THIS tale starts with a boy and his dog. How it ends, depends on you.
With the original open-ended Fable game providing gamers with choices, such as being a hero or villain or being in a romance or adventure, British game designer Peter Molyneux has chosen to make its sequel more personal and, possibly, heart-wrenching.
This comes in the form of a pet which the main character has to look after.
'The dog is no different from a normal dog. Games are about saving the world but there is no one you have to look after,' he reasons for adding the animal in.
No, Peter will not hint at the fate of the dog because it lies in the hands of the player.
In the world of Albion, Peter is basically the god of all small things. He gave Digital Life a tour of Fables 2 during his visit here last month for the Games Convention Asia.
The game will be previewed at the upcoming Microsoft X08 event.
The sequel is an immersive game that has players charting out the life of a character. Each player has an array of choices - from being good or evil to being a hero or thief and even being a monogamist or polygamist.
With every action, there is a consequence.
Evil acts will incur the ire of other game characters while being a Casanova can lead to contracting sexually transmitted diseases or being pregnant.
'It's a way of life. You can choose to go and buy protection,' he quips.
One new feature, or rather, consequence, is the ability to have children who do not fall far from the tree.
'The baby is a representation of you. If you're evil, he will be an evil child.'
While admitting that the game contains mature elements, such as same-sex marriages and violence, he adds that the majority of gamers probably won't experience it.
'The game is a reflection of you,' he says, pointing out that players generally toe the line and choose not to commit aggressive acts.
The game also features an economy where players can buy, sell and trade items and property in an A.I. (artificial intelligence) driven town that responds to their choices.
One example given was when a player purchased a tavern and gave out free drinks.
The result was a town full of drunks, allowing the player to steal from the town without anyone noticing.
'It wasn't what we designed the option for but it was what players have discovered,' says Peter.
To give an idea on how massive the game is, a player needs to amass over 25 million gold pieces to purchase every item available.
Another new feature is online co-op play, where players can team-up for quests and adventures. Players get to decide how loot and experience points are shared and can choose if their guests can permanently affect their game by turning off the safety feature.
The one thing that Peter wished he had switched off was the Xbox Achievements for the game. In most Xbox 360 games, game achievements are points awarded for performing certain tasks.
The list of possible achievements for the game has been published and are seen by some as goals for the game.
'As a designer, I hate those achievements. I don't want you to play the game like that. I want you to be yourself and get those achievements by being yourself.'
This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Oct 1, 2008.
