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The Mass Effect Community Thread

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JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
ME1 is probably my favourite use of achievements. Certain ones even gave you gamer pics.
This is one of the most cringe inducing remarks I have read on this page.

The achievements in ME1 were so godawful stupid, especially the squadmate based ones and all of the grinding needed. Complete 75% of the game with this squadmate was pure and utter shit.

Not to mention being forced to do three complete playthroughs to get to level 60 and unlock insanity.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
This is one of the most cringe inducing remarks I have read on this page.

The achievements in ME1 were so godawful stupid, especially the squadmate based ones and all of the grinding needed. Complete 75% of the game with this squadmate was pure and utter shit.

Not to mention being forced to do three complete playthroughs to get to level 60 and unlock insanity.

Considering his post was the 2nd one of this page, that made me laugh.
 
This is one of the most cringe inducing remarks I have read on this page.

The achievements in ME1 were so godawful stupid, especially the squadmate based ones and all of the grinding needed. Complete 75% of the game with this squadmate was pure and utter shit.

Not to mention being forced to do three complete playthroughs to get to level 60 and unlock insanity.

Some of the achievements themselves weren't great (like you said, the squadmate ones required a ridiculous amount of grinding), but c'mon man.
 

Maledict

Member
This is one of the most cringe inducing remarks I have read on this page.

The achievements in ME1 were so godawful stupid, especially the squadmate based ones and all of the grinding needed. Complete 75% of the game with this squadmate was pure and utter shit.

Not to mention being forced to do three complete playthroughs to get to level 60 and unlock insanity.

Possibly cross purposes here.

The *use* of achievements in ME1 was fantastic - I loved it. Wish every game had had effects tied to achievements, and liked how they impacted you in both ME1 and ME2.

The *actual* achievements in ME1 was fucking terrible. Beyond words - stupidly designed, incredibly aggravating to get, and totally unfun.

Great idea to tie bonuses to achievements, but next time make the achievements not something used in the third circle of hell to torment gamers.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
It's not any worst than achievements in MMORPGs, such as WoW, where getting 100 mounts give you an achievement with a new free mount, or that doing 12 specific achievements for a raid gives you another achievement that comes with a title & a mount, or that improving your reputation with multiple factions give you the ability to fly on a continent.

But then again, Mass Effect is not a MMORPG, so I can understand the frustration.
 

Mindlog

Member
Y'know, Steve Blum would be a pretty good VA for the male protagonist in Andromeda. He's always in a supporting role.
I'm hoping for H. Jon Benjamin or Charlie Murphy for Male Pathfinder.
Aisha Tyler or Tatiana Maslany for Female Pathfinder (if the latter then also for Male-Pathfinder and at least 3 or 4 squadmates.)
 
Especially with the whole space-western theme they seem to be going for.
Yep! Gimme space cowboy banging the entire Andromeda galaxy.
I'm hoping for H. Jon Benjamin or Charlie Murphy for Male Pathfinder.
Aisha Tyler or Tatiana Maslany for Female Pathfinder (if the latter then also for Male-Pathfinder and at least 3 or 4 squadmates.)
Mark Meer at times reminded me of H. Jon Benjamin during the Citadel DLC. Getting them as VAs would be pretty hilarious if they put plenty comedic lines in there.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Possibly cross purposes here.

The *use* of achievements in ME1 was fantastic - I loved it. Wish every game had had effects tied to achievements, and liked how they impacted you in both ME1 and ME2.

The *actual* achievements in ME1 was fucking terrible. Beyond words - stupidly designed, incredibly aggravating to get, and totally unfun.

Great idea to tie bonuses to achievements, but next time make the achievements not something used in the third circle of hell to torment gamers.
True, I did like the bonuses that came from them, but good god they were a cringe inducing grindfest.

Of course back in 2007 achievements weren't near the phenomenon they were now.
 
