Mass Effect

2008-12-15 06:11:11 pm

I haven't found a topic about Mass Effect (PC) and think this game deserves one. People with console version got around 2:30 with initial speedruns half year ago, but since then topic was dead. Did anyone consider speedrunning this game? Roll Eyes

Thread title:

Kibbo

2008-12-16 08:34:56 am

TIOLET!

Yeah I did. Then I considered that the run would be extremely boring in all ways possible, so I scrapped the project.

Carcinogen

2008-12-16 08:43:51 am

A long while ago, Ekudeht said something about recording a run on the 360 version, but i think he scrapped that idea since then.

Keturio

2008-12-27 02:11:10 pm

I`m considering giving it a try, but I`ve never done a speedrun before, so I`m not sure how far I`ll get. Tongue

I`m using the 360 version now, but I`ll probably have to get the PC version if I`m ever going to record it.

Was there ever a consensus on what difficulty the run should be done on in the old topic, by the way? Are runs usually done on the easiest or the default difficulty?

Anyway, I agree that this game definitely should be on the site, and it`s short enough to be fairly entertaining to watch. If I never get it done, I really hope someone else makes a run.

Ekudeht

2008-12-27 05:57:52 pm

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Quote from Carcinogen:

A long while ago, Ekudeht said something about recording a run on the 360 version, but i think he scrapped that idea since then.

I never recorded a run for this game nor did I ever plan it; I did a quick speedrun attempt just for fun but that was it.

Abaddon

2008-12-27 06:41:50 pm

Heyyy... wait.. i don't know you. Don't confuse me

Quote from Keturio:

Was there ever a consensus on what difficulty the run should be done on in the old topic, by the way? Are runs usually done on the easiest or the default difficulty?

The harder, the better. Its much more interesting to see a speedrun, if its gonna be tricky, opposed to "running through 5 bazillion enemies and get out with 90% hp". On the other hand, its mostly the runners choice. If you want to so it on easy, go for it. There is no rule that states a certain degree of difficulty for any game.

Keturio

2008-12-28 03:16:37 pm

Quote from Abaddon:

Quote from Keturio:

Was there ever a consensus on what difficulty the run should be done on in the old topic, by the way? Are runs usually done on the easiest or the default difficulty?

The harder, the better. Its much more interesting to see a speedrun, if its gonna be tricky, opposed to "running through 5 bazillion enemies and get out with 90% hp". On the other hand, its mostly the runners choice. If you want to so it on easy, go for it. There is no rule that states a certain degree of difficulty for any game.

I see, thanks for the clarification. I find single-segment runs more fun to watch, so that`s what I want to do if I ever make a run. I think I`ll stay on the default "normal" setting then, that should be a good compromise between "hard" and "interesting".

As for my practice run attempts, I`m just past the meeting where you become a Spectre (do you have to mark for spoilers on this site?), with around 21 minutes on the game timer. I`ll go through the game using saves first, then do a single-segment for the real thing.

[quote="Abaddon"]
[quote="Keturio"]
Was there ever a consensus on what difficulty the run should be done on in the old topic, by the way? Are runs usually done on the easiest or the default difficulty?
[/quote]
The harder, the better. Its much more interesting to see a speedrun, if its gonna be tricky, opposed to "running through 5 bazillion enemies and get out with 90% hp". On the other hand, its mostly the runners choice. If you want to so it on easy, go for it. There is no rule that states a certain degree of difficulty for any game.
[/quote]

I see, thanks for the clarification. I find single-segment runs more fun to watch, so that`s what I want to do if I ever make a run. I think I`ll stay on the default "normal" setting then, that should be a good compromise between "hard" and "interesting".

As for my practice run attempts, I`m just past the meeting where you become a Spectre (do you have to mark for spoilers on this site?), with around 21 minutes on the game timer. I`ll go through the game using saves first, then do a single-segment for the real thing.

kn1ves

2008-12-28 09:35:33 pm

rabble

Quote from Keturio:

do you have to mark for spoilers on this site?

if the game just came out it would be nice to do so but as far as i know there is no rule that says you have to. and on a game several months old it really doesnt matter.

