Broken Steel bugs

Bugs and glitches/exploits in the Fallout 3 DLC pack Broken Steel.

Installation

 * May 5th, 2009 - PC release downloads via Microsoft Games for Windows Live. Upon completion of download in the G4WL client a message may read: "Install of item Broken Steel failed. Not a cryptographic message or the cryptographic message is not formatted correctly. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8009200D)" This will happen after repeated downloads and the 'retry' button on the G4WL client will not work. Upon investigation of the DLC files themselves (located in C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\GFWLive\Downloads the winrar archive containing the DLC is corrupt and will not extract with Winrar or 7z. Note that this renders the whole DLC unusable. The DLC is currently not available to download from G4WL possibly due to this fault. Hopefully there will be more information after a day or two as to whether it's fixed or not.


 * Some users at the official forums have reported success downloading the DLC while Fallout 3's game client was running in the background. With Fallout 3 minimized, return to the GFWLive client, open 'My Media' tab, select 'Entire History' and download Broken Steel again.  This seems to only work for some in the United States with more sporadic results elsewhere.

There also seems to be a temporary mod fix for a specific part of the DLC, but as no one can actually get a hold of it at this time, it isn't much use yet.


 * if you have it installed, you may need to take off the unofficial patch that stops you from completing the game before installing Broken steel (Windows only)

Achievements
The support lines at bethesda said that this problem is caused by the new acheivments are not syncing up with the xbox live system and that the problem should work itself out with no loss of acheivments.
 * May 5th, 2009 - Fallout 3 Broken Steel gives you the achievement but the score doesn't get added to your gamer score

Gameplay

 * May 5th 2009 - Broken Steel has a big bug on the Xbox360. When you beat the final chapter, the "2 weeks later" never appears, and the "Settings" menu, and downloads area, become "stick" and glitchy.
 * Download it again and wait a bit it should say broken steel has been loaded cap raised to 30


 * May 5th 2009 - Broken Steel has a bug on the Xbox 360 version, stopping players from activating Project Purity. Sarah Lyons becomes stuck on dialogue (when you choose not to kill col. Autumn) and does not initiate the dialogue choice of who should activate the purifier. Alternatively, if you do, she simply states "Let's make sure the control is secure before we do anything else," and will not continue. However, it is still possible to level up to level 30 and the improved enemies can still be found throughout the Wasteland. UPDATE: It seems many people who experiencing this bug have not yet updated to version 1.5  Check your update version: From the title screen, select Settings, then Display. In the lower left hand corner, you'll then see the update #.


 * May 5th, 2009 - Broken Steel has a bug on the Xbox 360 version, greatly impeding progress for the players to reaching Project Purity. The Enclave soldiers apparently become invincible and do not take any damage unless inflicted by Liberty Prime, Sarah Lyons, or car explosions. Liberty Prime may also disappear.


 * May 5th, 2009 - Broken Steel has a bug on the Xbox 360 version, some of the new achievements do not register after they have been unlocked, leaving Gamerscore unchanged and appearing locked. However the 'Achievement Unlocked' message still appears. Confirmed by this author. This is possibly caused by some players not receiving the update that adds the Broken Steel Achievements into the list. Removing game updates and updating again fixed this for me, but I had to obtain the Broken Steel Achievements all over again. The support lines at Bethesda say that this problem is caused by the new achievements are not syncing up with the Xbox Live system and that the problem should work itself out with no loss of achievements.


 * May 5th, 2009 - 360 bug is preventing Liberty Prime from crossing the bridge to project purity. He repeatedly circles near the end of the bridge.  I think this is an old bug that is yet unfixed.  Reloading the auto save from the citadel exit can and most likely will solve the problem.  Reloading saves made once outside the citadel does not solve the problem.
 * Liberty Prime was freed to continue by this player walking along the riverside (past the bridge LP is circling on) to activate and kill the remaining Enclave soldiers there.


 * May 5th, 2009 - A bug after the download of Fallout 3: Broken Steel is if you have not completed The American Dream, you may freeze within 5 feet of Elder Lyons and be unable to talk or move. The quest does not continue, and Elder Lyons does not speak.  Weapons cannot be draw upon entrance to laboratory.
 * To fix this, tell Sentinel Lyons that you aren't ready. Go out to the courtyard, and come back in to say that you are ready (needs conformation).


 * May 5th, 2009 - My follower completely disappeared after I volunteered to go into the chamber and awoke from the coma. (Note: Your follower returns after the final DLC quest is completed and you return to The Citadel.)


 * May 5th, 2009 - Attempting to gain the laser pistol next to the mini nuke at the end of the Presidential Metro Line results in the player becoming stuck and unable to get out without loading to the most recent save.


 * May 5th, 2009 - After installation of Broken Steel, and completion of original story line, some characters do not reward XP. (Ex: Super Mutant Behemoth at Capitol Building, and his companions.)


