Mass Effect 1 Meuitm
- How can the answer be improved?
- You can begin by deleting or renaming your BIOEngine.ini file, and the next time you start Mass Effect the game will recreate a default one, this time it should correctly identify your sound hardware and allow proper Hardware Audio.
Jump to ALOT for Mass effect 1 (complements MEUITM) - A compilation of textures not covered in MEUITM. Regularly updated, applies LAA,.
The post has been archived. PM me if you have any issues.
Last edited on July 6th 2019
The scope of the guide is to give you an idea on how to install any type of mod for all of the 3 games. My recommended mods don't change the vanilla feel too much but in the end you choose what mods you want. Feel free to read their descriptions, but keep in mind that many of the instructions on individual mod pages may be outdated.
If you have the Origin version of the game please go to Setting>Application>Client Updates and disable automatic game updates, otherwise Origin will break the game.
It's also important that you run the game at least once before you start modding. Getting to the main menu and exiting is enough.
Many mod descriptions will tell you that you need programs such as 'Texmod' or 'MassEffect3Explorer' to install textures. For the end user, both of these programs are obsolete, since we're using the texture installer that comes with ALOT now. Some may also says to change some lines in the .ini files of the game. While there are still interesting things to be done in the ini files, editing them is no longer needed, Installer can optimize them for you with the click of a button, so you're getting the best shadow, textures resolution and effects possible. It also applies LAA automatically.
Ok, so here's the thing. You need only 1 program in order to install textures in ME games. It's the program through which you usually install ALOT (the biggest texture compilation for the trilogy), but you can use it to install any other textures you want. More on this below.
Textures are always installed last, after all other mods. If you start installing textures, you won't be able to install further non-texture mods. Doing so will most likely break the game or leave it in a compromise state. If this happens, uninstall and manually delete all your game files. I advice you follow the install order here.
Disclaimer: it is highly recommended you have at least 8 GB of RAM. Not necessarily for the games themselves, but for the texture installation process, which can take a while.
FOR ALL 3 GAMES
- FPS Counter - Mod that includes everything from SMAA and SRBAO to color correction (all optional), plus allows you to record and capture screenshots. To install, simply run the program. Doesn't officially support ME3 though, so no AO there. It's also the only software linked here that's not open-source and contains ads, though they're unintrusive in my opinion. Alternatives to this are using ReShade or Nvidia Inspecter - see tutorials online on how to use them. Do not combine FPS Counter with ReShade though. Currently bugged. Waiting for fix. You can still try it yourself and report back if it works. In the meantime you can use Nvidia Inspector to inject HBAO.
FOR MASS EFFECT 1:
Faster Elevators - Copy the Maps folder to 'Mass EffectBioGameCookedPC'.
Controller Mod - Download and copy/paste/overwrite the files on top of your main game but be careful, the 'Config' file goes in Documents/Bioware/Mass Effect, not the main directory. Run the game to make sure it works (won't be able to use mouse&keyboard if you install this).
- Soft Shadows - Ignore the main file and only download 'Soft Shadows' and overwrite in the game directory. This can now be installed through the ALOT Installer through a simple toggle in the menu.
A LOT for ME1 - The Installer is the same for all 3 games and should be installed only once, from either page. We'll use this program to also install textures that are not featured in ALOT
Facial Hair HD (ME1) - A high quality re-texture of male and female eyebrows, eyelashes and beards textures, designed to look as close to the originals as possible. Will be included in ALOT in the future, but it's standalone for now.
(From down here it's a matter of personal taste. These further mods might significantly deviate from the vanilla look or be lower quality than textures in ALOT. Screenshot displaying the ALOT variant are outdated but I'm leaving it here anyway
Ellise's mods - Not all of them are included in ALOT. If you'll install the textures for Anderson, you must first install Anderson Vanilla Head or otherwise you'll get skin tone differences between the face and the rest of his head.
Alien Aliens for ME1 - Overlaps with Ellise's mods for Liara and with some textures in ALOT. Here are some extra comparison shots. Pay attention to the install order and install the texture you want to use last or make sure further textures won't overwrite them.
