‘The Witcher 3’ Dev Talks Building Dynamic Environments Without The Need For Load Screens

CD Projekt Red has already discussed their intention to create a massive open-world setting for players to explore in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Expanding on what has been said on the topic in the past, The Witcher 3 senior environment artist Jonas Mattsson spoke with GameSpot about the level of detail the developer has placed in building the fantasy world of the upcoming current-gen fantasy title.

Mattsson revealed the team’s desire to keep the player immersed inside the setting of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will feature a large map for players to explore that is full of activity, varied environments, and dynamic weather. One of the most interesting things revealed in the interview was that The Witcher 3 won’t have traditional load screens during open-world gameplay. Users will seamlessly transition between outdoor and indoor areas instantly. The only times that players will have to sit through a load time will be when they load a save or use the fast travel system.

“One of the goals we had was to keep the experience as fluid as possible. When you play, you don’t want to have the loading screen because it takes you out of the game a bit. We wanted to make sure that it was as smooth as possible, one big experience. For us, that was really important. I think we achieved that because, as you said, just going in and out of a building, there’s no loading time. Nothing. It’s just creates this really nice experience.”

According to Mattsson, there will also be plenty of buildings for players to explore in The Witcher 3 as well. While not every building will be enterable, the developer did specifically focus on making sure there are plenty of indoor areas to search inside the game.

“Fast travel to Novigrad, go into a tavern, play some card games, go brawling or whatever, or do some mini quests there. I think it’s a perfect balance between the wild of the Wild Hunt, and the metropolitan city life. It creates a nice balance.”

If there is one thing that is becoming clear about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it’s that the game is shaping up to give players a massive adventure. GameReactor reported earlier this month that CD Projekt Red is claiming that it is taking internal testers around 25 hours to beat the title’s campaign on a speed run.

The developer also plans to give users plenty of content to play through after The Witcher 3 is released. The title currently has several add-on’s in the works, including 16 free DLC packs that will be available for all.

Are you planning on picking up The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt when it launches later this year?

[Images via The Witcher 3]