Topic: The Witcher 2 (Read 17024 times)

LTK · « **on:** 17 May 2011, 15:43 »

The Witcher 2 came out today. Is anyone else playing it? This is the PC-exclusive medieval fantasy RPG by Czech developer CD Projekt, sister company to gog.com, who are offering the game entirely DRM free.

I spent the last few hours playing it, and I'm getting the impression of it being old-school in the way of throwing you into the action without any hand-holding. Well, 'throwing' might be a bit of an overstatement as there are several minutes of expositional cutscenes before that, but that's beside the point. The only training you're gonna get is the one you make for yourself; the tutorials that explain what most of the buttons do are 'unlocked' only after you press one of them by chance or experiment. You only get one chance to practice swordfighting before facing actual enemy soldiers, and that's on a training dummy you have to seek out in the camp.

It really is quite unforgiving in its combat, and the first fight I went into without backup got me killed consistently until I figured out how to use a protection sign and throw bombs, even on Normal difficulty. This is actually a refreshing change of pace since there hasn't been one game that gave me difficulty on the second-to-highest setting in the last few years. But experimentation is rewarding, and putting new skills to the use (your skills, not the ones in the game) quickly pays off. I still have to see if the plot is going to make any sense, but from here I think I'll be enjoying this game.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 May 2011, 16:00 »

i really want to get it, now that i have a decent computer, but i really can't afford it right now. Haven't even looked at the reqs, I might not even be able to run it, I dunno.

this is pretty funny though

satsugaikaze · « **Reply #2 on:** 17 May 2011, 22:59 »

I got kicked in the nutsack by the Australian ESRB.

But GOG.com has my back!

I'll go through the game later this week and come back with my impressions.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 May 2011, 02:38 »

i pre-ordered a retail copy in between the gog pricerise and the gog region setting

Really looking forward to this though. I played through The Witcher over the last few weeks, and it really is the best of the modern, fully 3D and voiced, RPGs.

Tom · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 May 2011, 02:43 »

Urrgh, wish I had a system to run this on. Oh well, I guess I know what I'm doing with my tax return.

LTK · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 May 2011, 16:39 »

Okay, this has to be the best-looking game I've ever played. I put together a new computer to run Crysis 2 on, which was not as remarkable from a first-person perspective, but this game is making it more than worthwhile. I can't even stop looking at my new jacket. The in-game events and cutscenes go smoothly, but the other exposition scenes can be a bit stuttery, which was a problem I also had on my laptop. For the rest there is a bit of clipping of character animations, but otherwise the world progresses without a hiccup. I've just reached the first town. The villagers are chatty, excited children follow you down the street, guards scoff at you; it's really great. This is looking to be a game worth a couple of replays.

Tom · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 May 2011, 20:30 »

Guess what I'm doing with my tax return.

Cire27 · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 May 2011, 02:43 »

Finally got to the first town and holy shit I am overwhelmed.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:16 »

Quote

I can not believe that some people claim that this "game" is superior to Biowares RPGs. The Witcher 2 is a benchmark tool and simulation of sex. This is not an RPG. People who are behind this "game" have shown incredible incompetence. The official site has not worked exactly at the time when the game was released for sale. The engine is a mild horror. This game works equally poorly in the lowest and highest settings. Of course, you'll know this if you manage to start the game and there's a good chance that you will not be able to do that. The game itself is below the minimum standards of the genre. The story is surprisingly bad and full of stereotypes and clichÃ©s. The main character is extremely repulsive and is surrounded by a crowd of equally annoying and poorly conceived characters. The fact is that author of novels that have served as inspiration for this "game" is just a plagiarist. "Mr." Sapkowski copied a number of well-known dark fantasy novels, most notably the famous "Elric of MelnibonÃ©" series. His work probably would never got beyond the borders of his homeland. Get some dating or sex simulation if you want to, buy some benchmark tool if you want but do not buy this "game".

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:17 »

Quote

18 months in and we may already have our worst RPG of the decade. The failings of this cheap Polish Dragon Age ripoff are many. The PC-first mentality of CDP makes the game completely inaccessible. The romance options attempt to match the deep, emotional romance arcs of BioWare games but fall flat due to unsatisfactory uncensored sex scenes. There is far too much variety. Games should be like chess, not Mario Party. The graphics aren't too horrible, but the game takes the "Screw optimization, PCs can run anything we throw at it!" route by being nearly as unoptimized as Crysis DX10. Like many games nowadays, it allows you your actions to change the storyline, and like many games, those changes are either too trivial or too black-and-white. You'd be far better off if you skipped TW2 and bought BioWare's Dragon Age 2, a much more polished, cinematic, well-written game with titillating gay and straight romance options (I nearly gigglesquee'd when I first saw Anders) which will remind you of such classics as Baldur's Gate and Dungeon Siege. Buy it. Now. We won't fail you.

