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Convince me to continue playing Fable
- Thread starter KarishBHR
- Start date
RevenantKioku
PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
It might just tide you until Shin Megami Tensei. [/pimping]
Just keep playing, not much longer to go. 
If you enjoy the exploration and side-quest elements of Zelda games, you should enjoy the rest of Fable. It's also fun to see how your decisions affect your reputation and appearance. If neither of those things appeal to you, don't bother continuing.
If you enjoy the exploration and side-quest elements of Zelda games, you should enjoy the rest of Fable. It's also fun to see how your decisions affect your reputation and appearance. If neither of those things appeal to you, don't bother continuing.
shoplifter
Member
I traded my copy in Wednesday. I just couldn't tolerate the shitty combat and afwul framerate any longer. Another 6 months in development would have done it good, as it does lots of things right but I can't get past the shitty things.
MrAngryFace
Banned
morrowind did it better...somehow
The graphics are a mixed bag. The indoor environments are quite average, but the outdoors are spectacular IMO. The lighting in the game is just incredible in some places, go to the Library Arcanum for proof of that (beyond the demon door). Same with the water, the effect is very well-done. I don't play much Xbox games because I tend to use my PS2 90% of the time, so maybe I'm easily impressed, but I like what I'm seeing and it's all that matters.
Well, here are my thoughts from another thread:
For every great design choice, there was a poor one to undo it. For example, I loved how your reputation impacted what people called you. I garnered the name "Chicken Chaser" because so many people saw me doing just that (and punting them). It's a cool touch. But of course, you can just buy a new name at a shop, which utterly defeats the purpose and effect.
Likewise, you spend a great deal of time shaping the alignment of your character and observing the impact that has on the world around you. But you can just go to a temple and pay enough gold to have all good or bad alignment points purged from you, undoing the entire effect of living with the consequences of your actions.
Speaking of which, for a game about becoming a legend and shaping the world, your impact on it is awfully temporary. People respawn after just a day, townsfolk just stand there while I murder everyone in sight, and guards forget that I racked up over 100,000 gold in crime fees after one day. I never felt anything I did had consequence.
On of the reasons I love RPG's is the sense of exploration - a sense totally absent from Fable for a few reasons. First, the game is on linear paths - you never stray from them. Exporing the woods, fields, swamps etc all boil down to just running from point A to point B. Which is easy to do, since the game marks where you need to go next on the map with a big throbbing gold blob. If you want to follow the main quest, just play a game of virtual connect the dots.
Compoinding this was the fact that you could just beam around the world any time you wanted at not cost or penalty - but with the benefit of skipping the dozens of huge loading screens it takes to run from one town to the next. More on that in a minute.
I had read that the Demon Door all lead to sub-quests, which is a simple lie: they all lead to tiny areas the size of my apartment (I have a small apartment) with a treasure chest in it. Boring and disappointing to say the least.
Two last gripes: In a game about the consequences of your actions, did it really make any sense to force you to repeat optional side quests if you failed them? It was maddening.
The load times are murderous, the worst I've ever seen this gen. On one optional quest, it begins with one conversation, which takes about six seconds to load. Then another five to ten second loading for another conversation, then another one at the end of that. Finally you got to the objective, which boiled down to running through four zones, each of which had nearly ten second loads between them. I'm a pretty patient guy, but spending about seven minutes of every hour or so staring at loading screens was maddening.
Anyway, I'm debating keeping Fable for another run through, or just doing all the things I wanted to do in the gameworld they let to roam in after the last guy is defeated. Doing the treasure hunt and opening all the reast of the silver chests and Demon Doors is all I really want to do. I've only returned a handful of games in my life, but I can still fetch a good chunk of change in store credit towards my pre-order on Halo 2 LE, and I'm pretty sure once that comes out I won't go back to the world of Albion anyway.
On the plus side, the music was simply wonderful.
For every great design choice, there was a poor one to undo it. For example, I loved how your reputation impacted what people called you. I garnered the name "Chicken Chaser" because so many people saw me doing just that (and punting them). It's a cool touch. But of course, you can just buy a new name at a shop, which utterly defeats the purpose and effect.
