Bethesda: We're working on patching Fallout 3's glitches

by Majed Athab { Nov 21st 2008 at 12:20PM }

Fallout 3 has been a title that skyrocketed in the charts all across the three platforms it released on; however, it has also left quite a good lot of people with radiation sickness from that jet-fueled success. See, the game is riddled with some not so friendly game-freezing glitches to go with those not so friendly Super Mutants. All versions are reported to have similar problems: graphical oddities and all-out crashes.

As developers Bethesda Softworks would so dearly wish not to set the world on fire, it let word out that the team is going to address these issues with a future patch. A company community manager on the official forums has said: "we're currently working on a patch for all three versions." Hopefully Bethesda is well into its hacking and smacking that meat because if it's not, well we're just going to have to upgrade that Science skill, now won't we?

Tags: bethesda-softworks, fallout-3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

nakedatthecomp @ Nov 21st 2008 12:26PM

bout time!

defjamv89 @ Nov 21st 2008 12:27PM

am i the only one to never have a dog or create my own weapons

Mr. Joe @ Nov 21st 2008 12:46PM

buy schematics. get the parts. use a workbench. make the weapon.

the dog and other friendly party members must be found. they're not given.

defjamv89 @ Nov 21st 2008 12:28PM

srry had a dog

Squirtforce @ Nov 21st 2008 12:29PM

Maybe you willl get it on the third try.

doc j @ Nov 21st 2008 12:49PM

Gotta find the dog to get him... he's in a waste facility near the town with the mines and the sniper (Minefield?).

I think it was to the southwest of there... It's a big fenced in area.

Brad @ Nov 21st 2008 12:34PM

That's awesome! Here's hoping they get a trophy patch up sometime soon...

Think Adrian @ Nov 21st 2008 12:39PM

So they mean to say that they aren't already working (or finishing) a patch? Well, it is kinda cool á la matrix to see cans dropping from the ceiling, to disappear and "re-drop" from the ceiling...

MATT @ Nov 21st 2008 12:46PM

Considering I put 75 hours into and beat it a few times (with roughly a dozen freezes), too little, too late.

Mr. Joe @ Nov 21st 2008 1:17PM

i'm actually hoping to beat the game before the patch is released. therefore, i'll have more reason to play it again after the patch is released.

Archon @ Nov 21st 2008 12:40PM

How about making the PS3 port not suck. I've got a huge friends list. The game freezing every 5 seconds is not fun. Not. Fun. At. All. That's the laziest excuse for a port I've ever seen. At least the lunch box special edition packaging is cool.

Mr. Joe @ Nov 21st 2008 12:44PM

i'm sure you know this but just turn off notifications. it's a sh!tty fix, i know. but until the patch is released, this will make the game playable with your huge friends list.

Brad @ Nov 24th 2008 11:52AM

The X360 doesn't do that? Man oh man...

And I had the game freeze on me for the first time on the way to Megaton. Which is practically in the first 30 minutes of gameplay. It didn't give me a particularly optimistic outlook.

Familyguyrokz @ Nov 21st 2008 12:46PM

Sounds to me like just the PS3 version sucks. I have it for the PC, and have barely noticed any glitches.

krycek @ Nov 21st 2008 1:00PM

you're in the minority then. Judging by the Bethesda forums the PC version is the one with the most bugs

Gervin @ Nov 21st 2008 2:55PM

I've put in over 30 hours on the PS3 version. SO far the only glitch I've had was 1 freeze when taking the GOAT, and some graphics clipping (easy to overlook).

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:16PM

The PC version is equally glitchy; missing textures, npc's die for no reason, etc.

Bubugalu @ Nov 21st 2008 12:56PM

lol alot of fallout puns in the article, make it feel cheesyAny way you could sign out of psn to avoid the freezing, what really bothers me is the DANG Framrate jitters! I'm sick and tired of it, literally... the game give me head aches if i play for more then an hour... the 360 one runs smooth... why do dev alway give us the short end of the stick... Oh and have you ever been killled by a falling car? I sure have...

reyes @ Nov 21st 2008 12:51PM

Expect a patch to be released right before TES V. Only by that time, we will be whining about TES V's bugs.

Gambit07 @ Nov 21st 2008 12:56PM

Man, the level 20 cap really pissed me off, but thank god I picked up the 'explorer' perk at level 20, which shows all locations on the map, after checking the map, I realize I haven't been to half of the locations, they should have put some kind of warning about the cap, so we don't go and waste on stupid perks, better yet increase it to 30. Btw so far, the game froze on me 4 times.

MATT @ Nov 21st 2008 1:09PM

I'm with you about the low cap.

After hitting 20 I also got explorer, simply because I didn't want to wander anymore, but rather have actual destinations. It was cool to see a whole other half of the map littlered with places to see. Only problem was I didn't feel compelled to engage in combat, pick locks, hack or do anything else simply because there was no more XP to gain. Just totally lost interest in the "game" aspect of Fallout 3.

