Mass effect 1 graphics improvement. Mass Effect: Increased detail. Mouse and keyboard settings

29.01.2024

Mass Effect created on the Unreal Engine 3.0 and therefore has quite a lot of hidden settings that affect graphics, gameplay, and performance. All game settings are stored in ini files at \Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Config in Windows XP or \Users\User Name\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Config in Windows Vista. These files can be opened and edited with any text editor, such as Notepad. If something goes wrong and you want to return the default values, you can simply delete these files. When you start the game, they will be recreated using the files in the \Mass Effect\Engine\Config folder. For this reason, I do not recommend changing files located in the game folder.

The main ini files are BIOEngine.ini, which stores graphics and sound settings, BIOGame.ini, where the various game world settings are located and BIOInput.ini, which stores your control settings.

Some settings are located simultaneously in several groups of settings, for example, DepthBias is available in groups in the BIOEngine.in file, and the setting from has no effect on the game, but works as it should. Therefore, change the settings only from the group listed below, otherwise it will not lead to anything. Many options do not work at all, and some can be changed through the game menu, so they are not discussed here.

BIOEngine.ini

bSmoothFrameRate=True
Enable or remove FPS limit. Possible values are True (on) or False (off).

MinSmoothedFrameRate=22
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=62
This is the minimum and maximum FPS setting. If the previous option is enabled, the game will try to prevent sudden FPS spikes.

bUsePostProcessEffects=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) all post filters such as Bloom, DOF, Motion Blur, Film Grain. Disabling them will sharply increase FPS, but reduce picture quality.

bEnableBranchingPCFShadows=True
This is adjusting the quality of shadows using the PCF filter. If set to False, the shadows will be more “square”, but the speed will increase.

bUseSound=True
Turn all sound on or off completely.

bUseMusicSound=True
Turn on or off music in the game.

ShadowFilterRadius=2.000000
Setting the shadow filter. The higher the value, the more rounded and faint the shadows become; decreasing the value makes the shadows sharper.

DepthBias=.01200
This is a setting for the amount of dynamic shadows. Increasing the value gradually reduces the number of dynamic shadows; a value close to 1.0 completely removes dynamic shadows, but static ones remain. Decreasing the value increases the number of dynamic shadows.

MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=512
These two parameters determine the minimum and maximum resolution of shadow maps. The higher the minimum value, the better the quality of the shadow; conversely, a lower maximum value will make shadows less defined. However, values above 512 for MinShadowResolution lead to the appearance of artifacts and, similarly, values that are too low for MaxShadowResolution. For best quality, set the minimum to 512 and the maximum to 2048 or even 4096.

ModShadowFadeDistanceExponent=0.200000
This is an adjustment of the distance at which shadows disappear from view. A higher value reduces this distance and makes all dynamic shadows appear dull. A value of 0.0 causes the game to show all shadows, even at great distances

ShadowVolumeLightRadiusThreshold=1000.000000
This setting adjusts the distance to the light source at which the object casts a dynamic shadow. The higher the value, the greater the distance.

StartupResolutionX=1280
StartupResolutionY=1024
Here you can set the desired screen resolution.

MinDesiredFrameRate=35.000000
The number set here is the minimum FPS that the game will try to maintain, reducing graphics quality on the fly if necessary. But this option doesn’t actually work; perhaps it will be enabled in new patches.

MaxChannels=64
This setting specifies the number of audio channels the game uses. Older sound cards (or built-in ones) can only handle 32 channels, while higher-quality cards can support at least 64 channels (eg Audigy 2) and even 128 channels (eg X-Fi series). If you observe sound artifacts, try decreasing this value, or increasing it if you are confident in your audio capabilities.

