The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Difference between revisions
From GameLabWiki
| (29 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Published in 2015, ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' quickly became one of the most popular | Published in 2015, ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' quickly became one of the most popular Role-Playing Games in the last decade. One of the reasons for that might be the complex game mechanics that create a unique experience for the player, highly depending on the decisions he or she makes. This article will not only highlight this, but also how the morality of the player affects the whole gameplay and how immersion is created and can be enhanced by different settings and mods. | ||
==About the Game== | ==About the Game== | ||
''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' is | ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' is a single-player open world action [[Role-Playing Game]] played in third person perspective by polish development studio ''CD Project'', published in 2015. It is the last part of a game-trilogy, based on the ''Witcher'' fantasy novels by polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. | ||
Main | Main character is Witcher ''Geralt of Rivia'', whose task is to rescue his so to say daughter ''Ciri'' who is on the run from the evil instance ''Wild Hunt''. On his journey he has to fight different monsters, help NPCs and do many other quests, providing hundreds of hours of gameplay. | ||
There are two previous games: ''The Witcher'' (2007) and ''The Witcher 2: Assasins of Kings'' (2011). | There are two previous games: ''The Witcher'' (2007) and ''The Witcher 2: Assasins of Kings'' (2011). In addition to ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'', there are two DLCs (downloadable contents, also known as extensions): ''Hearts of Stone'' and ''Blood and Wine''. | ||
<youtube>XHrskkHf958</youtube> | <youtube>XHrskkHf958</youtube> | ||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
==Research-Relevant Topics of the Game== | ==Research-Relevant Topics of the Game== | ||
===Core Game Mechanics=== | ===Core Game Mechanics=== | ||
====Skill-Tree==== | ====Skill-Tree==== | ||
There are four different Skill Trees and seventy skills in total, that the player can invest points to. Only twelve of these can be equipped at a given time, but they can be swapped. The points are gained by either leveling up or by finding Places of Power. | There are four different Skill Trees and seventy skills in total, that the player can invest points to. Only twelve of these can be equipped at a given time, but they can be swapped. The points are gained by either leveling up or by finding ''Places of Power''. The four skill trees are: Combat Skills, Signs, Alchemy Skills and General Skills. Mutagens, which can be found by killing monsters or searching chests, can also be equipped to provide different benefits (e.g. increased health, more armor points or stamina). | ||
Since the player can chance these skills more or less individually, the skill-tree not only helps to make the experience more individual, but also to help creating immersion, because the player is able to identify more with ''Geralt.''<br /> | |||
====Decisions==== | |||
''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' lives from the decisions and choices the player makes. Beginning with the skill system, to the weapons and armor, to the option to help different [[Non-Player Character]]s (NPCs) while doing side quests and finally to make important decisions within the dialogue with characters to get forward in the main quest. Almost every decision made has smaller or bigger consequences for single characters, whole villages or the ''Witcher''-World itself. | |||
Depending on the decisions during the journey to find ''Ciri'', there are different good or bad options or endings for the characters and the ''Witcher''-Wold the player can achieve. For example, in one quest they have to decide whether ''Geralt'' kills a ghost that lives inside a big tree or to believe the story it tells him and release it. If he sets it free, a whole village that was threatened by its power is destroyed, but some orphans that live in the swamp are safe and alive. If he destroys the ghost, the village is safe, but the orphans vanish and are probably eaten by the ''Crones'' (the ghosts’ 'daughters'). | |||
Other decisions have an impact on ''Geralt'' and how the story ends for him. There are several options to build his relationship with ''Yennefer of Vengerberg'' (his girlfriend in the previous games) or to built a new relationship with her good friend ''Triss Merigold''. Depending on how the player decides, ''Geralt'' will end up with one of them, but if they try to build a relationship with both women at the same time, ''Yennefer'' and ''Triss'' will find out about it and ''Geralt'' ends as a lonely witcher. | |||
Some decisions are important for how the story continues for ''Ciri''. If ''Geralt'' doesn't let her make her own decisions and behaves like an overly-protective father, she will disappear at the end of the game. If ''Geralt'' gives her more freedom and supports her in making her own decisions, she will more likely become a witch, following his footsteps. | |||
The player also decides about the future of the kingdoms in the ''Witcher''-World through their actions, so ''Novigrad'' will be dominated by ''Radovid, Emhyr van Emreis'' or ''Dijkstra,'' depending on which of them was killed during the story. There are also different options of who will dominate the northern island ''Skellige (Cerys, Hjalmar'' or ''Crach an Craite)''. | |||
Depending on some morally decisions it is also decided which community in the game gets hunted, either the magicians, elves or dwarfs and gnomes. | |||
<br /> | <br /> | ||
