Mass Effect 2 bugs that didn't make top 3, and other flaws

[Blín D'ñero]

collected from the ME2 bugs thread, and some new ones (i don't update that thread anymore).

---

The only problems i have with this game are the bugs. No tech problems. See system specs in signature. Performance-wise, game runs flawlessly.

---

The game is riddled with bugs and flaws: game-stopping bugs, half of the playtime goes into repeating the same sections because of being killed despite hiding to recover, being shot through solid material, being stuck ontop or between crates, Shepard standing up by herself instead of staying ducked, not ducking when she should (disobeying controls), ducking for cover against the wrong side of crate / rock / block / fence because of only one key (spacebar) for run / use / draw weapon / take cover / vault and in that order, and your freedom to explore is endangered by the bug that lifts you up without warning keeping you stuck on the spot, a bug lurking at most unsuspected places...
A miracle that the game has been released in this state.

---

Mass Effect 2 most horrible bug 1: sudden airlift at numerous places
Mass Effect 2 most horrible bug 2: cover standup, so you have to duck twice
Mass Effect 2 most horrible bug 3: face customization tool flaw: no eyelids on female Shepard
"Top 3" because these are the most frequent. The rest i've called List 4 is just as frustrating though:

---

"List 4". Other buggy phenomenae.
These are the ones that didn't make it into the top 3 of Mass Effect 2 bugs, but not less annoying.


Mass Effect 2 (v 1.01)

• BAD SPACE LAYOUT
  [update: as the screenshots show this was on my old CRT (4:3 - 1600 x 1200) monitor. The issue is somewhat less disturbing on my new widescreen LCD (16:10 - 1900 x 1200), but still there.]
  
  • The layout of space to travel is messy: buttons appear behind the flags! I can assume what the button says ("Enter Orbit"), but that's no excuse. Starting a New Game (my 3d now), the Sahrabarik flag seen in this picture is even larger (because of more options on it, missions not yet done), covering the button underneath entirely.
    
    
    Now what?
    
    
    
    
    Where is my ship? Where is it?....:
    
    
    
    
    Ahh... there's something:
    
    
    
    
    Where's the system? And what's it called??? Moving both ways, doesn't help....
    
    
    
    
    What does it say on the button??? Ahh...move to the right to read it: "Enter System". Which System again?
    
    
    
    "Un" behind a flag...:
    
    
    
    
    Also, a complete Orbit hidden behind another flag (Century's location completely hidden behind Chandrasekar's flag), i have to guess where it is, at the cost of some fuel.
    
    
    
    
    Planet (Agnin) behind Dranen flag:
    
    

[Blín D'ñero]

"5 FUNCTIONS IN 1 KEY (SPACEBAR)" LAMENT!

• Why is there only one key (Spacebar) for run / use / draw weapon / hide / vault?
  
  Lorek Eclipse Base:
  
  
  
  This is just before you are getting attacked. Enemies will enter the room from the backside (in the picture), and a very fierce battle will start. You cannot duck for cover here: Spacebar will trigger the nearby console... so you will die.
  
  OK, just move away then, before the battle starts..?
  
  But at 6 meters distance from the console, the same problem!!!
  
  
  
  Because even from that spot, "Holding Cell Access Bypass" is still active, thus will be triggered first when using the Spacebar!
  
  
  
