New Patch Locks Skyrim to Steam Forever and Ever

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A new patch released on Steam binds Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to Valve's service, preventing third-party mods.

When id Software released the first patch for RAGE on the PC, it seemed to calm the natives furious over several launch issues. Bethesda, on the other hand, launched its first update for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the PC and apparently created even more problems than before. In fact, it has reportedly locked the game's executable to Valve's Steam service forever and ever, preventing the just-released RPG from running on its own.

But that's not the only issue. Gamers are complaining that the new 18 MB patch has broken the unofficial "large address aware" third-party patch that allowed Bethesda's RPG to use more memory than 2 GB, support more modifications, and reportedly resolved crashing issues and texture corruption problems. However a new LAA workaround has been released that does the same thing without altering Skyrim's now-modified executable.

"Activating this made the game more stable, and meant it could support more mods and tweaks – including the fabled uGrids .ini file tinker that made the game’s icy landscapes look significantly more gorgeous," RPS reports. "Once Steam auto-updates Skyrim, that opportunity is dead. And we once again have a game that, for many of us, ignores most of our PCs’ memory. What a waste."

In related Skyrim news, one gamer located in Finland has discovered that the entire virtual world of Tamriel includes the landmasses from Morrowind and Oblivion. They were discovered after the player discovered a closed path at the archway of Stendarr's Beacon, the closest point to Morrowind. Curious, he used the noclip command to move past the invisible wall. The trail continued on for a bit until it thinned out with scaled down textures.

"Bethesda has made the landmass for Morrowind," he writes in a blog. "The entirety of Morrowind. Solstheim is there, the mainland is there, Vvardenfell is there. It’s all there. It’s scaled down slightly however, since the scaling in Morrowind, Skyrim, And Oblivion are all obscured towards each other. But it’s still very large."

To read the full blog, head here.

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79 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LuckyDucky7
    Well, that's the first time I've heard of Steam making a game more crappy (MW2 excluded because it was like that from the start).

    But really? I mean- how hard is it to enable modding in a Steam game? People do it to Half-Life 2 all the time, and one would expect that Skyrim would be the same way. You can have mods for Call of Duty 4 on Steam: why is this different?

    I bet there will be a massive logout (to offline mode) spree before this update occurs when this news becomes more widespread, to prevent updating.
    And rightfully so.


    TL;DR:

    Bethesda NEEDLESSLY gives PC gamers the middle finger.
    Reply
  • cumi2k4
    Now this is crappy move, bethesda...
    Reply
  • Evil_Geddy_Lee
    Guess I will be using the torrented version I downloaded when my new comp arrives on monday...
    Reply
  • alyoshka
    Hmmmmm Pretty fast....
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    If you don't run mods and just want to play the game, why would you care?
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    back_by_demandIf you don't run mods and just want to play the game, why would you care?And if you already got it via Steam
    Reply
  • steelbox
    People, this update does not hinder "normal" game modification. Only those that mess with the executable. And since there was only one mod affected as of now, LAA, and there is already a alternative for that, whats the fuss and rage about?
    Reply
  • nottheking
    steelboxwhats the fuss and rage about?Well, it also throws a wrench in the works of the OTHER mods currently in development; as I recall, there was already a Skyrim graphics extender mod, (to make the PC version not look so woefully dated and cut to console specs) and I was pretty sure that there's also a script extender in the works, just like how there was one for both Morrowind and Oblivion, that drastically increased the scripting programmability available in other mods.

    A lot of mods need to modify the executable, or rely on other mods that do. (late in OB's lifespan, most good mods coming out REQUIRED use of the OBSE, which modified OB's executable) And before anyone tried to interject, no, the vast majority of people using these mods are using legit, non-pirated copies: with that much user-made content, $50US for a copy of the game is a steal anyway. And these mods I speak of do NOT aid in piracy of the game.

    But, given BethSoft's choice to ignore the PC gamer in favor of the console kiddies, it's those third-party mods that make the game worth buying in the first place. Take most of them away... (or just delay a lot of them, as this will do) And that's a big middle finger to that entire market, and really hurts the justification for more people to buy. And do keep in mind that it's quite probable that Skyrim sold more on the PC than the Xbox 360; while Steam's exact sales figures weren't released, it is known that the game massively surpassed everything in Steam's history in terms of playing level, hitting 300,000 simultaneous players on simultaneously. (and even during slumps, hasn't dropped below 100k)
    Reply
  • Goldengoose
    Lets all be glad it's not locked to origin.
    Reply
  • billybobser
    gg, torrent suddenly looks more desirable before looking at the price
    Reply