In 2011, Geralt of Rivia returns in a follow-up to 2007's RPG The Witcher. And a lot of what I remember and still cherish will return. Geralt, foremost, will be the same guy, haunted by familiar demons. Mutagens, crafting, and spell slinging will see a return as well. But as with most sequels, things are being changed--and seemingly for the better. The Witcher 2 sports a much more action-focused combat system that tosses aside the need for stances. Sex is being promised as a much less trivial affair, the environments will be bigger, NPCs won't be so predictable, and the dialogue is being presented in a whole new, more Mass Effect-type of way.
Stoked, but still without hands-on, I decided to pick CD Projekt RED's brain about the sequel. Tomasz Gop, a senior producer for the game, was kind enough to take my questions which ranged from how the save importation will work, to questions about sex cards, crafting, items, and much more. I probably drove the dude nuts, in hindsight.
Tomasz Gop: We’ve never stopped our work on it. I mean, yeah, it is a second installment and we have implemented a lot of new ideas, but development is pretty much the same as with the storyline. The second game continues straight from the first one.
It feels good to continue work on a game that’s been successful. We can gather feedback and improve both things that people loved and those that concerned a lot of players. I think we’ve done both.
The game will have three different plot threads. Will these converge at some point, or through choices made in the game will paths be cut off from us?
Tomasz Gop: Some of the storyline branches will not be available to you once you make a choice. Some others are common or depend on different aspects than dialogue choices (for example companions that you choose). The Witcher 2 has more endings than the first game and thus the plot branches in more places.
How has Geralt changed from the first game?
Tomasz Gop: Some say he has visually changed, but it really still is the same guy. There’s only one Geralt and he is, pretty much, the last remaining Witcher. I think it’s rather about how he will change throughout what you’re about to experience in The Witcher 2. We are reaching deep into his memory this time, bringing back the things that he would rather not remember. That, I think, might change him. Or at least start some process that he’s not totally able to control...enough spoilers [now].
How important will crafting be? Will it be more accessible this time around? Will we have more options?
Tomasz Gop: It's a feature for all those guys who really love to explore things outside the storyline, or just get the most out of the game they enjoy. The player will have a lot of crafting possibilities, though since Geralt is not a crafter himself, an important NPC will always be required to unblock, and sometimes help with stuff like ingredients. The number of things you will be able to improve and modify is, especially compared to The Witcher, huge.
With a few exceptions, I think The Witcher is one of the most mature RPGs available. Will the second have the same tone and level of maturity? Will the fiction be dumbed down for the more casual audience the console game will bring in?
Tomasz Gop: I think we’ve proven that it’s possible to make a successful hardcore RPG. Thus we’re not messing with our goals. The game will be accessible to a wider audience, smoother, more intuitive and so on, but regarding the storyline? We’re not looking for compromise.
We don’t see any space for cross-genre experiments in this project. You can expect a mature and engrossing storyline with truly non-linear plot and those moral choices...you probably remember that there’s never Good vs. Bad in The Witcher. It’s pretty much always like, 'OK, what would I really do in that case?' Isn’t that what role playing should be in the first place?
How is development going on The Witcher 2 console?
Tomasz Gop: We haven't confirmed development of any console versions of The Witcher. We'd certainly like to make it happen, but until we have something solid to say (and even more important--to show), I’d ask everyone to be patient.
I have to ask: what happened with the first console version of the game? Will we still see it at some point?
Tomasz Gop: We might. The project is not under development right now, but I can honestly say that we’d love to get back to it sometime in the future.
Will we see similar world-by-chapter shifts like in the Witcher? How much of the game world will be immediately accessible in The Witcher 2? Are the areas larger and friendlier to exploration?
Tomasz Gop: Way larger. All of the locations are fully open from the beginning of each chapter. You don’t have loadings while transferring between either parts of a location, or just interiors and exteriors. In between chapters things are tightly connected with the way you shape the storyline, so it might be required to load a location that’s too far away for regular travel, but that should be the only case.
The exploration has also changed in more than just one way. With our new engine we have overcome the limits regarding alternative paths, finding your way throughout different places and exploring areas that seem hard to reach. In one sentence: our own engine allows us to make locations that have logically more than just one 'layer.'
I like the fact that you're not going to have auto-scaling enemies, but could you explain to me why you wouldn't have enemies grow in levels alongside Geralt?
Tomasz Gop: Most of the combat is tightly connected with character development in The Witcher 2. When you begin a chapter, you could pretty much go anywhere you want, but facing opponents that are just plain hardcore for you will make you go 'hmm, I have to level up.' This way we encourage the player to dig deeper into Geralt’s expert monster knowledge. I’m sure we’ve done enough work to make it worthwhile. It’s mainly about the satisfaction you get from defeating an opponent that was previously too tough.
