All things The Witcher

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JaySevenZero
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All things The Witcher

Post by JaySevenZero »

Saw this trailer yesterday and immediately it reminded of the trailers Rockstar made for Red Dead Redemption back in 2010 and similar to those trailers I'm became quite excited by the game's freedom and scope. This might very well become one of the few 'day one' titles for me.

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countstex
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Re: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Post by countstex »

It's looking rather splendid. However I still have the second one to play through, and I never quite finished the first, though many say they didn't either and I should just get into the second. Will definitely be mine one day but after I've at least seen the bulk of 2 :)
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Re: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

Definitely excited for this and will probably pick it up early doors if not day one, even though I've never played one and two and my couple of gaming sessions a week will mean I probably don't complete it in 2015! Just really in the mood for an epic experience and this looks like one of the few proper new gen-only titles we've had so excited to see what they've achieved with it....
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Re: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Post by mikeleddy83 »

Anybody having fun with this? I had a shit day at work and decided to treat myself to this, despite my initial skepticism it's quite the game so far.

This is coming from a person that found the thank you for buying our game insert cringeworthy and stories in the vein of "we must support these devs" laughable yet it's somehow continuing to win me over after just an hour of play.
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Flabyo »

Going to wait a while on this one I think. The previous game never clicked with me and I want to be sure that the things I didn't like about that are not present here, and that's not going to come to the fore until people have played a good number of hours of it.
Todinho

Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Todinho »

I wanted to get this day1 but I just dont have the specs for it I will wait until I can upgrade my machine and then get on a sale later on,if you dont mind could you post how the mechanics of the game are? I`ve been in complete radio silence because I want no spoilers but I also want to know if things changed too much
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by mikeleddy83 »

Based on a few hours of play my only issue with the game so far is the camera angle of combat (directly behind) which doesn't give me that cinematic presentation I kind of expected, if these enemies have spectacular animation then I'm missing it for the most part. There's the usual small hiccups of AI I've noticed but it's holding its own, control and visual effects felt a bit off at first but no problem seems to persistently bug me (in fact just now I had a quick go and the camera for a battle seemed better already). To demonstrate how far the pendulum can swing the other way just seeing the vividness of the world at sunset has put a smile on my face.
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Flabyo
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Flabyo »

Been playing this over the bank holiday weekend, I'm pretty impressed.

I watched a few people playing the XBO version on Twitch to get a feel for how the game plays compared to the previous one, and decided it looked improved enough to take the plunge.

The combat I'm still not totally on top of (two kinds of dodge AND a block? you need to tailor your approach to each enemy differently), but the game seems to handle using the magic signs and the combat oils and potions in a much more intuitive way than the previous game.

But for me what sells it over other both the Elder Scrolls games and even Dragon Age: Inquisition is the world building.

Skyrim feels like a really pretty landscape with buildings placed down on it. Witches 3 feels like someone actually built those buildings. The way they slump against a hillside, or use a nearby tree for support, the way some of them look heavily weathered and aged and others are clearly new. Other details too, like how the peasant houses have very little in them in the way of possessions, but the town blacksmith has more. The local baron has a locked cellar full of grain. It feels like the settlements are real places that grew up around the real economics of the place, rather than crafted by a level designer to look pretty.

It also handles info dump in a very strong way. Geralt is meant to be a highly experienced Witcher, he can identify creatures from the tracks they leave, knows their strengths and weaknesses, knows which herbs to brew to build a lure. Getting that across to the player who *doesn't* know these things in a way that isn't just the other party in a conversation saying 'Well, as you know...' is extremely hard, but they nail it here.

Sometimes that means a conversation begins between Geralt and an ally that already knows the frame of reference of the conversation in a way the player can't, but rather than try to fudge it they let the dialogue flow naturally. The player can still follow, and usually something happens soon after that means you'll understand what they were talking about later. It's a little brave in a genre that normally handholds the player massively, but I appreciate that the game is willing to have me work a bit to follow along.

There are codex entries for the full meaty descriptions of things, but they're like the Mass Effect ones in that they add flavour but aren't critical, rather than the ones in Final Fantasy 13 that you have to read to even understand the story at all...

There's a lot of other clever quest design here so that minor quests overlap each others map locations a lot. Quite often you finish part of a quest and the next part of it is some distance away, but where you currently are just so happens to be very close to the next part of a different quest. You always have options other than getting on your horse and trudging to the next marker of the current quest.

