KickStarter The Iron Oath - turn-based strategy RPG with awesome pixel art

[Tyranicon]

The game is already releasing? I haven't played since early EA.

Did it get better or is it still really boring?

 

[Serus]

The game is already releasing? I haven't played since early EA.

Did it get better or is it still really boring?

I don't recall many games getting from "really boring" to at least "good" during EA but then i haven't followed or played many games in early access. I think i'll just forget about this one. At least until proven innocent.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Early Access Development Summary
Hello mercenaries! Ahead of next week's 1.0 launch on November 2, we wanted to give new and returning players a look at everything that has been added to The Iron Oath during our Early Access period.

We've made a lot of changes during Early Access - some that were planned in advance, and some that came about as a result of player feedback. We're thankful to each one of you that has joined us on the journey, and shared their experiences to help us improve the game! Here's a look back at the last year and a half:

And the more substantial changes from each update:

Fire and Ice Update (Full patch notes here)

• Icebinder Class: The Icebinder class specializes in crowd control, with a wide range of abilities that allow him to summon ice pillars, freeze enemies, and support his allies through various means.
• Gear Enchantments: Over 80 enchantments that can be looted in dungeons and applied to equipment, granting stats and unique effects.
• Scourge Crisis: A special crisis event that occurs in the wake of the dragon's attack, including new quests, events and consequences for the player as they try to save a city from destruction.

Friends and Foes Update (Full patch notes here)

• Leveling and attributes overhaul: A complete rework of character attributes and a new way to level up, which lets players more freely customize their characters any way they want
• Full ability upgrade trees: Introduced over 250 new upgrades to round out the rest of the ability upgrade trees for each class
• Combat rebalance: We increased party size to 5(from 4) and rebalanced abilities, enemies, status effects, and gear
• New enemies: Introduced over 30 new enemy variants into the game
• Enemy traits: Added over 50 traits that are applied to enemy Elites and Bosses, adding to combat variety
• UI Overhaul: We redesigned nearly every UI screen in the game to be more aesthetically pleasing and user friendly
• Codex: We added a Codex screen which lists details on all the enemies you've encountered. You can view an enemy's codex page during combat by right clicking them or their portrait

Tales by the Fire Update (Full patch notes here)

• Balladeer Class: The Balladeer fills the role of a pure support class. With many tunes strummed from their trusty lute, they have the ability to heal, cleanse, buff their allies, and debuff enemies.
• Dungeon Exploration Overhaul: A rework to how dungeon exploration is handled, giving more opportunities for risk vs reward. Dungeon Modifiers and Camping Incense were also rebalanced.
• New Dungeon Events and Event Types: We added many new dungeon events to interact with, resulting in a variety of outcomes that are both beneficial and harmful

Expeditions Update (Full patch notes here)

• Named gear: Tougher bosses have a higher chance to drop Named gear. Named gear has increased stats and comes pre-loaded with randomized enchantments
• New quests and overworld events: Added 6 brand new quests and a handful of new overworld events

With 3 major updates, 2 large updates, and countless patches, the two of us are happy with what we've achieved so far. But development of course won't stop with 1.0 - we have many more ideas, with more stories to tell for the next year and hopefully beyond!

Information about the 1.0 build

If you're a returning player, your old saves will be compatible with the 1.0 build. However, with all the changes to the game, we highly recommend starting fresh for the best overall experience (especially if your save is from an early EA build). Due to the number of variables at play, we can't guarantee there won't be some oddities or small problems that occur with older saves.

When Early Access began, we had around 15 hours of unique content, with the first part of the main campaign being completable in around 10-12. For 1.0, we expect the average run of the main campaign will take most players 25-30 hours, with the whole game having around 40 hours of unique content (plus more new quests later in November!).

Stay tuned next week for the full 1.0 change log which we will be sharing on Wednesday before our Thursday launch! Until then, we hope you have a great weekend!

-Curious Panda Games

 

[cyborgboy95]

THE IRON OATH – REVIEW​

Written by Dinenae
November 1, 2023
REVIEWS

The Iron Oath is a turn-based tactical RPG that has been in Early Access for over a year. Now it’s set to hit its 1.0 release on November 2nd. Let’s jump on in and see if it’s worth picking up on release day or if it needs a few more rounds of updates.