Likewise, you spend a great deal of time shaping the alignment of your character and observing the impact that has on the world around you. But you can just go to a temple and pay enough gold to have all good or bad alignment points purged from you, undoing the entire effect of living with the consequences of your actions.
Speaking of which, for a game about becoming a legend and shaping the world, your impact on it is awfully temporary. People respawn after just a day, townsfolk just stand there while I murder everyone in sight, and guards forget that I racked up over 100,000 gold in crime fees after one day. I never felt anything I did had consequence.
On of the reasons I love RPG's is the sense of exploration - a sense totally absent from Fable for a few reasons. First, the game is on linear paths - you never stray from them. Exporing the woods, fields, swamps etc all boil down to just running from point A to point B. Which is easy to do, since the game marks where you need to go next on the map with a big throbbing gold blob. If you want to follow the main quest, just play a game of virtual connect the dots.
Compoinding this was the fact that you could just beam around the world any time you wanted at not cost or penalty - but with the benefit of skipping the dozens of huge loading screens it takes to run from one town to the next. More on that in a minute.
I had read that the Demon Door all lead to sub-quests, which is a simple lie: they all lead to tiny areas the size of my apartment (I have a small apartment) with a treasure chest in it. Boring and disappointing to say the least.
Two last gripes: In a game about the consequences of your actions, did it really make any sense to force you to repeat optional side quests if you failed them? It was maddening.
The load times are murderous, the worst I've ever seen this gen. On one optional quest, it begins with one conversation, which takes about six seconds to load. Then another five to ten second loading for another conversation, then another one at the end of that. Finally you got to the objective, which boiled down to running through four zones, each of which had nearly ten second loads between them. I'm a pretty patient guy, but spending about seven minutes of every hour or so staring at loading screens was maddening.
Anyway, I'm debating keeping Fable for another run through, or just doing all the things I wanted to do in the gameworld they let to roam in after the last guy is defeated. Doing the treasure hunt and opening all the reast of the silver chests and Demon Doors is all I really want to do. I've only returned a handful of games in my life, but I can still fetch a good chunk of change in store credit towards my pre-order on Halo 2 LE, and I'm pretty sure once that comes out I won't go back to the world of Albion anyway.
On the plus side, the music was simply wonderful.
disabledHeliocentric
Member
My feeling on Fable is that it would have been one hell of a first or second generation xbox game. It does pick up quite a bit from where you start out. When I picked the game up my first impression from the extended tutorial/childhood fetch quest was that it was going to suck ass but as I played a few more missions I started to enjoy it. Onece you're off fighting monsters and bandits it's better.
I still think it would have been a million times more impressive if you could go off paths and swim around in the water in more places and climb around and grapple stuff like in ICO or a 3d Zelda. As well, if they had done away with the loading screens.
I'd like to see a sequel. I might trade this in on Sly 2, though.
I still think it would have been a million times more impressive if you could go off paths and swim around in the water in more places and climb around and grapple stuff like in ICO or a 3d Zelda. As well, if they had done away with the loading screens.
I'd like to see a sequel. I might trade this in on Sly 2, though.
Pedigree Chum
Banned
Bog said:
So am I, I got to that point a few days ago and haven't played since. I was just dissapointed with how fast my character grew that I haven't mustered the interest to resume the game.
Another 6 months would have made it 5 years in development.
I don't understand how some of these games like Fable and Star Fox Adventures turn out: they take 5 years or so to make, they should be absolute masterpieces.
Now, IMO, Fable is good, but it's not a masterpiece.
SFA, well, that just sucked. :|
What are these guys doing for four+ years?
I don't understand how some of these games like Fable and Star Fox Adventures turn out: they take 5 years or so to make, they should be absolute masterpieces.
Now, IMO, Fable is good, but it's not a masterpiece.
SFA, well, that just sucked. :|
What are these guys doing for four+ years?
shoplifter
Member
GaimeGuy said:
That's exactly WHY they turn to shit. Too many ideas get thrown in, then they have to take half out at the last minute leaving what amounts to half a game. In the case of Fable it was completely unoptimized framerate wise just to make fall release.
