Mass effect on aluminum macbook?

[ironman1478]

i just downloaded it from steam and i am running it through 32-bit Windows XP and i just can't seem to get a good framerate out of it. i am using the new 2.4 ghz aluminum macbook with the 9400m and i can run source games on high (CSS, L4D, TF2, etc...) and i just can't seem to find the right settings for Mass effect. whenever i am inside a building the game runs perfectly at about 30-40 fps, but when i walk outside into the Citadel or on a planet it starts really acting up. Does anyone have a driver they could recommend or some settings that the use? thanks in advance

 

[Consultant]

Mass Effect - Tweak Guides
http://www.tweakguides.com/ME_1.html

 

[JackAxe]

Unlike the SOURCE games which are fully optimized for PCs, ME was a console port and it was done so by a small team.

You've probably already tried this, but turning off VSync -- if it's on -- will double to triple the frame-rate in some cases.

Also makes sure audio is set to hardware, if the MacBook supports it, since this would free up the CPU a little bit.

Another option is to run at a lower resolution and use a 4:3 aspect, if turning all settings to low doesn't help.

I played ME under XP64. I know there's a little drop in frame rate compare to XP 32, but I also know that the extra memory helps with these newer games, especially SOURCE games. I'll get an tiny hiccup when a new area loads in, but then all is smooth.

Mass Effect is an excellent game, so even if you're unable to get it running smoothly all of the time, it's worth playing. The areas you mentioned are the largest in the game, but most of the game takes place in small areas.

I'm on my second play through and I've already encountered some new aspects of the game that I had missed -- I'm thinking they were times events. Overall it's one of my favorite games, so I hope you'll find a happy medium and not give up on it. There's always a dedicated PC -- it will cost under a grand and run this game like butter... 😱

 

[JackAxe]

That's a pretty cool link Consultant. I'm going to see if there's a way to turn down the film grain in the game, it's a bit too much IMO. 🙂

ironman1478, I'm assuming you've already downloaded the 1.01 patch?

 

[Mackilroy]

You could just turn the film grain off entirely like I do...

It looks fine when you're playing Mass Effect on a high-definition TV, but on a computer monitor it's out of place.

 

[JackAxe]

Well, my PC has DVI and component out. I have a HD set in the front room, a HD 19" TV to my left, and my primary screen is an Apple HD 30", but I played this game on a "puny" 15" 16:9 widescreen and it looked great to me. I prefer gaming on computer monitors, everything is much sharper. This will probably sound weird, but some of my fondest gaming experiences were on tiny screens. I'm also lazy, my 30"s DVI connection which is plugged into the MBPro is on a shelf above my screen, my PC is on the floor. But whenever I play on my 15" for a long period of time, my 30" looks gigantic. Even when I game on a TV set, I find that when I really need to get focused on what I'm doing, I get off the couch and sit closer to the set. There's something about being right in front of the screen that I like for gaming, something that even large HD sets don't translate when there's distance between me and it. But having said that, there are games I do prefer on TV sets, Mass Effect just isn't one of them.

OK, that looks better with it off, but I'd still like a little bit. It would be nice if it had a slider like Left 4 Dead.