The Witcher Enhanced Edition
Posle saopštenja da se The Witcher, nesumnjivo najbolji prošlogodišnji RPG, prodao u preko 600.000 kopija, CD Projekt je objavio da će u maju tekuće godine izbaciti doteranu verziju ove igre u vidu The Witcher Enhanced Edition. U ovom Youtube video snimku članovi razvojnog tima CD Projekt objašnjavaju koje će nove elemente sadržati enčentovana verzija. Saopštenje možete pročitati u nastavku teksta.
Upadate: CD Projekt je saopštio da je potpisao ugovor o ulaganju sa Metropolis Software-om (THEY), prema kome će CD Projekt postati većinski vlasnik Metropolis Software-a. Saopštenje možete pročitati u nastavku teksta.
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."
WARSAW, FEBRUARY 18, 2008 – CD Projekt and Metropolis Software announced that they have signed an investment agreement, under which CD Projekt will become the majority owner of Metropolis Software. Combining the strengths of both companies is a very important step in realisation of CD Projekt's strategy, which includes becoming a leading publisher delivering high-budget, ambitious and creative projects that ready to compete with the world's biggest productions.
To date, CD Projekt has developed one title, the hit PC role-playing game, The Witcher. Fusing with Metropolis and dividing the CD Projekt RED team into two units, CD Projekt now has are three development teams working on new AAA game projects.
CD Projekt's debut game, The Witcher, has been a worldwide success. After several years of development by dozens of people at the CD Projekt RED studio, as well as a record budget for a Polish media product, The Witcher launched to much critical and commercial success. To date, The Witcher has earned more than 40 awards, including prestigious awards like Best PC RPG of the Year at IGN.com, GameSpy and the US edition of PC Gamer, as well as Gamespot's Readers' Choice award for Best RPG. Rave reviews from fans and media have translated into excellent sales results, as the game has sold more than 600,000 copies around the world.
Metropolis Software has been a leading Polish game developer for years and is the longest operating game-development studio in the country. Its catalog includes Gorky 17 and last year's Infernal. The latest Metropolis production is THEY, a next-generation mystery first-person shooter set on a near-future Earth that has been ruined by war. What makes THEY unique is that it combines an involving story with the best characteristics of action games. Thanks to the emphasis on an engaging plot, THEY has a chance to join the small and elite circle of FPS games whose involving story is the key element driving the player to keep playing for hours on end. The game's world is developed on the basis of Metropolis' new proprietary game engine, benefiting from all the latest technologies used in video games software. The game is designed for PC and next-gen consoles, and is scheduled for release in 2009.