I know that if I followed Fable from the first time it was announced to when it was released, I would have been very disappointed. Peter Molyneux actually stated that Fable would be the best RPG ever made. This game got too much hype, and it really doesn't seem to deliver much of what was promised.
I rarely read up on games before they're released, with a few exceptions (I did for Metroid Prime, and I think I've seen every HL2 video under the sun). I'm playing Fable for what it is. The game itself is quite fun as long as you turned a blind eye to the hype, and you realized that it wasn't going to be what Peter promised. Besides, even if Fable would have been as complex as it was originally intended to be, would it have been much more fun?
I rarely read up on games before they're released, with a few exceptions (I did for Metroid Prime, and I think I've seen every HL2 video under the sun). I'm playing Fable for what it is. The game itself is quite fun as long as you turned a blind eye to the hype, and you realized that it wasn't going to be what Peter promised. Besides, even if Fable would have been as complex as it was originally intended to be, would it have been much more fun?
RevenantKioku
PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
rs7k said:
Yes
I wonder about that with Fable too. They give you this cool hero building system, some great combat/magic, NPC interaction, but the world is puny and the handful of quests the game offers are almost all of the "kill everything and maybe escort this guy" variety. At least the enemies and little areas that make up Albion are very well designed. This game would have been so much better if the world was two or three times larger (even if it meant 2-3x more little areas with loading) and offered lots of sidequests like the various guilds from Morrowind. For example it would have been cool if your wife/wives gave you little quests (like what
Lady Gray does, but with regular women
V
Vennt
Unconfirmed Member
john2kx said:
Or over-ambition...
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
By the time you finish reading this thread, you could have finished Fable
Mr. Lemming
Member
I have the feeling there was supposed to be a dynamic title granting system based on your actions, but time constraints forced them to not put it in action. Since they had all the voice acting done I guess they figured they still wanted to use those reactions and threw in the Title Vendor at the last moment.
Mr. Lemming said:
That makes sense. With all the stats the game keeps it shouldn't have been that hard to implement a dynamic title system though. It could have been based off of number enemies killed, bosses killed, good/evil alignment, completion of major missions, number of wives, husbands, etc. If you qualify for more than one title they could have used a simple selection routine to pick which one an NPC would say or assigned titles to villages/areas near where the hero earned the title.
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
impirius said:
Right -- I kicked two chickens when the character was a little kid -- and then
everyone in the town except the kid and his sister are killed -- so how could ANYONE possibly know I kicked chickens? So, yeah, it's just your title.
open_mouth_
insert_foot_
"Fable is my Daddy"
rs7k said:
This was the peak of my experiences with Fable, which really isn't a good thing. I was truly awestruck when I entered the Library Arcanum, the graphics were so perfectly dreamlike.
I'm having a very different experience then the people who started out disliking the game but felt it got better overtime. I was truly walking on clouds when I began my quest in Albion. I loved being a kid and interacting with the various villagers. I was imagining a game world filled with the various moral sidequests found in my hometown. The combat was fun. The graphics were ideal. And the MUSIC. Ahhh, the music.
As the game continued, the load times started dragging me down. The sidequests started to be more frustrating then entertaining, and the main quests weren't very exciting either. I wasn't effusively indulging in the whole doll house/marriage thing like I thought I would; it was so cookie cutter and...pointless? Pointless is the word. Everything I loved about the game, besides the music, devalued over time. My allignment? Devalued; I can just buy my way from one side of the spectrum to the other. My reputation? Devalued; I could just buy that too! What's the point? The combat remains fun, but its not a main attraction, certainly not enough to keep me playing on its own.
So it's sitting within it's little Gamefly envelope, and I'm this close to taking off the adhesive tape and sending that baby back to headquarters. I just don't know if I want to bother anymore...especially with the promise of Pikmin 2 and Katamari just WAITING to be sent to me upon Fables return...
Last time i do this.
