Incident: PC Version of Batman Series Experiences Graphics and Performance Issues

Published Date: 2016-08-04

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series happened when the patch was released to address these issues [47279]. Therefore, the software failure incident happened in August 2016.
System 1. Integrated graphics cards 2. Out-of-date drivers 3. Display scaling 4. DirectX error on Windows 7 5. Certain file needed to avoid DirectX error
Responsible Organization 1. Integrated graphics cards were responsible for causing the software failure incident in the Batman series by Telltale Games [47279].
Impacted Organization 1. Players of the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series were impacted by the software failure incident [47279].
Software Causes 1. Running the game on integrated graphics cards instead of dedicated graphics cards [47279] 2. Out-of-date drivers causing issues [47279]
Non-software Causes 1. The issues were caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards rather than dedicated graphics cards [47279]. 2. Out-of-date drivers were identified as a cause of the problems [47279].
Impacts 1. Low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes were experienced in the PC version of the Batman series game due to running the game on integrated graphics cards or having out-of-date drivers [47279]. 2. Players faced blurry, low-resolution graphics which required disabling display scaling as a workaround [47279]. 3. Some players encountered a DirectX error on Windows 7, which could be avoided by downloading a certain file [47279].
Preventions 1. Ensuring proper compatibility testing with integrated graphics cards and addressing any identified issues before the game's release [47279]. 2. Providing clear system requirements and recommendations to players, including the importance of using dedicated graphics cards and updating drivers [47279]. 3. Implementing better error handling mechanisms within the game to provide informative messages to users in case of issues related to graphics cards or drivers [47279].
Fixes 1. Update the graphics drivers before running the game [47279]. 2. Disable display scaling to resolve blurry, low-resolution graphics [47279]. 3. Download a certain file to avoid a DirectX error on Windows 7 [47279].
References 1. Telltale Games website [47279] 2. Steam page for the game [47279]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series was caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards or out-of-date drivers. Telltale Games released a patch to address these issues [47279]. (b) The software failure incident of low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series was reported by players on the game's Steam page. Players discussed workarounds and fixes for the issues, such as disabling display scaling and downloading specific files to avoid DirectX errors on Windows 7 [47279].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in this case was related to the design phase. Telltale Games released a patch for its Batman series to address low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes on the PC version. The issues were found to be caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards rather than dedicated ones or due to out-of-date drivers. The patch included changes to automatically default the game to run on dedicated graphics cards and added graphics settings for texture quality selection to address performance issues [47279].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily within_system. The issues such as low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of the Batman series game were attributed to running the game on integrated graphics cards or having out-of-date drivers [47279]. The patch released by Telltale Games aimed to address these internal system-related issues by automatically defaulting the game to run on dedicated graphics cards and providing options for graphics settings to improve performance. Additionally, players were advised to update their drivers to prevent these issues. The community also shared workarounds and fixes to deal with the problems, indicating that the root cause of the failure was within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The issues such as low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of the Batman series by Telltale Games were identified to be caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards rather than dedicated ones, as well as outdated drivers. The studio released a patch to automatically default the game to run on dedicated graphics cards and advised players to update their drivers to address these issues [47279].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in this case was attributed to hardware issues, specifically integrated graphics cards. Telltale Games released a patch to address low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes on the PC version, which were found to be caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards rather than dedicated ones [47279]. (b) The software failure incident was not directly attributed to contributing factors originating in the software itself. Instead, the issues were related to hardware (integrated graphics cards) and outdated drivers causing the problems experienced by players.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is non-malicious. The issues with low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series were attributed to running the game on integrated graphics cards or having out-of-date drivers, as stated by Telltale Games themselves in their post on their website [47279]. The studio released a patch to address these issues and advised players to update their drivers before running the game. Additionally, the community also helped others resolve these issues before the patch was released. Therefore, the software failure incident in this case was not due to malicious intent but rather technical issues related to hardware compatibility and outdated drivers.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions The intent of the software failure incident related to the Batman series patch released by Telltale Games was not due to poor decisions but rather accidental decisions. The issues such as low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes on the PC version were found to be caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards or having out-of-date drivers, as mentioned in the Telltale Games post on their website [47279]. The studio acknowledged that these issues were not intentional but rather unintended consequences of players using integrated graphics cards or outdated drivers. Additionally, the patch released by Telltale Games aimed to address these accidental decisions by automatically defaulting the game to run on dedicated graphics cards and providing options for graphics settings to improve performance [47279].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in this case was not due to development incompetence. The issues with low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of the Batman series by Telltale Games were identified to be caused by running the game on integrated graphics cards rather than dedicated ones, as well as out-of-date drivers. Telltale Games released a patch to address these issues and also provided recommendations for players to update their drivers before running the game [47279]. (b) The software failure incident can be attributed to accidental factors such as running the game on integrated graphics cards instead of dedicated ones and using out-of-date drivers. These accidental factors led to the low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes experienced by players in the PC version of the game [47279].
Duration temporary The software failure incident mentioned in Article #47279 was temporary. The issues with low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series were attributed to running the game on integrated graphics cards or having out-of-date drivers. The studio released a patch to address these specific issues, indicating that the failure was temporary and could be resolved by updating drivers and making adjustments to the graphics settings [47279].
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident mentioned in Article #47279 involved crashes in the PC version of Telltale Games' Batman series. Players experienced low frame rate issues, resolution problems, and crashes, which were addressed by a patch released by Telltale Games [47279]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) in the provided article. (c) timing: The software failure incident in the article does not indicate that the system was performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident in the article is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, such as running the game on integrated graphics cards instead of dedicated ones, leading to issues like low frame rates and crashes [47279]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not describe the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior related to the software failure incident in the article is the need for players to update their drivers before running the game to avoid issues. Additionally, players discussed workarounds like disabling display scaling and downloading specific files to resolve problems like blurry graphics and DirectX errors [47279].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident described in the article is as follows: (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure [47279].
Domain entertainment (a) The failed system in this incident was related to the entertainment industry, specifically the video game industry. Telltale Games released a patch for its Batman series to address issues such as low frame rate, resolution problems, and crashes in the PC version of the game [Article 47279]. (g) The incident did not directly relate to the utilities industry, as the software failure was within the context of a video game release by Telltale Games [Article 47279]. (m) The software failure incident was not related to an industry outside of the options provided.

Sources

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