I would not say you should meet them later in the game, instead they should always be there. And they are if I remember correctly.
Yes, they are. Which is why the combat becomes mind-numbingly dull later in the game, there is no challenge because you fight the same enemies throughout. Which, to get back on topic, is why I personally also stopped playing the game. The bugs and glitches I could have lived with, but every aspect of the game becomes insultingly easy towards the end and I just got bored because the game had nothing up its sleeve to challenge me.
Just my playerâs advice:
I canât count the games that I own and that I have left unfinished: KCD is cerftainly not one among those In fact, I have even finished it (on Steam) without being bored once (and I have played a lot of mostly boring computer/video games since 1984!) I now plan to finish KCD a second time (on GoG), as there are enough gameplay options to keep the game interesting. The environment is the best that I have seen so far.
I understand that this is not a mainstream game though, and that the learning curve can be too hard (at the beginning) for young players (Cf. the amazing amount of negative advice on picklocking) and seem too easy or missing the point (later) to those who mostly enjoy the traditional RPG mechanics. But that is ok: scoring or levelling have never been what matters in Rpg/adventure games that touch new territories. The story and the environment usually are, and I must say that KCD well exceeded my hopes here.
About the realism (which was surprisingly controversial, again): first, I have a master degree in medieval history and I must say that I was very impressed. Not including PoC in a medieval game that is staged in the heart of Bohemia is not racism, this is common sense. Implying otherwise can considered as either: a. having a serious issue with a political agenda clouding oneâs judgement, b. stupidity, c. ignorance. Letâs be optimistc and think that there are more c. than b. than a. among us!
Of course, I also have requests and complains regarding this aspect of the game, but these are very minor compared to what KCD achieved. The game is also quite subtle and asks good questions without imposing a stance on the player. There is genuine humanity here, tainted with a bit of fatalism. There are lessons to be taught (or ignored, if one only judges by many comments that I have read on this matterâŠ) Last but not least, there is an interesting stance about religion and the church (which was, I think, the most difficult part to achieve for a âmedieval gameâ).
About the bugs: ok, there were a lot of bugs to begin with, but this flaw has more to do with the financial system abd (I am guessing here) with the limitations of the Cryengine than with the developperâs goodwill or talents. Released patches (at least on PC) continuously fixed those bugs and were quickly released by the team -btw, I canât wait for the next one.
In its current state, I donât thing that there are any widespread gamebreaking bugs left in KCD. And nothing prevents one unfortunate player to reload a past save and come around one of the minor bugs. All mechanics are working and the crime system (that had the most issues to begin with, I think) is now less punishing. Combat has also become more interesting when there is more than 1 opponent and is greatly enjoyable in 1 vs 1.
Now, I will come to the point: Daniel Vavra (sorry about the missing accent that I donât have on my keyboard) is right. I think that the game continues to suffer an unjust controversial campaign. Sadly, this seems to be the rule nowadays when you have different opinions or when you disagree with mainstream theology. If you read correctly, D. Vavra doesnât deny anything: he just points out that the decrease in the number of active concurrent players is normal for his game -or even better than for other AAA SP games (which is true).
Here are some stats: I have played more that 180 hours (I can only think of The Witcher 3 for catching me so long). By sheer enthusiasm, I have bought 4 copies of the game, including gifts, and I would gladly pay for any additional content and, of course, for any sequel that is released. Of course, I no longer spend most of my time playing this game, but that doesnât imply that I have a negative advice about it, or that my âdepartingâ was caused by bugs!
What I think is that only games that explore new territories -as KCD does- can now justify playing on PC and/or buying PC Hardware for gaming. For this reason, I would not advise to play KCD on console (if you have the choice, if not, go play it!). If you want to enjoy it in all its glory, go and fetch for yourself an I7-8700k or overclocked i7-7700k CPU + a GTX 1080Ti (these are by no means minimum requirements). If you canât afford this kind of hardware, donât hesitate to lower the settings: it will still be good. And if it still doesnât work properly for you, just wait to have the proper hardware⊠But come back. I would bet that in a few years, there will still be players enjoying KCD and being amazed by its avant-garde graphics, combat mechanics, and most enjoyable story and realistic environment as I was and still am.
