Ok. I finally figured out why the DLC was not working for me.
Windows Firewall is fucking useless!
That's why! I blocked both, inbound and outbound connections to Mass Effect's launcher as well as the .exe. It didn't block shit whatsoever. I kept getting "unable to authorize listed dlc"
I had to disconnect my internet entirely for the unlocker to work. God, i can't even begin to explain how much this pissed me off.
Anyway. Turn off your modem, use the unlocker then go ingame to see if it is enabled.
I tried every damn thing that was suggested here but this finally did the trick.
Any other way to use the DLC besides turning off your connection?
Like using the old hosts trick... any of you have the link authentification server?
Use a good firewall to block traffic on the launcher.exe and Me2.exe (comodo is a good free firewall and antivirus solution)
Tried it with that firewall too. Nothing.
Tried it again while internet is disconnected and it works perfectly fine. However, if i restart the game while i am online, the authentication request pops up again.
I really think that i have a port or two open that the Cerberus Network uses and they need to be blocked. I just don't know which ones.
Ok. I finally figured out why the DLC was not working for me.
Windows Firewall is fucking useless!
That's why! I blocked both, inbound and outbound connections to Mass Effect's launcher as well as the .exe. It didn't block shit whatsoever. I kept getting "unable to authorize listed dlc"
Did you use the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security? Run %SystemRoot%\system32\WF.msc (that's what it is in Vista anyway, might be a bit different path in Win7 if you have it) and see if you have the programs blocked in the Outbound rules.
I did. Blocked both, outbound as well as inbound traffic. No luck for some reason.
I Am wondering if any ports have to be blocked for Cerberus Network.
You've got some other issue then. The launcher doesn't need to be blocked at all. And I launched it as ut3.exe a few times before I blocked it with the firewall (I do that for any non-multi game) and the dlc still worked. I don't think that's your problem.
It *is* network related obviously. The hash for the DLC is computed based off the MAC address of your network adapter. Do you have multiple adapters? It's quite possible that windows and the unlocker are selecting different adapters when checking to see if things are kosher. Try disabling adapters not in use. Or changing the order in which adapters are accessed (in win7 go to control panel->network and sharing. select change adapter settings on the left side. press Alt, click advanced, and advanced settings. and try changing the order of things around)
Looking at the code for the unlocker it also looks like it's looping through each adapter and grabbing the MAC that gets copied to a variable. AFTER the loop it ORs the variable containing the MAC with eoJfarG (which explains JoeGrafIsAHomo() . So it's going off the last MAC in the list. I'm not sure why he did it like that. My best guess right now is the unlocker and mass effect are looking at two different mac addresses.
Sweeeeeeet, updated my nVidia drivers and FSAA is working like a charm!
I installed the latest beta drivers. It showed up in the override settings as an installed application (after fixing their screwup). But it still didn't make any difference. In the end I just renamed the exe to ut3.exe and added it manually like everyone else. Strangely I took almost no hit on fps by enable 8x
I took a big hit on fps when I forced AA (ati 4850), got a smooth 60 before but 4xAA brought me down to 40s. Smooth still, so I don't give a fuck. Game looks a thousand times better now.
Ok. I finally figured out why the DLC was not working for me.
Windows Firewall is fucking useless!
That's why! I blocked both, inbound and outbound connections to Mass Effect's launcher as well as the .exe. It didn't block shit whatsoever. I kept getting "unable to authorize listed dlc"
I had to disconnect my internet entirely for the unlocker to work. God, i can't even begin to explain how much this pissed me off.
Anyway. Turn off your modem, use the unlocker then go ingame to see if it is enabled.
I tried every damn thing that was suggested here but this finally did the trick.
Any other way to use the DLC besides turning off your connection?
Like using the old hosts trick... any of you have the link authentification server?
Something else must be the problem if you need to resort to disconnect your internet or turn off your modem/router. In actual fact, you don't even have to mess with your modem/router for the unlocker to work. at least for me, whether its windows firewall or my kaspersky firewall enabled, and my internet is constantly connected, i'm still able to use the unlocker without any problem. the only thing i did was just disable the auto-login to cerberus network in game.
