Interview The Witcher interview at the Codex

[vazquez595654]

Fuck The Witcher.

Good point.

 

[Elwro]

The new meaning for the "FTW" acronym?

 

[Vandal]

So dare I pipe up now and say that I, too, am one of the PR folks working on this game?

In all honesty, though (from a "PR shill" you can take that as you will), CD Projekt seems to be going in the right direction with this game. They don't want to deliver some action RPG, instead putting a lot of emphasis on the choices and consequences of actions... We'll keep working to try and make sure you guys are excited for the game. I dont' think I have to worry about getting good feedback from the Codex.

EDIT: Oh hey, Proverbius... I need a new logo/title I started my own gig.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Fuck The Witcher.

Good point.

Quoting your own shit won't make it more valid fucktard.

 

[Drakron]

So dare I pipe up now and say that I, too, am one of the PR folks working on this game?
.

Arbuthnot Entertainment Group is a leading public relations agency servicing the technology and entertainment industries. Combining expert media relations and integrated online community development, AEG will Amplify positive buzz, Elevate consumer mindshare and Generate extensive coverage of your company and its products.

They work for NVidia ... THANKS A LOT FOR THE STUPID VIDEO CARDS ARMS RACE!

 

[Vandal]

They work for NVidia ... THANKS A LOT FOR THE STUPID VIDEO CARDS ARMS RACE!

I don't work at AEG anymore

 

[sheek]

FTW.

 

[elander_]

How does chargen works in the witcher? We only see one guy allways with the same apearance. One of the aspects of playing a crpg was allways that of experience the world setting with different characters and not just one. That would be an adventure game like Redguard. This PR trick of adding some dialog and storyline to a game and then call it crpg redefined sucks. Not even mainstream gamers deserve to be treated like idiots to this level. Hey tenis games don't sell anymore so lets add dialog and a compeling, motivating, brilliant, epic storyline and redefine the crpg genre to sell our game.

 

[Kraszu]

We only see one guy allways with the same apearance. One of the aspects of playing a crpg was allways that of experience the world setting with different characters and not just one.

Appearance? Since when facegen is important part of rpg?

Hey tenis games don't sell anymore so lets add dialog and a compeling, motivating, brilliant, epic storyline and redefine the crpg genre to sell our game.

Fallout is actually modified Tetris, they just removed the blocks, add some dialogues, some consequences and choices, stats and other things to sell it to new customers.

All characters progress will evolve around combat, and the combat will not be in tb you can say that those elements are not rpg like, but things you say are just ridiculous.

 

[Cammaris]

It looks a bit like RPG with " Prince of Persia" combat I´m looking forward this game.

 

[Kraszu]

The combat will not be so action like in pop, it sound more like Diablo(mouse interface) + gothic (timed attacks).

 

[WouldBeCreator]

How does chargen works in the witcher? We only see one guy allways with the same apearance. One of the aspects of playing a crpg was allways that of experience the world setting with different characters and not just one. That would be an adventure game like Redguard. This PR trick of adding some dialog and storyline to a game and then call it crpg redefined sucks. Not even mainstream gamers deserve to be treated like idiots to this level. Hey tenis games don't sell anymore so lets add dialog and a compeling, motivating, brilliant, epic storyline and redefine the crpg genre to sell our game.

Just to be clear, that makes PS:T an adventure game, right?

 

[Dhruin]

No chargen. Start with the same vanilla "template" and build from there.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

How does chargen works in the witcher? We only see one guy allways with the same apearance. One of the aspects of playing a crpg was allways that of experience the world setting with different characters and not just one. That would be an adventure game like Redguard. This PR trick of adding some dialog and storyline to a game and then call it crpg redefined sucks. Not even mainstream gamers deserve to be treated like idiots to this level. Hey tenis games don't sell anymore so lets add dialog and a compeling, motivating, brilliant, epic storyline and redefine the crpg genre to sell our game.

Wait, I'm trying to remember...how many possibilites where there to customize your characters looks in Fallout? Wait? There weren't any? Nix, nada, niente? Geeze, the game must have totally sucked as an RPG.
Stupid devs! Give us a fucking action adventure and it is supposed to be the best CRPG around? Idiots!

