Fable 3: does new update kill the bugs?

Lionhead Studios today issued a software update in response to hundreds of user complaints about bugs and glitches in the hit game Fable III. The 4MB download is available to all connected Xbox 360s, though it is not clear whether this will cure all the problems.

In the ten days since the game's release, hundreds of disgruntled Xbox 360 owners have flooded forums and review sites to air their grievances about software flaws in the game.

The most common complaint is that the game's save data becomes corrupt, forcing users to start all over again. For many players this means 13 or more hours wasted, and the frustration is boiling over.

On Amazon's UK website, a Mr Wetherall of Manchester, writes:
"The bugs I have experienced include buttons remapping on the face of the joypad... my butler's dialogue ceasing never to return... having to reset the game because the 'back' button ceased to appear on the map screen and when inside the games central 'sanctuary' hub, the dog disappearing and the breadcrumb trail disappearing."

Another Fable player describes on a forum how his character was stripped of all clothing and weapons and left naked in a village after 10 hours of play. "My character is naked, and bald, and all his abilities are gone except for fire."

So widespread are the complaints that Lionhead Studios, the developer of the game, has set up a special web form for users to log the bugs they discover.

One week ago, Lionhead's own development team posted:

"The team is currently working franticly [sic] on resolving most of these issues in the upcoming update. There is currently a fair number of items that will be addressed, although the number is very likely to increase more in the next few days as we wrap things up.

"Bugs reported by players out in the real world are being captured and entered into our database now. These issues, along with those from our internal test departments have been triaged & assigned out for fixing. We then hope to have this out of the door in approximately a few weeks."