Fallout 3 patch boosts 360 graphics News • News • Eurogamer.net

News Xbox 360

Specular maps are back.

The nondescript Fallout 3 update released to PC and Xbox 360 owners earlier this week has quietly restocked the 360 version with missing visual effects.

According to Eurogamer's Face-Off maestro Rich Leadbetter's blog, Inside Digital Foundry, the auto-update patch introduces specular maps to certain areas, delightfully illustrated with shots of bugs and a comparison video.

The Xbox 360 version was the better of the two console releases when Fallout 3 released in late October last year, but as Leadbetter points out, "despite its superior frame rate and full-on 4x MSAA, [it] had flaws of its own - notably some inferior textures when viewed close up, along with a lack of specular maps on the monsters and characters, resulting in a somewhat flat look compared to the other versions of the game".

In the end we concluded in our Fallout 3: Triple-Format Face-Off that a reasonably-specced PC was the best option.

Meanwhile, the Fallout 3 patch you've probably already downloaded also prepares the PC and 360 versions of the game for the release of the next downloadable content update, The Pitt, which is expected before the end of the month.

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.

Comments (27) Latest comment 3 years ago

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DerFlange #1 3 years ago

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spectacular!
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des #2 3 years ago

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A bug fix?Cool,but not interested...
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mainaman #3 3 years ago

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The only big game where the PS3 version was inferior overall,but had the edge in some areas becomes another ''looks way better'' on the 360.
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menage #4 3 years ago

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Nice,

Still not touching it until the 3rd DLC though, then I'm back to the wastelands yet again.
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Les #5 3 years ago

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Nice they keep improving on the title but TBH I don't think it will make much of a difference as overall visual quality is mainly determined by the art direction and animation. And those remain horrible.
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metalangel #6 3 years ago

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Who cares? Menage, myself and many others will not be playing again until the third dlc is out, so GET ON WITH IT, BETHESDA.
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Doctor_What #7 3 years ago

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Nice news for 360 players. I plumped for the PS3 version because I liked the improved textures and being able to hear the ambient audio over the system noise, I guess the only advantage I'm left with is the audio now.

I've only very rarely (once every few hours) noticed any big framerate stutters, but how about a PS3 patch to improve those issues please?
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Les #8 3 years ago

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"I've only very rarely (once every few hours) noticed any big framerate stutters, but how about a PS3 patch to improve those issues please?"

Same here. Though TBH I don't think fixing it would improve overall enjoyment that much, given the VATS system: It's stop and go anyway. I'd rather they removed the annoying confirmation message at start-up where you have to push a button to confirm that you know that it is not a good thing to shut down the PS3 while the HDD is active.
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Mr_Dodger #9 3 years ago

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"Nice news for 360 players. I plumped for the PS3 version because I liked the improved textures and being able to hear the ambient audio over the system noise, I guess the only advantage I'm left with is the audio now. "

Fallout 3, like most other games, benefits from an install on the 360. Mine is admittedly still louder than the PS3, but there really isn't a lot in it.
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Vice.Destroyer #10 3 years ago

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@ Doctor. You may not want to hear this, but if you have installed the game to your HD, there isn't even any system noise to drown out any ambient audio.

But you wil always be able to play your playstation without having to worry about the RROD. And that is a huge plus.
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kangarootoo #11 3 years ago

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Like another stuck record, I too won't be going back to FO3 until the level cap is removed.
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schnide #12 3 years ago

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That's it lads, because you four won't benefit from it, no-one else will.

Like me, who's just about to start my second play through. Thanks a lot Bethesda! Honestly, I can't believe we have developers who want to patch their products later better than never, even if it only benefits a few. I wish all studios would just dump and run. Bastards!

(Seriously, thanks for this and looking forward to The Pit).
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Wastelander #13 3 years ago

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Pretty cool.
Beth did the same thing with Oblivion IIRC.
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kangarootoo #14 3 years ago

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@schnide

Cool your boots. Specular lighting is all nice and dandy, but its just visual fluff. For a reasonable number of users, its not something we care about as much as the level cap (which directly impacts some degree of our enjoyment of an otherwise rather fine game). So we are venting about it in an appropriate forum.
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MyPointIs #15 3 years ago

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Am I the only one who *really* dislikes specular maps?? It's precisely the effect that makes everything look like it's coated with shiny plastic wrapper. Urgh!

