How realistic is NOVIGRAD from the WITCHER 3?

Welcome to my historical evaluation, realism and functionality review of the medieval defences of Novigrad from the Witcher 3 wild hunt.
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[@dustinf11]

A "make your own character" can never be as good as a properly written, properly acted character. I stand by that.

[@mkm7251]

It really depends on what kind game/story we’re dealing with, I feel. The Witcher series would definitely be weird with a create your own character, whereas games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring can get away with it, because they take a more abstract approach to the bulk of the story telling. That being said, I believe I can agree on the grounds of creating a character that the audience can relate to and really feel for.

[@PiterTraceurFA]

@@yoketah It's not an L take to not like a character 💀 redditor attitude. He clearly meant he doesn't like Geralt, not that he doesn't prefer an established pre-defined character in a game.

[@assassinscreedislife7636]

Generally I’d agree, but Mass Effect gave me new perspective

[@m0-m0597]

you do not need it, but a scripted character is better for cinematic qualities by the way, saying you cannot relate to a scripted character is basically you saying you have no empathy, which is a human trait

[@kritizismmusics9737]

Geralt is the exception for rpgs. He's perfectly fine but any other rog custom characters

[@jojo94101]

The whole Witcher series of games revolves around Geralt and Ciri, so to have some random player made character with little to no backstory would just be weird.

[@jimbeam8338]

And? He clearly stated that he doesn't find the character interesting.

[@Shaolinstout]

@@jimbeam8338 then why pick it up and play it at all? If I don’t like the main character of a game im not going to waste my time playing it. Especially if it’s a lengthy rpg, that’s just dumb.

[@ziggyolopwi7050]

@@Shaolinstout Well, it's still a good game. Also, I'm not sure if shad has read The Witcher books because otherwise I think he would like the character a bit more?

[@Shaolinstout]

@@ziggyolopwi7050 I get that but Witcher has been around for a long time, surly he has known of the character to some extent before playing the game. Regardless it is still a terrible hot take. Removing the main character that the entire story revolves around only to replace him with a generic create a character is dumb.

[@ziggyolopwi7050]

@@Shaolinstout I dunno man. They did it with Conan exiles just find. Admittedly the game style is different, but still. Tbh, I think Geralt and Ciris story is over both book and game wise. I'm hoping that they do let us make our own character in this next game where we might hopefully encounter the two legendary characters but still play our own character. Also, the choice for making the Witcher an RPG is kinda mid because there's a few choices in the game that I just don't think Geralt would make that we can as players. So having a pre established character only to not follow the rules of his character is kinda silly. Don't get me wrong, the game is still excellent. But there were a few strange design choices that make me scratch my head. Also, I 100% believe that you can dislike a games story and still have fun. Especially in the Witcher 3 with the DLCs and Contracts which are generally not too main story related. Last bit. If you could make a character in the Witcher games, no game would be better than 3 other than maybe 2. In the middle of a chaotic war it'd be so easy to insert your own homebrew Witcher, sorcerer/sorceress, or just common adventurer/mercenary. You could role play as a lone remaining commando from the exiled Scoia'tael. Or a one of the dwwarven mercenary veterans from the first war. Or any number of options. The setting of the Witcher makes an awesome backdrop for some cool character creation.

[@arakasi1033]

Easy guide for game developers on "must have" things on castle: - moat - built ON a mountain, not UNDER it - 1-2 meters thick walls - 2 gatehouses, each with 2 portcullises - murder holes and arrowslits - double battlements, head-high - separated baileys - MACHICOLATIONS!!! If all is checked, you get a big thumbs-up from Shad. 😄

[@VickiVampiressYT]

wall thickness would actually largely depend on the game's perspective, style and scale. In a realistic first person game, 1 - 2 meters would suffice. Third person could use slightly exaggerated proportions, but it would still hold up. However, with a stylized art style, depending on how proportions are represented, you'll likely want thicker walls to accentuate the scale of the structure, as this really makes it look more imposing. Game units are tricky, even when using real world dimensions. Field of View, perspective and art style all play a role in how large something should be. An object's real dimensions don't always work.

[@bkane573]

No castle would have a wall measured to meters. As it is an arbitrary french measurement, not invented until well after the age of castles. Are you perhaps thinking of yards? cubits?

[@anathemebouffon5983]

@@bkane573 But today civilised world measure things in meters because foots, elles and yards belongs in medieval.

[@cybrzero7558]

@@bkane573 0.00497 furlongs

[@goldeviolets4314]

Moats aren’t really a must have

[@feldspar1000]

13:14 That's just so skateboarders don't try to grind there.

[@barniyamum]

wouldnt stop ya in old ps games

[@Raigan_Avalon]

While I understand your view on the Witcher and Geralt specifically, but I would say that the story couldn't really be told if you could create your own character. At least not without limit your character a lot.

[@ninboy01]

Raigán Avalon Would still need to be a Witcher to have the range of powers and abilites, and even so the story is about Gearlt. It can be an RPG where you are role playing a specific character.

[@15oClock]

Actually, they were stuck with Geralt. The Witcher is based off of a Polish book series (and developed in said country) and Geralt is the focus on them. Perhaps he's better written in the books, I don't know, I haven't read the books (which is why I say he's the focus and not the protagonist because he might not be), but they were stuck with him for the game series.

[@ninboy01]

I've been reading the books. Gearlt is the principle main character. Although Yennifer, Triss, Ciri and Dandelion have segments written from their POV (at least from what I remember of the books I've read.) So basically the games are original adaptions from the source material and all the primary characters from the trilogy of games are just as important in the books.

[@kage9260]

He is a main character in a story, but the narrator often jumps from person to person and Geralt rarely is one, usually when there are no other characters that can serve the purpose.

[@AAA9734]

Sure, and that is the problem. Games are not movies or books, they should not tell a scripted story, they should allow players to create their own story.

[@dport9563]

Also it's explained in game that to attack the city would mean your on economy and coin would collapse in days. 60% of Redanian grain is sold to and in Novigrad.

[@yoloman3607]

I suppose you could bankrupt the entire country’s farmers if you cut off the city....a perfect way to invade! And cause dissidence!

[@santiagobarreto9357]

@@yoloman3607 Yes, but in the game Nilfgaard is busy with other stuff, so they cannot just attack the city with the biggest garrison in the known world of the Witcher.

[@yoloman3607]

@Santiago Barreto It’s not like you have to take the city, you just have to blockade it. If the garrison sorties, it can be crushed and the city invaded. If they stay put, they starve. Either way the trade tanks until someone else shows up to help out.

[@MAHakovich]

@@yoloman3607 Novigrad also has a mighty navy, not really shown in the game though, so they could resupply from the sea, in which case a besieging army would probably take more attrition than the besieged. witcher.fandom.com/wiki/Novigrad

[@Sombre_gd]

That's connected to the real life history. First we must consider Redania is medieval Poland (which wasn't said in the books, but in game... Redanian knights looks 100% copy-paste polish medieval knights. ) Than, Novigrad is medieval Gdańsk, which was free city within borders of Poland and main source of income was selling grain from Poland and Ukraine to western Europe. In those times, Gdańsk was the biggest city within Baltic Sea and taxes from selling grain were about 80-85% country's income.

[@Codeman785]

To each his own, geralt is one of my favorite characters of all time in videogames and movies ever

[@valaska4059]

Same I love Geralt I was like seriously no way he is awesome

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

No Shad needs to go to a Chinese re-education camp. To each, geralt is amazing.