  • In Lorek Eclipse Base, when Shepard ducks for cover (Use Spacebar) it triggers a Security Hack because its "Hack" icon is active over a long distance and also triggered by Spacebar (and apparently "Use" comes first)! So the choice is between getting killed while hacking, OR giving up the 1-chance hacking opportunity!
  • Under attack, running away (= keeping the Spacebar pressed) close to a crate, she will be magnetically drawn against it to "take cover"! Even if it's against the wrong side, exposed towards an attacker with a blowtorch or grenade launcher! (See further below).
  • She is incapable of vaulting with gun holstered:
    • To vault you must use the Spacebar.
    • But before vaulting, she will first draw a weapon and hide.
    • Then she will vault.
  • It is very, very unpractical any way you look at it.
  • It is also weird: To play a log, you can either press Left Mouse button or Spacebar, both also trigger drawing the weapon. After listening each log, Shepard draws the gun again, the next: again, etcetera.
    Weird and annoying because:
    • I walked towards the Computer Console with weapon holstered. Am i allowed to do that? Apparently not?
    • Pressing Spacebar or Left Mouse button to play "Entry 1" makes Shepard and squad draw weapon while the log starts playing, one of the squad even shouting "Watch out!"
    • Although she doesn't holster the gun after hearing a log, she draws it again when selecting to play "Entry 2".
    • She also draws a gun after each conversation. Or when walking up / down a stairs. Even though i don't want that. It's automated.
    • There is no enemy nearby.
    • I want control over what she does / does not.
  • And since selecting any of the "Entries" makes Shepard exit the "log-listening-interface" and shows her drawing the gun, why do the options also include an "[Exit]" button? It appears that originally there was a different key specifically dedicated to interactive use? That would make sense. If so, removing that key does not make sense.
  
  
  Select Entry to play...
  
  
  
  ... and Shepard draws gun at the console.
  
  

[Blín D'ñero]

"5 FUNCTIONS IN 1 KEY (SPACEBAR)" LAMENT! [PART 2]

• Why is there only one key (Spacebar) for run / use / draw weapon / hide / vault?
  
  Example. I want Shepard to vault onto this block.
  
  
  
  W+Spacebar, she will first draw weapon.
  
  
  
  Then she will load the weapon,
  
  
  
  then stand ready to shoot someone.
  Now that was not vaulting.
  
  
  
  But then push W+Spacebar again and she will take cover...
  
  
  
  then push W+Spacebar again and she finally will vault...
  
  
  
  ...onto the block and...
  
  
  
  ...stand up and prepare to shoot someone.
  
  
  
  1. A simple task as vaulting will always follow this order of (in this case) completely irrelevant, unnecessary and time-consuming actions. There is no-one to shoot at or take cover for. Shepard is alone here.
  2. But take any other level and you might be running for an enemy, looking for a crate to take cover behind and regain health. Of course she'll already have weapon drawn, but she'll not vault until she first has ducked for cover. Which is then against the wrong side, so probably she'll end up dead.
  3. Or being under attack she'll come running (= keeping the Spacebar pressed) and i want her to pass one minor crate / block to take cover behind a major crate or tall pillar slightly further away. No possible way! Because running means keeping the Spacebar pressed, she'll be DRAWN magnetically to the closest "cover" or "vault" - supporting object on her path, and she will take cover against it, usually at the wrong side.
  4. Can it get even worse? Yes. If there happens to be an interactive object (hackable computer / datapad / etc.) in the neighbourhood (well, in the same room but about 8 meters away), it will unsuspectedly get priority. Meaning: instead of running or taking cover, she suddenly starts hacking! In the middle of a fight. While getting killed of course.
     
     Before you can get her to do what you WANT her to do, she'll be long dead.
  Now this control system is imbecile.

As experienced first person shooter gamer, i like to take closer approach to the enemies, hit them hard, then -with diminished health from their retaliations- run back for a better place cuz i know which way they're going or i lure them to follow me. I then expect to be able to vault over a crate to hide behind for recover and continue hitting them, or take cover behind a pillar or cabinet. In ME2 what then happens (too often) because of the elementary functions piled up in one key (Spacebar) is: because running means keeping the Spacebar pressed, Shepard will hide for cover against the closest side on the closest crate on the path, fully exposed to the haunting enemies!

