Xbox 360 Bethesda's lack of commitment

[jarif]

This thread doesn't make much sense to me. I've been playing the game since its initial release in November 2011, and I still have a pl***load of things to do in Skyrim, especially with the DLCs. And any game that can keep my glued onto my monitor for 2 and a half years, is a great game.

If it does not make sense to you than you are not ready. Come back when you understand.
Play something like Morrowind if you have, If you have come back another time.

 

[Crooksin]

The fatal bugs/glitches alone show the lack of commitment on Bethesda's part, but I do agree that they can't cover ALL bases. However, those are pretty important, I'd say.

The size of Skyrim, all the coding within Skyrim. Of course there is going to be bugs and glitches. All it takes is one tiny little error that can affect several things in different ways.

Bethesda released quite a number of patches. If they lacked commitment, they would of released none.

You'll never get a perfect game, especially one the size of Skyrim. Bethesda makes mistakes too, they're not Gods, they're allowed to make human errors in certain parts.

Oh I get that there will be bugs and glitches, every game has them. However, it got to the point where every time I played Skyrim I would see a bug or glitch, that is just poor game-making there.

Yes, they released a number of patches, good on them, but these patches seemed to do very little and in some cases make new problems. Hell, I didn't see any major difference until I downloaded the unofficial series of patches (modded, of course.) All that mod did was fix things, even things patches had created, maybe Bethesda should've taken some notes. I still see an overwhelming number of people still say they are having fatal errors on the consoles.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Skyrim, I've put more then 200 hours at least and I haven't even completed the main quest yet. Its a beautiful game, graphically and especially lore-wise. First playing Skyrim I had fun, but after I added some very small gameplay mods (ones that even Bethesda could probably have made before releasing) to improve and polish, it made it even better. Now I know the difference between modding and creating, when you create its very easy to overlook in the long run. The lack of commitment is still prevalent, though.

 

[High King of Skyrim]

This thread doesn't make much sense to me. I've been playing the game since its initial release in November 2011, and I still have a pl***load of things to do in Skyrim, especially with the DLCs. And any game that can keep my glued onto my monitor for 2 and a half years, is a great game.

Couldn't agree more! I've only ever played on xbox and all I here is how plops console (vanilla) versions are and so forth. How mods have sustained Skyrim for so long and bla, bla, bla. These are opinions and I have my own. Skyrim is the best game I've ever played and I too, still haven't achieved everything there is to achieve, despite playing everyday since 2011. Sure it's not perfect but what ever is?? Bethesda must have done something right, because I'm still hooked.

 

[Naginata]

You have to give Bethesda some credit though, they've succeeded in making a powerful series that people continue playing to this day. I know people that still play Arena and Daggerfall, and love them. My dad still loves Morrowind, and I am still hooked on Oblivion, after all these years since it first released. It's not like it's a series with no replay value; all of the games can easily be replayed over and over again, thanks to the variety of choices you can make, characters you can develop, and paths you can choose. I never run out of ideas for characters to make, and I still revisit Oblivion all the time to play more and more. Even the DLCs are very immersive and you can replay them on many different characters... personally, I love the Shivering Isles DLC of Oblivion and I replay it on every single character I make, all the way through, and I hate returning to Tamriel after so much time spent in the wonderful realm of Sheogorath! Skyrim has that same feeling tied in with the Dragonborn DLC... I feel like Solstheim is my character's second home. She visits all the time. Bethesda succeeded in making a very vast, amazing world that's supported by TONS of lore that makes the world feel as real as ours. Sometimes the bugs and glitches and occasional lack of effort in some elements have to be overlooked, because there is so much good in Skyrim. Bethesda has come a long way since they began the Elder Scrolls.

 

[Raijin]

Whether or not Dragon Age 2 is a bad game is subjective, but the fact is that Dragon Age 2 had under a year of development time where as Dragon Age Origins had an on and off development time of around 8 years. It's hard for me to look forward to Inquisition, or any future Bioware installments, knowing what's become of the development team under EA's thumb.

The amount of time BioWare spent on Dragon Age Origins was well paid for. The quality was there, and I can see the difference as I keep playing the game. It outranks Dragon age 2 on so many levels. Perhaps I'm putting too much emphasizes on Bioware, but I do have high hopes for Inquisition. The samples that were shown to us looked nice, and as a Cassandra fan I am looking forward of using her as a companion.

