No Online Co-op For Fable 2 At Launch

[violentp]

Giant Bomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/news/fable-ii-no-online-co-op-at-launch/308/) reports:


Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog updated today with information that even though the game has gone gold, Fable II is still being developed, and the ability for online co-operative play won't be in the game at launch.

It seems as if they're shooting for the same week of the games release to release the update. If they follow through then this should be of little concern. Online Co-op does seem to be getting more and more difficult to deliver these days though.

[Deadend]

I am still going to wait to get Fable 2, until I know the co-op is out. As I am still waiting on the Castle Crashers patch.

[Spigot]

I didn't really want to play the game co-op in the first place, so I'm cool with this. That said, for a feature they've been REALLY chatting up, it's kind of sad that it's not going to be available at launch.

[Gerbs]

Good to know they have to reassure us that single player works from day one. I'm not sold on co-op Fable anyway so it's not a huge deal for me, but might be a breaker for some people. The argument has been made to pickup Fable before Fallout in order to get the co-op time in while the game is hot, but what now? Will co-op after the launch window really catch on? What if it arrives after we've all moved on to Fallout or other fall megatitles?

[mkelehan]

Online co-op adds an unbelievable amount of additional testing that needs to be done. I'm just fine with it being added after a game's release, like with this and Kameo.

[Rogue_hunter]

Well, that's odd. It was playable co-op at PAX on two separate consoles (though that could have been through system link. thing is it worked). Odd, but again, could be some netcode issue, and they want to make sure a big part of the game works right.

[Morangie]

That said, for a feature they've been REALLY chatting up, it's kind of sad that it's not going to be available at launch.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7346/petermolyneux1dy5.jpg

Hi! We obviously haven't met.

[Spigot]

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7346/petermolyneux1dy5.jpg

Hi! We obviously haven't met.Heh. Good point. That said, this isn't like saying, "It will make you feel emotions you've never felt before." (which I just saw him say in an interview the day the game went gold)... This is a technical thing that you'd think they'd have ironed out before the game went gold.

[Texas Speed]

Online co-op adds an unbelievable amount of additional testing that needs to be done. I'm just fine with it being added after a game's release, like with this and Kameo.

I was going to say they have an entire month to work it onto the disc, but what you say makes sense. I guess getting it pressed and shipped on time then adding coop at launch is easier than maybe skirting the release date too closely. There have been a few other titles that did this, and I'd rather have a totally finished feature anyway.

[Heretic Machine]

Online co-op adds an unbelievable amount of additional testing that needs to be done. I'm just fine with it being added after a game's release, like with this and Kameo.

It wasn't added into Kameo until like six months after release, and even then, it was kind of half-assed and hardly anyone used it.

[oldjadedgamer]

Funny, I seem to remember them saying that the game was done... must not be done if they are still working on it.

I'll wait to buy my version until the patch is released then since I'm not going to buy an incomplete game.

[Itchyeyes]

Seeing that the alternatives would be to either delay the entire launch or to launch with a service that wouldn't be able to handle the load, this seems like the best option given the circumstances.

[Disgustipated]

If this actually shows up on the week of release, I'll be ok.

[Variable Gear]

Seeing that the alternatives would be to either delay the entire launch or to launch with a service that wouldn't be able to handle the load, this seems like the best option given the circumstances.
I'd prefer that they delay the launch. This was one of the main features I was looking forward to in Fable 2, and I won't be buying the game until online co-op is patched in. You'd think that they would have time to have added co-op in already, with all the time they've had, but it seems that the project wasn't managed very well. This isn't surprising, given the creative director of the game, but that doesn't prevent it from being disappointing.

[silv]

I'd prefer that they delay the launch. This was one of the main features I was looking forward to in Fable 2, and I won't be buying the game until online co-op is patched in. You'd think that they would have time to have added co-op in already, with all the time they've had, but it seems that the project wasn't managed very well. This isn't surprising, given the creative director of the game, but that doesn't prevent it from being disappointing.

