Witcher 3 - Gets Cross Saves with Switch
 

Windows Central reports that The Witcher 3 is getting cross saves with Switch.

More information.

That and:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2…er-interactive

I never really thought about using a cross-save for Witcher 3, but then again I played on PC a long time ago and just played on Switch end of last year, so …

But I think it is a really cool thing!

I like my Switch quite a lot, but honestly did not even consider to take W3. In my eyes this game heavily depends on visual quality so I skipped Switch version.

Basically means more switch ports. I'm fine with that.

My granny recommended this book when I was really young. Same with my 4th Grade teacher.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i…-FQ1pxG0K0dsie

It is nice to see the option emerging for people on-the-go who can't find enough time in the day. I would like to see a PC compatible device that functions like the Switch emerge. At least it will double what you'll find out there in terms of options.

If you don't own a switch does this become a it is wrong to add turn base to rtwp game type of argument because it consumes resources better spent elsewhere ?

Naturally i could care less what they do here since i'm not a switch player but the point of the above statement - analogy - isn't to bring up turn base vs rtwp but the silliness of the argument (which of course could be made anytime any work is done on something not relevant to your interest).

I could careless myself because the only aspect that is relevant to myself is if the game they produce for the platform i play (pc) is enjoyable on that platform.
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I guess it is amusing how some folks scream bloody murder about some irrelevant things but not others. Perhaps there is just something about rtwp and turn base that is lacking when you mention switch or pc.

I only play on pc, though my kids have a switch. I assume having mods on the pc game would break the switch version though. That would ruin it for me, plus having to pay another $50 to play the switch version is also a negative for me.

It is surprising how good it looks, considering the power of the device. I just saw a gallery with a bunch of images showing how the new update makes the Switch port look even better than before in every way. Of course, still not up to PC standards, but for me since I first played on the Alienware 13” ‘gaming ultrabook’, my standards are often a bit skewed.

Alienware had a device back at or around CES that really looked pretty awesome (and drew obvious heavy inspiration from the Switch). Solid spec PC tablet with all the Switch stuff like linked controller and TV plug-in.

Nah I just like poking fun at watchers who keep praising Turn-based combat over RTwP in every news-bit. Still you make a good point but it's irrelevant to this thread though.

Back on topic publisher's always look at ways to maximize profit earned and switch ports sell well. So look forward to more THQ ports and Elex might get ported now.

No, for a couple of reasons:
- Typically porting is done by companies that specialize in it, which is actually a good thing - it is a different skill set from game creation, so I would rather a team who is good at bringing stuff to Switch work on that.
- As Couch said, ports of high profile games can be very profitable and help fund other projects … so given that The Witcher or Divinity Original Sin 2 were both critical and commercial hits on the Switch last year means (a) some gamers who never played these got a first taste and (b) there is a significant audience for those types of games on a platform more closely associated with Zelda and Mario than Geralt and Blaskowicz

Here is where I disagree [i won't keep bringing this up but i just want to point out my disagreement and move on]. Whether the companies employee do the work or they hire a third party company to do the work it is resources from the company. If you argue that providing the switch version provide additional revenue that can then be spent on the core game; the same can be said for adding a different mode of play. By adding that different mode you in theory increase the number of purchases which ….
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It really is the same argument. I think the only core difference is ease of accounting since determining which additional players purchased the game due to an added mechanic is much harder than which players purchased the game due to an additional platform. HOWEVER determining which players purchased the game due to a new feature (like cross save compatibility) is equally hard.

Did people campaign to make Divinity: Original Sin RTwP? Did people campaign to make Outer Worlds Turn-based? Do people campaign for a turn-based Dark Souls?

Why is it only RtwP games that seem to have this whole "well, more options are better than fewer" angle shoved in their face every day?

No one is shoving it in your face - that aspect of your post is inflammatory.
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Did people campaign for bg to be turn base or dragon age to be tb. No. I can't comment why others wanted a turn base mode for pathfinder kingmaker or pillars but having said that I think the crowd wanting such is larger than a very small vocal minority.
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What I will say is people frequently campaign for features they want and while i don't recall anyone asking for RTwP mode in divinity original sin (would such even make sense given its core game-play?) there were MANY features that people did yell for (some were added and some were rejected). Having said that I do think it is easier to add turn base mode to a game like pillars or kingmaker than adding rtwp to a game like divinity given the games core mechanism. This also makes it easier to visualize such game play in those games which probably attributed to those people who prefer such play style requesting the feature.

You are quite clearly shoving your opinion in people's faces. You are quite clearly very opinionated about this topic and you quite clearly are expressing yourself with as much exasperation-tone as you can.

You "think" it's easier to fuck around with Pillars or Pathfinder than Divinity do you? Oh right, are we allowed to know any more details than you "thinking"? Core Mechanism? Explain?

(I am concerned that this is polluting the thread with an off-topic discussion that has led to some real consequences elsewhere)

I don't think your argument really holds up very well because it is hard to find a direct comparison.

