Iron Tower Studio’s lead developer Vince D. Weller was kind enough to answer some questions about his upcoming tradition-minded RPG “Age of Decadence” in an email interview.
He talks about his own game, the importance of choice and story, and how his studio’s approach to storytelling contrasts with that of big name developers like Bethesda and Oblivion.
Down the Wall: First, could you introduce yourself and your team?
Vince: 5-people team: designer, programmer, artist, modeler, animator. My name is Vince, I’m the designer.
DtW: “Age of Decadence” has a very interesting setting. How did you decide on that?
Vince: We wanted to make something different. High and generic “medieval” fantasy has been done to death and then some. We also wanted to go with a “fall of an empire” scenario for storytelling reasons and the Roman Empire is an obvious choice there, both as an inspiration and as a reference. The rest was influenced by some Michael Moorcock’s works (city of Quarzhasaat) and Lovecraft’s stories.
DtW: What games exemplify the non-linear story that you are going for with “Age of Decadence”? What’s your inspiration?
Vince: Prelude to Darkness, a great indie RPG that nobody’s heard of, and Arcanum, a Troika RPG masterpiece.
Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: ‘Age of Decadence’ Developer Says Choice Defines RPGs’
I think back to games like “Baldur’s Gate II” and “Planescape: Torment” as the epitome of gaming narratives. The lack of photorealistic graphics and voice acting allowed developers to create non-linear experiences with literary exposition and protagonists born entirely out of the imagination of the player.
“Age of Decadence,” an intriguing offering from the small and independent staff at Iron Tower Studio, promises to be an RPG in that traditional sense.
“Age of Decadence” is turn-based and isometric with a well-developed character creation system and an emphasis on player-driven plot. The game immediately brings to mind classics like “Temple of Elemental Evil” and the “Baldur’s Gate” series, and is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world torn apart by magic.The game boasts around 100 total quests, including no MMORPG-like delivery or hitlist missions, and over 20 large areas.
“Overall, dialogues and choices are the main aspect of the game and the main attraction,” said lead designer and writer Vince D. Weller in an interview at Gnome’s Lair.
“We have seven different endings and only two involve mortal combat,” Weller continued. “You’ll be able to talk your way in and out of trouble, make allies and enemies (there are no default good and bad guys), and handle quests in non-combat ways using dialogues and text adventure elements.”
Continue reading ‘PREVIEW: ‘Age of Decadence’ Harkens Back to RPG Classics’