Odd problem on Oblivion (1 Viewer)

[Gary Shipley]

I've been playing Oblivion for quite a while now and have come across something strange within the game. I just got to level 35 a couple of days ago and am half way to level 36. When you come upon a fire in a fireplace or a campfire, the flames don't move. It looks as if you have paused the picture. However, if I use a torch, the flames move very realistically. This is not the only thing. Butterflies seem to be stopped in motion. The grass and the leaves and limbs on trees move as always, but the butterflies and flames do not. Anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this?

 

[RAF]

Which platform are you playing this on? I played it on both the XBox360 and the PC when it first came out and I don't recall seeing what you are describing when I went above level 35 on either version. (I never purchased the PS3 version for my PS3 since it was already sick enough purchasing versions for two platforms )

I wonder if there is some PS3 issue involved if that's the platform you are using? Maybe others with Oblivion/PS3 can chime in here?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I don't recall that problem on my PS3, but I also don't recall whether I made it to level 35.

 

[Gary Shipley]

Sorry. I'm playing it on the Xbox 360. I've had no issues what so ever with the game or the 360 prior to this except for the screen freezing up 3-5 times over the past 2 years. It's not that I can't continue playing the game, it's just annoying with whats happening.

 

[Gary Shipley]

OK, I've been looking into this online and found that this is an"animation bug", that seems to take place after around 200+ hours of game time. There are fixes for the pc version, but none for the 360 version of Oblivion. Guess I'm just screwed.

 

[RAF]

Actually, if it's a SW bug then I would think that Bethesda should be able to offer an update via XBox Live. I find that I often will play a game (either disc-based or from XBox Live) and when I turn the console on I get the following message: "There is an update available for this title. Do you want to install it now?" Obviously, people are addressing SW issues on some level. This makes a great case for having your unit connected to the Internet, if you don't at the moment.

The new version of XBox Live debuts tomorrow (11/19/08) and promises greater interactivity with the XBoxLive folks. Why don't you pose this question to MS and/or Bethesda once the new interface comes on line? If I understand the promos correctly, there are supposed to be new ways for you to ask questions directed at people who might just be in a position to see that the request doesn't go unanswered.

 

[Gary Shipley]

Thanks for the response Robert. I don't have the 360 hooked up to the Internet for 2 reasons. The main one being, I have dial up where I live(which is dreadfully slow, making down loading anything a nightmare) and any high speed options available to me at this time are just too expensive. 2nd reason is, I have no desire what so ever to play online. I realize I could use the XBox Live stricktly for upgrades, but until I have access to high speed service, I don't feel its worth my time or money. But thanks for your suggestion!

 

[RAF]

No problem, Gary. I seem to recall that there have been several "updates" to Oblivion from the time that it was released and that might be the solution to your problem. Many times a glitch will be brought to the attention of the developers and one very effective response is to update the software online. I fully understand your position of not being interested in online gaming at all, but you might want to consider connecting your Xbox online (even via phone service) to see if some of the games you use have important patches. Although I belong to XBox Live gold, I don't think you need any sort of paid account to get updates. If a unit is connected to the internet (and Xbox live) when you insert a game disc the 360 will seek out any available updates and ask you if you want to install them. Usually the updates aren't very large and wouldn't take too long to update even at phone line speeds. And if the update solves your problem it's certainly worth considering.

Just a thought.

 

[killdozer69]

I see this thread is a few years old now. So I guess anyone who's experienced this bug knows there's no fix for it. At least Bethesda refuse to do anything about it. It's called the A-Bomb bug. At least that's what I've read. It's a game ending bug implanted in Oblivion.

 

[Kevin M]

Um, no. When you boot up Oblivion just hold the A button to clear the cache, Oblivion's engine uses the cache extensively to quickly load textures and animations and (theoretically) limit load times, but the cache can become corrupted and overfilled after awhile causing game glitches as you have described. I am at level 47 and have never had this happen because I clear the cache often.

 

[joshEH]

Kevin, you beat me to it -- like he says, clear the hard drive cache, and you should be cool. Whenever I encounter texture or framerate issues with the game, that's always the first thing I do.

 

Also, if you're playing an Xbox 360, you can manually clear it by going into your "My Xbox" menu, selecting "Memory," then hitting the Y-button when the screen showing how much hard drive memory is left appears. From there, select "Clear Hard Drive Cache."

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Is there a similar workaround for the PS3?

 

[Kevin M]

From Wiki:

 

The game's cache file cannot be defragmented manually as can be done with the Xbox 360 version of the game, however, according to Sony, it is done automatically upon switching off the console.

 

[Greg_S_H]

You think this might help with my framerate issues with Red Dead? Is there a "hold button A" method for that game? Also, will it cause me to lose my single player progress, as I've read on some forums?
 

Edit: Ha. Well, guess I should have waited for a response. Looks like I lost everything. Why don't they warn you when you clear the cache?

 

Edit 2: That was a scary couple of minutes, but it looks like clearing the cache also wipes out the patch. The post-patch saves weren't compatible, so it started the game over. Going online and getting the patch again made my saves work. Whew.

 

[Kevin M]

I'm sorry, I didn't notice what joshEH said before.....yeah I don't advise using the 360's clearing option as is not the same thing as the Oblivion cache's Temporary file. That way clears out the 360's entire cache which, as you found out, deletes all of the patches and updates for all of the games on your hard drive. I suggest you start up every game you have for the 360 (including Xbox originals as it also deletes the emulators) and re-download all the patches. The Oblivion technique is essentially meant for the Gamebryo Engine that Bethesda has used for all of their game in the last 6 years, including Fallout 3 (the clearing technique works for that game too BTW).