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Age of Delicious, Tasty, Rich Decadence
By Cameron Sorden | March 17, 2008
I haven’t mentioned it in a while, so I’ll do it now: If you’re a fan of single-player RPGs, you need to add this blog to your reading list. Tales of the Rampant Coyote is how I stay informed about what’s going on in the world of independently made computer role-playing games. It’s the best source I’ve seen on the topic and it’s updated frequently. Indie RPGs are a great place to find the style of gameplay that’s often considered too “retro” or complex for AAA companies to tackle these days (turn based combat, lengthy dialogue trees, novel game concepts, et cetera).
The Rampant Coyote’s post today was on a game called Age of Decadence. I remember reading about it months ago and filing it mentally away in my “games to watch” drawer. I checked in on it today to see how they’re coming along, and all I can say is, “Wow.” It looks stellar, and if the game is everything they’re promising, this is one indie title that looks like it’s AAA quality. The reason I’m so attracted to the game is that it’s basically Fallout, with a different setting and graphics for the new millenium. Take a look at that screenshot to the right and tell me it doesn’t look remarkably familiar– the interface looks like a re-skinned Fallout (and works the same way too, right down to the AP).
Far from being critical about that, I think it’s fantastic. As you probably know, I love the Fallout engine and gameplay style. Turn-based combat gives you lots of time to make tactical decisions about positioning and try various approaches to a combat instead of flailing at hot keys. Most games since Fallout that have used a turn-based system have made it an action-hybrid that usually fails (I’m looking at you, Arcanum and FO: Tactics). The deep story with major faction affiliations promises to be interesting as well. This is the kind of depth I miss in modern games:
The last aspect of the story is the politics of the factions. All factions are tied together by their own agendas and goals. What affects one faction, affects all of them in different, positive and negative ways. These factions are paying close attention to your progress, as that too affects them all, and the fact that nobody knows what exactly is there, adds another level of complexity and more role-playing opportunities. You can make and honour alliances, eliminating enemies of your faction, or double- and triple-cross, playing one faction against another, weakening them all, or you can leave them alone, pursuing your own goals.
You’ll also want to take a look at the combat videos they’ve released. Here’s the better of the two (in my opinion). Note that in addition to aimed attacks against specific body parts, the player has access to special moves like whirlwind attacks.
If you want to read up a little more on the game, take a look at this gameplay walkthrough, the official updates page, and the official forums. I’ll definitely be buying this when it comes out.
Topics: Random |
March 18th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Hey, how come the video you linked to is gone already?
Anyway, here’s the second combat video with Fallout’s soundeffects:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU8fbVxrof4
March 18th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I don’t know…it works for me still. ???
March 25th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Hey Cam - man you’re right! It IS a re-skinned fallout interface! I’ll definitely check this out when it arrives on store shelves - I’ve been contemplating reinstalling fallout 1&2 just a for a fix, but now I just might hold off till this little gem gets released. I like what they’ve added as well - like the knockback effects from his hammer swings - something fallout was definitely lacking. Thanks for the heads up on this! See you in magisters terrace later today!
Bolgrom
May 19th, 2008 at 11:24 am
[...] reason I bring this up is because I just read this interview, where the mastermind behind my eagerly-awaited Age of Decadence has to defend his turn-based, Fallout-inspired combat system to a legion of people [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:11 am
[...] games from the indie world and hope that they give me my fix, too (seriously — when is Age of Decadence going to be [...]