PC fix for "very serious" Shivering Isles bug

A PC fix for what's being described as a "very serious bug"discovered in recently released Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles has been made available.

The bug, which happens once Shivering Isles is installed, is reportedly linked to a problem with identification numbers, or Form IDs, for in-game objects. An "internal space"reserved for these numbers is being overpopulated due to certain NPC scripts "erroneously using up several identification numbers per frame of gameplay," says the Shivering Isles Wiki, which is causing objects freshly created to disappear from the game world.

According to the Wiki, the bug "will render the game unplayable in many ways [after]about 50 to 120 hours of play."

Luckily an unofficial fix for the PC version of the expansion which addresses the bug can be downloaded, however Xbox 360 gamers are reporting that the bug is also present in the console version of Shivering Isles - and eyes are turning to Bethesda for help.

"Regarding the issue in which Form IDs are being used at a high rate in the Shivering Isles content; we are aware of the issue and we are currently looking into a solution," the developer has so far said in response.

"We appreciate your patience, especially from those of you affected by this issue, as we carefully work out a fix that will correct this problem without adding any new issues."

April 10, 2007