Fable III has no combat for 30 mins

By Robert Purchese Published 19 March, 2010

Molyneux worried this is too long.

Peter Molyneux is in a pickle: he's worried that having no combat during the first half-hour of Fable III could be a problem.

"Been playing the opening of Fable III," Tweeted the Lionhead boss. "I am slightly worried that there is no combat for the first 30 mins. Is this too long? Thoughts."

Fable II began with the main character as a child, playing with her sister in the city of Bowerstone - and more importantly getting to grips with the controls.

How Fable III will begin we do not know. The first-half of the game will be spent rising up against and overthrowing evil King Logan, after which the rule of Albion will become your task.

One of Molyneux's ambitious new features for the games is a touch system where heroes can physically drag other characters around the game world. There may be no combat for the first 30 minutes of Fable III, but we expect there'll be plenty of touching.

Fable III is due out this autumn exclusively on Xbox 360. Our gamepage below has all our coverage so far.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • stuarty_2003 #1 2 years ago

    Depends what you're doing for the first 30 mins, I suppose.

  • RodHull #2 2 years ago

    So long as it's not a MGS style cutscene borefest it shouldn't be an issue, Peter

  • Jay-ITFC #3 2 years ago

    Not an issue for me. Combat didn't wow me in Fable 2 anyway, the immersive game world is where the magic is at.
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/10 @ 12:53

  • Slipstream #4 2 years ago

    This wont be an issue if the narrative provides worthy distractions.
    For people who are intending to play through a second time however, well, I'm sure you can come up with an alternative for that.

    For a first time play through though, I think half an hour with no combat can work.
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/10 @ 13:10

  • crazyhorse174 #5 2 years ago

    The beginning of the 2nd one didnt have much combat either, so its probably not that big a deal. Think the 1st one was the same, but its been so long since I last played it that I cant actually remember!

    Lets be honest though Peter, it doesnt matter what you do, someone somewhere will moan! Just release the game and let us make our minds up! I for one, can wait for it!

    EDIT: bad grammar!
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/10 @ 13:26

  • MiniAmin #6 2 years ago

    Ensure we're sufficiently charmed by John Cleese within the opening 30mins and i'll forgive the belated combat :D

  • clearblue #7 2 years ago

    I really like Fable II, but combat isn't really it's main selling point for me... it's all about the dog!

  • darleysam #8 2 years ago

    I believe I agree with everyone above. Keep me interested narratively, and we're good. Combat and action is only one facet of a game, so it's cool.

  • Skurmedel #9 2 years ago

    Black and White had no combat for eons sometimes, so it shouldn't be foreign to him.

  • SAMagic #10 2 years ago

    Clearly, they should use Cleese to full effect by recreating the fight with Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard from Jade Empire.

  • patchbox360 #11 2 years ago

    the first sign

  • makeamazing #12 2 years ago

    Somehow i dont think that an experienced game designer like PM is really worried about it, its all about getting as much PR cuttings as possible... (not that you can blame them)

  • menage #13 2 years ago

    I didn't really play Fable for the combat most of the time.

  • gjgjg #14 2 years ago

    anyone who buys fable and stops playing because theres no combat in first 30mins probably bought the wrong game

  • cyacomini #15 2 years ago

    Black & White - now if ever a game was suited to XBLA (or even PSN) this is it...

    I would literally cut off my dick for that..

  • curtlikesmeat #16 2 years ago

    The combat in Fable has never been that great and I'm getting bored with violence in games these days anyway. I actually liked it in Uncharted 2 when one of the characters points out that Nathan Drake has actually murdered hundreds of people before that point in the game.

  • Timbercottage #17 2 years ago

    There's more to Fable than combat. I'm worried he thinks the game is boring without it.

  • muscleblade #18 2 years ago

    The combat in Fable 2 was the worst thing in the game.
    I would worry more about how good the combat elements are when they first appear.

  • iamian #19 2 years ago

    I would literally cut off my dick for that..