(And I love, have always loved, the idea of a specialised monster hunter who carries one blade for the natural and another for the supernatural.)
Testtube27

Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Testtube27 »

Flabyo wrote:Been playing this over the bank holiday weekend, I'm pretty impressed.

I watched a few people playing the XBO version on Twitch to get a feel for how the game plays compared to the previous one, and decided it looked improved enough to take the plunge.

The combat I'm still not totally on top of (two kinds of dodge AND a block? you need to tailor your approach to each enemy differently), but the game seems to handle using the magic signs and the combat oils and potions in a much more intuitive way than the previous game.

But for me what sells it over other both the Elder Scrolls games and even Dragon Age: Inquisition is the world building.

Skyrim feels like a really pretty landscape with buildings placed down on it. Witches 3 feels like someone actually built those buildings. The way they slump against a hillside, or use a nearby tree for support, the way some of them look heavily weathered and aged and others are clearly new. Other details too, like how the peasant houses have very little in them in the way of possessions, but the town blacksmith has more. The local baron has a locked cellar full of grain. It feels like the settlements are real places that grew up around the real economics of the place, rather than crafted by a level designer to look pretty.

It also handles info dump in a very strong way. Geralt is meant to be a highly experienced Witcher, he can identify creatures from the tracks they leave, knows their strengths and weaknesses, knows which herbs to brew to build a lure. Getting that across to the player who *doesn't* know these things in a way that isn't just the other party in a conversation saying 'Well, as you know...' is extremely hard, but they nail it here.

Sometimes that means a conversation begins between Geralt and an ally that already knows the frame of reference of the conversation in a way the player can't, but rather than try to fudge it they let the dialogue flow naturally. The player can still follow, and usually something happens soon after that means you'll understand what they were talking about later. It's a little brave in a genre that normally handholds the player massively, but I appreciate that the game is willing to have me work a bit to follow along.

There are codex entries for the full meaty descriptions of things, but they're like the Mass Effect ones in that they add flavour but aren't critical, rather than the ones in Final Fantasy 13 that you have to read to even understand the story at all...

There's a lot of other clever quest design here so that minor quests overlap each others map locations a lot. Quite often you finish part of a quest and the next part of it is some distance away, but where you currently are just so happens to be very close to the next part of a different quest. You always have options other than getting on your horse and trudging to the next marker of the current quest.

(And I love, have always loved, the idea of a specialised monster hunter who carries one blade for the natural and another for the supernatural.)

Agree with pretty much all your points, really enjoying it so far, only problem i've had is when the AI in a boss fight caused the boss to stand in a corner facing the wall, letting me just set him on fire constantly. Planning on having some long sessions on it this week to try and get my head around the currency and crafting system.
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Electric Crocosaurus »

I hadn't played either of the previous Witcher games, but the reviews (and my previous love of Skyrim) persuaded me to finally make the generation jump over the weekend. I've been playing this on PS4, and apart from the ridiculously small text (something I remember being a problem for Oblivion back in the early days of the XBox) I've been loving slowly adjusting to this world.

No spoilers from me as I've barely scratched the surface, but I love how well the game convinces you that you're playing as a bad-ass, but vulnerable, monster hunter. I was struggling with the combat till I read a few guides and started to understand that the monsters don't have a 'one size fits all' approach; your approach to a drowner is very different to a noonwraith and so on.

One thing I'll say is that I haven't been blown away technically by the graphics. I'm sure they're remarkable under the hood, and the art direction is great, but one downside of this generation is that the dominance of YouTube means it's hard to go in blind like most would have with the PS2, PS1 or 16-bit generations. I guess I miss that wow factor of powering up your new console for the first time!
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by ratsoalbion »

It's not just that you're prepared, it's also that each generation of consoles is a smaller step up from the last. In this case we've seen easily the smallest upgrade in graphics between two generations yet.