Gosh, I've been thinking about ME: Andromeda so much since replaying the trilogy. I probably think about aesthetics more than anything else, like clothing, architecture and armour.

I hope the protagonist gets a lot more casual clothing options than Shepard did. Not just off-duty military uniforms but also jeans, t-shirts and shit like that. Maybe cyberpunk influenced since that style fits into more than one genre.

I also hope the squadmates don't sit around the ship in their combat gear like the non-human squad in the Shepard trilogy. Give 'em some off-duty wear too.
 

diaspora

Member
Gosh, I've been thinking about ME: Andromeda so much since replaying the trilogy. I probably think about now by baesthetics might be more than anything else, like clothing, architecture and armour.

I hope the protagonist gets a lot more casual clothing options than Shepard did. Not just off-duty military uniforms but also jeans, t-shirts and shit like that. Maybe cyberpunk influenced since that style fits into more than one genre.

I also hope the squadmates don't sit around the ship in their combat gear like the non-human squad in the Shepard trilogy. Give 'em some off-duty wear too.

Armor is one thing where Andromeda can draw from the Inquisition playbook. Each of the Inquisition companions have their own distinct "theme" or "look" while at the same time offering differentiation between different types of armors and armor mods. A rogue's Hunter Mail armor will look different on each rogue companion which in turn looks different than Hunter leathers while adding mods to the armor changes up the look again. It was really well done form an aesthetic point of view IMO.

Mass Effect as a series has typically swung between two extremes with armors. ME1 had different armor you could equip to each companion but they all looked a bit same-y. ME3 had like 1-2 options per companion and there were no buffs/stats you could manage with them.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Gosh, I've been thinking about ME: Andromeda so much since replaying the trilogy. I probably think about now by baesthetics might be more than anything else, like clothing, architecture and armour.

I hope the protagonist gets a lot more casual clothing options than Shepard did. Not just off-duty military uniforms but also jeans, t-shirts and shit like that. Maybe cyberpunk influenced since that style fits into more than one genre.

I also hope the squadmates don't sit around the ship in their combat gear like the non-human squad in the Shepard trilogy. Give 'em some off-duty wear too.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more cloth/armor options this time for everyone. You have to consider that each ME games, mostly the sequels, were developed in a short amount of time. As if the fact that the ME2 characters in ME3 basically wearing the same damn outfits wasn't proof enough of that already. Especially Jacob and Miranda who are no longer part of Cerberus, but hey! Let's keep using their armor right? Minor stuff I know, but with how little time Bioware had to make the sequels, especially ME3, I'm not surprised they've spent no time on this.

I see no reason with 5 years of development + next gen hardware to not be able to improve on that customization/armor part.

As for me, i'll be glad to never see those low res cloth and armor in Mass Effect ever again. Was especially bad in ME1, but the sequels still had some rough stuff on minor characters. Like that Krogan on Tuchanka in ME2 near the minigame where you shoot space monkeys, or whatever that cloth that Chakwas and other npcs wear . Ugh
 
Armor is one thing where Andromeda can draw from the Inquisition playbook. Each of the Inquisition companions have their own distinct "theme" or "look" while at the same time offering differentiation between different types of armors and armor mods. A rogue's Hunter Mail armor will look different on each rogue companion which in turn looks different than Hunter leathers while adding mods to the armor changes up the look again. It was really well done form an aesthetic point of view IMO.

Mass Effect as a series has typically swung between two extremes with armors. ME1 had different armor you could equip to each companion but they all looked a bit same-y. ME3 had like 1-2 options per companion and there were no buffs/stats you could manage with them.
I haven't played Inquisition, but that sounds really good. If allowing the player to equip armour on the squad returns, then I can definitely see them taking that route. Mass Effect 2 and 3 did allow for more unique looks for characters but at the cost of having far less options and questionable practicality (*cough*Jack*cough*).
I wouldn't be surprised to see more cloth/armor options this time for everyone. You have to consider that each ME games, mostly the sequels, were developed in a short amount of time. As if the fact that the ME2 characters in ME3 basically wearing the same damn outfits wasn't proof enough of that already. Especially Jacob and Miranda who are no longer part of Cerberus, but hey! Let's keep using their armor right? Minor stuff I know, but with how little time Bioware had to make the sequels, especially ME3, I'm not surprised they've spent no time on this.