[@valaska4059]

Austin Clark that’s facts his character was all he needed to be

[@jimothyjimmz8372]

He may not be a knight in shining armour, but that's the point.

[@stevenscott2136]

Personally, I related to Geralt well. I'm fairly anti-social and sarcastic already -- give me a few decades to wander the world, risking my life while people insult me, cheat me, and insist on making me kill them, then add an unhealthy, unstable relationship with a manipulative, bossy woman who's clearly smarter than me... I'd probably end up just like him.

[@josephstalin9939]

Idk really. Novigrad seems more like a de-commissioned fortified city. Like they kind of still care but not enough to keep all this shit maintained. It doesn't defend the flaws but that's how I see it.

[@Caedus696]

But that is exactly what it is. Novigrad was deemed a free city by the north, it was a center for banking and trade so none of the Northern kingdoms harassed them, so they had no need for heavy fortifications.

[@soldiersPL]

Current Novigrad is in all senses, a trade city, and who got power in trade cities? Merchants, and we all know that this little bastards will spend as little as possible for shit like defenses, i mean, who would attack rich city with massive navy that is also HQ of major players of trading world, like banks and trading companies while at same time being in strategically important position, right? So ORIGINALLY, its supposed to be this near impossible to capture super-fortress, but then free city thing happen and a lot of shit didn't get implemented, what was there is there, no need for more fortifications, just get more guards or some shait

[@soldiersPL]

After bit of reading(I honestly forgot most of political stuff, aka, whole rules and stuff), it WAS merchant city. Now it is ruled by what is basically a pope, but still, my point stands, he would put more money in to stuff like roads, donations, anything that can get him more support, believing that either god protects or simply to embezzle founds People not connected with military tend to focus more on civil engineering, increasing number or roads, giving donations for new homes/workshops/shops, in turn, taking away money AND land for defensive stuff, instead relying on stuff that comparatively don't need that much money, aka, guards, its far cheaper to get a guard squad and maintain it then to get a new gate and maintain that shit, there's also fact that guards are mobile, they can go off on patrols, thus, simulating trade

[@Recluse336]

Um... Look up Hohensalzburg. A very large medieval castle … built by the archbishop of Salzburg. And maintained, and expanded upon for several hundred years. Nonmilitary people definitely understand the need for proper defenses.

[@Sundara229]

Xander This makes absolutely no sense. Especially if its a center for trade and banking, it should have WAY better fortifications. www.areablue.de/reisefuehrer-app-konzept/stadtfuehrer-app-digitale-zeitreise/bremen-mittelalter-altstadt-1641.jpg This is Bremen in the medieval times. If you dont know, Bremen was a VERY rich city and part of the Hanseatic League and was also considered a free city of the Holy Roman Empire. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/WP_L%C3%BCbeck_1787.jpg homepage-creator.telekom.de/-/CMTOI/cm4all/com/widgets/PhotoToi/18/70/79/87/163f0274813/scale_704_0%3Bdonotenlarge/163f0274813 THIS is what proper fortifications looked like. They dont had to fear any attacks *because* of their massive walls.

[@tovrobi5097]

What about making video about the worst castles that was built IRL?

[@jan050375]

that could be really difficult, i can't imagine the worst castles surviving this long same goes for their drawings.

[@tovrobi5097]

I agree. But maybe some are described in the annals or somewhere else, or there are ruins of the abandoned ones.

[@LordEvrey]

There actually are quite a bunch of examples. Most are pretty small, though, and the mistakes done are most of the time more about physics than about defences. There are, for example, lots of castles that are just too heavy for where they were built, resulting in them breaking apart under their own weight. Then, for example at the german river Mosel, there are castles which were built at the slopes of not so steep but still big hills, instead of putting them on top. Obviously, this gives attackers an easy height advantage by just further walking up the hill. Such castles then tried to compensate their poor choice of location by building higher shield walls in the back.

[@TheWampam]

Slope-castles have where buildt to reduce the depth of the well since it was one of the most expensive buildings in a castle.

[@LordEvrey]

This is very true. And wells were often the part of a castle that took the longest to be built. Plus, the castle I was specifically talking about is directly located next to a street along the Mosel. Thus, there were good economical reasons to put it there. But not so much when it comes to defensive reasons.

[@TheAnon26]

Re: bad defenses: Its actually kind of mentioned in the game that neither side wants to attack Novigrad. Its one of the biggest merchant areas in the north, with a huge fleet (which... doesnt seem to be in the game, but alright) and vast amounts of financial resources. Never mind that its also a major site for a major religion. As such, its pretty likely that the heavily fortified gate is an older part of the city, while the more open gates were added later, to facilitate traffic to and from the city. Heavily defended gates are nice and all, but if youve got a couple hundred, maybe even thousand, carts trying to get in and out every day, having more and wider gates starts to become appealing. Especially if youre among the largest military powers in the area anyway. Kind of like it happened in the real world: City walls were destroyed to make way for roads and provide building materials when they started to become less useful, or even harmful to trade. So basically, it probably started out with few, heavily defended gates, and those were gradually extended and new ones were added to alleviate traffic problems. :)

[@DZ-1987]

So, basically, be friends with them because they give you money. Fuck them over, then that means less money for you. Fair enough.

[@jarosaww2825]

Actually I live in such city, that started as enclosed defence project, and after few centuries all that was left was main castle, gatehouse (bronze dors were melted for cash) and part of walls due to "undisturbed air flow would cause humours on womans". I kind of can relate to novigrad in this case. Later in 19th century city was again fortified, but with modern circles of forts and artillery batteries. But who cares.

[@DZ-1987]

I care. Tell me more.

[@jarosaww2825]

@@DZ-1987 damn, you're for lot. I'm afraid am neither competent enough neither comment section made for covering of 1000+ years of urbanization under fortifications restraint. I'll ad a link to some semi-academic paper i found, aside of lot of tourist-grade photos has some historical input. www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www-cpsv.upc.es/documents/MateuszGyurkovich_MGVU_1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwixjvbC4MbiAhWJ2aQKHdDbDAwQFjAEegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1aL0PY_paMK3V2tfn_iHQA

[@Mekalor]

The point Shad made was that it is absolutely useless to build walls and gatehouses if you don't have actual gates. It doesn't look like there were ever gates there, neither do they explain this fact; it looks very much like the designers (game designers) of these fortifications didn't know gates were important, this cannot be explained away with "they didn't have anything to fear" because otherwise they are very good, practical fortifications, very expensive to build, yet utterly useless and meaningless in their incomplete state.

[@matheusmterra]

Actually, Shad, if you play through the entire game and get to an specific quest that involves a big-ish battle inside the city you'll see that all bridges' gatehouses actually have gates. It's a slight oversight that they are not shown when open, but as a matter of fact there are gates in all of them, one of the key plot points of the battle is exactly trapping the enemies between the two gates from the city to the Temple Isle.

[@1986DarkStalker]

I've never seen that battle happen, is that like a side quest or something?

[@matheusmterra]

@@1986DarkStalker the questline with Djisktra, Roache and the shoe maker, the spies, culminating with a plot against a certain someone all of them deeply despise.

[@1986DarkStalker]

@@matheusmterra oh, that one. I only remember the part where that certain someone dies and it's deep within the city, not at the entrances. Might be wrong tho. Also, thanks for answering the two-year-late question

[@TheDennys21]

You don't like Geralt?! What's wrong with you?

