Witcher

[Edward64]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/831/831264p1.html

Witcher has gotten good reviews (other than long load times, lip sync and some controversy about adult themes) and was wondering if anyone here has played it and can share their thoughts on the game?

Looking for a great RPG for the year and this one is more interesting than others because the combat isn't a twitch fest.

[Calis]

Just picked this up last night. I've only got a chance to play for maybe an hour or so but I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. The graphics are good, some of the models are fantastic, and I really like the atmosphere of the game. In the atmosphere respect it's very Gothic-like. The story seems pretty intriguing as well, and the combat I'm not a huge fan of but it is ok. It's a little bit twitchy as part of it is a timing thing to get combos going, and you're doing a lot of quick switching between different styles(quick, strong, group), but it's not overly complicated.

So far I'd recommend it, and place it somewhere along the lines of 1/2 Gothic, 1/2 Neverwinter Nights.

[Galaril]

Awesome game I have had it for afew days. Doe shave dare I say a similar play and feel to the Planescape: Torment. Others have also made this connection as well. The only real problems is the game doesn't seemed to be optimized for best performance right now and the load times can be longish.

[Honolulu_Blue]

There is no good.

No evil.

Only decisions and consequences.

[Calis]

Maybe this is just me, but my biggest issue isn't the loading times...

It's the fact that the main female character(Triss), has boobs that appear to begin somewhere near her belly button. I find it pretty disturbing, and I'm not sure exactly what happened there. Someone had to notice that looked a bit off, and so far the other female characters I've seen looked normal.

Anyway, there's my off the wall complaint. I'm not complaining about the load times because I started playing it yesterday, on my ancient computer and then got all the parts in for my new one and have played it this morning on a brand new one so I have no complaints about loading time after seeing it on the old one.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Calis

Anyway, there's my off the wall complaint. I'm not complaining about the load times because I started playing it yesterday, on my ancient computer and then got all the parts in for my new one and have played it this morning on a brand new one so I have no complaints about loading time after seeing it on the old one.

Calis, can you tell me the specs of your old PC (cpu and graphics card) and comment about how well it played (ex. low settings etc.)

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Calis, can you tell me the specs of your old PC (cpu and graphics card) and comment about how well it played (ex. low settings etc.)

I think it was an Athlon 1800, with a gig of ram, and a Gefore 7600.

I had everything turned down to the bare minimum. I have an incredibly high tolerance for games running slow as crap so I thought it was playable, but just barely. The load times were hideous and the cut scenes were pretty choppy. I was well below the minimum spec for the game so to be expected. It's a hog right now though I'd say, hopefully they can optimize it some in patches.

Now I'm running a Core 2 Duo at 2.66 Ghz, with 2 gigs of Ram, and a Gefore 7900 (Holdover until I get my hands on one of the new 8800 GT's), and it runs like butter with setting a little under max.

[Calis]

Anyone still playing this?

I'm still chugging along, and I'm loving it. It just has a really great atmosphere and the further you get along the tougher the decisions become to make. It's the first time I've REALLY had to think about dialog options in a game, rather than the usual generic good/neutral/evil choices.

I've also been reading The Last Wish, a collection of short stories that are all connected, that's about Geralt(so far the only book translated to English) and I'm really enjoying it as well. It seems to be an excellent translation and I really like the style.

So far I'd say this is my game of the year. It might not be a couple weeks from now, but it is now.

Another small thing that I'm finding creepy is the amount that NPC models are re-used. There's a TON of twins out there and it kind of kills immersion.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Doe shave dare I say a similar play and feel to the Planescape: Torment. Others have also made this connection as well.

Well, I'm sold. Probably gonna pick this up today or tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Calis

Anyone still playing this?

I'm still chugging along, and I'm loving it. It just has a really great atmosphere and the further you get along the tougher the decisions become to make. It's the first time I've REALLY had to think about dialog options in a game, rather than the usual generic good/neutral/evil choices.

I've also been reading The Last Wish, a collection of short stories that are all connected, that's about Geralt(so far the only book translated to English) and I'm really enjoying it as well. It seems to be an excellent translation and I really like the style.

So far I'd say this is my game of the year. It might not be a couple weeks from now, but it is now.

