***

Gamers who played last fall's Xbox 360 hit "Fable II" were supposed to feel an emotional connection to the virtual canine that faithfully followed their hero throughout the game.

The dog was mostly self-sufficient -- following, leading and fighting on its own -- though it did do tricks with the press of a button.

What if players could talk to that dog?

After all, gamers could call and command their puppies in Nintendo's "Nintendogs" portable game. And console games from "SOCOM" to "EndWar" have enabled players to use a headset to instruct other characters in those military adventures.

The "Fable II" developers tried to make some microphone interaction work.

"We did test it out," Lionhead founder Peter Molyneux told me in an interview last week. "Whistling to the dog with the microphone was one of the features that we dropped."

Molyneux said the voice-activation felt more like a "gimmick" and instead of true gameplay.

While it's hard to argue with a developer who has tested something that you haven't, it seems that the "Nintendogs" and "EndWar" executions did allow players to have more intimate connections with the characters at whom they addressed their speech.

Perhaps the difference is between Lionhead testing a whistling mechanic and integrating the speech recognition in the other two games. "Nintendogs" memorizes vocal prompts that are tied to specific tricks. "EndWar" interprets the delivery of a set list of vocabulary words.

Room for more testing in a "Fable 3?

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Molyneux: Re-Inventing Death In ‘Fable II’ Took Three Tries

Game designer Peter Molyneux and I talked about death in video games last week, and the failed experiments that led to the unusual lack of player death in "Fable II."

***

Lionhead Studios founder Peter Molyneux can talk a good talk about video games. So let me get out of the way and run his response to me from our interview in San Francisco last week, when I asked him whether he thought the lack of player death in his team's "Fable II" Xbox 360 role-playing game was a success:

"The way death worked in 'Fable I' was just so tedious."

Peter Molyneux: "We started with saying that 'The way death worked in "Fable I" was just so tedious.' There are certain games that, as a game player -- not as a designer but purely as a game player -- I found very, very frustrating, which ended up as barriers for me going any further in the game. 'Grand Theft Auto' was one of those games. I just found it super-frustrating to have to restart the game.

"You find yourself questioning yourself: 'Well, what do we really want? Why are we doing this to the player? We're doing it to make the game better or worse?'

"I fell down [on the side of]: we're making the game worse. Just because we've always done it, doesn't make it right.

"So, the first instinctive reaction to that was: 'Okay, how can we make death meaningful? How can we get people on the edge of their seats when they're fighting?'

"We still over-thought that... We did a prototype on the "Fable I" engine. We thought: "Death will be this: you'll fall down on the ground, you will be able to spend experience and gold to get off the ground, or you can stay on the ground and pay the price of waiting to get up and you would start to get horribly scarred.'

"What we found was with that the limitation in there -- with that penalty in there -- the vast majority of testers kept reloading [the game]. They were emulating the very thing we were trying to take away because they didn't like being scarred, they didn't like losing experience, they didn't like losing their gold.

"So what we did then is we removed the gold and the experience cost.

"They still reloaded.

"He was in the middle of a nuclear explosion and this whole tribe just died to keep him alive."

"Then we removed the scarring and said, "Okay, any experience [orbs] that [are] left on the ground -- which, after all, is your currency in the game -- you lose. That's what we got to, which is a pretty good place. I still think, as a designer, that we've got a ways to go.

"I think there's some refinement in that mechanic I would want to do. It really says something about you and what you're like as a person...There's this great comic from when I was a kid. This is going off tangent, so tell me to shut up if you want to. [Note from Stephen: Molyneux tangents tend to be interesting, so I didn't stop him.] It was called "Kelly's Eye" and it was this guy who had this eye that made him invincible. The cool thing about it was that every time he was injured or hurt -- this amulet was made by this tribe in Africa -- someone in the tribe in Africa got killed. It was really cool. I think the comic ended when he was in the middle of a nuclear explosion and this whole tribe just died to keep him alive. I remember when I was a kid, thinking, 'He goes in all these dangerous situations trying to save this girl from being killed and he just killed off three people in Africa.' So, I think, there's some mechanics to play with. [Note from Stephen: My research indicates that Molyneux might be mis-remembering the back-story of the comic, but his anecdote is no less illuminating.]

