Thursday is finally here.

[Marobug]

To be honest I was going to try this, but I very much respect Skyway's opinion on these matters and thus will demur in favour of next week. Sorry VD but you should know how important it is to make a good impression on such leading lights of the community when marketing your product.

 

[Renegen]

Not to hurt VD's fragile ego, but the game isn't that good. Well hope you get rich anyway, but I'm not it will be received by everyone.

 

[Infinitron]

Vince, I found a bug. After dying repeatedly to the first assassin you encounter as a Mercenary, causing you to reload, the game eventually bugs out and kills you the second the finish character creation.

This is a feature, not a bug. Bad players are not wanted.

 

[Vault Dweller]

... but I'm not it will be received by everyone.

I concur.

 

[Infinitron]

1) Audio stops working when I switch Audio Device
2) Crashes when changing resolution during game and trying to return to game
3) Zoom out/zoom in with mousewheel is too slow
4) Popamole OTS games have gotten me used to being able to rotate the camera so I can see what's in front of me, but I guess that's not going to be implemented
5) Load times seem a bit excessive
6) Font sizes gaah. Already mentioned

 

[RK47]

So...another 1.5 years, VD? Can't wait to give it a spin later at work.
Keep livin' the dream!

 

[Twinkle]

This majestic thingie hard locked my PC and made the whole screen pink with funny blue stripes thrown it. I though it killed my GPU. It's the most emotionally engaging experience I had with a game since Myth 2 uninstall wiped my HDD.

 

[Infinitron]

Oh, and I'm pretty sure those oldschool "Loading DOS into high memory" loading screen messages are fake and are there on purpose. I love it.

 

[zeitgeist]

I don't like the implementation of the "this is the situation, now let's see how you react in it" design concept at all, because it completely disregards how the character (or the player) in question would've reacted in the events that led up to the situation in the first place. Specifically regarding combat positioning, (not) getting into fights in ridiculously unfavorable terrain/conditions and so on. It's very silly to have to click "nah, not worth the fight" options constantly, when you know that the character you wanted to play would've done this very differently right from the start.

The concept isn't bad as such, but as it is it doesn't take enough variables into account, and fails to provide enough options to choose from. The entire thing feels like a series of vignettes from the life of a character you didn't create, never wanted to play, and have no interest in. I found myself constantly waiting for quests/text adventure bits that fit any of my character concepts, but they never happened.

This could've been helped by more competent writing, but it's far too specific to be disregarded as generic fluff, and the rest of the game that one would normally focus on in such circumstances doesn't shine enough for the player to concentrate on it fully (combat system is too simplistic, no party creation, customization of only one character, and so on).

And it's not that ranged weapons are completely useless, the actual problem is that melee combat is very obviously not only favored by the entire gameworld and quest design, but also much more effective than ranged. Instead of engaging in interesting, complex tactics, a much easier (and more boring) option is to just make a character that stands there and uses one or two moves over and over again. This was obvious even from the combat demo, and apparently no changes related to the issue have been made since.

 

[circ]

I gave assassin a quick shot. Of course I failed almost every skillcheck but whatever. However, what kind of assassin doesn't know hand to hand combat? I was standing there, running around the guy trying to hit his face and nothing happens. So I waste precious AP to equip a knife, because that's not something you'd think of doing after throwing an arrow like some motherfucking ninja? And now it works. More demo cutbacks VD?

Also, sure, it's early in the game. But come on, what kind of assassin gets teleported into extremely unfavorable situations every single time without any kind of plan? Ok, he's starting out, but really, setting up an ambush, what's that?

 

[Marobug]

I only took a short glance at it and found it rather enjoyable. One major thing I'm worried about though.
Is it single character only ? Turn based combat is awesome in a party based rpg or in a game like fallout where the combat feels seamless but as it is, combat doesn't feel either strategic or particularly satisfying. It's also hard as fuck.

 

[Raapys]

Can't really say I appreciate the 'sitfight'( sitcom, gettit?) concept much. Just feels like a design meant to make it easier for the developers to me. When I clicked on the 'Take the whatever and kill everyone' option in the mine complex, I kinda expected I'd be sneaking about and taking them out one by one with my assassin, not having 5 people barging into the room( magically knowing I was there) and surrounding me. Same in the bandit camp, where I had no options to sneak around or go take them one by one, instead being throw right into the middle of the camp surrounded by archers and soldiers. Hardly what an assassin was meant to do. So yeah, disappointed, and I don't expect this is something that can be changed so late in development.