STORY​

You play as a band of mercenaries in the realm of Caelum. Traveling from town to town looking for jobs to make a profit. However, you quickly learn that the monsters and demons of this world are not the only threat. Maybe not even the worst of them. After a job goes terribly wrong, you must gather up your forces and hunt down those responsible. Don’t forget about keeping a close eye on the ever growing threat of voidspawn spreading throughout the realm though.

GAMEPLAY​

At the core of The Iron Oath is its combat system. Like many RPG’s, there are a wealth of other elements that keep the game interesting and some that just might help it stand out from others. Let’s dive into some of these other mechanics before we get into the combat itself.

The Living Realm​

The world of Caelum truly feels alive. As you travel across the map, different events can happen that could dramatically change the realm. Cities can be lost in the blink of an eye. Rulers can fall from an opposing noble house. The Iron Oath is no short story. These events can span over the course of decades. Everything you do reflects that. From the cities you visit to the mercenaries you hire to join your party.

Cities​

The varying cities throughout Caelum are always changing based on the events of the world around them. If there are a lot of bandits or monsters around that city when you visit, then the majority of the jobs posted will reflect that. The same can be seen in the market. If the city was recently under attack or fell ill to sickness, then they might be willing to pay significantly more for stone or medicine than a city safe from harm.

The layout of each city is the same. Across the top of the screen is where you will see the status of your reputation with the local house as well as the local population. That is also where all the potential jobs are listed. On the left of the screen you will find the Inn, Market and Infirmary.

At the Inn your soldier can rest to recover from fatigue. You can buy a round of ale to boost loyalty. As well as, recruit additional soldiers to join your party. The Market is where you can buy and sell wares. Which can be very profitable at times. Lastly, the Infirmary is where you would go if one of your mercenaries was severely injured during a job. They will rest here for a set number of days before joining back up with your party at whatever job you might be on at the time.

Mercenaries​

As previously mentioned, additional mercenaries can be added to your party from the Inn. These mercenaries have a selection of unique classes that are distinct to The Iron Oath. Some of the most unique classes are the Pyrolancer, the Stormcaller, and the Icebinder. Each class has six specialized abilities with branching upgrade paths. The upgrade paths for each ability can really differentiate the ability so no two characters play the same.

You will want to make sure to examine their stats and abilities, as well as their contract fees, before hiring them to make sure they will fit well with the rest of the group. Each character has preset abilities and traits. These will affect their attributes. Additional abilities will unlock at higher levels, but the traits are permanent. So make sure you aren’t hiring someone with traits that conflict with everyone else. Someone that is cowardly might not pair well in a group that is full of characters with brave or harsh traits. Attributes, such as health, evasion, and accuracy can be manipulated by the gear equipped or increased when leveling up.

Roster​

Once the mercenary has been hired, there are a handful of things that you can review on the Roster screen. There are the customization options. We will touch on those in a minute. Then there is the availability status. This can affect some of their stats in battle. Well-rested is going to give them a boost to stats, whereas being fatigued is going to have some negative effects. Below that is where you can view the character’s age, loyalty and contract.

These all have important features in the game. As mentioned previously, The Iron Oath spans over decades. As a result, you characters age and could retire before the end of your story. When working with a group of sellswords, loyalty is one of the most important things to keep high.

You can view the character’s loyalty to you as well as to each of your other soldiers. Although, the latter seems hard to control and I haven’t really noticed any effect from having a positive or negative relationship amongst other members in the party. Lastly, is the terms of their contract. This has their salary and their length left before renewal. You can also terminate the contract early or even give them a bonus.

Customization​

Let’s discuss the customization options next. There are quite a few customization options to personalize your characters. You can change things like their name, gender, portrait and how they look when in battle. You will also want to equip them with gear if you have any. Especially with armor to boost their defense attribute before taking them into a fight.

The last thing that you can modify is their job role when going on missions. Their role can give a boost to one of their stats as well as a skill to use in the dungeon. For example, the Scavenger role gives that character +3 to evasion and reveals all unlocked loot in the dungeon.

Taking A Job​

Once you have a full party and everything the way you want it, it’s time to grab a job posting from the nearest city and head out for an adventure. Upon arrival at the destination, you will need to set up for the challenges ahead.

Preparing For Battle​

Before each combat, a Select Party menu will appear. Here you will be able to see the recommended level, mission length, and location type. You can also review the objective, rewards, possible enemies and dungeon modifiers. Typically one positive and one negative to start. You will select five characters from your roster. These characters will ideally complement each other’s traits, not be fatigued, and have job roles to help during the exploration of the dungeon.