Could have been a last minute critical bug found. And instead of delaying the release to get the patch onto the masters, they would just fix it and patch it later. I mean, if its online co-op thats not there, its not like you can't get the patch.

[Gorvi]

Could have been a last minute critical bug found. And instead of delaying the release to get the patch onto the masters, they would just fix it and patch it later. I mean, if its online co-op thats not there, its not like you can't get the patch.
Yep, I said the same about LBP. Better to ship the game on time and patch this in later, so long as it's soon after it comes out.

[Xerxes]

I will probably play this on my own before wanting to play with some. And I most definitely have a co-op buddy who'll want to play this.

[Variable Gear]

Could have been a last minute critical bug found. And instead of delaying the release to get the patch onto the masters, they would just fix it and patch it later. I mean, if its online co-op thats not there, its not like you can't get the patch.
That's true, but it's not like we know when the patch is going to be released. It could come out the week of launch, or it could cook for six months or longer before we're allowed access to co-op. I'm not going to take any risks in this regard. I want the full Fable 2 experience, and if I have to wait for it, that's fine.

[Phanto]

Online Co-op does seem to be getting more and more difficult to deliver these days though.

They most likely are the type of developers that wants to deliver a game in a date no matter what even if it means to sell it incomplete, unpolished, and finally use the "famous" DLC to patch things up so the game can be like it should have from the beginning when they released in the first place.

[violentp]

They most likely are the type of developers that wants to deliver a game in a date no matter what even if it means to sell it incomplete, unpolished, and finally use the "famous" DLC to patch things up so the game can be like it should have from the beginning when they released in the first place.

Yeah. When I was posting this I was thinking of Too Human dropping to 2, Castle Crashers with non-functional online co-op and now this. I think there are a few more of late but they escape me at the moment.

[Spigot]

After the debacle that was Castle Crasher's online co-op mode, I can't really fault devs for wanting to make sure they fix all of the issues with the netcode. Sure, I know that's not likely the case in either this or LBP's decision to delay the online co-op portions of their games, but I wouldn't doubt that they'd rather patch in the net code when it's working right than deal with a lot of pissy players by shipping it broken with the game.

Again, I was almost dreading the co-op portion as I want to try to experience as much of the game on my own at first before being pestered by my buddies but now I don't have to worry :)

[Spigot]

Damn it. Violentp stole my idea :)

[violentp]

Great minds and all that good stuff.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

This seems to be something of a theme this fall.

This is sort of disappointing, but it seems to becoming the norm to some extent. I'm still on the fence with Fable 2, but the online co-op was one thing that was tipping me towards picking up the game sooner rather than later. I've been burned on one too many PC titles that promised certain features soon after launch, only to have them show up late or never at all.

If there was any doubt that the barriers between console and PC are quickly coming down, one need only to look at all of the ship now/patch later being done this gen. I'm not say that it's a bad thing (or a good one), it's just an observation.

[Wyrm]

I'm glad they said something before I bought it and found that the reason I bought it was being "patched in later." That said, I can wait based on that fact. If it shows up soon after launch, great, I'll go buy Fable. If not, I won't be worried about it either way.

[darklordjames]

Woot! Fable 2 just got pushed to a Spring 2009 game for me! :) More time for Fallout I guess.

[Deadend]

It would be nice if someone said why a feature was temporarily removed from a game that was declared DONE AND GOLD several weeks ago now.

[SPBTooL]

As long as the couch co-op is still in. The online is secondary and can be patched.

I think that one of the reasons for the delay is due to the filtering that they are doing.Some very interesting things have come out of the orbs. For a start, we're storing everybody in the whole world when they're playing single-player co-op. Where they are in the world, their story, and details about their hero is being stored centrally in a server, and then up to 64 of those is being filtered down into your machine. We filter them by your friends, Gamerscores, by where people are in the story, and where they are geographically around you.

