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[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I thought that was way easier than the hunt missions on insanity. No one else had a problem with them?

Same here. The hunt missions on insanity were the only ones I had any trouble with it. Well 2 of them, the 3rd one was really really easy for some reason. Everything else was a piece of cake.

Is the update worth the 400 points? I've played ME probably ~4 times total, so I'm a huge fan, but is the DLC any substantial offering to the universe or the fun? The previous one I had some issues with, mostly the lack of anything worthwhile to be contributed. Sure the Batarians were great, but I mean come on, they knew they were going to do this well before the game released... with the many in-game hints towards their existence. Kinda disappointed me that the meteor they had created, aside from the amazing skybox, was more of a cut and paste environment from the other environments.

No, stay away from the new DLC. The new one makes bringing down the sky look like broken steel from fallout 3.

 

[a Master Ninja]

Major Williams, if you were disappointed by Bringing Down the Sky you'd be massively disappointed by this new DLC. There is very little to it. Only get it if you are an absolute fanatic and need every piece of Mass Effect content/achievement possible.

 

[firehawk12]

:lol QA guy at Bioware sure as hell isn't sorry about the support and poor DLC. Paying for something and getting shat on is just part of being a fan.

[sarcasm]Here is your apology:

I'm sorry you feel you should never be disappointed. I'm sorry you live in a world where failure is not an option. I'm sorry that your standards and expectations have gotten so high and specific that there would be no possible way for us to meet them after all this time. I'm sorry you feel that the loss of five dollars is a world-shattering event. I'm sorry your investment into your entertainment didn't work out this time. I'm sorry we tied your baby to our shoes and kicked your puppy through the windows of a burning orphanage.

And finally, I'm sorry we didn't consult you before we released something, in order to ensure that you're not disappointed. Obviously, we must have done it on Mass Effect since you seem to have enjoyed that game immensely.
[/sarcasm]

Seriously, though, I get the disappointment, but not the melodrama. It's five bucks--I spent more than that on the Jimmy Buffett pack for Rock Band 2. Yeah, I've since regretted it, but I'm not demanding an apology from Harmonix, Microsoft, or Jimmy Buffett. I chose to buy it, and I ended up not liking it. There will be other tracks that I do enjoy playing, but until I actually buy them and try them out, I won't know for sure, no matter how much people talk about it.

P.S. The first part of this post was made possible by the Sarcasmodyne Grumpometron 4000zx.

(See link for more!)

One of the dudes has a point though, in that it sort of tarnishes BioWare DLC. Is anyone even going to bother with ME2 or DA DLC when the time comes? I get the impression that this DLC makes even the Operation Anchorage DLC look good by comparison.

 

[Gestahl]

:lol QA guy at Bioware sure as hell isn't sorry about the support and poor DLC. Paying for something and getting shat on is just part of being a fan.

[sarcasm]Here is your apology:

I'm sorry you feel you should never be disappointed. I'm sorry you live in a world where failure is not an option. I'm sorry that your standards and expectations have gotten so high and specific that there would be no possible way for us to meet them after all this time. I'm sorry you feel that the loss of five dollars is a world-shattering event. I'm sorry your investment into your entertainment didn't work out this time. I'm sorry we tied your baby to our shoes and kicked your puppy through the windows of a burning orphanage.

And finally, I'm sorry we didn't consult you before we released something, in order to ensure that you're not disappointed. Obviously, we must have done it on Mass Effect since you seem to have enjoyed that game immensely.
[/sarcasm]

Seriously, though, I get the disappointment, but not the melodrama. It's five bucks--I spent more than that on the Jimmy Buffett pack for Rock Band 2. Yeah, I've since regretted it, but I'm not demanding an apology from Harmonix, Microsoft, or Jimmy Buffett. I chose to buy it, and I ended up not liking it. There will be other tracks that I do enjoy playing, but until I actually buy them and try them out, I won't know for sure, no matter how much people talk about it.

P.S. The first part of this post was made possible by the Sarcasmodyne Grumpometron 4000zx.

(See link for more!)

Bioware has pretty much shit completely onto the PC Mass Effect players. A promised patch in January that doesn't arrive till the end of August and seemingly does little to fix what it's purported to fix and the whole DLC debacle that I guess is shared with the 360 users as a bondage of pain. Makes me really wary toward buying more of their products, especially on the PC.

