The Witcher

[Hot Heart]

Funny how drowners were the beginner enemies in Witcher 1, but they're pretty lethal in 2 (and 3, it sounds like).

[SomTervo]

I discovered recently that low-class enemies (bandits, drowners) can usually be tackled even if they're up to 4-5 levels above you. Level 6 drowners are pretty doable at level 2.

 

My local store broke street date again so I've been playing this since Sunday. Got probably 15 hours logged. (Started getting RSI in my thumb, though, so that's a bummer.)

 

This game is really glorious. It's the first open world RPG - nay, first open world game - I've played where everything feels like it has meaning and place. Every person, every building, every monster (even the randomly spawning mobs). It's the first RPG where I've noticed how believable the things NPCs are doing are, and how they have meaningful interactions even if the dialogue isn't always that great.

 

Also I've never lost my immersion when travelling to/from/during a quest. The game is written to make it perfectly clear why you're doing what you're doing and what you need to do, and what impact this will have. It's not well written in terms of dialogue - though it has some great highlights - but it's perfectly written in terms of game functionality.

 

The combat is brilliant too, although there are a couple of balancing issues for me, playing on Blood and Broken Bones (Hard). There's one fairly early mission in particular where there's no checkpoint for a full 15 mins of tough fights, and I kept dying because I couldn't meditate to prepare more potions. In the end it turned out that Quen, as always, is your friend.

 

World is very, very large. I'm pretty certain the very first area in the game, the intro area (which is fantastic in its own right) is most of the size of Red Dead Redemption, probably larger. The main area of Velen is probably 6-7 times that. And I've not even reached another separate area or the Skellige Isles which look bloody huge on the map.

 

What a true epic. It feels like I'm taking part in Lord of the Rings or something. Except it's actually, y'know, fun.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Took some doing, but I fought those drowners, too. Helps if explosive barrels are nearby. Had the same results with a wraith. You just have to be extra careful. I'm mainly having trouble trying to get counters off, especially on drowners. Also, knocking people off cliffs. Trouble there, too.

 

I agree when it comes to the Witcher Sense, Dean. Wish it'd just pulse or something.

 

Everything else is good thus far. Playing on normal difficulty.

[SomTervo]

Took some doing, but I fought those drowners, too. Helps if explosive barrels are nearby. Had the same results with a wraith. You just have to be extra careful. I'm mainly having trouble trying to get counters off, especially on drowners. Also, knocking people off cliffs. Trouble there, too.

 

I agree when it comes to the Witcher Sense, Dean. Wish it'd just pulse or something.

 

Everything else is good thus far. Playing on normal difficulty.

 

One of the loading screen hints helps with this.

 

Counters are mainly effective against humans/sword-wielding enemies. Dodging is more effective against monsters. Must be due to their wider swipes and longer lunging movements. Their attack will push past your deflection. This tip really helped me in some later encounters.

 

The environment is so useful and reactive. They really nailed the combat and encounter design in this game.

Edited May 19, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[deanb]

Ah that explains a bit. I thought I was just really shit, cos yeah counters n parrys didn't really work on the ghouls wandering around.

[SomTervo]

Yep, you have to go full-blown Bloodborne on the ghouls especially on harder difficulties. Some really super-fast fights to be had.

 

HIT DODGE LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW

[TCP]

Played this for about 6 hours yesterday. Combat feels good, kind of like Assassin's Creed if Ass Creed's combat wasn't shit. You also have eagle vision / Batman's detective vision, so you spend a lot of time looking around for clues. I've never played a Witcher game before but you don't really need to for this one, which makes sense, that "III" in the logo for less prominent as development went on. 

The world is beautiful, it looks especially stunning on PS4. I can't recall a game where the trees move in the wind, the visuals work great with the top notch sound design, so when the wind's really blowing, the trees really move and you hear the wind howling too. 

I have yet to try it on Remote Play but a giant huge RPG like this is exactly the type of game you want RP for.

 

Anyways: game of the year.

[SomTervo]

Just wait until it's night time, the wind is blowing, it's raining, and there are cherry blossoms everywhere

 

Omg

 

I think this may just be GOTY, too. Although The Phantom Pain may be a big rival. It's is looking to reinvent the wheel in a similar way, albeit in a totally different genre/style. Looks like it'll have similar level of detail + gameplay polish + story polish + depth.

 

If it wasn't for my RSI, I would probably be more on the GOTY bandwagon. The thought of playing TW3 right now just fills me with distress. That thumb pain is really horrible and hampers my enjoyment massively. I don't want it to become a big problem.

