The Witcher – Official Release Date!
It took us some time but finally we can confirm it… Official release date of “The Witcher”!
Atari and CD Projekt proudly announce that “The Witcher” premiere is scheduled on September 2007
Many fans have been waiting for the official confirmation of this date for a really long time. So, we are even more happy that we can give it to you officially. From now on, the speculations are ended, the time has come to present facts. We can say it straightforwardly that, unless the sky falls down on our heads - you'll play "The Witcher" after summer break! We hope this info will cut all the discussions concerning the prolonged production of our game short. September, as the release date, will apply to all the world markets where "The Witcher" shall appear. We will reveal the day of the premiere in the following months.
"This is a very international game," Madej says. "People from a more Anglo-Saxon culture, the U.K. and the U.S., will probably understand it better than Polish people." The Witcher is as easy to understand as any other fantasy RPG, which is to say it's a dense packet of jargon and lengthy mythology. The player explores an open world with Geralt, a professional monster killer (or Witcher, in the lingo), following a branching storyline punctuated with fuzzy moral choices.Sweet!
As in other games in the genre, The Witcher is about options and possibilities. It is possible for Geralt to get drunk. It is possible for Geralt to sober himself up with a potion. It is possible for Geralt to align or not align himself with certain groups. It is possible for Geralt to study alchemy or learn new fighting styles. Geralt does magic. Geralt does swordplay. Geralt beds the ladies.
The game's Central European origins are most apparent in its medieval towns and castles--the authenticity comes from being a short train ride away from the real deal--but CD Projekt is uniquely equipped to take the awkwardness out of crosscultural trade. Though this is its first original game, the company has long published and localized games for the Central European market, translating mostly hardcore RPGs like Diablo and Neverwinter Nights for gamers in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.Cool.
"Our first localized game was Baldur's Gate," Madej says. "It was huge. Before, a game [in Poland] would sell a few hundred units. Baldur's Gate sold almost 20,000. It was the first big game in the Polish market, and it opened the market completely." The success turned CD Projekt into the go-to localizer for RPGs seeking shelf space in Central Europe. "Almost all the RPGs here are published by our company," Madej says. "That's why we decided to make one. We are RPG experts."
One area where that expertise shows through is The Witcher's combat system. Sitting down to a play session guided by Michal Iwanicki, a 3D programmer on the team, I get the basic idea. "We wanted to avoid this typical Diablo-style clicking," Iwanicki says. He taps violently on the table. "Here, you click on the enemy, and Geralt starts his first attack. During that period, you shouldn't be clicking, because you will simply interrupt his attack. You have to wait for the proper moment." I quickly get a feel for The Witcher's timing-based style as Geralt gracefully slashes through hordes of some kind of swamp creature. It's a simple mechanic, but mixed with the various skills, magic, and weapons at your disposal, it adds some much-needed depth to the old formula.I always liked the interesting idea of their combat. Sounds cool and different, to me.
Having grasped the basics, Iwanicki thinks I'm ready for the big leagues. "Now for the mature content," he says. "In the game, you can pick up girls. I'm going to show you where to find one, and you can go to bed with her." Um...OK. We hit the village and quickly find a milkmaid willing to chat. After being impressed with a bouquet of flowers, the maid leads Geralt off the screen to do the deed. In return, I am rewarded a playing card and a painting of the milkmaid topless and pouring a ladle of milk over her bare breasts. "Through the whole game, when you pick up a girl and go to bed with her, you receive a card like this," says Iwanicki. We observe an awkward silence.???
September? Damn can't they hurry it up? :(
Having grasped the basics, Iwanicki thinks I'm ready for the big leagues. "Now for the mature content," he says. "In the game, you can pick up girls. I'm going to show you where to find one, and you can go to bed with her." Um...OK. We hit the village and quickly find a milkmaid willing to chat. After being impressed with a bouquet of flowers, the maid leads Geralt off the screen to do the deed. In return, I am rewarded a playing card and a painting of the milkmaid topless and pouring a ladle of milk over her bare breasts. "Through the whole game, when you pick up a girl and go to bed with her, you receive a card like this," says Iwanicki. We observe an awkward silence.I am so buying this.
I am so buying this.
