Gameplay mechanics I want to see in "The Wicher 4"

[ImagiR_UA]

Dear developers.
In the 3rd part of The Witcher, preparation for hunting on different opponents was not thoroughly worked out. All missions were solved simply by using the sword! But the difference between whether is: to go to attack a person, a humanoid-like monster, a big beast, a huge monster or an armored target like a troll or a stone golem, there is a significant one. Therefore, I propose in the next part of game work out damage with various types of weapons to various opponents. A cleaver against the armor to be broken, a saber or katana against light armor or flesh that can be cut precisely, a sword is a universal solution, a spear or halberd against a massive "boar". And sometimes it may be necessary to craft a trap and this will be the only possible option to get through mission without injuries.

The second point is drugs and poisons. I did not notice practical influence by it in the game process. Yes it does more damage but that's all. Enemy behavior practically does not change. It would be cool that without knowing recipe and how to use it against the enemy, it would be mostly almost critical. In addition, I still remember a story, in the beautiful first part of Barldur’s Gate, with poor-quality iron for armor and weapons, which made them fragile and short-lived. It is possible good idea to use such a mechanic when applying particularly toxic recipes to weapon and armor make equipment become worthless. Then there would always be a dilemma - to damage or even destroy a quality blade or use a cheap one. And then the usage of optional and low-level weapons as consumables would not as purely cosmetic and useless option as after the beginning of the Witcher 3. Perhaps (as a plot hint), in the 4th part of The Witcher, creatures will be more adaptive to drugs and poisons you had so now it is necessary to use more toxic ones?

The third. The fight. Especially the witcher’s fight, which is described as a dance. The basis of the dance is rhythm. Each pack of movements has its own. The first part of The Witcher has a part of this. As a pro dancer, I propose to add simple combos in way to add the essence: of which part of the body is better to use as a leading one after performing one blow to get another blow ideally effective in chosen style. In the 3rd part of game Geralt inflicts blows options by himself and it was pleasant for me as a player to watch them (and let it be so), but I didn’t feel much like a participant in the battle-dance itself. What am I proposing? Start studying all movements during training (namely visually) when and where it is possible to effectively maintain the rhythm of the battle and / or redirect it to the desired style/way. Using: arm / arms, legs or body. Yes, I understand - this is a new three corresponding keys additionally in the process of pressing the main attack. Additionally, player could choose his battle style with various opponents in the settings (similar to the alchemy or character management section). For example, choose which hit to take first and from it go further in battle. Also, to study the records by the battle technique on different weapons and with different opponents (as an option from the Witcher diaries) and battle styles will automatically improve giving the player more various techniques in battle. Here is an additional motivation to explore the world - to master all battle techniques, to become an absolute master! It may be worth a little slowing down the start of some shots to make it easier for a player to make decisions. But don't let this bother you. As a pro dancer, I can assure you that the effect of the speed of the performed movement is achieved by its speed at the end. Even a slow movement, accelerated at the end, feels fast. Especially when the limbs are used at the end: particularly arms and head, but also legs.
Best regards!

(Sorry for my English. Google translation.)

[Edited -- SigilFey]

 

[JonnesTT]

Imma take this as the start for a discussion thread of what we want
So here I go blatantly throwing my opinion out there:

I think the most important part of a Witcher game might just be time to prepare for a fight. So I wholeheartedly agree at the point of enemy and weapon differences. Maybe making enemies actually harder to kill for badly prepared players (as seen with the bigger wraiths outside of yrden) would make it a bit more interesting to hunt down something. Though the Idea of needing completely new weaponry seems kind of cumbersome to me, especially when you talk to some ghost of five minutes and suddenly a pesta attacks you without the chance to prep properly.
Maybe boiling the preparation down to slather some oils on your blade and quickly gulp down a potion was a good Idea BUT those things need to feel like they do something from the start. (nexus mods Oils UpdaTTed might be one of many inspirations for this... yes I made that one...)
Oh and... that thing with silver swords... just why?

