The Skyrim 1.4 patch is now up on Xbox Live and the PS3 version is "looking good for today" too.
The big Skyrim patch that went live on Steam last week is now available to Xbox 360 owners as well. The 1.4 update includes a wide range of fixes, a few platform specific but mostly universal. The full list is below:
BUG FIXES
General optimizations for memory and performance
Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player's house (PS3)
Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
Memory optimizations related to scripting
Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
Fixed crash in "Haemar's Shame" if player had already completed "A Daedra's Best Friend"
Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player's home
Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player's house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
Fixed memory crash with container menu
Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor's Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
QUEST FIXES
The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing "Diplomatic Immunity"
In "Breaching Security", the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if "Season Unending" was an active quest
Fixed issue where starting "Season Unending" after finishing "Joining the Stormcloaks" would prevent "The Jagged Crown" from starting properly
Fixed issue where progressing through "Message to Whiterun" while "Season Unending" was still open would block progression for both quests
In "Arniel's Endeavor", fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
In "Forbidden Legend", the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
Fixed rare issue in "Forbidden Legend" where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
In "The White Phial", the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
"The White Phial" will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing "A Night to Remember"
Fixed issue where leaving Riften during "A Chance Arrangement" would prevent quest from progressing
In "Darkness Returns", a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
In "Revealing the Unseen", if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
"Onmund's Request" will now start properly if player has already found Enthir's staff before receiving this quest
Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
"Repairing the Phial" will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
Finding Pantea's Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
In "The Break of Dawn", fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
Fixed rare issue in "The Mind of Madness" where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
Fixed issue in "Pieces of the Past" where Mehrunes Dagon's Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
"Blood's Honor" will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
Fixed rare issue where "Dampened Spirits" would not start properly
Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine"
Fixed numerous issues with "Blood on the Ice" not triggering properly
In "Blood on the Ice", Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
In "The Cure for Madness", killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
Fixed rare issue in "To Kill an Empire" where an NPC would fail to die properly
Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting "Boethiah's Champion" no longer prevents quest from starting
The PlayStation 3 version of the update hasn't yet gone live but Sony said it should be ready to rock later today, so we'll update when it happens.
No game should need that much fixing after launch, I don't give a shit how big it is. That list is absurd.
I just hope that this one actually works. I've been holding off on Skyrim because the Fallout games froze up on me constantly and I'm not optimistic because Bethesda was never able to fix them. I'm betting in another week or two we'll get another statement saying "we're still working on the performance issues and it will be addressed in a future update."
Now if only they'd made it so retrieving Amren's sword didn't cancel out my Bandit bounty. Now I've got a bounty for the chief at Valtheim Towers I can't get because I already cleared the place out. Thanks a lot you stupid Redgaurd.
I had 2 quests glitch at the same time. I have Aela as a wife/follower and her final "Totems" quest is bugged since the game crashes everytime I enter Ansilvund's final chamber, so I can't dismiss her or trade and she ran out of arrows and now punches everything.
My main quest (Elder Knowledge) is also bugged since I can't ask the librarian about the scrolls. So I can't finish the main quest and my companion is useless, and I didn't see either quest on the fixed list....
I wonder sometimes. When exactly did we cross into the world where a company releasing a patch became news? It ought not to be. It should just be the standard practice.
Oh thank Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Zeus, Thor, Celestia, whoever wants to be thanked. Now I can actually play with my main character without lagging constantly.
teh_gunslinger: I wonder sometimes. When exactly did we cross into the world where a company releasing a patch became news? It ought not to be. It should just be the standard practice.
Its only news if its Bethesda because everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering whether or not the next patch is going to make the game playable or fuck it up even more. It's like watching the developers play Russian roulette.
EDIT: Just tried it out myself and my draw distances are absolute shit still. Good job Beth. Guess I might as well get it while its on sale on Steam since the construction set came out anyway. Its a sad when the modders are better at fixing your game than you are.
teh_gunslinger: I wonder sometimes. When exactly did we cross into the world where a company releasing a patch became news? It ought not to be. It should just be the standard practice.
Its only news if its Bethesda because everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering whether or not the next patch is going to make the game playable or fuck it up even more. It's like watching the developers play Russian roulette.
