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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Zarx's unofficial The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt hype thread - February 24th, 2015 - New Trailer

 

Should I update the OP?

Yes do it now 35 62.50%
 
Just wait and update it closer to release 8 14.29%
 
No no one bothers reading... 6 10.71%
 
No, you suck and I don't... 5 8.93%
 
Total:54

Another interview

Witcher 3 dev on next-gen, avoiding an "average, crappy game"

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-06-19-witcher-3-dev-on-next-gen-avoiding-an-average-crappy-game

"Basically, we've built an engine team. On Witcher 2, it was just one team. A few engine programmers were on there as well, but now we've split the team up. Now we've got a big core engine team. There's like 15 programmers working just on the engine to create a cross-platform solution for the game. These guys have lots of console experience," said Mamais.

"It's also expertise that we've had to add to our locations team: how to make assets. We don't want to make a game that looks procedurally-generated. We don't want a game that looks the same everywhere. So we've had to create a bigger locations team. Bigger team, but we've also had to beef up our toolset, so it's easier and faster for those guys to work."

"When we started out, we had this massive backlog of features that we wanted to create, but you have to do an ROI analysis of your features," he replied. "And that's what we did. We're constantly going through the process to figure out which features are the most important, but take less time potentially. Those are the things we do first. Things that are really cool, but maybe they don't add as much value to the game? We have to cut them out. We have to make choices."

"I don't want to give you any specific details... there's still some stuff that we really want to do," Mamais added. "There's one awesome feature that we want to do, but we're starting to realize how much work it's going to take. The thing is, if you don't focus on a few features and you try to do too much, then you're going to end up with an average, crappy game. We've got to pick what's important to the game and do it right."



@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!

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That last part is very true and important. There have been too many games that had the potential to be great but ended up being 'meh' because the devs didn't know what was important and what not.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Excuse to bump thread



@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!

All games beta has a nice fact sheet of Witcher 3 info check it out

http://www.allgamesbeta.com/2013/06/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-fact-sheet.html

 

Key parts:

Non-Linear, hand-crafted

The Witcher 3 features over 100 hours of non-linear gameplay, nearly half of which is devoted to the immersive main storyline, a narrative focusing on Geralt and htose closest to him. None of this is automatically generated - both core and side quests are handmade with meticulous care, meaningfully woven into the vibrant game universe. Forming or supporting the main and secondary storylines, they draw players into engaging, intricately-crafted adventures extending across the rich, living, world.

Non-linearity is a core feature of the game, with player choices branching the adventure from the main storyline on multiple levels, from entire sub-stories, to trivial everyday matters. Saving a miller's son from a wyvern attack may affect who will ultimately don a crown, while thwarting a plot to assassinate a noble lord could spell doom for his oppressed subjects.

Quests may be taken on in any order, completed one at a time or pursued in parallel with others. Regardless of the method, players actions will bring many consequences that change the story and affect the game world. These consequences culminate in three completely different playable epilogues set in one of twelve possible unique world states. Defined by the outcome of climactic events and the fate of key NPCs, these states provide a total of 36 different possible endings.

 

Through a series of new features, players can merge their skills with Geralt's developing combat acumen:

● The number of attacks, parries and other combat moves has been greatly increased and rendered fluid with 96 new action sequences, compared to 20 in The Witcher 2.

● Three different sets of movement animations let Geralt adjust his stance to match the dangers he faces.

● Players enjoy complete control of Geralt in combat as there are no QTEs or scripted timing attacks.

A new camera system, superior even to that utilised in the Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2, shows fights in all their glory while keeping the focus on what the player needs to see.

Geralt's character development visibly affects his behaviour in combat: obtaining a Swordsman skill might increase attack animation speed, while a Mage ability could turn the Igni Sign into a torrent of blue flame.

Use your brain, they'll use theirs

Combat is realistic, dynamic and rewarding, featuring smart enemies and living battlefields:

● Each of the 80 monsters Geralt can encounter has its own habitat, strengths and weaknesses.

