Fable II
| Fable 2 (working title) | |
|---|---|
| File:Fable2logo.png | |
| Developer(s) | Lionhead Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Designer(s) | Peter Molyneux |
| Engine | Proprietary |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release |  30-5-08 TBA 2008
 TBA 2008[1] |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Fable 2 is an upcoming role playing video game for the Xbox 360, in development by Lionhead Studios and will be published by Microsoft Game Studios. It is a sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters. Announced in 2006, a 2008 release date is currently planned[1]. The game will take place in Albion, 500 years after Fable's setting, in a colonial era resembling the time of highwaymen, but guns are still primitive, although the entire area is free roaming and is more developed, with huge castles and cities in the place of towns.[2]
Storyline
At the X06 speech about Fable 2 on September 29, 2006, Molyneux revealed the beginnings of the storyline.[3]
Now let’s talk about the opening of the story, as I said, you can be a man or a woman, the story starts in classic computer game style. It’s all about this regal bird, flying through this amazing and incredible landscape, through down valleys, over mountaintops, through city streets, the bird just comes to rest on the top of this tower. It will take a dump and the camera will follow until it drops on our characters head.
Gameplay
Combat
Announced at E3 2007, all melee combat takes place on the X button. All ranged combat runs on the Y button and magic on the B button. Flourishes will be shown in a different perspective and time will slow down to show finishing moves. Moves done in melee combat are also dependent on where the player is located. For example, if a player is on top of a tower, pressing the X button may cause the player to throw a certain enemy off of the tower rather than attack with a weapon. Also, in the X06 edition of the combat with a not yet ready combat engine shows you can use the environment which leads on to different combat reaches. The character can get into a bar fight shown in the combat demo (the first tested engine).
There are multiple different weapon types known of so far: guns, axes, swords, hammers, and maces.Crossbows remain a possibility. It has been confirmed recently on the Lionhead blogs that the longbows will not be in Fable 2 due to the appearance of guns in Albion. Although bows are no longer available it has been rumoured that upgraded versions of the crossbows will be introduced to keep up with the firearms.[4]
Dog
The player will encounter a dog that will stay with him or her for the rest of the game. Molyneux has stated that the dog is an entity that will get the player to care, to experience love or hate, when he announced this feature at the GDC 2007. Every dog will be unique in some way and morph depending on a variety of factors such as alignment. The dog will assist the player by alerting him to threats (although never giving the player away to the threat) and so completely replacing the mini map, and attacking whatever enemies the player is weakest to, depending, for example, on the weapon drawn. In a recent interview and game demonstration Molyneux showed some of the interactions players can have with their dog, including buying toys, playing fetch and rewarding or punishing their dogs for their behavior.
Obeying three main laws (do not aggravate the player; unconditionally love the player and self-preservation), the dog features advanced AI. Although the dog is not directly controllable, it will respond to the player's actions; moving to attack will bring it to attack, running somewhere will have the dog run. Behavior is context-specific, and the dog will stay much closer in towns or when the player is hurt than when outside. He is, to a degree, trainable using expressions.[5] Molyneux also revealed that if the player seriously does not want a dog, then they have to run away and escape from it (preferably when it is injured), although the dog will track down the player, causing him or her to run away again. One example given is if the dog is injured and the player leaves and goes to the pub, later there will be a scratching at the door. Someone will open the door for it and observers will react negatively.
Family
Another mechanism to get the player to care are families. The player is able to flirt with anyone (of either gender) and get married. The player may have protected or unprotected sex with NPCs of the opposite gender, which may result in a child. The child's looks will depend on those of his parents, and his attributes will be dependent on the player's actions and alignment. Female player characters may become pregnant and have an abortion if the child is unwanted.[5][3]
Death
In Fable 2, the player's character does not die upon defeat. Rather, he or she falls unconscious once he or she loses all of his or her health. The enemies will then injure the character while they are unconscious by beating, kicking or stabbing them, which will leave permanent scars. The new system of "death" is intended to simulate the humiliation of defeat, while sustaining scars will negatively affect NPCs attitudes toward the player. Molyneux stated during the E3 2007 combat demo that boss enemies will inflict major, disfiguring scars, which will have a major negative effect on NPC relationships.[6]
However, falling unconscious (said to last around 30 seconds according to Molyneux) can be avoided, if the player is willing to sacrifice one of 3 things: gold, reputation or experience gained.
Cutscenes
There will be no cutscenes in the game, apart from the beginning cutscene which lasts approximately 1 minute. Rather like pressing the Y button in Gears of War to focus in on a team mate or a point of interest, pressing a button during a major event in Fable 2 will focus in on the main point of interest.
Dynamic world
Molyneux has stated that his aim is to create a dynamic, changing world on a large scale. Since the game will take place over a hero's lifetime, many things will change; he gave an example of a trade camp the player could help or destroy that would later be a town or ruin. Trading in such camps would increase their profit, resulting in a small town growing around them, while stealing from the camp or massacring the camp will result in the abandonment of the area. Additionally, every property in the world is ownable by the player, often unlocking further content such as quests. Titles will be awarded for buying property, for instance, if you were to buy every building, and every piece of land in a town, you may become known as the mayor, king, and eventually emperor of the entire realm. [3][7]
It is also rumored that towns and villages from Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters have "grown up". One example is Bowerstone, which in Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters was the largest town, yet it was still quite a small town. It has been confirmed that it is in Fable 2 and is rumored to be a thriving city. The first published screenshot of the game is of Bowerstone.
It has also been confirmed that the Hero is from the slums of Bowerstone.
Pre-release marketing
Online competitions
Just as Lionhead has done with The Movies, online competitions were made available through Lionhead's forums. One such competition was naming a title to be used in the game, similar to the first game wherein a character was addressed by various titles that the character purchased from a "Title Vendor/" Lionhead has not explicitly stated whether these titles will be bought or whether they will be earned in Fable 2, although the winning title was Lionheart.
Lionhead released a Fable 2 teaser video[8] in 2006 and stated that it included 10 hints about the game's final content.[9] During the GDC seven things were revealed for sure.[citation needed]
Playing as a male or female hero,[10] using guns,[11] dynamic regions,[11] starting off as a child, becoming an adult, and choosing between good and bad all ties in with the dynamic world. The dog was not alluded to in the teaser; what other hints there have been, or indeed, if there have been any at all is uncertain.
E3 2007
At E3 2007 Peter Molyneux played a short demo of Fable 2 and talked about how combat in the game will work. There will be one button for melee attacks (X), one button for ranged attacks (Y), and one button for magical attacks (B). He then explained that by holding down or quickly tapping one of these attack buttons different moves will be done. He then went on to say depending on your surroundings, your alignment, and many other social factors your attack will be further changed.
"You will be able to do anything that you want with no restrictions", quotes Peter Molyneux. In addition, he demonstrated that the player will be able to perform such actions as throwing bottles simply by using the same button as "attack" while standing near a bottle. This suggests that the combat buttons will be context sensitive, and vary according to location and the presence of props. Molyneux stated that this may result in such actions as swinging from a chandelier into an enemy during a bar fight.
Video Diaries
On May 24, 2007, episode one of The Lionhead Diaries focused on love and emotion in Fable 2. [12]
On July 30, 2007, episode two was released, highlighting the one-button combat system. And a game of soccer. [12]
On October 8, 2007, episode three was released, going in depth about the Central Technology Group. Also Lionhead's 10 year Anniversary. [12]
Technology
The graphics engine is written in-house, but middleware is integrated for several other parts of the game: Havok is used for a physics engine and Kynapse is used for some AI. The engine is expected to take much of the Xbox 360's power, as leaves will be individually animated and 15 million poppies are already in the game.[13]
References
- ^ http://www.lionhead.com/fable2/about.html
- ^ http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/741/741361/vids_1.html
- ^ a b c http://www.loinhead.net/2007/01/27/molyneux-at-x06-transcribed/3/
- ^ http://community.lionhead.com/blogs/fable_2_development/default.aspx
- ^ a b http://kotaku.com/gaming/fable-2/gdc07-molyneux-is-scared-242164.php
- ^ http://www.gamersyde.com/news_4706.html
- ^ http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/771/771030p2.html
- ^ http://www.fable2.com/index.php
- ^ http://www.fragland.net/specials.php?id=183
- ^ http://allboards.lionhead.com/showthread.php?s=6df6ab214faa076dc130d806f69419d6&p=2659921#post2659921
- ^ a b http://boards.lionhead.com/showthread.php?s=6df6ab214faa076dc130d806f69419d6&p=2660317#post2660317
- ^ a b c http://www.lionhead.com/diaries.html
- ^ http://www.loinhead.net/fable-2/technology/
External links
- Official Website
- Developer Website
- Video Diary Site
- Fable-2.com (Community Fan Site)
- ProjectEgo.net (Community Fan Site)