the witcher 3 preview - how to build an rpg with 36 endings - gamebasin.com

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The Witcher preview: how to build an RPG with 6 endings http://www.gamebasin.com/news/the-witcher-3-preview-how-to-build-an- rpg-with-36-endings Four quest designers  worked on the original  Witcher.  Its more refined sequel  had six. The conclusion to the trilogy, which promises  100 hours of  content and a 50hour story, has more than doubled that.  “We have about 14, I think,” says lead quest designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. Nor have CD Projekt  Red simply padded out The Witcher  3’s Skyrimexceeding open world with unimaginative  busywork.  They’ve systematically  banished fetch quests from the game—or,  at least,  as much as a team can when making a highfantasy RPG. It’s one of  the ways the Polish developers are refining  their identity through the creation of  The Witcher  3, where quest and narrative  design is being meticulously  worked and reworked right up until  release.  The philosophy  is, if  you need to have a fetch quest,  make sure the story does a damn good  job of  hiding it. “When we do have these situations,  which is rarely,  we compensate for it with the narrative,” writer Jakub Szamalek  explains.  “It’ll  definitely  be an interesting  story in itself    you’ll  be intrigued by the NPC’s  motives,  and where this is all leading.  Even when you have a simple structure  it’s something we’re compensating  for in the story.”  The reason for abolishing fetch quests?  CD Projekt  Red don’t like them much either.  “We are trying very hard to limit such interactions  of  structures  to a minimum because we don’t think they’re interesting.” Instead,  they want to be radical.  The studio’s ambition is to further the RPG on all fronts   from big, sprawling  decisions that impact the world to the very basic principle of  handing an item from one NPC to another.  It’s a sign that The Witcher  3 could complete the developers’  ongoing evolution  from rough RPG debutantes to bestinclass. 

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The Witcher 3 Preview - How to Build an RPG With 36 Endings - GameBasin.com

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  • The Witcher 3 preview: how to build an RPG with 36 endings http://www.gamebasin.com/news/the-witcher-3-preview-how-to-build-an-rpg-with-36-endings

    Four quest designers worked on the original Witcher. Its more refined sequel had six. Theconclusiontothetrilogy,whichpromises100hoursofcontentanda50hourstory,hasmorethandoubledthat.Wehaveabout14,Ithink,saysleadquestdesignerMateuszTomaszkiewicz.Norhave CD Projekt Red simply padded out The Witcher 3s Skyrimexceeding open world withunimaginativebusywork.Theyvesystematicallybanishedfetchquestsfromthegameor,atleast,asmuchasateamcanwhenmakingahighfantasyRPG.ItsoneofthewaysthePolishdevelopersarerefiningtheiridentitythroughthecreationofTheWitcher3,wherequestandnarrativedesignisbeingmeticulouslyworkedandreworkedrightupuntilrelease.Thephilosophyis,ifyouneedtohaveafetchquest,makesurethestorydoesadamngoodjobofhidingit.Whenwedohavethesesituations,whichisrarely,wecompensateforitwiththenarrative,writerJakubSzamalekexplains.ItlldefinitelybeaninterestingstoryinitselfyoullbeintriguedbytheNPCsmotives,andwherethisisallleading.Evenwhenyouhaveasimplestructureitssomethingwerecompensatingforinthestory.Thereasonforabolishingfetchquests?CDProjektReddontlikethemmucheither.Wearetryingveryhardtolimitsuchinteractionsofstructurestoaminimumbecausewedontthinktheyreinteresting.Instead,theywanttoberadical.ThestudiosambitionistofurthertheRPGonallfrontsfrombig,sprawlingdecisionsthat impacttheworldtotheverybasicprincipleofhanding an item fromoneNPC to another. Its a sign that TheWitcher3 could complete thedevelopers ongoing evolution from rough RPG debutantes to bestinclass.

  • Mateusz and Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, lead quest designer and game director respectively, listvarious types of openworld game, including GTAstyle sandbox titles, before explaining whyPiranhaBytesGothicseriesisthemostaptcomparison.Itsmostsimilartoourgame,Ithink,Mateuszsays.Aquiteperfectcombinationofstorylineandfreedomintheopenworld.Itsquitesimilar,theGothicseries,intermsofquestdesignandhowweorganisethestory,butourgamehasavery,verybig landscapeandGothic locationswereopenworld......ona smallerscale,Konradfinishes.WevewrittenaboutthesizeofTheWitcher3sopenworldinpastissues,butitsthedetailofthat landscapemorethanthescalethat feelsunprecedented. Individualbladesofgrassswayinginthewind,theanimationqualityofthecreaturesthatboundatGeraltinbattle,thesparksflyingfromhishandduringafirespellandthetimelapseeffectofdramaticskiestearingoverthemonsterkillerashemeditates.AlesserPCstandsnochancehere,anditsnotjustprettyeffectsthatmakeTheWitchersworldsoenticing.ThewaythegamesthreeregionsareshapedbyvariousportionsofEuropeanmythologyandhistorypromiseacoherentbutstillunusualdarkfantasyworld.Wehavetoplanhowtocoverthisbigopenworldwithcontent,whichisnoteasy,becauseasyouknowtherearesomeproblemswiththatinopenworldgames,Mateuszsays.Wewanttogiveworthwhilecontenttotheplayersintheopenworld.Wehavetothinkabouthowtoavoidrepetitivequests,wehavetothinkabouthowtofillthishugelandscapewithqueststhatyouwillnoticeandtakepartin,wehavetomakethemainstorylineeasytocomebacktoifyoudelveinto the sidequests, which might be difficult for some players.

  • Variousactivitiesfilltheworldoutsideofthemainstory,includingmonsterhuntingquestswhereGeraltplieshistrade.Farfromthetypicalopenworldfillerofrecycledcharactermodels,thesecreatures require trackingandhuntingdown,andeachhasabackstory.They involvehuntinglegendarycreatures,Mateuszsays.Theyshouldbetoughertobeatthannormalopponents.Eachencountercontainsauniquecreatureandeachofthosehuntsisunique.Theyrenotrepeatable,inthesensethattheyeachhavetheirownplot.Youcanexpecteachsettlementwillhaveatleastoneofthem,ifnotmore.Suchlegendarycreaturescanaddmythicdepthtoopenworldgames,like Skyrims legendary dragons or Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmares Bigfoot andChupacabrahunts,wherefindingthemisasmuchachallengeaskillingthem.Insomecasestheidea istoevokemedievalurban legendswiththehuntssuchtaleswerethesourceofseveralcreatureideasforCDProjektRedsartists.TherewerehundredsofSlavicmonstersinventedinmedievaltimes,andtheyreallconnectedtosomeweirdthingsthatcouldntbeexplained,saysleadcharacterartistPawelMielniczuk.HecitestheLeshenthedisturbinghumanoidtreespiritshownoffatE3asanexampleofthisinspiration.Thenamewasquiteunique,andweretryingtoapplysomekindofvisualstyletohowcoolthenameis.ItsoundscoolinPolish.ImnotsureifitsoundscoolinEnglish.Inspirationemergesfromotherunlikelysources.ImnotsureIcantalkabout different games, Mielniczuk laughs. But for me personally I love the monsters inCastlevania. Theywere quite unique, and this gamewas quite inspiring forme, for example,becausethesewerentthesortofmonstersyoudfind inWesterngames.Weretryingtoavoidzombiesandgenericalienthings.Whentheteamneedsaspecificcreatureforaquest,theartistsworkwiththequestdesignerstofigurethatout.Ifthecreaturehas itsownuniquequest,weneedtotalktothepeopleonthequestteam.

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