EDIT: Just tried it out myself and my draw distances are absolute shit still. Good job Beth. Guess I might as well get it while its on sale on Steam since the construction set came out anyway. Its a sad when the modders are better at fixing your game than you are.
...Why don' they just open a forum where the modders can add shit and the best mod, as chosen by the players and the modders gets put into all of the games, including patches.
Then the modder who mad it wins a prize, like a free game, or money.
GonzoGamer: No game should need that much fixing after launch, I don't give a shit how big it is. That list is absurd.
I just hope that this one actually works. I've been holding off on Skyrim because the Fallout games froze up on me constantly and I'm not optimistic because Bethesda was never able to fix them. I'm betting in another week or two we'll get another statement saying "we're still working on the performance issues and it will be addressed in a future update."
Check out fallout 2s patch log, it laughs in the face of this one and even then it had an Unofficial patch to fix the other stuff the devs missed. It's a common problem in large games with many variables, it's just this series is notorious for it due to wider appeal then most other such games. Skyrim is particularly susceptible to this because of dynamic quest lines and randomised encounters. It's not uncommon.
Diablo 2 also had a host of unofficial support when the devs let it drop. I predict Diablo 3 will also see a similar patch routine (though more regular).
Most RTS games are like this... though it's more to balance in later patches, the first few patch notes are to clear up gamebreaking imbalances and glitchs/bugs.
This is ALWAYS the case for large and intricate games. Bethesda just seems to be more transparent then others and their Modding community (a very sizeable one) are always picking up the slack. Again, not uncommon.
"The White Phial" will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
The quest this relates to is actually "Repairing The Phial" and this fix hasn't really solved anything. The game now recognises existing Briar Hearts and ticks them off the list, but when talking to the NPC there is no dialogue option to advance the quest further.
teh_gunslinger: I wonder sometimes. When exactly did we cross into the world where a company releasing a patch became news? It ought not to be. It should just be the standard practice.
Its only news if its Bethesda because everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering whether or not the next patch is going to make the game playable or fuck it up even more. It's like watching the developers play Russian roulette.
EDIT: Just tried it out myself and my draw distances are absolute shit still. Good job Beth. Guess I might as well get it while its on sale on Steam since the construction set came out anyway. Its a sad when the modders are better at fixing your game than you are.
Good point about Bethesda releasing dodgy patches. My 1.0 of Skyrim was basically bug free. As they've patched it they've introduced bugs to my game. Quite annoying. And they constantly ignore that I have set Steam to not auto update it. Assholes, the lot of them. What's the point of having the option when they just say "Ah, fuck it."?
GonzoGamer: No game should need that much fixing after launch, I don't give a shit how big it is. That list is absurd.
I just hope that this one actually works. I've been holding off on Skyrim because the Fallout games froze up on me constantly and I'm not optimistic because Bethesda was never able to fix them. I'm betting in another week or two we'll get another statement saying "we're still working on the performance issues and it will be addressed in a future update."
Check out fallout 2s patch log, it laughs in the face of this one and even then it had an Unofficial patch to fix the other stuff the devs missed. It's a common problem in large games with many variables, it's just this series is notorious for it due to wider appeal then most other such games. Skyrim is particularly susceptible to this because of dynamic quest lines and randomised encounters. It's not uncommon.
Diablo 2 also had a host of unofficial support when the devs let it drop. I predict Diablo 3 will also see a similar patch routine (though more regular).
Most RTS games are like this... though it's more to balance in later patches, the first few patch notes are to clear up gamebreaking imbalances and glitchs/bugs.
This is ALWAYS the case for large and intricate games. Bethesda just seems to be more transparent then others and their Modding community (a very sizeable one) are always picking up the slack. Again, not uncommon.
Regardless, those games eventually got fixed. I'm still waiting for the last couple of Fallouts to be made playable. I know big open world games have glitches but Bethesda has had the exact same big problems over and over again. Even after making an all new (yea right) engine.
Still need to fix the pathing on the great elk in the quest Ill met by Moonlight so it doesnt bugger off into impassable terrain i see(unless the pathway fixes sorted that i havent checked yet tbh), not sure what was wrong with blood on the ice either tbh though the badguy hasnt resurfaced on my game yet so maybe thats the bugged bit lol.
