Molyneux: Pub Games 'glitch' intentional, with consequences

by Ross Miller on Sep 16th 2008 9:00AM

While we're sure you've already constructed your Scrooge McDuck-esque pool of golden, nefariously-obtained Fable II Pub Games earnings, Peter Molyneux might be preparing to pull off the biggest gamer prank since the anti-Spore Rick Roll.

According to a quick blurb in IGN's Fable II preview, "Just be warned. Molyneux has said that the cheat was no accident and that those who used it to earn their money will be in for a surprise." Something tells us that "surprise" isn't being filthy rich in-game. Is he bluffing? We'll find out soon enough when our sea of coins is quickly drained from under us. Fable 2 is due out October 21.

Need more Fable 2? We can't blame you. Check out our hands-on with the first three hours of the game, as well as our interview with Peter Molyneux, in which he talks about his game, Too Human and Lionhead's "shocking" secret project.

Source

Tags: Carbonated-Games, Card, cheating, exploit, Fable-2-Pub-Games, Lionhead, Lionhead-Studios, Microsoft-Game-Studios, molyneux, peter-molyeux, prank, Pub-Games, punkd, Puzzle, XBLA, Xbox, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (78)

I knew it
Lol

"If you are wondering about a 'much talked about' exploit, just ignore it (and know that a patch is on the way)."
- by Sam

"When you do build up debt in the Fable II Pub Games and merge these characters, your debt will be outstanding with the Pub Games Masters at one of Albion's many different pubs. It won't affect the wealth of your Fable II Hero character in a negative way, but owing too much money in Albion is considered a crime, for which you will need to pay a fine - or do community service." - by Sam

http://community.lionhead.com/blogs/fable_2_development/archive/2008/08/19/3021565.aspx

I really doubt they put the glitch in there on purpose. If they did however, this is some straight BAD PR!

So they can track who did it- or they are basing this on the amount of gold acquired?

I believe it wasn't intentional and that they are just going to automatically give you some bad karma so that your character starts off on the evil side if you have "too much" gold.

Yeah, earning free evil points. :D

HAHA this is awesome! I wonder if they just added it later and pretended it was intentional.

If true, that's really cool. I mean it could mean the difference between how you look when you start. Or maybe it could change you're whole childhood scenario to be a poor whipping boy, rather than just a good natured little scamp.

thats why my glitch money for is the second time I play it, when I am going to play the "bad" role. I think it will be a lot more fun to be good, and poor, and bad and rich.

I call BS. They are covering their @sses. They couldn't easily patch the glitch and now they say it will affect the actual game, which likely won't be true.

Winners never cheat, and cheaters never win.

Tell that to the New England Patriots.

that sounds like loser talk

Except in real life.

Winners never quit. Quitters never win. So who said quit while your ahead?

@LordChimp
Need I remind you that the Patriots lost the Super Bowl last year?

@j.howlett
How else am I supposed to ease the pain of sucking?

@chenry
Quitting while your ahead is also known as forfeiting. So it was obviously a loser who said that.

bitter jets fan alert

...and i'm not even american!

Bitter Jets fan? Where? It couldn't possibly be me. I'm a Bucs fan, and I'm hardly bitter because there would be no point. It would be like being a bitter Cardinals or Lions fan, except that the Bucs have actually been to and won a Super Bowl game.

You guys really need to see the south park episode on cheating.

"How do I REEEEEACH these KEEEEEEEEDS!"

I can see it now, people who are fans of the Patriots are mad and trying to bring down my post. Geez, it's not like I was the first person to talk about their alleged cheating.

If true, this is awesome! Your true character will reflect your in-game character. Very cool.

yeah, I don't think cheating on an online game that only has consequences in a game makes you a bad person, or really have any affect on character at all

(Nervously looks at 360) Please dont hurt me like that!

Im glad I never cheated on the game. I know my friend will be pissed.

I'm sure this is BS.
Now that everyone knows, what is stopping them from just deleting the save file or not linking the account when they get the game?

Well, if they dont link the file than the gold they got will be for nothing anyway. So their cheating failed.

Or, will we be able to import the gold/items with one character, give it to a friend, swap characters, and then receive my ill-gotten gains?

thank you BlaznGoldstein!

I call shenanigans on this one.

Im calling you a cheater!

*grabs a broom*

Knowing Molyneux, it's real.

I would have to agree. Sounds real to me. It would be a very EASY thing to patch if it weren't (I was wondering what was taking so long).

killing people and stealing stuff is so much cooler then being the good guy and dammit i kinda knew it was to easy to cheat bravo... i tink more games need to do this allow players to cheat but make them pay somehow... its probably gonna be a nickname people call you

Hopefully it's more than that, since Link's Awakening already did that 15 years ago.

Yeah, they should make the shopkeeper who you're indebted to use a giant death beam attack on you when you enter the store.

YA what-ev-er

On Major Nelsons podcast from GDC Molyneux said that if you spend a lot of time getting rich, your character would basically morph into a Bill Gates like appearance. I guess that's not the only down side they have planned :)

Called this. http://ranttheory.blogspot.com/2008/08/fable-ii-pub-games-broken-or-devious.html

Want a cookie?

Good call man!

I read somewhere before that using the glitch would mean the in-game characters would see you as a cheater and less likely to trust you.

This is good, I'm glad there will be some consequences for those who cheated. But how will the game be able to tell who cheated? If it just peanalises people who clearly cheated because they have a ridiculous amount of gold, but what about everyone else?

It is VERY easy to peform the glitch by accident, my brother did it at least twice, unintentionally, and I did it myself more than a few times (although once I placed the bet and then put it down, instead of up, so I was basically screwing myself over).

If this affects everyone, then it's going to be very stupid, considering how easy it is to do by accicent.

Just out of curiosity... why are you glad there are consequences for people who cheated in a singleplayer game?

Personally I think this is pretty funny, but I can't say I really have an opinion on what other gamers do in single-player games. Please explain why it bothers you, I'm genuinely curious (or anyone for that matter who takes offense at people cheating in single player games... please enlighten me)

IF the glitch is intentional, then it would make sense that the system would be able to track the number of times the glitch was used. Would seem to make sense that whatever the outcome is in F2 might be related to the number of times the glitch was used:

1-3 Times - No effect, probably accidental
4-10 Times - Modest effect
11+ Times - Major effect

That would seem like a fair way to do it.

It would be funny if there was an Achievement associated with it:

New Achievement Unlocked: Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

My guess is that your character begins destitute with broken fingers because he tried to rip off Ace Rothstein's casino. :p

Beautiful Casino reference. Its actually kind of scary cuz I was watching that movie a couple of nights ago for the 1000th time. Its such an epic film.

If they were to do something like this intentionally couldn't they have come up with something better than what seems like nothing more than a glitch/exploit?

Couldn't they have made it so you could hide cards up your sleeve or something on Fortunes Tower and if you use it too much you get caught and get some gold taken away and possibly start off the game a little bit evil. But nope! Apparantly the dealer is so dim-witted you can trick him into taking only 150 gold but paying you according to a 1500 gold bet. Every. Single. Time.

you ever play gun? you could cheat at poker in that, i don't know if you could get caught though.

Like others have said, it was really easy to accidentally do this glitch. So, it wouldn't be fair to punish people who did it by accident. I also accidentally did the opposite of this glitch: paid 1500 gold but only counted as a 150 gold bet.

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Molyneux: Pub Games 'glitch' intentional, with consequences

Reader Comments (78)

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