BioWare unable to address ME2 text issue

By Tom Bramwell Published 5 February, 2010

Will bear SDTV users in mind next week.

BioWare has said that it can't do anything to bump up the text size in Mass Effect 2 to placate struggling SDTV owners, but that it will try to avoid the problem next time.

"We understand that on some Standard Definition TVs the smallest text in Mass Effect 2 can be difficult to read. While this was not an intentional result, it was a byproduct of enhancements to the user interface," BioWare's Michael Gamble wrote on the official forum.

"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update.

"However, we have taken note of this issue and will take it into consideration as we plan future games in the Mass Effect franchise."

Small text has been an issue in games before, most notably Dead Rising and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts - although the latter ended happily with an SDTV patch after release.

Epic Games' Mark Rein told Eurogamer last year that "over half the users who played Gears of War so far do not have HDTVs".

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (73) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Emmit_Assassin #1 2 years ago

    I'm so glad I got an HDTV last month. I couldn't have coped with MW2 or ME2 without it.

  • bad09 #2 2 years ago

    So you screw SDTV owners and PC gamers using a pad. I'm starting to dislike Bioware....

  • Quint2020 #3 2 years ago

    The SDTV patch for BK: N&B made the text look really crappy, sorry but if you've got a current generation console you should be playing it on a HDTV.

  • vx-chemical #4 2 years ago

    They should just slap a warning on the box next time, for optimal expirience HDTV is required

  • erp #5 2 years ago

    This is extremely neglectful of Bioware, really, and there's no chance it was just an accident or simply overlooked.

    On my last game it was part of the QA process to make sure the game worked on HD and SD in both 4:3 and wide. It was a ball ache, no doubt, but it's totally doable.

  • RealityCheque #6 2 years ago

    ... there really is no point.

  • space_ace #7 2 years ago

    @ "... there really is no point."

    at least the point is too small to read :)

  • Daxside #8 2 years ago

    Time to upgrade your TV cheapskates.

  • Darren #9 2 years ago

    Considering this issue has cropped up at least two time before and was splashed all over the internet gaming news sites, you'd think that developers would ensure that SDTVs were used as part of the testing. Clearly BioWare haven't. I suspect that the majority of console gamers, even on the Xbox 360 and PS3, still use SDTVs. Epic certainly seem to think so.

  • ZuluHero #10 2 years ago

    +1 erp. And I hate all the people who say "get with the times or screw you". I will get a HDTV in my own time and when I can afford it, but at the moment I have other commitments like children and stuff. At the moment SD is still available and for the moment it should be supported.

    Its not all bad though, I've since plugged my 360 into my PC monitor and whacked the resolution to its highest. The game looks great but its a bit of a step down from a 40" true flatscreen (even if it is a CRT) in the living room with a big comfy sofa, to a tiny 17" TFT Monitor sitting on a kitchen chair in a small room where the heating doesn't work. Those 3 hour ME sessions are really killing my bottom! :p

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #11 2 years ago

    Dead Rising was just a pain to read on SDTV.

    I was playing ME2 on an HDTV which was fine and then my son took the 360 into the other room with the SDTV and we could hardly read a word.......and considering how much dialog/text is in the game, I think this is pretty poor to be honest - no excuse really

  • Negotiator #12 2 years ago

    My god people are still playing on SDTV's, this is not good news for 3DTV's if some people have still not upgraded to HD.

  • ZuluHero #13 2 years ago

    @Negotiator

    Maybe SD owners will be more likely to upgrade directly to 3DTVs and skip HD-only TVs entirely.

  • viper_h #14 2 years ago

    You can get a decent-ish 32" HDTV for under £300 nowadays. There's absolutely no excuse not to upgrade.

    People with kids - Stop buying them so much shit. Smokers - Stop smoking. Drinkers - Stop drinking. Easy.

  • ViralNinja #15 2 years ago

    It's 2010 people, new decade, get with the program, we've got 3DTV coming this year.

