The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Interviews
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ClickOnline chatted with lead gameplay designer Maciej Szcześnik about the title's combat (a lot of the questions are dedicated to the finer details of it), dialogue, monster hunting, mini games and more. (Thanks VG247.) Here's a snip:
Click: What melee weapons will Geralt have at his disposal this time?
Maciej Szcześnik, Lead Gameplay Designer: He won't be parting with his trusty steel and silver swords. As a witcher, he has gone through countless hours of practice with his blades, and they have become an integral part of Geralt's character. Just like in previous games, he'll use a steel sword for his human foes and a silver one for creatures of magical origin. We will probably introduce a couple of other weapons, but they will play a secondary role. Swords first and foremost!
Click: Pole weapons appeared in Assassins of Kings, but were not the main focus Will gamers have the option of playing through Wild Hunt using a spear, axe, shield, mace or even a pair of daggers?
[Admittedly, Maciej just answered this. But mail, even the electronic kind, bears its limitations. Bear with us, Maciej still gave some cracking answers!)]
MS: There are two factors determining the types of weapons Geralt brings to bear against his opponents. First of all, we have the books. Storywise, the White Wolf is utterly devoted to his two swords and making him wield something else would almost be considered blasphemous, a huge immersion-breaker for fans of the books and people familiar with the lore. Even though we came up with a new story for Geralt that takes place after the events in the books, we try to be as faithful to the source material as possible.
Secondly, we've already established Geralt as a swordmaster in the previous games. He follows the path of the blade; it's a part of who he is. We wouldn't want to change that. I mean, for us, encouraging players to use polearms, shields or axes would create a dissonance akin to Batman running around with an AK-47 and shooting at his enemies.
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Click: Will Geralt have more opportunities to resolve conflicts via conversation? Are we likely to see any light platforming or puzzle sections in Wild Hunt?
MS: Yes, Geralt will be able to resolve some conflicts just by talking to people. However, it won't be a generic mechanic, available at your disposal automatically. Instead, it's a part of our meticulous quest design process. We want to tell a story first and foremost, and hard choices that evoke strong emotions and have concrete consequences are a vital part of that. I wouldn't expect any platforming or puzzle elements in The Witcher 3, though. Such features are not exactly in line with the general theme of our games, which revolves around a complex storyline and tough choices.
While Video Game Sophistry has an audio interview recorded after the E3 hands-off presentation. It covers what you'd expect it to cover: the combat, the open world, the graphics and the art style, and more.
