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New The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt details (~50 hour main quest, slowmo combat target, etc)

If not for the excess amount of cleavage and disgusting men native to the Witcher world, my girlfriend would probably be quite pleased by this news, since it addresses most of her issues with the Witcher 2.
 

Sentenza

Member
Fuck.....really? No fast travel? I haven't put too much time into Witcher 2, but I plan to soon, and that's one of the things I figured they would've added, since Witcher 1 lacked it (mostly). Ugh.......well hopefully I'll enjoy it more than the first game. That is so fucking disappointing.
Uhm? The Witcher 1 *had* a fast travel system (magic portals) and in the second one it would be beyond pointless, considering how it takes a couple of minutes at most to traverse a map from part to part.

If anything, the disappointing one in that sense sounds the third, if developers aren't going to change their plans. They are planning an unlimited instant fast travel system like the one seen in Skyrim or Oblivion, which would be fucking garbage.
 

Sothpaw

Member
The Witcher 1 and 2 have stories, but the combat in both games is fucking garbage. I hope they make it better this time.

I also hope I get to shit all over that terrorist Iorveth again.
 
Uhm? The Witcher 1 *had* a fast travel system (magic portals) and in the second one it would be beyond pointless, considering how it takes a couple of minutes at most to traverse a map from part to part.

If anything, the disappointing one in that sense sounds the third, if developers aren't going to change their plans. They are planning an unlimited instant fast travel system like the one seen in Skyrim or Oblivion, which would be fucking garbage.

I said "mostly". It was not a full fast travel system and you didn't unlock it until chapter 3 I believe. And it still took entirely too long to travel anywhere.

I can't comment too much on Witcher 2 as I haven't played through enough of it to warrant any excessive bitching yet.

And I certainly wouldn't mind a Skyrim fast travel in Witcher 3 if the world is gonna be more open.

I'm playing through Far Cry 3 right now and I couldn't imagine playing this shit without a fast travel system.
 

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
Saw the new pics, not nearly as glorious as I was expecting. Hope that's not the new renderer just yet....
 

Sentenza

Member
Saw the new pics, not nearly as glorious as I was expecting. Hope that's not the new renderer just yet....
I'm not sure how that can be about the render.
There's just something off in any new image I saw so far, when compared to The Witcher 2.
And I'm specifically talking about art direction, not technical features.
 

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
I'm not sure how that can be about the render.
There's just something off in any new image I saw so far, when compared to The Witcher 2.
And I'm specifically talking about art direction, not technical features.


Hm?

Yeah the art looks a bit off too, but specifically they said in GI that the new render brings it to a whole different level graphically, especially in regards to lighting. The new screens everyone are saying are amazing don't look much if any better to me.



Side note, damn TW2 is pretty difficult... Or I am doing it wrong...
 
You're part of the problem, as far as I'm concerned.
I just don't believe that "convenience at any cost, in any moment" is always the best way to design a game.

What do you want though? I just wouldn't be able to stand having to walk everywhere. That shit gets boring when I have a destination I want to get to. Maybe there's some sort of compromise but I don't understand why you have an issue with it. I suppose if it affects the overall sense of discovery, then I understand. But in my experience that hasn't been an issue. In the instances that I don't fast travel in Far Cry 3, there are numerous times when I come across a glorious locale. As long as it doesn't take away from the final product, what issue do you have with it? If I had to drive/hanglide/boat/etc to every location I had to be in FC3 then it just artificially extends the game in my opinion.

Is there a middle ground?
 

Chromie

Banned
You're part of the problem, as far as I'm concerned.
I just don't believe that "convenience at any cost, in any moment" is always the best way to design a game.

I don't want fast travel ala Skyrim. Morrowind was perfect almost and with Ciri possibly in Witcher 3 portals could be an actual form of fast travel. We already know there will be boats/ships and horses.
 

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
I don't want fast travel ala Skyrim. Morrowind was perfect almost and with Ciri possibly in Witcher 3 portals could be an actual form of fast travel. We already know there will be boats/ships and horses.



