Designing for people to truly exist in Witcher 3 villages

The pursuit of perfect simulation in an open world often leads to the most unexpected results. For the developers of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, this dynamic played out in ways that went far beyond the epic battles and morally gray choices players are famous for.

Early in the development process, CD Projekt Red made a deliberate choice to prioritize giving Non-Player Characters (NPCs) believable daily schedules rather than focusing immediately on how they would react to the player’s actions. This seemingly small shift in focus had significant implications for how the world felt alive.

Quest designer Philipp Weber reflected on this early development phase, noting that by concentrating on simulating realistic routines, it naturally fostered curiosity among players. If a village only features eight houses, for instance, players are immediately prompted to ask: do these people truly exist, or is it just scenery? This focus on granular detail ensured that the world felt genuinely lived-in.

This philosophy extended to simulating fear and real-world reactions. When the game featured villagers reacting realistically to danger, it led to highly amusing, if chaotic, domestic scenes. Because the NPCs were programmed with basic human responses, mothers in the game found themselves simply dropping their newborns, left and right, when faced with trouble.

The systems governing NPC behavior were intentionally designed to avoid rigid paths. Instead of giving every character a fixed route, developers focused on creating “spots of interest.” This allows the characters to determine their own movement based on their immediate needs—for example, a villager might finish woodcutting and then choose carpentry in front of their home.

This approach was crucial for building an organic environment. Consider a bustling location like Novigrad harbour, which featured fifty sailors. Rather than forcing them down predetermined lines, the developers created 200 possible spots of interest. This meant that even if all fifty sailors were active simultaneously, they had multiple options for where to go and what to be doing.

By prioritizing these small, nuanced details—whether it was scheduling a day or allowing for free choice in movement—the team managed to create an open world that felt profoundly immersive and surprisingly human. The result is a world where the background details contribute meaningfully to the overall narrative experience, proving that sometimes the most realistic simulations lead to the most memorable moments.