Topic: |||THE ULTIMATE MASS EFFECT 1 THREAD|||

[MysterD]

So far my experience was pretty smooth. The DRM in MEPC is non-intrusive and I don't need a disc in the drive!

That's good.

It is agreeable that their 'no revoke' system is pretty shitty.

One-time activation is annoying, but I could actually deal w/ that.

When they have install limits and allow for no revokes, that's it -- no, I won't pay $30-40 for it. That stuff looks like Bargain Bin prices, at best ($20 or less).

At least w/ STEAM, you can only run ONE copy of the game at once -- regardless of what PC you're actually running the game on, since STEAM only cares about the player's ONE account running their copy of the game; nothing more. That makes more sense to me than the "3-install lifetime" limit. And we all know how much I don't care for STEAM's activation system, yet that sounds more logical than a 3-time lifetime install crap.

[MysterD]

Bluesnews report on MEPC issues w/ the game's DRM.

Mass Effect DRM Issues? [June 18, 2008, 9:59 pm ET] - Viewing Comments

The Mass Effect Community Forums have word on issues with the SecuROM copy protection in the PC edition of Mass Effect. Users have run into issues with the software allowing only three activations, and some users have expressed concern over how the software seems to want to "phone home" via the internet, though reports in this area are a bit vague. Thanks Mike Martinez, Simprograms, and Slashdot.

From Bioware's Boards:
Some people having more issues w/ the limited-install number b/c of the DRM -- b/c of hardware and software changing

[scottws]

I'm considering typing a formal letter to EA stating that I fully intend to pirate their games until they remove or relax their DRM strategy, but I don't know if that's a great idea.  I guess there is nothing illegal about saying you are going to do something illegal in this case, but I still am not a fan of the idea of them having possession of a physical letter with my name and address stating so.

Thoughts?

[iPPi]

Has anyone actually finished this?  I ask because I have a terrible feeling the main game is really really short for an RPG.

The main story itself is actually not that lengthy.  The side missions add a lot more length to the game though.

Still, I think the main mission is probably about 15 hours is length or so... hard to say.

[Cobra951]

I'm considering typing a formal letter to EA stating that I fully intend to pirate their games until they remove or relax their DRM strategy, but I don't know if that's a great idea.  I guess there is nothing illegal about saying you are going to do something illegal in this case, but I still am not a fan of the idea of them having possession of a physical letter with my name and address stating so.

Thoughts?

Not sure.  That's one for a full-fledged lawyer.  Is the declared intent to commit a crime itself either a crime, or actionable in civil court?  I'd simply tell them that I have no intention of ever buying games with such draconian DRM.  Let them infer intent to pirate from that if they wish.

[gpw11]

I probably wouldn't personally, just to play it on the safe side.  You never know with these new and draconian (what?) copyright laws.

Anyways, I just beat this and the last hour or so of the game was awesomely intense.  I ended up logging something like 30 hours into the game, and probably could have done more if the sidequests didn't get so repetitive. The main game was well worth the price though and I fully plan to throw down on the sequel.

The only think I didn't really like is that the PC control scheme isn't really all that great.  Specifically, I found the biotic hotkeys difficult to use in the middle of a battle (and for whatever reason the game wouldn't let me bind any of the hot keys to an extra mouse button). I don't know how you could go about fixing that, but perhaps having it set up the same way, but also have something going where one button acts as the activation for a specific 'active' biotic power and another to open up a simplified menu to switch that power. The hot keys could still remain, but I could also just hit a button instinctively when some motherfucker got all up in my face.

[Cobra951]

I probably wouldn't personally, just to play it on the safe side.  You never know with these new and draconian (what?) copyright laws.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/draconian   

[MysterD]

Draconian = EA, Securom Internet Edition, StarForce and STEAM.

[gpw11]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/draconian   

Haha, it's interesting because in my mind I've always thought "Draconian" meant old fashioned AND harsh.  The "(What?)" was to represent the contradiction I thought existed between "new" and "draconian".  Turns out I had the definition of the word wrong anyways - old fashioned has nothing to do with it.

Thanks, we learn something new every day.

[Cobra951]

To be completely honest, I knew what it meant, but I did not understand why.  I thought it referred to dragons.  I.e., if you disobey, they will set you ablaze and devour you.   

[Quemaqua]

That's funny, I never knew the exact definition either.  It's one of those things that just seemed to make sense in terms of the word and the context to the point where I never even bothered to question the actual definition.

[MysterD]

Patch 1.01 and Bring Down The Sky DLC Released for MEPC

Patch 1.01
Patch 1.01 Released for MEPC.
It's a 35 MB download.

