The Witcher 2 Bandwagon Thread

[Kzach]

It's too bad you couldn't get more into it....I found the first one a little tricky at the beginning, but then I just got sucked into it, and it was one of the best CRPG's I've played....probably right up there with Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment. It was just that good.

Yah, I've heard a lot of good things about it. But for me, when the most fundamental aspect of the game (character control) is so awkward and annoying, then that's something that forms a major part of the game experience and isn't something I want to have to 'deal with'.

I'll likely give it another try.....but I'm not liking the changes I've seen so far. Sure, the graphics are better....but I loathe respawns in the middle of a battle.

If you keep moving forward, quickly, I'm betting there won't be any respawns at all.

A good for-instance in Mass Effect 2 is where you have a multi-level maze-like area with smidgeons of cover and only one entrance and one exit. From the exit, there is a constant stream of respawning krogans that attempt to rush your position. If you just stick to the entrance, you'll most likely get overwhelmed simply because you can't take out the krogan fast enough. But if you race forward and get to the exit (respawn location) quickly, you only end up having to face about three krogan all up instead of about fifteen.

 

[Gulla]

If you keep moving forward, quickly, I'm betting there won't be any respawns at all.

Nope.
DA2 has most battles being 3 waves. When you kill enough (or maybe just the right?) opponents the next wave literary drops in from the sky. On the PC it is blatantly obvious (you see them dropping) and there simply is no tactic to avoid it.

Running to a corner of the field will help though, as they drop in pre-designated spots so you can avoid being surrounded, even though that seems to be the major point with the drop-in reenforcements.

All in all it is some of the worst encounter design I have seen in over 30 years of CRPGs

 

[Thanee]

The Witcher 2 Miminum System Requirements:
· OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 (32/64-bit)
· Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
· Memory: 1 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista and Windows 7
· Video Card: 512 MB RAM, supporting Pixel Shader 3.0 (Nvidia GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon HD3850)

The Witcher 2 Recommended System Requirements:
· OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 (32/64-bit)
· Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom X4
· Memory: 3 GB Windows XP / 4 GB Windows Vista and Windows 7
· Video Card: 1 GB RAM, supporting Pixel Shader 3.0 (Nvidia GeForce GTX260 or ATI Radeon HD4850)

Additional system requirement information:
· Requires a sound card compatible with DirectX 9.0c
· HDD: 16 GB of hard disc space
· Disc Drive: DVD x8, compatible with DVD9
· Full instalation requires administrator access.
· The game supports Xbox 360 controller for Windows.

System requirements for laptops may differ slightly due to differences in hardware efficiency.

System Requirements do not sound that big, really.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hand of Evil]

Wow....maybe I'll go ahead and install it to see, then. My system seems to have a processor that is a full GHz faster, and a video card that is two generations newer....but 4 GB RAM instead of the 8 you have.

Hopefully that would be sufficient.

Maybe with patching and everything, the game is running better. Either that, or people complaining about it are on older PCs? I'll install, and see what happens.

Banshee

It should be -- I think my slow load times are based on my graphics card, that Adapter RAM (256.00 MB) really needs to be 1GB or more. Mmmmm, maybe I will change out this weekend.

 

[JohnRTroy]

Nobody's actually reviewed or provided game-play feedback the game yet, so I think I'll start.

I have a Quad-Core PC, and I had just bought a 6850 Radeon card a month ago for it. So I think I'm a good candidate for doing a review. I completed my first playthrough. I played the steam version of the Digital Download Deluxe edition.

Overall, the best way I can describe this is an real-time-action RPG. I've heard a lot of inspiration for combat came from a game like Demon Souls, but I've never played that. The best way I can describe it is consider it akin to a combination of Assassin's Creed-like combat with loads of tactical choice akin to the Deus Ex games, and the fixed personality of both games.

That has good and bad elements. You have to time your attacks right, so real-time feedback is key--and you also have to manage blocks and rolls. Boss' require a lot of tactical thought and moves. But you have a lot of options--focusing on signs (gylphs), alchemy, swordplay, and the ability to use a lot of options. It reminds me of old D&D multiclassing--you can be awesome in one path, or have lesser abilities in multiple ones.

