Game News Iron Tower's next game is Heralds of the Third Apocalypse, a Lovecraftian bronze age tactical RPG

[Agesilaus]

Tags: Heralds of the Third Apocalypse; Iron Tower Studio

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/648410/view/499439875179675800

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As you probably know, our next project will not be a full-scale RPG (like Age of Decadence and Colony Ship). If it's the first time you're reading about it, here's why:​

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Colony Ship sold well (for an obscure indie RPG), but not enough to pay for a more ambitious and complex sequel. The plan was not to do another story on the same ship, but to continue the story after planetfall. Such a game - such a new world with everything that entails - would have required a bigger team and a much bigger budget. We simply don't have the resources to undertake that now, but hopefully we can come back to it later.​

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So we're in a situation where we can 'go the distance' and handle a 4-5 year long project, provided we keep the costs low and focus on combat, i.e. a complex tactical RPG. We know that some people will be disappointed, but it's either that or shutting down for good. So let's roll the dice one last time and see what happens.​

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Keep in mind that we're starting to work on it just now, so many things can and will change over the next few years (and many things will go wrong). The purpose of this post isn't to drum up some excitement but to let you know what we're working on now and what the goals are:​

• Lovecraftian bronze age populated by humans, non-men races, and eldritch horrors
• Semi-sandbox, roam anywhere but be aware that some dark corners of this land will be more dangerous than others
• Three mutually exclusive main questlines with plenty of choices (including switching sides)
• Procedurally-generated quests to keep you entertained
• Colony Ship style feats (and skill points) on level up plus feats earned in various events.
• 10-12 character levels plus mastery levels that don't grant any feats.
• AoD style combat (action points, different attacks, focus on melee) but with a hex grid.
• Spellcasting (think fighters dabbling in magic rather than DnD wizards unleashing pyrotechnic hell)
• Crafting and alchemy, AoD style; magic weapons and armor
• Party size 6, recruit as many as you need if your comrades (or should I say battle brothers?) fall in battle
• Colony Ship's death timer with feats detailing the worsening effects of your near-death experiences
• Runes carved into the flesh of your comrades (think Colony Ship's implants)

So, that's the plan. Will we get there? I'd say 50/50, if we're being honest. Unlike the sequel to Colony Ship, this project is actually doable but doable and easy are two different things. Colony Ship will remain the budget generator for this project, so hopefully it will continue selling and see us through.​

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Now you're up-to-date!​

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please consider 5th/early 4th century bc rather than bronze age, I have been revisiting the Herodotus -> Thucydides -> Xenophon trilogy as audiobooks and am nearing the end of them, I need fantasy spartan empire.

Although... I haven't played a game with Minoans... confirm the women will be wearing historically accurate outfits?

 

[BobTheWizardFromWichita]

Battle Brothers is one of my favorite games ever, and Iron Tower is one of my favorite studios. So I will be happy to support you guys on this as soon as you're ready to ask for money.

I will say though, I think it's going to be hard to follow Battle Bros both in terms of quality and sales. Turn-based tactics is a crowded space. I also wish this was taking place in the Age of Decadence setting since that was cool and unique. As opposed to Lovecraft which has been done to death.

If they don't nail art style for this, they'll hammer the cross on the grave of Iron Tower Studio. Colony Ship sold badly because they didn't nail art style. It was 90% dark, dull and same. Do the exact opposite this time. Battle Brothers is success because it is symphony of it's style, gameplay and writing. And you fucking believe in that world

Likely a more significant factor in its poor sales was its dearth of saphic depictions. Girl on Girl always makes things better.

 

[Takamori]

I liked Colony Ship it has IT charm not gonna say its the best story ever told but it was a pleasant time there, also I played with a mindset where it was a really resource limited studio but one person liking it don't make the sales go up sadly.

