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[xenist]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt first look – slaying giants in CD Projekt RED’s icy open world RPG

From the article:

Then our journey takes a surprising turn. Geralt hops into a boat and sails off into the ocean. You have full control of your vessel. If you choose, you can abandon the main quest and say hello to some other cultures on neighbouring islands, but for the purposes of the demo, we stay on-mission. As the ‘island from which none return’ looms large, a huge longboat sails past, and I hear the ominous sound of sailors singing a grim sea shanty. Off the bow, a whale surfaces momentarily, then vanishes with a flick of its tail. Once you’ve discovered a location, you’re free to fast-travel there at any time, but the first time round you’ll have to discover it for yourself.

I cannot wait. If they manage to make a true Witcher game that's also as open as they say it's going to be marvelous.

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

what no horse eating? booo

 

[Refreshment.01]

WHat type of media they have in that site? These days i really don't care about overly positive previews.

 

[AstroZombie]

Once you’ve discovered a location, you’re free to fast-travel there at any time, but the first time round you’ll have to discover it for yourself.

Booo.

 

[Tummi Gummi]

Wow, that genuinely sounds a lot more ambitious than what I'd expected. Really looking forward to seeing what they achieve with this.

Also, more developers should be paid in potato. I think it would really benefit the industry.

 

[Jibbed]

Booo.

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

 

[ezekial45]

Damn, that's awesome.

 

[scitek]

I could do without the lens flares in that last shot.

 

[Exuro]

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539412&highlight=fast+travel

Standard features aren't necessarily good.

I'll reserve judgement until the game actually releases.

Stil, the game looks pretty ambitious so I'm excited/weary.

 

[Fezzan]

No gameplay?

 

[krishian]

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

Standard doesn't make it actually good.

 

[Izick]

I used to be against fast-travel, but then I thought about it.

 

[Dennis]

I forget the rules, are we allowed to post the screenshots from the article or do they count as scans?

 

[Kurdel]

I used to be against fast-travel, but then I thought about it.

People don't realize they don't have to use a feature if it's there.

Making Skyrim into a 700 hour game isn't my idea of fun.

 

[AstroZombie]

People don't realize they don't have to use a feature if it's there.

Making Skyrim into a 700 hour game isn't my idea of fun.

What if the game is designed with the use of said feature in mind?

 

[nataku]

I used to be against fast-travel, but then I thought about it.

Defeats the purpose of an open world game if fast travel is taken into consideration when designing quests.

As long as they don't expect me to fast travel for quests in The Witcher 3, I'm good. But if they put the most meaningless things on the other side of the world with the expectation I fast travel there or near there (hello, Skyrim) then no thanks.

 

[Dennis]

I used to be against fast-travel, but then I thought about it.

.....and now you hate it with the heat of a thousand suns, right?

 

[RoKKeR]

I forget the rules, are we allowed to post the screenshots from the article or do they count as scans?

You mean the screens in the online article? Those are publicly released shots I believe.

 

[StevePharma]

Wow that tavern shot...

So lively. Can't wait for some proper footage.

 

[JaseC]

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

It ultimately depends on how the idea is handled. If you can fast travel to any point, from any point, then you're trivialising the concept of an open world; however, if you at least limit the instances (e.g. having pre-determined fast-travel points -- think Far Cry 2's bus stations), you are, to some extent, encouraging exploration and player participation with the world.

There's a delicate balance to be struck. Nobody wants to be forced to travel from one end of the world to the other, but by the same token, allowing the player to jump from A to Z disregards the importance of having a world to traverse in the first place.

 

[xenist]

No problem with fast travel for me. If, that is, the developers don't use this as a crutch to litter the game with a billion continent spanning fetch quests.

 

[Derrick01]

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

Yes, so are many other dumbed down features.

 

[Data West]

What if the game is designed with the use of said feature in mind?

I can't imagine 'Oh no random bandits' making your quest that much more exciting. And they can only pull the open world quest turns into something else once you embark on it/detour trick so many times.

 

[Riposte]

People don't realize they don't have to use a feature if it's there.

Making Skyrim into a 700 hour game isn't my idea of fun.

As if Skyrim isn't filled to the brim with crappy content. That's the main the appeal: a buffet of mediocrity. It is not about traversing an "open-world" or an "expansive, living world", it is about a world with an endless amount of crap to highway-hypnosis through and the space needed to fit all of it.

Fast travel can be done well. Costless magic warp button does in fact trivialize the world, if the not the game itself in situations where the world is suppose to be the main appeal.

 

[thequickandthedead]

What if the game is designed with the use of said feature in mind?

Can you give me an example of how fast travel in particular has ruined a game?

 

[Dennis]

 

[lightchris]

Why boo?

Isn't this like a standard feature in most RPG's now?

Isn't it boring if all games are the same?

Of course this one feature doesn't make TW3 the same as Skyrim. And of course you need at least some kind of fast travel system if the world is really large. I hope you can at least not teleport everywhere but only to a few specific landmarks.

 

[scitek]

Rather than fast travel that teleports me from one spot to another, couldn't they just give me a really fast airborne vehicle instead?

 

[AstroZombie]

Oblivion and Skyrim's awful quest design.