Another small thing that I'm finding creepy is the amount that NPC models are re-used. There's a TON of twins out there and it kind of kills immersion.

From your description, it is on my wishlist for Christmas. I figure by then they might have a patch to improve the performance issues that some reviews mention as well.

[Galaril]

Great game. The load times seem to get better the deeper you get into the game and turning off temporarily while playing your antispyware/antivirus programs helps alot of have noticed. Also, the next patch is due out around the end of the month and it has already improved the load times and performance according the developers. Also auto save is going to be an optional thing in the new patch. They are also after the patch going to be releasing some bonus free added content. Some new adventures for Geralt from the sound of it.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Calis

It's the fact that the main female character(Triss), has boobs that appear to begin somewhere near her belly button. I find it pretty disturbing, and I'm not sure exactly what happened there. Someone had to notice that looked a bit off, and so far the other female characters I've seen looked normal.

This has stuck with me as well. Horrifying stomach-level cleavage.

[Atocep]

Picked this up a couple days ago and I'm impressed. For some reason it has an old-school RPG feel to it yet it has very nice graphics and interesting combat.

The story is amazing. There is no blatant good or evil in this game, it goes much deeper than that. Just about everyone has their own motives and secrets and the dialogue is just vague enough to keep you guessing. Your decisions have real impact on what happens also, not just slight variations on the story. The game also strikes a perfect balance between being linear and being open ended for me. My biggest knock on Oblivion or Morrowind was the game was so open ended that I was always tempted to explore and by the time I was done exploring I could only get so far into the game before I'd get tired of it. This game keeps the story moving while giving you things to do outside of the main story arc.

The graphics are pretty solid. Combat is much more interesting than Morrowind, Oblivion, or NWN2 IMO. I wasn't a big fan of NWN2, mostly because I didn't care for the engine, but this game uses the same engine and I'd have to say uses it infinitely better.

[SackAttack]

Atari sent this over the other day, but until I can upgrade my video card, it's sitting on the desk.

Hopefully somebody's either got some killer deals this weekend, or I get a nice, hefty paycheck on Friday.

[Calis]

One of my favorite things in this game, and it's a little thing also, but seeing all of the NPC's in a zone run under cover when it starts raining is pretty cool.

[Izulde]

Since this isn't turn-based is there a console version planned?

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Since this isn't turn-based is there a console version planned?

Nothing planned, but last I heard was the developers were looking into it.

I think it'd be a tough port, and I'm not sure that it's selling enough to warrant it. I think it would've been a nice RPG for the 360 to have.

[Abe Sargent]

I'd love to hear more about this game, because I have it on my shortlist, but I haven;t decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. Mechanics, what youa re playing as, how magic works, etc. I've read reviews, and they seem to be long on combat and flavor, but short on eberything else.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

I'd love to hear more about this game, because I have it on my shortlist, but I haven;t decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. Mechanics, what youa re playing as, how magic works, etc. I've read reviews, and they seem to be long on combat and flavor, but short on eberything else.

The game doesn't have character classes. You're given a character and you spend your talent points mostly to improve his physical attribues and melee skills because a witcher is an expert of swords that has some magical abilties. Magic is probably 3rd behind attributes and sword skills in importance.

Magic really isn't a big part of the game. Its more about using your different combat stances at the right times. Magic is used to supplement melee.

Alchemy is a large part of the game in terms of buffs. You can stack some major improvements through potions and I'd say its a necessity to spend talent points unlocking the various alchemy things. Buffs can increase the rate you regenerate your HPs, increase damage, allow you to see in the dark, and quite a few other things. You can also create bombs and oils to coat your blades to improve damage or add an effect later on.

One knock on the game I could see is if you're a fan of spellcasters in RPGs then this probably isn't the game for you. 90% of combat in the game is melee with the occasional spell thrown out there, mainly for crowd controal or damage. Character advancement is probably the most linear part of the game from what I can see (though I'm still fairly early on in the game).

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Atocep

The game doesn't have character classes. You're given a character and you spend your talent points mostly to improve his physical attribues and melee skills because a witcher is an expert of swords that has some magical abilties. Magic is probably 3rd behind attributes and sword skills in importance.

Magic really isn't a big part of the game. Its more about using your different combat stances at the right times. Magic is used to supplement melee.

