Obsidian blames size for Fallout: New Vegas bugs

Recommended Videos

Did you hear that Fallout: New Vegas is full of bugs? Maybe you read a review, saw a spinning head, or watched NCR soldiers type on invisible keyboards. Whatever your flavor of glitch, developer Obsidian has a scapegoat, with Chris Avellone putting the blame squarely on the game’s massive scale. 

“I think when you create a game as large as Fallout 3 or New Vegas you are going to run into issues that even a testing team of 300 won’t spot, so we’re just trying to address those as quickly as possible and so is Bethesda,” says the senior designer. “It’s kind of like the bugs of the real world — the sheer expanse of what you’re dealing with causes problems.”

It’s a fair point, and I think size certainly has something to do with it (very rarely are there open-world games without bugs). That said, it would be wrong to discount the fact that Bethesda’s Gamebryo engine is an outdated, obsolete, crippled husk of misery and discontent. The next Fallout game seriously needs an upgrade in that department. 

Fallout’s ‘sheer expanse’ to blame for bugs [CVG]

Did you hear that Fallout: New Vegas is full of bugs? Maybe you read a review, saw a spinning head, or watched NCR soldiers type on invisible keyboards. Whatever your flavor of glitch, developer Obsidian has a scapegoat, with Chris Avellone putting the blame squarely on the game’s massive scale. 

“I think when you create a game as large as Fallout 3 or New Vegas you are going to run into issues that even a testing team of 300 won’t spot, so we’re just trying to address those as quickly as possible and so is Bethesda,” says the senior designer. “It’s kind of like the bugs of the real world — the sheer expanse of what you’re dealing with causes problems.”

It’s a fair point, and I think size certainly has something to do with it (very rarely are there open-world games without bugs). That said, it would be wrong to discount the fact that Bethesda’s Gamebryo engine is an outdated, obsolete, crippled husk of misery and discontent. The next Fallout game seriously needs an upgrade in that department. 

Fallout’s ‘sheer expanse’ to blame for bugs [CVG]


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article The next big Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter update will take place on April 12
What to expect during FFXIV LLXXX
Read Article Helldivers 2 players receive Quasar Cannon and Heavy Machine Gun Stratagems to support Automaton obliteration
helldivers 2 heavy machine gun HMG quasar cannon stratagems unlocked
Read Article The Witcher 4 development is forging ahead at CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 4 update
Related Content
Read Article The next big Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter update will take place on April 12
What to expect during FFXIV LLXXX
Read Article Helldivers 2 players receive Quasar Cannon and Heavy Machine Gun Stratagems to support Automaton obliteration
helldivers 2 heavy machine gun HMG quasar cannon stratagems unlocked
Read Article The Witcher 4 development is forging ahead at CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 4 update