The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - More E3 Interviews

Seems the news for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt never seems to end this week. So for today I have some new video interviews for anyone who needs more information.

RedditGames

Witcher 3 takes the series to a whole new level, introducing open-world
gameplay. Witcher's project lead answers Redditors questions and gives
us a feel for the next installment.

Video Game Sophistry

How do you romances work? How long will it take to get from one side of
the map to the other? WILL DICE BE BACK!

GamerHubTV

At E3 2013 at the Microsoft booth, CD Projekt Red developer John Mamais
explains what Xbox One opens up for The Witcher 3 in this exclusive
interview.

PlayStation Access

Hollie tries desperately to contain her excitement as she chats to
executive producer John Mamais about what players can expect from The
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

As a bonus I have new screenshots from RPGamer.

More information.

When the witcher 2 was coming out I started off a rather heated discussion by complaining that Geralt couldn't jump over small obstacles:

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13435

But this time he gets a whole open world to do the monster mash in?! Wow, I haven't been taking any interest in modern games for a while but this one's starting to get my attention, it looks very freaking cool. I'll be interested to see how the devs go with the transition from small-ish scripted areas to large world of chaos.

I've complained about it since TW1 A super agile and acrobatic monster hunter that can't even jump over a 5" obstacle to take a short-cut? It was plain ridiculous, especially sad since TW1 was a really good game otherwise.

I've tried TW2 for a bit but i can't say it kept my interest up for very long, most people seems to think TW1 is the better game (game world is also supposed to be a lot bigger) so i probably will give TW2 a miss.

Anyways, grabbing an espresso, these interviews will be an interesting read

I think TW2 is much better than TW1, so I would try to play through it if I were you.

hmm yes maybe i should give it a go with that combat overhaul

One thing seriously bothers me here. And it's not complaints on lack of jumping in EA RPGs, oops sorry, EA and EA based engines.

It's the (re)discovered open world design. And not just in RPGs. FC3/4, WD, DA:I, TW3, maybe as it's not confirmend in Sims4, etc. Everyone wants open world in their games for whatever reason.

And in the meantime, devs who made brilliant open world games in the past - are abandoning that design. Seriously, I'm not happy PB dumbed it down in Risen 2 and seems it's also happening in Risen 3.
What is going on?

Originally Posted by joxer
What is going on?

Market research and budget.

Everyone is jumping in the open world bandwagon because the Elder Scrolls games and GTA sold 10+ millions of copies (over 20 millions by now for Skyrim only). So all the "big" boys are nowt making open world games because it sells well.

While the smaller boys, with their smaller budget, have issues keeping up with the demand.

It's a good direction, one i've always promoted. I think both developers are players have realised that this is what the gaming medium is really good for and that it's something that is completely unique for the medium, something books and movies can not give you. It's about finding the medium's strength and building upon that. A good book gives you a good story, a good movie gives you beliavable characters. etc.

I'm only disappointed that AI is falling behind so much another thing that's totally unique for the gaming medium, and it needs to get far better. I want AI that completetly blows me away, i doubt i'll see it in my life time though.

But vurt isn't this medium's real strength releasing a set of modtools with a game?
It's something you can't have with books/movies. Or more precisely, something you can't have on consoles/phones.

yes, user creations is a big strength too

Who exactly was the evil party in this thread vurt? You or me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEgc47U8y2Q

Beats me. I think we're all very nice and gentle.

RPS: Geralt can climb stuff now – Cliffs and hillsides getting in your way? No problem. Like a sprightly assassin or Notch’s envisioning of a horse, Geralt’s got enough spring in his step to vault up/over whatever pitiful rock formation might stand in his way. He doesn’t animate quite as well as, say, the main character of Assassin’s Creed Unity, but it’s a useful skill nonetheless.

RPS: "Cities feel amazingly alive – You thought Skyrim’s “Radiant” AI was impressive? Or if not impressive then at least a cut above the mindless mobs that tend to populate videogame worlds? Well, Witcher 3′s variation on the theme looked magnificently natural. Children shouted and played tag, adults walked and chatted, fires crackled, water wheels churned, etc, etc, etc. It was so palpably alive. Our presenter noted that NPCs react the all sorts of things, too: the time of day, weather, Geralt punching them - every valid and rational human concern. Afterward, I went to a demo of Dragon Age Inquisition, and the difference was night and day. DA’s denizens were stuck in their tracks like they were born and raised in a vat of quicksand. No sudden movements. Really just no… movements in general, actually."

Every open world RPG will be TW3's bitch

You can't trust a thing you see in a demo, I think Bethesda showing off Oblivion AI made that abundantly clear.

I don't think the state of the art ever advanced significantly from the original Gothic game back in 2001. It did everything you see in Skyrim, people had a job, looked like they were doing it, and went to bed at night. They responded to threats and went about scripted sequences.

If you are waiting for real lifelike AI in a video game, and not a decent illusion, you won't see it in this lifetime. They can keep scripting more and more actions and responses, but at some point it will hit an uncanny valley effect and just be so short of the real thing it wasn't worth doing.

We just hit the point where an AI can get away as being a 13 year old second language english speaker to a relatively naive interrogator 30% of the time. That isn't Turing's vision there.

Originally Posted by vurt
RPS: "Cities feel amazingly alive – You thought Skyrim’s “Radiant” AI was impressive? Or if not impressive then at least a cut above the mindless mobs that tend to populate videogame worlds? Well, Witcher 3′s variation on the theme looked magnificently natural. Children shouted and played tag, adults walked and chatted, fires crackled, water wheels churned, etc, etc, etc. It was so palpably alive. Our presenter noted that NPCs react the all sorts of things, too: the time of day, weather, Geralt punching them - every valid and rational human concern.

This guy obviously haven't played Witcher 1 since all those things (except punching maybe) were present in that game. And yes, world of Witcher 1 was more alive than Skyrim (and Gothic I) as well!

I think you're right, at least i do recall the children and that NPC's would take shelter when it rained in the enhanced edition there was also much better variation of NPC's.

Just because you can't trust Bethesda ( and they can't make a game), doesn't mean the you shouldn't trust CD Project, they've always delivered on their promises as far as I am concerned!

Originally Posted by Burress
You can't trust a thing you see in a demo, I think Bethesda showing off Oblivion AI made that abundantly clear.

I don't think the state of the art ever advanced significantly from the original Gothic game back in 2001. It did everything you see in Skyrim, people had a job, looked like they were doing it, and went to bed at night. They responded to threats and went about scripted sequences.

If you are waiting for real lifelike AI in a video game, and not a decent illusion, you won't see it in this lifetime. They can keep scripting more and more actions and responses, but at some point it will hit an uncanny valley effect and just be so short of the real thing it wasn't worth doing.

We just hit the point where an AI can get away as being a 13 year old second language english speaker to a relatively naive interrogator 30% of the time. That isn't Turing's vision there.

True, and open world and Sim games tried to improve on the AI. But I think that one should remember that Gothic, Witcher .. etc. are role playing games with a story to tell with start and and end, especially the Witcher.

Therefore the priority and focus is on the story and providing an enjoyable ride through this story; the NPC AI and behaviour is just for atmosphere and to produce a belivable setting - hence scripting. Anything beyond scripting would be a waste of computing and resource power for a good rpg.