Abaddon

2008-12-29 02:04:50 am

Heyyy... wait.. i don't know you. Don't confuse me

Best of luck to you. SS runs are much more challenging than segmented ones. Should be quite interesting to see.. and more importantly much more interesting for you to do.

Keturio

2008-12-30 09:28:12 am

Quote from kn1ves:

if the game just came out it would be nice to do so but as far as i know there is no rule that says you have to. and on a game several months old it really doesnt matter.

I see, thanks. I`m just so used to posting on GameFAQs, where you have to mark spoilers for everything.

Abaddon: Thanks for the encouragement. Smiley

It`ll be a while before this is done, though, if I ever get it finished. But I hope to get there eventually. In my practice run (using saves, not SS yet) I did Noveria as my first planet, and I`m at 0:49 just before the Benezia fight. She`s giving me a lot of trouble, though, so I think I`ll try doing Feros first instead. I got past the fight after many attempts, but I don`t think I`ll be able to pull that off first try in a SS. Fortunately the rest of Noveria was pretty easy.

Oh, and if you`re wondering, I`m using a Soldier with Garrus and Ashley for party members. I`m using Garrus since he gets Electronics/Shield Overload, which could speed up quite a few fights, and he still has decent offence with assault rifles. Wrex would possibly be better, but since you lose him on Virmire, I`m not sure using him is a good idea.

[quote="kn1ves"]
if the game just came out it would be nice to do so but as far as i know there is no rule that says you have to. and on a game several months old it really doesnt matter.
[/quote]

I see, thanks. I`m just so used to posting on GameFAQs, where you have to mark spoilers for everything.

Abaddon: Thanks for the encouragement. :) It`ll be a while before this is done, though, if I ever get it finished. But I hope to get there eventually. In my practice run (using saves, not SS yet) I did Noveria as my first planet, and I`m at 0:49 just before the Benezia fight. She`s giving me a lot of trouble, though, so I think I`ll try doing Feros first instead. I got past the fight after many attempts, but I don`t think I`ll be able to pull that off first try in a SS. Fortunately the rest of Noveria was pretty easy.

Oh, and if you`re wondering, I`m using a Soldier with Garrus and Ashley for party members. I`m using Garrus since he gets Electronics/Shield Overload, which could speed up quite a few fights, and he still has decent offence with assault rifles. Wrex would possibly be better, but since you lose him on Virmire, I`m not sure using him is a good idea.

RealityO

2009-01-01 11:45:51 am

You don't have to lose Wrex if you have enough Charm skill.

As for Benezia, she's pretty rough when you're going there first.

honorableJay

2009-01-02 07:16:36 am

The Dork Knight himself.

I'm not sure about you, but when I first played through the game I found that shotguns were way more effective than any of the other guns (except for maybe the sniper rifle in the right hands). Granted I played through as a Soldier/Biotic (can't remember the exact name) so I couldn't even use the sniper rifle myself, but for close quarters and medium distances (sometimes even longer distances) a lot of kills were 2-4 hits max.

Since you'll most likely be trying to run through a lot of fights, you should try using shotguns an just knocking ppl down (just run into them and you should automatically do it) then shooting them before they can get up. I probably shouldn't have to say this, but just in case, setup as many quickbinds as possible for your party's actions so you don't have to keep pausing the action to tell the idiots on your team what to do.

Can anyone confirm if the game is easier if you're a low lvl player? Might make things interesting to get through the game w/o having to lvl up at all (although stat-wise you'll be crap).

I'm not sure about you, but when I first played through the game I found that shotguns were way more effective than any of the other guns (except for maybe the sniper rifle in the right hands). Granted I played through as a Soldier/Biotic (can't remember the exact name) so I couldn't even use the sniper rifle myself, but for close quarters and medium distances (sometimes even longer distances) a lot of kills were 2-4 hits max.

