Interview The Witcher 2 Combat Does Away With RPG Traditions

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: CD Projekt; Witcher 2, The

<p>Another Eurogamer Expo-based interview hit the web, Gamerant took the opportunity to <a href="http://gamerant.com/the-witcher-2-interview-part-one-eurogamer-expo-2010-phil-43929/" target="_blank">quiz CDProjekt's Tomek Gop &amp; Marek Ziemak</a>. You're probably glad to hear that the Witcher 2 combat won't be <em>very much traditional RPG</em>, but <em>much more dynamic </em>instead.<em> </em>Well, all that "traditional RPG" combat in The Witcher certainly got on your nerves after a while, being just not awesome enough. At times you'd push a button and nothing awesome happened at all.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Q: You say you&rsquo;ve changed the combat; is it more action-heavy now, or is it still very much a traditional RPG?</strong><br /><br />TG: No!<br /><br />MZ: It&rsquo;s much more dynamic, for sure.<br /><br />TG: Well, it is but&hellip; The first one was dynamic, totally, but for some people, they said it was too hardcore. Some players are mainly about story, some RPG players, and there is a huge niche of these guys, and they said &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t burden me with this! There are complex controls and time-based clicking sequences and everything, and I don&rsquo;t want to do this!&rdquo; So in The Witcher 2, there is a lot of complexity, at least as much as in The Witcher, but you don&rsquo;t have to do it immediately. There are no time-based clicking sequences; if you want to do combos, they are advanced. You can find out how to do fast and strong strikes, how to throw magic in between the strikes, and so on and so on, but you don&rsquo;t have to. You can just mash your button and you will swipe through the combat if you want to.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, the combat was too fucking hardcore. But now <em>you can just mash your button and you will swipe through the combat if you want to. </em>Honestly, what I hear about this game certainly sounds stupid enough for a major success. I predict 3-4 million sales.</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/99982-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-interview-part-one.html">Gamebanshee</a></p>

 

[Zed]

I'd be mad - if I cared about the sure-to-suck sequel to a mediocre action game.

 

[chzr]

Some players are mainly about story, some RPG players, and there is a huge niche of these guys, and they said “Don’t burden me with this! There are complex controls and time-based clicking sequences and everything, and I don’t want to do this!”

how about playing adventure games, or read a book?

 

[treave]

Time-based clicking is hardcore? Wha?

And so in Twitcher 2 you can either take the time to learn the combat system and how to be good at it... or twitch your way through everything, and it will still give you the same result.

Someone is utterly here.

The game certainly sounds interesting, but if it doesn’t make it to consoles, I’ll never play it.

 

[KalosKagathos]

The first one was dynamic, totally, but for some people, they said it was too hardcore. Some players are mainly about story, some RPG players, and there is a huge niche of these guys, and they said “Don’t burden me with this! There are complex controls and time-based clicking sequences and everything, and I don’t want to do this!”

That's why difficulty settings were invented.

There are no time-based clicking sequences; if you want to do combos, they are advanced. You can find out how to do fast and strong strikes, how to throw magic in between the strikes, and so on and so on, but you don’t have to. You can just mash your button and you will swipe through the combat if you want to.

Goddammit, why? Why can't you rip off a good action game for a change? Why are both Bio and CDPR convinced that Koei games are worth imitating? Why are we getting Rzeczpospolita Muso instead of Witcher May Cry or Witcher Gaiden?

 

[Baron]

I'm pretty sure The Witcher 2 gives you a choice of playing styles. If CD Projeckt have a system whereby players could enjoy the game they way they want to play it... surely it's a win all round. RTS and FPS games are using systems that adjust to the gamer's ability, to ensure a challenging pace and to avoid that one infuriating level you repeat 13 times. And if The Witcher lets you choose between combat-Lite or combat-Heavy then it's smart to do so for simple player enjoyment.

The Neverwinter Nights communities were always divided in RPers and powergamers, it's just how it is for all RPGs. Telling someone to go read a book makes as much sense as them telling you to go play Space Invaders. If the game can give players more of what they want, great! So yeah, that would be a dynamic system, as the CDprojekt guy said.

 

[treave]

Ah yes, I forgot that games don't even need to pretend to be challenging any longer.

