Mass Effect Legendary Edition is on the way with new-gen graphics for the first three games of the space RPG, and it has now come to light how exactly Bioware went about boosting the new game’s visuals.
According to the team, many of the graphical enhancements were achieved using AI upscaling techniques found in none other than fan-made mods. The tech in these mods was combined with the full data of the game which modders, of course, do not have access to.
On popular mod websites like Nexus Mods, mods that boost Mass Effect’s graphics are tremendously popular, especially ‘A Lot Of Textures’and ‘A Lot of Videos’; the former has more than a million downloads while the latter has over a hundred thousand. Naturally, both builds are used to create a more refined visual output and this is why Bioware decided to use them as benchmarks for the upcoming remaster or re-release, whatever you want to call it.
Project Director Mac Walters detailed the process in a chat with PC Gamer.
“We actually early on looked at some of those [mods] and said, ‘OK, well, this is our minimum bar and from here we have to then go bigger, right?’ Obviously they have limited access as a modder to the assets that are in there. We have full access to them.”
Project Director Mac Walters
Legendary Edition environment director Kevin Meek said he was initially skeptical of AI upscaling mods, but had to concur with the rest of the team when he looked at the final results. According to Meek, mods like A Lot of Texture have achieved great results and have given the devs “the confidence to follow this path.” Additionally, he also reiterated that the team got to work on the uncompressed source, full-resolution textures, which was far more effective in producing the required results.
It’s important to note that the visual enhancements for Mass Effect are not limited to just textures and cinematics. Bioware has: manually tweaked every character model from the trilogy, overhauled the lighting and shadow elements of the games, added new environmental particle effects, and changed the entire mood of several scenes. The mood change of scenes is mainly done in the first entry of the trilogy.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will arrive in two days on May 14. Bioware recently detailed the visual specs of the game and it seems the re-release is going to make for a great buy across all platforms. The game will also receive a heavy patch on Day 1 which you can read all about by clicking on the button below.
About Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
The first three original games of the franchise: Mass Effect(2007), Mass Effect 2(2010), and Mass Effect 3(2012), will be fused together. The outcome of this amalgamation will be known as Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. These classic games of the past will be given a modern touch.
To make this game a fit for the modern hardware, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will carry a plethora of enhancements. Expect to see a game with improved revamped dynamic shadows, volumetrics, textures, redesigned character models, depth-of-field, etc.
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