Honest game design - talk by WH lead designer

Interesting talk by Viktor. Wonder if he talks the same way in Czech.

Anyhow, got a definite answer as to why no difficulty levels (that was a request a long time ago)

What’s interesting is how much design porn (unintentional or not) is in KCD:
(1) Cuman killer perk
(2) authopathing of horse
(3) Henry can overload himself and then ride a nearly overloaded horse without penalty
(4) infinite range whistling for horse retrieval

Arguably design porn (irrespective of cause)
(a) Cumans that aren’t experts at archery
(b) Cumans without mounted units
c) animals that act oblivious to existential threats (arrow hitting nearby)
(d) fast travel
(e) universal looting and resale
(f) limited collision physics (smashing into side of Rattay bathhouse wall at a gallop and still able to stay on Jenda)
(g) Henry detection and pursuit by enemy NPCs during bandit vs bandit/Cuman battles and when Henry is dressed up as they are (per Viktor, cheating; it might not be as bad as the circling example he gives but HTF do they know Henry’s not one of them when Henry is dressed the same)
(h) effectively limitless quiver capacity
(i) rapid, bear instantaneous marigold potion healing

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He does not speak the same way but faster because he is fluent in Czech.

Way more syllables per sec. some people just talk slow. obviously that’s not why Viktor speaks slow in English. Thx for sharing

He is funny.
We are definitely making the biggest RPG that was ever created. Currently it has 25GB and it is increasing.

The absolute best thing about KCD is weapon technique. I miss it immensely in other games.

In English, it seems like he’s trying to do a comedy skit with the cadence/delivery of Demetri Martin

When I am replaying KCD now, I really enjoy sword playing. Despite few issues, it is really revolutionary and I do not see how others do not like it. One thing is that you have to be locked on opponent (you can still hit him unlocked) and that may make people dislike it since Mount and Blade had it unlocked or they complain it is not responsive because it is not left click spamming combat-style.

I dislike locking and spamming. Last weekend, I redid the capture of Talmberg. There were times when I wasn’t going for a flurry of strikes but Henry just wouldn’t swing because the combat mechanics

If my swing is at a poor time, I want it to be a miss. But, I want to be able to swing when I hit swing

OK. One on one it is great, but multiple
 not so.

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No please, I like those things you call “porn” design, If ppl don’t want that “porn”, autolimit yourself, you can do it!

I.E: I love to fight/travel overloaded overloaded!

:sweat_smile:

Design porn is a Viktor-ism. Basically shorthand for cheating by design or effect. Making easier that is should be. False sense.

One example he gives is a snowboarding game (SSX) in which you can leave it alone and the game sends you down the mountain creating the illusion/fantasy that you’re doing some amazing snowboarding moves

Another example he gives of cheating is when game NPCs know where you are but act like they’re finding you (it’s a lie; they just follow an algorithm in which they travel in circles around you until it’s time to end the charade). I just had this in RDR2: found a canoe and paddled around a restricted territory to an adjacent one only to be killed (drowned) because I went too far or shot by the game after I escaped the OP lawmen and entered the other territory (bad enough getting shot by OP NPCs; it’s ridiculous when the pretense is gone
 no NPCs on HUD radar; mystery bullets just kill you)

Viktor says (paraphrasing) small studios can’t compete against the big ones with flashiness (explosions) so they need to do so by being honest, limit design porn (the BS illusions ubiquitous to mainstream game: auto-aim and the lawmen/bounty hunters spawning right next to you when you travel in ‘dead or alive’ areas of the map in RDR2 come to mind)

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