Spotted by junior Denton
FAQ
http://www.gamepressure.com/e.asp?ID=73
Interview with CDPR CEO Marcin Iwiński
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/witcher-3-interview-ceo-marcin-iwiski-sexism-free-dlc-game-thrones-1492540
e: Spotted by junior Isendurl - PAX panel on next-gen open world games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19jWPfa3sVI
Notes from PAX panel:
Random stuff from Gamepressure's FAQ:
FAQ
http://www.gamepressure.com/e.asp?ID=73
Interview with CDPR CEO Marcin Iwiński
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/witcher-3-interview-ceo-marcin-iwiski-sexism-free-dlc-game-thrones-1492540
e: Spotted by junior Isendurl - PAX panel on next-gen open world games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19jWPfa3sVI
Notes from PAX panel:
- In the FAQ above it says the prologue is 3-4 hours, one of the guys tries to say that here but the other one says 5-8 hours, no journalists could finish it in a recent hands-on.
- Writers start the dev process before everyone else, Witcher 3 was in dev about 3 years.
- One of the guys talking is a locations guy, says he does design, sketching the areas out in the engine, beauty patches, and fixing them up when there are problems
- Producers love spreadsheets ("the cell will calculate how long [locations guy] has to do a task, ex. you have 5 days to create the interior of a brothel", then the producer asks how long it will actually take and freaks out when the guy says "7 days" because the cell turns from green to red) - each section of development will have a producer
- If someone comes up with a cool idea, the team would perhaps stay late or otherwise ninja it in on their busy schedule (to keep from upsetting producers)...these sorts of things probably impacted why the date got pushed twice
- Once they decided what characters they wanted to feature (Ciri, Wild Hunt) the story came together naturally
- On developing open world games: It is mostly the same as regular dev, you add one thing, and the game still runs at 30fps, so you add more and more until it doesn't.
- Had to tone down some crazy physics-based destruction (like all stalagmites in a cave exploding from spells) due to production considerations: expensive processing-wise, but also considerations like "where does the rubble go" and NPC pathing
- But you can destroy something at a house ("totally pointless, but it's beautiful" and possible due to next-gen)
- Enemy AI made possible by next-gen: You can kill a deer and the deer will produce a smell which will expand for 1km around you. The game will calculate whether it has any enemies in that area (they aren't rendered, but the game has a routine running for them so it knows where they are in the world), and if there are they will smell the deer and come running (if they like the smell, that is, the game can tell that too). Monsters may not always get along, so if they come together over this deer you killed, they may start fighting.
- Similar situation described from a playtesting session: riding on horse, attacked by bandits also on horses, some monsters from the forest wandered in and spooked the bandits' horses, causing the bandits to be thrown to the ground - the monsters slaughtered the bandits
- The content determined the size of the world, it was not big just to be big- they needed space for scenarios/stories they made
- Compared to Left4Dead system, which says you have not encountered an enemy in 2min, so here is one - "living world" gameplay dev did not care for this system. Wants a system where the world is living independent of the player, but can also entertain the player without overwhelming them
- Not gone gold as of 3/9 but said they would start working on the DLC soon
- Producers don't like it when you tell them you want to make free DLC
- The wyvern quest shown in videos recently was shot several weeks previously
- Some content will become unavailable as you progress through the story
- Skill trees are the same 3 branches (combat/magic/alchemy) but added more stuff to them
- All trailers developed in-house, Sword of Destiny trailer was the 56th version of that trailer
- Some dude took up a bunch of time jerking them off about free DLC during the Q&A
- The King of the Wild Hunt took off his mask and it was like some 17-year-old kid D: (fake edit: he took the whole helmet off later and he has a superlong bowl cut D
- They had to cut ice-skating from the game ("you play as Ciri and you were going to ice-skate and fight!")("left-right, the blades...you pirouette and then you slice heads") - cut because they did not want to add new gameplay mechanics at the end (also the locations guy sounds like he hated it)
- No plans to do next-gen remakes of Witcher 1/2 - have not discussed it properly - note they get that question a lot
- Frequently found them in situations where something they achieved on their dev PC would not work as well on another PC or on consoles and they would have to go back a bit ("living world" dev cuts in: it's not downgrading, it's not, don't just go write that on reddit, please, stop saying that it's downgrading)
- Stories/Ideas: sometimes they find stuff on wikipedia, ex. a 1432 Germany story about a monster that is a fetus you have to put under the house (my note: sounds like a mandragora/mandrake?), and you say "yes that's in the game" - that monster in particular was controversial in the dev team because some devs were parents, so it went through multiple iterations - happy to use Slavic mythology that is not well-known in the west
- People in the world will talk about what you did, but sometimes they will get it wrong or it becomes more rumor than truth.
