Happy Christmas from Lionhead!

It's been a very long time since Lionhead have done anything Fable-worthy and therefore the Blog has been a little quiet of late. But, they have sent out a little Christmas Card for the Fable fans.


So there you have it, Merry Christmas from Lionhead & of course here at The Bloody Stump. Hopefully in the new year Lionhead will have some more information on the coming games, Journey and Fable IV. Will keep you posted folks.

More Fable Fiction on the Cards

A new read from Peter David, the man behind the Balverine Order is going to hit for Fable fans...Blood Ties


And some fluff to go with it...

"When it comes to blood, you can either spill it...or save it.

Based on the worldwide video game phenomenon, this novel from the New York Times bestselling author includes a code to redeem for FABLE III Dye Pack.

When they write down the histories of Albion, the name of Ben Finn will be remembered in honor. But at present, I'm feeling a bit of wanderlust-and I'm on the move again. I had to leave the beautiful Page behind, unfortunately. So, instead of a brave woman at my side, I've acquired a troublesome toadstool of a gnome who will neither leave me alone nor shut his insolent mouth.

Not that verbal barbs can hurt me-they're nothing compared to the foe that is assaulting the walled city of Blackholm. A mysterious warlord has been slowly devouring the surrounding lands, and Blackholm is putting up a fight. What better place for a drifting warrior to make his way and earn his pay?

But a darkness that no mortal can withstand is about to be unleashed. And it holds a secret that is bound with my very blood..."

Not too bad eh? Will have to keep an eye on it that's for sure!

Finally Fable IV Rumour Surfaces!

CVG says today...

"Looking into its crystal ball, the mag's October 2011 issue says: "Look for the Fable cycle to continue with a proper, controller-based Fable IV in 2013.""

It's not much, but something for us to think about...controller based too, Thank Avo.

CVG Link

More The Journey News

So Gamespot have had another look at The Journey with lead artist Tak Sato.


The look of Fable: The Journey will be defined as "a heightened reality; a world full of visual drama as seen through the eyes of a naive young adventurer," said Sato, quoting Lionhead's art director's edict. This naive young adventurer is the hero of The Journey, a young member of a nomadic tribe who is trying to rejoin his friends and family after being separated from them.

The Journey will be set in "the less familiar fringes of Albion", which draws its inspiration from primitive and rural eighteenth century Britain. This included the Scottish highlands, Yorkshire moorland, Irish bogs, and thick woods, Sato said.

Another thing pointed out by the article is that it will see a reduction in the amount of black and dark humor used in the Fable games as well as apparently becoming more accessible than other titles in the Fable Franchise. But, I wonder...is it really doing more harm than good to have another title which is focused on being all accessable? Are they branding Fable out of its more hoped for hardcore/gamers position?

Let me know...

Gamespot.com Article

More Concepts from the Ether!

A few more concept art pieces from the ether (or more appropriatly Widigan from CGHub!) concerning Fable III.







Two of the images are some of the character sheets from the game showing off all the NPC's on offer. While the large - and rather impressive one is from the Traitor's Keep DLC package from the Goodwin Estate where all those failed experiments came from.

Enjoy them folks, and will get back to trying to unearth any Fable info I can.

Molyneux 'Ashamed' of Fable III Scores

The man behind the Fable franchise has decided that he isn't pleased with the results of the two year labour that was Fable III. He didn't blame the reviewers and critics for being wrong, or harsh - but for simply being right in what they had said about Lionhead Studios shortest project.

Here are a few snippets from what Peter has said on the topic below:-

"I look at Fable III and it's hard to be completely honest without offending people; but I know, when I read in the middle of a review that said the quality just wasn't good enough, I actually agree with those reviews."

"It didn't end up being the game that I dreamed it would be, because I thought the mechanic of the ruling section were really good ideas. I thought they were good ideas, but we just didn't have time to exploit those ideas fully."

"I hate the fact that people know what to expect from something like Lionhead," he said. "'We know what Fable's going to be; we know what's coming next from Lionhead.' I hate that idea.

