The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[Husar]

...has been announced, and it will be open world:



Some more info here.
I think that's great news and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Even the relatively linear Witcher games I liked a lot. Too bad it's announced for 2014, which is, if I'm not mistaken, not tomorrow or anywhere near.

[rajpoot]

Sounds ambitious. Open world larger than Skyrim. With a detailed story and diverging paths. A lot of scope for things to get messed up.
But still, this I am going to pre-order.

Edit:
Let's start guessing who's the other person on the second horse in the picture.
Whoever it is they carry a silver witcher sword. From the torso and the hair it looks like a woman. The colour of the hair is white-silver something.
If they keep following a different story than the books, then I'm guessing the second person is

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cirilla

[The Stranger]

omg

[spankythehippo]

I'm really looking forward to the open world aspect. But, it might detract from the classic Witcher detective gameplay, which I also thoroughly enjoy.

[Monk]

I am a firm believer that more choice can never be a bad thing, provided it is done right. An open world rumored to be "bigger than skyrim" with Witcher 2's combat? Oh my, that is certainly intriguing. It's a shame I disliked Witcher 2's overall delivery or else I'd be even more excited about this. Maybe I'll give it one last try.

[Mongoose]

I'm a huge fan of the series and of big game worlds, so I'm pysched about this. I hope they keep working on the combat, though. Witcher 2 was a huge improvement, but it still had problems, most notably the uselessness of block and the utility of dodge. As a result Geralt rarely parries but constantly does rolls, so it looks more like a sonic battle than a sword fight. I always forced myself to parry because it looked cooler than dodge spamming, but the most effective way to go was always roll-spamming, in almost every situation.

Personally, I really wish they'd make the "block" move more like block in Arkham Asylum - situational. As in, if you block a guy who's attacking you with a pipe, Batman grabs the pipe away and hits them with it; if someone punches you, he uses a move specifically to block a punch, etc. If Geralt is defending himself from a creature with claws, it really should not be the same motion he'd use for a guy with a sword, for instance. Dodge should also be situational, and not always a roll.

[rajpoot]

@Mongoose
I can't find the link but an article on IGN I read yesterday had something about combat.No idea about rolls, but parrying is going to be more fluid.

[Fragony]

Looks absolutely fantastic

[Mongoose]

@Mongoose
I can't find the link but an article on IGN I read yesterday had something about combat.No idea about rolls, but parrying is going to be more fluid.

I think you're thinking about this , and apparently the rolling dodges are out, and Geralt instead pivots to avoid attacks. Yay. And quick time events are out, which is just so cool.

[naut]

I think you're thinking about this , and apparently the rolling dodges are out, and Geralt instead pivots to avoid attacks. Yay. And quick time events are out, which is just so cool.

But, but, but, the rolling dodges were so much fun. "Oh blast I'm about to get eaten by a spider, better stop, drop and roll my way to safety."

[rajpoot]

Dev video, regarding story
(Contains Witcher 2 story spoilers)

Finally reading the novels is paying off. I wish they'll translate another one soon. Been long overdue.
Point is I know who they're referring to.

[Hooahguy]

Im going to resurrect this thread as Im playing through the game for the first time. My god is it engrossing. I dont think I have been this drawn into a game since the Mass Effect trilogy.

[Jurand]

Play it without the minimap! Disable it and then suddenly the whole game is quite different.
(and if you bother, then use some minimods)

[Hooahguy]

Play it without the minimap! Disable it and then suddenly the whole game is quite different.
(and if you bother, then use some minimods)

Thats interesting! I would probably be quite lost though. Perhaps on my second playthrough.

[Beskar]

I problem I have is that I end up terribly sidetracked... as for certain outcomes you meant to have resolved them prior to other quests, so you need to explore around or do things at certain points, so you find your intentionally in lots of strange situations, etc.

[Hooahguy]

Yeah I definitely get that. Like there are some minor quests I havent done because Im more interested in other quests and going out of my way for some random character is just not really so appealing at this stage. Also I got really sick of certain areas like Novigrad and fighting a bunch of henchmen and drowners. Got dull after a while. Was very relieved once I was able to go to Skellige!

[Hooahguy]

Ok so I finished the main quest as well as the Hearts of Stone expansion. Such an amazing experience overall, and Gaunter O'Dimm is an incredible villain. One gripe though, I wish that the world was more reactive to player choices. For example:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

If you assassinate Radovid, it would be nice if the people around town reacted to that instead of carrying on as if nothing happened. Weird to hear "long live Radovid" after he gets murdered.