Yes is was. Travel wise its the best RPG in existence.
 
Apparently Shani's still totally nonexistent.

As in they have already said directly she doesnt appear or as in, we dont know yet?
Because the locations we visit this time around are were Shani lives.

Theres no talk about characters yet, so its possibly the second.
They even havent talk of Ciri at all and we have already seen her in the gameinformers cover, and she is prettt important.
 

Sentenza

Member
I don't want fast travel ala Skyrim. Morrowind was perfect almost and with Ciri possibly in Witcher 3 portals could be an actual form of fast travel. We already know there will be boats/ships and horses.
Runes plus moongates from Ultima are my favorite system.
Just behind that, comes the rune system from Gothic 2 Gold.
Then, contextual teleport/travel systems like Morrowind.

The unlimited, instant fast travel from Oblivion and Skyrim is an abomination on many levels.
Not just because of its disastrous influence over content design, but also for its ability to destroy any sense of scale and pacing.
 
I think if they could simply contextualize fast travel within the game world, that would be fine for me. Like portals or the carriages in Skyrim.

Something like Skyrim without fast travel could get pretty annoying as so many quests have you going from one end of the map to the other.
 

FACE

Banned
Runes plus moongates from Ultima are my favorite system.
Just behind that, comes the rune system from Gothic 2 Gold.
Then, contextual teleport/travel systems like Morrowind.

The unlimited, instant fast travel from Oblivion and Skyrim is an abomination on many levels.
Not just because of its disastrous influence over content design, but also for its ability to destroy any sense of scale and pacing.

Preach.
 

bone_and_sinew

breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
CDPR is basically whipping out their cock with this game, looking at us and saying, "well, it ain't going to suck itself".
 
Runes plus moongates from Ultima are my favorite system.
Just behind that, comes the rune system from Gothic 2 Gold.
Then, contextual teleport/travel systems like Morrowind.

The unlimited, instant fast travel from Oblivion and Skyrim is an abomination on many levels.
Not just because of its disastrous influence over content design, but also for its ability to destroy any sense of scale and pacing.

Well that's why I was asking if there's a middle ground. I've never played Ultima or Gothic 2 though, so maybe I'll have a peek.

I couldn't get into Morrowind because I hated the combat, so I can't comment on that either.

I am a terrible human being.
 

Chromie

Banned
Runes plus moongates from Ultima are my favorite system.
Just behind that, comes the rune system from Gothic 2 Gold.
Then, contextual teleport/travel systems like Morrowind.

The unlimited, instant fast travel from Oblivion and Skyrim is an abomination on many levels.
Not just because of its disastrous influence over content design, but also for its ability to destroy any sense of scale and pacing.

Oh man Gothic 2. My PC was crap at the time so I couldn't fully appreciate it but yes there is so much I'd love to see in Witcher 3 from G2.
 

Zukuu

Banned
Glad I have my save file from Witcher 2.

I like all of the changes, except this VERY STRIKING one:
you gain experience points only by completing quests, hunting will provide you money and crafting materials
That is UTTER CRAP! Even if they would only yield minimal amount of EXP it would be fine, but NO EXP at all, means I have NO URGE to fight them when I don't need money anymore... >_>
 

Sentenza

Member
That is UTTER CRAP! Even if they would only yield minimal amount of EXP it would be fine, but NO EXP at all, means I have NO URGE to fight them when I don't need money anymore... >_>
That's actually great, even more in a open world game.
It actively discourages farming/grinding and encourages goal-driven behavior ("I'm going to need that item/to slain that specific monster/to gather that rare reagent/to accomplish that quest" and so on).
 

Chromie

Banned
That's actually great, even more in a open world game.
It actively discourages farm and encourages goal-driven behavior ("I'm going to need that item/to slain that specific monster/to gather that rare reagent/to accomplish that quest" and so on).

