Brian and Annie merge into a fearsome beast!

[Morgoth]

Using that old ugly engine won't get them a publisher.

[Pidesco]

I don't think they want a big publisher.

[Morgoth]

Even a small publisher won't bite the bait. I can only imagine this game will be self-publsihed, and goes DD only.

[Starwars]

According to VD, they've gotten quite a few offers from publishers actually (one of which was close to be signed). But then again he must be lying because he is VD amirite.

 

Anyways, this game should be intriguing and thank god it's not using the source engine.

[Morgoth]

According to VD, they've gotten quite a few offers from publishers actually (one of which was close to be signed). But then again he must be lying because he is VD amirite.

 

Anyways, this game should be intriguing and thank god it's not using the source engine.

What do you mean "thanks god not using the Source engine?". Although the source engine is mainly a shooter engine, it's lightyears ahead of this crap AoD is using.

[Pidesco]

It would be too much work to use the source engine, given they are making a TBRPG. They'd be better off making a new engine from scratch. Considering the apaprent needs of their game, the AoD engine is probably the best choice at this time.

[Morgoth]

It would be too much work to use the source engine, given they are making a TBRPG. They'd be better off making a new engine from scratch. Considering the apaprent needs of their game, the AoD engine is probably the best choice at this time.

Well, good thing the mechanics and systems and what not are in place, so that they can start create content and test it out. I still hope though they get a programmer that does some magic to the graphics renderer. I don't want bloom and tons of shaders and that ****, but at least I expect an engine that can utilize a high(er) polycount, better lighting and normal mapping.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Morgoth

[Pidesco]

I'm more interested in the art direction than in the polycount.

 

It's not about how big it is, but rather about how you use it.

[Bos_hybrid]

I'm more interested in the art direction than in the polycount.

 

It's not about how big it is, but rather about how you use it.

 

I would be very hard for any game to look good in this engine, unfortunate but true.

[Morgoth]

I'm more interested in the art direction than in the polycount.

 

It's not about how big it is, but rather about how you use it.

You can't have a good art direction if your engine doesn't support certain features, let alone a decent poly-count.

[Wrath of Dagon]

I'm more interested in the art direction than in the polycount.

 

It's not about how big it is, but rather about how you use it.

Exactly. AOD looks great, anyone looking for polycount should get the next piece of shiny crap from your favorite AAA shiny crap developer who spends $30 million to make their crap shinier than last year's piece of crap.

[213374U]

You can't have a good art direction if your engine doesn't support certain features, let alone a decent poly-count.

As a general statement, this is simply false. Art direction predates polycount.

 

AoD's engine looks plain ugly, though.

[Bos_hybrid]

Exactly. AOD looks great.

 

 

No, not even in a weird parallel universe where TG love FO3.

[Wrath of Dagon]

We're an independent developer, which means that we aren't being funded by a publisher and we are funding the project ourselves. It's also the reason we can't afford to employ fifty people at once. We wanted to do a project on our own terms and 100% own the property and all the profit it generates over time.

 

 

Right now, we're the only two official employees of DoubleBear, but the Iron Tower guys are going to be working on the title as well. Oscar has already completed some fantastic stuff for our project. And as mentioned, we/Iron Tower are adapting AoD code for our game.

 

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php?topic=970.0

Edited August 7, 2009 by Wrath of Dagon

[Morgoth]

Exactly. AOD looks great, anyone looking for polycount should get the next piece of shiny crap from your favorite AAA shiny crap developer who spends $30 million to make their crap shinier than last year's piece of crap.

[Morgoth]

You can't have a good art direction if your engine doesn't support certain features, let alone a decent poly-count.

As a general statement, this is simply false. Art direction predates polycount.

 

AoD's engine looks plain ugly, though.

You need a certain amount of poly resolution to hold that lighting detail, stupid. Unless you go 2D painting all the way back a 'la Infinity Engine, you need some geometry detail to get the lighting look right. And proper lighting makes 50% of the art direction. Other thing is the form, the shape of an object. I won't get any excited if the head of a character looks like some wood block. Shape and lighting are key for good art direction, something that AoD neither has.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Morgoth

[213374U]

Unless you go 2D painting all the way back a 'la Infinity Engine

Therefore, my point stands. Art direction predates polycount and thus polycount by itself has ZERO influence on whether a game's art direction is good or bad, stupid.

[Morgoth]

Unless you go 2D painting all the way back a 'la Infinity Engine

Therefore, my point stands. Art direction predates polycount and thus polycount by itself has ZERO influence on whether a game's art direction is good or bad, stupid.

You're a moron. Have you even read by post?

[Starwars]

To think that the OEI forums is such a nest of graphics whores. Shame on you people, SHAME!

 

Seriously, why the hell would you even give a damn about the graphics? It's not a game that is about blowing you away with its visuals. Do you also complain about chess, because the chess pieces just aren't detailed enough? Or that the board's black and white squares are just totally unimmersive and oh god I just can't play this... it's just too ugly?

 

How have your eyes become oh-so-delicate, that you would complain about a low-budget independent project's graphics? Where you born and raised by supermodels, teaching you to only look at appearances and ignore the inside? Do you stare at the sun and think "oh hell yeah, that's sum awesome HDR lighting right there wohoo!"?

Edited August 7, 2009 by Starwars

[Morgoth]

To think that the OEI forums is such a nest of graphics whores. Shame on you people, SHAME!

