[General Discussion] PETER MOLYNEUX IS A GENIUS

Peter Molyneux took some time out of his rigorous schedule of developing treatments for AIDs and making peace in the Middle East to tell Computer and Video Games about how he's going to revolutionize gaming!

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Calling for combat to become 'dramatic, varied and innovative' Molynuex said that gaming could learn a lot from movies and went on to show some scenes from Kill Bill, where Uma Thurman slaughters the 88's in a welter of spectacular one-shot violence. Molyneux said he believed one sword blow should be enough to kill in a game and he thought that if designers adopted a 'one-hit one-kill' system it would intensify the combat and the drama to unprecedented heights.

Hahaha, like Super Mario Brothers! Killing koopas with a fireball is gaming goodness lost to the ages. Critical Hits, what are those?

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Molyneux also pondered the fact that he reckoned 80 per cent of gamers only ever really used one button at a time, suggesting that new developments in game context sensitivity would mean that a single button press could be assigned to many actions.

A context-sensitive input command? Golly. Maybe they'll call it something really cool, like the "Use Key."

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, he got where he is by doing things a bit differently. There's no reason for him to stop pumping that same well now.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

He got where he is because of Bullfrog. It's no coincidence that all of his "games" have been failures since he sold the company.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Popular failures, maybe, but received well by most people who actually played them.
...Is there something you'd like to get off your chest, brady?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I wholeheartedly agree with Brady. The man's lost it and should retire rather than continue making crappy games. The Lionhead games are still failures compared to what Bullfrog came up with, there's simply no denying that.

Reference thread.

I was speaking idiomatically.

It's okay Brady. We all know you don't actually like videogames =/

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'm with Brady. I think Molyneux has lost it. Especially with what he's saying and what Brady quoted. Unless it's taken out of context, more intensity with one hit kills? What is he smoking? Sounds a lot like that GTA wannabe game a while back....I believe it was called Manhunt, where the only purpose of the game was to push a button and watch what happens. 80% of players use only one button at a time? Maybe he's never played Super Mario.

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Molyneux also went on to possibly commit gaming swordfighting heresy by asking 'do we need a block button anyway?' although he admitted that wasn't a very popular view amongst his Lionhead colleagues.

I got a laugh out of that.

FELIPE NO

No, we don't need a block button. Because in real life, nobody defends themselves. In fact, body armor is just a myth.

His theories would make boxing games rather interesting!

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by pofcorn

It's okay Brady. We all know you don't actually like videogames =/

So when was it uncool to feel outraged about being lied to, exactly?

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Today 01:19 AM
Skexis Popular failures, maybe, but received well by most people who actually played them.
...Is there something you'd like to get off your chest, brady?

Nothing that millions of other gamers haven't. Molyneux's titles have taken a big dip in affect since he sold Bullfrog, not necessarily because they're bad games, but because they never live up to the massive level of hype he builds up for them. "Oh we didn't have enough time to actually make Fable an RPG."

Excuses excuses.

People are disgruntled about this shit because he's passing off old-hat ideas as if they were a modern Athena springing forth pre-developed from his massive cranium, praise be to Molyneux. People don't like Molyneux anymore because he's a liar.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, look, I'm not saying he's infallible, or that all of his suggestions are molten gold, but I honestly don't get the disproportionate level of MOLYNEUX, MORE LIEK MOLYCOCKS that seems to surface any time he opens his trap. It's not like hype or not being able to deliver everything promised is exclusive to the guy.

Most amazing jew boots

I've got to agree with Brady. I don't like to have to say it, but since he left Bullfrog, he's been long on ideas, short on execution. Now even the well of ideas seems to be running dry.

Here's a list from Wikipedia of Lionhead games for which Molyneux has been responsible.

* Black & White (2001) (Concept/Design Leader/Programmer)
* Fable (2004) (Designer)
* Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005) (Designer)
* Black & White 2 (2005) (Lead Designer)
* The Movies (2005) (Executive Designer)
* The Movies: Stunts & Effects (2006) (Designer)

Which of those was a genre-busting triple-A title, exactly? I've played most of them, and none of them seemed as exciting to me as the title he worked on for BullFrog. I'll admit that Black & White was an interesting concept, but the execution was wanting.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Brady is right though. Having been fairly close to the industry for a while (and hoping to work in it eventually) I have seen a lot of people proclaiming to have thought of great ideas, only for them to turn out to be highly contrived and lacking any real innovation whatsoever. If you're a fanboy who thinks Molyneux is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, then continue in the delusion. Just because he had a few good game ideas doesn't mean he shits pearls and pisses liquid gold. He tends to overhype games (basically lie, or he just has a poor grasp and understanding of what his team is capable of, who knows) without delivering what he promises. Good for marketing, bad for the reputation. People need to scrutinise everything they see and read rather than just assume things.

No developer is immune from screwing up, no matter how great or well respected they are. That includes companies like Valve for example. Episodic gaming is a big fucking let-down in terms of playtime versus cost. It's just a way for the game developers to make more money during some hard times. I'm not sure how long people will tolerate that. Mark Reign and I agree that it probably won't last too long and certainly isn't a revolution in how games are delivered. Molyneux isn't being very creative these days if those are examples of his world beating ideas. One-hit kills, oh like America's Army you mean? And when I am playing a console I use more than just one button; god only knows those things are covered with buttons these days and they all have a function.

To be honest it's a little hard to believe that a seasoned veteran of the industry would really say something like this, something so... dumb.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Ulysses

If you're a fanboy who thinks Molyneux is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, then continue in the delusion. Just because he had a few good game ideas doesn't mean he shits pearls and pisses liquid gold.

Christ. Has it not occurred to you that I (and others) may not be at either extreme of the spectrum? That I don't necessarily have to be with you or against you?

I was speaking idiomatically.

As far as I can tell, Peter Molyneux games are still about as good as they ever were, but the world has come to expect more. All his games (and I mean all of them) are great conceptually and not executed as well as they could be--but still pretty good.

Apparently this isn't good enough for gamers anymore. I still like every game he creates though. Fable was great, as was Black & White.

It does irk me though that he says the game industry can learn something from movies. Nothing could be further from the truth, we can learn absolutely nothing from the movies or the movie industry. Every step towards making games more like films is a step away from the very nature of the medium, and for him to proclaim this as a desirable direction is... well, terrible.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?