Bethesda squinting at Skyrim's texture scaling issues on Xbox

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Nov 11th 2011 5:45PM

Poor vision and awareness may afflict some of Skyrim's population, but your bellowing, dragonborn protagonist is meant to have 20/20 vision. Blurry textures on the Xbox 360 version, which aren't replaced with higher-quality versions as they come into closer view, may be a symptom of having the mammoth RPG* installed on the hard drive, Bethesda now suspects.

"Skyrim uses a lot of dynamic streaming systems, including textures," says a Bethesda community manager posting on the official forums. "We've seen a few reports of certain textures temporarily scaling down on the Xbox 360, and not scaling back up. We have verified that this issue does not occur when playing off the disk and when the game is fully cached (not installed)." For now, it seems the streaming glitch can be avoided if you play directly from the disc, and imagine the loud whirring emanates from Dovahkiin's vocal chords warming up.

According to Bethesda, a solution is being prepared for installed Skyrim in the next title update. The patch notes for the most recent update are available here.

* Sorry, we just wanted to share that we've been thinking about turn-based tusk battles between customizable mammoths all afternoon.

Source: Bethesda Softworks (Forums)

Tags: bethesda, bugs, elder-scrolls-5, microsoft, patch, skyrim, streaming, the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim, xbox

Reader Comments (51)

"For now, it seems the streaming glitch can be avoided if you play directly from the disc, and imagine the loud whirring emanates from Dovahkiin's vocal chords warming up."

Amen to that; I've got a first generation Xbox and it sounds like a dang jetliner preparing to take off. But I'm so cheap that I don't want to spend money on something that ain't broke!

@(Unverified) You're playing on an Xbox 1?

Finding it kind of ironic that it's the 360 with issues this time. Usually it's the PS3 plagued by bugs for Bethesda games.

@Special Agent Steve I don't think ironic means what you think it means.

@blackangel209
Irony is an outcome contrary to what it might have been or expected.
PS3 is usually the one with issues (remember the Fallout games?); this time its the 360.
Not sure what you want... but OK! :D

@Special Agent Steve It's actually when an action has the opposite outcome from what was initially intended.

As for your previous comment, the only reason people see it like that is because on the first day the game paused when a XMB notification popped up. All the other bugs where the same.

@Jordan94jb
You just paraphrased what I just wrote but replaced "expected" with "intended". Did you use http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irony as well? Perhaps you were a bit confused because there's more then one "strict" definition of the word.

And actually, I was referencing the massive texture issues (pop-ups, mainly) apparent only on the PS3 version. But that was in the early days when games were ported from 360 to PS3. Things have gotten a lot better since then and I'm sure Bethesda will have this patched within a week or two.

@Special Agent Steve The problem with what you said is its like saying that a team has won the Super Bowl 15 times in a row and its ironic when they lose the 16th year. That's now how irony works.

@blackangel209 not* Is there a legitimate reason why there's no edit button here?

@Special Agent Steve

it's not like there's a serious issue with the 360 version of the game, though. obviously it just affects the people who installed the game to their HDD, so if you don't do that it works the same as the PS3 version. i don't see this as a bad thing, as you don't even have the ability to install the disc to the drive for the PS3, therefore the 360 and PS3 versions are identical. get it? nothing in this article is going to scare me away from the 360 version of Skyrim, especially because they'll be patching the whole install bug and because the game itself is on a single DVD.

@blackangel209
No, but it would be ironic if the Patriots beat the Giants 15 times in a row in consecutive Superbowls and then lost the 16th. And I never said this was a game-breaking issue for the 360 version. Just saying that the 360 has more issues this time, not the PS3.

@Liquidfingers
The PS3 version requires the game to be installed on the hard drive, so it's not exactly a feature that the PS3 doesn't have the "ability" to do.

@Special Agent Steve

Isn't a ironic that Alanis morissette's song about irony isn't ironic. Yet its ironic that it isn't ironic.

It did (and it still does) the same thing with Fallout 3.

I'm used to it.

Another way to fix the glitch is to install the game on a USB drive or HDD instead of the Internal HDD.

@OuHiroshi
I installed the game on my refrigerator, and it seems to work fine.

There's no possible way I would be able to wait for an install to finish before playing this tonight anyway, so I guess I'm fine. Soooo close to being off work.

@swooded I installed it earlier today and I think it took all of 5 minutes. Really speeds things up; I recommend it.

I got the texture glitch and i'm playing off the disk :/

Others on the forum do too:
http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/topic/1258806-vote-here-if-you-are-having-texture-issues/

@kutluz I believe glasses are in order!

I've gotta say after reading quite a few posts on that thread its people bitching about the gfx not being epic, so i imagine also those moaning via the poll or via message about things being "blurry" or having the "texture glitch" are the same.

I tend to buy multi-plats on 360 solely for the ability to copy everything to the hard drive. Not cool at all.

@RickGhastly

Funny, PC versions always have that "ability" to copy to the Hard drive.

@KillerC
Funny, not everyone's PC has the ability to run Skyrim as well as they'd like. They're fascinating in their diversity, aren't they?

@RickGhastly

You don't have to have amazing supercomputers to play PC games well. $75 and a BIOS edit later, my mate's old rig is fully Skyrim-capable.

@Esposch
True (except maybe in the case of FFXIV, which nearly crippled my PC). I just happen to prefer the convenience of not having to worry about it, which is why I go with consoles. I'm entirely content with homogeneity as long as I'm getting an experience reasonably close to what was intended.

