Skyrim PS3 Fixes Coming Eventually, Bethesda Offers Pro-Tips

@arcn: How many hours have you put in? On GAF, I've read that some 360 users are starting to have the exact same issues as PS3 users. It happens later because the 360 has more unified memory but seems to start around 100-120 hours instead of 60 hours on PS3. Basically Skryim has to load some many things across the whole world (which increases as you go to new places) that at some point it uses all available RAM and the crashing and framerate problems start.

Well, if it sucks on PS3, but still amazing on PC or 360, they can just call it game of the year based on their experience on those two platforms. And I personally still think it's a great game, even though the game is terrible on PS3.

Or Bethesda could refund PS3 customers, remove the game from their catalogs and pretend it was never released for PS3. That way they'll be eligible for Game of the Year nomination.

Hmm.. Well, my problem is that when I'm out in the open, it lags heavily, but when I'm inside a cave, it actually doesn't lag and plays fine.

And their tip about using 'Wait', well.... My game always freezes when I use 'Wait'.

I am also beginning to experience that sound is disappearing and that the game freezes 1-3 times every hour.

I have stopped playing because I'm afraid that my PS3 will brake with all these forced shut-downs. Because every time I do it, my PS3 will begin to restore system files, and that can't be good. :/

My save file is 13 MB.

@Beaudacious said:

@Hailinel: So you knew FA3 was shit on PS3 and still bought Skyrim on PS3? Repetition is the hallmark of insanity, or more likely stupidity. I also don't care if that's your only choice, if you can only afford a Carola, don't bitch about performance, and that you don't get premium service at the mechanic. Yes i am a PC elitist, i payed 2000$ to have a buttery smooth gaming experience, with excellent support, great options, great performance, and i will flaunt that like a gay man on pride day.

Also you don't have a single clue about how hard it is to develop a game like Skyrim. The games Bethesda develops are the exception to the standard of AAA quality control. You should be thankful that there's a developer crazy enough to push the genre so hard and so far. I know dam well that if a studio came up to me with a business proposal for a game the scope of Skyrim i would kick them out laughing, its amazing production of these games doesn't get derailed or halt to a standstill. These guys truly are making software magic, and am sorry you can't swallow your ego and accept that fact. Its like if you bought a Ferrari and were complaining about fuel mileage, tire ware, and mechanical instability. Buying a Ferrari you love it along side the multiple faults that such a complex car can develop.

Great art isn't about being 100% free of mistakes, its about the fantastic emotional high nothing else like it can bring to the table.

Excuses excuses. Don't tell him how to feel about a product he purchased. It's his role as a consumer to make up his own opinion about something he spent money on, based on his expectations. It is not your role to tell him exactly why he should cut Bethesda any slack, because at the end of the day none of that matters if the final product isn't good enough for him.

It doesn't matter if it is, either.

@Peanut: An anecdote isn't data. You can't say it's a vocal minority just because you haven't experienced the problem, you could be the minority as far as you are aware. Not saying that's the case, but your argument basically amounted to 'I, one person, have not had these problems so anyone with the problem is in the minority'.

@Superfriend: Most gamers nowadays don't know any better? It's funny, I could say the same thing because I remember when games were almost always completed BEFORE they were launched. It's a lot on the publishers heads these days too of course, not the developers, due to pressure to get games out by a deadline.

@Hailinel: So you knew FA3 was shit on PS3 and still bought Skyrim on PS3? Repetition is the hallmark of insanity, or more likely stupidity. I also don't care if that's your only choice, if you can only afford a Carola, don't bitch about performance, and that you don't get premium service at the mechanic. Yes i am a PC elitist, i payed 2000$ to have a buttery smooth gaming experience, with excellent support, great options, great performance, and i will flaunt that like a gay man on pride day.

Also you don't have a single clue about how hard it is to develop a game like Skyrim. The games Bethesda develops are the exception to the standard of AAA quality control. You should be thankful that there's a developer crazy enough to push the genre so hard and so far. I know dam well that if a studio came up to me with a business proposal for a game the scope of Skyrim i would kick them out laughing, its amazing production of these games doesn't get derailed or halt to a standstill. These guys truly are making software magic, and am sorry you can't swallow your ego and accept that fact. Its like if you bought a Ferrari and were complaining about fuel mileage, tire ware, and mechanical instability. Buying a Ferrari you love it along side the multiple faults that such a complex car can develop.

Great art isn't about being 100% free of mistakes, its about the fantastic emotional high nothing else like it can bring to the table.