 

[Secretninja]

That reminds me of a person I played WoW with, who quit playing his rogue because it was "too hard" and instead switched to a hunter.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The Witcher Combat

 

[MicoSelva]

So, CDPR are giving up ideas that they considered good to appeal to a wider audience... Why do the words "selling out" come to my mind?

Also:

That's why difficulty settings were invented.

 

[Roguey]

The cries of "I don't want to do this!" might have had more to do with how tedious it was and not at all about difficulty and it's just an error in translation or articulation. That's a lot of benefit of the doubt I'm giving, but that's what I'm going to keep believing.

 

[Black Cat]

You can just mash your button and you will swipe through the combat if you want to.

Sure, i thought playing the very same QTE two thousand times or so was overdoing it a little bit, but they could have fixed it by adding a better combat system instead of doing away with a combat system.

If CD Projeckt have a system whereby players could enjoy the game they way they want to play it... surely it's a win all round.

That's why dificulty settings are there for, actually. You don't want to mess with combat? Pick easy. You want a challenge? Pick hard. The way it seems to be now, though, isn't really the same thing as giving each one what they want: Since you can complete the game by just mashing buttons there is no point in getting better at the combat system. What for when you can just mash buttons and be done with it? They aren't giving the hardcore gamers, thus, what they want: A game, or a dificulty setting, you need to become good at the game to survive.

RTS and FPS games are using systems that adjust to the gamer's ability, to ensure a challenging pace and to avoid that one infuriating level you repeat 13 times.

That's because games are trying to not hurt our feelings any longer. If you find repeating a level or stage 13 times infuriating you can, wait for it... Pick the easy dificulty setting! Amazing, isn't it? Blew your mind, I did. :3

What they are saying is more along the lines of a FPS you can clear with just the basic pistol and a smallish bit of aim or a RTS you can clear just throwing basic soldiers at the enemy base without any kind of thought. Sure, you can use the shotgun and sniper rifle, and you can instead of basic soldiers research better units, but you don't need to.

 

[relootz]

This doesn't sound too good, i am getting afraid here :/

 

[patton]

i like it.
basically, you can do fancy no-so-easy stuff if you want to, and it'll probably be required on higher difficulties.
and on "casual", you mash one button.
fine by me, anyone not playing on nightmare is pussy anyway.

 

[made]

They are obviously talking about variable difficulty settings.; it makes no sense otherwise. Guys suck at teh English, give them a break.

Btw, at the end they mention that they're having trouble porting the engine to consoles so apparently TW2 is PC exclusive (for now). We like PC exclusives, don't we?

 

[Vault Dweller]

...and there is a huge niche of these guys, and they said “Don’t burden me with this! There are complex controls and time-based clicking sequences and everything, and I don’t want to do this!” So in The Witcher 2, there is a lot of complexity, at least as much as in The Witcher, but you don’t have to do it...

You can find out how to do fast and strong strikes, how to throw magic in between the strikes, and so on and so on, but you don’t have to. You can just mash your button and you will swipe through the combat if you want to.

If one can just Mash Buttons & Win! (TM), why would one bother with "teh complex stuff"? The main reason for people to understand and master a system is the combat challenge.

Then again, [trolling] the Witcher was a shitty RPG [/trolling], so I don't think they can actually make it worse.

They are obviously talking about variable difficulty settings.; it makes no sense otherwise.

First, that's not what the guy said (no longer traditional, etc). Second, it's a fairly common logic these days: our game should be simple and easy to beat because winning is fun and challenge is like not fun at all, but our game is also very complex - like, duh! - so if the hardcore guys like teh complexity, we like totally has it.

PS. A certain prestigious magazine should interview these guys and ask them deep questions like "Are you guys out of your fucking minds or what? The sweet smell of MOAR potatos is affecting your judgment?"

Witcher 1: RPG redefined, it will be liek teh most hardcore RPG you can think of. Liek, 15 out 10 hardcore points. At least.

Witcher 2: Fuck RPGs! Button mashing FTW.

 

[DreadMessiah]

As if the witcher had challenging combat to begin with...

I want it like risen since that requires mashing two buttons over and over instead of one! Dodge, swing, swing, dodge, swing, swing. Sooooo challenging!11!!

Near every game has bleh combat. Want some challenge play against other people who have some skill at the game. These types of games are for story fags not combat fags.

 

[Technoviking]

What they are saying is more along the lines of a FPS you can clear with just the basic pistol and a smallish bit of aim.

