Well, it’s been a few days since Cliff published the first screenshots from Kudos 2. I expected to see all kinds of reactions, questions and speculation here on the forums but since that has not happened (or since I have relatively convincing evidence to support the belief that it has not happened) I thought I’d better do something about it. If any of you haven’t noticed the screenshots they can be found at the new Kudos 2 site at positech.co.uk/kudos2/
Reactions and other kinds of input from other fans would be very appreciated - let’s start discussing this promising game.
There isn’t much to say about the text, really, except that it looks like Cliff is sticking with what he knows works as far as the basic concept goes - which is a good thing. But the screenshots suggest that there have been some important changes.
First I have to say that I really, really like the new style. Jamie McKelvie (jamiemckelvie.com/) is clearly a very talented artist. Also, the simplistic style and bright colours are a good alternative to the old Positech style which tended to be kind of dark and trying to be realistic without really succeeding.
Then there’s the reactions to the individual screenshots:
Uhhh… character creation. Looks great - and if there are just 3 options per category per gender, then that’s 1458 different combinations (unless I’ve failed at calculating) - and that’s not even counting the different colours. Unfortunately, it looks like Cliff has removed the possibility of editing your personality before starting the game. Of course, editing your personality is what the game is all about, but it does seem strange that all people have the same characteristics at age 20.
Well, that looks so familiar and yet so new and interesting. The style is just great - and everything on the GUI makes sense. Also I like that Happyness, Excitement etc. are supposed to be maximized (Sobrierety instead of Alcohol, Energy instead of Tiredness), it really makes it easier to see where something needs to be done - however, Loneliness is still supposed to be minimized which does look strange when it’s the only one.
Hmm… Happiness is gone and instead there is something called ‘Extravert’… why? I like the diary, though - and the new transport option (Taxi).
Cool! Detailed options! Maybe a bit too many and maybe they need to be balanced a bit - but it looks like a very promising idea!
Statistics! Great! That was one of the things I really missed in the original Kudos - maybe there even is a “High Score” section now?
Shopping! Looks great - what else is there to say?
Well, that’s all for now. I really think this looks great and I’m going to buy the game as soon as it’s possible.
Well I’m not particularly fond of the change from 3d avatars to 2d. I assume it’s for processing, and stability reasons, (possibly even space with being able to customize the avatar). I would also like to know what the zen thing is for? kudos?
I do like the menu (restaurant) option. It looks much better than the old one. Also while it was interesting having one town (to be honest I’d never heard of before) being able to change it around seems fun.
What was the picture with the lines? was it one of those horoscope things? or is that the statistics being talked about? (if it’s statistics great idea!).
And another question, what’s the diary entry for? is it to make the player feel more connected with the avatar by things popping up in the diary? or is it like a notepad?
The diary is just where the game communicates to you stuff like how you feel, or how your work day went. I like the style of the new characters more than the old ones, it’s not for any technical reasons.
I had my first 10y run completed yesterday in k1. I really like the new style, and much more that you can customice the avatar. But besides the new optics, I really like to know if the jobs get more deep. For example acting. My char had all schools of acting done, acting experience at 100% and several movies done (something about movie timeframe should be changed, it should be possible to do more movies in a set time than k1 offers) but never saw one at the cinema or had the feeling my char was at one point a big popular moviestar (at some point I assumed the studios should come to me offering a role, not the opposite ). That somehow was a let down. Not even got one Oskar
Here are my opinions (from someone who has never seen or played the original Kudos) I am here because I heard about Kudos 2 and I play Democracy 2.
Looks: Well I do like the graphics, the whole interface and characters looks simple to use and clear and generally has a nice style. However I would say that maybe the graphics are too simple or too similar to one another and this might get boring if there is not enough variation in the game (hard to tell just from a few screenshots), for example the woman does wear different clothes but is ALWAYS standing in the same position - it would be more interesting if she perhaps change depending on how she was feeling (so if excited she looks excited? (NOT SEXUALLY EXCITED because that might be a bit extreme lol)).
Gameplay idea: I used to like The Sims, so this game could be of interest to me, some of the features such as method of getting to work and the shopping menu I like. But what it really comes down to is depth of gameplay. I think a game such as this will require a vast amount of options to keep me entertained. It sounds like there may well be enough options but still hard to tell at this point.
Will I buy it? Well this depends on: price (I would probably be prepared to pay £10-£15), gameplay (must have lots of replayability and many different options so I have a unique experience everytime I play), if I enjoy the demo.
So anyway I am interested enough to have a look at Kudos now and I heard about the price drop from your piracy article by the way.
Oh and about your piracy article: very good, and I hope that no DRM on games does pay off for you because I thought the Democracy 2 drm was very unobtrusive anyway, hopefully there will be a reduction in piracy but then again I think a lot of pirates use DRM as an excuse for pirating to make themselves feel better, but really they are just petty criminals.
ANYWAY, sorry this is written like a piece of shit, I just inhaled vast amounts of wasp killer as a few hornets flew in my room. Good Night and good luck with Kudos 2! KUDOS 2 U!!!
The artwork looks awesome - not childish and not (I’m terribly sorry but) as boring as Poser renders for a Renderosity and Daz addict who spends thousands of dollars annually for models.
I hope the game will have some satisfactory “goal” drive this time though. Maybe some game modes? With a small questionnaire at the beginning?
Job Application Questionnaire
Where do you see yourself in [] years? (this is where you set up the maximum years).
Married with two kids,
Rich and living in Manhattan/London/Ankara,
A celebrity,
A cat lady with 138 cats
etc.
The only thing about the game that keeps me off the first game is the very limited number of goals (which can be argued to be many but I don’t see much difference in any of the high paying jobs in terms other than “point” (stress or happiness, etc) effects).
). That somehow was a let down. Not even got one Oskar 