The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Title: The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings
Genre: cRPG
Platform(s): PC
Release Date: Q1 2011
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Publishers: CD Projekt RED, Atari, Namco Bandai and 1C/Snowball
Official Website: The Witcher
About the Game
The Witcher 2 is the sequel to a fantasy role-playing game based on the author Andrzej Sapkowski's works.
CD Projekt Red started development on the next game just after completing the first one, and for the sequel, the studio has overhauled the graphics engine, has changed the way combat works, and has been building a more-challenging adventure.
The Witcher 2 takes place right after the events of the first game. This time around Geralt will clash swords with two new villains: the first, a hateful elf spy named Lorveth, and the second, a mysterious man known only as the Kingslayer.
As the game's subtitle indicates, Kingslayer has already begun to ply his trade himself--though as the mysterious assassin himself claims, his bloody work is far from over. And while the world-weary Geralt has no great love of royalty, he eventually becomes embroiled in this assassination conspiracy, since it crosses tracks with several new monster hunts--which are his calling as a witcher--and since the assassin appears to know Geralt of old.
Current build of the combat system lets Geralt dish out combination slashes with his sword by starting out with a few light slashes and then ending with a strong slash, similar to the combat systems of third-person console action games like the God of War series. However, the final version of the game will bring back different combat stances, just like in the original game, and let you mix and match various attacks from different styles freely, rather than having to manually switch styles.
Key Features
- Story continues 2 months after the events of the first game.
- New graphics engine
- Revamped combat system
- Improved dialogue system
- Improved character development system
- The story will have several different endings (more than 3 like the last game)
- Import your save file from the first game.
Unofficial FAQ
Technology
- The Witcher 2 uses CD Projekt RED's brand new engine (RED Engine), which was created especially for implementation of complicated logical structures - advanced story connections, generating random NPC activity and many other features.
- RED Engine is said to be far more stable than Aurora Engine was and the new editor is far more stable than D'jinni
- Thanks to the new technology, we won't see loading screens when entering small locations such as houses, caves etc. Still, there are going to be loading screens when entering large areas.
- The Witcher 2 uses Havok 6.5 physics engine and Havok Animation. What's more, a lot of animators were hired after The Witcher 1 premiere. So expect improved animations in The Witcher 2.
- We are going to see a brand new unique NPC generating system. Its prototype can be seen in the Enhanced Edition of The Witcher 1.
- Players will be able to play with both Mouse & Keyboard and a gamepad. Both control schemes are said to be comfortable and intuitive.
Gameplay and Visuals
- There will be an improved day/night cycle.
- No level scaling. Entering an inexperienced character to dangerous location equals suicide.
- New mutagen system, giving possibility of expanding effects of different characteristics. For example - increasing power of magic.
- NPC's are "living their own lives" now. Dynamically reacting on not only player's recent and past activities (house robbing ends now!) but also on all in-game incidents and following their daily routine (which means there won't be villagers drinking 24/7 in the pub)
- There are going to be both old and new mini-games, each rebuild from the scratch.
- Locations are to be much bigger and varied than they were in The Witcher 1, each of them is to have its own graphical style. However just like in the first game, we won't be able to go back and visit previous locations.
Combat
- Combat is based on combining different sword strikes, signs, blocks and dodges and ended by a finisher. We can cut off limbs now.
- New set of finishing moves is created for The Witcher 2.
- Besides sword strikes you can use hand to hand combat, traps and alchemy.
- Alchemy and signs are rebuild and they're much more useful now.
- There will be 3 different development trees for Geralt: sword-master, alchemist and sorcerer - the one you pick will decide about bonuses and extra abilities
Story
- Mature, multithreaded story presented in an understandable way. It takes place on two plains - the wider, political one, which concentrates on a search for the assassins - and second, the personal one, in which Geralt follows lead of witchers-assassins in search for his own identity. Both story plains lead into discovering secret of a powerful forces, which have an impact on our lot and understanding the part which was given to us.
- Story and dialogues were written by the same storywriters as The Witcher 1.
- By the end of February The Witcher 1 and 2 lead story writer, Artur Ganszyniec, quit CD Projekt RED. It won't influence the story's quality as it had been finished by this time.
- Enhanced flashbacks system. Scenes, in which Geralt finds out about consequences of his past decision are more realistic and better joint with game.
- Story will begin two months after the first games events- Foltest asks Geralt to travel across the country with him and restore peace. But the witcher would prefer to run an investigation on the mysterious assassin
- Story is written "around" Geralt, making him central part of game's world
- Story will give some explanations about what happened between Geralt's death and The Witcher 1. Probably Geralt's amnesia from the first game will be explained.
- In some urgent situations, when in dialogue, player will have to pick one of the dialogue options in a limited amount of time. If you won't, game will pick one on its own.
- You will be able to import your save file from the first game. It will cause your money, items and abilities to be carried over to The Witcher 2. Also decisions made in the first game will somehow affect The Witcher 2 story (though none of this is yet confirmed).
- Geralt's main opponents will be an elf-spy Lorveth and Kingslayer - we can see both of them in the trailer. Kingslayer seems to know Geralt from the past.
Official Story and Gameplay Trailers
Debut Trailer
Real-Time Cutscene
Gamespot Stage Demo
Interviews and Dev Diaries
Gamespot Interview
Dev Diary #0: The Beginning
Dev Diary #1: Story
Screenshots
Thanks to Braag at GT.