(Ps. Sorry about the mistakes: English is not my mother tongue)
5 Likes
@CowabungaKid
A good game have not to be challenging all the way, instead it must have well written quests, an interesting story and story telling, an immersive world to explore with atmosphere. There are some of the best games of all time, where you donât even fight one single moment.
@Loack
You played video games since 1984 and left many unfinished, but bought 4 copies of The Witcher 3? For me this was one of the most boring and bad designed video games since I started playing games in 1999.
How do you think about the Gothic series then?
Its not vavras fault most gamers have ADHD and donât want games without xray vision, hoo-rah combat and explosions every two seconds. Iâm sure they went back to their CODs and Just Cause games
2 Likes
The problem with the story-telling aspect is that KCD leaves quite a bit to be desired in terms of characters.
The protagonist starts out as 5 ft 10 of solidified useless but can be turned into the god of death in 3 in-game days of training. His story is incredibly generic. On top of that, I found it very hard to identify with Henry because heâs such an immense moron. On several occasions he legitimately seems like a time traveller lost in the middle ages because he acts as if, despite being a young adult, he doesnât know the first thing about the social order in which he is placed. I did my best to roleplay and choose dialogue options and actions that were appropriate, but in the next cutscene Henry acts like heâs braindead again, trying to throw a lord and two knights out of a pub. This doesnât even have anything to do with being familiar with the feudal social order: if you work as a bouncer, you do NOT try to throw out the owner. Speaking of which, Hans is established as a smug, arrogant idiot who dislikes you and tries to screw you over at every turn and then, the next morning, heâs all friendly and insecure out of bloody nowhere. So while KCD has mostly managed to craft an atmospheric, charming and immersive game world, the storytelling suffers severely in that regard. And in that situation, yes, I would like to at least have challenging game mechanics.
4 Likes
Hi, I bought 4 copies of KCD including gifts to friend and brother (and greatly enjoyed The Witcher 3, nonetheless, for its true open world and second for its story and characters). Unfortunately, I never played The Gothic series. What do you think about them? I was told that they were really good, but the universe didnât attract me at the timeâŠ
Have you mastered every weapon in the game? i started out sword and shield but moved to bow and stealth. I would like to try out the club and master that weapon. We are so used to having a vast array of content and functionality that its a given in RPGs which is really taking away the very essence of what WH is trying to achieve. with the resources and funding i personally think they did one heck of a job getting a historically accurate game that relieves the past.
2 Likes
This is one thing which makes the pretense of KCD realism a lie. In RL, it took years to become an expert (max level) in archery/bows. In KCD, Henry can become an expert within a season
In KCD, Henry can kill everyone (incl seasoned Cuman mercenaries) in Pribyslavitz; in RL, 30 or so veterans vs 1 noob in medieval combat isnât going to have a sequel
In KCD, 1-2 guys in linen clothing and woodcutter axes try to attack a fully armored Henry with battle axe/mace/sword/recurve bow
In RL, Skalitz was sacked in March. In RL, there wasnât much food around and given the actual season, not in the abundance found in tavern/grocer inventory.
In KCD, there are hints and elements of realism, but realism itself in KCD is a fantasy
Thatâs the thing, though: why would I have to get good with every weapon? I can get through the entire game with bow and arrow alone, because they inexplicably work on people in full plate armour. Thatâs what I mean, the combat is so mind-bogglingly unbalanced and unrealistic. It would be great if, as my enemies become better equipped, I have to move away from one type of weapon, e.g. sword and shield, and get proficient with maces or war hammers because they are far more suited to fighting enemies in heavy armour. But itâs completely unnecessary. The skill system is so broken that there is no need to ever go that route.
