Molyneux: no death in Fable 2, but scars
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jul 12th 2007 at 8:38PM }
After sampling the delights of Fable 2 (more on that soon) we had a little chat with Peter Molyneux about death. Specifically, we talked about how death would be treated in Fable 2. Typically, death in video games means loading the previous checkpoint or restarting a given level. According to Molyneux, such will not be the case in Fable 2. Instead, when overpowered and bested by an enemy, players will be left with a permanent reminder of their defeat: a scar. Granted, the scars are cosmetic, but they do affect how NPCs perceive the main character. The idea apparently came to Molyneux after watching Casino Royale, in which James Bond undergoes particularly brutal torture during one scene and finds himself in the arms of a woman during the next. According to Molyneux, "In Hollywood, heroes always win the day." That's all well and good, but what if you don't like the idea of being disfigured? Players will have two choices it seems: don't lose, or you can pay a hefty fee to keep your attackers from scarring you. Molyneux revealed that testers are willing to lay down hefty sums of gold -- 1000, which is enough to buy a hut -- in order to avoid scarring. So there you have it, you won't die in Fable 2 -- even bosses can't kill you, but they leave deeper scars -- but you'll pay a price (one way or another) for failing in combat.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Swampfox23 @ Jul 12th 2007 8:46PM
Thats actually a pretty good idea. Of all the game developers, Peter Molyneux is probably my favorite because his ideas are, for the most part, original and in depth. Also he is very excited and motivated about making a high quality game. Developers such as EA need more people like him, imo.
zourskittles @ Jul 12th 2007 9:24PM
Is the scarring going to be anything like when your dog gets hurt? (I.E. He will start limping and be a bit slower than usual.)
SOyuncastor @ Jul 12th 2007 9:36PM
I personally have a scar, and I will never forget how I got it. So putting that into this game sounds for me really really cool.
life is not about always winning, and it should be the same for gaming.
Don Carajo @ Jul 12th 2007 9:57PM
Wow that is so...stupid! This guy focuses on crap that should just be there as a little extra not as a main selling point. Scars? WTF? So you get a sword through your abdomen and you don't die...right. What next? You bleed if you get hurt? Wow! You pay to bleed a different colour? Please. The first Fable was shithouse (the aging thing was a stupid gimmick, you got old but no-one else did) and this looks to be going the same way. Nice one Molyneux!
James @ Jul 12th 2007 10:51PM
You know that having scars on yourself rather than dying every single time is intresting and adds to your character and the way the game is played. So I think it's pretty kool, but I'm getting the PS3(My bro claimed 360)
Jonah Falcon @ Jul 13th 2007 12:39AM
No, no, NO! THE RIGHT! THE RIGHT!!!!!
Jonah Falcon @ Jul 13th 2007 12:41AM
"WTF? So you get a sword through your abdomen and you don't die...right. What next? You bleed if you get hurt?"
You reload and start over anyway. So, you die and nothing happens AT ALL. There's no mark on you, since you never got hurt and never died.
Capiche?
thatguywhoclowns @ Jul 13th 2007 2:01AM
@7
you tell him elephant cock. that dude is a huge prick. itd be cool to see a scar on the asshole, like if it got banged by an abnormally huge schlong.
Kritz @ Jul 13th 2007 5:35AM
It's not like you could die in the first Fable anyway. >_>
trigger @ Jul 13th 2007 6:18AM
Peter Molyneux looks kinda creepy.
Jldowning @ Jul 13th 2007 6:46AM
IMHO: This game, will be one of the best of its Decade. I really like the work these guys are putting into the game to give it a very emotional expo! Can't wait.
KSB @ Jul 13th 2007 7:42AM
will it be possible to visit a voodoo doctor to remove one's scar... I want my babes to dig me in fable, not fear me ;-)
loved the first Fable, even bought the lost chapters when it arrived, but yeah it was missing stuff I hope will appear in fable 2.
Co-operative play would be fun too
Boff @ Jul 13th 2007 7:40AM
I think it's a good idea.
Kudos to Molyneux for coming up with new twists and ideas, rather than just churning out yet another FPS/RPG/RTS or whatever.
Clearly not everyone likes it but at least he's coming up with a fresh take on things!
dunnypop @ Jul 13th 2007 9:11AM
scarring is a cool idea but what if you get smashed and stabbed to bits? that's ridiculous.
If anything, if you die, you should be able to come back (with all the same stats) as one of your children, or friends, or someone else to avenge your death.
Stephen @ Jul 13th 2007 9:20AM
My guess is you'll have a choice before the "final blow" of your enemy, pay me or pay the consequence type choice.
Love the idea more than reincarnation 1000x over.
coalhalo @ Jul 13th 2007 10:34AM
I loved Fable, and I bought a copy of Fable: The Lost Chapters to play on my 360 while waiting for Oblivion to come out. Having said that, I have a hard time listening to the things Molyneux says about a game before it is released. He lost alot of credibility when he promised the moon in Fable. Many people ripped him, and many still do, a new asshole because he ran his mouth. I personally like him, his games, and the recent Lionhead diary videos were entertaining. But I'm not going to give much credence to all the pre-release hype for Fable 2. I'm just going to wait til it's release day, and buy my copy and enjoy myself.
coalhalo @ Jul 13th 2007 10:36AM
And the stuff with the scars; by the end of my many playthroughs of Fable, my character was covered in scars. Nice idea, but it's not new to the game.
Jonah Falcon @ Jul 13th 2007 11:28AM
Yes, but no one cared about your scars. In Fable 2, they'll affect your interaction with the world.
By the way, when I play Fable, I have a game to see how few scars I can have. I once finished the game with no scars on my face. That was a real triumph.
James @ Jul 13th 2007 5:09PM
I wonder if, like how you could play through a different way in Fable 1 by being as evil as possible, there will be new paths opened up if you intentionally get yourself all cut up and wind up with a face like Edward Scissorhands. That would be cool.