    Black and White is worse drug than meow-meow
    Edited by 2 at 19/03/10 @ 14:17

  • butler` #20 2 years ago

    i don't get all the hate for f2's combat

    it was simplified, but extremely accessible (even my dad played it through - the last game he completed being Zork or something...)

    the 'blink' style ability and the slow time stuff mixed with the 'charge'-style magical powers was quite nifty i thought

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #21 2 years ago

    I don't really understand the consern it's not like the 'big names' don't do the same either I mean look at Zelda:TP for the first few hours your basically doing fetch quests and goat herding, no issues from players there, and on the flip side it's not like currently FFXIII you actally 'do' anything but watch cutsenes and minor button bashing for the 'tutoral' first hour of the game.

    If your doing somthing for a reason - who cares

  • PlugMonkey #22 2 years ago

    curtislikesmeat:

    http://ww w.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/1...

  • TheBoyChris #23 2 years ago

    Yahtzee is going to have a shitfit.

  • metalangel #24 2 years ago

    Good. The combat was complete shit anyway. I'm slightly worried that I'm going to be so entranced by what the game *could* be that I'll end up buying it and being crushingly disappointed. Just like Fable 2 and Black & White.

  • curtlikesmeat #25 2 years ago

    @PlugMonkey - lol, exactly!!

  • Darkjinxter #26 2 years ago

    Don't worry Peter.

  • sneetch #27 2 years ago

    I'm ok with it. I thought it was about 30 minutes before combat started in the previous ones too, I didn't mind I was enjoying it.

  • Farfarer #28 2 years ago

    What's the matter, Molyneux? Your endless innovative gameplay ideas and strong engaging writing not enough to hold up a game for 30 minutes?

    Oh, yeah, sorry. Forget I said anything.

  • Dreddnaught #29 2 years ago

    Great Odins Raven Peter, just shut up about it !!!

    I like you, but please, just shut up.

    Molyneux is Lionhead's biggest liability, and the singular reason I've been disappointed by the Fables. Someone put him away in a drawer or something until after Christmas

  • TRUTH #30 2 years ago

    I'm sick to death where all games need to be dumbed down for the action no brainier player!
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/10 @ 22:35

  • Stuz359 #31 2 years ago

    I agree with many of the sentiments expressed here that it does not really matter as long as the game is interesting.

    I see what he is saying though. Not all gamers are as patient as us. There are many gamers who have the attention span of...What was I saying?
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/10 @ 21:30

  • metalangel #32 2 years ago

    Lots of Molyneux apologists coming in here to neg anyone who dares speak against him or say they were disappointed by his games, as usual.

    Do you really think I went out and paid £34.99 for Fable 2 just to hate on it?

  • immateriaux #33 2 years ago

    Fatuous Eurogamer Molyneaux Story alert.

  • man.the.king #34 2 years ago

    I fail to see how having no combat for a limited period of time is a bad thing. In most RPGs (e.g. Bethesda's Oblivion and Fallout 3), I might take a couple of hours at a time just to manage my inventory, money and stats. IMHO combat is an important part of RPGs, but not the only part.
    Edited by 2 at 20/03/10 @ 00:09

  • smelly #35 2 years ago

    It's all a blur and i often get 1 and 2 mixed up (as they both have near identical stories).. but didnt the first one have you playing as a child for nearly an hour?

  • smelly #36 2 years ago

    @metalangel : I think it's because it's a platform exclusive, always tends to bring out the worst in people... "how dare you say anything bad about x,y or z"

  • TruSmiles #37 2 years ago

    I actually think it's nice that he's asking people for feedback so that he can tailor the experience.

  • metalangel #38 2 years ago

    @smelly: things aren't helped by EG's fascination with the man and insistence on a news item every time he says something. I'm tired of hearing about him, and would rather there was no more Molyneux or Fable 3 news for a while. Then in a few months we can see the game again and be impressed with how far it's come.

  • StolenRequiem #39 2 years ago

    I find it a good way of introducing the game. Gradually build up to a bad event (ie: Twilight Eclipse's release) then throw the gamer in face first into a vat of acid.