"That's my thing with 'Fable II.' I've got a three-page list of things that didn't quite hit the mark or are a little off simply because when you get to the end there's so many sacrifices you have to make to meet the date and get through it... We did take a different approach with things like death and the dog and the emotion stuff and the one-button combat. But I think that still needs a bit of polishing and refinement."

***

I'll have a little more from my conversation with Molyneux later this week.

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Lionhead’s Must-Do List For ‘Fable II’ Gamers
Butt Hole Road And Crapstone Are Real Places, Get Me Thinking Of ‘Fable 3′

***

Patrick’s Not Playing...
“Gears of War 2” (Xbox 360)
The reason he’s writing about not playing last year’s shooter yet again: Even though I declared a few weeks back I’d be starting “Gears of War 2” with a friend, that was running under the previous assumption that I wasn’t having much fun with “Fable II.” A few hours of enhanced combat later, however, and I’m suddenly loving my time in Albion and have put off killing underground monsters a little bit longer. Soon, “Gears of War,” soon.

Stephen's Not Playing...
"Mirror's Edge" (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Why he had expected to play it again: This was supposed to be the week that "Mirror's Edge" got several new levels of downloadable content. That content's been delayed, at least most of it. Do I turn on the game for one exclusive PS3 level today? Or do I keep it in the stack with "Fable II" and "Fallout 3," two other games that now have DLC that I'm not ready to play.

See for yourself in the NYT: No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else

It's a little weird to record a video for Monday on a Friday, but hey, if "Lost" can mess with time travel, why can't I? In this pre-weekend recording, I discuss the issues I'm having with "Fable II"'s combat and explain why I refuse to talk about the later stages of "Flower" until it's actually released next month.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

PS3 exclusive "LittleBigPlanet" received 10 nominations for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and will be duking it out with "GTA IV," "Left 4 Dead," "Fallout 3" and "Metal Gear Solid 4" for Overall Game of the Year.

***

Today the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. PS3 exclusive "LittleBigPlanet" had the most nominations with 10, including categories like Overall Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year.

Other games that got nods in multiple categories include: "Gears of War 2," "Fable II," "Left 4 Dead," "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" and "Fallout 3."

The winners will be announced on February 19 at an awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Jay Mohr, during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit in Las Vegas.

Check out the full press release below, along with the full list of nominees for Overall Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Computer Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming and Handheld Game of the Year:

Littlebigplanet leads with an impressive 10 Interactive Achievement Award NOMINATIONS

Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4 Fight It Out for ‘Overall Game of the Year’ Honors

CALABASAS, CA – January 23, 2009 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences® (AIAS) today announced the nominees for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards®. The nominations for the peer-based awards have been dominated by blockbuster game, LittleBigPlanet (Sony Computer Entertainment America) with an astounding 10 nominations from industry leaders and members of the interactive entertainment software business. In addition, finalists with multiple nominations include: Gears of War 2 (Microsoft Game Studios), Left 4 Dead (Valve Software), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.), Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks), and Fable II (Microsoft Game Studios).

The awards ceremony will take place during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit® 2009, on February 19th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, with comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, returning for his fourth year to host the award ceremony.

These peer-based awards recognize the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

“This was an exciting year for games,” said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. “The depth of talent and creativity in this industry continues to amaze me and we are honored to highlight some of the most impressive games of the year at the Interactive Achievement Awards. The 2009 nominees indeed reflect a stronghold of talent embodying the best and brightest in this field.”

Following is a partial list of finalists; the complete list of finalists is available at www.interactive.org:

Overall Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Grand Theft Auto IV
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Kojima Productions

Console Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Gears of War 2
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Epic Games, Inc.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Kojima Productions

Computer Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

Mass Effect
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware

Spore
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Braid
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Number None

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Spore
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis

Wii Fit
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo

Handheld Game of the Year

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Konami

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Ready at Dawn

Patapon
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment International

Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Level 5, Inc.

Since 1996, the Interactive Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding games, individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry. More than 100 titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy’s Peer Panels. These panels, one for each award category, are comprised of the game industry’s most experienced and talented men and women who are experts in their chosen fields. Interactive Achievement Award recipients are then determined by a vote of qualified Academy members, which is secret, conducted online, and supervised and certified by Votenet™ Solutions, Inc. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of AIAS members, makes the Interactive Achievement Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software industry.

