Fans of V-sync and acceptable frame rates unite: Mass Effect coming May 2008

[Apossum]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading video game developer, BioWare™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) company, has announced that the award-winning space epic Mass Effect™ will be released for the PC in May 2008. Published by EA and re-designed for the PC, Mass Effect invites players to take the role of Commander Shepard as they set out on an adventure to save the galaxy from imminent destruction. Wrought with treachery, heroism, difficult decisions and a universe filled with unique and colorful species, Mass Effect delivers a truly compelling storyline.

Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:

* Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
* High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
* Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
* Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’ allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
* New decryption mini-game.
* New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.

“Mass Effect serves as a powerful example of video games as an art form, delivering new levels of emotional intensity, realistic characters and a gripping storyline – all set in a compelling new universe,” said Ray Muzyka, General Manager, BioWare and Vice President, Electronic Arts. Frank Gibeau, President of EA’s Games Label added, “EA has struck an agreement with Microsoft to handle future publishing for Mass Effect. We are looking forward to releasing Mass Effect on the PC this Spring and brand new titles in the future.”

Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Mass Effect has received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 70 awards including Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year. Mass Effect combines a deep story with intense combat and challenges the player to make difficult decisions that can significantly impact the course of events. An innovative conversation system allows for lifelike interaction with some of the most realistic digital actors, voiced by Hollywood actors such as Seth Green, Marina Sirtis, Lance Henriksen and Keith David. Mass Effect for the PC has not yet been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.


yay!

[guyver2077]

i have this on 360 . The game is awesome

ot- apossum are you the one with the sick pc? i may need some pointers soon on a monster..

[Apossum]

i have this on 360 . The game is awesome

ot- apossum are you the one with the sick pc? i may need some pointers soon on a monster..



I have a pretty good PC, but I think you're looking for Chacrana. He knows much more about all that.

[poisonedpawn45]

I wonder if they will open up some user modding tools, like the NWN set, etc. Could be interesting with fan made models, maps, and missions.

[eswat]

Who wants to help me make a virtual orgasmic rape mod? :D

[Monsta Mack]

Damn I should have waited, the framerate isn't that great on the 360. Oh well.

[n25philly]

Is it like KOTOR or is it actually good?

[level1online]

I haven't played Mass Effect yet, so what's V-Sync?
Is that some kind of skill or power in the game?

The only V-Sync I know is the "Vertical Sync" option on my graphics card.
If you're referring to that, then YES!!! Screen-Tearing Haters Unite!!!

[guyver2077]

yes, vsync keeps the screen from tearing.. heres hoping your setup can handle it

I usually keep it off for performance anyways..

[Apossum]

Is it like KOTOR or is it actually good?


From the few hours I played of the 360 version, it's basically KOTOR with a shitload more dialog and real time fights (which play like a poor man's Gears of War.) Story wise, it was Star Wars with nouns and adjectives changed.

I gave up because I was getting annoyed with the amount of dialog and technical problems (shitty, shitty framerate, a ridiculous amount tearing.) but I'll play through the whole thing on the PC when I get in the mood for it...I loved KOTOR, but I had to be in the right mood to play it or the dialog would annoy the piss out of me.

I haven't played Mass Effect yet, so what's V-Sync?
Is that some kind of skill or power in the game?

The only V-Sync I know is the "Vertical Sync" option on my graphics card.
If you're referring to that, then YES!!! Screen-Tearing Haters Unite!!!

it's a skill and power that is exclusive to the PC version...(yes, vertical sync.) Another good one is 60fps :) Though it may not be a perfect 60fps even with the best rig.

I mean, I still get mild frame drops on Taris in KOTOR 1 on my PC (8800GTS, 2.66ghz dual core, 2gb ram lol)-- Bioware is just not known for kick ass optimization.

[Chacrana]

As long as it's smooth to the point where it's not annoying (AKA: 30FPS or above), I can deal. I'm just glad that I'll be able to play this game and enjoy it now. Can't stand games that are glitched to hell.

[keithp]

Just in time for my new PC I'm getting ready to build! :applause:

[eswat]

At least with the PC version we can tweak it so that some areas (I'm looking at you blizzard planet) have a playable framerate. I hated the fact that I couldn't do shit to fix the FPS issues on the 360. Now I will have hours to waste changing values in system.ini. :D

That, and I've tried to extract the sound and music from ME, but failed. This releasing will make it much easier. I wanted to make a prank call to All Games Interactive using Shepard's VO during the whole FOX drama.

[InuFaye]

I <3 Superior PC Ports.

[Apossum]

Screenshot gallery:
http://masseffect.bioware.com/gallery/index.html?g=11#gal-screens


lookin' good.

[darthbudge]

Can I get a Hell YEAH! I cannot wait for this, day 1 purchase for me.

[metaly]

The inventory/equip screen certainly looks a bit cleaned up but the functionality doesn't appear to have changed at all. I wonder if they're still working on it. I think that a grid would be perfect for displaying all the weapons/armor/mods, with manufacturer/model on one axis and then level (I-X) on the other.

I hope they're able to release a patch for the 360 version that adds at least the improved inventory system. It takes me so long to scroll through all the junk I want to sell that I can't even remember which mods are obsolete and I end up saying screw it and just keeping half of them.

Also I'm really curious to see how the character models downscale on a low-end system.

[Lone_Prodigy]

PCWii fans unite!