On the other hand, this underestimated and little known game called Oblivion is the true essence of an RPG, since it features TEH MIGHTY FACEGEN DEVICE!!!! (OMG !!! I CAN ROLEPLAY A VICTIM OF RADIOACTIVE RADIATION IN OB!!! TEH ULTIMATE FREDOM)

 

[Dhruin]

I think he is primarily talking about skills, stats, class, whatever than just simply appearance. I certainly think character creation is always preferable but if an otherwise good RPG doesn't have it, I don't think it automatically makes it an adventure.

 

[Old Scratch]

How does chargen works in the witcher? We only see one guy allways with the same apearance. One of the aspects of playing a crpg was allways that of experience the world setting with different characters and not just one. That would be an adventure game like Redguard. This PR trick of adding some dialog and storyline to a game and then call it crpg redefined sucks. Not even mainstream gamers deserve to be treated like idiots to this level. Hey tenis games don't sell anymore so lets add dialog and a compeling, motivating, brilliant, epic storyline and redefine the crpg genre to sell our game.

Soo, in your world an RPG is a game that allows you to customize your characters physical appearance? Would that make the Sims or Tony Hawk's Underground RPGs?

What's essential to an RPG for me is being able to customize your characters personality as well as his/her strengths and weaknesses throughout the course of the game. Not being able to customize the avatars physical appearance is ok if those other opportunities are present. Still a little difficult to tell if that will be the case with the Witcher.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

I think he is primarily talking about skills, stats, class, whatever than just simply appearance. I certainly think character creation is always preferable but if an otherwise good RPG doesn't have it, I don't think it automatically makes it an adventure.

Well, he used the word "appearence" so I was guessing he meant the charakters looks.
Its maybe just a language glitch though.

 

[AnalogKid]

I can't believe this one has gotten a free pass here so far:

Combat is one of those features we feel needs a drastic update from the classic style. We feel real-time provides us with more options to give the player control.

The point of all the numbers they seem to hate so much is to create a method of resolving conflict that is completely under the character's control, not the player's (more accurately, only under the player's control as a result of the role he chooses to play and the actions he wants his character to attempt). Having exciting up/down/left/left/right/down combos to, like, totally dismbowel the fat chick doesn't equal tactically deep roleplaying combat... even if you did get to previously choose whether you wanted to use the left/left combo or the right/right combo.

Other than completely failing to understand the rudimentary idea of character vs. player control, I think the interview was very strong and definitely increased my desire to buy The Witcher. I don't really even mind too much if it is an action RPG, because it sounds like at least they'll remember to include a little of the RPG in the game, unlike certain other "dumbed down" games that don't need mentioning.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

I can't believe this one has gotten a free pass here so far:

Combat is one of those features we feel needs a drastic update from the classic style. We feel real-time provides us with more options to give the player control.

The point of all the numbers they seem to hate so much is to create a method of resolving conflict that is completely under the character's control, not the player's (more accurately, only under the player's control as a result of the role he chooses to play and the actions he wants his character to attempt). Having exciting up/down/left/left/right/down combos to, like, totally dismbowel the fat chick doesn't equal tactically deep roleplaying combat... even if you did get to previously choose whether you wanted to use the left/left combo or the right/right combo.

Usually I would agree with you, but I think it was clear to everyone from the start that the Games gonna be an Action-RPG like Gothic, so no real surprises here.
It still doesn't change the fact this whole "update from the classic combat style" banther sounds very stupid, and yeah, they seem to have problems to grasp the essential concept of character control.

But as you said in your second paragraph, if they include these RPG elements they are announcing, we may get a nice action RPG with that so much desired part of reasonable choice and consequences and alternative ways to solve quests.

And Btw, from the photo on the official page, she doesnt look very fat. Indeed, she looks rather hot.

 

[elander_]

I certainly think character creation is always preferable but if an otherwise good RPG doesn't have it, I don't think it automatically makes it an adventure.

The point is not that witcher is an interesting game or not which it may end up being a good game.

If you can only play one character or in other words experience the world setting from one character perspective then why calling it a crpg? It doesn't make much sense. If that was the case Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 would be crpgs if these games had dialogs and not just monologues.

Don't you see the ridicule of this situation? Doom 3 even had a compeling storyline. Half-Life 2 too and was lots of epic. There is romance in HL2 too but more like the silent type with horny black woman.

In Fallout for example there are parts of the game, factions, and solutions to quests you can only experience with certain character choice of skills and perks. It makes sense in any interesting crpg world that the player doesn't experience everything and join every faction with just one character.

