[Megathread] Witcher 3

[Deleted]

I had problems finding the old thread, since I'm sure there was one, so made a new one. Kotaku seems to have found out more new stuff about the Witcher 3:



http://kotaku.com/everything-ive-lea...er-3-468670725

Last week during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, I sat down with three gentlemen from CD Projekt Red to discuss their upcoming RPG The Witcher 3. We know it's an open-world game for PC and next-gen consoles, and that it will bring the story of the Witcher Geralt of Rivia to a close. We're guessing it'll be a lustful, sexy time. I've had my share of complaints about the second game and things I'd like to see in the new one. But what do the guys making the game have to say?

First, from the fact sheet that CD Projekt Red gave me:

This is Geralt's final adventure.
It'll be easy for new players to enter the game, and won't require knowledge of the past games to enjoy.
I'll have more than 100 hours of gameplay.
The sidequests and main story can be resolved in any order.
The game is entirely open-world, and is 35 times bigger than The Witcher 2.
It's a branching story and the world is "completely open."
Quicktime events will be gone entirely. Sweet.

I spoke with lead gameplay designer Maciej Szczesnik, head of marketing Michal Platkow-Gilewski, and CD Projekt Red Managing Director Adam Badowski to see what else I could learn. Here goes:

There will indeed be 36 different "world states" that your decisions will cause to go into effect, and there will be three different playable 'epilogues.' I asked what the difference was between an ending and an epilogue, and it sounds like when CDPR says epilogue, they really mean ending.
Dandelion will return in The Witcher 3, and he'll take on a similar duty to his role in The Witcher 2 narrating recaps of the story as you go. However, the format will be a bit different. There will still be a journal, but there'll also be a sort of "previously on The Witcher 3" animated story that plays at various points, or when you're coming back into the game after stopping. They're calling this feature "Storybook."
Unsurprisingly, the learning curve will be much smoother in the new game. Players won't be thrown into the deep end.
Geralt will react differently in combat—his stance will be more relaxed when he's fighting one enemy, because he knows he'll win. But he'll be more tense and more careful when he's fighting a group. Looking at your stance, you'll be able to tell whether your opponent is a threat or not. Pretty neat.
While Szczesnik wasn't willing to put a hard number on the number of women Geralt can sleep with, they did say that romance in the game will be a more integral part of the story, and that the decisions you make with women will affect all sorts of things in the game. Much of the game revolves around Geralt finally finding his love, Yennifer--though Triss Merigold is still in the picture. Sounds like things will get interesting.
They've built an animation system that has far more unique combat animations, which are somewhat randomly selected and chained together depending on where Geralt is swinging and what direction he's moving.
Every button press gets you a single move in combat, meaning that you'll be able to break up your attacks much more easily than in The Witcher 2.
The dodge is no longer a roll—now, Geralt will pirouette to dodge enemies. No more roley-poley combat.
Parrying will now be active, and you can hold down a parry button and move, sort of like in Assassin's Creed.
I couldn't get anything out of CD Projekt about the two smaller games and mobile game they're planning. They said those games are a part of their three-year plan, and wouldn't offer any details. Oh well.
Signs will still be selected from a radial menu, but will also have shortcuts, and the shoulder buttons will let you toggle between them.

There will be 10 Witcher's Signs instead of five, as there will be a second casting mode for each sign, which you can buy by leveling up.
You'll also have combat "skills" that you can use, up to 4 active in combat.
There won't be any arm-wrestling in the new game. Aw! But also… okay, that's fine actually.
In addition to cutting QTEs, hand-to-hand combat will work completely differently. It'll be part of the main combat system, and will have moves that work and flow similarly to swordfighting.

