The Age of Decadence

[vampy07 5]

Разработчик: Iron Tower Studio
Издатель: Iron Tower Studio
Платформы: PC
Дата выхода: 15.10.2015

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[saruman 4 378]

О боже мой, да это же сам Винс :-)

Недавно я узнал, что Age of Decadence вдохновлена серией книг Глена Кука "Black Company". Теперь я не могу остановиться читая её. Но книги скоро кончатся, поэтому можно узнать откуда вы ещё черпали вдохновение?

В своё время тоже взялся за эту серию. После первых 4 книг, в принципе, можно остановиться.

[Vince 305]

И ещё вопрос. Здесь уже обсуждался переход на 10-балльную шкалу навыков, можно поподробнее узнать как это будет выглядеть в игре? Например, что теперь будет получать персонаж, когда его кто-то обучает навыкам по ходу игры?

Bonus to Block/Dodge or specific weapons will become a THC bonus/penalty. Successful CS attacks in text-adventure mode will add a CS% during combat. Non-combat bonuses will be handled on a case by case basis, sometimes adding to a skill, sometimes adding to your succes in certain conversations.

 

Vince, of the recent changes in the combat mechanics, I really liked the "feint". No other major changes are planned?

None at the moment due to time constraints. After R4 is out, we'll evaluate the feedback and see where the weak areas are. For example, we added Feint to make the dodgers more mobile and allowing them to escape being surrounded without running around, triggering opporunity attacks and wasting APs, and we added more 2handed weapons attacks to give 2handers more options in combat.

 

I'd certainly like to see more tactical options.

 

How do you feel about the mechanics in games such as "Telepath Tactics" or "Card Hunter" if you saw them, of course?

Didn't have time. Do elaborate.

 

В своё время тоже взялся за эту серию. После первых 4 книг, в принципе, можно остановиться.

Yep. The quality goes down with every book, but then again The Black Company was really a self-contained story, rather light but entertaining. It didn't have the potential for an 'epic' 10-book series.

[Albatross 4 501]

Yep. The quality goes down with every book, but then again The Black Company was really a self-contained story, rather light but entertaining. It didn't have the potential for an 'epic' 10-book series.

В своё время тоже взялся за эту серию. После первых 4 книг, в принципе, можно остановиться.

Понятно, значит дочитаю пятую книгу и примусь за The Tower of Fear.

 

Собираетесь ли вы выпустить что-то вроде коллекционного коробочного издания AoD?

 

Трудно дать точное определение жанру компьютерных ролевых игр, каждый человек понимает его по-своему. А как по-вашему, какие черты и особенности присущи "настоящим" RPG? Что для вас, как для игрока, является наиболее важным в этом жанре?

[Vince 305]

Понятно, значит дочитаю пятую книгу и примусь за The Tower of Fear.

I think that Cook is at his best when he writes stand-alone books or the first books in future series. The Tyranny of the Night (of the Instrumentalities of the Night series) wasn't bad at all, but the second book was disappointing.

 

Same with the Black Company. The book feels like a great sketch of a setting, factions, characters, cool backstory, etc. Cook doesn't waste time on unnecessary details and it works in one book. What do we know about the Lady? Not much. What we see, we see through the eyes of Croaker who was a physician in a small company fighting in a big conflict. His viewpoint is limited by default. I like the siege chapter and war-like reports about which Taken ended up dead.

 

"There was a battle of powers that night, but I missed it. I do not know for whom it was a greater disaster. We lost Moonbiter, the Faceless Man, and Nightcrawler. Only Nightcrawler fell to enemy action. The others were consumed by the feud among the Taken."

 

It's simple and it works. The style doesn't call for expansive descriptions of epic battles or even details. This style only reinforces the narrative and shows the war from Croaker's point of view. He isn't a hero, a chosen one, or a fighter of great renown. He is an ant who could be squished like a bug by any of the Taken.

 

The books ends with Soulcatcher's death and the Company working for the Lady directly. It's perfect.

 

Then he decides to write more and that's where things start falling apart. Croaker and the Company become more important, the Lady becomes less godlike, and by the time they become a happy couple, you can hardly recognize the series.

 

Собираетесь ли вы выпустить что-то вроде коллекционного коробочного издания AoD?

We were planning to, but the initial pre-orders were kinda low, so I'm not sure now. The problem is that the smallest run (that offers good quality) is 500, and I'm not sure there is enough interest.