  • penhalion #16 2 years ago

    Ok who the heck is playing this on a 14 inch TV? Come on own up!

  • Hamflank #17 2 years ago

    What about the crazy load times (up to 3 minutes to resume play after dying) on some dual core PC's bug? There's a manual fix, but you need to apply it each and every time you start the game.

  • iamian #18 2 years ago

    People with kids - Stop buying them so much shit. Smokers - Stop smoking. Drinkers - Stop drinking. Easy.

    What about people with mortgages? That have bills? That have a life outside of sitting alone playing video games all day?

  • Silvervein #19 2 years ago

    Well, if you say that you stop liking bioware, you might want to look at the add that's shown on the right side of this very comment thread.
    See the huge EA logo right above bioware? Bioware is just the name they use for marketing purposes.

    It's just EA. And we all know what EA is and does.

    Wait two or three years and I wouldn't be surprised to hear the news that bioware joined the long list of studios gutted by EA. Incidentally, last addition on that list was pandemic, a company EA swallowed together with bioware. Does anyone begin to see the trend?
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 10:05

  • kinky_mong #20 2 years ago

    "Those 3 hour ME sessions are really killing my bottom!"

    Have you been going down the romancing Jacob or Garrus route then?

  • bad09 #21 2 years ago

    Why are people so surprised people still use a SDTV with their HD consoles? A lot of people with HDTVs don't play in HD! Didn't Sony or someone find this out recently? Add the SD Wii kicking their arses and as much as I love HD myself it has been a little bit of a flop.

    It will change in time obviously, but I do think ZuluHero does have a point there.

  • KDR_11k #22 2 years ago

    Microsoft should have had "text readable in SD" in their requirements years ago, it's unacceptable that games STILL have that issue.

  • Jay-ITFC #23 2 years ago

    Stuff like this is all part of the HD push.

  • Murton #24 2 years ago

    360 owners don't just have the option of "upgrading to HDTV" though, they could also get a VGA cable and a standard pc monitor in order to experience higher resolutions and resolve this text problem.

    While its disappointing that Bioware haven't support SD resolutions with ME2 it was inevitable. SD resolutions haven't been on MS' TRCs for a long time now so we're likely to see a little more of this in the future, best bet is to suss out some form of upgrade, whether it be a HDTV or standard VGA monitor as soon as you can and avoid any further disappointments.

  • JahB #25 2 years ago

    And I hate all the people who say "get with the times or screw you". I will get a HDTV in my own time and when I can afford it

    i hate all the people that insist on developers catering to outdated technology. instead of wasting time on making stuff work in SD, the game could be polished.

    seriously, if you have enough money to buy a PS3/360, then you can't say you can't afford an HD TV, as they're in the same price range. nobody complains if a pc game doesn't run if you don't have the necessary system specs, but if an HD game requires an HD TV, people get all upset about it.
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 10:23

  • Caimbeul #26 2 years ago

    If you can afford an HDTV but simply have not done so yet then I think its tough. You are playing and HD console...
    On the other hand for those that do not have the facility to purchace one I think that they should still include SD f after allor testing to ensure it all works.

  • TheDudesRug #27 2 years ago

    I think they should support SDTV, but as a very low priority. Frankly, the thought of playing any of my games in SD or in standard audio seems more frustrating than enjoyable. My brother plays his Xbox on an SDTV and I can barely make out some of the things on-screen. Different priorities for different folks, of course, but for me I'd rather go to a restauraunt or cinema than play in low definition.

  • Quint2020 #28 2 years ago

    Also this new(ish) voting system on comments is ridiculous "I DON'T AGREE WITH YOUR OPINION SO NOW NOBODY CAN SEE IT, HA!"

  • geeza2020 #29 2 years ago

    I can't afford an HD tv, and neither can a hell of a lot of people. I have bills, debts and rent to pay. These things are more important to me than a few more pixels in my screen resolution. Luckily my SD tv is big enough for me so as not to have an issue with the small text, but its pretty inconsiderate of Bioware to do this.