Why did you get rid of the "sex cards" and will anything replace these? Or will Geralt be too busy for this kind of stuff?
Tomasz Gop: He wouldn’t be himself if he was too busy for sex. We’ve ditched sex cards because of the controversy that arose around the collectible aspect of such presentation. It will be more cinematic this time, and last but not least: more connected with a storyline.
We’re trying to draw firstly from the feedback we got from both media and fans, but also try to look into what others do. Remember Heavy Rain? It seems to me that sex scene you have there is just...right! It’s about story and emotions, rather than a 15-year-old who wants to see nipples.
I've read and heard that you'll be able to import your save file from the first game into this one. How will this work? What will the effects be?
Tomasz Gop: First, it’s not obligatory. The story will nicely shape itself at the beginning even if you haven’t played The Witcher. But if you have, just go ahead and grab the save you finished with. The most important thing is the storyline--the most important choices you’ve made will be reflected in The Witcher 2.
People will behave differently, or places will remind you of what you’ve done. There’s also bits and pieces of other stuff. The Witcher’s swords for example. They seemed to have been quite important for many players, so why not transfer those into The Witcher 2?
One of the biggest knocks against the original Witcher was its pacing. At times, the game slowed to a crawl--players were burdened with more fetch quests than action. Will The Witcher 2 have chapters with significant downtime? Will it have more action or more interesting side-missions?
Tomasz Gop: That’s the biggest concern we’ve decided to address in the implementation and balancing stage of this project. No more 'fetch-me-stuff' quests. We already know how to do it--attaching things tighter to the storyline and spending more time with level design...I don’t know how many gameplay hours The Witcher 2 will have (that’s yet to be determined), but I can definitely promise that the pace won’t slow down. It's a major focus for us that you'll spend less time running around aimlessly and more time playing the game and enjoying the story.
We didn't get many armor and weapon options in the original game. Will there be more to it? How much will we be able to customize our gear?
Tomasz Gop: The crafting possibilities I already mentioned are one thing, but there’s also a huge variety we’ve put into things you find and/or loot. It regards armors, weapons, accessories and other items. Three armor pieces--well, try to compare it now with dozens or even hundreds of those. That’s progress.
I've read that Geralt's interactions with NPCs will be much more important this time around. How so?
Tomasz Gop: One thing is the community subsystem we’ve implemented with our new toolset. People have their own lives, their names, houses and families and things sometimes happen independently of player’s actions. What I’m trying to say is, it’s always good to have a closer look at what’s going on in some place, not only because your attitude toward someone might determine the outcome of your dialogue, but also to learn more about the surrounding environment. If you know who sticks with who and/or what the history is behind a place, you’re the man!
Can you explain the new dialogue system to me?
Tomasz Gop: Interactive, dynamic and visually attractive. When you’re trying to introduce characters or unveil a plot in your game and you reach for means typical for a game, you’re fine. You will make it. But if you reach outside and use tricks found in movies, books or, I don’t know...advertisements, you’re definitely going to have player immersed longer and stronger.
There were many things we couldn’t do in dialogues in the older Aurora engine, so now, after having rewritten our engine we’re glad to be able to use means limited only by our imagination. Again, we want you to spend less time reading your dialogue lines and more time enjoying the story.
What games have most influenced The Witcher 2's development?
Tomasz Gop: There were some. I’ve already mentioned one, but regarding different aspects I could recall Batman for example. We’ve loved the way you could tactically prepare for combat and see it work afterwards.
Hmmm, take Mass Effect for example--streamlined dialogues are pretty cool, though we couldn’t go as far as to suggest a player (with colors for example) which dialogue option is good or bad. Influence isn’t anything bad. We’ve got a lot of respect for other games.
Do you plan to support the game post-launch with DLC? What kinds should we expect?
Tomasz Gop: Yeah, we’d love to do that and probably will. It’s, however, way too early to talk about this at this stage.
How do you want to make people feel when they play the game?
Tomasz Gop: I want them to feel like themselves! Every choice you make is about to give you feeling that you’ve expressed your own personality. Of course I know it’s just a game, it’s just virtual world, but the entertainment you choose and the way you enjoy it is just one of the ways that defines you, isn't it?
Lastly, what do you think we'll be saying about The Witcher 2 five years from now?
Tomasz Gop: Not worse than The Witcher for sure. If you will have said that it was way better, I wouldn’t be surprised. Thanks in advance!
We'd like to thank Tomasz Gop for his time!