Interview Improving The Witcher 3: A Tale of Two Poles

[Infinitron]

Tags: CD Projekt; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

In a short video interview for Game Informer, the suitably-accented CD Projekt designers Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz (yes, they're actually brothers) describe their plans for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and how it will improve over its predecessor.

​

Takeaways from the interview:

• The game will have much more sidequests than The Witcher 2.
• The game will feature an overhauled combat system - attacks will be easier to aim, shorter and more interruptible, and there will be a "combat camera" to help the player orient himself when surrounded by enemies. (Does that mean the game will go into some kind of pseudo-isometric mode during combat?)
• The game will have an improved (but also non-intrusive) tutorial.
• Unlike its predecessor, The Witcher 3's combat will remain challenging throughout the game. The brothers are anxious to clarify that this will be implemented not via level scaling, but by designing different areas with different difficulty levels, as in the Gothic series.
• The game's story will be less political and more personal compared to its predecessor, although political elements will remain.
• The game will have three completely different endings - not just variations of the same basic ending. The final act will be longer and more impressive than The Witcher 2's.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Someone should ask them how are they planning to take up the last game's choices.

The entire open world scenario is actually (or rather can be) an amazing tool to resolve multiple endings.

 

[Darth Roxor]

(Does that mean the game will go into some kind of pseudo-isometric mode during combat?)

How would that make sense in a slasher-type combat? I would assume something more along the lines of the camera just zooming out a bit and staying at the same angle to show more enemies around you.

 

[Volourn]

I love how devs anyd evs - will bash their previois efforts to pimp their new stuff. L0L

I thought TW2 was perfect. I guees not. Because TW3 will be perfect. L0L

 

[Infinitron]

(Does that mean the game will go into some kind of pseudo-isometric mode during combat?)

How would that make sense in a slasher-type combat? I would assume something more along the lines of the camera just zooming out a bit and staying at the same angle to show more enemies around you.

I did say pseudo-isometric.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I did say pseudo-isometric.

Yes, and it still sounds stupid.

Zoom out here keeping the same angle, for instance. How is that in any, even the slightest way, isometric? Stop throwing that word around for every procedure that suddenly makes your big soldiers become small.

 

[Infinitron]

I did say pseudo-isometric.

Yes, and it still sounds stupid.

Zoom out here keeping the same angle, for instance. How is that in any, even the slightest way, isometric? Stop throwing that word around for every procedure that suddenly makes your big soldiers become small.

I don't know, man. He called it a "combat camera". If it was just zooming out, he'd say "zoom out" wouldn't he? The phrase "combat camera" makes me think the angle might change as well.

Also, how does zooming out without changing the angle help you orient yourself when you're surrounded by enemies? Sure, you'll see them, but you won't be able to see yourself!

 

[Volourn]

"They haven't really bashed it my love. All they are saying that this time it will be better."

Bullshit.

Look at the points. Nearly, if not all, of them is about bashing soemthing in TW2 than bragging how much more awesome it will be in TW3.

And, it's done for a simple obvious reason. TW2 is over and they don't give a shit about it anymore. Theya re pimping TW3 and trying tog et people to buy it. For some reason, devs lamely feel the best way to do this is to bash the older game.

This is true throughout history, and it's fukkin' lame.

 

[Captain Shrek]

This is true throughout history, and it's fukkin' lame.

Not really. Some people are not ashamed of the games they made; fargo is not ashamed of fallout nor is he ashamed of Wasteland. Neither would the Curries be ashamed of JA2.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I don't know, man. He called it a "combat camera". If it was just zooming out, he'd say "zoom out" wouldn't he? The phrase "combat camera" makes me think the angle might change as well.

Yes, well, you know how it is with devs nowadays who come up with INNOVATIVE FRESH MECHANICS. Thus, suddenly reloading your gun becomes 'scrounging for resources', hiding behind barrels to regen hp is 'tactical squad-based combat' and zooming out is called 'combat camera'.

Also, how does zooming out without changing the angle help you orient yourself when you're surrounded by enemies? Sure, you'll see them, but you won't be able to see yourself!

If you take the typical over-the-shoulder bullshit camera (that was also in twitchers), zooming out shows you the blokes standing behind you far more clearly. And given how you are always in the centre of the view (or at least in a fixed position), you can easily orient yourself about the current whereabouts of your character.


EDIT: ironyuri, k

 

[Wilian]

I did say pseudo-isometric.

They could go sort of mix of Diablo style and Witcher 2 style which I wouldn't mind as combat in Witcher 2 was stupid to begin with.

 

[Wilian]

And why the fuck all my quote posts puts my replies into quotes and any attempt of using the Edit button doesn't work.

 

[Metro]

• The game will have three completely different endings - not just variations of the same basic ending. The final act will be longer and more impressive than The Witcher 2's.

Didn't they say the same thing in talking about Witcher 2 versus Witcher 1?

 

[Infinitron]

• The game will have three completely different endings - not just variations of the same basic ending. The final act will be longer and more impressive than The Witcher 2's.

Didn't they say the same thing in talking about Witcher 2 versus Witcher 1?

Well, TW2's ending was more varied than TW1's.

 

[Metro]

Apparently not enough if they're using that as a marketing point again.

 

[MaskedMan]

Someone should ask them how are they planning to take up the last game's choices.

Spoiler

Nilfgard invaded, killed everyone, none of your choices matter.

 

[Aeschylus]

The lack of level scaling and comparison to Gothic make me smile. Other than that it just sounds like : x marketing speak.

 

[Severian Silk]

It looks like they're not addressing the more serious problems with combat.

 

[Rahdulan]

Namedropping Gothic was nice. There's too much level scaling when it comes enemies these days.

 

[Roguey]

It looks like they're not addressing the more serious problems with combat.

Lack of canceling, the superroll, and AI were some of its most serious problems and they're being addressed.

 

[Kahlis]

Even for what it is, I just hope that Witcher 3 will return to the sleepy folkish feeling of the first game. Ugh. They tried to market Witcher 2 like a miniseries on Fox or something, with those dramatic character trailers "ZOLTAN CHIVAY - <ADJECTIVE>". Then we have the entire prologue...either way, I'm hoping the allegedly personal nature of the story in this one means it will be closer to TW1, with a more meandering pace to it and less "OH MY GOD GERALT WE HAVE TO ___." Something about every moment in TW2 for me is dripping with a pretense of "even without context, this scene must be able to impress the mainstream gaming press and awesome button crowd."

One thing I'm liking stylistically but it may just be because these screenshots are work in progress, is that TW3 looks much cleaner than TW2 visually. Far fewer layers of post processing and nonsensical color correction/vignetting. It almost reminds me of TW1 in that regard, straightforward textures leaning towards photorealistic, etc.

 

[undecaf]

http://thenexusnews.com/the-witcher-3-announcement-intimidates-ea-bioware-and-dragon-age-iii/853568/

The Witcher 3 Announcement Intimidates EA, BioWare and Dragon Age III

True or not, sounds like fun times ahead.

: x

 

[Outlander]

Unlike its predecessor, The Witcher 3's combat will remain challenging throughout the game. The brothers are anxious to clarify that this will be implemented not via level scaling, but by designing different areas with different difficulty levels, as in the Gothic series.

It took them 12 years (release of Gothic 1) to realize that. Better late than never, I guess...

 

[jiujitsu]

Yeah, Witcher 3 was interesting before the Wasteland 2 video was release...

 

[pistletoe]

The only thing I would have changed about TW2 camera is bring it up a bit higher as more enemies fill the screen. I hope this new combat camera isn't akin to auto-center or something like that.