I see no reason with 5 years of development + next gen hardware to not be able to improve on that customization/armor part.

As for me, i'll be glad to never see those low res cloth and armor in Mass Effect ever again. Was especially bad in ME1, but the sequels still had some rough stuff on minor characters. Like that Krogan on Tuchanka in ME2 near the minigame where you shoot space monkeys. Ugh
Yeah, seeing that the main character and N7 dude from the trailer are wearing what looks like a skintight spacesuit with some armour pieces attached, I wouldn't be surprised if they also take that route with the squad.

Also yeah, you could definitely see where BioWare had to cut corners in ME3 due to time constraints. The 5 year development time is something that really reassures me.
 

diaspora

Member
Well, 5 years of development time as well as absolutely nailing the armor system in their 2014 game- DA:I. Having pulled it off well over a year ago there's literally 0 reasons to pull another Jack.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Well, 5 years of development time as well as absolutely nailing the armor system in their 2014 game- DA:I. Having pulled it off well over a year ago there's literally 0 reasons to pull another Jack.

What's the matter with Jack? Her look wasn't due to any issues or time constraint with her development, but more like Bioware wanted us to see the tatoos of the cool badass chick at all time. Just like Miranda tight suit and the awkward camera's focus on her ass once in a while.
 

diaspora

Member
What's the matter with Jack? Her look wasn't due to any issues or time constraint with her development, but more like Bioware wanted us to see the tatoos of the cool badass chick at all time. Just like Miranda tight suit and the awkward camera's focus on her ass once in a while.
I know, but imo it was a silly design decision to have a crew member in the vacuum of space with a face mask and leather straps.
 
I understand what BioWare was trying to do in ME2 with the character outfits, especially after ME1 had the customisation with not much visual identity and clunky interface, but it didn't really work too well. Jack with her tats and belt-strapped tits, Miranda with her wedgie catsuit and Mordin with his lab coat weren't something they should've worn into combat. They could've given the option to have them wear it, like Ashley in ME3 with her blue tunic... thing, but have the default be some sort of armour that is practical and has good visual identity like Zaeed's.
 
This is one of the most cringe inducing remarks I have read on this page.

The achievements in ME1 were so godawful stupid, especially the squadmate based ones and all of the grinding needed. Complete 75% of the game with this squadmate was pure and utter shit.

Not to mention being forced to do three complete playthroughs to get to level 60 and unlock insanity.

Use of the achievements, not the actual list of them
Trust me, I got them all...
Getting rewards and bonus talents for them is a cool idea that not a lot of games do.

Considering his post was the 2nd one of this page, that made me laugh.

lol
 
I understand what BioWare was trying to do in ME2 with the character outfits, especially after ME1 had the customisation with not much visual identity and clunky interface, but it didn't really work too well. Jack with her tats and belt-strapped tits, Miranda with her wedgie catsuit and Mordin with his lab coat weren't something they should've worn into combat. They could've given the option to have them wear it, like Ashley in ME3 with her blue tunic... thing, but have the default be some sort of armour that is practical and has good visual identity like Zaeed's.

The shitty thing is they added some cool-looking armors in those alternate appearance pack DLC's, but then proceed to slap an ugly visor over everyone. Jack gets some kind of Back to the Future 1980's sunglasses while Miranda gets a holographic Google Glass.

They even managed to cock up Garrus' new armor by turning his iconic blue eyepiece into a red one. I mean, jeez.
 
