This one’s gonna be bad…
I play KCD as a man at arms, with a goal to master all physical traits (strength, agility, vitality) and all melee skills (defense, warfare, sword, axe and mace).
To do so I engage in several skirmishes, mostly with stronger opponents (armored bandits), whom I hunt for in the wilderness.
The last game update has brought some tweaks in the combat system, which as I see it, were meant to make battles (not single combat) more challenging, which is fair. I will list below some of my gripes with the current state of affairs.
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Enemies try to surround you. They always did, now however most of them will keep running to get in position now.
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Enemies have a different stamina system, seemingly independent from their health. I don’t go around browsing in game files, I wouldn’t know how if I wanted to. On the other hand I can learn from observation. Just yesterday I left an opponent with less than 5% health bar passed out on the ground and went to engage another. Just as I killed the other opponent, that bastard got up and sprinted for a good 200m before dropping dead from bleeding. As he ran, I followed, I ran out of stamina before him, despite having 75% health 20 all physical stats, as well as comparable encumbrance. This is the most striking account showing enemies don’t have their stamina dependent from health, but there are many others.
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=(1+2) Enemies will try to surround you, they will run to do so, and they will never tire of running, despite all the armor and the summer sun. Skirmishes with multiple opponents now resemble being a piece of manure being swarmed by flies. You can only spam Q for riposte, and hope for the RNG to throw out a number, which will allow you to deal damage with a riposte (as opposed to the counter productive “throw around” ripostes").
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Tackling behavior was modified. Opponents within 30 degrees from the cursor will throw you around like a rag whenever you try to move sideways. This cannot be replicated by the player, and has no other goal than making the game harder (and less realistic, but so do other points so far).
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Blindsiding. It depends on what the “victim” is targeting. The player will be blindsided by all opponents beyond his FOV, which is fair, but doesn’t go both ways. Enemies can be blindsided ONLY if they’re targeting another oponent. Enemies will routinely defend, parry and riposte agains blows coming >100 degrees away from the center of their FOV, or even from behind. Also enemies always manage to get a combo when blindsiding.
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Movement assistance and hindrance: the game will at times teleport the enemies closer for a riposte or prevent you from leaning away or getting closer to extend your reach. Also seems rigged against the player and without any logical explanation.
I recognize the authors’ efforts to make the PC less godlike in an effort to enhance realism, but this this less update (which introduced only a few of these mechanics, but incorporates them all) only makes the game less fun and less realistic.
Honestly and with all due respect, if any of you guys and gals at Warhorse read this: if I wanted to watch a bunch of guys running in circles like idiots, I’d watch an episode of Benny Hill.
PS: these encounters with multiple opponents are still very beatable. Just make a sequel with a better combat system instead of breaking the current system to discourage players from going in all Leroy Jenkins. I like going in all Leroy Jenkins, that’s why I play your game and level up my character to make it possible. This isn’t realistic, but it’s fun. Combat after your last update is neither.