After creating a party from your available characters, you will want to purchase some provisions to take with you. Some provisions might be more useful than others depending on the character classes in the group. Provisions include items like bandages, tools, potions, and even an idol to use as an offering at a shrine. You can also choose how much money to have on hand when entering a dungeon.

Depending on the length of the cave, one of your provisions might be a campfire. These are good for using about halfway through the adventure if possible, or if your team is getting bloodied up and needs a break. Similar to other RPGs, the campfire action will give you some options to boost stats or heal characters. You do have a chance of being attacked while camping, so try to have someone on watch if you can.

Once you are happy with your provisions, it is time to venture forth.

Exploration​

Not every adventure has an exploration phase. Some have just a single battle with waves of reinforcements while others might have multiple back to back battles in different areas. A lot of jobs that involve a cave or a crypt will have an exploration phase though.

This phase has a few key elements to keep track of.

• Movement – each space cost 2 time units on the time meter
• Scouting – allows you to preview a point of interest
• Camp – gives your party a rest to prepare and heal up

The time meter is an important thing to keep track of. Each time it fills up, then an additional negative modifier will be added. Movement isn’t the only thing that fills the time meter though. Different events can fill it as well. Everything from picking a lock to reading a found journal to digging an opening after a cave in. Some are unavoidable, but some you have to decide whether it is worth the extra time or not on your way to the exit. While exploring, you will come across all sorts of different events, treasure and enemies. Now, let’s get into the combat system.

Combat​

Unless you get ambushed, you will typically have a setup phase at the start of every fight. This is when you want to review the turn order at the top of the screen. You can also review each of the enemy’s abilities and attributes. There are set deployment areas on the battlefield to position your soldiers on. Once you are happy with their starting position, then you can start the fight.

The turn order is based on the speed stat of each character. This can be manipulated by some abilities, but the turn order typically stays the same throughout the battle. On each of your soldier’s turns they can move and use an ability, move twice, or just use an ability.

There are a few things to take note of in combat that make The Iron Oath stand out. There are elemental effects. Someone that is wet will take more damage from lighting attacks and someone that is frozen can be thawed by some fire abilities. There are environmental effects such as pitfalls to push enemies into or rocks falling from the ceiling in a cave.

As with any turn-based game, positioning is key. The Iron Oath also uses attack of opportunity and flanking in combat. These are features that quite a few RPGs leave out. I think they are a very important part of tactical combat. It is hard to stop a ranged unit from destroying your weaker units if you cannot lock them into melee combat. The use of these features really makes the combat stand out by allowing players to be more tactical in each fight.

At the end of each adventure there is always a battle report where you can see how much damage each character took and how much they dealt to the enemy.

VISUALS​

Let’s talk visuals for a bit.

The Iron Oath is not a graphically intensive game. However, the pixel art style that they chose looks remarkable. It’s not the type of game that is overly pixelated just for the sake of being pixelated. Infact, things like the combat environments are all very high quality. The only time that you really notice pixels on are weapons or some animations. Other than that, it is a remarkably good looking game.

Some of the highlights to me are the attack animations and death animations. There is nothing more satisfying than taking out a boss with a wicked flaming sword attack that the character looks incredible while performing. Well, except for when that boss then gets sucked down into eternal darkness by some tendrils that come up from the void to grab him.

I thoroughly enjoyed the graphical art direction that the developers over at Curious Panda Games decided to go with. I think it fits the setting well and the style of game.

CONCLUSION​

So we covered a lot. We talked a little bit about the story, about the different elements of the game, the character customization and about the combat system. So does it all come together as a complete package?

I would say it does. To me the game is very enjoyable. I really enjoyed the story and the writing. Like I said earlier, the animations are stunning. The attack of opportunity and flanking options in combat really fed that hunger for more strategic combat for me. But, The Iron Oath is by no means perfect.

I think it still has a few things to work on. Such as adding in some more variety. The additional dungeon modifiers for me, when taking too long in the dungeon, were always enemy reinforcements. It would be nice to see more outcomes there. The mission task was always to defeat all enemies. It would be nice to see other tasks such as escort or protect a person that is actually in the combat with you and being targeted by enemy units.

I also really liked the random events like your soldier coming up to you during travel and saying they need to sit out for the next couple of battles. There was no follow up though. Nothing to track how many battles he sat out or loyalty earned if I let him sit out. Things like that have potential to take The Iron Oath to the next level. It just isn’t there yet.