=== | ====Creating an Immersive Experience==== | ||
=====Settings and Mods===== | |||
There are different ways to create a more immersive gaming experience. One is to use mods (modifications), the other is to use the original options of the game to alter its appearance. For example the player can turn off the mini map, the in-game music and don't use the option to call ''Roach'' (Geralt's horse) at any point to keep it more realistic. Additional to that, the available mods for the PC version of the game can be used to create an individual experience. Some of them only alter the appearance of the game, like fighting animations or the characters' outfits, while other provide additional features to create a more realistic gameplay. For example, the maximum weight that ''Geralt'' is able to carry can be lowered by a mod, so it isn't possible to have six swords, three pairs of boots, gloves and several heavy armor items in the inventory at the same time anymore | |||
. | |||
=====Building Relationships with the Characters===== | |||
During the game, ''Geralt'' meets a lot of NPCs who are more or less important for the story. While many of them are irrelevant for the main quest and just fill the ''Witcher''-World with life, a handful of them and their relationship with ''Geralt'' are very important. Sometimes the narrative leads the player to an attitude towards them, other times they have to decide for themselves, listening to their own intuition. | |||
The relationships to the characters can be quite different. | |||
''Ciri'' is ''Geralt’s'' so to say daughter with special powers and the ''Wild Hunt'' is after her, because they want to have it for their bad intentions. Since ''Geralt'' loves her like a real daughter, the narrative underlines that he has to find and protect her. This doesn’t really leave any room for the player to have negative feelings about her or question why they have to rescue her. | |||
''Yennefer'' is ''Geralt’s'' girlfriend in the previous games, but at an earlier point in the story, he loses his memory and has an affair with her good friend ''Triss Merrigold'' after she put a spell on him. In ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'', the player has the option to decide with which witch ''Geralt'' builds a deeper relationship. This decision even leads to widespread controversies inside the ''Witcher''-Community in the real world, heavily depending on the fact if players have read the novels or just played the games. | |||
Not necessarily an important character but a useful example is ''Cyprian Wiley'' (better known as “''Whoreson Junior''”), who is one of the crime bosses in ''Novigrad'', ''Geralt'' meets during the main quest. After he killed his own father, inherited all of his possessions and got a lot of money and influence, he developed a penchant for sadism; raping, torturing and killing prostitutes. ''Ciri'' had met him earlier on her escape, because she needed his connections. ''Wiley'' felt suspicious, kidnapped her friend ''Dudu'' and tried to capture her. She managed to save ''Dudu'' and ran away. When ''Geralt'' arrives in ''Oxenfurt'', he hears about their encounter and finds ''Wiley'' (after a bloody track of killed prostitutes), hoping he would give him information about ''Ciri'' and her whereabouts. After a not so friendly interrogation, ''Whoreson'' tells ''Geralt'' everything he knows about her. At that point the player has the free decision, whether to kill ''Whoreson'' or to spare his life and let him live miserable in the gutter, after he lost all of his former power. Even if this particular decision doesn’t have a huge impact on the story itself, it is quite emotional and depends a lot on the players’ attitude and morality. | |||
<br /> | <br /> | ||
====Non-Player-Character (NPCs)==== | |||
The game Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is especially characterized by the well thought-out handling of the NPCs. Both main and side quests offer opportunities for interaction.The interaction is possible on three different levels. | |||
The first level is the mere jostling or addressing of village and town inhabitants. Here only single, repeating sentences are given as an answer. These have no action-bearing role and are only there for the overall picture. They give the game an appropriate atmosphere and create a seemingly realistic image of a fictional world. | |||
More possibilities of interaction with the Kl-guided NPCs can be found in side quests and missions that are not necessarily related to the main plot. The player can independently accept orders from inhabitants of the game world, negotiate the reward with the orderers and complete or cancel the order. If the player sets the reward too high, the mission may be cancelled. If the player does not fulfill the goal, the mission will be cancelled as well. These missions do not affect the further course of the game. With their help, the player can dive further into the game world. | |||
In the main story, the player can not only steer the conversation in different directions as in side missions, but also the story and the end of the mission is influenced by his decisions. A good example at this point: When dealing with his two lovers Triss and Yennefer, the witcher can either choose one or stay alone, depending on the answer he chooses in the conversation with both.<br /> | |||
==Related Research Approaches== | ==Related Research Approaches== | ||
===Immersive Gameplay=== | ===Immersive Gameplay=== | ||