One of the newer features we've implemented is a flashback system that conveys to the players some of the decisions he's made to trigger recent plot events. It's proven to be a great way to show players the impact of their actions.Damn, that sounds pretty sweet, if you ask me. :)
I'd really rather not provide any new examples, as flashbacks are generally very important to the plot and we don't want to say too much about the story; we want players to make these decisions themselves. I can assure you that you'll find many opportunities to make meaningful decisions and see the consequences in The Witcher.
GS: Just how flexible is the story? Are there still the multiple endings? How much replayability is there? Can you have dramatically different experiences if you play through the game and make different choices?
MM: The Witcher has three separate endings, and the ending you see will be tied to the choices made in the game. Differences between the alternate endings are huge and concern many aspects of the gameworld. The player will have to make a lot of tough choices that will put the lives of friends and foes in danger; and in the end, the player's allegiances and decisions will determine more than just Geralt's destiny.
In a single play-through, it's only possible to learn about 60 percent of Geralt's available skills, giving players the opportunity to enjoy the game in a different way in subsequent adventures. The differences in character "builds"--the different ways you can customize your character--are very visible. But this is just an additional feature. Replayability, above all else, is based on the possibility of making different choices each time.
Minor spoilers about the consequences of one quest used as an example, but this is a great little preview from GSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/thewitcher/news.html?sid=6173457). If you don't get excited about the game after reading this, you have major problems.I've been excited about this one for quite some time.
CD Projekt RED informs that The Witcher has been rated by ESRB and USK.
ESRB (USA):
Rating: Mature
Descriptors:
* Blood and Gore
* Partial Nudity
* Strong Language
* Strong Sexual Content
* Violence
USK (Niemcy):
Rating 16+
So, great news for the German gamers, you will be playing the full and uncensored version of The Witcher. No green blood this time!
European PEGI rating is still in pending.
« Last Edit: September 06, 2007, 03:18:28 pm by Funky Monk »
Concerning Germany - this is the rating for the uncensored version.
As far as the US is concerned this is for the version with censored nudity.
I'll be trying to pick up an import copy, then. Not that I need nudity in my games (and God knows I could use less of the kind of dumb shit Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit tried to pull off), but I've watched a bit of the Witcher TV show, and it's got some nudity... but it's tastefully done from what I've seen. If the game is going to emulate the style of the show (which is a bit low budget, but tries very hard not to act like it, and does a surprisingly good job of presenting itself), then I'd prefer to have the uncensored version.
Nothing will stop me from collecting the nudie cards in the game. Forget coins or stars or all that other bullshit, finally something worth collecting in a game.The ESRB might stop you, as the cards might have "Censored" Bars on them. :P
I've been getting very tired of standard RPG fare lately
System requirements
Minimum requirements:
Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)
Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +2800
1 GB RAM for Microsoft® Windows® XP / 1536 MB for Microsoft® Windows® Vista
128 MB Video RAM or greater with DirectX9 Vertex Shader/ Pixel Shader 2.0 support
(NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 or better)
8.5 GB available hard drive space
DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones
DVD-Rom
Recommended requirements:
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz or AMD X2 5600+
2 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 PRO
8.5 GB available hard drive space
DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones
DVD-Rom
Wow, they recommend quite the hefty CPU.The requirements are similar to those of Bioshock for the reccommendations...
Generally my 4400+ is well above recommended. Everything else is good to go, though, with exception of HDD space, because... you know the story.I think I will eventually need to switch my graphics boards out. the way things are going....
Yes, we know. You have your specs in your sig.
Don't stop now...
Not nice! >:(
The Witcher Gone Gold
According to Worthplaying, the PC RPG of the year, The Witcher, is now golden:QuoteImmersed in a vivid but harsh fantasy world, the player assumes the role of a white-haired witcher named Geralt, a renowned monster-slayer-for-hire and master swordsman with superhuman strength and reflexes. While trying to regain his lost memory, Geralt unwillingly becomes involved in a world-shaking power struggle.
Features:
- Choose from over 250 special abilities correlated to attributes, combat skills and magical powers to build the character in a way best suited to tactical needs and style of play.
- All quests can be accomplished in several ways and the game has three different endings depending on the player’s actions and choices throughout the adventure.
- Motion capture performed by medieval fighting experts at Frankfurt’s renowned Metric Minds studio, resulting in 600 spectacular and authentic in-game combat animations.
- 60-80 hours of gameplay.