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Hi, I would say that in the long time, it is the same in (almost) any video game (or movie, or artwork⊠I can only think of Arma 2 that would be more realistic) I played KCD without any in-game training until very late, and the fights were hard enough for me. I learnt the hard way. It became (too?) easy once I had paid for master strokes. Anyways, I can still be killed when fighting in normal conditions (i.e. not exploiting IA weaknesses) against 2-3+ heavy armoured opponents. Donât you?
If I donât position Henry right and if I exhaust stamina, I can absolutely die against 3 bandits/Cuman. But, thatâs the thing. In RL, Cuman captains were (roughly) the equivalent of an NCO (noncommissioned officer who understand combat to his core and has command over his fellas). In KCD, he doesnât behave accordingly so it takes him and 2 of his guys to create an existential threat against a noob. Thatâs just not right from a realism perspective
In KCD, for the sake of making the game playable, itâs fine. But, if one wants to pay more than lip service to notion of realism in KCD, these elements need tweaking (overhaul)
1 Like
@Loack
The Gothic series is the best video game franchise ever made. Especially the first two Gothic parts are the greatest RPGs you will ever experience. Everything was done right here and when you played Gothic, it will be hard for you to enjoy any other RPG. Gothic is completely unique. There is no other RPG that was made so well. This is the only true MASTERPIECE in every single aspect. But unfortunately you have to be german to understand the excellent voice acting. The english synchronization wonât cause such an atmospherical impact. Gothic also was the main indicator and inspiration for CDProjekt Red and their development of The Witcher 3. But they failed to work on the same level like Piranha Bytes in 2001 and 2002 who made Gothic with only 11 people and very low budget. Gothic 2 was done in one year, the expansion âNight of the Ravenâ was released another year later in 2003. Never play Gothic 2 without the great expansion!
Gothic was also a small inspiration for Kingdom Come. This never was officially said, but you feel it. Many of the people working at Warhorse like the Gothic series too.
Reading comprehension isnât exactly your strongest pursuit now, is it?
Talk about spreading fake news.
To paraphrase myself, KCD has lost 95% of itâs PEAK STEAM PC PLAYER BASE TO DATE. I posted proof of why I thought this was in an older thread in the Gameplay forum earlier. A fact you wouldâve noticed had you bothered to read it.
So making my earlier post crystalline clearâas reading comprehension most clearly IS NOT your strongest pursuitâIâll breakdown what I earlier said into more manageable pieces for you to better comprehend:
1.That 95% stat comes from STEAM PC GAMER DATA. SO IT ONLY APPLIES TO THE STEAM PC FAN BASE.
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According to Varva himself: 300,000 of the 500,000 game copies sold in the 1st 48 hrs of release was on STEAM. This means STEAM PC GAMERS MADE UP 60% OF KCDâS RECORD BREAKING SALES THE 1ST 2 DAYS OF GAME RELEASE.
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During that first week of release on STEAM, KCD had an all time player peak of 95,863 PC gamers. At time I posted the 95% stat, the number of STEAM PC GAMERS had dropped to some 4,700 players. And by that point, Steam had de-ranked KCD to the bottom third of its 100 popular games. This number has since dropped to 3,286 players aka some 3.5% to date. So date, this now means some 97% of STEAM PC GAMERS are no longer playing KCD. Which is why the game is DoA on Steam:
4.So my earlier post to this 95% stat did NOT refer to the entire KCD player base (which consists of any retail PC, digital PC aka Steam/GOG etc and console gamers). My earlier post summarized my concerns about the way I felt the game had been negatively trending. And that concern was also based on what I saw about increasingly angry gamer comments on other web forums.
