Age of Decadence: Crotchety Indie-Dev is Crotchety

[Dtrain]

Seems after some of it's readers got their panties in a bunch after seeing turn based combat in an indie game called 'Age of Decadence,' Rock, Paper, Shotgun interviewed it's designer. Hillarity and ensues.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1028

I’m a big fan of the “honest and blunt” approach. An internet reader has a right to visit a game site and read “Did Oblivion really suck or what?” or “Molyneux has gotta be on drugs!”, don’t you think? Instead every journalist pretends that Oblivion was a 10/10 brilliant masterpiece, that Molyneux isn’t a lying old kook, and that Dungeon Siege wasn’t a screensaver. Then Chris Taylor says that he’s making Space Siege even simpler and everyone nods in agreement: Right on, man! It’s about time someone makes a game for the amputees. BRA-VO!

And yes, I understood what you were chasing after, but I guess I failed to explain my point properly. Let me try again using the most important discovery and technological breakthrough of the century - bullet time. Remember Matrix? The first scene, where that cop points the gun at Trinity and says “English, motherfucker! Do you speak it?”, and Trinity says “my turn lolz”, slowly jumps into the air, hangs there for a few seconds, while the cop blinks, and then kicks him? Tell me with a straight face that when that happened you didn’t stare at the screen with an open mouth but said “I call bullshit! That shit is clearly turn-based and it just done ruined my suspension of disbelief!” Tell me that, and being a gentleman, I’ll admit that you have a point.

And no, I don’t really care who’d think what and how my comments would affect sales. I’m making this game on a bold assumption that there are some people out there who are interested in complex games that aren’t made for retards.

Indeed.

[Venkman]

That's the sort of exposure a publisher hires PR folks to prevent 

[Dtrain]

I dunno - I play the indie games that catch my eye and seem to have something going for them. This title is now on that list.

I think if you're making a turn based, story driven, dialogue rich, graphics light game in this day and age you don't care much about playing nice and are more interested in being on the level than managing public perception. Also you're an idie-dev.

[Aez]

With that kind of interview, he could probably get some decent money out of a donation button.

[rk47]

Hahahah I like the dude already. His views are a bit extreme sometimes but it makes sense in some parts. A little bit of moderation when praising/criticizing is a good thing, but when people praise a game too much; it really gets to you.

[Jain Zar]

I loathe real time in my strategy and RPGs.

He makes a Mac version and I will preorder that sumbitch.

[Dtrain]

What do you think of the hybrid real time/turn based stuff they use on most paradox games?

I kinda just wish they'd stick to turn based myself.

[Margalis]

I like both, they are just different. I don't see why one has to be just plain better than the other.

[Tebonas]

His plan worked. I now know about that game and think I might very likely buy it once it comes out.

Fuck the action rpgs for retarded monkeys on speed.

[Ironwood]

Read the whole interview and the referenced 'Review' of Oblivion ....

And the guy's right.  Totally.

His game, however, just looks like fallout all over again, so not sure...

[Tebonas]

With the number of times I played through Fallout this is good news for me.

[Chenghiz]

I like both, they are just different. I don't see why one has to be just plain better than the other.

This.

[Ironwood]

I like both, they are just different. I don't see why one has to be just plain better than the other.

In fairness, the guy's main complaint would appear to be that no-one's really making Turn based anymore and this is compounded by the fact that the RT ones suck mightily.

It's kind of a fair point when you look at shitheaps like Oblivion.

[Lantyssa]

RPS: What’s the problems with the modern RPG? How does Age of Decadence deal with it?

Vince: The problem is simple. Nobody is interested in making dialogue-heavy, turn-based RPGs loaded with meaningful choices and multiple paths. A game like Diablo will always sell more than a game like Planescape: Torment, and games like Torment are much harder to make. So, no publisher is interested in making games like Torment that may or may not sell enough to break even when you can make guaranteed hits like Diablo or Oblivion.

Ignoring the games themselves, this is exactly what I have missed.  I grew up playing the Wizardry series and others like it.  I need more turn-based games with a deep story.

[Jain Zar]

RPS: What’s the problems with the modern RPG? How does Age of Decadence deal with it?

Vince: The problem is simple. Nobody is interested in making dialogue-heavy, turn-based RPGs loaded with meaningful choices and multiple paths. A game like Diablo will always sell more than a game like Planescape: Torment, and games like Torment are much harder to make. So, no publisher is interested in making games like Torment that may or may not sell enough to break even when you can make guaranteed hits like Diablo or Oblivion.

Ignoring the games themselves, this is exactly what I have missed.  I grew up playing the Wizardry series and others like it.  I need more turn-based games with a deep story.

Yes.  Except I don't even particularly care about a story.  Just give me a good dungeon, some fun character generations, and quality turn based combat.

I loved the heck out of Etrian O., but I couldn't tell you squat about the story. 

"There is an evil wizard.  Go kick his ass." is good enough for me sometimes! 

[Ironwood]

Gotta agree.

[Tebonas]

I'm a greedy bastard. I want both. And since I got it in the past I know its possible.