Fuck, it's gold already? This one is going to have to get moved to the back burner, then. I can't handle the deluge that's coming right now. I just can't.
Atari has opened the lid and shown us what's inside the Limited Edition version of The Witcher, which is due for release here on 26th October.
Bubbling in the cauldron is the usual line-up of a soundtrack CD, an artbook - albeit meaty at 204 pages - and a "Making Of" documentary on DVD.
I wonder if this will be available for import as well, and if so, if the DVD will be region encoded. Because I was planning to import so as not to get a censored version, but I can't pass up a 204 page artbook.
PC DVDs are not region coded.
PC DVDs are not region coded.
Yea it is available in the UK as well. That's what I am getting.
The front of the box makes it look like it contains a Radeon heh.haha that was my first impression too :D
The Witcher Hands-On - Combat and the Early GameCool.
This fantasy role-playing game will deliver an intriguing antihero and a rich setting. It also has a deep and fast combat system.
By Jason Ocampo, GameSpot
Posted Oct 15, 2007 5:27 pm PT
The Witcher is a fantasy role-playing game that we've been looking forward to for a few years now. Based on the novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher lets you play as his famous antihero, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a witcher, or a professional monster slayer in a medieval world that's full of intrigue and skullduggery. With The Witcher finally arriving near the end of the month, we got our hands on a near-final version of the game to check it out.
One of the interesting things about The Witcher is that there are two different ways to play the game. There's the traditional top-down isometric view that's similar to those found in other RPGs, such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.Cool.
But there's also a close-to-the-ground camera that's more reminiscent of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft. No matter what you select, you can easily switch to the other selection in the settings, so you can experiment.Good deal.
The Witcher isn't like a lot of RPGs where combat is a fairly passive affair and you tell your character to attack an opponent then sit back, waiting for the battle to end. You have an active role during each and every swordfight in the game. When in combat, Geralt draws his sword and you can use double-clicks to make him leap forward or do acrobatic maneuvers, such as flips to the side. You click on opponents to initiate attacks, and then click again if the icon turns into a fiery sword, which indicates that you can chain combo attacks together to inflict even greater damage. However, you have to be quick because the moment of opportunity closes quickly. At the same time, you simply can't mash the mouse button frantically, because clicking too quickly can throw off Geralt's timing. Combat basically becomes a rhythm.Sounds pretty sweet.
If an enemy is stunned, then you can execute a perfect finishing move by clicking once more on the target. Finishing moves that we saw included Geralt leaping atop a foe and driving his sword into his chest, as well as cutting an enemy's legs out from under him then slitting his throat when he fell to his knees.Oh hell yeah!!!
Sword styles are another facet of the combat that you have to take into account. There are three to choose from: strong, fast, and group. You can switch on the fly by tapping the Z, X, and C keys, respectively. You need to switch styles based on your opponent or opponents. Are you facing a nimble, lightly armored foe? Then select fast so you can use lightning fast swings to parry with him. However, are you battling a bigger or armored foe? The light swings of the fast style are unsuitable against such an opponent; you need the slower, heavier swings of the strong fighting style instead. But what if you're battling multiple foes? Then switch to the group mode, which lets you perform more broad attacks that hit multiple opponents in a single swing.Sounds cool.
There's a third element to combat in The Witcher: potions. Witchers are something like alchemists, so they have a variety of potions that they can drink prior to a fight, which gives them special abilities. These potions have fairly elaborate names, such "tawny oil," which restores endurance more quickly. An important element in the game will be the ability to craft potions of your own. Finally, there are signs, which are basically witchers' magical abilities. The first that you learn is the "aard" sign, which is a telekinetic force that can knock opponents off of their feet or clear debris that's blocking your path. It plays a useful role in the battle against the giant frightener, as aard can knock the monster over, buying you time to deal with the many minions who are also swarming you.Good deal.
