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Mass Effect - Use spoiler tags for ME2 information.

Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho HoDisconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
edited January 2010 in Games and Technology
Mass Effect to be released on January 26. No specific confirmation, but there is reason to believe the 360 and PC version will hit the shelves at the same time.


Here's the old OP.
Going to reserve this space for ME2 info. Relevant ME1 info added as needed.


New Mass Effect 2 website.
Age verification required.

Two years have passed since the events of the first Mass Effect game. Galactic Apocalypse has been thwarted, but now, a new threat has emerged…

Human colonies have begun to disappear and it is up to Shepard to find out what is causing the disappearances and assemble a team to put a stop to it.

Mass Effect 2 will feature new worlds and locations, new weapons, new skills, and new characters to continue the story of Alliance Systems Navy Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre. The shadowy organisation Cerberus will play a more significant role in the sequel as Shepard is compelled to join forces with them to make the mission a success.

Old friends and faces from the first Mass Effect will be able to return, depending upon choices made in the original, and there are many new ones that will either join with Shepard or attempt to hinder the mission.

Along with a larger selection of weapons compared to the first game, a new class will be introduced. Shepard and company will now be able to wield rocket launchers and other high-damage, high-satisfaction weapons. Ejectable heat sinks have been added to allow players to continue firing during hectic combat without being required to wait for the weapon to cool down normally.

So far, two new alien races have been introduced. The drell and the vorcha. Not much is known about the drell outside of recruitable character Thane, but there has been information released about the vorcha. Other races are planned as more details come to light.



And now a few frequently asked questions explained:


How will I be able to import my Shepard?

Exact details about how this will work have not been released. However, due to experience with how it works in Mass Effect, it is expected that the game will search for data files from the first game to load a list of Shepards that have completed the game. This data is not the same as the possibly many save files you may already have, so unless you are certain about which ones are gamestate saves and which ones are not, the best advice is to keep everything around until more specific information is available.


Will Character So-and-So return?/Will my love interest return?

Any characters that survived to the end of the first game will make an appearance in Mass Effect 2. This includes whomever you may have chosen as your love interest. So far, only Tali has been confirmed as a party member, but it has not been confirmed that any other ME1 character will be actual team members. Shepard must recruit the ‘best of the best’ to fill out the team and original members may not meet necessary criteria. Or, it may just be they might not wish to join depending upon who is already on the team. Exactly how many you may recruit from and the maximum potential teammates has not yet been confirmed. [strike]Though twelve is a number that has been mentioned.[/strike] (BioWare as apparently removed any reference to the number twelve in relation to recruitable characters.) Definitely more options than before.


Are elevators still a problem?

The developers have confirmed that they have been working to improve loading times. This includes the ‘hidden’ loading that would happen on elevators. It’s been said that while elevators still exist within the in-game ME universe, they are not expected to be as bad as they were originally.


I don’t like some choices I made in the first game. Can I make alterations to Shepard in the sequel?

To coin a phrase: sort of. No exact details have been released about making changes to imported Shepard characters, but BioWare is aware of such requests and have made comments to the effect that they are working on it. Christina Norman, a lead BioWare developer, stated that it will be possible to switch combat classes upon import.
We have five other great classes in Mass Effect to choose from, and we let you choose your class on import [...]

Whether or not this means a physical appearance change is possible is unknown at this time.


Will there be new combat classes in the game?

No. There will be new skills introduced (such as a new biotic talent: Pull), but the combat classes will remain the same. Adept, Engineer, Soldier and the combination classes Sentinel, Infiltrator, and Vanguard will return.


They’ve said that if Shepard dies, he dies ‘for real’. What does that mean for Mass Effect 3?

It means that the Shepard that dies, is dead. BioWare has stated all along that Mass Effect is the story of Shepard's exploits. Therefore, Shepard must return for Mass Effect 3, even as a ‘canon’ character. The choices you’ll make in ME2 could lead to the death of that Shepard. If you don’t want Shepard to die, make multiple saves or simply start ME2 over again and make different choices.


What if I never played the first Mass Effect. Is there a KOTOR II-style introduction to the events of the first game?

Nobody outside BioWare/EA knows for sure how a ‘tabula rasa’ Mass Effect 2 will begin. Through interviews and message board posts, it is theorised that a combination of canon defaults and user choices will set the stage. But this has yet to be confirmed.


