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

[The Wall]

#1 thing that sells any game/entertainment product is vibe. You might like or dislike that fact, but that's first thing you low-key recognize. If this has vibe of Stargate planet in Bronze Age Era with Reptilians, Intelligent Apes, Nehelim Giants, Space Egyptians and Conan Humans waging war with Cthulu in background and occasional rare star ship from parallel universe landing, that would make neat random encounter, then this will be great. Just remember: have as good and addictive gameplay as Battle Brothers

Also be as much pessimistic nihilist as you are in RL, but allow few rays of hope to shine through your pessimism. Will do wonders for your sales

 

[luj1]

chargen copied from Fallout

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

Because it's low effort system design. Even some traits are copy pasted. ATOM did the same thing, which is shameful. That's why these games end up mediocre, they have no originality. If you don't understand this it's your shame. After replaying Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics countless times, I don't wanna see that shit. I'll just go replay the original once a year. You are making a new game *inspired* by something, not copying.

 

[The Wall]

chargen copied from Fallout

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

Because it's low effort system design. Even some traits are copy pasted. ATOM did the same thing, which is shameful. That's why these games end up mediocre, they have no originality. If you don't understand this it's your shame. After replaying Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics countless times, I don't wanna see that shit. I'll just go replay the original once a year. You are making a new game *inspired* by something, not copying.

Devs should make many throw-away super short games in game jams every year, and use them as testing grounds for new and exotic RPG systems. All games free to try for Players and see if they like the idea.RPG Codex should host such event annualy. Alas, our Grand Vizier Infinitron is too busy spending website bucks and his work hours on shilling shite like Avowed and banning those who don't have Josh Sawyer tatooed on their heart

Devs are afraid of experimenting with untested RPG systems on the live market, that's the reason why they stay so close to tried and tested formulas like OG Fallout. That can be changed

 

[luj1]

Yeah like Quake websites that have mapping jams, etc. Great idea but Idk if the staff can pull it off

 

[0sacred]

Lovecraftian bronze age tactical RPG you say? Someone must have been reading the codex. Consume product!

 

[NorwegianWolf]

• Procedurally-generated quests to keep you entertained
• ...
• Crafting and alchemy, AoD style; magic weapons and armor

In open or semi-open world I prefer to be entertained by collectacthons, than by procedurally generated quests.

Crafting and alchemy - I just hope for it to be meaningful and well thought. Crafting is fun if there are some tough(ish) decisions. For example there is some unique ingredient, and one may sell it for lots of money, deliver it to university and receive knowledge/wisdom, craft a weapon from it, craft great armor from it or craft a powerful potion from it.

 

[Raghar]

but will it be as shit as battle brothers?

What was shit on bottle brothers, with exception of difficulty scaling?

 

[Moaning_Clock]

I'm very happy about these news, another Iron Tower game is always welcome. It still kind of amazes me how fast Dungeon Rats was developed (around a year if I remember correctly?) and it was great - so seeing this being way bigger is absolutely incline.

 

[0sacred]

The game will have plenty of dialogues, of course, but no speech skills and no diplomatic solutions.

Wading through ITS level writing when you know it's absolutely going to end in combat sounds like a great idea

 

[Haba]

The game will have plenty of dialogues, of course, but no speech skills and no diplomatic solutions.

Wading through ITS level writing when you know it's absolutely going to end in combat sounds like a great idea

Then you'll be teleported to another conversation, followed by combat.

I think we're being trolled here.

 

[Maculo]

You have to nail art style, atmosphere, vibe and mood of this. Bronze age brutal low magic multi-species lethal world with Battle Brothers gameplay? Could be FUCKING GREAT! Make sure 66% fighters are lesbians with bright hair colours, 33% are Diddy looking niggas and 1% is hwhite stoic man with negro baby carrying on his back. Self-insert for CONSERVATIVE Stoic Devs. Multi-racial bronze age tribes, women as all the leaders, skinny female champions, gay shamans summoning Cthulu to finger their asses, nomad women riding horses, their husbands riding behind them holding them tightly around waist so they don't fall off. I expect in 30sec from the moment I click [New Game] to see grizzly female blacksmith forging legendary bronze dildo

TIL that The Wall was a BioWare employee this entire time.

