Peter-Molyneux
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Following Fable 3 disappointment, Molyneux bounces back with BAFTA award
Poor Peter Molyneux was down in the dumps. Following the "justifiably" mixed reception of Fable 3, Molyneux was wondering if his career had already peaked. "We just weren't good enough with the craft of what we did. That always makes you reflect," he recently told The Guardian. Apparently, Molyneux was even doubting his future in game development. "'Have I already created the greatest game I'm ever going to create? Is the rest just a downhill struggle?'" he asked himself "late one night" a few months back. But then, the very next day he received a letter informing him of a BAFTA Fellowship nomination -- an honor he received in-person this past weekend. "As I walked up on stage I almost fainted. There was this sea of faces, and lots of people I've worked with before, and everyone stood. I was choking up," he admitted. "It was an incredible feeling, and I do immediately want to go home and start proving that I'm really, truly worthy of this." Molyneux noted during his acceptance speech that his cyclical over-promising isn't a PR tactic as much as it's him "over-believing" in his own products. "I always truly believe that this is going to be the greatest game of all time -- I wouldn't try to do it any other way," he said. And we wouldn't want you to, Molyneux.
Peter Molyneux's 'FeedMe' is a 256-player Populous pet project
After taking a trip back through the development of his first game, Populous, at GDC today, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux revealed that he's actually still working on the game. Programmed by Molyneux in his spare time, "FeedMe" is a 256-player version of the original Commodore Amiga title -- and the audience for his presentation got a rare look at it. Showing if off wasn't easy. Molyneux had to compile the Visual C++ code, encountered a fatal error and sucessfully debugged it. The result: a very basic, high-res Populous world map with almost no user interface. In the course of watching this, we realized that the famed designer has only one game in the taskbar on his computer: Minecraft -- which, when you think about it, does draw inspiration from Molyneux's world-manipulation-based classic.
Peter Molyneux receiving BAFTA Fellowship
A couple weeks after he picks up his lifetime achievement award at GDC 2011, Peter Molyneux will continue his award tour by picking up a similar accolade with the British Academy of Film and Televisions Arts' (BAFTA) Fellowship. He'll just have to swing by this year's GAME British Academy Video Games Awards on March 16 -- or, they can surely just mail it to him if he's tired of being praised by that point. The Fellowship is awarded for outstanding achievement and contribution to the industry through an individual's body of work. With series like Fable, Populous and Dungeon Keeper attached to his CV, it's not hard to see why the organization wants to give Molyneux another trinket for his collection. According to a BAFTA rep, previous winners include Will Wright, Nolan Bushnell, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and, last year's recipient, Shigeru Miyamoto.
GDC giving Molyneux lifetime achievement award, tapping Schafer to host again
That's right, one of the most prominent game designers to hail from that magical land across the pond (Merlin and dragons, anybody?) is going to be honored at GDC 2011 with a lifetime achievement award. Peter Molyneux, best known for the creation of the "god game" genre (and child coercion), will be honored during the show's Game Developer's Choice Awards. Not a bad way to celebrate a career that's over 23 years in the making. In addition, Tim Schafer will return as host of the show. He will give a talk on March 2nd and, we imagine, go around the show with a desk on wheels, interviewing random attendees, Conan style. That's what we'd do, anyway.
Molyneux: Fable series not 'limited' by trilogy formula
Three: it's just a nice, round number. You have a beginning, middle and end. Good things are also said to come in threes, but according to Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Fable 3 doesn't necessarily close the book on Albion and the franchise. During an Inside Xbox segment at Eurogamer Expo (transcribed by GamerZines), Molyneux said he hates "limiting" the studio to a trilogy. "Forget about the word 'trilogy.' I'm not going to tell you what happens at the end of Fable 3 but I don't think you'll feel in any way that you've reached the end of a trilogy." It's by no means confirmation the series will extend past the third entry, sure, but if Fable 2 is any indication, we'll likely feel the same way at the end of Fable 3 as we did two years ago: wanting more regardless.