  • GamesConnoisseur #30 2 years ago

    SD should still be catered for, I fully agree but posing a question, for how long should all developers support SD standard? Until 2015? 2020?

    Or once stats from users shows HD TV forms 90 percent or better?

    I bring this up as I wonder if it's about the database texts, then changing it would also mean affecting layouts for HDTV owners and require a proper consideration from the start. Changing the size of subtitles/captions should be more achievable and could be patched but databases, planets details, don't think it's a simple job.

    MS and Sony should both be more firm on these standards and communicate to all developers/publishers.

  • linksdad #31 2 years ago

    Should have been picked up during development, testing and certification.

    A bit like the getting stuck on scenery bug. Good job the autosave is pretty generous.

    Bioware or ME fanbois feel free to mark this down as well.

  • vegard #32 2 years ago

    @viper_h

    mom and dad still take care of your bills, eh? don't worry, real life will come soon enough. you might realize that buying a new tv won't be at the top of your priorities.

  • LiamK #33 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero You have a 40" CRT? I pity your poor back when the time comes to move that mother.

    @MaFlippinHeadHurts "I was playing ME2 on an HDTV which was fine and then my son took the 360 into the other room with the SDTV and we could hardly read a word"

    Your problem there was allowing your son to move the 360. You should have just given him a football and sent him outside, on the understanding that saving the universe requires things to be defined in a high sort of manner.

  • Skywise #34 2 years ago

    Thanks for not mentioning this in the review at all EG!

    Oh well, I guess it's a bit old-fashioned not to have all dialogue spoken ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 11:37

  • ZuluHero #35 2 years ago

    @kinky_mong

    Well, i don’t like to brag ;)

    @JahB
    Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Its either a ps3/360 OR a new TV. I’m actually saving up for a PS3 at the moment (taken me four months so far) and once I have enough it’s going to be another further 4 months at least before I can save up enough for a new TV (probably more once I start getting games and stuff). Like I said earlier while SD is still being supported by television broadcasters and console manufactures – then game developers really should follow suit. And we’re still a little while away from totally changing over.

    Incidentally, once TV broadcasting makes the switch over you can pretty much guarantee that most people will catch up with HD very quickly and this problem will be phased out. At the moment people here seem to be treating console gaming as spearheading the revolution, whereas in fact they are just showing initiative. If a console came out that was purely HD it would in no way sell as many HDTVs as say, analogue television signals getting switched off.

    My point is that software developers shouldn’t be the ones to dictate to people to upgrade their TVs by not allowing their product to be fully compatible. If you are developing a product for something that can be used with older technology then you really need to take that into account. TBH I don’t buy the whole SDTV owners are in the minority. Everyone here is probably a more ‘hardcore’ gamer than average Joe public and quite a few of us have said that we still game on SD kit so I think that point is just a bit of ‘positive’ spin to somehow vindicate Bioware’s actions.

    Great game though! : )

  • FreakyZoid #36 2 years ago

    I have an HDTV and the text is still stupidly small.

  • jambo74 #37 2 years ago

    Just make it a requirement of the game, done!

  • retr0gamer #38 2 years ago

    When I had a SD TV I found all my text problems were solved with a decent RGB cable. People need to stop using the useless packed in AV cables.

    I haven't played ME2 yet but it's worth a try for SD owners and to be honest you really should be playing with RGB scart anyway. The only game I had trouble with with RGB was Dead Rising which was ridiculous.
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 11:47

  • geeza2020 #39 2 years ago

    ^^^ HD tv required to play the game at all? I'm sure any game with that requirement would sell REALLY well.....

  • JahB #40 2 years ago

    @Zulu Hero

    I don't think it's fair to require a developer to support SD; that would be akin to asking a race car manufacturer to make their cars road legal - but the car is being made for a race track, not public roads.