 

Seriously, why the hell would you even give a damn about the graphics? It's not a game that is about blowing you away with its visuals. Do you also complain about chess, because the chess pieces just aren't detailed enough? Or that the board's black and white squares are just totally unimmersive and oh god I just can't play this... it's just too ugly?

 

How have your eyes become oh-so-delicate, that you would complain about a low-budget independent project's graphics? Where you born and raised by supermodels, teaching you to only look at appearances and ignore the inside? Do you stare at the sun and think "oh hell yeah, that's sum awesome HDR lighting right there wohoo!"?

Your argumentation is wrong. Chess is not a video game.

 

As a gamer, I expect quality gameplay, quality story, quality sound, and yes, quality graphics. You don't even know what a graphics whore is. Go to some Crytek forums, then you know what I mean. But I've seen other amateur projects with either licensed or self-made technology that precedes the art direction and quality of graphics for lightyears of those of AoD.

The AoD team obviously doesn't have too skilled artists, so I remain skeptic.

AoD just doesn't look passable anymore. They should have thought about that when they chose the engine. Because expectations are changing quickly, and what might look acceptable today, may not look acceptable in 2 years anymore.

So good luck Brian and Annie. I mean it.

 

HURRDURR.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Morgoth

[Wrath of Dagon]

But I've seen other amateur projects with either licensed or self-made technology that precedes the art direction and quality of graphics for lightyears of those of AoD.

Can you point out any quality RPG's among them? Obviously graphics were never a priority for AoD.

The AoD team obviously doesn't have too skilled artists, so I remain skeptic.

I remain skeptical about your taste in art.

AoD just doesn't look passable anymore. They should have thought about that when they chose the engine. Because expectations are changing quickly, and what might look acceptable today, may not look acceptable in 2 years anymore.

Your expectations, not everyone's. AoD is meant for a niche audience, you may not be part of it, that's why ITS is an indie developer.

[Morgoth]

Niche? Not even that. How many people outside the Codex and you five from Obsidian are really gonna buy that? The point is, if I invest so much time, money and energy into a project, I wanna make sure I get some money back. I have my doubts AoD will even make a little bit of money.

[Starwars]

[Your argumentation is wrong. Chess is not a video game.

 

So what makes videogames so different from a game like chess that makes you excuse the crude look in one but not the other?

 

As a gamer, I expect quality gameplay, quality story, quality sound, and yes, quality graphics. You don't even know what a graphics whore is. Go to some Crytek forums, then you know what I mean. But I've seen other amateur projects with either licensed or self-made technology that precedes the art direction and quality of graphics for lightyears of those of AoD.

The AoD team obviously doesn't have too skilled artists, so I remain skeptic.

AoD just doesn't look passable anymore. They should have thought about that when they chose the engine. Because expectations are changing quickly, and what might look acceptable today, may not look acceptable in 2 years anymore.

So good luck Brian and Annie. I mean it.

 

Sure I know what a graphics whore is. I know very well of the Crysis graphics-whoreisms. But Crysis is also a game that actively made its graphics part of the PR, part of the hype, part of the experience. It was very obviously a design goal to make players cry tears of joy the closer when they managed to turn one more graphics setting up a notch without their computer exploding.

 

But yep, if AoD turns out to be a great roleplaying game with great depth and gameplay, why would one care about its graphics? When you look at the screens of AoD, what is it about them that makes the game simply *unplayable* for you? I don't understand why you need good graphics to enjoy a game that have excellent gameplay and so on and forth. Please explain.

 

Niche? Not even that. How many people outside the Codex and you five from Obsidian are really gonna buy that? The point is, if I invest so much time, money and energy into a project, I wanna make sure I get some money back. I have my doubts AoD will even make a little bit of money.

 

I'm sure Iron Tower hopes to make some money out of it. And hell, Spiderweb Software has managed to squeeze out game after game, and those games look a lot worse than Age of Decadence. And I've seen people outside of the places you mention saying that they're very interested in buying it in comments to interviews and whatnot. I mean Jesus, it's not like Alpha Protocols forum sees enormous use, and that's a freakin' triple AAA title with 120 hours of voiceacting recorded for it. is that enough to say that the game will sell or not?

[Wrath of Dagon]

@Morgoth

They hardly invested any money, so at least that they don't have to worry about. But you're right, no one knows if the project will succeed, it's an experiment at this point. But I'll point out that most mainstream games with high poly graphics also lose money, a whole lot of money.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Wrath of Dagon

[Morgoth]

I'm sure Iron Tower hopes to make some money out of it. And hell, Spiderweb Software has managed to squeeze out game after game, and those games look a lot worse than Age of Decadence. And I've seen people outside of the places you mention saying that they're very interested in buying it in comments to interviews and whatnot. I mean Jesus, it's not like Alpha Protocols forum sees enormous use, and that's a freakin' triple AAA title with 120 hours of voiceacting recorded for it. is that enough to say that the game will sell or not?

All I'm saying is that hardcore RPGs for PC don't sell well. Why do you think Troika went out of business? Because their games sold crap. Now I don't know what Iron Tower has for future plans, but if they wanna go serious about making games (i.e. start making commercial games), they better start a) using a different engine and b) make sure they're making a game that has a predictable large fan base, so that they don't go all Troika. And if they're gonna earn their money with games, you can be sure they have to make at least a 360 version as well, otherwise they won't get a publisher signed up.

And spare me with that 120 hour VO crap.