Fable 3 preview: A second date with co-op
We know Fable 2 didn't quite get co-op right. To hear Peter Molyneux talk about it, it was a "poorly implemented feature." And that's where Fable 3 comes in. The threequel promises to fix three specific shortcomings of Fable 2's co-op experience: bringing your hero into another player's game; returning to your game with the gold and items you earned; and (yes!) detaching the camera. First, the henchman problem. Since the concept of co-op was introduced into Fable 2 later in development, the game's quests were never designed to accommodate two heroes with all of their possible abilities and characteristics. Instead, when joining another player's game, your carefully curated hero would be replaced with a generic henchman. Hardly the kind of experience that drew players to Fable in the first place. In Fable 3, you take your hero – weapons and all – with you into a friend's game. %Gallery-102560%
Fable 2's co-op shortcomings as explained by Molyneux
"I think we're taking a poorly implemented feature in Fable 2 and really making it shine in Fable 3." Peter Molyneux's enthusiasm, equally infamous and infectious, doesn't necessarily extend into the past. The creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Europe guided us through Fable 3's improved co-op design during a Friday morning TGS session, eagerly contrasting new features with some earnest recollection of the previous game's shortcomings. "Well, to be honest, the problem we had -- it was a bizarre problem -- is that every time you do something different, and this will sound horribly mechanical but it comes down to this at all times ... When you create a different version, then that needs a complete test pass," Molyneux explained. "So we had in Fable 2, because co-op came in quite late, couch co-op and we had [Xbox] Live co-op. We hadn't really planned for the fact that we were going to have to do a test pass. An entire test pass for the single player; an entire test pass for the couch co-op; an entire test pass for the Live co-op." Intent on adding online co-op to Fable 2 within a limited time frame, Lionhead Studios essentially went for a prudent two-for-one deal: take the working couch co-op online. "We could save a whole test pass if we made Live and couch co-op almost identical in Fable 2, and we were kind of running low on time so we had to do that," said Molyneux. Since the game essentially believed it was running on one screen, both players had to relinquish control of the camera -- and one had to settle for playing as a generic impostor in place of a true hero. In Fable 3, you're allowed to take your hero into someone else's game, along with your upgradeable weapons, abilities and fluffy, canine companions. You can marry your co-op partner, divorce them, go into a business partnership and even play pat-a-cake with them. And -- finally -- both players have a fully controllable camera. This is how the best internet romances start.
Molyneux: No 'Pub Games' for Fable 3, but something else this October
In 2008, Fable 2 had a unique pre-launch promotion in the form of Fable 2 Pub Games, an Xbox Live Arcade collection of three gambling minigames. The money earned from the XBLA game (and for cheaters, it was an awful lot of money) could then be transferred into the action RPG and fund further in-game gambling. Pub Games won't return for the release of Fable 3, but there is some kind of new tie-in that Lionhead plans to reveal in "early October" -- a few weeks ahead of the game's October 26 launch. In an interview with Joystiq today at Gamescom, Microsoft's Peter Molyneux wouldn't get into details about the project, but did seem to fiddle with his mobile phone as he said, "It's more to do with this sort of thing." Molyneux previously teased another Fable 3 tie-in back in February, but that turned out to be the player-created NPCs. This appears to be something different. The designer had some colorful commentary on Pub Games, describing the infamous exploit as a "disaster." After finding out that unscrupulous individuals could start the game with millions in gold, Lionhead had tried to pull Fable 2 out of certification in order to make the word "cheat" float over their head of anyone that left Pub Games a little too rich. He concluded jovially, "That's not going to f*cking happen in Fable 3!"
Peter Molyneux brings Milo, Kinect, and snails to the TED stage
Poor Milo. Our virtual friend has been in our heart for about as long as Kinect (née Project Natal) has been in the public eye, always doodling, always playing with snail, rarely able to escape the confines of dark developer studio. When we talked to Milo's "father" Peter Molyneux at the last Engadget Show, he kept referencing this TED Talk demo he recently gave, and sure enough, video of that speech is now available online. The 11-minute presentation delves into a number of the setups / "magician's tricks" used to make Milo an interactive and at times empathetic character, and how natural voice recognition was implemented (thanks in part to Microsoft's TellMe database) so that the player isn't limited to simple yes and no responses. Curious about the moral ramifications of an artificial adolescent aggressive to mollusk? Definitely worth a look, as is our last Engadget Show episode if you missed it; video after the break.
