Fable: The Lost Chapters Q&A - What's in The Lost Chapters?

Microsoft and Lionhead plan to bring Fable, their hit Xbox role-playing game, to the PC later this year with Fable: The Lost Chapters. As you can probably tell from the name, the PC version will add a considerable amount of new content to Fable, in terms of new quests, new weapons and accessories, and other new elements. To get the details, we got to throw some questions to the very candid Dene Carter, the creative director of Fable. Fable: The Lost Chapters is scheduled to ship for the PC this fall, and Microsoft recently revealed that it plans to deliver a new Xbox version of the game, with the Lost Chapters content, later this year.

Strike a pose with the new expression moves in Fable: The Lost Chapters.

GameSpot: The big question is, aside from the new items and accessories, how much new gameplay content is there, and how much longer is it compared to the Xbox version? Where exactly does this new stuff enter the picture? Is it tacked onto the end, or is it integrated so that you can't access the new regions until you reach a certain point in the game?

Dene Carter: It's probably accurate to say about a third of the new content is in terms of missions. These have been sprinkled both throughout the original story and integrated into an extended end-game section, rounding off the storyline in an appropriately heroic style.

GS: There are also a slew of new items, accessories, and monsters in the game. What's the rationale behind adding headgear such as hats? What are some of the cool new items and weapons?

DC: Ah, yes, hats. First of all, hats seemed strangely "Fabley" and were the perfect accompaniment to many of the new quests and challenges we've added to the game. We also found people to be ridiculously enthusiastic about them once they realized how much personality they added. Look at it this way: Darth Vader, defined by his hat. Indiana Jones, hat man. Leatherface, known for hat (well, face actually, but it's not so far off). See. It's obvious, really. People were defining their characters more by their haircuts and hats than any other modifiable feature, so we expanded upon it. For traditionalists who have not seen the light, we've also added a companion sword to the Sword of Aeons and new costumes, such as platinum armor.

GS: Were there any changes in gameplay that you made based on feedback from the Xbox version of the game? For instance, were any quests tweaked or made simpler, or did you decide to change the balance on certain weapons or items? Or is it pretty much a literal translation of the original game, along with new content?

DC: Some of the minigames were tweaked to work better with the mouse, and all of the new content has been balanced to be of the correct difficulty on a Windows platform. Apart from that, we didn't mess too much with the balance.

Some people argued that they wanted the game to be harder, but these were people who played the game, completed it, and wanted more. This is not a bad thing. We didn't think there was much to be gained from punishing players by upping the difficulty, forcing them to play sections of the game again and again. There are plenty of other games out there seemingly aimed at making players want to switch off, or turn the DVD into an ersatz beer mat. I'd hate a Fable beer mat. Grrr.

You can create, or in this case, import, your own tattoo designs.

GS: How useful will the new expressions be in the game? These are normally used for online role-playing games, where you can show off for fellow humans, so will the non-player characters in Fable react accordingly if you air-guitar in front of them?

DC: Expressions are key to the villager-interaction element of Fable. You can express yourself and change villager opinions, which in turn change your experience of the game. Act like a chicken and show how ridiculous you are, or ensure that NPCs quiver in fear at your approach by roaring at them at every opportunity. You can even show what a smooth operator you are with various slimy show-off moves. The effects and outcomes are really varied and form part of the heart of Fable. I'd argue that we get more reactions out of people in Fable than a lot of online role-playing games!

Sorry, that was the long answer. I meant, "Yes."