Why is Novigrad so empty?

[oli56]

Why is Novigrad so empty?

Hi, Novigrad's design is fantastic, huge city with so many details and attention put into building something realistic. On the other hand, most people have nothing to say, most vendors have nothing to sell, and most doors are closed. In the end, what could have been a game inside the game is just an empty shell, a beautiful one, but an empty one. My wish would be a "Living Novigrad" DLC, a DLC really giving life to this city that deserves so much more. But will this happen? I have great doubts!

 

[Clonazepam]

I would say hardware or engine limitations. As it is, its already not unusual for the inhabitants of Novigrad to lose their animations and float around like stiffs, with faces off floating by their sides. Meditating while in Novigrad is probably your best bet for seeing it yourself. I suspect that's why they ditched the old meditation and just went with the black menu screen.

 

[Kassandrian]

?
Maybe just delve into the quests, and you'll find alot of content there. Just cause it's not all easy to access does not mean it's not there...
Then the NPC's and their number are a simple dial in the graphics menu (a really neat thing, imo).

 

[Ravici]

Could you imagine the uproar if there were even more places you could go into, with yet more boxes of loot

 

[bauzzer]

o say, most vendors have nothing to sell, and most doors are closed.

The billowing smoke and roaring fire from the trailer? "It's a global system and it will kill PC because transparencies - without DirectX 12 it does't work good in every game." So he killed it for the greater good, and he focused on making sure the 5000 doors in Novigrad worked instead.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...he-witcher-3-graphics-downgrade-issue-head-on

What? There is literally 5 000 doors to open

 

[oli56]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...he-witcher-3-graphics-downgrade-issue-head-on

What? There is literally 5 000 doors to open

you mean all the doors mentioned as "closed" can actually open and have rooms inside them? I would really doubt it. Those door are not labeled as "needs a key".

@Kassandrian : yes there are quests but such a city deserved much more content.

 

[Tuco]

While there's always room to add even more interactive content in Novigrad (and I would gladly welcome more of it), I really wouldn't describe the city as "empty" by any any stretch of the imagination.

P.S. I sincerely hope CDPR will take the "Night of the Raven" approach with DLCs and expansion packs, not just adding new areas and questilnes but also improving on the existing one.

 

[darkness58ec]

Have to disagree. Novigrad had tons of content, more densely packed than any other area. They could have packed it more but this game is long enough. Very surprising reaction; can you point to another RPG that had more content in a city than Novigrad (taking account of voiceacting, texture quality, and loading screens)?

 

[backrow12]

not for a second had I gotten that impression. Quests, people, merchants, random things to do, muggers, fist fighting, several inns, loads of houses that are accessible (damn my gaming only OCD...) . it seemed big enough. I wouldn't say no to more content, of course, but it's never struck me as emptyish.

 

[essenthy]

i wouldnt say empty, it has even more npc's than the old demos , but most dont say anything

 

[oli56]

Well it looks like I am not playing the same game... maybe this is because I am not high level enough? I am level 8, most vendors don't want to sell anything to me, and regarding quests I have seen very few of it, and as I was saying before most doors are closed.

@essenthy: that's what I meant by "empty", empty of interactive content (in comparison with the size and the overall stunning design). People are just decoration, they can be ignored they are not going to interact with the player. And all those doors closed !

 

[ScoiataelWarrior]

It seems like there are only maybe a dozen or a few dozen buildings you can enter out of what appears to be hundreds if not thousands of total buildings. And most of the ones you can enter have very little inside. Most NPCs do nothing. I don't understand why so many merchants won't trade with you, it doesn't take effort to make a merchant. All you have to do is give them generic stock and a generic greeting line. It would only take 10 minutes to add several interactable merchants.

 

[birthday_massacre]

Skyrim has a better living and breathing world than W3. That is what I was hoping for with W3, W3 is still a great game but skyrim IMO still has it beat in that regard. That being said W3 crushes skyrim when it comes to your choices mattering. In skyrim they really don't, but in W3 they can have a big or even small subitle effect. If only we could get Skyrims living breathing world and W3s choices that matter.

 

[dumaraz]

Well it looks like I am not playing the same game... maybe this is because I am not high level enough? I am level 8, most vendors don't want to sell anything to me, and regarding quests I have seen very few of it, and as I was saying before most doors are closed.

@essenthy: that's what I meant by "empty", empty of interactive content (in comparison with the size and the overall stunning design). People are just decoration, they can be ignored they are not going to interact with the player. And all those doors closed !

I vehemetly disagree...Novigrad is soooo beautiful and lively, with numerous doors unlocked for easy robbing and looting.

Maybe this is the beauty of Witcher 3 at its finest -- One player can find SOOOO MANY things to do on their adventure and experience so many different things depending on the decisions they make, and how often they side-track etc. Perhaps, the lame experience you draw in Novigrad (aside from main-quest line) is of your own doing?