[deanb]

So just a quick post to gush about the loading screen that comes up when loading a game save. Dandelion giving a recap of your current adventures is great. Really nice touch.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

So what the hell was Geralt doing that took FIVE YEARS to get to Velen?

 

Edit: Can anyone tell me how to use a sign's alternative mode on PC?

 

 

Shiiiit. I just killed some blonde sorceress (after fucking her).

 

Edited May 20, 2015 by Saturnine Tenshi

[SomTervo]

You're not talking about Keira are you? Please tell me you're not. And how late-game is that? Better not be a serious spoiler!

 

I think - but I'm not certain - that to use a Sign's alternative mode you just hold down the casting button. I haven't tested this but I read about alternative modes on the Character screen, then remembered hearing something in an old gameplay demo of the game about holding the button down to do it.

 

Also, people fairly early in the game, watch out for an enemy type which seems really easy but then buffs up with an insane 50hp per 5s power. It's a seriously difficult fight if you aren't bombed up to the eyeballs - the highly damaging flame bomb specifically.

 

So just a quick post to gush about the loading screen that comes up when loading a game save. Dandelion giving a recap of your current adventures is great. Really nice touch.

 

Yeah it's amazing isn't it. 'Previously on' has always seemed so contrived, then CDPR come along and just nail it.

 

Is that Dandelion though? I just thought it was a random guy who'll probably become important later. If so, shit what happened to him. He was nothing like that at the end of TW2.

Edited May 21, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[deanb]

Dandelion has changed a fair bit each game, maybe he likes to update his wardrobe a lot fairly frequently. Keep himself interesting. But yeah I guess it's Dandelion, he's "narrated/journalled" all of Geralts adventures in the games so far. Have you not noticed they're all talking about Geralt in the third person in a story-like manner?

 

Dandelion in : Witcher 1, Witcher 2, Witcher 3

 

p.s I've not met him in Witcher 3, but yeah was aware he was a bit pinker now.

 

Oh I was pleased to find a buck that talks of adventures with Geralt and such, and then at the bottom it has the author as a different bard. Unless Dandelion has changed his name since early adventures (which might make sense, he's not just a bard but a spy too)

[IDDQD]

I'm just sitting here, reading, getting hyped like a mofo...

 

Though the only thing I've been hearing about TW3 so far is the graphics downgrade when compared to so-called gamepllay trailers. Is that true? Another Watch Dogs bullshit marketing scam?

[deanb]

Eh, I'd say it looks fine on PC and I'm on like a mixed mid-high (more on the "high", though I'll be tweaking again based on the PC Gaming Wiki stuff), Probs just them running stuff for the gameplay trailers on Ultra on a PC, and then a bunch  of folks, including reviewers, playing on PS4 or something at equivalent to Mid or whatever. Same with GTAV, it was much prettier than 360 and PS3 supported, and now it's on PC we see it look like the gameplay trailers.

 

 

Game looks better on PC, developers show off the PC version; Tale as old as time...

[Saturnine Tenshi]

GeForce Experience has most of my stuff on high or ultra, and it looks grand, especially, as mentioned already, the wiiiiiiiiind.

 

@Kenshi:

That's why it was in a spoiler tag! I did the entire quest line for that person all at once.

 

 

Concerning alternate signs: I still can't figure them out. I did figure out that you hold down the button to use the alternate mode, but that doesn't always work. And there's no indication of why it's not working. For example: I'm trying to cast Axii's alternate mode, which will channel instead of casting instantly and turn a foe into a temporary, buffed ally. Often, it'll just do its instant cast and that's that.

 

I quickly grew sick of those loading screens. It sucks when you're doing multiple loads because you're fighting a difficult boss and it just keeps droning on and on and on and on.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Saturnine Tenshi

[deanb]

You can skip them (at least I managed to last night while trying to maintain Geralts legendary "never lost a bet for three games" status through strategic reloading).

 

Still haven't fully figured out gwent. Got all the cards I could buy though, so a bit annoying I'm getting butt kicked. Do you get to go back to Vizima castle n the starting area? (just in case I've missed something. Was a wee bit annoyed it didn't really signpost that you'd be leaving). In fact talking of

 

 

That moment when you're riding off with Yennefer and talking about having that dream about her and what happened and it's like "and then..." and at that moment the snow/ash starts falling and you're all "oh no, they're gonna be all "it was all a dream"", but nope, along comes the actual Wild Hunt

 

 

Housemate is playing it, so nice to chat with him. Especially as this is his first. Had to walk him through the Noonwraith as he'd not picked up the bestiary told him exactly what spells n blade oil he'd need.

