[Mentalist]

Is there any urgency to move the story along? Or can you just live your life leveling up diff skills?

[Traveller]

There are some time sensitive elements, but so far they seem to be within quests rather than between them. Like, if you take too long looking for someone at one point, he's injured or dead when you find him, but if you reach him early you cam get some information out of him. Also, the date with the miller's niece was set for two days ahead, so if you're on the other side of the map you won't make it. There seems to be breathing space between quests themselves though, to buy or sell stuff, go hunting, exploring or whatever. I've got to scout an enemy camp at the moment, but I've gone back home to re-arm, sell junk, get some more books to read. I'm just hoping that a delay here won't change anything; it's just based on my experience of the game so far.

The time aspect plays a big part. You need to sleep, you need to eat, and if you ride hard from one village to the next, your clothes and armour will need a clean before you talk to anyone, or they treat you like the dirty oik you resemble. So a day requires a bit of planning. I tend to take my rough more damaged armour on the road, and change when I'm talking to merchants or quest npcs.
Most inns and camps have a food pot on the go for topping up, and a room for hire means you can sleep for an hour to save to avoid losing progress (you can lose a lot if you're not careful) So far I've not even used the drink that saves the game anywhere, I'm just planning better. Next patch incluses a save on quit, which is a bit of a shame really.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 12 March 2018 - 07:16 PM

[Mentalist]

Traveller, on 12 March 2018 - 03:17 PM, said:

I did get a bit caught up as main quest progresses, as there are some time sensitive elements - like if you take too long looking for someone at one point, hes injured when you find him, but not if you reach him early. Also the date with the millers niece is set for two days ahead, so if youre on the other side of the map you wont make it. So its best to complete some before you go for a wander.

In between though, time your own, to buy or sell stuff, go hunting, exploring or whatever. Ive got to scout an enemy camp at thr moment, but I've gone back home to re-arm, sell junk, get some more books to read.

Some quests will be different or change if you ignore them for too long though I think.

Thanks for the reply.

Sounds like it'll be a nice "drop-in" game, kinda like the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

I'll have try to get to this in a few months, once I clear up a bit more of my backlog, since that project's picked up some momentum.

[Traveller]

Learning alchemy, and brewed first potion!

Add wine to cauldron - boil, put nettles in, boil for two turns of the timer; grind two handfuls of belladona, add to mix, boil for another turn. Pour into bottle, well done made some Saviour Schnapps, which is the equivalent of a quicksave.

It would have been useful if I'd drunk it at that point, or any point during that day, as I got whacked on the head by a guy with a mace while I was crawling about in a forest at 2am trying to locate a treasure stash. Lost nearly a whole day goddamn it. On the plus side my replay took considerably less time.

[Traveller]

What I'm really enjoying in this game is the familiarity of the landscape - it's like being able to jump back 500 years every time I put it on.

I live an area covered with medieval buildings, pathways and boundaries. There's a church in every village, and many of the roads follow the much older tracks and paths that link them.

The game is like getting to walk or ride around the area without all the new roads and developments that get in the way when we go out. It's a bit surreal sometimes - we were walking past a very picturesque church yesterday and I noticed that all the flowers and plants that appear in the game were growing around the churchyard. Weird crossover moment, as I felt like going over to do some collecting!

The in game map is so real in scale as it is lifted directly from medievel czech landscape. I looked it up on google earth last night, and realised to what extent - the towns, rivers and churches are all still there, to the extent that if I visited I'd know my way around the place. The church in Sasau being currently built in the game (there's a murder story involved) is real and looks like a precise replica in-game. I looked on street view, again it's weird having been playing in and around it for ages to see the real thing.

So right now Kcd is my time travel. Still playing, still found nothing bug wise that has interrupted play. Whole lot better at fighting now, and I'm a good way through the main story, but I mostly like heading out into the countryside, hunting or picking up side quests. I'm wearing headphones to play, and standing in the forest listening to all the noise (woodpeckers, crows, pigeons etc) is again very close to what I hear about 10 minutes walk from my house. Except in the game I don't have the dull roar of traffic on the bypass in the background.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 21 May 2018 - 07:42 AM

[Aptorian]

I've been thinking of borrowing this for my Playstation. I assume it's seen lots of patches by now.

My biggest gripe was the criticism of the save system which just seemed ass backwards.

[Traveller]

It was never a real problem. You save when you sleep in a bed. You can save if you drink a potion, that you can buy or brew yourself. And you can save and exit.

It mostly just tried to make the game more real from the start by making you live with your decisions; rather than letting you reload instantly if your lockpick broke or you made a dumb mistake in conversation and wanted to try again.

[Aptorian]

It was released.

[Traveller]

I played it.

Lots.

It's a really good medieval 'sim', with quests that make you feel like Cadfael, or Shardlake.