[thomasc]

It would be nice if someone said why a feature was temporarily removed from a game that was declared DONE AND GOLD several weeks ago now.
Red-tape for the certification process might have been too long. Push the game out so that it's on time and properly certified, giving them an extra 3-4 weeks to approve the online co-op patch.

[Pluvious]

I'm cool with it because I plan on playing through the game in single player mode first anyway. Just gives me a reason to revisit it after they patch in the co-op. No biggie. Get it done right and take your time guys.. nothing like a half assed attempt to ruin a great idea. Let them bug test it all they want I say..

[Wackman3000]

Although Ive never played a Fable game, I assumed it was more of a game geared towards a single player mode eitherway...

That said, it is sad to see that games that go gold missing parts of the game that are supposed to be complete and working, but I'd rather have them make it properly then rush it out to meet a deadline.

[H.Bogard]

THE PATCH THAT ADDS THE FUN!

Beware.

[SteveRage]

Personally, I'd rather the game get released when it's done. Patching console games just bugs the shit out of me. Especially on a console where having a hard drive is not default. I understand the need for publishers to hit their deadline and push out their product for the fourth quarter, especially since most of them must believe that the first 3 are for fuck all, but this overdependence on patching your products before they are even released erodes your customer base and slowly pisses em off. This just went from a day one purchase, to a wait and see purchase for me. I'm not going to support this broken business model.

[Wedge]

Nice to know they are cutting corners to make the release date, as this means I won't buy it day 1. I mean: if they couldn't finish a damned feature of the game I have no faith they have fixed the majority of the bugs. I'll just hang back at launch and see, thankyouverymuch.

[Primus]

I hate how developers like to ship unfinished games.

[Morratut]

I wasn't to sold on the co-op for this type of game anyway. However i was at least curious for a quick co-op session with a friend and see how it went.

It's dissapointing still that it's not available at launch because they have been talking about it a lot.

[Rock Bandit]

Everytime I hear about a developer having trouble with online co-op I feel like sending them a copy of Crackdown with a little sticky note that says "Do it like this."

[menage]

As long as the couch co-op is still in. The online is secondary and can be patched.

I think that one of the reasons for the delay is due to the filtering that they are doing.

Yeah, couch co-op with the GF is something I'd prefer anyday over online. LBP is a hoot, as is Castle crashers.

[silv]

Doesn't really matter to me, I want this game but wotlk is going to consume any free time I have for quite awhile to come.

I think I actually SAVE money with my WoW habit =)

[Texas Speed]

Was there this much hate and "unfinished game" comments in the LittleBigPlanet thread?
Hmm, maybe, hard to tell just glancing at it.

Anyway, this is primarily a single player game. The game is not incomplete by any means. In fact, it's obviously not a programing problem since there is still offline coop, so the base is there. If I had to guess, I'd say all they'll be doing is unlocking access after the netcode is hammered down. Not playing online does not gimp a game, but some of you are so spoiled you think every game should be online multi only or something.

I'll grant that it is disappointing to maybe not have it day one, especially after announcing it, but damn, this is far from the first game to do this (they usually don't tell you about those day one patches, so they?). Also, aside from seeing it demoed once, I can't say Lionhead has been tooting the online coop for any leangth of time. Coop, yes, online, not so much. What a site focuses on is there business.

[modeps]

Yeah, this isn't too cool... but I guess its not that big of a deal considering it's primarily a single player game. Still, I'm pretty tired of the devs rushing to meet shipping timelines instead of just shipping when they're finished.

[ElfShotTheFood]

You guys seem to be taking this rather well. Imagine if Fable II was a PS3 game. ;)

[Spigot]

You guys seem to be taking this rather well. Imagine if Fable II was a PS3 game. ;)Then both people playing it would be mad :)

[Morratut]

You guys seem to be taking this rather well. Imagine if Fable II was a PS3 game. ;)


If it was a PS3 title you wouldn't be able to easily invite a friend to play co-op.