And yeah, how long before the "controversial love scene" gets even more graphic?

Here's hoping they do it right... I can't remember the last console-to-PC port that made it better (Halo 2, RE4, etc.)

[darthbudge]

PCWii fans unite!

And yeah, how long before the "controversial love scene" gets even more graphic?

Here's hoping they do it right... I can't remember the last console-to-PC port that made it better (Halo 2, RE4, etc.)

Bioware does good PC games. I have no reason to doubt this will be anything but spectacular.

[ITDEFX]

See I knew it was BULLSHIT when they said Mass Effect was going to be a 360 only title. That's what they said about the KoToR series and bam, a few months later it came to the PC.

My 4 year old rig won't be able to handle this, but around that time frame (may) I should have a good enough upgrade. Just waiting to see what Nvidia pumps out next.

[guyver2077]

i will look forward to testing this game but its not one of those " i will play all the way through" games.

I have it on 360 and while not at a perfect silky smooth framerate, the game looks great and is playable.

[n25philly]

See I knew it was BULLSHIT when they said Mass Effect was going to be a 360 only title. That's what they said about the KoToR series and bam, a few months later it came to the PC.

My 4 year old rig won't be able to handle this, but around that time frame (may) I should have a good enough upgrade. Just waiting to see what Nvidia pumps out next.

They got bought by EA, it will get ported to the original Gameboy if they figured they could make 10 cents on it

[Chacrana]

PCWii fans unite!

And yeah, how long before the "controversial love scene" gets even more graphic?

Here's hoping they do it right... I can't remember the last console-to-PC port that made it better (Halo 2, RE4, etc.)

Gears of War... just a few months ago?

[keithp]

See I knew it was BULLSHIT when they said Mass Effect was going to be a 360 only title. That's what they said about the KoToR series and bam, a few months later it came to the PC.


Umm, duh? Of course they're going to bring it out for PC after the 360 sales die down; they want to make as much money as possible off the code and it's not that big a deal for them to port it over. And of course they're going to deny it, because if they had admitted it at first some 360 owners probably would've waited.

[darthbudge]

Has anybody heard rumors about what the requirements are gonna be for this game? I know I will probably need to upgrade my PC, but then again maybe not.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Bioware does good PC games. I have no reason to doubt this will be anything but spectacular.

Yeah Jade Empire is supposed to be really good. I bought it a month ago but have yet to play it.

Gears of War... just a few months ago?


I heard a lot of compatibility issues with Gears. I haven't played it since my PC can't handle it so I'm not terribly informed on it. But ports like R6Vegas generally seem to be rushed and thus suffer.

[carpwrist]

VERY stoked about this. i no longer feel the impulse to buy the 360 version.
*whew* $60 saved.

[InuFaye]

The Gears problem is with GFW Live, not the game itself, and that was only during the great XBL outage of 1934.

[hankmecrankme]

Bad. Ass. I cannot wait. I knew it was coming, but not this soon.

[guyver2077]

ive been having some issues with gow (in xp) but i believe its due to my setup.. been doing alot of tweaking on my system and i think it corrupted the boot sector on my vista hd.

once i make space to copy over the files on that hd to another, i will reinstall vista and try gow on it. im curious to see what enabling dx10/aa does

[SpecTrE3353]

Yeah Jade Empire is supposed to be really good. I bought it a month ago but have yet to play it.

I actually disliked Jade Empire a lot which was bizarre because KotOR is easily one of my favorite games EVER. I guess once you take out the fantastic story, characters and Star Wars universe - the gameplay itself just does not stand up.

[cgarb84]

Well this is good news, and shitty at the same time. I am about 5 hrs into ME on 360 right now, what the hell should I do? I am tempted to just quit playing it on 360 and wait for the superior version. My PC is a beast so running it maxed out shouldn't be a problem.

[level1online]

Well this is good news, and shitty at the same time. I am about 5 hrs into ME on 360 right now, what the hell should I do? I am tempted to just quit playing it on 360 and wait for the superior version. My PC is a beast so running it maxed out shouldn't be a problem.

LOL, I'm in almost the same dilemma but with a different game: Lost Planet.

You see... I have a *borrowed* copy on my PC. My brother saw me playing it yesterday and said, "You dummy! Stop playing that, all you needed to do was borrow my 360 version, so that way you could get the Achievements."

But I'm already 1/2 way through Lost Planet (just beat the Green Eye), so I just said "Forget it." Plus, I could care less about Achievements.

btw, I have a mid-range PC (7900gs), so going to the 360 version would actually be the superior version for me.

unless.... that 8800gt drops a bit more soon ;)

[InuFaye]

8800gt can be had for as low as 190 dollars for the 512 mb version

[keithp]

8800gt can be had for as low as 190 dollars for the 512 mb version

Link?

[level1online]

Link?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127324

8800GT (512mb) single slot, comes with free Witcher game

~$200

[Lone_Prodigy]

I actually disliked Jade Empire a lot which was bizarre because KotOR is easily one of my favorite games EVER. I guess once you take out the fantastic story, characters and Star Wars universe - the gameplay itself just does not stand up.


I was talking about the added content in the PC version (more fighting styles, enemies, etc.)

But yeah, I think KotOR was great because it was Star Wars. Who doesn't want to have a fully-customizable Jedi/Sith character?

