Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 27468 Location: Liberty City, the Netherlands Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 0:31 Post subject: Are Bethesda games too buggy?
This seemingly rhetorical question is the subject of an editorial on the Examiner.
Fallout 3 is Bethesda's most recent--and best selling--title. Released on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, the game has received universal acclaim from critics and rightfully so. This may be the third in the Fallout franchise, but it is the first time Bethesda has taken over the reigns of this fan favorite PC series and brought it to console gamers to boot. The post-apocalyptic role playing game has been widely enjoyed in Europe, North America and recently, has stunned aficionados of the RPG genre by actually cracking a recent Japanese poll of best RPGs of all time, an unheard of feat for a western RPG. It is also, sadly, a game that is riddled with glitches, bugs and other defects across all platforms. The fan/knowledge-base site wikia has a Fallout 3 section with numerous documented bugs and glitches for every version of the game. Everything from the game slowing down, freezing, crashing and missions not correctly playing out despite required objectives being completed have been noted by gamers since the game went on sale. In some cases, these errors and bugs have been fixed by the numerous patches that have gone on-line subsequent to the game's release. In other cases, these errors remain within the game to this very day.
(...)
But in all fairness, a lot of what has occurred with Bethesda games are understandable to a degree. Expansive games such as Fallout 3 are some of the most technically complex games available on the market with numerous variables to consider. Between free roaming NPCs, conflicts between multiple objectives and numerous conditions and factors built into environments, missions and even equipment, it's a daunting task to go over such a massive work with a fine toothed comb and take every consideration into account. Other games such as Bioware's Mass Effect have had the occasional hiccup that was eventually addressed. Recently the multi-platform Gearbox title Borderlands had a bug that affected the multi-player component on the PS3, though the error was rapidly corrected in less than 24 hours. It is unrealistic to expect that with games as large and complex as those we enjoy today, they will be perfect, bug free experiences. What gamers should be concerned about is whether this is a trend that will worsen in the future, particularly in terms of response from the creators of these games. Right now Bethesda is in a comfortable position; they make brilliant games that are enormously fun to play and gamers have few, if any alternatives for similar experiences. However if they continue to release games riddled with bugs that either take weeks to address or remain ignored entirely when developers such as Gearbox issue fixes within a day, it does not reflect well on the company and may possibly affect how willing gamers are to forgive their gaffs in the games to come.
If the future of gaming is one where gamers must accept the reality of fixes to games after release, then it will be the developers and publishers that get their fixes out in a timely manner who will win the favor of consumers. The good will Bethesda has among fans who love the games they provide may not last if a competitor arrives that offers a similar experience with fewer issues, or more timely fixes.
The Dutch Ghost Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Joined: 12 Jan 2004 Posts: 2443 Location: Leeuwarden, The Netherlands Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:07 Post subject:
And in other news, scientists have concluded that water is wet, the sky is blue and pain hurts. _________________ All hail Skynet! The exterminator of the human vermin.
_________________
Black wrote:
It's like Hitler vs Stalin.
We're screwed either way.
Would not be that bad if they actually fixed the bugs with the patches. They don't fix shit. Even Oblivion and Morrowind are still glitchy as SHIT. _________________
Between free roaming NPCs, conflicts between multiple objectives and numerous conditions and factors built into environments,
None of which Fallout 3 possessed. _________________ Fallout retard playthrough: Addicted to Mentats and running out of quests to do to level before attacking Mariposa.
Did this jobber just say this game was buggy...then APOLOGIZED FOR IT AND MADE EXCUSES TOO?!? _________________
I get the best of both worlds. I get to play Fallout and EarthBound.
Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 1326 Location: The Roche Motel Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:01 Post subject:
Why waste time making patches that'll make you no money when you can work on DLC that will? _________________ I'm addicted to placebos. I'd quit, but it wouldn't make a difference. -Steven Wright
Did this jobber just say this game was buggy...then APOLOGIZED FOR IT AND MADE EXCUSES TOO?!?
That he did. I mean, how dare you, (person who spent your money buying this game), demand a game-killing-bug free product??! don't you know making such an awezumm quality infested game is teh hard, and you're just lucky to get anything at all?!! eh, punk?! ...
Cimmerian Nights wrote:
Why waste time making patches that'll make you no money when you can work on DLC that will?
Most critics are far too spineless for my liking. _________________ Philosophy is asking questions that may never be answered. Religion is giving answers that may never be questioned.
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:59 Post subject: A pop cultured comedic spin on innards of Beth(House) Esda
"we are the Game company Borg" Bethesda is aiding in assimilating the gaming industry in an effort to flame out and become a biblical caricature of filthy rich company gains world/lose soul/essence of joy in life losers like Electronic Arts.