Did you use the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security? Run %SystemRoot%\system32\WF.msc (that's what it is in Vista anyway, might be a bit different path in Win7 if you have it) and see if you have the programs blocked in the Outbound rules.
I did. Blocked both, outbound as well as inbound traffic. No luck for some reason.
I Am wondering if any ports have to be blocked for Cerberus Network.
You've got some other issue then. The launcher doesn't need to be blocked at all. And I launched it as ut3.exe a few times before I blocked it with the firewall (I do that for any non-multi game) and the dlc still worked. I don't think that's your problem.
It *is* network related obviously. The hash for the DLC is computed based off the MAC address of your network adapter. Do you have multiple adapters? It's quite possible that windows and the unlocker are selecting different adapters when checking to see if things are kosher. Try disabling adapters not in use. Or changing the order in which adapters are accessed (in win7 go to control panel->network and sharing. select change adapter settings on the left side. press Alt, click advanced, and advanced settings. and try changing the order of things around)
Looking at the code for the unlocker it also looks like it's looping through each adapter and grabbing the MAC that gets copied to a variable. AFTER the loop it ORs the variable containing the MAC with eoJfarG (which explains JoeGrafIsAHomo() . So it's going off the last MAC in the list. I'm not sure why he did it like that. My best guess right now is the unlocker and mass effect are looking at two different mac addresses.
Did exactly what you said. I even completely uninstalled the other adapter. Didn't make a difference whatsoever. I dunno anymore. I Am at a loss. Guess i'll have to stick with my workaround until somebody releases a working unlocker for some of us who are still unable to unlock it.
I've got a huge "player opinion" coming up soon, it's a gigantic TL;DR so don't worry - I'll summarise it. But for those that actually enjoy WOT posts, this should be relatively interesting.
I just finished the game, no death at all, the final mission was fun but... I preferred the ending mission of Mass Effect 1, it was much more epic and the Mu Relay was an awesome twist.
No wtf lol twist with ME2, kind of disappointed.
One huge reproach with this game: You can't recruit the BEST npc before the end @ Legion, he's SO bad ass and his custom sniper is just imba, screw you Bioware.
Sabin you should be happy to know that it took me 42h00 to do everything, not 25 or 27
The ending to ME1 (mainly the battle) was definitely better, I think the game suffered a bit from having no direct bad dude like with Saren. But shit is going to get real in the last game, so the feeling of wanting more is okay in this game. For me, at least.
The ending to ME1 (mainly the battle) was definitely better, I think the game suffered a bit from having no direct bad dude like with Saren. But shit is going to get real in the last game, so the feeling of wanting more is okay in this game. For me, at least.
Agreed, having a direct bad charismatic dude is important.
Star Wars without Darth Vader would be nothing !
... and Sovereign was bad ass too, the dialogue with it was sooooooo awesome. "I'm the vanguard of your destruction" <3
I also thought that the game was lacking a bad guy, it has more or less a race of bugs indoctrinated by Harbinger.
Anyway the Reapers are pissed and are now heading straight for us. ME3 better live up to this game.
So yeah, I promised a friend I'd get a review up - and considering I was one of the strongest, loudest, advocates AGAINST the game; I think most people will be surprised by the result =)
It's no shock that I'm extremely vocal about things I like and even more about things I dislike, so when EA/BioWare announced all the "features" and proposed cuts/changes/additions compared to the first game, I was absolutely livid. In my mind's eye, all I saw was a blasphemous lobotomy of a game that was absolutely fantastic. Reading the previews and reviews, seeing what was cut, it just made the game sound like nothing but another "Gears of Wars" clone - and that was abhorrent to me. There's enough brainless shooters on the market as it is, now the call of the braindead console masses have changed an RPG shooter into a plain shooter. Lame. Or so I thought! After 47hrs, I'm glad to have found that my opinion had radically changed.
==The following may/will contain minor spoilers, but nothing game-breaking==
The game opens well enough, with Shepard and your crew on the Normandy from the first game, patrolling the Terminus System hunting down an illusive enemy; the Collectors, a vile race of insectoids that have been abducting human colonies in the thousands. Sadly for Shepard and your crew, the Collectors are far more powerful than first thought - and that fact is cemented by the fact that a Collector ship wipes out the Normandy in a short order. Rather than just being another pre-rendered cutscene, your mission starts with you, the player, having to physically escape the doomed Normandy. You fail.
