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from the stop-shipping-beta-quality-code dept.
combatserver writes:
"The folks over at Dark Side of Gaming are reporting an interesting development in the game modding community--a recently released modification for the blockbuster game from Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC version). A long-running issue with the game since release has been recurring CTDs (crashes to desktop) and infinite loading screens that often bring the game to a grinding halt after just a few minutes of play, especially when heavily modded. Bethesda has tried to resolve the issue with several patches, to no avail.
Sheson, a member of the Skyrim modding community, fixed Skyrim. According to many user reports--thousands, in fact--Sheson's relatively minor adjustment to memory allocation has solved the vast majority of stability issues. The improvements have increased game performance far beyond what anyone had expected. Players are now merging mods to get around the hard-coded cap of 256 mods that Skyrim can load at any given time, effectively packing more content into the game. The fix also allows for Skyrim to run on lower-end PCs, widening the market for a game that has already sold over 20 million copies.
Since Sheson's patch released, the fix has been repackaged by other community members as a mod for Skyrim to make it even more accessible. Skyrim players who use the script-extender SKSE will be pleased to hear that the patch will be included in the next build."
[ED Note: Bottom line -- Bethesda shouldn't be packaging poorly written and untested code for sale, then requiring gamers to pay to play as beta testers. Kudos to Sheson for his hard work and effort.]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:35PM
I would much rather have a buggy game with mod tools than a buggy game without mod tools.
(Score: 5, Funny) by bryn on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:38PM
What, even an EA game? :)
He who dares wins. He who hesitates, doesn't.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by darinbob on Friday February 21 2014, @02:54AM
If we require non-buggy games, then the gaming industry would have died years ago. Yes, Bethesda puts out stuff that has bugs, but rarely are they completely showstopping bugs (but sometimes yes). And yet some people rage endlessly about it, calling them the worst devs of all time (apparently many companies are allowed to share the number one title).
Some of my favorite games are buggy, and some of the worst games were solid.
There are bigger issues in gaming to worry about. Micro-DLCs, always-on connections, required accounts to play, DRM, etc. Was laughing hard in Dragon Age, in reference to the Penny Arcade string, when I first encountered a quest in the game that required purchasing a DLC.