    Just because TV broadcasters are extremely slow in adapting new technology, other industries shouldn't be forced to the same. While SD may still be supported by broadcasters etc., when's the last time you walked into an electronics store and saw an SD TV for sale? Do you really think devs should be forced to support outdated tech that is not even being sold anymore?

  • Shikasama #41 2 years ago

    I didn't realise so many EG posters were so ignorant. Or possibly willing to swallow the corporate bullshit. Fifa 2010 also has really squashed text in SD. Hell so did UFC Undisputed.

    The HD revolution has not happened and is far from happening yet.

    Oh, and also, don't tell me I have to buy a new television to play my games on my £300 console. Dickhead.

  • dr_faulk #42 2 years ago

    I have an HDTV and I find the text nearly unreadable.... Should I upgrade to HD eyeballs?

  • makeamazing #43 2 years ago

    I think there are still enough SD tv's out there to justify common sense from developers making games, BUT i do think at some point you have to say that HD tvs have saturated the market and you have to stop supporting SD them... the question is when is that time?

  • The_Inquisitor #44 2 years ago

    People with kids - Stop buying them so much shit. Smokers - Stop smoking. Drinkers - Stop drinking. Easy.

    Haha, stop drinking?... what planet do you live on?

    For those that can afford it right now, it's a purchase that, as a gamer, you won't regret. But it's too early to assume everyone must have one, because if you don't have one, you can't miss it, so to speak.
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 13:14

  • Moz #45 2 years ago

    What about people with mortgages? That have bills? That have a life outside of sitting alone playing video games all day?

    .... are unlikely to be playing ME2 anyway as it's some what of a time sink! Not to mention that a 32" HD tv is now relatively cheap, you can get 360 + HD tv for less then a PC and Monitor good enough to play the game.

    Or even cheaper would be to get a monitor cable and plug your xbox into a PC monitor.

    Mass effect has always been targetted at people on the "hardcore" side of the fence, i personally have no quarms with the occastional game that just requires you to have an HD display. (hell you can get a decent enough 19" WS Monitor for uner £100 these days!!!)

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #46 2 years ago

    I'm fortunate that I do have an HDTV, albeit only a small one, so I've not noticed the text size issue. But I do think checking text size on SDTVs should be standard, so bit of a poor show from BioWare there. Still, game's a masterpiece, so it ain't all bad.

  • onyxbox #47 2 years ago

    I found that using the RGB scart cable (not the composite one) made a massive improvement to small text in games like Dead Risng and Oblivion back when I had a SDTV.

    Perhaps people should give that a go befoe shelling out £300 on a new telly.

  • JahB #48 2 years ago

    Oh, and also, don't tell me I have to buy a new television to play my games on my £300 console. Dickhead.

    You knew full well that you weren't gonna get the most out of that console so long you don't have an HD TV. Hence, you should have the TV before you actually spend that kind of money on a console. But since you end half-witted comments with insults, you may not fully comprehend this.

  • neems #49 2 years ago

    The question shouldn't be "How long should companies cater to redundant technology?", it should be "What technology do our [potential] customers use, and how can we cater to them in the best possible manner, given that we want their money?"

    If in-game text is unreadable on your television screen, take the game back to the shop and get a refund. It is unsuitable for the purpose for which it is intended, and therefore faulty in the eyes of the law. I don't recall console games saying that they require an HDTV - why would they, when so many of them do not in fact run at HD resolutions? Running a game that has a native resolution of 1160 x 600 (or whatever) on a 40 inch screen with a native resolution of 1920x1080 is hardly a glowing endorsement for HD gaming.

    As a side note, it also pissed me off that the pc version of ME2 doesn't support controllers, although I can at least hit the target when I'm using the mouse. Have to use a 22inch monitor instead of a 40 inch tv though.
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 13:46

  • Darren #50 2 years ago

    There are some very ignorant posts in here from people who seem to think money grows on trees and that people should own something just because they do.