***

Readers, what do you think? Does "LittleBigPlanet" deserve all the kudos or do other games need to get more credit? Which game do you think should win in each category? Were there any glaring omissions?

Does "Gears of War" creator Cliff Bleszinski hear snoring that makes him dream he's wielding a Lancer chainsaw?

Does "Burnout" architect Alex Ward dream that his car has flipped?

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, Patrick and I asked a few game developers how their work in the gaming industry affects their dreams. We heard back from creators behind "Fable II," "Mirror's Edge" and "Alone In The Dark" as well as from one game-crazy p.r. man.

Here are their gaming-affected dreams. Brace yourself:

The gaming dreams of Tom Farrer, producer of EA's "Mirror's Edge" [via phone]

"… And then comes the dreaming. When you're working on something for years and years, it sort of works its way into your subconscious and pops up in your dreams all the time.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I? I did have one dream where I woke up and was heading out to work -- I hadn't left the apartment -- and I was dressed as ['Mirror's Edge' heroine] Faith. I think that's the weirdest one that I have. I remember on 'Battlefield' dreaming that I was in one of the maps and under fire from snipers -- which is probably where the project was at at the time."

***

The gaming dreams of Peter Molyneux, head of Lionhead Studios, makers of "Fable II" [via e-mail]

"During the time we were developing 'Fable 2' I had quite a lot of dreams. Some about the lower moral characters in Albion -- probably best not to go into details! Quite a lot about being lost in Albion which is probably more about development process I suspect and one where I had a pet Balverine!"

***

The early-90's gaming dreams of Chris Kramer, current public relations manager at Capcom, U.S.A. [via instant message]

"I played a lot of the original 'Warcraft.' It got to the point where I would have these dreams where my town was being attacked and my peons were being slaughtered, but I was unable to control my units. Very stressful! I'd actually wake up from these dreams talking out loud, which would either wake me up or (more importantly) the very, very patient woman who is now my wife. After the third or fourth time this happened, there were some rules made in the house about length of time spent playing 'WC' and what time it had to be shut off."

***

The gaming dreams of Emile Morel, game designer at Eden Games for Atari's "Alone In The Dark" [via e-mail]

"When you work on a video game you start having a lot of weird dreams, especially in crunch period, when you literally work all day. Sleep becomes the only moment you have for yourself, away from work. The problem is that when you work a lot, sleep sometimes loses its relaxing abilities, and you basically end up working even when you sleep, your brain just can’t stop working.

"That happened to me on 'Alone in the Dark' when I was working on the monsters of the game. I spent a lot of time working on all the monsters in the game, setting and tuning them, to make sure they would always behave correctly. Before placing them inside the game, I had a test scene in the shape of a big arena where I could place all the monsters to test them.

"While I was working on those monsters, many times [I was still working on them] even in my sleep. In my dreams I was making new settings in the monsters and then I was watching them in the test scene to see if they were behaving correctly.

"But one time, this dream got weirder, I found myself literally inside the test arena, just as if I was inside the game, only it all seemed very real! I was surrounded by all the monsters of the game, but they were all very nice to me, I was the mean one. I was like the mean coach of a sport team, always yelling at the monsters because they were not doing what I was asking them to do, 'You guys don’t get it, this is not the way you should react when you hear a noise, that doesn’t work,' or things like that. And the monsters were very nice, doing their best to try to please me, but every time they were just doing the exact opposite of what I was asking them to do.

"I don’t remember how this dream ended, but I can tell you that after a dream like that, when you come back to work, it just feels like you never left work and that you never went to sleep…"

***

If working on video games has affected your dreams, please let us know. We're ready for anything.

How quickly should downloadable content follow a game's release?

This question came to mind yesterday when Bethesda Softworks announced that the first of three downloadable content packs for "Fallout 3" will be released in January. And the day before that, Lionhead Studios said they're planning to release a premium DLC pack with new quests, characters and items in mid-December for "Fable II." Last week, Rockstar Games said the first DLC for "Grand Theft Auto IV" will be out on February 17, with additional characters, missions, weapons and vehicles.

Both "Fable II" and "Fallout 3" came out at the end of October, and their first DLC will come less than two and three months, respectively, after their original releases. Meanwhile, "Grand Theft Auto IV"'s content will arrive about ten months after the title's initial release.