The graphics are really cutting edge for an RPG. A lot better looking than Bioware's current efforts--even ignoring the "reuse problem" in DA2. Large levels--the game sometime swaps out memory similar to a loading screen, but only when it has to. You'll really want to soak up the scenery.

Storywise, I'd give it an overall good--with some concerns. The game doesn't pull punches with it's M rating--swearing, implied threats, some violence--this is gritty dark fantasy. The characters are interesting. However, I still feel the people who will get the character best are those who read The Witcher series of books--and unfortunately only 2 have been translated. I think there are elements that can't be known--the "Yennefer" character referenced is not explained well to those that don't know her from the books. I think other games do a better job of explaining things, so I think the narrative in the other games are better than this. But the story is entertaining enough to make up for that loss. Cinematics are very well done--the game really pushes the envelope here with real-time generations. A few "graphic novel" movies occur during some key personal flashback scenes.

We've lost some variety of monsters this time. There was more variety in TW1, but I think that's par for the course with level design being the way it is. And unfortunately TW2 didn't have the good facial generation system DA has, which lead to "recycled" heads again--not as bad as the first witcher but notacable. The settings are dynamic--day/night cycles, people walking around to set schedules, conversations happening in the background. And the game has a lot of "cool moments" similar to what you got in some of the better Bioware games (shift of control of characters, unusual circumstances). Like DA/DA2/TW1, you can loot inside chests without repercussions.

They made better use of techniques story-wise than Bioware did with DA2. A "Flashback narrative" that was more Alpha Protocol than DA2. Instead of having the freedom to go to different locations, instead you got a branching path for ACT 2, so the story and setting is a lot different before you merge back into ACT 3. This, plus all the tactical options almost guarantee some replays. And since this is a licensed character and world, major known characters aren't going to die.

Storywise, there's enough branching to feel like you're in control, and the decisions seem to be what Geralt the character would do--you don't have clear good guys or bad guys here. There's actually less freedom than in a Bioware game--the Act 3 outcomes are a bit similar (though not as mind-numbingly the same as DA2's act 3), though I do believe the creators that there are 16 possible endings. If you played TW1 there are some minor references to the choices you made there--a few advantages you can take advantage of--and you get better equipment from the start.

The tutorial and intros are not good, unfortunately. A good tutorial helps explain the rules of the game to new players, and since the rules have changed, it could have been more helpful--it took me a while to know that I had access to all 5 signs at the beginning, for instance. Also, the introduction to the game doesn't help introduce the plot at all. Having never experienced QTE (quick-timed events) before, I had to figure out the protocol. And some of the quests are difficult to figure out. One flaw I had was that some city environments look a little too generic, so you don't know until later than you could find X in area Y--a few more signs would have been helpful. Also, later in the intro and in act 1 there are "stealth options" that aren't explained well.

Level gains are a little lopsided. Overall I felt (on the normal difficulty level) the game was a little difficult in the Intro-Act 1 stage and you didn't get experience as quickly as you should. In Act 2 suddenly I gained 3 levels at the start! I think it could have been handled more evenly.

The Crafting system has a lot of variety--although it might be overwhelming for some--there's no game storage so you carry a lot of stuff around or sell it. I think there are enough options to prevent the "mass effect 1" instance of having a boring repetative inventory. But I found bombs useful.

There are some niggling bugs. A few times during my 60 hour playthough I got "locked" in a mode where the camera has a weird position and I can't engage half my controls--a random hit will send you back into mode, but for a long time the attackers can't seem to attack you. A problem with DLC prevent my impatient self from playing the Troll Trouble--and unlike the Bioware Day 1 DLC, this one actually seems to have been taken out of the game before launch, since the existing environment has the settings all there and awaiting population.

One thing that's weird is that there are no real-time health potions at all. Health has a slow regeneration rate. Potions have to be consumed before going into planned battle, and they mostly speed up regen rates. Combat is challenging and you definately don't want to get flanked or surrounded. Rolling and the Quen sign are your friend. This is mostly a solo came--you can have companions but have no direct control (unless you are playing them directly under some special circumstanced), and (a) they never seem to fall unconscious or die and (b) their attacks don't seem to be that effective--occasionally they take out a bad guy, but it's definitely not a "party based" game.