 * May 5th, 2009 - After installing Broken Steel, Scribe Rothchild becomes glitched while trying to complete the quest Picking Up the Trail. He tells you to follow him to gain information about Vault 87, but he does not move and you cannot speak to him again. (Note: I had this happen without the DLC right after the 1.5 update. I pushed Rothchild out to the map and once he got there, he started talking and the quest proceeded normally.  Rotchild was in the area behind the map in a room with a sleeping soldier; it was the first time I had seen him there at that point of the quest, and wondered if the game couldn't figure out how to get him to the map automatically.)


 * May 5th, 2009 - After downloading Broken Steel, the game may freeze whenever you try to load a save file of any character. There is no known fix so far, other than deleting Broken Steel. (Xbox 360 confirmed)
 * Even after deleting Broken Steel and any other DLC, problem may persist.
 * Possibly not related to Broken Steel. Having something from Operation Anchorage causes games without patches to crash upon loading. Most likely the same glitch, just people incorrectly associating it.


 * May 5th, 2009 - After installing Broken Steel, during the Waters of Life Main quest, (XBox 360 Version) all the NPC's, at any point of the quest, whether it be the Father entering Jefferson Memorial after you've told him it was all clear, or when you are required to follow Doctor Madison Li when fleeing the premises. What seems to happen, is right after they cross into separate zones [ie - Entering a door that leads to another area that requires loading.], the NPC's will become stuck, and you cannot progress any farther. This appears to happen after the game notifies you that Broken Steel was successfully installed and loaded into the game.


 * May 6th, 2009 - All companions disappear after completing the Waters of Life quest.


 * May 6th, 2009 - Attempting to restart a new game will cause some sort of client error. No messages are displayed but after completing the events of when the main character is 10 years old, the game stops responding, yet the player can still look around. Rather than after Jonas takes the picture, the flashbulb causing a flash sequence to lead to the next part of the game, the flash occurs and after that you are permanently stuck standing there with your father. You can look around but that's all. Only possible guess to fix this bug is to wait for a release of a patch to fix this. As this is considered a game breaker.


 * May 6th, 2009 - during the "Shock Value" quest after entering Old Olney and shooting a deathclaw with a plasma rifle. All deathclaws in the local vicinity proceeded to fly directly up in the air (about 6 in all) (XBox360)


 * May 6th, 2009 - Using multiple followers (neutral-karma RL3 Wait-Fire-Rehire glitch), this player fired all but RL3 just prior to entering the Rotunda and engaging Col. Autumn. Upon waking up from the coma (beginning of Broken Steel's main quest line), only RL3 returned home at any point, and Charon could be seen standing on an inaccessible roof atop the Jefferson Memorial.  The other two companions (Butch and Clover) were nowhere to be found. (X360)


 * May 6th, 2009, reported incidents of a "invisible barrier" appearing any certain points ie the utilly door up the earth mount and the door to tesla coil leaving players trapped if they jumped in, this bug is on the xbox 360 version, only one barrier appears to have dodgey coding and blocks important in game places


 * May 6th, 2009, I sent charon into the reactor, after I tried to make fawkes my follower but she said I must get rid of my companion first even though I didnt have a follower.


 * May 6th, 2009 - (Xbox 360) After getting the Puppies! perk, reported incident of no longer being able to have any follower other than Dogmeat's puppy, even if the puppy is dead or at Vault 101.


 * May 6th, 2009 - If the FEV virus is loaded at the end of Take it Back, Fawkes will occassionally leave your party and disappear completely from the game during the BS content


 * May 7th, 2009 - After Broken Steel update, during Those! quest while in Marigold Station, player can become permanently stuck in VATS while action continues very slowly in background. (Xbox 360)

Minor Glitches

 * May 5th, 2009 - GNR may begin playing information about the completed Project Purity, discussing plot details ahead of time. (confirmed Xbox 360).


 * May 5th, 2009 - Unable to save games in Fallout 3 after Broken Steel has been downloaded (Xbox 360 version). Doing so creates "Disc is Unreadable" error.  Autosave still works.  After getting the "Unreadable" error, cannot get to the loading screen to load another saved point.
 * May 5th, 2009 - Liberty Prime may not hit the wall to the relay station, and it may just fall apart without any motion from Prime a few seconds later.
 * May 5th, 2009 - Follower could not leave the room that the player appears in after Take It Back! Pushing the follower through the open doorway fixes the problem.
 * May 6th, 2009 - Some followers do not appear beside your bed when you wake up after completing take it back. This happened to me with Charon and Butch. To repair this you can exit the area, re-enter and they will be waiting beside your hospital bed in the citadel.
 * May 6th, 2009 - Star Paladin refuses to follow you when she appears beside your hospital bed in the citadel after you've completed take it back. After telling her to follow you she stays put, yet her dialogue options change as if she was following you. The only way to repair this is to fire and re-hire her.
 * May 6th, 2009 - Once you have beaten the game and move on to the "2 weeks later" section the "pip boy" display stays blank. Saving and re loading the game fixes this minor glitch (XBox 360 version)
 * May 6th, 2009 - After Take it Back!, water in the Capital Wasteland still radiates you. (X-Box 360) [May not be a glitch,as the purifier only cleans the water in the basin(Pond)]

While in the Citadel can become extremely glitchy at times. During Broken Steel, for example, when going into third-person view character may not display properly.