Dev explains why Skyrim lag wont get fixed.

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I've got a question for those of you in the know. So I've got this game on PS3 and do notice some lag but restart every hour or so (since my dog's bladder seems to be on that sort of timer.) What would happen if I were to take an item and sell/give to a vendor/fence. I notice that every 2 days of game time a vendor's inventory purges and resets. So in theory, wouldn't that reduce the need to keep track of an item's position and orientation?

Could I, go around and steal every unbolted item down and fence it? Reducing the engine's need to OCD on every item?

An interesting theory. I will test it out tomorrow.

 

[masticina]

So the fix is to play two hours or so.. then get out of the game. Take a break and go in again.

It's more like, play for half an hour, get out of the game, reset your PS3, then load the game up again... and repeat every half hour.

That is not acceptable performance for a game on any system.

Half an hour geesh that is pretty darn bad. I guess it is very depending on situations I just gamed for...mmm 8 hours or so and only the last half hour lag hit up. Then again I haven't found EVERY little location.

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

Winner - Xbox.

 

[Pandabearparade]

EDIT: Ergh, okay, okay, I get it. Skyrim is capped at 2GB. Everyone can stop quoting me about it now. Jeez!

There's an ap-

Er.. there is a mod that fixes that.

 

[ecoho]

I don't know what's going on with some of the people, but I have clocked in over 120 hours on my first play-through and I've had the game freeze on me ONCE and very little lags. I think people just need to take care of their system/game better or something...

in truth this is a matter of luck i havent had any lag so far and ive been playing for awhile now(50- 100 hours now)and have had no lag(a few quest givers decided to go flying but no lag
but my friend just got the game and is laging less then 2 hours in so i guess its just a matter of luck.

 

[Nexus4]

Ha ha! 8 GB of RAM on my PC. Try and lag me now, sucker! Or, at least try when I get Skyrim for Christmas...

EDIT: Ergh, okay, okay, I get it. Skyrim is capped at 2GB. Everyone can stop quoting me about it now. Jeez!

On the nexus, you can get a 4GB patch if you want to take advantage of your 8GB RAM. Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this, I just don't want to sift through 10 pages to check

 

[Nathan Dewar]

Typical PC user, always thinking you are above others, displaying an arrogance I've never actually seen before. People can choose to buy whatever system they like for gaming. Just because you can afford a rig that can play modern games doesn't make you better than others. God this is my current pet peeve with the gaming community. It's pathetic.

And I do genuinely feel sorry for PS3 gamers. They have it rough

EDIT: It didn't quote, so I apologise to the decent PC gamers out there who aren't stuck up their own arses, which I know is the majority

We are superior, in term of being not being brainwashed by advertising or dazzled by fancy features, or swayed by masses of titles. You don't seem to get it, this is a war, for good games, quality games everytime you buy a console (consquently what simultainious happens is that somewhere in the world an original thought dies) your basically saying to these large companies that yes you will swallow the loads of crap that they throw at consoles for that one ray of light that occassionally comes along. I long for days when it was just nintendo pc and sega. It was pretty clear cut both gaming platforms had there strengths and weakness. Everytime I even think of current generation consoles I feel sick its just one grey mass of consumerism.

 

[A Free Man]

Ha ha! 8 GB of RAM on my PC. Try and lag me now, sucker! Or, at least try when I get Skyrim for Christmas...

EDIT: Ergh, okay, okay, I get it. Skyrim is capped at 2GB. Everyone can stop quoting me about it now. Jeez!

Do not fear! This will hopefully be the last time you get quoted because there are mods/programs that allow you to edit the Skyrim exe file to allow more than 2Gb of ram to be devoted to it. Also I am running it on 4Gb of ram with 0 lag (though I can't run it on ultra because of my graphics card) but still there is hope!

 

[Trishbot]

Bad news, folks. 360 users are starting to report the same lag is affecting them roughly 120-140+ hours into the game, same symptoms and everything. Bethesda's support forums are starting to fill up with Xbox people getting to that point...

... so, I guess stay tuned and see what happens.

 

[Kingjackl]

Mm. Wow, yeah, great. Game of the year, right guys? I can see why everyone loves this game so much. Here's me, playing my Human Revolution, and my Portal 2 and my Batman: Arkham City and all I can think is: "gee, these games are way too polished and efficiently designed. Fuck that, gotta get me some Skyrim!"

 

[predatorpulse7]

As a guy that has put a lot of hours into Skyrim, this is seriously disappointing from Bethesda.

