Skyrim Update 1.5 beta now available

[Costello]

What kind of company keeps up support for their game months after it's released? What kind of company adds new features to their game and makes them available completely free of charge? What kind of company listens to their players and implements changes they ask for? The answer is: the good kind. And it seems Bethesda is (becoming?) one of them. They've just announced update 1.5, still in beta stages, which not only fixes a bunch of bugs that people have been reporting but also adds new in-game features.

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New features:

+ New cinematic kill cameras for projectile weapons and spells
+ New kill moves and animations for melee weapons
+ Shadows on grass available (PC)
+ Smithing skill increases now factor in the created item’s value
+ Improved visual transition when going underwater
+ Improved distance LOD transition for snowy landscapes

Bugfixes:

Spoiler: Full bug fix list for update 1.5

General crash fixes and memory optimizations
Fixed issue with Deflect Arrows perk not calculating properly
In “A Cornered Rat,” the death of certain NPCs no longer blocks progression
Fixed issue where Farkas would not give Companion’s quests properly
Fixed crash when loading saves that rely on data that is no longer being loaded
Followers sneak properly when player is sneaking
Fixed issue with weapon racks not working properly in Proudspire Manor
Arrows and other projectiles that were stuck in objects in the world now clean up properly
Fixed issue where “Rescue Mission” was preventing “Taking Care of Business” from starting properly
Fixed issue where certain NPCs would fail to become Thieves Guild fences
Fixed issue in “Diplomatic Immunity” where killing all the guards in the Thalmor Embassy before starting the quest would break progress
In “Hard Answers,” picking up the dwarven museum key after completing the quest, no longer restarts the quest
Killing Viola before or after “Blood on the Ice” no longer blocks progression
Fixed issue where Calixto would fail to die properly in “Blood on the Ice”
In “Waking Nightmare” fixed occasional issue where Erandur would stop pathing properly
Fixed issue where letters and notes with random encounters would appear blank
Fixed rare issue where dialogue and shouts would improperly play
Lydia will now offer marriage option after player purchases Breezehome in Whiterun
Fixed issue where if player manually mined ore in Cidhna Mine, jail time would not be served
Fixed rare issue with skills not increasing properly
Fixed issue where the Headsman’s Axe did not gain proper buff from Barbarian perk
In “A Night to Remember” it is no longer possible to kill Ysolda, Ennis or Senna before starting the quest
Fixed issue with the ebony dagger having a weapon speed that was too slow
Fixed issue with “The Wolf Queen Awakened” where backing out of a conversation with Styrr too soon would block progress
The third level of the Limbsplitter perk now properly improves all battle axes
Fixed a rare issue where Sanguine Rose would not work properly
In “Tending the Flames” King Olaf’s Verse will no longer disappear from explosions

The beta is currently available on Steam, and will be pushed to Xbox 360 and PS3 within the next few days hopefully.

Source: Bethesda's official blog

 

[Zarcon]

I'd just like to point out that one of the first PC mods made was to remove the killing animations because they were a waste of time/annoying, ahaha.
But good on Bethesda to actually do things post release now.

 

[Costello]

I love the kill cams. Reminds me of some of my favorite games -- the Tenchu series

 

[the_randomizer]

Speaking of mods, is there a reason why Bethesda managed to make a dragon mount mod with the tool kit, and yet the Nexus community modders themselves haven't been able to do so?

 

[Skelletonike]

Zomg, Lydia can be married now. 3
Fear not my Nord Dragonborn for you shall return to your former glory. *-*
(it was kinda sad having pretty much everything in the game done and not being able to marry Lydia (well, besides Lydia the hottest ones are Saphire and Aela but Saphire can't be married))

 

[thaddius]

Kill cams seems like a really odd thing to be focussing on.

 

[Zarcon]

Speaking of mods, is there a reason why Bethesda managed to make a dragon mount mod with the tool kit, and yet the Nexus community modders themselves haven't been able to do so?

Well, the tool kit was only (relatively) recently released and people probably couldn't be bothered to remodel the dragon to have a mount/saddle.

Kill cams seems like a really odd thing to be focussing on.

It's flashy and presents well in a promotional video.