Then you die.
And the game really begins. A game that kept me enthralled for over 47hrs. 47hrs of exploration, combat, discovery and revelation as you scour the galaxy in search of a crew strong enough, and resolved enough, to take down one of the biggest threats to humanity that has ever existed; the Collectors - pawns of the Reapers, a race of sentient machines that have existed for millenia, whose only desire is the eradication of all biological life. Those that have played the first game will be familiar with the backstory surrounding the Reapers, and those that have yet to experience Mass Effect will be clued in via conversations with NPCs and news items broadcast from terminals on stations.
If you have played the first game, on the 360 or PC, you're given the chance to import your save game and literally continue your career, rather than being dumped into a character created for you and not by you. All the choices you made in the first game will carry over to this one, everything from how you look to how you treated a certain avid fan Sadly the impact of your choices is nowhere near as grandiose as BioWare first made out, but it's a nice touch that serves to add a little continuity to the game and for the fans of the first. It also appears that the ramifications of your choices in the first game won't really be felt until the THIRD, which is a bit of a cop-out but it's still nice to know there WILL be an impact. Just like Obsidian did with KoTOR2, you are given choices via conversation dialogues to alter the events from the first game, so even on an imported character you can change the outcome.
For those of you that didn't finish/play the first, and don't import a save game, you can create a new character and the game itself will make certain decisions for you. Sadly it makes BAD decisions (or good, depending on your play style ) - such as the state of the Council, the living status of key characters from the first game, and other generic possibilities.
==Gameplay==
Again, depending on your play style, the core changes to the gameplay may be a blessing or a curse. For me it's a bit of both. The game has radically altered so that the emphasis is now on combat and gunplay, rather than discussion and reason. Exploration has been toned down dramatically, as have what few RPG elements were in the first game. All combat locations are scripted and the entire game is mission based, with absolutely no deviation from a strict A-to-B course. You start the mission, you kill things, you run through linear corridors (even outside locales are corridors), you kill a pseudo boss, the mission ends. You even get an end-of-mission report (How much EXP you earned, what bonuses, the mission debrief, etc. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a kill count and an overall points score, to be honest.
Luckily for us, the combat itself is impressive. The first game had a metric shit-ton of combat, but it felt "wrong" for most people - like it was tacked on and didn't feel right. Things are vastly improved and now feels, and plays, like any other UE3-powered TPS. Cover plays a more important role in this game, and you absolutely need to make use of it - failure to do so (as your AI-controlled team members often do...) means a quick death. If you've played Gears of War, you'll feel right at home.
The emphasis on the dumbing down from the first game really gets felt from here; combat is as scripted as it comes, with blatently obvious areas that trigger waves of enemies. Beat those, move on, rinse repeat. You no longer gain experience points from killing enemies, nor do you gain loot or any item of any kind from your kills. Weapons are now ammo-based, using "heatsink clips" to power the projectiles, which makes combat a hunt for ammo clips. The only bonus you get from these kinds of combat missions, is finding datapads and research stations, which - when hacked - yield credits (in-game currency) or some new research technology used for upgrading your weapons and armour.
Which brings me to another of the dumbed down elements; exploration is practically pointless in this game. All the upgrades you need for your equipment can be found on missions, or in shop terminals on starbases. The only reason you need to explore is out of personal desire, or for some more credits to buy more research blueprints. You couldn't even explore on missions even if you wanted to, everything is strictly A-to-B with artificial barriers like locked doors, rubble blocking passages, or invisible walls. There are considerably less skills than in the first game, and while some say that's a good thing - I strongly disagree. All that's left now is three ammo powers and a bunch of Biotic powers. Oh and a "I'm a noob who can't aim properly using my crappy analogue stick, so I need a MATRIX MODE!!111" time slow-down skill. The only use for experience points in this game (only awarded via hacking minigames and end of mission rewards) is to upgrade your skills, nothing else. For those that complained about the RPG elements being thin on the ground in the first game, well - now it's even worse. Since there is no loot in this game, not items of which to speak of, you can't find modules or addons for your weapons - so everything is done via the skill system for each class, or for researched upgrades to weaponry. It's not an ieal system and feels considerably more shallow than the first game.
