The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Greek God

Dynamic Entry into Ark Blast
systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems
PSN-Name: Greek-God88
Spielt gerade: Cold Steel
#43
aus Neogaf
translation:


The few hour long visit I made to CD Projekt Red, where I picked up as much information about The Witcher 3 as I could carry, revealed many impressive plans from the developers. They are serious enough that it's easy to get somewhat worried about ther final realisation, but if it works...

I was mostly interested in the relationship between the open world and the plot. Both Witchers gained a lot thanks to the exquisite story, which allowed to ignore some irritating technical issues. They were, however, games of a relatively closed structure, with a world divided into segments. Skyrim on the other hand distracted the player from the main quest at each step, with sidequests and places to discover. How do the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developers try to tackle this problem?

The world will feature three diverse regions. The cloak-and-dagger Novigrad, the norse Skellige* and the black-magic filled no-mans land. In each region has a serious main problem, connected to the backbone of the entire story. The numerous sidequests then are connected to these local main issues. This way, a scheme emerges, in the shape of a pyramid, or umbrella, or whatever you choose to describe it as - in any case, you will often get reminded about the main plot.

To paraphrase a famous quote - the sword of the sandbox has two edges. First of all, a large number of sidequests soaked with story can lead to oversaturation - after all, temporarily getting away from the story to catch a "breather" is still an important thing for players in a sandbox game. Also, quests are one thing, the world is another. The terrain is supposed to be huge, so it needs to be filled in a thoughtful way. This is a challenge in itself, since there's supposed to be very little automatically generated content. How not to overload the world with quests, and how not to trivialise them with an off-handed "oh woe is me, I'm being opressed by Nilfgaard" - these are incredybly difficult questions, that trouble even optimistic fans.

The next thing is the return to the roots of the saga. The Witcher 3 begins with Nilfgaard's offensive into the north and Geralt's solitude after having lost many allies. A large number of fans rate the short stories higher than the saga "proper", preferring road adventure and shunning the White Wolf's pompous mission. It seems they are the target of The Witcher 3. The atmosphere of the witcher's trail and the adventures encontered are something for enthusiats of early Sapkowski.

At the same time, the Reds are trying to make the game better entry point, both in terms of difficulty and story. The Witcher greeted us with, uncousciousness, amnesia, a keep and the Salamandra. The Witcher 2 quickly threw us into bed with Triss, then to battle alongside Foltest. Many players complained about the huge amount of information to digest on a short notice, so "Three" will be more gentle. And thus the sword of sandbox swings again, because the atmosphere tends towards long-time fans, while the structure of the gameplay on a time axis - to those less knowledgeable. Another challenge for the developers, though personally I'm not worried, since I prefer the short stories and I won't have trouble getting immersed into the world.

I'm not sure about the idea with the witcher knowledge. In short - knowledge gained in various ways (books, conversations etc.) about the weak points of monsters is supposed to give us an edge in battle. Let's say, a drowner has a sensitive spot between his shoulders, so we spend special focus points for a precise strike to it's back. More powerful tricks will consume more points, and to keep things dynamic the attacks can be mapped to keys to perform them quicker.

Maybe there's a conceptual sense to the fact that we won't be able to use the points without the knowledge, but it's easy to lose track of logic. Wait, so if I don't know a kick in the nuts will hurt someone, it won't hurt him if I do kick him there? Alas, it's not known whether Geralt can also gain knowledge during combat, but I think that would be the most sensible solution and I hope it gets implemented.

I'm grumbling a lot, but I'm grumbling out of care, because in many ways The Witcher 3 has potential to be a really solid game. Almost 100 hours of gameplay in a consistently designed world, free exploration of the entire worldspace, a decent camera in a fluid combat system are factors that do not leave one indifferent. They didn't leave me indifferent either, as I sat comfortably, watching a short gameplay presentation by the Reds.

Said gameplay fragment also showed that The Witcher 3 cares about its looks. The animations, the scenery, the effects... all that looks great and is probably going to get even better, since it's still going to be a while before release. The lifting is not limited just to technology however, but also the art style. In contrast to the realistic predecessor, important characters will be slightly exaggerated, and their attitude will show in both their looks and their behaviour. We can count on characters making an instant impression, and we won't forget the most important ones for a long, long, long time. If you don't like this direction, then try to imagine Vernon Roche as a civillian. The time of the everyman is over.

The crafting system deserves a few words - if it works, it has a chance to find its way into my private "ideal RPG" table, next to the class system from Kingdoms of Amalur which I praised a while ago. Its beauty lies in simplicity, specifically in flexible item schematics. We don't have to worry about a copper tooth, silver tooth and gold tooth separately. The schematics only require classes of needed components, rather than specific components. In other words, we can make an armour from a wolf's skin, but it won't be particularily resistant. We can also kill a legendary monster with skin as hard as steel and put that into the slot without the need for other components to be of similar quality. As you make your bed, so you must lie in it, Gwynbleidd.