  • koopa #40 2 years ago

    So what's new, tons of action/RPG games don't have combat in the beginning...

  • Sharzam #41 2 years ago

    Iam currently playing Fable 1 as it is on offer this week (800 points if your wondering) and iam quite surprised by how much slicker and polished fable 2 is for example the amount of UI clutter.

    And thats saying something consdering the bugs that 2 has. So looking forward to 3 if its anywhere near as refined as 1-2 is then it will be great.

    edit: of course its better with it having the power of the 360 behind it but some things like gameplay are not connected to which console it is on yet fable 2 is better in every way.
    Edited by 2 at 20/03/10 @ 15:58

  • Connobi #42 2 years ago

    Jesus, Molyneux goes on about more bollocks. Why can't he just STFU & release a game that actually delivers on the shite he spouts about?

  • TRUTH #43 2 years ago

    Fable 2 is quality title - but I think like to slag it simply they hope to much!...It has more sense of Role Playing then many other rpg's.

  • immateriaux #44 2 years ago

    "And thats saying something consdering the bugs that 2 has. So looking forward to 3 if its anywhere near as refined as 1-2 is then it will be great. "

    And if it is anywhere near as buggy? Lionhead have a litany of buggy games now. Modus Operandi seems to be to talk up a game to the extent of pure hyperbole, release a cut down version that is bugged to hell, ignore bugs, talk up next game to levels of hyperbole. Places like Eurogamer indulge this model by allowing Molyneaux fortnightly space to read out his shopping lists or just babble vacuous stuff like "wow", "there's no combat for 30 mins" as though anybody anywhere would really consider that an issue in a well developed game.

  • Dreddnaught #45 2 years ago

    @TRUTH

    "Fable 2 is quality title - but I think like to slag it simply they hope to much!...It has more sense of Role Playing then many other rpg's. "

    Fable 2 was ok up until the Tattered Spire quest to free the Hero of Will. That quest made me hate the game and I never enjoyed playing it after that. Molyneux would do well to stop spouting shite and lofty unattainable aspirations, and instead, concentrate on releasing a consistently enjoyable game.

    Cos so far, he hasn't ever done that.

  • I\'mListening #46 2 years ago

    I loved Fable II. The world was really immersive. But, there were moments of ineptitude within that game. Tha main quest was so short and basic for an RPG, the job system was outright dullness, and they couldn't even create a decent animation for jumping into the water - you could walk in followed by a huge splash, invisible walls in the middle of wide open spaces (shouldn't we be past this now?). And yet, with all this, it was one of my favourite gaming experiences of 2008. And I can't wait for III.

  • smelly #47 2 years ago

    @metalangel : Its called marketing.. You may think it's EG's fascination with him - but reality is, money has probably changed hands. You may think that promoting him this much is bad for the game.. but the reality is that the game will sell shit loads BECAUSE of all this marketting/press.. same as the other games did.

  • TRUTH #48 2 years ago

    The game will sell shit loads simply there are many people who love Fable I & II(Check Metacritic scoring, both games scoring highly) has received good reviews and many sales. If it was shit no-one would be bothered!
    Edited by 2 at 21/03/10 @ 22:11

  • dustrat #49 2 years ago

    I must have been playing Mass Effect to much. I read "gamepage" as genophage. Doh.

  • MaxiSleep #50 2 years ago

    Yes it is indeed too long/

    I want games to grab me not slowly seduce me. I dont have the time for that anymore :)

  • Trigg3rHippie #51 2 years ago

    I think what they need to do is a brand new graphics engine because the current one is just not enough, c'mon- have you seen F2? Gameplay mechanics is next thing that needs looking into. F2 played pretty much the same as the first... with dog... no progress here... Hey Pete, don't let F3 copy the same mistakes/obsolete gameplay ideas... don't just add.. change... And 30mins without combat? Come on... It all depends on the game... is it interesting enough? If it is then there's no problem.

  • smelly #52 2 years ago

    @TRUTH : There are many many high scoring games out there which DONT sell.

    Like it or not .. this sort of "news" helps to sell games.

    (and reviews can be bought too)