So I just picked this up for the PC. Looks awesome so far but there seems to be some problem with extremely pixilated shadows, mostly under peoples faces.
Anyone else get this? And did the solution listed here work or should I just turn off the shadows?
To remove the face shadows but keep the rest of them (even the body self shadows):
Go to C:\Users\*yourname*\ Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Config. At least that's what it is on my Vista64 installation. In XP it might be in My Documents or something.
Open "BIOEngine" with notepad and search (Ctrl+f) for "DepthBias=0.012000" (without the quotes of course)
Change this to "DepthBias=0.030000"
Save and exit.
And you're done
Also, to increase the overall quality of the shadows you can change "MaxShadowResolution=512" to "MaxShadowResolution=2048" or even higher (I got up to 8192 without any performance loss on my 512MB 8800GT.
I have a 320M 8800GTS, BTW. So I don't think I have other problems listed in that thread which seem to be ATI specific.
Have the same graphic card you have, that didn't help me at all, in fact, it did absolutely nothing.
I did this and the shadows appear better I think. No FPS hit. I didn't mind them before but I think they're nicer now.
Hmmm, seemed to work for me as well.
Ah, great tip. I found those shadows rather annoying.
There's a solution for that? Good thing, half the time depending on where my character was standing it looked like he had caught half his head in a sunbed for 12 hours.
That fucking Krogan Battlemaster on hardcore...ack! One time I actually killed him the bastard sniper got me. Inflitrator makes that hard I guess, although sabotage saved my ass a lot
So, now I'm not happy. The damn thing won't start. As far as I can tell my hardware is all up to snuff. I get to the opening menu (Play, Configure, Support, etc.) but when I hit Play I get one of those so-very-fun "Windows is searching for a solution" Vista message.
So, now I'm not happy. The damn thing won't start. As far as I can tell my hardware is all up to snuff. I get to the opening menu (Play, Configure, Support, etc.) but when I hit Play I get one of those so-very-fun "Windows is searching for a solution" Vista message.
Guess I'll try reinstalling my video drivers.
Run it as administrator. The first time the game runs, it needs to write a registry entry, but Vista won't let it and kills the process.
Yeah there are two entries and UE3 reads from the bottom up so if you only change the first one it ignores the setting. Change the second one, or just change both to make sure.
The min/maxer in me must know, how many points to allocate to all the skills total (both Shepard and a party member, I'm getting differing totals depending on the sources I read.)? Also, can someone explain how the prestige class skill boosts work? I read somewhere that it adds +7 or +whatever to whatever skills that prestige class is good at. Does that mean if one prestige has boost to...charm< that it will add 7 points to charm anytime or only the first 7 points? (Assuming I understood what I read correctly.)
So I'm sitting outside the last planet, having done every side quest I have in my journal, waiting for Bring Down the Sky to be released. This is a dilemma. Do I wait for the DLC or just finish the game and kick some Batarian arse the next time around? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO
Prestige classes add to defensive powers or offensive powers depending on your choice and class (There are several, you can look them up on the Mass Effect Wiki here; http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki) and they are specific bonuses in percentages.
If you're going for a "perfect" character like me, you don't put any points in your charm or intimidate, because it's a waste of points you need for your skills. Reason for it is that you gain four points every time you max out Paragon or Renegade, and playing the game for 3 times, means you max it out on the final playthrough when you max your P or R (you gain one at specific percentage, at 100% you should have gotten 4 points total, this adds up in subsequent playthroughs).
Everything else, is how you want it, skill wise. What helps, etc.
So I'm sitting outside the last planet, having done every side quest I have in my journal, waiting for Bring Down the Sky to be released. This is a dilemma. Do I wait for the DLC or just finish the game and kick some Batarian arse the next time around? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO
Finish it. It's worth it. The DLC will give you a reason to go back through it and get your character to 60 if you didn't plan on playing it again.
Prestige classes add to defensive powers or offensive powers depending on your choice and class (There are several, you can look them up on the Mass Effect Wiki here; http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki) and they are specific bonuses in percentages.