So, should that stop you from checking the game out? Heck no. Those are just things that I am sure will come in a future update. They don’t stop the game from being enjoyable and they definitely didn’t stop me from playing more. If you are a fan of turn-based games or any type of RPG, then go check this game out on their Steam page and Humble.

 

[cyborgboy95]

The Iron Oath releases tomorrow! Patch Notes for 1.0
Hello mercenaries!

The Iron Oath's 1.0 release is now less than a day away! We'll be launching at 8am PT on Thursday with a price of $25. Today is your last chance to take advantage of the Early Access price of $20!

Ahead of tomorrow's release, we wanted to share the full patch notes for the 1.0 build so you know what to expect with this update. If you're a new or returning player and wanted to know what all has been added throughout our Early Access period, you can find an overview in last week's post here:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/699330/view/3737484245024643647

Version 1.0: Key Features

• Main Campaign: The conclusion to the main campaign brings a series of new quests with new unique mechanics. We expect the average playtime for the campaign to now be between 25-30hours.
• Legendary Gear: The hunt for legendary gear begins! Maps with the locations of legendaries can be obtained in high level dungeons, so keep an eye out for Knowledge events while exploring! There are currently 10 items to collect that have their own unique bonuses, with more on the way!
• New Quests: New unique quests, repeatable quests, and Legendary quests! In total, we estimate the game now has at least 40 hours of unique content.
• New Region: When you're far enough into the game, the region of Dragate will unlock, allowing you to scratch the surface of its mysteries by delving into a new combat environment.
• Steam Achievements: Test your prowess by unlocking over 30 new Steam achievements as you play through the game.

Patch Notes for v1.0

New

• Added the rest of the Main Campaign, featuring 8 new missions (10-15~ hours worth) and a handful of dynamic events
• Added 10 unique legendary items that can be obtained, with most of the quests coming from 'Knowledge' events found in high level dungeons. The majority of these are 'Relics' that occupy the 4th currently-unused gear slot, but there are some armors and shields too (weapons are coming down the line!)
• Added 10 various new quests, with more coming throughout November!
• The region of Dragate can now be accessed (when you're far enough into the game or a high enough level)
• Added an "end-game" Ruins dungeon in Dragate (we'll be expanding on this feature in the future!)
• Added over 30 Steam Achievements to unlock
• Added multi-floor dungeons
• Small spoiler:
• You can now fight with ally NPCs in dungeons (utilized in a few quests)
• Added Journals to collect from all regions (which are visible in the Codex)
• (New Company Upgrade) Merchant Availability: Allows you to purchase provisions for Overworld Encounters (but has fewer slots compared to dungeons)
• (New Company Upgrade) Focus Training: Any time you miss a Basic Attack, that character gains +20 Accuracy, resetting after they land one
• (New Company Upgrade) Guard Training: Increase the Defense and Evasion bonus while Guarding by 5 (25 -> 30)
• (New Company Upgrade) Athletics Training: Gain +25 Evasion when facing an Attack of Opportunity
• (New Company Upgrade) Teamwork: Every adjacent ally to an enemy increases the chance to hit with a basic attack by 5% (for when you just can't flank them!)
• (New Company Upgrade) Readiness: Your party has +2 Speed for the opening round of combat

