Lionhead does that through a program it calls “experiments.” During the lull between projects, any member of the staff can pitch an experiment. If approved, they and a small team can run off for a few weeks to investigate gameplay mechanics. Such experiments directly contributed to play systems in Fable 2, like one-button combat and the dog companion.
“Experiments help explore ideas,” he says. It is the test bed for larger systems. Here, Lionhead can determine whether something is fun, cost and time effective, or too resource hungry for large-scale deployment. Based on the risk profile, some ideas are implemented, while others are held for future projects or scrapped altogether.
When they first worked on the dog for Fable 2, the mechanic they wanted to use was that of reward and punishment--effectively petting or abusing your best friend. What the team quickly learned was that this made the dog act less like a pet and more like a creature from Black & White, an earlier "God game" from Lionhead.
The experiments that did have a big payoff for Fable 2 were early tests of how the dog would interact with you in the world. Players ended up having a much better connection with the animal when it ran in front of them—leading them through the world—than if it dragged behind them llike most other in-game pets.
Another experiment, called The Room, experimented with high-end graphics. And within that room were two mirrors that acted as portals. Portal, confesses Molyneux, may be the most creative title of all time. However, Lionhead was experimenting with the concept before that game released, he jokes. His portals, which he says will make their ways into other projects, change the attributes of objects. A larger portal may increase the size of an object passing through it.
His dream, says Molyneux, is to some day give the community the power to experiment too.