[@Lernos1]

He probably didn't play the first 2 games and didn't even bother reading the short version of book events that you can freely find on the internet. Didn't have enough time to be immersed with the character.

[@tommeakin1732]

Worst thing about Geralt and a quite a few of the "main" characters in this game is the fucking American accents. When it comes to most of the characters you meet in the game, it seems the dev's realised that for a medieval european environment, european accents are the least jarring to hear; even if the accents don't exactly fit the area where the game seems to be based on. For some reason they threw this out of the window when it comes to a few of the main characters. I honestly don't mind Geralt's voice too much, because the accent seems more subtle; but I literally can't fucking stand hearing Triss talk ; - ;

[@kirklazarus1426]

Lernos Rotosch I never played the first 2 games or read the books and Geralt is still probably one of my favorite video game characters. This guy just must be weird.

[@jafetbenjamingarciajimenez7045]

@@tommeakin1732 Hey man, just wanted to say it does have an explanation. Actually, The Witcher 3 does a great work whe it comes to accents, Scottish reserved for Dwarves and Halflings, Northern Irish for skelligers, Germanic for Nilfgaardians, and American for Geralt, Triss, and Dandelion. The underlying reasons for this, is that American accents are usually absent from fantasy storytelling. This is because the USA is a relatively new country, so the accent doesn’t conjure an ambience of ancient history and accumulated lore like places with a long past. Therefore, when used in a medieval RPG style, it sounds like it doesn’t belong. This is the point. It creates feelings of otherness, helping the theme of witchers (Let's remember both Eskel and Lambert have this accent too) as outcasts which is strong throughout the books and games. Just like sorceresses (Triss) or Bards (Jaskier), It can be also explained, since they are both people who have travelled all through the continent, having no specific accent.

[@tommeakin1732]

@@jafetbenjamingarciajimenez7045 Hmm I see your reasoning, but I have my doubts. Have you inferred that yourself, or have you heard that from an interview with the dev's or something?

[@afgncap]

A lot of interesting points but I think you missed a few things. First the thatch is indeed not thick enough but as you can see at the top of the roof it seems like some of it is missing and the frame is exposed. The areas of Velen and surroundings of Novigrad are basically poor slums, they might have lacked resources considering the war has lasted for quite some time now. Second. The overall lack of crenelations or meticulations seems pretty consistent with the design of defenses built by Teutonic order around northern Poland, same with roofs over walls and windows, and Teutons were considered some of the best defense engineers of their time. You can check Malbork castle for reference. The city itself took a lot of inspiration from Gdańsk, which was a major trade hub very heavily influenced by Teutonic order and later Prussians, very rich, very independent and the reason why there might be no gatehouses or even gates in some places is because they just got dismantled, as you noticed yourself there were indents in gatehouses. It seems more that Witcher is placed in either very late medieval period or even something like renaissance era. The rulers are considered to be extremely wealthy and arrogant so they might have removed some of the city defenses as the city expanded and they got even more confident in their status quo. The gatehouses are too small though. And last, the main castle. I don't think it's even the castle, more like somewhat fortified cathedral, it's the central temple of the Church of the Eternal Fire, and it's called temple isle after all. Also looking for murder holes under the bridge seemed a bit excessive. Yes it might be a nice place to put some, but this bridge is basically one giant tenement.

[@afgncap]

Yes, that's why I left that comment. I respect Shad's knowledge about the castles, dark and middle ages, but it seems like he knows more about Western Europe overall, while Eastern and Central was very different in some areas. For example Teutons very often built their castles out of bricks instead of stone with the walls roofed and without crenelations. It was not only practical, as bricks are more resilient, but shows how wealthy the order was.

[@perasturiaadastra]

P Ciprian besides, Novigrad is a rich trade city, staying neutral in wars since generations. I would honestly be surprised if all defences would still be intact.

[@HenryLoenwind]

About it being late, just have a look at 4:20. Is that a shop with large glass windows? Surely looks that way...

[@TheWampam]

Middle European castles normally don't have MACHICOLATIONS and often roofed walls. Bricks were common where stone was rare and no nearby quarry aviable, so mainly but not only in the flatland. But appearantly walls made from it are actually stronger than a similliar wall made from stone, typically sandstone.

[@oscarvillafranca2006]

You would love the blood and wine DLC for wither 3 as Toussaint is just amazing.

[@TITANia69420]

a land like the fables

[@helgenlane]

Oscar Villafranca at 11:51 he has the DLC, so...

[@ohauss]

Actually, given that the palace in Toussaint is more designed after late 19th century romantic castle-like buildings in the vein of Neuschwanstein, he might get a heart attack :P

[@TITANia69420]

Oliver H shit, ur right. QUICKLY!!! DELETE THIS COMMENT!!

[@oscarvillafranca2006]

TheTekOr Oleg True but it doesn't look like his played it. this would make perfect for a future video. and the castle there is beautiful

[@rootintootinputin5898]

9:08 when he talks about how this specific entrance has no defenses like a portcullis or gates yet there literally are massive wooden gates right in front of him...

[@Owwliv]

I noticed this...

[@petervansan1054]

later he claims there is no gate at 11:12 but gate is clearly just pulled up you can see the indent where it would be if it was closed...

[@Kasiarzynka]

That and other parts are the reason I gave this video the first thumb down from all his videos I watched. Perhaps I'm just triggered because I love the world, characters and plot of the whole franchise, both the books and the games so I'm just a little bit biased, idk, perhaps because he misses the point where there is tons of sorcerers and sorceresses in that world so they might as well just destroy any gate with a magical blow or teleport someone into the city who will then open the gates from inside - you'd just need a small group of skilled special forces, basically, to get rid of whoever is around the gate opening mechanism. I do agree it's some missed opportunities on the CDPR part though but *c'mon*.

[@cnutsack]

@@petervansan1054 There's no gate at 11:12, It's not pulled up. There's nothing up there, and it wouldn't have room to be retracted up anyways. portcullises aren't rolling shutters, they take up the same amount of space when retracted.

[@nyarlathotep13]

Wanye Kest 9:54 exactly

[@stareagle5000]

So love your videos but just a few things. The Free City of Novigrad is primarily a trade city of commerce and science/magic (although less so recently) its independence is recognized by most major nations and army’s although is seems to be sort of considered part of Redania (but not really). It is run by an independent counsel and is home to the Church of the Eternal Fire. That “castle” is actually the church. There is really little risk of an invasion from another country as the main appeal of Novigrad is in its wealth not any minerals or resources it controls. So what Novigrad is at risk of is not a military invasion but a political one. Hence why almost every nation has spies and ambassadors and nobles that reside there. Side note: if I remember correctly the main well defended main gate house is on the side where it is land and the other ones are on the side with the pontar (the river). So it may be that the river acting as a natural barrier of sorts and an army needing to cross a bridge is seen adequate defense based on the threats the city faces.

[@300subscriberswithoutanyvideos]

Doesnt really matter that much if it is mainly a commercial city, Just in case take Brugge (one of most commercial cities in my country back in the 1000's). , even tough it's mainly a commercial city, it needed defence, there was always that one dick who wanted the city for itself. Same thing with Novigrad.

[@ivanmonahhov2314]

It is inspired by surprise Novgorod ( Novigrad - new city in polish , Novgorod - bew city in Russian )

[@jimothyjimmz8372]

300 subscribers without any videos, Novigrad has that, in Hierarch Hemmelfart, also Novigrad has made certain that Radovid and Emhyr know, that if that city is put under siege, the money, which is the sole reason one would one to take Novigrad, would almost instantly disappear.