*sigh* Fable runs fine with the occasional glitch if theres a lot on screen, its hardly "completely unoptimised" :lol i got shouted down yesturday in the GTA:SA thread for saying it looked like shit because of "everything thats going on on screen" fable has 4 (plus an enemy one outside towns) concurrent AI systems running and all you get is a couple of frame drops...and its still one of the top 10 on the system to look at.
Again...what game are you playing? they dont look the same, even the store bought crap doesnt look the same.
You only donate cash at one of those temples.
Its more like 3 days but i see where you're coming from, and can you honestly say you'd prefer it if the people never respawned and the guards never forgot? Congratulations you just made the 'tiny' world one town smaller.
What would have made it an RPG exactly? Turn based combat system? If they stuck a random battle system in there too...w0h00 30 hour game!
Why did it take 4 years to make fable? because they had dozens of ideas that were fantastic sounding ideas (remember how you all went oooooooooh at the though of planting a tree and watching it grow over time) that sucked when it actually came to play them, they could have left all that stuff in and then it really would have been black and white all over again, great technology, shitty game. Instead they went for a fun game and those that didnt like it, some what predictably, moaned about Fable not having all the boring/game breaking/morally reprehensible features they wanted.
Theres plenty of valid criticisms all over the board, yes the main quest is too short, yes there are too many health potions, yes the zones are too small by far and yes the lock on system is buggy.
My own biggest problem with it is that they have this awesome concept, you are a hero in a fairy tale world (i see it a bit like the Fable comic universe) full of heroes and other than one rival and one briar rose bit at the start, they didnt do anything with it. Id like to see a sequel where they keep what they've got and just embrace the concept more, have other heroes (including evil ones) walking through towns, showing off trophies, performing deeds in the world, maybe helping or hindering you with your own (depending on their personality) etc etc.
But Fable has a lot going for it too, even taking out what makes it totally unique (real time aging and appearence changing depending on how you act and what type of character you create) you are left with a game thats far above average. The whole presentation is great, beautiful graphics, very nice control scheme, probably just about the most voice acting you'll find, and other than whisper its all great too, the score is perfect from the instantly recognisable elfman title track to all the other music in the game. The combat seems simple but the ability to combine all three disaplines (melee, ranged and will) in one battle (thanks to the control scheme) means that you can pull off some astounding feats, especially when combining magic from the different schools. And the story, though short is pretty gripping, i love the contrast between the light and colourful world and the dark and sinister actions that take place in it.
Fable is my favourite game this year (though i do expect that it wont be once november arrives) I think it's as a great start to what will hopefully be a long running series.
*sigh* Fable runs fine with the occasional glitch if theres a lot on screen, its hardly "completely unoptimised" :lol i got shouted down yesturday in the GTA:SA thread for saying it looked like shit because of "everything thats going on on screen" fable has 4 (plus an enemy one outside towns) concurrent AI systems running and all you get is a couple of frame drops...and its still one of the top 10 on the system to look at.
Takuan said:
Again...what game are you playing? they dont look the same, even the store bought crap doesnt look the same.
You only donate cash at one of those temples.
Its more like 3 days but i see where you're coming from, and can you honestly say you'd prefer it if the people never respawned and the guards never forgot? Congratulations you just made the 'tiny' world one town smaller.
What would have made it an RPG exactly? Turn based combat system? If they stuck a random battle system in there too...w0h00 30 hour game!
Why did it take 4 years to make fable? because they had dozens of ideas that were fantastic sounding ideas (remember how you all went oooooooooh at the though of planting a tree and watching it grow over time) that sucked when it actually came to play them, they could have left all that stuff in and then it really would have been black and white all over again, great technology, shitty game. Instead they went for a fun game and those that didnt like it, some what predictably, moaned about Fable not having all the boring/game breaking/morally reprehensible features they wanted.
Theres plenty of valid criticisms all over the board, yes the main quest is too short, yes there are too many health potions, yes the zones are too small by far and yes the lock on system is buggy.
