Description

Our team worked hard on this mod so we hope you will like it. After having been considered by many modders for almost a decade, impossible to mod, here we come to prove them all wrong. Finally, Sheploo's appearance is modded beyond simple texture jobs. Give him a hairstyle as you always wanted to, no more fully shaven head. Who has time to keep it trimmed every day in the middle of a war? Wait, you want him to actually have a sculpted beard? Tired of "bearded texture mods"? We are here to provide you with the solution you always wanted to. Now available for Mass Effect 2 too!

Hairy Sheploo is a very easy and complex mod at the same time. With it you can choose to give your Shepard your choice of hairstyle accompanied or not of a beard. Moreover, if you like his hairless look, you can just add him the beard. We are pretty sure that we came up with an option which will fit your tastes. We carefully curated which hair meshes to use for Sheploo and manually adjusted them all for his head, including the beard. You may recognize the hairstyles from other mods and other games, but again, our meshes and textures have been edited to perfectly match and not clip with his head. This isn't a simple port. We have to warn you that WE DON'T TAKE REQUESTS so all messages like: "Please add this hairstyle" or "I would love to have this hair too" will be ignored.

The mod is fully compatible with every Mass Effect 2 mod out there provided you choose the correct patch upon installation. More below.

This mod is just for default male Shepard. It will not work for custom Shepards, nor female characters. And no, we will not make them accessible to other Shepards. This is and will always be for Sheploo. There are plans to port this mod to the previous game, but for now there is no ETA on when will that happen. So, for now, this is for Mass Effect 2 and 3 only (and no, it WILL NOT WORK WITH THE LEGENDARY EDITION...).

Our team will not work on making any default femShep hairstyles. One of our team has plans for such mod already and we don't want to step on others toes.

The mod is done for you, the player. Forget about savegame editing to have your hair appear ingame. You will choose one hairstyle and said hairstyle will appear in your game from now on in all your future, present and past default male Shepard saves. Restoring your game will revert his original look on all of your savegames.

EXTRA: Mass Effect 2 has a savegame limit of 50 save slots per character for some reason. I took the liberty of raising that limit to 40k+ slots per character with all versions of this mod and its patches.



Installation


This mod REQUIRES to be installed with at least version 6.2.2 (Build 116) of ME3Tweaks Mod Manager by Mgamerz.

This mod must be installed BEFORE any texture mods such as ALOT or MEUITM2.

Make sure you let the manager update to make sure that the mod is correctly imported and installed. Using an older version will break the import and installation.

To install this mod, simply drag and drop the downloaded .7z file into the Mod Manager and press Import. Then select the mod in the mod list and press Apply Mod.

Upon clicking apply, you will be prompted with several install options.
Here you must carefully choose what you want to install.

If you intend to use any of the following mods: No Minigames, ME2 Controller, Remove Shared Cooldowns and First Person Mode (Exploration Version only. Combat Mode is experimental and has no compatibilities added) along with Hairy Sheploo, you must install those mods first, and then choose one of the appropriate patches from Hairy Sheploo that covers the combination of mods you are using, in order to ensure full functionality of everything..

Trying to manually install the mod to cheat our installation method will most likely cause issues, so we will not be supporting help requests for those attempting to install things manually.

Due to the required patching, the mod will always only install the Beard Only option. To install alternate hairstyles, download the hairstyles package and follow one of the following instructions:

Installing Alternate Hairstyles if using ALOT
If you are going to install ALOT, simply drag and drop the downloaded .mem file into the ALOT Installer along with all the other official ALOT Files and when you press Install Textures, it will install both ALOT and your chosen hairstyle.
If you already have installed ALOT, switch to Free Mode, drag and drop the downloaded .mem file into ALOT Installer and press Install Textures.

Installing Alternate Hairstyles if NOT using ALOT
Go into Mod Managers Tools Tab and select Mass Effect Modder.
In Mass Effect Modder, under Mass Effect 2, select the Mods Manager.
Then click on Add to List and locate and select the downloaded .mem file.
Once the .mem file is selected, press Install All Mods and the Hairstyle will be applied to the game.

We recommend you checking out the pictures here in Nexus first; specially the additional "side" shots for Macho and Veteran as they can come up as very similar looking from the front.