Sweet merciful Jesus, I didn't realize there were that many bugs. I knew there were a lot but god damn. Bethesda seriously needs to work on their beta testing skills.
I don't care though as long as i'm able to play the damn game without it freezing every five minutes. I'm on the PS3 version and my save file just went over 10,000 MB today so it's been happening really frequently. Hopefully they fixed the issue i'm having that quest were you kill that Kumatu guy for the redguard woman in Whiterun. I killed the bastard and it's not registering him as dead so I can't complete the quest, and I hate having it cluttering up my quest menu.
GonzoGamer: No game should need that much fixing after launch, I don't give a shit how big it is. That list is absurd.
I just hope that this one actually works. I've been holding off on Skyrim because the Fallout games froze up on me constantly and I'm not optimistic because Bethesda was never able to fix them. I'm betting in another week or two we'll get another statement saying "we're still working on the performance issues and it will be addressed in a future update."
MMO players like me are used to large patches. Older games also have massive fan made patches to clean up the game
Regardless, those games eventually got fixed. I'm still waiting for the last couple of Fallouts to be made playable.
What is stopping you from playing them? Unless you're an OCD perfectionist, I don't know what the issue could be thats their fault.
What's stopping me? Complete freeze ups. I usually can't go for 20-30 mins in New Vegas without freezing. Same with Fallout 3 after getting the dlc. So unless you have OCD and feel compelled repeatedly giving your console the ol hard shut down, that should not be acceptable. I don't expect perfection out of a big open world game but when the devs keep having the same exact problems (that stop the game in it's tracks) plague their titles over and over again, I think it shows more than technical incompetence, it shows disregard for the consumer as well.
San Andreas was a messed up game but it's still one of my favorites, so I can be patient with technical issues, especially with ample content. But constant hard shut downs stop the fun, especially now that the ps3 does a system scan.
Regardless, those games eventually got fixed. I'm still waiting for the last couple of Fallouts to be made playable.
What is stopping you from playing them? Unless you're an OCD perfectionist, I don't know what the issue could be thats their fault.
What's stopping me? Complete freeze ups. I usually can't go for 20-30 mins in New Vegas without freezing. Same with Fallout 3 after getting the dlc. So unless you have OCD and feel compelled repeatedly giving your console the ol hard shut down, that should not be acceptable. I don't expect perfection out of a big open world game but when the devs keep having the same exact problems (that stop the game in it's tracks) plague their titles over and over again, I think it shows more than technical incompetence, it shows disregard for the consumer as well.
San Andreas was a messed up game but it's still one of my favorites, so I can be patient with technical issues, especially with ample content. But constant hard shut downs stop the fun, especially now that the ps3 does a system scan.
Your hardware is either broken or not completely compatible with the software; not the companies fault.
Bugs exist, in all games. Throwing your arms up in the air and refusing to play a game because it has bugs, is silly.
I completed FO3 in 2008.. DLC later on. I completed New Vegas shortly after it was released too.
You can dooooo it!
Oh yeah and... Bethesda is awesome. They have a bad reputation for bugs, but they don't deserve it. imo.
GonzoGamer: No game should need that much fixing after launch, I don't give a shit how big it is. That list is absurd.
I just hope that this one actually works. I've been holding off on Skyrim because the Fallout games froze up on me constantly and I'm not optimistic because Bethesda was never able to fix them. I'm betting in another week or two we'll get another statement saying "we're still working on the performance issues and it will be addressed in a future update."
MMO players like me are used to large patches. Older games also have massive fan made patches to clean up the game
And that's why when I do eventually get Skyrim, it will be for the pc. The modders can fix the PC version but (considering the Fallout games still have these same problems) it seems Bethesda couldn't give a crap about any of the versions once they get their money.
What is stopping you from playing them? Unless you're an OCD perfectionist, I don't know what the issue could be thats their fault.
