http://multiplayer.it/articoli/147614-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-lo-strigo-sta-arrivando.html
Some bits from this italian preview, they played January build.
The work done in the studios of Warsaw was indeed incredible and with each new advance, it does nothing but increase the hype for a title on both PC and console, which is intended to set the standard of vision for the coming years to come. Between primary and secondary quests you can get to overcome 200 hours of playing to spend immersed in a huge virtual world, peppered with hundreds of NPC, battles and quests to accomplish, to shed light on the final chapter of the saga of the witcher.
They had 3 hours available to fully live the fascinating atmosphere of Wild Hunt testing the gameplay, the mission structure, a hint of the plot and admiring the majestic technique ensured by portentous RED Engine 3. Combat system's old problems emerged, although improved compared to the past, still suffers from several problems related to the hits feedback and the management of the camera, as well as a dirt background interaction with the environment surrounding Geralt, both on foot and on horseback sections. They cannot do anything but confirm these doubts, but now as then their eyes are delighted. The work done in terms of polygon wealth is incredible, on PC as well as on consoles, confirming once again the ability of developers when it comes to sheer magnificence graphics. The environments are varied and well-diversified, as well as the NPC, the fauna and flora that will surround the travels of Geralt riding his trusty mare.
As Monnier already said, these 3 additional months were needed to clean and further refine the title, pointing to the maximum of the potential to hit the stores with the confidence to give players the best possible The Witcher 3 . The latest news were pretictable: the two console versions required more work in terms of cleanliness, the need for developers to meet with the available hardware. If on the PlayStation 4 they have managed to keep the full HD resolution up while working on optimization, on Xbox One had to stop at 900p to avoid excessive drops in fremerate and problems of fluidity in the most hectic situations or when loading new locations in a huge world. However the decision to get even on the home console did not affect in any way the team on the decision of what to put in the title.
Monnier:
"We have first of all thought of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as a PC game, by far the most stable and performing among those available to us and on which we could start working right away without having to wait for the precise specifications and prototypes of the new console. Once we set up the structure of the game and gave birth to what we wanted to become The Witcher 3, we bother to carry it all on PS4 and Xbox One, but without allowing them to restrict or would influence in some way. What you see on the PC there will be on consoles, with some compromises. "
Despite everything, however, the work on Xbox One version surprised the journalists positively, supporting once more the quality of the work of finishing and optimization done by the developers. The view is nice, the action smooth and without delays, with some minor texture and particle effects that pay the higher price.
Speaking of PC version, they can admire a true visual delight, although as usual they couldn't change the settings. They know for sure that the version shown ran at 1080p, not on maximum detail, probably a matter of stability of a build which is not final yet, and the result was absolutely amazing. The differences between PC and other party console, although repeating they are also a beautiful sight, are clear. Journalists can only imagine how Wild Hunt will push the limit on PC. The PC used were equipped with a GeForce GTX 980 and G-Sync monitors, but we have to wait the final version to have an idea of what it takes to finally push it to the maximum of detail.
They are super hyped about the expected longevity, 200 hours to do everything, that will put gamers in front of colorful characters, credible NPC, fascinating cities, tons of quests and especially a series of decisions that will irrevocably change the campaign.
Then some bits about Monnier conversation with the journalists:
About choices and consequences:
"Making decisions can have very important effects on the development of the story, but unlike other titles The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is designed in a way you'll never know if at that very moment you're going to take a decision with an utmost importance, or are you just choosing something that will not impact Geralt's future. You could talk to a waitress, having a cordial conversation, but after your meeting she could talk to other people or do certain actions that will set in motion a chain of unpredictable events, regardless of whether it will manifest only after coming to another city, or when you come back to visit her later. The key is just that all dialogs are presented to the same manner and that you can not figure out in advance where they will end up. Everything is designed to create a gaming experience more realistic and organic, as in real life: you do not know who the person you are meeting and what effects it could have in your life; if you do not like the person at first sight or you meet it in a wrong time, you'll give it little attention, otherwise you'll starts to argue with her/him and perhaps something that you never thought will come out. I think the beauty of this system is by far the lack of predictability and the fact of not having sharp differences on what is right and what is wrong. Only continuing the adventure you will really account the consequence of their actions."
About the ton of work they did in these years.
"We are very tired, not only me, going back and forth in all Europe to present the title to the press, but also my colleagues in Warsaw. We spent a lot of energy to be able to completing the title in time with the dates we announced previously, but also working at a fast pace we had to postpone it still three months to adjust and refine many aspects as possible. What is important for us and for our fans is that The Witcher 3 will hit the stores in the way we wanted it to be from the beginning. Ultimately then yes, we are tired, very tired but it is not over yet. "
About DLCs.
"For us it is an important aspect because it allows us to expand the gaming experience to our liking with ideas that came to mind during the development process, but when the title was already in an advanced state of developing. We are first of all players, and what we want is that anyone who has bought the game can also enjoy the additional parts. It is not the fault of the player if these additions we came to mind in an advanced stage of development and we have not had time to implement them in final version, and it is for this reason that we offer you the opportunity to download, play and njoy them with full freedom. For us it is a way of adding further value to our product. According to our philosophy, we get paid once the game is purchased, and even in this case we try in every way to meet the players, even exposing economically against our interests. All our games are DRM free therefore they potentially can be illegally copied and distributed without restriction, but until now it worked well then we have no intention of imposing players protections or force them to make other extra purchases making their life hard."