Lastly we come to the new galaxy exploration aspect, something I am sad to say is a poor shadow of its former self. There are additions to the system now, so rather than just clicking on a planet and boom - that's it, now you can actually control your ship as you explore star systems. You're given a limited amount of fuel with which to power your ship as you explore, and you can refuel at conveniently placed fuel stations, but in the end it's pretty much useless. I've not yet encountered a single system where I can't explore due to running out of fuel - depots are in plentiful supply and within reach of everything system you want to visit. No, the worst part comes from the new scanning mechanic.. and god what a clusterfuck THAT is. All the weapons and armour in the game are upgradeable using tech research, but that research is "funded" by resources you can excavate from planets. Each resource (Platinum, Palladium, Irridium and Element Zero) is gathered from planets using probes - and that's the single most tedious aspect of any videogame I've ever played. You scan a planet for resource hotspots, which means holding down the Right Mouse and scrolling across the planet surface until your scanner picks up a sizeable deposit, in which case you launch a probe to collect the samples....... and then you do it all over again. And over. And over. And over. And over. Oh dear god it's slow, boring, mind-numbing and tedious.
The only respite comes from the occasional beacon you find, which leads to a combat or exploration mission. They're fun distractions, but that's all they really are; distractions from an otherwise amazingly tedious scanning aspect.
One of my favourite changes to the first game is the new hacking system. It is massively improved from the first game, where it was a simple case of "Simon Says" (360/PS3) or "Frogger" (PC) - now the hacking games actually have some fun to them! There are two styles, first of which is a hidden icon minigame. You have to bypass circuits by matching two icons together. The second is immensely more fun, and grants even more fun watching the console tards skullsweat and rage about it, you simply have to match a segment of code from a list of similar code blocks scrolling up a list. It's effortless to do (simply look for colour and text patterns) but also incredibly satisfying when you crack it. Rewards are nothing special, a few thousand credits or a data log detailing events that happened prior to the mission, even an opened door leading to some resources ora new tech upgrade, but it just further adds to the immersion.
However, the very things that won me over about the game - despite the streamlining - were what made the first game so superb, even despite the thin RPG elements and boring planet exploration; the atmosphere and story. There are those amongst us that are either fans of the original game, or opponents. Some say it was a fantastic scifi epic, others believe contrary. I'm glad to count myself as one in the former camp; the story, the NPC/character interaction, the lore and the absolutely delicious atmosphere are incredible - and all that has transferred wonderfully into the sequel. If anything, it's gotten better! Voice acting is still as impressive as the first, if you liked it then you'll like it now - and the music is absolutely sublime, setting the tone magnificently. It has a very Blade Runner-esque feel to it, in my opinion, which when coupled with the hugely improved graphical quality serves only to enhance the already impressive feel to the game.
Shepard's, and by extension; your own, mission is to gather the toughest, strongest, most ruthless and most dedicated crew possible - all for the suicidal attack on the Collectors, so along the way you'll spend the entire game recruiting your squad and building trust amongst them in the hopes of surviving the final mission. What BioWare have done, and always manage to in their games, is really flesh out each individual character. They've all got their own problems, their own methods, their own attitudes and the storyline is great fun. Some of the characters will really grow on you, some you'll love, some you'll hate... some will make you laugh your ass off (Mordin's impromptu song still makes me chuckle when thinking of it) some you'll just want to put a bullet in their head (No, fuck YOU Jack) and others are surprising additions you'd never expect to pick up along the way (We Are Legion) My only gripe is that most characters from the previous game are barely even given a look-in. You can recruit two of them, and a couple others have extremely minor plot set pieces, which just detracts from the experience of the first title. All the relationships you built up, the friendships and rivalries, are practically worthless and that is a huge disservice to the game. Hopefully there are more meaningful impacts and consequences that will surface in ME3.