I'm waiting for The Witcher 3 to convince me I'm wrong in my scepticism - and I really do wish to be wrong. I'm not waiting for more announced features since they're unlikely to break much, and knowing CD Projekt RED they won't disappoint in presentation and mechanics. It's impossible not to get excited about Wild Hunt - just no stupid bugs and sudden endings this time, please. Though I'm not worried about those either, since the three epilogues are supposed to be entirely separate, one or two-hour portions of gameplay.

Oh, wait! One more thing - during the presentation, the words "Kaer Morhen" were dropped."

"Good night", said the Devil.

PS. For a more "tratitional" preview, check out Monk and Enkor's article in the upcoming issue of CDA

*the snow is supposed to be justified story-wise, but when asked about Ithlinne's prophecy, the gentlemen from CDPR seemed to pretend they didn't hear the question.
Ok, I will start translating the answers the guy from "Igromania" who visited CDP's offices gave in the comments to the post linked in OP.

Q (SotC):
Is the athmosphere of The Witcher 3 closer to the first installement in the series, or to the second one? (IMHO, the first one had a more "slavic" feeling)
What are the new changes in the combat system?
Is the openworld style of the game actually an advantage? (if this van be told from the demo)
Does Geralt have a beard?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
It's hard to say. What they showed was actually closer to Skyrim in athmosphere. But they showed only the northern region, and the game will have two more. One of them is the No Man's Land, which will, actually, have the slavic feeling to it, like what we've seen in the first Witcher. And the second region is the gigantic Novigrad, essentially the capital of the Witcher universe (ED: he's obviously exaggerating). And there the athmosphere will be closer to the one in The Witcher 2: something like medieval Europe on the verge of the Renaissance Era.


Q (Wan-Li):
The Witcher 3 runs on the same engine as The Witcher 2, or it has a new engine?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
The engine is new, it's Red Engine 3. Visually it's closer to The Witcher 2 than to The Witcher 1, but there are many differences. For example, there won't be any invisible barriers, if you want to jump into a chasm, you can do it. Also the visibility range is extreme, colossal open spaces, and so on. And the visual quality in general is a little bit better.


Q (Woodcutter):
My main question: are the main virtues of the Witcher series in place, with some superfluus things like enhanced crafting, combat and open world added? In the Witcher 2 we still had the main advantages of the first Witcher game: the lack of a "truly good" choice and the possibility to see repercussions of your actions. I hope it'll still be the case with The Witcher 3.
And what about the music?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Yes, of course these virtues will be kept. And music is good as well, the main composer was not changed.


Q (Alexpsk60):
I so hoped to see some new information about Cyperpunk...

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
There will be such information. We will post a big interview with CD Project about Cyberpunk.


Q (limp-be):
Will there be nude women in The Witcher 3?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Of course. But, unfortunately, there won't be collectible cards.


Q (Wan-Li):
Igromania, please share your impressions about the new engine and the game in general!

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Brief impressions:
The combat is somwhere in between the one of The Witcher 2 and the one of The Witcher 1. It is slower than in The Witcher 2, and requires more thought. The number of different strikes and combos increased fivefold, and they heavily depend on timing. If you press the button a second earlier, Geralt will strike in one way. A second later, in a different way.
And the developers said that, citing them, "Geralt will no longer turn his back on foes".
The open world runs on the principle that "there is always something interesting on the horizon". Go anywhere, look around and you will see either a tower, or a lighthouse, or a village. In Skyrim, that's how the Radar worked, but here it's for real.
There will be a possibility to fight mounted! Not as the main part of the gameplay, on the contrary, Geralt is much more effective on his feet, did he study martial arts for nothing? But the very possibility to hit someone without dismounting will exist.
There is no sense looking at the screenshots for now, the version they showed ran DirectX 9, and in that sense the build they showed was very raw. At the time of the release (2014) they will already switch to DirectX 11 and won't even support DirectX 9.


Q (Gus333):
1. Where does the demo take place? If you can draw any conclusions, what can you say about the open world and the ecosystem?
2. Is the new combat system good? Is it better than in The Witcher 2?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
The demo takes place in the north, the setting resembles Skyrim and The Wall from A Song Of Ice and Fire. Jarls, horned helmets, cliffs with waves pounding on them: all as it should be.
About the ecosystem: there will be random encounters. If you ride through the forest, you can see bandits robbing a caravan, or wolfs hunting a deer. Some of these encounters will be one-time and scripted, while the others will be generated randomly. How often do you hav these encounters couldn't be seen yet.
The combat mechanics is definitely better. Less resembling a slasher.