I would also like to second the fight as a dance aspect. I did HEMA for a good time and I can definitely say fights do feel a bit like a dance... a dance with a very dominant partner who wants to kill you
Witcher 3s fights in comparison seemed very choreographed (less so against humans, prolly just because they almost never come at you alone) but with very quick attacks so learning an enemy's attack pattern and dancing AROUND them was more valuable than actually reacting and dancing WITH the enemy. I would like to keep attacks quick (to make the player feel the danger of being a witcher) but maybe have them "announced" with small visual things or minuscule movements that only a witcher (or trained fighter in general) would see ^^.
And on that topic, in my experience players don't seem to like tough enemies as much as they like dangerous enemies. Y'know just getting one shot is not a real problem if you fight for 30 seconds but if you hack away at an enemy for 30 minutes and suddenly drop... you're gonna be frustrated. So instead of scaling enemy armor, health and damage (raw stats basically) for difficulty, we might scale their attack animation speed up or add/remove small bonuses for difficulty. For example, "just the story" enemies might still kill you with 2 hits but every time an enemy attacks you, time is slowed by 50 percent "as your Witchers reflexes activate".

Oh... and levels... The player comes to Velen: lvl 4-5; enemies in starting area of Velen lvl 9-11 that... that just doesn't feel fair. Maybe levels having less of an impact on stats or if the focus is purely on exploration and witcherly freedom just having no levels outside of a bonus skillpoint ever 2k XP (No Levels Mod seems to prove that this works but with a downside of feeling a bit lost)

Oh and NG+, I'm sorry but Witcher 3s NG+ is a joke. Everything you had before NG+ becomes basically useless (increasing much of signs and signs skills) and the difficulty increases a good bit... that could have been just a difficulty setting. My Idea would be to keep Oils (at least T1), most alchemy and crafting recipes and keep Gwent cards.
Generally, I'm kinda surprised with how little Witcher 3 starts you out, you need to craft bombs to start destroying monster dens, no Oils (which means enemies need to be balanced around not having oils... yay...), half of a propper gwent deck and about 10 or more cards that you just need to replace because they are just plain bad. How about start us out at a good point and instead of growing in strength for the first 10 lvls just start with the growing in choice part?

Grandmaster armor, ok, that one's a big problem of me personally. I played about 140h in my first playthrough and hat my grandmaster bonus up for 20 maybe 40 of those hours. Can't we break the first tier of the bonus down in 5 smaller bonuses that give you an effect for every upgrade stage? (so every Feline t1 would give 2% crit dmg, Feline t2 would give 4% up to grandmaster t5 which would give the full 10% crit damage per piece and in addition, you'd get the more active maxed bonus for wearing the full kit of grandmaster gear)

Overall I think all players can agree that we wanted better-polished mechanics from Witcher 3 than we got, though an expertly crafted personal story and mod support still made it the game of the decade somehow.

 

[RecedingMouse7]

I like your ideas!

 

[Aerondight.]

I would like to see a bit more complexity and creativity as well as a more challenging battle system. It would suck to lose your weapon like your sword for example during a battle, but cool to be creative to transition to using other means like hand to hand combat or picking up a random item and find a way to win. Kinda reminds me of Goblin Slayer with the preparations and killing by any means. You can then pick up your weapon again during/after the fight or craft it if completely lost or broken.

It would be nice to have proper enemy scaling as well and not have a single human one shot you to death! I feel it so stupid to be one shotted by a random guard, unless youre on a similar level like another witcher. Let humans have strength in numbers attacking simultaneously making the fight challenging in a proper more realistic way. Its acceptable in the beginning of the game but once you start leveling, then it should start shifting.

It would be nice to have a game thats very challenging but doesnt depend on one shotting you all the time. Most boss battles like Olgierd, Eredin, etc. were pretty amazing, enjoyable and challenging. Then you get one shotted by bandit or a dog.

 

[KeiseiGyakuten]

I would really want to see the ice skating, that didn't make the cut for the Witcher 3, being ported to the Witcher 4.

 

[Guest 4402625]

Hi there,

English is not my native language so bear with me please,

I would like to put my two cents in, I am an old school gamer, I I've been playing video games since early 90's. And RPGs was always my favourite genre.

First of all The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece game, it is the most immersive game I have ever played, period.

That been said, the only issue for me was the combat. First of all the game's combat system has nothing to do with RPG. Don't get me wrong I am not saying this as a bad thing. But I would prefer a combat system fed by RPG mechanics. In Witcher 3, it doesn't matter what level you are or what stats you have, no matter what, you just hit everything. No matter what, you block everbody and you can dodge every attack. Even if you play on Death March difficulty you were able to kill everything without a challenge.

