[PC/neXtBox/ps4] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[CeeKay]

they're looking to hire for a new project, and recently they said that W2 was a setup for bigger things in the Witcher verse (along with hinting at W3 coming sooner than later, can't find the interview right now though).  so, who'd like to apply to be the inside guy?

[SkyLander]

Would be rough to move to Poland. Not the easiest to try to get into another country lately.

[CeeKay]

just saw in the Witcher newsletter they're saying there will be some great Witcher news tomorrow at the CD projekt/GOG conference that starts at 5pm GMT tomorrow.  seeing as we already know about the Enhanced Edition and the 360 version, could this be the Witcher 3 announcement?

[Razgon]

Nah, witcher 1 for free for everyone on GoG I'm sure

[CeeKay]

Nah, witcher 1 for free for everyone on GoG I'm sure

damn, forgot that they did mention a free game for GOG fans.  it's probably be the one they'd lose the least amount of sales on too 

[Morgul]

I wish I could get a job playing the witcher 3...   I would move to poland.

Beyond that, I do not think I would be much help.

[CeeKay]

I wish I could get a job playing the witcher 3...   I would move to poland.

Beyond that, I do not think I would be much help.

you could do the motion cap for Triss

anyways, free GOG game turned out to be Fallout.

[metallicorphan]

are we having this for The Witcher 3 thread?


If so

Are CD Projekt considering Multiplayer for The Witcher 3?

The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED is hiring for a 'Multiplayer Programmer' to work on an RPG set in a "dark fantasy world" and its second project: an RPG based in a cyberpunk world. It's thought that the dark fantasy in question could be a follow-up to The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, which could mean multiplayer might find its way into The Witcher 3. Erm...

The successful candidate will be required to work with the developer's proprietary RED Engine and must have "experience in developing RPG games", "experience with physics in a multiplayer environment" and "experience creating gameplay systems in a multiplayer environment". They'll also need to have "at least one shipped multi-platform, multiplayer title" and experience "with matchmaking solutions on different platforms".

That means that both CD Projekt's mystery cyberpunk RPG project and what seems to clearly be The Witcher 3 will be going multi-platform, and both could potentially have a multiplayer component. How that will work is anyone's guess, but it wasn't something we asked for in our 'what we want from a Witcher 2 sequel' feature. Never mind. We could still be getting it anyway.

Could The Witcher 3's multiplayer be something worthwhile, or is it a case of shoehorning in a feature that the single-player story-driven RPG doesn't need? Discuss!

[CeeKay]

are we having this for The Witcher 3 thread?

might as well.  edited title, I figure it'll be PC at the very least.  as for MP, as long as they don't pull the crap BiowarEA did to make it necessary for the best ending (although I understand the 'OK, here's a better ending that wasn't written by the janitor boyfriend of our CEO's pool boy's ex-girlfriend' removed the necessity of MP).

still, when thinking of Witcher MP I'm constantly flashing back to Jedi Outcast MP, where everyone ran around blindly swinging their lightsabers and spamming powers.

[Gratch]

I'm confused...why does The Witcher need MP?   

[metallicorphan]

360a.org

CD Projekt RED has moved to clarify the assumption that The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk will definitely feature multiplayer.

Michal Platkow-Gilewski, head of marketing, said that the job advert revealed yesterday is for someone to come on board and decide just what shape multiplayer could take in their upcoming games.

"As for the job ad: this post should be named Multiplayer/Online Programmer," said Platkow-Gilewski. "I don't want to comment on what this guy will create, it's way too early.

"We want to bring to the team someone experienced in this field to evaluate our concepts and ideas. He will be one of backbone elements of our R&D.

"We believe that there's still a lot of space for innovation in the RPG genre. At this stage of our games' development, we want to explore all possible directions, check what would be cool, what's feasible and - always the most important for us - what suits our games the best."

The Multiplayer Programmer job advert, unearthed yesterday, called for a new staff member to "prepare our engine for challenges of upcoming online component of our future games", which probably means, "prepare our engine for the upcoming challenges of adding an online component to our future games".

The Witcher 3 has not been officially announced yet. Cyberpunk, however, has. It’s a new RPG based on Mike Pondsmith's classic pen and paper role playing series from the 80s. It’s aiming for 2014/2015 release.

[USMC Kato]

I'm confused...why does The Witcher need MP?   

Mass Effect MP is fantastic. Just because a game announces that it might have MP, it doesn't mean you have to play it.

[metallicorphan]

I'm confused...why does The Witcher need MP?   