Dialog also needs some work. Writing's okay, but the dialog UI is pretty horrible( why not have it at the bottom near the Replies, and maybe separate actual dialog from descriptions?) and there seems to be a bit few responses available. Not gonna argue much in favor of the old Bioware-style dialog, but this feels more like 'Just the necessities, scrap all flavor and non-quest related'. Bit exaggerated maybe, but still.

Also, the lack of any feedback with regards to character stats kinda makes it difficult to judge how to prioritize them. Even general "You are an adept lockpicker, able to pick the most commonly owned type of chests"-type descriptions would be helpful. Right now I'm really encouraged just to save-reload over and over to find out how many points I need for a specific task.

Anyway, just some early impressions. Will try a bit more, though probably with another type of character.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

I am concerned by this negative feedback

 

[Forest Dweller]

VD, I would advise you to stop responding to skyway. Nothing good can ever come of it.

 

[felipepepe]

I am concerned by this negative feedback

It's just reality punching impossible-to-meet expectations. It's not Fallout 2-2 or Arcanum 2, but it's very good.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Same in the bandit camp, where I had no options to sneak around or go take them one by one, instead being throw right into the middle of the camp surrounded by archers and soldiers. Hardly what an assassin was meant to do.

For the record, you can assassinate the leader and intimidate the rest.

Also, the lack of any feedback with regards to character stats kinda makes it difficult to judge how to prioritize them. Even general "You are an adept lockpicker, able to pick the most commonly owned type of chests"-type descriptions would be helpful. Right now I'm really encouraged just to save-reload over and over to find out how many points I need for a specific task.

It's a 1-100 system. Obviously, 100 opens any lock, 30 opens some locks, etc. I believe it's a fairly traditional setup.

 

[Phelot]

I just started playing as a merc. First off, I should say that this setting, that of a Roman/Ancient world setting isn't normally my cup of tea, but I like the post-apoc style. Of course, this is simply a matter of opinion, so who cares?

I gotta give my thanks for the dialogue system. I love this stuff, I love the descriptions of characters and their mannerism, beats the hell out of seeing an awkward Bioware style facial expression. Seriously, I am a firm believer that acting should be left to movies and that game animation can never mimic a real life human. Just don't bother, a player's imagination will always be better, so kudos to that.

The dialogue in general is nice enough. I haven't read anything extremely stunning, but at the same time nothing bad. I'm also not that far in.

Graphics are nice, animations seem decent enough. The Fallout style inventory seems good and I don't have much issue with the font, playing at 1400x1050

Some feedback, should it be desired:

1) I've found one instance in which it would have been nice not to be "teleported" to another location. At the beginning, I managed to kill the assassin, but found that I only had 6 HP. Asking to rest meant that the whole deal with trading the merchants good was lost. That doesn't seem right... Was there an option to tell the inn keeper to hold his horses and wait for a day if I had higher social skills? I mean, I can't be expected to kill that assassin then fight those thugs, right? I know I don't have to fight them, but still, it would have been nice to have rested or healed somehow, but there didn't seem to be an option.

2) Is there a way to control scroll and camera movement speeds? Would be nice, since it's a little too fast right now.

3) This is little, but if you change your appearance and then change your class, your appearance gets reset. Not that big of a deal, but thought you should know.

4) Probably not much you can do about this, but the load time when loading a save is pretty long. Not that big of a deal, but still.

5) Would be nice if the "Help" feature had a table of contents to quickly select which area you need help with.

Anyway, I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. Combat is pretty fun. I'm somewhat of a tank so absorbing a lot of damage.

 

[sea]

First off - I'd like to thank and congratulate the Iron Tower team for this major milestone. Age of Decadence is an important game in the CRPG community both for what it is and what it represents. You guys are doing awesome work, and while I can't say it's all perfect, or that I agree with every choice made, the sheer ambition of the game is fantastic to witness in action and it really brings back a style of play that hasn't existed for many, many years. That alone is more than enough to make me a fan and a customer.