5.So yes, this sort of player base loss is what happens when you release a game that Kickstarter fan boys have claimed was not meant to be a AAA title. Yet their (questionably non Indie status?) software dev somehow accidentally ended up releasing/marketing said non AAA title at a AAA title price tag. Then players begin to discover said (questionably non Indie status?) software dev lacks the appropriate organizational resources (aka manpower and/or money) to address the subsequent PR fallout AND address the game breaking bugs in a timely fashion AND lack the appropriate QA/QC personnel to insure the CORRECT VERSION of patches/hot fixes are released to players on places like Steam. Yes, this would be that infamous patch number that will not be named here. That same one which Varva so cavalierly tweeted about in a stupid meme
6.Re-direct whatever personal angst, frustration and disappointment you may have with KCDâs falling out among STEAM PC GAMERS to the correct source. And if youâre uncertain as to who this is, allow me to enlighten you. This is DANIEL VARVA. And oh ye, note that the only way youâre likely to gain his attention and/or get a direct response in real time, is to brave that toxic social medium called TW@TTER. Remember to do this in the future, instead of defaming forum members whom you donât personally know on here.
7.So you @Sterling-Archer personally have Varva and his failed strategic insight to thank on KCDâs PR fallout to date. If you hadnât been so blinded by your fanboy devotion, and/or actually bothered to venture out to other PC gaming web forums, you wouldâve noticed the growing level of player discontent/disillusionment with the game. More specifically, you would have noticed several recurring complaints about KCD and why PC (as well as self identified console gamers) were opting to quit playing the gameâŠ
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Whenever you make the mistake of invoking my name out of your mouth, youâd better make sure itâs 100% accurate. There is a legal term associated with that. Itâs called personal deformation and libel.
Iâm specifically calling you out on your Ad Hominem attack to personally smear me for this failed PR statistic. @Holt_Bathgate IS NOT THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY FOR THE REASON WHY THIS NEGATIVE/POTENTIALLY FATAL PR TREND FOR KCD EXISTS. THIS IS 100% THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WHS. MORE SPECIFICALLY THIS IS 100% VARVAâS ACCOUNTABILITY & RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE HE AND ONLY HE IS THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF KCD. THEREFORE HE AND ONLY HE COULD CHOOSE (FOR WHATEVER PERSONAL JUSTIFIABLE REASONS) TO RELEASE THIS TITLE AS A FINISHED GAME TO UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS â WITHOUT AN EXTENSIVE PUBLIC AND/OR IN-HOUSE BETA TEST PHASE. PERIOD.
AND NO, YOUTUBE PLAYTHROUGHS BY THE LIKES OF ESO AND/OR OTHER HIGH BORN RANKING KICKSTARTER NOBILITY I.E THE SAINTS/POPES/EARLS/BARONS ETC ETC WHO DID THOSE EARLY LIMITED FEATURE PLAYTHROUGHS DO NOT COUNT AS EXTENSIVE BETA TESTERS. IT IS THE UNSUSPECTING PEASANTRYâAKA KCD PLAYERSâWHO ARE THE TRUE KCD BETA TESTERSâŠAND WERE SUCKERED BY WHS INTO PAYING THEM $$$ TO DO IT! 
edit: btw KCD is no longer in the top 100 on Steam. Which means the majority of STEAM PC GAMERS are now oblvious to its existence. Which also btw, implies an official mod tool may not be released by WHS, since itâs going to be a challenge convincing the modding community aka PC GAMERS to come back.
BAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA , personal deformation :DDDDDDDDDDD
I look forward to your imaginary lawsuit. In the land of your imagination. you actual Bellend.
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Capon still running around in his underwear starting at the bathhouse quest and all thru the rest of the game including Robber Baron.
1.43 on lower end PC on mostly medium settings with crap for fps.
ya, that always amazes me. Stupid people with a death wish.
poor fight casting.
With a 100lb+ bow and bodkin pointed war arrow hitting at the exposed joints/face at 60m or less ya. But as you pointed out to muscle that tackle would take quite some time to get good.