"We should, again, double down on freshness and originality without sacrificing without sacrificing quality.

"We should take a deep look at what people really enjoy about the experiences that [we] might have made and try and focus on those rather than focus on the gimmicks, which we kind of love to develop.

"That is being a little bit self-critical," Molyneux added, "but I think that there's times that you have to be self-critical. I think the worst thing that could have happened to Fable III is if it sold 4.99 million, because I think that would have made us slightly complacent, and complacency is always the worst place to be, in my opinion.

Read the full statement below from Peter to Eurogamer, but it seems like what we will be seeing from Fable in the future is going to be something that smooths over the cracks from previous games - and the stigma of over promising and those bugs in the system.

Eurogamer.net Link

Peter admits ''horrendous mistake''

So Peter has gone on video saying just how much of a mistake he felt he made doing the show demo ''on rails'' and how misleading it has been. The murmurs from the internet had been pretty annoyed until he said in many interviews how they have not got any on-rails sections and that was purely for the aid of the demo on stage. See below for the video of Molyneux.



He also gets a horde of journalists to sign his wall petition attesting to the fact that it sure as hell IS NOT ON RAILS!. We shall see what happens as the months go on.

OXM.co.uk Link

G4TV: Peter Molyneux ''The Journey'' Interview

Another quick video from Peter and G4TV about the newly announced Fable: The Journey from the guys at Lionhead.

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2011 - Fable: The Journey

You are voting on the site now, but what do you think. Is this a Peter Molyneux "over think" going on?

Fable: The Journey ''Not so On-Rails...ish"

After trawling the net for more previews we have this from GamePro about how Fable: The Journey wont be as 'On Rails' as we first thought.

My appointment to see a live demo of the newly announced, Kinect-based Fable: The Journey began with Lionhead’s head honcho Peter Molyneux brandishing a permanent marker, and writing "IT IS NOT ON RAILS" on the wall behind him.

But based on Molyneux’s repeated insistence on the game’s not-on-rails nature ("Aren’t all E3 demos on rails?" he asked back), I’m going to have to hold off on passing judgment on its on/off-rails gameplay until a bit further into its production cycle.

Molyneux cited two driving factors in The Journey’s production: 1) freedom, and 2) control. Freedom in the (not-on-rails) sense that there’s a rich world to explore in your own unique way; and control in the sense that Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller is used in a way that won’t exhaust you. As seen in the announcement trailer, most of The Journey’s Albion will be viewed from the driver’s seat of a horse-drawn carriage. You’ll be able to cast magic and interact with the environment from the carriage, and managing the horse’s reins (speed/direction) looks pretty slick with the Kinect. You can also use the device’s voice recognition technology to teach your horse phrases as you play, essentially hot-keying various custom commands ("Slow down," "Giddy up," "Stop," etc.) with your voice -- something that Molyneux hopes will act towards you creating an emotional repoire with you and your equestrian companion. While an on-foot movement system hasn’t been finalized (Molyneux hinted at a hand gesture-based system), the game looked very manageable both sitting and standing.

GamePro Link

First Impressions - Fable: The Journey.

So I thought it would be good to have a round up of some of the impressions surrounding Fable: The Journey after its reveal yesterday at E3. Some love it, some hate it - and as always I would love to know what you guys think of it.

IGN Preview

I like the spell crafting idea. It's smart. There are hints about character upgrades and a morality system (how much life will you suck out of enemies) which could add some needed depth. But then there are things that are off-putting. Riding the horse looks boring, the combat seems only fun for the gesturing, and it doesn't really feel like Fable.

Gamespot Preview

The Journey is much more linear than a typical Fable game, though it contains the same pick-up-and-play gameplay and whimsical charm for which the series is known.

CVG Preview

"With the power of Kinect for Xbox 360, craft and control magic in a way that can't be done with a controller. Fable: The Journey draws players deep into the action and adventure of the Fable franchise like never before."