Since you'll most likely be trying to run through a lot of fights, you should try using shotguns an just knocking ppl down (just run into them and you should automatically do it) then shooting them before they can get up. I probably shouldn't have to say this, but just in case, setup as many quickbinds as possible for your party's actions so you don't have to keep pausing the action to tell the idiots on your team what to do.

Can anyone confirm if the game is easier if you're a low lvl player? Might make things interesting to get through the game w/o having to lvl up at all (although stat-wise you'll be crap).

Keturio

2009-01-02 12:28:42 pm

Quote from RealityO:

You don't have to lose Wrex if you have enough Charm skill.

I know about the Charm thing, but since you`re running from as many fights as possible, you`ll be pretty underlevelled in a speedrun. So I`d rather not spend a lot of skill points on Charm/Intimidate. I don`t remember the exact skill you need to save Wrex, though.

About the weapons...I`ve never really tried shotguns myself, since I`ve only beaten the game normally with Adept and Infiltrator. I was considering going with a Vanguard instead of a Soldier for this run, but I think the Soldier is better for several reasons. Most importantly, you get the Immunity skill, which is horribly overpowered and pretty much vital for skipping fights and/or doing them quickly. IIRC, only Soldiers and Infiltrators get this skill, and it can`t be assigned as a bonus skill with achievements either.

Soldiers also have more HP, and from what I`ve read, and you only really need to use pistols anyway. They`ve supposedly got the highest damage in the game with Master Marksman activated, and since I`ll be running from most fights, Marksman should be available when I need it. With Immunity, you can pretty much just run through any fights you want to avoid without taking the time to knock enemies down. Soldiers also get the rather nice Adrenaline Burst ability, which instantly finishes the cooldown on all your other skills, i.e. Marksman and Immunity.

Still, Vanguards get biotics...if they get Lift, that`d certainly be nice to have. Throw and Warp could also be handy.

I don`t think I can assign quickbinds to team member abilities in the 360 version, but I could have missed it. Using abilities from the ring menu seems a bit more reliable than binding them to X, since pressing the button often seems to do nothing even after I`ve assigned an ability. That could just be me doing something wrong, though.

From what I can see from a quick check of the GameFAQs ME board, enemies (and quest rewards) do scale with your level. Though you might as well use the level ups you get from mandatory fights. There`s quite a few places where you have to kill all the enemies before the door to the next area unlocks.

As for my current progress, I loaded an old save and went to Feros first instead of Noveria. Pretty much the same thing happened...Feros was straightforward enough, but I`m stuck at the Thorian. The boss fight is giving me just as much trouble as Benezia, but I still suspect the Thorian is easier. If anyone did practice runs of this game before, how did you deal with those boss fights? I could really use some advice if you have any.

In any case, nice to see there`s still some interest in this game. Smiley

[quote="RealityO"]
You don't have to lose Wrex if you have enough Charm skill.
[/quote]

I know about the Charm thing, but since you`re running from as many fights as possible, you`ll be pretty underlevelled in a speedrun. So I`d rather not spend a lot of skill points on Charm/Intimidate. I don`t remember the exact skill you need to save Wrex, though.

About the weapons...I`ve never really tried shotguns myself, since I`ve only beaten the game normally with Adept and Infiltrator. I was considering going with a Vanguard instead of a Soldier for this run, but I think the Soldier is better for several reasons. Most importantly, you get the Immunity skill, which is horribly overpowered and pretty much vital for skipping fights and/or doing them quickly. IIRC, only Soldiers and Infiltrators get this skill, and it can`t be assigned as a bonus skill with achievements either.

Soldiers also have more HP, and from what I`ve read, and you only really need to use pistols anyway. They`ve supposedly got the highest damage in the game with Master Marksman activated, and since I`ll be running from most fights, Marksman should be available when I need it. With Immunity, you can pretty much just run through any fights you want to avoid without taking the time to knock enemies down. Soldiers also get the rather nice Adrenaline Burst ability, which instantly finishes the cooldown on all your other skills, i.e. Marksman and Immunity.

Still, Vanguards get biotics...if they get Lift, that`d certainly be nice to have. Throw and Warp could also be handy.