@Peanut said:

Hey, people bitching about how this game doesn't deserve to be spoken of as a GOTY contender because it's "so busted," I've got 85 hours into one character and 11 into another. Zero issues. 1 crash over the course nearly 100 hours of play, some of those hours being real marathon sessions.

When will people realize that the vocal minority on the internet doesn't reflect the experience that the majority of players are having? Also, dude who tried to compare the scope of SR3 to Skyrim needs to play more fucking games.

This. I´ve played for more than 80 hours now and had 4 crashes during loading screens.. yeah that kinda sucks, but it is to be expected in a game like this (both Oblivion and FO3 crashed on me way more than this one).

The game´s performance on 360 is okay and I could complete every single quest so far. Of course there will be smaller issues popping up in a game like this. That´s the nature of the game. Some of these complainers don´t know what they are talking about. I was there when Morrowind released on the PC. That one crashed on me every fucking hour. I installed Daggerfall when it was relatively new and couldn´t play it because it was so buggy. THOSE games were glitched. But of course most gamers nowadays don´t know any better. Why should they, when all they know is Call of Duty and Wii Shovelware.

As for the PS3 issues.. idk how severe they are this time around, but they seem to be around every single time a Bethesda game is released on PS3. I feel sorry for the guys who only have a PS3 and nothing else..

There's an interview with a New Vegas developer that sheds some light on the issue. From what I understand as a non-programmer:

Every object in the world is loaded through the .esm files, and if they are altered or interacted with their values change. Everytime a save is loaded it has to load the base .esm, then the altered .esm loaded. They also need to load things like companion characters who need to interact outside the loaded world. He stated that for those reasons as New Vegas DLC content expanded they needed to scale back parts of the core, specifically stating Primm. The reason the PS3 is having issues when compared to the 360 is that the PS3 has divided system memory. The XBOX has a single memory allocation that is for general purposes, while the PS3 splits the ram in half, one reserved for graphics, the other for the remainder, and both have non-trivial allocations for memory. He said these were all core-engine level problems and would be problematic to resolve.

The idea I got from the whole thing is that the PS3 was basically incapable of running the game as envisioned with the current hardward and softward build, yet it was still released.

Hey, people bitching about how this game doesn't deserve to be spoken of as a GOTY contender because it's "so busted," I've got 85 hours into one character and 11 into another. Zero issues. 1 crash over the course nearly 100 hours of play, some of those hours being real marathon sessions.

When will people realize that the vocal minority on the internet doesn't reflect the experience that the majority of players are having? Also, dude who tried to compare the scope of SR3 to Skyrim needs to play more fucking games.

When will be an appropriate time for me to load this game up and enjoy it?

@wolf_blitzer85 said:

Being a conjurer in the game doesn't suck anymore! Almost hitting the 100 hour mark and I am probably not stopping anytime soon. This game has completely sucked me in and I will still be playing it through the beginning of next year.

What?! Conjuring never sucked.

@Hailinel said:

@Beaudacious said:

@KaneRobot: If you want good support, don't play on consoles. If you want to have a cheaper gaming experience, you'll have to sacrifice in more ways then one. So don't bitch cause you're on consoles, good support is one of the main reasons people play on PC.

As a customer that paid $60 for the PS3 version, I have every reason to expect Bethesda to uphold a standard of quality equal to that of the other platforms, PC included. The game suffers from inexcusable issues that can't just be chalked up to the idea that it's a large game that's difficult to test. I've worked in quality assurance for seven years, three of which were spent specifically in game testing, and while I can say that not every bug is found or fixed, even in smaller games, it's insane that Bethesda allowed the PS3 version to ship with the performance issues it suffers from. It is not a rare issue or even a minor glitch; it is a serious performance issue that has the potential to affect any PS3 user that plays the game normally over an extended period of time. And even when Bethesda has patched the game, they still manage to inexplicably break things. Backwards-flying dragons are good for a laugh, sure. But nullifying all magic resistance? How was that not caught before the patch went live?

Not that I really should have expected anything more from Bethesda. The PS3 version of Fallout 3 suffered numerous issues of its own, including a lock-up during the GOAT exam that takes place within minutes of starting the game. I ran into that bug the first time I booted the game up; seeing that such a bug was so easy to encounter within fifteen minutes of pressing start did not instill confidence in me.

