The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - An Open Letter

[Pajkes]

Well, since I'm a mod, I'd laugh evilly. Of course.

In any case, there is a big difference between reasonable expectations of promises and those that are deserved. When Marcin said there wouldn't be in any more delays, it was his -to him- reasonable belief that the game was on schedule. At least, his stated belief.

But there is no way he could foresee what would come up months and months later. And there is no way for him to totally control what happens on such an ambitious undertaking.

This is not like when you promise to take out the garbage. Or promise to be faithful to your girlfriend/boyfriend.

This is much more complex. And much easier to get wrong.

It's why so many creative entities just don't make those kind of statements - certain fans will take them as the equivalent of guarantees and become quite upset if they turn out to be less than accurate. For whatever reason.

SHould they have said, "no more delays"? Probbbably not. Will they next time? Probbbbaly not. So next time it will probably be, "well, we'll be done when we're done."

Arguably they are already doing that - note how very, very closemouthed they are on CP2077. And I suspect that is for the best.

IMO they should only show in their videos what will certainly make to the final game and give only information that they know will reflect game on release.I hate when Bioware shows me bunch of stuff in their videos and then delay game for a whole month only to cut those things and give zero shit and touch to PC controls.I know CD Projekt Red is not Bioware (and I'm immensely grateful for that) but they should (I can't force them of course and anyone who attacks me because I allegedly force them to do something is silly) give us more info about:

1)game's current state
2)what caused delay
3)and will it have impact on game and if yes in which way (aka will there be visual downgrade,cut areas and so on).

 

[glesson.685]

But there is no way he could foresee what would come up months and months later. And there is no way for him to totally control what happens on such an ambitious undertaking.

This is much more complex. And much easier to get wrong.

Exactly. That's why they need a better PR strategy. A big part of their fanbase is concerned with the game's development. The fans shouldn't feel entitled, but a good relationship demands that. The best way to calm everyone is to announce a live stream, so we can see the game at it's present state. During development a project can change drasticly in just a couple of weeks. I've been there. And it certainly doesn't do them justice with quotes like: "This is not our first game; we are not newbies.", which was said during the may delay announcement. It can happen to any developer with big ambitions and they have only themselves to blame for the backlash after the last trailer.

 

[dasega]

Dear CDPR,

Please remember ancient polish saying " z drugiej strony nie ma sie co za duzo pierdolic" so don't over do it.

:listen:

 

[ChrisGamer300]

Well i guess it's a relief and i'm happy to hear it, delay it to 2020 and i don't care just for FFS make a good game of it and fix all texture glitches, smoother animations, bugs or whatever it is.

I'm trying to forget the first time i watched the Elder Blood trailer, Never again !

 

[Scholdarr.452]

They could at least comment on whether all initially announced features are still into the game (epect the already cut VATS feature). Or is that too much to ask for confirmation whether the game got better or worse in various elements since the initial announcement?

 

[Jack Bauer 24]

I'm still concerned.
I mean, rushing it out the door certainly isn't a good thing, but the fact that we're seeing multiple delays certainly isn't a good sign either as it suggests shoddy organization.
If it was a good thing, Duke Nukem Forever would've been the best game in existence.

This is going to end up being another Skyrim.

 

[rawwar]

Very sad about this delay as I have been looking so forward to this game and with the (for me) disappointment that was DA:I February 24th couldn't have come soon enough.

What bothers me most is the vague description in why the game has been delayed. It concerns me. I cannot help but feeling that this is (and I admit I am purely speculating) a console specific delay that we PC gamers just have to accept and suffer through. I actually think the game could have been released on February 24th for PC without issues. I don't believe for one second that PC gamers will benefit one bit from this delay.

I base this on that I have read in several articles and seen in several interviews linked in the interviews and article subject on this forum that the game was "done" and they were really ONLY working on optimization for all platforms (especially to get the game running on consoles). This are OLD articles. They have also stated that they can run the game fine on PC on high settings with GTX 660 and 680 - even in heavier developer version than the actually game will be.