And Dragon Age's buy the collector's edition if you want this dlc that is clearly already made and could easily be in the basic motherfucking game bs is infuriating. It really amazes me how companies that have been around for so long could have such little idea or understanding about basic concepts like downloadable content.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

One of the dudes has a point though, in that it sort of tarnishes BioWare DLC. Is anyone even going to bother with ME2 or DA DLC when the time comes?

That's mostly how I feel. It's shitty DLC, but I'm not about to demand a refund or an apology. It is what it is. I've paid more to sit through a shitty movie. At the same time, I just consider it a lesson learned: Bioware makes shitty DLC. Next time around I'll wait for reviews and they better be fucking spectacular before I buy any more DLC from them.

 

[Major Williams]

Thanks.... Looks like I have some pondering to do and youtube browsing haha.

 

[elrechazado]

That's mostly how I feel. It's shitty DLC, but I'm not about to demand a refund or an apology. It is what it is. I've paid more to sit through a shitty movie. At the same time, I just consider it a lesson learned: Bioware makes shitty DLC. Next time around I'll wait for reviews and they better be fucking spectacular before I buy any more DLC from them.

I feel the same way. This was worth it to me, because I'm a fanatic with 14 or so playthroughs of this game. To the casual fan who has played the game once or twice, this is a piece of shit DLC.

 

[MWS Natural]

I feel the same way. This was worth it to me, because I'm a fanatic with 14 or so playthroughs of this game. To the casual fan who has played the game once or twice, this is a piece of shit DLC.

I'm a huge ME fan and I think it was shit DLC, it wasn't even made by Bioware..

 

[Yasae]

:lol QA guy at Bioware sure as hell isn't sorry about the support and poor DLC. Paying for something and getting shat on is just part of being a fan.

[sarcasm]Here is your apology:

I'm sorry you feel you should never be disappointed. I'm sorry you live in a world where failure is not an option. I'm sorry that your standards and expectations have gotten so high and specific that there would be no possible way for us to meet them after all this time. I'm sorry you feel that the loss of five dollars is a world-shattering event. I'm sorry your investment into your entertainment didn't work out this time. I'm sorry we tied your baby to our shoes and kicked your puppy through the windows of a burning orphanage.

And finally, I'm sorry we didn't consult you before we released something, in order to ensure that you're not disappointed. Obviously, we must have done it on Mass Effect since you seem to have enjoyed that game immensely.
[/sarcasm]

Seriously, though, I get the disappointment, but not the melodrama. It's five bucks--I spent more than that on the Jimmy Buffett pack for Rock Band 2. Yeah, I've since regretted it, but I'm not demanding an apology from Harmonix, Microsoft, or Jimmy Buffett. I chose to buy it, and I ended up not liking it. There will be other tracks that I do enjoy playing, but until I actually buy them and try them out, I won't know for sure, no matter how much people talk about it.

P.S. The first part of this post was made possible by the Sarcasmodyne Grumpometron 4000zx.

(See link for more!)

Uh... This guy has not been in the industry for very long.

If all you can come up with are excuses for why your DLC doesn't suck, then you know it sucks.

 

[ShogunX]

My dream is now fulfilled and Yes I am part of the problem.

N7 Motherfuckers.

 

[Pancakes]

My dream is now fulfilled and Yes I am part of the problem.

N7 Motherfuckers.

*Hi5*

 

[Basileus777]

The new DLC (from the EA store) now works for the Steam version.

 

[Asmodai]

Uh... This guy has not been in the industry for very long.

If all you can come up with are excuses for why your DLC doesn't suck, then you know it sucks.

The QA guy being all sarcastic about it is being stupid, but then again, he has to deal with raving lunatic fanboys who consider mediocre DLC for 5 bucks to be a mortal insult.

Personally I'd just ignore the insane forum denizens. They will always whine, and they will never matter. The two constants of a fanboy.

