Interview The Pleasures of Age of Decadence at RPS

[Jason]

Tags: Age of Decadence; Iron Tower

Rock Paper Shotgun is sporting another <b><a href="http://www.irontowerstudio.com/" target="blank">Age of Decadence</a></b> interview. In <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/01/21/unknown-pleasures-2009-age-of-decadence/" target="blank">this edition</a>, VD talks about the demo, Oscar admits he used to think Final Fantasy 7 was the greatest RPG ever, and Kieron namechecks the Manic Street Preachers.
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<blockquote>RPS: It’s been a while since we’ve last talked. Care to bring RPS’ readers up to date with what you’ve been up to? What’s Age of Decadence’s progress?
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Vince D. Weller: We are slowly getting there. A combat demo should be released in a few months. The demo will be set in an arena district of one of the towns and will show what the game looks like. You’ll fight different opponents, ranging from local scum and captured criminals to gladiators and professional fighters looking for easy coins. You’ll fight against single fighters and groups; fast, lightly armored opponents and heavy, ironclad juggernauts. This should give you a good feel of the combat and give us plenty of feedback to work with.
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In unrelated news, the game was voted as the second most anticipated RPG by RPG Watch readers. We were offered a good publishing deal by a large North American publisher, although I’m not sure if that’s the direction we’d take. And a French gaming magazine did a several page AoD article/interview. Needless to say, we appreciate this support.</blockquote>

 

[Volourn]

AOD is anything but an 'unknown pleasure'. The game has been hyped up the wazoo. I have a funny felling it's going to sell rather well for an 'indy' game. Not that I'm complaining because if it's as good as I think it'll be, it have earned it.

Interview was teh usual VD arrogant bullshit of 'mainstremas suck, BG2 isn't a rpg, i rock, everyone else fuckin' sucks, i'm too coll for the mainstream, blah, blah, blah!" though.

*yawn*

 

[drunkpriest]

Though the combat demo will be interesting I cant wait for Volourns review. I think Vault Dwellers arrogance is directed at you and the ones that think that baldurs gate 2 was actually a role playing game.
In Before Roofles, Dumbass, you're an idiot, lies, I'm right you're wrong

 

[Volourn]

Except it is a RPG. You have to be delusional and a liar to think otehrwise. It's one thing to think it's a poor RPG or it doens't have many as 'choices' as you may want; but it is a rpg. This is just plainly a fact.

Then again, the Codex is a place that belives the GB games were awesome RPGs. And, actually believe turn based combat = role-playing.


HAHAHAHAHA!

L0L0L0L0L0L0LLIP0P!!!

 

[The Feral Kid]

I think Vault Dwellers arrogance is directed at you and the ones that think that baldurs gate 2 was actually a role playing game.

FYI and the rest of the idiots on these forums who believe so, BG has stats that affect the outcome of many actions. Saying BG is not an rpg is as retarded as saying D&D is not rpg.

C&C is not the single one component that decides if a game is rpg or not no matter how much the codex whines about it.

 

[Talby]

Interviews are great, but I want to actually play this thing already. I'm getting a bit sick of the drip-feeding of info.

That's the problem with hyping something too much, it gets to the point where you're sick of the game before you've even played it.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Interviews are great, but I want to actually play this thing already. I'm getting a bit sick of the drip-feeding of info.

That's the problem with hyping something too much, it gets to the point where you're sick of the game before you've even played it.

I started getting that way, until I switched off from it. Now it comes as a pleasant surprise when something comes up here. Though the frustration still rises on occasion.

I hope it does get released sooner rather than later though. I fear for another 'graphics update' should the wait be extended too much longer.

 

[Lord Chambers]

Although i agree with his tastes and will definitely get this game, saying that a game is only an RPG if it has choices and consequences is a bit silly. Very few games before Fallout did it, and classic titles like the Might and Magic and Wizardry or Eye of the Beholder series had none. They were mostly dungeon hacks.

This historical use of RPG is rarely addressed in discussions here and I think it needs more attention. It's well and good to design the type of RPG you want Dweller, and I'd say it's superior to the other types. However, you can't just make the game you want and stamp it the one true word of RPGod anymore than Bioware can call Mass Effect the archetype of RPGs.

I think Iron Tower is at the helm of a redefinition of what RPG means, and I would love for them lead more intelligently than picking games 90% of players would identify as RPG and saying "it's not an RPG." As a vice-president of marketing I’m sure you can come up with something descriptive that is just as fresh as your game design. Instead describe Age of Decadence as having C&C gameplay opposed to Oblivion's sandbox gameplay. Or if Fable is player-centered then say AOD is setting-centered. I just don't see the advantage of stamping your game RPG like everyone else but insisting ‘we really mean it,’ except to ameliorate years of gaming bitterness.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Although i agree with his tastes and will definitely get this game, saying that a game is only an RPG if it has choices and consequences is a bit silly. Very few games before Fallout did it, and classic titles like the Might and Magic and Wizardry or Eye of the Beholder series had none. They were mostly dungeon hacks.

This historical use of RPG is rarely addressed in discussions here and I think it needs more attention.

"Choice and Consequence" existed historically as a rather large game-play element in the original tabletop RPGs. It's just been poorly implemented in CRPGS where RPG was used purely as a marketing term. Kind of like how the original "Wolfenstein 3d" isn't actually 3d. It doesn't mean modern 3d games need a new term (Real 3d™), it just means the term "3d" was incorrectly applied to those early games.

 

[Mantiis]

Choice and Consequence? Oh you mean like when I attach my final attack materia to my phoenix materia so that it rezzes me when i die?

 

[Twinfalls]

The last time we talked to designer Vince D. Weller, he proved himself the indie-RPG equivalent of the early Manic Street Preachers in a I-hate-dumbed-down-RPGs-more-than-Hitler sort of way.

I didn't know they had that reputation. I do remember Ian McCullough of Echo and the Bunnymen talking in the early 80s about Bono needing a 'colostomy bag for his mouth' (truer words have not been spoken).

But still it's better than VD being called the Liam Gallagher of indie RPG developers I suppose.

 

[A user named cat]

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

 

[spacemoose]

I do remember when Jeff Tweedy of Wilco said at this show back in 1994 before they went mainstream (truer words have never been spoken)

 

[Twinfalls]

You listen to Wilco? You are a weak, weak man.

 

[spacemoose]

:shakes head swinging hair out of eyes:

 

[Zomg]

I am disturbed that Kieron Gillen has neared my orbit so.

 

[A user named cat]

Through the storm we reach the shore, you give it all but I want more.

 

[spacemoose]

I should have said "before the plebes caught on"

oh this fortress of regrets

 

[MisterStone]

Vince D. Weller: We are slowly getting there. A combat demo should be released in a few months.

A combat demo should be released in a few months.

in a few months

months

 

[Forest Dweller]

Anyway, if one were to replay BG2 one would have exactly the same experience, give or take few meaningless choices.

Hmm oh dear...

 

[Volourn]

Just VD's way of trolling, and it works. It also proves that he's a liar at the level of Bethesda and Troika. R00fles!

 

[Talby]

If I were to replay my life, I would have exactly the same experience, give or take a few meaningless choices.

 

[Twinfalls]

Can we get this outfit in the game?

 

[Naked Ninja]

If I were to replay my life, I would have exactly the same experience, give or take a few meaningless choices.

I lol'd.

 

[Serious_Business]

Anyway, if one were to replay BG2 one would have exactly the same experience, give or take few meaningless choices.

Hmm oh dear...

Yes, I support this "lie"