AoD: This game feels very on the rails. Am i playing it right?

[Diggfinger]

I want to be a strong, confident dragon that needs to faction.

I want to be a beautiful mermaid

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Instead, your build determines your path and your path determines your build and if you have other skills they are liable to be a severe waste of SP. The lack of freedom this creates is the major problem.

You want the “freedom” to succeed without the proper skills because skill checks should be fluffy. I believe the word for this kind of mentality is popamole. Besides, the premise of your criticism is misguided since many of the main skill checks can be overcome with different builds. But then again, you already know that, and you are not interested in the truth. You are interested in venting your butthurt because your precious ego was perforated by VD’s design, and you just can’t accept that, can you?

The complaint is that while you get choices they are all Vince's choices, handed to you on a silver-platter with skill checks, and as such problem-solving is mostly a question of interacting with your character sheet rather than interacting with the world.

But these choices have a narrative impact, are interesting and have far-reaching consequences. You don’t see that, because you don’t value these things. You want choices that have no narrative impact and are limited in scope. You want the choice of killing NPCs and doing nonsensical degenerate gameplay. That’s the real problem. These “Vince’s choices” criticism is just a smokescreen for the real complain: you want a docile gameworld that works as a playground to make you feel powerful.

That's just fucking retarded. First off, saying that I would rather have to puzzle out solutions for myself than be handed them on a silver platter is the opposite of spoiled you fucking AoD apologist.

You don’t have to do much solving puzzles by yourself in any cRPG, pal. You just think you do because you are butthurt. In other words, you are criticizing the game based on a utopia that only exists in your head. Every path is predetermined by developers. The real question is what kind of game world and choices do you want in your cRPG.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

More often one is punished for their lack of foresight than their lack of skilled play. And the game does an inadequate job of pressing a player to accept failure and keep going. Save-reload design is a problem in general and in AoD it too easily becomes a massive crutch, especially for newbies.

Because he is assuming you are mature enough to get your shit together and try again. It’s actually funny that people also complain about the ability to teleport, while things such as teleport allows you to make a new build and move on quickly.

It's an issue that you can be a Kingmaker as Imperial Guard and yet have it go absolutely fucking nowhere because VD decided that Antidas is too incompetent to actually become king

OH MY GOD. I THINK I’M GOING TO KILL MYSELF. What is the fucking problem that VD decided this or that? It’s his fucking cRPG. He created the characters and their gameworld. Who else should decide who does what? You? Me? I’m starting to think that you can’t accept VD’s choices because he is a Codex poster like yourself. Therefore, he isn’t special enough to make his own characters the way he sees fit. Grow up.

 

[skaraher]

Maybe I didn't explain this well. Sure, it's a laborious demand to ask that developers create new paths for every type of content desired, but there are serious problems for instance with playing as a Praetor (whose entire job is to look out for the interests of House Daratan) and yet being denied any road to success in this capacity.

That's not true, moderate success can be achieved if you don't go the full retard route of destroying cities and murdering head of states left and right. Also the Praetor route has quite the different endings so you can't really use it as an exemple of strict railroading. It is quite possible to leave the game with Antidas in a stronger position that the one you found him with, if you destroy maadoran and bomb al-akia for exemple.

It's an issue that you can be a Kingmaker as Imperial Guard and yet have it go absolutely fucking nowhere

Blatantly false, running the kingmaker scheme is the only way to make Carrinas confident enough in his position to betray Paullus to Meru in the first sword ending. So while it's widely different from what we're lead to expect in Act 1, you can't really say that plot thread goes nowhere.

Similar concerns exist in being unable to remain as an assassin while trying to depose Darista who is blatantly turning the AG into Lord Gaelius's personal retinue.

If you murder darista and gaelius (which can be done without combat if you pumped critical strike) you can still be an assassin for ganezzar's branch. I think the point of the AG questline was that Boatmen as an independent force was a thing from bygone era and now all the guild heads are joining lords. It's stated from the start in Teron.

You can't even buy poison for the outpost either, unless you're Assassins' Guild, then suddenly Coltan's services are available free of charge. And in the AG questline it's clear that Coltan does in fact sell poisons for murder. These solutions are denied to you because Vince does not want you to have them as a non-assassin.