I own the PC version and while the game is fun(up to a point), here is my first experience with skyrim(pc version):

-it crashes in the main menu.

Have to look online for the sound fix and this is a VERY COMMON problem. WTF Bethesda ?!

-after playing for a while I fast travel to Riften. Crashes every single time. I get slowdown in outside areas with everything maxed and I have a system with quad core at 3 gigs, 8 GB of ram and a nvidia 560. And the graphics unmodded look mediocre. How is this possible, I was wondering to myself, running witcher 2 at a high resolution with max details(except ubersampling) but skyrim is giving me problems?

So again, I look online and I see that that skyrim has problems with more than 2 cores and it only uses 2 gb ram. 2 GB of ram used in an era when 4gb is considered standard in many gaming computers(not to mention the fact that ram is dirt cheap anyway).I consider myself a calm person but I literally wanted to smash my copy at that moment because Bethesda really pissed on PC gamers and apparently PS3 owners as well. Luckily the community fixed a lot of these problems but how can Bethesda get away with this s**t? As someone said, it's like buying a car with a f**ked up engine that breaks after a couple of miles.

Oh, and the 1.2 patch broke the game for many people, you can see the hilarity online. And don't get me started on the interface for the pc.

I really like Skyrim but a game with this many technical issues shouldn't be anywhere near the title of BEST RPG/GAME EVAR.

Since buying this game I had to rely on the skyrimnexus community to give me:

-better skins
-better graphics overall.
-better shaders.
-a solution to fix the memory leak.
-a solution to enabling/disabling vsync, ambient occlussion, other graphical options that don't exist in the main menu(and we're talking basic options here like enabling shadows on trees and landscape).
-a better interface(they are still working on some mods to improve the inventory even more).

It is really embarrassing for Bethesda when the community has to fix your game. Not just improve your game but FIX IT.

 

[Bernzz]

I have only had notable lag once on my 360. Fighting a Forsworn with his heart ripped out. It lagged so badly I died three times.

Dunno if you've been quoted yet.

I had that too on the 360. I dunno where it was for you, but it killed me several times at a place with a Word Wall. Further up the hill past the Forsworn Briarheart there was a tent that spawned a Giant Frostbite Spider, which was too big and clipped into the tent walls, lagging the game whenever it moved. All lag vanished when I killed it.

OT: That really sucks for the PS3 users. Not gloating, but boy am I happy the same problem most likely won't happen on the 360. Now to deal with the veritable host of more minor bugs and glitches...

 

[Joccaren]

And this is the problem with consoles :/
And people say they don't need an upgrade.
Yes, the team could have done better coding, but unless you want to wait another few years so that the bugs are all worked out and the engine is optimised well enough to run well on the quite limited hardware of consoles, but I'd rather have my game sooner rather than later. Redesigning an entire engine takes time, and that is time I'd rather spend playing Skyrim. If it means some weaker systems are unable to handle it well, so be it. Some sacrifices must me made for progress.

Anyways, just goes to show each console has its failings compare to the other too. The Xbox in the lack of Blueray requiring it to use multiple disks, and the PS3 in its RAM being stuck as 256Mb for Graphics and 256Mb for general, without them sharing any.

Kinda a shame that PS3 players get this, but progress is needed, and if this is what it takes to get it, this is what it takes to get it - even though this incident alone probably won't make PS rethink releasing a new console sooner.

 

[VanQ]

Ha ha! 8 GB of RAM on my PC. Try and lag me now, sucker! Or, at least try when I get Skyrim for Christmas...

EDIT: Ergh, okay, okay, I get it. Skyrim is capped at 2GB. Everyone can stop quoting me about it now. Jeez!

I apologise if this has been said already, but there is already a mod that allows you to remove the 2GB limit on the PC version. The game runs fantastic when you let it suck up as much RAM as it needs.
I have 16GB myself and even with MANY mods to up the graphics and texture quality, it never exceeds 4.5GB and looks stunning. Look forward to it, 8GB is MORE than enough.

 

[Gaiseric]

That's disappointing.

Really disappointing really.

I'm still going to try to finish Skyrim despite the framerate slowing dropping. But once I finish it, it's gone.

 

[michiehoward]

I have only had notable lag once on my 360. Fighting a Forsworn with his heart ripped out. It lagged so badly I died three times.

Dunno if you've been quoted yet.

I had that too on the 360. I dunno where it was for you, but it killed me several times at a place with a Word Wall. Further up the hill past the Forsworn Briarheart there was a tent that spawned a Giant Frostbite Spider, which was too big and clipped into the tent walls, lagging the game whenever it moved. All lag vanished when I killed it.

