Peter Molyneux Is Terrified

[Proverbial Jon]

Imagine if the world that you interact with is delightfully, incredibly, simple to interact with but immensely deep as all of those god games were...

I feel that this is Peter Molyneux's biggest problem. He likes to take a complicated and complex formula, such as an RPG, and boil it down to the pressing of four buttons, just like Fable.

Fable was incredibly simple to play and awfully fun too but I never felt as if there was any greater level of depth going on underneath it all. Fable 2 and 3 suffered from the same problem to an even greater degree because nothing he ever did, none of these new mechanics ever amounted to much. Fable 2 was full of (seemingly) half-assed mechanics that just didn't impact the game at large resulting in a confusing and disjointed mess.

I agree with Susan, Molyneux seems an incredibly charismatic and enthusiastic man and I can't help but admire his drive and ambition... so I can only wish him all the very best of luck with Godus, a game I will be sure to play.

 

[Chadling]

Well, no one can say that Molyneux isn't ambitious. In an era where the AAA releases are mostly designed by metrics and "whatever is selling big right now", it's refreshing to hear about something completely off the wall, ambitious, and creative.


I just hope that his ambitions finally are realized and his game is as good as his hype.

 

[Coffeejack]

I could never hate a man like Peter Molyneux. I get frustrated with him fairly often, but at least the man is genuinely excited and happy about what he does. Best of luck, eh what.

 

[Aardvaarkman]

Peter M sadly does not live in a world where the tech meets what he wants to do.
If he did, then he would make some pretty great games.

Molyneux's best game by far was the original Populous. And one of the reasons for its success was limitations, both technical and in terms of resources (not having much money or a large team of developers). The sequels to Populous suffered because he added too much superfluous stuff that distracted from the basic gameplay mechanics.

His later games have failed not because of any shortcomings in the available technology, but because he can't focus enough on core elements. He just wants to throw feature after feature into his games. It's like he sees them as his "theory of everything". The problem is that they can't be everything. The best artists and designers know that it's just as important to say "no" to things - that what you exclude is as valuable as what you include. Nowhere is this more relevant in software/game development, where you have to produce a product on a finite schedule. I think he lacks the discipline to make these hard decisions, because he's too emotionally attached to his projects. If he wants to succeed, the best thing would probably be if he hires a really good project manager, and keeps his hands off the development process.

 

[RA92]

Peter Molyneux has magical powers. I have interviewed the man many times. I have seen him speak many times. I know that there's a big gap between what he promises and what actually happens. And yet I will believe whatever he tells me, every single time. And I will do so happily.

Magical. Goddamn. Powers.

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs47/i/2009/247/2/e/Doctor_Who___I_Want_To_Believe_by_RichSC.jpg

OT: It's impossible to hate this man. Those of you who do only pretend to do so. It shows.

 

[weirdee]

I'm pretty sure he's a leprechaun.

that being said, many people find delight in his prancing about, and who am i to deny them that

 

[joeman098]

I love Mr molyneux! dude is legit half loony but thats what we need I love his outlook he is always so happy and postive about his projects and you know when you play anything he made you know he poured all of himself into it. Its sad when it falls short of his intentions and maybe with out a big publisher over his head he can make true on his promises =D and a Molyneux game that lives up to his promises holy shit theres something i wana play.

 

[Wolfenbarg]

Unfortunately, their kickstarter video kind of sucks. They call back to a game that I'm sure most modern gamers have never even heard of instead of something more recognizable like Black and White, and their actual pitch isn't very exciting. I certainly wasn't excited about it, and I love god games.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

I'll never understand why people give PM so much grief over his "Promise big, deliver slightly less than that" approach to game design. The thing is, he IS passionate about what he does. He DOES envision games design with the same sort of visionary enthusiasm as Steve Jobs or the late great artist Frank Frazetta. When did we stop applauding people who dreamed big and at least produced something to show for it.