Title: The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings
Genre: cRPG
Platform(s): PC
Release Date: Q1 2011
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Publishers: CD Projekt RED, Atari, Namco Bandai and 1C/Snowball
Official Website: The Witcher
About the Game
The Witcher 2 is the sequel to a fantasy role-playing game based on the author Andrzej Sapkowski's works.
CD Projekt Red started development on the next game just after completing the first one, and for the sequel, the studio has overhauled the graphics engine, has changed the way combat works, and has been building a more-challenging adventure.
The Witcher 2 takes place right after the events of the first game. This time around Geralt will clash swords with two new villains: the first, a hateful elf spy named Lorveth, and the second, a mysterious man known only as the Kingslayer.
As the game's subtitle indicates, Kingslayer has already begun to ply his trade himself--though as the mysterious assassin himself claims, his bloody work is far from over. And while the world-weary Geralt has no great love of royalty, he eventually becomes embroiled in this assassination conspiracy, since it crosses tracks with several new monster hunts--which are his calling as a witcher--and since the assassin appears to know Geralt of old.
Current build of the combat system lets Geralt dish out combination slashes with his sword by starting out with a few light slashes and then ending with a strong slash, similar to the combat systems of third-person console action games like the God of War series. However, the final version of the game will bring back different combat stances, just like in the original game, and let you mix and match various attacks from different styles freely, rather than having to manually switch styles.
Key Features
- Story continues 2 months after the events of the first game.
- New graphics engine
- Revamped combat system
- Improved dialogue system
- Improved character development system
- The story will have several different endings (more than 3 like the last game)
- Import your save file from the first game.
Unofficial FAQ
Technology
- The Witcher 2 uses CD Projekt RED's brand new engine (RED Engine), which was created especially for implementation of complicated logical structures - advanced story connections, generating random NPC activity and many other features.
- RED Engine is said to be far more stable than Aurora Engine was and the new editor is far more stable than D'jinni
- Thanks to the new technology, we won't see loading screens when entering small locations such as houses, caves etc. Still, there are going to be loading screens when entering large areas.
- The Witcher 2 uses Havok 6.5 physics engine and Havok Animation. What's more, a lot of animators were hired after The Witcher 1 premiere. So expect improved animations in The Witcher 2.
- We are going to see a brand new unique NPC generating system. Its prototype can be seen in the Enhanced Edition of The Witcher 1.
- Players will be able to play with both Mouse & Keyboard and a gamepad. Both control schemes are said to be comfortable and intuitive.
Gameplay and Visuals
- There will be an improved day/night cycle.
- No level scaling. Entering an inexperienced character to dangerous location equals suicide.
- New mutagen system, giving possibility of expanding effects of different characteristics. For example - increasing power of magic.
- NPC's are "living their own lives" now. Dynamically reacting on not only player's recent and past activities (house robbing ends now!) but also on all in-game incidents and following their daily routine (which means there won't be villagers drinking 24/7 in the pub)
- There are going to be both old and new mini-games, each rebuild from the scratch.
- Locations are to be much bigger and varied than they were in The Witcher 1, each of them is to have its own graphical style. However just like in the first game, we won't be able to go back and visit previous locations.
Combat
- Combat is based on combining different sword strikes, signs, blocks and dodges and ended by a finisher. We can cut off limbs now.
- New set of finishing moves is created for The Witcher 2.
- Besides sword strikes you can use hand to hand combat, traps and alchemy.
- Alchemy and signs are rebuild and they're much more useful now.
- There will be 3 different development trees for Geralt: sword-master, alchemist and sorcerer - the one you pick will decide about bonuses and extra abilities
Story
- Mature, multithreaded story presented in an understandable way. It takes place on two plains - the wider, political one, which concentrates on a search for the assassins - and second, the personal one, in which Geralt follows lead of witchers-assassins in search for his own identity. Both story plains lead into discovering secret of a powerful forces, which have an impact on our lot and understanding the part which was given to us.
- Story and dialogues were written by the same storywriters as The Witcher 1.
- By the end of February The Witcher 1 and 2 lead story writer, Artur Ganszyniec, quit CD Projekt RED. It won't influence the story's quality as it had been finished by this time.
- Enhanced flashbacks system. Scenes, in which Geralt finds out about consequences of his past decision are more realistic and better joint with game.
- Story will begin two months after the first games events- Foltest asks Geralt to travel across the country with him and restore peace. But the witcher would prefer to run an investigation on the mysterious assassin
- Story is written "around" Geralt, making him central part of game's world
- Story will give some explanations about what happened between Geralt's death and The Witcher 1. Probably Geralt's amnesia from the first game will be explained.
- In some urgent situations, when in dialogue, player will have to pick one of the dialogue options in a limited amount of time. If you won't, game will pick one on its own.
- You will be able to import your save file from the first game. It will cause your money, items and abilities to be carried over to The Witcher 2. Also decisions made in the first game will somehow affect The Witcher 2 story (though none of this is yet confirmed).
- Geralt's main opponents will be an elf-spy Lorveth and Kingslayer - we can see both of them in the trailer. Kingslayer seems to know Geralt from the past.
Official Story and Gameplay Trailers
Debut Trailer
Real-Time Cutscene
Gamespot Stage Demo
Interviews and Dev Diaries
Gamespot Interview
Dev Diary #0: The Beginning
Dev Diary #1: Story
Screenshots
Thanks to Braag at GT.