...

FPS games today are more like action games than true FPS games. They've already long since 'evolved' into catering to the casual mainstream.

The mainstream looks at Quake and says 'OMG! WHERE IS THE STORY! WHERE IS THE PLOT! WHERE ARE THE GRAVITY GUNS! WHERE ARE THE VEHICLES! WHERE ARE THE JEEEEEEET PAAAAAAAACKS?!?!?!?!?!?!?'. In the same way, the mainstream looks at oldschool RPGs and complains about various features that simply don't appeal to it.



If you prefer Battlefield 2 or Modern Warfare to Quake, then you're already a part of a mainstream behemoth in at least one genre. A behemoth that wants everything updated with fluffies and candy floss, simply because it makes you more giddy while playing a game. Who cares about those stinky, old FPS players who constantly moan about the good, old days?

Being a part of said mainstream would make your whines about the future of RPGs rather hypocritical. You'd be whining about mainstream fuckers while being one yourself. (That goes for the rest of you as well.)

As much as the mainstream sees Battlefield 2 multiplayer as a massive improvement upon Quakeworld, the mainstream sees Mass Effect as a massive improvement upon PST/BG/FO/Whatever. While none of it might make any sense to you, all of it makes perfect sense to the mainstream. It'll just look at you and say: 'He's just dumb for not realizing how much all these changes have improved upon the genre'. The mainstream is incapable of seeing your appeal to the 'old school' style of doing things, just as you are incapable of seeing their appeal to all the new 'fluff' and 'dumbing down' of things. If you can't see how I could possibly prefer Quakeworld to Modern Warfare, then welcome to the other side, now you know how the people who wanted more simplistic controls in the Witcher wonder about you.


You'll call people complaining about old schoold RPGs newbies and a clear indication of the decline of humanity. In much the same way I see people who can't see Quakeworld as a fucking gem of a game as complete losers.


I've long since had to accept that FPS games will never be something I'll ever enjoy again. No whining or moaning will ever change that. I didn't even bother with complaining about it. I just realized that my favorite niche was slowly dying off. If you can't deal with it, then just move on. Wasting your time whining on the RPG Codex honestly won't change much. There's plenty of other stuff to spend what little free time you have on.



Just saying.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Goddammit, why? Why can't you rip off a good action game for a change? Why are both Bio and CDPR convinced that Koei games are worth imitating? Why are we getting Rzeczpospolita Muso instead of Witcher May Cry or Witcher Gaiden?

I was under the impression that the DMC games were also pretty shit. Are they worth a shot?

 

[KalosKagathos]

I was under the impression that the DMC games were also pretty shit. Are they worth a shot?

1 is good, 2 is bad, 3 is great, 4 is good for what it is.

 

[Grunker]

Oh you have got to be kidding me

 

[Lomm Cuz]

The cries of "I don't want to do this!" might have had more to do with how tedious it was and not at all about difficulty and it's just an error in translation or articulation. That's a lot of benefit of the doubt I'm giving, but that's what I'm going to keep believing.

I hope so too...
Anyway, all those fucking "Productor in Someshit" blabble before the game release should be cut off, it's are only hatred factory.

 

[Phelot]

Witcher 1: RPG redefined, it will be liek teh most hardcore RPG you can think of. Liek, 15 out 10 hardcore points. At least.

Witcher 2: Fuck RPGs! Button mashing FTW.

This seems like the new business model for companies. Establish your title, then make the subsequent sequels easier to make by stripping away the hard to tweak just right mechanics that MADE the original. They did it with Mass Effect, they're doing it with Dragon Age, and they're apparently doing it with The Witcher.

Oh well, I don't particularly care for any of them, but it's still an interesting approach...

Personally, I don't have a problem with a game set in the same setting as a previous game, but having a different genre. So long as you don't try to pass it off as a sequel. Might and Magic did so with HoMM.

 

[Ancient]

Must agree with few smart people who stated that they ware probably talking about difficulty setting.For shits sake there will be even hardcore mod where if you die you die forever.

So far Witcher 2 seems to stay true to original and improve in many aspects.

Haters Gonna Hate but The Witcher 2 for now seems as big

 

[Hamster]

So far Witcher 2 seems to stay true to original and improve in many aspects.

Joined: 10 Sep 2010