The shitty thing is they added some cool-looking armors in those alternate appearance pack DLC's, but then proceed to slap an ugly visor over everyone. Jack gets some kind of Back to the Future 1980's sunglasses while Miranda gets a holographic Google Glass.

They even managed to cock up Garrus' new armor by turning his iconic blue eyepiece into a red one. I mean, jeez.
Ah yeah, I remember that lol. Apart from the eye piece I did like Garrus' armour since it was the only one to not have been blasted by a rocket. Thane was also pretty cool with his shades look.

I was pretty happy that Miranda finally got armour but then I noticed that fugly holographic visor and never used it. Jack was just... lol.

Edit: I just realised Miranda's armour is recoloured Cerberus armour.
 

Patryn

Member
I feel like the cerberus phantom armor would have been perfect for Jack as an alternative look.

Good thing she already has it in ME3!

Just make sure you skip the Grissom Academy mission and she gets it.

Yes, she's brainwashed and has become a Phantom and she wants to kill you as well, but you can't have everything
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Good thing she already has it in ME3!

Just make sure you skip the Grissom Academy mission and she gets it.

Yes, she's brainwashed and has become a Phantom and she wants to kill you as well, but you can't have everything

And unless you really pay attention to the enemy names in the top of the screen(which, I doubt many people do), you'll never notice it.
Just like Morinth I think.
 
If BioWare had the time they needed, we probably would've seen ME2 squadmates in combat gear actively taking part in Priority: Earth. Jack with her biotic students, Miranda and Jacob fighting alongside Alliance marines, Zaeed with a bunch of mercs mowing down Cannibals, Grunt and Wrex blasting Ravagers left and right...

Man, there was a lot of potential.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I reinstalled ME1, but since I lost all my achievements, i've been trying to add them back through console commands, but unfortunately, it doesn't get saved when I turn off the game and I go back to zero? I'm playing on Steam.
 
I reinstalled ME1, but since I lost all my achievements, i've been trying to add them back through console commands, but unfortunately, it doesn't get saved when I turn off the game and I go back to zero? I'm playing on Steam.

I have the Origin version and never figured out how to add them. I just gave up and replayed the game over a few days before moving on to ME2. No achievements on there or ME3, either, but they're not as big of a deal as in the first one.

Getting through ME1 without an Assault Rifle was a special experience, though. Don't think I've ever used a pistol so much.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Yeah... I guess I'll just have to replay this game like the first time. At least 3 times to get the achievements from every squadmates...and then there is that crap about using skills hundreds of times... ugh. Guess that'll give me another excuse to play this game multiple times until Andromeda... not like I needed one anyway lol. What annoys me the most is losing those XP bonus for my first playthrough.
 

X-Frame

Member
As soon as I finish Witcher 3 Hearts of Stone I'm playing the trilogy again fresh on my PS3. I played on my 360 originally. I assume the experience between PS3 and 360 will be mostly indistinguishable?
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
As soon as I finish Witcher 3 Hearts of Stone I'm playing the trilogy again fresh on my PS3. I played on my 360 originally. I assume the experience between PS3 and 360 will be mostly indistinguishable?

PS3 versions of ME2 & ME3 perform worse than on 360 from what I heard. At least ME1 will be a little better.
 

SugarDave

Member
Has the DLC/Bioware points ever gone on sale for PC? Just had a quick look and it would cost £60 or something ridiculous to get it all :/
 

X-Frame

Member
PS3 versions of ME2 & ME3 perform worse than on 360 from what I heard. At least ME1 will be a little better.

I saw that too. It seemed like its maybe 5-10% worde performance which I should be able to not notice. If so, then I'll have to revert back to my 360.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Yes. Actually, they went on sale a couple months ago or so.

giphy.gif
 
I reinstalled ME1, but since I lost all my achievements, i've been trying to add them back through console commands, but unfortunately, it doesn't get saved when I turn off the game and I go back to zero? I'm playing on Steam.
Can you describe the steps you're taking to do so? I unlocked all the achievements for ME1 with the console commands a few years ago when I replayed it on PC, and they're still unlocked to this day.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Can you describe the steps you're taking to do so? I unlocked all the achievements for ME1 with the console commands a few years ago when I replayed it on PC, and they're still unlocked to this day.