Alchemy will be "more supportive." Szczesnik said that as in past games players will be able to complete the game focusing on alchemy, and mentioned that while it wasn't as common to focus on alchemy in The Witcher 2, often it was the most hardcore players who chose to max those abilities out.
You'll now be able to drink potions in combat, including healing potions. That's a big change, but The Witcher 3 will still have toxicity, and will retain the way that Geralt can become poisoned from drinking too many potions. There will still be potions you'll want to drink before combat.

Several of the screenshots show Geralt in a boat--you'll definitely be able to control the boat, though you won't get to fight the whales. They'll be more of a hazard you'll have to avoid. Aw. I was hoping for next-gen whaling gameplay.
You'll technically be able to fight from horseback, or at least, CDP is planning to let you do that, but it won't be a focus in the game. They were sure to point out that Geralt is a sword-master who is best at fighting on ground; he's not a cavalry knight. You won't be going after monsters on a horse, as that's not how Witchers work.
Badowski described the process of of bringing the game to PS4 as quite comfortable, as CDP is a PC-oriented company and the PS4 is essentially a PC. "It's another platform, but PC-like. Which is cool."

Another thing I noticed in was that the sun was constantly blotted out by dark clouds. However, Szczesnik says that the game won't always look like that—there'll be a full range of day and night, and weather settings. The dark clouds in the screenshots were because they're all part of the same quest, and that stormy weather fits with the vibe they wanted the first screens to capture.
Doors will finally work properly in The Witcher 3, Szczesnik promised me. Hooray!
I asked if CD Projekt Red would ever consider doing always-online DRM. Badowski's response: "No." "We are trying to get rid of DRM," said Szczesnik. "If someone wants to pirate a game, eventually he will." "Which is bad, of course," Badowski interjected. "But you can't do anything about it, so. We want to give the best user experience possible. When we removed DRM, people on those torrents were actually asking people not to download our game, because we [weren't using DRM]." While they were clear that they don't want people to pirate their games, both Szczesnik and Badowski said that invasive DRM isn't the answer.
They said that CDP support The Witcher 3 in a similar way to The Witcher 2, with lots of post-release updates. Not all of the updates will necessarily be free—if, for example, they release a giant add-on, it'd cost money. But their support plan will be about the same.

And that's that. Some promising answers about game that I find myself very much looking forward to actually playing. I'll have a chance to do just that at E3 in June, and hopefully I'll be able to say for sure whether all these changes actually make The Witcher 3 a more fluid, user-friendly game than its predecessor. In the meantime, think I'll go back and finish that second playthrough of The Witcher 2 I've had on hold.


Edit 08 June 2914: Someone brought the thread back to life, and since I saw it, I'm going to update it
Newer trailer



Official site (don't worry, it will be available on Steam and Gog.com too):
http://thewitcher.com/witcher3/


Announced release date: 24 february 2015 (take in mind that, if production gets delayed or many bugs are found during polishing, the game may be delayed a bit, but this is the official date at this time).

It would also seem that if you pre-purchase now, the game will be 10% cheaper. Some people report other discounts as well. It is your choice if you wait or pre-purchase though.

Also thank you Radeghost for more info:

"We've missed you!

"Today you got a look at the third trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We hope you liked it!

"There's so much more in this game that is's just impossible to show everything withing two and a half minutes. Still we tried

"More importantly we just showed you some of the main characters

"Geralt's close friends and some of the last witchers remaining in the world - Vesemir, Eskel and Lambert - will play a big part in the game, as well their famous fortress Kaer Morhen.

"You also got a glimpse of the renowned bard Dandelion and the sorceress Triss Merigold.

"Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, the most powerful man in the world of The Witcher also made an appearance. Recognize his voice?

"And then there was Ciri!

"And Yennefer!

"By the way, if you're new to the series, don't worry, the game will introduce you into all you need to know, and you'll start loving (and hating!) characters in no time!

