Game Kingdom Come: Deliverance before its release attracted hundreds of thousands of players around the world. It’s amazing how the vision is only one person capable of uniting people together. Now I talk about Czech game designer Daniele Wavre, which gave us video game Hidden & Dangerous and Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. After his departure from the company he founded 2K self — Warhorse Studios, and engaged in the development of medieval role-playing game. That’s about it today, we’ll talk with a PR project Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling.
Hi-News.ru: During the Kickstarter campaign you stated that the game will be in three acts, but initially will be only the first act. You still adhere to this model? Or since plans have changed?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Yes. Initially, the concept was just that. But during the development we came to the conclusion that the game is so big that it made no sense to split it into separate chapters or acts. In the end, the game became even more than we promised during the Kickstarter campaign.
Hi-News.ru: whether the game is localized in Russian language, and if so, should I wait for localization simultaneously with the release of the game in other countries?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Yes. Our friends from the Russian publisher “Buka” will help us in this, and in full working on the translation of the game. Russian localization will be available simultaneously with the release of the game worldwide.
Hi-News.ru: And what exactly will be translated into Russian: text or voice too?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: we have only translated subtitles in Russian language. Speech about the Russian dubbing was not.
Hi-News.ru: do you Plan to support mods for your game? As see, for example, to release SDK for modders or to include in the game support Steam Workshop?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: After release – by far. We really appreciate our community, including many modders. But do not know how to make it easier and more convenient. We definitely want it and after the release of the game will immediately deal with this issue. The game is created on the engine CryEngine, and we have to do something with how to create under it like tools. The engine we really like, but it was originally not designed for games such as ours. More for corridor shooters. So we have to actively add it to your needs. Change the time of day, dynamic NPCs, artificial intelligence – all of this you have to create yourself. So every day we call the “hot phone” support Crytek, to learn from them how we can implement a particular new feature.
Hi-News.ru: If not a secret, what games inspired you during the development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Well, the answer is obvious. Of course, this Witcher, Oblivion, Skyrim, and not quite obvious the game Red Dead Redemption. It’s very simple: if you want to make a good car, just take it for all the cool stuff, in your opinion, and then add to this mixture some more spices. From Skyrim we took a travel through the spacious world, from Witcher – great story narrative and so on. In addition, we actively were inspired by various historical books of different writers.
Hi-News.ru: Role-playing game system your game is based on any other or is it completely unique?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: I think that our role-playing system unique. It is clear that the foundations of any RPG system is very similar. But unlike other games we have no class system, so if you want to be an Archer, a warrior, or someone else – you just can be. The system is quite complex. Initially, the main character has a huge number of skills, perks, buffs, debuffs, and other important for RPG settings. Each skill opens up one way, but closes others. Each quest can be completed multiple ways depending on your skills and abilities. That is the special uniqueness of our role-playing system.
Hi-News.ru: your game has complex combat system, but how well it is integrated into the role system? How leveling skills will affect the outcome of the battle?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Role-playing system will have an impact at all in the game, starting conversations, ending with the battle system. For example, during a conversation with an NPC, depending on how threatening it will look like your character, the other characters are afraid of it and give the answers just out of fear that they’ll get. Or, if your character looks like royalty, you will begin to curry favor, knowing how much influence you have. A huge number of such parameters will always influence what will be your game, because for each player it will be unique. And we believe it is not “sophisticated role-playing system”, but only elementary logic. We have classes of weapons: swords, maces, and so on. Each weapon is linked to a unique set of perks. Some will allow you to use any combo chain punches, and the other to increase damage output or to increase protection from enemy attacks. The combat system is integrated into the game tightly enough, I think.
Hi-News.ru: as far As I know, your game will have elements of survival. For example, the main character will need to eat and sleep. And you can die from hunger or from lack of sleep?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: I’ll just show a status screen of the hero. Here’s the scale of his satiety, but the scale of his fatigue, which directly depends on how much he slept. You can die from hunger or fatigue. Once you get hungry or nedspice – your stamina will start to decrease in volume. If you are very tired, you will not be able to transfer large loads. And so on.
