Analysis: With Witcher 3 CDPR no longer treat the players like adults [SPOILERS]

[Simultas]

Radovid looks exactly as he did in W2 (albeit with more polygons, enhanced shading and a fuller beard).

There's a very important detail there, his face is no longer symmetrical in TW3, look at his eyes. Asymmetrical face is associated with inborn genetic defects and developmental problems. Humans are very good at picking up asymmetries in the face because it's a part of an instinct of choosing a healthy mate for future offsprings.

---------- Updated at 08:29 PM ----------

His shaky mental stability/paranoia as well as his resentment and viciousness towards witches was well established in TW2.

In TW2 Radovid had neither shaky mental stability nor paranoia. What happened there is Shilard revealed to him an information that his adviser Philippa and her Lodge are responsible for his father's death, supposedly with a proof. His reaction to such revelation (i.e. desire to execute all members of the Lodge) was normal for a medieval king. And mental problems don't pop out of the blue, they are usually persistent from childhood.

 

[razien]

+ 1 to the op exept the sabbath in my opinion it should be removed but i agree in everything less btw why not make it a poll?

 

[SystemShock7]

There's a very important detail there, his face is no longer symmetrical in TW3, look at his eyes. Asymmetrical face is associated with inborn genetic defects and developmental problems. Humans are very good at picking up asymmetries in the face because it's a part of an instinct of choosing a healthy mate for future offsprings.

What? You want to mate with Radovid now? lol

In TW2 Radovid had neither shaky mental stability nor paranoia. What happened there is Shilard revealed to him an information that his adviser Philippa and her Lodge are responsible for his father's death, supposedly with a proof. His reaction to such revelation (i.e. desire to execute all members of the Lodge) was normal for a medieval king. And mental problems don't pop out of the blue, they are usually persistent from childhood.

What happened, is probably you didn't pay attention to the entirety of Radovid's dialog prior to Shilard saying anything, nor play TW1. He already showed tendencies, and it isn't a stretch to think war would have heightened them.

As for the pictures and Radovid's eyes, well, I can find pictures too. How about the original Radovid?

...and from TW2...

 

[Simultas]

He already showed tendencies, and it isn't a stretch to think war would have heightened them.

What tendencies? He was totally normal. War can affect your mental health if you fight yourself in the meatgrinder type of situation but he's a king, he normally doesn't participate in HtH combat personally.

On images from both TW1 and TW2 he has a symmetrically positioned eyes.

 

[kissybyc]

While I feel Radovid's madness is at least plausible, my issue with him is that his supposed "tactical genius" is never shown in game (playing chess is very different from war-time tactical genius). His mental condition and obsession with burning mages made him one of those pure evil characters, yet after I participated in the assassination, I was abruptly told by the ending slide show that he actually was good at war. Had I been shown his tactical genius alongside the assassination quest, I'd have a very different feeling, and the assassination would have been much more of a lesser-evil kind of choice. What a missed opportunity.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

I fail to see why we talk about Radovid now...

 

[SystemShock7]

I fail to see why we talk about Radovid now...

He's got magic eyes...

 

[AlexDeimling]

TLDR: Good and evil doesn't exist in OP's eyes it's always shades of grey ala game of thrones.

Also, since when is radovid or emhyr ugly? Emhyr looks POWERFUL. That's why they picked charles dance to voice him, emhyr conveys power and looks like a proper emperor.

 

[CTPhipps]

1. I don't mind "Monsters" existing in the Witcher because real-life is full of psychopaths, horrors,. and evil. Jacques is a Well-Intentioned Extremist and so is Letho but it's not like there aren't a bunch of people who are just scum. I LIKED the fact that Whoreson Junior was a cathartic chance to just HATE someone for being a scumbag. I resented the fact that Eredin, a man who is plotting MUTLIVERSAL GENOCIDE against humanity, and is basically Elf Hitler is portrayed as a personality-less nasty. I wanted to hate the Wild Hunt with a FURY OF TEN THOUSAND BURNING SUNS.

Instead, I was "meh."

2. The problem isn't Radovid's going insane, it's the fact he's portrayed as GOOFY insane. I don't think CD_Projekt Red respected our intelligence enough to understand he's a monster without making him a drooling guy who talks about eating the insides of chess pieces. Did people not think we'd understand it if he was engaged in mass-murder of Witches? Really, I think the nonhuman persecution (barring monsters like Dudu--sorry Dudu) doesn't make much sense either.