NoHALSupport0=
There are several lines starting with NoHALSupport, they indicate the names of sound cards for which the game cannot use hardware audio acceleration, even if you enable it from the game menu. Surprisingly, even Creative cards are present here - from Audigy to X-Fi. If you have such a sound system and want to enjoy all the beauties of hardware surround, then you can try the following.
You can delete the BIOEngine.ini file and a new one will be created when you launch the game, and the game should correctly detect the capabilities of your sound card.
If this doesn't work, put a "//" sign in front of the NoHALSupport() line you want. For example, SoundBlaster Audigy 2 owners can change the lines to look like this:
//NoHALSupport3=Sound Blaster Audigy
//NoHALSupport4=SB Audigy
The "//" sign causes the game to ignore marked lines.
If it still doesn’t work as it should, you can change the DeviceName= line, removing everything after the “=” sign, i.e. leaving DeviceName=, and setting UseEffectsProcessing=False (both parameters are discussed below).

DeviceName=Generic Software
This setting determines whether software or hardware audio is used. If you are using hardware sound, then this should be =Generic Hardware or the name of your audio device. If you have problems with sound, remove everything after the "=" sign.

UseEffectsProcessing=True
Enable or disable additional sound effects. If your card does not support them and you observe sound artifacts, set it to False.

StaticDecals=True
Enabling (True) or disabling (False) static Decals—objects like marks or pictures on walls and other surfaces—has no noticeable impact on performance.

DynamicDecals=True
Dynamic Decals are traces of bullets or explosions. Disabling them will increase FPS in battle, but reduce realism.

DynamicLights=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) dynamic lighting. Keep in mind that disabling it, although it will significantly increase FPS, may result in artifacts.

LightEnvironmentShadows=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) dynamic shadows. Does not affect static shadows (from buildings, terrain objects).

CompositeDynamicLights=False
If you set this to True, a simpler dynamic lighting method will be used, which will increase FPS, but the differences in picture quality are subtle.

ShadowFilterQualityBias=0
Shadow quality control. The higher the number here, the better the quality of the shadow.

DirectionalLightmaps=True
This option enables improved surface quality - additional detail, volume. When you disable it, FPS will increase well, but all textures that used DirectionalLightmaps will become simply black.

DepthOfField=True
Enables (True) or disables (False) the DOF (image blur) post filter. You can disable this to increase FPS, or if you just don't like this effect.

Bloom=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) the Bloom post filter (improved lighting effects). If you are fighting for every FPS, you can disable all post filters at once by setting bUsePostProcessEffects to False (see above).

QualityBloom=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) quality Bloom. Disabling it can add FPS without greatly degrading graphics.

SpeedTreeLeaves=True
SpeedTreeFronds=True
These two control the quality of the Speed Tree's foliage. Disabling them in most cases does not affect the graphics, but the speed may improve slightly.

OnlyStreamInTextures=False
Enabling this option can improve the smoothness of the game by preloading textures.

LensFlares=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) the Lens Flares post-filter (manifests itself when looking at bright objects - the sun, gunshot flashes).

Trilinear=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) trilinear texture filtering. When you disable it, textures will become less clear, but FPS will increase.

SkeletalMeshLODBias=0
ParticleLODBias=0
Adjust the level of detail of living creatures (SkeletalMeshLODBias) and particle effects (ParticleLODBias). Positive values reduce detail, while negative values make the image sharper. Too low values can lead to artifacts, so I recommend limiting it to -1.

MaxAnisotropy=4
In the game settings you can enable or disable anisotropic filtering (AF), and here you can specify the actual AF value. Possible values are 2, 4, 8, 16. A high AF level makes textures located at an angle clearer, but reduces FPS. Modern video cards get AF for free, so if you have a GeForse 8800 family, or Radeon 3800, set it to 16.

ScreenPercentage=100.000000
Sets the percentage of screen area occupied by the game. For example, if you set it to 50, the game will only take up half the screen. This does not apply to the menu.

