Early Recruitment 2.0
This mod has been overhauled and updated and is now presented in two modules which can be installed independently or together. Early Recruitment 1.0+ has now become the Classic Module, and a new Legion Module has been added
Classic
This module allows early recruitment of Thane, Samara and Tali, early access to the Illium Hub and early access to the Tuchanka hub if Wrex is the clan leader. Thane and Samara are available immediately after Freedom's Progress. Tali's recruitment mission will become available after a short delay (as she is completing her mission for the Migrant Fleet), but before Horizon.
2.0 includes technical improvements to audio implementation, improved dialogue for early recruits on Horizon, and a custom timer to prevent loyalty missions from triggering immediately.
Main Features
*As in vanilla, loyalty missions for regular squadmates will not trigger until after Horizon. However, Zaeed and Kasumi do not have recruitment missions and - again as in vanilla - their loyalty missions are available immediately. These loyalty missions count towards unlock requirements for Tali's recruitment and Horizon.
If using the Legion module, Legion will not add to this count as the crash site functions as a pick up location (similar to Zaeed and Kasumi), and is not considered a recruitment mission.
Legion
This module allows the player to optionally recruit Legion at the Normandy Crash Site, and fully restructures Legion's storyline to account for this.
Main Features
- Legion is recruited and in the mission squad (see media tab).
- Legion is recruited but remains aboard the Normandy (see media tab).
- Legion was encountered at the Crash Site but has been sold or remains inactive.
- Legion was not encountered at the Crash Site and will appear aboard the reaper (as vanilla).
Language
In terms of audio support, this mod is available for the English localisation of the game only. This mod makes heavy use of spliced dialogue and borrowed lines which are not always appropriate or possible in other languages - certainly I do not have the skill to create such content in languages I do not speak. the level of work to implement this is prohibitive, so with apologies, I will not be offering full audio support in any language other than English.
However, using this game with English audio and a different set of subtitles is supported for German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and French. I would be grateful to receive and integrate Japanese translation if anyone can provide this.
With thanks to the following for their translation work:
German - Clover
Russian - Cole Phelps
Italian - TittyFish
French - Laz77 & Loadingue
Polish - Tajfun403
Spanish - marcodgf91
Installation
Download the .7z file.
Import the .7z file into ME3Tweaks Mod Manager 8.1 or higher.
Apply the mod to the game.
Play the game.
Manual installation is not supported. This mod uses the mod manager's PlotSync and Email Merge features. This is not a drag-and-drop process.
You should be able to install this into an existing playthrough (as long as you have not installed texture mods). Though obviously as a mod which adds content to the earlier part of the game, you may have missed opportunities to make use of it.
Uninstallation
This mod may be deleted or disabled safely via ME3Tweaks Mod Manager. Select your LE2 installation, and then choose "Manage Target", you will see the option to disable or delete.
Compatibility
Unofficial LE2 Patch
This mod is built on Unofficial LE2 Patch files, and many fixes from that mod are included by default. A few are only included if ULE2P is detected in your installation (this is because of wider dependency issues). Ensure ULE2P is installed first so that the appropriate compatibility option will be automatically selected for you.
No Patch Required
This mod is compatible with Trigger Buttons. No patch required.
This mod is compatible with DLC Timings Mod v1.1 and higher. DLC Timings Mod's changes to Lair of the Shadow Broker will take priority. Other Early Recruitment behaviour will be unchanged. No patch required.
This mod is compatible with Risky Suicide Mission v1.4 and higher. No patch required. [Legion module only, Classic Module may be used with any version of this mod]. RSM has made adjustments to its calculations to account for Legion's recruitment state.
This mod is compatible with Legion Femshep N7 Shoulder Guard for LE2 v1.3 and higher. No patch required. [Legion module only, Classic Module may be used with any version of this mod].
Patch Shipped with Early Recruitment
This mod is compatible with the Virmire Savior Mod provided you manually select the patch Early Recruitment provides when you install.
This mod is compatible with the Reaper Husks Consistency Mod. No patch is needed for the Classic Module. For the Legion Module or Full Installation you must manually select the patch Early Recruitment provides when you install.
This mod is compatible with the Cerberus and Alliance Uniform Consistency Mod. No patch is needed for the Classic Module. For the Legion Module or Full Installation you must manually select the patch Early Recruitment provides when you install.
This mod is compatible with Instant Shadow Broker Rewards. No patch is needed for the Classic Module. For the Legion Module or Full Installation you must manually select the patch Early Recruitment provides when you install.
