Twitter Update from Bethesda. : V - Skyrim

» Tue May 15, 2012 12:38 am

I posted the same here 2 days ago and the moderator blocked my post , if there is a chance of legal action i want in !

Of course, he did Bethesda would never care about anything else other then the graphics. To them smooth game play is the graphics. The concepts of having the game respond to the player’s controller when it is suppose to will never cross their minds.

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:11 pm

I agree they need go adress this speific issue. Multiple publications and blogs including OPM, kotaku, and destructoid have all confirme this problem with the ps3 version. It's down right shamful to turn the other way Bethesda.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:02 pm

Again, you guys have responded without specifically addressing the problem we're all facing. You're being very general when we're all asking a very specific question: Is this something that can be fixed? Personally, I don't mind if it takes a little while, I'd just like some indication that the game is going to be made playable in the near future. A lot of us are fairly patient and know you can't put a patch out "right effing now!!!" but we'd appreciate it if you would specifically acknowledge that this is a very serious issue that shouldn't have made it through testing, and maybe issue some kind of apology. I don't need my money back (yet) or free content for life or anything, just an indication that the company realizes this was a serious lapse.

The fact that the game came out with this specific bug, and that review copies of the PS3 version of the game were not sent to reviewers, makes this all seem very suspicious and undermines confidence in the respect you have for your customers. It's a great game, and it's huge. I totally expected bugs. However, the fact that an issue this large made it through testing indicates to me that the company knew about it, couldn't fix it, and released the game anyways. If that's the case, apologize and recall. If that's not the case, give us an indication of what can be done to fix it.

I couldn't of put it better myself. It would at least be polite and human to publicly answer this problem and not ignore it. Ignorance has come a long way in this world.

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:48 am

Rather than wasting hours of my day on these forums, I'm going to write up a small article and send it to my friend K who writes for the New York Times. I doubt much will happen, but it's worth a shot!

Points I'm including in the article:

Broken on launch day after three years of development.
Same problem in their previous games, notably their continuation of the Fallout series, released three years ago by the same company, in which the problem was never addressed or fixed.
Skyrim was said to be on a new engine, but it's the old buggy game engine with the same old bugs.
Hundreds upon hundreds of PS3 gamers complaining, no direct response from ZeniMax Media / Bethesda about the gamebreaking bug.

Anything else I should add? Please keep it reasonable and true!

» Tue May 15, 2012 4:19 am

Rather than wasting hours of my day on these forums, I'm going to write up a small article and send it to my friend K who writes for the New York Times. I doubt much will happen, but it's worth a shot!

Points I'm including in the article:

Broken on launch day after three years of development
Same problem in Fallout 3, a game released three years ago by the same company, in which the problem was never addressed or fixed
Skyrim was said to be on a new engine to add to the hype and boost sales, but it's the old buggy engine with the same old bugs
Hundreds upon hundreds of PS3 gamers complaining, no direct response from ZeniMax Media / Bethesda about the gamebreaking bug.

Anything else I should add?

Breaking news about the violation of codes demanding a functioning product be sold and not falsely advertised, eh? I like it.

» Tue May 15, 2012 5:39 am

I'm wondering how Pete Hines got the PS3 version mixed up with the Xbox version if it runs like total crap?

Probably was some pr which is his job after all.

» Tue May 15, 2012 2:43 am

I'm wondering how Pete Hines got the PS3 version mixed up with the Xbox version if it runs like total crap?

The guy's an untrustworthy, sarcastic, detached PR manager. You can't trust a single thing he types.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:32 pm

Breaking news about the violation of codes demanding a functioning product be sold and not falsely advertised, eh? I like it.

You could also add that they:

Specifically declared the PS3 port would function just as well as its 360 and PC counterparts; and
That they didn't send PS3 review copies out.

It might also be worth mentioning that they made the 11.11.11 release promise quite a while ago and were very beholden to it. The chances this was rushed to the finish line to meet a much-hyped release date are high. Might give the story some stronger legs to stand on.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:06 pm

You could also add that they:

Specifically declared the PS3 port would function just as well as its 360 and PC counterparts; and
That they didn't send PS3 review copies out.