Manufacturer - Comparable in quality to the textures in MEUITM/ALOT, but I personally prefer it.
How to use Installer to install any kind of textures:
Run 'ALOTInstaller.exe' (normally, NOT as Administrator)
Let it update
If you go to 'Settings' you'll notice that Installer also has a 'Backup' feature for all 3 games. In order to use this, you must have a completely vanilla version of the game installed.
Download all the mods mentioned BUT DON'T EXTRACT THEM
Drag them into the program window or use the 'Download Assistant' to import them automatically from the directory you saved them in. DO NOT RENAME ANYTHING. The file should be used as you downloaded it.
If you want to use mem/tpf/mod files (textures essentially) that are not included in Addon, drop them one by one in the Installer window and specify for each what game you're installing them for. BEWARE OF INSTALL ORDER. Mods higher-up in the list will install first and mods lower in the list will overwrite them. All mods under 'User Supplied Mods' will overwrite ALOT. Said textures can also be added as archives for ease of use.
For ME1 you can also customize the MEUITM installation. I recommend you toggle 'Soft Shadows' in here.
Go to 'INSTALL ALOT FOR MEx' and let it install the textures
Here's a visual guide of the process: https://imgur.com/a/WBJQD
FOR MASS EFFECT 2:
Most mods are just simple 'overwrite' files, so as long as you follow the instructions, they should be very easy to install. So things like the ME2Recalibrated, Controller Support, Faster Loading Screens at 60fps, or No Shared Cooldowns you just copy/overwrite in the main directory. Read the instructions for each mod carefully and install any compatibility files.
WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS MOD. It's in no way compatible with texture mods!
A LOT for ME2 - Follow the guide from ME1
Facial Hair HD (ME2) - A high quality re-texture of male and female eyebrows, eyelashes and beards textures, designed to look as close to the originals as possible. Will be included in ALOT in the future, but it's standalone for now.
Meuitm Reshade
(From down here it's a matter of personal taste. These further mods might significantly deviate from the vanilla look or be lower quality than textures in ALOT. Screenshot displaying the ALOT variant are outdated but I'm leaving it here anyway
Ellise's mods - Not all of them are included in ALOT.
Alien Aliens for ME2 - Overlaps with Ellise's mods for Liara and with some textures in ALOT. Here are some extra comparison shots. Pay attention to the install order and install the texture you want to use last or make sure further textures won't overwrite them. It also overlaps with the mod below.
Liara Retextures for ME2 - Some alternative looks for Liara, on top of the versions in ALOT, Ellise and Alien Aliens. You sure have options.
FOR MASS EFFECT 3:
Here, we have 3 types of MODs:
Custom DLC Files (very easy to install)
Mass Effect Manager Mods (need a third party program)
Textures (follow the guide from ME1)
Custom DLC FILES: (Copy the DLC file into Mass Effect 3/BIOGame/DLC or drag them into Mod Manager which will do it for you.)
ME3Recalibrated - Read the description. MAKE SURE that any further mods you install aren't already featured in this mod. If you see a bug-fix mod on Nexus that I don't mention here it's probably because it's already included in this.
BackOff - Now this one is a pain in the ass to install (in my opinion). You have 2 DLC mods here. One named 'DLC_CON_BACKOFF' and another 'DLC_CON_BOPATCHES', which is a compatibility DLC mod. Each file also has updates and optional files that must be installed by copying specific pcc files and moving them into the 'CookedPCC' folder of each main mod.
For the DLC_CON_BACKOFF file:
'BackOff_v1.0' - Get rid of everything except 'DLC_CON_BACKOFF'.
'BackOff v1.1 Update' - Use only the 'BackOff_v1.1Update' file. The other one is for BOPATCHES. Copy the .pcc files inside and overwrite in 'DLC_CON_BACKOFF'.
