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Works fine without any adjustments or tinkering.
Error compiling shader fixed by installing common distributibles as below. Hope this saves some one a second.
Enter Desktop mode > Open Steam > Go to Library > On the filters check Tools > Scroll down to "Steamworks Common Redistributables" and download it.
Need to play farther but so far so good
Works out of the box with older 7.0-6 Proton version. But I recommend to install the mentioned widescreen fix and graphic tweaks.
gamemoderun %command%
Installed a widescreen fix from https://github.com/ThirteenAG/WidescreenFixesPack/tree/masseffect . Also tweaked graphics like mentioned here https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Mass_Effect .
I normally have to use 7.0-6 because of my old hardware, but most games run well. There was some dialogue skipping and some freezing, but that was simply solved by transferring the install to the SSD.
Works great
Starts up and runs perfectly. Game not compatible with 3440x1440p ultrawide resolution. Game seems to be locked @ 60FPS. Could not get Dualsense to work. Using Wayland
Shows splash screen then immediately page faults
Tried with Proton 7.0-6 and Proton Experimental. "wine: Unhandled page fault on read access to 00000000 at address 10BD429B (thread 012c), starting debugger..."
Fix for black pixelated characters and objects in Noveria and Ilos:
Method 1 (only needs to performed once) https://cookieplmonster.github.io/2020/07/19/silentpatch-mass-effect/#
Method 2 (requires re-doing steps at every launch) https://steamcommunity.com/app/17460/discussions/0/522729359284940264/
System-level 30 FPS cap, with 960x600 resolution and FSR enabled.
Not sure if it's a bug, but the game didn't launch for me until I manually installed Steamworks Common Redistributables from Steam library in Desktop mode.
En la carpeta del juego /Mass effect/Biogame/config/ abrir el archivo DefaultInput.ini debajo de Engine.Console. agregar la linea ConsoleKey=Tilde
en el juego cuando el bug grafico ocurra, (en Noveria) presionar la tecla ~ y escribir: viewmode unlit
cuando lo pongo a dormir varias veces se suele afectar pero se resuelve reiniciando
en noveria los personajes se pixelean y se vuelven negros
no parecen guardarse en la nube, y no puedo retomar el juego en el PC
no recomiendo utilizar FSR ya que los textos se pixelean de manera incomoda.
Graficos al maximo y todo por defect
Game would not run for me; kept giving me error saying "failed to compile global shader", or something along those lines. Managed to finally run it after installing "Steamworks Common Redistributables" from Steam app in desktop mode. Games works fine so far (about 8 hours in). Maybe best to play with mouse and keyboard though, as community controller layout is alright but may feel clunky. Have fun!
- System level 30 FPS cap with 60 Hz refresh rate.
- In-game resolution set at 960x600.
- FSR with sharpness at level 1.
I know it's an old game, but battery life is pretty good with these settings. I haven't measured properly; I'd say between 4-5 hours easily.
Very minor crackling here and there.
Could not get bluetooth audio working after launch. I think if you set it up before it'll probably work.
On Noveria, inside the facility dealing with rachnid organisims, all gameplay characters (player squad, enemies) and some props became blocky, and black. The Game is still possible to play, and the issue eventually fixes itself.
A gyro mode-shift, and a tactics HUD button is a must, since you can't really use hotkeys normally.
The Proton version I used was Proton 7.0-4 (newsest at time of report) Works as expected without any tinkering. Besides having to choose a suitable resolution everything "just works".
Runs perfectly OOTB.
The game runs with zero issues with the latest version of Proton.
To support higher resolutions (above 720p) you need to edit 'steamapps/compatdata/17460/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/BioWare/Mass Effect/Config/BIOEngine.ini' changing StartupResolutionX and StartupResolutionY. This is not a proton limitation.
Game works great out of the box with Proton 7.0!
This game could have better controller support.