To be frank you're giving Dragon Age 2 way too much credit here. The entire game is confined to a single cityscape, you're forced into the role of Hawke, and the recycling of dungeons and areas in DA2 is much more prevalent then it was in the previous installment. The "choices" you were given to make in DA2 were laughable compared to Origins, and DA2 hardly offers any closure whatsoever. Just look at the following links, one details the possible epilogues in Origins and the other details the epilogues in DA2.

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Epilogue_(Origins)

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Epilogue_(Dragon_Age_II)

To be honest, I'm not very fond of either Skyrim or Dragon Age 2. But when comparing the two titles, it's clear that more work and effort went into Skyrim.

I acknowledge that theirs flaws in DA2. I didn't like the claustrophobic feeling that I had by being forced to stay in 1 city, and I did not like the c/p caves. It was amateur at best. Theirs so many things that irritated me in DA 2, but what truly attracted me to the game was the story and the lore that comes with it. I didn't mind being forced to be the role of Hawke. I actually quite like the story, especially when I play as a mage and have a brother who later can be a Grey Warden or a Templar base on my decisions. It fits in perfectly since my Warden is related to Hawke in DA2 if I play as a mage.

Skyrim is nothing more than a hack and slash game. It carries no story other than to kill everything around you. You don't get to bond with characters like you can in DA2. Theirs no humor other than to laugh at how stupid Lydia can be, or laugh at the glitches and bugs, or get extremely aggravated with them depending on the mood that you're in. I remember spending a good solid 2 hours trying to figure out how to fix the Blood on ice glitch that was never truly resolved. That takes the RPing experience out of me.

A good Role-playing game IMO is a game that can trigger your emotions deep inside. To make you get angry at the current situation (Or at a NPC) and the ability to make you get sad. Skyrim did some but not as much as Dragon age did.

 

[Raijin]

Modding a game and creating a game from scratch are two very different things. Mods are created on the back of what art teams and devs created.

Mods are there to also fix the game while the devs refuses to release a patch on. I thank the mod writers out there for making my Skyrim experience much more pleasurable. If it wasn't for the mod writers I wouldn't has been able to finish the Dragonborn DLC due to a game breaking glitch.

Lydia actually has a fair bit of new dialogue, she doesn't always use sworn to carry your burdens.

She doesn't cook your meals either Shes worthless.

Dragon Age compared to Skyrim. You can't compare those two, especially not in terms of commitment. Do you know how hard it is to create a game where the player can basically travel any path? Go any route, do things they didn't even think of.

And why not? Both games are Role-playing by genre and both follows a story. Both BioWare and Bethesda have a commitment to produce quality games for the gaming consumers out there. As long as they want to stay in business they're obligated to produce the best of the best no matter how difficult it is.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

I didn't mind being forced to be the role of Hawke.

Why?
Why wouldn't you mind being forced into the role of a named human? Part of what made Origins so famous and acclaimed were the origin stories, you had many to choose from and each impacted the story respectively. I've had the game for years and I've yet to play through every origin story. What I don't understand is why people are praising Bioware for bringing it back in Inquisition when the feature shouldn't have been removed to begin with. It doesn't make sense to me why you don't mind being forced to play as Hawke when in Origins you could play as any number of different people, from Dwarven princes to Dalish Elves to mages of the Circle.

I actually quite like the story, especially when I play as a mage and have a brother who later can be a Grey Warden or a Templar base on my decisions. It fits in perfectly since my Warden is related to Hawke in DA2 if I play as a mage.

Honestly it's hard for me to take the game seriously, DA2 lacks the sort of character development and storytelling Origins had. None of the characters in DA2 really interested me to begin with. The entire time I was playing I kept wishing I had Oghren, Alistair or Morrigan with me tbh.

 

[Dawn]

Skyrim is a fun and enjoyable game that brings a number of improvements to the TES series while also dumbing down many aspects, providing a poor PC experience, and having quite a few bugs and glitches even after two years of patches.

Compared to other similar games of the past four or five years, it stands out as one if not the best (and fyi, I'd toss DA2 well down the list and use as a prime example of a beloved series dumbed down and made into little more than a flash filled console button masher cash grab for the studio - god I detest EA).