[@jimbeam8338]

If it's not at risk of invasion, why does it even have walls with battlements in the first place? Stop making excuses for poor game design

[@stareagle5000]

@@jimbeam8338 why rebuild the walls around Jerusalem? There are many reasons to build walls around a city and invasion is only one of them. 2.5 meter thick walls for a city that size are not going to help much against an invading army. Nehemiah’s 7.5 meter thick wall? Yes. Hezekiah’s wall at about 5 meters? Yeah that would help. Suleiman the 1st wall at 2.5 meters? Wouldn’t have been much help against an actual invasion. So why build it?

[@Litany_of_Fury]

It actually has a gate 8:16

[@svartorivigt5016]

He must have missed it.

[@artski09]

traitor !!!

[@velinion1]

Yep. Was going to make the same comment, but you thought I'd see if someone else already had first. Gate is VERY clear at 8:22

[@Mode-Selektor]

True but many of the "gates" didn't have gates.

[@Litany_of_Fury]

Considering Radovid put his main army in and around the city he would only need a few hundred to hold those gates. Considering how small the 'gates' are I don't think any attacker could breach it before the city improvises fortifications.

[@bobbyfett11]

It's a temple not a castle - the island is literally called temple isle. XD

[@bobbyfett11]

Still an awesome vid tho shad!

[@Noone-rc9wf]

James Crane But still it needs to be defended

[@marcog.verbruggen674]

it's still the city's seat of power, and any sensible ruler would have it fortified. And the priesthood has a militant order, the Temple Guard, so the temple is also a militant order's fortress-monastery. So no excuse for the temple to be undefended

[@Wolfsgeist]

I don't get, why Shad even calls it a castle, when citadel is the perfect word a structure like that (you know, aside from the fact that it's a temple) and he has even made a video on the correct terminology about elements of castles etc. This bothers me since Gran Soren...

[@BologneyT]

Well, at least he used all three words in describing it in this video. XD But yeah I guess he just wants to call it a castle.

[@davidpujman6082]

„Geralt is uninteresting” THIS US HERESY

[@metalassassin8841]

Exactly what I was thinking brother, HERETIC!

[@metalassassin8841]

@Carnivorus Yes inquisitor, this one too!

[@skylertremblay3395]

when the great journey begins, the weight of his heresy will stay his feet

[@MasterHall117]

Shad: *doesn’t like Geralt of Rivia* Every Witcher Fan: Wait, THATS ILLEGAL! Also shad, which did you like more: Triss or Yennefer?

[@sytrostormlord3275]

Why illegal ? Having read the books like 20years ago anyone could imagine being an unnamed witcher - maybe one of Geralt childhood friends, or maybe one that lived before Geralt was born... having big world to explore, not nessesary as Geralt himself, could be very interesting game concept. Back in the days somewhere between 2003 and 2006, we also played a paper&dice RPG based on witcher universe... players could also pick witcher as a playable class for their character... we had some fun with it ;) Like when one druid in our party decided that the best way to break into fortified mannor would be to magicaly infect guards with diarrhea... we laughed few minutes about the idea... with GM laughing the loudest, but it DID work... So i can 100% understand Shad saying, that witcher could be a game about a random witcher- not nessesary Geralt himself - maybe with some mentions about Geralt... like someone saying; "We dont like the kind of yours here... one of your buddies did a slaugther in Blaviken few years ago. We don't want such mess here" etc.

[@Galland780]

@@sytrostormlord3275 pretty sure he was referring to a meme

[@mnk9073]

Comparing city walls to Carcasonne is not the best way to go to be honest since that city's fortification were considered absolutely ridiculous overkill by almost all contemporary writers. It's like comparing a relativly fit person to the Rock. And let's be realistic and admit that medieval cities mainly built their walls to deter marauders and brigants as well as to funnel merchants, pilgrims and travellers thru it's toll booths. Defense against an invading army was actually a very low priority since "proper" military grade defenses cost a king's ransom and actual full on sieges with trebuchets, siege towers and what not were highly uncommon.

[@ChadfromChad]

But there is a portcullis on the bridge... at the end of the radovid questline....

[@danielboyas7645]

Vincent Jan Thats true i remember that

[@raifthemad]

Wasn't that in Oxenfurt though? At least Radovids ship was in there iirc.

[@danielboyas7645]

raifthemad No at that time redania has taken novigrad and radovid has moved his ship to novigrad

[@raifthemad]

Didn't remember that bit, played through the game once about a year ago.

[@honeybadger4396]

That's on Oxenfurt

[@Mic_Glow]

Having a fixed hero allows for what the whole witcher series (books and games) is famous for. Next-level, funny, voiced dialogues are not possible for custom characters, at least not with current technology.

[@EarFarce4]

'next level'

[@saminyead1233]

Yeah, he's kinda missing the entire point of the Witcher.

[@Mic_Glow]

@@EarFarce4 Most jokes are 3-liners or situational, in Witcher books (idk about the game, I just started it) you have jokes that build up trough half of a book.

[@jimothyjimmz8372]

Mic_Glow here's one for you, Geralt is senile

[@Kasiarzynka]

And having a good story to the game. The more freedom of choice you give to the player, the more likely it is that you'll have to play to some general templates without specifics. To me the whole book series is very heavily character based and driven, you just can't have that with stuff like Skyrim or some other The Sims, not to that extent.

[@fapnawb]

I had to stop watching when he said Geralt is a bad main character... that's just factually wrong..

[@kreol1q1q]

God forbid someone having an opinion that goes against the grain, right.....

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

@MaztaPan Geralt is narrated better than every "The Rock" Charackter or so. And how has The Witcher 3 got "many" Flaws? I am highly triggered and not ashamed of admitting it, your opinion is shit.

[@Eleolune696]

K1NG_of_ReVeNGe Apart from obvious flaws like bugs and clunky combat controls, how about the fact that the main game feels really rushed and unfinished at times? (DLC's are different) Especially if you compare it to TW2, TW3's writing is kind of ridiculous sometimes. The game kind of went back on the series identity a bit, with giving you only very few meaningful decisions that actually impact the game. The side quests and villages feel like copy paste at times, and the huge open world is mostly unutilized. Again if you compare it to TW2, this game prioritizes Quantity over Quality. It's also guilty of the same flaws that many other RPG's have, like giving you the illusion of choice (I remember a particular sidequest where you find some remnants of the flaming rose, and you're presented with 3 dialogue choices, of which all end in "I know who you are, we have to kill you now" There were a lot of instances in the game where I felt they really rushed the release and they should have expanded on, for example, the game clearly pushes Yennefer on you. It may give you the choice of romancing either Triss or Yennefer, but Triss ends up rather irrelevant after her personal side quest, and the game's writing clearly feels like you should have romanced Yennefer, which isn't really the point of a choice. There are also many aspects of the game that could have been highlights, but ended up being rather anticlimatic (like the Radovid side quest, or the fact that Eredin was a rather flat and uninteresting villain) Don't get me wrong, I love this game, but that doesn't mean it's not worthy of criticism.

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

@MaztaPan Well that is your own Opinion. I personally like it this way, if you want a Open World Game with a great sense of discovery, you should definately get Kingdom Come Deliverance. I also love that game, although there are a few bugs. But thats the case with pretty much every game. But don't expect Dragons and shit, it's treated in a very realistic way.

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

@MaztaPan i just preordered

[@tristan733]

"ITS NOT A CASTLE SHAAADD IT'S A TEMPLE!"