You need to use 'WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”openal32=b” PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command%' and also delete or rename steamapps/common/Mass Effect/Binaries/OpenAL32.dll in order to play all the sounds and voices
To support higher resolutions (above 720p) you need to edit 'steamapps/compatdata/17460/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/BioWare/Mass Effect/Config/BIOEngine.ini' changing StartupResolutionX and StartupResolutionY
Proton-6.21-GE-2 GloriousEggroll
Using "WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”openal32=b” PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command%" helped with the sound issues. Plus removing the file OpenAL32.dll located at steamapps/common/Mass Effect/Binaries
Once I figured out how to get sound working, it runs great.
This is an update to my previous report. The ONLY thing that worked to get sound working was to rename OpenAL32.dll in ~/.steam/steamapps/common/Mass Effect/Binaries. NOT the one in system32, NOT the one in syswow64. This file, and only this file, seems to be the culprit. No INI file tweaks were needed, no command line options were needed nor did they work when I tried them. Simply rename this one file and sound magically started working.
Different people describe different fixes for the no-sound problem. Find the one that works for you, as apparently no one thing works for everyone. Read ALL of the reports of what people did, maybe one will work for you?
I know a lot of people do different things to get sound working, but alas, none of them work for me. The game is dead silent.
I can't get sound to work no matter what I do. Remove openal32.dll, doesn't work. Launch options that others describe, doesn't work. Edit BIOEngine.ini as others describe, doesn't work. Different versions of proton, including GE and Experimental, doesn't work. There is sound in the menu, but once the game itself starts, it is dead silent.
Launch option: WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”openal32=b” PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command%
I think the game does have problems, but they may be unrelated to compatibility.
Collated information post-install
So I had to do some investigating to put pieces together to get this going based on my experience.
First, I got "Failed to compile global shader FColorPixelShader" when running. I solved this by using protontricks 17460 d3dx9
Next was installing DLC. (Adapted from https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Mass_Effect#DLC_installation_fails_at_the_end and https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1601463399). Following the latter link there, I managed to get the installer running at least (both command line and from explorer) but the installation failed quickly enough that I couldn't see the output. Running it about 6 times I managed to capture that it was failing validating a license file so I did the following.
- Run the game once
- Go to
$steampath/steamapps/common/Mass Effect($steampath for me was~/.local/share/Steam) - Edit
installscript.vdf - Replace
%CDKEY%with5GUCXRFPQNBMTJBD3L5J - Run
protontricks 17460 regedit - Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Electronic Arts\electronic arts\mass effect (tm)\ergc - The default string value should be set to
5GUCXRFPQNBMTJBD3L5J
Installing the DLC worked fine after that.
Large Address Aware launch flag is set to keep audio from falling out of sync once it had been restored.
In order to restore audio OpenAL32.dll was deleted from game files.
Failed to compile global shader FColorPixelShader
This game works well on two other systems that are significantly newer, including an nVidia rig and an intel-based laptop with intel graphics. However, it doesn't start on this older system, even when trying various flags below and attempted fixes. I note there are two other reports with the same error. Searching through regular winedb wasn't too helpful to me.
Game is completely playable from start to finish
Audio does not work out of the box. The best fix seems to be editing the BIOEngine.ini file located at:
/home/user/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/17460/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/My Documents/BioWare/Mass Effect/Config
Adding the following lines under [ALAudio.ALAudioDevice] fixes the audio issue without having to remove the OpenAL32.dll. Removing the dll seems cause instability.
DeviceName=Generic Software
UseEffectsProcessing=False
Game occasionally crashed. I am unsure if this is an issue with Proton or the game. Save frequently.
