Just yanking your pizzle (Writing critique)

[taivaansusi]

I'm a long-time fan and one of the early financial supporters of KCD1, so naturally I was thrilled when KCD2 came out. I even took a week off from my work just to live in medieval Bohemia. 60+ hours later, I'm still amazed how beautiful and smooth this game is. All mechanics are polished and work well.

However, I have developed a growing irritation towards the writing team and some of their choices.

– I was expecting Henry to lose all his belongings in the beginning. I wasn't expecting that writers would use the same plot element twice... or thrice. It gets tedious really fast.

– Railroading. KCD1 had railroading only in the beginning and at the end of the story. In KCD2, main quests offer very linear playthrough, constantly railroading the player. Also, there is so much following other characters that it feels like I'm some kind of a spectator, not an active participant in this story. I was expecting more free roam.

– "Are you yanking my pizzle" is apparently one of the most common idioms in Bohemia. A mismatch of different English accents felt also incongruous. Some NPC conversations feel more "movie-like" or modern than medieval. Katherine's quips are especially jarring.

– Attitude towards casual sex seems more relaxed in KCD2. Romance in KCD1 had to be earned and thus felt meaningful (Theresa being one of the best written female characters I've ever seen). Now Henry can engage in casual copulation with both young widows and respectable unmarried maidens in a way that raises my eyebrows. Yes, these things happened, but was very much frowned upon by the Church. Privacy was non-existent those times and gossip spread fast.

[.:Viggo:.]

Cant anything but agree with you this was sadly why I decided to stop playing. I completed the first on hardcore but this was just...

Edit: i think its the crowdfund love exchanged with coborat greed at fault.

[Phil Anthony]

KCD1 just felt more down to earth imo.

[DreadWolf]

I'm sorry but those complaints sound like extreme nitpicks to me. Maybe they are. I'm not sure how Theresa is one of the best written female characters ever (I haven't played the DLC, maybe she gets more character development there) but there was not much to her. Also you just had to wait a day or two and get more of her quests which were mostly escorting missions to get the romance scene. The sequel does pretty much the same thing it's just that there are more casual romances. Not to mention that the 1st game had a PRIEST who was randomly having sex with women where everyone could see them and dragged you into it too. So I really don't understand these complaints.

[Kona]

Story is definitely railroady. So was RDR2 and it was one of the greatest games I have ever played. It's a design choice that is the vast majority of rpgs good and bad.

As far as casual sex goes I think its the rule of fun

[Sylvaa]

I have no issue with the main story being on rails, but it isn't really, you can approach the main quest events in many different ways, but they are telling a story. so the direction will always go one way. This is the same for any story driven RPG.

As for priests etc, they are some of the most perverted, sexually active people around, throughout history, pretty much anything with a pulse.

[DreadWolf]

Originally posted by Sylvaa:

I have no issue with the main story being on rails, but it isn't really, you can approach the main quest events in many different ways, but they are telling a story. so the direction will always go one way. This is the same for any story driven RPG.

As for priests etc, they are some of the most perverted, sexually active people around, throughout history, pretty much anything with a pulse.

Oh I agree. I was just saying that there was always casual sex in KCD and I'm sure that everyone in that village was well aware of what Godwin was doing, so I'm not sure why people are surprised with the sequel. There's just more of it I guess.

[FruitBat Man]

I think you might be one of those people that are confusing Christian themes for being a Christian game?

[GregorMendel]

I'd have to agree with the OP. The railroading after you become Godwin has dissolved any immersion I had built up. I was having a great time until it became an interactive movie. Been playing solid since the game released but now the cutscenes have caused me to take a break. Far more modern movie-like colloquialisms than the first game. Probably abit too AAA for me now , I think I enjoy Kingdom Come less polished

[Kanonenfutter]

Please don't forget that the time is the beginning of the Bohemian reformation attempt (well before protestantism) leading to Hussite Wars and even a crusade against Bohemia. Bohemia was not a strongly catholic country then, as it had catholic and orthodox (Greek) influences (as Cyril and Methodius were invited to come from Thessaloniki on the 9th century to counter German/catholic influence). Now we (the Czech Republic) are probably the least "organized religion" country in Europe. 10 % catholic christian, 14 % any christian (incl. catholics). Only 22 % of Czech population identify themselves as religious at all. I am agnostic, my wife is atheist. We have a long tradition of being not religious, at least in a non strictly-individual form (many consider beliefs as strictly private). Probably since the time of the Hussites when religious wars tore our country apart. By the way, Jan Žižka (in the game) was later the military leader of the Hussites.

