This is not the case and clearly evidenced by the fact that Ciri has little interaction with Triss as well.
The reason the focus is on Geralt and Ciri is fairly simple. Ciri is a, if not THE focal point of the game, yet she is a character that newcomers do not know at all. Our narrative is thus focused on a character that many players had no emotional investment in prior to the game. Through the many interactions between Ciri and Geralt, we showed that Geralt cares deeply about Ciri which translates to the player understanding why Geralt is doing what he is doing and more easily relating to those feelings.
The same, incidentally, goes for Yennefer. The reason she is present in Kaer Morhen in the dream sequence at the beginning, is primarily because we need to establish that she is important to Geralt and thus why the player should care about finding her.
It is debatable if we managed it at all points throughout the game, but I did want to correct the presumption that we reduced Ciri-Yennefer interactions because of Triss or Triss fans.
Cheers.
I am sorry that I respond so late to this, especially since I was waiting for a reaction like this since weeks. I really appreciate that someone finally reacted to our concerns, but it doesn’t change the fact that people actually feel like that.
Not that it was taken from Yennefer in favour of Triss, but it wasn’t given enough to Yennefer, to make the family whole again.
She is her mother, there is nothing more extraordinary than a bond between a mother and its child. Only Geralt’s relation to her is just as important as hers, because of fate.
She was willing to die for her just like Geralt, but the game doesn’t really show that, in fact you could get the impression that only Geralt would do everything for Ciri, but this isn’t the case.
You already tried to show that Yennefer would do ANYTHING for her, but Geralt and other characters are the ones, who don’t show the same devotion like Yennefer does in some quests, which shows her in a bad light, even though you didn't want to do it. In fact they even question her almost every time and everywhere.
When Yennefer wants to lift the curse of Uma, nobody really trust her, despite she has the only solution to this problem AND it worked!!!
Who apologize to who? Yennefer does! She apologizes to them, even though she is the only one with a working solution in the end. Yes, that shows she is not that evil witch and that is good, but who apologizes to Yennefer for distrusting her, for questioning her? Nobody.
Instead Vesemir says, "Yes. Don't like it one bit. But I suppose I have to trust you."
Wow, thanks for that. Yennefer is trying to get your granddaughter back and this is how you support her? You
suppose to trust her? Awesome, thanks Uncle Vesemir for being so supportive.
When Uma pukes on Yennefer, Eskel and Geralt are cleaning up. During that Eskel wonders what will happen, if Uma is Ciri, then it finally comes, the very first time
Geralt can slightly defend Yennefer by saying, "I trust Yen. She knows what she's doing."
Why couldn't I say that from the very beginning?
Eskel reacts, "Don't doubt that. But do we know what she's doing? She tell you how likely this is to work?"
Before Geralt can answer, Yennefer interrupts their dialogue.
No trust, even though she only wants to do the best for Ciri.
You tried to show that, but the world, the other characters don't act accordingly to that. Even Geralt can't react accordingly to that.
We see who Yennefer is, we know who Yennefer is, we don't doubt you guys (and girls) don't know who she is, we don't doubt you guys just wanted to give her justice, her character justice, but the world around her doesn't and what hurts the most
Geralt and Ciri doesn't.
I want to quote something really important from the books here:
Yes, he said in his thoughts, yes, you are correct. There's only her, her at my side, here and now, and this is all that matters. Here and now. And where she was before, with whom she was, doesn't matter in the slightest. Now, she is with me, here, among you. With me and no one else. That's what I'm thinking about; thinking about her, all the time, feeling the scent of her perfume and the warmth of her body. And you can choke on the envy.
- Times of Contempt
Where is this Geralt? Because I was ready for this, I was pumped to play this Geralt, who doesn't give a shit about what others think about him
and her, because there is only her, but I had not the feeling Geralt in the game was ready for it, he never really was.
Let me tell the world that I don't fucking care what they think about me and Yennefer.
Let me say "Fuck You" in their face just like I did with Lambert (great scene by the way) or with Lupus, to defend “her honour”. Why can I be here supportive, but not in other 100 scenes?
Let me say this to Dijsktra, who dares to question my decision, who dares to tell me what is right or wrong.
I don't care what others say about Yennefer, but let me SAY IT, not doubt it.
Let me say in her face that I trust her, let me support her just the way she supports me in finding Ciri.
Let us see it, not imagine it.