    FACT: The Xbox 360 and PS3 do NOT require an HDTV to play their games on but both Sony and Microsoft *recommend* them (there is a difference!). Nowhere on the box does it state that owning an HDTV is a requirement, in fact Sony don't even include an HD lead at all with their console. Until Microsoft and Sony state clearly on the box that their consoles will ONLY work on HDTVs then people have every right to complain if text in games is unreadable on SDTVs.

  • TeaFiend #51 2 years ago

    As much as some of you complain that an SD tv problem should be picked up in development, how far should they go? 40"? 20"? 10"? You can never cater for every possible setup and it will come down to a call on whether to spend time to fix the problem or use the time for something that is viewed as more critical.

  • ZuluHero #52 2 years ago

    I don't think it's fair to require a developer to support SD; that would be akin to asking a race car manufacturer to make their cars road legal - but the car is being made for a race track, not public roads.”

    Why not? Devs are forced to support 4:3 and 16:9 – how is a change of resolutions any different? You’ve probably seen the stink gamers caused when games end up cutting the screen off to fake widescreen (the most recent case I can remember is Bioshock 1 where they took the 4:3 image in just cut off the top and bottom to make it fit). People were outraged that their shiny widescreen tellys weren't making the most of it.

    Also that’s a really poor analogy but I’ll run with it. Let’s say the 360 console is road legal AND can be used for racing. Only a privileged few and those who can afford it get to enjoy it and can race it around the race track, while everyone else through whatever restrictions can only enjoy driving on the main roads. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is; “how is MY enjoyment spoiled by catering for the lowest common denominator?”. And if the answer is (as i suspect) "it isn't", then why are you kicking up such a fuss in here?

    Isn’t everyone allowed to enjoy the game, regardless? :)
    Edited by 2 at 05/02/10 @ 16:21

  • darc #53 2 years ago

    SDTV?? I have trouble with the small text on a 32" HDTV if I'm not sitting right on top of it!

    Awesome game, but this was a pretty absurd oversight. I can't believe they don't have one or two testers looking at smaller screens. (Well, they've probably got those testers in 6' x 6' cubicles; there's the problem.)

  • dStiltz #54 2 years ago

    Really?
    There are *still* SDtv 360owners out there?

    Geez...have a super awesome games machine, and view everything in anything other than HDtv..?

    Kill me now.

    {sigh}

  • jonfon #55 2 years ago

    Smokers - Stop smoking. Drinkers - Stop drinking. Easy.
    Yes. Easy. Next could you solve War for us? I expect your advice would be along the lines as "Just stop fighting with each other. Easy". The UN don't know what they're missing by not appointing you the Special Envoy of Sorting Shit Out.

    People with kids - Stop buying them so much shit.
    Did you know for example that children can get by on one bowl of thin gruel and a cup of water a day*? Plus if you harness then up to a large wheel you can easily get them to generate electricity to power your Console and TV for you!

    Economize and prioritize people!

    *Not that that I've been running tests or anything...

  • hibee #56 2 years ago

    I actually made a post about the text size in Bioware games on the DA forums a while back after the struggles I had squinting my way through ME 1. I even got a very nice response from a senior dev saying they bear SDTV users in mind, endeavour to make their games user friendly for all, etc. and so forth. Except, apparently, they still don't. Not that I'm personally bothered as I have since jumped ship to HD land, but still, it's faintly absurd that developers can still be so ignorant of their user base.

  • Lebowski #57 2 years ago

    Did any reviewer anywhere pick up on this? I'd be gutted if I'd shelled-out cash on ("10/10!";) ME2 only to find out you can't read the important ruddy text. Proves the point that you should wait a couple of days before all the hype / 'exclusive' review / freebie-giving has died down. V poor.

  • penhalion #58 2 years ago

    I know I'm getting minus'ed for my comments on this thread but, in all seriousness. do some people simply not understand what the words Hi-Definition mean. A standard definition TV simply doesn't have the image sharpness to handle fine detail and text has always been an issue on those kinds of sets (unless it's rediculously big to begin with). Heck it was an issue back when I had a bloody commodore 64!

