Fallout 3: Broken Steel DLC PC problems

By Tom Bramwell Published 5 May, 2009

And minor 360 errors. Beth responds.

It looks as though there's a problem with the PC version of Fallout 3's latest downloadable content add-on, Broken Steel.

According to early posts on the Bethesda Softworks forum and our own experiences here, the DLC downloads and then throws up an error.

The error says: "Not a cryptographic message or the cryptographic message is not formatted correctly. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8009200D)."

There also appears to be a difference between the reported file-size (471.6MB) and the file you actually click through to download (510MB).

We're waiting to hear back from Bethesda about what's going on. The Xbox 360 version appears to be fine.

Hopefully there will be a quick fix. Goodness knows we could do without a repeat of the unfortunate problems that held up The Pitt for Xbox Live users.

Check out our Fallout 3: Broken Steel preview to see what you'll get when it does start to work.

UPDATE: Bethesda has been in touch to update us on the PC version: "We're seeing the same error, which is a Games for Windows Live DRM Install error. Microsoft is working on fixing it, and we'll let everyone know once we've verified it."

The developer also said the following regarding unrelated Xbox 360 errors: "The Xbox Live servers don't seem to be fully synched yet with the additional achievements. This should fix itself automatically soon. People won't lose any achievements."

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • menage #1 3 years ago

    Pfff, I'll wait a week even with the 360 version, bethesda are the fuck ups of DLC releases. Great games but shit testing.

  • dsmx #2 3 years ago

    Cryptographic error does make it sound like a DRM problem though, or am I just jumping the gun?

  • Buztafen #3 3 years ago

    So is this a 3 for 3 fuckup with DLC from Bethesda? Sort it out guys.....

    /shakes head disappointingly

  • kinky_mong #4 3 years ago

    Ermm... I thought the release of Operation Anchorage went smoothly?

    It appears the knives were already out anyway ready for the slightest fuck up though.

  • dsmx #5 3 years ago

    Weird thing is that if bethesda don't fix this soon the pirates wil get a working version out there before bethesda do.

  • Matt_82 #6 3 years ago

    Software from Bethesda glitched? Well I never.

  • schnide #7 3 years ago

    After everything that happened before, I just hope that Broken Steel can be released without..

    ..oh. Doh!

  • dsmx #8 3 years ago

    How can they review something that's broken?

  • Rubarack #9 3 years ago

    Should be easy enough, if CU Amiga can review Epic 3 months before work on the game even started I'm sure Eurogamer could review Broken Steel ebfore its available in a playable format.

  • Eraysor #10 3 years ago

    Seems like DLC and Bethesda don't mix.

  • bratmandu #11 3 years ago

    Pleeeese don't let the 360 version be borked again!

    Also, anyone know if the level 'un'-cap will be active before the end of the main game?

    i.e. i'm at level 20 but haven't finished main quest yet, will I start gettin more exp during my game or will that only apply after the main game has 'ended'?

  • Skoptsie #12 3 years ago

    360 version is fine, or at least it seems so from the couple of hours I've played so far.

    A minute or so after loading your save, you'll get a message popping up to confirm the Broken Steel stuff has been found and the level cap raised to 30.

  • Darren #13 3 years ago

    Hahaha. So it's the PC's turn for borked up Fallout 3 DLC is it?

    Still I'm happy to wait until it is fixed before purchasing it because in my humble view Fallout 3 is better on the PC, mostly because of the numerous user mods and the fact that it looks better and runs smoother at a constant 60 fps on my setup.

  • Rirekon #14 3 years ago

    Bethesda really aren't having much luck with their DLC are they

  • kangarootoo #15 3 years ago

    @bratmandu

    The level cap lift is immediate I believe.

  • skillian #16 3 years ago

    I've been moaning about wanting the official level cap raise before I start playing again, and now it's here I can't even be bothered to buy it. What a dick I am.

    I think I've decided I've just had enough of Fallout 3, and I've also decided it's definitely not as good as Oblivion (with mods).