I've spent almost 20 hours in "Fallout 3" so far, and I'm nowhere near finished; as for "Fable II" and "GTA IV," there are still plenty of side missions to be completed.

Is the DLC for "Fallout" and "Fable" coming out too quickly? Or has the wait been too long for "GTA IV"? Judging by the number of used copies of "GTA IV" for Xbox 360 I saw at my local GameStop yesterday -- I counted 46 -- ten months may be a little too far out.

But what do you think? How swiftly do you need downloadable content for a game you've enjoyed playing? Do you want it as soon as you're finished or can you wait a while?

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For those of you who've played "Fable II," you know the game is about the choices you make. For the most part, you're in control of how you want your player to end up -- good or evil.

But there is one aspect beyond players' control... what happens when you unintentionally push the B button near loved ones.

Let me explain: In "Fable II," players can assign different magic abilities to the B button. Many players, myself included, went with a power called "Inferno," a spell that allows the player-character to shoot fire from his/her hands.

When in the towns, you can interact with people and perform expressions to amuse them, even drawing large crowds to you. But in doing so, it's also easy to accidentally hit the B button when navigating the menus. And whatever spell you've assigned to that B button -- well, you can guess what happens.

If you've had this problem too, you're not alone. There's a Facebook support group called the "Association of Accidental Arsonists." The description reads, "A support group for Fable II players who've set spouses, houses and mouses ablaze in err." Yesterday I found out who started this group.

It was actually founded by the Community team at Xbox.com. Associate community editor Kevin Paul told me via e-mail that the idea for the group came about when he and his co-workers discussed the game and shared similar stories of "accidental spell-casting or firearm discharge" upon their spouses and children.

"Have you accidentally manifested a bevy of blades which found their way into the Town Crier? We're here for you."

There is a safety to prevent players from doing harm to innocents, but if you're playing as an evil character, that safety is often turned off. Paul explained, "Lionhead made a fine game, and they put plenty of precautionary measures to prevent user error of the homicidal nature. Unfortunately for those dearest to my avatar, my many civilian killing sprees require that I disable said features for lengthy periods of time."

At the time of this writing, there were 50 members. Paul also wanted to note that the support group is not exclusive to arsonists. "Those of us at AAA are accepting of all forms of accidental property damage and manslaughter! Have you accidentally manifested a bevy of blades which found their way into the Town Crier? We're here for you."

Will you be joining them? Have you accidentally set your comrades aflame (or ablade or ashock)?

Related Posts:
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The best way to figure out if if the Xbox 360 role-playing game "Fable II" is right for you is to try it. But if you manage to rent it or borrow it from a friend, you may be overwhelmed. How do you ensure that you can judge "Fable II" properly?

That's why we do these Must-Do lists. Courtesy of "Fable II" desig director Dene Carter (aka not Peter Molyneux!) here are 10 must-do things in "Fable II" -- or, more accurately, this time -- 10 Must-Check-Out Sights And Sounds in the epic game.

I believe Carter's given us our funniest and most M-rated list yet.

Lionhead’s Must-Do List For
“Fable II″
(Xbox 360 Role-Playing Game, October 2008)

1. Bowerstone’s Bridge

Described by Albion’s best-known and least competent bard as "nice and bridgey," this functional edifice spans the entire width of the river Bower*, and is much beloved by both ardent romantics and the "desperate-but-desirous-of-a-quickie." Hand-in-hand walks in the moonlight are given a special magic courtesy of Bowerstone Bridge’s meat, fish and alcoholic beverage stalls.

2. Oakfield’s Temple of Light

In the hills overlooking the pastoral splendor of Oakfield lies the Temple of Light. Despite its curiously dingy interior, pilgrims and advocates of the way of Light make their way here once every half-century, to pay their respects and witness the replanting of the tree of life. You are encouraged to make a donation to the temple during the visit, preferably as a recompense for the sense of peace and inner stillness your visit will achieve, but more probably from the knowledge that generous donations occasionally result in the spontaneous appearance of a valuable nature.