    There is nothing that can be done about it unless you either enlarge the fonts or cut the resolution of the game down to 576 lines. In which case it would look uber shite on any actual HD or HD ready TV. The only real option if this is actually an issue for enough people, is to have two versions of the game. One for SD and one for HD. Given that there will otherwise be texture issues as things get scaled disproportionately between resolutions (either that or start adding black borders back into games again).

  • Phishfood #59 2 years ago

    I can see it being a valid complaint for Dead Rising that was released much earlier when most people didn't have a HDTV, but I don't see it being a valid complaint this time round. Mass Effect contains a lot of text and Bioware would have to completely revamp the entire interface just for SDTV owners

    If someone can afford a 360 then they could have afforded at least a 19 inch monitor with a 720 resolution and HDMI input.

  • ZuluHero #60 2 years ago

    "Mass Effect contains a lot of text and Bioware would have to completely revamp the entire interface just for SDTV owners"

    But the first game was fine! Ironically its the revamped interface for ME2 that has caused these problems. We didn't have these issues the first time around did we? :)
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/10 @ 15:37

  • Collymilad #61 2 years ago

    I really don't understand this.

    No offence, but are peope blind? Fair enough I have an HDTV so it's probably worse on SDTV's, but i've heard numerous people complaining about ME2 text who have HDTV's - i have played 37 hours and haven't had a problem reading the text once and i'm not even close to the TV.

    I never understood the complaints about Dead Rising either even though i played that on an SDTV. If you're using composite then i have no sympathy, drop £20 on an RGB cable or get glasses.

    People seem to forget that "small" and "unreadable" are two different things.
    Edited by 2 at 05/02/10 @ 15:56

  • Alkeno #62 2 years ago

    Bioware, that's profoundly disrespectful towards your customers. Personally, I don't believe there is the slightest chance that this was unnoticed or a QA failure. It's like the framerate and loading issues on the first one, they knew people would put up with it instead of expending (a lot of money, surely) on fixing it.

    They get away with it because, ehhh, it's Bioware and Mass Effect 2. We would use binoculars if I we had to in order to get our tooth on this game.

  • WayMucho #63 2 years ago

    I don't condone the use of SD TVs, but this is an amazing oversight - surely part of the testing is to run it through SD

    I went round a friends house recently and their son was playing Forza 3 on a 360 (Arcade) using an HDTV but in standard def. I was shocked at how much worse it looks (and immediately gave him my component cable) and would urge anyone with an SD TV to sell vital organs or family members to fund a new TV

  • metalangel #64 2 years ago

    My SDTV is only a few years old, looks absolutely fine running my 360 (with the proper SCART cable, not the shit one that's included) and I have been able to play Dead Rising and other supposedly 'unreadable' games with no problems. Granted I might not spot the two pixels of movement needed to snipe someone lurking in MW2 as quickly but that doesn't bother me.

    Not sure what I make of anyone who finds it acceptable to slag people off because their TV doesn't do a high resolution, apart from thinking maybe if they wanked a bit less they'd be able to make out the picture on an SDTV...

  • TheJuriel #65 2 years ago

    Good thing we got a HD TV recently...

    Though I never had an issue reading text in Dead Rising on our old SD TV, although I had replaced the default graphics cable with a better one.

    I don't think the current consoles are equipped to offer 50" HD visuals anyway. I was already stunned at how many game's jaggies and textures drew my attention to them, whereas SD TV blurriness had allowed me to never realize they were there.
    Edited by 2 at 05/02/10 @ 19:38

  • oerhoert #66 2 years ago

    <em>"We understand that on some Standard Definition TVs the smallest text in Mass Effect 2 can be difficult to read. While this was not an intentional result, it was a byproduct of enhancements to the user interface," BioWare's Michael Gamble wrote on the official forum."</em>

    What a moronic excuse.

    <em>"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update."</em>

    Nonsense. "Unable to resolve" an issue through a patch? How? Because they can't be bothered with catering to their user base?

