Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's script is reputedly on the obscenely large end of the RPG word scale, with Warhorse Studio's writer Daniel Vávra claiming that: "As far as I know, it's the longest script for a game ever. Including Baldur's Gate 3."
YouTuber ESO_Danny posed with the double-sided script from the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance (below), which allegedly weighed in at 800,000 words. KC: DII, meanwhile, is over twice that, at a reputed 1,700,000 words. To put that in perspectice, the average novel is 70-100,000 words. But does this verbose effort from the Czech studio put it in GOAT territory?
Not quite, says Michael Douse, publishing director at Belgium-based Larian Studios, reminding us all that if you're gunning for the king, you'd better not miss. The outspoken dev says that Baldur's Gate 3 remains an absurd several hundred thousand words out of reach of even Warhorse's latest, holding the Guinness World Record for Longest Video Game Script ever at over 2,000,000 words across 1,888 voiced characters and 174 hours of cinematics. Oh well, better luck next time, eh, lads?
We live in a golden age of gaming, and thankfully, the quality of writing at both studios is uncommonly high; we don't think either set out to hit some arbitrary word count. What do you think of this RPG script-measuring contest? Let the words flow through you in the comments section below.
[source x.com]
Comments 71
Removed - inappropriate
Quality of dialogue beats quantity of dialogue.
Removed - flaming/arguing
"We live in a golden age of gaming." Do we? I only ever really read people moaning about everything gaming related these days. The golden age of gaming for me was the megadrive and snes eras when games were allowed to be games and could be enjoyed without massive movie style production costs and political agendas encroaching upon the precious little time we have to escape to our favourite alternate realities. This kind of claim from a dev just tells me straight away this games not for me because of the sheer size of it. I hope its great for those that have the time something like this requires and I hope they enjoy it too.
Removed - inappropriate
@Northern_munkey I’ll be 36 next month, started with my brother’s Commodore 64, and there has never been a better time to be a player of video games than right now, in my opinion haha
@saffeqwe Hook, line and stinky
@Khayl 52 years young myself and whilst I'm enjoying gaming an awful lot I do feel this is hardly the golden age.
@Khayl I feel the exact same way.
@Khayl I absolutely agree with you, and I’ve been playing games since 1989 when my brother bought a NES and I first played Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt.
I think a lot of people compress large periods of the past into smaller windows and then view those periods vs. A single year in the present.
The original KCD had this kind of everyday-life vibe. Every person you saw in a village seemed to have a home or area they belonged to.
It seems like a world you can explore at your own leisure and talk to anyone. I read there was a lot of cinematics too.
That's incredible, i'm really looking forward to it. 🫡
@nessisonett
This isn't a Disney game or a Netflix show.
@Khayl The best time for gaming will always be the present as you can play all the new games and the classics. If you have the time of course.
Calling it now, KCD2 is an early contender for GOTY.
2,000,000 words of modern slop is nothing to be proud of. 🤷♂️
I'm sure it's impressive but all this does is make me a little scared of it. My default reaction to incredibly long or large games these days is being intimidated, as I simply don't know how I'll manage all of them.
@nessisonett I have no idea what your comment is supposed to mean.
For me personally, now isn't a golden age for gaming. The games are just not for me anymore. Games just aren't being made that cater to my tastes 🤷🏻
Removed - discussing moderation
@Bagwag82 Atomfall looks interesting.
Can't bloody wait for this.
@nessisonett what point are you trying to make this time?
Removed - flaming/arguing
@Khayl With most eras of gaming being so readily available to players (well apart from dead multiplayer games) I tend to agree.
Same with music and movies/shows, really.
Hey, I'm all for historical accuracy if that's one of the selling points of the game. Lots of respect for War Horse.
Being the confirmed old boy of these forums (at least no one has come to deny me as of yet!), and as a very juvenile 61 year old, @Khayl, @Northern_munkey, @Bagwag82 & @ChrisDeku, and having started with Pong on the Atari in 1972 at the age of 8, I can attest that now is the golden age of gaming, not least because we can play pretty much every game ever made, probably including Pong, should I look hard enough. So even in those years when fewer quality games seem to be releasing, they all add to the incredible backlog of games that began with Pong and continues to grow with each game released.