Mass Effect MP is fantastic. Just because a game announces that it might have MP, it doesn't mean you have to play it.

as long as it does not take anything away from the single player then i am fine.


I think admittedly that ME3 single player was the worse of the three IMO,but it was still damn great(with a few problems towards the end and lack of decent side quests)

[TiLT]

I'm confused...why does The Witcher need MP?    

Mass Effect MP is fantastic. Just because a game announces that it might have MP, it doesn't mean you have to play it.

Funny you should mention Mass Effect 3's multiplayer, because that's an example of intrusive MP. It forced itself into the SP and required you to grind MP matches in order to get access to the best endings. And if you happen to put away the game for a few months, but then want to watch the ending again? Sucks to be you, because now you have to start all over again at grinding MP to see your ending.

ME3's multiplayer is one of many reasons why Bioware is dead to me.

[CeeKay]

Funny you should mention Mass Effect 3's multiplayer, because that's an example of intrusive MP. It forced itself into the SP and required you to grind MP matches in order to get access to the best endings. And if you happen to put away the game for a few months, but then want to watch the ending again? Sucks to be you, because now you have to start all over again at grinding MP to see your ending.

I mentioned it earlier, but a friend told me that with the new ending DLC you don't have to bother with MP because they lowered the required readiness score.  Granted, I haven't checked it for myself (nor do I intend to).  Still, this fix came a few months after release even though BiowarEA claimed that you didn't need MP to get the best ending in the first place (you can check the ME3 threads for more details).

[CeeKay]

February 5th reveal hinted at in the Cyberpunk teaser:

And that’s not all that’s new. We are about to reveal our other project, which is much closer to being completed. And yes, it will also be a fully open-world game with an intense story. You can probably guess the game we’re talking about. ;-) On the 5th of February it will all be clear.

[metallicorphan]

I saw The Witcher 2 for sale in my local shop pre-owned,and i can see that the box is signed,been thinking maybe i shall pick the game up again

I hope The Witcher 3 comes to the Xbox 360 i did enjoy the second one,was kind of hoping the rumours of The Witcher 1 coming to XBL were to be true as well

[metallicorphan]

CDPR have put up this teaser pic on their Witcher website website

[Turtle]

I suspect Witcher 3 is coming to next gen consoles.

[CeeKay]

a bit on REDEngine 3, the engine people think The Witcher 3 will use.



looks kinda Witchery to me...

[CeeKay]

it's official, and due out 2014.

This standalone sequel takes the fascinating stories and characters, non-linear plotlines, and difficult decisions that the franchise is known for and puts them all in an open world 30 times larger than the previous game – an enormous setting even larger than Skyrim's vast expanse, made possible with the new REDengine 3 technology that developer CD Projekt RED is debuting with the game.

[edit] some more details:

World supposedly 20% bigger than Skyrim's
30-40 minutes to cross world on Horseback
New streaming technology (CDRED Engine 3)
Geralt's Memory is restored
No chapters/acts
Dude is fucking DONE fighting for everyone else
Everything from solving MYSTERIES to slaying monsters
Coming out on "all top-of-the-line" consoles - I'd say that confirms next-gen is in.[/url]

[hepcat]

I consider CD Projekt Red to be the rightful successor to bioware and black isle when it comes to great CRPG's.  Can't wait for this to come out!

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

I consider CD Projekt Red to be the rightful successor to bioware and black isle when it comes to great CRPG's.  Can't wait for this to come out!

 

[TiLT]

I consider CD Projekt Red to be the rightful successor to bioware and black isle when it comes to great CRPG's.  Can't wait for this to come out!

Well, I can see what you mean, but Bioware and CD Projekt Red are, and have always been, very different in how they approach RPGs. Bioware has tended to focus on what they think the players want to play (yes, even back in the days, which is why they focused so much on the D&D license early on), while these guys seem to be more passionate about telling the story they want to tell with the gameplay they want to play. CD Projekt Red feels more genuine, so to say, especially these days when Bioware designs RPGs by committee.

Black Isle has always been good though, no doubt about that.

[CeeKay]

damn, it's also going to be the last Witcher game.

[edit] the screens in the new Game Informer look very nice.

[CeeKay]

some other pointers from skimming the article:

3 lands, each with it's own storyline.  you can ignore them but do so at your own risk.
less shallow sex, more romance.  sex cards are not returning.
more combat animations- Geralt has 96 compared to 20 from Witcher 2.
environmental objects can play a factor in combat.
more than a hundred hours of hand scripted quests in the world plus minigames and a rudimentary economy.