 

[Lakitu]

I haven't played it yet, but I checked out some Youtube videos of it. Ok, it's mostly combat orientated and seems a bit of a rushjob but it seems to be worth $5 in the end anyway. That's probably less than what I spend for my lunch :lol

 

[Basileus777]

I've finally played through Pinnacle Station and I can say that yes, this DLC is garbage. I wouldn't recommended it to anyone. Even if you are one of those compulsive people who need to buy every DLC for a game they love, I'd try to stay away from this one.

 

[Yasae]

I haven't played it yet, but I checked out some Youtube videos of it. Ok, it's mostly combat orientated and seems a bit of a rushjob but it seems to be worth $5 in the end anyway. That's probably less than what I spend for my lunch :lol

Oh I love the replacement value argument. "What's that? A couple lattes?" You know the one.

I'm pretty sure even mild sustenance holds a value higher than DLC to most people. Kiss my ass, BioWare.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

The new DLC (from the EA store) now works for the Steam version.

thanks

 

[Shoogoo]

Damn :/ I bought the DLC with my US account where there was 400pts left. I totally forgot the DLC was region locked (I'm from EU)

I guess I'm screwed :|

800pts for 3 hours a gameplay, that's what ME can do to you.

 

[squicken]

The 360 controller, even with Pinnacle, just isn't up to the task with the PC version. It would be really awesome if Alpha Protocol and ME2 had native controller support.

 

[Red]

Can anyone help me with the hunt missions on the new DLC? Seems like enemies aren't spawning fast enough for me to kill them. Am I missing some way to trigger them? The cave map especially, it's pretty ridiculous.

 

[Mindlog]

Can anyone help me with the hunt missions on the new DLC? Seems like enemies aren't spawning fast enough for me to kill them. Am I missing some way to trigger them? The cave map especially, it's pretty ridiculous.

What difficulty? Basically it seems hunt has a spawn pattern that's fairly similar to Time Trial. I remember the cave map was a pain the first few times. I just moved clockwise from the start location using dash when possible. If your allies are goof enough you can leave them parked so they pick up some kills that will be out of reach for you.

On a DLC partially redeemed note. I never had Berserker X for Wrex, but I got it quick thanks to gambling.

I'm doing a final playthrough for my original Infiltrator. I forgot he had perma immunity/pistol master. I did pretty damn good on that build without any gold guides :] I HOPE that if ME2 takes scanned minerals into account that it checks for achievements instead of checking for scanned minerals on a particular plathrough.

 

[Asmodai]

I HOPE that if ME2 takes scanned minerals into account that it checks for achievements instead of checking for scanned minerals on a particular plathrough.

Why would ME2 care about how many minerals you scanned in ME1?

Oh I love the replacement value argument. "What's that? A couple lattes?" You know the one.

I'm pretty sure even mild sustenance holds a value higher than DLC to most people. Kiss my ass, BioWare.

I haven't read many of your posts, but since you have that avatar of Thane, I'm already associating Thane with "whiny prick" because of your posts. Thanks a lot :lol

 

[Sai]

Why would ME2 care about how many minerals you scanned in ME1?

"To maintain its fleets and continue to expand, the Alliance must find new resources wherever it can."

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Can anyone help me with the hunt missions on the new DLC? Seems like enemies aren't spawning fast enough for me to kill them. Am I missing some way to trigger them? The cave map especially, it's pretty ridiculous.

I did both the hard ones on insanity and it seems to be pretty random on the spawning. What I did was put Wrex (w/shotgun) and Garrus (w/assault rifle) pretty much in the center of the maps and made them stay there. Then I ran around wherever they were spawning and killed them while wrex & garrus took care of the ones that spawned next to them. It may take a few tries but once things spawn right you'll be able to kill more than enough.

 

[John]

*sigh* I'm pretty sure I walked into a bug somewhere an hour back, since a platform's now inaccessible and I've been running around this base for just that long looking for something to do. On the planet where I first confront a reaper through holocommunication.

 

[Basileus777]

I HOPE that if ME2 takes scanned minerals into account that it checks for achievements instead of checking for scanned minerals on a particular plathrough.

What achievements could it even check? No ME1 achievements require you to finish any collection quests.

 

[Red]

I did both the hard ones on insanity and it seems to be pretty random on the spawning. What I did was put Wrex (w/shotgun) and Garrus (w/assault rifle) pretty much in the center of the maps and made them stay there. Then I ran around wherever they were spawning and killed them while wrex & garrus took care of the ones that spawned next to them. It may take a few tries but once things spawn right you'll be able to kill more than enough.