Add to that, that it was only in 2023 that we saw the release of what is probably the best game ever made in Baldur's Gate 3, and there really is no better time to be a gamer...
I don't know about 'golden age.' We haven't had years quite like 1998 and 2005, at least that I can think of off hand.
Regardless, this game looks awesome. I'm looking forward to the reviews.
Thats a lot.kingdom come deliverance 2 is going to be amazing.word up son
Going to be the RPG of the year.
I pity everyone who has to proofread that stuff xD
Someone genuinely posted "Modern slop" in a comments section about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 😁
And for some reason (I assume because of the first few posts) this comments section has gone seriously off the rails 😂
@ApostateMage assuming you will be there Day 1? We'll have to get a thread going in the forum soon
@Ravix I saw that comment too, and thought "yeah they clearly havent played the first game".
I am eager to play this game and hear all of the spoken lines. Also, I don't want to get trapped in a garrison like I currently am in the first game. How do I get past that guard? Everyone is telling me to find armor. Oh well, maybe I'll come back after I finish KCD2.
There's no doubt as effective piece of simulation this is going to be impressive - my interest was piqued but then qickly waned when I first saw the gameplay video. The "humour" (digging around in *****) was purile to say the least and I could barely stomach that part never mind a whole game of it.
The combat as well looks poorly implemented - too complex for players sued to Elden Ring/The Witcher 3 & not realistic enough for the HEMA nerds amongst us. Its looks like they've developed a rich, detailed sandbox with (in comparison to the aforementioned games) little to do. Maybe its being spoiled with rich fantasy worlds with a diverse set of opponents, the extra depth of magic or just a poor choice of gameplay to show but it looks dull.
Plus having to find an item in order to access the ability to save? Big nope from me.
@Khayl I agree totally. Turn 35 in March and I've been gamimg since I was 5 or six, and really started playing more when I got a ps1 in 1998. Although I do go back to older games occasionally, every single year there is about 2 or 3 that I consider "must buys" plus an additional 10-15 that I plan on getting when I have the free time. Definitely think gaming is as good as its ever been
I like when some of my favorite devs talk crap to each other
Playing BG3 now and having a good time. I'll be all over KCD2 as well
@Fiendish-Beaver wow, 61! Respect 🫡
@GraniteFraggle I'm a hema nerd (I'm more into the arms and armor and the way life was then than the martial arts I guess) and KCD did it for me. The saving thing sucks at first but eventually I was swimming in Savior Schnapps
@Smackosynthesis Nice to see there's a fellow one out there! Rapier & axe for me - depending on sparring partner (there's not many axe fans about). Always love how surprised people are at the weight & size of a real rapier.
The combat was one of things that had me initially champing at bit. Happy to get hands and be proved wrong! The saviour scnapps just seems like a totally unnecessary and superfluous mechanic though.
Kingdom Come 1 had open ended paths and consequences which explains the script size. The second game will no doubt do the same but bigger. That's quality of dialogue.
Never a golden age of anything - it's all subjective. Besides, 2017 was my fave year for gaming. Switch Release, BOTW, HZD, Nier Automata, RE7, Night in the Woods, Super Mario Odyssey, Hellblade, What Remains of Edith Finch.
Also this game looks good.
@GraniteFraggle your statement is kind of incorrect, but a common misconception. You can sleep to save, there's autosaves at important quest checkpoints, AND you can buy/craft saviour schnapps for an "any time" save. Which you can use to experiment with how to tackle a camp full of bandits when away from towns, for example.
The problem is people just run through games without paying enough attention these days, and then pass on misinformation on the internet and put people off trying things for themselves.
If you are a gamer that likes to think for yourself there is a strong possibility that you will enjoy the series. Especially if you already have an interest in medieval life, weaponry and warfare.
@GraniteFraggle I do not disagree about the saving. I have limited time nowadays and having to replay big chunks of a game (even if it's 30 minutes) really gets on my nerves
This is going to be amazing, my body is ready! 🥳
I love how this comment section turned into everyone divulging their age 😂. Queue the FOMO in three.... two.... one....
I'm 34.
@Fiendish-Beaver I hear what you're saying. Games being made now just are catching my attention like they used too.
