Age of Decadence - New Screens

Dhruin

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It's been a number of weeks since we looked at the Age of Decadence forums at RPG Codex but today's new screens are as good a prompt as any. So, this thread has a rather sinister pentagram (alhough, is there any other sort?) and a building basement. Looking a bit further back, this thread has some shots of a fortified mountain pass and, finally, a nifty castle.
More information.
 
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This game is a nice example of under-promotion. He has a perfectly decent website to post updates to, but instead buries them in RPGCodex forums where ~100 Codex regulars will see them.

Obviously it's good to get plenty of feedback from a forum, but I think you'd get more exposure if you duplicated this stuff on the front page of your own website. The screenshots there haven't been updated in months.
 
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I agree, AoD so far is very low-profile. Perhaps it's just not at a stage where VD is ready to deal with a lot of input. It's nice to see these screenshots--they are very high quality, and hopefully the rest of the game will match.
 
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Screeg, VD is one of the power members over there at the Codex and was very active there before even starting this project. In fact he takes a lot of heat for his viewpoints there as well.

AoD is a way of putting his money where his mouth is, because we know how talk is cheap with all the criticism they dish out there. I for one give him a big thumbs up.

And not to mention, he's a pretty regular customer over here as well. He'll probably even post here after seeing this newsbit.

I know you are referring to Druid's comment on the thread of Omega Syndorme's demise but AoD doesn't qualify. VD definitely let's us know.
 
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I know you are referring to Druid's comment on the thread of Omega Syndorme's demise but AoD doesn't qualify.

Yes it does. VD doesn't bother to use any sites or promote his game in any way, it's mostly sitting in the Codex forums and just answering all question. He calls it "an experiment in PR" but it's mostly just letting the game be underlit. And that means it'll sell little. If he's fine with that, fine, but it's his own responsibility.
 
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Yes it does. VD doesn't bother to use any sites or promote his game in any way, it's mostly sitting in the Codex forums and just answering all question. He calls it "an experiment in PR" but it's mostly just letting the game be underlit. And that means it'll sell little. If he's fine with that, fine, but it's his own responsibility.
Not really. RPG Vault has posted an interview and two articles. We also did interviews with GameBanshee, NMA, and RPG Dot and a bunch of smaller sites (Russian, Spanish, and Italian, I think).

The Codex is the most critical place I know. The angry bastards tear everything I post to shreds, but that helps me improve the game's aspects, which is why I let it sit at the Codex first and "mature", and then I let other folks see it.

An article dedicated to AoD's environments and a new combat video are coming soon.

As for what I do, it works. I see the game being talked about on many forums (I counted 52 one day, but stopped keeping track of it later). I monitor where the hits come from and what people are saying. Some people hate it, some people like it, but that's how it always is. I've got 8 publishing offers, some with money upfront (against royalties). I do ok, Brother None, but thank you for your concerns anyway.

Lucky Day said:
And not to mention, he's a pretty regular customer over here as well. He'll probably even post here after seeing this newsbit.
I always check the Watch. Love the new site.
 
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I'd send some more screeshots to RPGWatch, just to make the game more known.

As official news, of course, not just hidden inside a thread. ;)
 
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I'll talk to Dhruin and see if we can come up with something interesting for the Watch's readers. Is there anything in particular you guys like to see or to read about? That's one of the perks of dealing with indie developers. We don't take your voting dollars for granted.
 
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The old point still stands though, with regards to your own website. You could do a lot more with it, with relatively little effort. Or recruit someone to do it. I don't mean constant news stories, background stories, and all that, that tends to look forced and even ridiculous with small indie projects if overdone. But a monthly or two-monthly update, occasional fresh screens, or design details, even rehashing things shown and said on the forums, would help to make the project look alive, would generate the occasional newspost (here and elsewhere) and just help raise awareness. Don't you think?
 
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The Codex is the most critical place I know.

Really?

The angry bastards tear everything I post to shreds, but that helps me improve the game's aspects, which is why I let it sit at the Codex first and "mature", and then I let other folks see it.

Don't you then end up with a game made for the Codex, and...not for anyone else? Your tastes are a bit discriminating, to put it mildly...