If you take a game that was built from the ground up for cross-platform portability and pay someone to make a version for a fourth platform a few years after the initial release, the impact of costs to the company is small, and the amount of money added back into that actual game is basically zero (because it is an old game). Direct comparison - how much money did the Switch version of Jedi Knight II add to the budget for patches/improvements to all version of Jedi Knight II … easy answer - zero.

The sales of the Switch version of Witcher 3 allow CDPR more freedom to invest in their current and future products, NOT Witcher 3.

I have gotten a survey from the Nintendo shop based on my purchase of Witcher 3, and one thing they specifically asked was about if I already had owned Witcher 3 and on which platforms.

CDPR/Nintendo likely discovered what I have found on forums where you can talk about playing PC-centric games on Switch without getting treated like shit, and that is that MANY people who are playing Witcher 3 on Switch have already played the game on PC or console. That is not new - the Switch, after its initial burst of Nintendo typical sales, has become a great handheld game system that crosses platform appeal.

So they are tapping further into that with the new cross-save compatibility … they needed a patch, had been talking about it for months, so it was awesome that they chose cross saves.

But let's not over-estimate what is involved … cross saves involves making the save game reveal its source, and having the game be able to ignore things the current platform can't do but not change any of those things, so that when you go back you can retain the original experience. The fact that the new patch has more graphics adjustment options has already led to some glitches, not surprising, but nothing big.

Combat gameplay is at the very core of a game - making changes there impacts EVERYTHING, and so those types of changes can be incredibly expensive - and has to come from the core game development team, and requires heavy amounts of time-intensive testing. That is all just a simple reality.

Cross-saves I look at as 'grease' - they help push the sale of something that someone was already likely to buy. The Witcher 3 has seen an incredible bump in sales due to the TV show, and the Switch version landed at the perfect moment to be one of the biggest sellers last year on the platform, and also sold systems to gamers. SO it is a special case.

I will be honest - I have been playing RPG on a computer for ~40 years, been involved in
'forums' on USENET prior to web and social media … and while there were some debates around the time of the original Baldur's Gate, I have NEVER seen this sort of 'religious war' around turn-based vs. RTwP that has gone on specific to this otherwise decently well behaved forum and just recently. Never.

I mean, specifically - here we are in a thread about the Switch port of a real-time action-RPG getting new features unrelated to gameplay … and you have chosen this as another front in your holy battle? This is not normal. This is not happening elsewhere … this is truly a very small group of people on what they see as some great crusade. And I use 'crusade' because it is not a 'war', because one side is pretty much cool with either (despite preferences) while the other is "give me turn-based or give me death" along with "if you are not with me, you are my enemy"

How many copies of a game - an isometric, party based 'classic' RPG - would be sold/not sold specifically due to whether the combat engine is turn-based vs. RTwP? 10? 20? Perhaps even 25? I honestly doubt many more than that.

If I still owned my switch I'd totally get this game to play on it, seems like a perfect fit in my opinion.

Thanks everybody for addressing the issue brought up by @you

So time to move on with the topic at hand: Witcher 3 getting Cross saves with Switch.

May I suggest our latest Poll What combat do you prefer to talk about the (dis)advantages or personal problems with TB and RTwP.

Better spent elsewhere on what. This vid product is mostly completed.
And as so often, the inversion: that is switch customers who should wonder if they have a PC, it is budgeted on their version, not on the PC version whose budget is long gone.

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@Eye feel free to delete this or move to a new thread as you see fit.

[comment moderator: Diy. ]

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I must say I am tempted to double the penalty

STAY-ON-TOPIC.
See thread title and first post (from Silver).

Also, please, for anyone wishing to help me by pointing out to people that their content is off-topic and should be posted elsewhere: just hit the report button to the right of every post and leave it to a moderator or administrator.
Your text is also polluting the thread and has also nothing to do with the topic.

Consider me strict and stern.

It got lost in my massive post above - but I felt that the game already looked pretty good on the Switch (remember I only play as a handheld, never as a console) … so I was happy that they have tweaked the graphics so you get better looking stuff everywhere with no performance penalty. No - it is still not as good looking as on my PC, but it is stunning for a Switch game!

Looks are one thing (nice-to-have) but what about controls? Do the Switch controls work well for Witcher 3, rather than Mouse + Keyboard?

While I have always managed to play on handhelds and tablets without a huge issue … nothing will ever compare to keyboard and mouse for me. That has been a problem with some games on the Switch, particularly fast paced shooters - depending on the control scheme, of course. Wolfenstein worked well, Jedi Knight II did not.

But two things about this:
- I am playing it as a handheld, which always means a trade-off, but for me the Switch is the best handheld controller by far.
- The Witcher 3 was enormously successful on XBOne and PS4 as well as PC, and was praised for the controls. The Switch has essentially the same controller layout and number of buttons as an XBOne controller, so it is similar in that regard.

I'm playing it on PC with a controller and it's really good, except for the worse menu navigation which really benefits from the mouse, and some keyboard shortcuts (inventory, quest log) which are missing. For gameplay you don't really need a mouse since there is not a lot of aiming. You do have a crossbow but if you target-lock the enemy it will auto aim.