TEXTUREGROUP_LightAndShadowMap= (MinLODSize=256,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=0)
There are several TEXTUREGROUP parameters that control the level of detail (LOD) of many objects in the game - characters, objects, lighting effects. Each parameter has MinLODSize, MaxLODSize and LODBias. By raising MinLODSize, MaxLODSize and decreasing LODBias, you will improve the quality of graphics. The MinLODSize and MaxLODSize values must be multiples of 64.

DisableHWShadowMaps=True
This option controls the hardware calculation of shadows; if set to True, then the task of calculating shadows will be assigned to the processor, and not to the video card. You can set this to True if your processor is better than your video card (for example, Phenom X4 and GeForse 8500 GT), or False if vice versa (Pentium 4 and Radeon HD 3850).

bShowHud=true
Enables (true) or disables (false) all interface elements on the screen. You will still be able to access the functions you need by pressing the appropriate key. You can just as easily use the Showhud console command (see below).

AllowFriendlyCollateral=false
If set to true, members of your party may accidentally wound you in battle and vice versa.

m_nMaxCredits=9999999
m_nMaxGrenades=5
m_fMaxSalvage=999
m_fMaxMedigel=5
Limit on the maximum number of money, grenades, etc.

m_colSubtitleColor=(R=204,G=255,B=255,A=255)
This is an option to change the color of the text in the game. The values in brackets are RGB - Red, Green, Blue and A - transparency. This does not affect text in dialogues

m_bAllowPhysicsOnDeadBodies=False
Enable (True) or disable (False) dead body physics. If enabled, when shooting at a corpse it will bleed and move, however, this may reduce FPS if there are a lot of corpses around you.

m_fCorpseCleanupFirstAttemptTime=5.0
This parameter determines how many seconds will pass before the first attempt to remove a corpse. The higher the value, the greater the number of dead bodies will be - for example, 600 is 10 minutes.

m_bSkipPowerCooldown=False
If set to True, then you can use abilities often without waiting for them to “recharge,” which makes the game much easier.

BIOInput.ini

ConsoleKey=Tilde
This line initially does not exist, but by adding it, you can call up the console during the game by pressing the “E” key.

Bindings=(Name="F6",InputMode=BIO_INPUT_MODE_NONE, Command="QuickSave",Control=False, Shift=False,Alt=False)
You can change the assignment of almost all keys from the game menu; here you can also change the assignment of all keys used by the game. For example, above you see the purpose of F6 - quick save, you can write any other key there in the English register.

Console Commands

Initially, you do not have access to the console, but you can enable it by adding the line ConsoleKey=Tilde to the BIOInput.ini file group (see above). Here are the most important console commands:

Oblivion.
Copying materials from this site is prohibited by your conscience!

Before manipulating the settings, the following is recommended:

1.Delete "BIOEngine.ini" and "BIOGame.ini" in the folder "My Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Config"

2. Run "MassEffectConfig.exe" in the folder \YOUR GAME\Binaries - wait for the scanning to finish - go to the "video" tab - set the values of the three lower parameters to the maximum - check the box for dynamic shadows.

3. Launch the game - go to the settings - change whatever you want there, in the graphics settings we set everything to the maximum (we won’t go back there again)

4. exit the game (backup "BIOEngine.ini" and "BIOGame.ini" somewhere)

Open " My documentsBioWare/Mass Effect/Config/BIOEngine.ini"

Correcting ugly shadows on faces.

Open "My DocumentsBioWare/Mass Effect/Config/BIOEngine.ini

Looking for: DepthBias=0.012000

Edit: DepthBias=0.030000

MinShadowResolution=32 - !ATTENTION! we don't change*

***MaxShadowResolution=512 - change to 1024 /2048.4096**

increases the resolution of shadows in the game

* increasing this parameter removes shadows from small objects and leads to random glitches of other shadows of higher resolution.

***increasing the shadow resolution on GPU Nvidia Series 8600,8800 rev.1.0/1.1 with drivers FW 169.21 or lower may not affect the changes made, in some cases there may be performance dips, in rare cases there may be rendering errors with dynamic shadow map overlays to environmental objects.