Updates

• You can now choose to start a new campaign with randomized characters when skipping the tutorial or prologue
• Made adjustments to all the boss fights for the 'Path of Vengeance' missions (made slightly more difficult) and increased the quality of loot given from them.
• Changed the mechanics for ambushes: the ambushed side now takes 15% more damage and has -5 Speed in the opening round of combat. When ambushed, you are still able to deploy your characters, though you begin surrounded with less space to work with. We made these changes because the old method was far too spikey in terms of difficulty, and could result in having one or more characters downed in the opening round without having a chance to do anything about it
• The chance to ambush enemies (on scouted tiles) is now 10%, while the chance to be ambushed (on unscouted combat tiles) is 20%. Both can be improved with Company Upgrades
• The 'Heal Dampening' Dungeon Modifier now reduces the potency of healing spells by 30% (down from 50%)
• You can now use abilities that have 0 charges for a cost of 50% of max Health (to be used as a last ditch effort to take down the enemy!)
• The number of Incense Points available for camping in Medium dungeons has been reduced to 10
• You can now camp in Short dungeons (incense points are halved)
• Adjusted the 'Extended Camp' company upgrade to grant +4 Incense points when camping on a Fortified dungeon event (Short dungeons get +2), as well as removing the Time cost for using provisions while on the tile
• Reduced the number of Horse Training upgrades to 2 (+25/50% travel speed)
• Refunded Provisions now defaults to selling for 75% of the cost. The 'Reimbursement' upgrade now refunds 100% of the cost
• Ambush Tactics increases the chance of ambushing the enemy on a scouted tile from 10% to 20/30%
• Ambush Avoidance reduces the chance to be ambushed on unscouted tiles from 20% to 10%. The second upgrade reduces the bonus damage taken when ambushed to 10% (from 15%)
• Moved the Training Dummies upgrade (+20/35/50% XP) into a new 'Training' category in the Company Upgrades screen, and changed the renown level requirements to 0/5/10
• The first 15 Renown Levels now give 2 Renown points to upgrade your company (subsequent levels give 1)
• Added more information to the tooltips of enemy Immunities, resists, and vulnerabilities on their codex page
• You can now bring up the character sheet in the contract negotiation screen
• You can now right click an enemy sprite to view their codex entry
• Increased the average level of recruits available at inns to better match your progress (it's based on your Renown level)

General Fixes

• Fixed a bug where the majority of Dungeon Modifiers applied via time were not ever seen (it would usually just apply the same one multiple times)
• Fixed a bug where some Dungeon Modifiers were active in overworld encounters
• Fixed a visual bug where dungeon information was incorrectly being displayed in the party select screen during overworld encounters
• Fixed a bug where bosses weren't dropping normal gear if they didn't drop Named gear (making it harder to gear up in low level dungeons)
• Fixed some injuries that referenced old stats (Dexterity, Strength, etc)
• Optimized some lights and ice shattering effects (particularly from the Dire Hoarwulf) to be a little less CPU intensive
• Fixed an issue where loading a save while on a dialogue event in a dungeon could lead to a softlock at the start of the next combat encounter
• Fixed an issue where provisions weren't being properly refunded in most situations
• Fixed a bug where the 'Repair Gear' effect from a Rune event wasn't working
• Fixed one of the Field Medic bonuses which incorrectly said they could use provisions without ending their turn. Updated it to display their actual bonus which is automatically stabilizing injuries during exploration

Combat Fixes

• Fixed a bug where skeletons were being immediately destroyed and were unable to revive
• Fixed an issue where whenever a temporary ally died, your party members would lose Morale as if they were part of your company
• Fixed a bug where the 'Allegro' upgrade for the Balladeer's Renewing Melody ability was also applying the 'Regrowth' upgrade
• Fixed a bug that allowed you to still debuff the Spectral Reaper when he casted Void Shroud
• Fixed an issue where some enemies (like the Blighted Hulk) could charge into characters and get stuck occupying the same cell
• Fixed a bug where a character that was Rooted while in Bleedout could not be revived by picking them up
• Adjacent enemies that are Sleeping, Frozen, or Stunned will no longer prevent units from performing ranged attacks on others
• Fixed an issue where the combat HUD wouldn't show up if the first character in combat failed their Morale check
• Fixed an issue where you could get a Stunned icon to persist after combat if you had the Battle Frenzy upgrade with the Pugilist's Battle Instinct ability
• You can now mouse over temporary allies to view their name and Health bar
• Fixed an issue where the Balladeer's Lullaby sometimes wasn't working depending on which target you selected
• Fixed a bug where the Balladeer's Basic Attack wasn't doing anything to destructible objects

Notes

• While you can play an existing save, it is highly recommended to start a new campaign for the best overall experience (and to reduce the potential for bugs)
• Due to changes, we've reset all Company Upgrades and you will need to reapply them if loading an existing save

----

Since our Expeditions update last month, we've been pouring long hours into development, fitting in a few extra goodies that we didn't initially plan on. We hope you'll enjoy all the new content and changes we've been working on, and we're looking forward to adding even more throughout November and beyond!

If you've enjoyed the game, we'd really appreciate you leaving a Steam review and sharing your impressions and feedback. It helps a lot with visibility, and we could use as much as possible for tomorrow! The Iron Oath is a passion project 7 years in the making for the two of us, and we hope to be able to continue on it for many more. So spread the world, tell your friends - it would mean a lot to us!