For the DLC_CON_BOPATCHES file:
'BOPatches_v1.0' - The main file you need is 'DLC_CON_BOPATCHES'. In here, you'll move pcc files from the others. Use 'JAM Patch' if you have JohnP's Alternate MEHEM (also included in the regular MEHEM, but optional). Use 'CEM Patch' if you have Citadel Epilogue Mod. Use 'TMv2ABC Patch' if you have ThaneMOD version A/B/C. Use 'CitDLC Patch' if you have the Citadel DLC but DON'T use CEM. 'LevOmgDLC Patch' if you have the Leviathan or Omega DLCs but DON'T have the Citadel DLC.
'BackOff v1.1 Update' - Use only the 'BOPatches_v1.1Update' file. The other one is for BACKOFF. 'CitOmgDLC' is for non-Leviathan Users (Citadel and/or Omega, only). If you have all 3 DLCs, use the files in LevDLC.
'CEMv1.4 Patch for BOPatches' - Use only if you have Citadel Epilogue Mod. Be aware if using the Full or Lite version!
'ME3Re v2.0 Patch for BOPatches' - Use only if you have ME3Recalibrated.
'BOPatches v1.1.1 Update' - Update for people that have the Citadel DLC.
Many other mods feature somewhat similar compatibility versions as BackOff, but nothing confusing. Simply keep track of the mods you want to use and see what compatibility files you must install.
MEHEM The Mass Effect 3 Happy Ending Mod - Not something I usually use but it's very popular. It comes as an executable but it's nothing more than a DLC file. JohnP's Alternate MEHEM is included in this but it's optional in the installation.
Project Variety - read the instructions carefully! See if the mod is compatible with your other mods or if it needs compatibility patches!
Spectre Expansion Mod - Requires Expanded Galaxy Mods (see Manager mods)
Miranda Redone - not compatible with Miranda - Alternative Uniform; compatibility patch for JohnP's Alternate MEHEM is included
Mods you may find but that you shouldn't install (and explained why): EGM Squadmate Pack for example is included in the Manager version of EGM. Ken and Gabby Recruitment Restoration Mod are included into ME3Recalibrated.
Manager Mods:
Get Mod Manager
Follow this guide made by the author
Always check for updates for particular mods before applying them by right-clicking on them and choosing the specific action. Some mods also have optional 'variants' you can enable, though this is rare.
Try some of these:
Expanded Galaxy Mod 1.0851 - Mod Manager Installer, (also install EGM HR Vehicle Pack (Mod Manager install))
Ark Mod - Requires Expanded Galaxy Mods
EGM Custom Extras Pack - Requires Expanded Galaxy Mods
Omega Hub (Alpha) - Requires Expanded Galaxy Mods
etc.
Go to Tools and Install Bink32 DLC Bypass (the ASI version poses some security risks; use it only if necessary). This is also known as 'DLC Patcher'
Don't forget to create the compatibility patch (see guide mentioned above)
Texture MODS:
A LOT for ME3 - Follow the guide from ME1
Facial Hair HD (ME3) - A high quality re-texture of male and female eyebrows, eyelashes and beards textures, designed to look as close to the originals as possible. Will be included in ALOT in the future, but it's standalone for now.
(From down here it's a matter of personal taste. These further mods might significantly deviate from the vanilla look or be lower quality than textures in ALOT. Screenshot displaying the ALOT variant are outdated but I'm leaving it here anyway
Alien Aliens for ME3 - Overlaps with Ellise's mods for Liara and with some textures in ALOT. Here are some extra comparison shots. Pay attention to the install order and install the texture you want to use last or make sure further textures won't overwrite them.
Sarah Williams Mod - Ignore the instructions, the .mod files can be installed through ALOT Installer.
The Ashley Legacy Project - install on your own risk, it has unsolved compatibility issues with a ton of other mods. It's effectively left in a broken state. (see mod description for more info). Also no point in using it in combination with other texture mods for Ashley.
Vanilla Hair Tweaks which I heard works great with Heleuss' Hair Textures
Lastly, if you're having issues with Origins not opening the game after installing mods, follow this nice guide by Mgamerz's on how to fix it.
Mass Effect is based on the Unreal Engine 3.0, which allows users to access a range of configuration variables and console commands to use for not only altering the way the game looks and performs, but also changing various gameplay parameters. In this section we look at how you can undertake such tweaking and examine all the major variables and commands necessary to do so.
