Game News Age of Decadence November Update

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Age of Decadence; Iron Tower Studios; Vault Dweller

The November Update for The Age of Decadence is up and it's basically the announcement of the release of R3, the new version of the demo with all them enhanced improvements (for free!) based on the user feedback of the past months.

We proudly present R3 – the third release of the Age of Decadence public beta. This version offers a lot of changes, improvements, and extra content:

What’s inside?​

Alchemy – create your own healing salve, berserk potions, acid and liquid fire vials that can be thrown at your enemies, black powder bombs, the "lich" potion, and neurostimulant.

Whereas crafting improves the player's combat stats only, alchemy improves stats, introduces new combat abilities, and provides new quest solutions. Basically, crafting is about focus, alchemy is about versatility.

Quest changes & New content – now you can score bonus loyalty points by selling info to Linos and telling him that Cado's planning to attack the shipment. You can loot Carrinas' body - the most requested "feature". An escape sequence was added after you kill Carrinas. The first Imperial Guards’ quest was tweaked based on the feedback we received. Plus, your grifter, loremaster, and thief will have more opportunities to ply their craft.

System Changes – different blocking mechanics, rebalanced weapons damage ranges and THC (to-hit chance) bonuses, rebalanced fast, power, and aimed attacks, rebalanced armor DR and penalties.

Interface – new dialogue interface and improved font for better readability.

If you want to see the full list of changes, click here.

Why release another version?​

The main reason is to test the alchemy system, which is an important aspect of the game and can affect and change every combat encounter. We tested it internally for almost two months and made a number of changes already, but a small internal test can't compete with an open public test. Your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated and your feedback does matter.

The other reason is to test the latest system changes. They reflect the feedback we've received after the last release and make combat more enjoyable (assuming you liked it in the first place). We'll continue improving the character, combat, crafting, and alchemy systems until the game is released, so it is an ongoing process. These systems will serve as the foundation for future titles (should there be future titles) and getting them right is important to us.

We're looking forward to your feedback and hope that you'll enjoy the beta.

Since their rapidshare exceeded bandwidth already anyway, here's the torrent or, alternatively, a link at Atomic Gamer.

Don't forget to vote for Age of Decadence on Steam Greenlight!

 

[Elhoim]

Here's a link to Atomic Gamer: http://www.atomicgamer.com/files/101493/the-age-of-decadence-public-beta-release-3

 

[hiver]

Awesome guys.

I stopped playing previous version and waited for this new update.
onto my downloadan cave!

 

[kaizoku]

sweet

 

[General Maxson]

I'm seeding it for almost 3h already.

 

[EG]

Must. Acquire.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Can't resist.... Must Play.... :D

 

[toro]

Teleporting still in?

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Not going to play AoD now until release. I feel I'm spoiling my playthrough of the real thing by playing through everything from the beginning of the game.

 

[mikaelis]

Not going to play AoD now until release. I feel I'm spoiling my playthrough of the real thing by playing through everything from the beginning of the game.

Same here. I barely tried R2 and decided to wait till the full release. Not because bugs and what not, but to not spoil the fun of the fully fleshed release.

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

Yeah! Time to see if I can finally actually finish the thing! Yeahhhhh

 

[Volrath]

Has he fixed his shitty camera?

 

[mbpopolano24]

Enough already with this shit.

 

[Vault Dweller]

 

[Infinitron]

New titles are supposed be greenlit on Steam today! Anxious to see if AoD will make the cut.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Do alchemy options turn up much in conversation? Can an assassin use alchemy to poison Carrinas' food or something to mask the origins of his murder and perhaps delay the IG reprisal or something? That'd be cool! And does offensive alchemy in combat rely on the throwing skill? I'm going to try the demo out in the next couple of days, but it'd be nice to know these things before building.

Would a non-combat character, such as a merchant PC, have any use for alchemy beyond the occasional stat buff?

 

[Kalin]

Awesome update! I have been enjoying the demo all day and I love pretty much all of the new additions I have seen so far. Notable exception would be the dialogue window, I actually liked the old system better, but ah well, I'll get used to it.


I did find one nasty bug though:

Spoiler

While taking the Mercenary -> Assassin's Guild -> Imperial Guards route, and after having provoked and then killed Lord Antidas, I was suddenly transported back to the scene where I had just destroyed the Assassin's Guild. If I picked the "look around" option I was back in the Assassin's Guild building and couldn't do much but look at the already looted bodies. If I picked the "go to see the new boss" option I was transported to the correct scene and given my new assignment, but if I then wanted to go the "break out of the cage" route the game would repeatedly crash before showing me that scene. I didn't try the other options as I doubt my combat-centred character would have passed the checks anyhow.