[Monsta Mack]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127324

8800GT (512mb) single slot, comes with free Witcher game

~$200

Holy shit now my sub $100 8600GT isn't looking so hot afterall, but of course I don't see the free witcher game? Either way 8800gt's getting closer to the $150 spot means anyone can afford a top of the line graphics card, till the 9000 or whatever is out.

BTW I am in the *SAME* dilema as several CAGs are. I am considering selling my Mass Effect on fleabay in hopes of getting near $40 total so I can get it for the PC when It's $50 (or less knowing sales).

Also, I'd actually recommend against Lost Planet *unless* you own a 8800GT for the pc, because even with my 8600 it runs under 30 FPS most of the time. It's one of those rare games that your better off with on the console (same as Overlord and Dirt unless you own a 8800GT).

[level1online]

Holy shit now my sub $100 8600GT isn't looking so hot afterall, but of course I don't see the free witcher game? Either way 8800gt's getting closer to the $150 spot means anyone can afford a top of the line graphics card, till the 9000 or whatever is out.

BTW I am in the *SAME* dilema as several CAGs are. I am considering selling my Mass Effect on fleabay in hopes of getting near $40 total so I can get it for the PC when It's $50 (or less knowing sales).

Also, I'd actually recommend against Lost Planet *unless* you own a 8800GT for the pc, because even with my 8600 it runs under 30 FPS most of the time. It's one of those rare games that your better off with on the console (same as Overlord and Dirt unless you own a 8800GT).

Yeah, it looks like that link finally creeped onto SlickDeals.net

sooooooooooooo..... it's out of stock now. :cry:

buuuuuuuut.... there's on OC version now up with "Unique Quad Copper Pipe Cooling Technology"

$199.99, dual slot, no free game though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127329

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/14-127-329-03.jpg

[Rusty Ghia]

And this is why I waited on getting the 360 version. Hopefully they will clean up the technical problems with the game.

[eswat]

http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=86958Minimum System Requirements for Mass Effect on the PC

Operating System:
Windows XP or Vista

Processor:
2.4+GHZ Intel or 2.0+GHZ AMD

Memory:
1 Gigabyte Ram (XP)
2 Gigabyte Ram (Vista)

Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 6 series(6800GT or better)
ATI 1300XT or better (X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements)

Hard Drive Space:
12 Gigabytes

Sound Card:
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers
----------

Recommended System Requirements for Mass Effect on the PC

Operating System:
Windows XP or Vista

Processor:
2.6+GHZ Intel or 2.4+GHZ AMD

Memory:
2 Gigabyte Ram

Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or higher.
ATI X1800 XL series or higher

Hard Drive Space:
12 Gigabytes

Sound Card:
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers – 5.1 sound card recommended

[carpwrist]

HOT DAMN 12GB!!! My poor HDD is going to be stuffed like foie gras...

[Draekon]

HOT DAMN 12GB!!! My poor HDD is going to be stuffed like foie gras...

Pssh, Age of Conan is like 20-30GB.

[Chacrana]

It's nice that it'll run on computers that are like 4 years old, though.

[eswat]

But will we still get the choppiness the 360 version had (did they optimize the engine)?

[Lone_Prodigy]

Hopefully my RAM will make up for my lame graphics card. It's going to look horrible regardless.

[darthbudge]

That is really cool, I think my PC will actually be able to run this on Max. Maybe...

[Richard Longfellow]

HOT DAMN 12GB!!! My poor HDD is going to be stuffed like foie gras...

Still better than running it off an optical drive. :hot:

[Monsta Mack]

Damn I should have waited, the framerate isn't that great on the 360. Oh well.

Quoting myself but I ended up selling this game for close to $38 to take home on eBay so the $10 off PC version coupon is awfully tempting considering I almost broke even.

I played this game on the 360 for 3+ hours and had a lot of fun with it, but due to a huge backlog of other games I never had the time to beat it. Looks like I made out after all.

[Sideswiper]

True Bioware fans should always wait for the true version of the game to come out.

No matter what you hear, Bioware will always eventually release a PC version, and it will be better than the console version.

[eswat]

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/9440/nelsonhahaex1.gif

http://kotaku.com/381399/bring-down-the-sky-free-with-pc-mass-effect

I thought I had sold my 360 copy already, but it was there when I opened my cabinet...

[Monsta Mack]

If Bioware has any influence with EA, Mass Effect will be the last Bioware RPG I buy on the 360 considering the premiums It's getting on the PC.
Which will be a first because I never thought I would buy a console series/game exclusively on the PC, but Bioware is making the choice pretty easy between extra content, cheaper price point and the like.

[Chacrana]

Nother game I'll just download a crack for after I buy it. I really should just start pirating this shit since the companies are being so goddamned stupid. I am not putting up with this bullshit.

And this really is worse than Bioshock's bullshit. With that, you could at least install it and then have an image of the game that you could use however you want. With this, they just want to make things difficult for you all the time.

Honestly, I hate the fact that the PC gets the best version of games like this.

[Serik]

Are you referring to the anti-piracy measures that Mass Effect (and Spore) will use? The one where it phones home every 10 days?

Hopefully the combined power of the interweb will deliver a proper crack; no way will I put up with that crap after paying $50 for it.

[Chacrana]

Yeah, I was referring to the anti-piracy measures. It's amazing, though... they're pushing people like me who buy everything to consider pirating. It's like they want their sales to drop.