ModShadowFadeDistanceExponent=.2 - change to.0

ModShadowFadeDistanceExponent=0.200000 - change to 0.000000

Drawing all shadows at a visible distance from the player

Inclusion of "adult" phrases (profanity most likely)

bAllowMatureLanguage=True

Light refraction (pixels on Radeon)

*DepthOfField=True - change to False

Removing the Light Refraction Field Depth glitch. ("squares on lanterns")

* Only for owners of GPU Radeon Series X1 /HD2 - in the presence of a glitch.

Enable filtering

Trilinear=False - change to True.

Change texture filtering from bilinear to trilinear, higher quality filtering. -for those who don't know...

MaxAnisotropy=4 - change to 8 /16*

Increases the coefficient of Anisotropic filtering, improving its quality. -for those who don't know...

Changing shaders

BIOVertexShaderVersion=vs_2_0 - change to vs_3_0*

Replacing vertex shaders version 2.0 with 3.0

* - not for Geforce Series 6 GPUs or Compatible GPUs.

Parameters that CANNOT be changed to maintain application stability:

AllowShadowVolumes=FALSE

bEnableVSMShadows=False

bAllowMatureLanguage=False

bRenderTerrainCollisionAsOverlay=False

Entire paragraph

TextureLODLevel=/>3

DetailMode=/>2

MaxTranslucencyLayers=2

MaxTextureSize=2048

DisableHWShadowMaps=True

This does not mean that you can change other parameters as you please)

Well, read it carefully! taken from here www.masseffect2.in

Some sections may not match yours

BSmoothFrameRate=True Enable or remove FPS limitation. Possible values are True (on) or False (off).
MinSmoothedFrameRate=22
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=62
This is the minimum and maximum FPS setting. If the previous option is enabled, the game will try to prevent sudden FPS spikes.
bUsePostProcessEffects=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) all post filters such as Bloom, DOF, Motion Blur, Film Grain. Disabling them will sharply increase FPS, but reduce picture quality.
bEnableBranchingPCFShadows=True
This is adjusting the quality of shadows using the PCF filter. If set to False, the shadows will be more “square”, but the speed will increase.
bUseSound=True
Turn all sound on or off completely.
bUseMusicSound=True
Turn on or off music in the game.
ShadowFilterRadius=2.000000
Setting the shadow filter. The higher the value, the more rounded and faint the shadows become; decreasing the value makes the shadows sharper.
DepthBias=.01200
This is a setting for the amount of dynamic shadows. Increasing the value gradually reduces the number of dynamic shadows; a value close to 1.0 completely removes dynamic shadows, but static ones remain. Decreasing the value increases the number of dynamic shadows.
MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=512
These two parameters determine the minimum and maximum resolution of shadow maps. The higher the minimum value, the better the quality of the shadow; conversely, a lower maximum value will make shadows less defined. However, values above 512 for MinShadowResolution lead to the appearance of artifacts and, similarly, values that are too low for MaxShadowResolution. For best quality, set the minimum to 512 and the maximum to 2048 or even 4096.
ModShadowFadeDistanceExponent=0.200000
This is an adjustment of the distance at which shadows disappear from view. A higher value reduces this distance and makes all dynamic shadows appear dull. A value of 0.0 causes the game to show all shadows, even at great distances
ShadowVolumeLightRadiusThreshold=1000.000000
This setting adjusts the distance to the light source at which the object casts a dynamic shadow. The higher the value, the greater the distance.

StartupResolutionX=1280
StartupResolutionY=1024
Here you can set the desired screen resolution.
MinDesiredFrameRate=35.000000
The number set here is the minimum FPS that the game will try to maintain, reducing graphics quality on the fly if necessary. But this option doesn’t actually work; perhaps it will be enabled in new patches.

