Someone got to try out the combat demo and posted his impressions along with screenshots here.
edit: Woops, RPGCodex is apparently censored on the forums. Too much 'forbidden language' on there anyway...
Here's the post with picture links:
Heavy connections within the Russo-Canadian Mafia allowed me to get my hands on a recent build of the Age of Decadence combat demo and I've been poking at it over the past week or so.
The demo, at least the version I've got, allows you to buy stuff from one merchant, distribute skill points, and speak to this guy to find out about the next battle.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4111994800_016b830cee_o.jpg
As you can see, LARP has gone the DEX/PER route, with Bow, Dodge, and Critical Strike getting the most attention.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4111994812_f46d60fb9d_o.jpg
Armor is kept light to avoid AP, Dodge, and Attack penalties as much as possible. The red numbers above show that I haven't completely managed to avoid them.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2727/4111994834_140b55b528_o.jpg
Check the merchant one last time and then it's off to the races.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/4111228237_024a986d76_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2524/4111228257_c02995c882_o.jpg
LARP gets the first turn due to relatively high DEX, not because she's a lady being played by a big hairy guy sitting around in his underwear (although that should count for something in a true RPG). The to hit % is slightly higher on the first shot as well. A 34% to hit even after the first turn boost does not bode well for the rest of the match.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2582/4111994900_e1dc6d915c_o.jpg
Sarpedon starts out throwing [censored] at me. He doesn't always connect, but does more often than not and makes sure I know about it.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/4111228287_ce26c62f4d_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4111994930_095088548e_o.jpg
So I do what any self-respecting archer would do: whip out the steel barbed arrows and start aiming for the legs. While barbed arrows aren't really the best choice against an armored opponent, it feels appropriate when trying to cripple someone. A touch of class.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/4111994944_0dc2c86450_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/4111994956_d20f64b9b0_o.jpg
I miss my first leg shot partly due to targeted shots having a lower chance to hit. However, after getting off a couple regular shots, I let him get close and manage to put one through the knee. Success!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4111994976_e53dcd6cd4_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/4111228373_c4c4c1056c_o.jpg
Of course, at this point he's right up on me with the spear, crippled or not. I try to slip away but being in his ZOC means he gets an attack of opportunity. My dodge fails and he hits me. One more hit and LARP is no more.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2637/4111228387_83401a4ef9_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4111995020_402fc7d782_o.jpg
Impressions and aimless [censored]ing:
Combat is solid, with different options (Fast Shot, Aimed Shot, changing ammo, etc) providing my archer a decent amount of control over each encounter. Luck, however, still plays a role at times so don't be surprised to see a perfectly played battle turn into a cluster[censored] with one critical hit. Didn't see any defensive options (thinking along the lines of some sort of "ready" stance that uses some or all of your AP in a turn in exchange for being harder to hit or make it easier to block incoming blows).
This particular match was my ninth so far, all of them up to this point being against single opponents except for one foursome (1 vs 3). The multiple opponent battles, such as the one against two Ordu following the one above, are welcome change-ups and definitely raise the tension level. Here's to hoping that encounter design in the full game doesn't rely too much on 1 vs 1 combat.
About difficulty: most of the battles were finished after the first or second try, although the one above took several reloads (had trouble hitting the bastard while he had no trouble hitting me) and I still haven't beaten the battle with the two Ordu that follows. And you can't save during combat so blow-by-blow save spamming won't help, not that I would ever do such a thing...
Graphics are acceptable, nothing special and nothing to complain about. You've all seen them by now. I do get some funky graphical glitches from time to time (the bottom of the bow disappearing or stretching down to the character's feet, skin stretching from one leg to another, ceilings behaving badly), but nothing problematic. Plus, I'm using a rather flaky AGP card so these issues could possibly be on my end. Animations are satisfying and believable (i.e. dodging looks like dodging, getting hit looks like getting hit, falling over dead looks like falling over dead, etc).
On a non-graphics presentation issue, there was something "off" on seeing some characters say (through floating text) "I'm gonna [censored] you up!". Not to imply that naughty words don't ever have a place in games, but this particular example doesn't fit the setting and feels more unintentionally goofy than hard-bitten or callously brutal.
» Sat May 28, 2011 7:24 pm 