I'm just glad that there's usually a crack out within a day or two.

[hankmecrankme]

They are so worried about piracy that they make it harder for normal people to just play the fucking game. Guess what assholes, pirates just crack the shit anyway. The only people who have to deal with this nonsense are the honest people who fork out the cash to buy their games. Has any antipiracy bullshit ever worked?

[eswat]

Lulz, nobody is going to crack that shit now!

</sarcasm>

[Roufuss]

If Bioware has any influence with EA, Mass Effect will be the last Bioware RPG I buy on the 360 considering the premiums It's getting on the PC.
Which will be a first because I never thought I would buy a console series/game exclusively on the PC, but Bioware is making the choice pretty easy between extra content, cheaper price point and the like.

Don't worry, at least you won't have to authenticate your copy every 10 days on the 360.. and if the EA authentication servers crash, well, looks like you'd be fucked on the PC unless you decided to crack it.

Looks like you get what you pay for, in that case... because you know there will be massive problems with this. This type of bullshit will stop me from getting Spore at all. Hopefully the backlash is so severe EA drops this shit.

Because, yea, all they are doing is punishing the people who DON'T pirate, while all the pirates laugh.

You want a pretty good method to keeping something legit? Just release it on Steam, problem solved.

[Rusty Ghia]

Well, guess who isn't going to buy this game anymore? Me.

Fuck these developers/publishers and their DRM. I've always bought my PC games, but if the only way to get it without DRM bullshit is to pirate it, then avast matey!

[Serik]

Ignoring ethics and legality for a second, it's clear that the pirates offer superior products:

no nagware
no DRM
no requirement to have the CD/DVD in tray

The retail version, on the other hand, will usually have all of that and maybe more. The guy who forks over half a c-note is once again the guy getting fucked.

[Roufuss]

Ignoring ethics and legality for a second, it's clear that the pirates offer superior products:

no nagware
no DRM
no requirement to have the CD/DVD in tray

The retail version, on the other hand, will usually have all of that and maybe more. The guy who forks over half a c-note is once again the guy getting fucked.

What's funny is that Stardock uses NO DRM at all, Sins of a Solar Empire still sells like hotcakes, and companies don't learn at all.

I doubt EA cares, but unless they fix this shitty DRM, they'll lose a sale of Spore. I'll just wait for a console version without all the shitty DRM.

[Serik]

Ya, and how can they blame piracy for poor sales this time? By saying there's not enough DRM?

Stardock's CEO basically says that pirates aren't customers and therefore can be ignored.

[Monsta Mack]

huh? I didn't even realize what's going on till I read some of the new replies. Glad I didn't pre-order my Mass Effect yet. Guess I'll be waiting till they drop this issue or someone cracks it. I don't have enough time to beat Mass Effect right now anyways. I'm working on Okami and Mario Kart and just picked up PGR4 off of clearance. Oh, and I still haven't opened my copy of Persona 3: FES. Oh, and I just pre-ordered Ninja Gaiden 2 which will cause me to throw my controller multiple times. Needless to say I can wait.

Leave it to EA to fuck over the audience as usual. Guess Assassins Creed will be my next cheap PC pick along with Orange Box till they fix this.

[VAD3R or Fro]

I just need a better processor and Motherboard and I am ready to go!

[guyver2077]

i may just keep my 360 version.....

[Serik]

They won't fix it.

You need Windows to play the game. Windows checks up on you to make sure you're not a pirate, even if you've already paid for it or got it OEM. Now games will phone home every 10 days to make sure you're not a criminal either. Personal computing built on the solid foundation of distrust in the customer. Joy.

I can play ball with one-time authorization via keycode. Fine. But this "check up on you every 10 days" stuff is ridiculous. Ya, it wouldn't be all that annoying if you've got a 24/7 broadband connection, but it's the principle of the matter.

[Sideswiper]

How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love DRM

Whatever. If Steam and DRM and all that jazz will make developers continue to make PC games, I'll swallow it. The reality is that this will get worse before it gets better (imagine playing a single player game and having a window pop up asking that if you are a real person please type the word "maudlin" or whatever).

I just have to let it go because I WILL be playing the superior version of Mass Effect, and I won't be pirating it.

[NTolerance]

I really like Steam, but you know that this is gonna just be like the Steam version of Bioshock. Original game DRM stacked on top of Steam DRM. Unacceptable.

[Koggit]

I would've bought Bioshock from Steam if not for the DRM. I never would have pirated it -- it didn't discourage a pirate, it discouraged a buyer.

This doesn't seem as bad, but publihers need to learn that DRM loses them as many customers as they gain.

[Roufuss]

They won't fix it.

You need Windows to play the game. Windows checks up on you to make sure you're not a pirate, even if you've already paid for it or got it OEM. Now games will phone home every 10 days to make sure you're not a criminal either. Personal computing built on the solid foundation of distrust in the customer. Joy.

I can play ball with one-time authorization via keycode. Fine. But this "check up on you every 10 days" stuff is ridiculous. Ya, it wouldn't be all that annoying if you've got a 24/7 broadband connection, but it's the principle of the matter.

Want to see annoying? I pulled this off another forum which pulled it off an EA / Bioware guy...

Derek_French

Without any significant hardware changes to your system, you will be able to install and play Mass Effect without any problems. Swapping out one part will not trigger it. For the vast majority of people, they will not encounter any problems and for others, they may be required to contact EA Support to get assistance.



