My biggest problem with Bethesda is that they have these big ambitions, and then they proceed to design
beyond what they're capable of actually programming. They remind me of Ian Malcolm's big speech in Jurassic Park:
Dr. Ian Malcolm: I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power you're using here: it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done, and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you even knew what you had, you, you've patented it, and packaged it, you've slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now
[
pounds table with fists]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: you're selling it.
[
pounds table again]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: You want to sell it, well...
John Hammond: I don't think you're giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody's ever done before...
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.
Bethesda is so concerned with pushing the envelope of just how much unnecessary crap they can cram into these games that they never stop to think if their engine is actually capable of
doing it. For example, is it
really necessary to keep track of each and every person you've slain and the state of their body once you leave an area? Is it necessary to keep track of
each and every thing you interact with
exactly as you left it? Stuff like this is what causes the file size to skyrocket and gradually pushes the engine beyond what it can handle. The result? Massive glitches and inevitable crashes. I'll
gladly take a smaller and more focused game from Bethesda if it means the game actually
works like it should.
I'll acknowledge that Bethesda is a visionary in pushing the immersion of games. Lord knows they've certainly hooked me several times with their big worlds and wanton freedom to explore. But I look at other games that have come out this year that are now thought to be "lesser", and I wonder why? Arkham City isn't a big massive world that tracks every single thing you can do, but Rocksteady knew their limits and designed within them. The result is that the game is very solid and polished, and
it's never once crashed on me. It's the same with Portal 2, Xenoblade, Resistance 3, Child of Eden, Deus Ex HR, etc. Al the great games that came out this year
not from Bethesda are much better designed, and yet they'll likely get snubbed due to this game come Game of the Year time. What a pity.