I prefer the mate finish thanks! (like you got in all older games, it's for example, the finish you get in World of Warcraft with mate textures, as opposed to your average cheap Unreal3 production).

Edit: I'm not against improving graphic technology at all. I do like bump maps when properly applied, but I do think most people use over uses specular, just because the engine allows it. And it's fucking ugly (remember Perfect Dark Zero???)

+ Spelling "mate finish" not "fishing" - English is not my first language! - thanks metalangel

Edited by 2 at 05/03/09 @ 12:29
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Sunyavadin #16 3 years ago

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A bitch to download for PC though. After 4 hours of failed Live downloads and corrupt downloads from the official site, I grabbed it in 30 seconds from a mirror someone set up.

Still, well worth it for the fact that it seems to have fixed the crashing on alt-tab problems.
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metalangel #17 3 years ago

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Mate fishing? Ho ho lern too spel
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MyPointIs #18 3 years ago

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@Metalangel - Thanks mate! - maybe we both should join a class.
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MyPointIs #19 3 years ago

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@Kangarootoo - Well yes, that too, I do suffer several kinds of disorders.
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metalangel #20 3 years ago

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@schnide: this is like having your sports car in the shop to have it fitted out to hit 170mph so you can trackday it, and having the mechanic excitedly call to announce that after weeks of work he's finally fixed the cup holder.
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sanctusmortis #21 3 years ago

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I play the DLC as it comes and have finished it (bar final mission on 3) 4 times. Hadn't noticed anything graphically wrong. So cheers Bethesda, run 5 it is.
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kangarootoo #22 3 years ago

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@MyPointIs

Haha, I deleted my post after I realised it was in fact a spelling mistake rather than a typo.

So now I've just made you look crazy
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dirk_aircool #23 3 years ago

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It would have been better if game worked properly on release day rather than 4 months after I played it and lost intrest , mainly because I thought the level cap made it quite pointless .
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bonker #24 3 years ago

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It's all good. F3 really is just such a great game, it certainly fulfills all my RPG and FPS (not that I ever had any but ...) requirements ...
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MattyD #25 3 years ago

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Why does the PC get this patch too? I'm pretty sure it had specular lighting when I played it...
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metalangel #26 3 years ago

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@MyPointIs - You should take it as a (weird sort of) compliment that your English was otherwise good enough to fool me into thinking you were a native if uneducated speaker!

Peace out.

PS: It's 'matte'. I don't know who Matt Finish is but flat colouring has clearly made him very rich.
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anonim1979 #27 3 years ago

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What earlier comparison doesn't mention is that X360 version also has BETTER WATER RELFLECTIONS - that is full word with all objects reflects in X360 one and PS3 version has only static and partial reflections - anybody that played HL2 can confirm that

better (full world vs only static) reflections in water:

HQ on X360:
[link url= http://yoda.dip.jp/Game/Fallout3/Fallout3_21_360.png
]http://yo da.dip.jp/Game/Fallout3/Fallout...[/link]

LQ on PS3
[link url= http://yoda.dip.jp/Game/Fallout3/Fallout3_21_PS3.png
]http://yo da.dip.jp/Game/Fallout3/Fallout...[/link]

In Hl2 you could chose in options High Quality FULL reflections or "optimised" lower details reflections:

HQ:
[link url=http://www.benchmar k.pl/artykuly/testy/wybieramy_karty_do_HalfLife2/obrazki/4.r eflect_all.jpg
]http://ww w.benchmark.pl/artykuly/testy/w...[/link]

LQ:
[link url=http://www.benchm ark.pl/artykuly/testy/wybieramy_karty_do_HalfLife2/obrazki/4 .reflect_world.jpg
]http://ww w.benchmark.pl/artykuly/testy/w...[/link]

Edited by 1 at 05/03/09 @ 21:11
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