Mass Effect
Template:Infobox Mass Effect (series)
Availability
- Retail version product keys can be registered on Origin for easier downloading and patching.
DLC
- Pinnacle Station: available as a digital download from Origin or as part of the Mass Effect Trilogy compilation.
- Bring Down the Sky: free from Bring Down the Sky DLC Redemption. This is compatible with all versions, including Steam.
Improvements
Update 1.02 patch
The latest patch is Update 1.02 which fixes various issues. The Steam version is already patched.
Game data
Save game location
Video settings
Input settings
Controller support
| Instructions |
|---|
Issues fixed
- TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game. It can be found here.
Steam
Steam must be running in administrator mode or Mass Effect will not load.
In some cases, character and weapon textures will display at low resolution even if the game settings are set to higher quality. To fix this, follow these instructions from the Steam Forums.
If you are still having problems try this: Go to your Steam folder located at Program files. From there you want to go to steamapps --> common --> mass effect. Now that you're here, right click Launcher.exe --> Properties --> compatibility and Run it as administrator and XP SP2. Do the same for MassEffectLauncher.exe. Now you go to Binaries which is located at the same folder as the previous .exe's (Program Files --> Steam --> steamapps --> common --> mass effect). And while you're there you must do the same thing for the exe files as you did for exe files in your mass effect folder.
Intel Integrated Graphics
Mass Effect does not officially support Intel graphics chips; it will not run correctly on driver versions earlier than 15.22.54.64.2622 so you should download the latest drivers if possible. On earlier drivers the game is still playable but it will crash if the main menu is called up (through Esc). It is still possible to play through Mass Effect if one uses shortcuts to access desired menu item, for example, quick save or codex).
Launcher crashes (retail versions)
Install the Update 1.02 patch.
Black screen after loading a save
If the whole screen is black except for the UI, then Shepherd fell through the Normandy and the save is bugged. Only happens on the Normandy, in the Engineering part of the ship. Never save there.
Therum missing textures
If when you get to Therum most of the ground is black, then you've got a common texture problem. Some of the black area is safe to drive on but some of it will kill you outright, making it quite hard to navigate. To restore the texture, go to %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Published\CookedPC and delete LocalShaderCache-PC-D3D-SM3.upk. Restart and Therum should look fine.
People and Objects Become Black
Your squad, enemies, and objects that can be interacted with become boxy black blobs. This is a problem on newer AMD processors. To fix change the viewmode to unlit. First you will need to enable the developer console. To enable the developer console you need to edit %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\Mass Effect\Config\BioInput.ini. Add a line below Engine.Console so that this section of the file looks like:
[Engine.Console]
Boot up Mass Effect, open the developer console by hitting "~" and type in
ConsoleKey=Tildeviewmode unlit. Should be good to go. It's possible these issues will only affect you in very specific areas, namely an area on Noveria and another on Ilos. After exiting these areas you can use viewmode lit to revert Mass Effect to its normal lighting. There's a possibility you will need to unequip then reequip armor to fix them after doing so.
Garrus's face fix
It has been noted that the textures on Garrus Vakarian's face are extremely low resolution. While this issue can be fixed by using Texemod to import Mass Effect 2 textures and use those instead, there is an easier method that doesn't require Texmod to be running.
- Open
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\Mass Effect\Config\BioEngine.ini - Replace the following three lines:
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Diff=(MinLODSize=32,MaxLODSize=512,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Norm=(MinLODSize=32,MaxLODSize=512,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Spec=(MinLODSize=32,MaxLODSize=256,LODBias=0)
...with these lines:
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Diff=(MinLODSize=512,MaxLODSize=512,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Norm=(MinLODSize=512,MaxLODSize=512,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Spec=(MinLODSize=256,MaxLODSize=256,LODBias=0)
IGameExplorer --> Verify Access. Unable to verify access to the game.
If you receive this message, it may be fixed by running the .exe in compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2. Be sure to do this for the actual MassEffect.exe and not the launcher. The final folder tree will be \Mass Effect\Binaries\MassEffect.exe. The preceding folders will of course depend on how you installed the game (via Steam, via Origin etc.). To set the compatibility mode, right click the .exe, select properties, go to the compatibility tab, select an option from the drop down list.
No high resolution option
The resolution listbox in graphics options does have up/down arrows on the right side, which are easily overlooked, that allow you to choose higher resolutions like 1680x1050.
Issues unresolved
Playing in 4:3 resolutions like 1200x1600 (useful for non-widescreen monitors and projectors) results in some menu screens displaying incorrectly: the left and right hand sides of the screen are clipped (as if "zoomed in" too far), so important information cannot be seen (like journal details and the map legend). Screens affected include: Map, Party Selection, Planet details, and Journal. Currently the only known fix is to use a 16:9 screen resolution when playing, like 1920x1080.
System requirements