Anyway, just got done with my first play-through. Went as a Merchant because I'm a diplomacyfag. Below are some impressions based on my two-odd hours with the game. Note that I didn't do much combat (as it's basically a death sentence for the character I was playing), so I can't really talk about that.

Positives:

• Character system. This might be the most fun I've had building characters and then seeing the results in the last 10 years. I can't speak to balance yet (I earned a heck of a lot of skill points near the end), but it really forced me to choose between all sorts of viable options. On many occasions I'd ace one skill check only to fail another, which also meant that I had to make sure to cover all my bases. There is no "speech wins everything" in Age of Decadence, and combat characters also seem like they can expect to be useless diplomatically. Generally I'd say this is a good thing, although long-term I have to wonder if it encourages a bit too much min/maxing.
• Writing. Unlike most here, I actually like the writing. The quality varies a little, but I love the descriptions of locations and people that add so much more than all the fancy graphics in the world can. Characters speak plainly, but it makes sense for the setting. There's also a good range in terms of tone depending on social status etc. Snippets like this are just fantastic and add a degree of life and colour that simply is not possible otherwise.
• Quest design. I have issues with how they play out (more on that later) but I love the involved nature of quests. There are manifold outcomes to just about every situation, and while they aren't always functionally totally different, they certainly feel different. No "collect the rat tails" crap here. Even the short mini-quests are interesting thanks to skill checks and multiple outcomes. Exclusive content for different paths is a huge plus, as well, although not really what I'd call necessary for my enjoyment. I also appreciate how they deal with important topics right from the beginning and the stakes get higher and higher from there. Even if I'm running errands, they still come across as important errands and always turn into something more interesting.
• Tone. Maybe I'm a bright-eyed youngster, but I think Age of Decadence does the "amoral world" thing better than most RPGs. It makes things very clear early on that life is brutal, and success depends on your ability to fend for yourself and manipulate or destroy others. I got a sense that I was rising through the ranks of society, while at the same time leaving others at the bottom in my wake, and I also got the sense just about every other NPC was trying to do the same.
• Visuals. While the game doesn't have the best models or textures ever, there is a ton of detail and the environments look great. Artwork is also consistent and fairly attractive for an indie game. Inclusion of effects like HDR, SSAO and real-time lighting and shadowing elevate the graphics beyond what the humble assets would suggest.
• Soundtrack. While the score seems limited in the demo, I loved the music. Very atmospheric and fit the setting and tone of the game perfectly, articulate but with a desolate air to it.
• User interface. Aside from the small text size at high resolutions, the user interface is just about perfect. Attractive, intuitive and quick all at once. Lots of hotkeys and smart layout for most things. It's not necessarily modern but it works very well for the game.

Negatives:

• Teleportation. This is by far the biggest problem I have with the game. Instead of actually playing, I feel like I'm constantly being shuttled from one location to the next in order to make a dialogue check or two. While functionally, the teleporting just saves time, it also takes away player agency and authorship, which is important. It isn't always forced, but it still happens much too often for my liking. As this also seems to happen with combat as well, I can see how many players would take this as a lack of freedom even though the game has dozens of options available.
• Lack of interactivity. Not being able to loot, examine or talk to most people/things isn't really great, at once again ties into that lack of authorship and exploration. So what if most containers are empty and most people don't have much important to say? It's doing those things that make up the gameplay of an RPG. I'm not asking for Diablo or even Baldur's Gate, but why have a huge and detailed world if there's nothing to do in it but talk to a few NPCs? Combined with the teleportation, they'd might as well all be crammed into one room.
• Dialogue options. I hate to say it, but I actually dislike this implementation of the Fallout-style "only the important options are shown" dialogue. While a game like Fallout has much more "real" gameplay in terms of exploration and interacting with the world, Age of Decadence is, effectively, a game about combat and dialogue. The choices might have lots of different outcomes, and there are decisions where they matter, but there are so few options displayed at every juncture that the game feels like it can be played just by mashing "1" over and over. On top of that, potential for role-playing is cut significantly because there are often no alternate options that aren't skill checks - or at least, they aren't there until you fail. Even if players are going to pick the skill checks every time, it's important to feel like you're actually selecting something over something else.
• Plot confusion. I know it's a demo and this is early on, but there's no real sign of a main goal in the game and there's no sense of free exploration due to how you're shuttled off from X to Y in order to compensate. Additionally, keeping track of all the characters and their allegiances is difficult. I appreciate that the game doesn't throw tons of expository text around, but there were multiple occasions where I ended up betraying people I didn't mean to, or run into scenes that seemed completely lacking in context, or where a certain choice led to a sequence that was unexpected and where I had no alternative options other than to roll with it. I don't think I'm a complete moron, but then, I don't know how widespread these issues are and maybe I'm just not paying enough attention.
• One chance and you're dead. Although I really appreciated having deaths in dialogue (as well as the unique text blurbs accompanying them), there were one too many situations where I felt like I had a single check and was unable to salvage a situation. Winning several skill checks and conversations only to end up at one where you either succeed or get shanked is not really fun. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that it's impossible to back out of these situations (due to teleportation), and because there are no dialogue options in many of these sequences except for ones directly related to skills (which you may or may not have).
• Music gets repetitive, as much as I like it. Cutting down on the looping and adding more atmospheric sounds and ambiance (both natural and human) would really help make the game feel a lot less dead. Audio is easy to overlook but even the best visuals and most intricate scripting in the world will seem lifeless without the right soundscape backing it.
• Lack of clicky-type sounds on the interface also kinda sucks. Having auditory feedback is just as important as visual feedback.