This is Bethesda, dude. Like you expect delays from Blizzard and Valve, this is exactly what you should expect for Bethesda: bugs, lots of bugs. The only way you get a bug-free game from Bethesda is buying the GOTY/Gold edition a year or so after it's release.

so just wait and cut that platform racism dude

@LiquidPrince said:

@KaneRobot said:

Something is seriously fucking wrong if this is awarded "Game of the Year" on this site, or any others. I hold this site's opinion to a higher standard that most though so it would be especially disappointing here.

I realize the scope and general execution of the game is incredible, but when you make a magnificent cake with a delicious frosting, and the people eating it wind up discovering there are multiple turds within where the baker promises to remove them later, no one is going to call the cake "great."

Stop rewarding sloppy game development. Not to start a game vs game debate, but you don't hear these types of baffling, ridiculous issues in a game like Saints Row 3, which has a similar broad scope and "do anything" approach.

I feel the same way. The game may have amazing scope, but to me a game of the year contendor needs to have massive scope, great ambition, fun, and POLISH. Bethesda's games are always so broken, it's really messed up if they get any game of the year awards.

No matter how good the story and quests may be, if the game part is messed (which it clearly is) then the game doesn't deserve GOTY.

i have Skyrim on ps3 and i didn't have any issues up until around level 35, which was around 50 hours in? not sure...

My point being, the sheer volume of entertainment i have gotten out of skyrim, is around 5 times what i got out of Batman: Arkham city or Battlefield 3 or pretty much any other game i have played this year... and that is before i ran into my first first technical issue in the game.

But it's not only breath of content, it's also a tightly packed experience with interesting gameplay moments, lore and great visuals. That is why it should be a contender for game of the year.

Also backwards dragons do not detract from that, it adds to it and if Saints Row had more backwards dragons it would probably be as high up on my list as Skyrim.

PPS. Saints Row does not have a similar broad scope as Skyrim, don't be crazy, i could play that game for 30 hours and have done everything there is to do in there, i have played skyrim for almost 100 hours and im still running in to new stuff all the time.

@Beaudacious said:

@KaneRobot: If you want good support, don't play on consoles. If you want to have a cheaper gaming experience, you'll have to sacrifice in more ways then one. So don't bitch cause you're on consoles, good support is one of the main reasons people play on PC.

As a customer that paid $60 for the PS3 version, I have every reason to expect Bethesda to uphold a standard of quality equal to that of the other platforms, PC included. The game suffers from inexcusable issues that can't just be chalked up to the idea that it's a large game that's difficult to test. I've worked in quality assurance for seven years, three of which were spent specifically in game testing, and while I can say that not every bug is found or fixed, even in smaller games, it's insane that Bethesda allowed the PS3 version to ship with the performance issues it suffers from. It is not a rare issue or even a minor glitch; it is a serious performance issue that has the potential to affect any PS3 user that plays the game normally over an extended period of time. And even when Bethesda has patched the game, they still manage to inexplicably break things. Backwards-flying dragons are good for a laugh, sure. But nullifying all magic resistance? How was that not caught before the patch went live?

Not that I really should have expected anything more from Bethesda. The PS3 version of Fallout 3 suffered numerous issues of its own, including a lock-up during the GOAT exam that takes place within minutes of starting the game. I ran into that bug the first time I booted the game up; seeing that such a bug was so easy to encounter within fifteen minutes of pressing start did not instill confidence in me.

Who cares about all that other crap fixes like no more backwards dragons and flammable flame atronachs; THE BOOKSHELVES HAVE BEEN FIXED!!!! 
 
Also for PC people, LAA is on the docket potentially for next week so you can finally use 4GB of RAM without having to do workarounds. A nice addition for me at least.

@KaneRobot: If you want good support, don't play on consoles. If you want to have a cheaper gaming experience, you'll have to sacrifice in more ways then one. So don't bitch cause you're on consoles, good support is one of the main reasons people play on PC.

@LiquidPrince said:

@KaneRobot said:

Something is seriously fucking wrong if this is awarded "Game of the Year" on this site, or any others. I hold this site's opinion to a higher standard that most though so it would be especially disappointing here.

I realize the scope and general execution of the game is incredible, but when you make a magnificent cake with a delicious frosting, and the people eating it wind up discovering there are multiple turds within where the baker promises to remove them later, no one is going to call the cake "great."

Stop rewarding sloppy game development. Not to start a game vs game debate, but you don't hear these types of baffling, ridiculous issues in a game like Saints Row 3, which has a similar broad scope and "do anything" approach.