Alchemy is a large part of the game in terms of buffs. You can stack some major improvements through potions and I'd say its a necessity to spend talent points unlocking the various alchemy things. Buffs can increase the rate you regenerate your HPs, increase damage, allow you to see in the dark, and quite a few other things. You can also create bombs and oils to coat your blades to improve damage or add an effect later on.

One knock on the game I could see is if you're a fan of spellcasters in RPGs then this probably isn't the game for you. 90% of combat in the game is melee with the occasional spell thrown out there, mainly for crowd controal or damage. Character advancement is probably the most linear part of the game from what I can see (though I'm still fairly early on in the game).

The biggest knock I have on the game is you can't use a bow or be a ranger type character. Still a great game.

[Calis]

http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=10388.0

Big announcement coming the 18th on this, I'm assuming it'll be an expansion..whatever it is I'll be picking it up. One of my favorite RPG's in a long time, fun game.

I think the toolset is due soon and is supposed to be a pretty in depth one, since this is using a heavily modified version of the same engine NWN2 does. I'm curious to see what people can do with it, the game sure is a helluva lot prettier than NWN2.

[JetsIn06]

Convenient bump....I just picked this one up today. Installing now.

[thesloppy]

I wanted to like this game, and I did like the small bit that I played...but the load times between 'areas' was JUST long enough to put me off from ever getting fully into it. Damn my tiny attention span.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I wanted to like this game, and I did like the small bit that I played...but the load times between 'areas' was JUST long enough to put me off from ever getting fully into it. Damn my tiny attention span.

They patched it somewhat recently to make the loadtimes nearly instant.

[Atocep]

I never had much of an issue with the load times. Mine were in the 15-30 second range, which I was willing to live with.

A friend of mine, however, had load times anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, even when entering/exiting buildings. He says that since the patch his load times are down to about 5 seconds. So its been significantly improved.

[MikeVic]

So... my friend plays this and told me something funny about the game. Apparently you try to bed women, and when you do you get a trading card with a painted image of them (in game) in some erotic pose... for example, the milk maid women is on her knees with a ladle, pouring milk on herself.

True?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I never had much of an issue with the load times. Mine were in the 15-30 second range, which I was willing to live with.

A friend of mine, however, had load times anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, even when entering/exiting buildings. He says that since the patch his load times are down to about 5 seconds. So its been significantly improved.

Oooh! You may have piqued my interest....thanks for the update!

[Lonnie]

True

Google witcher cards and the first hit has pics of all the cards including the milk maid (peasant girl)

[Galaril]

Definitely the load times are much improved. Unfortunatley they still have the auto save implemented (scratches head) and I got sick and tied of the really terrible inventory system. It has almost no room on your character for carrying the tons of ingredients needed to make stuff. I have put this aside until they patch it or add an expansion to the game that improves the inventory which really is the only issue I found with it.

[Eaglesfan27]

I just got a 2nd copy (my wife got me a copy for my Birthday last month) of this as a belated gift from a friend. It's an excellent game. I'm looking to trade the 2nd copy preferrably for something I don't have that has come out in the same time frame or alternatively for a reduced amount of cash.

Games off of the top of my head that I have interest in:

Sins of an Empire
Wizardry 8
World In Conflict

PM me if you are interested.

Edit to add: The inventory system is my only real gripe about the game, but it's still well worth playing.

[Calis]

Awesome news, the announcement they had was an "enhanced" version of the game.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/36...tion-Announced

Some highlights.....

Improved inventory:

* Filtering of alchemy ingredients by content
* Auto-sorting of items in satchel
* Special slot area for sorting alchemy ingredients in satchel

Loading times reduced by 80%

# Auto-save option (on/off).
# Character differentiation mechanism (effectively generating approximately 50 new character appearances).

There's also the editor being released, and another "quest" starring Geralt with a few extra quests.

This is a helluva update in my opinion. The game was great already with a few flaws and this seems to address all my gripes about the game.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm not sure if that link mentions it, but another link that I read states that this updated material will be released via a patch to current owners!

Any new purchasers will get a thicker manual, a map, and some other extras.

[BrianD]

Are you guys having any stability issues with the game? Running it in Vista, I get a crash to desktop about every 10-15 minutes.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Are you guys having any stability issues with the game? Running it in Vista, I get a crash to desktop about every 10-15 minutes.

