Shiver me timbers! Oblivion expansion has critical bug

by Ross Miller { Apr 9th 2007 at 9:56PM }

A number of reports have shown up on the internet concerning a very critical (i.e. game-ending) bug inherent in the new Oblivion expansion, Shivering Isles. It affects both Xbox 360 and PC owners.

The problem has been determined to derive from six scripts which control the patrolling patterns of certain guards. The scripts, which run even if you are not in the area, exhausts the internal allotment of identification numbers which are assigned to every object in the game (e.g. dropped arrows, weaponry). Once all the space is full, newly created objects disappear from the game world.

The bug will occur if you have Shivering Isles installed, whether or not you even access the content. It will rear its ugly head 50 to 120 hours within gameplay, depending upon your framerate (we're not sure if this is hours of play after installation of expansion or total play time). The Xbox 360 version, running at 30 frames per second, is expected to hit the bug at 150 hours.

The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages have chronicled the issue and possible solutions. PC users can enjoy user-made patches; Xbox 360 owners have a suggested, although annoying and short-term (and spoiler-laden) fix they can use. We've contacted Bethesda for an official statement.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in -- and to those with anecdotal evidence, we're sorry for your loss.]

Tags: elder scrolls, ElderScrolls, oblivion, shivering isles, ShiveringIsles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Spiza @ Apr 9th 2007 10:02PM

Get a life bug?

Ian Von Porter @ Apr 9th 2007 10:03PM

Thats like learning you have a terminal disease. Only 150 hours to go until your game craps out... although, that may be $30 well spent.

Bulged Eyes @ Apr 9th 2007 10:08PM

That's what you get for supporting a developer and their regurgitated crap. Hope someone does this to them http://youtube.com/watch?v=487zekfEiQ8 Serves 'em right.

Jeff @ Apr 9th 2007 10:16PM

How about this for a fix: take your defective game back to the store and get your money back. Then buy something else.

That's the only way developers like this are ever gonna learn.

LaughingTarget @ Apr 9th 2007 10:18PM

w0rd to that, Jeff. Don't accept anything short of perfection.

Zach @ Apr 9th 2007 10:25PM

As much as I love Oblivion, this is crap. I've overlooked most of the game's bugs (which is especially hard due to my experience as a tester) and they are legion, don't get me wrong. But something like this could have been solved, or at least discovered very simply during development and it's a shame that it made it to the final game. Better get that 360 patch rollin', Bethesda.

algo @ Apr 9th 2007 10:32PM

Jeff: Too bad most stores won't accept opened software for a return.

ComradeTrotskii @ Apr 9th 2007 10:36PM

You do have a point Jeff, however I'm pretty sure all the dc on Live has a 'this item is non refundable' disclaimer.

Maybe they should start adding a new disclaimer: 'this item will wreck your 200 hour game, only 2400 points'.

Anyway, this is a disgrace. Bethesda, get it sorted and get it sorted now.

Roger @ Apr 9th 2007 10:50PM

whats the big deal! i finished 87% of the game in under 70 hours not really big crap with me. all i hate about bethesda is they took my duping away! and the fact i can`t play the game offline is another kick in the nuts.

ill trooper @ Apr 9th 2007 10:59PM

But not on the PS3 version! WOOT! 1!!!1!!! PWNAGE!

Um... Wait... It's not out for the PS3 yet? Oh. Well never mind.

On the serious tip, I would be PISSED if something messed up hundreds of hours of gameplay - there must be a patch in the works. The race is on, the faster they come out with a fix the fewer people this will affect.

BloodyDuck @ Apr 9th 2007 11:06PM

I fail to see how this could have been easily detected - I'm sure most developers don't test their games by playing them for 50 hours at a time. It's definitely a critical bug, and I don't see any reason to get the game till it's patched. But calling it "a disgrace" is overreacting a bit... I'm sure they're hard at work on a patch. No need to bite off their heads once you've made them aware of the issue.

-Geoff
http://www.alinktothefuture.com

Nino @ Apr 9th 2007 11:41PM

#11 one of my friends has this game and so I've been reading up on the issue. From what I can tell it would have been a lot easier to detect than having to play 150 hours -- all the devs would have had to do would be to check the FormId rate of increase and they would have realized that it was way too high than it should have been (it seems like it was very obvious -- the normal was about 2-4 per second and the SI glitch caused it to be at about 150 per second).

Sure, it may seem harsh to really call them on it since it was obviously a mistake, but I bet a lot of PC nerds who've put 100+ hours into their games are pretty upset that their game is now unplayable. So I can understand the reaction.

Eric Draven @ Apr 10th 2007 12:14AM

Yet another reason to buy an Xbox 360.

*being sarcastic*

Miles @ Apr 10th 2007 12:15AM

The PS3 version of Oblivion is out. Don't know anyone who has it , but its in the wild.

Killer Loki @ Apr 10th 2007 12:20AM

Well Miles i have it on the PS3 and a hell of a lot better than the Brick360 version too.

smg @ Apr 10th 2007 12:24AM

@Miles

Shivering Isles isn't in the PS3 version of Oblivion. Just FYI.

