Bits And Pieces: Fable III To Go Episodic

Enough people, including the suit types who OK things in board rooms, were apparently pleased sufficiently enough with Fable II Episodic for Lionhead Studios to do it again. Fable III will be divided into several digital bits and pieces, and in the process, revive a model that hasn't been used since its predecessor.

Speaking with GI.biz, Lionhead's big man Peter Molyneux said the studio is seeking to score a profit above $150 million. He revealed that Fable III's episodic split will be a part of this push for big cash money. And so will the game's so-called casual-friendly elements like its clean HUD and purportedly simpler or more streamlined mechanics.  
 
But let's talk hear the man first, eh? "Soon after the retail launch we're doing episodic. We break it down in chapters. We give away the first chapter entirely free, the first hour," Molyneux explained. 

"When you reach a certain point in the game it says 'thank you for playing the pilot of Fable 3, do you want to spend an extra two-to-five or whatever dollars to buy the next episode, or buy the whole lot?' Press 'yes' and you will immediately continue playing."

Yay!

I'm still not really intrested in Fable III yet. Didn't enjoy the second one enough.

More options are always a good thing, I suppose.

Does this mean there won't be a boxed-get-it-all-at-once copy?  Or will it be available in both formats?  Will I be able to download the eventual PC edition as the entire game or will I only have access to direct distribution if I go episodic?  Oops: Never mind, read the last line of the article and it mention the retail edition.

thats means you cant buy the game as a whole for the PC?

I really like this idea and hope it works for them.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Oh ffs! How much more room on my dwindling hard drive will I need to enjoy Fable III?

"simpler or more streamlined mechanics"
 
lolwat.  Any simpler and it will just be a movie.

Could be good. As long as it's not stuff that on the disc. I always find it shady when developers lock out some content from a product you've already bought.

now it should be noted tehy aren't going episodic only. it will have a complete retail thing which I will be buying.
as well if you were lucky you were able to get episode 2 for free as well from major nelsons blog.

" "simpler or more streamlined mechanics"  lolwat.  Any simpler and it will just be a movie. "

Never go full retail...oh wait. That's exactly what they should do. Enough of this episodic DLC content crap.

are you fucking kidding me?  fuck off Molyneux (no I don't care if I spelled the idiots name wrong)
 
Fable series is enjoyable enough but is RPG lite...no thanks on episodic bullshit.  Give me the option of buying everything for regular price or gtfo of my face.

This is ridiculous...

What happened to the days of just buying a game, putting it in the console, and having everything right there in front of you?  All of this downloadable content that you have to pay for on the release date is just ridiculous.

" Never go full retail...oh wait. That's exactly what they should do. Enough of this episodic DLC content crap. "

" are you fucking kidding me?  fuck off Molyneux (no I don't care if I spelled the idiots name wrong)  Fable series is enjoyable enough but is RPG lite...no thanks on episodic bullshit.  Give me the option of buying everything for regular price or gtfo of my face. "

" now it should be noted tehy aren't going episodic only. it will have a complete retail thing which I will be buying. as well if you were lucky you were able to get episode 2 for free as well from major nelsons blog. "

Personally I'll stick with the disc. But for those that rather play it this way, then more power to them.

Since the first section will be free to download, it's probably going to be a better deal than buying the retail version. I don't really want to buy a bigger hard drive though, so I'll probably end up buying the disc :/  
 
TBH, this how I feel all digital copies should be. When I bought Dragon Age: Awakening, I was bummed that the digital version was the same as retail. Since there isn't any physical disc, it should be cheaper, right? 

Some of y'all don't like to read. Or think. See, the reason it'll come in episodes is so that you don't have to download a big ol' file and have it take up space on that exceptionally roomy hard drive that Microsoft decided to give you. Not everyone has Internet fast enough where they can sit down and decide "I'd like to play this game. 15GB download? No problem, it'll be ready in 30 minutes!"

This is a good fit for me.  I didn't dislike Fable 2, but I wasn't exactly enamored with it either.  With this option, I can play a bit of the game to see if it's more interesting.  Then I can either elect to not play it, or I can pay for the rest and keep all of my progress from the first chapter (assuming that it carries over).  It's sort of like a demo, but I get to keep my progress at the end, like how the Crackdown 2 demo lets you keep your achievement progress if you wind up getting the game.

Molyneux also stated that Fable 3 will cure all known types of disease and change the way you think about the universe forever.

Would this pretty much serve as a demo for Fable 3? I'll still get it on retail disc if I do get it though.

Multiple ways to buy a game that will probably be just as bad as the previous one. Woo-hoo.

" are you fucking kidding me?  fuck off Molyneux (no I don't care if I spelled the idiots name wrong)  Fable series is enjoyable enough but is RPG lite...no thanks on episodic bullshit.  Give me the option of buying everything for regular price or gtfo of my face. "

I will just get the disc version.

They just want you to grab the free episode thinking you'll not buy anything, then get hooked and buy them all.

This is stupid and it will backfire on them

" Since the first section will be free to download, it's probably going to be a better deal than buying the retail version. I don't really want to buy a bigger hard drive though, so I'll probably end up buying the disc :/   TBH, this how I feel all digital copies should be. When I bought Dragon Age: Awakening, I was bummed that the digital version was the same as retail. Since there isn't any physical disc, it should be cheaper, right?  "

Fuck you Lionhead you dirty British pricks. Molyneu go suck a dick.

2nd paragraph, "But let's talk hear the man first, eh?"

Meh. Don't care much about fable.

" @Make_Me_Mad: You can buy it fully at retail. This is just for the digital version of the game. "

Heh, passed on Fable 2, will do the same for 3 it seems.

As long as it comes out on a full retail disk, more options for people to get at a game are always better. Plus hopefully this is just another stepping stone in the road to full game downloads.

I was at GameHorizon when he announced the episodic content stuff - he also said how much he hated demos and how the episodic stuff is kind of like a demo. I strongly disagree with his anti-demo stance though; the world still needs demos. Crackdown 2 is a fine example of how demos can be done right.
 
Incidentally, when he announced his hate for demos, only two people in the audience clapped.

I can't see why anybody would want the optional piecemeal plan.  Fie on that.

If there is no full disk version then I'm not buying. I've learned that I dislike  episodic content *coughhalflifecough*

Sweet, since Fable gets boring after only a few hours this way I won't have to pay for it.  Not even to get it for a week from Gamefly!

Did anyone else hear Peter Molyneux voice in their head when they read the quotes ?
 
i just got chills down my spine

The prices for the Fable 2 episodes were atrocious.