I'm not running Vista, but I've had maybe one crash in 25-30 hours of playing.

And yes, it's definitely going to be a free patch to those that already have the game, so that's nice.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Calis

I'm not running Vista, but I've had maybe one crash in 25-30 hours of playing.

And yes, it's definitely going to be a free patch to those that already have the game, so that's nice.

From what I have been reading, it seems mostly to be a 32-bit vista problem in the way memory is handled. I've seen some potential fixes so I'll try those soon. The game has been good so far, so I'd like to be able to keep playing it.

[Eaglesfan27]

I used to get crashes constantly with the game until I made sure that I had every Windows XP patch possible as well as the latest graphic card patch. I haven't had one crash since. However, with the announcement of a better inventory system, I'll hold off on playing the game any more until that is released.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by BrianD

From what I have been reading, it seems mostly to be a 32-bit vista problem in the way memory is handled. I've seen some potential fixes so I'll try those soon. The game has been good so far, so I'd like to be able to keep playing it.

I run Vista and had some crashes in the first chapter and then the cutscene at the end of the Chapter took a few attempts to get through, but after that I didn't have a single crash.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I used to get crashes constantly with the game until I made sure that I had every Windows XP patch possible as well as the latest graphic card patch. I haven't had one crash since. However, with the announcement of a better inventory system, I'll hold off on playing the game any more until that is released.

Yeah, that's the negative to this. I'll now be shelving the game until this patch hits.

That does mean I'll get to devote 100% of gaming time to Gothic 3, so I'll live.

[Calis]

Just a heads up for anyone interested, the enhanced edition of The Witcher is due tomorrow. I think people who already have the game can register on the main forum to download it for free, or there is a new boxed version available with it all there.

Sounds like some good stuff, and I'm looking forward to firing it up. Best RPG I've played in quite some time.(I'm not however looking forward to slogging through Chapter 1 again).

[gkb]

I just started playing this game last week and I really enjoy. I'm definitely going to download the enhanced edition when it becomes available.

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for the info Calis. I enjoyed my brief time with the game, and I've just been waiting for the enhanced version to restart the game and play through it.

[Calis]

Well I've ran through the enhanced version a bit today. I guess the download for people who already have the game won't be up until Friday, but as I was installing my game from the CD I realized I had thrown away the box and couldn't find my manual which I needed the key from to register my game for the downloads. I lost my originally game when my HD went out several months back, and I was a good portion into the game. I'd say I was about midway through Chapter 4.

No big deal though, I bought the game off Impulse(Stardock) this morning with a coupon and it only cost $29.99. I don't have an issue supporting these guys buy repurchasing it, and be nice to have a digital copy.

I can't say too much about it, because I'm just finishing up the prologue. I can say that the load times are drastically improved even from the latest patch. They are no longer an issue at all. The inventory re-doing is a great addition as well. The alchemy ingredients being separate is very helpful, it was a mess before. They seem to have got rid of the awkward moments when dialog transitioned as well. It flows very smoothly now.

I plan on playing it quite a bit this weekend, and trying out the new scenarios they made. I'm very impressed so far.

[Godzilla Blitz]

I'm going to get the import version later this month. I've heard good things about the original, and have been waiting for the enhanced version.

[pjstp20]

I bought this game when it was first released and enjoyed it immensely but the loading times were just too unbearable so I set it aside till the patch to reduce loading times came out. By the time it did I was heavy into WoW raiding so I never picked it up again.

Fast forward to September 2008 and I'm absolutely burnt out on WoW and I see that they are releasing a Enhanced Edition of this game that fixes all the reasons I put it down back when it first came out. I decided to give it a try to fill in for the gaming void that retiring from an MMORPG will leave you and I must say it is now one of my favorite PC games ever.

That being said I still had some gripes with the game:

- It's virtually impossible to reach max level unless you grind. One of the major reasons I left the MMORPG scene is because I'd rather drill my eyes out then grind.

- The game is too easy. Even on the most difficult setting you mow through everything and you cant really experience all the fun stuff that Geralt can do simply because they aren't necessary to succeed. I got through Hard difficulty without using 3 of the 5 signs, no bombs, no oils. Just potions to increase Health and Endurance regen were enough to get me through even the most difficult fights. Some of the coolest fighting animations occur on your 4th and 5th combos but I was killing everything by the third.