I'll be returning to it when I want some more medieval goodness.

[Traveller]

Theres dlc out now too. I only moved on because something big came out, like DS 3 or Red Dead, I don't remember which.

[Traveller]

Why is it that whatever a game offers I always seem to end up creeping through town at night, breaking into houses and pinching anything of value?

The damn guards are psychic or something though, if they spot me once they unerringly manage to track me through the dark like I have a beacon on or something.

Tried some combat training; I still seem to make it look like I'm just waving my arms and sword around at random; hitting or blocking occasionally but mostly a kind of disorganised flailing until I get beaten up. It may be clever in some way I have yet to master but so far I feel like a chump.

Much easier to sneak up behind people and stab them in the neck.

[Traveller]

So I'm an enrolled novice monk, in a monastery.

Got to find a target, but he's one of the other novices. Theres a daily rota to work around; if you get caught out of class or prayers, you get put in solitary and lose your stuff. If you get caught with contraband, they sling you out and you fail the mission.

I'm aiming to identify the novice/target, and then not just kill him, but get him out of the place to face justice outside.

In the meantime, I'm going to alchemy classes, copying scriptures, going to mass, and going to the two meals a day.

It's kinda like Hogwarts.

The experience feels different because, in order to fulfil the side quests which take place at different times, the game nudges you to stick to the rota. I can totally see how some players will skip this entire section by just killing the target and running - the main story will continue, and you won't have to spend time going to lessons and prayers.

But I think they'd be missing out. The ambience of the place is spot on - no speaking at dinner, while a monk reads aloud from a lectern. (You can fast forward these bits but you have to be careful with the timer) So you end up questioning people between rooms, or in your free time after 7pm.

So far I'm searching for missing pages from book for the librarian; questioning the novices to find the target; I found two guards drinking in the cellar, and in order to stop their bullying of one of the novices, I'm going to steal a wine keg for them. Which means first stealing the Priors keys..

It's a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to tonight when I can break open the forbidden book cupboard, find the last two lost pages, and see if I can liberate a wine keg.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 21 January 2020 - 10:14 AM

[Traveller]

This is like planning a prison break.

Going to confront target after evening meal.

[Malankazooie]

If you confront him after the evening meal, you might catch him while he is pooping. That could be awkward and uncomfortable for all concerned parties. That may turn you off so much that you may want to quit the game if that happens.

[Traveller]

Well plan has changed now - found an alternative to killing him.

Escape is set for tonight after vespers.

Having last transcribing session as a novice now. I still can't do it, the Librarian is pretty cross with my efforts.

On the plus side my potions are great.

Got keys, got a skin full of goats blood (dont ask) and in the spirit of Shawshank, not only am I going to escape with the target, I'm going to take all the silver I can carry too.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 21 January 2020 - 11:22 PM

[Traveller]

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[Traveller]

Bachelor King, on 21 January 2020 - 10:03 PM, said:

Sounds like it really is a sim.

Still plan on it at some point

It sort of is. But not with any dull focus on micro management or heavy handed detail; the detail (like the accurate wall paintings) is incidental but adds a lot when you notice it, and the general inventory/map/skills are well balanced too. No more complex than sorting out what to wear and carry and what to store. This game is one of the best at handling the visibility/noise of clothes too.

The monastery sequence alone has so much going on in there, and I could have skipped it all if I'd done it differently!

Anyway I'm free in the outside world again. Ditched the robe and slippers, returned to my Inn, punched a chicken when no one was looking, and I'm now sitting by the fire roasting it while people get drunk and play dice. It was fun being a monk for a few days though, and the restrictions made my getaway all the more satisfying.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 21 January 2020 - 11:21 PM

[Traveller]

Now this was funny, and weird!

A priest asked me to check on these 3 women that had been seen coming back from the herbalist who lives in the forest. I visited her and found out she'd given the women this hallucinogenic potion they'd asked for, but she was regretting it as they might get into trouble.

So I followed the women into the forest at dusk; they were all round a campfire. The mission objective said I should watch, undetected. I must have got a bit close though, as they saw me, and being high as kites they thought I was the devil they'd summoned! Next thing they're all over me, and as the potion was an ointment, it spreads onto Henry...

After blanking out, I come to, and although I can hear the 3 women talking, there is now a horse, a chicken and a pig in their places. The sky is red, and the fire is the only light. After a brief chat with them, I get the choice to interact with them, but all I get is the choice of unlocking the chicken like its a door.

Suddenly I'm being attacked by two figures with horns sticking out of their heads and axes, everything is whirly and after staggering about getting hit, I kill them both, then pass out.

Its dawn, I wake up, and find no sign of the women, and two dead wood cutters lying nearby, and blood all over the place!

Henry is as confused as hell, now I have to go into town and try to explain it all.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 24 January 2020 - 09:57 AM