LTK · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:38 »

Metacritic user reviews?

Tom · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:44 »

The majority are superpositive but there are a handful of Bioware/Console fanboys/mouth breathers.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:45 »

'user' is a bit of a misnomer. They're bioware employees, same people that did those ridiculous reviews for DA2.

est · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:54 »

Quote from: look out! Ninjas! on 20 May 2011, 04:16

Quote
"game"

Quote
gigglesquee'd

Man.

Tom · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 May 2011, 04:54 »

Really, I thought that would be more EA's thing. Oh well, way to disappoint again, Bioware.

LTK · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 May 2011, 05:01 »

Ohh, right. It might even have looked slightly like a review if not for the 'We won't fail you' bit. Makes sense that this comes from Bioware employees.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 May 2011, 07:33 »

Apparently posting positive reviews of your own game is actually quite a big thing in the industry. You'd think that somebody with as much money to throw around marketing their latest ultrabudget release properly wouldn't need to sink to something quite that lame though.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #17 on:** 20 May 2011, 07:34 »

Also, Poe's law comes in full effect.

LTK · « **Reply #18 on:** 20 May 2011, 15:51 »

God fucking damn it, that first boss. How do you fight something that kills you in one blow?

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #19 on:** 20 May 2011, 17:17 »

if the first game is anything to go on, bring a cave down on them

LTK · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 May 2011, 06:00 »

No such luck, it's in a swamp. I think I'll have to do some of the notice board quests first.

Edit: Er, okay, so it was a bridge. Close enough I guess? A tip for when you reach this one: Stay away from the two front tentacles.

LTK · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 May 2011, 15:49 »

I got it now. Chapter two. Mind remains perpetually blown. Will keep you posted.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 May 2011, 18:56 »

0-8 working days can hurry up

est · « **Reply #23 on:** 22 May 2011, 02:03 »

Anyone else getting an issue where occasionally Geralt will just stand still for just a moment in between controls, or where he won't even bother trying to block, even with enough vigor to do so?

LTK · « **Reply #24 on:** 22 May 2011, 12:19 »

Sometimes, yes, but I think that has to do with attempting to do two actions simultaneously. You can be in mid-swing when you press E but the game might not register that key press, so you need to do it again afterwards.

Man, the stuff in my inventory is really starting to pile up. I've got dozens of little monster bits that all have the subtitle "Alchemy ingredient/Crafting component" and I keep worrying that if I sell them all off, they'll turn up in a new crafting recipe somewhere. Maybe that's unlikely, but why else would it have that subtitle? This Aracas armor and Kayran eyes have to be good for something. I was able to find a recipe involving Endrega teeth for a jagged sword, and also made an amazing armored jacket out of Kayran carapace, so hold on to those things.

Also, sometimes the game gets its item and monster names a bit jumbled up. If you read about a Beehive bomb, it's supposed to be Grapeshot, and Necrophages are more commonly called Rotfiends.

satsugaikaze · « **Reply #25 on:** 22 May 2011, 16:11 »

It's better than finding loaves of bread and legs of chicken in nearly every container possible, including but not limited to wardrobes, bedside tables and piles of rubble.

LTK · « **Reply #26 on:** 23 May 2011, 15:06 »

Was that the case in the first Witcher game? At least now there's no shortage of timber, rolls of cloth and bits of leather to be found. It's also very helpful that items with no use are actually labeled as 'Junk'. Makes it easier to keep a clean inventory.

Also, I think I found out why there are so many items labeled as 'crafting component' that aren't associated with any meaningful recipe. I came across a diagram for diamond dust which required the teeth of some creature. Given that diamond dust is commonly available from people's personal belongings I've never needed to craft it, but apparently a lot of those seemingly basic constituents can be crafted from other ingredients. It would be insane if you actually had to manufacture those components every time for a new weapon or piece of armor. Making a sword out of meteorite ore would require at least three crafting recipes for each ingredient.

Today, in the Dwarven city of Vergen, I paused for a moment to admire the detail on a hanging banner. It looks as if you can reach into the screen and feel the texture of the cloth. Man, this game looks amazing.

