Cast? I'd say go for an all Polish cast (and/or folks from that region) and, well, use Polish. Then just add subtitles for the International release. That'd be better, I think, than trying to force, say, American or British or Australian actors into roles which may not suit them and are brought on because of 'star power' or whatever.
I enjoyed The Last Wish anthology, so I'll be looking forward to this one, regardless of how it's made. I mean, it can't be worse than the earlier attempt at a live-action Witcher, right? :D
I'm loving the designs/aesthetic. What's been shown and what I've watched of gameplay has been very, very interesting, too. Hopefully I can get to try it before launch. If not, well, then I'll look forward to next year. I'll probably get the Origins edition ('cause Tracer for Heroes of the Storm :D )
@arganvain the DLC and expansions they've announced won't be coming out at the same time as the game's release. According to CDPR's site ( http://thewitcher.com/news/view/991 ) , the two expansions are due this October and the first quarter of next year. As for the 16 pieces of free DLC, those apparently won't all be coming out at launch, either, but over the year or so. If memory serves, the pre-order bonuses don't even involve in-game stuff (not sure about the retail exclusive stuff)
@seanwil545 that's the problem w/ 'Day One DLC' & 'Pre-Order DLC', the perception that stuff was taken out of the core product. While it's entirely possible that that is done (which, if memory serves, was an issue with that 'on disc DLC' stuff some years back), I think it's more likely that DLC is made after a game is feature complete, but not yet released. The explanation I recall is that you have to keep the employees working AFTER a game has 'gone gold'.
Gamers will then say: "but shouldn't they be polishing the game/fixing bugs?" Yeah, but what about the other guys in the studio? Those whose functions aren't related to programming/QA? The art/design folks, etc.
The alternative? The studio lays off people...which, sadly, seems to be the common practice after a game is completed.
It all depends. I'm fine with DLC and/or expansions, as long as a.) they're not content cut out from the core game, b.) the core game is polished (releasing paid for DLC while the core game remains buggy/problematic is a bad idea: "why are you selling us DLC when your core product is still broken?!?"), c.) reasonably priced for what the DLC/expansion is offering. Point A is why, I think, developers/publishers are given a fair amount of grief for 'Day One DLC' & 'Pre-order DLC': even if said DLC was made AFTER the game had become feature complete/gone gold, it's hard to shake the perception that content was cut out of the core game.
Worth paying for? Depends. I've paid for cosmetic DLC (for a game that's not even really 'out' yet: Heroes of the Storm). If paying a few dollars enhances my enjoyment of a product, then, for me, it's worth it. Horse Armour, back then, may have seemed 'insulting' and 'stupid', but how much is a skin now for some of the popular free-to-play games? I spent like $65 for Mechwarrior Online just to snag that Founder's Atlas. Was that excessive? (yeah, it was lol...but I didn't HAVE to get it. I WANTed, to) I've paid full price for Expansions, and I'm glad I did: D3's Reaper of Souls and SC2's Heart of the Swarm, for recent examples, and I'm eagerly waiting for Legacy of the Void. I've purchased the occasional Season Pass or equivalent, when I felt that they were 'worth it'...if not, then, well, there are SALES. You don't have to buy on launch, after all. It's all case-to-case, person to person. What's important, tho', is knowing what you're buying. :D
My favourite DLC? CD Projekt RED's 'Enhanced Edition' updates for both Witcher and Witcher 2, which were both free. I'm kinda optimistic that the Witcher 3 will probably have a similar treatment in the future, beyond the announced free DLC and paid-for expansions. :)
@Skarwolf How does a simple farmer stand toe-to-toe with veterans/against demons and whatnot in a relatively short period of time? Gotta have something to justify the power the protagonist will bring to the fight, even if the justification is a bit iffy/heavy-handed/familiar.
Even "simple farmer" Luke Skywalker, for example, going through his hero's journey, had a couple of rather interesting parents.
It would be interesting, tho', to have more protagonists who aren't "super" (which is most protagonists in Sci-fi or Fantasy, either by their capabilities, trained or inherent, or by "plot armor").
Dragon Age: Origins tried that w/ the various Origin stories, but the end result, via the character's transformation into a Warden, is still a "super" hero.
I think one of the issues would be time/pacing. Dragon Age 2 tried that w/ the jumps in time (years), but it didn't work, IMHO (and Hawke was pretty powerful, anyway). Having a "normal" person rise up and be believable in their progression would take considerable skill in terms of storytelling and pacing, after all. And even then, it'd be hard to avoid existing "tropes". (e.g., Normal guy/gal has to have powers...but at what cost? "Magic always has a price"; Normal guy becomes apprentice to veteran soldier/knight, etc.)
Also, re: "Decides to do away with the conventions of society and class to take over everything" I think DA2 had a good opportunity to do that, had they offered more options/opened up some more (instead of the mostly railroad-ed latter part)...but that game was seemingly rushed out, so a lot of wasted opportunities.
@BenderUnit22 it has racial issues in-game, but, yeah, at no point did I feel the game itself was racist (I'm Asian, btw).
BS: Infinite has some aspects that could've been handled better. I'm of the mind that less time spent in combat and more in narrative and/or interaction w/ the environment and its actors would've been better; esp. since, IMHO, the combat, as it was, kinda got tedious at times, even if I still think it works to help contrast some of the less violent/more quiet parts.
But "racist"? Nah. Didn't seem that way, if memory serves.
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