Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26447
Gaming ■ ■ ■ ■ “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” –From William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II, 1597 If fear introduces a man to himself, then so, too, does power. T at’s the theme at the heart of Lionhead’s Fable III, the latest installment in the legendary RPG series and, quite possibly, the culmination of the vision Peter Molyneux’s Lionhead Studios had for the series back in 2005: A narrative guided by choice and consequence—unbroken by an overload of meters and menus—in which the world trans- forms in every way imaginable according to the player’s actions, ultimately reveal- ing his or her true moral character. For what is character but action, and action, choice? Unlike its predecessors, however, Fable III takes the ramifi cations of the player’s choices beyond the individual and extends them to all of society. While the fi rst Fable was inspired by folklore, and the second by King Arthur and Robin Hood, the third is modeled on the monarchs and the rebels, particularly of the Georgian and Victorian eras. Like the previous titles in this series, it follows the typical hero’s journey of a powerless, young character who accepts a call to a greater destiny and progresses through confl ict to attain power. T at’s where most generic games end. Not Fable III. “Why end at potentially the most Touch-based Gameplay Molyneux searched beyond the obvious and found a much more subtle way of instilling a sense of empowerment—a complex touch- based system of gameplay. “Feeling powerful is all about your rela- tionship to the world and your ability to touch it,” he explains. “If I suddenly said to you, ‘You can’t touch anything,’ you’d feel dimin- Lionhead Studios’ Fable III takes players into the realm of monarchs during the 1700s, wherein they must lead a royal revolt against the tyrannical king. But in the usual Fable fashion, the choices made in the game have a global effect on the kingdom’s subjects. exciting bit?” asks Lionhead lead designer Peter Molyneux. Taking that to heart, Fable III’s second half explores the fl ipside of the hero’s journey: following the player after the person wins kingship over the mythical land of Albion. It’s then, and only then, that the choices of the player—now charged with absolute political power—aff ect the entire kingdom, rich and poor alike. Discussing the importance of including this “fl ipside,” Molyneux points immediately to Henry VIII. “Not only did he kill off his wives, but to do that he got rid of [the realm’s] religion and replaced it with a new one,” he says. “He also took fi ve percent of the entire tax in- come—the equivalent of billions of British pounds—and spent it on his personal wine cellar while many people were suff ering from starvation and the plague. T at’s fascinating inspiration, and we want to give you the power to be that colorful when you’re ruler.” Indeed, once crowned, the player is free to make the laws and execute them in any fashion he or she sees fi t—however moral or immoral. “Fable III is all about power and making you feel powerful,” notes Molyneux. “But how do you do that? Do I create 200 weapons you can buy from shops?” he asks. “No,” he answers, because invariably everyone ends up choosing the same big weapon. “T at’s not choice, or power,” he adds. Alternatively, the gameplay experience is often derailed when situations call for players to scour their GUI-based inventory for the right weapon. To solve those problems, players de- sign and wield one weapon throughout Fable III. Like a blank can- vas, players can tailor the curvature or sharpness of a blade, which will drip blood if used against innocents, glow ethereally if turned against evil, or broaden if used for defensive parries. ished.” T erefore, depending on your relationship to someone, you can use ‘expression touches’ to shake hands, embrace, kiss, or comfort someone, before employing ‘dynamic touches’ to perform more com- plex physical interactions, like carrying a child to safety or grabbing a disloyal subject by the scruff of the neck and tossing the person into a dungeon. “T at makes you feel powerful, man!” Molyneux enthuses. “Sure, we could have used the ‘A’ button to put them in jail, but that doesn’t make you feel emotional, which is all about that connec- tion to the world reinforced by this emphasis on touch,” Molyneux continues. T e variations on touching and holding gradually be- come more involved and complex in proportion to the acquisition of power—an interesting psychological statement, to be sure. Speaking of that psychology, design director Josh Atkins says, “T e origin of the touch idea is built around an attempt to emo- tionally root the player in the game. When we think of features for Fable, we often discuss what we want the player to ‘feel’ and how that feature will matter emotionally to the audience. Overall, we felt that actually being able to touch another character or another player created an immediate emotional bond with them. T erefore, the touch mechanic can mean holding a child’s hand as you rescue the person from a cave full of wolves; it can mean hugging a co-op player, kissing your spouse, or shaking hands as you promise to make someone’s life better if they follow you.” Lionhead also extended this mandate for tactile interaction to lev- eling up and customization. Typically, these would be the domain of endless HUDs, GUIs, meters, and menu bars, constantly clutter- ing the screen and breaking the immersive experience. In terms of January/February 2011 23