[I reached Novigrad 2-nights ago at lv14 because I was side-tracked by so many exciting side-quests] How did you manage to ignore so much to get there so soon I say? Lol

Real-Talk -- I mean, what more do you want?! Seems a slight bit nit-picky...

Lore wise, generalizing how most Witcher's live out their lives; I can't imagine Geralt giving (2) shits about any of the ordinary numerous amount of random folk in a busy city anyway. Unless a person (NPC) has something to offer, contract or money, then WHY WOULD GERALT have reason to interact with majority of random populace?


Horse-riding via its Exterior and Interior, with numerous vendors and quests and random things to do... I've been attacked on numerous random occasions via other quest-line decision making before Novigrad.

I don't want to be blunt and say its baseless but i recommend to do more notice-board readings and /or take a moment to explore Velen a bit more. It MAY enhance your experience in Novigrad, or maybe not; perhaps my quest-line decision-making/ char-level had nothing to do with my interactions in Novigrad.

 

[Sainur]

Dunno if the OP is playing the same game as I'm playing, Novigrad is the best city I've ever witnessed in any game. I've never seen a more active city.

---------- Updated at 05:21 PM ----------

Skyrim has a better living and breathing world than W3.

LOL

 

[ScoiataelWarrior]

Dunno if the OP is playing the same game as I'm playing, Novigrad is the best city I've ever witnessed in any game. I've never seen a more active city.

---------- Updated at 05:21 PM ----------



LOL

Skyrim does have a better living world though. You can enter every building and talk to pretty much NPC. Nearly every NPC has their own name and life unlike in W3 where most NPCs are just "merchant" or "peasant" and do nothing but wander around a bit. Oblivion had an even better living world with very detailed AI. Skyrim and Oblivion also have far more locations like dungeons and stuff. The wilderness is a lot more full of stuff.

That said though W3 is the better game than Skyrim overall. It's quests and main story are far better than Skyrim's.

 

[oli56]

I vehemetly disagree...Novigrad is soooo beautiful and lively, with numerous doors unlocked for easy robbing and looting.
.

I do not see that at all. Might be a matter of level then. What's funny in this thread is that we have people saying one thing and others the complete opposite!

[I reached Novigrad 2-nights ago at lv14 because I was side-tracked by so many exciting side-quests] How did you manage to ignore so much to get there so soon I say?

That may be the problem. I actually went to Novigrad as soon as the Bloody Baron gave me a pass. I didn't follow a quest, I just wanted to see what Novigrad looked like.

Real-Talk -- I mean, what more do you want?! Seems a slight bit nit-picky...

I want to be surprised. I want to wander around Novigrad and be surprised by new interactive events, discover new stuffs. At the moment, since most doors are locked and even vendors are not selling anything, and most people have nothing to say, this is unlikely to happen. Unless all this unlocks after a certain level?

Lore wise, generalizing how most Witcher's live out their lives; I can't imagine Geralt giving (2) shits about any of the ordinary numerous amount of random folk in a busy city anyway. Unless a person (NPC) has something to offer, contract or money, then WHY WOULD GERALT have reason to interact with majority of random populace?

yeah that's the problem of most RPGs and I can see people are so used to this to find it natural! If only a few people can provide something interactive and they have flag at the top of their heads, then you can just play looking at the minimap! Immersion into the world involves the ability to be surprised and not to see a simplification of the actual rendered world in terms of maps and plots. This is what most RPGs are not getting. You can do an immense world where 5% of it is interactive, then your immense world will feel so small. This is the case for me in Novigrad at the moment, hope this will change when I'll reach a higher level.

 

[mbaker51591]

Have to disagree. Novigrad had tons of content, more densely packed than any other area. They could have packed it more but this game is long enough. Very surprising reaction; can you point to another RPG that had more content in a city than Novigrad (taking account of voiceacting, texture quality, and loading screens)?

Agreed! Just explore the place you could encounter some quest and especially the sewers. Also there are 2 whorehouse, 2 barber shop and so far i found 5 inn shop in that area. There is also some random encounter like fighting bandits.

Comparing this to Skyrim is beyond my comprehension, :huh: Novigard really felt like a real city. :victory:

If you gonna compared Novigard why not compare it to Oblivion. Skyrim city is quite smaller than Oblivion if i remember.

Or better Assassin Creed Series! Assassin Creed really give us a city feeling.

 

[Goodmongo]

I disagree. I know in games we feel as if we can go any place and go anywhere. But these doors should be locked. Do you go around your city trying to go into every house? So why expect it in a game?

 

[godofsquirt]

That my friend is because you are playing on consoles. NPC slider is even lower than low on pc. So unfortunately for you that is not going to change for you at higher levels. Go to Eurogamer face off and you will see the night and day difference in NPC density.