Concerns about fast travel

[Agent_Blue]

The fast travel option should be simple and stylish, like in Skyrim. It's not hard to exercise self-control if you don't want to ruin your role-playing.

I agree.

But, and this is a big but, the game should not be built with fast travel in mind, meaning it must not neither be overcrowded with repetitive POIS, nor filled with neglected boring empty space in between POIs, cause no one is bound to tread on it on account of merely fast travelling from POI to POI.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

See, here's the difference of opinion. What you call "dead space" was actually an whole beautiful, scenic, dynamic and vibrant environment. A person can just sit (there are mods for that), and watch the world in all its glory.

As it concerns fast travel, you don't have to use it if you don't want to, but why is it necessary for you to deprive other players from it? Seems a bit unfair :/

The caveat of having a big world to explore is that you have to have fast ways to move- a player doesn't always want to spend minutes getting from A to B. If the game devs are promising a world 20-30 times bigger than Skyrim than we need fast travel for convenience. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[dragonbird]

Granted. They have an unrestricted ability to cast weak signs.
Tell that to the creature which gets shredded into spaghetti Bolognese on account of those weak signs.

It's not unrestricted - it's limited by vigor.

 

[soldiergeralt]

if there has ever been a good argument against fast travel, it hasn't been posted yet.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

if there has ever been a good argument against fast travel, it hasn't been posted yet.

So far the argument is that it would make it too much like Skyrim- that the world will have big spaces that cannot be traversed at times without fast travel.

But again, if you're going to move about in a world of that scale, you're going to want to fast travel at some point.

 

[Agent_Blue]

See, here's the difference of opinion. What you call "dead space" was actually an whole beautiful, scenic, dynamic and vibrant environment. A person can just sit (there are mods for that), and watch the world in all its glory.

As it concerns fast travel, you don't have to use it if you don't want to, but why is it necessary for you to deprive other players from it? Seems a bit unfair :/

The caveat of having a big world to explore is that you have to have fast ways to move- a player doesn't always want to spend minutes getting from A to B. If the game devs are promising a world 20-30 times bigger than Skyrim than we need fast travel for convenience. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Actually, no. Either I misexplained myself and/or you misunderstood my point. I am all in favour of vibrant interesting well design white space. In fact, I welcome the vast amounts of it the released screenshots seem to indicate. What I certainly do not wish to happen is a world where, because fast travel exists, Devs either A) overcrowd it with repetitive POIs or B ) neglect the no-man's land and relegate it to the filler category, precisely because they assume people will just hop from POI to POI via fast travel without ever setting foot on those in-between areas.

I want vast amount of white space in between POIs. But I also want proper attention and detail to be given to them. Have I made my point clear now?

 

[Agent_Blue]

It's not unrestricted - it's limited by vigor.

I stand corrected then.
So, going back to my point, fast travel would be a sign you cast. Your vigour determines how far you can fast travel to.

 

[Agent_Blue]

So far the argument is that it would make it too much like Skyrim- that the world will have big spaces that cannot be traversed at times without fast travel.

But again, if you're going to move about in a world of that scale, you're going to want to fast travel at some point.

Completely agree. I just don't see myself spending 40 minutes every time I Want to go to the other corner of the map. Just don't neglect the game world design on account of it.

 

[ReptilePZ]

I stand corrected then.
So, going back to my point, fast travel would a sign you cast. Your vigour determines how far you can fast travel to.

You really like the idea, don't you?

 

[Agent_Blue]

You really like the idea, don't you? />

Pushing it, pushing it, pus...actually shoving it down the Dev's throat.
It's bound to strike a (vocal) chord.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

What I certainly do not wish to happen is a world where, because fast travel exists, Devs either A) overcrowd it with repetitive POIs or B ) neglect the no-man's land and relegate it to the filler category, precisely because they assume people will just hop from POI to POI via fast travel without ever setting foot on those in-between areas.

C'mon, is it at all likely that that would have happened? We're talking about CDPR, after all!

And hate to burst your bubble, but the Vigor idea for fast travel is awful. Imagine fast traveling to a place, and landing in an enemy encounter when you're at a low level. Doubly shitty if you're a mage.

