List of changes and cut content from the May 2014 leaks (copied from Reddit)
FlyingScotsmanZA on Reddit compared the leaked documents with the game.I think it would be interesting to have a discussion about the changes.
I just copy/pasted it from Reddit. All credit goes to FlyingScotsmanZA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/39p2td/list_of_changes_and_cut_content_for_tw3_from_the/
"I thought the guys here would be interested in hearing what had changed and what was cut during the development of TW3. The game is out so I see no reason why we shouldn't be allowed to talk about the leaked content. Of course, I won't be spreading the leaked docs around because they're not my property. If you have strong google-fu you can still find the links on certain upload sites.
Also, please be aware that there are major spoilers in the text.
General:
This is what the original main quest looked like. Here are the original flashback, story recap and ending scenes.
I hope this was an interesting read for you guys. Part 2 will tackle some of the side quests in the prologue witch were changed quite heavily, details about a quest involving a sentient water hag, and more information about the monsters that were cut from the final version of the game."
FlyingScotsmanZA on Reddit compared the leaked documents with the game.I think it would be interesting to have a discussion about the changes.
I just copy/pasted it from Reddit. All credit goes to FlyingScotsmanZA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/39p2td/list_of_changes_and_cut_content_for_tw3_from_the/
"I thought the guys here would be interested in hearing what had changed and what was cut during the development of TW3. The game is out so I see no reason why we shouldn't be allowed to talk about the leaked content. Of course, I won't be spreading the leaked docs around because they're not my property. If you have strong google-fu you can still find the links on certain upload sites.
Also, please be aware that there are major spoilers in the text.
General:
- A Skelligan gwent deck was planned, but is not present in the final game. Michal Stec had completed concepts for the King Bran and Ermion cards. Cards that were going to be included were:
King Bran
Crach en Craite
Eist Tuirseach
Ermion|Mousesack
Draig Bon-Dhu
Madman Lugos
Holger Blackhand
Donar an Hindar
Udalryk
Hjalmar an Craite
Crach en Craite
Eist Tuirseach
Ermion|Mousesack
Draig Bon-Dhu
Madman Lugos
Holger Blackhand
Donar an Hindar
Udalryk
Hjalmar an Craite
- There was going to be a pig mask, in addition to the wolf, fox and bird masks.
- The bestiary looks as if it was originally similar to the ones in TW1 and TW2. You would have to read books to gain information about various monsters. For example, Beasts vol.1 would give the player info about the wolf, warg and white wolf. There were also books you could read that gave you damage bonuses against the various human enemies in the world, such as Skelligan Arms and Tactics for Skelligans, or Nilfgaardian Arms and Tactics for Nilfgaardians.
- Early in development, there were plans for mini-games revolving around darts, dice poker and drinking, and talk of Kinect and Smart Glass integration.
- Witcher Sense was originally called Focus Mode and was able to be used in combat. Perhaps this would have linked into the VATS-like “Vital Point” system they thought about during early development.
- Humorously, during the Alpha in 2013, the siren was used as the placeholder model for the griffin. This proved problematic however, because she would not fight and would die in one hit.
This is what the original main quest looked like. Here are the original flashback, story recap and ending scenes.
- A model for Iorveth was worked on and he was set to appear in Novigrad, along with other Scoia'tael, in a basement under a house in the nonhuman district. Geralt would see him playing his flute, using the same music from TW2, while sitting next to an Elven portal. Character descriptions for both Iorveth and Isengrim Faoiltiarna were also going to appear in the preliminary Prima guide. Why they were cut from the game is unknown, put it's not completely out there to suspect that either Iorveth or Roche would've helped you during the Battle at Kaer Morhen, depending on your Witcher 2 choices.
- Cerys’s production name was “Becca”, and Caranthir’s was “Canaris”. Ge'els' was strangely "wildhunt_geels", which could have meant that he was supposed to play bigger part in the story. There is also a flashback scene called "In Search for Ge'els", just like there are flashback scenes for "In Search for Imlerith" and "In Search for Caranthir".
- Mousesack is indeed Ermion, although no reason is given for his name change.
- Lambert was going to be able to die at Kaer Morhen. There is mention of his funeral pyre alongside Vesemir’s in the asset list.
- Someone called "Martin aka Hector Krafft-Ebbing" was meant to appear in the game, unfortunately his purpose is unknown.
- The Bloody Baron's original name was Phillip Wiley, perhaps hinting at a relation between him and Whoreson Junior (Cyprian Wiley). It’s also possible that he was going to be a rapist. There’s a flashback scene that would play depending on whether Geralt tells him that rapists deserve to die.
- A main character called the Inquisitor (Dragon Age reference?) was worked on. He would appear in No Man’s Land, and Geralt would have the choice to kill or spare him.
- At one stage in development, Uma was going to be called “Prune”. It was then changed to Ugliest Man Alive, or Uma for short.
- A quest called “Mine” was meant to take place in No Man’s Land. It’s possible that this is the Salt Mine quest that is mentioned in other design docs. This quest featured a few monsters which ended up being cut in the final version of the game as well.
- Another female main character called Blanka was supposed to have a quest in Novigrad. There was a story flashback detailing the outcome of the “operation”, either failed or successful.
- Originally, Caleb Menge had captured Margarita Laux-Antille. He could then be captured and given to Dijkstra, thus saving the barge with his treasure. Another option had Menge being set free, thereby saving Rita.
