Game News Age of Decadence development in the final stretch, release on October

[Black]

Before he started working for ITS he used to do it on Codex for free.
What a sell-out!

 

[Konjad]

Lol @tards congratulating VD for releasing AoD when it's not released and not even close to being so. I won't believe in AoD's release date until I see it happening. Sure, they have a developed game (unlike Cleve), but they will push off the release to fix final bugs etc. again, that is certain.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Better yet, adapt it into a movie.

 

[Tigranes]

A true Hollywood version of AOD: The Movie would have Pete Hines hiring a jealous Codexer to infiltrate Vault Dweller's non-assuming middle class home, wiping years of progress and forcing him to rebuild his assets - converting to Unity in the process. Development continues to be at risk until a Neanderthal at a local park bench slips him a single address in the countryside. It turns out to be an underground trading hub for mutated animals, from which VD procures a couple of slick-skinned, pustule-filled, wide-mouthed sucker creatures. Pete Hines wakes up the next morning to face the shrivelled, dehydrated corpses of the burglars he sent after VD.

The movie would end immediately before AOD's release, redirecting viewers to a Thursday release date for the sequel.

 

[veevoir]

How many Codex reviews will AoD have?

 

[Excidium II]

As many as Infinitron deems necessary

 

[Kalin]

We have a distribution agreement with GoG, so the game should be released on Steam and GoG at the same time.

This is awesome news. Will it be possible to get a GoG code if you pre-ordered through BMT like the deal with the Steam keys?

 

[Vault Dweller]

This is awesome news. Will it be possible to get a GoG code if you pre-ordered through BMT like the deal with the Steam keys?

Most likely. I don't know how GoG works, but if they give us activation codes, we'll give them to every BMT 'customer' who wants one.

Could be cool, could also be about several colony ships, managing politics, rebels, people with no hope, tribes who already have no idea how the ship works. Kinda like the exile ships in Homeworld remember?

I prefer a singe ship - a huge cargo ship retrofitted to carry 100,000 colonists.

The starting point is who's doing it and why. It doesn't produce any profit and doesn't solve any immediate problem (like over-population). You have to invest a lot of money for zero gain. So most likely it will be organized by the Church, which would add an interesting angle. Could be a wealthy foundation of some kind. Basically, idealistic people who expect others to share their beliefs. They would expect people to understand why sacrifices are necessary. They would be able to screen people and get similarly minded zealots, but nobody can ensure that the 3rd and 4th generation, people born on the ship and destined to die on the ship without ever seeing sunlight or breathing fresh air, would fall in-line and see things the same way.

Thus the structure of this society should be semi-religious. Maybe something can be borrowed from the Mormons as well. The community leaders would be there making sure that everyone gets the purpose. If someone doesn't, examples would have to be made to discourage others. Isolation to start? Forced labor if the problem persists? Ritual expulsion from the ship and thus society? Put in a small capsule designed to last a week and wish good luck?

The colonists would be split into different groups (the foundation of a future caste system) reflecting the future colony's needs. So if the goal is to deliver X ready-to go-farmers, then X number of farmers must be maintained at all time, each obligated to have 2 children, if some couples can't have children, other couples will be allowed to have 3 kids, etc. The system creates some pressure on families, but it works because the system can enforce it. Same with the ship - it relies on the enforcement.

Another problem with this setup is that the agriculturalists will raise the new generations of agriculturists who will have to grow crops whether they like it or not.

It could be argued that it hardly matters what they do as it's all regulated and a good farmer can't do better than a crappy farmer, can't have more land, can't hire anyone, can't sell produce, etc. Their only purpose in life is to learn the skills from their fathers, raise kids, pass them the skills, which is depressing as fuck. So on the surface, the system works. You can imagine a few people here and there not wanting to do it but that's what the guards are for (that would be the first safe guard, I suppose - what to do with those who break the laws) but the founding fathers probably wouldn't imagine mass scale unhappiness and riots.

So riots -> mutiny -> damage to the ship -> sealed decks -> mini societies forming (some resembling the old order - what was good for our fathers is good for us, others going into exciting new directions (you start in the freemen (aka anarchists)'s camp), caste system emerging, mutations, etc.

 

[Nagling]

This survey of yours (and I'm still alive so it didn't kill me to answer but your concern were noted), still relevant or is it download only now?

Disclaimer: This survey is for dial-up people with somewhat older computers.

2 questions:

1. PC specs (processor and ram only, please)
2. What is your preferred or max download size (i.e. 15 MB, 25MB, 50Mb, etc)?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Download only.

 

[Esquilax]

So riots -> mutiny -> damage to the ship -> sealed decks -> mini societies forming (some resembling the old order - what was good for our fathers is good for us, others going into exciting new directions (you start in the freemen (aka anarchists)'s camp), caste system emerging, mutations, etc.

Obviously this concept is great and completely novel in any RPG, but when you had first mentioned it, I had assumed that the concept would involve backgrounds similar to AoD's. So, if you are, for example, part of the maintenance crew, you start in the maintenance area of the ship, much in the same way that if you start off as a Merchant, you start off by talking to Linos at the Commercium Plaza. Starting everyone off as a "freeman" might bias the player towards desiring a freer society without the shackles of the old order, whereas if you start off as a member of a group with a lot of power on the ship, you'd start off with a different view on things (i.e. "How do I maintain the status quo, which benefits me and allows my group to maintain power?").

Of course, I obviously am unaware of the details in how you want to take this, but wouldn't being a "freeman" make you an outcast of sorts among the established groups in the setting?

 

[commie]

Can't wait to beg for a copy on the Giftstravaganza thread!