 

[username_2064020]

if there has ever been a good argument against fast travel, it hasn't been posted yet.

Let's just pretend, for laugh, that you're right and that there isn't a single good argument against unlimited, unconditioned, omni-pervasive fast travel in the whole thread... What would be the informed, competent argument proving its beneficial influence, instead?

Because every attempt made so far in that sense didn't exactly strike me as particularly bright. Most of them rooted in explicit misunderstanding of the argument in place, actually.

So far the argument is that it would make it too much like Skyrim- that the world will have big spaces that cannot be traversed at times without fast travel.

No, that's not the argument.
You should try to read the thread once again. Perseverance can compensate for other shortcomings.

 

[Agent_Blue]

C'mon, is it at all likely that that would have happened? We're talking about CDPR, after all!

And hate to burst your bubble, but the Vigor idea for fast travel is awful. Imagine fast traveling to a place, and landing in an enemy encounter when you're at a low level. Doubly shitty if you're a mage.

Too bad you (mis)used Fast travel then. Better think it through next time! I hadn't thought about that, but now that I think of it it's actually an argument in favour of this. And don't worry, my bubble kinda sucks anyway. />

Oh, don't deem that first hypothesis absurd. It's been known to happen in another Triple-A-RPG-Which-Cannot-Be-Named.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

.

No, that's not the argument.
You should try to read the thread once again. Perseverance can compensate for other shortcomings.

I was referring to the posts between myself and a few others in the most recent pages. It's sad that I have to explain that.

Too bad you (mis)used Fast travel then. Better think it through next time! I hadn't thought about that, but now that I think of it it's actually an argument in favour of this. And don't worry, my bubble kinda sucks anyway. />/>/>

Oh, don't deem that first hypothesis absurd. It's been known to happen in another Triple-A-RPG-Which-Cannot-Be-Named.

In all fairness, your idea was not that awful. I just illustrated a way in which it could be. If CDPR can come up with a creative way to implement fast travel like that, I wouldn't mind that. But my first preference will always be Skyrim-like fast travel.

 

[AhmadMetallic]

I think CDPR should create two forms of fast travel: Instant (Skyrim) and teleport gates (Witcher 1), and let the player choose one of the two WHEN THEY START a new game. And it sticks like that for the entirety of the game.

Those who want to keep opening the map and clickity clicking on discovered icons can choose that path, and those who want to force some realism on their experience and keep fast traveling strictly to teleportation gates, can have that.

 

[Agent_Blue]

I think CDPR should create two forms of fast travel: Instant (Skyrim) and teleport gates (Witcher 1), and let the player choose one of the two WHEN THEY START a new game. And it sticks like that for the entirety of the game.

Those who want to keep opening the map and clickity clicking on discovered icons can choose that path, and those who want to force some realism on their experience and keep fast traveling strictly to teleportation gates, can have that.

The thing is for that dual system to have any real meaning each method should have its distinctive advantages and disadvantages. Would you care to elaborate?

 

[ReptilePZ]

The thing is for that dual system to have any real meaning each method should have its distinctive advantages and disadvantages. Would you care to elaborate?

Read the previous entries in the thread.

A good example of the difference is given here: http://en.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?/topic/33804-concerns-about-fast-travel/page__st__80__p__920687#entry920687

 

[sidspyker]

I think Fast Travel should only be allowed to major cities then. Besides, a player using the system by teleporting there and back to complete a quest is just being lazy and it's his own fault.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Read the previous entries in the thread.

A good example of the difference is given here: http://en.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?/topic/33804-concerns-about-fast-travel/page__st__80__p__920687#entry920687

Great point being made there.
They could implement fast travel as a carriage system between major settlements, a la Skyrim. You'd have to pay good coin, and there would be some chance of an ambush happening along the way.

I guess it's up to those advocating unlimited fast travel to come up with a deterrent. But I'm not one of them. Me wants me some fancy fast-travel sign, remember?

 

[ReptilePZ]

Yes, it's in conflict with the lore though so I doubt we'll be seeing such a sign in the game. In that particular scenario I linked you to, your idea about fast travel not being safe and having random encounters could avoid the problem - you just get ambushed during fast travel and instead of a random encounter you get the quest-related event.