Patch Shipped by Other Mods
This mod is compatible with Optional Flirting Mod for LE2 v1.4.1 and higher provided you use the patch hosted by OFM. You must install Early Recruitment before Optional Flirting Mod.
Not Compatible
This mod is not compatible with the Immersive Arrival Integration Mod. Attempting to use then together will break Early Recruitment badly.
This mod is not compatible with Crew Abductions - Plot Hole Fixed. Early Recruitment will override this mod.
Other mods which share files with this one are likely to be incompatible unless they include a patch or state they have native compatibility.
Technical Information
See article.
Credits and Thanks
Media section features:
No Headgear for Squadmates
Expanded Shepard Armory
Expanded Squadmate Armory
Casual Hubs
Thanks to:
Gabe8 for the banner.
Marcus22Khaar, 55tumbl, Vegz, phoenixsoul13, BtEtta, RepugnantPear and Audemus for working on shared compatibility between mods.
Mgamerz, SirCxyrtyx, HenBagle and Kinkojiro for development and maintenance of the toolset and mod manager.
Mount: 8888
Conditionals: 4181 - 4189 & 4194
State Transitions: 8700 - 8709
Bools: 8749 - 8757
Integers: 1200 - 1210
Quests: 21221
Amended vanilla conditionals: 354, 358, 360, 361, 362, 365, 737, 738, 739, 1146, 1149, 1152, 1155, 1229, 1481.
Note: Neither of the files discussed below were updated for Early Recruitment 2.0.
BioD_Nor_103CIC.pcc is a file shared between Early Recruitment and Trigger Buttons with sequences pertaining to both. These sequences are gated by in-memory bools for their respective mods (held in BioGame.ini). If you are patching this file, you can use the BioD_Nor_103CIC.pcc file this mod ships and make your changes directly. It can be shipped as part of your main mod. The file will behave as a vanilla file unless Early Recruitment or Trigger Buttons are also installed. You do not need to do anything except use this file as a baseline instead of the vanilla file, and to mount higher than Early Recruitment.
BioD_Nor_103aGalaxyMap.pcc also makes use of Early Recruitment's in-memory bool to check whether it is installed. However, the galaxy map makes use of custom conditionals in order to adapt to Early Recruitment's presence. If you wish to achieve patchless compatibility with Early Recruitment, you may edit this BioD_Nor_103aGalaxyMap.pcc file, but you will also need to include conditionals 4180, 4181, 4183, 4184, 4185 and 4187 in your mod's Startup file. Please contact me if you need assistance creating a Startup file or adding these conditionals to that file. If you do this, you can again ship an edited version of this galaxy map in your main mod and it will natively adapt to Early Recruitment's presence. Systems will unlock at vanilla times if Early Recruitment is not installed, and earlier if it is.
This is a complex mod, and overriding certain files via mounting above can potentially break it in ways that will softlock the game for end users. I have tried to make the files which are absolutely critical to this easily patchable (see above). Traditional patching will also work with these files (and would not require any edits to your startup file in the case of the galaxy map).
If you are not going to provide a comprehensive set of patches, and your mod makes use of any files in common with Early Recruitment, please try to contact me before mounting above Early Recruitment so we can discuss the implications. It may well make sense to mount your mod higher than this one. But if you aren't going to patch, please consider that choice carefully and please be clear that this will make your mod incompatible with Early Recruitment.
I have an open patching policy, so if you are confident you know what you're doing, you don't need to specifically reach out. Please do let me know if you can, though - it's always nice to know.
Early Recruitment 2.0 restructures the entire mod and adds Early Legion in a narratively immersive way!
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2.0.5 update - small bugfixes and ensuring compatibility with the latest Unofficial LE2 Patch.
Early recruitment of Samara, Thane, Tali and Legion. Early access to Illium and Tuchanka. Features are split across two modules which can be installed...
Early recruitment of Samara, Thane, Tali and Legion. Early access to Illium and Tuchanka. Features are split across two modules which can be installed...
Early recruitment of Samara, Thane, Tali and Legion. Early access to Illium and Tuchanka. Features are split across two modules which can be installed...
Early recruitment of Thane, Samara and Tali. Early access to Illium and Tuchanka if Wrex is the Clan Leader. Updated for compatibility with the Unofficial...
Early recruitment of Thane, Samara and Tali. Early access to Illium and Tuchanka if Wrex is the Clan Leader.