Peter Molyneux LiveText
Your questions and his answers.
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112 comments
Hello and welcome to Eurogamer's LiveText interview with Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux!
Unfortunately Peter's gone on his merry way now, having sat around answering your questions about Fable 2 and all sorts of other topics for ages, but on the plus side you can read everything that got asked and answered down below.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Q%JYM60%48919%
Do you ever think you've thought too much about a game, put too much stuff into it?
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Peter Molyneux: Yeah all the time. In fact it has taken me 15 years of design to really realise that less is more. I have been really guilty of stuffing games with features that are not exploited or balanced. Fable II is different though. I have tried to focus everyone on three big features - story and emotion, combat and gameplay (which I am unveiling at GDC).
Q%elredeyegrande%54796%
Any words on the Jeff Minter's recent "outburst"? Or on 'Unity'?
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Peter Molyneux: Well, I know what Jeff means. When you are a small team you put so much love into a game in the hope that people will love it, and when they don't buy it it really hurts! I dont blame him for what he said. I am sure from what I know of Jeff he will bounce back. I really wish Unity had taken off but it was not to be.
Q%sabreman%51106%
Do you have any plans to revisit some of your classic IPs like Syndicate and Populous for the current-gen systems or even Xbox Live Arcade?
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Peter Molyneux: I would really love to revisit 1, Syndicate, 2, Populous, 3, Dungeon Keeper. The only problem is that they would have to be called something else because EA owns the rights, so no plans at the moment.
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Tom Super Moderating Hero Bramwell: Peter is online and we are off! First thing, Peter - can you give everyone a quick overview of your CV so that the people who aren't typing "Are you doing another Syndicate" over and over again have some context?
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Peter Molyneux: Peter Douglas Molyneux, born 6.47am 5/5/59 in Kent. Did nothing of any worth until (completely by luck) programmed a game called Populous. Then grew a company called Bullfrog and programmed/designed Populous II, Sysndicate, Magic Carpet, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper. After selling out to EA, left to start lionhead, designed Black & White helped design Fable and Movies. Now working on Fable II and... The buffer filled up just there, so cut off two words - it was the name of the second project here which I almost let slip!
Q%pjmaybe%212%
Will any of the gorgeous tech bandied about for Dmitri or BC ever find its way into a game?
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Peter Molyneux: Absolutely! We are working on a title now which is kind of a hybrid of Dimitri. I am really, really pushing the powers-that-be to allow me to tell/show the world this new project. I know I am prone to say things like 'great', 'revolutionary' and 'ambitious', but this new project its absolutely great, revolutionary and ambitious!
Q%A_of_T%73165%
Recently there has been a lot of talk about a lack of graduates qualified for the games industry. But at the same time there are very few companies (especially in the UK) that are actually willing to take on graduates. What is your opinion/stance on this issue?
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Peter Molyneux: I go to universities a lot trying to get people to join Lionhead (I was in Cambridge last week, I am at Imperial next week). Lionhead, and the whole of the industry, needs fresh blood. We need graduates that are smart and passionate. So we try and take new gradates on based upon two criteria - how smart they are, and (more importantly) how passionate they are. In my opinion experience counts for less than those things.
If anyone knows of someone who has a passion for GUI or physics, or an artist who can do great 2D art (using Photoshop), please drop us a line!
Q%SeanLB%28693%
With Microsoft releasing Bungie from their reins, would yourself and your Lionhead team embrace similar freedom?
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Peter Molyneux: No I find Microsoft allows us to create the great games we want to (Fable 2, hopefully, will be proof of that). Today you need all the support you can get to make a great title. I still think being an independent developer is very tough, and making great games is super-very tough. For me, being part of a family that truly wants to make great and innovational games is more important than being independent.
Q%TwistidChimp%14401%
Does the traditional publisher/developer relationship automatically stifle originality in game design now that budgets are so high, and potential losses for the publisher so large?
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Peter Molyneux: Yes! Now that games are so very expensive, the risk attached to innovation is huge. I know myself from making this second title here at Lionhead, it's very hard to get people to see the light when you are dealing with mega bucks, large teams and a development world where everything takes an enormously long time.
Q%Wayne%24678%
A lot of artists are starting to question religion in their work. Dawkin's God Delusion and Philip Pullman's Northern Lights trilogy are two examples. Do you think these is room in the games industry for such work?
