DigitalBattle.com

Yesterday the Knothole Island content pack for Fable II was released to the delight of Fable fans and Mark Llabres Hill (a writer on the game) has given an interview about the content pack. Unfortunately for anyone trying to decide whether or not the extra content is worth the 800 MS points, this interview isn’t likely to help you that much. Mr. Hill is tight-lipped as far as what the actual content of the pack is, but apparently you can complete your Master Chief getup with the Halo assault rifle.

Many of the questions that were asked of Mr. Hill are dodged under the guise of not revealing surprises or keeping ideas that had been discussed and not used a secret in case of future content packs (the existence of which he neither confirmed nor denied). He does give out some interesting details, including that they briefly toyed with the idea of calling Knothole Island ‘DLC Island’. Read the whole interview after the break.

How did the concept for Knothole Island come about?

Hill: We knew we wanted to return to the Knothole Glade village from the first Fable. And we knew we wanted to do an island. After months of heated meetings and tortuous concentration, we realised we could combine both ideas to create one super-idea.

After that, the rest (creating new regions the player can affect like never before, designing and creating tons of new items and characters, and writing and recording hundreds of extra lines of dialogue) was easy.

Did other ideas get shelved behind the island?

Hill: For every idea that makes it into the game, there’s a whole bunch that are left out. They stand outside our office building, noses pressed against the window glass like hungry orphans.

We’d rather not reveal any in case we ever bring them back in from the cold. Well, there was the notion of calling it “DLC Island” (pronounced Duhlka, of course). Oh, how we laughed at that one.

Right. How does DLC Isl… erm, Knothole fit into the storyline then?

Hill: We wanted everyone to be able to experience the new content no matter how much or how little they’d played of Fable II, so the new quests are independent from the main story and you will unlock them throughout the course of the game.

As a whole, they do tell their own self-contained tale, and you will be able to play them in one go if you’ve already completed the game.

Some pretty “unique” items are promised for the pack. Can you give us any examples?

Hill: We’d rather not give too much away, but the new outfits, weapons and potions really do make the Hero feel rather different.

What about ‘major choices’? Are there any more head-scratching decisions to be made on Knothole?

Hill: At the end of the Knothole Island tale, you will come across one of those juicy moral choices kids today just can’t get enough of.

We wanted to fit in more mindless violence, but we’re reliably informed that ethical dilemmas is where it’s at these days. That, and yo-yos.

How much extra gameplay (in hours) can players expect?

Hill: As with everything else in Fable, it very much depends how you approach it. If you just want to blaze through it, it will probably take a couple of hours. If you want to discover everything on offer, it will take over four.

Have you learnt any development lessons during the creation of the DLC?

Hill: Yes, that the meeting room at the back of the office (known as Oakvale) is haunted. Also, never spill hot chocolate over your keyboard, as it can make it very sticky and uncomfortable to work with.

Can we expect more premium DLC for Fable II?

Hill: If only we could see into the future…