It might also be worth mentioning that they made the 11.11.11 release promise quite a while ago and were very beholden to it. The chances this was rushed to the finish line to meet a much-hyped release date are high. Might give the story some stronger legs to stand on.

You could also add a legal background. Something somewhere in at least U.S. trade standards must be in direct violation by this (selling a product which doesn't function as advertised). I cannot specify which standards are in violation, but I just know this cannot be perfectly fine by legal standards. Perhaps it can be considered fraud?

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:02 pm

Rather than wasting hours of my day on these forums, I'm going to write up a small article and send it to my friend K who writes for the New York Times. I doubt much will happen, but it's worth a shot!

Points I'm including in the article:

Broken on launch day after three years of development.
Same problem in their previous games, notably their continuation of the Fallout series, released three years ago by the same company, in which the problem was never addressed or fixed.
Skyrim was said to be on a new engine, but it's the old buggy game engine with the same old bugs.
Hundreds upon hundreds of PS3 gamers complaining, no direct response from ZeniMax Media / Bethesda about the gamebreaking bug.

Anything else I should add? Please keep it reasonable and true!

I respect your action and hope your friend does write it in the NYTimes. But the only way to make Bethesda/Zenimax acknowledge the problem is by lawsuit.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:15 pm

I respect your action and hope your friend does write it in the NYTimes. But the only way to make Bethesda/Zenimax acknowledge the problem is by lawsuit.

A few people threatening them with lawsuits won't change a thing. I'm hoping if this article breaks out into the media ( I may send it to other news sources as well ) Sony will conduct a recall, or force ZeniMax/Bethesda into conducting a recall of this broken product. Waiting for ZeniMax/Bethesda to get around to fixing it on their own won't work, as they've demonstrated with Fallout.

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:09 pm

You could also add that they:

Specifically declared the PS3 port would function just as well as its 360 and PC counterparts; and
That they didn't send PS3 review copies out.

It might also be worth mentioning that they made the 11.11.11 release promise quite a while ago and were very beholden to it. The chances this was rushed to the finish line to meet a much-hyped release date are high. Might give the story some stronger legs to stand on.

It's also worth noting that IGN, arguably the largest game journalism site on the internet, has made absolutely no mention of this yet. They've been pumping Skyrim for months, almost acting like a secondary wing of Bethesda's PR department, and they have nothing to say about this defect. They do have an article on their PS3 frontpage about all the "awesome" glitches in Skyrim though (I think the giant launch is hilariously awesome btw. The other stuff, not so much).

» Tue May 15, 2012 4:31 am

You could also add a legal background. Something somewhere in at least U.S. trade standards must be in direct violation by this (selling a product which doesn't function as advertised). I cannot specify which standards are in violation, but I just know this cannot be perfectly fine by legal standards. Perhaps it can be considered fraud?

It's called an implied warranty. US law states that sellers must correctly identify the condition and function of the item they are selling, and not sell you one thing but give you something else.

For instance, if I sold you what was described as a perfectly functioning car, but the motor secretly had a blown cylinder, then I would be violating the implied warranty because the product description (a fully functioning car) did not match the actual product the buyer recieved (a defective car).

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:15 pm

i feel neglected

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:46 pm

Again, you guys have responded without specifically addressing the problem we're all facing. You're being very general when we're all asking a very specific question: Is this something that can be fixed? Personally, I don't mind if it takes a little while, I'd just like some indication that the game is going to be made playable in the near future. A lot of us are fairly patient and know you can't put a patch out "right effing now!!!" but we'd appreciate it if you would specifically acknowledge that this is a very serious issue that shouldn't have made it through testing, and maybe issue some kind of apology. I don't need my money back (yet) or free content for life or anything, just an indication that the company realizes this was a serious lapse.

The fact that the game came out with this specific bug, and that review copies of the PS3 version of the game were not sent to reviewers, makes this all seem very suspicious and undermines confidence in the respect you have for your customers. It's a great game, and it's huge. I totally expected bugs. However, when an issue this large makes it through testing it indicates to me (and many others, obviously) that the company knew about it, couldn't fix it, and released the game anyways. If that's the case, apologize and recall. If that's not the case, give us an indication of what can be done to fix it.