Fable: The Journey - Molyneux Interview

An interview with the man himself, Peter Molyneux.

Tags: GameTrailers.com, Fable: The Journey - E3 2011: Peter Molyneux Interview (Stream), PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

So, again - what do you think?

Fable: The Journey (Screenshots & Trailer)

And here it is, enjoy.


And now for some screenshots my friends.




















The first epic Fable spin-off goes Kinect crazy. So what do you think?

Rumour: Fable: The Journey?

So here is an interesting rumour for a dreary Sunday afternoon. Check out what has been found on the internet and what could be an interesting morsel of Fable related content - as well as for those of you who have Kinect.

The announcement of sequels and spin-offs has become too routine to incur huge gasps of disbelief at E3's trio of biggest press conferences. A real surprise, then, would be in those titles staying under wraps until the very last moment. "Spoiler," says the internet, "but that's not happening while I'm around. Check out these domain registrations."

As highlighted by Superannuation, the following Microsoft titles have been linked to internet domain registrars: Fable The Journey, which may be a new jaunt across the land of Albion, Kinect Fun Labs (first mentioned amongst other leaked Microsoft titles), and a pair of body-driven sequels, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports Season 2.

Without the presence of a convenient "Kinect" in the title, it's difficult to say whether or not Fable: The Journey (colon assumed) is part of Microsoft's camera-sensitive lineup. The franchise has endured experiments with Kinect before, and it's not exactly difficult to imagine Peter Molyneux pitching it as the best, most amazing, mind-blowing way to experience a hero's life ever. You might already be envisioning it as a spirited on-the-spot march through the streets of Bowerstone, over the surrounding hills and across Milo's unmarked grave.

Rumour Source

Fable III 360 Demo Out.

So not yet looked at Fable III for the Xbox 360? No? Ah well here is a perfect opportunity to do so without having to pay for it. The game is out on the Live Marketplace to download for Gold members and enjoy a slice of the action for free. It's not been seen before, a Fable demo, but with Fable II offering the game in portions last year this is something in the same vein as that.

Xbox.com Link

Night out, Lionhead Style.

Is it just me who wants to sneak down to Guildford and go out with them for a drinky!?


Seems Lionhead really do do ''going to the pub'' the best.

Twitter link

The History of Lionhead

Some people might be interested in this down time before we hear some more Fable news to get to know the company that makes the game and the history of it. As mentioned below on one of the previous posts Molyneux was at the head of a lot of games before he got to making Fable, and the company has gone through a lot of chances too. So, below with the help of the Lionhead.com site is a potted history of the company and just shows off the types of games they have put their innovative sword edge too in the past. It's really interesting to look at the games of the past and what they might give clues too in the future. With something like Black & White especially you can see the element of choice, good and evil which followed through into the Fable series directly and has influenced plenty of their work since.



In 1987 Peter Molyneux founded Bullfrog Productions, along with his then partner Les Edgar in Guildford, Surrey, England to develop an idea he had for a revolutionary new type of strategy game for home computers. This first game, Populous, went on to sell over 4 million copies. Molyneux’s follow-up designs included hits like Powermonger, Syndicate, Magic Carpet and Dungeon Keeper. Each sold in excess of 500,000 copies and firmly established Bullfrog as one of the most innovative game design studios in the world. Another Molyneux title, Theme Park sold over 3.5 million copies and became a sensation in Japan.

History of Lionhead.

Lionhead Get Creative

This is of course nothing like an official announcement of a next game, but Lionhead have indeed of late been working hard on their 'Creative Bender' as it was labelled on a big Industry Developer site. The premise of the bender was to come up with original ideas that really test the minds of the people working on major blockbusters and let them loose for a while - getting the creative juices flowing and maybe finding some gems in the meantime.

"The results were astonishing. In two working days (as well as a few voluntary late nights) a monstrous level of creativity had awakened within the Guildford-based studio.
Some people had designed entirely new game concepts for Fable, while others decided to test Kinect in ingenious and innovative ways. Others, like the two games highlighted below, are too impressive to remain mere concepts."

