There is a stigma that comes with Kickstarter games, especially when developers do not follow through with their promises. We all remember the failed Kickstarter, Clang. While that game was very innovative, it turned out that it was not very fun, and it was abandoned despite all the backers that it had acquired. That does not seem to be the case with Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Creative director Daniel Vávra shows us how he and his team tackle the idea of bringing realistic first-person medieval combat that felt fun.
Vávra and his crew worked tirelessly studying forms of early European martial arts to determine how people really fought in the dark ages. From there, it was a matter of creating and programming animations and putting it into a combat system that requires quick reflexes. However, to make up for the fact that not everyone is Bruce Lee, they had to make attacks telegraphed with broad strokes so that the player will not get decimated… that much.
The developers record themselves with and without motion capture tools to make fluid animations
The combat is based on historical fencing, and they want to be as accurate as possible. At one point, however, there were simply too many animations. Certain moves just would not work in a game, so compromises had to be made. Despite that, you can still do seemingly endless amounts of chain attacks, counters, parries, and throws, among other combat maneuvers.
“He’ll be too slow to keep up with me in that heavy armor!” – man who was kicked and stomped by a plated boot.
The game is inspired by games like Mount & Blade and Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. While both of those games are good in that they offer directional attacks and defenses, the animations and combat still feel very robotic compared to real fighting. With this game, however, combat looks fluid, and it has grisly effects if you go into battle unprepared. We will keep an eye out on this game as it continues to develop and draw backers. For now, it looks like we may remain cautiously optimistic about this game.
