This looks like an awesome mod...but I am torn on whether to use it. I really hate the end reveal (and the whole premise of a 'Leviathan Enthrallment Team' because it seems like a future problem being created out of desperation). But I really enjoy the build-up of the Leviathan DLC (some of the fights are good).
Just finished my playthrough of LE, wish I had it then! But now I'm inspired to try modding away some DLC I don't care for (firewalker, Omega, I'm looking at you...). Do you have any recommendations on starting to learn to mod yourself?
I got started by looking at the tutorials for Legendary Explorer, which is the principal modding toolset for all three games in the Legendary edition. LBG specifically required an understanding of how conditionals work - briefly, they're a collection of boolean variables (true/false) that the game references to know when to start quests, reveal sections of the galaxy map, and make weapons/mods available at vendors, amongst other things. You can create your own conditionals file to overwrite the specific conditionals whose behavior you want to change, though to do that you'll need a database of what all the conditional IDs are and what they do. Fortunately, Bioware and the modding community did all of us a solid by providing just such a resource for each game (LE1, LE2, LE3, check the CondExportIDs tab).
Hope that helps! I'd recommend joining the Mass Effect Modding Discord as well, tons of people far more knowledgeable than me in there who can better answer your questions.
Not to discourage you from learning to mod the game properly, but I was able to very easily remove project firewalker from my game by removing the UNC_Hammer folder from my library. No more emails. No more Hammerhead. And no more marker on the galaxy map. The only caveat is that you'll need to start a new save or start new game plus, since DLC info seems to be baked into the files themselves and cannot be loaded with missing DLC
I don't know if this has any bearing on the hammerhead you use in Overlord, but if its like it was in the OT, then this shouldn't matter either. Hope this helps on your next playthrough :D
That's definitely an option! I went with my more involved approach with LBG since I wanted the Leviathan DLC's other features still present - but if you don't care about anything in a given DLC, just deleting the folder absolutely works.
Thank you for the help! I'll look into this for sure - there have been a few things I've always wanted to try and this might just be the push for me to start!
I'd like to ask if this mod still retains parts of the questline... and the screaming husk-head? :P Cuz many parts of the questline itself is quite enjoyable... but having an answer to the reaper origin is indeed not really my cup of tea either... but some hints to it would be nice. Like people investigating ancient hints was cool. But yeah... the reveal, the overexplanation of plot things, etc... I can see the desire for the mod. I just hope there's at least parts of the quest available withit?
I've no interest in making a mod like that, but it should be pretty straightforward if you're interested in doing it yourself - just need to track down the plot conditional that indicates to the game that it's time to make the Citadel DLC available, and overwrite it to always return false.
Thank you for creating this. I am going to download it to have handy for another play through as a different type of Shepard (I usually play Soldier.).
When I first bought the ME trilogy on Steam the Citadel and Leviathan DLCs were not included. I bought them later. So, I experienced some of what your mod delivers in my first couple of play throughs.
Story-wise, IMO it would have been better if Leviathan was treated like the Arrival DLC for ME2. It seems oddly placed within ME3. I play Arrival at the end of ME2 as a transition to ME3.
With the long-anticipated war with the Reapers finally starting in ME3, the pace of the story/game should be more streamlined with fewer side quests and fetch missions. In ME1 and ME2 you were trying to piece together who the Reapers were, when they might arrive, and how you might fight them. So, I think Leviathan really belongs in ME2. That is probably too big a thing to ask for.
Finding out where the Reapers came from still kept them menacing enough for me. But I might be anxiety prone. Maybe Bioware put Leviathan in ME3 because of feedback that said it made the Reapers underwhelming for some players.
I dont truly mind this DLC because I have always built upon the theory the situation occurred based around the original mandate to 'protect life' with the original Dark energy theory based around the quicker aging over Haestrom's Sun, it felt like starchild made a bit more sense, especially if Reapers were Harvesting excess Dark Energy as well. However it always threw off my pacing for the game unless I set it as a mental snapping point before the citadel DLC being forced to take a break before the final missions, since both although enjoyable always felt a bit out of place. This helps alot for replaying the game since the lore gets old the..3rd..4th..12th time
I didn't bother so much with the answers provided, even if they weren't... great, so to speak. But the first time I went into ME without knowing what will hit me, and this DLC just... had me almost quit because I didn't even know it's an effin DLC. It hits all the wrong phobias I am dealing with. Being deep underwater with an unknown presence in a disgustingly small vessel without the possibility to escape at all. It's such a horrible fear of mine and even though it's pure fiction this DLC had me sleepless for two nights straight and I skipped it ever after. I am so, so, so grateful for this mod <3
Oh wow, it didn't even occur to me how difficult the DLC would understandably be for anyone with thalassophobia. I'm so glad this might be of help to you.
I agree. Leviathan is a very good DLC, and while it could have been more refined, every mission in the game could have been. It's like that Skyrim mod that makes it so you can't play Skyrim. Like wtf?
It really isn't, believe me. For the longest time I despised Leviathan DLC, simply because of the underwhelming ending. I think the DLC itself was made incredibly well, but Leviathans themselves take away far too much from the reapers to present themselves as some sort of superior race. To hell with that.
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I remember first playing ME1 and talking with Sovereign, and then Vigil on Ilos. That s#*! froze my blood, Lovecraftian as hell.
Revealing too much completely ruins it.
I would argue that is a gamble intended to be part of it. It emphasizes the very real desperation.
Hope that helps! I'd recommend joining the Mass Effect Modding Discord as well, tons of people far more knowledgeable than me in there who can better answer your questions.
I don't know if this has any bearing on the hammerhead you use in Overlord, but if its like it was in the OT, then this shouldn't matter either. Hope this helps on your next playthrough :D
I can see the desire for the mod. I just hope there's at least parts of the quest available withit?
When I first bought the ME trilogy on Steam the Citadel and Leviathan DLCs were not included. I bought them later. So, I experienced some of what your mod delivers in my first couple of play throughs.
Story-wise, IMO it would have been better if Leviathan was treated like the Arrival DLC for ME2. It seems oddly placed within ME3. I play Arrival at the end of ME2 as a transition to ME3.
With the long-anticipated war with the Reapers finally starting in ME3, the pace of the story/game should be more streamlined with fewer side quests and fetch missions. In ME1 and ME2 you were trying to piece together who the Reapers were, when they might arrive, and how you might fight them. So, I think Leviathan really belongs in ME2. That is probably too big a thing to ask for.
Finding out where the Reapers came from still kept them menacing enough for me. But I might be anxiety prone. Maybe Bioware put Leviathan in ME3 because of feedback that said it made the Reapers underwhelming for some players.
I'm so sorry you have this terror, because the ocean provides many wonders. I didn't even know "thalassophobia" was a thing until now... Wow.
Have to admit it is a good DLC, but maybe not fit in this game. Glad this mod helps.