I like this too. I wonder how loot will be handled. I would really prefer hand placed loot with generic enemies having a chance to drop what they have like the Infinity Engine games. Crafting could become very useful with a handplaced loot system and no level scaling. Instead of finding leveled loot we'd have to craft some gear to go dungeon diving for unique stuff.

I don't like leveled loot or scaling!
 

Sentenza

Member
I like this too. I wonder how loot will be handled. I would really prefer hand placed loot with generic enemies having a chance to drop what they have like the Infinity Engine games.
You're preaching to the choir here.
I'm a very vocal supporter of hand-placed loot. I honestly think it beats any other system by leagues, in balance, sense of reward and accomplishment, in compatibility with great level design and so on.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Glad I have my save file from Witcher 2.

I like all of the changes, except this VERY STRIKING one:

That is UTTER CRAP! Even if they would only yield minimal amount of EXP it would be fine, but NO EXP at all, means I have NO URGE to fight them when I don't need money anymore... >_>

I like it. It might finally solve the problem with open world games of being too overpowered half way through the game.
 

Wallach

Member
I like this too. I wonder how loot will be handled. I would really prefer hand placed loot with generic enemies having a chance to drop what they have like the Infinity Engine games. Crafting could become very useful with a handplaced loot system and no level scaling. Instead of finding leveled loot we'd have to craft some gear to go dungeon diving for unique stuff.

I don't like leveled loot or scaling!

I'd like to think that they are very keen to read criticisms of games like Skyrim and know that since they're targeting a slightly more niche audience that they're going to avoid the leveled/scaling loot situation. Would be a pretty foolish move, but I'm pretty sure they know their fans better than that.

Most of what I'm hearing here is great. Geralt moves like he's wearing brick shoes in the sequel and I want that feeling of speed and agility from the first game back, and hopefully more. The UI is also another area that they need to really make strides on since the nature of moving to an open-world design means players will be interacting with it on a more regular basis. I'm also curious to see what they do with the leveling progression this time around, since I thought it was a pretty low point in W2 but the general idea with the mutation points in the tree is still neat.

For the most part though the value is now very much hinging on the quality of the physical world they're building. I can't help but wonder if it's a task they're up to.
 

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
just saw the things people were talking about just a few posts earlier

RxdLQMj.gif



nnngghhh so far away yet so beautiful
 

Midou

Member
I think lack of exp from killing and no fast travel are a great way to fix some common open world game problems. I don't mind carriages and boats and such, especially if you can drive them yourself.
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Glad I have my save file from Witcher 2.

I like all of the changes, except this VERY STRIKING one:

That is UTTER CRAP! Even if they would only yield minimal amount of EXP it would be fine, but NO EXP at all, means I have NO URGE to fight them when I don't need money anymore... >_>

Yeah, I'm not happy to hear that either.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Just got to Shani's introduction in the books. Damn man. I thought TW1 was
the first time Geralt hit it but I guess I should've known, seeing as they had an existing history.

You're preaching to the choir here.
I'm a very vocal supporter of hand-placed loot. I honestly think it beats any other system by leagues, in balance, sense of reward and accomplishment, in compatibility with great level design and so on.

Exactly. But that's the problem: actual hand-crafted game design seems to be in decline. Developers seem to be randomly generating as much as they can, and the result is very few games feeling well-balanced anymore. It's the difference between Dead Space and Resident Evil 4.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Uhm? The Witcher 1 *had* a fast travel system (magic portals) and in the second one it would be beyond pointless, considering how it takes a couple of minutes at most to traverse a map from part to part.

If anything, the disappointing one in that sense sounds the third, if developers aren't going to change their plans. They are planning an unlimited instant fast travel system like the one seen in Skyrim or Oblivion, which would be fucking garbage.

I don't see the problem.

Please explain how Skyrim is negatively impacted in its design by using fast travel.

Like I said before, it's totally optional. It's not as if the world design is negatively impacted by world design. The world is really dense and there's a lot to find in it, and you can't go anywhere or do anything without having traveled there by foot first. It's not as if using fast travel causes you to miss out on anything... so what possible negative could it have?

