Age of Decadence - Combat Demo released

[Jhessail]

Indie developer Irontower Studios have finally released the combat demo for their upcoming, much anticipated post-apocalyptic RPG Age of Decadence. The actual game is much different from the combat demo, since it is possible to complete the game through diplomacy or stealth rather than violence, or you can mix 'em up. Game is isometric and turn-based. If names like Fallout, Arcanum, Torment ring pleasurable bells in your brain, give it a try. The proper demo is going to be released with the full game, so there's still much waiting ahead.

Video showcasing one of the 16 fights in the demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwNVXj3T770

Some screens:

(click to show/hide)

Download links (it's 150mb):

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/files/AoD_demo_R2.exe
http://rapidshare.com/files/327926962/AoD_demo_R2.exe
http://depositfiles.com/files/8se4mdk0r
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PMVE4PV5
http://www.mediafire.com/?zyttdwuld4d
http://www.torrentreactor.net/torrents/3646352/Age-of-Decadence-combat-demo-release-2
http://www.fbx.ro/r4x9q0dpcu4qxa02
http://computergames.ro/en/downloads/viewitem/id/15809/name/age-of-decadence-combat-demo-release-2.html
http://www.gamershell.com/download_54564.shtml

Readme & survival guide (you will need it):
http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php/topic,1208.0.html

General discussion about the combat demo:
http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php/board,14.0.html

General discussion about the game (devs hang around the forums quite a lot):
http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php/board,1.0.html

Finally, the combat demo is hard. Yes, it is H-A-R-D. Don't come crying if your Titus Pullo doesn't match up. My dagger-girl made it to fight 9. Now going back with an ax and seeing how that goes.

[Folthrik]

It looks like Runescape with better graphics and the ability to fight more than one foe at a time.

[Archonsod]

It looks like Runescape

Fixed.

[Gothic Knight]

Maybe you should stop speculating what it looks like and try it out.

[Ilex]

I played it a week back and it looked much better than Oblivion graphically, which isn't saying much; yes, it is a crude game but the gameplay feels solid.

[Gothic Knight]

I played it a week back and it looked much better than Oblivion graphically, which isn't saying much; yes, it is a crude game but the gameplay feels solid.

It kinda looks like Silver more than Runescape anyway, so I might give it a try.

Edit: Gameplay sounds similar to Gladius

[Rabid Potatoe]

it looked much better than Oblivion graphically

I suppose it might have done if you were off your face.

[Archonsod]

If you're going to swipe the combat directly from Fallout at least work out what makes Fallout's combat interesting in the first place; they appear to have failed completely at that one. The graphics look like they came from a 1999 era game (reminds me of Darkstone) and whatever fuckwit chose that font needs to be taken somewhere and shot, or perhaps a monitor capable of higher than 800 x 600 resolution; looking at those wall o texts it keeps sticking up is simply painful, and doesn't bode well for the full game if they expect you to sit and try and read through all of that. If you're going to insist on walls of text, at least try to choose a font that's easy on the eye. Apart from that there's a few minor niggles, like having to unequip stuff to be able to see it on the trade screen which should really be sorted out.

[Night Ninja]

Meh, finished the game with a 2h scimitar user. I got pretty close to biting it against the last fellow (can you say gladius spam?), but the armour saved the day.

Playing it with a dagger fellow now, and that dagger you get off one of the guys is really epically broken.

[Jhessail]

If you're going to swipe the combat directly from Fallout at least work out what makes Fallout's combat interesting in the first place; they appear to have failed completely at that one. The graphics look like they came from a 1999 era game (reminds me of Darkstone) and whatever fuckwit chose that font needs to be taken somewhere and shot, or perhaps a monitor capable of higher than 800 x 600 resolution; looking at those wall o texts it keeps sticking up is simply painful, and doesn't bode well for the full game if they expect you to sit and try and read through all of that. If you're going to insist on walls of text, at least try to choose a font that's easy on the eye. Apart from that there's a few minor niggles, like having to unequip stuff to be able to see it on the trade screen which should really be sorted out.

