1.2 patch notes say "Islamic–themed and similar textures have been deleted and/or replaced." - any idea which textures they mean? I haven't noticed anything like that.

Funny that so many picked that note to comment on. It piqued my curiosity too. :P

From the comments section at thewitcher.com:

"By mistake on one of the carpets in one of the games brothels there were islamic motives. Not a good taste and pure mistake. Carpets in this particular brothel then get exchanged;)

Michal
CDP RED"

I was much more intrigued by the Islamic-themed knockers.

Hmm... I've seem several "Persian" carpets in Margot room, on top of the inn. But can it really be dubbed as "muslim carpet"? I live in orthodox christian country and those Persian rugs are pretty much popular and used as ordinary carpets, with no religion significance what so ever.

Or maybe some other carpet was an issue?

CDPR is making a BAD MOVE here.. i'm seeing that they are basing more towards GENERALIZATION now.

They'll be the NEXT EAWARE that made games safe for kids, religion and culture. To start off, Muslims are NOT supposed to play adult themed games as it goes against their RELIGION.

I have no problem if they want to play it or not.. but i HAVE a problem if CPDR is REMOVING THINGS UN-NECESSARILY for generalization.

SHOULD they remove NUDITY in next patch? Because it's forbidden for MUSLIM TO PLAY???

WTF CDPR!!

This is a matter of undue selectivity.

For example, if Islamic-style carpets or other objects were everywhere in the game, including the brothel, it wouldn't cause any problem, unless those objects were religious (but then again, I wonder why they would have something like that it in a Witcher game in the first place).

However, when you only have Islamic-style carpets in a brothel in your game, it kinda makes people think what you meant by that. So I think it was a wise decision to remove those textures.

Islamic revolution DLC soon in patch 1.6 with variety of lovely black textures

Really? Because of one texture ... ? (relating to Michal's statement quoted here)

I think the reason for their removal is very obvious. CDP wanted some exotic looking carpet. What they ended up with is a carpet that every single muslim would recognize as the same prayer carpet that they have in their house. It creates the wrong context, and sets the wrong kind of atmosphere for those players.

It's an accident with unintended consequences, and it's trivial to fix. Sensible decision to remove it.

please search the topics first.

http://www.gog.com/en/forum/the_witcher_2/islamic_themed_and_similar_textures_have_been_deleted_and_or_replaced_wha

I think I know which texture was an issue.

In Margot room (at top of the Inn, next door to Sile quaters), there is one wooden surface with carpet like texture (right section of the room, at left side). In 1.1 it had some picture that resembles one of those from prayer carpets (showing some building, in center). Now in 1.2 it's just regular Persian pattern.


After patch:
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1111/w2fixed.jpg

The original Witcher had the exact same textures and they were spread throughout the game across all chapters...They were in Triss's room, Peasent houses, the brothel and elsewhere. They have been imported to Witcher 2, and if you are a muslim it is quite obvious that the shape and architecture on the rugs is exactly like traditional muslim praying mats.

It is quite clear that the rugs are placed randomly throughout the game world just like they were in the original game, and the developers intentions were not to degrade anyone. I have a bunch of similar looking praying mats at home which I regularly use for praying, but I did not find it offensive (just amusing), that CDP chose to use them.

A good decision in my opinion, not because I am a Muslim myself but because when you make an entertainment product for audience you just make it for audience you don't make it for Christian audience, Jewish audience or Muslim Audience hence anything that can directly relate to some religion or otherwise offensive in any form to some portion of audience is not good, some might say that its just a fantasy game but things that get famous in world bring criticism much quick and for small matters.

It can cause unwanted trouble for developer as well, remember Capcom was heavily criticized for killing lots of black people by the hands of a white person in Resident Evil 5, it might be a small matter for me or you but not for those who got offended by it. Similarly in Assassins Creed series Ubisoft always show this in start of game, Assassin's Creed was made by a "multicultural team of various faiths and beliefs." Why ? do we care ? we just want to play the game that's it but it has sensitive content inside it like assault of Templars, conspiracies by religious figures and so on... So every developer in someway try to avoid controversial things, and since these textures aren't related to story they can be safely exchanged with more random looking textures to avoid controversy. It should also be noted that nobody complained about these textures, it was CDPR that exchanged them so I think they have their policies.

Obviously no one is getting over possessive here because The Witcher 1 also had a main villain named Azar Javed, its a pure Muslim name but its certainly not offending to use a name, but if symbols that are similar or matching to Islamic writings or prayer mats on floor of a brothel where in game characters are walking is indeed somewhat offending. So removing it was a good decision, and I think they are not censoring anything, they are just replacing it with a carpet that has more random looking symbols that don't resemble Islamic textures and carvings.

I'm sorry, but this absolutely sucks. Not because the texture has been changed or deleted, but simply because CDPr appear to have been pressured into doing it, likely from up on high. Why should we always afford religions more respect than anything or anyone else? Why do they deserve this? We are pandering more and more to these super-sensitive, infantile cults, and this PC attitude towards their fragile sensibilities makes a mockery of the concept of free speech. Islam does not own the copyright to a computer generated pattern any more than Egypt does in respect to pyramid-shaped objects.

Pathetic, pandering political correctness gone mad.