But the thing is, I also love action style, realistic and aesthetic combat system. But there is so much lacking elements in TW:3 combat system in terms of timing, rhythm, combo and diversity.

In action style combat, the game must have combos. And if you want to trigger combos, you should attack in certain rhythm, you should also attack with precise timing and direction, you shouldn't just smash buttons, . Also game's combat system must have diversity, for example TW:3 has only one way of counter attack. And after a while it become boring.

For example, despite the fact that AC:Brotherhood 5 years older than TW:3, it had at least 5 different way of counter attack and they were way beautiful and way aesthetic than TW:3. You could counter with kicks or you could counter with disarming or you could counter with headbutt etc etc....In Witcher 3 you just hold left mouse click and Gerald kils anything on his way. It just doesn't matter what your stats are, because there is none. And there was very limited way of attacking it was all the same.

The perfect combat system for me should consist of a combination of action mechanics and rpg combat mechanics. If you want to dodge, should invest on your dexterity, or if you want to block then you should invest on STR or defence. If you want to hit everything then you should invest on your accuracy..so on.

Your finger speed should matter only after you develop your character the way you want to play, and than you should watch beautiful and become diversified combat animations. Not the other way around.

 

[0xc0defeed]

Ciri as a playable character, with skills similar to those in her quests in Witcher 3. Also, maybe the Heliotrope sign for Geralt?

 

[nshatokhin]

Physically correct arrows for bow

 

[CyberBobber]

But the thing is, I also love action style, realistic and aesthetic combat system. But there is so much lacking elements in TW:3 combat system in terms of timing, rhythm, combo and diversity.

Thats basically KCD series, you need to think about your distance, if you want to get your combos in, or perfect block or dodges, you gotta get the rythm/timing right etc.

I wouldnt mind if CDPR took some ideas from Middle Earth Shadow of War. More hack and slash style combat. If they find a way to combine "dance + hack and slash" that would be fun. Typically hack and slash games are more "straight-forward" if you know what I mean, if they manage to put "circling" into it, it might be a hit. Lets become ballet dancers. DAMN, I just realized EA did it with Star Wars, right. Its harder and harder to innovate combats. Thats why they should do two combat!

Btw. i watched the TV-show. I think those crypth fights were pretty cool, dudes goes in, drinks some elixir and the fight is on. Arena System basically.

 

[1999waves]

jousting pls

 

[Aerondight.]

I recently started playing a very old game called Dragons Dogma and the story might not be the best but damn! The battle system is pretty amazing to me. I feel like this is how the witcher battle system should have been. Im pretty new to the game but on my 2nd playthrough I thought I got the hang of things and went to an area full of monsters. (Didnt go 1st playthough cuz the recommended level was at least lvl50 and finished the game before that). Anyways, went in there and thought I prepared enough with strength/magic boosts, curatives, updated weapons, etc. and used up most of it even before I got to the boss fight. When I got to the boss, I had exhausted all my inventory and I wasnt even half as close to beating it. I continued to try and beat it but decided it was just going to take too long so I escaped. I prepared even better I thought, went back and it was a different set of enemies this time. But I didnt exhaust my inventory until i got to the boss, and I was able to deal more damage and be more patient this time. This was just one area and not the final boss. Youre able to grab some curatives around the area to kind of get you through until you can fully prepare again.

I wasnt on max lvl and not on hard yet but I love the challenge it gave! I thought the witcher should have this level of preparation. The enemy could blind or put you to sleep, and if you dont have a party member to help you out then you could get killed while debilitated. Even if you did have cures, if you run out then youre in trouble. But youre not totally screwed cuz you have an item to use to escape.

Another amazing thing about that game that I would like to see implemented in the new game is that youre able to recruit another players character online that they made into your party. So you get to create your own character and your main companion. You can max out and play all the different builds like warrior, magic archer or sorcerer, etc. and recruit 2 other character to join your team that other players made that you feel would fit your team. Then you can part ways with them and give them a gift and comment on their creation. Definitely an underrated game for its time!

Anyways, imagine just walking around the witcher world and you see a cool looking witcher or sorceress and you invite them to join your party and they end up being better than you lol. You get to set how the character is if you want them to be aggressive and take on the strongest or be more on the support side and take on the weak ones while you concentrate on the strongest or on healing. I always take pride with my character when I get the notification they returned after an adventure with another player and they rank them good. Someone recently gifted me an exp boost and 5 star after getting help from my character. I thought that was a good gift, I usually give an apple for a bit of health.