Compared to older TES games, it is a bit of a mixed bag, not withstanding normal technology improvements such as graphics.

Sadly, a lot of the issues with Skyrim are consistent across all games and publishers these days.

Today's games are more complex, have larger budgets, and are more over-hyped by marketing and more driven by hard launch dates than ever before.

Add in the largest demographic of game purchasers are short attention span console kiddies wanting instant gratification by mashing a few buttons on their XBOX or PS3, and it is no wonder overall game quality has gone down (even while graphical quality and such have improved).

What we get are games with the illusion of choice or freedom, lots of flash, far less challenge, and all written to ten year old tech designed to be played by mashing a handful of buttons on a controller for an instant response.

And I don't see that changing for the foreseeable future, especially not with AAA big budget games.

 

[Reaper0021]

This thread needs to vanish. It's going to remain back and forth and not get any better. We can all nit-pick the game to pieces and it's still not going to change anything. The game is out. It's been out. The game is STILL a number 1 seller. It's made millions and still going strong. It has faults, but it also has it's share of innovations. It's FAR from perfect. Let's all go play it in harmony and enjoy what it does do right. Which is a lot.

 

[Reaper0021]

If we ignore the flaws, nothing will ever get better.

Keep beating a dead horse.....it's still dead.

 

[Reaper0021]

If we ignore the flaws, nothing will ever get better.

Keep beating a dead horse.....it's still dead.

The horse is very much alive. It's foolish to think otherwise. Last time I checked, Bethesda is still a major game producer and still has huge projects planned.

First: I'm no fool.
Second: The "Dead Horse" being "Skyrim Bug Debate" as it is moot...the game is out. The game is bugged. Life goes on for Bethesda.
Third: I know Bethesda is very much alive and making games.
Fourth: Coming to an "Unofficial Site" and complaining about a game is pointless and maybe....to some.....the very definition of "Foolish" when you should maybe direct your ire at the "Official Bethesda" site/forum where they can readily see your well informed opinions about the short comings of there product.

 

[Bulldog]

You can't compare skyrim to COD. COD is very known for having problems. Shooting someone in the chest with an assualt rifle at a distance while he shoots one time and kills you with an overpowered shotgun. Having someone launch a throwing knife or tomahawk up in the air from across the map have it bounce off the roof of a building, bounce off the ground hit you in the shin and kill you. Running up on someone and shooting them to have them do a panic knife attrack and lunge 30 ft and kill you and them not die. That is why they have updates to tone down some stuff and fix others. As someone who has played alot of COD, there really hasn't been improvements persay. Yes they may change the guns, add different killstreaks, stuff like that. Yet it is the same generic gameplay which is why alot of people love it. It is also the reason alot of people hate it and prefer battlefield. IMHO these aren't improvements but what I would classify as changes.

I love Skyrim and so does my wife. It is really the only game where I cna sit down for 4 hours play and only accomplish a very little bit. I can't tell you how many hours I have racked up, but even with the bugs and glitches it has been a very, very fun and enjoyable game.

I can see where the frustration comes from, truely I can after getting to level 60 and having a couple of things bug out and me have to delete my game and start over. While it sucks it isn't the end of the world and because I like the game so much I don't mind going back through. What I don't understand is, if you are so unsatisfied with the game why did you keep playing it, why are you still playing it, and why do you get on a forum about it to talk about it. If I make a rant about bugs, and Bethesda not caring and how I won't be spending any of my money on a game made by then I definitely wouldn't have spent alot of time playing it, and I wouldn't be spending my off time on a forum about it. Of course that is just me. Sorry some of you have had bad experiences. I can honestly say minus a couple of game freezes and two glitches I have really, really enjoyed this. Enjoyed it enough to consider getting a PC and getting Skyrim for the PC just to try some mods.

 

[Matt]

Keep beating a dead horse.....it's still dead.

The horse is very much alive. It's foolish to think otherwise. Last time I checked, Bethesda is still a major game producer and still has huge projects planned.