- Síle de Tansarville was listed as a main character. Unfortunately, there is no information about the role she would play. This is probably why her inclusion in the final game feels so insignificant. It's also possible that the same thing happened to Frangila Vigo and Margarita Laux-Antille, considering time was obviously put into their models and choice of voice actors, yet they show up for about 5 minutes.
- A main character called "Hern" was removed and meant to appear in Skellige. There is also mention of Hern’s Village and Hern’s House as possible locations.
- There are numerous other main quests which I don’t think made it into the main game either. ”Psycho” and “Casablanca” would take place in Novigrad. “Thralls” and “Heroes Mead” would happen in Skellige.
- The Wild Hunt was going to attack Novigrad. This was supposed to happen after the attack on Kaer Morhen. It's safe to say that this was replaced with the events on Skellige. There was also work being done on a destroyed main square in Novigrad, perhaps remnants of when the Wild hunt was supposed to attack there.
- It’s possible that “pregoebbels” and “goebbels” is the Battle Preparations quest. "Goebbels" could be a code name, similar to "Canaris" being Caranthir’s code name. Although why Goebbels was chosen as a code name is unknown. /u/bitscreed has an interesting opionion that makes more sense then mine.
If it was originally planned for the Wild Hunt to attack Novigrad then Goebbels could likely be a reference to Kristallnacht. A cavalcade of spectral riders attacking the city would be a perfect excuse for the Church of the Eternal Fire to enact a full-blown pogrom against the city's non-humans, much like how Goebbels exploited the shooting of Ernst vom Rath to incite a pogrom against German Jews.
- Fugas, the Slyvan you encounter during the Bald Mountain quest, was meant to be a secondary character, with a side quest where Geralt could either keep his secret, or tell the villagers about him. It’s possible that this was changed to the Allgod in the "A Greedy God" quest in Velen. This also ties in with the fact that the Sabbath scene was originally meant to be much darker than the one in the final game.
- There are also some notable changes to the ending story scenes. Originally, Ciri was to marry someone when she became Empress. If the North continued to fight and Emhyr died, General Voorhis was to become the new Emperor of Nilfgaard.
- There are several important side quests (SQ large) with interesting names, such as “KILLBILL”, “PIGS”, “SCOIATEL” and, humorously, “HATE FRUIT”, which don’t seem to have made it into the final version of the game. I guess vegetarians aren’t popular in Poland. If someone here can properly translate the Polish names for me, I'd gladly add them to the OP.
- Thanks to /u/anmr for some translations. I have no idea what the "War" (Wojna!), "Murderers (Mordercy)" or "Painting Collector (Kolekcjoner obrazów)" side quests would have been about. "Ghost Ship" (Statek widmo) might have had something to do with the ghost ship that can appear in Skellige. Konsylium is probably getting all the alies to Kaer Morhen.
- "Cursed Garden (Klątwa ogród)", "Master Blacksmith (Master kowal)", "Tower out of Nowhere (Wieża znikąd)" and "Lighthouse (Latarnia)" all probably appear in the game as "In Wolf's Clothing", "Master Blacksmith", "The Tower Outta Nowheres" and "The Phantom of Eldberg" respectively.
- An “Orgy Arena” was one of the locations mentioned during the development of the Sabbath quest on Bald Mountain. There is also mention of ritual suicides taking place, and the atmosphere in general sounds a lot darker. On a personal note, I'm disappointed that this never made it into the game. The whole cult around the Crones felt a bit off to me, and the fact that they cut quite a bit of content could be the reason for that.
- The tower on Fyke Isle was originally code named Popiel Tower. It’s safe to say that the side quest “A Towerful of Mice” was based off the legend of Popiel. This quest was also shown behind closed doors at E3 2014. There is also mention of Keira’s ‘boob physics’, which give me flashbacks to the hilariously terrible implementation in the first Witcher game.
As the legend goes, Prince Popiel ІІ was a cruel and corrupt ruler who cared only for wine, women, and song. He was greatly influenced by his wife, a beautiful but power-hungry German princess. Because of Popiel's misrule and his failure to defend the land from marauding Vikings, his twelve uncles conspired to depose him; however, at his wife's instigation, he had them all poisoned during a feast (she might have done it herself). Instead of cremating their bodies, as was the custom, he had them cast into Lake Gopło. When the commoners saw what Popiel ІІ and his wife had done, they rebelled. The couple took refuge in a tower near the lake. As the story goes, a throng of mice and rats (which had been feeding on the unburnt bodies of Popiel's uncles) rushed into the tower, chewed through the walls, and devoured Popiel and his wife alive. Prince Popiel was succeeded by Piast Kołodziej and Siemowit. On the shore of Lake Gopło stands a medieval tower, nicknamed the Mouse Tower; however, it cannot be the site of the events described in the legend as it was erected some 500 years thereafter.
- A manticore nest was meant to appear in Kaer Morhen. Manticore’s were also going to be enemies in the game.
- There was going to be a hidden passage way in the garden in Vizima. Where it would lead to is not specified. EDIT: Apparently this is in the game. I just never found it.
- Additional Nilfgaardian camps were set to appear near the Baron’s castle in Velen and near Ard Skellig in Skellige.
- Lara Dorren's grave is mentioned as location in No Man’s Land, possibly from one of the removed main quests.
I hope this was an interesting read for you guys. Part 2 will tackle some of the side quests in the prologue witch were changed quite heavily, details about a quest involving a sentient water hag, and more information about the monsters that were cut from the final version of the game."