Or in other words: I'm lazy, broke and have low standards.

@KillerC
Yeah and in 5 years, that awesome PC will have the "ability" to be a boat anchor.
Meanwhile, back at my job, where i look at a computer screen all day, I can only imagine that PC fanboys are all landscapers or burger flippers that dont sit at a desk all day.

@Klearwater Killer

Computers can be used on a television it is called home theater personal computer. If a person wanted to, they can program a remote control (usually media remote) to turn on the computer and navigate through the desktop of a pc. But you being a console kiddie, you wouldn't have researched the possible idea, seeing how consoles just spoils you with the round object goes into the round hole kind of teaching.

Consoles are usually planned for the money scrap yard, by producing another console for you to buy if you want to continue playing your games.

This sort of thing should've been discovered and fixed before launch....

@iceveiled As noted by alot of people, its not a bug that affects everyone. Got my copy a day early and didn't install it, no issues Later that night while watching some TV and eating i let it install, come back, no issues, been playing all day now as i already had the day off....Still no issues!

A bug that doesn't show itself every single time (aka repeatable) is a bug that's hard to squash, esp before things are released to the masses. You obviously have no idea.

For example the BF3 beta, people were moaning they released it with bugs, excluding the fact here some people are to stupid to know what a beta is, do you think they would of put the those bugs out with it or as it was, they were found because many many more people were playing with the game than the focus groups any game company has, giving a huge resource base to find said bugs.

At least both PS3 and 360 owners get to enjoy the Mammoths that fall from the sky randomly. I'm glad I don't get to miss that comedic relief.

@Shockwave Where? I've seen loads, nothings every spawned/falllen from the sky.

The PC version has some problems related to this as well but we don't have to wait for Bethesda to release a patch to fix these issues.

Here is a guide for PC gamers that allows you to unlock the best graphical quality settings for your game.

You change the FOV, which is recommended by me. Console games have pretty narrow FOV due to old hardware, but you change it for PC. =D

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/11/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweaks-improve-graphics-disable-vsync-change-fov-and-more/

@xiLeShadow

that's not going to fix the texture problem.

The PC version is like the 360 except there is no fix. Bethesda just could not be bothered to make hi-res textures for the PC so regardless of setting the environments look like they were carried over from Oblivion - even on Ultra.

The you add in the keyboard binding problems, the crashes (can't get past the bridge and cave collapse in the dungeon here) and the console UI and Skyrim is like a lazy middle finger to the PC crowd.

And of course not forgetting the premium "cloth" map that was promised with preorders when by "cloth" they just meant thick paper with a bit of texture.

Its not only the xbox that has this issue the ps3 version has the same problems as well. I can record footage or take pics .

@sonicjam

Nope, sorry.

@sonicjam everything is loading fine on the ps3 version.

Does anyone know if you can set markers for side quests? I've made a side quest an active quest but no marker is on the map for the side quest, just the main quest.

It does has the same problems. Certain texures are blurry in the ps3 version. Some of the citizens in skyrim look so blurry even when they're really close to me.

I am literally reading this as my game is being installed right now.

Maybe it's only affecting certain 360's? Like older 360's are having the problem while newer ones aren't

Only had the issue once, but it was very notorious. Not worth playing from the disc though... I prefer my Xbox quiet and nice.

Considering how my disc drive is hanging by a thread, I install every game in the hopes my xbox can just make it till tax time.

In other news: Skyrim is effing awesome.

Man, I can't wait until this game is finished!

Was not expecting this from Bethesda for the 360 version. I thought they would put a lot of effort into it, but it seems a major bug has got by their no doubt very thorough testers....

: /

@Darki Dreamside It's not a major bug, it's minor and cosmetic. Annoying at worst.

@Cafecito
I think I might have noticed it in a couple of spots. The street signs seemed quite low res. Has not taken away anything from the experience. And won't stop me from playing the poop out if it all day tomorrow.

Playing from hdd.

Dragonborn is far-sighted on 360?

Is anybody else having framerate drops on PC? I'm getting 60fps but drops down to 25fps usually when in town but other places too. It's quite annoying.

Didn't BF3 have a similar problem?

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda squinting at Skyrim's texture scaling issues on Xbox

Reader Comments (51)

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 5:52PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 12th 2011 4:41AM carbonize said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 5:54PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:13PM blackangel209 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:36PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:44PM Jordan94jb said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:53PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:58PM blackangel209 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 7:06PM blackangel209 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 7:35PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 8:10PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 9:13PM DreadArrow said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 10:16PM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 5:55PM Dhexodus said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:01PM OuHiroshi said

Posted: Nov 14th 2011 10:12AM Klearwater Killer said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:12PM swooded said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:39PM xenothaulus said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:12PM kutluz said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:20PM KillerC said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:17PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:22PM KillerC said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:41PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 8:41PM Esposch said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 9:53PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Nov 14th 2011 10:15AM Klearwater Killer said

Posted: Nov 14th 2011 8:20PM Terical said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:18PM iceveiled said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:28PM KillerC said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:24PM Shockwave said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:29PM KillerC said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:36PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 11:24PM arkweld said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:40PM sonicjam said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:48PM houstons85 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 9:02PM Kage25 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:43PM CNOLA85 said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 7:04PM sonicjam said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:49PM AwesomeTown said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 7:05PM Prboi said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 7:13PM Cafecito said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 8:33PM The Tim said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 8:35PM Oskiee said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 9:08PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 9:41PM Darki Dreamside said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 10:01PM Cafecito said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 11:29PM mezzb said

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