[Redgarl]

I am extremely nervous about CDP going open world. Most of the open world games are boring and I was thinking about a way to diverge from that and having something a little more involving.

So if Geralt is going from village to village, it would be nice that each town have their sort of stories like... 52 and a half. Story that not only add to your side quest, but also to Geralt, the main protagonist.

The biggest danger is the game becoming another Elder Scrolls.

[cmdr_silverbolt]

I am pretty sure CDPR is aware of the problems, considering that "skyrim is generic". Personally, I am not worried- they know how to make fun games.

And to be honest, we have so many awful open world RPGs, it's about time we had a truly epic one. I think CDPR...will be the one to bring balance to the force.

[Geralt_of_bsas]

They said they were doing something like this in the agme informer article i think.

Something like, you no longer have simple contracts of go and kill 30 nekkers, now you meet characters and whole communities with monster related problems that need a witcher.

Trust me it wont be another elder scrolls, RED couldnt make a game that lifeless even if they tried.

[johnduds]

Geralt_of_bsas said:

They said they were doing something like this in the agme informer article i think.

Something like, you no longer have simple contracts of go and kill 30 nekkers, now you meet characters and whole communities with monster related problems that need a witcher.

Trust me it wont be another elder scrolls, RED couldnt make a game that lifeless even if they tried. ›››

I really hope that RED turns out to trump all the other open world games with TW3, it would show that with enough consideration you can make an open world game feel alive. I didn't feel that with Skyrim.

[Geralt_of_bsas]

johnduds said:

I really hope that RED turns out to trump all the other open world games with TW3, it would show that with enough consideration you can make an open world game feel alive. I didn't feel that with Skyrim. ›››

Yes, but more than anything, what i want is RED to improve the story, characters, lore diversity and combat.

I do dream of TW3 being nearly perfect by combining several high quality aspects balanced together, but i hope more that RED can upgrade the main strenghts of the witcher saga as much as possible, its why i love TW after all.

[.Volsung.]

There have been good open-world games with a strong narrative in the past. Fallout 1 and 2 are good examples, and to some extent Fallout: New Vegas is probably the ONE modern game combining these aspects. Baldur's Gate II is semi open-world: you start off in the huge city of Athkatla and can, at your own pace, explore each district and go out to the wild to a multitude of towns, villages and forests. In all these games, each location has activities going on as well as problems, in which you can participate one way or another. They may not be essential to the main plot but they always provide something worth your time. All these games also have certain scripted "bottlenecks" or checkpoints that you have to reach in order to advance things. This is necessary if you want a strong story. In Fallout 1, for example, a bottleneck is finding the water chip. Regardless of how you solve that, you HAVE to do it.

I think people who are unfamiliar with classic RPG's can only think of The Elder Scrolls when anyone says "open world", which are definitely not the best thing out there in terms of narrative, choice and consequence, and computer role-playing. But yes, it has been done before and it can be done again. Only this time featuring Geralt of Rivia and breath taking 3D graphics.

[dreambled]

.Volsung. said:

I think people who are unfamiliar with classic RPG's can only think of The Elder Scrolls when anyone says "open world", which are definitely not the best thing out there in terms of narrative, choice and consequence, and computer role-playing. But yes, it has been done before and it can be done again. Only this time featuring Geralt of Rivia and breath taking 3D graphics. ›››

Yeah, but when people think of today's standards for free roam open world or sandbox they do not think of the old Fallout games or the Baldur's Gate games. Those games, while you get to pick where you wish to go, have levels or maps with boundaries that confine the player. Once you get to the edge of the level, a map will open up and you can pick where you would like to go. This is opposed to the open 3D environments where you get to physically travel to, no level boundaries involved. Games that resemble GTA in that aspect. What RPGs fit that mold? Bethesda RPG games.

Regardless of all that, I do agree CDPR is more than capable of finally combining the story telling aspect with free roam adventure and I am excited to see what other details come out about this game.

[Aditya_the_warrior_within]

I won't call Skyrim 'boring' it's more of passing the time. Generic does not mean boring always. It's just I don't feel personally immersed in the story. But someone won't put in 200+ hours if they are bored.

And what about games like AC and Fallout? They are far from boring, and some of the greatest.

And I honestly don't get what does that got to do with the title lol. I was hoping for a short film myself! Maybe the opening cutscene or something of TW3 pretty please?

[johnduds]

Geralt_of_bsas said:

Yes, but more than anything, what i want is RED to improve the story, characters, lore diversity and combat.

