Witcher 3 set to update combat, seeks voice actor continuity, dev says

Even as CD Projekt RED continues to flesh out the gameplay systems for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , some details always tend to stand out more than others.

, some details always tend to stand out more than others. In a recent OnlySP interviewwith producer Marek Ziemak, we learn that monster taming is—unfortunately—off the table.

While the connection between a game or a film and the books that inspired them can sometimes be problematic, it's clear from The Witcher developers that the Andrzej Sapkowski source material does draw some lines for them in terms of their game design. So no harpy riding, apparently. "No, no. It's not that kind of game," Ziemak said. "I think we have a very defined setting, and Geralt always used a horse in the books. So, that's all he can use in The Witcher 3. You can't ride different animals."

And for those of us who enjoyed multiple playthroughs of the first two Witcher games, each time in a different language, it appears the developers are working to bring back the same voice talent that made a playthrough in Polish or German so refreshing and different. "The actors are very important for us, since we want to have a feeling of continuity for the story between games, and that includes voices," Ziemak said. "So yes, in many cases we're working with the same actors."

Ziemak also went into some depth regarding how the eccentric—and often challenging—combat system from The Witcher 2 might be updated in the new title. This was a system that eventually required a tutorial to fully sell itself to many players. "You have new ways to dodge enemies and parry their blows," he said. "But also, for each magical sign, you can use two versions of it. One is extended. For example, the Igni sign has a constant flamethrower thing whereas there's also single, more destructive blow of fire. This is one of the new elements. We're also introducing new alchemical potions, and other minor elements that will change the experience."

We again hear that there are numerous different endings in store for players who reach The Witcher 3's endgame, possibly as many as 36, according to Ziemak. The open-world environment should also allow game saves at any point and will accommodate fast travel to locations that have already been discovered, Ziemak said.

Read the whole interview at OnlySP. We already know about CD Projekt's DRM and DLCplans, but is there a must-have feature you would like to see carried forward into the new game?