Kotaku: Fallout 3 is broken

[iridium_ionizer]

But as I said, I wasn't claming that people weren't having issues, but what I did say was that it's hard to blanket label something as "broken" overall without statistics or acknowledging that it could be any number of user generated hardware/software errors/conflicts on the PC.

I bet Bethesda has the statistics on the number of users experiencing crashes from Fallout 3. Doesn't XBox Live and PSN send error reports back to the companies? You would think they did, giving them a reasonably accurate statistics with a large sample size. But why would Bethesda release those numbers to the media. That would be like McDonalds having 538,000 Sick Here right below their 1 Billion Served Here.

With that being said... who are these "experts" saying FO3 is broken for the majority? Enlighten me please. And I said "broken" not "buggy". Having an occaisional crash upon exit or a slight issue with the sound or something like that dosn't mean a game is "broken".

When someone's game locks up at a certain point and even when they reload several saves back they still lock up, that tells me it's broken. Broken because you can't play it. Buggy is when it's just a little goof here or there.

I just don't get such policies when money isn't an issue.

Actually, with Bethesda I think money is the only issue. And demos and thorough bug fixing doesn't make any.

 

[Nonagon]

Is Buckley even TRYING to not be unlikeable anymore?

It sounded as though you were angry at Tim Buckley, but that double negative kind of screwed things up...

 

[Ausdoerrt]

Fallout 3 seems to run pretty horrible on lower-end PCs. I mean, if you have the most modern rig, you'll probably have less trouble, but I have an older nVidia card and it crashes every hour or so, and lags a lot. And it's "the way it's meant to be played" game. Seriously. Every other recent game has been running almost perfectly on this PC I have.

"I had no crashes so the game is polished" is a lump of BS. I got though vanilla TOEE by Troika with only 2 CTDs. Sure, a relatively bug-free game. The modding community is still trying to fix it. Also, just because it doesn't crash, there are also gameplay bugs that couldn't just "disappear" on certain systems.

As for statistics... How many outrageous bug and crash reports do you get for Blizzard games? Latest CAPCOM games? Compare to Bethesda... Yeah, exactly.

I wonder what situation CAPCOM would be in if, say DMC4 would crash or freeze on PS3. But Beth should be fine, it's probably hiring more people for PR and ads than for game development, so that they can justify a bad game rather than produce a good one.

 

[sickfuck_diablo]

It crashes consistently on Xbox. Sometimes more than once a sitting.

Not sure how much play testing there was, but I feel like I/we should be paid for it!

 

[Matt K]

I bet Bethesda has the statistics on the number of users experiencing crashes from Fallout 3. Doesn't XBox Live and PSN send error reports back to the companies?

I kind of doubt those consoles do. For one thing I could imagine that neither Microsoft nor Sony (or Nintendo for that matter) would have thought a game could actually crash on a console. Then again even if they did, that would only cover one of the many bugs in the game.

 

[Wild_qwerty]

In less entertaining news, Ctrl+Alt+Del deals a blow of mockery from which the previous Fallout games surely can never recover. The joke seems to be either "Turn-based combat is unrealistic, HAHA" or "Role-playing games use numbers to represent stuff, HAHA", I'm not really sure.

I think the joke is that VATs is stupid, I mean how on earth can a Pip-Boy have the ability to suspend time?

 

[rcorporon]

As for my PS3 crashing, the worst part is that Beth, if history tells us anything, will sell me Dogmeat armour before thinking of working on a patch.

 

[zioburosky13]

every programmer and techhead in the entire Bethesda office should be doing overtime to fix this messed up piece of technical shit, and the apparent fact that they're not fully justifies Kotaku's incensed reaction.

Not everyone is a John Carmack
But, here we have is a sloppy, unpolished piece of software which provide more frustration than fun for the game player.

 

[SoberCounsel]

In a truly unprecedented move by myself I take on the role of Devil's Advocate.

10-20 years ago it was very possible to create a game or a program and not have to release a plethora of cracks, patches and fixes mostly because there wasn't a whole lot of customisation. Perhaps an adventurous soul might put in some RAM or change the sound card, but more often than not, every Personal Computer was the same:
(from the perspective that new computers were released generationally and there would be little deviation between types of that same generation.. meaning that developers had a comparibly small list of specs with which to place their game in the confines of.)
Whereas, as has already been stated ad-infinitum on every gaming forum for the last 8-9 years or so, modern computers have numerous deviations yadda yadda it's too expensive to test on all types sodealwithitbythewayhaveyouseenourshinymarketingcampaignrecently?