[TiLT]

more than a hundred hours of hand scripted quests in the world plus minigames and a rudimentary economy.

If Dice Poker returns, I'm going to punch someone.

Okay I won't, but Dice Poker must be one of the most flawed pieces of game design I've ever seen in a professional game. The contrast to the excellence that was the rest of the last two games is insane. NPCs you meet in the game keep talking about how Dice Poker demands skill, but that's just plain wrong. There's no way skill factors into that game since there's always a very obvious best move, with no bluffing or strategy. Even the designers must have realized this at some point, since they made opponents progressively harder not by improving their AI (which would have made no difference since the game is entirely based on luck) but by cheating with their die rolls.

So hopefully they got someone with actual knowledge of game theory and game design to design their minigames this time around. Considering they managed to repeat the Dice Poker embarrassment with The Witcher 2, I'm not holding out much hope.

[EddieA]

damn, it's also going to be the last Witcher game.

They later clarified this.  It sounds like the developer is moving on to other things, but the series will continue.

[CeeKay]

damn, it's also going to be the last Witcher game.

They later clarified this.  It sounds like the developer is moving on to other things, but the series will continue.

cool, I was worried when I saw them make this statement:

Badowski continued, "People may ask if this is really going to be the last Witcher game. Yes, it is. Why? Because we believe that we should end the series on a high note. Technology has progressed to where we can finally tell the story the way we want, with the visuals we want, in the world we imagined. This will be the ultimate fantasy RPG experience, and while we're hardly out of stories to tell, we believe it's time for us to look to new worlds and new horizons to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can create."

of course if CD Projekt Red is moving on who else are they going to get to continue the series?

[The Rocketman]

That reminds me that I should really replay The Witcher 2, and try out the "other" storyline. I wonder how many people actually played this game twice, and wonder if that's a smart decision... If most of your players are only going to see half your content, is it really worth it? I get it for small quests, but for an entire part of a game...?

[Maggot]

So good
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-06-screenshots-of-the-witcher-3

[CeeKay]

they also said the screenshots shown are from an old renderer, so they should only get better.

[metallicorphan]

they also said the screenshots shown are from an old renderer, so they should only get better.

especially if its a year away from release

[lex]

Damn...that looks pretty sweet.  I'll probably need a new rig to be able to play this.  I can barely play the second one with a reasonable frame rate.

[Caine]

It looks like he's about to horse stomp the Dovahkiin in the 2nd shot. 

I was happy enough with a Witcher 3 ala Witcher 2's structure.  but to be given an open world game larger than Skyrim with the care and quality they put into their games?  I'm ready to cryo freeze myself to shorten the wait. 

[Turtle]

Man, now I wish they could make a party based RPG, then their conversion to Black Isle would be complete...

You know, maybe that's what the team is doing? I mean, considering they're not making any more Witcher games, perhaps they wanted to start something of their own that they can do without paying for or being bound to the Witcher license.

[CeeKay]

Eurogamer had an interview with one of the dev's about open world games.

[metallicorphan]

Eurogamer had an interview with one of the dev's about open world games.

meh,i usually love what these guys have to say,this is unlike them dishing out on one game

The Elder Scroll games have always been like that,love it or leave it

Witcher 2 was good,but admittedly their storyline wasn't THAT memorable,and i can only remember Geralt's name,not a prayer i can remember 5 characters names

Witcher has sex a lot,goes to foresty area,time on a boat...2 ugly children,fight a troll..er...yeah,i can't even remember what happened at the end TBH

[The Rocketman]

Well, he has a point. I love Elder Scrolls, but I don't remember many stories, and the characters are unremarkable. But that's okay. The point of the Elder Scrolls is to be able to live in this huge world, and Bethesda gloriously succeed in creating a believable world.

But if I think of memorable characters and stories in an open world, I think of games like Zelda the Wind Waker, or Batman Arkham City.

It's just a different emphasis. I prefer an emphasis on story, but I completely understand that this isn't the Elder Scrolls' first objective.

[CeeKay]

meh,i usually love what these guys have to say,this is unlike them dishing out on one game

I don't think they are being harsh to be harsh:

The critique was delivered in an I'm-thinking-out-loud manner. The words look harsh printed, but Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and his brother (lead quest designer) Mateus - and the entire studio, by the sounds of it - regard Skyrim highly. "For sure we need to learn from them how to make an open world," acknowledged Konrad Tomaszkiewicz.