"Also, you've been asking us many questions about gameplay features and we're finally ready to answer some of them - so here it goes:

"Yes, you will be able to fight while on horseback
"The crossbow. Yup, Geralt can use ranged weapon. Because sometimes monsters fly and you can't reach them.
"Remember swimming and sailing. You'll be able to dive and search for a lot of hidden stuff too. There's a whole underwater world to discover.
"Horse racing anyone?
"You also got to hear more music from the game. This particular track was composed by Marcin Przybyłowicz & Percival. We'd love to hear your feedback. Fire away in the comments or on the game's Facebook/Twitter/forums. Remember, we're always listening, even if we're not getting back to you.

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Team, CD PROJEKT RED

"PS. If you're still waiting for more (you are, right?), please be patient. We're just warming up.

"PPS. Have you seen the Collector's Edition video? What do you think about the figure?

"PPPS. We've just announced a closed multiplayer beta of The Witcher Adventure Game -------- & let the GOG.com guys ------ you."

Edit 14.06.2014:
E3 Demo thanks to rad586

Just gonna leave this here ....

Update 09.01.2015

Minimum System Requirements

Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz
AMD CPU Phenom II X4 940
Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 660
AMD GPU Radeon HD 7870
RAM 6GB
OS 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
DirectX 11
HDD Space 40 GB

Recommended System Requirements

Intel CPU Core i7 3770 3,4 GHz
AMD CPU AMD FX-8350 4 GHz
Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 770
AMD GPU Radeon R9 290
RAM 8GB
OS 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
DirectX 11
HDD Space 40 GB

Launch date is now May 19th 2015 due to them wanting to polish the game more.

Also, you'll be able to play as a second character, most probably we're talking about Ciri:
http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/5/734...-yennefer-ciri


Update 01.02.2015
Thanks to Acidbaron, their stance on DLC:

http://www.pcgamer.com/cd-projekt-sa...witcher-3-dlc/

More on the free dlc front and their intention with it.

[ddsad2212]

There was an old thread? I though it was just Witcher 3 has been announced. Anyway looks great will be getting it day 1, still need to finish witcher 2 mind you just never got round to playing it and want to play it when I have time to pretty much go from start to finish in about a week rather then a few months. Anyway the idea of the world been far bigger is appealing but I hope they do not just try and make a skyrim 2.0 that would be desastres. Anyway can't wait for the release they have been the best Pc dev for the last few years with great business models and I wish them all the success in the world

[Deleted]

I have the proudest Brain-Gaming-Boner right now. This is my most "OHMYGODIHAVETOHAVEITNOW" game of ever

---------- Post added 2013-04-05 at 01:19 PM ----------

I'm perfectly ok to give them ALL THE MONEY I WILL EVER EARN if they make good content DLCs for the game.

[Deleted]

Skeptical about this.

I'll believe it when i see it (the content and other things they've claimed)

[Deleted]

Oh found the original thread http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-3-is-Official

BTW it was not a Megathread so or we ask mods to transform this into one or we get the other one changed into a megathread and this merged to that

---------- Post added 2013-04-05 at 02:08 PM ----------

Skeptical about this.

I'll believe it when i see it (the content and other things they've claimed)

totally understand ^^ never base your excitement on interview and devs promises.
Sadly for me I totally loved both the previous games so it is much more difficult :P

[Valort]

Skeptical about this.

I'll believe it when i see it (the content and other things they've claimed)

Quite sad that developers never standing up to their own promises has led us all to be so skeptical.
But I am with you on this one: It seems like they have promised more than they can handle.

[Deleted]

For the moment the only bold assumption is the 100 hour gameplay, but what does 100 hour refer to? just main storyline? or side quest included? simple exploration?
I wish they would have specified that.

[Nhiha]

For the moment the only bold assumption is the 100 hour gameplay, but what does 100 hour refer to? just main storyline? or side quest included?
I wish they would have specified that.

They said their goal is at last 50 hours for main story then 50 hours for side quests, but it might be more than that.

[Deleted]

They said their goal is at last 50 hours for main story then 50 hours for side quests, but it might be more than that.