However:
*Adds to the pile of bile heaped against Bethesda*

On a CONSOLE.. which is more akin to the premade computers of the 80's and early 90's, it is unforgiveable to have as many crashes and glitches on a '10/10' game.

Balls have been dropped here. And it seems Bethesda are to busy patting themselves on the back to pick them up.

Fallout 3 has crashed so often, that at night (or late afternoon) I can play drinking games based upon just how many times an hour the game will crash.

 

[Viliny]

Buckley has always been a douche... but i don't think this is a rip on the older fallout games if i know anything about his work after a couple of years of somewhat following his stuff.

My Fallout 3 hasn't crashed once yet or generated any head twisting bugs or the likes. Yeah i do have super muties taking some lunar trips after a successfull hit in the arse but thats about it...

Can't imagine how disappointed i would be if the game wouldn't even run in addition to being what it is.

 

[Ausdoerrt]

Fallout 3 has crashed so often, that at night (or late afternoon) I can play drinking games based upon just how many times an hour the game will crash.

Hmm, sounds like a good idea. Should try that.

 

[Monolith2013]

[/quote]When someone's game locks up at a certain point and even when they reload several saves back they still lock up, that tells me it's broken. Broken because you can't play it. Buggy is when it's just a little goof here or there. [/quote]

Yes, it's broke for them... Them being a minority I would assume. In which case I would call into question their system first... IE, compatibility issues, hardware/software conflicts, etc, before I would make a blanket statment that the entire game is "broke" for "most" users. And again, i'm only speaking about the PC version, not the console.

The bottom line is this... We all are playing off the same code/PC version... So it can't "only" be the game that is causing certain users trouble. It HAS to be, at least in part, the users system build, ie hardware/software conflicts.

 

[Brother None]

The bottom line is this... We all are playing off the same code/PC version... So it can't "only" be the game that is causing certain users trouble. It HAS to be, at least in part, the users system build, ie hardware/software conflicts.

How is that relevant?

 

[analord]

I could say this is surprising but BS is know to release games which seem to lack even a modicum of bug testing. The fact that it crashes on a console (which I never even heard of happening before) is ridiculous.

A modicum is a very small amount.

I WILL SHRINK YOU!

If they weren't so secretive about their games they could release demos, or betas, or whatever.

I mean, we win because we get to know the game and build hype and help the developers enhance it.

And they win because we do their job.

Was Bethesda really afraid of the consumers saying "This game is shit! we won't buy it!" that they didn't release a demo or something?

I just don't get such policies when money isn't an issue.

Aw man... Remember... two June's ago when they took thirty days to release a teaser... It was a nice teaser. Meanwhile people were freaking out.

"They're going to take out turnbased!!"

"Shut up. You don't know that."

I've said it once, I'll say it again. Beth is constipated with information. And the information that actually gets out is polished as fuck. That is until they actually shit out the game. Then we can ... smell the souffle for what it's for...

Brother None... you are a buzz kill. I liked his segway though.

 

[Jiggly McNerdington]

I just had the best bug ever. I beat the game, the final cutscene started, and... There was no sound. Just like Fallout 1 and 2 for me.

Haven't tried disabling hardware sound to see if the same fix fixes it or not though.

 

[aronsearle]

To me this is just another example of why customers deserve to be screwed over.

People keep buying games on release, even though experience tells them most games need early patches, they complain (but don't follow through with any action, oooohhh scary), and you get camp's of people defending such buggy releases.

Hahaha etc

 

[evilpumbaa]

The original games had more bugs in them than any other game at the time, and even after you installed the patches sometimes they would still not work properly.

And this Fallout is at least a hundred times more complex a beast.

Maybe another month though, would have fixed everything.

 

[rcorporon]

To me this is just another example of why customers deserve to be screwed over.

People keep buying games on release, even though experience tells them most games need early patches, they complain (but don't follow through with any action, oooohhh scary), and you get camp's of people defending such buggy releases.

Hahaha etc

When I buy a game for my PS3 on launch, there is no excuse for it not working.

The entire "everybody has a different rig" argument doesn't work on PS3. The game should work perfectly.

99% of the time this is true. The other 1% is now reserved for Beth.

The original games had more bugs in them than any other game at the time, and even after you installed the patches sometimes they would still not work properly.

Why anybody would argue "well, the original games were buggy so it's okay for FO3 to be as well" is simply beyond me.

 

[aronsearle]

The original games didnt have a multi million pound budget.

 

[Erny]

was Ctrl+Alt+Del EVER funny or smart?

its just /facepalm