Q (StarKiller66):
How did the characters change (appearance, personality)?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Geralt grew a beard. Apparently in order for his chin to not freeze in the north. But his personality is the same good old thorny one.


Q (@ndronn):
I'm very bothered by the following qestion. The evasinve rolls were replaced by pirouettes. This is good for fencing with a human opponent, but what to do against the monsters? You can't really fence with them.

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Well, it's hard to answer. Fighting the ice giant there was no real need in evasive rolls. You could jump away wrom the hits of the giant and jump closer back and poke him with the sword. That was the way the giant was killed.
The developers dropped the evasive roll since the players were constantly abusing it in all combat encounters (it was a kind of a panacea from all the troubles), which spoiled Geralt's image.


Q (Den17):
Well, judging from the comments, everybody cares about the following for questions:
1. Is it interesting to play the game?
2. What did they change?
3. What about the graphics?
4. What about Geralt's relations with women?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
1. Very very interesting.
2. The size of the world, the combat, the story. Well, everything
3. The graphics are in place.
4. There will be long branching love stories, and the one-night sex options as well. Brothels included. But what to choose is in the player's hands, Geralt is up to anything.


Q (@ndronn):
I will ask some questions. CD Project promised that Geralt will learn to jump, cling to ledges, and so on. How does it happen? Like in The Witcher 2, press LMB in a certain spot and he jumps, or like in GTA, there is a speciall button for jumping, you can jump anywhere?
How do you advance in alchemy? Is there an option to drink potions during the combat (it's hard to predict when the combat will start and against who, so I'd like to have such an option)?
Are the mounted movement controls good enough?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
There is a special button for jumping, and no restrictions.
I cannot tell you about how one advances in alchemy, but I can tell something about drinking of the potions. You can drink them only before the combat starts, as before, but now you can ACTIVATE them during the combat. This is logical, since witchers can control their methabolism and tell their body to start processing certain substances at will. So there will be planning involved (you'll have to decide which potions will you need against this particular opponent), and also an option to activate them precisely when needed.
The mounted movent controls are good enough. But I haven't heard complaints about similar things in Skyrim, Red Dear Redemption and Mount&Blade as well, so it's certainly doable.


Q (Pigius):
Will the game be as demanding to PC hardware as The Witcher 2 was?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Even more demanding. Let me repeat that they even plan to drop the DIrectX 9 support alltogether.


Q (DeGree)
What about the alchemy? Is it casual like in The Witcher 2, or more involved like in the first installement?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
They again merged the approaches of the first two games. There will be more options and more possibilites for experimentation, but there will still be a separate menu for this.


Q (Rimsky)
Will there be albedo/nigredo/rubedo or their analogs in TW3 alchemy?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
Yes, they promised it.


Q (DeGree)
Will there be an option to store your belongings in some storage "at home"? Or we'll have to deal with bartenders for this again?

A (Alexander Pushkar', Igromania):
I didn't ask if Geralt will have some "home", but it's not too late to ask, I'll try to do it.
But the horse will certainly have some storage attached to it, like in Fallout 2
 
D

Deleted member 7049

Guest
#44
technisch ist es jetzt nicht so viel besser als witcher 2. vor allem die charaktermodelle sehen irgendwie eher schlechter aus.
Das Spiel ist Open World!

Und bis 2014 ist noch reichlich Zeit!

Wenn es nachher so aussieht wie der 2 Teil auf dem PC und dann flüssig läuft in einer frei begehbaren offenen Welt, bin ich schon zufrieden!
 
#47
The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red believes digital rights management (DRM) is the "worst thing in the gaming industry." Speaking to Forbes, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt project lead Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said such measures negatively impact gameplay experiences.


"In my opinion, DRM is the worst thing in the gaming industry. It's limiting our rights to play games owned by us," Tomaszkiewicz said. "Let’s imagine that you have a game that requires Internet connection to prove that you actually bought it. What if you lose your connection because of your Internet provider? You can't play anymore."

The Witcher 3 is DRM-free.

Tomaszkiewicz claimed that DRM does not stop piracy and is instead only a "real pain" for legal users. He said fans appreciate CD Projekt Red's long-stated anti-DRM stance and that these users--on forums and elsewhere-- actively attempt to persuade would-be pirates to purchase a legitimate copy instead of downloading a game illegally.

Battlefield and FIFA publisher Electronic Arts previously referred to DRM as a "failed, dead-end strategy."

Also in the interview, Tomaszkiewicz confirmed that The Witcher 3 will not feature a multiplayer component. He explained that CD Projekt Red "strongly feel that this final saga of Geralt has no place for meaningful multiplayer." A multiplayer component was never confirmed for The Witcher 3, but the studio teased last month that it was exploring opportunities.