The game has auto-save points and also allows free saves during non-combat times, but sometimes they are awkward and a few more save checkpoints would have been nice.

Overall, it was a good RPG. I give it a B+. To compare to recent RPGs, DA2 was a B- while DA:O was an A.

Any questions?

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

game runs superb on my Dual Core (6600 chip, 2.33ghz), Nvidia 240 GT card, 5 gig ram (4 years old system, or more, iirc)

looks beautiful!! fnally games are immersive, ME2 was gorgeous but this looks almost real.
Only flaw I had was in Troll quest where you want an item from a dice game but since it's about 3 quest lines all criss-crossing it's easy to not see this and miss this item, or screw up.


Witcher is NOT a "run & gun" game! takes thought, sorting out traps, Signs etc for best effect. Running away, dropping traps etc is a good idea
If an enemy is poisoned or bleeding, you can run away, deal with other enemies, let the damage over time effect kill them

[sblock="Best damn line in any computer game, EVER! "]
The dwarves are especially "fruity" in languge and hilarious, sounds like Glasgow, hehe! hey one of them's voiced by Alex Norton, actor who plays DCi Burke in "Taggart"

So, a female character is poisoned, and a sorceress cures her by kissing her on lips with a magical rose petal
A dwarf character notes:
"Ah, now this is my kind of magic...Lesbomancy!"

o m g hahaha

[/sbock]


Witcher stories are very "gnarly" with Humans often being racist, dreadfully ignorant, murdering scum

Personally I think it's one of the best games of all time

 

[Hand of Evil]

Updated my graphics card and my load time issues are gone! Moved setting from normal to high and happy as a cat with a mouse!

I find myself just walking the forest, just to be looking around!

 

[Tyranthraxus]

This game forced me to go back and play the original Witcher because 2 gave me the option to import something from 1. I wanted to make sure I was importing the right 'info' , so Ive been working back through 1 before I work on 2. Now I remember chain attacks! and that freakin annoying dice game where the guy I was playing would be pulling those full houses and 4 of a kind out of thin air. Having just made it to Vizima, ive been moving around righting wrongs and making coin... as it should be.

One thing that I notice a lot in the Witcher is just how important tomes and scrolls are .. for everyday things like seeing ingredients in the fields to being able to take them from the dead. You simply arnt going to be able to finish quests without being able to read the books AND putting points into intelligence.

 

[RedTonic]

I dig the dice game. Not really a fan of the new numbering system on the die, since it's harder for me to ID the values at a glance, but I still like me some dice poker--and I don't even like to gamble.

Enemies in chapter 1 respawn because you're supposed to be moving forward, given that it's a battle/siege. Enemies in chapter 2 (out in the forest) respawn far less frequently. I know there's a point in chapter 3 where certain enemies respawn, but I believe that's for a similar reason as chapter 1: namely, to get you to move rather than malinger. It's the same mechanic as in ME2 and DA2. Generally, when faced with overwhelming numbers of enemies and finite resources, a combatant will get a move on.

There are also ways of optimizing Windows and your GPU for W2 (as well as other games). You can google them; if you purchase through Steam, the Steam newsfeed and forums also offer tips on how to wrangle the most performance out of the game. I understand where Kzach is coming from, but I think pointing out how difficult optimizing software for a nearly infinite array of software/hardware configurations user-side is is worthwhile.

After the 1.1 patch came out on Steam, we had a hard time getting the game to work--turned out there was a corrupt file that affected some of us Vista/7 users. That was a bummer; until we figured out what the issue was, we didn't get to play for 3 days. Q_Q The enormous patch sizes were a pain, too--especially given our bandwidth cap...

 

[Banshee16]

Wow....maybe I'll go ahead and install it to see, then. My system seems to have a processor that is a full GHz faster, and a video card that is two generations newer....but 4 GB RAM instead of the 8 you have.

Hopefully that would be sufficient.

Maybe with patching and everything, the game is running better. Either that, or people complaining about it are on older PCs? I'll install, and see what happens.

Banshee

I'm in the Prologue, but I've fought, seen some pretty crazy stuff already, and haven't seen a moment of slowness. Originally, it was set to low graphics quality, but I've raised it to high, and my machine is still running it, no problem.

Banshee