[IDDQD]

Game looks better on PC, developers show off the PC version; Tale as old as time...

From what I've read that's not the case, actually. There was a fair bit of moaning about it (I even saw some comparing screenshots that showed pretty significant difference between what was shown in the trailers and what's in the actual game) so CDPR released a statement saying that they delibaretly reduced the quality of graphics, because of the console platofrms. Apparently the development cycle started way before either XBONE or PS4 were out, which means that programmers couldn't predict what these platforms would be capable of. Now it turns out consoles don't have enough horsepower to make Witcher 3 look so fabulous as in the trailers, so they reduced the overall quality across all three platforms in order to make the game look the same for everyone. That makes my piss boil for a number of reasons.

 

Now, I would be first to say that I don't care wether the graphics are good or slightly better, because that hardly matters if the game is still great. However, I do hate when game publishers lie about the quality of the product, teasing us with better looking graphics and then giving us something inferior.

Edited May 21, 2015 by IDDQD

[Saturnine Tenshi]

I forgot to mention that they way they have you using potions is really unintuitive. Only two slots, so you have to go to the inventory and swap them out, leave the inventory, use a potion, go back to the inventory, etc., etc.

 

@IDDQD: It looks fine to me. I didn't watch any of the gameplay videos, but what I'm seeing looks great.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Saturnine Tenshi

[TheMightyEthan]

The statement I saw from CDPR said they didn't actually reduce the assets, it's just that the old videos has a sharpening filter on the textures that people find uncomfortable to look at in long stretches.

[IDDQD]

http://whatifgaming.com/developer-insider-the-witcher-3-was-downgraded-from-2013-list-of-all-features-taken-out-why

 

There, found the original statement I was talking about.

 

More interviews followed in which lead director confirmed that the company will continue working on patches and fixes, eventually bringing the game's visuals to the original vision, so whatever, I guess.

 

I was curious if the difference was actually that big or someone was just trolling with delibaretly bad screenshots, because some of them were nicpicky, but then there was that:

http://gamegpu.ru/images/2015/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B9/admvLGj.jpg

[TheMightyEthan]

I wish people would stop losing their shoot over "downgrades". This has been happening as long as I've been following gaming news, so at least 15+ years. It goes like this: devs release a game trailer a couple years before it will actually release showing what they plan for the game to look like, then later in development they realize it's unrealistic for whatever reason (most likely that it's not worth the additional cost to bring the whole game up to that standard when

[IDDQD]

You can call it false advertising, which is a valid reason to fret over. Granted, this is nothing like the infamous Killzone 2/Call of Duty 2 trailers (I guess you were talking about those?), but still there's an advertised game and then there's an inferior product. That's why I hate so called gameplay trailers nowadays because most of them are misleading, doctored, and directed.

 

I like when people moan about these things because line has to be drawn somewhere. Unfortunately some just like to ignore stuff like that. I mean, fast food joints were doing it for years, yet I don't see folks complain when burger on the poster looks nothing like the trumpled pile of wank you get on a plate.

Edited May 22, 2015 by IDDQD

[SomTervo]

It would be false advertising if they didn't make it clear that the end product might not look like what they're showing. Which they do in all cases I can think of.

 

They should educate people about how the design process works, really. Eg early trailer/first reveal footage will be from a highly polished vertical slices where there's less to process and render. But I suppose that's not on their remit.

 

I forgot to mention that they way they have you using potions is really unintuitive. Only two slots, so you have to go to the inventory and swap them out, leave the inventory, use a potion, go back to the inventory, etc., etc.

 

@IDDQD: It looks fine to me. I didn't watch any of the gameplay videos, but what I'm seeing looks great.

 

Yeah, it's stupid. They should add a quick menu option for your potions, just like bombs and signs.

 

PS game-changer: if you press left and right while holding the parry/counter button, you cycle through your signs on the fly

 

PS game-changer: this game is unbelievable

Edited May 22, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[TheMightyEthan]

IMO a trailer released two years before the game comes out isn't false advertising because obviously things are doing to change. Now if the trailer released a month before the game comes out misrepresents the game then yeah, false advertising.

[TCP]

I never hear anyone complaining with films when there's scenes, dialog, or effects in the trailer that aren't in the final movie, why would you take a trailer from two years before a game comes out as a good representation of the final product? 

Maybe the gaming industry can use this as a reason to not show off games years a head of release. That'd be nice. Looking at you Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Last Guardian.