Age of Decadence Post-Release Update #1

[Infinitron]

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php/topic,6965.0.html

Random musings:

Release.

It went extremely well (both sales and reception), so once again thank you for your support. We sold 10,000+ copies in the first week (25,441 copies sold overall). It doesn't solve all our problems, it doesn't secure our future, it doesn't even pay for the colony ship RPG development yet, BUT it gives us a fighting chance, which is all you can ask for these days.

It's the first time that something actually went well and didn't fall far below expectations, so in this chapter we learn that patience is a virtue and if you build it, they will definitely come.

AoD updates

We'll be continue working on AoD until the end of Jan, then we'll switch to the dungeon crawler. We've scheduled 4 updates to be released at the end of each month. While each update will fix minor issues, add filler characters (see below), and optional quest solutions as per feedback we receive, the focus will be on:

Oct - the Arena (already working on it)
Nov - the Temple and 'god' endings (Scott suggested a good way to improve it)
Dec - thieves & traps
Jan - as it will be the final content update, we'll wait for more feedback until we decide what to focus on

No DLC or expansions are planned at the moment.

Filler NPCs

I didn't have time to add all 'backer' NPCs as they all require some work (usually a lot of work), but all your submissions will be reworked (I'll contact you first, of course, and run the changes by you) and added to the game in the upcoming updates.

New projects

We're still busy with AoD (answering questions, looking at save games, helping people fight their way through the game, upcoming update, etc), so we didn't have much time to talk about the new projects. In a month or so, we'll start presenting our design ideas, setting, concept art, etc. Eventually, we might even add more pages to our website, but don't hold your breath - keeping the site updated has never been high on our priority list.

To remind you:

Our short-term project is a party-based dungeon crawler set in the AoD world. One of the characters mentions a prison-mine called The Second Chance and you'll be given an opportunity to escape it or die trying. This game will use the existing assets and systems.

Our long-term (i.e. a full scale RPG) project is a "generation ship" game, inspired by Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky. We're aiming to create a different experience with the same core ('hardcore', TB, C&C). So, combat will be turn-based but focused on ranged rather than melee (earth-made laser guns - rare but powerful, ammo even more rare, so save for special occasions - vs crude ship-manufactured firearms favoring burst rather then precision), level up to distribute skill points and unlock new feats, focus on the individual and more dynamic C&C, focus on exploring rather than working your way up in a faction; you'll be one of the 'freemen' who aren't born into a caste-like faction, more traditional open level design.

Our plan is to release the dungeon crawler by the end of 2016. It's a linear, combat RPG with minimum dialogues and 'quests' revolving around killing, so it will be relatively easy to put together. The colony ship RPG will take 3-4 years and most likely use a new engine (Unreal 4). If everything goes well, it will be released on Early Access in 2018.

So, once again, thank you for your support. I can't tell you how much it meant to us over the years and how much it means to us now. We have a great community and I look forward keeping you entertained for years to come.

 

[likaq]

How many party-members? Six? A contubernia (eight)? Four? Will there be any use to the non-combat skills?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...ates-and-future-projects.104230/#post-4187260

Are the party-members characters you find (Fallout-style, but controllable)

IIRC yes

 

[Vault Dweller]

Why are they going to switch to Unreal 4? Torque 3D not good enough?

In a word, no.

And I wonder how is the dungeoncrawler going to work. How many party-members? Six? A contubernia (eight)? Four? Will there be any use to the non-combat skills?

1 to 4 (i.e. party size 2-5). Limited use of non-combat skills as it's a combat game.

Are the party-members characters you find (Fallout-style, but controllable), from a pool of recruits (FOT and Jagged Alliance), created characters (old CRPGs), created + found CNPCs (Wasteland 2) or are they all faceless cannonfodder like in OG X-COM where having half your squad wiped out on a mission is considered normal, and there is no shame in running up the Skyranger ramp and aborting?

Party members you find. We'll probably have 7-8 different party members, so you'll be able to pick and choose but within reasons.

Any possibility some engine improvements from dungeon crawler get ported to main AoD?

Most likely (engine improvements not game specific features like party-based or a different armor system).

 

[Vault Dweller]

So after the dungeon-crawler, ITS is shifting to Unreal 4 forever?

If it works, yes. We can always go back to Torque if it doesn't work. Nick, our programmer, wants to try it because keeping Torque afloat is kinda painful. If Unreal 4 turns out equally painful or a massive project, we'll abandon it right away. If we can switch more or less easily, why not?

We'll keep everyone posted on our progress.

Hmmm, makes sense, although I'm surprised you went with 2-5, most squad tactics go either with four or six these days.

2 and 5 are for min-maxers, 3-4 for the rest.

Seems small. AOD combat is hardcore, so it seems that people will soon run out of party-members.

It won't be as difficult as AoD. AoD has many different ways to progress, this game will be all out combat, so we don't want to limit people too much.

What's up with the new armor system, a?

It's something we're considering but it's not 100% confirmed yet (i.e. don't know if we can do it all within a year).