Oh and you beat me on the age, I'm 43 in April. 😃
@Ravix I get that - I based my initial reactions from watching the gameplay footage that was released. I'd love a demo that's for sure (but a rarity these days) and of course will wait until the game is patched.I've only just started Cyberpunk 2077 - and I'm loving it, its a different game to the mess that was released. I like to be a late adopter & preferably try things out first.
@Khayl @Batesy125s @Fiendish-Beaver @Northern_munkey I actually think the PS4 generation (approx. 2013 - 2020) was the golden age of gaming, at least so far. It saw what, in my opinion, are some of the absolute best games ever made, while also having access to many legacy titles. It had the beginnings of what would become the toxic online culture war, but it hadn't really metastasized into brain rot yet.
@Fiendish-Beaver
"Being the confirmed old boy of these forums (at least no one has come to deny me as of yet!), and as a very juvenile 61 year old."
Sorry my friend, but in age you did come up a little short. I was born in November of 1952, making me 72 years old. Been a gamer (board, video, computer) going back to the early 80s, so I've seen a lot of genres come and go and come again. Since I am now retired, I get the chance to play a lot of video games. My favorites over the last few years include Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, and Yakuza, Infinite Wealth. I just can not play anything any more that calls for extreme reflexes (I'm looking at you Black Myth and Call of Duty). However, we are spoiled for choice at this time. I believe we are certainly living in a golden age of gaming. But each age has had it's front runners. On a side bar, I have been following the Beaver for quite a while as your tastes seem to really line up with mine. Next, I am really excited for Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Civ 7, and Pirate Yakuza.
DLC for the record 🤣
I couldn't get over how much of a clunky mess the first game was, literally quit as soon as I hit the first castle. Probably won't be picking this up.
Wow, @Svark! I doff my cap to you, Sir. I'll wind my neck in, and settle for second oldest! Just steer clear of Pure Xbox, so I can still be the oldest there, please... 😂
It does indeed seem that our tastes align, as without a shadow of doubt, BG3 is my favourite game. I really enjoyed Elden Ring too, and though I own Infinite Wealth, I haven't got round to playing it yet. Also, I have the Collector's Edition of Kingdom Come 2 on pre-order. So us old boys clearly have taste... 😉
@wildcat_kickz I think everybody will have their own perceptions of the "golden age" of gaming. I chose the mega drive and snes eras because it was the first console generation that really made me want to play games a lot as before that everything was very casual because I was still at school. Once I left and had the means to indulge myself by playing versions of my favorite coin ops in the comfort of my own room there was no going back. Once the PlayStation and xbox's landed my fate was sealed..my entire adult life has revolved around my wife,working,playing bass guitar and quite possibly too much golf..and a hell of a lot of video games. I'll agree we have never had it so good but that era of consoles was for me my favorite.
Played abit of kcd and thought it was really gd ,I got sidetracked to other games I was trying to finish ,gosh that's one huge amount of dialogue that's for sure lol,really looking forward to seeing what kcd2 is like ,I'll read some reviews etc as I will likely pick it up at some stage,as for golden age gaming ,that's a very interesting debate,I personally feel that from ps1 to end of ps2 era for me but as someone else said on here you could argue that today is the golden age as got so many more choices as well as the older games ,but on the flip side of that is the fact games used to be complete when released pretty much as it seems games today or some of them at least need several patches going forward which as we know can sometimes take a few wks,one advantage of today though is having the ability to make changes as the poor release of cyberpunk proved, and nms as well with all those free add ons ,umm maybe that's it ,its subjectiive I suppose ,one thing for sure though ,there's so many games to choose ha ha
@Northern_munkey Yeah, that's totally legitimate. The wonder of video games definitely diminishes when adult life interjects and you don't have the time to just veg out and play games until 4am, just to wake up the next morning and do it all again. As a kid, for me, that was the Gameboy Color and Dreamcast. The closest thing I've had to that in my adult life was during the pandemic. All I did for two months was drink, play games, and write/play music (we seem to be pretty simpatico in that regard - I'm also a bassist). Not the healthiest way to spend lockdown, but it sure was fun!