I feel the same way. The game may have amazing scope, but to me a game of the year contendor needs to have massive scope, great ambition, fun, and POLISH. Bethesda's games are always so broken, it's really messed up if they get any game of the year awards.

No matter how good the story and quests may be, if the game part is messed (which it clearly is) then the game doesn't deserve GOTY.

And the most ridiculous part about it is that this is a repeat occurrence with Bethesda. How they're able to keep being given the benefit of the doubt when their games are routinely released in some form of semi-busted-to-outright-busted state is beyond me.

@Korwin said:

@Undeadpool said:

@damnable_fiend said:

"Version 1.3 comes after version 1.2"

whoa whoa whoa, what

Glad I'm not the only one who chuckled at that.

It's good to know version 1.3 is a proper gentleman.

HIYOOOO! But seriously, folks, Version 1.3's great. Fixes backward flying dragons...but unfortunately, the flames now come out of the OTHER end, OHHHHH!

@KaneRobot said:

Something is seriously fucking wrong if this is awarded "Game of the Year" on this site, or any others. I hold this site's opinion to a higher standard that most though so it would be especially disappointing here.

I realize the scope and general execution of the game is incredible, but when you make a magnificent cake with a delicious frosting, and the people eating it wind up discovering there are multiple turds within where the baker promises to remove them later, no one is going to call the cake "great."

Stop rewarding sloppy game development. Not to start a game vs game debate, but you don't hear these types of baffling, ridiculous issues in a game like Saints Row 3, which has a similar broad scope and "do anything" approach.

I feel the same way. The game may have amazing scope, but to me a game of the year contendor needs to have massive scope, great ambition, fun, and POLISH. Bethesda's games are always so broken, it's really messed up if they get any game of the year awards.

No matter how good the story and quests may be, if the game part is messed (which it clearly is) then the game doesn't deserve GOTY.

I'm seriously considering an ssd for my ps3, as I've heard it helps.
But I'll opt to wait and see.
If it isn't fixed when 1.4 rolls along, I'll get it for the pc

So apparently instead of frame rate issues on the PS3 version, I'm now being plagued by constant crashing, I've seen the "hey you crashed so lets make sure your files aren't corrupt" screen at least 7 times now.

I might do that "30 Day Tuneup" after I get married and make a new save. Yes, I will RP that she doesn't actually stand in one spot for 30 days like a terminator, but that they spent 30 days together in the city (windhelm) just chillaxing after the main quest.

I stopped experiencing glitches when I made a brand-new save and deleted all the other saves that I had been writing over one-another. Yeah I also turned off Automatic Saves. Now some buildings (like taverns) can have instant loads. The new saves can be overwritten without any loss in performance. However, loading is still usually painfully long but unfortunately that can't be helped with either console's limited memory (RAM). A huge amount of the time spent in this game is loading, just like when I played New Vegas on Xbox 360. But Bethesda knows that most people (including me - this time), are happy overall because this is one of the best games ever made. I have dropped the difficulty down to the easiest and am just breezing through now, I got sick of having to keep loading my saves all the time because of unexpectedly deadly enemies. Saving any time is an awesome feature. BUY THIS GAME - DON'T HESITATE. Get it before more awesome games come out, the bugs are tolerable.

@Ronald: Same, let's start a riot.

So I've been having a real issue with the Stereo Wireless Headset and Skyrim. The headset works great with every other game I have, but it cuts out and stutters every few minutes with Skyrim. It's really annoying. I called Bethesda about it, and the guy told me that it was because "Skyrim was too powerful for the headset"

@KaneRobot:

Some people put more value on bugs in games some put more value on substance.

Oh and SR3 is nowhere near in scope to Skyrim. It is a much more simpler game mechanically and has much much less content. SR3 also had it's share of issues, read the review on this very site.

(Personally I haven't had any significant issues with either Skyrim or SR3.)

@Kin3tiK said:

@KaneRobot: I'm not sure you realise how much of a monumental task it is to test for issues in a game with such a massive scope. Granted I'm playing on the PC with minimal issues encountered, and the PS3 version does sound like a mess - but even with those issues its still an incredible game.

Doesn't the fact that the 360 and PC versions of the game are so clean prove that Bethesda is capable of finding and fixing issues in a massive game like this? They either didn't give the PS3 enough testing resources or that they knew of the issue (because it's basically the same issue they have had all along with their PS3 releases) and chose to waive it. There is no way a team testing the PS3 version did not come across this widespread issue during their months of working on it.