[Blín D'ñero]

• PRESS "F" TO END THE MISSION sometimes not working
  • In Help Mordin Solus mission
    My first playthrough. After dealing with Maelon (Solus's pupil), level refuses to end. I have chosen to stay a while and look around, and done so. Hacked the computer. Then there's not much left, you can't even leave the room. The screen says Press "F" to end mission, but when doing so, nothing happens.
    So, reload last quicksave and redo the whole part.
    This time it worked.
  • Also the SECOND time i play the whole game, the same bug at the end of Mission for Mordin Solus appears: Press "F" to end mission does not work.
    Mission for Mordin Solus, after dealing with Maelon, level refuses to end. I have chosen to stay a while and look around, and done so. Hacked the computer. Then there's not much left, you can't even leave the room. Although it says Press "F" to end mission, when i do that nothing happens.
    So, reload last quicksave and redo the whole part.
    This time it worked.
  • This bug appears to be random, as on my third playthrough pressing "F" to end the mission in this level actually worked.

  ---

  Annoying when there is no such option at all.
  • Help Zaeed mission.
    There is no choice given with options to "Press "F" to exit mission", or explore a bit more first.
    I chose to free the civilians. After the battle with the Mech there were 4 doors to explore, i took one, then passed two and went to a third to see Vido escaping, .. that triggers the end of the mission.
    No option to "Press "F" to exit mission". Like later, in the Recruit Samara (Justicar) mission, after the battles you get the choice: Return to Spaceport? -when you use that, Miranda asks "Should we go back to the spaceport main yard?" and you can choose to say "Not yet" ("I'd like to look around more") or "Yes" ("Let's go").

[Blín D'ñero]

SLOPPY SHEPARD SHOULDERS AND BACK *Fixed with the Kasumi DLC!

• Very annoying, because it looks sloppy: dressed in the brown Casual outfit for female Shepard, her bare shoulders, back, the whole part below the collar is low quality pixelized. And does not match her extraordinary finely done face.
  
  
  
  Looks like unfinished work. Maybe it is meant to be some semi-transparent silk or something, but it looks downright filthy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Compare that to the Doctor (just a side character). It's still not clear if that's supposed to be naked skin or some silk textile. The low resolution clothing is totally not matching the high resolution faces. As for this Doctor, at least the shoulders part looks a little bit smoother than Shepard's:
  
  
  

  ---

  *Hey! With Kasumi DLC Bioware have completely fixed this! And more: a gorgeous outfit!
  
  
  
  
  

  ---

• What's the point that in Captain's Cabin you can select different music, while the generic game music keeps playing on the background as well!
  Why torture us playing 2 different tracks at the same time!?
  {EDIT: wait, it was like that when i wrote that. Not anymore. Only one track at the time now, dunno how that happened but it's ok now.}
  

  ---

• In armor, Shepard looks strong, voluptuous, with quite a firm chest. But in casual she's almost flat, and doesn't look tough at all. In the default casual suit rather skinny and fragile.
  

  ---

• More regarding Shepard as a woman: the few places she can "Dance", she dances like a brickworker. I mean she moves totally unfeminine. More like an embarrassed guy who can't dance so just moves his legs a bit.
  
  
  She dances identical to the guys left and right, unlike the lady in the middle.
  They just didn't take the time to program a "feminine Shepard dance"...
  

  ---

• With Waera Shepard dances only once, for like 3 seconds. After that, the use key triggers no more than Waera saying "dance with me anytime"!
  

  ---

• No other conversation between Shepard and EDI in every room of Normandy than "What's this area of the ship?" and EDI's reply, allways the same?
  I mean: we've been through a LOT, all those missions, built up a crew, upgraded the ship, just had a conversation with Legion, and still Shepard is supposed to ask EDI what this area of the ship is for? Done every mission and still in Captain's Cabin, Shepard asks EDI "What's this area of the ship?"
  

  ---

• Shepard doesn't have a real conversation with Zaeed. When he's talking she continues making idle moves, and hardly looks at him. She seems utterly bored, it's somewhat rude, this doesn't fit. Unfinished work?

