Cutting of limbs and similar violent animations...

[serxho92]

Cutting of limbs and similar violent animations...

Since The Witcher is an adult series i wanted to know what do you guys think of including these violent animation. Like cutting enemy heads off , cutting their hand , legs ... more blood. Add insults and screams while fighting and killing enemies. These things are normal in the books and in real war. What do you think?

 

[shawn_kh]

If you see the trailer carefully, you'll notice that there are limbs flying around.
View attachment 2455

 

[Guest 2001045]

Im all for it as long as it is realistic and not over-done.

 

[IsengrimR]

Im all for it as long as it is realistic and not over-done.

Realistic kinda goes a bit out of window ( just 1st floor window though ) with Geralt being a superstrong and fast mutant. Severing limbs should be a thing in my opinion, as it's a thing I generally enjoy watching them fly ( said a sadistical bastard ) [ even when it's overdone - like in Chivalry, it's bloody hilarious xD ].
In Witchers case, I would really like it to be done with temperance, and not Dragon Age 2 exploding enemies bullshit...
Which I doubt would happen anyway, but it's the best example of how-not-to make combat in action RPG.

So, yes. Not over-done is always nice.

 

[Villentretanmerth]

If you see the trailer carefully, you'll notice that there are limbs flying around.
View attachment 2455

Not gonna lie; I've never noticed that before that his hand comes off, and I've seen that trailer dozens of times. I just thought he knocked the sword out of his hand. Now I look like a fool! lol

Do you think it's fair to assume that this kind of stuff will only happen on the killing blow?

 

[Vigilance.492]

g_saberrealisticcombat

 

[ONLY_ONCE]

Jesus Christ, this game is going to be so fucking awesome.

 

[shawn_kh]

Not gonna lie; I've never noticed that before that his hand comes off, and I've seen that trailer dozens of times. I just thought he knocked the sword out of his hand. Now I look like a fool! lol

Do you think it's fair to assume that this kind of stuff will only happen on the killing blow?

There were decapitations in Witcher 1 and 2 also and in both cases they happened by the killing blow, so most likely it's going to be the same way in Witcher 3. I'd personally like to see decapitations after a successful counterattack (if counterattacks are implemented in the game). I really liked the head decapitation in Witcher 1, it was fun to watch Salamandra heads rolling around. I just realized I'm sounding like a psychopath !!!
I'm not a psychopath and in real life I even try not to kill insects, but I like the games I play to be realistically violent. When there are swords, there are always decapitations.
I also like to see blood splattering on Geralt's face from time to time, and him wiping it off after combat (with proper animation) for example using his forearm or sleeve to wipe it off. Also I'd like to see Geralt's face have emotions during combat, for example anger, pain, and the this sword is kind of heavy expression while swinging.

 

[EliHarel]

I just realized I'm sounding like a psychopath !!! I'm not a psychopath and in real life I even try not to kill humans...

I'm on to you...

 

[shawn_kh]

I'm on to you...

View attachment 2466

 

[Ðarkstar]

I'd assume that unless the opponent is heavily armoured or skilled, most 'low level' enemies will die in one strike with the appropriate dismemberment. I hope there's going to be more than just hand-cutting though and the blood details definitely seem unfinished so maybe there will be.

 

[serxho92]

I would also like to so some other cool animations for example: You are fighting a soldier and after you cut of his hand or whatever he falls on the ground and is still alive and starts rolling and screaming or maybe crawl .. And you can finish him of in a "Samurai" style with your sword or maybe crush his head ( NO QTE) . In my opinion this animations are highly violent but they only increase the immersion and reality of war. They must include these kind of things.