What's stopping me? Complete freeze ups. I usually can't go for 20-30 mins in New Vegas without freezing. Same with Fallout 3 after getting the dlc. So unless you have OCD and feel compelled repeatedly giving your console the ol hard shut down, that should not be acceptable. I don't expect perfection out of a big open world game but when the devs keep having the same exact problems (that stop the game in it's tracks) plague their titles over and over again, I think it shows more than technical incompetence, it shows disregard for the consumer as well.
San Andreas was a messed up game but it's still one of my favorites, so I can be patient with technical issues, especially with ample content. But constant hard shut downs stop the fun, especially now that the ps3 does a system scan.
Your hardware is either broken or not completely compatible with the software; not the companies fault.
Bugs exist, in all games. Throwing your arms up in the air and refusing to play a game because it has bugs, is silly.
I completed FO3 in 2008.. DLC later on. I completed New Vegas shortly after it was released too.
You can dooooo it!
Oh yeah and... Bethesda is awesome. They have a bad reputation for bugs, but they don't deserve it. imo.
Your clinical case of denial not withstanding, the hardware has nothing to do with it. People have the same problems on new state of the art PCs, as well as new consoles with plenty of drive space. You need to make up a better excuse for them than that because I've been hearing that since Fallout 3 and it gets more lame every time I hear it. I completed Fallout 3 too but I had to get the PC version and mod the hell out of it. The modders saved that game, Bethesda abandoned it.
*shrug* Never ran into any glitches that made any of their games unplayable for me. Early Fallout series on PC. Elder Scrolls on 360 and PS3. Fallout 3 on both. New Vegas on PS3. Skyrim on PS3. Occasional, super rare, crashes. Odd little quirks from time to time. Nothing that ever made me angry. Rarely disappointed. Much more frequently overcome with joy at how enjoyable the games were.
Now Brink and Hunted on the other hand.....*shakes head glumly*
Regardless, those games eventually got fixed. I'm still waiting for the last couple of Fallouts to be made playable.
What is stopping you from playing them? Unless you're an OCD perfectionist, I don't know what the issue could be thats their fault.
What's stopping me? Complete freeze ups. I usually can't go for 20-30 mins in New Vegas without freezing. Same with Fallout 3 after getting the dlc.
I think the peoblem might be on your end there, have you made any other efforts to solve the problem beyond sitting back and waiting for it to get fixed? (not trying to insult you there, if I expected a patch to fix things thats what I might do)
michael87cn: Your hardware is either broken or not completely compatible with the software; not the companies fault.
Bugs exist, in all games. Throwing your arms up in the air and refusing to play a game because it has bugs, is silly.
I completed FO3 in 2008.. DLC later on. I completed New Vegas shortly after it was released too.
You can dooooo it!
Oh yeah and... Bethesda is awesome. They have a bad reputation for bugs, but they don't deserve it. imo.
Are you seriously saying a closed system that Bethesda specifically developed for having incompatible hardware with their game is his fault?
If Bethesda's software is incompatible with the PS3's hardware then it absolutely is Bethesda's fault for releasing the game on it.
This isn't a case of Bethesda not being able to account for all infinity +10 driver/video card devices in existence. This is a closed system. You buy a PS3 and you open the box and inside is a PS3. This isn't like a PC where every single customer's machine is totally different.
Holy shit is this some Stockholm syndrome! "Throwing your arms up in the air and refusing to play a game because it has bugs is silly"? Are you serious? He just said these are bugs that make the game impossible to play. You're saying "You're silly for refusing to play a brick that pretends it's Skyrim". Then you're saying it's his fault that Bethesda sold him a brick and labeled it Skyrim.
Again, I understand that in the world of PC gaming and Mac/Unix systems, a company can't be prepared for 100% of user hardware. But they developed for a console. Every console ever was sold with the expectation that they all have the same hardware, except in specific clearly defined cases (lack of a PS2 motherboard in the Slim, bigger hard drives in some, etc).
If they could not deliver their product to the medium, they should had never tried. I'm not upset that Skyrim doesn't play in my front loading 'toaster' Nintendo Entertainment System. But I'd be damn upset if they sold me one and said it would and it clearly doesn't.
They have a reputation for bugs because they produce buggy products, and they deserve every bit of their reputation. You even admitted that you play the games despite the bugs; that's fine. But don't pretend they're not there.