MaxChannels=64
This setting specifies the number of audio channels the game uses. Older sound cards (or built-in ones) can only handle 32 channels, while higher-quality cards can support at least 64 channels (eg Audigy 2) and even 128 channels (eg X-Fi series). If you observe sound artifacts, try decreasing this value, or increasing it if you are confident in your audio capabilities.
NoHALSupport0=
There are several lines starting with NoHALSupport, they indicate the names of sound cards for which the game cannot use hardware audio acceleration, even if you enable it from the game menu. Surprisingly, even Creative cards are present here - from Audigy to X-Fi. If you have such a sound system and want to enjoy all the beauties of hardware surround, then you can try the following.
You can delete the BIOEngine.ini file and a new one will be created when you launch the game, and the game should correctly detect the capabilities of your sound card.
If this doesn't work, put a "//" sign in front of the NoHALSupport() line you want. For example, SoundBlaster Audigy 2 owners can change the lines to look like this:
//NoHALSupport3=Sound Blaster Audigy
//NoHALSupport4=SB Audigy
The "//" sign causes the game to ignore marked lines.
If it still doesn’t work as it should, you can change the DeviceName= line, removing everything after the “=” sign, i.e. leaving DeviceName=, and setting UseEffectsProcessing=False (both parameters are discussed below).
DeviceName=Generic Software
This setting determines whether software or hardware audio is used. If you are using hardware sound, then this should be =Generic Hardware or the name of your audio device. If you have problems with sound, remove everything after the "=" sign.
UseEffectsProcessing=True
Enable or disable additional sound effects. If your card does not support them and you observe sound artifacts, set it to False.

StaticDecals=True
Enabling (True) or disabling (False) static Decals—objects like marks or pictures on walls and other surfaces—has no noticeable impact on performance.
DynamicDecals=True
Dynamic Decals are traces of bullets or explosions. Disabling them will increase FPS in battle, but reduce realism.
DynamicLights=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) dynamic lighting. Keep in mind that disabling it, although it will significantly increase FPS, may result in artifacts.
LightEnvironmentShadows=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) dynamic shadows. Does not affect static shadows (from buildings, terrain objects).
CompositeDynamicLights=False
If you set this to True, a simpler dynamic lighting method will be used, which will increase FPS, but the differences in picture quality are subtle.
ShadowFilterQualityBias=0
Shadow quality control. The higher the number here, the better the quality of the shadow.
DirectionalLightmaps=True
This option enables improved surface quality - additional detail, volume. When you disable it, FPS will increase well, but all textures that used DirectionalLightmaps will become simply black.
DepthOfField=True
Enables (True) or disables (False) the DOF (image blur) post filter. You can disable this to increase FPS, or if you just don't like this effect.
Bloom=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) the Bloom post filter (improved lighting effects). If you are fighting for every FPS, you can disable all post filters at once by setting bUsePostProcessEffects to False (see above).
QualityBloom=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) quality Bloom. Disabling it can add FPS without greatly degrading graphics.
SpeedTreeLeaves=True
SpeedTreeFronds=True
These two control the quality of the Speed Tree's foliage. Disabling them in most cases does not affect the graphics, but the speed may improve slightly.
OnlyStreamInTextures=False
Enabling this option can improve the smoothness of the game by preloading textures.
LensFlares=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) the Lens Flares post-filter (manifests itself when looking at bright objects - the sun, gunshot flashes).
Trilinear=True
Enable (True) or disable (False) trilinear texture filtering. When you disable it, textures will become less clear, but FPS will increase.
SkeletalMeshLODBias=0
ParticleLODBias=0
Adjust the level of detail of living creatures (SkeletalMeshLODBias) and particle effects (ParticleLODBias). Positive values reduce detail, while negative values make the image sharper. Too low values can lead to artifacts, so I recommend limiting it to -1.
MaxAnisotropy=4
In the game settings you can enable or disable anisotropic filtering (AF), and here you can specify the actual AF value. Possible values are 2, 4, 8, 16. A high AF level makes textures located at an angle clearer, but reduces FPS. Modern video cards get AF for free, so if you have a GeForse 8800 family, or Radeon 3800, set it to 16.
ScreenPercentage=100.000000
Sets the percentage of screen area occupied by the game. For example, if you set it to 50, the game will only take up half the screen. This does not apply to the menu.