Thus the structure of this society should be semi-religious. Maybe something can be borrowed from the Mormons as well. The community leaders would be there making sure that everyone gets the purpose. If someone doesn't, examples would have to be made to discourage others....

This reminds me of this game that Bethesda made....Vault Dweller 3 or something.....

 

[AbounI]

Obviously this concept is great and completely novel in any RPG, but when you had first mentioned it, I had assumed that the concept would involve backgrounds similar to AoD's. So, if you are, for example, part of the maintenance crew, you start in the maintenance area of the ship, much in the same way that if you start off as a Merchant, you start off by talking to Linos at the Commercium Plaza. Starting everyone off as a "freeman" might bias the player towards desiring a freer society without the shackles of the old order, whereas if you start off as a member of a group with a lot of power on the ship, you'd start off with a different view on things (i.e. "How do I maintain the status quo, which benefits me and allows my group to maintain power?").

Of course, I obviously am unaware of the details in how you want to take this, but wouldn't being a "freeman" make you an outcast of sorts among the established groups in the setting?

According to the thread in their forum, there will be a class system (or caste is the better word), but PC will be a freeman and doesn't belong to those caste, although this is a quite old revelation, so things might have changed since :

First of all, yes, we'll go with a class system (to be mutated into a caste system). The goal is to deliver skilled colonists (x number of farmers, x number of metalworkers, x number of militia, etc), so a strict class system becomes a necessity....

You'll start as a freeman and won't be allowed to join a caste (because you weren't born into it). I want to have a different structure (from AoD) and go with basic skills that you level up and advanced skills that you can only learn from someone or something else. I.e. you can't become a master chemist or a master in computer science just by leveling up. You have to steal or kill for knowledge (or explore hard to get into decks and places). Anyway, that's the idea.

 

[lisac2k]

I prefer a singe ship - a huge cargo ship retrofitted to carry 100,000 colonists.
...
So riots -> mutiny -> damage to the ship -> sealed decks -> mini societies forming (some resembling the old order - what was good for our fathers is good for us, others going into exciting new directions (you start in the freemen (aka anarchists)'s camp), caste system emerging, mutations, etc.

So, your idea is to explore more of the environment and more of the ethics of a post-launch colony/generation ship, not to make a better blaster gun.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Obviously this concept is great and completely novel in any RPG, but when you had first mentioned it, I had assumed that the concept would involve backgrounds similar to AoD's. So, if you are, for example, part of the maintenance crew, you start in the maintenance area of the ship, much in the same way that if you start off as a Merchant, you start off by talking to Linos at the Commercium Plaza. Starting everyone off as a "freeman" might bias the player towards desiring a freer society without the shackles of the old order, whereas if you start off as a member of a group with a lot of power on the ship, you'd start off with a different view on things (i.e. "How do I maintain the status quo, which benefits me and allows my group to maintain power?").

Of course, I obviously am unaware of the details in how you want to take this, but wouldn't being a "freeman" make you an outcast of sorts among the established groups in the setting?

The focus is an exploration not on 'urban intrigue'. Unlike AoD where relatively small factions are fighting for power or taking sides in the conflict, the ship is a more or less stable 'ecosystem' where every group has its role and place (the fact that they are on a ship is the limiting factor). Freemen have their uses. They are explorers (which has a special value on a vast ship), traders/raiders a-la vikings, and their territory lies between the abandoned decks/mutants and the "civilized" decks.

So a freeman who doesn't pose a threat would be welcomed and since he/she has never been to the civilized decks, their traditions/culture/history will be new to both the character and the player (i.e. good way to introduce the ship's groups).

 

[Excidium II]

Sounds too good to be true, wil probably never get made

 

[Infinitron]

Vault Dweller Sounds awesome. I already have some character names in mind.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Mutiny

 

[t]

Is that Cleve?

 

[Esquilax]

So, your idea is to explore more of the environment and more of the ethics of a post-launch colony/generation ship, not to make a better blaster gun.

"Science-fiction, for us, is a mutant on a hoverboard, running around and killing things." - Vince D. Weller

 

[Jaesun]

That is beyond insulting to VD who actually makes RPG's.

 

[Black]

How would you even RUN around on a hoverboard ffs

 

[Esquilax]

How would you even RUN around on a hoverboard ffs

Gamebryo engine, that's how.

 

[LusciousPear]

But how many MICRO-ISSUES REMAIN

 

[kaizoku]

"Science-fiction, for us, is a mutant on a hoverboard, running around and killing things." - Vince D. Weller

Why would one run around on an hoverboard, when you can simply.... teleport.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

The focus is an exploration not on 'urban intrigue'. Unlike AoD where relatively small factions are fighting for power or taking sides in the conflict, the ship is a more or less stable 'ecosystem' where every group has its role and place (the fact that they are on a ship is the limiting factor). Freemen have their uses. They are explorers (which has a special value on a vast ship), traders/raiders a-la vikings, and their territory lies between the abandoned decks/mutants and the "civilized" decks.

So a freeman who doesn't pose a threat would be welcomed and since he/she has never been to the civilized decks, their traditions/culture/history will be new to both the character and the player (i.e. good way to introduce the ship's groups).

Sounds good. I tried AoD demo but found it too... decadent for my taste. Maybe this will be more like Fallout in tone.

 

[Goral]

Sounds good. I tried AoD demo but found it too... decadent for my taste. Maybe this will be more like Fallout in tone.

How far did you get? How many quests have you solved? Did you die in your first fight? I used to think like you but my attitude changed after I've spent some more time with it. And once I've met Militiadies I've started to love this game.