» Sat May 28, 2011 7:36 pm Also, for people who are unaware, patching/ fixing bugs is a very delicate process. After solving your issue and repairing it, you find that multiple other issues arise from it, and you must fix those, now, as well. Fixing them results in more complications, albeit smaller and less noticeable, so they give up and say " I don't want to [censored] with it anymore than I have to, if it works that's good enough for me." and that's the end of it.
basically, patching is a pain in the ass.
the following things are changes I've made that dramatically increased the performance of the game, at least for me and another player(EDIT: now a few, actually) experiencing constant freezing/lag. note that this game is so vast that everyone could experience different problems, and this is a list that will only fix the freezing/crashing that occurs during gameplay or loading. if this isn't an issue for you, the tips below probably won't help you. they won't fix quest/scripting bugs etc. but will give you a more smooth playing experience.
1. google "ps3 safe mode". you'll want to "restore the file system" and NOTHING else. this get's rid of all your corrupt data, so if you have a bad save expect it to be gone.
2. turn off the autosaves. I know, it svcks. but you don't want your game to crash while it's making a quick save. that would svck. just make sure you save everytime the autosave would, or shortly after. the game will occasionally make an autosave before key moments, so don't be surprised to find one if you do.
3. create new data EVERY time you save. just delete your old saves you don't want before you start up the game next time to clear some space.
4. disable the auto killcam that happens when killing someone outside of VATS occasionally. the default should be set to "cinematic". set it to off.
5. while in the settings turn the music off. this is the in-game music that always plays. when spotted by an enemy, it will get more dramatic, which requires the game to suddenly load an audio file while trying to load simultaneous things at once(enemy AI, textures, anything your doing).
6. Also set the radio to off. just slide the thing all the way to the left, i think that just disables the function altogether. this applies to the tip above, as well. (courtesy of DaftenDirekt)
7. try to avoid using VATS in tight spaces (where your player is confined) and definetly avoid using lever-action firearms in VATS (cowboy repeater). it sometimes works, but othertimes you'll find your player just standing/crouching there while you get attacked, and eventually die.
8. changing your HUD(heads-up display) colour to something other than the default orange can improve gameplay(courtesy of oldsnake90)
EDIT: 9. A couple of players noticed that playing offline (not signed-in) can lower the risk of freezes(courtesy of PlayDude77). you may just want to disable the internet connection entirely. (XMB-> Settings-> Network Connection Settings. should be near the bottom)
10. I've seen some posts that say if your game is freezing up a lot exit back to the XMB and reload it. I did this once and where the game is supposed to appear it said "corrupt data" and wouldn't/couldn't launch it. so you may want to try this at yor own risk. if the same happens to you, restore the file system in safe mode again.
since doing the above I've never had it freeze on me in 20+ hours of play. I played one day for 2 hours straight no problem, so it seems to work. I was able to complete a playthrough I had started pre-patch, and before doing the above the game was unplayable. maximum 10 minutes in it would crash. I did the tips above and was able to complete the game with no freezes, although the end game sequence talking about what you did was kind of slow.
if anyone notices these tips help or don't help, please reply. or if you have any tips of your own, feel free to post them and I'll add them to the list. also, some of the tips up there might not necessarily be the problem. I just started turning everything off that would require extra loading, so if your game still works after undoing one of the tips, please tell me and I'll add it as unnecessary. note that if you didn't experience problems before doing any of these, and after doing them start telling me it doesn't matter, you clearly never had any freezing issues, and are in the wrong place.
EDIT: also, understand that the huge size of this game means several different type of issues people will experience. if you notice something that helps you with freezing please feel free to mention it and I'll add it to the original post. I'm sure everyone would like to play their game already, I had to sacrifice a couple good saves myself, it svcks. but if you can play the game in the end it's worth it, you've already put yourself through enough [censored].
It svcks because i like to listen to the news but oh well. 