The fuck are you talking about, poisons are sold by regular merchant and you just need 2 dot in alchemy to craft your own.

In Maadoran you can't hire mercs or try to hire assassins for anything either.

Cite us a game where we can hire assassins to resolve any quests we want at any times. Unrealistic expectations shouldn't be a basis on CnC criticism.

Hell you can even make a case for AG needing guys who can do shit the hard way when necessary. But assassins as a rule should not be in the habit of giving their marks a fair fight.

While combat heavy, AG has its share of impersonate and stealth check.

Btw the vast majority of your complaint is discussing plotpoints and writing quality, from a very passionate viewpoint (regarding Antidas and assassins for exemple) and not really adressing the structure of the game, which has its faults, true.

Also why shill so much for Antidas when he has never been written has anything more than a bumbling retard ? Hell it's even stated during the Al-Akia segment that Meru got possessed after listing to Antidas' advices and opening the star room.

 

[Whisper]

The setting does not reflect my life experience or personal thoughts on life, the universe, and everything. If the next game is filled with optimism, would you assume I've started taking drugs?


If that's a reference to the player character's social and professional standing, I think that in most cases he/she advances significantly (few exceptions and crucifixions aside) but you won't become a guildmaster in a few months as that's just silly.


Preference was given to expanding multiple solutions and adding extra branches. If I could, I would have gladly added more non-business conversations and dialogue options reflecting different personalities.

I always found it a bit strange, how you can be guildmaster (at same time!) of several guilds in Skyrim: fighters, mages, thiefs and noone objected. And most didnt even mention this, though they should know who is guildmaster, no?

Very unrealistic.

 

[BlackAdderBG]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

Age of Decadence is a test of who prefers RPG gameplay and who prefers scripting. Although I played through AoD four times, enjoyed it, and selected it as the best CRPG of 2015, I'm not blind to the game's flaws.

 

[Tigranes]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

Age of Decadence is a test of who prefers RPG gameplay and who prefers scripting. Although I played through AoD four times, enjoyed it, and selected it as the best CRPG of 2015, I'm not blind to the game's flaws.

Or people who can see the value of both, when done well? What is the point of that statement?

 

[BlackAdderBG]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

Age of Decadence is a test of who prefers RPG gameplay and who prefers scripting. Although I played through AoD four times, enjoyed it, and selected it as the best CRPG of 2015, I'm not blind to the game's flaws.

Scripting is the core of the RPG genre, if you don't have heavy scripted gameplay you don't have a RPG, but some kind of action game. I mean technically all game are scripted, but I know you don't mean that. Can you give me example of this "RPG gameplay" of yours?

This is not RPG gameplay for me

Spoiler

This is:

Spoiler

 

[fanta]

Clicking hyperlinks is not gameplay, whether they're [awesome] or ordinary ones

 

[ItsChon]

It's funny to me that people shit on newer games for having quest markers and removing all elements of the player having to read carefully and find shit, but then turn around and praise AoD for literally teleporting you to where you need to be because it saves time and backtracking. Never change Codex.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Clicking hyperlinks is not gameplay, whether they're [awesome] or ordinary ones

So we have to conclude that King of Dragon Pass and Darklands are not games then?

MONGOLOID

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

It's funny to me that people shit on newer games for having quest markers and removing all elements of the player having to read carefully and find shit, but then turn around and praise AoD for literally teleporting you to where you need to be because it saves time and backtracking. Never change Codex.

The teleports allow the developers to move the character around according to the flow of events that are out of his control. You, the player, can’t decide to stop what is happening in the game world whenever you see fit. This has nothing to do with facilitators such as quest markers. They are only facilitators in the sense that you can avoid needlessly walking from point A to point B. I don’t remember anyone complaining that the car in Fallout was popamole because it made traveling faster. I guess it all revolves around on arbitrary preferences and double standards then.

 

[BlackAdderBG]

It's funny to me that people shit on newer games for having quest markers and removing all elements of the player having to read carefully and find shit, but then turn around and praise AoD for literally teleporting you to where you need to be because it saves time and backtracking. Never change Codex.

Reading carefully and finding shit does not make a game RPG, pre-distributed stats deciding the outcome of events/encounters does. You know the Roleplaying in the Roleplaying game.

 

[Carrion]

The teleports allow the developers to move the character around according to the flow of events that are out of his control.

