CD Projekt RED announces plans to release The Witcher Enhanced Edition in May,
offering an updated version of the highly regarded action/RPG. The enhancements
come in the way of additional features, as outlined in this
YouTube video where new
stuff is shown off and described by the game's developers (in their native
Polish, but there are English subtitles).
The press
release announcing the game is actually longer than War and Peace, so here's
an excerpt:
Maciej Szcześnik, Project Manager at CD Projekt RED, spoke
about the content provided in the new edition: "The Witcher Enhanced Edition
will be a completely polished product, something rarely found on the PC market.
Of course, it would have been best if the original edition could look that way.
There were a few ways the original game didn’t quite live up to our high
expectations, but now we're trying to make up for it. Work is being done on two
levels: one concerns the removal of technical obstacles that hinder the player
from properly using the game and thus gaining enjoyment from it. Some of those
elements include the loading times, which will be reduced by 80%, the stability
of the game on different PC configurations, as well as an array of smaller fixes
that will increase interactivity and precision in combat. The other level
consists of very important changes that are not usually found in patches. First
and foremost, the English-language version will, for the most part, be
completely re-done. The amount of text in that version was reduced compared to
other language versions and that was said to cause a significant decrease in
immersion and atmosphere. Now the English version will be as polished and
atmospheric as the other language versions. Speaking of other language versions,
most of them will be improved in some way. Significant changes will also be made
in the German version, where we are planning to re-record the voices for many of
the characters. The most important improvements concern those elements of the
game that players criticized the most. For example, over 50 new supporting
character models will be added, so that the player won't run into the same
person too often. The inventory panel will be re-designed and improved, and some
elements of the main game screen will be polished. However, one of the biggest
changes that will greatly increase the player's immersion in the game world will
be improvements concerning dialogue scenes. Both Geralt and non-player
characters will get over 100 new animated gestures which will make their body
language during conversations much more natural. Additionally, the facial
animation and lip-sync system will be re-created, making the faces of the
speakers now even more natural, as well. Of course, I've mentioned only the most
important changes, and that's still a lot. There will be many smaller changes
that will make the game more fun. I'm convinced that, thanks to those changes,
The Witcher will almost be the ideal game for fans of PC role-playing."