This is only a small laundry list of what can be imagined and envisioned starting to go wrong for Bethesda Game company Borg overlords and their minions:
minion: Sorry Boss, the build data got corrupted, we have to go back to the previous build on our old engine which will set us back a while again.
All our migration work to the new engine is toast.
Level 1 BethBoss: Oh Boy, this is gonna cost millions of thin air units. What am I going to tell Penultimate Level Boss Overlord?
Philly Mignon: Our apologies dear sirs/dames but John Carmack's engine is on another level of thought that we have been unable to dimensionally grasp since we've been stuck with an aging engine that has left us in the atrophy state you are sadly just now becoming aware of and we need more time than you scheduled to catch up.
Darth Vader BethBoss in the end of Episode 3 voice: Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why always me"nion"Deon to deliver the bad news: Oops, somebody unplugged the network cable and the rendering build save data was lost when being transferred from the server to the SAN but don't worry boss, I'm on it.
Warcraft level BethBoss = If I had a dime for every "Yes Boss I'm on it" peon response I'd have bought Micro$oft with my paypal money by now and would be challenging the Rotten childs for SUPERMAnHenneSSY over this planetoidal.
Min Yo'wn: There was a mysterious electric surge that fried much data center components and this will set us back a bit. Good thing we have backups but unfortunately much work is lost since it takes a long time to back up and we do not have real time data backup capabilities because Darth Vader level Bethboss was more interested in using the expense account on char"grilled"donnay ney. Ooh,just thinking about 'er makes me tingle oil over.
Me? N Yon?: Sorry about screwing up the Oracle upgrade but we cannot undo what we did since the backup of the previous version was corrupted during transfer to another server.
Barbie Dollaa Bill Bo$$: Don't you worry about a thing, sweaty pie, I've got the goods on Darth Vader level Bethboss. He's way into Sinatra and Streisand duets.Plus he's got a crush on mei since I'm his Tweety Pi.
Mean Yon: Sorry for screwing up today's meeting, I downed way too many spiked ener-jai drinks last evening while drowning in the sorrow I feel at doing good work that is unappreciated by my heartless exec level bosses and that has made me mean on the outside, cry like a man on the inside. Can you slide that space time dimensional unit over here so I can disappear into a slipstream of tears? Qball? R u Listening or do u need a tear from my other eye?
Eye Didn't Meen"yon"it: but the critical board meeting will have to be canceled or held at the hospital because of my clumsiness in bumping into Min Yo'wn who spilled his coffee and damaged Darth Vader BethBoss's eSOFAGOOSE 3.0 upgrade. We could reschedule the meeting to take place at Empire "can't turn the utter cheek but strike back" Hospital(tm)
Darth Vader BethBoss: I should have you Quartz martial mathered for your insolence!
Pseudo Minion "EA" Shrek Agent MolePlant: by the time they know why dat module continues to crash, eye will have the I of sour'on cream and cheese in me belly. Get in me shrek belly.
Wise old Fool BethBoss: What's zat you say? You have my precious in your possession? I will strike thee down for turning what used to be my precious company into a den of thieves. I wish I never sold majority ownership to MaxiPadz.
Cassandra "VictoriaPrinciple" BethBoss: I told you so, I told you so before you filed the lawsuit but you would not listen. I'm outa here. Nobody ever listens to me.
Little red riding hoodglum minion: not again, not another thing I have to do for these people. I'm red. I've been "hoodwinked"(animation movie) into cleaning this whole mess that's transpired because bo$$ies got the moneys on their mind and not the gaming community's wellbeing. I've got to use the hood, red. Use the hood. As the words of John Of Revelations patmos said: A robe dipped in blood. That is me since my hood be looky like that. I'm too good for these masqueraders from The $Buck$ errou bon zei crazy ate$ dimension.
So Pra No! BethBoss: Can't we just strawberry the bodei' in the marsh of what waz mentioned, ya' know, in the traila' fer' Dark Alliance too?
By By Miss American PieBethBoss: That would be too easy but I'd rather be drinking whisky at the chevai chassay bank levy laundrOW matt$$$$$$$.
Ghost of Chrismas future Screweged BethBoss: so this is how the Bethtale turned southland, with a little arrogance, a touch of pride, a smudge of insolence, a serving of gluttochardonay steak, a crumudgen of thanklessness, a teaspoon of wrath, a helping of ulcer causing lies, a unit of ING barrings false witness at the trial, an minutia of destroyed evidence, a heap of chicken head cutoff runaround lawyer units endlessly going on and on and on about how they had it in the bag, it was a piece of cake, a slam dunk,
an insert your own pathetic and putrid cliche after cliche that the "quiet days in cliche" were left screaming for a sell u loyd remake of this charade.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We bid you adieu but as the court curtains go up, we begin the show............