The real reason is probably to make sure the player doesn't break quests by doing things that the developers don't want him to do. Also pacing reasons and the general lack of non-combat mechanics that necessitates a CYOA approach.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

/every "AoD so overrated BUUUHHHHUUUUWWHEEEEEEEEEE" thread.
These mongrels taking stabs at AoD deserve every poe/tyranny/numanuma piece of shit from now till the end of time.

Reading carefully and finding shit does not make a game RPG, pre-distributed stats deciding the outcome of events/encounters does. You know the Roleplaying in the Roleplaying game.

You are assuming these people can parse basic english words. They can't.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Scripting is the core of the RPG genre, if you don't have heavy scripted gameplay you don't have a RPG, but some kind of action game. I mean technically all game are scripted, but I know you don't mean that. Can you give me example of this "RPG gameplay" of yours?

This is not RPG gameplay for me

Spoiler

This is:

Spoiler

RPGs are defined by game mechanics, not by dialogue options whether with or without skill checks:

 

[rusty_shackleford]

RPGs are defined by frens.
You can't have an RPG without frens, which is why games without companions aren't RPGs.

 

[JarlFrank]

It's funny to me that people shit on newer games for having quest markers and removing all elements of the player having to read carefully and find shit, but then turn around and praise AoD for literally teleporting you to where you need to be because it saves time and backtracking. Never change Codex.

The teleports allow the developers to move the character around according to the flow of events that are out of his control. You, the player, can’t decide to stop what is happening in the game world whenever you see fit. This has nothing to do with facilitators such as quest markers. They are only facilitators in the sense that you can avoid needlessly walking from point A to point B. I don’t remember anyone complaining that the car in Fallout was popamole because it made traveling faster. I guess it all revolves around on arbitrary preferences and double standards then.

The car in Fallout didn't drive on its own outside of the player's control.

 

[Cross]

AoD is solid test to see who like RPGs and who- lapring simulators/action games.

Age of Decadence is a test of who prefers RPG gameplay and who prefers scripting. Although I played through AoD four times, enjoyed it, and selected it as the best CRPG of 2015, I'm not blind to the game's flaws.

Scripting is the core of the RPG genre, if you don't have heavy scripted gameplay you don't have a RPG, but some kind of action game. I mean technically all game are scripted, but I know you don't mean that. Can you give me example of this "RPG gameplay" of yours?

This is not RPG gameplay for me

Spoiler

This is:

Spoiler

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

It also have exactly one single ending, no matter what you do.

 

[ItsChon]

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

It also have exactly one single ending, no matter what you do.

ItsChon said:

It doesn't tho...

 

[Verylittlefishes]

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

It also have exactly one single ending, no matter what you do.

ItsChon said:

It doesn't tho...

You mean, you can die? Yes, you can. Or you can go to the same ending without saying goodbye to our companions. Any more ones?

 

[JarlFrank]

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

It also have exactly one single ending, no matter what you do.

ItsChon said:

It doesn't tho...

You mean, you can die? Yes, you can. Or you can go to the same ending without saying goodbye to our companions. Any more ones?

- merge with TTO
- kill TTO
- suicide
- will him out of existence

Yeah the overall ending is always the same (go fight in the blood war), but there are various ways to deal with TTO, and various different things you can do before that (discover your real name, resurrect your companions, etc).

 

[Verylittlefishes]

The irony is that Planescape: Torment lets you do stuff like sneaking, disguising and pickpocketing through unscripted gameplay rather than CYOA-style prompts.

It also have exactly one single ending, no matter what you do.

ItsChon said:

It doesn't tho...

You mean, you can die? Yes, you can. Or you can go to the same ending without saying goodbye to our companions. Any more ones?

- merge with TTO
- kill TTO
- suicide
- will him out of existence

Yeah the overall ending is always the same (go fight in the blood war), but there are various ways to deal with TTO, and various different things you can do before that (discover your real name, resurrect your companions, etc).

Yes; but the ending is the same and varies only in details, while in AoD you actually get a bunch of different endings.

Don't get me wrong, I'm #1 torment fan in existence, but it is just honest to say that after the Ravel's maze RPG ends and the railroaded adventure starts. Yes, the grearest adventure of all time. But still.