I might be ok with that. 50 hour for the main storyline is quite good, ME3 for me lasted about 40 - 45 hours (it did not have many side quests to do) so it is ok

[Badpaladin]

Quicktime events gone? I suppose that's not bad. TW2 never really went overboard with them anyways, so I'm neutral in that regard. Considering the quality of TW2 I'm confident they'll deliver at least 90% of what they're promising.

And their continuing disapproval of DRM makes me happy.

[Wynnyelle]

I have faith that CD Projekt Red will deliver on their promises. They are one of the few game developers left who actually care about the game and the players instead of only caring about the maximum profit they can net. And I really love that it will be completely DRM-free. That is a step in the right direction for the industry, and I will definitely be showing my support by buying this game day 1.

[Deleted]

Quicktime events gone? I suppose that's not bad. TW2 never really went overboard with them anyways, so I'm neutral in that regard. Considering the quality of TW2 I'm confident they'll deliver at least 90% of what they're promising.

And their continuing disapproval of DRM makes me happy.

I did not disliked them to be honest as they were well placed in TW2 in my opinion

[Razamith]

The storyline, graphics, and gameplay from the first two took me by surprise and I can't wait for more info/peeks at this third one. There was significant upgrades in TW2 that make me optimistic they can pull off some of the enhancements they're talking about, though I hope it doesn't go too far down the Elder Scrolls direction -- those have different goals than a witcher game.

[Deleted]

The storyline, graphics, and gameplay from the first two took me by surprise and I can't wait for more info/peeks at this third one. There was significant upgrades in TW2 that make me optimistic they can pull off some of the enhancements they're talking about, though I hope it doesn't go too far down the Elder Scrolls direction -- those have different goals than a witcher game.

good point. I do hope that the open world and the side quests will not have the same effect they have on on Elder scroll that it is losing the entire point of the journey and arrive at some point where I get so lost in side paths that go "sooooo what was my quest again?"

that makes the adventure feel a little disconnected for me

[xxf2dxx]

Time for some more sexual healing in even more underground pools full of rose petals. Seriously though, 35 times larger and open world? Siiiiiiick.

[Deleted]

I'm a bit concerned about their whole "let's make it like TES, but...". I really... REALLY hope they pull it off well. But well... they've delivered in the past, I can only hope they keep delivering. I want to trust them, but the change seems a bit drastic >_<

[Deleted]

New pictures:
http://www.level.ro/stiri/29202-imag...wild-hunt.html

Oh found the original thread http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-3-is-Official

BTW it was not a Megathread so or we ask mods to transform this into one or we get the other one changed into a megathread and this merged to that

Oh yeah, there it was.

We'll see once we get closer to release or get some more interest, for now people aren't so interested since there's not many news and stuff yet. I'd be fine either way.

I have faith that CD Projekt Red will deliver on their promises. They are one of the few game developers left who actually care about the game and the players instead of only caring about the maximum profit they can net. And I really love that it will be completely DRM-free. That is a step in the right direction for the industry, and I will definitely be showing my support by buying this game day 1.

Indeed, it makes me happy to hear there's still devs out there that care about the consumers and don't treat us all as thieves.

[Deleted]

Graphics look pretty similar to Witcher 2, which is a good thing, that game was beautiful :3

[Deleted]

Graphics look pretty similar to Witcher 2, which is a good thing, that game was beautiful :3

they're also redesigning the engine I think that the screenshots there are still using the Witcher 2 one :>

[Airlick]

I'm pretty sure they are setting up for a future Witcher MMO, at least the open world part suggests that. Also if Geralt's personal story is concluded, they will not have to worry so much about lore and players won't feel obliged to play 'the' witcher.

The Witcher world is very rich, full of side stories (both from the books and the games), monsters - many of which never even had an appearance in games, there's a ton of possible classes and playable races... Well, it would generally be a waste if they never made an MMO.