Lionhead releases Fable 2 video diaries
- May 24, 2007 09:47 AM PST
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Starting today, interested gamers can get an intimate look into the creation process behind the anticipated heavily-awaited RPG Fable 2.
By Eugene Huang
Lionhead Studios has released the first episode of a multipart series of video diaries that will give gamers a glimpse into the development of Peter Molyneux's epic RPG sequel Fable 2. The episodes will be available for free on both the Lionhead Studios website and the Xbox Live Marketplace, and the first episode has gone live today, May 24th.
Entitled "Emotions in Action Games", this episode focuses mainly on the concept of establishing love in a video game. In the introduction, Molyneux claims that the tangible presence of emotion in Fable 2 is going to be one of the "three big features" in the game.
"You feeling loved is really important to us," he says.
One method in which the game conveys love to the gamer is by establishing a deeper sense of interaction with the game's NPCs. According to creative director Dene Carter, every action that you are responsible for in the game world, whether it's slaying a dragon or rescuing a villager, will have a noticeable impact on how characters treat you in the long term. Therefore, doing good deeds actually instills a sense of accomplishment and respect.
Of course, the best example of unconditional love in the game can be found in the player's dog companion. But, Molyneux states that the dog can not be controlled by conventional means, but will instead be directly affected by your actions in the game. The dog will act purely on his desire to protect your character.
"What we could have done is given you this dog and make him controllable by you, allow you to send him places, get him to wait, have him so that you could press a button, he could attack," Molyneux explains. "That would have been the easy thing to do, but no, we've been brave about this. We give you no control over the dog.
"I don't press a button when I go out with my dog for a walk. I just go out with the dog," he adds. "And the dog does his thing. And he knows that if I don't like something, he damn well doesn't do it. That's how you control the dog in the game.
"The very fact that you don't control him makes him feel real, makes him feel like something that has a mind, and that has an agenda. And that agenda -- first and foremost in that agenda is his love for you," Molyneux concludes.
Future episodes of this video diary will be made available at a later date.
