00:00KCD2 Lead Designer says friction is intentionally in the RPG because when you overcome the friction
00:06you feel better about yourself.
00:07I actually think KCD2 Lead Designer has a really strong point here, and it explains
00:12why the game resonates so deeply with some players while completely exhausting others.
00:16A lot of modern games are designed around removing friction, for example fast travel
00:20anywhere, but Warhorse is doing the opposite.
00:23Essentially they want actions to feel inconvenient sometimes because inconvenience creates meaning.
00:28And that's why so many moments in KCD2 feel memorable, as far as I'm concerned.
00:33For example, if lockpicking is hard, finally mastering it feels rewarding.
00:37Same thing goes with combat, and if traveling takes effort, arriving somewhere actually matters.
00:43That being said, there is a fine line between meaningful friction and wasting your time.
00:48Because some people will see certain things as an immersive roleplay and grounded realism
00:53while others will see it as tedious busywork, and both reactions are valid.
00:56I suppose KCD2 mostly succeeds because the friction feels tied to the fantasy of being an ordinary
01:02medieval peasant, not a superhero.
01:05You're supposed to struggle, and you're supposed to feel clumsy before becoming capable.
01:09And at the end of the day, when games trust players enough to let them struggle, the highs
01:13tend to hurt harder.
01:15You're supposed to be more.
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