[@tyrant-den884]

HE SAYS THAT, THAN ACKNOWLEDGED HE WAS JUST DISCUSSING FUNCTIONALITY!

[@user-it3xy2cw1t]

@@tyrant-den884 WHY ARE WE CHATTING IN CAPS

[@azronger7214]

Do Beauclair from the Blood and Wine DLC for the Witcher 3!

[@Mic_Glow]

Its not a castle thou.

[@fknalexman6668]

@@Mic_Glow Neither is Novigrad

[@herb3629]

@@fknalexman6668 ^

[@Kev376]

Just letting you know, most gates as novigrad have large wooden doores, look at 9:10 And the fact the wall protrudes out from the entrance will give archers (probably using a crossbow) even more room and visibility to attack those running at the front gate.

[@ReedCBowman]

The crenelations on the ramp aren't aesthetic, they're to discourage skateboarders!

[@TheHaloGamer]

If you could create your own character the game wouldn't be half as good to me, Geralt largely carries the game for me. Also, yeah the game has a lot of inaccuracies, but I think it's not as bad in that regard as most other medieval games.

[@debilita9999]

Shad, I agree with you but 8:20 there is a gate or big ass door so it's not just an arcway. You missed it.

[@izaakfewton7536]

Geralt, main character from the Wither is a book character and the whole game is based on the books of one A.Sapkowski. It is the whole Saga of Wither containing quite a few books(six or even seven). I recommend reading! Cities in the game are mostly based of medieval Polish cities and I must say they are quite impressive. Enjoy the books...if you haven't yet...

[@nosteponsnek2064]

Ah yes, The Wither.

[@LukasJampen]

Considering how many details you have to consider while designing a medieval city it's no surprise some thing got missed. But it still says a lot about the effort of the developers that they got so many things right.

[@TheRichardSilver]

The Witcher isn't a choose your own adventure rpg, it's a defined world with a defined story and characters but a lot of player freedom. Also take into account that realism has a backseat when it comes to playability and design. You can't have the roofs be that thick because that would not be polygonally responsible.

[@stacuu2222]

you can't forget about one thing in case of novigrad. it's a free city. they cannot build around city on land across the river. villages around it belongs to redania. it doesn't justify all "sins" but i think that it might be important to understand situation of city. anyway, great video, keep it up :) meyby you will do a series about real castles like malbork? :)

[@Dare_To_Game]

Novigrad is arguably the best example of a "medieval" town in a video game.

[@pixelated_dragon4880]

Shad, great video as always. But I want to ask you to do a video on the other city in the witcher 3, Oxenfurt and/or on of the cities from the game mount and blade warband because i'm so hyped for m&b bannerlord thx ps: sry for the grammar

[@mjtechnoviking44]

You should have a look at the palace of beauclair and kaer trolde from this game. The latter in particular has a very impressive lead up to the keep. And also long. Very very long.

[@300subscriberswithoutanyvideos]

And kaer morhen too i think.

[@mastersKaaP]

I find it funny how at least half of the comments are about the fact that he said he personally disliked the main character and would prefer to play as his own character and not about the actual topic of the video

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

The Witcher 3 demands respect, and its fans are all about that. It also doesn't hurt that what he said was dumb.

[@Spherrum]

Fuzzy Dunlop More like witcher fans demand respect for their favourite game, though they don't have respect for other people's opinion.

[@TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

Ahaha literally just that comment 😂😂

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

If it's an ill-informed opinion - those tend to attract vitriol especially. I can see what those guys are saying, without Geralt there really is no Witcher. I know where Shad's coming from - it's literally the RPG way, that classic fantasy-fulfillment - but the Witcher isn't an RPG. It never was intended to be. If we get what Shad suggested in the future (and I think there's a good chance it happens) we wouldn't have been as familiar with the Witcher universe if we hadn't been in someone else's shoes first. Really, it's a battle between Shad fanboys and Witcher fanboys to see who's the most laughable. It's best just to stand aside and laugh at both of them. This video didn't just get 1K dislikes because a horde of fanboys disagreed with a remark, (the people who disliked other bits of the video aside) a lot of people disagreed with him. Not all of them uncouth fanboys who will defend the Witcher no matter what. I know I wont, it's got its flaws. I don't know why Geralt has an American accent while everyone else is sporting a crisp slew of accents from across the British Isles, France, and Germany. The fighting system is derivative of the Arkham Asylum games, etc. All valid, but what Shad said on the other-hand? I'm not so sure.

[@Spherrum]

Fuzzy Dunlop I think it IS an rpg. Action rpg, but still. The thing is, in the game you playing a role. But it is a role of already created, good developed, complex and complicated characters that existed in books long before the first game. And you have choises in an rpg. It should be a lot of choises in an rpg. But since you playing as already existing character with his own... well... character, that limits player's choises in every situation. Sorry for my english.

[@crownlexicon5225]

Jokes on you, Shad, I can open carry my longsword in public where I live

[@fajaradi1223]

At least its seethed. Nobody should wandering around with longsword drawed, along with murky face on public park.

[@hoptropikcz4973]

2:02 disagree I think Geralt is very interesting and good character

[@quaza2001]

Shad is just dumb and crazy

[@jimothyjimmz8372]

I think he's good because he is reserved and introverted, rather than extroverted and outgoing.

[@vomm]

I disagree Geralt is so boring. I would love to play The Witcher but as soon as I see Geralt or hear him talking I fell into sleep.

[@hoptropikcz4973]

@@vomm Well... Can you tell me how many of the books have you read and how long did you play the games?

[@vomm]

@@hoptropikcz4973 Can you tell me first how many hours I have to wait for a bus arrival before I am allowed to be bored of waiting?

[@undertakernumberone1]

Kaer Trolde, Oxenford or Crows Perch next?

[@FerroLux00]

undertakernumberone1 Crows Perch is a shit lol

[@undertakernumberone1]

its more for entertainment purposes anyway :P

[@Waakala]

It would be great! Kaer Trolde is too powerfull anyway, maybe Kaer Muire, to see how the clan Drummond could have defended from the An Craite for generations. And I think that Crow's perch would be a good example of a motte

[@TheWampam]

Crows Perch is not a motte. It is build on a natural hill and misses the main tower.

[@Waakala]

oh yes, you're right, It's a good example of a lesser lord fortification though

[@JEilonwyn]

And the COLORS Shad!!! The COLORS!!! Everyone isn't wearing brown and/or covered in excrement!!! The Greens, the REDS. Though I do wonder how expensive Dandelion's PURPLE FRIKIN' Doublet is??? Barding must pay very well, eh. :) Edit: Is "Barding" a word............. it is now. I claim all rights to "Barding" :)

[@pakkazull8370]

J_Eilonwy barding is horse armor

[@JEilonwyn]

Damn... My Millions... Foiled by a dictionary :(

[@JEilonwyn]

Perhaps Bardsmanship???

[@yarpen26]

"Hey look, a bunch of medieval games walking past." "The last two are The Witcher III and Kingdom Come." "How do you know?" "They're the only ones in which peasants aren't covered in shit."

[@WH15P3R3R]

I really love your vids man they get me immersed to the Universe you’re talking about.

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

I have had a nerd crush on Shad for a while. Then he said he didn't like geralt. I screamed, "WHAT!" And thought of crying while drowning him in a horse trough

[@boneneedle3360]

12:40 Yeah, those banner physics are stunning!

