Developer Spotlight #2 - Damien Monnier

[Luxorek]

The game looks and sounds fantastic.

Thanks to @Kinley and all the lovely lads and ladies who translated this humongous piece into other languages! Love this community to bits.

 

[blameless75]

Wonder why I always see people speaking about dice poker. IMO Gwent looks way more immersive and based on collectibles and strategy rather than computer-generated pseudo-randomness. What's not to like?

 

[TemerianGirl]

Large wine glasses for large interviews! :victory:

Huge thanks to @Kinley and Damien for making this happen and of course to my fellow translators with all of you guys for all the patience. :heart:

Behind the scenes of this Q&A. It were a long nights.

Spoiler

P.S. Why am I seeing Marcin Iwiński in my mirror? I really need some sleep.

 

[lord_blex]

wow, that was a long read!

Will there be a possibility to restart your skills at some point in a game like in TW2?

Yes but you lose the things you have acquired from places of power.

so it looks like places of power give you permanent bonuses this time around? (like the ability "achievements" you got in witcher 2, I guess)

Is there any animation "drinking potions"?

No - having this during combat totally breaks the flow of the experience we want you to have. It's fast, it's challenging, you need to cast a spell, use an item, slice, etc. etc. - no room for "wait you guys, let me play my drinking animations”, AI would not care and totally own you. I know this works in other games but those games are a lot more hardcore than we are.

I still don't agree with this. they could have made an animation that lasts literally one second. I think that would still have a good realism/fun ratio. but I guess that's what mods are for

 

[misho8723]

Yeah, great read and great work from everyone involved in this..

But I'm sad that Geralt can swimm in cold waters now and it doesn't have any effect on him... before in interviews they were mentioning that If Geralt is too long in the water, he freezes to death.. and I have always found that as a nice detail

 

[OliverDK]

Great interview and some relevant questions that you don't find in normal interviews so great job to all for the good questions.
And of course big thanks to Damien and all those involved in organizing, translating and so forth. Well done indeed :victory:

 

[wichat]

I'm pleasantly obliged to let you notice my grateful to each and everyone who has participated in this huge work. Special thanks go out to CDPR, especially @Marcin Momot, @Sephira, @Baal_CZ, @BroccoliSouP, @guilhermecn, @TemerianGirl, @gregski and those whose I'm sadly missing

Et tous mes remerciement spéciaux pour Damien. Merci beaucoup. T'es très cool, je suis très heureuse que tu fasse partie de CDPR et en plus tes réponses ont été Superbes!

And well, @Kinley, you already know it

 

[Euskalduna]

My questions ??? where are their answer? ??? It is a great sad

 

[Scholdarr.452]

I know this works in other games but those games are a lot more hardcore than we are.

Haha, at least he finally acknowledged how casual they've become...

 

[GHOSTMD]

things like Cat (its effect being more similar to W2 than W1)

Oh man.... Damien you break my Heart really... how could you REDs. Let's hope it will not be (at last) the
fucking X RAY crap we had in TW2 .... please.... pretty please

STILL

A FAT THANK YOU TO YOU CDPR GUYS AND ALL THE PPL WHO TRANSLATE AND BROUGHT THIS Q/A UP

 

[Scholdarr.452]

Yeah, great read and great work from everyone involved in this..

But I'm sad that Geralt can swimm in cold waters now and it doesn't have any effect on him... before in interviews they were mentioning that If Geralt is too long in the water, he freezes to death.. and I have always found that as a nice detail

Yeah, same way as it works in AC Rogue...maybe mods can do the trick...

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

I'm honoured that my questions were included...and answered!!
Many thanks to Damien Monnier for providing very insightful information, and doing so with such humourous responses. Frankly, it was a joy to read.:happy:

Of course a big thanks go out to our friendly @Kinley bear for making this possible.

I would hug you, you know, but I guess thanks and REDpoints must suffice. :happy:

 

[ONLY_ONCE]

:comeatmebro:OMG! I can't believe you guys wrote all that and I read all that!
HaHa word, I have a nice sofa too, ugh.. I'm sorry to hear that your PC went tits up man
You and me both could use some extra parts I guess, I keep playing to win some cool ass PC's.
It's only a matter of time before I finally get lucky, right? Gotta play to win Thanks you guys for doing these things for all of us, very nice and kind of you all! <3

 

[DukeAlmighty]

I still don't agree with this. they could have made an animation that lasts literally one second. I think that would still have a good realism/fun ratio. but I guess that's what mods are for

Exactly my thoughts, if the animation is quick, you can roll away from danger, take quick potion and go back in.

 

[Darkhollow]

Thank you Kinley and Damien for that huge Q&A..it was really insightful!

Now..*checks the date* SEVENTEEN MORE DAYS!!!!

 

[wichat]

All I need now is...a pre-load date!

 

[Drirlake]

Still no confirmation on Roche or Ioverth being in the game??? Not even a single question about that:-[:-[:-[:-[

 

[Scholdarr.452]

Exactly my thoughts, if the animation is quick, you can roll away from danger, take quick potion and go back in.

Or just scrap the potions during combat altogether. There is a reason why something like that has no place in fantasy outside of video games...

 

[Mezziaz]

Thanks a lot Damien and rest of the team at CD Projekt RED and to all who posted their questions!

However the answer below annoys the hell out of me.

AK-616 asked:
Is there any animation "drinking potions"?

No - having this during combat totally breaks the flow of the experience we want you to have. It's fast, it's challenging, you need to cast a spell, use an item, slice, etc. etc. - no room for "wait you guys, let me play my drinking animations”, AI would not care and totally own you. I know this works in other games but those games are a lot more hardcore than we are.

The AI wouldn't care you say? Yes, exactly! That should be my punishment for not preparing properly and drinking my potions before combat which means I have to make some room between me and my foes (by perhaps staggering them with Aard) before I can pop my potion. It makes a risk/reward system while also increasing immersion. Also I have always found The Witcher to be among the more hardcore RPG franchises, you're saying it isn't anymore!?

 

[Riven-Twain]

I complimented @gregski 's question when he first posted it, and I still do. It's an interesting topic, which could be pursued at length; however, I liked Damien's response: he chose a nice, clear example of something which would annoy us, if the game were too real.

gregski asked:
What is your take as a gameplay designer on the inevitable realism vs. fun vs. functionality dilemma when you design game's mechanics? What is your thought/design process when you face a challenge like this? Any specific examples of such challenges during TW3's development?

Realism is good sometimes, with simulator games… That's their strength really but for us it makes no sense to have a boat that is affected by wind changes. We are not a boat simulator, and it would be annoying if you need to go somewhere quickly but cannot because the wind hasn't changed for a few days. That was a no brainer and it's often the case with our discussions with realism vs gameplay, if you put yourself in the shoes of the player and something is annoying, frustrating or doesn't make sense, then it needs some rethinking.

It is a fair reminder that, sometimes, too much realism can be a hindrance to the enjoyment of entertainments. So long as the outward semblance of reality is maintained, to create a convincing illusion, we may dispense with the more mundane, and wearisome, details, for the sake of the game, purely as a game.