I do dream of TW3 being nearly perfect by combining several high quality aspects balanced together, but i hope more that RED can upgrade the main strenghts of the witcher saga as much as possible, its why i love TW after all. ›››

Oh for sure that's first priority, If they can have a fantastic story and improve on what they did to make TW2 feel alive it will be the perfect game. I just feel bad for the gamers that don't have the money to spend on the hardware to get the full effect, but then again it wasn't just graphics that did it, the sound was amazing too: the pitter patter of geralts footsteps, the sound of the wind and rustling trees.

[Charza]

Open World games are either hit or miss in my opinion.
I love skyrim, and I also love Red Dead Redemption.

I think if CDPR incorporates a so called "story funnel" things will be alright.

(With story funnel I mean that the chapters of a game work to a certain end. within these chapters there is a certain milestone, that progresses the story. Games like Gothic, and the first Risen had this kind of narrative structure, and it works great if you ask me.)

[Maerd]

Aditya_the_warrior_within said:

And what about games like AC and Fallout? They are far from boring, and some of the greatest.

And I honestly don't get what does that got to do with the title lol. I was hoping for a short film myself! Maybe the opening cutscene or something of TW3 pretty please? ›››

Yeah, this thread becomes just another open world discussion. It should be merged with two other.

And about Fallout games (I haven't played any AC games so, I let others to comment on that)... Fallout 1 and 2 while being open world games were limited by locations and were not so large, actually. If somebody makes 1 to 1 remake of Fallout 1 on the modern engine most players, most likely, will be disappointed how small it is and will complain that it's not a real open world. Another thing is that the story there is rather primitive. When you get into towns in Fallout 1 you're not looking for water chip there for more than a couple of questions like "Do you know anything about it?" and answers like "No, ask someone else." No Fallouts are story-driven games or even, in my opinion, has a proper story. Good story is on Planescape: Torment or Baldur's Gate 2, not in Fallouts. Fallout 3 was a very bad Fallout game on many accounts and was boring for real. The good thing there were the landscape and a few side quests (there were only 17 quests in the whole game, ouch). Fallout: New Vegas has a bit of a story, which is mostly irrelevant for the game. Despite failing on several aspects, it was not a boring game but not because it has a good story. Good story was in the DLC for New Vegas (forgot it's name, the one with the trapped casino).

[draconis18491]

I really like the atmosphere in the trailer 52 and a half. As for the quests, I hope CDP will consider the reward system. You know, make the rewards realistic, as to the difficulty of the job, the wealth of the village/quest giver etc. I remember one moment in Dragon Age 2, act 3 I believe, where Hawke meets a bunch of Grey Wardens. The leader of the Grey said he's sorry he couldn't be of more assistance, then reached into his pocket and handed Hawke an object, saying. "I hope this will help you." turns out the object was a ring. huh? I know as far as gameplay is concerned, a ring will definite boost your stats. But that pulled me out of the immersion immediately. Who the hell would give you a bloody ring in the middle of a war and says 'Hey dude, I hope this will make your life easier.'

I mean wtf? Make the rewards like in the short stories/book. Make them realistic, and worthwhile. Not just another Skyrim aka "Here's your gold. kthxbai."

[Maerd]

Considering 52 and a half trailer... it is too cinematic to actually be a part of the game.

[FoggyFishburne]

That would be optimal. Having individual stories at each village and major point of interest in the world would enable RED to put the focus at a very small level, retaining the Witcher 2 spirit in linearity and small scope of the levels while offering quality narrative to the player.

Superb compromise I'd say!

[TheRivian]

Skyrim failed on the immersion front when it comes to its story and it takes quite some effort to put oneself into the game as it were. It is not the best of RPGs but with the modding (although Beth did not do a good job with the CKit either) it has Tremendous replay value. I cannot say for Fallout 1 and 2 for I have not played them but playing through Fallout 3 and New Vegas I did get immersed into the story. In my opinion Obsidian was let down by the game engine and time they had to work with to make FoNV.

Mass Effect is on a whole other level for storytelling and immersion for me personally. Until Marauder Shields..(damn you EA)

Open world games CAN be great and right now CDPR is our only hope since Bioware got ruined by EA and Beth got complacent and failed.

But I have absolute faith in CDPR.

[{G}Zulu]

I agree with you guys on a lot of things. Let's not get into witch ones, except for our faith as fans.
Our trust that CDPRED will do an AWESOME job with The Witcher 3. I simply CAN NOT WAIT for it. Foaming at the mouth so to speak.