Gambit07 @ Nov 21st 2008 5:05PM

I feel the same way... specially when it's loading and you see level 21 there... the only reason I'm still playing is because the side missions are actually more interesting then the main ones, so I'm hoping to stumble upon a few with the explorer perk.

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:20PM

The level 20 cap is there to add replayability to the game. Why play the game again when you can just get every perk on your first run? The level 20 cap makes you actually have to think about what perks to get and what skills to put points in to make your build unique and useful. If you made your build right, you're usually so overpowered by 20 that you really don't need to level anymore.

kentuckyfried @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:22PM

Save yourself the perk (I'm probably going to pick Reaper's Sprint or whatever it's called for continuous VATS action =D). Somebody has made a google map for the Capital Wasteland!:

http://planetfallout.gamespy.com/maps/1/Capital-Wasteland

Tim Parsons @ Nov 21st 2008 1:14PM

I've had Fallout3 since launch installed it and my brother played it for 2hours that day when he was here overnight, but i havent started it yet at at all, been playing LBP, now Farcry2 and next week I'll be working on resistance2 so hopefully i can keep playing other games in time for this patch and Ps3 trophies

Popfrogs @ Nov 21st 2008 2:10PM

I'll believe it when I see it. Bethesda never patches anything. Oblivion had some showstoppers and quests you couldn't complete also and they never fixed it.

BlitzO @ Nov 21st 2008 3:04PM

Popfrogs - While I cannot speak for the PS3 version of Oblivion, I can speak for the PC version which received 3 patches. So simply put - yes, Bethesda patches their products. Get your facts straight if you're going to bash a company and instill "no hope of a patch" to the rest of the readers here.

Popfrogs @ Nov 21st 2008 3:24PM

Patching a PC game is completely irrelevant when it comes to patching console games especially given Bethesda's history.

I stand by what I said. Oblivion PS3 had problems and no patches (X360 version didn't get patched either); Fallout 3 is shaping up to be the same. That said, it's still a great game, if you don't mind it hard-locking your PS3 or crashing back to the XMB at random.

Critter3 @ Nov 21st 2008 3:51PM

Actaully Popfrogs, there was a patch for the 360.

I guess I've been lucky. I've been playing Fallout on the 360 and haven't come across any problems yet.

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:37PM

It's a pain in the ass to release patches for console games, mostly because of the ridiculous approval processes the consoles require. Not to mention mandatory fees for downloading patches that may or may not be required.

chimaera9 @ Nov 21st 2008 2:16PM

What kinds of bugs have you guys been seeing, other than the pause when someone from your friends list logs on?

I've got the PS3 version, and there have been some bugs, but nothing too game-breaking (nothing one of my game re-loads couldn't solve, most of the time). A few of them have been rather amusing, actually. Try this: kill something in a door way, then shut the door on them. The door will be stuck in the middle of the corpse, and the corpse will start gyrating and dancing around.

-If you kill something with fire, some pieces never burn out.

-There's a mirelurk in the water under Rivet City that I can't kill. It's like he's immune to all weapon damage, even when I hit him in the face. I've decided he deserves to live and have just left him alone.

-Sometimes my guns don't change when I hit the hotkey to change. There's like a delay of 5 seconds or so. It resolved itself eventually.

-Once a Vault 101 guard was stuck in the wall. I killed him, and then I got stuck in the wall.

Mr. Joe @ Nov 21st 2008 2:38PM

my buddy has the 360 version and we have compared the funny glitches we've come across just like your post. definitely not game stopping. we find it humorous in most accounts.

- a tin can fell down some stairs and kept rolling into the wall at the bottom.

- a super mutant with a minigun jumped in the water after me and got stuck in a wall. he could shoot me but i couldn't shoot him.

- i followed a captive out of a church and followed her until she left the boundary of capital wasteland. just on the other side of the border she got stuck in a rock and her head was the only thing exposed and was gyrating.

- pretty common, when killing radroaches their legs stay standing and other pieces gyrate.

- found a place to jump over a pile of rocks in the subway system. once on the other side, the rocks were hollow. i had nothing to climb back on.

- after saving a game with a group of dead enemies in front of me, loading the game will have them fall from the sky to land in their places.

- agatha started playing her violin without ever getting it out.

nothing on this list is a game stopper. i have had two game freezes in fifty five hours of game play. i just turned off the ps3 and reloaded. worked fine. i still love fallout.

Popfrogs @ Nov 21st 2008 3:31PM

Ahh the glitches:

I killed a Super Mutant and it left him standing up against a rail still holding his gun. Nothing was propping him up. When I went and looted him, after I removed his gun he collapsed.

Sometimes when the plasma headshots turn people/monsters into goo, the goo can't land flat but it's a physical, solid object. I've seen it roll down stairs or fall through holes in floors. The weird part is that it lands with a metallic 'clank'.

I've seen repeating impact effects in mid air after killing things with the plasma rifle. Nobody is shooting, but there's the green impact pulse repeating over and over about head-high.