Improved crowd AI means enemies communicate with each other in combat, coordinating their efforts to surround Geralt or deploy combo attacks.

Monsters and other foes do not scale with the player: beasts that crush players with a single swipe at the outset become sword fodder by the game's end.

Enemy morale shapes with their actions: opponents flee or fight more cautiously when scared, attack recklessly when desperate, and beg for mercy on their knees when defeat is inevitable.

The environment is a factor in combat, and Geralt can use it to his advantage: he might destroy a hive to unleash an angry swarm of hornets on a foe, or cast the Aard Sign to bury a group of thugs beneath a toppled stack of barrels.

 


Each action impacts the story and the game world. NPCs, communities, monsters and locations all change based on player choice - you may rid a fishing village of drowners and watch its economy prosper, or kill a merchant in one town and see his trading partners in another go bankrupt for lack of goods.

A choice once made resonates, its effects both immediate and delayed. Revisit a location where an important story juncture played out, and you're sure to find it transformed by your previous actions. Similarly, a choice made in one corner of the world, pertaining to specific characters, could well breed consequences in other lands, among other populations.

 

Roam without borders

Wide open roaming across regions is unspoiled by load times. Landscapes dotted with Points of Interest tempt players to venture off beaten paths in search of possible adventures. Players explore without interruption, encountering no barriers, choosing different means of travel to reach their destination. This whole new approach to exploration means players can vault over barriers, swim through rapids, ride a horse across the dangerous No Man's Land, run through Novigrad's narrow streets, or sail under the full moon amidst the Skellige Islands. The world provides an unprecedented feeling of open space and freedom, taking 40 minutes to traverse on horseback end to end. Players can stand atop a mountain, 1200 meters above sea level, breathless as they ponder the distant abyss and wind-swept isles, their look and feel rendered flawlessly.

A continent to discover

The world of The Witcher 3 is vast and continuous, yet diverse, with each of its lands distinguishable by a unique feel inspired by different sources and cultural references:

No Man's Land: a sparsely populated, war-ravaged territory, based on Slavic mythology. Murky swamps and dark primeval forests cover this land, where monsters lurk behind every tree and no one can be sure whether they will see another sunrise. Its fields stripped bare by passing armies, No Man's Land is a place of anarchy, where might makes right and gold buys life.

Skellige: a wind-swept and rugged archipelago, based on Nordic and Celtic legends and sagas. In these isles, inhabited by proud and noble people, warriors seek fame by facing legendary monsters, druids guard nature's secrets, and bards sing of heroes past in torch-lit halls. Stubbornly independent, the Skelligers are rigging their longboats and sharpening their spears, ready to lay down their lives defending against the inevitable Nilfgaard invasion.

Novigrad and its surrounds: a port city inspired by medieval Amsterdam. In this grand city, as rich and colourful as it is corrupt, players witness the persecution of mages by an all-powerful cult, while at the same time dealing with underworld figures poised to profit from the ongoing world war.

 

Left to itself, the world continues living:

Predators hunt their prey, villages defend themselves against monsters, lovers meet by moonlight.

Communities react to temperature changes and other phenomena, seeking shelter when it rains or warmth when the temperature drops; they migrate to fulfil their needs or flee threats, while merchant caravans fill the roads and fishermen sail in search of the best catch.

REDengine 3 incorporates location ambience and expanded dynamic lighting, which enables a realistic, highly-detailed day and night cycles as well as diverse weather conditions - players can observe an approaching storm before experiencing its might as they navigate a rough stretch of sea.

 

Players can combine skills from three specialisation path - Swordsman, Mage and Alchemist - to shape hybrid characters.

● Each ability gained has a visible and visceral impact on combat: players who unlock a precision enhancement on the Swordsman tree might then see their blows slice through opponents' jugulars with deadly regularity.

● Under the expanded Sign casting system, each of Geralt's five Signs has two different modes, broadening the creative use of magic in combat.

Alchemy is highly intuitive, with potions used as easily as skills: players drink their brews before combat, then activate them when needed.