 

[caspartine]

What always bugged me in movies, and many books too, is this:
Bad guys die like flies, they are shot, cut, take an arrow and they just drop dead. Good guys, riddled with arrows, alaways have their emotional scene, after which they die.
To my point - if you read the saga, you notice, that almost every Geralt's fight with humans/elves, there's always some "bad" guy, that dies slow enough to give you this sight - you watch him, as he realizes he's gonna die - looking at his missing hand, at his guts under his feet, at the dark crimson puddle spreading under him, calling for his mom, asking in shock, what happened to him.
What I'd like to see is this - defeating your enemy shouldn't necesarilly mean instant killing him, no one dies in a heart beat, especially not when cut by sword or shot with an arrow. The combat should treat him like no more threat, -1 opponent, but let us observe their deaths. I'm no sadist, it's simply how Sapkowski described it. It adds to the atmosphere of the scene, you realize the vanity, it adds to the "I think I'm gonna throw up" feeling you should have after killing other human being.

 

[WithoutAnyBelief]

I disagree, these Animations like crushing someones head shouldn't be there
Geralt is not a violent killing machine, for him the sword or a fight is always the last option
IMO it wouldn't do the books (or Geralt as described) justice and i don't know if i would like these animations

 

[Kinley]

What always bugged me in movies, and many books too, is this:
Bad guys die like flies, they are shot, cut, take an arrow and they just drop dead. Good guys, riddled with arrows, alaways have their emotional scene, after which they die.
To my point - if you read the saga, you notice, that almost every Geralt's fight with humans/elves, there's always some "bad" guy, that dies slow enough to give you this sight - you watch him, as he realizes he's gonna die - looking at his missing hand, at his guts under his feet, at the dark crimson puddle spreading under him, calling for his mom, asking in shock, what happened to him.
What I'd like to see is this - defeating your enemy shouldn't necesarilly mean instant killing him, no one dies in a heart beat, especially not when cut by sword or shot with an arrow. The combat should treat him like no more threat, -1 opponent, but let us observe their deaths. I'm no sadist, it's simply how Sapkowski described it. It adds to the atmosphere of the scene, you realize the vanity, it adds to the "I think I'm gonna throw up" feeling you should have after killing other human being.

While I agree with you when it comes to enemies dying like flies in cinematic settings, I personally think it would get old and annoying really fast from a gameplay point of view.
CDPR always treated deaths in cinematics properly, making them believable in a sense. But when it comes to gameplay, I'd like them quick and short, I don't want some lowly bandit wailing on the ground for five minutes, while Geralt is looting him. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to feel like puking when playing W3, there is a point when too much is too much even for a mature game.

 

[caspartine]

Well of course not in every fight, but my point is it's hardly seen in any game. I'd like to see some of them to shudder, or maybe crawl a few feet, a simple (and rare) and not too long animation. What I described fits the cutscenes ofc, even in the books it felt like that, and my examples refer mostly to those enemies that were of some importance, either by name, or in the context (Geralt Killing the Michelet brothers, Ciri clearing the Dun Dâre Inn etc.

And for the last part - of course don't want the game to make me sick either, maybe I didn't hit the nail that I was aiming for. Sorry, I'm struggling with the language, and this is harder to explain. For me, these scenes in the book always added to the "gray" feel of the books. No black & white western fantasy (western gaming press calling Geralt an antihero - I still find it hilarious). The killing is mostly described up close and personal, not like you are slashing your way though hordes of nameless enemies and I always felt these scenes added to the whole atmospehere greatly.

 

[val.mitev]

Well of course not in every fight, but my point is it's hardly seen in any game. I'd like to see some of them to shudder, or maybe crawl a few feet, a simple (and rare) and not too long animation. What I described fits the cutscenes ofc, even in the books it felt like that, and my examples refer mostly to those enemies that were of some importance, either by name, or in the context (Geralt Killing the Michelet brothers, Ciri clearing the Dun Dâre Inn etc.

And for the last part - of course don't want the game to make me sick either, maybe I didn't hit the nail that I was aiming for. Sorry, I'm struggling with the language, and this is harder to explain. For me, these scenes in the book always added to the "gray" feel of the books. No black & white western fantasy (western gaming press calling Geralt an antihero - I still find it hilarious). The killing is mostly described up close and personal, not like you are slashing your way though hordes of nameless enemies and I always felt these scenes added to the whole atmospehere greatly.