[@shadowforger11]

I beg of you, for the sake of my own personnal satisfaction: Ostagar, Denerim, Redcliffe from Dragon Age: Origins.

[@alexombra5054]

shadowforger11 YESS more Dragon Age videos

[@99frojo]

I don't think we ever saw enough of those places to do that properly. All the castles and cities he reviews are places you can go around and explore a lot. And DA:O was far from open world where you could go and explore the cities and castles to their fullest extent.

[@alexombra5054]

vin 950 Yeah it was on Inquisition , Ostagar was in Origins

[@99frojo]

THat was Skyhold from Inquisition. Ostagar was from Origins.

[@vicount3944]

Although I love DA, I doubt even one of these are realistic.

[@Crow.Author]

You know, I had an great moment playing Witcher 3, when I passed a tree, that had been properly pollarded. I was astounded, and had to just stare and smile for a bit. It amazing how at once, developers are so knowledgeable, and so uninformed at the same time.

[@bkane573]

This. This post can't be up voted enough. There is so much to know about the time period, so much that has been lost, or is regional. a year and a half ago I would have had no idea what that word meant, or why it was important. The writers of the Witcher series have their own, Slavic background, very, VERY different from the English one, or the Germano-Scottish-Irish-English one of Americans.

[@jimothyjimmz8372]

I also like, around the pontar, there are remains of battlefields, makes the world feel truly at war

[@Deloxo]

Not that they aren't facing the threat of invasion at all, but I was always under the impression that a lot of Novigrad's defenses were archaic or unsatisfactory because of it's economic importance protecting it from proper invasion. I just assumed they lost their gates over time due to restoration. Admittedly I haven't finished the game yet so I don't know.

[@_sky_3123]

Hey Shad. About Novigrad having many undefended gates. I wonder, were here cities which during peace really had those "open" doors which would make trade and supply of the city easier, but could be sealed with a wall in time of war??

[@DanielVeja.]

_Sky_ Not really...

[@Roch_C]

Thats why the portcullis was invented for...

[@Imperial_Lion]

How dear you!!!! Geralt is the best character ever created!!! Actually I'm joking but I really like him and I think that if you would read the book you could like him a little bit more. Also I don't think that creating a character in this game would be a good idea because Geralt is a integral part of the world and story.

[@Valanway]

Exactly. Without Geralt, the story would literally not happen. He's too integral to the world he lives in and the people that run it. A CaC would quite literally be impossible too, considering the previous games and the books, and the lack of Witchers that aren't from Kaer Morhen. Ciri would be the only character other than Geralt that would work in the world.

[@h3lblad3]

I think the big part is that Witcher 3 is literally number 3 in Geralt's story. It wouldn't make sense to continue his story without him now that they've had 2 prior games with him. "Now Geralt looks like whatever" would be a little immersion breaking for people returning after previous games.

[@Blunderbussy]

Geralt is the engine of the story. Everything relates to him. Yennefer, Triss, Philippa Eilhart, Shile, Dijkstra, Fringilla Vigo, Margarita Louix-Antille, Keira Metz, Ciri, Stephan Skellen, Crach an Craite, A'vallach, Emhir van Emreys, Pavetta, Foltest, Milva, Regis, Anna Henrietta and so on... Most things in the Witcher universe wouldn't even be without Geralt. There is a reason to why the books and the game are called "The Witcher". The world of The Witcher is so opressive, dark, awful and dangerous that most people don't even get to have a "story", they just are. Witchers enjoy a degree of neutrality because they are needed, and still, there are few. There are even less sorcerers and any other kind of 'special' people. The world is awful, literally one of the first things Geralt comes across as soon as he becomes a Witcher, is a girl getting raped. He is no hero, when he tries to be one, everything goes to fucking shit. It's a sad world where all folk just try to survive one more day, not become heroes for tales, and usually they fail. Except if you are Shani. She lived 100 years and didn't fell in love with Geralt. Damn, Shani was the lady for him... oh well...

[@Mongward]

I actually agree that reading a book makes you like game Geralt a lot more. Mostly because book Geralt is an insufferable edgelord. He is much better in W2 and W3.

[@Imperial_Lion]

He IS a absolute edgelord in the books but that is only one part of his character. And also the funny part is that everybody acknowledge that Geralt is an edgelord and comments on it.

[@venator-classstardestroyer568]

It looks like a fortified city today: with all the gates removed

[@T.BG822]

The walls are likely modified from their original construction, reflecting the city's evolution from fort to trade hub; plus, fewer man vs man fights happened overall after monsters started entering the world. Frankly, this is a point that I think gets ignored in a lot of the videos in this series: many fortifications in fantasy games seem to be geared less toward defense related to mundane warfare than from land-bound monsters.

[@COctagons]

I don't think you mentioned the towers not having arrow slits or other provisions for firing across the wall. Though there's another point about the defence: Monsters. If a monster got into the city, like, a big one like a cockatrice, or a griffin, or those huge crab things, how would they defend it? I can see this being more of a reason to have the city heavily fortified. And when you consider the flying creatures, I'd put a roof over every wall. Roofs with spikes on top to deter landing. We think it's bad in our world with pigeons, but *WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?!*

[@ethanworner864]

Concentric Octagons BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?!!🐉

[@Blunderbussy]

Ethn Worner - Dragons? You mean Saskia? She's into dwarfs

[@matearosie]

Concentric Octagons DRAGONS in The Witcher's universe are wise beings that don't go randomly Full-Smaug on a city. They are actually one of those creatures Geralt never took a contract on. Don't try to kill a dragon and you have nothing to worry about. ;)

[@HyuLilium]

>not liking Geralt opinion discarded

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

celroid532 where is your pic from?

[@alex_de_tampa]

I felt the same way lol.

[@GenericUsername-qp1ww]

Geralts a boring old man who talks like he's constantly considering suicide

[@Fullmetalnyuu0]

Legit same

[@keepiticy]

Geralt is true to his real self tho. after 7 books and 2 games of being betrayed, almost killed, ACTUALLY KILLED, cheated on, hated, and used countless times hes going to have a more stoic lifestyle where he doesn't give a damn about anything but things closest to him....Mass effect Andromeda made the character happy go lucky and super "nice" but he was a pain in the ass cause it didn't fit.....

[@kharnthebetrayer8251]

I want an entire hour of Shad just messing around in Open World Games.

[@TrollDragomir]

Now that you've done Novigrad and Kaer Morhen I think it's only fair if you also reviewed Oxenfurt , because not only is there a lot to love about that academic city (music

[@dIRECTOR259]

Shad, its called Witcher *_3._* Its the _third_ game in a series. The devs did their best, but if you want to care about the main character - _play the first two games and you will.._

[@Mongward]

dIRECT0R except the first game is a bore and is very unlikely to make him give a damn, and while the second is awesome, it doesn't have much bearing on the third one. It's not The Lord of the Rings, where you get a strict continuity between parts. woobwoob: or maybe he expects other things from characters. Geralt isn't an absolute and not liking him is as understandable and normal as liking him.

[@username65585]

Mongward The first game is... different. However, did you give it a chance it is very good.

[@dIRECTOR259]

The first game launched these guys all the way to the top of the AAA rpg market. I wouldn't call it a "bore", its just slower-paced.. more old-school. If I recall it was little more than a passion project at the start. Its complicated, long, takes its time, and it has a weird combat system that takes getting used to... but the story is great, the npcs gritty and real, the environments are dripping with atmosphere...

