WPSpot

Fans of Fallout 3 got a double-shot of good news today. First, Bethesda dated the forthcoming Operation Anchorage expansion pack for the game, the first of three exclusive add-ons for the PC and Xbox 360 editions of the game. Available only as a download from Xbox Live or Bethesda, it will arrive in two weeks on January 27 and cost 800 Microsoft points or $10 on both platforms. It will allow players to participate in a simulation recreating a battle between Chinese and US forces in pre-nuclear holocaust Alaska. February and March will see two more PC/360 Fallout 3 add-ons, the last of which will expand the main storyline and raise the level cap to 30.

In addition to the Operation Anchorage date, Bethesda also announced a patch for all three versions of Fallout 3–360, PlayStation 3, and Windows-based PCs. The update (v1.1) addresses a variety of bugs encounter in the sprawling game, which can be played for over 40 hours and recreates dozens of square miles in and around the ruins of Washington, D.C. The problems were sources of criticism for the game, which GameSpot crowned as 2008’s Role-Playing Game of the Year and PC Game of the Year last month. A full list of issues addressed is below.

BUG FIXES

• Friends notification no longer causes the game to pause. (Playstation 3)
• Fixed occasional crashes during loading and waiting.
• Friendly or neutral NPC health bars, when taking damage, no longer flicker repeatedly.
• Fixed issue where certain NPCs would occasionally disappear from the game.
• Fixed issue where dead NPCs would occasionally come back to life.
• Fixed rendering issue with the Gatling Laser gun’s tracers.
• Fixed issue where the haircut menu would occasionally not appear properly.
• Added ability to remap your VATS and pip boy buttons.
• Fixed rare load/save issues that would cause NPCs to behave incorrectly.
• Fixed issue where quest objectives would occasionally not update properly due to talking activators, intercoms and conversations.
• Using Radaway from the Pip-Boy’s Status Menu repeatedly no longer crashes the game.
• Player no longer gets stuck in level up menu if their skills are maxed out.
• Fixed issue where multiple followers would occasionally not load into an interior.
• Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode.
• Fixed rare crash with fighting NPCs with corrupted data.
• In game radios will now play properly if player was listening to the radio in the Pip-Boy first. (Playstation 3)
• Fixed rare crashes while loading and saving games.
• Fixed rare issue where player would fall through the floor while in VATS.
• Fixed occasional crash after scoring a critical hit in the head with a Railway Rifle.
• Prevent NPCs from inadvertently dying from falling.
• Fixed occasional issue where the controller would stop working properly.
• Fixed crashes related to repeatedly equipping and dropping clothing and armor into the world.