Other stuff:

• Combat seemed hard, but then, as a Merchant I had virtually no weapon skill. I died almost instantly. Will have to try another character, but the setup and interface all seemed promising. However, from other comments made it seems like it will be difficult to play a combat-oriented character who also has any viability outside of combat, simply because so many skill checks need you to invest just about all your points into them to pass them.
• "Continue" button on main menu does nothing. I expected it to load my last save game. Not sure how you'd solve this except for a separate main menu and in-game menu.
• Is there any control configuration anywhere? I kind of wanted to change some of the keys around, or at least swap the mouse buttons.
• The Aurelian Outpost quest seemed a bit awkward for my character. I couldn't sneak in, and couldn't convince them at the door. Are some quests meant to be impossible for certain builds or was I just missing something?

 

[hiver]

Phelot
what do you mean by "trading the merchant good was lost" ? - goods? which ones? those from his inventory?

...dont compute...

 

[Phelot]

Phelot
what do you mean by "trading the merchant good was lost" ? - goods? which ones? those from his inventory?

...dont compute...

At the beginning when you defend the merchant and kill the assassin, the inn keeper comes up and says that we should trade the merchant's goods to that thief guy. If you say "yes" you are teleported to the thieves guild, once you leave (via dialogue) you face two thugs. Know what I'm talking about? I can't find any way to heal between these two encounters, that is, between the assassin and the two thugs.

 

[Phelot]

Another thing, I love how ambiguous everything is. you know, I've come to depend on games telling me what is and what isn't, but AoD reminds me of FO2, for example. Like with Feng and his magic crystal, the game doesn't hint or anything, it relies on my characters skills to detect deceit. Reminds me of in FO2 when I first played it and when first encountering that guy in the bar in Klamath that talks about "The art" call me naive, but as a player I was like "WTF?! There's magic in this game?" when that option presented itself. It's nice to see that again.

 

[hiver]

ahh... ok. Ive met those two thugs through other subquest and they were easy. - if its the same two guys-
But i didnt play that background so i cant say anything more for now.

 

[deuxhero]

Asked this in the news thread, but this seems bigger...

I noticed the file for the combat music is just called "combat". When I asked in the past about combat music I was told there were 7 themes. Are the other 5 (I am hoping "To Die With A Sword" is in the final version) just named things like "combat2.ogg"? Is this a demo thing?

Got to say, "Combat" isn't nearly as good as "To Die With A Sword".


Also: Any way to "Beat" the demo quicker than Loremaster (max persuade and lore) going to the mine and doing the task "right"?

 

[Johannes]

With the text adventures and teleporting, it kinda feels like a railroad, even when there's a ton of junctions?

 

[Volrath]

Who came up with the teleportation mechanic? And what were the reasons behind it?

It makes you EXTRA cautious in choosing your options, but sometimes you're fucked anyway. That's... different to say the least.