Molyneux's Milo demo from TED conference now available
Lionhead Studio creative lead Peter Molyneux gave a TED talk last month featuring a whole mess of information about his team's "very big tech demo," Milo & Kate. Milo squashed snails and discovered the garden of his freshly minted New England property -- it was nothing short of moving. Now, through the magic of the internet, Molyneux's TED presentation is available for all to see (just after the break). Learn why snails are replaced with butterflies when you're playing with Kate and how that whole "hive mind" thing works -- no two Milos or Kates are the same, Molyneux claims. Also, you won't want to miss what happens just beyond the 10-minute mark. Check it out.
Fable 3 designer explains overhauled magic system
Lionhead Studios' senior design director, Josh Atkins, recently informed CVG of yet another batch of changes the developer is incorporating into Fable 3 -- the most notable being the game's completely overhauled Will (see: Magic) system. Whenever a player learns a new spell, they'll automatically be able to charge it up to its maximum level without investing additional points into it. As a player levels up in a particular spell, they'll be able to charge it much more quickly, even to the point of "insta-cast" -- a boon for those who found Fable 2's slow-charging magic to be prohibitively unwieldy. In addition, young mages will be able to mix and match their spells in up to 20 different combinations -- for instance, Vortex plus Fireball equals Fire Vortex, a spell that's just as delightful and destructive as it sounds. For more details on the game's overhauled arcane arts, check out Atkins' discussion with CVG.
Molyneux: Milo currently a 'very, very big tech demo'
Peter Molyneux echoed statements made by Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg about Milo and Kate's status as a game in an interview with the Game Hunters. Molyneux said that "I don't think of it as a released product at the moment. I still think this is a very, very big tech demo. I don't think of it as something that would be a boxed product on the shelf." He did say that players would actually get a chance to interact with something based on Milo, despite one major hurdle. "There's a lot of huge mountains to climb before that happens," Molyneux said. "The reason for that is it is enormously contentious for us to do a game, a story, an experience, about a boy. You are immediately appealing to all the dark thoughts of humanity." (We totally weren't going there!) Molyneux sees this taboo as a challenge, citing Up, a film "about an old man and a Boy Scout" as a successful transcending of this taboo that we didn't really think about in the first place. The fact that Molyneux is in such a drawing-board stage gives us a clue as to why we can't expect to see it this holiday season.
The Engadget Show - 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7
Brace yourselves, humans, because we have an all new, amazing Engadget Show fresh out of the box! For your viewing pleasure, we sit down with insightful game designer Peter Molyneux to get the inside scoop on some of his ongoing projects, from Milo to Fable III. Then, Josh, Paul, and Nilay bust out RIM's latest, the BlackBerry Torch and put it through its paces live on stage. They dive into Windows Phone 7 and do battle with K-mart's Augen Android tablet, and a bunch of audience members walk away with giveaways. Oh yeah, we also have brain-busting music from Zen Albatross and mind-numbing visuals from invaderbacca that you will absolutely want to check out. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! %Gallery-98931% Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guests: Peter Molyneux Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Peirre Verna Music by: Zen Albatross Visuals by: Invaderbacca Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at The Times Center Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 011 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 011 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Interview: Peter Molyneux talks Kinect, Milo, and Fable 3
Just after Engadget Show host Josh Topolsky finished grilling Peter Molyneux on stage this past Wednesday, we wrangled Molyneux for another interview. First and foremost, we had to clear up what happened to the promise of Kinect in Fable 3 -- and we already told you his answer to that -- but we also wanted to venture into more general discussion. Molyneux spoke openly to us about the potential of Kinect, his personal struggle with promising game mechanics that may or may not end up in the final release, and how the success of Fable 2's episodic release will influence his studio's future.