OT: That really sucks for the PS3 users. Not gloating, but boy am I happy the same problem most likely won't happen on the 360. Now to deal with the veritable host of more minor bugs and glitches...

That is where I got it too. But it stopped lagging after I killed the Brair Heart guy. Then I ran up the stairs and killed the Frostbite spider who was stuck.

 

[Nathan Dewar]

Typical PC user, always thinking you are above others, displaying an arrogance I've never actually seen before. People can choose to buy whatever system they like for gaming. Just because you can afford a rig that can play modern games doesn't make you better than others. God this is my current pet peeve with the gaming community. It's pathetic.

And I do genuinely feel sorry for PS3 gamers. They have it rough

EDIT: It didn't quote, so I apologise to the decent PC gamers out there who aren't stuck up their own arses, which I know is the majority

We are superior, in term of being not being brainwashed by advertising or dazzled by fancy features, or swayed by masses of titles. You don't seem to get it, this is a war, for good games, quality games everytime you buy a console (consquently what simultainious happens is that somewhere in the world an original thought dies) your basically saying to these large companies that yes you will swallow the loads of crap that they throw at consoles for that one ray of light that occassionally comes along. I long for days when it was just nintendo pc and sega. It was pretty clear cut both gaming platforms had there strengths and weakness. Everytime I even think of current generation consoles I feel sick its just one grey mass of consumerism.

Then there are those gamers who own kids and unfortunately can't afford the money nor take the abuse from the spouse in order to cough up the money for a GOOD gaming rig. About 7 years ago I was up on the trends, I was building my own and paying $2000 for a computer every 2 years or so. Enter the children.

The only way I was able to get my PS3 was to convince my wife that it was also a great media machine (blu-rays, netflix etc..). Hell thath no fury when I say... hey I'm gonna go and order $2000 worth of computer parts so I can ditch you for video games.

I going to completely recant what I just said, it was an emotional response to a complicated issue and I have no idea why I was being so emotional. I don't own a ps3 and I'm ass. sincerist appoligies.

 

[Awexsome]

Yeah... this seems like... a big deal.

I mean this is the frontrunner for "Game of the Year" and it is fundamentally unplayable on PS3? If this were someone like EA or Activision behind it this entire forum would be screaming for refunds. People should be raising hell if the game is this broken and will not be fixed.

I buy a game for my console that game should function at an optimal level for my console. That's the developers god damn job.

 

[Skratt]

Didn't they sell over $400 million in product with Skyrim? I think perhaps they should consider fixing this for the next game release, as it will likely only get worse as games become even more detailed than they already are.

Not expecting miracles in Skyrim, but this seems like a big deal that should probably be sorted out come TES6.

I want ladders too, but not if I can't quick release from it (to prevent myself from getting stuck between two dipshit NPCs. It's bad enough getting trapped in a room at the goddamn Inn, I can't imagine being trapped on a ladder. Now that I think about it, they should allow me to shove NPCs (push) like in Left 4 Dead or something that does not (immediately) provoke a guard induced ass kicking.

They made alot of money with their other games, they need to fix this now, not wait 5 years until TES 6.

The gamer in me agrees with you, but the tech in me knows that sometimes it's just not feasible. Customers don't want to hear it but depending on what the problem is, sometimes shit is just broke on a base level. I highly doubt they'd ignore the problem if they felt they could implement a fix. If what they say is true that it's a limitation of the engine, they'll likely not fix it until TES6. Their engine is one of the only ones I know of where you can interact with goddamn everything and it is a real tangible object that is unique to the world. You can steal all of the dishes in whiterun and swap them with the dishes in Marketh if you wanted to. Why the eff you would is beyond my understanding of OCD, but you could.

I do think they could, for 400+ million bucks no less, sit down a brain storm a script that resets objects back to default if you haven't picked them up or interacted with them in, say 24 hours. Since they only track things that have been interacted with, it should be as simple as running against only the items that have been interacted with and not physically been put in your inventory. I don't work in video games, but I do work with databases so I am skeptical on how difficult this would be and why they wouldn't fix it if given the opportunity.

They've already released two games on the PS3 with this problem, they should have replaced the engine with Skyrim. If they can't fix the PS3 version, they need to issue a recall or start offering full refunds to those who seek them because if they can't fix it, this game will remain forever broken.