Unlike other mods, the hairstyle CAN BE CHANGED AFTER texture modding the game as the hairstyle itself is a MEM mod.


Recommended mods


Casual Hubs for ME2 by rondeeno: this mod allows Shepard and squadmates to wear casual clothes on the Citadel, Omega, and Illium, and gives certain squadmates casual appearances on the Normandy.

Same-Gender Romances for ME2 by rondeeno: this mod allows Tali and Thane to be romanced by both male and female Shepard, utilizing unused dialogue in the game files. It also fixes issues with imported same-gender Ashley and Kaidan romances and allows and restores other same-gender content whenever possible.

Arrival Triggering Mod by MrFob: this mod makes Hackett's message about Arrival trigger after the Suicide Mission.

A Lot Of Videos (ALOV) for ME2 by Audemus: this graphical mod aims to upgrade all prerendered bik cutscenes, that by definition no texture mod can fix.

Synix Beautification Project v2.0 - RTGI ReShade by Synix Processing: this mod is a ReShade based off of the RTGI Reshader to apply the Global Illumination and Ambient Occlusion in a more natural way.

In order to get the best visual experience and quality, we highly recommend using ALOT for ME2, by CreeperLava and MEUITM2, by Catachrism (including his amazing mesh edits). Our mod is fully compatible with them; moreover, all hairstyles, beard included, will look on its fullest glory thanks to them raising the LODs beyond vanilla values. Remember that content mods must be always installed BEFORE ALOT/MEUITM.


Un-Installation


This mod unfortunately must replace a basegame file that can't be loaded as a DLC mod, this means that if you want to remove the mod, you must restore your whole game from a backup. Savegames aren't dependent of it, so it can be safely removed and/or added at any point during your game. Just remember ALOT/MEUITM's instructions if you are also using any of those mod. Savegames won't be affected and you can change hairstyle mid playthrough, as explained above. Modifying this mod over an ALOT installation will seriously break your Shepard's looks.


Known Issues


The mod has been thoroughly tested by several people and should be bug free now. However, there might be the odd occurrence that one hairstyle might be looking wrong in a certain patch combination. If this is the case, please report it, so it can be fixed.

The mod has only been tested in English versions of the game but should work with any language.

Mass Effect 2 handles transparency... let's say it tries. As a result, all hairstyles and the beard will not look as good as they did in the original mod for Mass Effect 3 despite using the same assets. The infamous flickering that sometimes happens in ME2 is present with the beard under certain illumination for example. We recommend you to force Anti-Aliasing either through your graphic card settings or a ReShade solution (like the one recommended by us) to make it look better. As a last note, the Veteran hairstyle looks the worst comparing to its ME3 counterpart. Sadly, there is nothing we can do about it, as this is something on the engine itself.

Mass Effect 2 wasn't built to support any kind of hair on the default male player, thus we had to use the head mesh to implement our changes. This means that helmets that usually hide hair, like the N7 helmets, will not hide any hair at all from this mod and will clip through them. There is no workaround through this, except to either, only use the beard (it won't clip with helmets) or use helmets that hide the entire head, like the Death Mask or the Recon Hood. Since you can swap hairstyles during your playthrough, doing so is another option if you don't mind closing your game during your playtime to swap styles.


History


04/01/2021 - Original Public Release


Contact


You may contact us through the Nexus Forums.


Credits & Acknowledgements


Original Meshes:

• Adonis: mesh and texture by Newsea for The Sims 3 from Newsea Sims
• Beard: mesh and texture by CD Projekt RED from The Witcher 3.
• Chain Reaction: mesh and texture by Newsea for The Sims 3 from Newsea Sims
• Geralt: mesh and texture by CD Projekt RED from The Witcher 3.
• Hysteria: mesh and texture by Stealthic for the Sims 4 from The Sims Resource
• Macho: mesh and texture by Newsea for The Sims 3 from Newsea Sims
• Veteran: mesh and texture by Nightcrawler Sims for The Sims 3 from The Sims Resource
• Zombrex: mesh and texture by Lapiz Lazuli for The Sims 3 from Lapiz's Scrapyard
  

All meshes (except for Geralt and beard) were originally ported over to Skyrim by KS Hairdos - Renewal and later to Mass Effect 3 UPK format by GirlPlaysGame.