Another game element that will not be featured in The Witcher 3 are quick time events. Tomaszkiewicz explained that these moments in past games "usually frustrated players" and that they will not appear in the upcoming game.

The Witcher 3 is Geralt's final story and reportedly has 100 hours of gameplay. The role-playing game is due to launch in 2014 for PlayStation 4, PC, and other "high-end" platforms.
Quelle: http://www.gamespot.com/news/witcher-dev-drm-is-worst-thing-in-the-gaming-industry-6407588

:okay:
 
#48
Interview mit Lead Character Artist Pawel Mielniczuk :)

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-05-29-talking-shop-the-witcher-3s-lead-character-artist

"Contemporary PCs and consoles are quite powerful and the next-gen look is more about lighting models and shaders than the size of your textures and number of polygons. It is extremely important to think about materials and their properties while designing the character. Smart mixing and thinking about [a character's] final location beforehand can add a lot to the design," he said.
"It turned out that the most controversial character design we've created for The Witcher 2 was... Geralt himself. When we started working on The Witcher 2, we decided to completely redesign Geralt's face and his haircut. Man, our fans went mad!" Mielniczuk joked. "But, since we always listen carefully to community feedback, we decided to find a solution. Instead of ignoring the rage on the forums, we spent additional days trying to make Geralt's face look similar to the way it looked in the first game while retaining the visual quality of the sequel."

"On top of that, we promised our fans that they would have a chance to change Geralt's haircut in the game. And we kept our promise!" said Mielniczuk. CD Projekt Red added the ability to change Geralt's haircut in patch for The Witcher 2.

CD Projekt Red works with its own internal engines, the latest being REDengine 3, the technology behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Mielniczuk noted that working with proprietary technology has "tremendous advantages."

"Working on your own technology and using somebody else's is like wearing your older brother's suit instead of having a tailored one. All the asset management and tools are designed exactly as we need them and we're not forced to waste time on any adjustments. If there's something new we need, we just go to our programmers and they do all the magic for us," he said.
 

Greek God

Dynamic Entry into Ark Blast
systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems
PSN-Name: Greek-God88
Spielt gerade: Cold Steel
#52
Alter Falter sieht das gut aus!
Sind die Bilder von der geupgegradeten Engine? Die Devs sagten ja die anderen Bilder waren nicht aktuell.
 
PSN-Name: akifreak
#53
Quelle : http://www.pcgameshardware.de/The-W...creenshots-Gameplay-Spielzeit-Quests-1073064/

Da stand jetzt nichts spezifisches drin.
Die haben ja bei den alten Screenshots noch ein rudimentäres Beleuchtungssystem genutzt - man erinnere sich an das Bild in dem Geralt mit Igni auf nen Oger hält, die Flammen waren dort recht mickrig. Bei den Bildern scheint das Feuer schonmal besser auszusehen, könnte mir also gut Vorstellen, dass das jetzt upgegradet wurde - final wirds noch nich sein.
 

Der_Hutmacher

down the rabbit hole
systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems, systems
PSN-Name: Der_Hutmacher
#56
Infos aus der kommenden EDGE:

The Witcher 3:

Bear in mind I didn't read previous previews so I may be regurgitating information.

  • There will be no overt tutorial instead mechanics will gradually be introduced.
  • Combat system now has dodge in order to be closer to the pirouettes found in the books.
  • Geralt can choose to execute or spare bandits, though he can loot them either way.
  • They are targeting 30fps on console.
  • Geralt will change his stance according to the task he is faced with e.g. wary if surrounded by a pack of monsters.
  • They added Witcher sense similar to Batman's Detective mode so you can see weak points on monsters like The Fiend's lungs, or outside of battle to re create events like tracking a murderer.
  • Main storyline is 40-50hrs, and another 40-50 in the open world.
  • No "Fedex Quests."
  • Choice and consequence will ripple across the world.
  • Don't want to build a sandbox experience, storytelling is still the main goal.
  • Some locations: Skellige: Nordic-style archipelago, Slavic-like No Mans Land and city of Novigrad.
  • Geralt can jump. In-house motion capturing, though the horse was done somewhere else.

There are screenshots with monsters in them though I have no idea if they are new or not. For example there is a screen of the monster (The Fiend) on the cover (you can see its head on the bottom right) fighting Geralt. The other screens are a burning village (DX11), Geralt surrounded by wolves and fighting flying witch like creatures. Though the demo shown was using DX9 some of the screens in the magazine are using shots from the DX11 tech demo.

[Quelle: http://www.neogaf.com]
 
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