Still annoyed that my head disappears when I wear a Dragon Priest mask.

I'm at 100 hours sharp and I haven't gotten the achievement for "Do 10 Sidequests". 'Nuff said.

@KaneRobot: I'm not sure you realise how much of a monumental task it is to test for issues in a game with such a massive scope. Granted I'm playing on the PC with minimal issues encountered, and the PS3 version does sound like a mess - but even with those issues its still an incredible game.

Started on PS3 and switched over to PC once my lag hit around 23hours/5.5mb save. PC version runs amazing and hasn't given me any problems so far. Amazing game.

@wolf_blitzer85 said:

Being a conjurer in the game doesn't suck anymore! Almost hitting the 100 hour mark and I am probably not stopping anytime soon. This game has completely sucked me in and I will still be playing it through the beginning of next year.

What?! Conjuring never sucked.

Works alright for me. Not great, but alright.

Something is seriously fucking wrong if this is awarded "Game of the Year" on this site, or any others. I hold this site's opinion to a higher standard that most though so it would be especially disappointing here.

I realize the scope and general execution of the game is incredible, but when you make a magnificent cake with a delicious frosting, and the people eating it wind up discovering there are multiple turds within where the baker promises to remove them later, no one is going to call the cake "great."

Stop rewarding sloppy game development. Not to start a game vs game debate, but you don't hear these types of baffling, ridiculous issues in a game like Saints Row 3, which has a similar broad scope and "do anything" approach.

@Saganomics said:

@Yanngc33 said:

How can a game that's busted on the PS3, has issues on the 360 and has technical glitches caused by updates be a GOTY contender?

Because the game is still a lot of fun in spite of all the ridiculous bullshit that everyone has to deal with.

But people on the internet are really angry...

I've never had a backwards dragon but I did have one nosedive into the ground while still alive, then proceed to slide along the ground and up a mountain. I've also had a few instances since 1.2 where the frame rate drops massively. I'm talking less than 5 frames a second slow.

I feel cheated. I've fought at least five dragons since 1.2 came out and not one of them flew backwards. And now with 1.3 coming out I will never have the glory of battling with a backwards dragon.

Just wait 30 days in game time. If that doesn't work, wait 30 days IRL.

Why can't their press release just say that.

Being a conjurer in the game doesn't suck anymore!
 
Almost hitting the 100 hour mark and I am probably not stopping anytime soon. This game has completely sucked me in and I will still be playing it through the beginning of next year.

Have Bethesda said anything about broken magic resistance? I am playing on PS3 and haven't had any frame rate issues only a few lock ups and a backwards dragon, but the broken magic resistance is starting to piss me off

Fuck Bethesda.

What up, Steam. Why yes, I am feeling nice and rested after my vacation.

This is without a doubt the most broken game I have ever played in my 20 years of gaming. Playing it on ps3 of course. The only thing I can compare it to was trying to play doom on a tandy 1000 when I was kid. It's like the ps3 is constantly trying to keep up with the massive amount of data in the game. Really disappointed in Bethesda, if they can't develop properly for the ps3 they shouldn't release games on it at all.

I'm surprised people still buy Bethesda games on the PS3. All four of em' (yes, I'm including New Vegas) have been like this. Not trying to excuse Bethesda or anything, but people need to learn to be a little more savvy as consumers. 

One time I played close attention... :)

@Elow said:

Just imagine that there are people out there who don't have access to the internet (or just doesn't have their console connected to the internet) and have the PS3 version.

I mean, what do these people do when the game becomes unplayable after X amount of hours and they aren't able to patch? Start a new game and pray it doesn't happen again?

It's a pretty disgusting situation.

indeed I am not a PS3 owner but I do sympathise with their situation. I am sick of publishers/developers rushing games with the attitude of...."meh we'll patch it later". This is simply unfair on offline PS3 owners, especially considering it is a single player only game which I would predict that 80% of offline PS3 owners bought, that's a lot of pissed off people with an unfinished copy of the game.

can someone link me to the patch updates please? i want 1.3!

My game will consistantlely go to the pause screen every 15 minutes or so, freeze there for around a minute, and then let me come out of it. It is extremely irritating and makes it almost unplayable. This is on the PS3 . . .

Just imagine that there are people out there who don't have access to the internet (or just doesn't have their console connected to the internet) and have the PS3 version.

I mean, what do these people do when the game becomes unplayable after X amount of hours and they aren't able to patch? Start a new game and pray it doesn't happen again?

It's a pretty disgusting situation.