Mass Effect holds all of its main settings in a range of .ini (initialization) files found under your Documents and SettingsUserMy DocumentsBioWareMass EffectConfig directory in Windows XP, or Users[User]DocumentsBioWareMass EffectConfig in Windows Vista. These .ini files can be viewed and edited using a text editor like Windows Notepad, but I recommend backing them up before changing any settings. If something goes wrong and you want to return these files to their defaults, simply delete them and they'll be recreated using the original templates (found under Program FilesMass EffectEngineConfig) the next time you start the game. For this reason, don't ever edit or delete the Base .ini files or any other .ini files found under the game's directories; make sure to only edit those under the user directory specified further above.
The main .ini files we will be examining here are BIOEngine.ini which holds your main graphics and audio-related settings; BIOGame.ini which holds various game world parameters; and BIOInput.ini which holds your key bindings. Each config file is covered in separate sections below.
Important - Make sure you understand the following before reading this section:
BIOEngine.ini
[Engine.GameEngine]
bSmoothFrameRate=True
The game engine is capped to a maximum framerate, as determined by the value of the MaxSmoothedFrameRate variable (see below), which is 62 FPS by default. This is done by the developers to prevent FPS spikes and thus provide smoother performance. However, by setting this option to =False, you can completely remove this FPS cap. Keep in mind though that if you then find your framerate varying a great deal and causing jerkiness, this option is best set back to True. Uncapping your FPS doesn't increase overall performance as such, i.e. if you got 35 FPS in certain areas with the cap, you'll still do so without the cap.
MinSmoothedFrameRate=22
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=62
These settings control the framerate range between which the game engine attempts to smooth frames. As covered under the bSmoothFrameRate setting above, if that setting is set to True, the framerate limit specified by the value of MaxSmoothedFrameRate will be enforced. Although you can disable this FPS cap, ideally if you want smooth FPS but don't want the default 62FPS cap, one thing you can do is to set the MaxSmoothedFrameRate to a higher value, e.g. =70 or =85. It's usually best to set your FPS cap to match your Refresh Rate, since even with VSync disabled, any framerate above your monitor's refresh rate will simply be partial frames anyway. There's no reason why uncapping your FPS will necessarily provide you a better gameplay advantage, and in fact it may do the opposite due to greater FPS variability, so experiment to see if simply using a higher framerate cap is actually a better compromise of smoothness and performance.
bUseTextureStreaming=True
The Unreal Engine 3 on which Mass Effect is based uses a streaming approach to loading up textures. Streaming is actually designed more for helping loading times on consoles. However if this option is set to =False, textures won't be streamed in at all, but instead most of the environment will be black due to a lack of textures. Other texture streaming-related variables in the .ini files similarly seem to have no impact on disabling texture streaming properly. It appears that unfortunately texture streaming cannot be properly disabled in UE3.0 games.
bUsePostProcessEffects=True
This setting controls a range of 'post processing' effects, namely effects which are overlaid on the main game image - these effects include Film Grain, Motion Blur, Light Bloom and the Depth of Field effects which are visible throughout the game. When this setting =False, all such effects are removed, and the result is a performance improvement, and a very clear though somewhat blander image. Since you can already enable or disable Film Grain and Motion Blur individually from within the in-game settings, and adjust Depth of Field using the DepthOfField settings further below, disabling this setting is generally not recommended unless you are really struggling for FPS and/or want to remove all blur/grain/bloom effects from the game at once. Note that light halos are not affected by this setting.
bEnableBranchingPCFShadows=True
This setting controls a form of soft shadow rendering called Branching PCF. If set to False, it results in the removal of soft filtered/smudged edges for shadows, which in turn may increase performance but can also make shadows seem more blocky.
bUseSound=True
If set to False, this disables all sound in the game. The main use for this setting would be when troubleshooting an issue such as crashes or stuttering, to see if the audio system is the culprit. If disabling sound helps your game performance or stability, see the Sound section of the in-game settings and Troubleshooting Tips section of the guide for more details of how to fix the issue properly.
bUseMusicSound=True
Similar to bUseSound above, this setting disables music in the game if set to =False. However it doesn't disable all music - the menu music and some in-game music can be heard periodically even when this setting is disabled.
bUseBackgroundLevelStreaming=True
This setting is related to the streaming textures in the game, and appears to control whether streaming occurs in the background or not. In my testing setting this to =False seemed to dramatically increase level loading time and then resulted in a crash at the end of loading, so it is not recommended.
