Roflgames

1 week left for Fable 3's release, and anticipation levels are in the red-zone at my house! Combat is one of the aspects of Fable I really was looking foreward to! Growing up with RPG's like Baulder's Gate and Might & Magic, I could barely wait to see what kind of tricks and powers were at my disposal when Fable got it's release.
I wasn't too dissapointed, yet I never quite felt that Fable had a Level-Up system that complemented the use of magic in the game.

One of the features I've tried to improve this week is the 'Magic-System' from Fable 2. In Fable 2, action stopped, and your hero started taking blows from opponents when charging a magic spell. When action is fast and a player is in combat, usually, the last thing the player wants is to get slowed down or hit.

I've focused on the actual casting of magic, and not so much it's versatility. On casting a spell, the hero leaves behind a charge. This charge is air-borne and gathers energy for a few seconds, until the charge explodes and the intended spell is brought forth. This leaves the hero time to either flee, get defensive with a shield, or charge at the enemy, keeping them at some distance while the spell charges:



The video is recorded in 50% speed for better viewing


Further improvements to the spell system will be made, by incorporating different spells, and stats for each spell. In classic RPG's, there is no limit to how powerful a hero can become. I'll bring Disgaea: Hour of Darkness in as an example.
In Disgaea, the hero's level was limited to lvl 9999. An almost impossible number to reach if one is not a completionist. All spells and moves could be powered up individually, by simply using them. This is how I want to implement the spell system, and also let Hero Spell Power affect the outcome of a spell.

Thursday next week will be special. In my country Fable 3 releases on Oct.29th, and my plan is to have a playable demo ready the day before this. If I do not reach this deadline, development will still continue, but at a slower pace, as my team is getting ready to release the new D-Pad Studio website. Come back next week, and you might get a chance at trying the fan project right before Fable 3's release.