Installing the DLC was doable but took some tweaking following this guide in conjuction with the PC Gaming Wiki entry on Mass Effect:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1601463399
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Mass_Effect#DLC_and_expansion_packs
Solved by using WINEDLLOVERRIDES="openal32=b" PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command% on "Launch Options"
Proton-6.1-GE-2 GloriousEggroll
In the BIOEngine.ini file I edited the following fields to a custom resolution
StartupResolutionX=2560
StartupResolutionY=1440
On the second to last level there was no illumination on the character models in cutscenes and during gameplay
Very infrequently the game would crash during dialog with NPCs. I just got in the habit of quicksaving before any conversation. Upon relaunching the game, following the same exact dialog choices would not trigger the crash again.
The game runs great, except for the audio that's broken unless launched with some arguments.
PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_USE_D9VK=1 %command%
Audio is completely missing unless launched with WINEDLLOVERRIDES="openal32=b"
Sometimes, characters became unaffected by the illumination, basically becoming black boxes. This, apparently, only happens on AMD CPUs.
Sound does not work OOTB.
To enable hardware sound:
- Rename or delete
OpenAL32.dll - In
BIOEngine.iniunder[ALAudio.ALAudioDevice], make sureDeviceName=has no value
All resolutions are not available in the game menu.
To set a custom resolution, set the following to your desired resolution in BIOEngine.ini under [WinDrv.WindowsClient]:
StartupResolutionX=1920
StartupResolutionY=1080
There was no audio at first. Renaming/deleting OpenAL32.dll works just fine
Run this in Terminal: (Change prefix & gamefolder paths to yours..) Exec=env WINE='/usr/bin/wine' WINEPREFIX='/run/media/angel/D/Games/SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/17460/pfx' WINESERVER='/usr/bin/wineserver' WINELOADER='/usr/bin/wine' WINEARCH='win64' "/run/media/angel/D/Games/SteamLibrary/steamapps/common/Mass Effect/Binaries/MassEffectConfig.exe"
Audio -> Software (The Hardware Audio Doesn't work, and the ingame audio hardware setting doesn't work..)
Press Mass Effect Menuitem -> Save Settings
Exit MassEffectConfig
Enjoy Mass Effect with proper sound
Proton 5.13-6 used..
audio will not function, no NOT rename/delete OpenAL32.dll, add this additional launch option instead! If you renamed or delete this file, you will get other exceptions. WINEDLLOVERRIDES="openal32=b" this will enable audio and prevent other exceptions from occuring due to renaming/deleting OpenAL32.dll
Here are my launch options,
WINEDLLOVERRIDES="openal32=b" PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_USE_D9VK=1 %command%
Works with XOrg and minor audio tweaks
No audio in-game without a deleting the OpenAL.dll file
Mouse pointer not detected in Wayland. Must use XOrg
Renaming OpenAL.dll fixed issue
PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_USE_D9VK=1 %command% Not sure if its needed, used it just in case
I first tried running this game after initial install but I couldn’t play the game due to too frequent occurrence of a Pure Virtual Function errors. Renamed OpenAL32.dll from ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Mass Effect/Binariesto to OpenAL32.dll.bakup (fixes borked sound). Used PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_USE_D9VK=1 %command% in Launch Options as seen used by others in the previous reports. So far no no crashes, no errors at all. Thanks to all the reports I am playing this game now flawlessly.
During some dialogue the game could raise a General Exception Fault in MassEffect.exe. This occurs randomly but not too often, not during any specific dialogue but never outside of dialogue. Deleting openal32.dll made no difference.
Ran on max settings, full playthrough. Didn't have any audio issues so didn't need to remove openal32.dll.
DLC was installed by downloading them both from EA's site (where they are free) and using: "export STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH="/home//.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/17460/" ; python3 "/home//.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Proton 5.0/proton" waitforexitandrun "/home//Downloads/MassEffect_BDtS_EFIGS.exe"
Make sure the Proton version you use is the same as the one you'll launch the game with.
Other than the occasional crash from the dialogue the game ran perfectly.
Given my low-end specs (Intel Integrated graphics), I had a surprisingly smooth experience.
I would estimate it would crash every 3-4 hours of gameplay. Not often.