TEXTUREGROUP_LightAndShadowMap= (MinLODSize=256,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=0)
There are several TEXTUREGROUP parameters that control the level of detail (LOD) of many objects in the game - characters, objects, lighting effects. Each parameter has MinLODSize, MaxLODSize and LODBias. By raising MinLODSize, MaxLODSize and decreasing LODBias, you will improve the quality of graphics. The MinLODSize and MaxLODSize values must be multiples of 64.

DisableHWShadowMaps=True
This option controls the hardware calculation of shadows; if set to True, then the task of calculating shadows will be assigned to the processor, and not to the video card. You can set this to True if your processor is better than your video card (for example, Phenom X4 and GeForse 8500 GT), or False if vice versa (Pentium 4 and Radeon HD 3850).
BIOGame.ini

BShowHud=true
Enables (true) or disables (false) all interface elements on the screen. You will still be able to access the functions you need by pressing the appropriate key. You can just as easily use the Showhud console command (see below).

AllowFriendlyCollateral=false
If set to true, members of your party may accidentally wound you in battle and vice versa.

M_nMaxCredits=9999999
m_nMaxGrenades=5
m_fMaxSalvage=999
m_fMaxMedigel=5
Limit on the maximum number of money, grenades, etc.

M_colSubtitleColor=(R=204,G=255,B=255,A=255)
This is an option to change the color of the text in the game. The values in brackets are RGB - Red, Green, Blue and A - transparency. This does not affect text in dialogues

M_bAllowPhysicsOnDeadBodies=False
Enable (True) or disable (False) dead body physics. If enabled, when shooting at a corpse it will bleed and move, however, this may reduce FPS if there are a lot of corpses around you.

M_fCorpseCleanupFirstAttemptTime=5.0
This parameter determines how many seconds will pass before the first attempt to remove a corpse. The higher the value, the greater the number of dead bodies will be - for example, 600 is 10 minutes.

M_bSkipPowerCooldown=False
If set to True, then you can use abilities often without waiting for them to “recharge,” which makes the game much easier.
BIOInput.ini Learn more about the console.

ConsoleKey=Tilde
This line does not initially exist, but by adding it, you can call up the console during the game by pressing the “~” key. It was

Bindings=(Name="F6",InputMode=BIO_INPUT_MODE_NONE, Command="QuickSave",Control=False, Shift=False,Alt=False)
You can change the assignment of almost all keys from the game menu; here you can also change the assignment of all keys used by the game. For example, above you see the purpose of F6 - quick save, you can write any other key there in the English register.

Console Commands

Initially, you do not have access to the console, but you can enable it by adding the line ConsoleKey=Tilde to the BIOInput.ini file group (see above). Here are the most important console commands, not counting the planetary commands I already gave:
Stat FPS – Show FPS

FOV [value in degrees] – Changes the field of view

Slomo [number] – Changes the game speed. Numbers above 1 speed up the game, values below 1 slow down the game. The minimum value is 0.0, the default is 1.0.

Showhud – Hides or brings back the interface

Shot – Take a screenshot in .BMP format

Exec [filename] – Executes a specific file from the Mass Effect\Binaries folder

Quit – Quit the game

Installation

The first step is to apply the LAA patch to MassEffect.exe
Download, unpack and run. Select MassEffect.exe and check the Large Adress Awareness box, then apply the patch (Save button).
And

Important: Changes must be made to bioengine.ini to fix normal maps without using TexMod. The file is located at: Your drive:\Users\Username\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect\Config

Attention! Any typos will break the game's functionality, so make changes carefully! -
All typos can, of course, be corrected, but it’s easier to avoid them in the first place.

