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- Jun 18, 2002
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Tags: Fable: The Lost Chapters
In amongst the cob-webs and other crud sitting on this site, was <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=156">a review of Fable written by Role-Player</a> (before he changed his name in a quest to find his true self). Well, there's nothing like digging up old stuff and posting it. So here it is:
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<blockquote>This lack of diversity in character options also extends to quests. Since all quests are designed to be accessible and completed by any character build, the game often forces players to take the same routes and make the same decisions when performing quests. There's no kind of variety in them because Lionhead didn't think it was a good idea to present alternate paths or solutions to them, so not only will a stealthy character be forced to do something else to gain experience, there's also no chance he could use stealth - even at the expense of some experience - to get the job done. One particularly vexing example of this kind of design can be seen in a quest where the Hero must find clues about a lost relative, and has to travel to a Bandit camp. The quest requires players to find five pieces of bandit armor scattered across an area just prior to the Bandit camp. Stealth users looking to hide in shadows and steal these pieces are out of luck because that part of the quest is a completely linear area that feels like a corridor - which in a way describes much of the game's areas - which gives no room for stealthy maneuvers. Since there's also no spell that cloaks the Hero's presence, you can see where this is going. Just slash, shoot or spellblast anything that moves. Combat is the only way to go here and what's worse, all the armor pieces are neatly folded and waiting to be found inside treasure chests anyone can spot a mile away. To add insult to injury you can't enter the next segment of the Bandit camp without the armor; but once you're inside you can walk around freely without it! Funny how this kind of amateurish design received so many rave reviews.</blockquote>
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Special thanks to Vault Dweller for digging out the screenshots that went along with the review.
In amongst the cob-webs and other crud sitting on this site, was <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=156">a review of Fable written by Role-Player</a> (before he changed his name in a quest to find his true self). Well, there's nothing like digging up old stuff and posting it. So here it is:
<br>
<blockquote>This lack of diversity in character options also extends to quests. Since all quests are designed to be accessible and completed by any character build, the game often forces players to take the same routes and make the same decisions when performing quests. There's no kind of variety in them because Lionhead didn't think it was a good idea to present alternate paths or solutions to them, so not only will a stealthy character be forced to do something else to gain experience, there's also no chance he could use stealth - even at the expense of some experience - to get the job done. One particularly vexing example of this kind of design can be seen in a quest where the Hero must find clues about a lost relative, and has to travel to a Bandit camp. The quest requires players to find five pieces of bandit armor scattered across an area just prior to the Bandit camp. Stealth users looking to hide in shadows and steal these pieces are out of luck because that part of the quest is a completely linear area that feels like a corridor - which in a way describes much of the game's areas - which gives no room for stealthy maneuvers. Since there's also no spell that cloaks the Hero's presence, you can see where this is going. Just slash, shoot or spellblast anything that moves. Combat is the only way to go here and what's worse, all the armor pieces are neatly folded and waiting to be found inside treasure chests anyone can spot a mile away. To add insult to injury you can't enter the next segment of the Bandit camp without the armor; but once you're inside you can walk around freely without it! Funny how this kind of amateurish design received so many rave reviews.</blockquote>
<br>
Special thanks to Vault Dweller for digging out the screenshots that went along with the review.
