Fable 2 Fans Influenced Game, Still Drive Developer Mad

[Albion Knight]

New article on our beloved Sam from The Escapist Magazine

Between Peter Molyneux's vocal commentary on development and a rabid fan base, Lionhead Studios Community Manager Sam Van Tilburgh is expecting to only increase his workload when Fable 2 is launched to community criticism.

A month away from its release, the Fable 2 team has been promoting its title as much as possible, in true Molyneux style. With a Halo-inspired character, pre-release parlor games and a nearly finished product, Van Tilburgh's job of managing the aftermath is about to begin.

"My crunch only gets worse," said Van Tilburgh to MTV's Patrick Klepek. "When the game comes out, people start playing it and then everyone's got an opinion! [Lionhead] said to me when I started, if you survive your first game as a community manager, you're in it for life. Ninety-five percent of community managers don't even survive the first game."

Even if he survived the first Fable launch, the role's position as the public face of the studio puts him in place to take public punishment alongside the developers.

"You take everything personal," he explained. "I spend, in a week, 40 to 50 hours in the office with my friends, my colleagues. They spend 10, 12, 15 hours a day in the office. We shower there, we eat together, we sleep on the sofa...and then to hear people say 'This is s***! I don't like this and I don't like this!' It's hard not to take it personal. It affects you."

All the input from gamers who email Lionhead or post on the company forums is taken seriously. Some suggestions even influenced the final product. One specific example Van Tilburgh recalls is the controversial "bread crumb" directions that lead players toward the next point in the story progression.
"The bread crumb trail is a perfect example. When Peter first introduced it, everybody hated it on the team," stated Van Tilburgh Then, so many people started complaining about it that we came to the idea that we should actually lessen the effect. If you decide to not to stick to the bread crumb trail and go off the bread crumb rail, then it fades and becomes very soft."

Source

[Dark Drakan]

They are showing why they are one of the best studios around, always adapting and changing ideas and also they disagree with each other. No-one is scared to voice their opinion if they dont like something then it is changed accordingly instead of just nodding and agreeing with everything. Sam should know by now we all respect and like him, he survived the first wave and has praise for the 2nd wave.... 'so far' .

[Velez]

Here's to hoping Sam doesn't go crazy when the game launches and is part of that 5%.

[ali1238]

I made a thread specifially for one of the links in the artical (showing the new Halo set). I make sure to credit you for the link AK

[Zarkes]

eghr thats kewl i feel bad for that guy ahwell PM took therapy i guess he can 2

[GameStopPro]

if u cant take a cridic's advise then don't design or imagine! instead just push papers all day...

[SimonKalevra]

Originally Posted by Zarkes

eghr thats kewl i feel bad for that guy ahwell PM took therapy i guess he can 2

... they go into therapy for making a game?
seems kinda lame, lol. but idk. All I hear from the US and UK is how much ppl go into therapy, and mostly it's cause they are stressed out..
idk it just seem strange to me..

[Darg]

I've got to hand it people who work on high-profile games like this. They slave over a product for months and months and get hit hard by criticism from all sides, but I think the payoff is something amazing. Major kudos to them!

[moonfever]

Originally Posted by Darg

I've got to hand it people who work on high-profile games like this. They slave over a product for months and months and get hit hard by criticism from all sides, but I think the payoff is something amazing. Major kudos to them!

Not to mention the death threats Peter got for Fable.

[SimonKalevra]

Originally Posted by moonfever

Not to mention the death threats Peter got for Fable.

ofmg
Ppl send him death threats? wtf's wrong with them? Fable was an awesome game - much better than all other games present at that time, it just didn't live up to the hype.
So many r3tarded ppl in this world -_-

Like that woman who sued McD for a couple of mill cause she didnt realize the cofee was warm... systems f*cked if you win a trial like that

[moonfever]

Originally Posted by SimonKalevra

ofmg
Ppl send him death threats? wtf's wrong with them? Fable was an awesome game - much better than all other games present at that time, it just didn't live up to the hype.
So many r3tarded ppl in this world -_-

Like that woman who sued McD for a couple of mill cause she didnt realize the cofee was warm... systems f*cked if you win a trial like that

There are some strange people out there. I'd see a shrink to, if people were threatoning me.

[jaconcox]

what does he mean by halo inspired character??? i don't really get that does it mean like the character is as famous as master chief? or the character is like master chief? or what i don't really get that... maybe im missing something

[Skorm's Boss]

Originally Posted by jaconcox

what does he mean by halo inspired character??? i don't really get that does it mean like the character is as famous as master chief? or the character is like master chief? or what i don't really get that... maybe im missing something

Click on the link in the first post then! the one that says Halo- inspired character!

[jaconcox]

oh so its just talking about the gear he had on i thought that the guy you played would be like an old-n-day master chief ha like trained only to kill like a spartan

[Skorm's Boss]

nope just the look of him!