If you're going for a "perfect" character like me, you don't put any points in your charm or intimidate, because it's a waste of points you need for your skills. Reason for it is that you gain four points every time you max out Paragon or Renegade, and playing the game for 3 times, means you max it out on the final playthrough when you max your P or R (you gain one at specific percentage, at 100% you should have gotten 4 points total, this adds up in subsequent playthroughs).
Everything else, is how you want it, skill wise. What helps, etc.
Ok, thanks, just what I wanted to know.
Now, as I mentioned in the last thread I thought of going Vanguard, but I get no Assault Rifle. So I thought I would play through until I unlock the AR skill and then play for real. Everyone keeps raving about pistols though, what makes them so great?
EDIT Also, still wondering about total talents points at 60.
Prestige classes add to defensive powers or offensive powers depending on your choice and class (There are several, you can look them up on the Mass Effect Wiki here; http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki) and they are specific bonuses in percentages.
If you're going for a "perfect" character like me, you don't put any points in your charm or intimidate, because it's a waste of points you need for your skills. Reason for it is that you gain four points every time you max out Paragon or Renegade, and playing the game for 3 times, means you max it out on the final playthrough when you max your P or R (you gain one at specific percentage, at 100% you should have gotten 4 points total, this adds up in subsequent playthroughs).
Everything else, is how you want it, skill wise. What helps, etc.
Ok, thanks, just what I wanted to know.
Now, as I mentioned in the last thread I thought of going Vanguard, but I get no Assault Rifle. So I thought I would play through until I unlock the AR skill and then play for real. Everyone keeps raving about pistols though, what makes them so great?
EDIT Also, still wondering about total talents points at 60.
Pistols are accurate and powerful. They don't fire as fast as an AR and tend not to be able to fire as many shots before overheating, but they can tear enemies apart at a pretty quick clip. If you don't have the AR skill, the pistol is your all-rounder and it's a very versatile and powerful one.
And you get, I think, 107 talent points by level 60.
Hmmm....I'm guessing you can't add a bonus talent toa new game+ Shepard?
Also what is the verdict on barrier as a Vanguard, and is it better to be able o soak up damage as Shock Trooper or have a Nemesis kill stuff with Biotics faster? I have no way of knowing how Squishy Medium armored players are.
EDIT Also I am dumb for not mentioning this sooner. Pannycakes, this was a wonderfully done OP,
Run it as administrator. The first time the game runs, it needs to write a registry entry, but Vista won't let it and kills the process.
Good call. It helped, but not much...now the game will start, I'll get the logo screen, then it goes to black. Oddly, if I open up Task Manager, it lists Mass Effect twice, one of them Not Responding, and my CPU usage is up near 100%
I'll try running in a window, then I'll delve into the murky depths of the official forum.
Instead of taking him from 50 to 60, I rolled a new game with an Adept, who's bonus (as I unlocked it with the infiltrator) trait was Sniper.
The character is really, beyond overpowered. Playing Infiltrator and getting a glimpse of what Liara could do made me realize just how overpowered the biotics are in the endgame, and it makes sense, after all, they spent a lot of time coming up with force powers that weren't force powers, of course those would be the interesting ones.
In the end, with the proper equipment and proper bonuses and talents, you get six biotic powers, with a cooldown of about 20 seconds each. 20 seconds in a fight passes really quickly, especially since it's 6x20, just using them all up takes about 10 seconds.
And when they're all mastered, they're some really fucky stuff.
I had a choice between two tactics. Either take the Assault Rifle as a bonus or take the Sniper as a bonus. Taking either one means having different tactics at your disposal, and because every class has access to pistols (which I found were real powerful in the endgame), I went with the Sniper so I would have the added benefit of extra tactics, which is to shoot from really far away.
And you really need a sniper if you're going to not be using the Mako to kill EVERYTHING throughout the entire game and get the max XP possible, which means taking on Colossus Armatures and Thresher Maws, etc. with your own guns. Most people don't know that Mako's kills are only 1/3 of the XP you would normally get. For example, at level 40, a Thresher Maw brings in 1400xp. With the mako, you get between 1/3 and 1/2 of that xp. Same goes for everything else.
I'm obsessive compulsive, I always need to find "the best the best the best the best the best the best the best the best" even though it's not a multiplayer game where any of that actually matters (though I have been known to do it in multiplayer games as well).