My own biggest problem with it is that they have this awesome concept, you are a hero in a fairy tale world (i see it a bit like the Fable comic universe) full of heroes and other than one rival and one briar rose bit at the start, they didnt do anything with it. Id like to see a sequel where they keep what they've got and just embrace the concept more, have other heroes (including evil ones) walking through towns, showing off trophies, performing deeds in the world, maybe helping or hindering you with your own (depending on their personality) etc etc.
But Fable has a lot going for it too, even taking out what makes it totally unique (real time aging and appearence changing depending on how you act and what type of character you create) you are left with a game thats far above average. The whole presentation is great, beautiful graphics, very nice control scheme, probably just about the most voice acting you'll find, and other than whisper its all great too, the score is perfect from the instantly recognisable elfman title track to all the other music in the game. The combat seems simple but the ability to combine all three disaplines (melee, ranged and will) in one battle (thanks to the control scheme) means that you can pull off some astounding feats, especially when combining magic from the different schools. And the story, though short is pretty gripping, i love the contrast between the light and colourful world and the dark and sinister actions that take place in it.
Fable is my favourite game this year (though i do expect that it wont be once november arrives) I think it's as a great start to what will hopefully be a long running series.
Diomedeskun
Member
What it all boils down to is its a fun little game that fails to deliver on msot of its promises. It lacks epic grandeur and it has a weak story, despite its spectacular opening. Nevertheless, its social aspect is much more complex than just about any RPG to come before.
The game constantly irritates you with poor choices on the part of the designers (why not just get experience when you kill enemies, why do you have to suck it in with R). The game has little depth (no dungeons, just killing poeple in the woods and escort missions). You cannot customize your character as much as promised (far less difference between melee and magic than at first glance and you really only have much control over good/evil and your hair/clothes). Nevertheless, if there is ever a sequal, it has an amazing foundation to build on.
The game constantly irritates you with poor choices on the part of the designers (why not just get experience when you kill enemies, why do you have to suck it in with R). The game has little depth (no dungeons, just killing poeple in the woods and escort missions). You cannot customize your character as much as promised (far less difference between melee and magic than at first glance and you really only have much control over good/evil and your hair/clothes). Nevertheless, if there is ever a sequal, it has an amazing foundation to build on.
Diomedeskun said:
I agree.
Overall it's a really fun game and a slight glimpse at some features RPGs could aquire in the near future. I don't know why so many people are hating on the game other than the fact is was hyped up for so long. And you have to admit the Arena was fun as hell. Great times.
I prefer it that way, so your constantly trying to think ahead while battling, trying to position yourself near the orbs.
I like the way experience is used as currency to upgrade your character. Hope they do the same for Fable 2, though it should be a little faster.
Noticed that the experience orbs gel together when they touch, you can use ranged weapons to colloect orbs from far away.
I also think the different colour that surrounds NPC depending on their importance is a brilliant idea, makes life a lot easier.
Edit: I really cant wait to see how BBB handle Fable 2 now that everyone has got to experience Fable. I have no doubt that it will be a great game, but im interested to find out how they structure the sequel and if they decide to allow the full freedom Fable was supposed to. i believe the Xbox wasnt powerful enough to achive the level of freedom and interaction we were first promised despite what they said in 2001. Which excites me, i think its quite obvious Fable 2 will be on Xenon, but this time, they should stay away from hyping the title, and speak of features once they're actually implemented and balanced (like Bungie)
I like the way experience is used as currency to upgrade your character. Hope they do the same for Fable 2, though it should be a little faster.
Noticed that the experience orbs gel together when they touch, you can use ranged weapons to colloect orbs from far away.
I also think the different colour that surrounds NPC depending on their importance is a brilliant idea, makes life a lot easier.
Edit: I really cant wait to see how BBB handle Fable 2 now that everyone has got to experience Fable. I have no doubt that it will be a great game, but im interested to find out how they structure the sequel and if they decide to allow the full freedom Fable was supposed to. i believe the Xbox wasnt powerful enough to achive the level of freedom and interaction we were first promised despite what they said in 2001. Which excites me, i think its quite obvious Fable 2 will be on Xenon, but this time, they should stay away from hyping the title, and speak of features once they're actually implemented and balanced (like Bungie)