Skyrim Creation Kit on-track for January; 1.4 patch almost ready

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's promised Creation Kit and Steam Workshop are now nearly complete, pending some testing with Valve and the game's modding community. Developer Bethesda Game Studios also reports that the game's next major patch (v.1.4) is also currently undergoing testing for all three platforms, and is expected to release for the PC version next week, when it will also be sent off to console manufacturers for certification.

The information, revealed on Bethesda's Blog, also notes that the developer will be using Steam to roll out "beta" versions of the patch, something that players can decide whether or not it's something in which they want to participate. "Our current update plan for the PC is to first release our updates as 'beta' versions through Steam," Bethesda states. "This is something you'll be able to opt into through Steam and back-out of if needed. This is an extra safety check for everyone going forward and should expedite and improve our updating process for our PC users. We'll have more info soon on how this will work," the developer explains.

We've included the complete list of bug-fixes expected in the 1.4 patch, below. There's also a huge list of quest-specific fixes; however, we've opted not to post them here as some of their descriptions might be viewed by some as a bit spoilery. The entire list of patch notes, including the quest-specific fixes, can be viewed here.

Bug Fixes in Skyrim patch 1.4

• General optimizations for memory and performance

• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin’s in player’s house. (PS3)

• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)

• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)

• Memory optimizations related to scripting

• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI

• Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”

• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games

• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line

• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian

• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly

• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save

• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home

• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.

• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly

• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells

• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly

• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail

• Fixed memory crash with container menu

• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves

• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally not fail

• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks