Mass Effect for PC!!

[Char Ell]

Sounds like BioWare's plan is to include the patch with the BDtS add-on

From BioWare technical producer Derek French

We are working on both the update and the BDtS content. The current plan is to include the update in with the BDtS installer, as well as have the update available on its own.

None of this is final as we are still working on the final content and file sizes

[RC-1162]

I got this game a few days back and just installed it. However before i start playing, can anyone tell me if the devs have removed (or plan to) the 3-activation limit?

[Ztalker]

Just bought it as well.

I give it 9/10 in every possible thing, but there's one thing bothering me:

My character only uses pistols and shotguns. Why the hell is he required to wear a sniper rifle and a machine gun as well? It would be nice if those were unequipable...it looks blatantly ugly this way

[Rogue Nine]

Yes, that annoyed me as well, so I just took to wearing rifles that matched the color scheme of whatever armor I was wearing at the time. xD

[Char Ell]

Originally Posted by RC-1162

I got this game a few days back and just installed it. However before i start playing, can anyone tell me if the devs have removed (or plan to) the 3-activation limit?

No plans that I've heard of. I'm sure it will happen at some point down the road but I'm pretty sure it won't happen until MEPC has been out for at least a year.

Originally Posted by Ztalker

My character only uses pistols and shotguns. Why the hell is he required to wear a sniper rifle and a machine gun as well? It would be nice if those were unequipable...it looks blatantly ugly this way

BioWare wanted to leave something they could use to improve the gameplay experience in Mass Effect 2?

[Ztalker]

Char Ell wrote:
BioWare wanted to leave something they could use to improve the gameplay experience in Mass Effect 2?

Your sarcasm wins. Worst part is that you're probably right too

I heared rumours they were considering Melee weapons and dual wielding pistols for the sequal. Unless you want to drag a Kyle Katarnish load of weapons with you (inrealistic) they'll have to fix this.

But still. The coolness of my character...several scars, the stubble, the shotgun, the pistol...he was supposed to be somekind of Space cowboy/Clint Eastwood. Not a frickin tank!

@Rogue Nine:
That's probably the best solution...but I still find it sucky...I sometimes accidentally grab for a machinegun...

[Jason Skywalker]

Yay, i got it! Won't install now though, not much space.

[Tysyacha]

Right now, I'm stuck in an even worse place than before--the game is unplayable!

Anybody else besides me getting "general protection fault" errors?!?

[Char Ell]

Yah. I started getting them right at the beginning of Noveria, after 30+ hours of gameplay. I have an NVIDIA graphics card and was using Forceware 169.21 drivers at the time. I installed the 175.19 drivers and that took care of the problem, though I did end up getting a couple of GPF's after that. I could get a GPF to generate just by reading a specific codex entry, though I forgot what entry that was. Anyway, I thought it rather strange that MEPC started hitting GPF's after playing so long.

[Mr Roboto]

I'm in the same boat as Char Ell. I was fine until about 10 hours in. Tried all sorts of different drivers (official, beta, beta with modded inf files) and I still get them. My fix was to play the God of War series until a patch is available.

[Bee Hoon]

Just started it, and I'm reasonably happy with how my Shepard looks. My brain keeps screaming "Carthhhh!" every time Kaidan says something, and at the train station, I ran out of medpacks completely and finished that bit with almost zilch health *sigh* Poor Kaidan keeps dropping dead too:P

It crashes waaaay too much:/

Edit: The Blue Screen of Death makes me a very sad bunny.

[Jason Skywalker]

Installed it, plays out very bad but i was expecting it. There aren't many good Shepard faces, probably only the original. My Shepard looked too old for a 30 year old guy.

I'm liking it so far though. Not gonna play for a while because of the performance.

[Rogue Nine]

I have a fairly up-to-date system and it still gives me the blue screen of death on occasion. Blame Nvidia for their wonderful drivers that like to crash every half hour or so. :/

[SpaceAlex]

Originally Posted by Rogue Nine

I have a fairly up-to-date system and it still gives me the blue screen of death on occasion. Blame Nvidia for their wonderful drivers that like to crash every half hour or so. :/

I've got an Nvidia card and no problems with any games. Not really sure if the drivers are to blame, sir. Of course, if you've got one of those older cards (GF 7 -), the drivers might be a problem. Corporate companies are known to "forget" about older cards when they release new ones.