 

Трудно дать точное определение жанру компьютерных ролевых игр, каждый человек понимает его по-своему. А как по-вашему, какие черты и особенности присущи настоящим RPG? Что для вас, как для игрока, является наиболее важным в этом жанре?

Choices. Meaningful choices require skills & abilities and consequences. Thus, a good RPG with have a robust character system, choices (translating into non-linearity and multiple solutions), and consequences to show that the choices do matter.

[Albatross 4 501]

Then he decides to write more and that's where things start falling apart. Croaker and the Company become more important, the Lady becomes less godlike, and by the time they become a happy couple, you can hardly recognize the series.

Вот кстати да. Эта смена приоритетов очень смущает. Каждая последующая книга всё меньше напоминает тёмное фэнтези.

We were planning to, but the initial pre-orders were kinda low, so I'm not sure now. The problem is that the smallest run (that offers good quality) is 500, and I'm not sure there is enough interest.

Надеюсь, у вас всё будет в порядке с предзаказами, особенно после выхода R4 и открытия "раннего доступа" в Steam. Я забегаю вперёд, но если вы решите сделать коллекционное издание, что в него будет входить кроме самой игры?

[Vince 305]

Nothing overly fancy. We wanted to offer (at least that's what we shopped around for) a high-quality box, map, spiral-bound, color manual with concept art, post-war history, factions, and such. I still remember the time when manuals were fun and worth reading.

[GR3k 1 087]

Vince ранее для предзаказавших была возможность предложить создать своего персонажа для игры. Так случилось что предзаказ я оформил много позже когда уже такая возможность была упущена. Будет ли такая возможность доступна ещё раз до выхода полной версии игры, ведь у вас в планах полностью окончить игру и последний крупный город Гаанезар с окрестными локациями?

 

И ещё 1 вопрос - если допустим вы решите разрабатывать AoD 2, в какое место и в каком сеттинге перенесли бы игру?

[Vince 305]

Vince ранее для предзаказавших была возможность предложить создать своего персонажа для игры. Так случилось что предзаказ я оформил много позже когда уже такая возможность была упущена. Будет ли такая возможность доступна ещё раз до выхода полной версии игры, ведь у вас в планах полностью окончить игру и последний крупный город Гаанезар с окрестными локациями?

Not officially (too much work, as I have to tweak each and every submission* (without changing the concept)), but if you really want to add your own character, sure. PM me your idea and we'll take it from there.

 

* here is an example:

 

A submission (part of):

 

1. Why were you so eager to go to Saross in the first place?

“I needed information to complete an experiment on magical energy currents. I was ignorant of the dangers of the void back then. I wish I still was.”

 

1. Why did you need this information so badly?”

Go to “Convincing to Talk”

 

2. [lore] “That is very specific information. Your experiment must have been well under way if you knew what to get, and could only get it at Saross.”

 

Abukar’s brows furrow, as he looks at you again. “I can see you are a seeker of knowledge, as I was back then. Curious and ignorant, and yet... How fortunate you are.” his voice trails off and he stares at the distance, lost in his thoughts.

 

1. “What were you experimenting on before going to Saross?”

Go to “Explaining the device”

...

- Explaining the Device

“If you must know, I was researching on magical energies, and how to detect them.” He smiles humorlessly and shakes his head in disbelief. “I dreamed of discovering a way to explore the Abyss.”

 

1. “Did you find a way?”

“Somewhat. I have created a device that reads the energy currents within the Abyss, but it remains unreliable. I went to Saross to learn how to improve it. Two of my apprentices died on the way and my only reward was this,” he gestures at the telescope and closes his eyes.

 

1. Can the device still be used?

“Theoretically, as long as you did not come close to areas of intense magical energy. The device would be fried before even coming close. A previous apprentice was brash enough to think he could still use it, so he stole a prototype from my workshop and ventured into the Abyss himself. He never returned.”

...

 

My tweak (very rough, first pass):

 

“What did you seek at the library?”

“Knowledge, what else? I was trying to solve a problem and I hoped that the great library of Saross might shed some light on it. I was mistaken.”

“What kind of problem?”

“I was working on a device to detect energy fluctuations. It could detect random deviations with eighty percent accuracy, but couldn’t handle larger and more frequent fluctuations. Obviously, I miscalculated somewhere, but the nature of the old world’s magic is hardly a well-explored field these days. One has no choice but to make assumptions, which lead to setbacks and disappointments.”

“I thought that magic was gone from the world.”

“Then you thought wrong. The Magi are gone, but the magic they unleashed is still here, lurking in our own backyard, waiting for the right moment to strike. How do you fight that which you can’t see? How do you stop that which has been prophesized to come?”