Find the following 3 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)

Change them to:

TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Diff=(MinLODSize=512,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Norm=(MinLODSize=512,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=0)
TEXTUREGROUP_Character_Spec=(MinLODSize=256,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=0)

This will allow the game to display more detailed normal maps without using TexMod, which in turn allowed the author to avoid modifying a whole bunch of normal maps.

Fix dynamic shadows
Make the following changes to Bioengine.ini

Find the following 4 lines:

ShadowFilterRadius=2.000000
DepthBias=0.030000 or (0.012 if you reverted to pre-patch 1.2 values)
MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=512

Change them to:

ShadowFilterRadius=5.000000
DepthBias=0.006000
MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=4096
ShadowFilterQualityBias = 4
These changes, together with the texture mod, will greatly improve the dynamic shadows in the game.

Known issues in Mass effect

Mass Effect Known Issues

1. Problems with hardware sound. May lead to crashes and other errors. Many pages on the Internet have been devoted to this problem since 2008. Use Google. This problem can usually be resolved by making a simple change to bioengine.ini, depending on your audio hardware.
2. AMD processors (bulldozer and subsequent chipsets). The problem occurs because Mass Effect detects AMD and looks for 3D now instructions that existed at the time of its release. But AMD got rid of these instructions in subsequent processors, which led to errors and problems in the interaction between Mass Effect and the CPU. Because of this, you may see characters with black textures, and the game may be unstable and crash.

Problems with the mod

First make sure it's not a Mass Effect issue, then check your bioengine.ini for any typos as they could very well lead to errors, missing lode and level textures, and many other issues. Just in case, you can delete your Bioengine.ini and run the game so that it creates a new one, free of errors for sure.

If errors still occur, then make sure you apply LAA on Mass Effect. exe.

Even if you have a 32-bit system installed - LAA can still come in handy, but you will have to do the following to use 3gb on 32-bit Windows:

Launch a command prompt, be sure to run as administrator, and enter:
"bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072" (without quotes)

Restart your computer.

LAA will now work correctly on a 32-bit system.

Defective shadows on faces:
Set shadowdepthbias to 0.03 to disable shadows on faces. Many players like it better, while the author prefers 0.006.

Textures are not displayed and/or they are black (bug with a black character on Noveria - AMD's fault):
This is the result of an incomplete installation.

Some textures (N7 armor, Garrus's face, etc.) flicker:
In order for the mod to work, the author was forced to load textures with a resolution of 4096x4096, and since there are no 4k monitors available, it is extremely likely that the resolution of your monitor is lower than the resolution of the original textures, and for the same reason you may observe flickering. To fix this, the easiest way is to set high settings for SSAA (ATI/AMD cards) and SGSSAA (Nvidia), as a result the flickering will disappear or be greatly reduced.

After installing the mod, check the "CookedPC" folder, it should weigh 20 GB. If it weighs less, then you have missing textures, this usually happens due to the installation not being run as an administrator or if Mass Effect was already modified at the time of installation. If you can't complete the full installation, then change the settings to a new folder, install, copy both folders (should be 13.25 GB) to the Mass Effect folder.

The ability to form relationships and sleep with other characters has long been one of the hallmarks of space opera. Mass Effect. And despite the fact that all this takes place in Mass Effect: Andromeda, some romantic lines broke the hearts of fans.

The game in particular has faced criticism since release regarding how options are handled homosexual novels, especially men's. On Neogaf, Reddit, unofficial forums BioWare and in Twitter literally hundreds of pages of complaints. Users accuse developers of treating gay novels as "minor."

Players indicate that When choosing a male hero, you can only enter into relationships with two men in the game. It turned out that male characters can “romance” mainly female ones, and gamers who play a female character can romance both women and men. The romance plots of BioWare games often involve optional conversations spread over dozens of hours of play, usually culminating in love (and/or lust) and then a sex scene. In Andromeda, on the other hand, the homosexual options for two men are less rich and do not include as many as other lines.

