The game-killing lag experienced by some PS3 Skyrim players isn't nearly as widespread as reported, according to game director Todd Howard.
"It's also our most popular by a large factor, so we do have a lot of people on the PS3 who play the games a lot and their games are at a state that the game is just taxing the PS3 enough.
"For the vast, vast majority of people who play the game for 100 hours, it's fine," he added. "But there are certain things we found out that make it not fine... The PS3, in general, it handles memory much differently than a PC with lots of memory or a 360. So we did a lot of systems to have it kind of recover when it gets in a bad memory situation, but it turned out there were still circumstances where it would say, 'I can't'."
Howard, who recently said it was "a misconception" that PS3 problems were tied to large save files - "it literally depends on how they play the game", he claimed - reiterated that the work carried out for the game's 1.4 update was based on data from PS3 gamers' save files submitted to Bethesda throughout December.
He said the developer wasn't really able to get a handle on the situation "until we were able to get save games from the users - because, literally, how they play the game over 100 hours - some of it, very little of it, we were able to reproduce and take care of on our own and a lot of it that you're seeing now, we weren't.
"So this is not one thing, this is this whole set of unique circumstances, and the point is, we're going to get a hold of those people then and say, 'Well, let us look at it'. Because, look, when you spend this much time on a game, you want it to perform for everybody. So when someone says it doesn't, they have every right to be upset with us, and we want to attack that and, 'ok, you tell us what's going on. We're going to fix this'.
Comments
21 comments so far...
tassletine on 20 Feb '12 said:
A solid release? I made one of those this morning. It made a nice splashing sound. I wouldn't dream of charging anyone 40 quid to play with it though.
gobbybobby on 20 Feb '12 said:
should have bought it on PC...
El Mag on 20 Feb '12 said:
http://www.billrini.com/wp-content/uploads/comical_ali.jpg
BenThomasFoster on 20 Feb '12 said:
What i've been saying! Morrowind was pretty unplayable upon released, Oblivion has crash to desktops for quests (some of which are still not fixed), fallout 3 was as buggy as oblivion without the C2D for quests and Skyrim has been realitivly easy upon release some funny glitches and bugs due to the engine but vastly less the fallout 3.
for PC and xbox(the vast majority of people who got the game) it's been a smooth ride, for ps3 it's been a smooth ride but for the 5% or less. Sure those who can prove they get the lag are intitled to a refund etc which i'm sure they are getting(if they bother to contact bethesda)
Dralel on 20 Feb '12 said:
This is why you buy Bethesda's RPGs on PC... and get hundreds and hundreds of free mods and top-notch community support and patches...
ricflair on 20 Feb '12 said:
I got Skyrim on 360, but I'm sure the majority of the chaps that got this on PS3 in the General/Platform forums on here (which granted aren't very many) have had some problems.
TheCrimsonFenix on 20 Feb '12 said:
When you look at the technical ineptitude of any of their releases, their statement isn't saying much.
dicky1993 on 20 Feb '12 said:
hm some ps3 users have been whining on every skyrim article i see, even when they said they were working on a solution they kept going on and on, even on the articles not about the lag/patches
gmcb007 on 20 Feb '12 said:
Does rupert murdoch run Bethesda's PR team?
The Bossman on 20 Feb '12 said:
Gotta say I haven't had many problems at all with Skyrim on PS3 since the recent patch, I've had 1 piece of slowdown when approaching that Moon Cave or whatever it's called, Silent Moon Camp something. Apart from that it's run absolutely flawlessly for me. I'm only about 10 or 12 hours in though so it might get worse after a hundred hours.
I DLed the patch before starting the game for the first time, then manually saved, turned off the PS3 and reloaded everything like they told us to, no problems so far.
Ali_ on 20 Feb '12 said:
I waved goodbye to my copy. Got fed up waiting for any form of fix. Mass Effect 3 can't come soon enough.
TheLastDodo on 20 Feb '12 said:
How dare someone expect something they buy to be in proper working condition.
Honestly, some of you need to have a word with yourselves
toaboa on 20 Feb '12 said:
"For the vast, vast majority of people who play the game for 100 hours, it's fine,"
That is simply, simply not true. Judging from the massive collected amounts of evidence on both bethesda's own forums and many other fora, and the analysis that DF did for Eurogamer. Todd, I'm afraid to say that you're spouting total and complete horses**t.
Ali_ on 20 Feb '12 said:
Betheseda are just shooting themselves in the foot with all this spin. Those that suffered the bugs and glitches and traded their copies are far less likely to ever buy another Betheseda game on PS3 again. They can divert attention and bury their heads all they want but gamers memories have proven to be remarkably long in the past.
Lady Gagagged on 20 Feb '12 said:
Dicky I haven't seen an article that initially addressed that the game was broken for some PS3 users, that wasn't user generated. I have, after far too long, seen articles that reluctantly admitted there was a problem. Now they are implying it is down to how people have played the game. So the first article CnVG posted, where the general consensus was how did this get past the quality testers, was that a stupid response? Bearing in mind quality testers are supposed to try the unordinary, are we really supposed to accept no one tried to play the game a particular way, yet hundreds of thousands of PS3 users did? It is a legitimate grievance of many PS3 gamers to feel cheated.
MattyR95 on 20 Feb '12 said:
I agree... it's all massively overblown and exaggerated, in my opinion. Yeah, there's some lag but it's definitely not as buggy as oblivion or fallout.
Marlonjb on 20 Feb '12 said:
I must be in the minority. I've had exactly 0 problems or complaints with Skyrim. Weird.
Lady Gagagged on 21 Feb '12 said:
You are the one the prophecies fortold off, the one who would play the game the right way. Lead us through this open ended world and show us how we should play it as a linear experience so that we might too partake in the glory of not having....
holdtherelish on 13 Apr '12 said:
Well I will tell you bethesda, the problems i was having with my copy of the PS3 Skyrim rendered the game un-playable. it frustrated me to the point that i sold my PS3 and all of its games. This was just after the " latest patch to fix lag" came out and it did not a GD thing yet again to help. I was experiencing problems with other games as well. As a matter of fact, 3 out of seven games that i owned for that POS system did not work properly in one way or another (mostly lag issues). Before you say anything, the games were in exquisite condition, and were exchanged at the store several times. The system itself was sent in for repair and sent back, sony telling me they had "tuned it up but there was nothing wrong with the system". they did nothing because the same problems cropped up immediatly. luckily i also own an xbox. A system which yes, ive had problems with in the past, but for issues which have all been fixed. I then bought a copy of Skyrim for xbox. OMG what a difference! I havent had 1 problem with the game. not only is there no lag what so ever, save times, loading and all around gameplay experience is ejaculatory!! So a word to the wise. To all who own a PS3: UNCHARTED AND BLU-RAY IS NOT WORTH OWNING THAT FRUSTRATING POS-3. do yourselves a favor and dump it. I am telling you, the xbox is a cut above ps3 as far as consoles go. for a system thats graphics were supposed to be so much better, i havent seen much of a difference, and as far as speed, from what i have experienced, the xbox is faster. Get rid of your PS3s! if you wanna stick with sony, get a VITA.
PEACE.
PS. F-U besthesda for trivializing your massive F*** up.
TheCrimsonFenix on 13 Apr '12 said:
You decided to get rid of your PS3 because of one game but then say the console had always had problems? Problems which you don't exactly go into detail about? You're advising people to just get rid of their consoles because you've had a bit of an experience with either a poor system or poor repair issue?
You'll probably sell your house once you get the RROD.
krisz on 28 Apr '12 said:
why should his way of playing the game be more linear than yours?