Alright, I'll keep trying. Put the difficulty down to easy, got a bit simpler but still having a tough time. The guys are dropping like flies but it seems like there just isn't enough time. The hunt missions seem much harder than anything else.

 

[elrechazado]

What achievements could it even check? No ME1 achievements require you to finish any collection quests.

Technically? You're right. Realistically? You have to do those quests if you want the ally achievements.

 

[Basileus777]

Technically? You're right. Realistically? You have to do those quests if you want the ally achievements.

No you don't. I got all the ally achievements without ever completing them.

 

[Red]

Technically? You're right. Realistically? You have to do those quests if you want the ally achievements.

Definitely don't need to do any collection missions for those. They help, but aren't necessary.

 

[Asmodai]

"To maintain its fleets and continue to expand, the Alliance must find new resources wherever it can."

Yeah, I'm sure ME2 will say "Yeah, we were going to have an awesome fleet battle right now, but since you didn't waste your time scanning minerals in the first game, the Alliance didn't have enough resources to build any ships. I'm sorry."

Technically? You're right. Realistically? You have to do those quests if you want the ally achievements.

Never did any and got the ally achievements for Wrex and Garrus.

 

[elrechazado]

That's why I said he's right. Obviously you can do it without. As someone who got all of the ally achievements, I'd say it's easier to go ahead and get the collection quests, especially with Liara. Bad choice of words on my part saying you "have to", but my post made sense in my head so you can all die in a fire.

 

[Mindlog]

Alright, I'll keep trying. Put the difficulty down to easy, got a bit simpler but still having a tough time. The guys are dropping like flies but it seems like there just isn't enough time. The hunt missions seem much harder than anything else.

I could have sworn it was an achievement as well, but there is a mission completed flag.

Yeah, I'm sure ME2 will say "Yeah, we were going to have an awesome fleet battle right now, but since you didn't waste your time scanning minerals in the first game, the Alliance didn't have enough resources to build any ships. I'm sorry."

From everything that has been said it seems they'll be trying to use as many of the save flags as possible. They're still considering giving minor bonuses to saves carried on from maxxed characters.

 

[Blast Processing]

Turns out the DLC wasn't done by Bioware, but by Demiurge, the company who sloppily ported Mass Effect to the PC. They're also the ones telling Bioware that Garrus' face is too difficult to fix through a simple patch. I hope Bioware's QA team can find some way around it.

And I also hope Bioware never outsources to that company ever again.

Care to explain what's so sloppy about it, aside from a few bad textures? It's been pretty much unanimous that the PC version is the one to play.

 

[Red]

Eh, finished the DLC.

I thought it was better than bring down the sky and definitely worth the price of a lunch at McDonalds. It's not spectacular, but for $5 you could do much worse.

 

[Alucrid]

Eh, finished the DLC.

I thought it was better than bring down the sky and definitely worth the price of a lunch at McDonalds. It's not spectacular, but for $5 you could do much worse.

Really? I thought BDTS was better, I mean, there was some sort of plot in it and it lasted longer.

 

[lorddarkflare]

Care to explain what's so sloppy about it, aside from a few bad textures? It's been pretty much unanimous that the PC version is the one to play.

No joke, the PC version absolutely brutalizes the 360 version.

The performance issues alone make it significantly better.

 

[Pancakes]

Really? I thought BDTS was better, I mean, there was some sort of plot in it and it lasted longer.

Agreed, at least you got to make SOME kind of moral decision and got some great items in BDTS. I thought Pinnacle station was alright for the price.

Hopefully DLC for Mass Effect 2 will be higher quality.

 

[Lakitu]

This DLC might have been in their original plans.

I know after Mass Effect, they were planning on a DLC set on Mars, Calleston and another which might have been this one. Let's hope they stick to the 4 a game, as I really enjoyed Bringing Down the Sky. As I said, I'm not that bothered about Pinnacle Station, it's only a £5 at the end of the day and it's new Mass Effect. Let's just hope they do better next time.

 

[Ronabo]

Do you gain EXP from the virtual fights?