Hope no one is planning to upgrade their system after they get Mass Effect!

It also looks like there may be install limits on the game as well... I've been hearing 3.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1303830&page=2

Some of the memebers of Hardforum are doing a ton of digging.

To summarize what Mass Effect's DRM entails -

1) You will to reactivate the game every 10 days through EA's servers... if you don't do that, you can't play until you reactivate.
2) You will have 3 install "credits" per copy of the game.
3) You use an install credit if you make any significant hardware changes, because it leaves a footprint on your hardware config.

I had no intention of buying Mass Effect, but I did want Spore, and EVERY EA game from here on out will use this DRM.. as well as all THQ / Take Two stuff (so if GTA 4 ever comes on the PC, expect this same exact set up). I just don't like the fact they are putting the customer through all of these hoops and hassles, while the pirates, who they are trying to stop, get to play a clean version of the game with no intrusive / spyware DRM.

Plus, I can think of a ton of situations where someone will use the install credit's quickly.. they put it on a home PC, on a laptop, they upgrade their home PC (which will take another credit) and bam, you're out of credits right there.

[Serik]

Wow, as if I needed more reasons to utterly hate EA.

If this SecuROM business doesn't die a quick death like Starforce, then PC gaming will be dead to me. Funny, I thought the pirates were the ones ruining PC gaming (though pirates are pretty smart, ignoring all the annoying DRM and everything)

And before anyone accuses me of being overdramatic: this trend needs to die sooner rather than later. Imagine a future where every consumer electronic device needs internet connection so it can connect to a server to verify that the content is legit. The hackers and geeks, of course, will find ways around this, leaving everyone else totally fucked.

Edit: Looks like MS is leading the way. According to the NYT, Microsoft may build a copyright cop into every Zune (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/microsoft-may-build-a-copyright-cop-into-every-zune/?ref=technology).

[Roufuss]

Wow, as if I needed more reasons to utterly hate EA.

If this SecuROM business doesn't die a quick death like Starforce, then PC gaming will be dead to me. Funny, I thought the pirates were the ones ruining PC gaming (though pirates are pretty smart, ignoring all the annoying DRM and everything)

And before anyone accuses me of being overdramatic: this trend needs to die sooner rather than later. Imagine a future where every consumer electronic device needs internet connection so it can connect to a server to verify that the content is legit. The hackers and geeks, of course, will find ways around this, leaving everyone else totally fucked.

Edit: Looks like MS is leading the way. According to the NYT, Microsoft may build a copyright cop into every Zune (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/microsoft-may-build-a-copyright-cop-into-every-zune/?ref=technology).

A little known fact is that MS *already* had this DRM implemented, but since nobody cared about Halo 2, nobody cared about this DRM.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927007

Two installations per copy, they did this for Halo 2, MSFX, and Shadowrun... not real sure about Gears of War.

Welcome to the future!

[Monsta Mack]

This is off their Q&A board about SecurROM

Q:You did say that SecuROM re-authenticates silently and we don’t need to do anything at our end to make this happen. Is that right?

A: Correct, when you go to run the game, the re-authorization takes mere moments during the game startup. There are no dialogs, no progress bars, nothing for you to enter or confirm. It just works.

So your not going to have to enter your key every time you play the game every 10 days. It's hidden and you'll never see it.

The problem still lies here though:

Q: What happens if I install and activate MEPC with an internet connection, but then do not have an internet connection after 10 days? Can I still play MEPC?

A: No. After 10 days the system needs to re-authenticate via the internet. If you do not have an internet connection you will not be able to play until you are reconnected to the internet and able to re-authenticate.

If for some reason your in the stone age your fucked. It requires "da internet".

Q: How many installations will SecuROM allow from my copy of MEPC?

A: Since SecuROM has nothing to do with the installer, you can install and uninstall on the same machine over and over again without any problems. SecuROM also allows you to activate the game on 3 different machines.

This is where I'm confused. You people stated if you change your MOBO four times your copy is basically fucked, yet they are acting like if you have the same machine/VISTA key you should be able to reinstall it multiple times.


Q: Q: What happens if I exceed 3 activations?

A: Your first 3 activations will still work, but any subsequent activation will not work.

Sorry folks no copy sharing.

Still not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, don't think I'm defending EA one bit because I don't care for them. But this is pretty livable for me as long as I don't plan on upgrading my MOBO every year/ re-install Mass Effect in 20 years.

[Chacrana]

I just don't like the company trying to take away my right to use the product that I bought. Caveat emptor, indeed.

But yeah, as long as I can download a crack, I'm fine (if annoyed.) I can wait for it, too, since I'll be busy with Ninja Gaiden II and MGS4 around the time that ME is out.

[Serik]

The entire premise behind recurring validation is that you, the customer who just spent $50 on our product, is to be distrusted. Why should my play experience be contingent on my ISP and EA's authentication servers, especially for a single-player game? Why should I have to pollute my PC with Sony's DRM sh*tware just to enjoy a game, especially when the pirates are enjoying the same game sans sh*tware?