The graphics have most certainly been improved too, which further adds to the immersion. The horrible low-quality shadows have been refined and much improved upon, as well as the texture streaming issues which plagued the first game. Light sourcing is impressive and is a true testament to what the Unreal Engine 3 can really do in skilled hands. Some of the new locations in the game are absolutely jaw-dropping, so beautiful and so haunting, and worse is that they look so real! Wandering the gorgeous city on Illium, exploring the seedy clubs of Omega Station, the engine just continues to impress.
==Conclusion==
So what's wrong with this picture? all I've mostly done so far is complain about the lack of features, or the dumbing down of them, from the first game. Why on earth did I stick with it for so long if I so obviously hate the game? Well here's the kicker... I don't. Not in any way. The game itself is absolutely fantastic! Truly amazing. What initially started as displeasure at the changes, grew into appreciation of the WAY it was changed. Dumbing the game down hasn't diluted any of the feel of it all, it's still the same Mass Effect. The atmosphere is absolutely top-notch, the audio is incredible and the VA is absolutely superb - though that's personal opinion - but above all else, it's the STORY that grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. You may note that I've not even mentioned the story once, except for the opening segment, and you know why? Because I don't want to spoil anything, not one bit, because it has to be enjoyed first-hand =)
I spent two years waiting for a continuation of the great story BioWare introduced us to with the first game, and I can honestly say it was (almost) worth the wait. Why almost? Because it was TWO DAMNED YEARS! *grumble* I swear to God, BioWare; don't keep us waiting the same amount of time for the conclusion!
TL;DR
The game is more combat centric, has considerably less exploration and RPG elements, but is held together by a sublime story, great audio, fantastic graphics ... and the continuation of a fantastic, engrossing, space epic story. It's well worth checking out by anyone that loves a good story and an improved combat engine. An amazing game that fans of the first one will love, and new-comers will enjoy.
NOW GOD DAMN YOU, BIOWARE! DON'T KEEP US WAITING SO LONG FOR THE FINAL PART!
Last edited by sabin1981 on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 09:00; edited 3 times in total
they said that when you have many renegade points you unlock some special dialog options or renegade actions. But im more than a half in renegade (have terminator eyes etc - cool)
but didnt saw many "red" options to choose in dialogs
"It's O'Neill, with two L's. There is another Colonel O'Neill with only one L, he has no sense of humor at all" - Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill
Same as the first game, where available you can choose either blue or red path (Paragon or Renegade option.) and if not enough points then it'll be greyed out.
It'll also unlock some quick time events where you press the mouse to for example either shoot someone (Renegade) or push them or something (Paragon.) most of the time the option will be either renegade or paragon and not both. (To not do paragon but renegade just wait in that example or vise versa for renegade.)
Same as the first game, where available you can choose either blue or red path (Paragon or Renegade option.) and if not enough points then it'll be greyed out.
It'll also unlock some quick time events where you press the mouse to for example either shoot someone (Renegade) or push them or something (Paragon.) most of the time the option will be either renegade or paragon and not both. (To not do paragon but renegade just wait in that example or vise versa for renegade.)
Sure was satisfying clocking that reporter bitch (one of the mouse events). I keep checking the news things when I go back to see if she's reported on it but no luck
yeah i know but i was hopping to see more renegade options as when you talk with shopkeepers when you want to get discount from them
but yeah some renegade options are nice for ex.
Spoiler:
when you be an asari homeworld? and do mission for justicar (took it by mistake) and when you meet that newbie Eclipse you can choose to shoot her with everything your team have
dodger2020 wrote:
Sure was satisfying clocking that reporter bitch (one of the mouse events). I keep checking the news things when I go back to see if she's reported on it but no luck
yeah me too, but fear it be as in ME1 - i mean you could kill innocent people in middle of citadel but they will no have news about it anywhere
oh and can someone help with mission for liara ?
Spoiler:
where can i find that terminal for get data for her ?
and off to work, damn and wanted to play more ME2
"It's O'Neill, with two L's. There is another Colonel O'Neill with only one L, he has no sense of humor at all" - Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill
Last edited by Koliblank on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 07:39; edited 2 times in total
Agreed, having a direct bad charismatic dude is important.
Star Wars without Darth Vader would be nothing !