[@dIRECTOR259]

I'd say the Witcher series lost much of its darker atmosphere after the first one, presumably for wider appeal (they also couldn't avoid making geralt more handsome than he should be). That's fine with me, its a good business decision and they made up for it in spades... Still, I kind of miss the original's darker tone: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXrYmWt8lLeFhckm38s Just look at that landscape, for instance :). Its part of why I enjoyed the Hearts of Stone expansion more than any part of Witcher 3. Not that I'm some kind of goth emo bastard, but the first game really caught the dreary "Eastern European" feel.

[@Mongward]

username, yeah, I did give it a chance. Unfortunately, had to give it two chances, since I've lost my endgame save before getting to play Witcher 2. I like the Vizima chapters and abhor all the others. I have no problem with oldschool RPGs, but the first Witcher game was neither here nor there and the dialogues were stiff like the worst parts of Sapkowski's books, too often drawn almost word for word from them. The fourth chapter, in the village (no clue what's the English name for that place) was a slog, the Prologue was ham-fisted, and it if was straight-up isometric, like the RPGs of old, it would have been much shorter. I don't judge Reds for it, because hey, their first project and all, but it doesn't make the game any better on its own.

[@Cloud_Seeker]

WHAT!!! Geralt is awsome. That is the good thing about Witcher 3. If you can just play as anyone you do not get any sense of importance as any fucking peasant can do the job.

[@Cloud_Seeker]

1. I already know that. 2. That doesn't matter as Geralt in the book isn't just anyone. He isn't a normal peasant and what he do many others can't hope to do.

[@justinwashburn496]

Cloud Seeker but any fucking peasant can be a wicther they just need training and be strong

[@gregxuoserb3338]

Sauron 555 WHAT ? Ever heard of the trial of the grasses ? The years of special trainings and exceptional resistance to toxicity mutagens of Geralt ? Damn...

[@valtteriimmonen7757]

+Sauron 555 Great research mate. NO. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE WITCHER! They wouldn't be a dying breed if that were to be the case.

[@trbry.]

SkellP - just like nobody writes now that most people can read, true there are almost no scribes anymore.

[@retsila4750]

Geralt is such a great character!!!!! And even if you dislike him, then how does that ruin the game!!!

[@Cory_Dora]

You’re a blast Shad! I just finished playing this game (again) and I never gave one thought to Novigrad’s defenses....so sadly, after watching all your vids...apparently I didn’t learn a damn thing. But! When I play again, I just may pay attention. 😁

[@marcog.verbruggen674]

Not to excuse the devs for what are obviously errors on their part - well, I do excuse them, but simply for the fact that most people don't really care about historical accuracy and it would be a waste of resources for them to put too much effort into that instead of the rest of the game - but I do think you have to consider the lore of this world when looking at Novigrad's defences. The city is so politically important and invulnerable to everyone in the vicinity, that military defences are almost redundant. I think that could be the reason why there are so many unguarded entrances and little ways in which the defences are lacking. The original defences don't measure up to modern standards (modern in the universe, that is), but that is no longer necessary, and defensibility stopped being more important than accessibility at some point in the city's history, so they added more, unprotected entrances. Plus, the city used to be a haven of mages and scholars before the religious prosecution of mages and scholars we see in the game started happening, so that alone was probably defense enough.

[@simonsp92]

Yay! I was hoping you'd go back and do more Witcher videos. I would like to see your take on both Kaer Trolde and Crow's perch aswell.

[@forgiven36511]

You are literally the only channel ANYWHERE that actually makes me enjoy commercials!!!!! You clever clever friend...

[@AppleSauceGamingChannel]

machicolation mətʃɪkəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ Not maquicolation. Don't worry about it Shad.

[@codystringfellow8958]

In defense of the city's battlements and fortifications, pun intended, the game itself gives a fair reason while some of the gates may have been abandoned, broken, or left less defended than in the past. Novigrad's defense is mainly economic. The ruler of the country the city is in, Redania, and the invading empire to the south want the city for its fleet, strategic location, and commerce. Both of these rulers however were told, in no uncertain terms, that if they were to attack the free city of Novigrad; that the ships can burn, and its wealth/gold could disappear. Effectively taking away the biggest incentives to try to take the city via a siege or similar tactics. May not explain the city's structural flaws, but might be a justification why some of them apparently exist.

[@J-IFWBR]

Well if some raiding norsemen or Mongols/ Magyars, suddenly show up out of nowhere, Novigrad will bitterly regret this choice =D

[@alby8357]

@@J-IFWBR cconsidered that Novigrad control most of the economy of both the Nilfgaard empire and the reign of Redania, they wouldn't last long. And there are not such people in the witcher world

[@MRKapcer13]

Considering the indentations in the walls are there for a clear gate/portcullis and the general incredible thought put into the design of the game there are a few things I can think of: 1. The references they have undoubtedly used had no gates in the gatehouses. In fact, most gatehouses today lack proper gates and, even more importantly, portcullises. It's very possible that the references they used lacked these things. 2. It was deliberate. Witcher shows once-amazing structures reduced to ruin and fallen from grace. Maybe this is just another one of those. 3. Mistake idk

[@gregpatience9478]

I know this comment is 2 years late but just have to say thank you so much for the blooper real at the end of this great video. I was laughing so hard. I'm so glad I discovered your channel during the past few months. Enjoy the information and entertainment.

[@LoganKaser]

You should review the skellig Castle, I was thinking the whole time I was there how I would not want to lead an army attacking it.

[@MA-mg4cd]

Roach is the worst dog in the world.

[@CrystallizedBlackSkull]

Morgen Anderson Wrong, what the hell She's a goat Gotta ring a bell to call Roach also

[@perspii2808]

Morgen Anderson probably because he’s a cat

[@Sam-os5qh]

the 'castle' is the temple of the eternal fire. hence the aesthetic.

[@thedaystar1415]

I'll have you know some of our best scholars constructed those walls. Walls no army has ever crumbled.

[@Sadeyr]

I would love to see a video on the effectiveness of the Witcher armor/weapons are in a more a more realistic fight- like the mail on top of leather, for example.

[@Tamashikiri]

Oh, you say a castle on top of a mountain wouldn't need to fortify anything but the main entrance? ... But what about dragons? :P

[@archive4058]

I am still waiting for Kvatch from Oblivion Shad. Please check it out, it just sticks out so much in my mind because it was actually defended and fortified to impede the player unlike a lot of these castles that are not directly designed to impede you.

[@cy_pher03]

Wait, did he really just say that Geralt of mf rivia, the butcher of blaviken, the white wolf is BORING? His sarcasm and grumpy personality is so funny and the contrast to his softer side when he is with Ciri or Yen is so heartwarming. Totally can’t understand this point, he is a threedimensional, relatable and believable character

[@MrDraken666]

Hi Shad, love your vids. I think you need to read the books to understand why Geralt is so cool und depicted just perfectly in the games.. Keep up the good work.

[@gumbyjits6502]

i guess i"m not the only long sword freak in the world, i'm so relieved!!

[@ohauss]

Um, Gate at 8:23 clearly visible?

[@shadiversity]

Yeah, I missed that ^_^

[@hydrogenone4926]

9:42

[@Ensensu2]

Speaking of the Longsword Shirt, I know the perfect wearer for that shirt. Geralt of Rivia.

[@stevemcgroob4446]

6:55 Don't worry past Shad, three years in the future there will be a whole series of videos from various youtubers to correct you.