Update 1.01

    * added some infrastructure support for additional downloadable content
    * updated the image of the Batarian race in the codex
    * fixed an issue where the center channel for hardware audio wouldn't play correctly sometimes
    * fixed an issue where the hardware mouse pointer would disappear when first selected
    * fixed an issue where Shepard did not auto-crouch when entering cover in some places
    * fixed a tool-tip indicating a game restart is needed before enabling hardware or software audio if the option was changed
    * fixed an issue where ambient conversation would not be heard from rear speakers sometimes
    * fixed a text string to make it clearer on how to exit a vehicle
    * fixed a text string so the tool top for dragging the map is clearer in French languages builds

Mass Effect Configuration Utility

    * fixed a crash running on certain multi-core AMD systems
    * fixed an issue where video RAM was not being reported properly on certain cards

Worldwide
English (World Wide except Eastern Europe), Spanish, French, Italian & German (34.8 MB)

Bring Down The Sky DLC Released for MEPC Owners
MEPC owners can now get Bring Down The Sky DLC for MEPC, as long as they register their CD key with Bioware/EA.
The DLC is around 310 MB

[Xessive]

Sweet!

[Xessive]

Hmm, apparently the patch doesn't really fix anything major; just some minor cosmetic issues while ignoring the major cosmetic issues, e.g. Garrus' low res textures.

[gpw11]

Fuck!  That was a huge eyesore.

[Xessive]

Apparently there was a minor update to the recently released patch: Click Here for  v1.01a.

There is no mention on Gamer's Hell as to what was amended exactly; maybe on the official forums.

[MysterD]

Mass Effect for the X360 will get a Two-Disc Edition Re-Release next month -- which will come Bring Down The Sky and all kinds of other extras.

Mass Effect Two-Disc Edition coming in February

January 17th, 2009 @ 22:01

US retailer Gamestop is advertising a new Mass Effect Two-Disc Edition SKU to be released on February 10.

Aside from the game disc you’ll be getting a documentary, game trailers, music, design galleries and the Bring Down the Sky downloadable content. All for a paltry $19.99.

We’ll check next week to see if this will be coming to Europe.

By Mike Bowden

[Quemaqua]

Holy shit.  That's like... super tempting.

[wizall]

I am all over that.

[Cobra951]

I got my RRoD while playing ME, and I never went back to it.  I'm not consciously blaming the game.  Don't know what made me stay away exactly.  Now I wish I'd never bought it, seeing the much better deal coming up.

[wizall]

That's interesting, Cobra.  GTA4 was the game I was playing when I got my RRoD, and I haven't played it since.  I hadn't realized until just now.  I wonder if it's an unconscious superstitious thing. 

[Cobra951]

Yeah.  I thought the the same thing.  Superstitious behavior is supposed to be caused by random events coinciding with some action, at least according to some animal studies.  I guess we're the lab rats.  Let's dance for those food pellets.

[MysterD]

I got my RRoD while playing ME, and I never went back to it.  I'm not consciously blaming the game.  Don't know what made me stay away exactly.  Now I wish I'd never bought it, seeing the much better deal coming up.

What Bioware SHOULD do is offer up for free download to gamers who already own ME X360 over XB Live the music, the documentary, and all of that other extra stuff.

Why not? I mean, Witcher owners got Witcher: EE content for free so they didn't have to re-buy the game to get the extra stuff that could be distributed digitally.

[PyroMenace]

Im restarting the game again, with this talk about it all of a sudden I was in the mood for something sci-fi. Im already hooked into it again. The visuals are still striking to see, hopefully Ill get to where I left off quickly.

[MysterD]

New PC patch for MEPC should be in a month or two.
More DLC coming for Mass Effect, as well -- platforms not specified, though.

[scottws]

*Snore*

Let me know when the patch comes out that removes the DRM.  I wish it would hurry up because I want this game.

[MysterD]

*Snore*

Let me know when the patch comes out that removes the DRM.  I wish it would hurry up because I want this game.

Amen to that.
I will let you know when that is actually released...if ever.

[Quemaqua]

So in extreme boredom and frustration today, I bought the game.  Guess we'll found out if I like it or not.  Got it on PC... will probably find a crack for it as soon as it's done installing.

[Xessive]

Hope you enjoy it man!

[scottws]

I did some quick searching and yeah there are cracks out there.  I saw something interesting on one site where there were a bunch of comments about an available torrent and one person claimed they got a DMCA-gram from their ISP due to the torrent in question.  That's the first I've heard of that happening for software.

[MysterD]

So in extreme boredom and frustration today, I bought the game.  Guess we'll found out if I like it or not.  Got it on PC... will probably find a crack for it as soon as it's done installing.

Personally, I think it's pretty good from what I've played so far, myself -- like most of Bioware's RPG's. I should get back into it.

I really dig the extra back-story stuff that you can read (and hear, since it's voice-acted/narrated) about in your Journal/Codex. Adds a lot of flavor to the game and all.

[Quemaqua]

Well, pretty awesome after an hour or two.  Much more intense than past Bioware games, I think, since it feels more immediate with the more actiony feel.  And very engaging right off the bat.  Even though the story seems generic from the box description and such, the way they present it is nice thus far.

[gpw11]

I did some quick searching and yeah there are cracks out there.  I saw something interesting on one site where there were a bunch of comments about an available torrent and one person claimed they got a DMCA-gram from their ISP due to the torrent in question.  That's the first I've heard of that happening for software.