On the contrary I think Yennefer had actually this kind of mind, she is the one, who is actually saying and thinking it, we need to change that quote to fit her:
Yes, she said in her thoughts, yes, you are correct. There's only him, him at my side, here and now, and this is all that matters. Here and now. And where he was before, with whom he was, doesn't matter in the slightest. Now, he is with me, here, among you. With me and no one else. That's what I'm thinking about; thinking about him, all the time, feeling the scent of sweat and the warmth of his body. And you can choke on the envy.
The Witcher 3
THAT's Yennefer in your game and this is perfect, I really feel this is her in the game. She doesn't care what others think of her, all that matters is Geralt and Ciri, but she wouldn't hurt innocents for that and you clearly showed that she never hurt one single innocent in the whole game. But just because she doesn’t care what others think that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about others, on the contrary.
She is a mother and would feel sorrow for everyone, who has lost a child.
She is one fourth elven and she bluntly hates racism, even stopped a pogrom.
She is not religious, but she respects other people beliefs.
She is a sorceress and would despise all those hate and violence in Novigrad.
She is a woman and is proud of it.
While Geralt killed dozens of people in the whole game for the same goal, finding Ciri, without blinking with an eye.
Geralt and Yennefer are actually thinking and acting the same, both will do ANYTHING for Ciri, but even though they think the same, they are barely complementing each other in the game.
Not many times I can support her, be a help for her, be actually supportive in finding CIri:
Not just Yennefer, YOU TOO GERALT. Don't put the blame on her, you are with her, you are trusting her, you are helping her, you need her help to find Ciri.
Yes, Geralt, you are willing to do anything for some people and so is Yennefer, yet it doesn't feel like they are doing this together. It feels like Yennefer is doing it, while Geralt is just dragged along, even though he should want the same as Yennefer.
Let me be supportive to her and not question her, not doubting every move she does.
This is Yennefer and this is Geralt. They don't care about what others think of them, they only care about each other (and Ciri of course).
Give me the option to show that through the game and not just in one single one-liner.
As I was not part of the creation of most of the Yennefer content, I cannot answer as to reasons why things were done in a specific way. Marcin Blacha and the Quest Designers for the Yennefer focused Quests would be the ones who can say more about this.
I don't expect answers, i don't demand them, you don't owe me anything.
You tried to make the best game possible at the circumstances back then (and still making it better) and in fact i think
i owe you something for that, my honest opinion.
Look at my first post,
the one that started this thread.
Does this look like someone, who was disappointed by the game?
Someone who hated everything about the game and Yennefer and Ciri? No, not at all.
I even love the quest The Last Wish, but only in the lore-friendly version
I love how Yennefer looks,
I love how Yennefer behaves,
I love how she talks and speaks,
I love the quests with her,
I love the ballad about them,
I love how she looks at Ciri and Geralt,
I love how she embraced Ciri and gave a thank you kiss to Geralt,
I love her character.
The art-designer who's created Yen's character really loves her!
Geralt tells the story about ice-skating with Ciri:
Really great how they did that without motion capturing.
But not everything is perfect, what i don't love is that the world around her doesn't honour her character, doesn't honour your own work on her and as i said it hurts the most that Geralt and Ciri doesn't honour her the same way they do in the books.
I feel that i have the responsibility to say that to you, you tried to show the best Yennefer you can, but forgot the world around her.
This is the Yennefer I miss, the one you barely show, the one Geralt and Ciri don’t acknowledge. It hurts to see that Ciri doesn’t show her feelings to Yennefer the way she does to Geralt.
This is missing, seeing Yennefer and Ciri together as mother and daughter.
Aww Yen is watching Geralt with Ciri:
You could almost think Yennefer is the third wheel, not part of this.
This is how it should look like:
'Damn it! I warned you! I told you! Head up! Up, I say! Take this and put it to your nose or you'll be covered in blood! Calmly, calmly, little one, just don't faint. I'm beside you. I'm beside you . . . daughter. Hold the handkerchief. I'll just conjure up some ice . . .'
She doesn’t call her once in the whole game her daughter.
Ciri doesn’t call her once in the whole game her mother.
I don’t know how many of you have children, I don’t have any, but even then it hurts to see this or actually not see it.
“Thank you, Lady Philippa,” Ciri said after a few moments, squeezing the head of the sphinxes in her hands. “I also feel honoured with the proposal to take the surname de Tancarville. However, it seems to me that my new last name is the only thing that I can choose for myself, I thank the two mistresses.
But I want to be called Cirilla of Vengerberg, daughter of Yennefer.”
Andrzej Sapkowski - The Lady of the lake
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