It's like, RADOVID IS HITLER! Can you see!? He's Hitler! That's bad! YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM!

Which, fine, but Nilfgaard is ALSO based on Nazi Germany so why am I not going after them too? I can buy Radovid has had a nervous breakdown but I can't buy the goofy ranting nutso in the building with Roche is somehow still a military genius since he can't talk to Geralt for five minutes without ordering him to be executed or other stuff. You can be Caligula OR Julius Caesar, you can't be BOTH.

3. If the plan was to make Ciri my daughter rather than an object of lust, they failed MISERABLY as I think she's the hottest woman in the history of video games.

But I'm a Targaryen fan.

So what can I say?

I admit, I was a pervert who tried to get her to take off her towel. I'm so ashamed!

4. The absence of additional sex scenes is causing me to be confused because I'm wondering if there's something else we're missing. Is there a limit to the number of topless scenes you can insert into a game before you're "Adults Only"? Because, if so, it might have been nice to dump some of the brothel sequences and throw in some ones for more interesting characters. Is it because of storytelling reasons? Because you're supposed to be 75% in love with Yennefer and 25% in love with Triss? If so, they should mention that because I *REALLY REALLY* liked the Keira Metz affair and they BENT OVER BACKWARDS to make sure that's "friends with benefits." It's even the Achievement name.

5. Queen Bran is another character I think suffers from the need by CD_Projekt Red to make things much-much DUMBER. I mean, is there anyone who could not tell within three seconds of looking at her that she was the villain? The thing is, she actually has some interesting points but they're completely absent from discussion because they're not MODERN points. I think you could have done some good stuff by making her argue that supporting her son's claim to the throne was a worthwhile one (with a optional sex scene *pause* what?).

Instead, we have the *drumroll* Brown Banquet.

6. Emhyr looks like Charles Dance with long black hair and a slight bump in his nose. He's hardly ugly. I will say, though, that the game is making it VERY clear that you're supposed to assassinate Radovid so he wins the war. The "Witcher Ciri" ending is obviously meant to be the canonical one (and seems to be the most popular one by far) but Nilfgaard is supposed to win in the "good ending."

Which is like...what?

 

[Eruvadhor]

There's a very important detail there, his face is no longer symmetrical in TW3, look at his eyes. Asymmetrical face is associated with inborn genetic defects and developmental problems. Humans are very good at picking up asymmetries in the face because it's a part of an instinct of choosing a healthy mate for future offsprings.

Most would also say a symmetrical face is 'creepy' or 'disturbing', because they can't pick out what's odd (that it's perfectly proportioned), but they know something's up. Like a person who has an evenly presented response to any question (we know they're lieing/hiding something). Radovid's face was, yes, obviously made to look 'crazy', but most good character models have imperfections. It makes them more real.

 

[karl_dietrich]

Agree with most exept Radovid. Its not that crazy dictators dont exist in real life.
http://www.cracked.com/article_18850_7-modern-dictators-way-crazier-than-you-thought-possible.html

 

[Simultas]

Agree with most exept Radovid. Its not that crazy dictators dont exist in real life.
http://www.cracked.com/article_18850_7-modern-dictators-way-crazier-than-you-thought-possible.html

Well, if he was depicted like that in TW1 and TW2 then it would have made sense but he was a normal king, not a lunatic, in the previous installments.

 

[CTPhipps]

Well, if he was depicted like that in TW1 and TW2 then it would have made sense but he was a normal king, not a lunatic, in the previous installments.

Also, bluntly, there's no end of real-life bat**** crazy dictators in the world.

However, all of these madmen were absolutely **** at long term planning because CRAZY PEOPLE DO NOT MAKE GOOD GENERALS.

So Radovid somehow holding off the Nilfgaard is kind of ludicrous.

I think what irritates me is that the entire thing is kind of going from very complicated and very mature storytelling to something which is kind of seriously dumbed down. It's not that the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not one of the MOST adult games I've ever played. It's story of Geralt and Ciri's father-daughter relationship is one of the most moving things I have ever played and I consider it an amazing story. It also has some truly wonderful stuff like the Bloody Baron's quest and Dandelion's comedy of errors.

