Really enjoying this game overall, but does anyone else feel the "living" nature of the world was a little overhyped?

Playing it on PS4, I see little evidence of the oft-mooted villager routines; people packing up and going home at the end of a day's work; inns getting crowded in the evening; people running for shelter from the rain.

I regularly roll into towns at three in the morning and see kids running around playing, tradespeople working, and everyone going about their business as though it was the middle of the day. I don't think I've ever seen an NPC react to the weather.

How has everyone else's experience with this been? Given the developer promises regarding this aspect of the game, I'm wondering if there is a bug in my play through which has messed up the day/night cycle!

I definitely see people head home during the night or run to shelter in the rain. I've had to meditate to get shopkeepers to show up more than a few times. It's not every village, some do seem to stay active much later than you would think they would. Don't know if that's intentional or not.

@autobarn: What you describe sounds like a bug. The very basics of a "living world" like NPCs taking shelter from raing and going home in the evening has been a recurring fature since the first Witcher game. Some dudes like to roll around at night which is normal (after all you are one of them) but playing kids in the night definitly is a bug.

I've also noticed that the sun comes up at like 4:30 AM in this game.

In general, though, people do seem to be following a routine. Sleeping at night, staying out of the rain, etc.

@rethla: Thanks, I think you might be right. Will keep an eye on it as I explore. Disappointing!

@believer258 Yes! It starts to rise at 3:30am for me!

The sunrise is likely coinciding with the sun rise and fall in Poland in the summer months. Up here in Edmonton, around this time and into July, the sun starts poking its head out around 4:30am and earlier as the solstice comes closer and closer.

I've only played a few hours, but in the starter village I have seen a lot of NPC's stay in the same places throughout the first day I've played. There were people gossiping for well over 12 hours straight, and a kid that palyed on their own that whole time as well. Could also be bug, or just "Hey, it hasn't even been 24 hours in-game" but we'll see.

You have to be getting a bug because I have definitely seen people go inside during the rain, go to bed at night, go in the taverns, etc etc. Also the sun really does start rising at like 3:30 am in game, so it isn't unusual for people to get up with the sunrise.

I love it when it rains and you see whole crowds of villagers taking shelter under trees...

The one thing I think is really weird is that most people tend to sleep on the floor of their houses even when there are multiple beds available to them.

I don't remember it ever being hyped tbh. Maybe it's a bug, but i don't see any consistent pattern with npcs at all, some go to sleep others are out all day. I've NEVER seen anybody take shelter in the rain, and even did the crookback bog quest in the middle of the night in a raging thunder storm lol.

But i'd rather have this then tons of bugs like skyrim, both break immersion but i can forgive kids playing at night in thunderstorms over falling through the ground etc.

@oursin_360: Well CDPR was going hard on the "living world" theme when they pushed for Witcher 2. For Witcher 3 they mainly have been banging the open world drum to get those lucrative Skyrim fans interested.

Yeah, witcher 2 did have a good living world but it was also way smaller. I don't mind the trade off at all, it's still pretty immersive.