The immersion of the player depends on how far the player is allowing the story to take her or him in. Also the settings or even mods that are changed and used have an impact on the gaming experience. | The immersion of the player depends on how far the player is allowing the story to take her or him in. Also the settings or even mods that are changed and used have an impact on the gaming experience. The AI controlled NPCs and their partially individual stories help to create a realistic environment, not only because they bring the world inside the game to life but also because the player has the opportunity to get to know them (at least the ones that are relevant for the story) and build what seems to be personal relationships. | ||
===Decisions and Morality in Video Games=== | ===Decisions and Morality in Video Games=== | ||
Since the whole storyline is affected by the players' decisions, | Since the whole storyline is affected by the players' decisions, the individual understanding of morality has a huge impact on the gaming experience. The player decides if he or she wants to act as he or she would do if the characters were alive or to do the opposite and see how far an immoral behavior leads. | ||
==Credits/Links== | ==Credits/Links== | ||
[[Category:Games]] | [[Category:Games]] | ||
''Official Launch Trailer - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' YouTube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrskkHf958&feature=emb_title <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>] | |||
Latest revision as of 22:57, 16 April 2020
Published in 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt quickly became one of the most popular Role-Playing Games in the last decade. One of the reasons for that might be the complex game mechanics that create a unique experience for the player, highly depending on the decisions he or she makes. This article will not only highlight this, but also how the morality of the player affects the whole gameplay and how immersion is created and can be enhanced by different settings and mods.
About the Game
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a single-player open world action Role-Playing Game played in third person perspective by polish development studio CD Project, published in 2015. It is the last part of a game-trilogy, based on the Witcher fantasy novels by polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Main character is Witcher Geralt of Rivia, whose task is to rescue his so to say daughter Ciri who is on the run from the evil instance Wild Hunt. On his journey he has to fight different monsters, help NPCs and do many other quests, providing hundreds of hours of gameplay.
There are two previous games: The Witcher (2007) and The Witcher 2: Assasins of Kings (2011). In addition to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there are two DLCs (downloadable contents, also known as extensions): Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
Research-Relevant Topics of the Game
Core Game Mechanics
Skill-Tree
There are four different Skill Trees and seventy skills in total, that the player can invest points to. Only twelve of these can be equipped at a given time, but they can be swapped. The points are gained by either leveling up or by finding Places of Power. The four skill trees are: Combat Skills, Signs, Alchemy Skills and General Skills. Mutagens, which can be found by killing monsters or searching chests, can also be equipped to provide different benefits (e.g. increased health, more armor points or stamina).
Since the player can chance these skills more or less individually, the skill-tree not only helps to make the experience more individual, but also to help creating immersion, because the player is able to identify more with Geralt.
Decisions
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lives from the decisions and choices the player makes. Beginning with the skill system, to the weapons and armor, to the option to help different Non-Player Characters (NPCs) while doing side quests and finally to make important decisions within the dialogue with characters to get forward in the main quest. Almost every decision made has smaller or bigger consequences for single characters, whole villages or the Witcher-World itself.
Depending on the decisions during the journey to find Ciri, there are different good or bad options or endings for the characters and the Witcher-Wold the player can achieve. For example, in one quest they have to decide whether Geralt kills a ghost that lives inside a big tree or to believe the story it tells him and release it. If he sets it free, a whole village that was threatened by its power is destroyed, but some orphans that live in the swamp are safe and alive. If he destroys the ghost, the village is safe, but the orphans vanish and are probably eaten by the Crones (the ghosts’ 'daughters').
Other decisions have an impact on Geralt and how the story ends for him. There are several options to build his relationship with Yennefer of Vengerberg (his girlfriend in the previous games) or to built a new relationship with her good friend Triss Merigold. Depending on how the player decides, Geralt will end up with one of them, but if they try to build a relationship with both women at the same time, Yennefer and Triss will find out about it and Geralt ends as a lonely witcher.
Some decisions are important for how the story continues for Ciri. If Geralt doesn't let her make her own decisions and behaves like an overly-protective father, she will disappear at the end of the game. If Geralt gives her more freedom and supports her in making her own decisions, she will more likely become a witch, following his footsteps.
The player also decides about the future of the kingdoms in the Witcher-World through their actions, so Novigrad will be dominated by Radovid, Emhyr van Emreis or Dijkstra, depending on which of them was killed during the story. There are also different options of who will dominate the northern island Skellige (Cerys, Hjalmar or Crach an Craite).
Depending on some morally decisions it is also decided which community in the game gets hunted, either the magicians, elves or dwarfs and gnomes.