This is kinda long but I would also like to custom create your character playstyle. Like you maybe able to get bonuses by being exclusively a cat or a griffon witcher, but you should be able to pick skills and customize your character. That way everyone will be unique. In dragons dogma, you might not be a mage or sorcerer but you can still use magic by the use of scrolls and grimoires and magic gems.

 

[Het87]

Last year I played for my first time Witcher III and I fall in love I want more and more but every game has a end. I tried to play Witcher 2 but this ain't an open world game, there is no jump key xD Generaly very ancient game with a good story.
It would be perfect if CDPR make remastered version of Witcher 1 and 2 in open world, based on mechanics of Wild Gone.
What do you think people about this idea? Maybe I should make a petition?

 

[pangagamer91]

I believe that the battle system is being hugely impaired, because the witcher has such as limited range of motions and equipment. Suggested actions would be to include side-stepping, crouching, vaulting, pivoting, and close quarters combat moves. I believe this would reinvigorate the battle system - in particular - against humans and non-humans, as hacking and slashing is more appropriate for monsters. And in addition to his massive swords, I think the witcher should be able to equipment daggers and/or throwing knives in his pockets so that he can carry out stealth and quick attacks. For instance, instead of always parrying attacks, the witcher could have the option to throw a knife at the wielders hand to force them to drop their weapon. Also, the wticher should definitely be able to crouch and walk up to enemies and perform a throat slash for stealth kills. Obviously this isn't assassins creed, however, I'm suggestion this for several reasons. Firstly, allowing for stealth and quick attacks with sub -weapons will lessen the durability lose of the main weapons as they degrade quickly. Secondly, the witcher isn't simply a monster slayer and sometimes takes on missions that require more finesse. For instance, in the witcher 3, you have the option when trying to rescue Dandelion to sneak onto Temple Isle and do a jail break. Obviously, this would be more entertaining and efficient if you could stealth your way through (at least partially). I also believe the witcher should be able to make better use of the environment in fights (especially against humans an non-humans) such as knocking enemies into crates and tables or bashing their head against a wall or post. When you rank up the witcher, but are still encountering weak henchmen type enemies, using your swords is barely worth it. I certainly spend more time fighting these kinds of enemies bare handed
and I think more players might do so as well, especially if they have additional options for CQC.

Aside from combat system improvement, other mechanics that I would like to see implemented in the game would be: mining, cooking, and rock climbing.

I suggested mining, because of the DLC quest Enchanting: Quality has its price. For the quest, Geralt has to mine jade for the runewright. I believe this is a highly desired mechanic for several reason including the fact that many players enjoy detail oriented mechanics, enchanting and crafting can get expensive and being able to harvest ores and minerals would be more cost efficient, not to mention you run into so many quest that require cave exploration and you find so many or veins.

I suggested cooking because you can find so many interesting ingredients in the world and freshly prepared food would provide better buffs and higher vitality regeneration. I've seen cooking spits, campfires, and stoves with frying pans in several areas so it makes sense for the witcher to be able to learn recipes and cook meals for himself. For the most part, you can just loot a bunch of consumables like water, bread, and grilled chicken sandwiches. However, those items have such low health regeneration they are nearly useless and potions are too toxic.

I suggested rock climbing because several missions (especially ones in Skellige) require you to traverse difficult and rocky terrain. And that whole loading screen tip about being able to latch onto cliffs while falling is false. I have never been able to do that, though you can control your sliding a bit when coming down mountains, However, most of the time the wticher falls to his death. I also think it'd be more interesting to travel along more out of the way areas instead of using pathways and stairways.

 

[cyfariel]

I would like new Witcher introduce true stealth mechanics with crtical hits and sneaking, more vertical level maps and agency.

 

[John_Russell]

Dear developers.
In the 3rd part of The Witcher, preparation for hunting on different opponents was not thoroughly worked out. All missions were solved simply by using the sword! But the difference between whether is: to go to attack a person, a humanoid-like monster, a big beast, a huge monster or an armored target like a troll or a stone golem, there is a significant one. Therefore, I propose in the next part of game work out damage with various types of weapons to various opponents. A cleaver against the armor to be broken, a saber or katana against light armor or flesh that can be cut precisely, a sword is a universal solution, a spear or halberd against a massive "boar". And sometimes it may be necessary to craft a trap and this will be the only possible option to get through mission without injuries.