This isn't a single isolated case of weirdness or user error. This is the case of scores of gamers unable to play this game. That's terrible.
And saying that, it's OK because the game that doesn't play at all's scope was meant to be huge? That's a sorry as hell excuse. If you payed me to build you a house and I built a single wall and called it quits, and said "It's OK you only have a single wall for shelter, because my plans here called for a towering mansion." would you be OK with that?
Because that's basically the scenario here. "Well, it's OK that you payed for a house and only got a single wall. I saw the floor plan, and it was gonna be awesome. And Damien occasionally even finishes a house and they're pretty cool too. Too bad you didn't get jack squat for your money though!".
Because if that's a legit business model, I can draw a really sweet ass floor plan for a house, and charge you $100,000 dollars to have me not build it for you. Your non-existent house will have rockets and shit. It's cool though that I can't build a house for shit, because the scale of that house was gonna be epic.
I think the peoblem might be on your end there, have you made any other efforts to solve the problem beyond sitting back and waiting for it to get fixed? (not trying to insult you there, if I expected a patch to fix things thats what I might do)
If this was an isolated incident, I could see thinking it was the user's machine at fault, but this is a problem that a bucket full of people have had time and time again with the same company's games.
So that suggests the problem is on Bethesda's end. Either that or a lot of PS3's got a very specific hardware fault that somehow only ever effects Bethesda games, and is somehow worsened by DLC.
@ Thread as a Whole: What Bethesda needs to do is threefold, and it'd solve the problem on the cheap. They need to swallow their pride and open up the console on the X-Box and PS3. Many of the bugs, those not pertaining to lag or outright unavoidable crashes, can be solved with the console.
"But some people will get trophies they didn't earn"; too bad. Having a game be playable is more important than having the game meaningfully assign a few trophies to a person. Besides, with the difficulty slider the way it is, getting most the trophies on a non-bugged copy can take no time at all on the lowest difficulty for any player that even slightly abuses alchemy. The trophy issue is a non-cause.
This isn't Battlefield 3 where console 'cheats' ruin the experience for everybody involved. This is a single player game. In absolutely no way unless I'm a giant baby, is my gaming experience ruined by you cheating in your own game.
If it fixes problems with quest flags thousands of gamers are having and costs basically nothing to do, do it.
Quest flag bugs are the number one reason I can't play this game anymore, for fear of doing some quest or another and 10 hours later finding out on the wikia that some NPC is glitched out and I can't continue. It's a constant fog of fear that everything I'm doing will be for nothing that destroys this game.
Opening up the console would greatly alleviate this, and I'm sure it would for many people. It's not a perfect fix (a perfect fix would be these bugs being gone in the first place), but at least people don't get hit by a brick wall of a quest.
The second fix, is to accept help from the community. Bethesda, at least on their PC side, seems to pretend to really give a darn what the community builds or makes, so let's make use of that resource. If these guys are giving out their mods for free that fix these things, and it costs Bethesda basically nothing to have them produced, and it repairs their image as a sensible, community friendly, and bug fixing company, that's win/win. Throw some T-Shirts and a few free trinkets out and make it a contest if you have to. It's basically free PR and a mostly free bug update all in one.
Third they need to implement some way to 'drop' quests and restart or reset the quest. This will fix a lot of buggy journal entries, as well as allow the game to randomly re-roll quest objectives in the case where it gives you a buggy quest to kill somebody that's already dead or something similar.
Andy Chalk: Fixed numerous issues with "Blood on the Ice" not triggering properly.
Finally! That quest was the only thing stopped me from getting the damn house in Windhelm. It's the only house that I don't own. Plus I heard it's actually nicer than the one in Windhelm. Now I can get it and add it to my collection.
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Skyrim 1.4 Update Hits Xbox Live
The Skyrim 1.4 patch is now up on Xbox Live and the PS3 version is "looking good for today" too.
The big Skyrim patch that went live on Steam last week is now available to Xbox 360 owners as well. The 1.4 update includes a wide range of fixes, a few platform specific but mostly universal. The full list is below:
BUG FIXES
QUEST FIXES
The PlayStation 3 version of the update hasn't yet gone live but Sony said it should be ready to rock later today, so we'll update when it happens.
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