Loinhead

and wants to get rid of some - with your help! Posting on the blog, Sam explains their predicament. It’s fairly urgent; they need a whole bunch of questions before November 19th. Questions should be about the World of Fable 2, their upcoming Fable 2-based MMORPG (or whatever you think that means). The questions will be answered by Fable 2 devs in the next video diary.

Hello Lionhead Community, fans and Fable Fanatics! The creation of the fourth Lionhead Video Diary is well under way; I’ve picked the topic of our next episode after careful consideration and taking all your feedback into account. Please remember these are called Lionhead Developer Video Diaries and not just Fable Video Diaries, but I take your point that you want to see more Fable 2 G o o d [Good]ness and so, the subject of the next episode will be the World of Fable 2! Normally I wouldn’t disclose the subject of the next episode as the surprise factor is half of the fun but on this occasion we want to hear from you!

We want all of you to submit your questions for the team.

Come on people, do it for the team.

Sam mentions on the forums, and subsequently on the blogs, that bows didn’t make it into the game, after the guys tested it and found that actual guns blow it out of the water. Crossbows are still cool, though. Via PE.

Bows just don’t work in Fable 2 and so, there won’t be any in the final game (OK, never say never, but at the moment there won’t be any bows, and if it changes, I’ll let you know). [...] Probably the most important reason why not, is that it’s just silly.

That’s part two (p1) of Peter Molyneux’s interview with Gamesindustry.biz in four words for you (it’s these time-savers that make all the difference). If you’ve got time for an additional seven: Peter is pleasingly glib about silly questions.

GamesIndustry.biz: You’ve always been outspoken in your beliefs about what games have the potential to offer and where they could go. What’s your view on the question of whether games are an art form?

Peter Molyneux: Of course they are.

Why would you say that is?

Why would you say they weren’t? I’m very glib about that because this is a philosophical question. - Read on »

Meet the “Geeky” and Extremely Funny Central Technology Group (CTG) at Lionhead Studios, Responsible For Creating the Unique Tools that Produce and Enhance the Gameplay in “Fable 2″.

Video Diary Three is out! It Is Full Of Laffs.

Bungie and Microsoft are parting ways. Not too long ago, Microsoft didn’t buy Bizarre Creations - another important game studio making big games for the 360. Industry analyst Michael Pachter said that Microsoft “might not have wanted to acquire the developer after its experiences with Lionhead and Rare.” This could be significant of a major change in strategy for Microsoft and how it handles first-party development. Immediate effects for Lionhead are not expected (by me, but who knows?).

Gamasutra chats to a bunch of artists, one of them being Mike McCarthy (he did that ol’ sketch, you remember). It’s a good read if you’re interested in artists generally (or Mike specifically). - Read on »

Lionhead, as ever, is nominated for a Golden Joystick under Next-Gen.biz UK Developer of The Year. \ol (cripple yay). Go vote for them. The rest of them don’t have an Aztec’s chance in B&W2.

Gamesindustry.biz has put up a interview with Peter Molyneux where he talks about everything from fable to little big planet.

GamesIndustry.biz: How would you describe your approach to Fable

Peter Molyneux: You can approach a sequel in one of two ways. You can say, ‘I’m going to give people more of what they want and make it better,’ or you can say, ‘I really want to make some huge strides forward.’

I’ve always said there will be three really big surprises in Fable 2, one of which I spoke about at GDC this year - the story and how we’re going to tell it. The second one is about combat - what it is, how it’s exciting and why it’s a different combat system from what’s been done before.

It’s really about trying to revolutionise something that has been standard - for us, anyway - for decades. What does it feel like to hold a sword, to fire a gun, to use magic, and how can I make that feel much more exciting than it ever has before?

- Read on »