I'm pretty sure i got one from a TV show recently, which I found kind of strange (although I guess it would be the same monitoring groups as movies).  Software kind of just seems like a logical step, and I wouldn't be surprised if the DMCA notices scare the shit out of quite a few people enough to stop them.

[Quemaqua]

So the game is kicking ass.  I'm about 6 hours in, and I can't stop playing it.  If you like sci-fi to any degree at all, I think you pretty much have to play it.  I wasn't expecting such attention to detail.  The world (er... universe?) is surprisingly convincing, and while normally games like this give you a lot of combat and exploration and much less society, thus far I've done practically no combat at all and have spent the majority of the time wandering around the superhugegiant space station they send you to right after the beginning, and I've been doing non-combat quests and such for a good bit.

The graphics are stunning.  There are some unfortunate low points that come up and distract a little, but that's mostly because everything else looks so freaking flawless.  It's amazo at 1280x1024 with everything cranked up, and the fact that there are so many little details makes it seem weird that they overlooked some stuff here and there.  Still, complaining would be pointless.  The game looks (and sounds, most of the time) phenomenal.

Can't wait to put some more time into it tomorrow.  Or I guess later today.  It's about 3:30 in the morning.

[PyroMenace]

Wow, Im surprised its grabbing you like that, I thought you'd be bored to tears at that point of the game since you hated KotoR so much. But who cares, Im glad your enjoying it, the game only gets better after that point, which I even found to be kind of slow.

[MysterD]

Well, pretty awesome after an hour or two.  Much more intense than past Bioware games, I think, since it feels more immediate with the more actiony feel.  And very engaging right off the bat.  Even though the story seems generic from the box description and such, the way they present it is nice thus far.

The action is really good -- especially for an RPG trying to be both a (tactical) third-person action game and a RPG.

I also like the whole "tactical strategy bar" you can bring up when in combat, too -- by hitting Space-Bar.

So the game is kicking ass.  I'm about 6 hours in, and I can't stop playing it.  If you like sci-fi to any degree at all, I think you pretty much have to play it.  I wasn't expecting such attention to detail.  The world (er... universe?) is surprisingly convincing, and while normally games like this give you a lot of combat and exploration and much less society, thus far I've done practically no combat at all and have spent the majority of the time wandering around the superhugegiant space station they send you to right after the beginning, and I've been doing non-combat quests and such for a good bit.

I'm sure someone like you must've loved all the Codex and Journal stuff with all the extra back-story stuff.

The graphics are stunning.  There are some unfortunate low points that come up and distract a little, but that's mostly because everything else looks so freaking flawless.  It's amazo at 1280x1024 with everything cranked up, and the fact that there are so many little details makes it seem weird that they overlooked some stuff here and there.  Still, complaining would be pointless.  The game looks (and sounds, most of the time) phenomenal.

Can't wait to put some more time into it tomorrow.  Or I guess later today.  It's about 3:30 in the morning.

DemiUrge did a pretty good job in porting this -- as the game actually runs well on my PC and 1024x768.

Though, every now and then though, I have had it crash-to-desktop on me; a few times, nothing too often, though. Good thing, like most games that let me save anywhere and anytime -- for the most part you can save like that, except when in combat here -- I save like a save-whore. That's usually pretty much anytime before I start a conversation with some NPC.

[Cobra951]

Wow, Im surprised its grabbing you like that, I thought you'd be bored to tears at that point of the game since you hated KotoR so much. But who cares, Im glad your enjoying it, the game only gets better after that point, which I even found to be kind of slow.

No, I wasn't of a fan of KotOR either, and I liked ME real well until the Xbox RRoD'd.  I want to get into it again, but remembering how it was thrashing the DVD drive, the only way I'll do it is by installing it, which would mean blowing off the install of B-K Nuts and Bolts.  Small HDD.  Sucks.  I'll do this sooner or later.

[PyroMenace]

No, I wasn't of a fan of KotOR either, and I liked ME real well until the Xbox RRoD'd.  I want to get into it again, but remembering how it was thrashing the DVD drive, the only way I'll do it is by installing it, which would mean blowing off the install of B-K Nuts and Bolts.  Small HDD.  Sucks.  I'll do this sooner or later.

Oh yea? Thats seems odd to me because that area when you first explore the Citadel felt to me like the first area of KotoR, which apparently bothered a lot of people, which even came as a slow point for me just because I was so used to the way of way KotoR's formula was. Maybe its the combat that draws you in because that is really the most distinct difference from this and KotoR for me.

[Cobra951]

Yes, that's very possible.  Combat is a big part of what you get to do, and if it feels more immediate, it's going to make a big difference in how the whole game feels.  I didn't give KotOR much of a chance because of the combat.  (Similar thing happened with NWN.)  It could be that I would have gotten hooked on it too, if I had been able to get past the combat.  But in the end, I make no apologies for liking what I like, and not liking what I don't.

[Xessive]

Awesome Que. As Pyro said it gets better from there.

It is a good PC port but for some reason they didn't implement gamepad controls at all. It's not a major complaint from me but I can see some people taking issue with it.