Removing SecuROM is also unnecessarily complicated. This forum post (http://forums.tweakguides.com/showthread.php?t=4027) is typical:

If you want to completely remove SecuROM after uninstalling this game, including the 'SecuROM User Access' Service it installs in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Uninstall the game as normal.
2. Manually delete the game directory (typically \Program Files\Atari\Crashday-demo\
3. Go to Start>Run and type "Services.msc" (without quotes) and press Enter.
4. Go to the 'Securom User Access' Service, double click on it, click Stop and then set it to Disabled.
5. Go to \Windows\System32\ directory and delete the UAService7.exe file.
6. Go to Start>Run and type "sc delete useraccess7" (without quotes) and press Enter.

Note: This Service may be recreated by one of your other SecuROM games, in which case you will have to keep it running to play them.

The following steps are very risky and only for people who are certain none of their currently installed games use or need SecuROM:

7. Go to \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ and delete the SecuROM sub-directory.
8. Go to Start>Run and type "Regedit" (without quotes) and press Enter. Then find the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SecuROM] key and delete it if possible.Seriously WTF. And if you installed the Bioshock demo, the folks at Toms Hardware have these user-friendly instructions (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/98241-13-remove-securom-malware-uninstalling-bioshock-demo)on how to remove SecuROM. Hope you enjoy registry trolling.

And what's the point? Oh ya, to punish paying customers and discourage people from ever giving two craps about PC gaming.

[InuFaye]

http://kotaku.com/5008452/bioware-backs-down-from-draconian-mass-effect-authentication

fuck YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lone_Prodigy]

the new system will also allow gamers to play the game without the DVD in the drive.

This makes me happy. I hate having to insert my CD to play CoD4 SP, Jade Empire, and KotOR.

[Draekon]

http://kotaku.com/5008452/bioware-backs-down-from-draconian-mass-effect-authentication

fuckYEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're doing the same for Spore (http://kotaku.com/5008454/spore-to-use-online-authentication) basically. While it's still not great (Limiting the number of installs before having to call EA to re-authenticate), it's far better without that damned 10-day re-authentication bull they had originally.

Also glad you'll be able to play without the use of a CD too.

[Monsta Mack]

http://kotaku.com/5008452/bioware-backs-down-from-draconian-mass-effect-authentication

fuck YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well thats certainly better news. Still limited to several installations but this makes things a lot better.

[Rusty Ghia]

I'm very glad to hear this news. I skipped on the Xbox 360 version because of its technical issues and was bummed that I wasn't going to buy the PC version either because of the SecuROM bullshit.

Bioware/EA just got themselves a sale because they dropped the DRM. That, and ads, will stop me from laying down cash for media.

[zewone]

This game was awesome 6 months ago!

[Monsta Mack]

I pre-ordered it through Amazon.com they give you a $10 instant discount, no tax and free shipping. Between this, Ninja Gaiden, PGR4 and actually opening Persona FES along with finishing Okami I should be very busy.

[Apossum]

will def get this when it drops in price. too much other shit to play right now.

[darthbudge]

If anybody is interested, if you preorder Mass Effect at the EA store they are giving out a Dead Space Comic and poster. Or you can preorder at GS, Amazon, GoGamer, GameCrazy to get $10 off instantly.

[Monsta Mack]

tagged for later as my copy should arrive from amazon by Wednesday. I'll post my specs and framerate and such.

[darthbudge]

Yeah, did anybody pick this up? I should be able to play tomorrow or later, depending on how quickly the scene works.

[level1online]

yeah, can some of you guys with those SLI / Quad Core setups post some screen shots?

[XxSmityxX]

yeah, can some of you guys with those SLI / Quad Core setups post some screen shots?

I heard it hasn't been optimized yet for SLI, actually heard it runs slow FPS when SLI is enabled?

Anyways I installed mine and it wouldn't launch under Vista, just trys to and says "encountered a unknown issue" pop-up box and closes.

But I think you have to disable UAC/ Run as Admin first time, will see when I get home from work.

[Monsta Mack]

AMD Dual Core 2.3 GHZ
3GB RAM
8600 512MB OC DDR3
Windows VISTA 32 Bit

It takes about 20 seconds to fully load which is a bit annoying.

With Fraps I get the following:

Ani filter is on and shadows off unless otherwise noted. All FPS are full screen.

1024x768 Medium Settings gives 45FPS.
1152x720 Medium Settings 40FPS
1152x720 All High Settings 35 FPS
1280x960 All High Settings 29FPS

So it seems very possible to get a good 40FPS while the game still looks good on my 8600GT. However, I see no reason why a 8800GT could not easily put out a solid 60FPS+ average over a 8600GT. Just saying old/cheap cards like mine can still run the game well.

[metaly]

Anyone with the game bored and feel like taking some screens to satisfy my curiosity? :) I want to see how stuff looks on the lowest settings, of stuff like character creation, the Presidium, and the galaxy map.

Oh, and a review I read mentioned there's a new hacking minigame. I'm sort of wondering how that looks, too.

[Sideswiper]

I haven't installed this yet with Age of Conan eating all my playtime.

I've heard bad things about how it doesn't do widescreen correctly. With all the hoopla over Bioshock's widescreen support I woulda hoped anyone using the Unreal engine would take note...

This is especially bad for me since I like to game across three monitors... if the aspect ratio is wrong on one monitor, it'll be awful across three.

[level1online]

Has anyone had problems with this game freezing up on the opening cut scene?

It used to lock up right before the conversation w/ Joker, but now it locks up in the middle of the converation w/ Nihlus.