Thank you, and we'll see you back here tomorrow at 8am PDT!

 

[oasis789]

Is it a sandbox or is there a story campaign?

 

[cpmartins]

"Pronouns: He/Him"
Well, there we go. Day one pirate.
Looks okay otherwise.

 

[cyborgboy95]

The Iron Oath 1.0 is out now!
Hello mercenaries! We're thrilled to announce that The Iron Oath 1.0 is now live! It's been a year and a half since our Early Access launch, and we just wanted to say a big thank you to our awesome community for joining us on this journey. Your feedback and support has been invaluable in helping to shape the game into what it is today.

Whether you're a new or returning player, we're excited for you all to jump into the world of Caelum and experience everything that we've been working on! Here are the key features of the 1.0 update, the patch notes, and a summary of what has been added since our EA launch:

1.0 Key Features

• Main Campaign: The conclusion to the main campaign brings a series of new quests with new unique mechanics. We expect the average playtime for the campaign to now be between 25-30hours.
• Legendary Gear: The hunt for legendary gear begins! Maps with the locations of legendaries can be obtained in high level dungeons, so keep an eye out for Knowledge events while exploring! There are currently 10 items to collect that have their own unique bonuses, with more on the way!
• New Quests: New unique quests, repeatable quests, and Legendary quests! In total, we estimate the game now has at least 40 hours of unique content.
• New Region: When you're far enough into the game, the region of Dragate will unlock, allowing you to scratch the surface of its mysteries by delving into a new combat environment.
• Steam Achievements: Test your prowess by unlocking over 30 new Steam achievements as you play through the game.

1.0 Patch Notes
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/699330/view/3737484245022332110
Early Access Development Summary
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/699330/view/3737484245024643647

While the game's campaign and primary features are now complete, there are still many more stories we want to tell in the world of Caelum. We're looking forward to continuing development throughout 2024 and hopefully beyond with more major updates!

Thank you once again for all your support! Whether you're a Kickstarter backer, an Early Access adopter, or just found out about the game, we hope you enjoy your time playing The Iron Oath! Be sure to spread the word and tell your friends, and if you haven't yet, we would also really appreciate you taking a moment to leave us a Steam review. They're important for not only gathering feedback, but also for the game's visibility

-Curious Panda Games

 

[agris]

is the multi-generational concept alive and well in the final version, or did they neuter it because of all the complaining?

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gog.com/game/the_iron_oath?source=news

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Backed this on KS for the lowest amount for digital download. Got a serious backlog so this will wait till some additional patches hit.

 

[Removal]

They committed a mortal sin. The world map is there but you're railroaded into doing all the prologue missions before you can do anything else
Like others said, combat really isn't anything special and doesn't match up to BB

 

[oasis789]

is wartales really that good?

 

[Atlet]

is wartales really that good?

It's just an OK game. But the combat is just too easy and simplistic, no tactical depth whatsoever. Besides, the game overrall gets repetitive at some point.

It is still getting frequently and meaty updates, though, so, who knows, it can get better in the future. I still had fun with it, but ended up ditching it for other games, so didn't finish it. It's a mediocre game, all in all.

But what about Iron Oath? Anyone playing it? It's on sale, and I'm considering grabbing it.

 

[Shaki]

is wartales really that good?

It's just an OK game. But the combat is just too easy and simplistic, no tactical depth whatsoever. Besides, the game overrall gets repetitive at some point.

It is still getting frequently and meaty updates, though, so, who knows, it can get better in the future. I still had fun with it, but ended up ditching it for other games, so didn't finish it. It's a mediocre game, all in all.

But what about Iron Oath? Anyone playing it? It's on sale, and I'm considering grabbing it.

It's pretty much the same you've said about Wartales, tho maybe just a little better. I played Iron Oath for ~15h so far, and while it's ok, it's not close to games like Battle Brothers. Ways to build/utilize characters are very limited, combat is pretty shallow and becomes easy quickly, when you get a proper team comp, unless you go for things faaaar above your level (which from what I've noticed isn't rewarded btw, drops seem to be tied to the levels of your characters/company rather than enemy you're fighting, you only earn a little more xp)
Gold so far seems useless, because gear to buy also seems to be tied to your renown/level/whatever, so you can sit on thousands with nothing to spend them on, because better gear will only start magically appearing once you hit a certain milestone.
One thing it definitely does better than Wartales is writing, it's not BB level but it's okayish, while I thought Wartales was absolutely awful in this regard.
Overall it doesn't look like a game I will ever replay, but I'll probably finish the story since I don't have anything better to play right now. If you can get it for cheap or pirate it, it probably should provide some fun for like 20-30 hours, but don't come into it with higher expectations, or you'll be disappointed.