I'm just opening the console and typing stuff like UnlockAchievement 9. Doing so while in the main menu or during the game changes nothing. I can see the achievements I unlocked from the main menu, but as soon as I quit and restart the game, they're gone. :(
 
I'm just opening the console and typing stuff like UnlockAchievement 9. Doing so while in the main menu or during the game changes nothing. I can see the achievements I unlocked from the main menu, but as soon as I quit and restart the game, they're gone. :(
Interesting. I believe the "Profile.MassEffectProfile" file in the "<User>\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Save\" folder is where achievements are stored. Is there a chance that maybe yours is set to read-only?
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Interesting. I believe the "Profile.MassEffectProfile" file in the "<User>\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Save\" folder is where achievements are stored. Is there a chance that maybe yours is set to read-only?

No. I'm using the MEUITM mod, but I doubt that's the reason. Pretty sure I tried activating those achievements before I installed the mod too. Although...I'm not sure anymore. I can't even run the game from E:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Mass Effect anymore. Just with my desktop shortcut, which points to something vague like "steam://rungameid/17460".
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Seems like achievements stay saved now.. weird. Maybe I needed to get off the Normandy for this to works.

Is there any High res mods like MEUITM for ME2 & ME3? Not those mods that make the game takes 10 mins to launch.
 
Seems like achievements stay saved now.. weird. Maybe I needed to get off the Normandy for this to works.

Is there any High res mods like MEUITM for ME2 & ME3? Not those mods that make the game takes 10 mins to launch.
Piece of advice: if you're not too far into the game, start over with a new character now that you've unlocked the achievements. When I replayed the game from a fresh install and unlocked the achievements via console commands, my character was still capped at level 50. If you want to be able to level past 50 then I think you'll need to start a new character.

As for mods, they're out there, but they're more involved than simply running an installer like MEUITM. They require using a program called ME3Explorer to actually replace the texture files. I'll post some links when I get off work.

The method you're thinking of is using Texmod, a program that loads the texture files before starting the game, and it can take a while if you're loading a lot of large textures. Texmod is also prone to weird visual glitches as well.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Piece of advice: if you're not too far into the game, start over with a new character now that you've unlocked the achievements. When I replayed the game from a fresh install and unlocked the achievements via console commands, my character was still capped at level 50. If you want to be able to level past 50 then I think you'll need to start a new character.

As for mods, they're out there, but they're more involved than simply running an installer like MEUITM. They require using a program called ME3Explorer to actually replace the texture files. I'll post some links when I get off work.

The method you're thinking of is using Texmod, a program that loads the texture files before starting the game, and it can take a while if you're loading a lot of large textures. Texmod is also prone to weird visual glitches as well.

Yeah it was Texmod, and I know the glitches. I used to see faces or gear textures all over my screen once in a while if I dared go to the desktop and come back later while the game was running.

Never used the PC tweaks for ME1 in the past, but they're pretty useful! Like making kills with Mako give as much XP as when you're on foot(so no more shooting enemies with the Mako cannon until they're at 10% and finishing them off on foot), and making Shepard run faster. Always found him/her to run way too slowly in this game, compared to ME2 and ME3.
 
Had to call it quits today right before I could head into the Suicide Mission.

Tomorrow's gonna be sweeeeet.

Mass Effect 2 is still such a goddamn fantastic game. I kinda miss the upgraded combat abilities from ME3 and the planet scanning gets tedious (and ultimately unneccessary) after a while, but holy fuck if the game isn't just a lot more than the sum of its parts.

Still in my top 5 of all time, easily.
 
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