[@liminalheadspace5624]

What's this? Merlons at waist height? What do you think this is, an FPS?! Get those merlons to head height this instant!

[@stillyet]

Real cities get built and rebuilt over time. Walls get changed, added to. As a city grows, new walls have to be built around new suburbs. The Flodden Wall, in Edinburgh, still runs along one side of my old school playground. It was shoved up in a hurry after the Battle of Flodden, because during one of the rare peaceful periods in Scottish medieval history the previous wall had been dismantled for building materials. A big trading city - which Novigrad clearly is - needs to get large volumes of goods in and out, both by sea and by road. Heavily fortified walls and gates are a real nuisance in peacetime, so they tend to get, well, streamlined. Then, when war threatens, there's a sudden panic to get new defences up. In the specific case of Novigrad, there are bridges before the gates, and bridges are easily demolished, increasing the defensibility. The rivers are, in effect, an outer curtain wall. Nor is the number of gates much of an objection. Medieval London had seven gates, not counting the bridge - so that's eight. Novigrad seems mostly OK to me. It looks like a city which went through major wars two or three generations ago, and then has had a period of peace. The problem with that assessment is that in the history of the Witcher universe, there's been at least twenty years of sporadic war by the time we get to Witcher III - although I think most of it has been considerably south of Novigrad. There's no sign of hasty rebuilding of defences, though, and the defences don't change through the game. Also, for a port city which can easily be attacked from the sea, I'm not clear how the harbour is intended to be defended. But Novigrad has to serve two purposes: it has to have the flavour of a medieval city, and I think it mostly does; and it has to be a set on which the Witcher and his contemporaries can act. There needs to be room for the camera to follow the actor around; so alleys aren't as tight as you'd expect in a real medieval city; interiors aren't as cramped. And the gateways aren't too cramped for the same reason; you have to be able to ride a horse through them, with other characters about, and still have room for the camera to move. This isn't archaeology, it's entertainment. It's sodding good entertainment. There's no need to critique it too closely.

[@T.BG822]

Aside from the interesting note making me wish the defenses in towns changed over time based on the actions of the major characters, I have to disagree with the final point. I disagree with Shad too, but I don't think critiquing the defences of fictional cities isn't worthwhile. I think that, given the limitations of game design, CD Projekt did excellently - but even works of high art have flaws or details which can be interpreted or modified to fit narratives or representations better. Critique isn't saying things are 'wrong', just 'inconsistent with a particular view'

[@tinyspeaker]

This comment is better than the video. Well written, sir.

[@dragonstormx]

I just assumed the extra entrances was also for the player's convenience, so they wouldn't have to keep going back to the same entrance over and over again.

[@xkinsey3831]

"it's entertainment. There's no need to critique it too closely." The exact same point could be made about your comment, it's a lighthearted video about the defences of a city in a video game. A 3 paragraph long counter-argument really isn't needed

[@Chronically_ChiII]

As a witcher fan, I think the devs could have made a more believable castle. At least let a professional look at the blueprints once

[@aleksapejic7812]

Neighbor looking at shad walking by with the sword:Honey he’s here again,No I haven’t invited him to the tea party again

[@MykhasV]

15:38 portcullis doesn't disappear into a void. Actually, parts of it can be seen through "windows". And the overall height is enough to cover the entrance.

[@KeyserSoze23]

Cap.

[@chabis]

I love it he basically said that all levels of stupidity are sort of historically accurate :-D Doing things wrong happened in every century.

[@sir.phantom215]

shad: "the castle design is interesting.. i... i never seen historical castle match some of the kind of imbelishment" me: "oh, oh shad... it's not a castle, its a temple. you tried compering a temple to a castle, i see no problem here...

[@tyrant-den884]

HE SAYS THAT, THAN ACKNOWLEDGED HE WAS JUST DISCUSSING FUNCTIONALITY!

[@sfgregs]

You are using some impressive ultra 4k graphics mods. Could you please advise which mod you used? Thanks.

[@dionysios8700]

Geralt is one of the most interesting characters in video games, he’s a very smart Witcher, charming, hot, old, experienced, funny, attractive, muscular etc

[@lukatosic09]

Bit of a bitch, main protag of a shit game series etc.

[@serxhio5006]

@@lukatosic09 k

[@duckbite5157]

Sounds like u are just horny.

[@jjtomecek1623]

hey Shad, can you do a video comparing a kite shield with both a buckler and a shield from the Roman Empire? and tell us which one you think is best and why?

[@Papadragon18]

He's already stated he considers the kite shield the best of all shields. Besides, comparing a buckler with a scutum(or a kite shield for that matter) isn't really reasonable. They are two very different types of shields, that are wielded and used very differently. It's like comparing a spoon with a fork.

[@jjtomecek1623]

Papadragon18 I mostly want to see why he likes the kite shield over the scutum. I feel like the latter would be slightly better choice since it covers more, but I am no where near being an expert on the matter, so I just wanted to find out

[@Papadragon18]

Fair enough. I do know he did a couple of videos on the kite shield and why he likes it so much, but can't remember if he mentions why he prefers it over the scutum.

[@boneneedle3360]

Buckler because you can be a parry king. Kite and great shields are for casuls. Git gud.

[@kedronmallia939]

Well....I mean he compared the kite to the buckler at least.

[@tacoman2147]

"See Geralt sprint."

[@WilBgames]

One thought that kept coming to my mind while playing this game was that it would be really cool to explore the world as a non-Witcher. Would have loved to see an expansion/spin off where you play someone else's story in the same world. Maybe try to survive as a mage?

[@assassinscreedislife7636]

This was a brilliant game. Geralt is an incredible character if you know him from the books first. Makes playing the games a lot easier imo.

[@Tech-Kaplan-Kali]

8:23 Let's just pretend this gate is not there, ok? 9:05 yep no gate at aaaaaal. seriously choode your pictures better.

[@shadiversity]

Yeah, I missed that one but I think my point still stands ^_^

[@Tech-Kaplan-Kali]

Yep I agree, for me the city itself, and not the fortications, is the main thing I love in Novigrad. BTW Review Skellige, and you;ve got wittcher basically done (no reason to review Toussaint).

[@spiky7700OG]

jozef kalinowski yea toussaint is more like the fable castles and stuff

[@Stanathema]

At last! I've been waiting for this one since the Skyrim ones!

[@NickRoman]

LOL that banter at the end. They should hire you to do little bits like that when you meet people in the game.

[@janklaska3026]

Dear Shad, Do you know how I regularly get to oxenfurt? I just swim the river :D That there is a major flaw in defence and it always bothered me.

[@killergandalf]

if you want a realistic medieval city in the videgames, go watch Monteriggioni in Assassin's creed 2 #easywin

[@QuietWookie]

cheating! real cities dont count.

[@qcklu]

labpleb but when u look at the one in the game, its not the real one so it does count

[@QuietWookie]

i was in monteriggioni irl and despite the lack of the Villa Auditore it was quite similar to what i had seen in the games.

[@qcklu]

that doesnt mean that the thing in the game is actually the real thing

[@thehistoryguy4018]

Really glad you put a video like this out today. Was felling really downtrodden due to recent problems with someone. You intro especially cheered me up. Keep up the good work, Shad! I'll be leaving for basic training in the army in less than 20 days, I can't wait to binge watch your videos when I get back!

[@Mephitinae]

Maybe some of the gates were added in times of peace just for the sake of convenience. Novigrad is a huge trading hub, and it would be faster to have several entry points where incoming caravans could be inspected.