Demise: Ascension (Real Time D&D'er)

[wanderer27]

I've been holding off on posting about this game for a long time, as it's been in development for possibly longer than Duke Nukem Forever
I actually did a bit of Beta testing on this one back in 96 on a much earlier version.
I purchased the Open Beta version last year, and have played it off and on since then with no issues.

This is basically a Dungeon crawler, more along the lines of the old Bard's Tale or Wizardry series, only this one plays out in real time (in the Dungeons).

There's a Town mode, with a shop(s), Guilds, Zoo/Creature store, Oracle, and a few others.

There's a Castle, where the Main quests are given (minor ones are also given at Guilds), and a Bounty Board (this is pretty cool).

Considering the age, the Dungeon graphics are actually pretty good, however the monsters are a bit dated, but they're passable.

I'm briefing over this, because this game has a lot to it.

This game will kill you in many different ways, and won't pull any punches.

The Official Site:

http://www.decklinsdemise.com/index.htm


Here a recent Article/Review on the History and about the game:

http://www.indiegamemag.com/demise-the-little-legacy-rpg-that-wouldnt-go-away/


Oh, I forgot one other thing:

Unique in many ways, Ascension is also, as with the original game, playable solo – or in a multiplayer mode, on a home network or over the internet. A game server is included and you may play on your or another server with up to 15 friends.

There is a Demo & activation Code available in the Article (second Link) if you want to run the game too get a better feel for it.





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[SZLiao214]

How do you take over 16 years to make a game?

If i can get a few other friends interested then i will probably give this a try.

 

[Chiropteran]

I'm not really concerned about the graphics, and it does look interesting, but I find it hard to justify those prices for an indie game like this.

If it was $9.99 or less I could consider, but I don't think I'd spend $30+ for such a game.

 

[Throckmorton]

This game looks like it's from 1995

 

[wanderer27]

How do you take over 16 years to make a game?

If i can get a few other friends interested then i will probably give this a try.

The "Original" game Demise: Rise of the Ku'Tan came out around 2000, with ~31 Dungeon levels of 45 x 45.
If you're familiar with Bard's Tale, I believe those Dungeons were 20 x 20, just to give an example of the scope and size.

This (Ascension) is basically the same game with tons of fixes, and additions, as well as expanding the game to ~36 levels or so (I'm not sure on the depth) at 90 x 90.

That's effectively more than four times the size of the original, and the original is absolutely huge.

On the second Link the guy has a 30 minute video intro showing off some of the game. If you watch it, you'll notice he has a few errors - I believe he forgot to run the Video/Sound setup as I've never seen those.

EDIT: Oh, and he has equipment for his Character, but he forgot to "Equip" it.

He shows quite a bit, but he barely scratched the surface to what there is.


Yes, the game is pricey, but there's an enormous amount of material here.
I've played this game off and on for years, and I'm still finding new stuff, and I don't think I'll ever be a "God" on the lower levels . . . they are tough.



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[wanderer27]

This game looks like it's from 1995

It actually began around 1994 with a few revisions and name changes.

It was initially targeted to be an A or AA Title at the time, but they ran into financial issues.

The Rights were sold off to Decklin, an he's done the development of Ascension with a small Team.



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[wanderer27]

With the current sale going on at GamersGate for the next week or so (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2270428) there may be some interest in this game.

Since initially posting this thread I think most of us have been exposed/played Legend of Grimrock, and this game is very similar to that, but is actually far more involved/indepth.

Obviously the graphics aren't up to the level of Legend of Grimrock, but they're quit passable (the Dungeon actually looks pretty good).

This game has both Single Player and Multiplayer mode, and includes the Server code to set up your own MP Server
If you don't want to set up your own Server, there are multiple active Servers around that have been up for years which you can find out about on Decklin's forums.

Now, back to why I resurrected this thread (besides the sale), I ran across this video giving a fairly good overview for those that want more info on this game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkPfcaBE7Iw&feature=related


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[Kalmah]

That website looks like a geocities website from the 90's. It leaves a bad impression for the game, and to be honest I don't feel like trying to navigate it.

I don't understand how somebody could put over 10 years of their life into something then skimp on the website. They have a product, then they showcase it on a disfunctional turd.

 

[shortylickens]

That website looks like a geocities website from the 90's. It leaves a bad impression for the game, and to be honest I don't feel like trying to navigate it.

I don't understand how somebody could put over 10 years of their life into something then skimp on the website. They have a product, then they showcase it on a disfunctional turd.

The final product doesnt look as good as Baldurs Gate or the last couple Might & Magics.

 

[wanderer27]

The final product doesnt look as good as Baldurs Gate or the last couple Might & Magics.

Different type of animal here really.

Demise is a First Person real time-ish type Dungeon crawler, whereas BG & MM are Iso's.
Graphics are good/passable, this one's more about gameplay.

Legend of Grimrock is a closer likeness to Demise.

For $4 (plus two other games) it's an unbelievable steal right now if you like these type games.
I paid over $30 for it, and I've been playing it for years with no regrets.


I know some folks were looking for some cheap Multiplayer games a while back, and this one has what it takes to meet that as well for a long time.

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[CPA]

This game looks like it's from 1995

Hell, the website looks like it was from 1995.