Kingdom Come - Interview @ Worldsfactory

Worldsfactory had the chance to interview Warhorse Studios, and ask a few questions about their current game Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

You mentioned that the world will be approximately large 9 km², containing “a sprawling city, vast forests, majestic castles, and dozens of villages and hamlets devastated by war”. However, the number seems fairly small when compared to other popular open world RPGs such as Oblivion or Skyrim, which are roughly four times that large; don’t you fear that locations will be a bit too close to each other?

Very good question, we were surprised by the numbers of other games as well :-) We tried a scientific approach and moved with a character from north to south in Oblivion. The run from the top of the map to the bottom took about 7 minutes. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance it took 7 minutes to run from the city to stable, which is about 1.5 km.  The problem is probably in the scale and faster running. So the result is that you don’t have to be afraid of small space. You can get lost in the woods easily :-)

How advanced is the AI system for noticing crimes? I’m kind of tired to either be able to steal anything without repercussions or to be captured by omniscient guards who had no chance of discovering the player character. Also, is it possible to escape out of jail and if so, will the player character be hunted across the land?

We have very advanced AI implemented in the game. Every guard has its own track to follow, of course they can see only in the line of sight and they sometimes need a break. So you can watch them and wait for the break or make some false alarm on the other side of a village to wile them of your way to loot. If you are seen, you will be probably attacked and then put in jail. Our crime system also counts with situations where nobody knows who is the criminal and the punishment is not only in the fine and jail, there is also some real punishment, but we will disclose this later.

Will there be companions to aid the player character in certain combat situations and if so, are they customizable and/or is it possible to give them orders during fights?

Sometimes you will have to fight with more opponents and there could be someone to help you. But I wouldn’t call them companions. NPC in Kingdom Come: Deliverance have their own lives and they don’t want to join you on your dangerous quest :-) You can be accompanied by a dog on the other hand!