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Peter Molyneux: Absolutely. Games can be controversal. In many areas they have already been. However, religion is a very hot potato (I know Black & White touched on it) so you have to be responsible.
Q%niacin%116836%
How do you feel about publishing companies influencing gaming critics for better reviews?
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Peter Molyneux: Game reviewers (especially Eurogamer reviewers) are the scariest people on the planet. I have literally had nightmares of reviewers attacking me with giant pen-like swords. If a game gets a bad review it can affect sales of a game massively, and now that so much rides on each title reviewers have a massive responsibility to be honest. Now, saying all that, publishers have to accept that big-budget games can get bad scores. The thing is that it all kind of evens out because each game gets upwards of 100 reviews and you have sites like Metacritic which average out scores. I guess my question is how honest was the 6/10 review and how many other reviews agreed with it.
Q%midnyht%121899%
I was wondering if you consciously have all your games with the general theme of freedom and choice in mind, such as Fable and The Movies, and even Black & White.
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Peter Molyneux: Yes, freedom is important to me, and it's something which is unique to computer games. So you are going to see a lot of it in Fable 2 whether it be morals, weath/charity, purity/corruption, free-roaming, story or drama.
Q%VelocityLGi%121768%
Are there any new features that are going to be in Fable 2 that you can tell us about today?
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Peter Molyneux: Well, I am looking at Fable 2 as I type. I am looking at a field of flowers that have just burst into pollen. The pollen is gently floating in the wind. It all looks very beautiful and peaceful as the sun sets. Me being me, I cannot resist using a fire storm to ignite the whole field!
Q%Hunam%28772%
EA of late has been bringing some classic PC games to Nintendo DS including Theme Park, and Microsoft has been fairly supportive of Rare making DS games. Are you interested in developing simulation/god games on the DS?
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Peter Molyneux: Yes.
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Moderating Hero: Peter is going to pause briefly while he goes into a meeting. However, he claims he's going to continue answering questions once he gets in there, so hang on for more!
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Moderating Hero: Shall I keep asking away or would you like to run around the office now?
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Peter Molyneux: The wonder of portables will keep me online.
Q%VelocityLGi%121768%
We hear a lot about graphics design and programming roles, but what advice would you give to someone trying to get involved with the actual core design of games?
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Peter Molyneux: If you want to get into design then you mut be good at the following. Communication - you must be able to communicate, be persuasive, passionate. Balance - you must know when to push an idea through and when to let it go. Inspiration - you have to have the ability to inspire people who are working on a game. If you want to get into design, don't expect to have a whole game that you have thought up implemented - just go for a single game feature.
Q%charliemouse%54064%
Were you disappointed with the critical and commercial response to The Movies? How would you do it differently if you could or are you happy with how it turned out?
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Peter Molyneux: I felt we could have done a better job with The Movies. In hindsight I think the game turned out to be a little on the manic side. I am still immensely proud of what the team did, and amazed at what the community has gone on to do. My excuse - for what it's worth - is that Lionhead was just trying to do too much at once (Fable The Lost Chapters, plus Black & White 2, plus The Movies) all at once. That was just mad.
Q%Jim Bob%6299%
Peter, which game released this year have you been most impressed with and why?
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Peter Molyneux: Well, it's been a cool year. Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Halo 3, BioShock were all great for different reasons. For me the one I most enjoyed, mainly because of the environment and story, was BioShock.
Q%PrettyPolly%121928%
Yo Pete, if you didn't have a career in videogames, what would you be doing instead?
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Peter Molyneux: I am only capable of doing one thing. If it was not for games I am sure I would be working in some boring office somewere. If I had a choice and could make myself smart enough, I guess I would love to research something deep and meaningful, like how quantum physics affects shoe size.
Q%jay2%120780%
hey Peter. My name is Jaime, and I'm beta testing Fable 2 next week, well done on the wedding, I came the week befor you got married. Any way my question is does Fable have (or will it have) a name rather than the number 2?
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Peter Molyneux: Good question. I don't think so - unless you can think of one next week.
Q%SeanLB%28693%
LittleBigPlanet is opening the idea of gamers playing an active part in creating new nuances with the game to be shared among the community. Will we see Lionhead embrace a project with a similar ideology?