The second point is drugs and poisons. I did not notice practical influence by it in the game process. Yes it does more damage but that's all. Enemy behavior practically does not change. It would be cool that without knowing recipe and how to use it against the enemy, it would be mostly almost critical. In addition, I still remember a story, in the beautiful first part of Barldur’s Gate, with poor-quality iron for armor and weapons, which made them fragile and short-lived. It is possible good idea to use such a mechanic when applying particularly toxic recipes to weapon and armor make equipment become worthless. Then there would always be a dilemma - to damage or even destroy a quality blade or use a cheap one. And then the usage of optional and low-level weapons as consumables would not as purely cosmetic and useless option as after the beginning of the Witcher 3. Perhaps (as a plot hint), in the 4th part of The Witcher, creatures will be more adaptive to drugs and poisons you had so now it is necessary to use more toxic ones?

The third. The fight. Especially the witcher’s fight, which is described as a dance. The basis of the dance is rhythm. Each pack of movements has its own. The first part of The Witcher has a part of this. As a pro dancer, I propose to add simple combos in way to add the essence: of which part of the body is better to use as a leading one after performing one blow to get another blow ideally effective in chosen style. In the 3rd part of game Geralt inflicts blows options by himself and it was pleasant for me as a player to watch them (and let it be so), but I didn’t feel much like a participant in the battle-dance itself. What am I proposing? Start studying all movements during training (namely visually) when and where it is possible to effectively maintain the rhythm of the battle and / or redirect it to the desired style/way. Using: arm / arms, legs or body. Yes, I understand - this is a new three corresponding keys additionally in the process of pressing the main attack. Additionally, player could choose his battle style with various opponents in the settings (similar to the alchemy or character management section). For example, choose which hit to take first and from it go further in battle. Also, to study the records by the battle technique on different weapons and with different opponents (as an option from the Witcher diaries) and battle styles will automatically improve giving the player more various techniques in battle. Here is an additional motivation to explore the world - to master all battle techniques, to become an absolute master! It may be worth a little slowing down the start of some shots to make it easier for a player to make decisions. But don't let this bother you. As a pro dancer, I can assure you that the effect of the speed of the performed movement is achieved by its speed at the end. Even a slow movement, accelerated at the end, feels fast. Especially when the limbs are used at the end: particularly arms and head, but also legs.
Best regards!

(Sorry for my English. Google translation.)

[Edited -- SigilFey]

To me the problem with that is it's no longer a Witcher game ..... The Trademark of a Witcher is the twin swords on their back. Stick with the twin swords and I'm a person that always plays as an archer in most games like Skyrim or Assassin's Creed.

And please no shields ..... Witchers don't use shields, that's what Quen is for .....

 

[cyfariel]

When talking about new gameplay mechanics never seen in a Witcher game I would like

1. dual steel/silver sword fighting
2. steel/silver chain fighting

 

[Sh1kN]

The witcher is already a game that stands out not with its mechanics, but with its storytelling.

 

[CyberBobber]

The witcher is already a game that stands out not with its mechanics, but with its storytelling.

You sure its going to happen? Game industry is shifting away from RP/story games imho. Lots of evidence. Unreal Engine 5 isnt exactly story teller engine either.

I played God of War PC couple month back and absolutely loved it. Wouldnt it be smarter to go with something like God of War instead of yet-another-open-world game. God of War went straight to top 5 of my whole life, thats 25+ year of gaming. Hundreds and hundreds of games.

 

[cyfariel]

You sure its going to happen? Game industry is shifting away from RP/story games imho. Lots of evidence. Unreal Engine 5 isnt exactly story teller engine either.

I played God of War PC couple month back and absolutely loved it. Wouldnt it be smarter to go with something like God of War instead of yet-another-open-world game. God of War went straight to top 5 of my whole life, thats 25+ year of gaming. Hundreds and hundreds of games.

I agree, better to work out better gameplay mechanics and quality quests than huge open world.

 

[CyberBobber]

I agree, better to work out better gameplay mechanics and quality quests than huge open world.

Thanks. We can assure ES6 is gonna be open world, Elden Ring just came, open world, KCD2 open world. Middle Earth 3 open world, etc. Lets hope its not too late to change Witcher 4. I love the visuals of God of War 4, and how unpredictable it was, you never knew what was around the corner.