If so then it'll be worth it to me.

 

[Red]

Do you gain EXP from the virtual fights?

If so then it'll be worth it to me.

Only for claiming first place, and I don't think you gain experience for beating your old record. It was enough to get me from level 54 to 55, though. What was especially nice was getting my sniper and shotgun expert achievements. The DLC throws a ton of guys at you, so it's good for getting that type of stuff.

 

[dankir]

Ah DLC wasn't anything special but it's 5 bucks so no biggie. I hope there's at least one more story driven DLC package for Mass Effect before the sequel is out next year.

 

[John]

So does the combat in this game... ever change? I'm about 14 hours in and I've only got four ways of killing things -- shotgun, pistol, warp, and throw (went vanguard). It's not like the better weapons ever function any differently (or even look any differently).

 

[lorddarkflare]

So does the combat in this game... ever change? I'm about 14 hours in and I've only got four ways of killing things -- shotgun, pistol, warp, and throw (went vanguard). It's not like the better weapons ever function any differently (or even look any differently).

Well for one thing, i would suggest you disable the AI for the party. This way, you get more ways to kill stuff.

Also, i see a criminal lack of Lift on that list.

 

[Coin Return]

So does the combat in this game... ever change? I'm about 14 hours in and I've only got four ways of killing things -- shotgun, pistol, warp, and throw (went vanguard). It's not like the better weapons ever function any differently (or even look any differently).

You've been adding ammo upgrades and enhancements to your weapons, right? I think the visual effects of the different types of rounds combined with the power wheel by make for some pretty dynamic and satisfying combat for an RPG. Also, if you were a soldier you'd be more adept at assault and sniper rifles, change it up if you plan on doing multiple playthroughs.

 

[Asmodai]

So does the combat in this game... ever change? I'm about 14 hours in and I've only got four ways of killing things -- shotgun, pistol, warp, and throw (went vanguard). It's not like the better weapons ever function any differently (or even look any differently).

It's like any shooter. If you want, you can use the same gun over and over in any shooter and never use different weapons or strategies. Be pretty boring that way.

If you mix up the weapons with various specializations and ammo upgrades, then they have really different roles. Sniper rifle with high explosive rounds and damage upgrades kills 5 enemies in one hit, its like the Mako cannon. And then there are the toxic rounds that damage enemies over time.

The combat should change a ton from the start of the game into the end game.

And you're doing something wrong if the new weapons don't look different. The beginning weapons and armor look like you got them from Wal-Mart.

 

[John]

Well for one thing, i would suggest you disable the AI for the party. This way, you get more ways to kill stuff.

Also, i see a criminal lack of Lift on that list.

Lift's basically an advanced throw, right? I started off putting all my points into dialogue options, and mostly guns and shield after that.

What does disabling the AI do? Do I have to tell them to do everything?

You've been adding ammo upgrades and enhancements to your weapons, right? I think the visual effects of the different types of rounds combined with the power wheel by make for some pretty dynamic and satisfying combat for an RPG. Also, if you were a soldier you'd be more adept at assault and sniper rifles, change it up if you plan on doing multiple playthroughs.

Yeah, been using mods and everything. Thing is, I don't see any reason to switch the mods around, since I think I've got the best ones on all of my party. Mostly I just upgrade them when I get the same one with a higher number on it.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

Just repurchased through steam. Does the steam version come with the first dlc?

 

[lorddarkflare]

Lift's basically an advanced throw, right? I started off putting all my points into dialogue options, and mostly guns and shield after that.

What does disabling the AI do? Do I have to tell them to do everything?



Yeah, been using mods and everything. Thing is, I don't see any reason to switch the mods around, since I think I've got the best ones on all of my party. Mostly I just upgrade them when I get the same one with a higher number on it.

Nah, Lift actually immobilizes much longer than throws puny mere seconds. Not to mention it has a larger range and can insta-kill if outside(it is bugged though, make sure that you use it on the floor or a wall to get full range)

As for AI, if you disable their ability to activate skills, you can manually use them to maximum effect as the AI in this game is dross(although, it takes getting used to, so i can understand if that does not sound appealing).

 

[Dark Stalkers]

How the hell do I get HE rounds anyway?