I don`t think I can assign quickbinds to team member abilities in the 360 version, but I could have missed it. Using abilities from the ring menu seems a bit more reliable than binding them to X, since pressing the button often seems to do nothing even after I`ve assigned an ability. That could just be me doing something wrong, though.

From what I can see from a quick check of the GameFAQs ME board, enemies (and quest rewards) do scale with your level. Though you might as well use the level ups you get from mandatory fights. There`s quite a few places where you have to kill all the enemies before the door to the next area unlocks.

As for my current progress, I loaded an old save and went to Feros first instead of Noveria. Pretty much the same thing happened...Feros was straightforward enough, but I`m stuck at the Thorian. The boss fight is giving me just as much trouble as Benezia, but I still suspect the Thorian is easier. If anyone did practice runs of this game before, how did you deal with those boss fights? I could really use some advice if you have any.

In any case, nice to see there`s still some interest in this game. :)

RealityO

2009-01-02 07:13:10 pm

The best route for me so far as been "Free Liara (from some solar system), Feros, Virmirr then Noveria". Liara is pretty easy, the leveling (which you might not have with the speedrun) helps in Feros. Then the leveling from Virmirr helps you for Benezia which is pretty hard IMO.

I agree for the Marksman and Immunity. The level 1 Shield Boost could still be useful (if we're able to get enough Shield points to be worth it).

I'm on my 2nd playthrought and I have yet to notice anything that could be really skipped. I guess it will be pretty much linear.

Keturio

2009-01-03 08:42:02 am

Quote from RealityO:

The best route for me so far as been "Free Liara (from some solar system), Feros, Virmirr then Noveria". Liara is pretty easy, the leveling (which you might not have with the speedrun) helps in Feros. Then the leveling from Virmirr helps you for Benezia which is pretty hard IMO.

I agree for the Marksman and Immunity. The level 1 Shield Boost could still be useful (if we're able to get enough Shield points to be worth it).

I'm on my 2nd playthrought and I have yet to notice anything that could be really skipped. I guess it will be pretty much linear.

Well, the problem with that route is that I`d ideally want to save Liara/Therum for last. If you don`t save her until you absolutely have to, you won`t have to see the FMV of the Protheans being attacked after each story planet during the debriefing, so that would save some time. On the other hand, the Thorian and Benezia might be too hard with the extra EXP from Therum.

I think Shield Boost is worth it, since points in the Armour skill help reduce damage anyway.

And yeah, there doesn`t seem to be any major sequence breaks in this game, at least not that I know of. But you can get the Mako through the gap in the rocks before the mini-boss on Therum, so I guess I`ll have to do that at least. Hopefully it`s not too hard or fiddly for a single-segment run. That`s another reason for doing Therum first, I guess...

[quote="RealityO"]
The best route for me so far as been "Free Liara (from some solar system), Feros, Virmirr then Noveria". Liara is pretty easy, the leveling (which you might not have with the speedrun) helps in Feros. Then the leveling from Virmirr helps you for Benezia which is pretty hard IMO.

I agree for the Marksman and Immunity. The level 1 Shield Boost could still be useful (if we're able to get enough Shield points to be worth it).

I'm on my 2nd playthrought and I have yet to notice anything that could be really skipped. I guess it will be pretty much linear.
[/quote]

Well, the problem with that route is that I`d ideally want to save Liara/Therum for last. If you don`t save her until you absolutely have to, you won`t have to see the FMV of the Protheans being attacked after each story planet during the debriefing, so that would save some time. On the other hand, the Thorian and Benezia might be too hard with the extra EXP from Therum.

I think Shield Boost is worth it, since points in the Armour skill help reduce damage anyway.

And yeah, there doesn`t seem to be any major sequence breaks in this game, at least not that I know of. But you can get the Mako through the gap in the rocks before the mini-boss on Therum, so I guess I`ll have to do that at least. Hopefully it`s not too hard or fiddly for a single-segment run. That`s another reason for doing Therum first, I guess...

