A mod to overhaul textures in the Mass Effect games
A Lot of Textures (ALOT) is a free mod for the original trilogy of Mass Effect games. The trilogy is based on Bioware’s popular sci-fi and action RPG series of games. The mod overhauls the visuals in the game by replacing the default with high-quality alternatives. The mod also improves static lighting mechanics to increase realism.
ALOT is an unofficial mod, and as a result, it is not supported by the game’s developers. However, the mod’s creators did state that Bioware “endorsed” this mod. It is even claimed that it gave them a significant amount of inspiration while developing the Legendary Edition game series, which also aims at improving the original game’s texture quality.
Improved textures
The primary focus of the ALOT mod is to provide superior-quality textures for Mass Effect and significantly overhaul the appearance. The improved textures are higher resolution, and some are slightly modified versions of the original designs.
Improved lighting
Much of the game’s static lighting is done in a way that is essentially prerendered and then stored as texture files. ALOT also upgrades the lighting textures, resulting in smoother and more realistic lighting in many of the game’s locations.
Minimal performance costs
While the increased quality of textures undoubtedly puts more demand on your computer’s processor and GPU, the additional power required to run this ALOT mod is hardly anything substantial. So this, combined with the fact that the games are relatively old, means most modern computers will have no problem comfortably running the mod.
Compatibility and obsolescence
The mod should not pose any compatibility issues with other expansion packs as long as they are installed properly. It is important to note that Mass Effect Legendary Edition also overhauls textures, but ALOT claims to have superior textures that even out these game versions.