Random stuff from Gamepressure's FAQ:
- We haven’t seen elves in any of the game trailers. Are they going to be included in the game, as they were in the previous installments?
Yes, elves are included, although they play a less significant role than in the previous games. [RED]
- Will it be possible to continue playing once the main story missions are completed in order to finish side quests and other additional activities?
Yes, once the end credits roll you can continue playing with the equipment, skills, etc. you had by the end of the game. [RED]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- How long does it take to complete the main story arc and all additional activities?
Depending on the difficulty level, the main story itself offers about 50 hours of gameplay, and completing 100% of the game requires about 100-120 hours.
- Is the experience level of monsters scaled up to the player’s?
No. In this regard, the third installment of The Witcher is more reminiscent of Gothic than of Skyrim. In the prologue, when you’re on the first experience level, you have to be really careful about where you wander off to. It is noteworthy, though, that especially tough enemies are properly marked (you can learn more about this matter in Gameplay mechanics section).
- Are there QTE sequences in the game? [e: not actually something to lol about]
No, there are no QTEs in the game. [RED]
- Can you drink potions during combat?
Yes, you can drink potions during combat. What limits you is their quantity – you cannot carry too many, and they have to be prepared during meditation using alcohol – and their toxicity. What is more, there are also mutagenic potions, which are more powerful than the usual ones and work longer, but are more toxic. Thus, drinking potions becomes a meta-game of sorts: should I drink more of the weaker ones which give immediate effects, or use the powerful mutagenic potions instead, or try to keep a balance between the two? [RED]
- How does the system of upgrading weapons look like? Do you have to find any specific ingredients? Is it necessary to find an appropriately skilled blacksmith?
Witcher’s weapons can be upgraded. This is done in a form of special quests. First, you need to find a schematic, which often requires killing a monster guarding it. Then, you have to collect the required ingredients. Finally, it is necessary to find the right craftsman. There are craftsmen on 3 levels of skills available: Journeyman, Master and Archmaster. The better the item, the more skilled craftsman is required. Archmasters first have to be “unlocked” by completing special quests. [RED]
- What will characterize the Dark difficulty level? Will it be the same as Hard with the exception of permanent death?
There are 4 difficulty levels. Easy, Normal, Hard, and Dark. There is no permadeath; the Dark level is simply more difficult than Hard. [RED]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Can you turn off [enemy health] indicators? Will all of them be present on higher difficulty levels?
Each element of HUD can be turned off individually. So the answer is yes, you can turn off opponents’ health bars and level information. [RED]
- Is it possible to turn off map indicators pointing toward special monsters, places of interest, etc.?
Yes, it is possible. HUD is highly customizable. You can turn off individual elements displayed on the minimap, as well as the minimap itself. [RED]
- Will the game support modding?
Yes, but not on launch. The developers promise to release REDkit editor faster than they did for The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings (almost a year after its release).
- Is it possible to change color saturation like it was done in Arcania, where different variations of color settings were available?
No. [RED]
- Is it possible to adjust draw distance on PC version?
No. Most distances (e.g. for meshes) are set in assets. [RED]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- To what extent were the actors familiar with the game material? Were they allowed to see cut-scenes and the appearance of their characters or did they read out their lines with no insight into the game?
We prepared various game materials for the actors and director for the purpose of voice recording sessions, such as artworks and character descriptions. In the case of some cut-scenes, voices were recorded with the use of video material, provided that it was available. Besides, someone from the studio was always present during recording sessions to clear up any doubts, explain the context and provide other information. Being unable to see the actual scenes they voice during the recording is a great challenge for the actors, as they have to imagine everything based only on descriptions, comments, and our suggestions. [RED]