Thread by Thread - A Review of The Witcher 2
Material provided by the site "Chronicles of Kaer Morhen"
Although for a number of reasons our team could not attend the Gaming World itself, the folks from Snowball were kind enough to recount everything that was shown and discussed at the event just for us. Additionally, we gathered all known facts together and created this overview, which will tell you everything that every fan should know today about The Witcher 2. They also provided us with screenshots based on a leaked video, but in excellent quality.
So, work on the sequel began right after the release of the first Witcher. While part of the team was busy with patches, DLCs, and preparing the Enhanced Edition, another, larger part was working on the continuation. Rumor has it that, in the interim, we were also supposed to be treated to a full-fledged addon and console players with "The Return of the White Wolf," but then the crisis hit, and it didn't work out. Ultimately, all forces were directed towards the second part. The direction of development was clear, we just needed the tools to implement new ideas. Therefore, they decided to abandon the old battle-tested Aurora engine, which had gotten a second life in 2007. Instead, they used a brand new proprietary engine called RED Engine.
It's hard not to brag about the renderer, the graphical core of the new engine. After all, the graphics catch the eye first. RED Engine uses all the latest technologies, but its uniqueness lies in how all of this comes together. The new engine allows for real-time creation, immediate editing, and bug catching concerning the storyline, mechanics, combat system, and other RPG features. For instance, earlier each scene had to be hard scripted separately. Now, a designer can easily create a small script and, if needed, use it elsewhere in the game. This characteristic of the engine has greatly increased the speed of development. Nonetheless, the Polish developers tirelessly emphasize that it will not be the technological aspect that distinguishes their new game, which would scarcely amaze anyone nowadays. They chose to focus on creating the atmosphere of the locations that the player will visit and their influence on the development of the story. After all, it was the talented design and unique charm of the first game that captured hearts at the time. It is already entirely evident that we are awaiting locations that differ entirely in ambiance. The port city from the presentation at the Gaming World burst with bright colors, whereas the cold scenery, where the camp from the first trailer was located, felt like it was genuinely piercing to the bone.
Having learned lessons and carefully gathered thousands of reviews, CDProjekt RED decided to dig not so much broadly but deeply, meticulously correcting all complaints directed at the first game and obsessively refining its strengths. Thanks to these innovations, the game will be even less linear, and the consequences of choices will have even more significance. The game world is now presented differently to the player. We will travel through it, and as a result of our actions, it will change around us in terms of both taste and color. Attention to detail is also pleasing. Did you dislike that Geralt stumbled and hesitated at the sight of a small fence? – Forget it, now he can leap over them deftly, climb up a ladder to the roof of a house, and so on. Don't expect revelations in the style of Ubisoft Montreal's offspring, but this is already a huge step forward. By the way, NPCs have also become smarter. They no longer have a strict schedule, only priorities that they follow. This makes their behavior much more diverse without losing logic. Townsfolk are frightened if Geralt unexpectedly pulls out a sword, and soldiers will clean up the mess of barrels that Geralt has knocked over. If a stableman needs to leave the barn, he will leap over a beam, while another will climb a ladder to check if everything is alright up on the roof. Buildings no longer exist as separate locations; they form a cohesive whole with the area where Geralt is located. All of these innovations are implemented not only for beauty but also influence gameplay. As for the combat system, the second Witcher will have more interaction due to the introduction of QTE (Quick Time Events). However, this addition is aimed at enriching the combat system rather than replacing it. At its core, it will remain the same.
As they say, that's not all. The Witcher 2 is still in active development, and there's a lot more to be refined and improved. New types of animation are being recorded, scripts are being optimized. If you watched both trailers closely, you might have noticed that in the new build, assembled just before the Gaming World, there’s a completely different interface than we saw in the first trailer. What underwent complete redesign was the dialogue system. Forget about black bars at the top and bottom and dreary lines of text. The smart camera captures different angles, characters gesture, and change expressions much more naturally than in the first part. The developers claim that ultimately, they aim to achieve a cinematic effect.
There were complaints about The Witcher that the bosses in it were somewhat small and not particularly frightening. Well, you reap what you sow. The fire-breathing dragon and the giant Cthulhu-like killer octopus, which the developers themselves called the Tentadrake, is just a drop in the ocean compared to what the Poles have prepared for us.
As for the plot, as per tradition, very little is known. To be more precise, almost nothing. Who is the author? Does Andrzej Sapkowski have anything to do with it? – All of this is shrouded in mystery. The inciting incident is an assassination attempt on King Foltest by a mysterious assassin with witcher-like pupils. But why and for what reason, remains unknown. Remember, at the very beginning of the first part, the witchers dispersed in different directions to investigate the reasons for the attack on Kaer Morhen? It is quite possible that we will meet one of them again. The presence of yet another child of destiny is not officially confirmed, but considering that Geralt has never been able to remain without this attribute for long, its appearance is quite likely. Let's not forget that the question of Geralt's mysterious resurrection and the role of the Wild Hunt King in this is still open.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the change of publisher, which has caused a storm of concerns, should not affect the quality of the domestic version of The Witcher 2 in any way. It will be published by a multi-headed Zmey Gorynych. 1C and SoftClub, which will merge into a single company after the New Year, will handle distribution. Meanwhile, Snowball will deal directly with localization and the PR campaign. The guys are beating their chests and affirming that their cooperation with CDProjekt RED is very close. They even went so far as to record Russian voiceovers for the demo build they brought to the Gaming World. By the way, the selection of voices raises absolutely no complaints. Geralt's voice has not been chosen yet, but we were assured that they are aware of numerous requests to involve Vladimir Zaitsev specifically, and they consider it a reasonable idea. The company aims to work closely with the community. Contests, promotions, and various events are all awaiting us in the near future, literally right after the official announcement. It's just unfortunate that the date of that announcement remains an open question.
It’s hard to say when we will finally stop living on crumbs. The active marketing campaign will begin in the spring, but intuition suggests that the official announcement will happen sooner, followed by a batch of official materials that were not leaked through dubious means. The nearest dates to hope for are Christmas and New Year. According to other sources, the official announcement will occur in the first quarter of 2010.
Well, let's wait for new news or new leaks, which are already becoming a tradition in the presentation of new materials about The Witcher 2.
Source: Witcher.net.ru
Author: Ksandr\_Warfire