My feeling is therefor and especially with the recent outcry of downgrade from the new trailer, which I think surprised CDPR a bit, that the game doesn't run very well on consoles yet and the graphic fidelity people expected on consoles is suffering severely from it and they feel they have to improve that.

As mention I feel that those people playing on PCs that think this will delay will give them a better gaming experience in regards to better gameplay or gaming mechanics is sadly mistaken.

A thousand times this.

 

[JonTheHuman]

Boy, this sure is doing a number on my anxiety issues... but seeing the ridiculous amount of bug laden games that have been coming out lately the delay is probably for the best. Good luck CDPR, hope it turns out like we all want it to.

 

[Geralt_of_bsas]

Would you be so kind to not put words in my mouth because that's NOT[/B ]what I said.

I said that if you promise something and you fail to deliver, your future promises shouldn't be regarded as much trustworthy and also SOMETHING and I don't know what caused second delay.If you come out with plan for dlcs,promise to all major gaming outles and fans that there will be no more delays and all of the sudden you delay it for 3 more months then SOMETHING I repeat caused it.

Also Bioware promised and even showed and marketed bunch of things for DA:I and they are not in the game (one of them is keep customization,not for skyhold but for other) and now with their track record (and their BS how DA:I is for PC gamers and they even made entire video about it) I don't believe them anything.

It's not about delay for fuck's sake cause as long as I'm concerned if game needs 1 year more than fine.It's about trust,promises and whether now ANYTHING they said about game should be believed.

I love CD Projekt RED as next guy but don't mix that with mindless fanboyism.I'm raising questions (I'm not alone btw.) and so far devs have yet to make single reply and that also speaks something cause they usually would reassure us and make further clarifications.

We are waiting.....(and yes I'm entitled to this opinion as much as bunch of you will attack me with typical phrase - you're not entitled....how would you feel if I said to you that you're not entitled to tell anyone whether he/she is or isn't entitled to demand something).

Bioware is not a good example for this, they have a known history of "lying" and turning things around, many times not even telling people until they find it themselves while playing. Thats opposite to CDPR's situation, CDPR often said things, they did them and then later they do even more than what they said.

Just pointing that, im worried about the game too and im not a fanboy either.

@Crivil yeah i thought of it but its more the intro released before, than an actual specifically made trailer, but if you want to count it go ahead , we need 1 more trailer.

 

[rawwar]

They could at least comment on whether all initially announced features are still into the game (epect the already cut VATS feature). Or is that too much to ask for confirmation whether the game got better or worse in various elements since the initial announcement?

Are you crazy? This is way too much!

We should be thankful that we got at least an apology.

 

[Scholdarr.452]

Exactly. That's why they need a better PR strategy. A big part of their fanbase is concerned with the game's development. The fans shouldn't feel entitled, but a good relationship demands that. The best way to calm everyone is to announce a live stream, so we can see the game at it's present state. During development a project can change drasticly in just a couple of weeks. I've been there. And it certainly doesn't do them justice with quotes like: "This is not our first game; we are not newbies.", which was said during the may delay announcement. It can happen to any developer with big ambitions and they have only themselves to blame for the backlash after the last trailer.

Exactly. They acted like they were the best devs ever and they promised features based on a very early alpha version without any actual backup that these features would ever make it to the final game. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious but you should care a bit how you communicate that. Being too confident on a fragile basis causes dangerous hype in the end while being a bit more modest and humble could even blow people out of the water...

I think part of the whole problem is that they really overstretched marketing in the past few months and people get tired of hearing the same promises and ambitious statements again and again without any actual proof and without actually answering the direct questions of the fanbase. Being sketchy and vague and a bit snooty at the same probably isn't the best combination...

 

[Crivilnite]

@Geralt_of_bsas just making sure you have your numbers right (and keeping a bit of light theme in this so seriuos thread), señor argentino.