I think the problem may be that I have Alcohol 120% (emulation software) installed and that my game directory is on the E:\ drive, not C:\

I'll post some screenshots later tonight.

specs:
AMD X2 5200+
8800 GTS 512
2GB DDR2 800
XP PRO, no overclocking

[Chacrana]

this AND DMC4 acting up? I don't think it's the games.

[darthbudge]

This game has ALOT of bugs. I definately think that Bioware is gonna need to do alot of patching.

[SpikeJonez]

I have no Issues at all on my rig with this game.

Worth the wait.

[level1online]

this AND DMC4 acting up? I don't think it's the games.

Here's the thing, I already have over 30 games installed with 0 problems (including the infamous FF7).

My DMC4 only crashed twice, but WMP & utorrent were running in the background. Once I shut those down it hasn't crashed ever since. I've ran the demo, as well as the benchmark over 10 times already. Also, keep in mind, it's just a demo, there may be a bug.

As far as Mass Effect goes, I was beginning to think that, YES, perhaps it is my PC's fault , since it is a finished product....

until I saw this:
http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=632469&forum=127

Over 13 pages on a single thread? and the game has only been out a week or so?

[level1online]

FINALLY, FINALLY!!!! I got this game to run!!! :D

All I did was use Nvidia Forceware 169.44beta driver.

here's some screenshots.

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/9674/masseffect2008061304313hr2.th.jpg (http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304313hr2.jpg)

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/3215/masseffect2008061304315gy9.th.jpg (http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304315gy9.jpg)

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2881/masseffect2008061304322dh7.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304322dh7.jpg)

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3550/masseffect2008061304325sd4.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304325sd4.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4761/masseffect2008061304330yo5.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304330yo5.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/7435/masseffect2008061304342vd2.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304342vd2.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4158/masseffect2008061304343ct8.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304343ct8.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/3328/masseffect2008061304350ao2.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304350ao2.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/1296/masseffect2008061304353vc4.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304353vc4.jpg)

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4756/masseffect2008061304364gq8.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304364gq8.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6080/masseffect2008061304364xd0.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304364xd0.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3757/masseffect2008061304370yp6.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304370yp6.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1255/masseffect2008061304374fd5.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304374fd5.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8546/masseffect2008061304374fx6.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304374fx6.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9454/masseffect2008061304375xi9.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304375xi9.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/200/masseffect2008061304403dk6.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304403dk6.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5734/masseffect2008061304410jc3.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304410jc3.jpg)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8229/masseffect2008061304445mn1.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304445mn1.jpg)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/1795/masseffect2008061304445qa6.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304445qa6.jpg)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8963/masseffect2008061304451bq6.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=masseffect2008061304451bq6.jpg)

[Photomotoz]

This is a great port! It runs excellent on my computer :

Q6600 @ 3.0Ghz
4850
4GB RAM
Vista

Every thing is maxed out at 1650X1050, the game looks great better than the Xbox version. The problem is that when playing the Xbox version on a standard def TV the game is basically being played at a resolution that is around 640x480 using PC standards. Now, what that does is have a nice blur effect which cancels out the rough edges and such. On the PC and ata high resolution you can see some of the flaws with much more ease, for instance the hair on the characters looks bumpy and rough.

One of my friends was one day playing a game I had on PC that he had played on the original Xbox, I can't recall what it is but it doesn't matter. Anyways, he said it looked too much like a computer game "too PCish" he said, and he mentioned he liked the console look better so what I did was is turn the resolution all the way down and he told me that now the game looked like it was supposed to.

My point is that although Mass Effect looks awesome on the PC, the higher resolution, if not done right, can actually make the game look worse in some areas than better. A good example are low-res textures, they will always look better when they are blurred.

Regardless of anything the only thing wrong with this game are the achievments, which do not work with you Xbox Live account, just in game.

[keithp]

I'm still interested in getting this, but with the DRM I'm waiting for a REALLY good sale price somewhere.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Currently installing this... hope it runs on my laptop (T5450/2GB/8400M GS.) *crosses fingers*

Wonder if my character should be male or female... I guess some hot girl-on-alien action would fun. :D

[ninja dog]

I hate this game. so much.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Well that was fun. Installation took a while, but I didn't need to register online (contrary to the box art), unless it was automatic. Haven't played too much of it yet, but I've got the graphics maxed out (low res though) and the story seems pretty interesting so far.

Best part is I don't need the DVD to play!

[Photomotoz]

I'm still interested in getting this, but with the DRM I'm waiting for a REALLY good sale price somewhere.

I got around the DRM just by downloading a crack, I originally wanted it for the NO-CD, I didn't even try it with the disc, I just assumed it was needed. Anyway, I played the patch before playing it the first time and it never asked me for the thing again. I know it is a bit shady to do that but screw it, DRM hurts only the customer and I will do whatever the hell I want with stuff I buy, including circumventing the DRM.

[Photomotoz]

I hate this game. so much. Why? What did you not like about it?

[Klank]

My 7950GX2 runs this thing poorly. I have to run at 1024x768 to get a decent frame rate which sucks since my monitor is widescreen. It stretches the image out.
I ran a fraps bench mark for a few min just to see what it was really getting.

2008-07-14 10:40:09 - MassEffect
Frames: 9691 - Avg: 25.530fps - Min: 2fps - Max:62fps

The 62 I imagine is in the hacking screens when I was opening boxes and things.The computer I am running it on is

e6600 dual core 2.4ghz
2.4gb PC2-6400 ram
7950GX2 1gig video card

So far the game is enjoyable though. A few times I have gotten stuck on an elevator and had to restart to the last save game. Then I had one really annoying lockup.