I love atmospheric games. I love soaking up the ambiance, wandering around, finding plants or hunting deer/elk or finding random people in the world or discovering new things while listening to nature.

But after a few travels between Whiterun and that city I'm blanking on, I get kinda bored.

It's not like cheating and upping your weight limit to being unlimited, which ruins the game because you always have resources to use all the time, so you never worry about low health.

It's not even as bad as having companions, who can be so tough that they can take out most enemies for you, utterly ruining any challenge the game has.

It's just a way to bypass stuff you've done before and avoid having to do it a thousand times.
 

SummitAve

Banned
Can't developers think of anything better to do in the open parts of an open world game besides hunting animals? It shows up in so many games and I'm bored of it, and the lame mini skinning cut scenes are played out too. I'd like some creativity.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Can't developers think of anything better to do in the open parts of an open world game besides hunting animals? It shows up in so many games and I'm bored of it, and the lame mini skinning cut scenes are played out too. I'd like some creativity.

I like hunting... it's like 70% of what I did during my first thirty-some hours in Skyrim. Walked away from it after a while, I'm back now... and yeah, I'm hunting again.

I enjoy doing it when the AI's good. If it's simplistic and boring like Red Dead, then no thanks.
 

Hammer24

Banned
Can't developers think of anything better to do in the open parts of an open world game besides hunting animals?

From Wikipedia:
"In Sapkowski's books, witchers are monster-hunters who receive special training and have their bodies modified at an early age to provide them with supernatural abilities so they can kill extremely dangerous monsters and survive the encounter. These modifications (which involve herbal preparations, magic potions and virus inoculations) leave them with superhuman reflexes, dexterity and the ability to open and contract their pupils at will (giving them improved night-vision). These modifications also leave them sterile and they are said to be completely devoid of human emotions (this is later discovered to be false) (see albino bias). Witchers are mistakenly called "mutants", although their condition is not congenital.

In the stories, Geralt, the central character, is said to be one of the world's best witchers. He is said to have resisted the "changes" during his childhood better than most, which encouraged his makers to perform even more dangerous experimental procedures on him. Because of these additional procedures, Geralt lost all body pigmentation. Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in Starsza Mowa (Older Speech) as "Gwynbleidd", the White Wolf."

Gee, I wonder why the devs didn´t make him pick flowers in dat open world.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
In regards to Fast Travel, I don't really see the issue, it's something that would be better without, but it's far from a game-killing feature, especially since everything else about the game sounds so GOOD.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
That is UTTER CRAP! Even if they would only yield minimal amount of EXP it would be fine, but NO EXP at all, means I have NO URGE to fight them when I don't need money anymore... >_>

To be a bit more optimistic, think of it like this: what is role playing and character growth? We all like to increase the strength and abilities of our character. We do things for a reward, to become better and stronger. But how does the game communicate that to you? XP is the most obvious one: we earn XP, go up levels, and funnel points into abilities. Simple and easy.

But there are other things too. We find and buy new armour. We equip new swords, axes, and daggers. We find runes to enchant our equipment. Scrolls to learn new spells. In fact, these things are so important to character development and growth that there's no way we could imagine sticking with the gear we started with. It's no XP, but in reality developing our character's inventory and equipment is just as important, and just as rewarding!

So, what if The Witcher 3 puts a very large emphasis on hunting in order to acquire unique gear? What if this is an integral mechanic? We're so used to searching the game world for treasure chests hidden like needles in haystacks, and reloading salesmen to refresh their inventory to find the right item. And frankly...both of these methods kinda suck. Treasure hunting is lame padding, and most RPGs have terribly broken economies.

If done right, the really cool, unique, and valuable gear that helps shape Geralt's inventory and equipment must be crafted from monster hides. Suddenly there's a very real reason to hunt them! Sure, you don't get XP. But it's not a waste of time. It's the opposite. That work in following their tracks, finding their location, and then enduring a gruelling battle reaps it's own reward: a unique piece of equipment that could not be earned any other way.

And that would be super cool!
 
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