● Players can concoct an expanded array of potions, bombs and blade oils, including special mixtures for use against specific monster types.

● Greatly expanded Crafting allows players to create items like armour elements and weapons, significantly adding to Geralt's deadly combat arsenal.

 

even more at the source



@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!

About the new combat movements.

There's one thing that I liked in the first game but was missing in the second: to choose the style of the combat. In the first you could choose 3 fighting styles: fast attacks with slow damage (perfect for thieves), slower attacks but with high damage (ideal for armored enemies) and group attacks (for groups of wolves and other menaces).

I'd love to see this feature coming back.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

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@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!

Have another interview: http://clickonline.com/games/interview--maciej-szczesnik-%5Bthe-witcher-3-wild-hunt%5D/18544/

"MS: We’ve revamped combat completely and the finishers have also undergone major changes. Since we’ve tried to make fights more responsive and more realistic, we decided to portray the finishing moves within the combat choreography itself, rather than present them via separate cutscenes. This way we don’t break immersion and the finishers look even more spectacular."

"As you mentioned, QTEs are gone, but that doesn’t mean fist fights have met the same fate. In a way, they constitute an important, immersive part of the night life in the game world. Plus, mini-games are a good way of letting players take a short breather from questing, should they need one. We’ve replaced QTE mechanics in these fist fights with a new system, one that gives more control to the player. They will still be brutal and challenging, that’s for sure."

"Yes, Geralt will have new parry moves, counters and dodges at his disposal. Thanks to the 96 new combat sequences I mentioned, fights won’t come across as repetitive. Additionally, combat itself has been slightly slowed down, and in turn has become more tactical. Defense will play a crucial role during fights. You’ll now be able to block incoming attacks while moving - swing your sword, though, and you’ll create an opening for your opponent. Combat will thus require more planning and thinking."

"Players will be able to cast signs on mounted opponents - an Aard sign to knock someone out of his saddle or an Igni sign to wound him. As for horseback combat itself, we’re considering some options. It’s important to understand that mounted combat wouldn’t exactly be canonical with the source books - Geralt isn’t some sort of medieval knight in shining armor jousting in tournaments. Horses are his means of travel. Still, we’ll be able to offer more insight on that in the near future."

"Click: Are there any multiplayer plans for Wild Hunt? Assassins of Kings offered an arena mode, will this transform into a multiplayer option?

MS: Our focus is on making The Witcher 3 a breathtaking, unforgettable experience, a true storytelling gem among video games. Hard choices, morally gray characters - that’s what will make the next installment of Geralt’s story a truly great RPG. Any multiplayer features would only break the immersion we’ve worked so hard to achieve. That’s why The Witcher 3 will be a single-player experience only.

Click: When are you planning on showing off more Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay footage next?

MS: What we’ve shown during E3 was a pre-alpha build and we were overwhelmed by the ecstatic feedback and numerous awards (over 50!) that followed; we still have a humongous amount of work ahead of us. That’s why you’ll have to be patient in waiting for the new footage.

Click: Can you confirm a release date? Or even a release period i.e. Q2 2014?

MS: The Witcher 3 will come out in 2014, period. We’re developing a game with a giant, open world and over 100 hours of gameplay - releasing it unpolished, just because we set a date earlier, would be an enormous waste."

More at the link including some Cyberpunk 2077 talk



@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!

The E3 demo was pre-Alpha... this game will be simply beautiful.

Oh, and gamasutra had an interview with one of the founders of CD Project, here's the link:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/192499/The_CD_Projekt_RED_journey_Respecting_fans_while_growing_as_a_studio.php

They are awesome.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

You know I never tried the first two games but after seeing the screenshots and reading a bit about it. I think it is slowly becoming my most anticipated game for the PS4!



"I've Underestimated the Horse Power from Mario Kart 8, I'll Never Doubt the WiiU's Engine Again"

another interview
http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/07/30/witcher-3-interview-john-mamais/



@TheVoxelman on twitter

Check out my hype threads: Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3!