Mass Effect Tweak Guide

[Page 9] Advanced Tweaking (Pt.3)

BIOGame.ini

This .ini file has a wide range of gameplay parameters you can experiment with and alter. I only cover what I believe are the most useful of these below:

[Engine.HUD]

bShowHud=true

If set to =False, this option completely removes the HUD, including all text messages, graphical elements and warnings on the main screen - obviously this can place you at a significant gameplay disadvantage. You can still access the main options by pressing ESC, or by pressing the relevant key. It is recommended that you instead use the Showhud console command to toggle the HUD on or off at any time - see the Console Commands section.

[BIOC_Base.BioActorBehavior]

AllowFriendlyCollateral=false

If set to =True, this option allows your squad members to be injured by your fire and vice versa. Enabling this option can make things more realistic but also more difficult in heavy combat.

[BIOC_Base.BioInventory]

m_nMaxCredits=9999999

m_nMaxGrenades=5

m_fMaxSalvage=999

m_fMaxMedigel=5

There are a range of default limits here for maximum number of credits, grenades, salvage (omni-gel) and medigel. You can alter these maximums if you wish, affecting gameplay accordingly.

[BIOC_Base.BioConversation]

m_colSubtitleColor=(R=204,G=255,B=255,A=255)

This setting allows you to change the color of subtitle text in the game (if subtitles are enabled). The values in brackets are in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and Alpha (transparency) format. You can use this RGB Chart to assign new values. For example to have Navy Blue subtitle text, change the values in brackets to (R=0,G=0,B=128,A=255). To make the text more transparent, lower the A= value. Note that this only affects subtitles, not dialog prompts.

[BIOC_Base.BioPawnBehavior]

m_bAllowPhysicsOnDeadBodies=False

If set to =True, this option allows dead bodies to react with more realistic physics. By default shooting a dead body for example causes no movement, but with this option enabled, shooting a dead body would result in blood and some (minor) corpse movements. This can increase realism, though it may drop performance in heavy combat if there are lots of dead bodies.

[BIOC_Base.BioPawn]

m_fCorpseCleanupFirstAttemptTime=5.0

This setting determines how many seconds the game will wait before attempting to determine whether a corpse can be removed. By raising this value, you can allow more corpses to be displayed in battle at any distance, which can increase realism but may also reduce performance. Note there are other m_fCorpseCleanUp parameters in this section you can also alter, but since the setting above determines when the engine first attempts corpse removal, as long as you raise it to a relatively high value (in seconds - e.g. 600 which equals 10 minutes), it will ensure corpses remain regardless of the other settings.

[BIOC_Base.BioActivePower]

m_bSkipPowerCooldown=False

If set to =True, you can use your powers again without waiting for the cooldown period to expire. This can obviously impact on gameplay, making things much easier.

BIOParty.ini

[BIOC_Base.BioPlayerSquad]

m_nMaxInventoryItems=150

m_nMaxInventoryWarningThreshold=135

The above lines control the maximum number of items you can hold in your party inventory. The m_nMaxInventoryItems variable determines the actual maximum number of items your party can hold, however if you alter it you should also change the m_nMaxInventoryWarningThreshold value to be just below the new maximum you set using the first variable, as it provides a warning when you are getting close to your limit. Of course you can simple set both variables to the same number in case you don't want to receive any warning at all.

BIOInput.ini

[Engine.Console]

ConsoleKey=Tilde

This line doesn't exist by default under this section, however by inserting it as shown above, you will be able to access the in-game command console using the '~' key (the key below ESC on US Keyboards). A full range of console commands you can use in the command console are provided in the Console Commands section further below.

[BIOC_Base.BioPlayerInput]

Bindings=(Name="F6",InputMode=BIO_INPUT_MODE_NONE,Command="QuickSave",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)

For the most part you can alter all of your key bindings using the in-game settings. Here you can see all your key bindings and the commands they invoke. In the example above, you can see that the Function 6 (F6) key has been bound to the command 'QuickSave', which basically means that pressing F6 will quick save your current game. You can edit the line to change the key from F6 to another key for example. Changing and creating complex bindings is beyond the scope of this guide, I encourage you to experiment if you have any specific needs.

Console Commands

By default you cannot access the in-game Command Console in Mass Effect. However if you insert the line ConsoleKey=Tilde under the [Engine.Console] section of BIOInput.ini, you will be able to use the ~ key to open and close the in-game command console at any time - see further above for details.

There are a range of console commands you can use, and below is a list of the most common commands and a brief description for each:

Stat FPS - Toggles the display of your framerate

Fly - Allows your character to fly around, though moving upwards/downwards is not possible

Ghost - Allows your character to move through solid objects

Walk - Switches off Fly and Ghost modes

FOV [degrees] - Changes the Field of View to the specified degrees

Slomo [0.0 - ?] - Alters the speed of the game to the value specified. Values above 1 speed up the game, values below 1 slow it down

Showhud - Tggles whether to display or hide the HUD

Teleport - Teleports the squad to the location under your crosshair

Setbind [Key,Command] - Binds the specified command to the specified key

Shot - Takes a screenshot in .BMP format

Exec [filename] - Executes a specified file under the \Program Files\Mass Effect\Binaries directory

Quit - Exits the game to desktop immediately

SetParagon [value] - Sets player Paragon to specified value

SetRenegade [value] - Sets player Renegade to specified value

GiveXP [value] - Gives specified XP points to player

GiveTalentPoints [value] - Gives specified Talent Points to player

GiveAll - Gives all weapons, mods, omni-tools, bio amps, and grenades to player

GiveAllXMods - Gives all weapon and armor mods

GiveAllArmor [itemname] - Gives armor with the specified name to the player

GiveAllWeapons [itemname] - Gives weapon with the specified name to the player

GiveAllOmniTools [itemname] - Gives omni-tool with the specified name to the player

GiveAllBioAmps [itemname] - Gives bio amp with the specified name to the player

GiveItem [itemname] - Gives specified item to the player

A full list of other commands, and more importantly all the item names and codes you can use for these commands, can be found here.

That concludes the list of all the major .ini variables and console commands. As always, if you are aware of an important omission or error, please Email Me with the details. Please make sure to only provide tested and verified details and not guesses, as there are many non-functional and inaccurate tweaks floating around for Mass Effect at the moment. Keep in mind that the list above is designed to provide commands which will be useful to most players; as noted earlier I've tested most every relevant .ini option and many obscure commands or those which have minimal impact or which can be fully adjusted within the game are deliberately omitted. I will keep this section updated with new commands and tweaks as I learn about them, so check back often.

The next page concludes the guide with some useful tips and information.

Go to Page... Page 1: Introduction Page 2: Essential Optimization Page 3: Troubleshooting Tips Page 4: Patches, Activation & Mods Page 5: In-Game Settings Page 6: In-Game Settings (Pt.2) Page 7: Advanced Tweaking Page 8: Adv. Tweaking (Pt.2) Page 9: Adv. Tweaking (Pt.3) Page 10: Neat Stuff & Concl.