ShadowFilterRadius=2.000000
This setting controls the shadow filtering in the engine, basically determining how sharp or dispersed the outlines of shadows appear. The higher the value, the more 'blob-like' and faint shadows become, the lower the value, the less dispersed and sharper the outlines of shadows.
DepthBias=.012000
This setting controls depth calculations for shadows, and effectively determines the way Dynamic Shadows appear. Higher values gradually reduce the number of shadows shown; a value close to 1.0 totally removes dynamic shadows on objects (but leaves static shadows as normal). Lower values increase the number of shadows, however this can also result in glitches. A current workaround to removing some of the glitchy shadows in Mass Effect is to change this setting to =0.030, however note that this removes the glitchy shadows altogether, it doesn't fix them as such.
Update: As of the 1.02 Patch, the DepthBias value may now default to =0.030, which will remove dynamic shadowing. Set it to =0.012 to return shadowing.
MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=512
These two settings appear to determine the minimum and maximum possible values for shadow resolution in the game. The higher the minimum value, the darker and richer shadows should appear; conversely the lower the maximum value, many shadows may appear less distinct and grey. Raising or lowering shadow resolutions may result in an impact on performance, but more importantly, it can also result in visual glitches - for example any values above 512 for MinShadowResolution result in obvious glitches, while very low values for MaxShadowResolution similarly result in glitches. In practice the difference between the default and higher values for these settings is minimal to none, but if you wish to test it for yourself, set the minimum to 512 and the maximum to 2048 or even 4096 and see how it looks for you. You may get missing shadows if the minimum is set higher than 32 however, so it may be best just to raise the maximum value.
ModShadowFadeDistanceExponent=0.200000
This setting controls the distance at which shadows fade into/out of view. The higher the value, the shorter the distance from the object at which shadows fade in/out, and also the fainter all dynamic shadows appear. For example at 0.5 most shadows will be almost invisible, while at 0.0 all shadows will be shown, even at long distances, improving image quality at the cost of some performance.
ShadowVolumeLightRadiusThreshold=1000.000000
This setting controls the way in which lights affect the generation of shadows. Lights which have a radius below this threshold value will not cast a dynamic shadow. In practice changing this value generally appears to have no real impact, except perhaps to cause some lighting glitches.
Mass Effect 1 Meuitm Video Installation
ShadowVolumePrimitiveScreenSpacePercentageThreshold=0.250000
Any 'primitive' (basic graphical component) which takes up a screen percentage lower than this threshold will not cast a dynamic shadow. In practice altering the value appears to have no visual impact.
[WinDrv.WindowsClient]
Note: Most every setting in this section can be altered using the in-game settings, however several of them are still useful to examine for troubleshooting purposes:
AudioDeviceClass=Class'ISACTAudio.ISACTAudioDevice'
This setting corresponds with Mass Effect using the default proprietary Creative ISACT OpenAL-based Audio System (as shown above), or the more generic OpenAL audio system if =Class'ALAudio.ALAudioDevice'. Unfortunately trying to force the generic OpenAL audio by changing this line to =Class'ALAudio.ALAudioDevice' will result in a crash. ISACT should work fine on all systems, however there is a quirk with the way the engine detects your audio device, and there is a workaround to try to fix this - see the Sound section of the in-game settings along with the [ISACTAudio.ISACTAudioDevice] section further below for details.
StartupResolutionX=1280
StartupResolutionY=1024
These settings control the width (ResolutionX) and Height (ResolutionY) of your game display resolution. While this can normally be adjusted using the in-game Resolution setting, you can use these values in case you can't access the in-game settings, or to try to force a custom resolution.