@wildcat_kickz a fellow bassist..what bass guitar do you have? I have an aria Pro 2 bass (active) and an old vantage pj bass which is also active. The vantage has an unbelievable sound and is so different to the aria which I use for anything heavy metal..the vantage is my go to bass for anything jazz related and the slap sound is just out there. I use a 200 watt torque amp which are not made anymore and its got such a warm deep sound. Its incredibly loud and has some real punch. I also use a distortion pedal and a wah pedal. I do have a 3rd bass which is still in bits at the mo because I'm waiting for my wife to do the custom engraving before it's all put back together with the emg jazz pick ups I bought..
@Northern_munkey Oh nice! I've messed around with a friend's Aria Pro 2 and loved how it played. My main is a Laguna Ocean TB75 5-string (active, thru-neck). It was a pretty short-lived series, but has served me very well for about 20 years. I'm fairly certain they're a variant of Cort guitars that were rebranded for GC, back in the day. I primarily use it for jazz and funky rock. My other bass is a modded up Squire P-Bass that had all it's electronics and hardware replaced over the years. It was my first bass that I use primarily for demoing rock/punk at home, though I'm actually in the market for a proper Fender P-Bass. I desperately want a solid passive axe to gig with. My amp isn't anything to write home about, but it's an Ampeg Portaflex PF-800. I rarely use pedals with my bass, but when I want to get weird, I have a Moog MF Drive.
@wildcat_kickz I would love to own either a wal mk1 or a fodera bass but my wife would never let me spend that kind of money on either...or both 🤣. My first bass guitar was a knock off Japanese fender p-bass called the ninja which I bought because it was called the ninja..it was awful and had cheap ass electrics and the pick ups actually caught fire..so I got serious and bought a cheap ibanez which was great for rock and metal but it wasn't designed to be a slapper so I sold it on and bought the aria which is by far the better...much better bass.
@Northern_munkey Haha, yeah if only we had $10K - $20K of extra cash lying around. Still, a far cry from acoustic instrument prices. I also played cello growing up and my "student" instrument was $5K! I even played a couple when I was shopping for it that cost $800K and $1.3 mil... If only I saved my allowance money...
@wildcat_kickz I feel as though we kind of hijacked the comments section here. My fave bassist at the moment is a polish woman called kinga glyck..check her out as she will blow your mind especially the bass battle she has with Marcus Miller..all on Youtube 👍
@Northern_munkey Better to hijack the comments to talk bass than some other stuff...
I'll definitely check her out, thanks for the suggestion!
Probably already on your radar, but if not, check out Snarky Puppy/Michael League (bassist and band leader). Top tier musicians, playing modern big band fusion type stuff.
@wildcat_kickz 👍
The golden age of gaming was the PS4 and early Switch Generation - 2013-2020. Things have become too toxic and divided since then. The PS5 generation hasn't provided much beyond reused IP's either. I'm looking forward to KKD2 as it's just more my things that BG3, which is played and only moderately enjoyed.
@Fiendish-Beaver I'm 61 myself and considering you can play several generations of games on the PS5 and Series X I tend to agree with that statement. I think being backward compatible really bolsters this generation. If you missed a game from past generations there is a good chance you can pick it up cheap and it can be played on current consoles.
As someone born in 1772 I can confirm we are in a golden age of gaming. Stick with hoop was always mid and anyone who says otherwise is just clouded by nostalgia.
@Reform You realize it was the Baulders Gate 3 script that had a 2,000,000 word script, right? That game might not be for you, but to call it “modern slop”…wow.
@Sarcasmatwork Yes I was referring to Baulders Gate 3.
@Fiendish-Beaver
Wow, @Svark! I doff my cap to you, Sir. I'll wind my neck in,and settle for second oldest!....
Also, I have the Collector's Edition of Kingdom Come 2 on pre-order. So us old boys clearly have taste... 😉
As time goes by my friend, I would hope to be 61 again. As we all know, getting older has it's advantages and disadvantages. As for your taste in games, it is right in alignment with mine.
Is there someway we can connect off line to exchange information? I would love to add you to my small friends list on Playstation. Maybe we could play something together down the road.... Thank you my friend.
@wildcat_kickz yeah that's a good shout. I think ps4 was fantastic but, although I don't think this is a golden generation I still find that my love an excitement for new releases is as big as it's ever been
@Batesy125s That's all you can ask for! Ultimately, calling a certain era the "golden age" is completely arbitrary. It's a fun topic for discussion, but nothing more.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...