Very annoying. I got the PC version from the Steam sale and it will just freeze randomly every few minutes, at which point I need to run task manager to close it.

Specs:
OS: Windows 7 home premium
CPU: Intel Core i3 530
RAM: 3.00 GB
DirectX 11
ATI Radeon 5700

Every other game I have runs perfectly, including much newer games so I don't know what the issue is here... help is appreciated.

Same problem for me. I just got the game 12/24/2010 on Steam and started playing. The screen freezes every few minutes when I am just moving my character around. So far it has only seemed to have crashed when I was equipped with particular weapons: the scoped magnum or switch blade. I spent the majority of time playing with the 10mm in hand and never crashed with that equipped. Maybe that is a red herring.

My PC:
Specs:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
CPU: Intel Core i5 750
RAM: 4.00 GB
DirectX 11
ATI Radeon 5700 with the 10.12 (latest) driver.

Open up the .ini file located in My Documents>My Games>Fallout 3. *Do not alter the one in the actual game directory labeled Fallout_Default_ini*
In the FALLOUT.ini find the line

bUseThreadedAI=0
change the 0 to a 1

then below it add the line

iNumHWThreads=2

Near same thing for me. I got the goty from steam for chrstmas etc. My game does not freeze every 5 minutes but is often, and when it wants to and before I save game. It svcks.

I just built this system, but using my older video card. The game ran better in xp on my dual core amd rig and older drivers 182.06 and patch 015- well ran better on my abit kn8 and 4000+ too. I have the retail collectors ed. The game was always a lil glitchy, but not like now. I did not have the retail dlc's and always ran patch 015.


No matter if I have fraps running with the game or not recording or not. It seems to be running fine, and I lowered quality settings in game a lil to make up for my new high res monitor. I just turn around or walk up to something to check for goods or to read something it just freezes. If fraps is on, its says I am running 60fps or so, so My game quality settings must not be too high. It might come back might not. I wait 3 minutes or so. I can not ctrl alt f4 nothing to get back to my desk top- or I am not doing it right.

It is so aggravating. I have to hit my reset button and takes w7 20 minutes or so to load up what ever and calm down , and then turn off all my security and wait for it to calm down again before I can start to playing again. Sometimes I just give up and wish I did not waste another dime on this game. All I read it all started after patching for the dlcs. I feel stupid for spending more money on the game..

All of my drivers and system is up to date. Older vid card yes. But the game should work Right or better any way.. I get no bug reports. my system just freezes is all. And for no reasons I can think of.. This system other than vid card is maybe 3x more powerful than my last system. I do not understand it. I have never used w7 so, I do not know what the best drivers are or for my older card, I cant really test them and say I have good drivers to fall back to. It svcks. Borderlands [borderlands is not steam], bioshock and hl2 ep2 work fine on steam, only fo3 gives me problems, or of the games I am testing any way..

I have already done all I know or read for better game performance in w7. I turn off the areo or clear glass junk and other lil things. I should be chewing up fo3 with no probs.

My vid card is nvidia. I do not know if this fix will work for me or not.

I guess I can not play the game any more, I dont know.. It svcks..

Thanks- See ya..

I do not know that it matters, but I never did anything to or for gfwl. When I start the game, a thing pops up and says I have to enter this code- copy it etc. I click ok or play, the normal fo3 main loader starts where you can change af or aa or tell it to load up the dlc's etc- I have not loaded a dlc yet tho- I am not far enough in the game to worry on that stuff yet. Or press play. I figure it is steam I can avoid anything godless gfwl. I dont know. the game seems to work fine- then it just freezes.

Nothing has carried me to a gfwl page or nothing. Maybe I did not read all info, I do not know what to say. I would be happy to complete the game and dlc's 1 time trouble free- Then I will delete it. That is about all I can take from the poor fps parts of the game. FO3 is a better rpg for sure, and is not my cup of tea, but fo3 is a cool game, if it works that is..

All this time and no patches after the game got all the dlc's nothing, now vegas is out. I think I will wait another year or 2 to get vegas and from steam maybe a goty for under 25 bucks. I can not see paying beth full price for anything any more, Is just how I have felt about this game for a long while. It never just ran perfect and never deserved such high ratings imo. just for the buggy crap alone it should have 2 less points in any scores or reviews period. They even talk about the buggy junk in the reviews- brush it over and give the game what 9.5 out of 10, is a freaken joke. It should be no more high than 7.5 just because its beth and buggy. A tradition for beth. I do read a lot.

Seems to be some good mods for this game too. I read I have to install and learn how to use 3 programs or so to play a freaken mod. No thanks. Hl2 you just install the mod games, ut04 or codwaw zombies you just add maps or skins what ever and is easy. Even stalker mods you just add them to a game data folder. FO3 and mods is like the rest of the game- Problems. I bet I wasted another $22.50 on this game and it will never work right.

The only thing I bough my self for christmas was steam fo3 goty. It has been lil fun so far. I say it has been lil fun so far.

see ya..

Thanks starforce9

That seems to have fixed the game for me. I got to play a few hours and no freeze ups. Guess I did not lose my money after all. Maybe the dlcs will let me enjoy them too..

Maybe that info should be in a sticky if not already. Seems us p55 folks are having the same problem. I guess the game defaults to 1 core or something. Be nice if beth put out a patch or something that fixed it. But it is easy enough to fix manually.

You folks take care.