 

[kingcomrade]

Why is common sense never allowed in definitions. Nobody here is debating law or anything, so you'd think it would be allowed. You can pretty obviously tell which game goes in which genre by how it is played.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

In Fallout for example there are parts of the game, factions, and solutions to quests you can only experience with certain character choice of skills and perks. It makes sense in any interesting crpg world that the player doesn't experience everything and join every faction with just one character.

Well, nothing new youre telling us 'ere, actually isnt that what the codex is demanding all the time? The join every faction with one character thing is exactly what everybody here is critisizing in oblivion. (among many other things)

Now the witcher: It doesnt seem likely from the answers in the interview that your characters role (besides his combat style) will be much defined by his skills.
BUT: Unlike Oblivion, the Interview mentions and puts an emphasize on meaningfull choices and meaningfull consequences.
So while propably your characters build and his skills wont have much influence on the things you can experience in the game (like they did in fallout), actually there is big hope that you will have the possibility to roleplay trough your choices.
And I'm not talking about the "Im member of the thieves guild (murder forbidden) and Dark Brotherhood (assasins) guild at the same time" kind of choices.

The interview mentions meaningfull choices, which will restrict your acces to certain quest/factions/options.
So rather then depending on your skills and character build (which would be perferct, but nobody assumes the withcer to become a fallout 3), your possibilites in the game and different paths will depend on your choices and affiliations.
Thats less then we expect from a "true" RPG in the fallout style, but its still nice for an Gothicish action RPG, and indeed a whole fucking lot better then what Gayblivion has to offer.

All of the above of course without warranty and only assuming the promises in the interview will be true in the released game.

EDIT: I should add to avoid missunderstandings: Of course in Fallout, youre roleplaying too trough your choices, but the kind and number of choices will depend on your character skill.
A dump character with low charisma won't have the option to say something smart and witty.

Unfortunatly, it seems the Witcher wont offer such a kind of thing. I imagine that every character will have available all the choices. Still, if those choices are meaninfull and chosing something opens a path and restricts another at the same time, thats still nice and you want be able to see everything and join every faction with one single character in the first runtrough the game (unlike oblivion, where you can see everything, and experience everything with one character playing the game 1 time because of lack of meaningfull choices.)

 

[LlamaGod]

I think what he's trying to say is: how can it be a roleplaying game if the character you play interacts with the world the same ways every time?

disregarding apperance and character design, your choices and decisions will always be the same ones.

Sorta like how Oblivion is, but The Witcher atleast sounds a bit better.

 

[elander_]

Exactly. The choices and consequences must be important for role-playing otherwise the game maybe a fun game with an interesting and well writen story and the usual action combat but thats it.

Still, if those choices are meaninfull and chosing something opens a path and restricts another at the same time, thats still nice and you want be able to see everything and join every faction with one single character in the first runtrough the game (unlike oblivion, where you can see everything, and experience everything with one character playing the game 1 time because of lack of meaningfull choices.)

I don't want to read too much on this witcher interview but I understand what you are trying to say. That would be an interesting way to make the player personalize it's character and have the kind of choices and consequences people interested in rp enjoy. Like in Gothic you start as a relatively unknow and you choose who you want to be as you play the game and you have an open world to explore that does not limit your decisions to a small area. So instead of chargen before playing the game chargen is done while playing the game. This has great potential but after Gothic it already showed some limitations when they had to lower the original hero skills to play Gothic 2.

But do you realy believe this is what is going to hapen in the witcher? Looking at recent Bioware games im not very confident about that. They may have good ideas but they still have Bioware at their backs demanding a game that sells and paying their salaries. Even so Fallout had this moral ambiguity and multi-solution aproach to quests in every city and almost every quest. Im not very confident to what level will this be implemented in the witcher.

 

[Kraszu]

This has great potential but after Gothic it already showed some limitations when they had to lower the original hero skills to play Gothic 2.

Becose you progress in story and they don't want you to be strong at start, why is that the limitation of gothic like system? It is just becose you use the same char and there is progress in story.

But do you realy believe this is what is going to hapen in the witcher? Looking at recent Bioware games im not very confident about that.

Irrevelant.

They may have good ideas but they still have Bioware at their backs demanding a game that sells and paying their salaries.

No they had brought the engine and cdproject is giving the money for production not bioware.

disregarding apperance and character design, your choices and decisions will always be the same ones.

How do you know that?