RealityO

2009-01-03 07:11:16 pm

If I remember, you have the choice to not let Liara get into your mind? I never tried it so I don't know if she insist. I'm going to test this shortly since I saved Liara first agian on my 2nd play through and I will continue with the route I wrote down.

Keturio

2009-01-04 10:25:44 am

It`s been a while since I played through the game normally, so I don`t really remember if you can skip those scenes even with Liara present. Would be great if that`s possible.

honorableJay

2009-01-04 07:54:56 pm

The Dork Knight himself.

Quote from Keturio:

I don`t think I can assign quickbinds to team member abilities in the 360 version, but I could have missed it. Using abilities from the ring menu seems a bit more reliable than binding them to X, since pressing the button often seems to do nothing even after I`ve assigned an ability. That could just be me doing something wrong, though.

Ah, I thought you were usin the PC version (considering this is the pc games forum heh) so yeah I don't think you can do quick binds.

RealityO

2009-01-04 09:06:03 pm

I can confirm, once Liara is in the group, you CAN'T skip the beacon visions. Even if you're saying that you don't want, it ends up saying "Ok but be quick about it". But it's not extremely long, so I'm not sure if it's more worth it to wait or not (to compare with the length of the fight against Benezia).

Keturio

2009-01-05 01:46:52 pm

Quote from honorableJay:

Ah, I thought you were usin the PC version (considering this is the pc games forum heh) so yeah I don't think you can do quick binds.

I think this is the only thread about ME that`s active right now, so I figured I should use this one instead of starting a duplicate in Newer consoles. Besides, I`ll probably have to get the PC version eventually if I`m going to record anything.

As for Liara...oh well, I guess I`ll just have to test it and see if Benezia is any easier if I do Therum first. Thanks for the info.

devonodev

2009-01-06 06:24:20 pm

The best time I can get in Mass effect is... 6 or so hours. :b
This was on the pc as well.

Keturio

2009-01-06 08:28:40 pm

Quote from devonodev:

The best time I can get in Mass effect is... 6 or so hours. :b
This was on the pc as well.

IIRC, someone in the old topic got around 2:35 on the 360, so I guess that should be a minimum to aim for. I think he was playing on Casual rather than Normal, though.

Anyway, I`ve been sick the last few days, so I haven`t been playing much ME. I`ll test doing Therum right after the Citadel sometime soon.

your_name_here

2009-07-20 02:47:17 pm

I just recently got my new computer, and have been doing test runs for my NG+ run. I have two problems. One minor, and one potentially run ending:
1. Squad Members randomly change to the pistol. Is there any reason for this (so that I might stop it from happening), or do I just have to reload and try again?
2. My Therum looks like this:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5800/masseffect2009072018025.jpg
It only happens in Therum. The rest of the game looks fine. Would this be acceptable to submit in a run?

Skodmunk

2009-07-28 12:12:59 pm

Your squad mates will change weapon if the one they have equipped overheats.

i've had the black lava problem too, look at the official forums for an fix, cant remember what it was Tongue

oh yeah and when you look in their forums you will find out that the game can be VERY bugged on some PC systems, mainly because of the aggressive anti-piracy software that comes with the game.
If you get the problem with weapons overheating and never cooling down, I suggest you get a crack and install that on your legit copy.

your_name_here

2009-07-28 04:45:52 pm

I found a fix for the black lava. The fixes posted in most locations didn't work for me. Turns out the shader cache is backed up in two different folders (one in the documents folder, and one in the programs folder), and I had to clear both of them, instead of just the one normally indicated.

The squad weapons were overheating? Makes sense. I gave them both Scram Rail X/Scram Rail X/HE Ammo X.
BTW, my last test run was 2h 3m (NG+, normal, segmented). I missed a couple grenade throws, got fatigued a lot and flipped over the mako a few times. I could probably make a ton of time on optimized running and driving. Sub 1:50 seems very possible. I've changed my route and build since I last posted (on the 360 topic). I'm doing Feros->Noveria->Virmire->Therum, with a soldier/commando/electronics. Electronics is tentative, as I'm still testing builds.