“Our own backyard? You mean the Abyss?”

“What else? We’ve accepted the Abyss and learned to stay away from it. We speak of magic that haunts it without any understanding of what it is and why it’s still there, centuries later. Yet any force that affects the physical world can be detected and measured, even if it’s invisible to the naked eye.”

“This device, do you still have it?”

“So, you wanted to explore the Abyss?”

“Prophesized?”

“I’ve read the glowing words etched by the last of the Magi in a hidden chamber, deep below the great library. They spoke of terrifying things, things not of this world but of the void between the stars. They will return one day and claim this world as their own. It has been written. It will come to pass.”

“Have you told that to anyone?”

“Why do you think they call me mad? Knowledge is a heavy burden.

Abukar’s brows furrow, as he looks at you again. “I can see you are a seeker of knowledge, as I was back then. Curious and ignorant, and yet... How fortunate you are.” his voice trails off and he stares at the distance, lost in his thoughts.

“This device, do you still have it?”

“It’s not for sale.”

“So, you wanted to explore the Abyss?”

“Yes, but not the way fools do it, with sheep, “mystical” charts, and divining rods. The dangerous spots have abnormal energy spikes, so all you need to do is construct a device that can read them. Easier said than done, of course, but the paths worth traveling are never easy...

...

 

As you can see, I take the concept and work with the author to develop it further, expand if necessary, add pieces that the author couldn't know, fix assumptions that don't fit, etc. We don't just take submissions and throw them in. This way the style and the content are consistent.

 

И ещё 1 вопрос - если допустим вы решите разрабатывать AoD 2, в какое место и в каком сеттинге перенесли бы игру?

Well, the only logical option (since all the events and fate of what's left of the Old Empire will be defined in the first game) would be exploring the Qantari kingdom - the other major player in the pre-war events - and see how they fared.

 

So, let's say there was an expedition sent before the events of the first game, which would place you in the role of a stranger in a strange land. The Qantari were based on the Aztec culture and would be an interesting setting to explore.

[GR3k 1 087]

Vince такой вопрос: как будет распространяться доступ к демо R4 Age of Decadence? Будут отдельно присылаться новые письма или по тем ссылкам которые были присланы в письмах после предзаказа игры от BMT Micro Orders?

[Vince 305]

It would be nice to send another email, but I'm not sure if the BMT system has such a capability. We can send another email individually, which is handy in case someone loses the original, but I'm not sure about mass mailing.

 

Overall, the way it's supposed to work is we swap the placeholder file with the demo file and you use the link that was emailed to you when you pre-ordered to download it. Naturally, there could be some issues, lost links, changed emails, but we'll be there to sort them out and make sure that everyone can download the demo, even if we have to upload it somewhere else.

[GR3k 1 087]

Харэ уже издеваться:

 

[GR3k 1 087]

Хм... Перехожу по всем ссылкам от BMT и везде вот такое:

 

 

Заливают R4?

[Albatross 4 501]

Хм... Перехожу по всем ссылкам от BMT и везде вот такое:

 

BMT Micro.jpg

 

Заливают R4?

У меня всё нормально, скачивается пустой архив с readme.

[GR3k 1 087]

У меня всё нормально, скачивается пустой архив с readme.

 

Ну дня 2-3 назад, тоже по ним скачивал архив с readme-файлом, а сейчас вот такое.

[Vince 305]

No idea. I got this PM from another gentleman:

 

"I recently pre-ordered AoD and have been clicking the download link obsessively all day (checking to see if the extended demo had been uploaded). BMT looks down on such behaviour and have blocked my password. The link I received was: ..."

 

I assume if you download the file on a daily basis, they will flag it as suspicious behavior and lock the account. I'd suggest to email them as we have no control over such things. We can always give you (and anyone else who's having problems) a private link once the demo is released, so we *will* ensure that anyone who pre-ordered will get the demo, but if you want the BMT link to work, talk to them.

 

For the record, we aren't the type to upload early and sit on it while writing pretty press-releases and contacting the media. The moment we have the final build, we'll upload it and make an announcement. So, no announcement - no demo in the placeholder file.

 

We *are* getting close. 99% of issues - bugs, flow, transition, balance, etc are fixed. We gave the testers build #11 yesterday and are planning to give them the final release candidate tomorrow and let them test the balance throughout the weekend. If they say it's a go, then it's a go. If they uncover more issues, then it's a no-go.