I'm sure there are dozens more I've witnessed but these stand out.

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:26PM

One of my main problems with this game is characters dying for no reason. I know characters in Megaton occasionally fall off the high levels to their death, and the gun caravan merchant mysteriously died (presumably attacked by random wasteland enemies?).

triggerhappy138 @ Nov 21st 2008 3:41PM

They better release it soon, im sick of having to turn my friends notifications off

Critter3 @ Nov 21st 2008 3:52PM

No problems for me so far on the 360. I must be one of the lucky ones. However I wouldn't mind seeing some of the funny stuff you guys have been seeing.

Kilo720 @ Nov 21st 2008 4:04PM

it about F@#&^*((g time bethesda
i refuse to get this game till it is patch
i was so disappoint when i hear the ps3 version freezes and stuff

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:27PM

"About time?" It's only been a few weeks.

Flame @ Nov 21st 2008 5:49PM

I must be lucky because i have the PS3 version of fallout and i havent encountered any real glitches, i havent froze once. Only part i found odd was that i killed one of the wastelanders ( i know im terrible) but it started floating when i changed my camera angles.

Popfrogs @ Nov 21st 2008 5:56PM

Oh ho! A 360 troll on ps3fanboy. It's such a rare occasion. Please, have a seat while I brew you up a nice cappuccino.

Sage @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:52AM

I loved this game but man the freezing sucks. It happened mostly while trying to skip conversations. This game also killed my PS3 a few days ago since I switched the power off from the back and now my PS3 wont read bluray's anymore. I'm waiting for the box so I can ship it off to Sony. Here's a tip guys, if your PS3 ever freezes hold down the power button on the console so that it forces the PS3 into stand by mode. Wish I had known that before messing up my PS3.

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:26PM

You realize this is the developers problem, not the console's problem? Also, you're rhetoric is awful.

Jimiisama @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:34PM

The major issues I came across this game were:

- NPC's seem to mysteriously die. I hear Megaton NPC's can die by falling off the higher levels of the city, but the gun caravan merchant in my game is also dead.

- The party AI is awful. My party members often wander off on their own looking for enemies, often times when enemies are in another floor of the building. Party members shouldn't attack unless I'm in combat or something.

- You should be able to fast travel when there are nearby enemies as long as you're not in combat. This is very annoying; sometimes I take a step outside to fast travel and enemies are a 100+ yards away, but it still says I can't fast travel.

- Enemies seem to have a Perception of 10, and can see you across walls. This is also true for my party members, who often see enemies across walls and floors and go out looking for them. Maybe it's just be, but it seems that enemies in this game are a little too perceptive.

These are mostly gameplay issues, and they most likely won't be fixed. If anything, I'd really like them to fix the party AI (make them so they stay with you at all times and don't wander off) and fix the random NPC's dying for no reason.

kentuckyfried @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:29PM

lol...yeah, the follower AI is dumb as bricks. I have to tell them to wait for me far in advance, otherwise, if I try to sneak up on anybody for a critical hit, they'll completely blow my cover.

The biggest problem so far is the freezing, which occurs when there's too much action on-screen (the last mission is a prime example), or trying to skip unnecessary convos right after a re-load of a save, as somebody else pointed out. Just don't rush things too much, at least until the patch comes out...

Jimiisama @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:15AM

Well, I would expect the followers to suck for a stealth character, but the problem still exists for non-stealth characters. I'm supposed to to be the leader, but half the time I'm following them, making sure they don't run off on their own into a group of enemies and die. At least in the PC version you can "set essential" your followers so they immediately resurrect upon death, but the console versions don't have easy fixes to some of the gameplay problems. The missing textures and random crashes I can deal with, but the gameplay-affecting glitches and oversights are what really bother me.

RPMd70 @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:08PM

I see all of these glitches but the crashing is getting annoying. i personally loved the gunfire glitch when you're fighting in v.a.t.s mode. usually when i use an automatic, this weird thing with the bullets happen. i know where i'm shooting from but for some reason my shots are coming from all directions. then the decapitation happens and the camera follows the rolling head. it was kinda awesome. hah

schuyler @ Nov 24th 2008 12:25PM

I've beaten the game already and I didn't get any glitches... but I was playing on a computer although that shouldn't have stopped them from happening

Robert Todd @ Jan 13th 2009 6:55PM

Re PS3 Fallout 3 glitches
I've had various graphics and freezing glitches from the beginning. Later in the game I've had it stop giving me experience points (Maybe it's supposed to stop at level 20. I don't know), but the worst is when large black triangles emanating from the centre of the screen block my view completely for seconds at a time. It's good that Bethesda are releasing a patch, but I don't have broadband to download it (dial-up is currently about £4 per hour), so I'm left with an unfinished game I don't want to play anymore. I can understand companies wanting to release games for the Christmas market, but if it affects the quality and company reputation, maybe it's best to wait a couple of months. Don't get me started on the game ending abruptly after the main quest/mission. I've wasted way too many hours playing this.