Fallout 4 will learn from Skyrim’s technical issues, as Bethesda plan to “build on” their own experiences to avoid past mistakes.
Bethesda’s open world titles are critical darlings in the eyes of gamers, but are seldom recognised for their technical competence.
Upon its release, player often encountered bugs and glitches in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; and it seems Bethesda is fully aware of this.
In a recent interview with Game Informer, game director Todd Howard looks back on how the studio has reflected on the development of titles such as Skyrim and Fallout 3.
In particular, on how him and his team can apply the lessons they have learnt to the upcoming release of Fallout 4.
“I think we’ve gotten way better,” he said. “For us, [the player’s] saved game is the number one thing.”
“If the game crashes that’s bad, but it is nowhere near as bad as someone’s saved game being hosed,” Howard continued as he discussed problems that players have encountered in the past.
Bethesda is surprisingly honest with the trouble they have had in dealing with these issues:
“It probably took up a month or two before we really had a handle on it. All of the bugs we did on Skyrim, all of the DLC… we had a different process for how we checked the content out.”
Related: Best Games 2015
Bethesda isn’t known for its smooth launches, with both Fallout 3 and Oblivion launching with notable problems on a number of different platforms.
Over time these issues were either patched or ignored, but no doubt had an impact on the company and it’s reputation for botched launches.
Fallout 4 will be released on November 10 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