One of the options for gay relationships in the new game is a smuggler named Reyes Vidal- Appears only in a few quests. Gil Brody, the engineer on the ship, is also gay, but unlike many of the women and men available for romance in the game, he is not part of your squad. As side characters, Reyes and Brody can only offer short dialogue, while full-fledged squad members have long dialogue scenes that expand during missions, and the player can hear additional jokes during this time. Other sexual relationships have short romances, like Reyes and Gil, but they are also complemented by longer love paths. Players are very unhappy that Vidal and Brody have all their gay scenes done with a blackout effect. There are no risky angles used here, where partially explicit sexual moments are shown, which, by the way, are available to other characters.

It's a complex situation that has led players to distribute an infographic highlighting the romance options in the series. Only in the third part of Mass Effect did it become possible to sleep with a man with a man.

The problem, as fans explain, is not only a small number of options. Many fans feel cheated because BioWare boasted before release about the wide range of romance possibilities, available in the game, but avoided answering when players asked direct questions. Trailers showed a male version of Ryder kissing women, but gay gamers weren't sure what to expect when it came to unusual relationship options, leaving many hopeful.

As part of marketing promotion, the topic of numerous options for romantic relationships has been raised more than once. The developers stirred up interest with the word " Bangdromeda"and confirmed relationships with alien life forms and characters with non-traditional sexual orientation.

Angry fans are pointing out many blurry tweets, like this one posted by Tom Tylorson, the voice actor for the male version of Ryder, who seemed to suggest male homosexual romances with aliens:

"Normally I'd say it's stupid to spoil characters before a game comes out, but they teased players and I think that makes a difference," one fan wrote.

Fans also considered BioWare's extensive track record, which includes Dragon Age: Inquisition, and expected that, like it, Andromeda would also offer deep romance options for all orientations. The two franchises are made by different teams, but overall the company has created a progressive image that now influences what players expect from its games, no matter which part of BioWare makes them.

« Mass Effect 3 showed me a world where gays could be heroes saving the world."

Many completed and disappointed fans mention that they didn't like that Reyes and Gil had aspects that could be recreated in the character editor rather than showcasing unique facial features. Details like these, coupled with these characters' simple storylines, also reinforce fans' perception that gay romances haven't been given much time.

Following the game's release, fans pointed to in-game code that supposedly suggested that Jaala, one of the new aliens, has the lines, .

It has not yet been confirmed whether this code actually refers to a homosexual romance, but situations change during development, so the creators do not often talk about all aspects of the game. However, this particular line of code was enough to inspire users to start the hashtag #MakeJaalBi on Twitter, where people are demanding "equal opportunities."

"Andromeda" has the achievement " Matchmaker", to obtain which the player must complete novels with three different characters. Straight, bisexual, and lesbian players can get the achievement without going outside their sexuality, but strictly male homosexual characters cannot.

Those who enjoy the in-game romances also note the lack of polish, which leaves a negative impression. The animation flaws stand out the most in intimate scenes, but this is an issue that particularly affects gay players. The man-on-man scenes feel awkward, as if the game doesn't know how to present them properly. Traditional hetero scenes look better.

It is worth noting that anyone who does not seek romance with Koroy, will miss out on the best of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Her sex videos are full of light touches that enliven the scene. Other sex scenes don't even hold a candle to her. When you, for example, romance Peebee[Asari], being a woman, for some reason the scene shows her riding a penis that isn't actually there. If you look at other romantic scenes, there are strange moments where gay characters act as if the game doesn't take into account the idea of two women or two men fondling each other. The underlying animation treats all romances as if they were heterosexual.

Gil's storyline revolves around another friend, Gil, who forces him to adopt a child because it is his "duty" as a man. In the real world, some people view homosexuality as unnatural due to the issue of reproduction, so the subtext of this storyline may be uncomfortable for some players.

Users feel slighted towards gay romances because they really love BioWare and don't want to be treated like second-class citizens.