Fojar @ Apr 10th 2007 12:26AM

Wait, I'm confused. Does this mean that if you hit the bug, then the whole game will be completely unplayable even if you delete the expansion?

Paul @ Apr 10th 2007 12:46AM

First off its isolated for I have spend over 400 hours on this game 200 hours on Shivering Isles and no problems! Secondly the PS3 version is crappy close up the textures look bad but draw distance is decent. One must remember that when they released the original that it was very buggy . The PS3 version is what everyone would have got except the crappy textures. Thats what a year will get you. Still the 360 version is vastly superior because I have bot6h and know what to look for. If you wait a few months it will be a lot cheaper for the better system. The 360. Trying to find someone to buy my PS3 60 giger but no one will pay more than 500$ for it and I even are giving a game with it. R:FOM. That game seemed very xboxish to an extent.

balesi @ Apr 10th 2007 1:31AM

#18, ROFL. if you SERIOUSLY put 400 hours into the main game, and 200 into SI... then dude, you're a fucking noob. I owned every quest possible of the regular game at 101 hours, let alone destroying the SI expansion with how great my character was by then.

Roger @ Apr 10th 2007 2:00AM

yo balesi can you show me a couple of screenshots of your stats? im just curious. never heard of anyone going on like level 50 in this game. but anyway...paul dude! you got no damned life! who the hell would spend 400 hours in oblivion and spend 200 on a expansion that hasn't even been out that long!

Jay @ Apr 10th 2007 3:55AM

My roomate plays oblivion and he's logged like 120 hours he's like lvl 48 and has about 120 on all starts and all major.minor skills at 100+ from grinding.

AirIntake @ Apr 10th 2007 9:15AM

Every single game I own could have a critical bug at 150 hours and I would never ever even notice.

HungryWolf @ Apr 10th 2007 9:43AM

@Eric Draven

Why not just tell people not to buy PCs also, because they're prone to the same exact bugs as well?

Good going, 'tard.

trent @ Apr 10th 2007 9:56AM

@22 LOL

floetry @ Apr 10th 2007 10:01AM

i just got oblivion for my ps3 its a great game. i feel bad for the pc and xbox360 users but then again atleast they got shivering isles

thunderleg @ Apr 10th 2007 10:53AM

This would really bother me if I could actually play the expansion or any of the official mods that I payed for:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/glutto/ScreenShot0.jpg

But I can't! The game won't let me!
Hurray!!!

rfom @ Apr 10th 2007 1:10PM

360 owners..thanks for play testing the game for PS3 owners so that they get to play a bug-free version

ZeroCorpse @ Apr 11th 2007 2:44AM

@9. "whats the big deal! i finished 87% of the game in under 70 hours not really big crap with me."

So you missed about 75% of the game's content by rushing through the game just to finish it. Why did you even bother to play it if you were going to rush past all the cool things in the game outside of the main plot?

"all i hate about bethesda is they took my duping away!"

Ahh, I see. You CHEATED your way through 87% of the game, and then decided you didn't like it when the cheat was fixed. This game was REALLY not made for gamers like you. Stick with Final Fantasy, kiddo.

"and the fact i can`t play the game offline is another kick in the nuts."

Offline? I play it offline all the time. You don't need to be online to play it. You must mean online? Why would you want other cheating goons like yourself running all over the place, ruining the experience? Oh, yeah- You're a cheater who rushes through to WIN the game, and doesn't want to play a roleplaying game for the sheer joy of experiencing everything there is to experience in such a huge game world.

I suggest Evercrack or World of WarCrack, dude. You can cheat, rush quickly to each goal, and totally ignore the point of a roleplaying game in those poor excuses for an RPG. Stay away from Elder Scrolls, though... It's a bit too deep for the likes of you.

You don't "beat" an RPG if it's made well. You might finish a big quest, but a good RPG always has more to do, and Oblivion has a lot more to do than just zipping through the main quest. It's sad that people think of this game like its "Devil May Cry" or "God of War" or "Final Fantasy" when it's in a completely different genre, and doesn't encourage you to "beat" it.

Seriously, dude. Stick to MMORPGs or JRPGs. The genuine western stuff is wasted on you.

logan42 @ Apr 10th 2007 1:53PM

Bethesda has always done buggy games. This should not be a surprise to anyone, but to be fair, they're games really always have pushed the envelope in terms of size and complexity, so I guess that's the risk you take.

NATO_Duke @ Apr 10th 2007 12:12PM

C'mon people - the ps3 owns 360 crap has no place here. The PS3 version isn't better- its the same game. The only reason - ONLY reason this bug doesn't affect the PS3 is that the expansion isn't out for it yet. If the expansion came out for the PS3 at the same time as it did for other systems then the PS3 would be on the list with the 360 and pc versions. You know this, its simple logic, yet you ignore it because there is some kind of stint inserted into your brain by Sony.

How pathetic is it that the fanboys are at it again, now touting how much better their game is because it was late to the party. You all really need to get a cup of stfu and realize that you are playing the same game on the ps3 that others are playing on the 360. If there was any reason to belive otherwise I would get a copy for my ps3 - but there isn't; fanboyism aside folks, reality should dictate.