Comparison to II

Comparison to Invisible Inc

tl/dr summary: II has a fixed, simple plot and a fixed, small set of agents. CKF has more plot variety and agent build variety. CKF is fully 3D rendered. At a very high level, the stealth part of II is "similar" to CKF (fans of either game will disagree; more details below.) II has a much higher reliance on "keeping stealth", while most CKF missions eventually include "loud combat" with automatic weapons.

Main plot and overworld

In II, there is a fixed main plot with cutscenes. For each tactical mission, you are given 2-3 choices, but there are no branches. In CKF, there is no main plot. There are currently a small number of story lines, some of which may occur in one play-through but not another. The story lines may be triggered by a known characteristic of one agent, or randomly based on certain attributes of any agent. Story lines may have several linked missions and several "branches" to explore. No two playthroughs will encounter the same set of story missions.

In II, there is a graphic of a world map, and each mission takes place in a different location; but these make no appreciable difference to gameplay. CKF does not have any overworld map. Missions launch from the "safehouse" (base) and return there. The external lore guide gives a sense of place, but the game has only tactical mission maps and the safehouse map.

In addition to going on tactical missions, CKF agents can be sent on special missions, which make them unavailable for combat missions and may provide some special benefit, such as new items or talents. These frequently appear as part of storylines, although some basic repeatable missions can be offered.

Overall graphics

II is not really about graphics. The character art is limited and comic-book style, with no customization. CKF is entirely 3D rendered and each agent can be customized with a variety of faces, skin tones, hats, and other accessories. CKF also has a wider variety of objects placed on the tactical maps, and it is gridless, so the squares displayed on the II tactical map are not needed.

Typical tactical view in II	Typical tactical view in CKF

Agents

In II, there is a small set of individually designed agents, each with unique abilities, unlocked throughout the game. In CKF, there is a much larger set of individually designed agents, which may be offered as recruits randomly or as part of missions. Each agent belongs to one of 6 classes (currently). When an agent levels up, they may choose a new ability or improved ability from a large talent "tree". Generally a class has about 15 talents and about 15 opportunities for stat increases; each talent has about 6 options to improve it, resulting in about 16 different "strengths" of the talent. It would be hard to enumerate all the varieties, but certainly one class at max level could have thousands of different builds.

As with II, it is possible for CKF agents to permanently die on missions, but at normal difficulty, this should be rare.

Tactical combat

Turn sequence. Both II and CKF have turn based combat. CKF uses initiative ordering, which means that in each turn, player agents may alternate moves with enemy guards; you cannot control which agent will move at any particular time.

Map grid. CKF is gridless; weapon and talent ranges are true spheres accounting for distance and altitude. Each movement point is a straight line, but you can plot moves that bend around enemy sight lines or other obstacles.

Stealth. II is really about stealth. Combat is to be avoided and is usually nonlethal. Being detected by a guard does not literally end the mission in failure, but in a well played level, no guards ever spot the team. Combat in CKF is expected, and lethal. If you efficiently target and kill guards who are out of sight of other guards, you can perform most of the mission without "breaking stealth". Generally you wind up triggering guards and then "going loud" with automatic weapons.

Security devices. Both II and CKF have a variety of devices on the tactical map, including cameras. In II, any agent can use the matrix ("Incognita") to disable them. In CKF, different agents may have abilities to temporarily disable the devices at a certain range. As with detection by guards, detection by cameras will increase the security level and more guards will start to search for the team; but this usually leads to loud combat rather than mission failure.

Encounter ordering. Both II and CKF have a number of patrolling guards and the possibility of reinforcements arriving. In general, more guards are visible at the start of a CKF mission.

Matrix / hacking encounters

In II, Incognita offers a variety of abilities to disable security, but each program is triggered as a single option from the main tactical map. In CKF, hacking is a main part of most missions and some missions take place entirely in the matrix. Hacking missions are more than just a "minigame", although less complex than other games notably the Shadowrun games by Harebrain (see separate comparison). Expect to spend 30-40% of your time in hacking missions, including times when the hacker must find and open a door while being attacked in the real world.

Base building and items

II has a central base, but it remains off-screen and does not change during the game. In CKF, between missions, as money is available, you can build up your base ("safehouse") with a number of different rooms, which can be individually upgraded. These give powerful abilities such as adding more loot to a mission or granting a new contact who sells higher level gear.

In II, new weapons become available one by one as loot or through cyber surgery during missions. In CKF, more powerful weapons are obtained by either crafting in the safehouse, using blueprints that are available as mission loot, or by "leveling up" contacts to provide more powerful services. For example, in mid game, level 3 weapons may be available in the market; a contact may "level up" to offer level 4 weapons for purchase, and you may be able to craft certain types of level 5-6 weapons.

Map / objective variety

In II, each tactical mission map is generated randomly, and there are a limited number of objectives; generally the objective is "loot and escape". CKF has fixed maps, currently around 30 maps, with more being added during Early Access. Each map has multiple entrance and exit points and can be reconfigured slightly with more/fewer guards, security cameras, and other features. Experienced players will recognize the maps and have favorite "routes" through them. In CKF, there are a larger number of objectives. Currently there are about 12. Some objectives are better tackled with stealth, and some require loud combat.

Modding

II does not officially support modding. CKF will add modding capability after release.