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Age of Decadence Released

anus_pounder

Arcane
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Messages
5,972
Location
Yiffing in Hell
Blowing up Maadoran seems to cause all sorts of problems atm. I spent the rest of my years as the arena champion despite Maadoran being wiped clean. lolwut.
 

hivemind

Guest
It's also much easier to join the IG as another background like drifter, mercenary, or loremaster. To "impress Cado" you need to have very narrow skills that other backgrounds likely wouldn't have.
merc and drifter can join TG through the vignette quest tho
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31271&page=2

my suggestion for game design, is to make the game winnable through any stats, no matter how low. but the rewards to scale with their level
That's what a lot of people want. Not a game where stats and skills matter but a game with adjustable stats/skills providing an illusion of a character system but ultimately only giving you bonus loot to make you even more awesome.
 

hivemind

Guest
The saddest thing is that
the game winnable through any stats, no matter how low. but the rewards to scale with their level
is almost actually true.

Like you can 'win' the game with almost no SP investment compared to what you get.
You don't have to do the faction/side quests and still finish the game with very low SP cost. And the rewards are going to scale with it, you either remain a nobody as you started or get the world cucked by Agathoth if you are unable(for some reason) to complete the faction questlines.
Whereas if you have high skills and thus manage to make something out of yourself you end up as consul/legatus/etc.
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
2,573
Location
Once and Future Wasteland
Serpent in the Staglands Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
Whereas if you have high skills and thus manage to make something out of yourself you end up as consul/legatus/etc.

Only if you have at least some Charisma. Some of the ending slides are hilariously out of touch for low CHA characters. I was just another Aurelian praetor that failed to make himself noticed despite successfully leading the Ordu through the pass, killing the Zamedi demon, making an alliance with the IG and leading the assault on Ganezzar, and then finally going to the temple and killing Agathoth? The ending slide just doesn't match what was going on in the game, because, despite the fact that Gaelius clearly notices you through the dialogue (mentions how great you are multiple times), you're told you didn't make yourself noticed because you only ended up with 8 HA rep.

I've noticed plenty of other endings that really don't match the experience from the character in the game, and the culprit in pretty much all the cases in low CHA. Meanwhile a high CHA character can mess up a bunch of quests and still get the best endings, despite all the characters in the game talking about how incompetent they are.
 
Last edited:

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
Only if you have at least some Charisma. Some of the ending slides are hilariously out of touch for low CHA characters. I was just another Aurelian praetor that failed to make himself noticed despite successfully leading the Ordu through the pass, killing the Zamedi demon, making an alliance with the IG and leading the assault on Ganezzar, and then finally going to the temple and killing Agathoth? The ending slide just doesn't match what was going on in the game, because, despite the fact that Gaelius clearly notices you through the dialogue (mentions how great you are multiple times), you're told you didn't make yourself noticed because you only ended up with 8 HA rep.

I've noticed plenty of other endings that really don't match the experience from the character in the game, and the culprit in pretty much all the cases in low CHA. Meanwhile a high CHA character can mess up a bunch of quests and still get the best endings, despite all the characters in the game talking about how incompetent they are.
Things like that never happen in real life!

Anyway, what would you suggest? How would increase the odds to end up on top?
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
2,573
Location
Once and Future Wasteland
Serpent in the Staglands Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
Things like that never happen in real life!

Anyway, what would you suggest? How would increase the odds to end up on top?
It's not even about ending up on top. I'm not opposed to the idea that a charismatic person has much better odds to make more with less than some unlikeable douchebag, it's just that the way the ending slides are written it often makes it sound like you're just some nobody who didn't do anything as opposed to an extremely valuable, competent person who just got edged out because no one liked him. It would be cool if some of the endings at least checked CHA to see if that was the reason you didn't have high reputation with any faction, because then you could have an ending slide that better matches the character, saying something about how you didn't have what it takes to compete in the world of politics so, despite you competence in other matters, you ended up with some shit job somewhere or whatever.

I do think there should be some way for a non-charismatic character to get a good ending other than the become a god one. Choosing a competent faction, where deeds matter over words, should be more likely to get a good ending. I would totally buy that Antidas simply disposed of you once he had gained power because he or his advisers didn't like you, but Gaelius? He seems like a man who understands the value of an employee who can do things that no one else can, and wouldn't make such a person a bean counter in some dump just because he has a shitty personality.
 

Urbanolo

Augur
Joined
May 12, 2014
Messages
320
Ok, so I've finished the game like 6 or 7 times already (it's fucking excellent), now I'm doing steam cheevos hunting. I know more or less what to do to get the remaining ones except for the "Burn It (Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn)".

Anyone knows?

As a side not, some cheevos are bugged: I didn't get aurelian liegeman one (except I finished the whole Aurelian Praetor questline) nor did I get centurion one for Imperial Guard (I got the legatus one though).
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
2,573
Location
Once and Future Wasteland
Serpent in the Staglands Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
Ok, so I've finished the game like 6 or 7 times already (it's fucking excellent), now I'm doing steam cheevos hunting. I know more or less what to do to get the remaining ones except for the "Burn It (Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn)".

Anyone knows?
Kill Antidas, Gaelius, and Meru, then awaken Agathoth but don't kill him.
 