... and Sovereign was bad ass too, the dialogue with it was sooooooo awesome. "I'm the vanguard of your destruction" <3
Yeah, exactly. I think having more info on the actual reaper that was controlling the Collectors would of been better. I mean maybe I'm a stupid fuck and missed it but I didn't really realize until the end "Harbinger" was the Reaper taking control of the them during fights. Even then it's still a very detached villain. The confrontations with Saren were by far some of the greatest moments in the first game.
But again, it's only the second act and to me it was more about expanding on the knowledge and also lack of knowledge about the old machines. And since we kind of know some of the deal, it also suffers from having no really huge revelations comparable to talking to "Sovereign" on Virmire, or Vigil on Illos (great moment for me).
Not that any of this ruins it, it's just aspects that suffer from it being a sequel I think.
sabin1981 wrote:
TL;DR
The game is more combat centric, has considerably less exploration and RPG elements, but is held together by a sublime story, great audio, fantastic graphics ... and the continuation of a fantastic space epic story. It's well worth checking out by anyone that loves a good story and an improved combat engine. An amazing game that fans of the first one will love, and new-comers will enjoy.
NOW GOD DAMN YOU, BIOWARE! DON'T KEEP US WAITING SO LONG FOR THE FINAL PART!
Excellent write up Sabin! I agree with most of what you said.
I went into the game with mostly an open mind, I knew we weren't going to see most of the original characters and that the tone would be different. The first couple hours were a bit disappointing, but really only in the fact that there's so much different you have to adjust to, it probably didn't help that I just replayed the first so I was still locked into that mode. But once you get into it you really forget about all the stream lining, or lack of customizing. I really think Bioware made excellent changes, and it's not "console tarded". Nnot everything worked of course, but it was the right idea for the most part.
Last edited by jewbagel on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 07:54; edited 1 time in total
Yeah, exactly. I think having more info on the actual reaper that was controlling the Collectors would of been better. I mean maybe I'm a stupid fuck and missed it but I didn't really realize until the end "Harbinger" was the Reaper taking control of the them during fights.
I think that's pretty much the idea, bud. I didn't realise Harbinger was who he was until right at the end... I think THAT was the plot-twist.
Quote:
Excellent write up Sabin! I agree with most of what you said.
Thanks =) I know not everyone will agree with everything I said, which is why I tried to inject as much "this is opinion, not fact!" writing style as I could.
I took a big hit on fps when I forced AA (ati 4850), got a smooth 60 before but 4xAA brought me down to 40s. Smooth still, so I don't give a fuck. Game looks a thousand times better now.
Same here man, most noticeable in cut scenes or so.
remains playable so yeah i dont give a fuck either
btw i had to set Catalyst A.I. to Advanced in order to make AA work,
for anyone having the same prob..
Any biotic lovers over here?
man i like this class, Singularity and Shockwave are pure madness
Q6600/Club3D 4890/2GB DDR2/WiN7\XP/1.5 TB/23 Inch LCD
ok I'm getting my CE today, played the prologue already with the RZR version and have 3 questions before I get on with it (pls dont spoiler me)
a) DLC question: I installed all the DLC with the Razor version and it seems to work but how/when can I see that Zaeed worked? when do I meet him, do I get any confirmation? (I only played until the armor locker after the tutorial to see if all the other stuff was there)
b) DLC question 2: so is it true that if I'm using the legit version I can't get the pre-order/dr pepper stuff (armor, helmets, blackstorm gun) without having an unlock code? so when I'm gonna be connected to cerberus network I'll only get Zaeed, the normandy crash site and the collectors armor? or is there some way to get that exclusive stuff with the legit version too?
c) gameplay question: how many open environments are there? I mean like the Citadel or Noveria in the first game where I can free roam a little bit, talk to ppl and do some quests without getting shot at every 10 minutes. so far and from reviews it seems that 99% of the game consists of linear shooting sequences with bits of dialogue in between?
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Sadly the impact of your choices is nowhere near as grandiose as BioWare first made out, but it's a nice touch that serves to add a little continuity to the game and for the fans of the first. It also appears that the ramifications of your choices in the first game won't really be felt until the THIRD, which is a bit of a cop-out but it's still nice to know there WILL be an impact. Just like Obsidian did with KoTOR2, you are given choices via conversation dialogues to alter the events from the first game, so even on an imported character you can change the outcome.