It was the part where you fight the giant plant. I beat it the first time I tried but then died to something after and had forgotten to save. No big deal right? Just beat it again. For whatever reason I kept dieing on one of the stair cases. I imagine it was just me sucking. Eventually I beat it again and while I was talking to the woman that was in the plant pod it locked up on me. Took me another 3 or so trys to beat it again. Thankfully I was able to save before any lockups or deaths.

Since then everything has been running smooth. I hope they come out with some sort of fix for the elevator lockups soon as well as that extra download content. Its good enough that I would play through again to explore the extra stuff I missed. I think I kinda screwed my self since I picked engineer. I should have gone with something that has better attack. Though with the pistol skill maxed its not so bad.

[Lone_Prodigy]

I turned off film grain and it looks a lot better. Maybe if I had a bigger monitor and a better graphics card it would make a difference.

[ninja dog]

Why? What did you not like about it?


It seems to ride on graphics and dialogue...the graphics are kinda pretty but marred by UE3 (I'm not a fan of UE3 at all anymore.) I also can't get into Bioware's dialogue heavy games these days. Even the "evil" dialogue trees are not as interesting as they were in KOTOR.

Then the action is just kinda functional but not much fun compared to games with the same style.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Wooh finished the game yesterday. Seemed surprisingly short: clocked in at 18 hours but I did skip most of the sidequests. The last battle was kinda disappointing but the ending was great.

I still like KotOR better though. :D

[keithp]

Well I think I'm fucked. I'm on my first planet, the one where you have to find the missing archaeologist, and I'm not at a high enough level I think to beat the creatures at the end when that big thing touches down, so I went back to the moon buggy and it won't let me go back to the Normandy. So I'm screwed. I have a save from right when I touched down but it won't even let me go back to the ship at that point. What kind of piss-poor game design is that?! I guess I have to replay the last several hours....this game is starting to annoy me...

[metaly]

Well I think I'm fucked. I'm on my first planet, the one where you have to find the missing archaeologist, and I'm not at a high enough level I think to beat the creatures at the end when that big thing touches down, so I went back to the moon buggy and it won't let me go back to the Normandy. So I'm screwed. I have a save from right when I touched down but it won't even let me go back to the ship at that point. What kind of piss-poor game design is that?! I guess I have to replay the last several hours....this game is starting to annoy me...

That planet has some incredibly hard fights if you do it with low level characters, but you can do it. Just try to incapacitate anyone who rushes over to you and then make liberal use of cover. It may take a while but you should survive.

Alternatively, you can always bump the difficulty down temporarily if you're ever stuck on one battle like that.

[Koggit]

I was trying to decide between this, The Witcher and Hellgate. The last few posts made me decide to eliminate Mass Effect from the running (I wasn't a fan of KotoR at all, so hearing KotoR > ME... well...)

[metaly]

Just as a second opinion, I liked Mass Effect a lot better than KotOR. I read all the glowing praise saying it was like the second coming, but it didn't really impress me. Then I played Mass Effect and to me it was like playing the game everyone was talking about in the KotOR reviews.

I hope you'll give it a chance after you're done with those other two games, at least. :)

[keithp]

That planet has some incredibly hard fights if you do it with low level characters, but you can do it. Just try to incapacitate anyone who rushes over to you and then make liberal use of cover. It may take a while but you should survive.

Alternatively, you can always bump the difficulty down temporarily if you're ever stuck on one battle like that.

It's my first playthrough and I just got the Normandy so I just picked a planet without knowing the boss was going to be a bitch. But I've now learned to keep a save handy before hitting the surface! Good idea on bumping the difficulty down, I may have to do that. Part of it I think is my equipment still sucks, every shop I've come across is EXPENSIVE, so I haven't really upgraded alot of stuff, but I haven't really had any difficulty up to this point.

I'm still too early to decide whether I like KOTOR or this better, but my first thoughts are that this story's better, but I give the gameplay on KOTOR the nod.

We'll see if I change my mind.

[lanleague]

How will this run on a Mobility 2600 XT? (2.4 GHZ T7700)

[keithp]

Whew, got past it and off the planet. Thanks!

[Lone_Prodigy]

Just as a second opinion, I liked Mass Effect a lot better than KotOR. I read all the glowing praise saying it was like the second coming, but it didn't really impress me. Then I played Mass Effect and to me it was like playing the game everyone was talking about in the KotOR reviews.

I hope you'll give it a chance after you're done with those other two games, at least. :)

ME had a great story like KotOR, and the combat was more action-oriented (KotOR was more turn-based), but the side-quests didn't really interest me. On the other hand, KotOR had relevant side-quests and better allies IMO (HK-47 ftw).

How will this run on a Mobility 2600 XT? (2.4 GHZ T7700)

Should be okay. You may have to turn down the graphics though.


I blew through the entire game on the easiest difficulty just to see the main plot. I'll play it again once it's all patched up.

[Sideswiper]

I much prefer the turn based combat of KoTOR. I guess I'm really looking forward to the KoTOR MMORPG then, eh?

Mass Effect fails in characterization of the allies and sidequests. But the main character customization is awesome, and the ending is worth it.