Wall of text? Archonsod, you will hate the full game if you think there are walls of text in this combat demo. I had no problems with the font. The combat is actually better than what Fallout-had, because you have more options and the different styles really are different. The grid at first sight is ugly but soon one realizes its informative value (especially if your style requires high mobility) and its opaque can be tweaked to suit your needs.

Meh, finished the game with a 2h scimitar user. I got pretty close to biting it against the last fellow (can you say gladius spam?), but the armour saved the day.
Playing it with a dagger fellow now, and that dagger you get off one of the guys is really epically broken.

I first finished it with an axe+block, now trying spear+dodge.

Anyway, even though combat is the only thing available in the demo (along with little flavour-text), the full game has vastly more content.

[Archonsod]

The combat is actually better than what Fallout-had, because you have more options and the different styles really are different.

Not really. Part of the problem is the lack of animation or on screen action. Fallout's characters responded to being hit, made the occasional one liner and generally moved about a bit when nothing else was going on, which made it feel just a little more like a brawl rather than a bunch of people taking it in turns to hit each other.
 The same problem is prevalent in the options available too. There's plenty of attack based options, which is good, but if all you can do is swing a variety of blows at each other it remains a case of two guys taking turns to hit each other. It needs more tactical options to keep it interesting, whether that's the ToEE/D&D route of adding abilities and similar for characters to take or the fallout route of being able to employ skills and carefully designed combat areas to make use of it.

The grid at first sight is ugly but soon one realizes its informative value (especially if your style requires high mobility) and its opaque can be tweaked to suit your needs.

The grid was one thing they got right. There's plenty of information there, however the presentation is about as fun as a spreadsheet. There's no life or sparkle present to liven things up, and by about the third round I was wishing for an autoresolve or some other means to replace "click on opponent until AP run out, then hit end turn".

[Jhessail]

True, to an extent. When I played axe+block combo, many fights were pretty boring. With a spear+dodge combo, almost all of the fights are now highly mobile and not boring at all. But yes, the inherent difficulty in turn-based 1-on-1 is the apparent boringness - which is why I hoped that ITS would include companions, but alas, that clashes with their main quest, so the player is alone. Luckily, the main plot in the full game can be completed without a single fight if your skills allow it, so that helps to avoid the pitfalls of Arcanum and Torment.

[Ilex]

looking at those wall o texts it keeps sticking up is simply painful, and doesn't bode well for the full game if they expect you to sit and try and read through all of that. If you're going to insist on walls of text, at least try to choose a font that's easy on the eye.

"Just how much exactly text will there be in the game? Can you compete with Planescape Torment?" - random forum bloke
"A lot more." - Vince (that's the main dev. for those who don't know)

And here I thought it was supposed to be a ~10h game.

[Archonsod]

Luckily, the main plot in the full game can be completed without a single fight if your skills allow it, so that helps to avoid the pitfalls of Arcanum and Torment.

I'd rather have a decent combat system than be forced to design a character around avoiding it tbh.

looking at those wall o texts it keeps sticking up is simply painful, and doesn't bode well for the full game if they expect you to sit and try and read through all of that. If you're going to insist on walls of text, at least try to choose a font that's easy on the eye.

"Just how much exactly text will there be in the game? Can you compete with Planescape Torment?" - random forum bloke
"A lot more." - Vince (that's the main dev. for those who don't know)

And here I thought it was supposed to be a ~10h game.

That's not a game, it's a frigging book. Torment only got away with it thanks to the writing being half decent. Judging by the demo that's definitely not going to be the case here

[Jhessail]

Ah, it is a "decent" system. It doesn't have many exploits and the ones which the combat demo reveals ITS are trying to fix for the full game. So there won't be any "well the game is great but the horrible combat drags it down", like some folks 'argue' against PST and Arcanum.

That's not a game, it's a frigging book. Torment only got away with it thanks to the writing being half decent. Judging by the demo that's definitely not going to be the case here

While I won't claim that Vince writes on the same level as the future father of my children, Chris Avellone, the writing in both the demo and in the "Let's Play's" that are posted on the forums are promising enough. Maybe it's because I'm not native speaker but at least the writing doesn't make me cringe or slap my head in annoyance, like in Fallout3.

Edit, I added a link to a HD combat video in the original post, if people don't want to download the demo to see how it works in action.