 

[agris]

Level scaled shops and drops?

Jfc what were they thinking

 

[flushfire]

Is it a sandbox or is there a story campaign?

There is, but it's front-loaded and after the first few objectives further story progress are triggered events you have to wait for. Not an issue if there were interesting things to do in the mean time, but after 2-3 hours you've seen everything the game has to offer and you're just grinding for no reason. The story missions are so spread apart that I actually reached the level caps and it's still giving the runaround.

Besides the story quests, there's a dragon that attacks cities but apparently only every 10 years, and I reached the cap in 4. The initial attack was too early for the player to do anything about, or so the game said. I didn't try as the recommended levels were 3-4x what my mercs had. There's also a faction that gave a mission in the beginning, but after the first it went nowhere, seemed unfinished, IDK. There are "legendary quests" for unique items you can come across randomly, which aren't really legendary, they're the same generic quests you get in cities. Lastly there's a closed off portion of the map that I didn't see and didn't come across a way to enter.

All in all it feels like a 6-8 hour game padded to reach 30. It severely lacks content for that length, and the padding is apparent in the game's mechanics. You're forced to waste time running around the map to find recruits appriopriate to your level and even just basic equipment. Cities are all the same. Missions in cities are all the same. Expeditions (dungeons) are all the same. Enemy variety is also lacking. Beyond the great looking art and animations there really isn't much else that's good.

 

[newageofpower]

is the multi-generational concept alive and well in the final version, or did they neuter it because of all the complaining?

Are there other games with multi-generational play?

I was really looking forwards to [Battle Brothers x Crusader Kings], sad Iron Oath backed out of it.

 

[thesheeep]

but after 2-3 hours you've seen everything the game has to offer and you're just grinding for no reason

That was unfortunately also the impression I got after that time.
When you see the surprisingly positive reviews, you'll notice that the majority of them were written by people with below 10h of playtime and most of them haven't played much more since the review.
That's not really the sign of a game that holds up very well for a longer time.

Nonetheless, though, if the same dev could improve upon the formula in a second game maybe, I'd give it a chance again.
What happened here is clearly a vision vs budget situation. And a lot of the budget clearly went into the technical and graphical aspects, a lot of which could simply be re-used.
Basically, make the game again, but this time with more depth and content.

 

[The Wall]

Level scaled shops and drops?

Jfc what were they thinking

This game is made by WOKE HiveBrain. No heterosexuality nor innovative gameplay concepts allowed. Johnny, 36, wants to get they/them serotonin fix while zer is out of her/his wagey cagey. Any game system that demands thinking or makes game play in different way then Johnny's tired brain already knows is: pRRRoblematic. Challenge and innovation? [FORBIDDEN]

There isn't a single NORMAL RPG on main page of /General RPG Discussion FFS! I guess we should make our own

 

[mediocrepoet]

When I noticed just now that this had actually released, I was like: Oh. Was it any good? (Figured this would be the answer because I hadn't seen any buzz over here, which is why I didn't even know/remember it came out.)

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Roadmap for 2024

Happy New Year, everyone!

We hope you all had a great Holiday season! After a couple weeks off to rest and recharge, we're back to share our continued plans for the game in 2024:

Our main focus going forward will be improving replayability by adding more quest content, more enemies, and new objectives for both combat and dungeons that will shake things up a bit more.

We'd like to remain fairly fluid with delivering updates, so we didn't break down everything with exact dates like we have in the past. The items listed will be added across multiple smaller updates as they are completed (instead of one large one for each quarter).

We're excited to get back to work and we'd like to thank you all for your support since our 1.0 launch! We've taken all the feedback we've received into account and we hope you'll enjoy what's coming to The Iron Oath in 2024!

-Curious Panda Games

The Iron Oath can actually turn into something decent, eventually.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

it's not a strictly bad game. at least it has the merit of employing ALL the features from wartales and darkest dungeon.

 

[AwesomeButton]

it's not a strictly bad game. at least it has the merit of employing ALL the features from wartales and darkest dungeon.

Which are those features? I haven't played either.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

all of them. except the asylum from dd.