First: I'm no fool.
Second: The "Dead Horse" being "Skyrim Bug Debate" as it is moot...the game is out. The game is bugged. Life goes on for Bethesda.
Third: I know Bethesda is very much alive and making games.
Fourth: Coming to an "Unofficial Site" and complaining about a game is pointless and maybe....to some.....the very definition of "Foolish" when you should maybe direct your ire at the "Official Bethesda" site/forum where they can readily see your well informed opinions about the short comings of there product.

This is exactly the correct place to discuss this issue as it serves as an excellent way to discuss these points prior to sending a missive to Bethesda. Who better to discuss issues with a game tan with other people who play it? Where better than a forum designed for discussion on Skyrim?

Truth is, for those of us who entered the franchise earlier with Morrowind or before, there is little saving grace for Skyrim. The single reason I played it as much as I did is because of the ability to roleplay in lieu of how easy it was to get lost in the massive world. That said, I was constantly disappointed by either bugs or the watered down game mechanics. There is no excuse for providing us with an unfinished product and it is not "nitpicky" to be disgusted with the dumbing down of one of the best game franchises ever put together.

 

[Reaper0021]

The horse is very much alive. It's foolish to think otherwise. Last time I checked, Bethesda is still a major game producer and still has huge projects planned.

First: I'm no fool.
Second: The "Dead Horse" being "Skyrim Bug Debate" as it is moot...the game is out. The game is bugged. Life goes on for Bethesda.
Third: I know Bethesda is very much alive and making games.
Fourth: Coming to an "Unofficial Site" and complaining about a game is pointless and maybe....to some.....the very definition of "Foolish" when you should maybe direct your ire at the "Official Bethesda" site/forum where they can readily see your well informed opinions about the short comings of there product.

This is exactly the correct place to discuss this issue as it serves as an excellent way to discuss these points prior to sending a missive to Bethesda. Who better to discuss issues with a game tan with other people who play it? Where better than a forum designed for discussion on Skyrim?

Truth is, for those of us who entered the franchise earlier with Morrowind or before, there is little saving grace for Skyrim. The single reason I played it as much as I did is because of the ability to roleplay in lieu of how easy it was to get lost in the massive world. That said, I was constantly disappointed by either bugs or the watered down game mechanics. There is no excuse for providing us with an unfinished product and it is not "nitpicky" to be disgusted with the dumbing down of one of the best game franchises ever put together.

As usual Matt you make good points and I see some of my errors. Your right SOMEWHAT I shall yield that to you. However, to me, the better forum for all of these complaints would be Bethesda's official forums, where they actively look at posts (Todd Howard it has been said looks in on them quite often). This is all moot to me. The game is out. It is selling still very well. If people have so many issues with the game or don't like it, then go THERE and tell them directly. I mean using this place as a gathering point before deployment to there site seems a bit wasteful to me. But that's just me. The game isn't perfect.....it isn't Morrowind. We all know this (hell my favorite RPG series for story and game play is the Neverwinter Nights Series/Baldur's Gate Series) and we all know of better RPG's with better story lines and character development. I merely ask this: If you don't like the game and it's many bugs...then why are you STILL playing it and sitting here? It must have done something right. They must have done something to hook us into it. I don't get it, but that's just me. This all started with the OP and his disdain for the game. It should also be noted he is using the Xbox version of the game. I use the PC version and am modded with all the unofficial patches made by modders that fixed a TON of what was wrong with the game. My Hearthfire works 100% fine while the OP says it's junk/lemon. This is the trouble when you have multiple versions of a game...some can end up being better than others.

 

[tdatapina]

I believe I read somewhere that Bethesda had intended to make a dlc to finish of the civil war. They were going to have one side when and that was going to be the final dlc

 

[tdatapina]

I believe I read somewhere that Bethesda had intended to make a dlc to finish of the civil war. They were going to have one side when and that was going to be the final dlc

 

[tdatapina]

I wasn't aware I'm not allowed to have an opinion here. Sorry.

No you aren't. Get that opinion out of here. No opinions on the Internet

 

[Matt]

First: I'm no fool.
Second: The "Dead Horse" being "Skyrim Bug Debate" as it is moot...the game is out. The game is bugged. Life goes on for Bethesda.
Third: I know Bethesda is very much alive and making games.
Fourth: Coming to an "Unofficial Site" and complaining about a game is pointless and maybe....to some.....the very definition of "Foolish" when you should maybe direct your ire at the "Official Bethesda" site/forum where they can readily see your well informed opinions about the short comings of there product.