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Peter Molyneux: I love LBP. Those guys are doing amazing work. Lionhead has no plans to do anything similar. Of course, Black & White and The Movies had an amazing amount of stuff created by the community.
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Moderating Hero: Someone called retrend has posted the same question about 48 times - "will you bring out Dungeon Keeper DS already?"
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Peter Molyneux: I would love to do Dungeon Keeper DS. If EA would give me the rights!
Q%theguyfromspark%29523%
If you could go back and produce a Director's Cut of any of your past games, which game would it be and what would you change?
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Peter Molyneux: Most of them. Hindsight is always 20-20. But, if I had my pick, I think it would be Syndicate.
More guns!!
Q%Jonsend%3000%
What is your meeting about?
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Peter Molyneux: I am reviewing the latest combat developments in Fable II. We are currently balancing something call combinational combat. Not really supposed to talk about it.
Q%Britesparc%49182%
Would you ever work on a licenced property? Not just a film licence, but if MS wanted you to make the next Halo game, would you?
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Peter Molyneux: I certainly would consider working on a licence as long as myself and the team were given creative freedom to take the licence in any direction.
Q%sickboy%48415%
Hey - If one guy can post his question 48 times and get it asked, I can do the same! Besides, I think my question is better! Peter, how do you see gaming evolving in the next decade? (Moderating Hero wishes it to be understood that he will no longer be coerced and gives spammers 6/10.)
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Peter Molyneux: Wow, big question. I think, one, gaming and socal networking will come together more. Two, the devices we use to play games will contiune to change radically. Three, we will still have a football game every year. Four, at least three of the existing genres will be redefined! Five, a game will be regarded as a major scientific breakthrough.
Q%woodnotes%4250%
Will the dog in Fable 2 be comparable to the AI offered in Nintendogs? Or will we be seeing animal AI far beyond anything previously done? I'm actually incredibly intrigued about how you are implementing this feature.
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Peter Molyneux: Nintendogs AI hahahaha. I would love my dog in Fable 2 to take on one of the Nintendogs. The out come would be 'interesting'. We are really trying hard to make the Fable 2 AI as amazing as possible.
Q%Danbojones%28405%
Peter, what would you rather have: the ability to become invisible, or lasers for eyes?
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Peter Molyneux: Invisible of course! Far more useful.
Q%Britesparc%49182%
I promise I'm not trying to start a flame war, but are there any limitations with the 360 that you find awkward from a design point - no guaranteed hard drive, no high-definition media drive, etc?
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Peter Molyneux: Every console has its limitations. As a designer I would love infinite memory, and power. But in reality the Xbox 360 is the best console I have worked on! I have to be diplomatic, but that is true.
Q%jack_klugman%11094%
Do you see Syndicate, with its large environments, city settings and open-ended gameplay as the father of modern sandbox titles like GTA?
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Peter Molyneux: Hmm. Never thought of it that way. If I did, I guess I would kick myself for not taking Syndicate further!
Q%cambridge%120426%
What would you say has influenced you most as a developer?
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Peter Molyneux: At the moment, it is trying to make games as dramatic at certain moments as in the movies. Strong influences in the past have been been books, music, childhood, etc.
Q%Jim Bob%6299%
What integration with Xbox live is planned for Fable 2? Online co-op? New episodes? Dog armour?
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Peter Molyneux: No comment, sorry - although this is my 'favourite' topic.
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Moderating Hero: We're told we can have one more question, so we go for - When is Fable 2 coming out?
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Peter Molyneux: 2008 for sure.
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Moderating Hero: Can you be any more specific?
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Peter Molyneux: Late 2008. Maybe when the leaves have a slight brownish tinge - but are still on the trees, if you see what I mean.
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Moderating Hero: Peter - thanks very much for your time, and good luck with Fable 2!
Q%Dafridge%51222%
Do you regret selling all your previously licensed games to EA?
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Peter Molyneux: In a perfect world I would love to develop some idea that are owned by EA, so I guess the answer is yes.
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Moderating Hero: One from me - Do you think games should pay more attention to books and less to films?
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Peter Molyneux: Hmm. Books are interesting as inspiration because they tend to be more imaginary. For me it's trying to that moments from books and film. If games try to emulate movies they can tie themselves in knots.