What if I played the first Mass Effect way too many times and I have a level 60 Shepard? Will any of that effort pay off in Mass Effect 2? I don’t want my Shepard to be ‘reset’.

Yes, but that depends. Exactly how an imported Shepard will be plugged into the game is not yet known, but we do know that because of the new skills and how they’ve made some modifications to the combat engine, old skills and skill levels may not work as they did before.

For example, if you had Throw as a skill and maxed it out at 12 points, you will receive some kind of in-game bonus to represent your previous knowledge. But you will not start at level 12 for the skill. The skill reset is to accommodate the new engine, but they will not ignore the effort you’ve put into your character up until now.


One time, I chose to perform action Y instead of action X. Will ME2 recognise this? I’ve played multiple times, how will I know which save to choose?

Yes it will. But the extent of what decisions Shepard made and how they will affect events in ME2 is not yet fully known. BioWare has stated that all choices made are tracked and kept in the numerous end-of-game save lists.

Currently, the ability to start a new game with an ‘old’ Shepard simply lists the first name, the date completed, and the level reached by the character. There is no information on what, if any, differences will appear when selecting a Shepard to import.


The first official FAQ list. (So far, the only official FAQ list...)

A new list FAQs on the BioWare forums:

Casey Hudson blogged some shit. More direct answers so some FAQs.

Preston Watamaniuk, ME Lead Designer, has this to say on New Game+. (Scroll Down).




Courtesy of TychoCelchuuu.

Facebook Page number 1

Facebook Page number 2

Facebook Page number 3


There are also rules to this thread. Please observe them as they will be enforced.
Whilst a Mass Effect thread exists, the probability of a comparison between Ashley Williams to Nazis or Hitler or other fascists approaches 1.
Invariably, discussions must refer to krogans and their reproductive configurations lest anybody forgets.
Repeating a meme as proof of negative criticism is always an option. Especially when necessary to win.
Insisting that the quality of a character is directly related to the familiarity of the voice artist.
The less a character is appreciated by an individual, the more insistent the argument that the character is universally bad for all.
Demanding that a favourite character or character-type will trigger potential seduction scenarios.
The sooner a player discovers a favourite combat class, the louder the insistence of its superiority.
Belief that any event which provides a choice, provides no actionable choices at all.


Useful checklist of ME1 locations and mission requirements.

Having problems with the Pinnacle Station DLC on the 360? Here is the thread at the Official Forums talking about it.


Problems with Therum in the first Mass Effect? Solution in the spoiler.
Hey! Therum is missing textures!

A PC game with bugs? That's unpossible!

Sadly, many have had issues with the PC version of the game. Obviously, make sure you have the latest drivers available. And while we're happy to help in this thread, contacting 'official' support personnel may have better results.

Here is a link to a list of issues the Steam version may have in general.

But this seems to work best for the Therum issue:
The solution is usually quite simple - without doing anything else after landing on Therum - save your game, exit, go to the Steam\steamapps\common\mass effect\Binaries folder, and run the MassEffectConfig.exe

(if you are running Vista you will first have to right click on this file, and have it run in XP compatibility mode)

Once you run the config file, click on the Repair option, and then click on "Delete Local Shader Cache Files".

Restart the last saved game on Therum, and it should work.

Don't try to manually delete the shader cache files - you shouldn't have to if you use the config tool.
If you find you'd rather delete the files manually, you might have to do it more than once before success.

Though a patch is mentioned as coming soon, we don't know when yet. This may address the issue once and for all.

Santa Claustrophobia on
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Posts

  • ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Ashley, Tali and Wrex are the best 8-)

    That is all

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I saved Ashely.

    I REGRET NOTHING!

    manwiththemachinegun on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Waitin' on this Infiltrator vid coming up soon.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    so Zzulu, if you have the chance to romance Tali will you betray Ashley's trust?

    Egos on
  • SilpheedSilpheed Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I can't wait to see the upcoming Infiltrator and tour of the Normandy II videos.

    Silpheed on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I saved Ashely.

    I REGRET NOTHING!

    he doth protest overmuch

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I saved Ashely.

    I REGRET NOTHING!

    I regret watching my Shepard get violated.... :(

    He was saving himself for the ASARI MATRIACH!!!! I say!