KvP · « **Reply #27 on:** 23 May 2011, 21:39 »

Quote from: LTK on 22 May 2011, 12:19

Man, the stuff in my inventory is really starting to pile up. I've got dozens of little monster bits that all have the subtitle "Alchemy ingredient/Crafting component" and I keep worrying that if I sell them all off, they'll turn up in a new crafting recipe somewhere. Maybe that's unlikely, but why else would it have that subtitle?

Resist that impulse. Doing that in the first Witcher made it an absolute pain in the ass.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #28 on:** 24 May 2011, 03:51 »

I got the retail version over the GoG version (for the same, not-Australian price, and no delivery charge) and I'm glad I did. This is a thing of beauty, , triple wide, opens up like a box and has separate DVD cases for the game DVD and the Making-of DVD. The manual is beautifully printed and there is a little gold coin floating around too.

Tom · « **Reply #29 on:** 24 May 2011, 06:18 »

How's the VA? The Witcher had some atrocious VA.

Damnable Fiend · « **Reply #30 on:** 24 May 2011, 20:00 »

this game might be coming out for consoles at some point

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/what-manner-of-witcher-craft-will-cd-projekt-bring-to-e3-sounds-like-something-for-consoles/3245/

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #31 on:** 24 May 2011, 20:03 »

yeah they said they wanted to from the get-go but they didn't have the capability to do it during development, and PC is still the main market over there. They were going to release Witcher 1 for consoles too but they fell out with the porting devs.

LTK · « **Reply #32 on:** 25 May 2011, 16:13 »

Patch coming ~~in the next 12 hours~~ later than expected. Fixes startup time in versions with DRM, key mapping, and performance. Personally I'd just like to see the sluggish mouse movements in menus optimized, but maybe there's a mod for that. There are some mods listed here, I immediately modified the tooltips for items and recipes.

LTK · « **Reply #33 on:** 27 May 2011, 17:32 »

Patch is out now, and it helps immensely. I've got the Direct2Drive version of the game, and it starts up quicker, loads saved games quicker and the mouse sluggishness is gone. However, you are no longer able to allocate skill points and mutations from the skill screen you get when you press C. You have to be meditating to do this now.

I just finished the game. Wowed on all fronts. It would be criminal not to do a second playthrough of this game, and I guess I owe it to myself to play the first game now as well.

Also, I think I found a good solution to the issue of unbalanced combat: You simply start the game on Easy, switch it to Normal when you arrive in Flotsam, and switch it to Hard when you leave. Voilá, a difficulty curve that isn't inverted. Don't ever touch Insane difficulty though.

JD · « **Reply #34 on:** 28 May 2011, 11:15 »

Obama got the collectors edition gifted to him in poland, all of which signed by the author of the books.

Here's the google translated article

Probably a first in presidential gifts.

Tom · « **Reply #35 on:** 28 May 2011, 14:12 »

Cue Fox nontroversy in 5... 4... 3...

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #36 on:** 29 May 2011, 18:32 »

man, i sure am dying a lot. I know exactly what and how to do things but the actual winning of fights is the thing. Like those five drowners near the wreck. Love it though, it's a huge step up from the combat in Witcher 1.

Josefbugman · « **Reply #37 on:** 30 May 2011, 03:10 »

I want to be president for the games now!

Though I must admit it appears as if you need to spend a lot of time rolling out of the way of attacks and preparing beforehand prior to any fight that has even the suggestion of difficulty.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #38 on:** 30 May 2011, 06:50 »

it's standard early-RPG difficulty, really. It gets a fair bit easier quite quickly, once you work it out and get some skill points

LTK · « **Reply #39 on:** 30 May 2011, 08:20 »

Only two points of vigor, 200% flanking damage, and being limited to parry attacks from only one side is standard difficulty? I don't think we've been playing the same RPGs. Winning becomes less difficult once you get rid of the aforementioned weaknesses. Increasing the points of vigor you have available is particularly helpful; you can easily do this by putting two skill points in Fortitude (Training tree) for +1 vigor, and two skill points in Destructive Magic for another +1.

