GeneralSamov
Prophet
*Maybe some shields attached to the walls*
-
Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.
"This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.
Critical question, VD
- Thread starter sabishii
- Start date
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
Vault Dweller said:
Can I buy this game with Paypal? And how much will it be? And are you designing the game with moddability in mind? Wasn't this game originally in 2D? Do you gain levels in AOD? :wink:
Are you silly?
The answer are (iirc) yes, 25 (download) and 50+shipping (box), no, yes, yes.
The answer are (iirc) yes, 25 (download) and 50+shipping (box), no, yes, yes.
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
Is that in British Pounds or evil American money?
Wait a second - you made the unofficial FAQ. What game are you playing? And why isn't the price in the FAQ already? It took me all of ten seconds to find the last time he answered that question. Also, US dollar. I think.
Vault Dweller
Commissar, Red Star Studio
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 28,035
There are no levels in AoD. Haven't you seen the character screen?
You gain skill points (not experience points), you improve skills, and that's pretty much it. All skills are available to you from the start. Some things need to be taught by someone or learned from somewhere. Your HPs are static and never go up. So, if you made a character with 30HP (50HP is max), that's all that will stand between you and the "game over" screen.
High INT gives you bonus skill points (1-3 extra points for every 10 earned).
You gain skill points (not experience points), you improve skills, and that's pretty much it. All skills are available to you from the start. Some things need to be taught by someone or learned from somewhere. Your HPs are static and never go up. So, if you made a character with 30HP (50HP is max), that's all that will stand between you and the "game over" screen.
High INT gives you bonus skill points (1-3 extra points for every 10 earned).
MisterStone
Arcane
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2006
- Messages
- 9,422
The screen shot looks gorgeous... just like the kind of game I would have done anything to play when I was 15 or 16 (around when UVII came out).
One thing that I think would make it look even better would be to mix up the trees a bit... at least three of those trees look like clones of one another, down to the exact orientation. They seem to have the classic "tile tree syndrome" that I've seen in other games. It kind of bugs me how trees in almost every video game look like they were grown inside an invisible box. They tend to be straight and narrow, and don't sprawl out much like real trees. I don't know if this ceases to be a difficult technical problem to overcome once you move to a 3d engine, but at least you might want to make them look a bit more random, if not wider/bigger somehow.
Otherwise, the castle looks really sweet. I'll add my vote to the people who suggest more human trappings like banners, shields, etc. Also, I'd have to agree with the comment about the dirt patches looking kind of square; they'd look better if they were blended into the grass a little more subtly.
All of this is just nitpicking of course... I'd have no problem with the game if its graphics were all comparable to that screenshot!
One thing that I think would make it look even better would be to mix up the trees a bit... at least three of those trees look like clones of one another, down to the exact orientation. They seem to have the classic "tile tree syndrome" that I've seen in other games. It kind of bugs me how trees in almost every video game look like they were grown inside an invisible box. They tend to be straight and narrow, and don't sprawl out much like real trees. I don't know if this ceases to be a difficult technical problem to overcome once you move to a 3d engine, but at least you might want to make them look a bit more random, if not wider/bigger somehow.
Otherwise, the castle looks really sweet. I'll add my vote to the people who suggest more human trappings like banners, shields, etc. Also, I'd have to agree with the comment about the dirt patches looking kind of square; they'd look better if they were blended into the grass a little more subtly.
All of this is just nitpicking of course... I'd have no problem with the game if its graphics were all comparable to that screenshot!
Not in a while..Vault Dweller said:
I guessed I rushed the answers a little too much. That doesn't matter. Why is he asking questions already answered in his own FAQ?
Elhoim
Iron Tower Studio
Because he is joking?
Gwendo
Augur
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2004
- Messages
- 989
Lot's of quotes to place in the box here, VD.
About the pic, it looks good, but if I had to point something:
1 - The placement of the ground textures (including vegetation) lacks of some randomness. Example: the dirt and rocky area looks like squares. A little bit more vegetation/debris would hide the feeling of emptiness in that area, although this pic is obviously zoomed out, so it's probably a matter of angle of view.
2 - No gates/doors?
3 - Shouldn't the entrance have some kind of cubicle for the guards?
4 - The inner courtyard. If you imagine working in that military fort, what do you think people would use it for? What would be in it? It's emptyish now, and people have the tendency to take space where they are. Maybe combat drilling material? Vendors' material? A cared garden and statues (romans liked gardens and interior gardens and their gods' statues...)?
About the pic, it looks good, but if I had to point something:
1 - The placement of the ground textures (including vegetation) lacks of some randomness. Example: the dirt and rocky area looks like squares. A little bit more vegetation/debris would hide the feeling of emptiness in that area, although this pic is obviously zoomed out, so it's probably a matter of angle of view.
