Bethesda Criticized Over Buggy Releases 397
SSDNINJA writes "This editorial discusses the habit of Bethesda Softworks to release broken and buggy games with plans to just fix the problems later. Following a trend of similar issues coming up in their games, the author begs gamers to stop supporting buggy games and to spread the idea that games should be finished and quality controlled before release – not weeks after."
Re:Doesn't everybody do that? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Doesn't everybody do that? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Doesn't everybody do that? (Score:3, Interesting)
While bugs have been around as long as software. Bethesda gets the ire because they bring it to new levels of crap. I mean 4 of their latest (and largest) releases have been essentially unplayable at launch.
Oblivion after a dozen patches and years still has hundreds (not an exaggeration) in the latest version.
So all software has bugs however you have some companies like Blizzard which at least make a token effort to release quality software and on the other extreme you have Bethesda who must have a sign hanging that says "if it compiles it ships".
Eventually they will release game partially completed w/ stubs for the portions that wouldn't compile and you need to download them if/when they ever get that portion working. "sorry you can't enter this area yet. Bethesda regrets to inform you that components necessary for this gameplay area were not ready at launch time".
And yet they never completely fix them. (Score:3, Interesting)
And yet Bethesda never completely fixes their games. Ever.
Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and now New Vegas (not to mention their old DOS TES games). They receive a handful of patches that mostly fix issues with scripts, leaving the game engine seemingly untouched. I remember being disappointed with FO3 when one of the patches was released where, according to the patch notes, all they did was add a few achievements!
They are great story tellers, and quite adept at crafting expansive and interesting worlds that draw you in, but their programmers certainly leave much to be desired.
I wonder how much blame can be placed upon the engine they license. I also wish that someone like Carmack offered some sort of consultation service to whip cappy code, and coders, into shape.
wait a year (Score:2, Interesting)
and you'll have two options:
1. buy the original game new for 1/3rd the price and a years worth of patches.
2. buy the deluxe version of the game new with all the DLC included and a years worth of patches.
only negative to this strategy is that online play may be diminished.
Re:My experiences of Fallout: New Vegas bugs (Score:4, Interesting)
To be fair, these are all massive sandbox games, which is likely the gametype most prone to bugs due to the possibility of sequence breaking and the sheer number of scripts you need to write. Add to this a complex, massive 3D world and the requirements of realtime, and it should come as no surprise that the end result is very fragile.
Bethesda's problem is having too much ambition and thus always biting more than they can chew. Which, I suppose, is preferable to the sad lack of ambition a typical game shows...
Re:Black Ops (Score:1, Interesting)
The reason why the publishers only give a crap about the first month is because that is around the length of time they have before word of mouth cancels out their expenditure on advertising. The game publishers have been quite successfully shaping most review sites and magazines into nothing more than advertising for years now. Once enough of the public knows the truth about a game those advertising dollars aren't as profitable.
Re:Tip: (Score:3, Interesting)
1. Download pirated version.
2. Test pirated version.
3. If good? Buy. Alternatively: if shite, delete.
This serves me well as it makes me look at my game library with fondness and not vile hatred ;)
Software Testing... (Score:2, Interesting)
One person's story:
I used to test software for a living, and our team was pretty darn good at it. We took our work seriously, and personally. If something was missed, it made us all look bad. So we did our damnedest to be the best. Part of our work also involved finding bugs missed by overseas testers. And there were always plenty. Too many in fact. It was a constant battle. Then one day we learned that our team had been off-shored... to the same group of folks that we used to have to constantly keep an eye out for.
Take from that what you will.
And thats why I only play one game now (Score:1, Interesting)
Strange as it is, I now usually don't play anything but World of Warcraft. I am sure people will give me crap for that, but honestly they have more incentive with a subscription system to fix bugs and make the game better, and that is exactly what they do. Right now it is a little buggy because they are in the pre-cata patch and trying to get everything sorted out before the new expansion, but I know those bugs will be fixed, because they have the incentive. I try and play other games, and usually give up after a short time because of how buggy they are, and how little polish there is.
Bethesda's Oblivion was a big part of that too. When the faces you make in the designer look absolutely nothing like the faces you see in the engine itself, you can tell that they really just stopped trying.
Not everyone likes WoW sure, but I think the subscription model really is a good thing for both parties in the long run.