Creating an Immersive Experience
Settings and Mods
There are different ways to create a more immersive gaming experience. One is to use mods (modifications), the other is to use the original options of the game to alter its appearance. For example the player can turn off the mini map, the in-game music and don't use the option to call Roach (Geralt's horse) at any point to keep it more realistic. Additional to that, the available mods for the PC version of the game can be used to create an individual experience. Some of them only alter the appearance of the game, like fighting animations or the characters' outfits, while other provide additional features to create a more realistic gameplay. For example, the maximum weight that Geralt is able to carry can be lowered by a mod, so it isn't possible to have six swords, three pairs of boots, gloves and several heavy armor items in the inventory at the same time anymore
.
Building Relationships with the Characters
During the game, Geralt meets a lot of NPCs who are more or less important for the story. While many of them are irrelevant for the main quest and just fill the Witcher-World with life, a handful of them and their relationship with Geralt are very important. Sometimes the narrative leads the player to an attitude towards them, other times they have to decide for themselves, listening to their own intuition.
The relationships to the characters can be quite different.
Ciri is Geralt’s so to say daughter with special powers and the Wild Hunt is after her, because they want to have it for their bad intentions. Since Geralt loves her like a real daughter, the narrative underlines that he has to find and protect her. This doesn’t really leave any room for the player to have negative feelings about her or question why they have to rescue her.
Yennefer is Geralt’s girlfriend in the previous games, but at an earlier point in the story, he loses his memory and has an affair with her good friend Triss Merrigold after she put a spell on him. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the player has the option to decide with which witch Geralt builds a deeper relationship. This decision even leads to widespread controversies inside the Witcher-Community in the real world, heavily depending on the fact if players have read the novels or just played the games.
Not necessarily an important character but a useful example is Cyprian Wiley (better known as “Whoreson Junior”), who is one of the crime bosses in Novigrad, Geralt meets during the main quest. After he killed his own father, inherited all of his possessions and got a lot of money and influence, he developed a penchant for sadism; raping, torturing and killing prostitutes. Ciri had met him earlier on her escape, because she needed his connections. Wiley felt suspicious, kidnapped her friend Dudu and tried to capture her. She managed to save Dudu and ran away. When Geralt arrives in Oxenfurt, he hears about their encounter and finds Wiley (after a bloody track of killed prostitutes), hoping he would give him information about Ciri and her whereabouts. After a not so friendly interrogation, Whoreson tells Geralt everything he knows about her. At that point the player has the free decision, whether to kill Whoreson or to spare his life and let him live miserable in the gutter, after he lost all of his former power. Even if this particular decision doesn’t have a huge impact on the story itself, it is quite emotional and depends a lot on the players’ attitude and morality.
Non-Player-Character (NPCs)
The game Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is especially characterized by the well thought-out handling of the NPCs. Both main and side quests offer opportunities for interaction.The interaction is possible on three different levels.
The first level is the mere jostling or addressing of village and town inhabitants. Here only single, repeating sentences are given as an answer. These have no action-bearing role and are only there for the overall picture. They give the game an appropriate atmosphere and create a seemingly realistic image of a fictional world.
More possibilities of interaction with the Kl-guided NPCs can be found in side quests and missions that are not necessarily related to the main plot. The player can independently accept orders from inhabitants of the game world, negotiate the reward with the orderers and complete or cancel the order. If the player sets the reward too high, the mission may be cancelled. If the player does not fulfill the goal, the mission will be cancelled as well. These missions do not affect the further course of the game. With their help, the player can dive further into the game world.
In the main story, the player can not only steer the conversation in different directions as in side missions, but also the story and the end of the mission is influenced by his decisions. A good example at this point: When dealing with his two lovers Triss and Yennefer, the witcher can either choose one or stay alone, depending on the answer he chooses in the conversation with both.
Related Research Approaches
Immersive Gameplay
The immersion of the player depends on how far the player is allowing the story to take her or him in. Also the settings or even mods that are changed and used have an impact on the gaming experience. The AI controlled NPCs and their partially individual stories help to create a realistic environment, not only because they bring the world inside the game to life but also because the player has the opportunity to get to know them (at least the ones that are relevant for the story) and build what seems to be personal relationships.
Decisions and Morality in Video Games
Since the whole storyline is affected by the players' decisions, the individual understanding of morality has a huge impact on the gaming experience. The player decides if he or she wants to act as he or she would do if the characters were alive or to do the opposite and see how far an immoral behavior leads.
Credits/Links
Official Launch Trailer - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt YouTube video [1]