In the latest example of a developer building games for only half the market, it’s been revealed that not only does Mass Effect 2 feature text that for some people is too small to read, but that there’s no way to really fix it.
Responding to user complaints on the matter on the developer’s forums, BioWare’s Michael Gamble writes, “I’ll have to talk to Casey about this (as any way to address it would have far reaching changes in the game), but please don’t expect any decisions or a fix in the near future (as we are supporting a number of issues at this time). This was a design choice, not a bug.”
Inother words, don’t hold your breath. Actually, I think he means don’t hold your breath, then go out and buy a bigger TV.
Mass Effect 2 text illegibility on SD TVs result of design decision [Ars Technica]
El Phantasmogoro
February 4, 2010 at 6:54 PM
This is the opposite of what happens in 90% of other multiplatform releases. Instead of PC users having to deal with GARGANTUAN text eating up screen space, console players have to deal with text designed to be read when 3 feet from the screen. See how this sucks for all of us no matter what?
Report Permalinkwarcroft
February 4, 2010 at 6:57 PM
I normally play my Xbox on my 24″ PC monitor, but because Im sitting close the text didnt trouble me.
Report PermalinkBut, coincidently, last night I was playing on the big screen in the lounge and was thinking the same thing. “Damn the text is small.”
lcb
February 4, 2010 at 6:58 PM
just like in dragon age, im tired of goddamned tiny text.
Report PermalinkAndrew
February 4, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Dragon age has the same issue only more so because it has so much text in its “codex”. Its particularly bad when you have to read the fine print for the side quests. Its probably a non-issue of you have a flash tv, but I have a tv made from old car parts.
Report PermalinkAd
February 4, 2010 at 7:37 PM
Still on a CRT TV and the problem is across a number of games. Can be annoying as hell.
Report Permalinkwho am iiiiii
February 4, 2010 at 7:46 PM
I actually bought myself an HD monitor to play my 360 on purely because I couldnt read the text in ME1 on my CRT.
Report Permalinkmetalisticpain
February 4, 2010 at 8:23 PM
took me a while to catch those pop ups for achieves and such, couldnt read them fast enough, especially the 2nd description under the picture.
Report PermalinkSteven
February 4, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Havn’t had this issue on my PC version, perhaps because you sit closer to the screen on PC compared to playing on console.
So… pull the couch right up to the tv, who needs good eyesight later in life anyway?
Report PermalinkBombdigidy
February 4, 2010 at 8:59 PM
Thats what you get for a buying a shitty console with fake 1080p, why dont you get a job and buy a decent PC and mon.
Report PermalinkNick Corcoran
February 4, 2010 at 9:07 PM
i was playing it on the lounge room tv which is huge, and had no trouble; but i am only allowed to play in the loungeroom during the day.so when i had to move my xbox to my bedroom (which has a crappy medium sized tv)for the night, i was unpleasantly suprised and i couldn’t play it purely because it was too much of an eye strain to read the small, blurry writing.
IT SUCKED!!!
Report PermalinkJéson Stow
February 4, 2010 at 9:15 PM
I found it too annoying and decided to do another playthrough of ME1 until I get out on the weekend to get a new bigger TV.
Report Permalink706
February 4, 2010 at 11:35 PM
I play on a 32inch HD tv and don’t really have any trouble at all. On my old TV I had a lot of trouble reading small text in games like Dead Rising, but I haven’t had too much trouble in ME2. The only time it feels small is the loading screen text, which is not only pretty unimportant, but is there for a while anyway.
I would say a bigger problem is the popups for when you get progress on an achievement, or find an upgrade, or salvage something for credits. Most of those little popups disappear far too quickly to be read, and I’m no slouch with reading.
Report Permalinklcb
February 5, 2010 at 12:20 AM
Theres absolutely no excuse for consumers to have this issue, the product should be made for old shitty televisions as much as the brand spanking new ones. they need to consider those that cant afford a two thousand dollar tv.