It's just that they kind of gloss over the whole Nilfgaard-Redania war completely after a certain occassion. At the very least, there's some serious options missing like the fact Geralt should bring up, "Okay, so I murder Radovid--what the hell happens to the North then? Yeah, we save some witches but that's not really going to have much to do when every single man, woman, and child with magic is promptly drafted to Emhyr's army." I mean, it's kind of a glaring oversight to at least not address this.

I mean, even if you argue that mages have it reasonably okay in Nilfgaard, which they do, the whole Dijkstra vs. Roche thing at the end is complete B.S. It requires Geralt to be surprised by any of this and both sides having to keep things from him at a critical time.

 

[Auralius]

Great Post. Part of the problem, possibly, was CDPR giving into the temptation of going for the "open world" design, which seems to cause many problems with quality relative to TW2. But I agree. They should have stuck with quality and maturity. I'm not opposed to "evil" characters like Whoreson Jr., but to say that TW3 is not dumbed down is foolish. Unfortunately, the fanboys are rallying 10/10!!!!!!

 

[warbaby2]

Can't agree with 1, since the villains all have their motivations... sure, they turn out to be almost comically evil in the end, but not without a cause.

The rest I absolutely agree with. The noticeable shift towards mainstream acceptance has cost the game quite some appeal... which is a shame, since they didn't have to go that way to be successful.

 

[Hasenbock]

So so true Maerd!
I have also the felling by playin Witcher 3 over 200h, it is primary made for 12-16y Kids wearing happy flowering underwear, who get red faces and sweat Hands by seein naked girls in real life.
Think CPPR sell their Balls to M$- and Sony, or the Men with Balls have left the Company after finishing Witcher 2?

1 point also: the Blood in Witcher3 is very darken Red, that u can barly see it at all, maybe in Witcher 4 it is green, blue or yellow?
Also noticed dead Bodies disappear after some secounds (1.06) like in HL2 (2004) and the ones who left had broken physics, hangin in mid-air after dead.

Thanks CDPR for beein a real Beta Member who pays 60 Bucks for playin that unfinished, static Game.
But most of the Kids seems happy with the Game so far, when u look at the Forums all around...

PS
Don`t get me wrong i have great Time playing Witcher 3 but with Witcher 1 and 2 i have more the feelin that im playin a Game for adults and not for Kiddies.

Maybe thats the Price goin Mainstream for Money, and not for the Players...

 

[phedaikin]

"Ciri`s super pretty, because she's super good"

please please read the books - she is far far away from being a good person

 

[Rimsky57]

Topic starter, I am agree with you in all words!
it's not have "less evel"
it is without
predestination

Witcher without predisination is not witcher, it is greynead man

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please please read the books - she is far far away from being a good person

In the TW3 Ciri good becouse good

 

[warbaby2]

"Ciri`s super pretty, because she's super good"

please please read the books - she is far far away from being a good person

Indeed... usually she's just, well, normal... she lies, she's selfish, she's often a coward She grows over time, of course, but she is far from being "super good".

 

[GHOSTMD]

I do not agree with the OP up to 100% , specially in that politics part.
Since TW3 is about Geralt and his personal problems he (and i am as player)
will not meddle with kings any longer.

But some good points are made, though i would not say CDPR "abandoned"
the mature thing in TW3 it is clear there is less nudity (for example)

Yeah that cirilla sauna scene ... that fucking famous sauna scene XD just made her
nude and place the fricking rose right and all is good

Also why the heck whores in bathtubes wear ANY clothes? *smirk*

To the CLEAR EVIIL and GOOD chars... i can' t say its black and white
take the baron questline for example ... or the tower of rats...
one false step and you make things worse ... if you don' t "listen"
to the DETAILS

as for Eredin ... yes far to less "talking" between Geralt and the Wild Hunt.
But still not the classical EVIL, if you listen (again) to the DETAILS during your
interspace travels.

Guess you get what i am talking about... you just have to go through TW3 wide open
to see all the little things in the situations, you get into.

On the other hand, CDPR clear changed things ... to be more apealing to the wider
audience, which might cause the "less explicit" nudity for example. But RED s maybe
consider to change that ? in the future? Same goes for the Eredin / Geralt talks
Or treating Triss / Yen romance plots EQUAL.

Many things could be better, sure and as far as i know CDPR they listen to the community
and things will be better