Below are a couple of links to the main stories and two interviews with a pair of Dev's about their games and what they thought of the day. Who knows, maybe the games that were shown on that day could find their way into the next Fable project?

Interviews with Devs
Main story

Molyneux voted #1 Visionary

The man behind Fable, Populous, Dungeon Keeper and Black & White has been named #1 in the games industry by his peers in a new poll taken this month. According to Eurogamer.net 9000 developers in the industry were asked who their number one man/woman would be and the results are as below.

(From 1. to 10.)

Peter Molyneux (Populous, Fable)
Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda)
Jonathan Blow (Braid)
Will Wright (SimCity, The Sims)
John Carmack (Doom, Quake)
Mike Morhaime (World of Warcraft, StarCraft)
David Braben (Elite)
Sid Meier (Sid Meier's Civilization, Sid Meier's Pirates)
Masaya Matsuura (PaRappa the Rapper)
Dave Jones (Lemmings, GTA)

The man with the dreams managed to beat off some great competition for the top spot and if this doesn't make him feel like he deserved his BAFTA then nothing will.

Eurogamer.net

Fable III PC: Out Now!

It's finally here - PC gamers can now officially explore the world of Albion with all the trimmings and more.


Choice has always played an important role in the world of Fable, and PC fans will have even more choices than ever, without the consequence. Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead are happy to announce that Fable III for Windows will be available right now through Valve Corporations Steam distribution platform, in addition to Games for Windows Marketplace and in retail stores simultaneously. No matter how players decide to purchase Fable III, they will have access to the same exciting content as Xbox 360 players, including riveting Game Add-ons like Traitor’s Keep, in addition to new features like a more challenging Hardcore mode and 3-D functionality.

Lionhead.com PC Article.

Re-Crafting Albion for PC

Eurogamer just had a fantastic interview with Mike West from Lionhead Studios about the upcoming (well released in the US already!) PC version of Fable III and also what he and the studio thought of the game since its release, and possible additions for the future of the game/franchise.


Below are a few choice quotes, and the link underneath contains the whole interview.

People saying the story wasn't very good was unfair. It's an interesting situation of you gather people together and then defeating the main bad guy. It's a pretty good story and it's pretty fun.

In future games we're going to have difficulty levels for everyone on every machine, but this time we wanted to give PC gamers something more challenging. We've upped the difficulty level; we've stopped the player's health regenerating all the time - the player has less basic health, the AI attacks more often. It's tweaks. A couple of designers had time to go in and really ramp it up and make it feel a lot more hardcore.

Fable III Eurogamer Interview.

Albion's Pubs

So being a Bard I do enjoy a fantastic pub or tavern, so I thought I would start a collection of the many different pub signs from around Albion. I have found a few concepts now, and will be updating with more as and when I find the artwork for it. So far I obviously have the fantastic 'The Bloody Stump' one from Fable II and a smattering of others from the rest of the games, especially Fable III. One of the main reasons for me doing this is because I loved the pubs from the first two Fable games and the atmosphere that they gave to the player, especially in the second game. I miss the want to go and see what's going on in the taverns and play my lute, so here is me getting back to that for a moment.









Here are a few others from today and my dredging around on the internet. Below is a list of the taverns from Fable II to begin with and as I said will update as I go.

The Cow & Corset in Bowerstone Market, where Keystone can be played
The Sandgoose in Oakfield, where the Cow & Corset variant of Spinnerbox can be played
The Bloody Stump in Westcliff, which might be improved to The Foaming Jugs. Both will have the game Fortune's Tower
The Leper's Arms in Bloodstone, where the Bloodstone variant of Keystone can be played.

The Making of the Fable 3 House

Pretty awesome video of some people building a 'Fable House'



I would love to live in that house lol.

Ask Lionhead - The Answers

So Lionhead have stayed true to their word and have given us a smattering of answers to some of the questions raised a couple of weeks ago about Lionhead, Fable and indeed the industry as a whole. It's a great look into the background of the studio and where they will be going (possibly) with future endeavours in the Fable series.