MinDesiredFrameRate=35.000000
This setting appears designed to attempt to maintain a minimum framerate, possibly by reducing or removing effects on the fly. However in my testing I've found that it seems to have no impact at all both on image quality or FPS, so it is essentially non-functional.
[ALAudio.ALAudioDevice]
As noted in the AudioDeviceClass setting further above, this section can theoretically be used by the game for generic OpenAL audio-related settings if AudioDeviceClass=Class'ALAudio.ALAudioDevice'. However in practice this only results in a crash, so it is essentially a non-functional section of the .ini file and changing anything under it should have no impact whatsoever.
[ISACTAudio.ISACTAudioDevice]
This section relates to the major audio settings in the game, using the Creative ISACT OpenAL-based audio system. Regardless of your sound card and whether you're running XP or Vista, the game will use this audio system - see the Sound section of the in-game settings for more details.
MaxChannels=64
This option controls the maximum number of individual audio channels used for sound in Mass Effect. Almost all modern sound cards support at least 32 channels; Audigy series cards can support up to 64; X-Fi cards support up to 128. If you're having audio problems set this value to the maximum channels supported by your audio device, or to try to improve performance or reduce audio glitches, try a slightly lower value, or just 32 if all else fails. Note though that if set too low you will get missing or glitching sounds.
NoHALSupport0=
There are several lines here which start with 'NoHALSupport'; these indicate specific audio devices for which the game does not provide proper hardware support, even if you select 'Hardware Audio' in the in-game settings. Surprisingly, even Creative's own SoundBlaster Audigy cards are listed here as unsupported, resulting in problems for Audigy and even X-Fi owners who want full working hardware surround sound. The solution to any such problems involves the following steps:
1. You can begin by deleting or renaming your BIOEngine.ini file, and the next time you start Mass Effect the game will recreate a default one, this time it should correctly identify your sound hardware and allow proper Hardware Audio.
2. If the step above doesn't work, add a double // in front of the relevant NoHALSupport line(s) which lists your specific hardware. For example, SoundBlaster Audigy 2 owners should change the following lines to look thusly:
//NoHALSupport3=Sound Blaster Audigy
//NoHALSupport4=SB Audigy
The double // in front of each line tells the game to ignore these lines, although deleting them does the same thing too.
3. If that still doesn't work, adjust the DeviceName= line to be equal to nothing (i.e. just DeviceName=), and set UseEffectsProcessing=False (both described further below).
These steps should resolve problems for most users, however ultimately a patch may be necessary to fix this issue properly for some people. BioWare have said they are aware of this issue.
Update: Aside from Step 1 above, the other steps should not be necessary as of the 1.01 Patch, since the patch removes the NoHALSupport lines, meaning all major audio devices should be capable of hardware audio if detected properly. However it seems that the game's audio hardware detection mechanism is still faulty, and as such certain lines from this section of the .ini file may not be present. In short if you can't get hardware audio (check your MassEffect.log file under your (My) DocumentsBioWareMass EffectLogs directory to be sure) then follow Step 1 above, restart the game and don't make any changes to the Sound settings, as otherwise the game appears to totally rewrite this section of the .ini file if you do. If that doesn't work follow Step 3, and if that still doesn't work then you may have to settle for software audio.
DeviceName=Generic Software
This setting appears to determine whether your audio device has been identified correctly, and if so whether Mass Effect uses Generic Software or Generic Hardware based audio. For most standalone sound card owners with the 'Hardware Audio' option enabled in the in-game settings, this line should read DeviceName=Generic Hardware, or the actual name of your device. If you are having audio difficulties, blanking out the contents of this setting (i.e. so it looks like this: DeviceName=) may help resolve issues along with the other steps covered above.
UseEffectsProcessing=True
This setting appears to control whether hardware-based additional audio effects processing is enabled or not. It should be set to True to begin with if you're using Hardware Audio, however if you are experiencing audio problems you can set it to =False to maintain audio quality or for troubleshooting purposes.
Update: As of the 1.01 Patch, the above option may not be available in your .ini file depending on how the engine detects your audio device.
The next page continues our look at Advanced Tweaking.