Thread: The Witcher 4 - Official Reveal Trailer


I'm a tad surprised, but then the author of that article is so leading in his interpretation of the Eurogamer interview that I had to laugh, to be honest. I've read the book series. Ciri eventually becoming a Witcher I don't find that much of a reach, and from a more practical perspective, if not Ciri, then who? Lambert? Eskel? Those dudes are decidedly one-note for the most part (Sapkowski isn't much when it comes to instilling personality in most of his characters).

I think a lot of people probably really would just want more Geralt, but honestly, they wrap up so much stuff in TW3, it's hard to see where they could go with it, given he stands off against so many big bads. The other route would be a different period, but it's unclear how or where that could go.

Ultimately at the end of the day, the project is a long way off, and albeit CP2077 didn't come out of the gate in the best state, CDP have turned it around since, so I think it is a case of wait-and-see on this one.

The more pressing case is the first Witcher Remake that is in the works, though my understanding is Fool's Theory are the development studio, with CDP playing more of a supervisory role. Would I be annoyed if they lost the sex cards? Not really, they were kind of cheesy tbh. However, changing up the combat and bringing the game up to and on Par with TW3 from a content perspective would be no bad thing. I did a restart of the enhanced edition a year or two back and goddamn that combat is rougher than a bear turd rolled in fish hooks.
 
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As has been mentioned before, Sapkowski doesn't give a fuck about CDPR's take on his work or videogames in general. You'll recall that before he was plenty pissed that he no received no royalties from CDPR's games because he opted for a one time payout. All because he arrogantly believed videogames were an inferior medium that would not turn a profit, but jokes on him. The Witcher games were a huge success and undoubtedly led to his work being known outside of Eastern Europe, a fact that causes him no small amount of anger.

It's a good thing he recently settled matters with CDPR and now receives a small percentage of their profit, but that in no way gives him any power over what content is released.
 
Yes, this is what I want from my Witcher game. Fighting sexism as Ciri. Looking forward to see how they'll tackle the difficult topics like gender and sexism.

GfO1T1zWEAAkQIa



It just keeps happening, bro.
 
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I'm a tad surprised, but then the author of that article is so leading in his interpretation of the Eurogamer interview that I had to laugh, to be honest. I've read the book series. Ciri eventually becoming a Witcher I don't find that much of a reach, and from a more practical perspective, if not Ciri, then who? Lambert? Eskel? Those dudes are decidedly one-note for the most part (Sapkowski isn't much when it comes to instilling personality in most of his characters)

There's plenty of lore reasons for why it's absolutely fucking stupid for her to go through the trial of grasses, but chief amongst them is the fact that it's wholly unnecessary. Ciri can just call herself a Witcher, she doesnt need to go through the trial. She has fucking god tier power, it's so dumb. It's clearly being done just to "validate" her as the first "REAL" female witcher(even though she wouldnt be). Gotta break that glass ceiling.
 
There's plenty of lore reasons for why it's absolutely fucking stupid for her to go through the trial of grasses, but chief amongst them is the fact that it's wholly unnecessary. Ciri can just call herself a Witcher, she doesnt need to go through the trial. She has fucking god tier power, it's so dumb. It's clearly being done just to "validate" her as the first "REAL" female witcher(even though she wouldnt be). Gotta break that glass ceiling.

And what exactly are her God Tier Powers?
 
What kind of game are you trying to play here dude? Just make your point.

It's a legit question. You just said that she doesn't need the Witcher powers, because she has her own and I wanted to know what they are exactly?
 
It's a legit question. You just said that she doesn't need the Witcher powers, because she has her own and I wanted to know what they are exactly?

You've read the books and played the game, man. She is incredibly powerful all her own. With what we know she can do in the books, and how they evolved her powers in TW3, she could do the job.

There is no need to complicate things by trying to bring in the Trial of Grasses.
 
To answer questions about Ciri's powers, she's a Source. According to the lore of Sapkowki's books, a Source is a person born with a natural affinity for magic, but oftentimes have difficulty controlling said abilities once they've bloomed. Unlike mages, who wield magic to create a desired effect, Sources are literal transmitters of arcane power but oftentimes have difficulty controlling these abilities, especially when their emotions get the better of them. Sources have been known to level towns and even castles, like what Pavetta (Ciri's mother) almost did if not for Geralt and Mousesack's intervention.

Many of the identified Sources in the book, such as Ciri and Pavetta, were descendants of the Elven sorceress Lara Dorren.
 
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You've read the books and played the game, man. She is incredibly powerful all her own. With what we know she can do in the books, and how they evolved her powers in TW3, she could do the job.

There is no need to complicate things by trying to bring in the Trial of Grasses.

Is Ciri powerful? Yes. She can move between worlds and flit about, but she isn't omnipotent and all-knowing. You might not think there's a case for her needing to have undertaken the trial of the grasses, however, the gameplay point of being able to do so means she's able to use Witcher Potions like Cat, (which she takes in the trailer) to help her see in the dark, which is invaluable, esp given she's hunting monsters.

At the end of the day, this is going to be a 60 - 100 hour+ RPG video game experience they're making, not a book, therefore there needs to be avenues for character progression, development and growth within the frame of that experience. It would be a pretty boring RPG if her powers/abilities at the start of the game don't remotely alter and her only upgrade path is purely equipment-based. So yeah, being able to make/use potions and cast spells would be handy from a gameplay perspective.