The perception of sex here is prbably much less religion-influenced than in other western countries and due to conflicting religious influences could have been in the beginning of the 15th century as well. Anyhow, along with Hungary, we have the most pornstars per capita :-).

[makbthemf]

Originally posted by taivaansusi:

– Attitude towards casual sex seems more relaxed in KCD2.

Originally posted by taivaansusi:

Yes, these things happened, but was very much frowned upon by the Church.

This is the only thing I couldn't agree with you. The "puritan" sexual culture of Medieval times is a myth constructed in the 19th century. Medieval culture wasn't so pro-sex as modern, but it wasn't as puritanic as 19th-century "historians" tried to state. The Bible actually contains soft erotic - Song of Songs, and sexual intercourse described in the book happens between unmarried couple - the original Hebrew and Aramaic text contains a word that definitely is translated as "bride", not "wife" in verses 4:8-11. Most modern English translations contain the word "bride" there. That's why factual marriages - when people just started to live together without a formal ceremony, and the whole village community treated them like husband and wife - were quite common in many Medieval regions.

Originally posted by taivaansusi:

Romance in KCD1 had to be earned and thus felt meaningful

You mean Lady Stephania who yanked Jindro's pizzle, because she has some existential issues because she has no children at the age of 30? or maybe Adela, who just offered her body as a service fee?, or maybe you're talking about a girl from Uzhice tavern, who f*cked Jindřich just because she could? KCD1 had huge problems with romances. Even Tereza is not a well-written character - she clearly states why she's with Jindro and it's not love. She is afraid to be left alone.

Originally posted by taivaansusi:

Now Henry can engage in casual copulation with both young widows and respectable unmarried maidens in a way that raises my eyebrows.

About widows - there was no problem for widows to yank some outsider's pizzle.
And sorry, but there are no respectable unmarried maidens as a romance option in the KCD2. All options with maidens:
1) Doubravka - inferiority complex, she thinks she would never suit herself to someone. Hopes Jindro would marry her, as an honest man after intercourse.
2) Klara - f*cked Jindro by executing orders at first and only at second because he was cute. Is a part of a guerilla company - her reputation is ruined already by medieval standards.
3) Roza - fell in love with Jindřich and she's a 15th-century punk, just like Jan Ptachek. The only candidate to be respectable.But by most chance Bailiff of Prbslavytsa was not the first one who used his smaller mace with her.
4) Lousy Mary - the ordinary cheap hooker.
5) Margaret - is yanking Jindro's pizzle only not to pay his cut. Also, she's a thief.

Originally posted by taivaansusi:

Privacy was non-existent those times and gossip spread fast.

Yup, that's why Roza - the only girl on the list who really cared about her reputation - agreed to have intercourse only in an abandoned house, and is the only girl in the whole franchise who forces Jindro to be proactive.
Also, don't forget that for most people Jindro is an outsider who wouldn't tell the tales.

[The Throngler]

How does the accuracy of the English voices concern you if the game’s characters canonically speak Czech? Play it like that if you want historical accuracy I suppose

[Pejla]

I kinda agree with some of your points but i need to say that main quests have different playthougth you just need to find it.

[makbthemf]

Originally posted by The Throngler:

How does the accuracy of the English voices concern you if the game’s characters canonically speak Czech? Play it like that if you want historical accuracy I suppose

Modern Czech is not the same language, than medieval Czech, so no big difference.

[myst]

Mostly agree with OP. Couple of questions:
Although they certainly over use the “yanking my pizzle” isn’t that akin to “are you joking” in modern terms?
If people got married at 14-16 years old, why are there so many 30 ish unmarried people looking to get laid (not counting bathmaids)?
Why is Katherine dressed so differently from all of the other towns women? She sticks out like a sore thumb. Wouldn’t a s** try to blend in?

[smoketrees]

The modern audience loved it though.