    Egos on
  • ElendilElendil Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Ashley, Kaidan, Wrex, Garrus, and Tali are all pretty okay.

    Elendil on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Does anyone think Grunt has a chance of surviving....y'know considering his name is Grunt?

    Egos on
  • DarlanDarlan Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    I hope the ME2 Krogans will just hate on Ashley and I can tell them, "Hey, I wasn't going to shoot that awesome guy, lynch her."

    Darlan on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...

    Egos on
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I saved Ashely.

    I REGRET NOTHING!

    he doth protest overmuch

    The other choice is less-annoying-Carth-but-still-Carth, what do you expect? Blood from a turnip?

    manwiththemachinegun on
  • DarlanDarlan Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...
    No idea what that means, but it's too late now, I've played far too long past that point now.

    Darlan on
  • ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    so Zzulu, if you have the chance to romance Tali will you betray Ashley's trust?

    Isn't Tali like 14 years old or something, and also she might look like Cthulhu under that faceplate

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...
    No idea what that means, but it's too late now, I've played far too long past that point now.

    He has missing family armor, if you search one of the planets you can find it and he will side with you on Virmire without having high persuade or intimidate.

    Egos on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Zzulu wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    so Zzulu, if you have the chance to romance Tali will you betray Ashley's trust?

    Isn't Tali like 14 years old or something, and also she might look like Cthulhu under that faceplate

    Shes actually 24....

    tbh I think they upped her age because of the creepy/obsessive threads of many men expressing their love for her and her thighs...

    I swear there have been like 100s of them...its kinda creepy imo...like a constant stream of "Tali Love" threads for the past 2 years.

    Egos on
  • VarcaynVarcayn Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Varcayn on
  • ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    so Zzulu, if you have the chance to romance Tali will you betray Ashley's trust?

    Isn't Tali like 14 years old or something, and also she might look like Cthulhu under that faceplate

    Shes actually 24....

    tbh I think they upped her age because of the creepy/obsessive threads of many men expressing their love for her and her thighs...

    I swear there have been like 100s of them...its kinda creepy imo...like a constant stream of "Tali Love" threads for the past 2 years.
    I'd do Cthulhu though


    just saying

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    ok I said it before, if they get invisibility.... Infiltrator it is :)

    Egos on
  • ElendilElendil Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    oh my god oh my god

    Elendil on
  • -Tal-Tal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    thank you for that video sir

    -Tal on
    PNk1Ml4.png
  • DarlanDarlan Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...
    No idea what that means, but it's too late now, I've played far too long past that point now.

    He has missing family armor, if you search one of the planets you can find it and he will side with you on Virmire without having high persuade or intimidate.
    Oooh, thanks.

    That part was the weirdest, most uncharacteristically Bioware thing in the whole game. It's like a JRPG, but instead being forced to save a people no matter what you have to do the opposite.



    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Uh, no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Still no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >No, I am not fucking Hitler.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >I SAID NO!!!

    Would you like to kill this guy and basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Jesus Christ, I just want to play the game, fine already!

    Darlan on
  • ElendilElendil Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm going to start ME2 as a Vanguard, play for an hour, then stop and start another game and play as an Infiltrator

    can't I have you both, indeed

    Elendil on
  • ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    yay cloak

    Now it just needs a space sword so my space fantasy of being a space ninja can be realized

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...
    No idea what that means, but it's too late now, I've played far too long past that point now.

    He has missing family armor, if you search one of the planets you can find it and he will side with you on Virmire without having high persuade or intimidate.
    Oooh, thanks.

    That part was the weirdest, most uncharacteristically Bioware thing in the whole game. It's like a JRPG, but instead being forced to save a people no matter what you have to do the opposite.



    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Uh, no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Still no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >No, I am not fucking Hitler.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >I SAID NO!!!

    Would you like to kill this guy and basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Jesus Christ, I just want to play the game, fine already!

    What Saren has going on on Virmire is not a cure. It is not 'basically' doing anything.

