuggler to get my pass, and hit the garage sequence. Ran to hide behind a crate and saw "Enter Mako" pop up.

Wait...what? That big Mako being worked on, I can enter that? Do the unlock, hop in and use the giant cannon to blast the Geth in no time flat.

All the times I've fought through there, I never once noticed you could get in there. MUCH MUCH EASIER.

:lol