I found myself using Quen in almost every battle I was in, which should keep you alive as long as you remember to recast it. Also remember that Aard can get rid of opponents instantly if you can knock them off a high place. The game guide relies heavily on Yrden to trap opponents but I hardly ever used it. Same with Axii, which didn't really seem to make any difference. Still, each has his own taste, so you just have to figure out what works best for you. I haven't heard of anyone favoring the Alchemy skills though, you'd have to be constantly drugged up to get any use out of that.

est · « **Reply #40 on:** 31 May 2011, 20:00 »

Yrden + a shitload of traps was the only way I could take down the Endrega queens, and when you talk to the elf outside the city he pretty much tells you that straight out.

and yeah, this game is really hard, even on Normal difficulty. I am still dying over and over and over, and I think that if I hadn't warmed up with playing the shit out of Magicka last month I'd be in "throw shit at the wall" mode. I've found that playing with a controller instead of a mouse & keyboard actually works a lot better for the type of game that it is, so thankfully it's a little easier now, but not much.

LTK · « **Reply #41 on:** 01 Jun 2011, 02:43 »

How is everyone doing for armor and weapons? Do you only use what you find or do you take the time to craft items too?

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #42 on:** 01 Jun 2011, 06:09 »

I started with Raven's Armour so I had something decent to start with, and now I'm scraping around for enough diamond dust to make the Kayran Armour. It's expensive. Also just made a new silver sword to replace Aerondight because it was better.

cyro · « **Reply #43 on:** 08 Jun 2011, 01:48 »

Man, I'm all a drooling fanboy over this game. I've just finished my third playthrough. I have only two problems with it.

1. The difficultly curve is weird. The games difficulty spikes around the end of chapter 1, so a little before halfway through the game, which is odd to say the least.

2. The doors. Goddamn the doors. If my companions slam doors in my face one more time I'll retexture them into a bloody door.

LTK · « **Reply #44 on:** 11 Jun 2011, 15:49 »

I've begun my second playthrough, and I've noticed the difficulty is strongly dependent on the player's skill. The game punishes you harshly for dropping the ball, but if you know the right way to handle certain types of opponents, it's not unreasonably hard. It really just needs a good tutorial. One that tells you things like the best way to handle a human opponent with a shield or who blocks your strikes is to parry, quick attack, heavy attack, repeat. Or that Endregas are slow enough that you can manage them with continuous heavy attacks.

I an unable to stop being amazed by how good this game looks. This jacket! Look at this jacket! It looks better than anything I have hanging in my closet!

Also, patch 1.2 now automatically gives you all the promotional items that were offered for pre-orders from certain sellers. CD Projekt is awesome.

Cyro, I have to ask you how your games went, because I am desperate to find out the alternative outcomes of some of the choices. Did you import a Witcher 1 save? Speaking of the Witcher 1, I bought that one too and now I finally got the joke about 'doing it witcher and striga style' that the whores are telling over and over.

Quote from: est on 31 May 2011, 20:00

I am still dying over and over and over, and I think that if I hadn't warmed up with playing the shit out of Magicka last month I'd be in "throw shit at the wall" mode.

I guess you're all set for playing Duke Nukem Forever, then!
Sorry, that was probably a bit too easy.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #45 on:** 11 Jun 2011, 17:49 »

yeah, patch 1.2 dropped and i was stuck in the wilderness in Act 2 unable to run. Cool gloves though.

cyro · « **Reply #46 on:** 12 Jun 2011, 02:36 »

Quote from: LTK on 11 Jun 2011, 15:49

Cyro, I have to ask you how your games went, because I am desperate to find out the alternative outcomes of some of the choices. Did you import a Witcher 1 save? Speaking of the Witcher 1, I bought that one too and now I finally got the joke about 'doing it witcher and striga style' that the whores are telling over and over.

Yeah, I imported a couple and it does change how certain groups react to you. Quite a lot of the changes are in chapter 3 though, so there's no immediate difference. Beyond that, you also get to import the silver sword from the Lady of the Lake in the first game, which is game breaking-ly useful in chapter 1.

The only issue is it doesn't really matter who you romance in the first game, it just defaults back to Triss.

There's loads of references to the first game and the books if you know where to look.

Josefbugman · « **Reply #47 on:** 12 Jun 2011, 03:00 »

What happens if (in the first witcher) you killed erm... well you know the KoTWH?

Does that somehow effect the WH in game in the second one?

cyro · « **Reply #48 on:** 12 Jun 2011, 06:36 »

Couldn't say, I always killed him so I don't know what it's like if you didn't.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #49 on:** 13 Jun 2011, 06:41 »

I choose to think that, like everything else in the epilogue, it was just part of [redacted]'s mind, and you just batted away his projection.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: The Witcher 2 (Read 17024 times)