Queue V for Vendetta voice registered monologue ending: No shill drenZ nor meds were harmed or ingested in this process, just a helping of life at a pschizofrantic stream of consciousness pace that James Joyce would be proud to father before the inevitable fall of course and since it's autumn, get some Vitamin D natural juices to ward off the lack of sunlight lest the swine flu over your cookoo's nest, BIATCH.
I apologize ahead of time if the various 70's 80's 90's 2k's pop culture references fell on deaf ears. I am unwilling to force people to enjoy a humor boned look at life. The cruelty will defeat the stated laughter is good for your ammune-ition system.
Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 8335 Location: MaxiMegalon Institute of Slowly and Painfully Working Out the Suprisingly Obvious Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:35 Post subject:
The Dutch Ghost wrote:
And in other news, scientists have concluded that water is wet, the sky is blue and pain hurts.
brought to you by the MaxiMegalon Institute of Slowly and Painfully Working Out the Suprisingly Obvious. _________________ Per is the bestest lizard.
G.K. Chesterton (on the agressiveness of Fallout fans?) wrote:
"Reason is always a kind of brute force; those who appeal to the head rather than the heart, however pallid and polite, are necessarily men of violence. We speak of touching a man's heart, but we can do nothing to his head but hit it."
This article is especially bullshit for spreading the idea that a game require enormous budget to be up to standards, and that even then the impressive level of complexity involved is an excuse to make buggy games.
1. Making a game with the gameplay complexity of Fallout is NOT a challenge. It could probably be done by a small team over two years. More, Bethesda already had its engine, so I really wonder where the money went.
2. The most complex part is the graphic part. And even there the ratio Money Involved / Result is amazingly poor.
The lesson ? You can make better looking game by spending less on the engine but more on the artist team.
3. Indie teams make great looking, interesting games with teams of 2 or 3 peoples...
We need a google of the game industry, making insightful decisions, and minimalist well designed games, that will make all these bloated shitty companies cry in pain.
Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Posts: 5259 Location: The Wasteland Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 18:23 Post subject:
Arr0nax wrote:
I really wonder where the money went.
Hollywood voice actors and promos.
Hit the nail right on the head. What a waste...if anything the use of more noticeable voice actors detracts from the game experience, because your mind is distracted by thoughts of other characters you're heard the voice actors do.
I always prefer people whose voice I've never heard since a one-of-a-kind character needs a voice that also is one-of-a-kind. _________________ I wouldn't drink the water if I were you...
Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 1326 Location: The Roche Motel Status: Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 19:27 Post subject:
The Bethesda/Zenimax promotional juggernaut was overwhelming even by Oblivion media-blitz standards. The direct ads on TV, print, internet, the celebrity laden release parties, the expense paid previews. Love to hate him but Hines and co. were in exceptional form.
They're not a charity and clearly their business model is suceeding. Clearly the money spent promoting and hyping the game will draw more new consumers than would've otherwise been lost had resources been allocated to bug fixing. Bethesda is teflon, nothing sticks to them.
Quote:
If the future of gaming is one where gamers must accept the reality of fixes to games after release, then it will be the developers and publishers that get their fixes out in a timely manner who will win the favor of consumers. The good will Bethesda has among fans who love the games they provide may not last if a competitor arrives that offers a similar experience with fewer issues, or more timely fixes.
See, I don't buy this one bit. We've seen firsthand how MW burned off the Arena fans, OB burned off the MW fans and FO3 burned off the Fallout fans. Yet Bethesda's market share keeps growing!
You have a product lifecycle that has a very long production cycle, and a target market that turns over as rapidly. They're not looking to retain the current customer base, they're aiming at the new crop/gen of gamers coming down the pike.
Bethesda always reminds me of Matt McConagheywahtever in Dazed and Confused.
That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age...
No you can't keep fooling the same people over and over again, but you don't need to when there's a whole new generation of marks eager to fork over for your latest box full of promises. _________________ I'm addicted to placebos. I'd quit, but it wouldn't make a difference. -Steven Wright
All games will have bugs. The problem with Bethesda is that they're too busy milking everyone dry with their DLC packs, at 10 dollars a pop, to concern themselves with actually fixing the bugs in the game.
Hell, they even fixed their own lame ending to the game, and charged money for it. If they did ever get around to fixing the bugs, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they bundled all the fixes up into a DLC pack and sold them. _________________ They raped it. R.I.P. Fallout 1997-2008
No you can't keep fooling the same people over and over again, but you don't need to when there's a whole new generation of marks eager to fork over for your latest box full of promises.
Especially when the IQ bell curve is continually moving to the left.
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