I suspect that the PC version running on a monstrous machine with every graphics setting maxed at 60fps on a 4k resolution screen might still retain the eye-popping 'wow-factor' however.
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by adwild1982 »

Just thought I would jump in with my opinions on the game. Having only played a couple of hours they will be limited views. First of all the world they have built is stunning I love just walking around and site seeing and its a game I really want to love but for some reason I don't. I think the game could do with streamlining the first few hours it chucks to much info at you. The menus could do with been cut down and made larger as the text is far to small and hard to read and for me this is an issue at there is so much of the dam stuff to read. I see a lot of people comparing it to Skyrim (a game I love) and for me apart from the fantasy theme I don't see to much comparison. Skyrim was a game you could spend hours in and feel like you had only been playing 5 minutes The Witcher I am finding a hard slog. Am sure I will love it when I have time to play it and really get in to it but as life gets busier I am expecting to finish it by Christmas 2016.
arry_g

Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by arry_g »

I am planning on doing a proper write up once I have finished the game but as a fan of the novels (or at least the ones that have been released over here) and of the previous games, the Witcher 3 does not disappoint. Has anyone finished the Baron quest line? Let me know when you have, I would love to compare notes.
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Beck
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Beck »

I've finished the Baron Quest, the part with his child was really heart wretching but very rewarding. I'm loving the Witcher but struggling with the combat and health mechanics, I had to turn the difficulty down as my inexperience was causing me to die a lot. The game reminds me of a mix between Dragon Age and Red Dead Redemption.
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by arry_g »

Beck wrote:I've finished the Baron Quest, the part with his child was really heart wretching but very rewarding. I'm loving the Witcher but struggling with the combat and health mechanics, I had to turn the difficulty down as my inexperience was causing me to die a lot. The game reminds me of a mix between Dragon Age and Red Dead Redemption.
Heh! Spoilers ahead folks, don't reveal unless you really don't care about knowing what happens...
Spoiler: show
This story can go a couple of ways, have you got to the complete end - by that I mean have you tracked down his living daughter and wife as well?
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Flabyo »

The Baron quest can indeed go several ways... spoilers!
Spoiler: show
I messed up. Everyone except the daughter died. Messily.
I've only actually outright *failed* two minor quests though, both ones that involved protecting someone. I am apparently not a reliable bodyguard.
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Beck
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Beck »

Spoilers below folks, don't open unless you've finished the Bloody Baron quest line








Spoiler: show
Yeah I think I've finished it, I've done the part with the miscarried baby in which I chose to turn the botchlin into a lumberkin. I found that part uncomfortable but very humbling by the end, I almost felt sorry for the baron. I'd like to know what would of happened if I had killed the botchlin.

I found the daughter in the city, although I had to swim across the river to get to her and then did the quest line with the 3 crones. I chose to save the spirit locked under the tree in exchange for saving the children held by the crones. I then told the baron about his wife being held by the crones and went with him to save her to find she’d been cursed into a monster for allowing the children to escape. I managed to remove the curse with the help of the witch hunters but the wife died shortly after. How did it go for you?
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Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by DarthCuddles »

Beck wrote:Spoilers below folks, don't open unless you've finished the Bloody Baron quest line


Spoiler: show
Yeah I think I've finished it, I've done the part with the miscarried baby in which I chose to turn the botchlin into a lumberkin. I found that part uncomfortable but very humbling by the end, I almost felt sorry for the baron. I'd like to know what would of happened if I had killed the botchlin.

I found the daughter in the city, although I had to swim across the river to get to her and then did the quest line with the 3 crones. I chose to save the spirit locked under the tree in exchange for saving the children held by the crones. I then told the baron about his wife being held by the crones and went with him to save her to find she’d been cursed into a monster for allowing the children to escape. I managed to remove the curse with the help of the witch hunters but the wife died shortly after. How did it go for you?
more baron quest spoilers
Spoiler: show
I did exactly the same(without the swimming) and I'd say that from what I've read, it might end up being the most straight up depressing ending to that questline when you go back to Crows perch to get your reward. although apparently if you kill the spirit in the tree the crones eat the children(not sure if it's stated or if it's implied) but the wife lives but is still insane. I think there are some more variations but not really sure what they are.
and in less spoiler filled territory this http://witcher3map.com/v/#3/65.55/-4.31 is a pretty great resource for those of us that want to know where every smith/vendor is and whatever else you want



alsoI can not get Priscillas song "The Wolven Storm" out of my head
very minor spoilers
arry_g

Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by arry_g »

Flabyo wrote:The Baron quest can indeed go several ways... spoilers!
Spoiler: show
I messed up. Everyone except the daughter died. Messily.
I've only actually outright *failed* two minor quests though, both ones that involved protecting someone. I am apparently not a reliable bodyguard.
Same!
Lego Solo

Re: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Post by Lego Solo »

I've played 20hrs and spent most of that time playing Gwent! Got pretty good at it though.
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