As for this new adventure, being a Battle Brother enthusiast I hope you can replicate the feel. Of being invested with your team, make victories feel satisfying, have a cool itemization rolling where maybe a Pyrrhic Victory can be worth the sacrifices and help rebuild your team, have grand optional challenges that maybe only few will be able to overcome, make the team resource management and HR management satisfying and so on.
Is this game gonna be balanced around Iron Man experience? Is it gonna be 3D or you guys moving to more "simpler" graphics?

Also interesting choice of a game, saw recently Obsidian team wanting to do a Tactic games like battle brothers also. Hope it means the market being flooded with Tactics options

 

[Maldoror]

Bronze age Lovecraft? Can we expect Conan as an influence? There was something particularly compelling to me about Conan encountering monsters beyond even his comprehension (such as in The God in the Bowl) and temporarily losing his mind.

 

[Bastardchops]

Cleveland Mark Blakemore, do you have any objection to Vince using the word "Heralds" in his new RPG's title?

Was hoping I was going to read a description of this game as a story-intense open world Lovecraft with tactical combat similar to FO3 but right in the middle the guy flashes a huge disappointing summary that made me want to buy his game never.

Guess it is up to me or it will never happen. The big studio efforts (which I paid full price for on XBox) were total crap.

P.S. Actually recently I was thinking open world Lovecraft with RE3/RE4 style using a mix of third person and camera angles might be the perfect take on it. With RE1 super simple mapping abstracted to "complete" areas critical items etc. so you could not miss important stuff and exploration. Big Miskatonic University campus as the central starting area with METROID style discovery of many areas on campus revealed over the course of the game. .... message like "You don't need to go to the West Campus labs yet, you better head out for Arkham Mansion as your current mission indicates is your destination." etc. plus NPC followers that change dynamically. As in when going to a case involving a strange ectoplasm you take the "anomalous materials expert" with you.

You could also see what kind of gaslighting headfuckery you could sneak in, in the way Eternal Darkness did. Although Eternal Darkness made it obvious.

 

[Gruia]

Another demonic game. Vomit. Why is it hard to create something holy and inspiring

 

[Maldoror]

Another demonic game. Vomit. Why is it hard to create something holy and inspiring

Go play Super 3D Noah's Ark.

 

[FA7]

Hope you will make it! Best of luck!

 

[Zanzoken]

Colony Ship sold badly

Did it? While I know the team was probably hoping for more, Colony Ship has over 2700 reviews on Steam, which estimates probably between 100k and 150k units sold. It has almost caught up to Age of Decadence in number of reviews despite AoD being a much older game that has been in the bargain bin for years.

I think the studio found their audience, but ultimately realized it's just not possible for them to create a full scale cRPG within the time and manpower dictated by their potential earnings. Maybe pivoting to this Battle Brothers type game is a better business play. At least they won't be competing with Overhype themselves, who have moved on to their next game, Menace (which is quite a bit different than BB and looks like a steaming pile of shit imo).

 

[Beastro]

I commend you for your honesty in laying out the dire straits ITS is in, why you're making this, and what will happen if it fails. Whatever happens, it's good to see a gaming company being open like that.

Another demonic game. Vomit. Why is it hard to create something holy and inspiring

This is an Iron Tower game, everyone's gonna be cynical and out to use you.

Leave them to play to their strengths (VDs trauma of working in business).

The plan was not to do another story on the same ship, but to continue the story after planetfall.

If you survive to make another game after this, I hope you look to revisit the AoD setting. I think it's what you're known for, and giving more of that in an improved game will help with sales.

My only reluctance with that is if you plan to revisit AoD after the above mentioned CS sequel because you want to make a reveal that the CS planet is actually the AoD planet like everyone suspects is the case... but you could always switch those around, maybe~

 

[Beastro]

Cleveland Mark Blakemore, do you have any objection to Vince using the word "Heralds" in his new RPG's title?

Heralds of the Third Winged Apocalypse

 

[Maldoror]

Bought Colony Ship since it's on sale and I hate to see any RPG studio shut down. Seems fun so far but what psychopath thought mapping the movement button to right-click was a good idea? Are you fucking nuts?

 

[Wasteland]

I'm not really a fan of the Lovecraft motif, but I'll buy this. Just let me know when.