[Brady]

Definitely not an issue for me. While the online co-op was nifty, it was something I had really no intention of using. To me Fable is a single player game and having someone else messing with my world really would just hamper my experience.

It is a feature I'd mess with after I'm finished w/ the game. I only know one of my real life friends that will be buying the game. I really don't trust bringing strangers into my game if they can destroy my world.

[Furious Wang]

Its being canceled, guys. Deal with it. They're just trying to let you down easy like that date that said she'll call you on Friday.

[Devolution]

Still, I'm pretty tired of the devs rushing to meet shipping timelines instead of just shipping when they're finished.

I think anyone who isn't a tool agrees.

[Yeti2005]

You guys seem to be taking this rather well. Imagine if Fable II was a PS3 game. ;)

I think people were more upset about LBP's missing online co-op creation because there wasn't any news when they fix/patch would occur. For Fable II they're indicating a possible fix a week after the release.

[HarverdGrad]

Every couple of years, this a-hole comes out with an over-hyped game that under-delivers. Fuck him.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Every couple of years, this a-hole comes out with an over-hyped game that under-delivers. Fuck him.

Man, I hate Peter Molyneux, but your post is pretty worthless, dude.

[HarverdGrad]

Man, I hate Peter Molyneux, but your post is pretty worthless, dude.

thanks for the feedback!

[Texas Speed]

You know what's wierd? He said you'd still be able to see the orbs of other players, as well as chat and trade with them. So I guess it's just getting the netcode to fun smoothly.

[jeffbax]

Yep, I said the same about LBP. Better to ship the game on time and patch this in later, so long as it's soon after it comes out.

I guess, but I don't really agree because its also pretty lazy and a bad trend for console games. See Alone in the Dark, people without online will never get the patches that make it what it should have been from the start.

I'd rather the most pristine version be on the disk so I don't have to waste HDD space and time patching something they should have delayed the game for. In these cases maybe it doesn't matter because its for online features but still, I don't like the trend.

[Gorvi]

I guess, but I don't really agree because its also pretty lazy and a bad trend for console games. See Alone in the Dark, people without online will never get the patches that make it what it should have been from the start.

I'd rather the most pristine version be on the disk so I don't have to waste HDD space and time patching something they should have delayed the game for. In these cases maybe it doesn't matter because its for online features but still, I don't like the trend.
The difference with this and LBP is that it's online co-op. If you're not online, you wouldn't care anyway.

AitD is a bad thing though, that game was (from everything I've heard) just shipped in an unfinished state.

[JayK47]

I guess, but I don't really agree because its also pretty lazy and a bad trend for console games. See Alone in the Dark, people without online will never get the patches that make it what it should have been from the start.

I'd rather the most pristine version be on the disk so I don't have to waste HDD space and time patching something they should have delayed the game for. In these cases maybe it doesn't matter because its for online features but still, I don't like the trend.

I was wondering how big this patch would be. I'm not made of hard drive space here people;) My 20 gigs is filling up pretty quickly with DLC and game files. I don't need a 1 gig online patch.

[oldjadedgamer]

Wired put up a great article about the pros and cons of Fable and LBP shipping incomplete games. It's worth a read IMO.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/09/facepalm-time-p.html

[modeps]

Just an update, looks like Lionhead has finished up their patch and as long as they pass certification, you'll get your day-one online co-op. Co-optimus has the word (http://www.co-optimus.com/article/657/Fable_2_Developer_Blog_Says_Co-op_Patch_Available_On_Launch_Day.html):

emember a couple of days ago (or was it a week) where on a blog it was mentioned that Fable II would be shipping 'without' Online Co-op? And remember we said we were busting our balls to get it ready in time for a 'Day One' release? Well - G o o d [Good] news folks! It looks like we've done it...for all of you who are connected to Xbox Live, when starting up your copy of Fable II (on 21st October in USA, 24th October in Europe and 18th December in Japan). So all of you getting upset and all, you wouldn't even have noticed... Sort of. Well done to the team.

Taken into account we don't fail certification!