It astounds me that whenever people get righteous about stuff they never think to take the time to contemplate the 'why' of things from a gameplay development viewpoint beyond REEing about 'Woke' to the detriment of reason. I'm as 'Anti-Woke' as anyone here, but when it comes to media I at least make a modicum of effort to put some thought into the reasons behind things, versus default assuming that everything is wholly agenda-based in terms of its rationale.

I'm not a huge fan of the Coinslot/D&D RPG formula that defines the CRPG genre, given it always throws up the issue of enemy scaling and equipment redundancy (coupled with how that impacts sequels), however, it feeds into the skinner box that a lot of people enjoy, and I doubt CDP are going to radically shift from that tried and tested formula.
 
Is Ciri powerful? Yes. She can move between worlds and flit about, but she isn't omnipotent and all-knowing. You might not think there's a case for her needing to have undertaken the trial of the grasses, however, the gameplay point of being able to do so means she's able to use Witcher Potions like Cat, (which she takes in the trailer) to help her see in the dark, which is invaluable, esp given she's hunting monsters.

Ciri has already proven herself capable of hunting monsters without that.

At the end of the day, this is going to be a 60 - 100 hour+ RPG video game experience they're making, not a book, therefore there needs to be avenues for character progression, development and growth within the frame of that experience. It would be a pretty boring RPG if her powers/abilities at the start of the game don't remotely alter and her only upgrade path is purely equipment-based. So yeah, being able to make/use potions and cast spells would be handy from a gameplay perspective.

Why wouldn't they? Ciri's abilities can change and grow according to the precedent set by The Witcher 3. She's powerful but she's not godlike. Her powers are heavily affected by how she feels and what her current situation dictates. That's a concept that can be molded into a gameplay progression system. It's a more interesting avenue of developing the character mechanically than just having her do everything Geralt can do +blinking and sword enchanting.

It astounds me that whenever people get righteous about stuff they never think to take the time to contemplate the 'why' of things from a gameplay development viewpoint

It astounds me that you'd think you're the only one who has done so.
 
Ok, so that would be awesome. Maybe one day.



You only want that because he's a white man and you are so desperate to see yourself represented on screen.

Isn't it time for something other than a white man to get the spotlight? I have some pamphlets for you to read. My people are desperate to be represented on screen too! And we're literally dying out here!
 
Game director Sebastian Kalemba and executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga did an interview with Polish site GRY Online and they talked about tightening up gameplay of Witcher 4, and explore quality improvement of monsters in the game.

Full interview in Polish

Following is the google translation of parts of the interview.



MM: Was there anything that, with hindsight, seemed to you to be a weaker element in, for example, The Witcher 3 , and you wanted to tighten it up?

Sebastian Kalemba: Definitely. We definitely want to tighten up the gameplay and the experience of hunting monsters. That's one of the reasons why the bauk mentioned by Gosia was such an important part of the trailer. It's not just that we wanted to show a new creature that inhabits a nightmarish forest, we also wanted to show the organic nature, the fear that these monsters bring. To show that this is a real problem in this world and that defeating this monster, shortening the distance during the hunt every time is key. This fight, choreography and feeling, this experience of what it is to hunt a monster, was very important to us in the trailer and it was no coincidence that we wanted to present it this way. In this world, we play a professional witcher who hunts monsters and this is the center of her profession. We wanted this monster and this fight to have an emotional charge, but also potentially convey the feeling of gameplay that we want to achieve in the future.


MM: How much of The Witcher 3 will we find in The Witcher 4 ?

Małgorzata Mitręga: We will definitely find witchers here [laughter], because the whole profession, the whole world exists. It's still dark and difficult. We want to present new areas, like the village of Burzyny, located quite far to the north, which you saw in the trailer; you will get there in the game. What is definitely common between The Witcher 3 and 4 - both games live with stories; this has always been the case with The Witcher and all our games. You can definitely expect more of that, we want to explore even more colorful characters with whom you can emotionally bond, return to them and experience adventures with them.

Sebastian Kalemba: As Gosia says, the framework of the world is 100% established. It will be slightly redefined only and exclusively because we are making a plot strongly driven by characters. We are now getting to know her from Ciri's perspective, so we want to experience this world a little differently, in her way. And she will also become a witcher, which is already visible in the trailer. We really wanted to include in this material a pill of what the world carries within itself, that it is quite dark. At the same time, we wanted to show that the consequences of our actions can be different, there are also those that bring some hope. One hundred percent players who have completed the trilogy, especially the third one, will find nuances and references in The Witcher 4. However, this does not change the fact that the new game will be a great time to start an adventure with The Witcher , because it is essentially an origin story. We get Ciri, whose entire character arc is written out for the entire trilogy.

Małgorzata Mitręga: And most importantly, there will be monsters [laughter]. This is something that, in terms of quality, we want to explore more. Monsters are part of the storytelling, so they will be connected to the regions, to the stories told, so that it is all coherent and interesting. Besides, even this bauk [from the trailer – editor's note] is more than just an ordinary monster; it has its own psychological note when it tempts Ciri.
 
Is it the interviewer's fault again?

You know it! "Ackshually, they never said that! They're just being honest that widespread misogyny existed in those times and so because we're a woman we're gonna get exposed to it all over the place, ackshually!"

I, for one, look forward to getting cat-called and ass smacked around every corner in this brave womanhood simulator!!
 
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