I realize forum moderators and admins don't have the authority to make those kind of decisions. However, I do hope that you make it known to the higher-ups that we would all really appreciate a response to this from someone who knows what's going on.

Well said!

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:17 pm

So people are going to sue Bethesda? About time. My game works fine, but this is a step too far for Bethesda and their negelct of PS3 users.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:45 pm

You guys sound like whiny children.

You complain about not having anybody address you from Bethesda, and when one actually comes to your forum to post a message, asking for some specific information from you guys to help nail down the issue, not ONE of you does it. You just continue on your complaining rant.

Post something useful, why not?

I get you are frustrated but how about trying to help fix the situation instead of empty threats.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:25 pm

You guys sound like whiny children.

You complain about not having anybody address you from Bethesda, and when one actually comes to your forum to post a message, asking for some specific information from you guys to help nail down the issue, not ONE of you does it. You just continue on your complaining rant.

Post something useful, why not?

I get you are frustrated but how about trying to help fix the situation instead of empty threats.

They do whine alot, but they have a point. This is surely a breach of some law.

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:42 pm

You guys sound like whiny children.

You complain about not having anybody address you from Bethesda, and when one actually comes to your forum to post a message, asking for some specific information from you guys to help nail down the issue, not ONE of you does it. You just continue on your complaining rant.

Post something useful, why not?

I get you are frustrated but how about trying to help fix the situation instead of empty threats.

This whole thing happened with Fallout 3. They asked us, years ago, to jot down helpful information. We did. They did nothing to fix this issue, it was glossed over, and the next title was hyped. Rinse and repeat.

Also, I can't add any legal arguments to the article unless it can be verified ( I'm no law major ) and my lawyer friend is on holiday for another few days and don't want to bother him. I'll probably send this out on Monday.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:59 pm

It's called an implied warranty. US law states that sellers must correctly identify the condition and function of the item they are selling, and not sell you one thing but give you something else.

For instance, if I sold you what was described as a perfectly functioning car, but the motor secretly had a blown cylinder, then I would be violating the implied warranty because the product description (a fully functioning car) did not match the actual product the buyer recieved (a defective car).

Reposting this because a new page buried it quick.

(Not that I'm suggesting anything, just stating the answer to Seti18's question.)

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:37 pm

asking for specific information, we have been posting non-stop the frame rate is horrible when the file size gets so big, its unplayable, even other gaming sites have posted that there is definitely a problem with the ps3 version. how much more specific can we get. FRAME........RATE.......DROP.......TO.........LOW........CANT........PLAY.........GAME.........PLEASE.......FIX. Do i have to stand outside the building with a sign?

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:33 pm

You guys sound like whiny children.

You complain about not having anybody address you from Bethesda, and when one actually comes to your forum to post a message, asking for some specific information from you guys to help nail down the issue, not ONE of you does it. You just continue on your complaining rant.

Post something useful, why not?

I get you are frustrated but how about trying to help fix the situation instead of empty threats.

Fair enough:

Level 28
25 - 30 hours (don't have savegame in front of me)
Played for two or three very long stretches at a time, haven't played much in the last three days
Lag issue showed up hard in Whiterun at about level 23 or 24, rest of the game seemed okay
Reset the game and played on, lag started again a few hours in, turned off autosaves, lag got marginally better (not totally fixed, however)
Haven't played in a couple days, as I don't want to get further and realize I have to restart from scratch due to patch

And before you ask what I'm complaining about if I've used the workaround, I'm at issue with the PR response here (lack thereof, actually) and the strong possibility I'll only get another few hours of enjoyment out of my savegame before it degenerates into totally unplayable condition. I'm not going to continue playing until this is specifically addressed.

There's also a larger issue here. I find it suspicious that they refused to send out PS3 review copies, and that this specific defect wasn't picked up in testing. Together, these facts strongly indicate that Bethesda released the PS3 version with full knowledge that it would eventually degenerate into an unplayable condition. It's a demonstration of extreme cynicism on Bethesda's part that they didn't think anyone would notice this, or that it would just blow over. I'm increasingly sure they knew the game didn't work right when they sent it out, and that they sent it out anyways. The whole thing has the hallmarks of a willful screwjob. Their lack of a response isn't doing anything to make me believe otherwise.