Click to see the full Q&A

Q: Do you feel like the movements toward simplicity and accessibility worked favourably for the Fable series, and if not, do you think the experiences and feedback gained from Fable II and Fable III will help you to make a better game?

A: The Fable series has always aimed itself as accessible games that could be played by anyone and there are many people that tell me that the Fable games are the only ones they have ever finished. From that perspective they have been very successful for our target audience. However, we have received criticism from the more core gamers and I would expect that future games will be designed from the start to appeal to both casual and core gamers. Our first step to that goal was adding a Hard mode to the PC version.

Pretty interesting stuff and probably one of the questions I was most interested in seeing answered (even if none of my own were!). With this in mind could a future Fable game really be ''the one'' we all want?

On the link as well they say to leave your new questions in the comment box below for getting answered in the next round. So, get your thinking caps on and come up with a few questions to really put them in the hot seat.

Russell Shaw Hard at Work?

So this is going to be more of a speculative post than anything concrete, so count this maybe more as a rumour starter! But as I was looking over the twitterverse I spied something very interesting from the people at Lionhead Studios come up on my feed.


Now of course this could be just Mr Shaw playing around, but as the man behind the score of past Fable games could this indeed herald something new? Like mentioned at the start take everything here with a pinch of salt, and it could be for a completely different project. However, with E3 coming very soon could Lionhead be planning a reveal of some kind.

We shall have to wait and see.

Concept Art Trawling

Found just a few more concept art morsels that you all might be interested in seeing just to delve into the comedic side of Fable some more!






Pretty good I think you will agree?

The Dead Hamster - New Lionhead Community Pub

A while ago there was a community chat room for the Lionhead community called The Lionhead Pub. Sadly that was shut down and many of the community still mourn its loss over a pint of beer singing its lament to their fellows. But, Mortalitis Infinitas a community moderator over at the Lionhead forums has taken it upon himself to usher in a new age of drinking and storytelling - and general off topic nonsense - in his new tavern, The Dead Hamster.

If you want to know more about the chat room and generally how the development is going then check out the following links below.

The Dead Hamster Development Thread
Dead Hamster Twitter
Dead Hamster Facebook

Here at The Bloody Stump we wish The Dead Hamster the best of luck in its endeavours and of course, if its open after we shut we will be heading over there for a cheeky late night pint!

Fable III on PC Video Diary!

And here as a wonderful sunny Thursday surprise is the Fable III PC ViDoc!!



Enjoy and delve into the depths of Albion once more.

Fable III PC: Steam and GFWL Launch.

Fable III for the PC is not far off, and today has been released information on the goodies that you will get for pre-ordering and also how its going to be released. On the one hand you are going to have a release over Steam which (if pre-ordered) will net you:-

The Rebel's Weapon & Tattoo Pack, a collection of four weapons and five tattoo sets

And if you order over Games for Windows Live:-

Fable: Lost Chapters for free.

With Fable: The Lost Chapters being a pretty much cheap as chips find in a gaming store or over the internet via download I know which version I would be getting myself.

As well as this as we know the game will ship with tighter PC/Mouse controls and the all new Hardcore difficulty setting for the players. Will certainly have more information for you on that as the PC release date gets closer.

"Our hope is that people who pick up [Fable III] on PC think, 'Okay, this plays how I would expect it to play, it doesn't play like a half-done port,' which is the danger for PC games," lead designer Josh Atkins has said.

Eurogamer.net Link

Ask Lionhead?

No not Jeeves - this time its Lionhead themselves. Lionhead - one of the best community driven developers in the business are opening the gates to the fans to ask them ANYTHING about them, their games, and the industry as a whole.

A good chance to find out about B.C? Maybe a return to Dungeon Keeper? Could it even be about Fable IV. Each Friday Lionhead will pick the best questions and answer them to the best of their ability.

