Witcher 4 Design Lead Reveals: It's Not About Yellow Paint, It's How You Use It

The Witcher 4's level design lead, Miles Tost, shares insights on game design guidance and the subtle art of player direction.

Image credit: CD Projekt Red

The debate over yellow paint in games—marking climbable surfaces—has sparked discussions on player guidance versus immersion. Tost argues it's not the presence of such elements but their overuse that breaks the illusion. "People see through the smoke and mirrors," he notes, emphasizing the need for subtlety in design.

In The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red initially lacked sophisticated level design techniques. "We didn't emphasize guidance as strongly," Tost admits, highlighting the game's intuitive design choices that later became industry standards. The addition of white decals for climbable surfaces was a late inclusion, showing the team's evolving approach.

Phantom Liberty represents a leap in CDPR's design philosophy, incorporating compositional line work and more deliberate guidance techniques. Tost contrasts this with The Witcher 3's focus on aesthetic over function, showcasing the studio's growth in level design sophistication.

Accessibility and subtlety are key in guiding players without breaking immersion. Tost advocates for a balanced toolkit, where direct guidance methods like NPC cues or Witcher sense coexist with environmental storytelling. The goal? Players shouldn't feel they're being led by the nose.

The challenge lies in blending guidance seamlessly into the game world. Tost cites Uncharted's use of environmental cues, like flags, as exemplary—believable and integrated, unlike overt markers that can feel artificial.

This discussion underscores the delicate balance game designers must strike between guiding players and maintaining immersion, a lesson CD Projekt Red has learned well through its journey from The Witcher 3 to Phantom Liberty and beyond.