Molyneux: Fable 3 Kinect features needed more development time
During last night's Engadget Show, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux revealed that, despite earlier claims, Kinect functionality wouldn't ship with Fable 3 this October. We got a chance to speak with Molyneux after the show and asked him to explain what happened. "We probably could've done some little side quest with Kinect, but I love Kinect so much and I love Fable so much that I think we needed to have some time to develop it," he said. Molyneux also noted that Lionhead has a team working on Kinect right now and, if he "were a betting man," Kinect would play some role in Fable "at some time, it's just not gonna be at launch." Molyneux wasn't allowed to get too specific with regards to Kinect prototypes Lionhead was working on for inclusion in Fable 3, but he did explain why they got scrapped. "I just said to myself 'Is this what people would expect Kinect to be in something like Fable?' And the answer, quite frankly, was 'no.' We're still working on that stuff, we're still adding stuff to it, and, as I said, I think the future for Kinect and Fable is probably bright." Stay tuned for our full interview with Molyneux later.
Molyneux: Fable 3 will not include Kinect functionality at launch
Lionhead boss and Microsoft Game Studios Europe director Peter Molyneux has revealed on the Engadget Show that Fable 3 will not ship with any Kinect functionality, despite past confirmations to the contrary. Joystiq spoke with Molyneux following his appearance on the show and learned that some form of Kinect content may be available post-launch, and that whatever was initially planned to be built into the game just wasn't up to snuff. We've spoken with Microsoft PR, which was unaware of Molyneux's exact comments. It reaffirmed that the legendary designer is a strong proponent of Kinect, and has spoken of its use in Fable 3 before, but also told us that it can't discuss what role the hardware will play in the game "at this time." Look for our full interview with Peter Molyneux tomorrow morning, August 5. [Thanks, Blacked Out]
The Engadget Show Live! with Peter Molyneux, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry Torch, and more!
Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 8:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Peter Molyneux! Josh, Nilay, and Paul are back of course, plus we'll have music from Zen Albatross and visuals from invaderbacca and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Check out the live stream after the break!
Be the first to show up at the Engadget Show with Lucky Charms and Peter Molyneux will put you in Fable III! (We've got winners!)
Hey, Peter Molyneux is here at the Engadget Show, and his Fable III demo assistant Dimitri mentioned that he's looking for a box of Lucky Charms, since he can't get it in England. That prompted Peter to make an insane crowd-sourcing offer: the first person to bring a box of Lucky Charms to the Engadget Show will become a character in Fable III. Insane, right? What's more, everyone else who brings a box will get a free signed copy of the game, which is some seriously serious cereal. The show starts in 30 minutes -- we'll see you soon! Updated: See that lucky guy and girl right up there?! Yep, they're going to be characters in Fable III. Congrats, Monica and Jay -- we'll see you in the game.
The Engadget Show tapes tonight with game designer Peter Molyneux and much more!
Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has come -- the Engadget Show is back tonight, August 4th at 8pm! This time around, we'll have the inimitable Peter Molyneux, one of the world's most forward-thinking game designers and creator of "Black & White" and the "Fable" franchise. What's more, we'll have a rousing roundtable with Josh, Paul, and Nilay, some fine, fine music from Zen Albatross, mind-bending visuals from invaderbacca, and a few other big surprises. As usual, we'll be doing tons of giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream right here on Engadget starting at 8:05pm. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 5:30PM, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Come see Peter Molyneux at tonight's Engadget Show, live in NYC (and on 'the internet')
If you happen to live in or around the New York City area (or have an internet connection at home) and happen to like things that are awesome, have we got a treat for you! Tonight, Wednesday, August 4th 2010, the stars have aligned to bring you a Very Special Engadget Show: Peter Molyneux, head lion at Lionhead Studios, creative director (and chief feature promiser!) for Microsoft Game Studios Europe, Kinect pitchman, and also designer on a little game called Fable 3. If you want to see Peter talk (and talk and talk) we highly suggest you get yourself to the Times Center in NYC tonight. Ticketing begins at 5:30, doors open at 7:30, and the show begins at 8. No worries if you're not in NYC and can't make it. The show will be streaming live at Engadget starting at 8:05pm ET and, as always, will be available for download later this week. If you want to hear what one of gaming's most consistently thoughtful and enthusiastic creators has to say about everything from Kinect to Milo to who knows, you'll want to be there. For more details, and directions, click that Source link below.