 

[MicoSelva]

Looks interesting. Will be watching it closely. Good luck!

 

[BlackAdderBG]

imagine how good it would be with tokens

Can't tell if sarcasm, but combat can be done very well with decent token animations and cool portraits. Trials of Fire ( https://store.steampowered.com/app/1038370/Trials_of_Fire/ ) is a game that was just satisfying to click in the vain of Battle Brothers. Age of Fear series also had decent albeit of lesser quality token combat.

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

I bought like 4 copies of Colony Ship to help the developer. What have you done lately to help ITS?

Thanks,
Pooper

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Great announcement! I really hope that also means that VD will come back to posting here more regularly.

 

[Ol' Willy]

chargen copied from Fallout

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

Because it's low effort system design. Even some traits are copy pasted. ATOM did the same thing, which is shameful. That's why these games end up mediocre, they have no originality. If you don't understand this it's your shame. After replaying Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics countless times, I don't wanna see that shit. I'll just go replay the original once a year. You are making a new game *inspired* by something, not copying.

You either are out of your mind or didn't play it at all, CS plays very differently to Fallout

 

[Night Goat]

non-men races

The name already had me thinking about the Second Apocalypse novel series, and this seems like it could be a nod to that.

 

[luj1]

chargen copied from Fallout

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

Because it's low effort system design. Even some traits are copy pasted. ATOM did the same thing, which is shameful. That's why these games end up mediocre, they have no originality. If you don't understand this it's your shame. After replaying Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics countless times, I don't wanna see that shit. I'll just go replay the original once a year. You are making a new game *inspired* by something, not copying.

You are either out of your mind or didn't play it at all, CS plays very differently to Fallout

Well you just can't read, can you

I said the character system aped Fallout, like ATOM did

CS doesn't play like Fallout, it plays similarly to AoD, like I said, and that's why it had mediocre success. The devs' heads are still stuck in AoD conceptually

 

[Ol' Willy]

I said the character system aped Fallout, like ATOM did

Fallout has heroic feats? Learn by use skillz? Separate evasion and armor skillz?

 

[ghostdog]

It's obvious this is a side game, quickly made to raise money for Colony Ship 2. Iron Tower's main appeal for me is their writing and quest structure, and this game will have none of that.

 

[Vault Dweller]

It's obvious this is a side game, quickly made to raise money for Colony Ship 2. Iron Tower's main appeal for me is their writing and quest structure, and this game will have none of that.

No, we're going all in on this one.

 

[Haba]

It's obvious this is a side game, quickly made to raise money for Colony Ship 2. Iron Tower's main appeal for me is their writing and quest structure, and this game will have none of that.

No, we're going all in on this one.

Which of you still has hair to sell and who doesn't need the second kidney?

 

[Goral]

This game will have to be significantly cheaper than CS and as a result will have to sell much better than CS (which seems unlikely for a BB clone, I'm guessing it will sell like Dungeon Rats). Either way, it's not a game I look forward to since BB bored me but I wish you luck. I would really like to see your Inqusition game but that seems impossible now (even if by some miracle this game will sell enough).

 

[Tao]

GOTY already in my book.

"...not be a full-scale RPG..."

Ok nevermind, still day one.

 

[Dayyālu]

You had me at Bronze Age.

I do have some questions, so pardon me.

What do you exactly mean with Bronze Age? What are your inspirations? Are you going for a pop feeling of Bronze Age or try to be grounded in costume/culture but with fantasy elements? I'm not saying one approach is superior to the other, I'm simply curious about the overall direction.

How are you going to approach the typical Battle Brothers/Tac game problem of "do perfect or die", meaning that setbacks are exceedingly difficult to come back from and could cost you time you can't afford? Your previous games had clear pride in crafting engaging but lethal combat encounters.

How do you envision the "strategic layer"? Free roaming like Battle Brothers? More static menus and dialogues?

If I have to make a single point, in this day and age "Lovecraftian" is more of a minus than a plus. The well is far beyond poisoned and I'd bet people could simply enjoy Dark Fantasy trappings and original creations. Maybe it's marketing-speak but ....