[Bee Hoon]

I'm completely hooked though, despite the crashes. Never thought I would enjoy a shooter!:P

[Ztalker]

Hmmm...first Mass Effect crash today. Exactly what the others said, after about 10 hours of play. Haven't started it since, but it can't be bad luck, it seems.

Anyways...has anyone played the 'Rogue VI' mission yet?
All planets were looking the same to me, but then this mission came along. Excellent. Most excellent! Let's just say you'll travel to a planet we know all to well

[stoffe]

Originally Posted by Ztalker

Hmmm...first Mass Effect crash today. Exactly what the others said, after about 10 hours of play. Haven't started it since, but it can't be bad luck, it seems.

Anyways...has anyone played the 'Rogue VI' mission yet?
All planets were looking the same to me, but then this mission came along. Excellent. Most excellent! Let's just say you'll travel to a planet we know all to well

That assignment was fun, and you got a prestige class (or whatever to call it) as reward for your trouble. Anyone geeky enough to translate the binary code you get broadcast at the end into ASCII?

Still, as you say they could certainly have used a bit more variation on the base interiors, but it doesn't bother me that much. I just think of them as cheap, mass-produced, prefabricated planetary shelters that gets used everywhere, resulting in similar architecture.

[Char Ell]

Originally Posted by stoffe

That assignment was fun, and you got a prestige class (or whatever to call it) as reward for your trouble. Anyone geeky enough to translate the binary code you get broadcast at the end into ASCII?

No, but I'm interested in knowing if you're willing to share.

[Salzella]

I want this game so much. It hurts.

But my 'rig' can't run it... *weep*

[Bee Hoon]

Do not like combat in the Mako >.> Rescued Liara, and *spoilerish* got killed by the krogan battlemaster REPEATEDLY *end spoiler*

[Q]

Originally Posted by SpaceAlex

I've got an Nvidia card and no problems with any games. Not really sure if the drivers are to blame, sir. Of course, if you've got one of those older cards (GF 7 -), the drivers might be a problem. Corporate companies are known to "forget" about older cards when they release new ones.

It has to do with the GF-8 and possibly the -9 and GT200 series. There is much rage about it on the tech forums, as Nvidia's drivers only seem to "magically" improve whenever ATI's performance starts to encroach on their dominance. Since the introduction of the truly competitive 48xx series by ATI, we probably won't hear too much more about it, as it probably kicked Nvidia's driver team into high gear.

[igyman]

I've finished the game a couple of days ago. I agree that most of the side-quest planets look the same and what's worse, I've noticed indigenous life on only three of them. Thankfully, this is the biggest flaw of this game - the story is pretty good, the graphics are great (though for some reason the lights and door switches tend to get strangely blurry when seen from a distance, while the graphics settings are maxed out). There are definitely bugs that need to be worked on, but the game is still good enough for me to play it a second time.

[Pavlos]

Source

The downloadable content, Bring Down the Sky, for BioWare's Mass Effect is now available for PC. Free for registered users and available in English, French, Italian, and German, the download adds ninety minutes of content to the game.

A batarian extremist group has hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only you, and the hand-picked crew of the Normandy, can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

[Da_Man_2423]

Originally Posted by igyman

I've finished the game a couple of days ago. I agree that most of the side-quest planets look the same and what's worse, I've noticed indigenous life on only three of them. Thankfully, this is the biggest flaw of this game - the story is pretty good, the graphics are great (though for some reason the lights and door switches tend to get strangely blurry when seen from a distance, while the graphics settings are maxed out). There are definitely bugs that need to be worked on, but the game is still good enough for me to play it a second time.

Supposedly for Mass Effect 2 the side-quests won't all resemble each other.

Bring Down the Sky was awesome on the 360. Must download.