If they can fix it, they need to do so soon, before the price drops by half. Think about it, you paid $60 for a game that you can't play until the price drops to $30. Wouldn't you consider than a waste of $30? Of course, if it can never be fixed, well that's a waste of $60.

I agree, if I only owned a PS3 and experienced this bug I'd be really pissed if they couldn't fix the bug. I think they should offer you a copy of the XBOX 360 or PC version for free in exchange for your PS3 copy. If they say they can't fix the PS3 version and it's playable up until the bug happens, I don't really know what you tell you. It is a dick move from a company that spent millions on a game that has a game breaking bug that only exists due to the limitations between the PS3 and their engine. It's a PC game they tried to simultaneously develop for a console and failed on the PS3. It works most of the time, so they shipped it knowing they could recoup some costs at the expense of PS3 players.

I hate to be a dick, but some games are meant for PCs and some are meant for consoles and they just don't work very well as ports. Buyer beware. There have been plenty of games I've played on the PC that were probably great on a console, but were really shitty ports. Don't rush to buy next time.

 

[Epona]

Didn't they sell over $400 million in product with Skyrim? I think perhaps they should consider fixing this for the next game release, as it will likely only get worse as games become even more detailed than they already are.

Not expecting miracles in Skyrim, but this seems like a big deal that should probably be sorted out come TES6.

I want ladders too, but not if I can't quick release from it (to prevent myself from getting stuck between two dipshit NPCs. It's bad enough getting trapped in a room at the goddamn Inn, I can't imagine being trapped on a ladder. Now that I think about it, they should allow me to shove NPCs (push) like in Left 4 Dead or something that does not (immediately) provoke a guard induced ass kicking.

They made alot of money with their other games, they need to fix this now, not wait 5 years until TES 6.

The gamer in me agrees with you, but the tech in me knows that sometimes it's just not feasible. Customers don't want to hear it but depending on what the problem is, sometimes shit is just broke on a base level. I highly doubt they'd ignore the problem if they felt they could implement a fix. If what they say is true that it's a limitation of the engine, they'll likely not fix it until TES6. Their engine is one of the only ones I know of where you can interact with goddamn everything and it is a real tangible object that is unique to the world. You can steal all of the dishes in whiterun and swap them with the dishes in Marketh if you wanted to. Why the eff you would is beyond my understanding of OCD, but you could.

I do think they could, for 400+ million bucks no less, sit down a brain storm a script that resets objects back to default if you haven't picked them up or interacted with them in, say 24 hours. Since they only track things that have been interacted with, it should be as simple as running against only the items that have been interacted with and not physically been put in your inventory. I don't work in video games, but I do work with databases so I am skeptical on how difficult this would be and why they wouldn't fix it if given the opportunity.

They've already released two games on the PS3 with this problem, they should have replaced the engine with Skyrim. If they can't fix the PS3 version, they need to issue a recall or start offering full refunds to those who seek them because if they can't fix it, this game will remain forever broken.

If they can fix it, they need to do so soon, before the price drops by half. Think about it, you paid $60 for a game that you can't play until the price drops to $30. Wouldn't you consider than a waste of $30? Of course, if it can never be fixed, well that's a waste of $60.

I agree, if I only owned a PS3 and experienced this bug I'd be really pissed if they couldn't fix the bug. I think they should offer you a copy of the XBOX 360 or PC version for free in exchange for your PS3 copy. If they say they can't fix the PS3 version and it's playable up until the bug happens, I don't really know what you tell you. It is a dick move from a company that spent millions on a game that has a game breaking bug that only exists due to the limitations between the PS3 and their engine. It's a PC game they tried to simultaneously develop for a console and failed on the PS3. It works most of the time, so they shipped it knowing they could recoup some costs at the expense of PS3 players.

I hate to be a dick, but some games are meant for PCs and some are meant for consoles and they just don't work very well as ports. Buyer beware. There have been plenty of games I've played on the PC that were probably great on a console, but were really shitty ports. Don't rush to buy next time.

This game was designed for the 360, the PS3 and PC versions were ported. In fact, the PC version has a 2 GB cap on RAM usage because it WASN'T designed for the PC. There is a mod that allows the game to use 4GB though.

I did get Gamestop to let me trade the PS3 version in for the PC version and let me tell you, the PC version runs so much better but that's probably just because it overpowers the bugs. Nothing justifies them releasing a broken game. If a million people bought the PS3 version, that's $60 million made off the PS3 version. With that kind of money they can fix the damn engine even if it means months of work. They shouldn't leave it hanging they have previous PS3 disasters.