[Togakure]

Heh, stuck at home with COVID-19 wreaking havoc, I downloaded and have been playing Witcher 2 Assassination of Kings. While enjoyable to a degree, its age definitely leaves it wanting in many ways compared to more recent games. There are many things I really like about it though. I wasn't able to play most games that came out during that time period so I'm catching up, and I must say it's nice to be able to play quality games at very low cost, being so behind the times.

I'm also waiting to upgrade my 360 to the newest Xbox platform later this year, skipping Xbox One altogether. I have the means now, but it seems to make sense delaying gratification at this point. There are still many games available on 360 that I haven't played yet. And once I upgrade, I'll still be able to play a plethora of Xbox One games I haven't played in addition to the latest, greatest stuff. I've been reading about and watching videos about Witcher 3, and the vast majority seem to really like the game. I'm looking forward to it. RPGs are actually my favorite genre, with strategy games like the TW series coming in a close second. I think that's because I was an old-skool Dungeons and Dragons Dungeonmaster and fanatic back in the late 70s-early 80s, when I was just a teen. Early loves tend to keep. Anyway, thanks for the comments about the Witcher series.

[Hooahguy]

TW3 is easily my favorite RPG Ive ever played. I thought it was Skyrim for a while but this blows it out of the water. Granted, Skyrim is an open world exploration RPG whereas TW3 is much more focused on the narrative. And that narrative just sucked me in to a point where I actually get sad when I finished the main quests because I loved the characters so much (Team Yen). The downside to a narrative RPG like TW3 is that when it comes to modding, it can really only be modded at a superficial level whereas modders have created entire new quests for Skyrim with their own voice acting and whatnot and that has really improved its longevity. That cant be done with the Witcher 3 unfortunately.

Im wrapping up my second playthough now and Im honestly grappling if whether or not I want to do a third playthrough. Im leaning towards no because I want to keep everything fresh, but on the other hand I still have a ton of points of interest to explore. So I guess Im not anywhere near wrapping things up because I am aiming to get as much as I can done. But there is a little sadness in it as while I have a lot more to explore and do, Im not interacting with my favorite characters, just lonesome Geralt on the Path. It has definitely been an incredible game to keep my mind occupied from whats going on in the world, played about 140 hours over the past two months.

[edyzmedieval]

So it's not Mount & Blade fav RPG, Hooah? Pshh, newbie...

[Hooahguy]

Well maybe if Bannerlord could you know, run on my computer then maybe lol.

And lets be honest here, M&B has always been pretty light on the RPG elements.

[Hooahguy]

Started my third playthrough last night on the Blood and Broken Bones difficulty level. As both of my previous playthroughs have been about 75 hours each, Im planning on doing a quicker one this time around, only doing the main quests as well as the memorable side quests/contracts. Though after this I should probably find a new game to play.

[edyzmedieval]

Well maybe if Bannerlord could you know, run on my computer then maybe lol.

And lets be honest here, M&B has always been pretty light on the RPG elements.

That's a fair assessment, M&B has always been a military combat medieval style RPG but less more on the building part. I have Witcher 2, maybe I'll get the time to play it this time.

[Hooahguy]

I have Witcher 2, maybe I'll get the time to play it this time.

I just picked it up for $3 on Steam. Also the Witcher 3 GOTY is on sale for $15 which is a steal so if anyone doesnt have it, they should get it now.

[Togakure]

Heh, finished Witcher 3 with all the add-ons and I must say: it was great! I wouldn't say "better" than Skyrim--they're different. But some things, like combat, characters, and story are definitely better (imo).

I also tried War Band, but it was crashing a lot. I'm one of the ancients who bought Mount & Blade directly from the developers for $6 pre-beta, long ago, so I really like this game, wanted to try the newer versions of it, but I'll have to upgrade my PC first.

[Hooahguy]

Heh, finished Witcher 3 with all the add-ons and I must say: it was great! I wouldn't say "better" than Skyrim--they're different. But some things, like combat, characters, and story are definitely better (imo).

Yes this is definitely true. As I recall I was likely equally engrossed in Skyrim back when I was playing it in 2012-2013.

I recently completed my 4th complete playthrough of TW3, the most recent time on the death march difficulty. I did an alchemy build which admittedly made it much easier going. Currently going back and doing a bunch of side quests and contracts I've missed. While after playing it four times within a year kinda made me a bit tired of the main quest lines, the world is so vast I am in no way tired of exploring it. Plus a number of visual and gameplay mods really helped with immersion. Can't wait for the coming update that will make this game even more beautiful!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: