Mass Effect 3 Catch-All

TempestBlayze wrote:

Turns out multiplayer affects the ending. It seems if you don't play multi, you get a very bleak ending...

Not exactly:

It is possible to get the best ending in single player without playing multiplayer, but it’s twice as hard. All your War Assets only count for 50% of their potential value.

You have to explore, scan around planets, and do additional missions to get your War Readiness up. Not saying the design isn't encouraging people to try Multiplayer (and buy Booster packs for real $$), but it's not the only way, apparently.

TempestBlayze wrote:

Turns out multiplayer affects the ending. It seems if you don't play multi, you get a very bleak ending...

It is possible to get the best ending in single player without playing multiplayer, but it’s twice as hard. All your War Assets only count for 50% of their potential value. The biggest gains in War Assets come from a culmination of your decisions in the previous games and your decisions in this one: if you’ve helped a race before, and you help them here, it’s often possible to get their full support and resolve their conflict to get someone else on your side too.

In other situations, a wrong call somewhere along the line, or a Paragon or Renegade score too low to pick the right thing to say, can mean a character dies, a race is demoralised, and if they fight for you at all they’re worth much less to the war effort.

I said I did all the ‘proper’ quests I could find – if you want to maximise your War Assets without playing multiplayer, you’ll have to do the others. The only quests I had left were ones to scour certain systems for planets that aren’t marked on your map, scan them, then fire a probe and return to the Citadel. Even compared to Mass Effect 2's resource-scanning, these are dull.

...

If they’ve made a game that’s brutal, harsh and dark if you don’t play multiplayer, they’ve made a game that’s brutal, harsh and dark. That’s how I reviewed it, and it’s still phenomenal.

WOW! I so cannot wait to install this game tonight. So tempted to do Story mode instead of RPG mode because I heard its mostly meat shields the later 2/3's of the game.

TempestBlayze wrote:

Turns out multiplayer affects the ending. It seems if you don't play multi, you get a very bleak ending...

Single player is pretty bleak as it is already, might not be a bad thing.

chaosmos wrote:
TempestBlayze wrote:

Turns out multiplayer affects the ending. It seems if you don't play multi, you get a very bleak ending...

Not exactly:

It is possible to get the best ending in single player without playing multiplayer, but it’s twice as hard. All your War Assets only count for 50% of their potential value.

You have to explore, scan around planets, and do additional missions to get your War Readiness up. Not saying the design isn't encouraging people to try Multiplayer (and buy Booster packs for real $$), but it's not the only way, apparently.

You don't have to buy the packs. They're all available for the in-game currency you get from playing multiplayer.

I'm actually a little surprised that they are selling the random packs, instead of the LoL route where you can buy specific characters or equipment(all of which are available though playing the game).

I'm really bummed that I didn't choose to import my ME1 character into ME2. Now I have a ME2 save where Wrex was dead, but I didn't really want to use someone else's save. Ah well, the choices we make and all that.

Nevin73 wrote:

I'm really bummed that I didn't choose to import my ME1 character into ME2. Now I have a ME2 save where Wrex was dead, but I didn't really want to use someone else's save. Ah well, the choices we make and all that.

Look into the save editor. You can probably use it to modify your ME2 save to include your ME1 choices (you can use it for Xbox or PC saves, although you'll have to look up instructions on how to modify Xbox saves).

BishopRS wrote:

Bwaaaaahhhhh. I told myself I wouldn't cave on this so soon after launch but...

Are the N7 edition weapons in the Arsenal Pack overpowered? I'm not keen on getting game breaking items.

They aren't overpowered compared to all weapons, but they are more powerful than the weapons you start out with.

The N7 sniper rifle is probably the most balanced, falling between the Mantis and the Viper in terms of power and magazine size.

The N7 pistol looks like the Phalanx with a case on it but is actually very different, and is fully automatic. Slow firing rate and terrible accuracy, but fully automatic.

The N7 SMG is extremely powerful but has terrible accuracy and insane recoil. I put a scope on it in the Spectre test range and went for a headshot. The first bullet hit but every one after that went way over the target's head.

The N7 shotgun might be objectively overpowered because it has such great range. There isn't much of a downside, other than those typical of all shotguns (poor firing rate and heavy recoil, made moot by aforementioned poor firing rate).