And some other things:

Spoiler

- All of the item descriptions show up now which is really nice, though sometimes they don't fit properly in their window boxes (I'm using the 1280x720 16/9 resolution). Similarly, the quest information in the journal was also incorrectly displayed.

- On the character screen, the various skill levels are shown in bold text which makes it a bit difficult to read. Not really a big deal, of course.

- The various types of metal are all shown simply as "metal" in the inventory screen. While it is possible to tell them apart by colour, it'd be nice to also be able to differentiate between them based on their descriptions.

- While playing a mercenary and already having joined the Assassin's Guild, Linos' description doesn't show up, only a simple "Yes?" question in dialogue.

- When I used the critical strike option against the Aurelian Centurion at the mine camp (which rocked by the way, I was really happy to see that you put that in!) I didn't get to hear the lovely sound effect that normally plays during crit-kills in dialogue (obviously very important!).

- Very minor thing, but when the player kills the Daratan Centurion in the tower while breaking into the Daratan compound, he or she automatically wears the suit of armour, but not the helmet. This can result in an awfully mismatched look if one wears, say, a hood, which ought to harm the following bluff/disguise check. A solution would be to forcibly remove the headgear of the player as the armour is put on.

Al in all though, the changes and fixes look amazing and the demo has been great fun so far, and I have barely started going through the various set-ups and paths.

 

[Infinitron]

New titles are supposed be greenlit on Steam today! Anxious to see if AoD will make the cut.

Nope. Only thirteen games were greenlit. Maybe in January?

 

[Elhoim]

Maybe. We are on spot Nº 12 right now. We will get greenlit eventually.

 

[Infinitron]

Added Greenlight link to OP

 

[Vault Dweller]

Awesome update! I have been enjoying the demo all day and I love pretty much all of the new additions I have seen so far.... Al in all though, the changes and fixes look amazing and the demo has been great fun so far, and I have barely started going through the various set-ups and paths.

Thanks! It's great to see people still enjoying it.

I did find one nasty bug though:

Sorry, the testing focus was mostly on combat and alchemy. Somehow we all missed it, but it will be fixed shortly.

And some other things:

Will be fixed too.

Do alchemy options turn up much in conversation?

A couple of checks here and there. For example, you can comment on the ring Feng cooked if you dabble in Alchemy and earn a pat on the back. You can make your own poison for the mine.

Can an assassin use alchemy to poison Carrinas' food or something to mask the origins of his murder and perhaps delay the IG reprisal or something? That'd be cool!

No.

And does offensive alchemy in combat rely on the throwing skill?

Yes.

Would a non-combat character, such as a merchant PC, have any use for alchemy beyond the occasional stat buff?

In the demo - no. In the full game - only if he likes exploring ruins and fucking around with old things.

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

Wow, this thing is actually shaping up well. Reached for the first time an ending (as a Praetor, just talkin' and peacemakin'). Fuck, the number of branching really makes your head spin.

The sheer number of sinergy skills in dialogue, though, make it impossible to go completely for the idea of what you would have liked to do. if you want to go for the precise outcome you wanted without a hitch, i.e.
"dialogue power playing" a bit of skill point scumming appears to be necessary (I wanted the mercenaries to attack the aurelian camp so bad, but... trade skill? None! ), but all in all just reading all of the stuff is a blast.


Now, though, I won't be satisfied until I pull off a pure fighter playthrough. May the poison of the fascinating alchemy system be the additional help I always needed to kill that last enemy in an endless fight? We'll see.

 

[J_C]

There are some parts of the game that I don't like (teleportation), but it is still awesome, it is shaping up to be a very unique RPG. Can't wait for the full game.

Ahh, and I see there is a pre-order section on the site. Shut up and take my money than bitches!

I hope there are already DLCs planned, you have to keep giving us shit every month!

 

[J_C]

So, I've been playing the demo again, and I enjoying it a lot.....if I play a non-combat character. Seriously, is it possible to play it as a fighter? I rolled a mercenary, but there are these battles at the mining camp, and the raider camp which are literaly unbeatable (at least for me). Come, on 5 well trained and equiped enemies agains me? They are murdering me. And there was another battle in the town when some thugs were harassing someone in the top left corner of the map.

I like challanging gameplay but is it possible to be an effective fighter without min-maxing your character? Or am I doing something wrong?

 

[Vault Dweller]

More than possible. 7-8 in combat stats should be more than enough. I'd suggest to visit our forums and ask the locals for advice - the testers were doing the camp runs almost on daily basis.