    /runs

  • Vice.Destroyer #17 3 years ago

    The GFWL DLC has been pulled, aka pulling a 'Pitt'.

  • Darren #18 3 years ago

    @ N@ - Maybe EG got fed up of buggy 360 DLC and decided to review the PC version for a change? It would be kind of ironic if that's the case! :)

  • dsmx #19 3 years ago

    I called it, DRM getting in the way of people enjoying the game. Just think if DRM wasn't there all the PC players could be playing it right now.

  • Gearskin #20 3 years ago

    I need to finish it. The game, I mean.

  • RedSparrows #21 3 years ago

    I got Broken Steel, first of the DLC I have purchased, if only for the extra 10 levels (some of the Perks look metagame-changing, and funny...'self-nuke' looks good). Works fine, achievements a-ok.

  • DFawkes #22 3 years ago

    Bethesda has been in touch to update us on the PC version: "We're seeing the same error, which is a Games for Windows Live DRM Install error.

    DRM causing problems? That's an entirely new thing! I'm kidding, it is a shame PC owners are having this problem, fingers crossed it's rectified as soon as possible.

  • dsmx #23 3 years ago

    DRM is the problem, I still fail to see how it benefits anyone. It cost money to put onto something, it doesn't work, in this case it stops anyone from playing the game and I fail to see what if anything it actually does to stop piracy.

  • Sunyavadin #24 3 years ago

    Oh, it's out?


    *glances at all those shiny points waiting to be spent*


    Guess I'll wait for the glitches to be fixed before breaking my game.

  • Grayvern #25 3 years ago

    360 version for me is also broken, trying to finish up quests I missed and every time i get within a certain ditance of or fast travel to rivet city the game crashes, it also crashes on ancanosta station near rivet city when I try and fast travel there. if this isnt an isolated incident it indicates that bethesda didnt just do minimal playtesting, it indicates they didn't do any.

  • dacicus #26 3 years ago

    First a patch that "beep" up your mods. See the topics about the 1.5 patch. Now this. Bethesda really needs a minimum beta testing department.

  • RipperSU #27 3 years ago

    Well, from how I've been monitoring the situation, its being microsoft dropping the ball. It was actually Microsoft who corrupted the copy of the pit and its Games for Windows DRM software thats causing this particular problem. I think people are being too harsh on Bethesda.

  • christourlord #28 3 years ago

    The 360 content seems a bit broken too. I completed the first new mission, "Death From Above", but did not receive the achievement for doing so...

  • Dragul #29 3 years ago

    @ christourlord
    The developer also said the following regarding unrelated Xbox 360 errors: "The Xbox Live servers don't seem to be fully synched yet with the additional achievements. This should fix itself automatically soon. People won't lose any achievements."
    Really disappointed about this sitatuion, I was counting on playing this one in the next 5 days...

    MS really shitted on the GWL this time!

  • schnide #30 3 years ago

    Looking at Kotaku, it also appears the 360 version is suffering from other bugs that don't trigger conversation trees from Sarah Lyons at Project Purity, a potential story stopping bug. And I was just about to download this DLC! Glad I checked first..

    ..but not glad this has been borked too.

  • beckyh #31 3 years ago

    So how did this manage to pass testing and certification?

  • Doctor_What #32 3 years ago

    After the mediocre reviews and the DLC issues, I'm not so annoyed that I got the PS3 version any more :)

  • lmephisto #33 3 years ago

    Whatever the problem is they will fix it. so i don't really need to worry. So far my xb3 version works fine .
    We all now learned to blame everything and everyone without even know why. Like it really matters from the time they fixing it and we all be happy.

  • Razorus #34 3 years ago

    Finished it last night. Not a big deal, feels like a regular wasteland quest. The only glitch I've suffered in it so far is the achievement one. Basically, I got the mission achievements but there's 100 points unaccounted for somewhere and the maximum achievement score is set at 1200 when it should be 1350.

  • lmephisto #35 3 years ago

    yeah it happened to me . Hopefully we are going to get these achievements. When you go on xbox 360 fallout's achievements you can see them but in the total score they are not appearing.