Tags: Age of Decadence; Iron Tower
In the latest Age of Decadence development update, Vince D. Weller talks about what's being done on the game at the moment -- mostly alchemy, branching, and Maadoran:
I rewrote descriptions of reagents, alchemical potions, vials, and bombs, and techniques for the journal. Going from non-descriptive descriptions like ".. leaves - excellent source of quality poison!" to something more interesting (first draft):
"Rapid Cellular Regeneration – you aren’t really sure what it means, but ‘regeneration’ sounds promising. According to the scroll, the elixir was developed during the Great War and was given to special regiments, so what was good for them should be good for you. Unfortunately, the scroll makes frequent references to unfamiliar alchemical practices, so you’ll have to rely on guesswork a lot."
"The Black Powder – an explosive mixture of sulphur, charcoal, and sal petrae, ground into a powder. Discovered accidentally during a search for an elixir of immortality, the black powder failed to grant eternal life, but did a pretty good job blowing one’s enemies to bloody bits, which, come to think about it, contributes greatly to one’s longevity."
"Dragon’s Blood extract – contrary to popular belief, Dragon’s Blood is a tree that owes its name to the red resin it produces. The resin has near miraculous curative and alchemical properties or so the alchemists claim. Unfortunately, the tree only grows on a small archipelago of four islands somewhere in the southern seas, which makes the Dragon’s Blood extract as rare as if it actually came from dragons."
"Rock Oil – a thick, flammable liquid that seeps out of fissures in the ground. It is believed that when the underworld comes close to the surface, its fiery rivers make springs ooze rock oil and gas instead of clean water. There are many who would experiment with such dark materials, and thus there are many who would risk their lives to gather it and sell at a profit."
...
Oscar's still rearranging Maadoran. Those who followed the game for a while would remember that the towns were split into districts (which was a bad idea for more reasons than one). So, Oscar's putting all Maadoran's districts together and the city looks better every time I look at it. Very city-like and very urban, which creates a unique look (i.e. it's not like Teron but bigger – it really does look different and has a different atmosphere; same goes for Ganezzar and Caer-Tor).
I'm still tweaking quests, expanding dialogues, and adding more content. Now, since we have to show you something, here are a few dialogue shots (attached) introducing Strabos and the merchants guild's Maadoran questline.
"Master Strabos, called "Lord" Strabos behind his back, started his career as a laborer for a small trading company. His life changed forever, when the Head Merchant was assassinated in a particularly vicious attempt at a takeover. While others hesitated to step forward in fear of making themselves the next target, Strabos, who had nothing to lose, seized the moment and stepped into the recently vacated position. He didn’t know much about the day-to-day running of the business, but he knew how to use brute force better than any of his predecessors. After dealing with the immediate threat, he cut a deal with the Commercium and used their might to crush any who dared to oppose his authority. "
So, here is a man who has no skills but his inner strength and confidence. He does what other people were afraid to do and is rewarded and elevated. He takes this lesson to heart – that a quick, bold action is often enough to carry you to victory – and uses it to climb to the top, pushing others out of his way. Now, he’s overly confident and believes that there is nothing he can’t do. After all, hasn’t he done the impossible before? Thus, his main strength is his main weakness, and his next target is Lord Gaelius himself.
Also, the quests have a lot more branching than what you saw in the demo (which is one of the things that I'm working on now). While Teron had plenty of paths, most options were skill-based, which could easily create a very linear experience for you. We're adding more 'personal' choices and outcomes, so hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Don't forget you can download the public beta Release 2 of the game in case you haven't yet tried it out, and also pre-order it if you feel like doing so.