The N7 assault rifle, I have no idea. I didn't buy through Gamestop.

You pay for their power in weight, of course. They are all very heavy weapons.

tanstaafl wrote:
Luggage wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Alienware is giving away free M90 Indra Sniper Rifle codes. They're limit, so I don't know how long they will last. There are 7,435 still available as I post.

PC only.

2,400 left as of 7 am EST.

Just over 1,000 as of 8:30 EST.

They must have added a lot more, because I just got mine at about 12 noon EST and there were over 6,000.

Nevin73 wrote:

I'm really bummed that I didn't choose to import my ME1 character into ME2. Now I have a ME2 save where Wrex was dead, but I didn't really want to use someone else's save. Ah well, the choices we make and all that.

Wrex has been dead for me since that mission in ME1. I havent really missed him to be honest

You're history's greatest monster!

chaosmos wrote:
Vector wrote:

Thanks guys. I figured as much but wasn't sure. I'm playing an imported save from the 360 on my PC so I don't know how well it worked.

Did you get it to work? I'd be curious to hear the steps you followed, because I can't get my ME2 360 save recognized.

I moved the save onto a USB thumb drive, used the XTAF utility to copy it to my PC, and the Modio program to extract the ME2 saves. Then I made a new folder for the saves "My Documents/BioWare/Mass Effect 2/Save", but it doesn't show up on the character import screen in ME3.

I downloaded somebody else's save, and that worked (sans the face), so maybe my save got corrupted in the process?

I got it to work after a tiny bit of fiddling. Someone mentioned it earlier but in your "save" folder you have to create another folder I called mine: Jackman_11_Infiltrator_140211

You can change the character name (Jackman) and the class (Infiltrator) without a problem. Before that my save wouldn't appear. Almost all of my information has carried over including the DLC.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I'd also like to know if anyone DID manage to import their full ME2 arsenal. Or any of it. I'm getting conflicting reports on whether I even SHOULD have access to all my old guns or if importing just means they'll show up in stores or something.

I think Scratched is right about this. I've seen a couple of weapons pop-up but nothing for free. I did find all of my toy ships around the Normandy but no weapons.

So far, I'm in love. My only complaint is that I can't use my controller but even then, the PC scheme is much improved over ME1.

I love how a lot of the divergent changes are subtle. I'm constantly thinking "did one of my decisions change that?". I played through all of the DLC and can't wait to see Zaeed or Kasumi show up.

They've managed to get me to like Liara. She went from one of the most boring characters in ME1, to increasingly interesting character in ME2, to a really cool character in ME3. I'm only 4 hours in and just running around the Normandy. It feels like home.

ADAMS!

Luggage wrote:

So looks like things on the @AllianceNewsNetwork ... took a Wong turn.

*looks at signature*

You don't say.

Also, looks like Amazon scored some more stock of the Collector's Edition for anyone who still hasn't purchased yet:

http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-3-...

The cover system seems worse than ME2. I'm finding myself rolling into enemies a lot more than before when I'm trying to crouch behind a barrier.

I can't wait I got my collectors edition and am looking forward to playing it.

zeroKFE wrote:
mwdowns wrote:

Emily Wong, you will be avenged!

Indeed she will. Indeed. She. Will.

Now now... two Wongs don't make a right. :p

ruhk wrote:
zeroKFE wrote:
mwdowns wrote:

Emily Wong, you will be avenged!

Indeed she will. Indeed. She. Will.

Now now... two Wongs don't make a right. :p

Dammit. The thread is dead and I haven't even started the game yet.

I mentioned in the pre-release thread that I thought they had gone overboard with the boob-plate armour, but I think I'm going past "that's a bit silly" to "that's very silly" in how Bioware (re)designed the female crew physiques and their armour. Fair enough, they are their characters to mess around with, but in my humble opinion they're stepping into the bad aspects of Lara Croft now, rather than believable and consistent characters.

Scratched wrote:

I mentioned in the pre-release thread that I thought they had gone overboard with the boob-plate armour, but I think I'm going past "that's a bit silly" to "that's very silly" in how Bioware (re)designed the female crew physiques and their armour. Fair enough, they are their characters to mess around with, but in my humble opinion they're stepping into the bad aspects of Lara Croft now, rather than believable and consistent characters.