Oh that brings up something else. What's with these power listings saying "Accuracy Cost"? Are you telling me my special abilities on their sometimes lengthy timers are going to make it so I can't hit the broadside of a barn, and how long does that last? I was planning on going Pistol, Lift some guys once in range, throw, then shotty anyone that's left.
Oh that brings up something else. What's with these power listings saying "Accuracy Cost"? Are you telling me my special abilities on their sometimes lengthy timers are going to make it so I can't hit the broadside of a barn, and how long does that last? I was planning on going Pistol, Lift some guys once in range, throw, then shotty anyone that's left.
It just makes your crosshair expand a little after you use it. Just like if you'd fired your gun. And you'll regain that accuracy the same way, just by not moving or firing or crouching.
It's really not that big a deal or very noticeable.
Ah that's good. So do people suggest I play through without putting points in charm/intimidate? As a Vanguard what should I be maxing?
Right now I'm looking at
* Pistols 12
* Shotguns at least 8
* Tactical Armor at least 8
* Assault Training 12
* Throw at least 8
* Lift 7
* Warp 12
* Barrier at least 7
* Specilization Class: Shock Trooper/Nemesis 12
* Charm 0
* Intimidate 0
* Spectre Training 12
Right now I don't know if I should go Shock or Nem and I know there's something wrong with the above layout, so tell me what I did wrong.
Yeah, I'd say charm or intimidate is good to have.
If you're going to be obsessively min/maxing and care absolutely nothing for more options, go ahead. But it opens up new and more interesting ways to tackle some quests and lets you avoid some fights. Sometimes in the most awesome ways possible.
Also, some quests give more XP and moneys if you resolve it using charm or intimidate.
I'm obsessive about having access to every sidequest so I probably leveled Charm and Intimidate (and Decryption and Electronics on other party members, for that matter) higher than most.
Well in that case I would need to gut one of my skills, I have no clue which one though.
Spectre training is the most useless, to be honest. I normally only put four points into it because that gets you the first level of Unity, but I barely ever use that.
It's just that its bonuses are relatively small and kind of redundant. By the time you're a high enough level to have maxed out Spectre Training, its bonuses wouldn't much matter.
Bonus skill is only for Level 1's, when you start a whole new character.
When you start over with your existing character, he is as you left him when you ended the game, with everything transfering except the alignment of P or R.
So how do I start a new game with my current character? Am I allowed to choose a bonus skill, or how does this work?
Hit "Start New Career" and then when it asks if you want to enter a new ID or use John Shepard, there should be a new third option that allows you to select an existing character you've made.
* Pistols 12
* Shotguns at least 8
* Tactical Armor 11
* Assault Training 12
* Throw at least 8
* Lift 7
* Warp 12
* Barrier at least 7
* Shock Trooper/Nemesis 12
* Charm/Intimidate ?
* Spectre Training 4
That leaves me 13, assuming my allocations aren't terrible. How much should I have for the first time through. I thought maybe put 4 in, 2 times through and I'm maxed...
I think you're putting way too much thought into this.
You don't need to plan out your awesome build or whatever. You don't need to min/max to be successful in ME. This isn't WoW. No one cares about your build.
Pancake you have the PC version right? How does it run on Vista?
I was thinking of picking it up.
also, because it is easier than capping from my 360 ( which is thousands of miles away) post some cool screenshots. Mass Effect doesnt get nearly enough love for its visuals.
Ah that's good. So do people suggest I play through without putting points in charm/intimidate? As a Vanguard what should I be maxing?
Right now I'm looking at
* Pistols 12
* Shotguns at least 8
* Tactical Armor at least 8
* Assault Training 12
* Throw at least 8
* Lift 7
* Warp 12
* Barrier at least 7
* Specilization Class: Shock Trooper/Nemesis 12
* Charm 0
* Intimidate 0
* Spectre Training 12
Right now I don't know if I should go Shock or Nem and I know there's something wrong with the above layout, so tell me what I did wrong.
Go Shock Trooper for sure. You'll eventually come across/be able to purchase very effective medium armor. Add some decent shield modulators and an exoskeleton and you'll be golden. Max lift tosses groups of enemies into orbit in outdoor areas. If they don't die from post lift gunfire; they'll die on impact from the fall. It's awesome, and you'll never worry about a group of charging Husks/Krogans again.