I see the game being talked about on many forums (I counted 52 one day, but stopped keeping track of it later). I monitor where the hits come from and what people are saying. Some people hate it, some people like it, but that's how it always is. I've got 8 publishing offers, some with money upfront (against royalties). I do ok, Brother None, but thank you for your concerns anyway.

I am mentally filing in question marks here. Being talked about is not the same as buzz, and buzz is not the same as sales, so you're not one but two steps removed from it, no matter how many publishing offers are thrown at it.

While I'm not concerned and think this marketing-from-below tactic might certainly work, it's pretty far removed from "a dead cert." Right now your guaranteed sales are a bunch of Codex users, and the other people are the types that says "looks great!" but will have forgot about it by the time it comes out. There's always the chance it does well in the indie term of creating its own dedicated fanbase (a la Spiderweb), but the reason marketing works as it works is because it never takes chances. This does not worry you?
 
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I'd offer working for you as I think that'd be a fun job that fits my skillset well, but I'm starting to get a bit stretched for time :D
 
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Really.

Don't you then end up with a game made for the Codex, and...not for anyone else? Your tastes are a bit discriminating, to put it mildly...
Well, you know what my own tastes are like. After all, I'm the Codex admin for a reason, and I'm well known for strong criticism of other games. If all of a sudden I make a game that bears the same old traits for the same old reasons (appealing to wider audience), that would be a little bit hypocritical, don't you think?

I'm making a game that I would like to play. If nobody but 100 Codex members buys the game, well, too bad. I'll know for sure that nobody likes to play these kind of games, and stop criticizing other games.

Anyway, would you mind clarifying the comment that games made for the Codex aren't for anyone else? What features would be so ... off-putting?

While I'm not concerned and think this marketing-from-below tactic might certainly work, it's pretty far removed from "a dead cert."
Few things in life are "a dead cert". Not every overhyped game sells well and, as we all know, John Romero failed to make everyone his bitch.

... but the reason marketing works as it works is because it never takes chances. This does not worry you?
Not at all.
 
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Personally, I'm so tired of marketing hype, marketing slang, marketing priorities and general marketing BS that it tends to have the opposite effect on me.( Jaded is the word I'm looking for here. ) I can't even read through a whole press release from any AAA title company without wanting to turn off my computer and learn to cross-stitch... However, my personal game buying habits won't make or break anyone.

Of course, exposure is definitely necessary. I don't think keeping it low key is a bad idea, especially while the game is still in development. The "Codex only" point is valid, though--I'd enjoy hearing more about AoD but if that's the only source, I'm probably only going to hear about it second hand in threads like this.
 
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Personally, I'm so tired of marketing hype, marketing slang, marketing priorities and general marketing BS that it tends to have the opposite effect on me.
I feel exactly the same way, which is why I'm trying something different here.
 
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Wow, forgive me for saying anything good about VD or Age of Decadence.
 
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OK, you're forgiven. While I think the low key approach is an interesting way to go VD, I'd suggest not going quite as low key. Keep your site updated and send out the occasional press release to sites like ours, simply to keep the game on people's radar.
 
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Corwin
Can't believe you forgave him so quick, I can usually stall a bit till he offers me a brewski! :)

-----------------------------------
I regestered at the codex to say, it looked great, so codex 100 +1. :)

Maybe VD doesn't have time to update regularly, maybe by keeping it mostly at codex it helps keep him grounded and maybe he is worried with too much hype it will invarably cost him more free time of development.
I.e. more emails to respond to, more threads, more updates and more interviews, all of which equal distractions.

See I just talk about him like he isn't here, so he doesn't have to respond. ;)
 
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Re: I've got 8 publishing offers, some with money upfront (against royalties).
Awesome! That's got to be encouraging after all that hard work.

All I was saying is: Throw us non-Codex surfers a bone.

Personally I think a lot of indie developers put too much faith in "viral marketing" and word-of-mouth. Indie RPGS are a very niche market. You've got to at least let people outside our little cult know about this stuff.
 
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Re: I've got 8 publishing offers, some with money upfront (against royalties).
Awesome! That's got to be encouraging after all that hard work.
Definitely, although at this point we aren't planning to use any publishers to distribute the game.

All I was saying is: Throw us non-Codex surfers a bone.
Will do. I realized my mistake and already talked to Dhruin.
 
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