|
Attention: Fable Series Development This page contains information regarding the development of the Fable series, people and/or companies directly or indirectly involved in it. |
The Dead Hamster was a community site for Lionhead Studios, presented in the style of an Albionite tavern. The site was brought to the forefront following the closure of the Lionhead Forums in 2012. While the site was not an official replacement for the forums, some developers from Lionhead Studios joined the community and occasionally imparted new and exclusive information. The Dead Hamster disappeared from its domain without notice some time in early 2015.
Introduction[]
from MatthewAllen, Community Manager
Come visit The Dead Hamster, an active and exciting community for Lionhead Studios. The community comes complete with forums, a chatroom, Lionhead news, developer interviews, and a good deal more. Comprising of some of the most dedicated and passionate gamers, this community thrives as one of the most involved and active fanbases in the industry. Every day the Lionhead team and The Dead Hamster work together to bring awesome and exciting content to the fanbase. This community has, without a doubt, some of the most amazing people you'll ever meet.
Fable Anniversary Map Deciphering[]
With the launch of Fable Anniversary, the 10 year remastered version of Fable: The Lost Chapters, many of the game’s graphics and interfaces were redesigned, one of such was the Albion map, featured in the loading screen, which came to contain a message encrypted in what was called “Albion Runes” in the left part of the map.
While the Dead Hamster website was still active, such message was deciphered thanks to members of the community. It says:
Mapmaking takes more than a steady hand. It demands nerves of steel. The modern mapmaker must trek through hobbe-infested forest, sail pirate-controlled seas, battle bandits and hollow men, wasp queens, and krakens. Such dangers meant no true map of Albion existed until John Speed under took his journey across Albion drawing its hills and woods and recording its towns, inns, brothels, and cheese makers.
Sadly, John Speed never saw the success of his great work “Ye Picture Map of Mighty Albion”. Shortly after completing the map, John was killed in a duel arising from the use of his uncle’s sextant. It fell to John ‘s wife Michelle to publish her inn guide. To Albion, this early publishing smash hit in turn funded the continuation of John’s work through the founding of Albion’s cartographer’s guild.
This map is as close to the original as we could produce and, whilst there have also been many doubts cast on the its accuracy. Some claim the drawing of the kraken merely represents terror incognito and that John’s constant talk of the sandgoose are the mere ravings of a deluded madman. For now, “Ye Picture Map of Mighty Albion” remains Albion’s most accurate piece of mapmaking and we can only wonder what secrets hid between the covers of John Speed’s uncompleted memoir “John Speed Wanderlust: A Traveller’s Guide to Albion’s Brothels”.
It is known traveler, Ye Picture Map of Mighty Albion by John is draw smaller than the real world. Oakvale and Barrow Fields might look less than a chicken egg apart but the actual road is several miles and a bit. Forests, hills and monsters aren’t to scale neither and some stuff might’ve been added where they actually aren’t. Oh and the river at the bottom is probably a beer stain.
Trivia[]
The name The Dead Hamster most likely derives from the fact that Lionhead Studios was named after Mark Webley's dead hamster.