This is exactly the correct place to discuss this issue as it serves as an excellent way to discuss these points prior to sending a missive to Bethesda. Who better to discuss issues with a game tan with other people who play it? Where better than a forum designed for discussion on Skyrim?

Truth is, for those of us who entered the franchise earlier with Morrowind or before, there is little saving grace for Skyrim. The single reason I played it as much as I did is because of the ability to roleplay in lieu of how easy it was to get lost in the massive world. That said, I was constantly disappointed by either bugs or the watered down game mechanics. There is no excuse for providing us with an unfinished product and it is not "nitpicky" to be disgusted with the dumbing down of one of the best game franchises ever put together.

As usual Matt you make good points and I see some of my errors. Your right SOMEWHAT I shall yield that to you. However, to me, the better forum for all of these complaints would be Bethesda's official forums, where they actively look at posts (Todd Howard it has been said looks in on them quite often). This is all moot to me. The game is out. It is selling still very well. If people have so many issues with the game or don't like it, then go THERE and tell them directly. I mean using this place as a gathering point before deployment to there site seems a bit wasteful to me. But that's just me. The game isn't perfect.....it isn't Morrowind. We all know this (hell my favorite RPG series for story and game play is the Neverwinter Nights Series/Baldur's Gate Series) and we all know of better RPG's with better story lines and character development. I merely ask this: If you don't like the game and it's many bugs...then why are you STILL playing it and sitting here? It must have done something right. They must have done something to hook us into it. I don't get it, but that's just me. This all started with the OP and his disdain for the game. It should also be noted he is using the Xbox version of the game. I use the PC version and am modded with all the unofficial patches made by modders that fixed a TON of what was wrong with the game. My Hearthfire works 100% fine while the OP says it's junk/lemon. This is the trouble when you have multiple versions of a game...some can end up being better than others.

There are definitely times where I wish I had a gaming PC to enjoy games such as this. That said, half-way completing a game is still not something we should be letting Bethesda get away with. It is great that others can take it and make it a better gaming experience, but shouldn't we be getting a better gaming experience right from the start?

For the record, I am not playing Skyrim any longer. Shortly after being invited to this forum, I did start up a character and play for a while, but eventually my patience wore out. Faster this time, even. I have so many other options for great and immersive gaming experiences now that it could barely hold my interest. In my opinion, part of what has made Skyrim as successful as it has been is partly due to the lack of immersive RPG gameplay at its initial release to compete with. It also had a reputation behind it due to the people making it, so it was purchased wholesale by nearly everyone who plays RPGs. Since then, many of us have played great RPGs that are complete, polished, and fun, making Skyrim all the more infuriating. For example, in games like Mass Effect, choices have consequences or rewards based on your mindset while playing, whereas in Skyrim you can slaughter half a town, pay your bounty, and then no one cares anymore. Even worse, you get to be the Dragonborn, the Listener, Thane in all of the holds, Companion, Nightingale, and all of these other wonderful things (with the same character!) that have little to do with one another without consequence. is the point of making decisions if you are neither rewarded (except power or whatnot) nor forced to face consequences?

Also, for the record, many gamers - myself included - have made posts to this effect on the official forums only to be flamed by Bethesda fanboys. It is no fun, believe me.

You are right though, Skyrim does have some saving graces, unfortunately for us console players, they no longer justify playing the game.

 

[JClarke1953]

I just read the above quote and post. There was mentioning of going to Bethesda's "official" Skyrim site. One thing I found out, even when I did post on their site, emailed them, phoned them...it's all scripted replies, just like what you'd get from most other "help centers".

Much of what many of us had/have trouble with, they knew about them from the start. They would just say whatever to placate those of us who were becoming frustrated with the many problems within the game. They would even interfere with workarounds that people would post about specific problems (my biggest one is getting ALL of the Words. I have six I cannot get the last Word for).

They've knew of that even before I bought Skyrim, yet refused to fix it. They could care less about the many bugs/glitches within the game. They got their $$, dropped a couple of DLC's into the mix (Hearthfire being THE worst. Of which I dumped out of frustration), and moved on to their next project.