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Zzulu wrote: »
    yay cloak

    Now it just needs a space sword so my space fantasy of being a space ninja can be realized

    yes..I would be completely sold if they didn't focus so much on "setting up the perfect sniper shot"...

    yes I basically want to be the Siren from Borderlands.. :(

    Egos on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Egos wrote: »
    Darlan wrote: »
    Nooo. I thought I'd do a playthorugh of the PC version of ME1 for a save file to use in ME2 but I didn't put enough points in persuade to save Wrex. :cry:

    You know you could have just gotten his armor...
    No idea what that means, but it's too late now, I've played far too long past that point now.

    He has missing family armor, if you search one of the planets you can find it and he will side with you on Virmire without having high persuade or intimidate.
    Oooh, thanks.

    That part was the weirdest, most uncharacteristically Bioware thing in the whole game. It's like a JRPG, but instead being forced to save a people no matter what you have to do the opposite.



    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Uh, no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Still no.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >No, I am not fucking Hitler.

    Would you like to basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >I SAID NO!!!

    Would you like to kill this guy and basically commit genocide by destroying the cure?
    >Jesus Christ, I just want to play the game, fine already!

    See, it wasn't well conveyed, but it's not actually a cure is the thing. Maybe Taky or Biru can corroborate, but I believe what they were trying to get across was that Saren was just cloning Krogan to be even more aggressive slave/shock troops. It didn't actually make them any more capable of breeding.

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Haha...I ike how they've made the Krogan charge attack even more of an "oh shit" moment. Also, Infiltrator's cloak skill looks awesome, that was what they needed in the first game really.

    Dragkonias on
  • BlackDoveBlackDove Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Bullet time for snipers.

    Not bad.

    Also, casual.

    BlackDove on
  • KoolaidguyKoolaidguy Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Zzulu wrote: »
    yay cloak

    My old Shepard was a soldier so i'm going to have to wait untill after my first run before I can cloak my way to success. Still at least i'll get bullet time.

    Koolaidguy on
  • DarlanDarlan Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    See, it wasn't well conveyed, but it's not actually a cure is the thing. Maybe Taky or Biru can corroborate, but I believe what they were trying to get across was that Saren was just cloning Krogan to be even more aggressive slave/shock troops. It didn't actually make them any more capable of breeding.

    Oh, I interpreted it as a "if you join up with Saren you get the cure" kind of thing, thanks.

    Darlan on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Pretty cool, but not swayed from my original choice. Engineer it is.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Koolaidguy wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    yay cloak

    My old Shepard was a soldier so i'm going to have to wait untill after my first run before I can cloak my way to success. Still at least i'll get bullet time.

    wait....did I miss a bullet time video? Did I also miss what adepts end up getting?

    Egos on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    Koolaidguy wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    yay cloak

    My old Shepard was a soldier so i'm going to have to wait untill after my first run before I can cloak my way to success. Still at least i'll get bullet time.

    wait....did I miss a bullet time video? Did I also miss what adepts end up getting?

    There's been no Soldier video yet, but we know Soldiers get Adrenaline Rush which is

    Well. Bullet time.

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • -Tal-Tal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    dammit

    I'm going to have to switch out Sentinel for the dumbfiltrator now

    -Tal on
    PNk1Ml4.png
  • VarcaynVarcayn Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    Koolaidguy wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    yay cloak

    My old Shepard was a soldier so i'm going to have to wait untill after my first run before I can cloak my way to success. Still at least i'll get bullet time.

    wait....did I miss a bullet time video? Did I also miss what adepts end up getting?

    Adept video here.

    Varcayn on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    -Tal wrote: »
    dammit

    I'm going to have to switch out Sentinel for the dumbfiltrator now

    Turning your back on your people, for shame.

    Egos on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Thanks to our short global cooldowns, you can cloak multiple times in each fight. This makes cloak feel like a core part of how an infiltrator fights, and not just an emergency defensive ability.

    wait

    cool

    I like this

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I will say it is nice that all these other characters are getting abilities that make them suck less when compared to Vanguards. Good show, Bioware.

    @Zetectic: Yeah, cooldowns are generally faster in ME2, to allow more aggressive use of your powers.

    Dragkonias on
  • -Tal-Tal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Egos wrote: »
    -Tal wrote: »
    dammit

    I'm going to have to switch out Sentinel for the dumbfiltrator now

    Turning your back on your people, for shame.

    I may be swayed back to my second love, the soldier. I have to see this bullet time first.

    -Tal on
    PNk1Ml4.png
This discussion has been closed.