Hi-News.ru: whether these rules of survival work for NPC? For example, whether an NPC to die of hunger?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Of Course. Almost every NPC in our game have their own daily cycles by which they live. In the morning they Wake up, wash, eat Breakfast. If you add poison in their food – they will get poisoned and die. You’ll have to play with such trifles.
Hi-News.ru: whether to play the sandbox elements? For example, hunting or crafting equipment?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: of Course, such elements in our game will be present. For example, a character can build himself a house. Crafting will also be a lot. Take the same system of alchemy, which in our game is not something magical (in the game generally there will be no magic!): you take separate ingredients, mix them in a mortar and get various potions and powders. For this you will need an alchemy lab, a book of recipes, different herbs and other components.
Hi-News.ru: Your game long before the famous meticulous approach to realism and painstaking reconstruction of the historical epoch on the screen. What do you think, have you managed to find a balance between realism and fun?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Yes. I believe that we have succeeded. In order to create a perfect combat system, battles on swords from the first person we invited to the Studio of professional fencers. They showed us what the real fights. And we thought to myself: damn, this isn’t suitable for video games! They demanded from us fast battles, that even to notice no time. But we realized that we need something more spectacular. So the player is able to feel it. So we constantly had to make compromises. And we do not believe that these compromises ruined the mechanics of the game. They focus solely on to make our project more fun and interesting.
Hi-News.ru: Will the realism reflected in the game mechanics? For example if in your game will be to kill a quest character or an innocent NPC? How the game will react to this?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: villager you can kill easily. However, when it comes to the important NPC, which depends on the further development of the plot, we decided to exercise caution. You will be able to kill people who give you quests, then those quests will be unavailable to you, can kill shop owners, then it will take some time before the store opens with the new owner. But some NPCs are protected from such behaviour of the player. This is a necessary step on our part.
Hi-News.ru: the middle Ages — a cruel and not very joyful time. In your game, you embellished this moment, or, on the contrary, tried to show everything exactly as it really is?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: We tried to show the XV-th century as realistic as possible. Worked very long on it. In the game everything is pretty close to that time, including costume, architecture, household items and so on. Our artists worked closely with historians to translate everything on the screen as realistic as possible. And we pride ourselves on how plausible we managed to implement all of it. As for the brutality – Yes, the game will be realistic and in this respect, too.
Hi-News.ru: are there going to Be companions, or our hero is convinced loner?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: unfortunately, no. Initially, we had considered such a possibility. And, maybe, implement it in one of the DLC. But we made the game such a system in which certain NPCs will be able to accompany you in the implementation of some quests. They can be considered temporary partners. For example, if you came across in the woods on the bandits, you can go to the castle and inform the guards. They will go into the forest together with you and help you to deal with the villains.
Hi-News.ru: Will the game the reputation system? If there is, how the player can affect the reputation of the main character?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Our role-playing system is so advanced that even your horse will be a separate menu flow and its own inventory, including armor and other accessories. So the reputation of the main character we just added to the game, to be sure! The reputation of the protagonist will be based on how it is treated, for example, residents of villages, castles, bandits, and other characters. While pumped all the settings in the game are very simple: want to develop the ability to wield a sword is just a sword fight, want to learn how better to drink alcohol and drink alcohol and so on. With a reputation all is just as well. Help the villagers – they respect and love you. Deal with the bandits – they’ll start hunting you guys.
Hi-News.ru: Certainly in the development process of the game was a lot of funny situations. Could you tell us in a couple of those?
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling: Bugs, bugs, bugs! That’s what immediately comes to mind. They were our nightmare, but also constantly entertained us. For example, there was one such bug that defied gravity. The horse flew into the sky, as if they ran in there with a catapult. Still I am always amused interaction Daniel Vavra and our historical consultants. He told them: I want to implement in our game that is. And they answered him: no, this simply could not be in time! Then they have a lot of hours swearing at each other. But in the end always found an acceptable compromise.
Game Kingdom Come: Deliverance will be available February 13, 2018 for the platforms Microsoft Windows, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
#. | Interview with the developers of the game Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Sergey Grey