 

[MrBuzzKill]

chargen copied from Fallout

Not sure why you keep saying that like it's a bad thing

 

[Reinhardt]

Our inspiration is Battle Brothers,

legs or no legs?

 

[SixDead]

Our inspiration is Battle Brothers,

legs or no legs?

With legs but no hands, animation is cheaper this way

 

[Reinhardt]

imagine how good it would be with tokens

 

[Haba]

And combat that is actually good and fun.

 

[Darth Roxor]

but will it be as shit as battle brothers?

 

[Reinhardt]

i see roxor still butthurt

 

[Zariusz]

Our inspiration is Battle Brothers, and while we aren't going to copy it blindly, procedurally generated quests are part of its design core.

Man FUCK YEAH!!!
What a badass setting, and just when so many thought you were done for. I always wanted a bronze age crpg, for whatever reason Tyranny was described as one but regardless of the game itself it obviously wasn't, there was that Runequest project by Black Shamrock or whatever it was called that either died or became a vapourware.

Also what is your plan for armor designs for this game? I really hope you will get inspired by historical bronze age armaments (its so unique looking but practically no one is using it) rather than going for boring iron age but its bronze now or even worse, fantasy but it sometimes has bronze like Tyranny. The potential is infinite , from early bronze age to maybe even beginning of early iron age, from savages with stone daggers and axes to bronze swords and spears, from painted skin and bone armor to god kings in badass bronze panoplies.

You could even add andean stuff for variety since they were practically an early bronze age society in all but name.

This literally my only chance to play a proper bronze crpg, please dont fuck it up!

 

[The Wall]

I have an opposite take from the previous poster, I think Colony Ship looked TOO good. Meaning, I feel a lot of time/energy/moneys was spent on making art assets, which maybe hurt the game in terms of scope and C&C.

I'm not confidently saying that, since I have never made a game myself, I'm just saying I'd prefer a bigger and deeper game that looks more basic (while having its own distinct style) to a shorter and better-looking one

Agreed. You might have misunderstood me: my criticism of Colony Ship looks was not aimed at amount of effort or asset variety but style. Too dark, too dull and worst of all too same. 2D would have been much better. In Bronze Age setting 2D feels at home. 3D can be good too, but you gotta NAIL! the atmosphere

 

[The Wall]

Multiple intelligent species, not only huMANS, it's BRONZE AGE setting and it's huMANS dear Devs, might imply Reptilians, Nehelim, various Stargate factions etc. Old Testament ft Stargate vibes. That would be more then awesome

 

[SixDead]

Aztec pyramid makes me think about Quantari. Could it be AoD setting? There were talks about potential sequel in Quantari lands.

 

[The Wall]

Colony Ship sold well (for an obscure indie RPG), but not enough to pay for a more ambitious and complex sequel. The plan was not to do another story on the same ship, but to continue the story after planetfall. Such a game - such a new world with everything that entails - would have required a bigger team and a much bigger budget. We simply don't have the resources to undertake that now, but hopefully we can come back to it later.​

​

So we're in a situation where we can 'go the distance' and handle a 4-5 year long project, provided we keep the costs low and focus on combat, i.e. a complex tactical RPG. We know that some people will be disappointed, but it's either that or shutting down for good. So let's roll the dice one last time and see what happens.​

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Colony Ship sold badly

Did it?

"So let's roll the dice one last time and see what happens". It sold better then BG3 bro! Plus in Canada they have to pay for cleaning of the streets of Indian migrant street shitters, for Ukranian soldiers to bravely die in already lost war, for censorship, for surveillance, for Justin Trudo's black face makeup, for free transgender surgeries for kids. Colony Ship and Iron Tower as Canadian tax payers are funding all of this and much more. They had to sell million of copies so that in their next game, in 5 years (by which time we will have AI GameMaker models which will generate any game you imagine on fly) we will have yet another CYOA game but this time when you click to teleport there will also be a small cinematic how you walk towards next Quest NPC. Peak RPG Design