Jenya66: mesh extracting and porting for both the beard and Geralt's hairstyle. Adjustment of Geralt and Adonis hairstyles to Sheploo's head; as well as the beard to his exact face shape. Furthermore, combining every hairstyle with the beard to create unique bearded mesh looks. Adjustment of the Geralt and Beard texture tone colors.

ThaliaGraces: mesh adjusting of Chain Reaction, Hysteria, Macho, Veteran and Zombrex hairstyles to Sheploo's head mesh. Color adjustment of all hair textures. Creation of new textures following the Mass Effect 2 standard. Testing.

Khaar Machinima: merging all modified meshes by Jenya with Mass Effect 2 Sheploo's head. Implementation of all new meshes and textures to the game, plus creation of the mod package. Research and discover of modifying Sheploo's appearance. Testing.

Gabe8: Banner art for Mod Manager and Nexus page.

Jade: allowing for patches to be done with her First Person mod.

Dybukk: allowing for patches to be done with his No Minigames and ME2Controller mod.

DropTheSquid: leaving open instructions on how to add Remove Shared Cooldowns for future patches.

Special thanks to Mgamerz for checking why the mod wasn't being deployed through Mod Manager and looking into fixing the checks that were preventing it and which also allowed for a proper installation of the mod.


Other Mass Effect mods by us


Allers Redone: This mod changes Diana Allers clothing to Alexia Forlan's dress from Remember Me.

Andromeda Inspired FemShep Complexion (ME1): A default FemShep face texture replacement inspired by Mass Effect Andromeda. Version for Mass Effect 1.

Andromeda Inspired FemShep Complexion (ME2): A default FemShep face texture replacement inspired by Mass Effect Andromeda. Version for Mass Effect 2.

Andromeda Inspired FemShep Complexion (ME3): A default FemShep face texture replacement inspired by Mass Effect Andromeda. Version for Mass Effect 3.

Cyberpunk-Witcher eyes for Shepard: Some cyberpunk/witcher themed eye textures for your Shepard. This mod was made to celebrate Cyberpunk 2077 launch. Don't take it seriously.

Expanded Character Creator (ECC): New options for Mass Effect 1 Character Creator.

Expanded Character Creator (ECC) for ME2: New options for Mass Effect 2 Character Creator.

Expanded Character Creator (ECC) for ME3: New options for Mass Effect 3 Character Creator.

Expanded Shepard Armory (ESA): This mod unlocks helmetless versions of the official DLC armors to players who wish to use them and see their Shepard's faces; as well as adds additional armors and casual outfits ported from Mass Effect 1, 3 and Andromeda.

Jenya's Ash and Kaidan complexions (ME1): New complexions for Ashley and Kaidan.

Jenya's Ash and Kaidan complexions (ME2): New complexions for Ashley and Kaidan.

Jenya's Ash and Kaidan complexions (ME3): New complexions for Ashley and Kaidan.

Joker Wears Cerberus Fatigues: this mod fixes a vanilla bug which had Joker wearing Alliance fatigues during the cutscene arriving to the Flotilla. He will be wearing Cerberus fatigues now as intended.

Hairy Sheploo: allows players to add a new hairstyle and/or beard to the default male Shepard, based on Dutch model Mark Vanderloo. All hairstyles plus the beard are custom meshes with new textures, meaning this mod provides 3D hair options and aren't just painted over his face. Mass Effect 3 version.

Oriana Looks Like Miranda's Twin: small lore-friendly mod that changes Oriana's face into Miranda's, so they actually look like twins. It offers two texture options (vanilla and Ellise's).

Practical Initiative Armours: Flat Chestplates and Andromeda Initiative inspired armour textures for females for Mass Effect 1.


Licensing/Legal


The mod is provided as is. By downloading and installing it you decide to use it at your own risk. Incompatibilities produced by installation on pirated copies of the game will not be assisted, as well as those installations over an ALOT/MEUITM modified game. 
You may use this mod as you wish but we kindly ask you to credit us for our work.
Please, do not re-host this file without our explicit permission.