 

[shinobi2u]

View attachment 8332

It returns.....

In all seriousness though, I'm glad to see that they're aware that they aren't going to reach their goal and reacting ahead of time. Take the time you need REDs, I'll still be here waiting in antici......

 

[Jack Bauer 24]

I'm still concerned.
I mean, rushing it out the door certainly isn't a good thing, but the fact that we're seeing multiple delays certainly isn't a good sign either as it suggests shoddy organization.
If it was a good thing, Duke Nukem Forever would've been the best game in existence.

They could at least comment on whether all initially announced features are still into the game (epect the already cut VATS feature). Or is that too much to ask for confirmation whether the game got better or worse in various elements since the initial announcement?

For being an "open letter " to the fans, it wasn't so open was it?

 

[Dilber]

They could at least comment on whether all initially announced features are still into the game (epect the already cut VATS feature). Or is that too much to ask for confirmation whether the game got better or worse in various elements since the initial announcement?

I would actually agree with this. They could couch it with language like "implemented" or "still in progress", which implies which features are already complete and which might still be cut.

 

[Geralt_of_bsas]

I remember when the first delay happened we somehow ended up with information of what they told their shareholders about it, waiting for that to happen again...

But they should give us more information if they can, for their best and our best honestly.

 

[DukeAlmighty]

I guess we can say thx to kids from the Downgrade thread.. oh well for sure this delay wont hurt the game, so maybe it's good.

 

[HeelPower]

CDPR learned from the multiple fiascos of broken games released this year : Assassin's Creed Unity, Drive Club, Lords of the Fallen to name a few

They're not willing to face a disastrous launch with The Witcher 3.Good,realistic decision.

 

[Medy89]

I support the idea of not rushing the game,but this also makes me worry. May 19th still sounds good to me. Im kinda amused they pulled the " the good developer " card again ... Lets just hope it was the last one they really needed.

 

[Sardukhar]

They could at least comment on whether all initially announced features are still into the game (epect the already cut VATS feature). Or is that too much to ask for confirmation whether the game got better or worse in various elements since the initial announcement?

Yeah, I think we'd all like a list of features that are/aren't in. That doesn't seem to unreasonable and maybe we'll see that in the next month or two.

From a PR standpoint, it's tricky. If you announce a bunch of cut features, people go into it'sdoomeditsdoomeditsdoomed mode. And maybe not without reason.

But if you cut them to improve the game, and it works, it's smarter to tell people..but not until they can play it and see how well it works.

I,too, would like a list of details a la Pajkes, although we can probably do some math ourselves:

1)game's current state
2)what caused delay
3)and will it have impact on game and if yes in which way (aka will there be visual downgrade,cut areas and so on).

1)Unfinished, but about 5 months from completion? So...where is that, typically, in big RPG development cycle? Quests being fixed, even added or removed? Still pre-polish. Probably working on what, combat and things like riding, boating still? All art assets in game, NPCs in and being worked on?

2)Well, logically, an insufficiency of something. Not fun enough, not pretty enough, dialogue was weak. GIven that they added three MONTHS, probably more than one thing.

3)I'm sure it will. And this is what is scary, yeah. At least it has delayed the game - hopefully to make it what it was going to be. If it was just a matter of cutting an area,I can't see adding three months. That kind of time smacks of a wider overhaul.

I think...I think combat needed work and quests needed major polishing.

I HOPE...I hope that they had a long hard conversation over the last few days and decided that they were NOT going to do what they did in WItcher 2 and make the last chapter os abrupt, but instead spend A LOT MORE money and add three months to the dev cycle and give us that last chapter we begged for in Witcher 2.

Everyone remember - this three months is going to be really, really expensive for CDPR. It may cost us some patience and weaken our faith, ( although it should arguably strengthen it), but it's going to cost them a looooot of money.

So you can bet they did this only out of dire necessity. For good or ill.