And dull worlds.

 

[Exuro]

Use quotes man.

 

[Dennis]

 

[thequickandthedead]

Oblivion and Skyrim's awful quest design.

What does fast travel have to do with the game's shit quests?

 

[VashTS]

Hopefully they change up the combat system a little, again.

 

[Dennis]

Use quotes man.

All threads are the High Res Screenshot thread to me.

 

[TouchMyBox]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539412&highlight=fast+travel

Standard features aren't necessarily good.

I'll reserve judgement until the game actually releases.

Stil, the game looks pretty ambitious so I'm excited/weary.

So lets bug them for a hardcore mode or something where such features are disabled. Choice is good so long as one has the choice to disable that temptation.

 

[Nibel]

Use quotes man.

Good luck with that :lol

 

[Hargenx]

Make fast travel like in The Witcher 1, portals and stuff, and is all fine.

 

[AstroZombie]

It’s a sensible moment to deploy Geralt’s ‘Witcher sense’. It’s a new passive ability – not dissimilar to Batman: Arkham City’s detective mode

Rocksteady should apologize for introducing Detective Mode to games.

 

[Gen X]

I assume this will be on next-gen systems as well as PC right?

 

[Luthos]

What does fast travel have to do with the game's shit quests?

They send you all over the world just for meaningless 5 second conversations, because they know you can just beam around with fast travel.

 

[Liha]

YES YES YES!

 

[Riposte]

Rocksteady should apologize for introducing Detective Mode to games.

To be fair something like it was in The Witcher 2, but then... it wasn't a "detective mode", more like a "survey area" tool. I like that better.

 

[Symphonic]

It ultimately depends on how the idea is handled. If you can fast travel to any point, from any point, then you're trivialising the concept of an open world; however, if you at least limit the instances (e.g. having pre-determined fast-travel points -- think Far Cry 2's bus stations), you are, to some extent, encouraging exploration and player participation with the world.

There's a delicate balance to be struck. Nobody wants to be forced to travel from one end of the world to the other, but by the same token, allowing the player to jump from A to Z disregards the importance of having a world to traverse in the first place.

See but it doesn't. You can traverse the world as much as you'd like, fast travel is an option. Just pretend it doesn't even exist if you need to, use your imagination.

 

[SnakeLinkSonic]

Ignore it and it'll go away sentiment is getting troublesome.

 

[BigDug13]

People don't realize they don't have to use a feature if it's there.

Making Skyrim into a 700 hour game isn't my idea of fun.

If the quest system had been built around the fact that fast travel doesn't exist, the game wouldn't take 700 hours because they wouldn't put quest items miles away all the time.

Fast travel means quest designers don't have to think about it. They just sporadically place quest waypoints all over the planet.

 

[Data West]

Ignore it and it'll go away sentiment is getting troublesome.

The 'I'm gonna protest it' mindset has been working so well though!

 

[Derrick01]

Rocksteady should apologize for introducing Detective Mode to games.

Oh jesus christ. This is quickly turning into Tomb Raider-The RPG with all of this info.

 

[Psychoward]

If you're going to have instant fast travel (i.e. no carriages or what have you) at least make it like Guild Wars 2's system where it costs money, and the farther away, the higher the cost.

 

[EatChildren]

Lots of information we've heard before. I figure this demo was similar to Game Informer's cover story.

- Demo opened on an island alone the size of The Witcher 2.
- Dynamic encounters. Demo had Geralt stumble upon bandits celebrating a robbery. No pressure to engage, but doing so may start a new quest line.
- Similar combat to The Witcher 2, though (as originally stated) attacks are tied to single clicks. No one click = flurry of attacks. More methodical and precise. Light/heavy attacks.
- 96 motion captured attack animations, compared to The Witcher 2's 20.
- Developers note you can go anywhere, pointing to a distant silhouetted island.
- World streams seamlessly, no loading screens.
- Quest demonstrated a Jarl, requesting Geralt hunt down his son and heir to the throne, who has wandered off into "the island from which none return".
- Similarly busy towns to The Witcher 2. Geralt extracts information about the island from a tavern drunk.
- Full boat control during sailing.
- Fast travel to discovered locations.
- "Witcher sense" ability similar to Arkham Aslyum/City's detective mode. Uses mode to note a splintered tree, says "Lifted, and then dropped". Ghostly specter appears to play out the "investigated" scenario.
- Side missions the primary source of income.
- "Points of interest" scattered around the game world. Aimed at always giving players something to investigate and discover.
- The Jarl's son is trapped by a giant. Can save him him right away, or leave him for a bit. Decision will impact the son's perception of Geralt, especially when the importance of him being an heir comes into play.
- Giant fight is a boss, but the AI is dynamic. Giant can pick up a nearby anchor and use it as a weapon. Stomp to dislodge rocks.
- Monster AI influenced by the weather. Some monsters swarm at night. Werewolves increase in strength during a full moon.
- Game story divided into three acts, which will be shaped based on decisions. Entire towns may be saved or destroyed, depending on decisions you've made.
- ~80 hour adventure, three main endings.

 

[loganclaws]

None of this information is new? Or did I come from the future?