How much humour for the game?

Story & Setting
#1

I was just reading following article at PCGAMER

http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/06/25/kings-of-comedy-the-flourishing-art-of-interactive-humour/

I’ve played The Stanley Parable and Jazzpunk. The latter was so damn funny and I noticed that I needed a friend sitting next to me to explain the whole movie references.

Now I’m wondering how much humour the game will include. I know that humour is quite difficult if it’s way too forced and scripted. A good reference for some decent medieval humour might be Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Still some original jokes might be nice to see. Humour is about surprise, about the unexpected. While many here in the forums ask for features or expect to see certain features, I’d rather prefer the unexpected.

In this article there’s this argument that players don’t care about humour but I do and many others do even if they don’t admit it. Humour is subjective, that’s for sure. And as long as the game or franchise does not include humour as a must-have feature, it’s not expected by the player either. And since I didn’t that topic around yet (or might have missed it):

What do you think about humour in the Medieval Age? What kind of humour can you work with? Puns, slapstick, sarcasm or jokes with exceptional punchlines?

@ the devs: What’s your position in this topic?

Cheerio,
Yuusou

#2

I bet czechs was joking a lot even in these ages. Humour is our speciality.

3 Likes
#3

Must admit I hadn’t thought of this at all. I love funny games, and I thoroughly enjoyed Portal and the Stanley parable. However, I probably won’t be playing this game because of it’s humor. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing a couple of jokes. It gets a bit boring when a game takes itself too seriously.

A self-aware social comment on the ridiculous level of detail this community cares about would be refreshing. For example a hunter and a soldier casually discussing belt-fastened/back-quivers.

#4

They can’t really take ‘the Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ approach on humor as it’s making fun of our view of the middle ages. I think that conflicts with the hole idea of realism and ruins the atmosphere (subtle Easter eggs excluded). But there are lot of things about medieval Europe that are hilariously stupid like animal trial. So i think the characters being serious about some of there customs and less so about others leaves a lot of room for the game to be funny.

#5

Maybe just some black humour here and there.

#6

Humour that arises naturally from the characters and situations is fine, but I don’t want to it to be full of anachronistic references to other games, TV shows etc. - that would destroy the atmosphere and any sense of realism. The odd, subtle in-joke would be OK, like having a minor character named and/or modelled after one of the devs.

As for medieval humour, my understanding is that it tended to be quite ‘crude’ for want of a better word - lots of physical comedy and slapstick, perhaps some wordplay as well. But that’s based on my knowledge of British history; Czech humour may have been completely different.

#7

I personally think that any references to anything would ruin the atmosphere. however there could be jokes about things that went on at the time. like maybe about how they lost 11 out of the 13 battles in the crusades or how Joan of Ark thought she could speak to God when only the Priests or the Pope could.

#8

Humour is always good In a game if its done right, For a realistic RPG there should be some, maybe a village idiot or jester etc. But to much would take away from what I think warhorse is trying to do.

#9

I guess there would a LOT of “humor” to the game…[Just a short asbtract…) Stating that the word is said to be originated by the Latin “(h)umores” (as far as I am remembering that… ), which word was used for the four body fluids, that were (later) supposed to ‘form the actual state of our mind’ showed by the actually mood one was in. Also (could be about 1300-1500) those fluids were supposed to be fed upon by certain demons…

coughs…

Erm… for the modenr use of humor, well, I don’t want a game that makes fun of itself, while trying to be honest to the player.
I won’t except a joke or funny reference where it is quite inappropiate…Also it might depend on character of the participating persons (NPCs)… Some do make a joke at a gallow’s pole, some won’t…

Re-reading some of the things written above, I guess msot of ye have a similar opinion and the topic of jokes…^^

#11

Geek shows? (is that what they were called? or is that a made-up thing for current day renaissance faires?)

I would not want to see Monty Python-esque humor in this game. I think it would be completely incongruous with the rest of the material.

Personally, the humor I enjoy in these types of games usually comes in off-hand remarks from “people-in-the-street” - short, subtle things that just kind of make you chuckle. For KCD, that would be perfect so long as the “joke” doesn’t reference something contemporary or is otherwise a joke that relies on our modern knowledge of a past time (though, actually, that might still work).

From my understanding of the period (which, I fully admit, is miniscule) humor tended to be (as @Helena mentioned above) crude, or among the more refined folks it was more about being witty to an almost obscure extreme.

Anyway, great topic. I think there’s always room for humor in almost any game, including this one, but as others have said it has to be done right, especially in a game that aims to be so authentic.

#12

I think i just though of a way to make some Monty Python style humor work. What if it happened on a stage or at least as part of a performance. Than it wouldn’t be a complete miss representation and just weird. The Black Knight scene is kind of slap stick or when the “french” throw things from there castle. Also the whole Arthur plot, set in the high middle ages instead of the early middle ages, is surprisingly fitting for a performance. After all they actually made those stories of Arthur and his knights up later in the middle ages and added there ideals about knights.

#13

One example of a game with great humor (if you paid attention to the dialogue) was Mafia II. This gives me great faith in Czech humor!

#14

Well, perhaps this was your point, but Mafia II is a good example all the moreso because Dan Vavra was one of the writers! :slight_smile:

#15

british humor circa 75 into the game? references to that are so overused, it’s already lost its originality and wit

some fresh czech offerings would be better imho

1 Like
#16

I think that if WH weare force the game to be funnyit were become a Fail. The Medieval wars not Funny, But i´m verry shure that it dont wars free from humor. also let Henry and the NPCs makes some Funny things(Henrys First Riding Leasson culd be verry funy i think) and tell some Joks abot Fat Lords:)

1 Like
#17

i almost forgot, in the prototype they show to potential publishers, the banter between the lords was very colorful. it is good writing, because you cna already tell social and political dynamics of the nobility from short scene as that. althought there is some akward things as well, like henry shaking his head when racek confuses about the sword. :wink:

i think humor such as that is fine, no need to meta humor ala monty python. natural humor is best, imho. in reality, not everyone is comedian, most people are funny in context. saying stupid things to peasants, like the priest, and being ribbed by someone of equal or higher nobility. it is a situational, contextual humor.

ok that is my view. humor is good enough, just need more time to develop. don’t force humor like sir robin ran away, blah blah. imho.

#18

Maybe there could be cynic soldiers mocking a sermon. I would also add medieval dentistry-based minigame -our Henry was a blacksmith so he was handy with pliers. Or he could try battlefield surgery, where a fellow wounded knight is matter-of-factly explaining how to use hemp wool and linen cloth from a sack of barley, to plug the stab wounds to his abdomen…

#19

Now that would be interesting!

#20

mmhh, it was more of the area of ​​the Medicus or barber, blacksmith only in emergencies. A little skill you had been lead to believe the patient. :wink:

#21

@213 We all can be verry happy that KCD is not the Next big Kabooom Blockbaster of EA, Ubisoft,or some Other big Publisher. I´m verry shure the Gys of WH wuld have now a mass of Change request on his Table Fat like a Phonebook. And KCD wuld be how Skyrim 2.0 or Dragonage 1.5 (If the Game weare rouls after Release) I m shure we weare become a Game from Gys they love his Job, for Adults. We were don´t become a mass of DLCs, The Programm on our PCs were don´t Spy us, And the Main Caracter were dont look like an Clown they want to look like Ones from his Age but for the Players looke like these ones

By this thats an Orginal Hessian from the Indipendance War

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