My only stat point allocation recommendation would be to max out your tactical armor; just for extra protection. You'll be tossing fuckers left and right and not even worry about casting barrier around level 30-35.
Do the ally achievements require the people to join your party, or do you need to actually be actively using them in your squad, it looks like the wiki doesn't say.
As for min/maxing, I just didn't want to invest 12 points into something that all the 360 players already know to be terrible. If I hadn't asked, I wouldn't have even bothered with dialog points.
There are no terrible places to put points. The least value arguably comes from putting too many in Intim/Charm since you get free points there, but otherwise don't worry about "wasting" any and just go with whatever you enjoy when you're playing.
Pancake you have the PC version right? How does it run on Vista?
I was thinking of picking it up.
also, because it is easier than capping from my 360 ( which is thousands of miles away) post some cool screenshots. Mass Effect doesnt get nearly enough love for its visuals.
It runs pretty great. I've been playing at 1680x1050 with all settings maxed at a consistently high framerate. When I get into elevators and enter the Normandy and go through the deconamination process it does get a little choppy as it loads, but that's not really during gameplay so it doesn't bother me. I haven't bothered forcing AA because I never really notice while playing, though.
Posts
Ah, great tip. I found those shadows rather annoying.
See, it works, no ugly shadows:
I have a 8800GTS 512 btw.
But I played it so much on the 360 where you can't really do anything about it.
This took me about an hour to do:
(Planet spoilers)
Youtube Channel!
Guess I'll try reinstalling my video drivers.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
Run it as administrator. The first time the game runs, it needs to write a registry entry, but Vista won't let it and kills the process.
Now that worked.
Thanks.
If you're going for a "perfect" character like me, you don't put any points in your charm or intimidate, because it's a waste of points you need for your skills. Reason for it is that you gain four points every time you max out Paragon or Renegade, and playing the game for 3 times, means you max it out on the final playthrough when you max your P or R (you gain one at specific percentage, at 100% you should have gotten 4 points total, this adds up in subsequent playthroughs).
Everything else, is how you want it, skill wise. What helps, etc.
Finish it. It's worth it. The DLC will give you a reason to go back through it and get your character to 60 if you didn't plan on playing it again.
Ok, thanks, just what I wanted to know.
Now, as I mentioned in the last thread I thought of going Vanguard, but I get no Assault Rifle. So I thought I would play through until I unlock the AR skill and then play for real. Everyone keeps raving about pistols though, what makes them so great?
EDIT Also, still wondering about total talents points at 60.
Pistols are accurate and powerful. They don't fire as fast as an AR and tend not to be able to fire as many shots before overheating, but they can tear enemies apart at a pretty quick clip. If you don't have the AR skill, the pistol is your all-rounder and it's a very versatile and powerful one.
And you get, I think, 107 talent points by level 60.
Also what is the verdict on barrier as a Vanguard, and is it better to be able o soak up damage as Shock Trooper or have a Nemesis kill stuff with Biotics faster? I have no way of knowing how Squishy Medium armored players are.
EDIT Also I am dumb for not mentioning this sooner. Pannycakes, this was a wonderfully done OP,
Good call. It helped, but not much...now the game will start, I'll get the logo screen, then it goes to black. Oddly, if I open up Task Manager, it lists Mass Effect twice, one of them Not Responding, and my CPU usage is up near 100%
I'll try running in a window, then I'll delve into the murky depths of the official forum.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
I started out as a soldier to get a feel for the game. However the biotics looks very interesting, as does the engineer.
Which one do you guys think is the most fun overall class?
Disclaimer: I'm on the 360, and I like FPSes.
The biotics looks cool but the recharge timers don't look too fun.
It unlocked the Sniper rifle for me.
Instead of taking him from 50 to 60, I rolled a new game with an Adept, who's bonus (as I unlocked it with the infiltrator) trait was Sniper.
The character is really, beyond overpowered. Playing Infiltrator and getting a glimpse of what Liara could do made me realize just how overpowered the biotics are in the endgame, and it makes sense, after all, they spent a lot of time coming up with force powers that weren't force powers, of course those would be the interesting ones.