- The North American version is censored because nudity in computer games is still considered too much for the ESRB unless the game gets their version of an X rating (AO), which of course would be the kiss of death for sales because most if not all U.S. Game retailers won't put AO rated games on their shelves. Releasing the uncensored version was possible oversees without giving it the most restrictive rating. I think it's time that the ESRB and U.S. game retailers realize video games are now made for more mature audiences since the days of Pac Man, but I digress.

Spoiler

- I wanted all the mutagens so saving the Werewolf was not an option for me although I wanted to. I'm listing this as something I didn't like but honestly making decisions like this is a pro to the game. That being said, I still want to have my cake and eat it too.

- By the time you get all the best talents and the best items the game is basically over. I was really enjoying playing the game when I had Raven's Armor, Mahakman Rune Sihill and Moonblade while just owning stuff with fully talented sword styles and Igni/Aard signs.

Lucky for me I could fix my reaming gripes with community mods to create the perfect PC game. I'm just bringing it up here in case anyone else wants to give these a try to make this game as challenging and enjoyable as possible.

Mods:

1.) Uncensored Mod - Replaces all the Censored files with the uncensored ones that the European versions have. I'll claim that I want this mod to stick it to the man and not for the extra T and A it provides. :cough:

2.) Insane Difficulty Mod - Makes this game a true challenge. Monsters take longer to kill, they hit waaaaay more often, they hit you harder and are more resistant to the overpowered Igni Sign. Meanwhile Geralt's items are nerfed as is his damage. On top of all that this mod makes it easier to reach level 50 for the endgame which the author says is pretty much necessary in order to survive.

Also necessary to survive is full use of Signs, oils and bombs. Some regular mobs are tougher than bosses from the default game and require the proper potions and oils to defeat.

Spoiler

This mod also contains lots of little secondary mods to make the game more fun, one of which is the ability to do the full Werewolf quest and get the mutagen ingredient as a reward for it.

3.) Talent of the Cheater Mod - This mod unlocks all of Geralt's talent points after his first level up. IMO this combined with the insane difficulty mod makes this game epic. Being able to use all of Geralt's combat styles up to 5 combos against buffed mobs right from the start is a thing of beauty.

4.) Raven's Armor + Swords Mod - This mod puts Raven's Armor, Aerondight and a Yellow Meteorite Sword in the Frightner's loot from the Prologue. Gives you more of a chance to survive with the difficulty mod plus Raven's armor looks way better than the Leather Jacket you start the game with.

Of course if you want to make the game a true challenge don't use the last two mods. I plan on trying to tackle the Insane Difficulty Mod with and without them.

[CleBrownsfan]

I picked the enhanced version up today at lunch. I'm looking to play a game on my new rig. Haven't opened it up yet 'cause I still don't know if I want this title or to try WAR...

[Atocep]

I picked up both LA Noire and Witcher 2 today and got started on Witcher 2. The game looks phenomenal with the new engine. The lighting is amazing and the game just looks great all around. I haven't played much yet, but the game is not easy (at least in the early going). Combat seems improved but it's hard to tell this early.

The game is every bit as mature as the original. I wouldn't suggest having children in the room even at the beginning.

The official word from the developers is 40 hours to complete. I haven't seen any reviews to confirm that though. Hopefully this is the game I'm expecting it to be after the massive disappoint Dragon Age 2 was.

[RainMaker]

Can someone explain Witcher? Is it like WoW or is it a single player game like Fallout?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Can someone explain Witcher? Is it like WoW or is it a single player game like Fallout?

It's a single player 3rd person RPG.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I haven't played much yet, but the game is not easy (at least in the early going). Combat seems improved but it's hard to tell this early.

You can say that again. I'm just on normal level and trying to get used to the new combat system. I've died 4 times already in my first major fight trying to get to the ballista. Maybe it's just me...

[Zinto]

I decided to finally buy the Witcher today. I am enjoying it so far and I can not wait to see what else it has in store since the prologue was pretty awesome.

If any one has any tips on the leveling I would appreciate it since I always feel some what overwhelmed when leveling for the first in an RPG with so many talent trees.