Report Permalinkalinos
February 5, 2010 at 12:36 AM
Mass Effect 2 feature text that for some people is too small to read, but that there’s no way to really fix it.
of course theres not everything has a specific sized Box for the text increasing its size would require some to have slide bars(this isnt a computer window they wont have made them adaptive it would also cause something that may have looked like a nice column
to something more like
On Planet |
Threayenhadolf |
we see lots of |
water. |
Unfortunatly the |
wate in |
Question contains|
a Neurotoxin |
that is deadly |
to Humans |
And besides theres little that you actually need to be able to read on the go if you wanna read the indepths of a planet or the Codex im sure it wont hurt to sit a little closer for a little while
something ill get round to after my 2nd insanity playthrough
Report PermalinkJustin Robson
February 5, 2010 at 2:43 AM
Half the market? I don’t think so, Tim… HDTV is the standard now, and anyone remotely serious about gaming, this generation of hardware at least has a HDTV, or at least a monitor for gaming. It’s an absolute necessity, and it’s selling your console short if you don’t have one. These games are designed to be played in hi-def from the get go, and it is so easy to get a HD ready TV/monitor, even for less than $200. You have no excuses people.
Report PermalinkBruce Abdul-Raouf
February 5, 2010 at 8:13 AM
I’d be willing to accept that HD is a requirement for gaming this Gen… except for a few things.
1. The console makers themselves don’t include HD cabling as a standard with the console so clearly they don’t see it as “necessary”. Why should the consumer or a company making games for that console?
2. The highest selling console isn’t HD.
While I agree that its probably more than 50% of people with an Xbox or PS3 have it running on a HDTV,I also think that its just Lazy on the part of the Dev team to not have an option for an SD TV.
Report PermalinkJay
February 5, 2010 at 10:11 AM
You actually classified that garbage as a console! WOW
Its pretty clear WHY the real console makers aren’t bundling HD cabling with their console. I’m not even going to answer it for you.
Report Permalinkwarcroft
February 5, 2010 at 8:29 AM
As harsh as Justin sounds, hes right.
Report PermalinkBrink
February 5, 2010 at 1:01 PM
No he’s not – it’s just you ‘haves’ turning your noses up at us ‘have not’.
Report Permalinkwho am iiiiii
February 5, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Exactly, not everyones mummy and daddy can afford to spend at least $200 on a tv/monitor just so you can play games on it.
Not everyone wants to replace a perfectly fine older TV just cause of a few games.
Report PermalinkShambrook
February 5, 2010 at 3:26 PM
I never had a problem reading any text in the game on my tellie. None even seemed a little bit small.
Report PermalinkJustin Robson
February 6, 2010 at 6:08 PM
The consoles don’t come with HD cords because they’d be too expensive to include… and the Wii doesn’t count, either… it’s using last generation hardware.
And *sigh* it’s not a matter of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, I used my 360 for almost a year before I upgraded in, I think early ’07 (keeping in mind, the upgrade was nothing more than getting a VGA cable and putting it into my monitor) and I felt like I’d wasted that year by playing on a shotty 51cm no name brand TV… it is so much better in HD. And HDTV is not a fad, lol…
Report PermalinkJames
February 8, 2010 at 10:18 AM
The Xbox 360 Arcade comes with component cables that will at least do 720p. Not sure how that is not coming with HD cables??
Report PermalinkPlus you can get a HDMI cable for like $15 if you get the Elite.
If you can’t be ready for HD gaming, why buy the console? I’m all for progress, not supporting stagnation. You can buy at least a 720p LCD/Plasma for a couple hundred bucks these days. Cheaper than the console, and only the price of a couple games.
Matthew Dive
February 5, 2010 at 10:47 AM
I’m finding this problem too. I have an HDTV but no HD cables. I didn’t even have this problem in the first Mass Effect, however, so I fail to see why they changed the font size for this one.But really, this problem should exist in the first place. I’ve never had a problem with tiny text on my PS3, and I own far more games for that console than my 360.
Report PermalinkSilencer
February 5, 2010 at 10:54 AM
100inch projector fixes all that.
Report Permalinkcrispy
February 5, 2010 at 2:49 PM
Does anyone want to buy my 50 inch Sony KF50E200? I’ll take $1000
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