I would not disagree with this. That said... I can't say it's enough to keep me from being totally enthralled by the game.

So, stupid question that I will be able to answer for myself once I get home, but hey, maybe one of you can answer it now and save me a few hours of wondering.

This issue importing faces created in ME1 -- does it extend to importing the default from ME1? I've grown quite attached to the ME1 default femshep face, and it would be a bummer to lose it.

And relatedly, how tough is it to use the save editor to change head morphs? If I can't have the ME1 default I want to at least change to the ME2 default, which was at least a close approximation of the ME1 face rather than a complete redesign like the new ME3 default.

Scratched wrote:

I mentioned in the pre-release thread that I thought they had gone overboard with the boob-plate armour, but I think I'm going past "that's a bit silly" to "that's very silly" in how Bioware (re)designed the female crew physiques and their armour. Fair enough, they are their characters to mess around with, but in my humble opinion they're stepping into the bad aspects of Lara Croft now, rather than believable and consistent characters.

I remember looking at Ashley and thinking, she must have gotten a boob job since ME2. It's part of the fiction for me. Everyone got boob jobs.

i38warhawk wrote:
Scratched wrote:

I mentioned in the pre-release thread that I thought they had gone overboard with the boob-plate armour, but I think I'm going past "that's a bit silly" to "that's very silly" in how Bioware (re)designed the female crew physiques and their armour. Fair enough, they are their characters to mess around with, but in my humble opinion they're stepping into the bad aspects of Lara Croft now, rather than believable and consistent characters.

I remember looking at Ashley and thinking, she must have gotten a boob job since ME2. It's part of the fiction for me. Everyone got boob jobs.

But they're infused with kevlar [or future equivalent] so they have military applications beyond the obvious flotation device.

It's clearly a lesser known effect of the indoctrination process.

I just assumed my Shepherd was so manly with his space hormones that all the females around him rapidly evolved due to his pure virility

With all the advancements in biotic implants, genophage, and so many genetic manipulations out there... I'm sure breast enhancement is a simple pill you can take in the future.

Stele wrote:

With all the advancements in biotic implants, genophage, and so many genetic manipulations out there... I'm sure breast enhancement is a simple pill you can take in the future. :D

Shep was rebuilt from death after all.

Has anybody started the game without a save? (see post in the other thread for my reasons why)

zeroKFE wrote:

And relatedly, how tough is it to use the save editor to change head morphs? If I can't have the ME1 default I want to at least change to the ME2 default, which was at least a close approximation of the ME1 face rather than a complete redesign like the new ME3 default.

I noticed you can enter an alphanumeric code in the appearance editor, so I'm assuming somebody will come up with a close approximation of the old default heads soon enough (if they haven't already...)

chaosmos wrote:
zeroKFE wrote:

And relatedly, how tough is it to use the save editor to change head morphs? If I can't have the ME1 default I want to at least change to the ME2 default, which was at least a close approximation of the ME1 face rather than a complete redesign like the new ME3 default.

I noticed you can enter an alphanumeric code in the appearance editor, so I'm assuming somebody will come up with a close approximation of the old default heads soon enough (if they haven't already...)

I actually did a bit of research on this piece myself (still not sure about the original question of whether importing the ME1 default works, though). Apparently it should be as simple as unchecking the "has head morph" flag to switch to the ME2 default, so at least it should be easy to get something close to what I want.

Issue importing faces acknowledged.

I actually noticed that weird morphing when trying to enter someone's face code from here they posted back in the ME2 thread. I had saved the face code for another ME2 run, and ended up trying it on the ME3 demo and... blargh.

MannishBoy wrote:
Stele wrote:

With all the advancements in biotic implants, genophage, and so many genetic manipulations out there... I'm sure breast enhancement is a simple pill you can take in the future. :D

Shep was rebuilt from death after all.

I imagine that lead to some awkward conversations.

Illusive Man: So what do you think of the modifications we made, Shepard?
Shepard: Who designed these?
Illusive Man: ...We all must make sacrifices for the benefit of mankind. And, like, 10% of womenkind. 20%, in college.