Sure, lots of us talk real big talk about what we'd do if we could. What kind of game we'd all love to see or make... but guys like Molyneux and Tim Schafer go beyond just talking it out excitedly over a plate of eggs in the local cafe. They try to make their dreams come to LIFE to various degrees of success.

People crap all the time on Fable and yet, to me the first two and partially the third, were still amazing and fun RPG's that really pulled me into the western RPG market when I was almost SOLIDLY JRPG at the time. It had a charm and a fun factor and my biggest gripe about the Fable games was not that they weren't GOOD, but that they just didnt achieve the level of quality that Molyneux himself had hoped to achieve and by extension me as well. But I still love and own them and still check back in to see my subjects lol.

I think I'll be fine with whatever he makes. I know I'll in the LEAST have fun and enjoy it.

 

[jmarquiso]

Peter M sadly does not live in a world where the tech meets what he wants to do.
If he did, then he would make some pretty great games.

He sadly keeps going beyond what tech allows for and just keeps failing because of that.
Hopefully it works out for him.

The tech served him fine for Populous, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White. It's always been rushed, and never enough time. And his ambition.

 

[Charli]

Peter Molyneux has magical powers. I have interviewed the man many times. I have seen him speak many times. I know that there's a big gap between what he promises and what actually happens. And yet I will believe whatever he tells me, every single time. And I will do so happily.

Magical. Goddamn. Powers.

I've met him briefly as well. He just thinks on ridiculous scales. And I can't ...legitimately hate him for that. He is infectiously bouncy when talking about what he's working on.

I'd prefer someone who throws everything he is at an idea... But he needs someone to ground him on that project and see it refined properly. He needs to get a bit of a filter on his thoughts, but I just don't think there's one strong enough to contain him. The word/thought vomit would overflow and his head would explode in a shower of colourful balloon animals.

If anyone could fill the yang to his yin game-development-wise we'd see some truly astounding stuff.

Alas it hasn't quite happened yet.

 

[6SteW6]

Peter Molyneux made the most amazing games of my childhood and the depressing disappointments of my young adulthood.

Haha, I don't think I could have said that any better.

 

[freaper]

I'm convinced Molyneux is not actually a real person, but rather a concept. An incarnation of hype, enthusiasm and optimism as well as gleeful childishness. One day his hard metal shell will dissolve, releasing his divine spirit upon us, reforging everyone into better human beings.

 

[Woodsey]

Peter Molyneux has magical powers. I have interviewed the man many times. I have seen him speak many times. I know that there's a big gap between what he promises and what actually happens. And yet I will believe whatever he tells me, every single time. And I will do so happily.

Magical. Goddamn. Powers.

Sounds like you need assistance from a certain Mr Pilkington.

Spoiler

He talks but he never walks. And most of the time it seems that even what he talks is silly and vague. I remember when he had his obsession with "touching" characters as if that was supposed to make anyone feel anything. Watched an interview with Ken Levine today for Infinite and he had the perfect response: it's not a feeling, it's pixels and sounds. You can't simply dictate what the player is going to feel.

He used to irritate the crap out of me, now I find I barely even roll my eyes when I hear his latest buzzword/phrase and carry on.

 

[LordMonty]

He's a dreamer let him dream and maybe one day they'll come true. Ain't we all escapists here?

 

[regalphantom]

Well, this made me want to support it even more. I love Molyneux as a game designer, I even liked the Fable series, which people consider to be his low point. He's probably one of the most creative game designers out there, so I would love to see him succeed and stay around as a key player in the industry.

 

[plainlake]

Oh, I cnat stay mad at him, he might not make the best games but at least he TRIES to innovate, that is more impressive than when a completely indie developer does it because Peter Molyneux got something to loose, and have done so plenty of times. I am not sure how many failures notch can take before he just begins to remake minecraft.

 

[Jumplion]

I can't hate Molyneux, I just can't. He's so goddamn passionate about what he does, he actively wants to give you the best damn game he can make, and I'll be damned if he doesn't try. Seriously, people may complain about him hyping his games and promising us the world, but it's because, goddamn, he really wants to give you the world, not because he's just generating PR.