3. Rookridge’s Temple of Shadows

Walkers taking in the air of Rookridge’s precipitous terrain have been entranced by the tattered splendor of the Temple of Shadows for centuries.** What the casual observer may not know is that beneath these ruins lie the headquarters of the local Shadow Worshippers. In an unusual move, this mysterious masked order offer a reward point scheme to visitors bringing friends or family to participate in their exciting "Wheel of Misfortune" game. Please note that this is a one-time offer, and participants are unable to take part twice, for reasons that will be entirely apparent upon visiting the site.

4. Fairfax Castle’s Interior

Fairfax Castle’s dramatic silhouette is visible from almost all of Bowerstone, its turrets and minarets harking back to a simpler, more disease-ridden time when men were real men, and so were some of the women. Offering en-suite beds, and absolutely no unsanitary water-closets, this Castle was recently vacated by its owner, Lord Lucien Fairfax, and since that time (and after the repair of the rather fine stained glass window apparently vandalized by some careless child) has been on sale for the reasonable price of 1,000,000 gold pieces. It is an unrivaled architectural marvel, and would make a good home for someone with children***.

5. Westcliff’s Crucible

Ask anyone what they remembered most when visiting the coastal camp-site of Westcliff and they will probably say: "Aaaargh…" before expiring. To say Westcliff is "a little rough" would be like saying "I assure you, Mr. Bandit, crime certainly does not pay." Pointless, painful and inaccurate. While visitors keep their backs firmly against stone, they might wish to take in the splendor of the local Crucible entertainment venue. The Crucible’s nine individually modeled arenas and the bloodthirsty thrills contained within offer entertainment for the whole family****

6. Wraithmarsh’s Sunken Village

Those of a historical bent may wish to visit Wraithmarsh’s sunken village. Wraithmarsh is a little off the beaten-track, so be sure to pack your best will-powered magical teleportation device to minimize transport issues. Once there, soak in the unique atmosphere, and try to stay out of sight of its local inhabitants. For the garrulous and foolish, a separate flyer titled: "My word. You’re dead. And now, so am I!" is also available from all good flyer-stores. Visit now before this unspoiled corner of the world becomes just another tourist trap. Wraithmarsh: everything you could possibly need, and more!*****

7. Bloodstone’s "Leper’s Arms" Pub

Are you a pervert? Will you sleep with anything that has a pulse? Does your ideal night out involve spending your hard-earned cash picking up diseases and their accompanying owners? Then visit the "Leper’s Arms" pub in the friendly seaside town of Bloodstone -- a mere knife-throw from the ship you probably arrived on. And -- due to the lack of local law enforcement -- what better way to end the night than with a good, old-fashioned brawl. But be careful; Bloodstone’s motto: "Come to Bloodstone. Everyone’s packing!" is no mere boast! For those of an experimental bent, there’s no place better to meet the man, woman or man-woman of your dreams.

8. Gargoyles

Adventurers well versed in firearms might wish to engage in the much-loved sport of Gargoyle hunting. These loud, obnoxious, demonic stone heads will playfully goad you, question your pedigree and actively encourage you to shoot them in the face. They can be found throughout Albion, in the most unlikely places. Listen out for their playful banter before aiming for their smug stone faces and shooting them right between the eyes.

9. Property Investment

Tired of working for money? Performed one too many assassination jobs? Have you smithed just one ingot too far? Look no further than Albion’s plentiful investment opportunities. From shops to stalls, houses to mansions and even Fairfax Castle itself, almost anywhere you can enter can be purchased for the right price. If you’re a little light in the pocket area, stalls are a great place to start; they are down-market, cheap and entirely lacking in class. The rental and stock prices associated are entirely in your control, allowing you to profit from the misery and penury of others without lifting a finger! The Albion Property Market: Because You’re Greedy.

10. Treasure Island

This legendary island allegedly contains untold riches. But then, it’s legendary, so I wouldn’t go trying to find it. That would be silly.

*This was not always true, thanks to the fact that the town’s treasurer, "Cedric the Idiot" had a poor grasp of arithmetic. The project remained unfinished for approximately 82 years, doing wonders for the river’s "32 meter ferry trip" industry.
**This entrancement is usually curtailed by inadvertently walking off the edge of the cliffs in error.
*** Preferably thirty or so.
**** Of bloodthirsty inbred cannibals.
***** Presuming your needs are limited to and do not exceed a slow painful death at the rotting hands/claws/screams of the recently and not so recently diseased.

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