[Arátoeldar]

Originally Posted by Pavlos

Source

The downloadable content, Bring Down the Sky, for BioWare's Mass Effect is now available for PC. Free for registered users and available in English, French, Italian, and German, the download adds ninety minutes of content to the game.

I wonder if you have to be online to play BDtS. You certainly had to be online to play any of the NWN Premium modules.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Originally Posted by Arátoeldar

I wonder if you have to be online to play BDtS. You certainly had to be online to play any of the NWN Premium modules.

Considering how that worked out on the 360, I'd seriously doubt this. Just download and play offline.

[mimartin]

Originally Posted by stoffe

Anyone geeky enough to translate the binary code you get broadcast at the end into ASCII?

I'm not geeky enough to translate it, but I was geeky enough to go looking for the answer when I was playing Mass Effect.

spoiler:

Help

I was disappointed with the results, but it made me wonder if the system was really AI and not VI.

Originally Posted by Da_Man_2423

Bring Down the Sky was awesome on the 360. Must download.

QFT

Bring Down the Sky is how all side missions should be. This is the best quest in the game by far and I highly recommend downloading it especially since it is free. I would advise doing BDtS at a higher level and think carefully about your reward before choosing it. Exploring the landscape can produce some high level equipment. Have fun and Talk Hard! There are a couple of movie and TV show references in BDtS and “Talk Hard” is one of them.

[SpaceAlex]

I just finished the add-on mission, and I agree that it's the best side quest in the game. It took me exactly 2 hours from start to finish, which is quite long for a side quest. Now, if only every other assignment in the game was half as fun as this add-on, I would probably start worshiping the game.

[stoffe]

Originally Posted by mimartin

I was disappointed with the results, but it made me wonder if the system was really AI and not VI.

Probably; the general theme in the game seems to be that everything taking place in labs and restricted facilities is shady, fishy business that in some way violates galactic law. Wouldn't be surprising if they did some secret AI research there.

In particular since most VIs in the game (so far) appears to be dumb as a rock, while that one was actively trying to foil you.

Originally Posted by mimartin

Bring Down the Sky is how all side missions should be. This is the best quest in the game by far and I highly recommend downloading it especially since it is free.

I've downloaded and installed it, but haven't tried it yet. Should probably get to level 50 first before I do.

[mimartin]

Originally Posted by stoffe

I've downloaded and installed it, but haven't tried it yet. Should probably get to level 50 first before I do.

Don't need to be that high, but the higher the level the better the reward.

[Char Ell]

^^^
So what is the minimum level you recommend that Shepherd achieve before playing BDtS? I think I'm in the upper 30's at this point in my 2nd time playing through MEPC.

[mimartin]

Originally Posted by Char Ell

^^^
So what is the minimum level you recommend that Shepherd achieve before playing BDtS? I think I'm in the upper 30's at this point in my 2nd time playing through MEPC.

I can't remember the exact cut off for the rewards, but upper 30's should be high enough for the challenge of anything you will face in BDtS. If you are asking minimum level to do it without worrying about the reward then you can do it as soon as you get command. I’ve completed it that early on hardcore, but that is how I found the quality of reward was dependant on level.

Anyone on their first playthrough I would suggest going to another planet first just to get use to the Mako’s controls. BDtS offers some new challenges to the standard turrets battles.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

I've downloaded it, but I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet since I'm right in the middle of Noveria and want to finish there first before I start it. I'm really looking forward to it.

[Emperor Devon]

Originally Posted by mimartin

Don't need to be that high, but the higher the level the better the reward.

...to use against the enemies who are scaled to fit your level, and the rewards that come with it?

[Miltiades]

Ugh, still on smallband 'till tomorrow, so no "Bring Down The Sky" for me yet. Looking forward to it, though, I stopped playing through my second playthrough waiting for the add-on.

[Char Ell]

I thought BDtS was pretty good. I liked seeing Batarians in the game and since I'm on a Renegade play through I was pleasantly surprised that the Renegade choice available in BDtS netted me 25 Renegade points.