 

[Another World]

so all it took was one really anticipated game that sold really well yet was full of issues for them to finally start releasing fixes. they never fixed fall out 3, you can't play the GOTY edition on the ps3 without the savefile bug that completely crashes the game. the last time i checked their forum it was full of people asking for updates for that problem. oh bethesda, its all a little to late for me.

maybe their next game won't be a bug riddled mess that requires months of complaints followed by months of patching! maybe....

-another world

 

[Satangel]

so all it took was one really anticipated game that sold really well yet was full of issues for them to finally start releasing fixes. they never fixed fall out 3, you can't play the GOTY edition on the ps3 without the savefile bug that completely crashes the game. the last time i checked their forum it was full of people asking for updates for that problem. oh bethesda, its all a little to late for me.

maybe their next game won't be a bug riddled mess that requires months of complaints followed by months of patching! maybe....

-another world

I really think you're exaggerating. Skyrim ran perfectly for me on PC, without any official patch.
I can't really judge any console game of them, only PC, but on PC everything works wonderfully by default, and when all the official AND unofficial patches are installed even better.
Play all their games on the PC is my advice, simply because they aren't that hard to run, and there is a lot more support.

 

[Qtis]

I really think you're exaggerating. Skyrim ran perfectly for me on PC, without any official patch.
I can't really judge any console game of them, only PC, but on PC everything works wonderfully by default, and when all the official AND unofficial patches are installed even better.
Play all their games on the PC is my advice, simply because they aren't that hard to run, and there is a lot more support.

It's more about the large issues with the console side. It's not that people couldn't or wouldn't want to play on a console. I for one have played tons of games on the PC, but somehow certain types of games just fit better for me on the PS3 than the PC. It's not about having a bad comp (running Fallout 3 max graphs without problems and so forth), but preference. I use my computer mainly for work and my consoles for gaming.

If the game can't be played on the consoles, why release it. Especially when the game is meant to be played for hours and hours compared to a platformer, which can be played for 5 minutes and still progress with a reasonable pace..

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Glad I got the Steam version

 

[Nathan Drake]

Bethesda should put more money into getting a good bug testing team. I mean, seriously, months later, and the bug fix list is still pretty damn big. I'm sure there are still dozens of other bugs on the platter too, knowing Bethesda. Seriously. It shouldn't be this hard to release a game that fully works. The worst part is, with additions, a whole new set of bugs that likely weren't even tested for thoroughly will emerge. Then we'll need a new patch to fix those bugs, but that will inevitably introduce more new features. Then the circle just begins anew.

I think they should just fix the bugs, and stop making new ones at the same time. That would be gravy.

Yes, after Oblivion, Fallout 3, New Vegas, and now this, I'm just a touch fed up with the terrible bug testing, and sometimes non-existent game fixing that goes on.

Note: Fixing the problems months later isn't necessarily something they should be praised for. As far as I'm concerned, they're simply fulfilling an obligation to fix their knowingly broken product, that they sold anyways.

 

[Depravo]

The patch is in the beta stage? The entire game is still in the beta stage if you ask me.


(But I still love it.)

 

[Deleted_171835]

I ought to scrounge up the money to buy Skyrim now. Especially now that I have a computer powerful enough to run it.

What kind of company keeps up support for their game months after it's released? What kind of company adds new features to their game and makes them available completely free of charge? What kind of company listens to their players and implements changes they ask for?

Valve.

 

[Joe88]

"Smithing skill increases now factor in the created item’s value"

better create those iron daggers quick!

 

[Gahars]

And this is why I never play the games at launch; the few months can be a long wait, but I know I'm getting a superior version free of (at least, most) game breaking bugs.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

As a heavy user of ranged weapons I welcome the kill cams for ranged kills.

It's a shame this feature came out months after I finished the game. Better late than never though

 

[Mr. Prince]

Can't wait for the update to go live on PS3, although I have it on my PC...

 

[Ryupower]

beta over
Skyrim 1.5 Available on Steam

 

[geminisama]

Lawl, break the line of sight in 1.1 to 1.4, fix it for 1.5, and call it a new feature. Good shit Bethesda.