Lord Andre

Arcane
Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
3,716
Location
Gypsystan
I can confirm the ending slides sometimes being a bit nonsense. I was the second man in the Inquisition, rich as fuck, a power-armored, alchemy HP regenerating, combat juggernaut who butchered a god in single combat, epic meteor steel crafter smith, grand lore master (9), master alchimist, critical strike king and a decent locksmith, oh yeah and arena champion and personally flew a damn ship to the start port, killed demons, augmented my body twice, put the demi-god in the abyss out of its misery etc. etc. And despite all that I got a shitty "your a nobody loser in the lowest ranks of the inquisition" ending. With the skills and money I had, I could start my own fortress city in the zigurat ffs...

Still, who cares about a few lines of flavor text. The journey was sweet.
 

Lord Andre

Arcane
Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
3,716
Location
Gypsystan
Well, to be honest I fucked over every single noble house and guild for maximum skill points and generally pissed on meru's religion till the very end. Then I realized the faggot was my only remaining chance to find al-akia, so I pulled a 180 and joined him. Feng cuck-blocked me at the last minute though and I was left with nothing to do but take out my frustration on the end boss. Charisma dump stat didn't help.
 
Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
1,868,264
Location
Al Scandiya
Noticed another bug where the game crashes in the middle of whirlwind attacks. Doesn't happen every time though, so no idea what causes it.

Happened twice so far, once in Teron gang fight behind the tavern, once in the first IG assault on the guild.

(Oh, and I got a good ending as Second Inquisitor with a 4 CHA assassin, but I also did all the pro-zealot stuff in the three cities.)
 

Mozg

Arcane
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Messages
2,033
Ending spoilers

Inquisition (as in, Boatmen but side with Varro) is the only faction I ever thought I got a "good" ending in with a 4 charisma autistic mass murderer. I thought Varro appreciated his schizoid je ne sais quoi
 

Lord Andre

Arcane
Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
3,716
Location
Gypsystan
In my mind, I just disappeared into the desert never to be heard from again... (even a grognard is allowed to larp once the credits roll, no?)
 

Johannes

Arcane
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
10,487
Location
casting coach
The saddest thing is that is almost actually true.

Like you can 'win' the game with almost no SP investment compared to what you get.
You don't have to do the faction/side quests and still finish the game with very low SP cost. And the rewards are going to scale with it, you either remain a nobody as you started or get the world cucked by Agathoth if you are unable(for some reason) to complete the faction questlines.
Whereas if you have high skills and thus manage to make something out of yourself you end up as consul/legatus/etc.
Got me thinking. How would one speedrun this game? As in reach any (non-deathscreen) ending asap.
 

Mozg

Arcane
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Messages
2,033
speedrun talk
Do Teron by fixing the smelter or getting the map to Antidas to unlock Maadoran (all doable with starting skills)
Talking to the guy in Maadoran immediately unlocks Gaz (no skillcheck)
After talking to the guy at the tavern in Gaz you pass a check or two in either Dead River (lore + amulet) or Hellgate (get past the robot, amulet from divine spear guy, eat some laser damage).

Should take like... 5 minutes without loading screens? You may need to do like one or two other SP quests with skillchecks in between to be able to pass DR/Hellgate.
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
2,573
Location
Once and Future Wasteland
Serpent in the Staglands Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
speedrun talk
Do Teron by fixing the smelter or getting the map to Antidas to unlock Maadoran (all doable with starting skills)
Talking to the guy in Maadoran immediately unlocks Gaz (no skillcheck)
After talking to the guy at the tavern in Gaz you pass a check or two in either Dead River (lore + amulet) or Hellgate (get past the robot, amulet from divine spear guy, eat some laser damage).

Should take like... 5 minutes without loading screens? You may need to do like one or two other SP quests with skillchecks in between to be able to pass DR/Hellgate.
Just did it for the lulz.

Started as merc, so I'd have armor and a decent weapon without buying it. 7,8,6,5,10,4 stats, only skills were axe, dodge, persuasion, and lore. Let the assassin leave, didn't escort the dude to the thieves guild. Went to Feng to talk about the map because you can't talk to Dellar without doing that. Then went to Dellar, got the outpost quest. Went to the outpost and raised persuasion and lore to 4 each, fixed it and went to Maadoran. Talked to Abukar to get Domitius information, talked to Domitius, told Gaelius to shove off, left for Ganezzar to talk to cartographer dude, went to Hellgate. Leveled persuasion up to 6 (not sure what the Bennie check is) and rest went to axe. Killed the robot easily, got the amulet, and the rest is obvious. Took me less than 10 minutes total and I made a few mistakes that took time (tried to talk to Dellar before Feng and Domitius before Abukar, also went to bandit camp for free XP that I didn't need).
 

Urbanolo

Augur
Joined
May 12, 2014
Messages
320
Just did it for the lulz.

Started as merc, so I'd have armor and a decent weapon without buying it. 7,8,6,5,10,4 stats, only skills were axe, dodge, persuasion, and lore. Let the assassin leave, didn't escort the dude to the thieves guild. Went to Feng to talk about the map because you can't talk to Dellar without doing that. Then went to Dellar, got the outpost quest. Went to the outpost and raised persuasion and lore to 4 each, fixed it and went to Maadoran. Talked to Abukar to get Domitius information, talked to Domitius, told Gaelius to shove off, left for Ganezzar to talk to cartographer dude, went to Hellgate. Leveled persuasion up to 6 (not sure what the Bennie check is) and rest went to axe. Killed the robot easily, got the amulet, and the rest is obvious. Took me less than 10 minutes total and I made a few mistakes that took time (tried to talk to Dellar before Feng and Domitius before Abukar, also went to bandit camp for free XP that I didn't need).

Persuading centurion to let you in to Antidas might be faster than doing the outpost quest
 

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