2 - No gates/doors?
3 - Shouldn't the entrance have some kind of cubicle for the guards?
4 - The inner courtyard. If you imagine working in that military fort, what do you think people would use it for? What would be in it? It's emptyish now, and people have the tendency to take space where they are. Maybe combat drilling material? Vendors' material? A cared garden and statues (romans liked gardens and interior gardens and their gods' statues...)?
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
Elhoim said:
I seem to have developed a sarcastic streak this week.
Well, most questions weren't answered in his FAQ actually. No comment on the price and outdated info on paypal, for instance. And those are very frequently asked questions.Elhoim said:
Instead of fooling around, JL ought to update the bloody FAQ.
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
You catch on pretty quick!
But I have.
Q: How much will Age of Decadence cost to purchase? Will there be a collector's edition?
A: "$25 direct download, $50 for a box (proper full color box, full color manual with concept art , jewel case CD) plus shipping." - (June 24, 2007) (Ref)
Q: Can I purchase Age of Decadence using Paypal? Electron Visa? Cheques? Cash on Delivery? Food stamps?
A: "Too early to say (In regards to using Paypal), but I can assure you that we'll find a way to get the game to everyone who's interested. We can't afford to say "sorry, but we only do things a certain way". - (June 24, 2007) (Ref)
And that information about Paypal isn't out of date. Iron Tower Studio is committed to getting the game to everyone who wants it. Vault Dweller himself said that ITS cannot afford to do things "a certain way." And until the game is about to be released, who knows what methods of payment will be accepted.
I could, but nothing much has changed. And I've basically lost the will to continue any future versions until the final weeks of release, especially after being basically told that I was answering unimportant questions. Maybe I should upload the notepad document I used to make the FAQ so someone of a higher intellect can finish it or completely redo it. Or maybe not. Who cares? Do you? Would you like to finish it? Of course you don't!
RGE
Liturgist
I think there's too much grass in the castle. Post-apocalyptic atmosphere demands sand, and more sand. I see plenty of green stuff on a daily basis, and even in the winter the tannenbaums remain green. Green = alive! Brown = dead! Hop to it!Vault Dweller said:
Awesome concept art of the castle and the town. But that's only because the green stuff could be decadent southern undervegetation that is another herald of the apocalypse. Like the jungle growing over southeast asian ruins. You know how the civilized people around the Mediterranean Sea let their cattle eat up all the grass, causing soil erosion? That's the kind of devastation I expect in AoD! :D
Pinetrees are just too wholesome for an age of decadence.
Yup. I did few tests, just to see how it would look like if the scene had shadows and stuff.fastpunk said:
Morning light
Day
Evening
Night
Night with extra eyecandy... No bloom though, sorry.
Vault Dweller
Commissar, Red Star Studio
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 28,035
It does look nice. Thanks.
Elhoim
Iron Tower Studio
Ratatosk said:
Hey, pretty good! What did you use to do them?
GhanBuriGhan
Erudite
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,170
Looks good.
The lighting suggests an overcast day. Do you have differnt lighting depending on location? If so, a lighting with slightly higher contrast may improve the scene slightly, depending on the mood you want to achieve of course. If you want it to be closer to the concept art, try playing with the lighting.
Is this a place the inhabitants would potentially want to defend (as the targets and practice dummies might suggest)? Then maybe there could be piles of stakes to create makeshift ramparts, piles of rocks on the towers for throwing, Maybe a kettle for cooking hot oil, etc.
But I am happy with the way it looks actually.
The lighting suggests an overcast day. Do you have differnt lighting depending on location? If so, a lighting with slightly higher contrast may improve the scene slightly, depending on the mood you want to achieve of course. If you want it to be closer to the concept art, try playing with the lighting.
Is this a place the inhabitants would potentially want to defend (as the targets and practice dummies might suggest)? Then maybe there could be piles of stakes to create makeshift ramparts, piles of rocks on the towers for throwing, Maybe a kettle for cooking hot oil, etc.
But I am happy with the way it looks actually.
fastpunk
Arbiter
Ratatosk said:
Brilliant! The last two screenshots look particularly good. Shadows and light tinting would definitely help the game's atmosphere.
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
Could you post anymore concept art pictures Vault Dweller in their original size please? It's just nice to be able to see how detailed they are in full size.
Vault Dweller
Commissar, Red Star Studio
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 28,035
The original size is too big. Here is 50% of the actual size.
Jedi_Learner
Liturgist
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 894
Thanks for those VD.
I'm properly wrong, but I think it could be the pre-war temple you are searching for in the main quest? The end game area? From the ancient map you get at the beginning of the game from the merchant?Edit: Sod that! Spoilers galore!
As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.