I hope there will be variance that depends on the type of the finishing blow.
Some stabbing and slashing wounds don't always result in an instant death, there could be a short animation for the death or just losing consciousness, and not just for enemy to drop dead like a doll.

As in the gif example, the severing of the hand does not equal in death, though it incapacitates the foe (so -1 enemy), he could still live if the would is treated. So this is a case that could be handled with it's own animations, like in AC where when you beat someone in hand to hand, they just lay on the ground, writhing in pain.

I guess this depends on how much time and details CDPR wants to put into this aspect of the game. It would add additional immersion in some cases and for some people, others would not notice it at all. I guess we'll see when the time comes.

 

[caspartine]

Exactly. My point wasn't a suggestion, how to implement this into gameplay, but simply pointing out, how rarely one can see something like this, and simply to put it here hoping someone from the team notices it and says "Hmmm, interesting..."

 

[shawn_kh]

I disagree, these Animations like crushing someones head shouldn't be there
Geralt is not a violent killing machine, for him the sword or a fight is always the last option
IMO it wouldn't do the books (or Geralt as described) justice and i don't know if i would like these animations

Geralt the terminator crushing people's head While I agree with you that Geralt crushing heads is ridicules, I strongly believe that Geralt in Wtcher 3 is going to be extremely more violent than in the books and previous games. Geralt in Witcher 3 is a different person from the books and previous games, because he is unstable. His life from the books or his lost memories and the new life and perspective on the world from games are now colliding, riddling him with confusion and anger (when you don't remember something that makes you angry). As far as he knows the hunt is responsible for this situation, and the hunt is threatening the life of all his loved ones including his friends. He sees one path, killing and destroying the wild Hunt and whoever that stands in his way to save his loved ones. He has to do it fast because he is short on time. Any bandit or animal that stands in his way is an obstacle and no different than the wild hunt itself to him. I believe he would resort to violence even when it comes to gathering information about the hunt. He also feels the fact the the hunt would go after his loved ones is his fault. I assume the hunt is going after his loved ones, because that is how they got to him the first time by snatching Yennefer.

 

[Pedrolago]

@caspartine I absolutely agree, once in a while we should be able to look a wounded enemy in the eye as he says "Please master witcher... you know how it is...a man gets lonely during wartime...and we needed the supplies... please master witcher... have m m mercy...don't... please.." and as you look at the poor bastard lying there with his hand chopped off, you think of the little hamlet you're in, now sacked and burned by the poor bastard's gang of bandits, most of its inhabitants slaughtered in cold blood...and a girl(which you just saved from the poor bastard's lonely desires, and that for some strange reason looked just like Ciri a few seconds ago) lay there sobbing, horrified at sight of the bloody corpses of the poor bastard's companions, suddenly you realize there is no mercy in your heart for murderers and rapists, and with a swift move you rid the world of another bad soul, as you turn back at the girl she cowers away from you, but since you are no longer a young and naive witcher you know you can hardly expect the girl to show the blood covered cat eyed freak that just cut five bandits into bloody ribbon any gratitude, so you just get back on Roach, and set off, in search of the Wild Hunt.

Geralt is not a violent killing machine, for him the sword or a fight is always the last option
IMO it wouldn't do the books (or Geralt as described) justice and i don't know if i would like these animations

Tell that to the 8 bandits he killed in Brokilon, most of them were't even armed and had their pants down. Geralt is a kind hearted character but he was taught to kill without remorse in Kaer Morhem and so killing what he considers to be "bad guys" is just a reflex to him
BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD
at the end of the books he is tired of all the dying around him and is depressed because of the death of his friends, so he passes a burning hamlet without batting an eye, but if someone tried to hurt anyone next to him he would do what comes naturally to him and kill without mercy.
Like many other things in Sapkowski's universe Geralt's character is irony at its best, deep down he is a black and white person, he believes in good and bad, and always considered himself and other witchers to be "The Defenders of the People" thats why when people refused to pay him he just got angry and left instead of demanding it by the sword, but since the world is anything but black and white he is ends up being constantly tortured by his moral choices.