Just fill in the comments section under this post here and Lionhead will do their best to find an answer to your burning question.

Cutlass! - The Fable Tabletop Game Maybe?

We all love Fable here that's for sure and we like to get our Fable on in many other ways (posters, arcade games etc) but I was playing/looking in my rulebook for Cutlass! - a piratical skirmish game for the tabletop - and realised that it would be a fantastic way of wargaming in the world of Albion and the Fable Universe.

The game is set in the Golden Age of pirates and you make up a crew - buy the miniatures and paint them up then set forth to plunder and pillage in a set of scenarios - some eventually of your own creation and watch them rise or fall depending on the luck of the dice and your tactical mind.

The game is created by a pair called Gav Thorpe and Adam Clarke, both people who used to work at Games Workshop so they have a great understanding of how a wargame should work. Adam has been making miniatures in pirate-y form for a while and he wanted a rules set to use them in, and thats where Gav stepped in.

Now - the game can be played with normal pirates and naval officers of course, but what made me look at it for Fable was the introduction of the fantasy pirates you can use in it as well.

We Have...
Naval - Logan's Guard
Pirates - Revolutionaries/Albionites
Orcs & Goblins - Hobbe Pirates
Undead - Hollowmen Pirates
Elves - Potential Auroran Pirates?
(They also do Dwarf Pirates but couldn't think of what they could be - if anything lol)











So there you have it - for those of you wanting something Fable on their tabletop could this be the answer? I sure know I'm going to make myself an Albion based pirates gang and do some senarios and adventures in the world of Albion and beyond. Perfect for staging the attack on Bowerstone Castle and the fights in the Traitor's Keep.

Cutlass! Facebook Page
Black Scorpion Miniatures

I'm even going to use my Fable III Guild Coin to decide who gets to be the one with priority on the first turn haha!! let me know what you guys think.

Sam says bye to Lionhead.com!

It truly is a sad day for the Lionhead.com Community as the fantastic mind behind the Video Diaries Sam Van Tilburgh is leaving the company for pastures new. There will be one more Video Diary that is coming out, but he will have left by the time that's released.



He has been with the company for just over a decade and has created a fantastic community atmosphere as well as the excellent videos that keep us fans in the know. We wish him luck here from The Bloody Stump and will raise a pint to his travels and wish him the best for the future.

Comment on the video above at youtube to show your love for his tireless effort.

Coin Golf Weapons/Statistics

For those of you lucky enough to have a Windows 7 Phone then you also have access to the Fable: Coin Golf game that came out not too long ago. So, with that in mind and you wondering whether or not you want the game for the extra weapons in Fable III itself, here is a run down of the weapons, their fluff, and of course their legendary questing objectives to buff them up.

Donnakebab


A great disaster in another dimension created tear in reality through which this weapon landed in Albion. It is believed that Donna, an inhabitant of the arid wasteland on the other side of the tear, had a sister named Shish, who forged her own weapon.

Chicken Kebab - Kick 50 chickens - Earn guild seals faster in combat.

Chili Sauce - Kill 200 enemies with an unweaved Fireball spell - + Flame Damage.

Nonnom - Make yourself fatter - +18 Extra Damage.

Thundaraga


A great Hero named Cumulus imported this sword from a land far away. Despite the extra cost incurred, he believed that lighting coming from the blade nicely complemented his spiky blonde hair

Buster- Hit 150 enemies with flourishes - Earn Guild Seals faster in combat.

Heroic - Increase your moral standing - +19 Extra damage.

Boom! - Kill 2000 enemies with an unweaved Fireball spell - + Lightening Damage

Whalehammer


Forged in the nether world, this diabolical weapon originally went by the name of the Ungodly Burning Hammer of the Ferocious Cetacean. It didn't fit on the handle though.

Burning - Kill 200 enemies with an unweaved Fireball spell - + Flame Damage

Ungodly - Decrease your moral standing - +21 extra damage

Whale - Kill 25 large enemies - Gain health with each hit.

So there you have it. Do you think they are worth your cash?