What makes KoDP unique and fantastic game?

The question is open for your replies :)

I am indie game developer with some successes and I will start my new project soon. It will be game probably somehow similar to KoDP but in SF universe. I want to extract some features from King of Dragon Pass which I consider as one of the most inspiring and greatest game ever made. But to do that I need your help: can you write what is - in your opinion - the most important features in game? What makes this experience so memorable?

I liked how it really felt like you were running a clan with traditions and laws that you must follow to keep your magic strong and to keep your people happy. I liked how the nobles that you had in your ring could actually do things like gamble with a dragon and win or like turning the tide of a battle with his/her battle or magical skills. And I really liked how the game doesn't judge you actions with binary morality, like it doesn't judge you for killing your hostages or for taking the refugees as thralls. This action may have consequences such as the people that the refugees were fleeing from looking for them, but it doesn't judge you.

Really my only problems with the game were that the combat was a bit too random and that there was only one way to "win" and it was kind of unintuitive.

I bought this on a whim with the recent sale, and I'm really enjoying it. I spent last night and most of this morning guiding my clan. It reminds me slightly of several games like Defender of the Crown or Warlords.

I enjoy that there isn't any micro management outside of resource allocation. It feels, to me, like a "choose your own adventure" book that keeps track of everything for me and leaves me to concentrate on the big picture of leading my people. I've also been pretty impressed with the story so far. The sheer scope is staggering, I must have spent at least an hour familiarizing myself solely with my clan's amassed lore. Apparently there's even more lore that can be acquired through various means as well. It's not even completely useless drivel, I later used what I'd learned to complete a quest!

You can tell when a game is less of a profit margin and more a labor of love. KoDP feels like a game that the people making it actually wanted to play.

I suppose these things really stand out to me that make it fantastic, and unique because simply there just isn't much of anything like it. It takes a few different ideas and blends them together while avoiding a tacked-on RTS mode (which you know a larger company would have found some way to shove in). It's beautiful in its simplicity and the depth goes as far as you're willing to explore.

I agree with the guys above: it's pretty simple, yet surprisingly deep.

One thing I certainly loved was the larger-than-life feel you could get, when you knew your clan was the toughest around and another clan came an told you they were going to kill you all, and so you wrote a poem about how foolish they were and everyone loves you for it!

I also loved how each of your nobles had a unique personality (often based on their God) and would bring that into their suggestions about what to do in a given situation, even if that meant it wasn't really the wisest choice for the clans longevity.

It's hard to pin down just what makes this game so amazing. It's a combination of a lot of things really.

I think the key element is that it really feels like your own personal story.

Most of these types of games claim to offer freedom, but you're essentially playing down a preset path. You have certain things you have to do to advance, and while many let you mess around a bit, you're basically forced to always play the same general thing in the end.

KoDP lets you actually choose your own route. How you expand, how you deal with situations, how you deal with other clans... it's all fluid. There's no right or wrong. No being forced to choose X for the best result and everything else is a waste of time. You can be a warmonger or pacifist or diplomat or zealot.

And a big part of that is that it's not too complex. You have some things to manage, like farmland, number of warriors, who gets assigned, and that sort of thing. But you're not given some massive flowchart of doom to try and mess with. You can often just listen to your advisors (choosing which you want to listen to) and make slight changes as you go. You don't have to sit down and plan out build orders, or resource allocation, or training troops. It's all very natural.

And the randomness is also super important. It makes every game feel unique. You can start a game, save it, and play from that first save several times, and each time things will progress differently. Every choice you make will make your experience a unique one.

As Squid-Blorg pointed out, simple yet deep. It's a very easy game to pick up and get into, but there's so much under the surface that it just draws you in.

What I loved about the game was the many events and the choices you were given. Also, where it really shined it that the choices had consequences that were not related to today's morality. I basically played it for the events alone.

1) This game has a wonderful visual oldbook-like style.
2) This game has a perfect tribe life simulation model.
3) This game calls our genetic memories back.
4) This game is made with Love, Spirit and Magic.
5) This game is ALIVE. Seriously.

Yeah, 1 and 2 ditto for me too.

I agree with the above posts. The depth of the lore really helps to make it an immersive experience. The music was wonderful. They did a great job of having musical pieces that really suited each scenario. And the fact that you do have an end goal makes it worth playing.

i just found out this game last week in android top new paid, after few days i end up buying the pc version too. its so addictive. hopefully if any update available in the future we can really have peace or "WAR" mode, like we can conquer every clan with army or even genocide a clan.