BioWare unable to address ME2 text issue News

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

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

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.

... there really is no point.

Dead Rising was the game that made me get an HDTV.
Luckily I had the money at the time to get one, most people don't.

It's pretty irresponsible to do this then refuse to fix it

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

at least the point is too small to read :)

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.

+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

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

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.

@Negotiator

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

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

Yep. The result was no pad support and, hilariously, a clunky k&m interface for keyboard users. Mass Effect 2 actually controls worse using a keyboard and mouse than it does with a pad. :D

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

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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

Stuff like this is all part of the HD push.

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.

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.

This is the reason I picked ME2 up for the PC. I learnt my lesson about having a console with a SDTV when I got Dead Rising. AFAIK, you can get a small HDTV for around £120 or so these days. I guess if you can afford an Xbox360 then you can probably afford a TV as well.

I can't justify spending money on a new television, though. I watch everything on my PC and I prefer playing games on PC.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

@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.

@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.

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 ;-)

@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! : )

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

Just make it a requirement of the game, done!

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.

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

@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?

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.

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

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?

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.

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!!!)

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.

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.