    Sorry, there's no way around it. This reflects very badly on Bioware, regardless of whether or not people "should" be expected to have a HD set, the game is required to support SD. Microsoft should probably tread in and set the record straight.

  • MightyMouse #67 2 years ago

    Lots of people choosing the renegade options here.

    It was a mistake, they admitted that, apologised, looked into fixing it and won't do it again. What else do you want them to do?

  • FutileResistor #68 2 years ago

    I love Bioware, they have made some of my personal favourite games ever. I own a HDTV, so this does not affect me personally, but this response from Bioware is completely unacceptable

    The Dead Rising text issue was a highly publicised mistake for which Capcom justifiably caught a lot of criticism. In July last year, Epic revealed that over half of the players of GOW2 were playing on SD TVs. There can be no developers unaware of both these facts.

    Dead Rising was an action/comdey/horror game and unreadable text in a game with relatively little text was still unacceptable. Mass Effect 2 is an RPG with reams and reams of text. Given that you know possibly over half of your customers could be playing your text-heavy game on SD TVs, unreadable text is not only unacceptable, it is also incredibly stupid from a business point of view.

    The only way the no patch policy could even be remotely acceptable is if, Bioware has tested the game with SD tvs during development with no problems, and this issue has only come to light after launch, and is only affecting the smallest text for a fraction of a percentage of users. Given that ME2 will be a millions selling hit on Xbox, if even only 1% of users are affected you are looking at tens of thousands of customers with an unplayable game.

    As for the '... we are unable to resolve it ... through a title update.' line, LOL.

    Look we're not stupid. You're not some would-be modders trying to hack the interface without an official SDK. You're the developers. The source code is sitting right there on your hard drive. Just say we can't be bothered or that this is only affecting a tiny number of people.

    A huge part of what makes the Mass Effect games so good are those moments where you have to make a difficult choice between doing what is expedient and/or self-serving and doing what what is right. If tens of thousands of users are affected, Bioware need to do what is right and issue a patch with a redesigned UI for SD TV users as soon as possible.

    To the people advising others to 'just get an HD telly.' WTF! There are people who are in less fortunate economic circumstances than yourselves. Just be thankful that you can afford a HDTV. Are you selecting the renegade option every time in ME2? Well that's fine, it is a game after all. There is no need to be jerk in real life or on an internet forum.
    Edited by 2 at 06/02/10 @ 06:56

  • Xeopuppy #69 2 years ago

    But all PC owners have High def as standard

    @bad09: I'm a PC owner and proud of it, I also don't use a Pad, I have a 360 Pad, but I don't use one for Mass Effect 1 or 2...

  • 1471 #70 2 years ago

    @JahB "i hate all the people that insist on developers catering to outdated technology. instead of wasting time on making stuff work in SD, the game could be polished.

    seriously, if you have enough money to buy a PS3/360, then you can't say you can't afford an HD TV, as they're in the same price range. nobody complains if a pc game doesn't run if you don't have the necessary system specs, but if an HD game requires an HD TV, people get all upset about it."


    ??
    People complain all the bloody time about PC games not working on their old systems. A major reason for the current popularity of consoles is that they are technologically outdated but it doesn't matter until the next one comes out. The biggest selling games ALL have to cater to outdated technology, both for old PCs and the current consoles, they're what the majority of the market has.

    I find it quite wierd seeing this kind of snobbery/you're too poor/you're holding the industry back/you can buy one for a few hundred quid bollocks in regard to consoles.

    YET ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF CONSOLE GAMING :p

  • poopmonster #71 2 years ago

    I'm surprised SDTV readability wasn't enforced in the Microsoft TRC's.

    It's a poor show when people forget that not everyone has an HDTV, or the internet even (re. patch-a-bility).

  • icematt12 #72 2 years ago

    here's a thought - doesn't the 360 now come with cables that are only suitable for SD? If so than SD compatible should be the standard. I should look into this on BioWare forums myself.

  • ndyteen #73 2 years ago

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