[Blín D'ñero]

• BODY-LESS ABOMINATION
  • N7: Abandoned Mine mission. (Aequita - Mining Facility)
    Exploded "Abomination" still has full health. No body, only sparks. It doesn't move either, just waits to be terminated. Not sure if this is intended.
    
    
    
    Two times i played the game completely now, this happened exactly the same both times.

Update (March 26): Ahh.. it is random. Now in my third playthrough, that abomination behaved and looked normal. (I mean "as expected" haha! ...normal for an abomination. )

[Blín D'ñero]

• INVISIBLE BLOCK
  • Help Jacob level. At the entrance of the ship wreckage, there's a small invisible block at a spot in front of the bridge where Shepard bumps against. Player is tempted to think there's no way further, untill you step around the blockade left or right.
    
    Towards the ship. The spot in the centre of crosshair:
    
    
    Back from the ship. The spot in the centre of crosshair:
    

[Blín D'ñero]

• ENEMIES SHOOT THROUGH SOLID MATERIAL
  Good it doesn't happen too often, but it happens.
  • Enemies shoot through solid material. Like in Recruit Grunt mission.
    
    
    
    I did check if there isn't a shooting hole in it, and don't remember seeing one. I'll check again on my 3d playthrough when i get there.
    {EDIT: Just checked and nope, there isn't any hole through wich that grenade could be launched the way it is shown in that picture.}
• BUT WE CAN TOO
  • Shepard does too. Only at some spots though.
    What's also great about this feature, is that you don't kill yourself with bullets and stone fragments bouncing back into your face...
    
    
    (Recruit Mordin Solus mission)
    
    
    (Horizon)
    
    
    (Help Kasumi mission)
    
    
    (Sanctum - Blue Suns Base)
    
    
    (Demolish Blood Pack base)
    

    ---

  • Shepard being killed right through the cabinet she is covering behind.
    
    Recruit Archangel mission:
    
    1. The heavy ammo firing Krogan is coming Shepard's way -> Shepard runs for cover to regain health behind a large pillar and a metal cabinet > Krogan kills her right through the cabinet anyway.
    
    
    2. So she's taking cover, or isn't she. Where the crosshair is, you see the bullets coming through the cabinet:
    
    
    3. this image shows it more obviously:
    
    
    4.
    
    
    (don't mind the dog in front, twas already dead. before Shepard.)
    "Critical Mission Failure" huh!
    
    At this point i can't say anymore it's a good game. It's enormously fascinating, beautiful, exciting... but good? No. You die while you're hiding for cover fgs. This sort of thing happens at so many spots that you're being narrowed down to a few remaining ways to go, making your gameplay limited to do what you're supposed to do and nothing else. That's poor.
    I'm sure it's really not intended this way, it surely can't be!?
    Maybe they had no time for testing? They skipped testing entirely?

---

Atm in my 3d playround i'm in "Recruit Jack" mission; and now that i'm watching this more closely i see there too the mercs are shooting through the metal boxes they're hiding behind. No screenshots, it happens too quickly, and it's either making screenshot or defend myself, and the latter usually wins.

[Blín D'ñero]

• LATE PICK-UPS REACTION, AT MISSION COMPLETE SCREEN
  • In Demolish Blood Pack base (and a few other levels), Shepard's voice saying "This should come in handy" appears at Mission Complete screen with the outtro tune, instead of when actually picking up the upgrade during the mission.
  • Also in Canalus: "This looks interesting", at Mission Complete screen instead of when she picked it up.
  • End of Tali Trial: "Ah.., what's this?!" (a Tech Damage upgrade she got earlier)
  • "This should come in handy!" at Mission Complete screen after Help Grunt mission.
  • ... and a few more i forgot

[Blín D'ñero]

• DEPLETED ?
  • Normandy's mineral scanner is unreliable (even after the upgrade): it considers many a planet's state "poor" or even "depleted" while still several very high peak catches can be made.