Mass Effect 2

Issues and Fixes

Installation interrupted

When installing, some people get an error message saying: "Installation Failed!: The Installation of Mass Effect 2 has failed. A data error occured." This can be solved by using a second computer. Put the Mass Effect 2 DVD in another computer on the same network, set the DVD drive up for sharing, and then connect to it from the computer you wish to install it on. It takes time but works. The only trick is that when ME2 asks for the second DVD you have to first stop sharing the DVD drive, eject disk1, insert disk2, set the drive for sharing again, and continue with the installation.

Black Screen when entering/exiting planets

If you get a black screen when entering/exiting a planet, specifically the shadow broker base, this is fixed by starting the game with the -nomoviestartup command. To do this:

1. Go to the MassEffect2.exe file. It's in the .../Mass Effect2/Binaries folder.
2. Create a shortcut to the MassEffect2.exe file. Right click the shortcut, and click 'Properties'.
3. Add -nomoviestartup to the 'target' field. It should look like this: "...\Mass Effect 2\Binaries\MassEffect2.exe" -nomoviestartup
4. This shortcut (skip the actual launcher) will not freeze when entering/exiting planets

Important: Unfortunately, when using this command, your game WILL freeze when trying to enter the citadel. The only way to circumvent this is by saving the game, exiting and restarting it with the regular MassEffect2.exe

Long loading times

Some users, specifically those with dual core processors, receive extraordinarily long load times (often around a minute long) with patch 1.02, with the load times being particularly long on the Normandy. There are three possible solutions to this issue.

The first fix involves manually changing your CPU affinity once the game has launched.:

1. Start the game then press Alt+Tab to return to your desktop
2. Open Task Manager (by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete)
3. On the Processes tab find "MassEffect2.exe", right click on it and select "Set Affinity"
4. Click on either the CPU0 or CPU1 check box, so only one remains checked, and click OK
5. Re-open the "Set Affinity" box and re-check the CPU you previously unchecked.
6. Use Alt+Tab to re-open your Mass Effect 2 game, and your load times should be reduced to normal.

This must be repeated every time you launch Mass Effect 2.

The second option is to download ThePlayWrite.com's "MassAffinity" program:

1. Download the program from here.
2. The program should automatically detect your Mass Effect 2 install location. If this fails, manually select it.
3. Click the "Run Game" button.

Mass Effect 2 should now run. While it is running, MassAffinity automatically changes the CPU affinity settings so you don't have to. After the initial setup outlined in the steps above, running the MassAffinity program will immediately launch Mass Effect 2 and perform the affinity change.

The third option is to not install the 1.02 patch. While this may seem like the easiest option, running an older version can lead to other issues that would be fixed by the 1.02 patch, so it is not recommended.

Unable to save games any more

There is a limit to the number of save games you can make on the PC. After 50 saved games you will no longer be able to save any further progress.

To get around this :

1. Open the folder

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect 2\Save\

1. Open the folder with your characters name/level/class
2. Either delete (or move to a backup folder) the earliest files named Save_00xx.pcsav. (DO NOT DELETE/MOVE THE FILES AutoSave/ChapterSave/QuickSave.pcsav)
3. As long as you have less than 50 Save_00xx.pcsav files you should be able to continue saving the universe.

Dark Lighting

This is the problem where you can't see what's going on in cutscenes because it is too dark. The way to fix this is to remove the depth of field. You can do this by going to the config folder (C:\Users\yourname\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\BIOGame\Config), opening up GamerSettings.ini, and adding the line DepthOfField=False under system settings. Note: the line DepthOfField is not in the file; you have to add it, rather than modify it.

Mods

Higher Resolution Character Textures

A set of high resolution textures has been made available on the official forum by their creator, JeanLuc761. They have been used on Deadendthrills.

Save Game Data

Import Mass Effect 1 Save Files

In essence you have to run the importer that is found in the ME2 launcher. However, this often crashes. If this happens you have to find your Mass Effect 1 character save file and transfer it into a newly create ME1 save folder in your ME2 folder.

• Source: Forum discussing it.

Mass Effect 1 Save game location:

• Windows 7:

  C:\Users\%USERNAME%\My Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect\Save\

Import Xbox 360 Mass Effect 2 Save Files

You'll need 3 tools: A USB device, a Save File Extracting/Injecting Program, and a Save File Editor (no need for a Jatg'd or modded Xbox). Configure the USB device as a memory device on the 360. The save file extracting program needed can be found hereand the Save Editor is a web app that can be found here. Once you have these tools follow these steps:

1. Put Shepard Career Save on USB with Xbox 360.
2. Move USB from Xbox 360 to PC.
3. Open Shepard Career Save with "Modio" on PC.
4. Extract individual Save File (i.e. 021.xbsav).
5. Upload the file to ME2 Save Editor.
6. Download windows save file from archived Save.

This process can also be used to edit ME2 saves for import/export between Xbox and PC, or to transfer from an Xbox save to PC if switching platforms for Mass Effect 3.

Useful Links

• Official Mass Effect 2 PC Tech FAQ
• Mass Effect Wiki's PC Tweaks page.

See Also

• Mass Effect
• Mass Effect 3