In the end, with the proper equipment and proper bonuses and talents, you get six biotic powers, with a cooldown of about 20 seconds each. 20 seconds in a fight passes really quickly, especially since it's 6x20, just using them all up takes about 10 seconds.
And when they're all mastered, they're some really fucky stuff.
I had a choice between two tactics. Either take the Assault Rifle as a bonus or take the Sniper as a bonus. Taking either one means having different tactics at your disposal, and because every class has access to pistols (which I found were real powerful in the endgame), I went with the Sniper so I would have the added benefit of extra tactics, which is to shoot from really far away.
And you really need a sniper if you're going to not be using the Mako to kill EVERYTHING throughout the entire game and get the max XP possible, which means taking on Colossus Armatures and Thresher Maws, etc. with your own guns. Most people don't know that Mako's kills are only 1/3 of the XP you would normally get. For example, at level 40, a Thresher Maw brings in 1400xp. With the mako, you get between 1/3 and 1/2 of that xp. Same goes for everything else.
I'm obsessive compulsive, I always need to find "the best the best the best the best the best the best the best the best" even though it's not a multiplayer game where any of that actually matters (though I have been known to do it in multiplayer games as well).
It just makes your crosshair expand a little after you use it. Just like if you'd fired your gun. And you'll regain that accuracy the same way, just by not moving or firing or crouching.
It's really not that big a deal or very noticeable.
Right now I'm looking at
* Pistols 12
* Shotguns at least 8
* Tactical Armor at least 8
* Assault Training 12
* Throw at least 8
* Lift 7
* Warp 12
* Barrier at least 7
* Specilization Class: Shock Trooper/Nemesis 12
* Charm 0
* Intimidate 0
* Spectre Training 12
Right now I don't know if I should go Shock or Nem and I know there's something wrong with the above layout, so tell me what I did wrong.
If you're going to be obsessively min/maxing and care absolutely nothing for more options, go ahead. But it opens up new and more interesting ways to tackle some quests and lets you avoid some fights. Sometimes in the most awesome ways possible.
Also, some quests give more XP and moneys if you resolve it using charm or intimidate.
EDIT How much charm do I need then?
Spectre training is the most useless, to be honest. I normally only put four points into it because that gets you the first level of Unity, but I barely ever use that.
It's just that its bonuses are relatively small and kind of redundant. By the time you're a high enough level to have maxed out Spectre Training, its bonuses wouldn't much matter.
When you start over with your existing character, he is as you left him when you ended the game, with everything transfering except the alignment of P or R.
Hit "Start New Career" and then when it asks if you want to enter a new ID or use John Shepard, there should be a new third option that allows you to select an existing character you've made.
It won't let you add a bonus talent, though.
* Pistols 12
* Shotguns at least 8
* Tactical Armor 11
* Assault Training 12
* Throw at least 8
* Lift 7
* Warp 12
* Barrier at least 7
* Shock Trooper/Nemesis 12
* Charm/Intimidate ?
* Spectre Training 4
That leaves me 13, assuming my allocations aren't terrible. How much should I have for the first time through. I thought maybe put 4 in, 2 times through and I'm maxed...
You don't need to plan out your awesome build or whatever. You don't need to min/max to be successful in ME. This isn't WoW. No one cares about your build.
I was thinking of picking it up.
also, because it is easier than capping from my 360 ( which is thousands of miles away) post some cool screenshots. Mass Effect doesnt get nearly enough love for its visuals.
My only stat point allocation recommendation would be to max out your tactical armor; just for extra protection. You'll be tossing fuckers left and right and not even worry about casting barrier around level 30-35.
As for min/maxing, I just didn't want to invest 12 points into something that all the 360 players already know to be terrible. If I hadn't asked, I wouldn't have even bothered with dialog points.
It runs pretty great. I've been playing at 1680x1050 with all settings maxed at a consistently high framerate. When I get into elevators and enter the Normandy and go through the deconamination process it does get a little choppy as it loads, but that's not really during gameplay so it doesn't bother me. I haven't bothered forcing AA because I never really notice while playing, though.
And you want cool screenshots? Okay, I suppose.
They're pretty big, though.