When you put it all together, combat in The Witcher is pretty tactical for an RPG. There's a fair amount of depth there, as well as a fast pace that will keep you busy. There's also plenty of room to grow as you level up. When you reach a new experience level, you can distribute points across your character but figuring out what to specialize in is going to be tough. You can boost basic attributes, such as strength and intelligence. You can improve your abilities in either the fast, strong, or group combat styles, and because witchers have two swords (a silver one for monsters; a steel one for humans), there are two sets of combat styles that you can upgrade.Got cha,
You can also add talents, which are like little bonus skills or abilities, such as "buzz," which lets Geralt inflict 25 percent more damage when drunk; however, his ability to parry and dodge will take a 50 percent hit. So, yes, The Witcher does feature drunken fighting.Oooh, that sounds pretty neat! Drunken swordsman master sounds fun! :)
There's more to The Witcher than combat, though. We're impressed with the early part of the game. The story and characters are intriguing, particularly the way the game is loaded with branching points where you have to make a choice that can affect the plot significantly. The Witcher looks like it's going to provide a fresh new face to fantasy role playing when it's released later this year.Damn, I can't wait for this one MAJORLY.
I can't help but agree. Everything we've seen so far has been stellar, and I'd love to see another foreign developer get some recognition (that isn't Japan or whatever). We haven't seen enough triple-A titles come out of Europe lately. I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm drunk - what's the release date again?
The WitcherThat's what the hell I'm talking about!!
The Witcher isn't exactly a breath of fresh air. It's more like the musty, stimulating smell of an old library; somewhat stale, but comforting, nostalgic. It's a throwback to an age when the ESRB didn't exist, and when game designers were free to fling as much sex and violence around as they saw fit; when they were willing to fill their RPGs with outlandish one-liners and depressingly realistic scenarios, and to pose nude on box covers.
Take the main character of Geralt, The Witcher's silver-haired antihero whose role you'll be playing out. Within the first 30 minutes of the game, players will see him coring the chest cavities of guards, banging his female co-star, and attending a reverent funeral. From there, it's a short hop to an inn, where you can participate in an endless round of bar fights and drunken slavering.
No, this isn't your average G-rated Star Wars RPG. This is something else. This is European.
The Quandary of QuandariesSounds a lot like say Vampire: Bloodlines in that in some areas, the game gave you free-reign to do anything -- while in other areas, you couldn't do as you pleased.
But let's get back to Mr. Dwarf Cock for second. A game that's willing to step far over a line like that should probably allow me to outright kill the fucker who said it. Instead, The Witcher locks down the Geralt-on-villager combat in some areas, while allowing it in others. You can't draw your weapon indoors, and you can't kill anyone outside until an area becomes "dangerous"--typically at night. There will be no wanton pillaging and slaughtering townsfolk at all hours of the day. You won't be soiling your naked victims to the detriment of Youtube. Hacking the groins of children will not be tolerated.
This murder law illustrates the difference between The Witcher and something like Oblivion. Whereas you won't be stealing people's jewelry or rearranging their physics-enabled furniture in The Witcher, you do have a far more fleshed-out story to chew on than is presented in Bethesda's game. A huge amount of NPCs are waiting with full dialogue trees and quests to present, and while playing the game, I never once felt the boredom that would lead me to a mindless slaughter of innocents. I wanted to hear what these people had to say.
Of course, offering the player moral choices is the mechanic de rigueur of RPGs, and The Witcher is no slouch in that regard. Shacknews editor Chris Faylor wrote an excellent preview outlining the unconventional method The Witcher employs to remind players of the choices they have made in the past--choices which can impact gameplay hours later. You are sometimes faced with choosing the lesser of two evils--or five or six evils, depending on the varied amount of dialogue choices--but more often than not these quandaries appear to be straight forward right-and-wrong affairs. Saving a dwarf from racist bullies is about as clear-cut as it gets.Wow....lots of quest choices in dialogue trees sounds good to me. I like going to different degrees of "good," "somewhere in-between", and "evil", if given a chance. PS:T was good at giving you loads of different ways to finish quests that are of that nature.
Perhaps my heaviest criticism of The Witcher lands on its control schemes. Played from a third person perspective, you'll have the option of two main camera angles--either an angled view from above, with click-based controls a la Diablo, or an over-the-shoulder view, with a more traditional WASD-based movement. These are two great options for an RPG to be offering, which makes it even more of a shame that neither succeeds fully. The Diablo-styled click-to-move mechanics become an issue when indoors, requiring you to manually rotate the camera as you ascend a staircase. Outdoors you simply miss the scenery, unable to view the horizon due to the elevated camera.As long as we can hit pause and move the camera around ourselves like the NWN games, we should be okay -- since this game is based off Aurora and all.
The best bet is the keyboard-based side of things, but I ran into problems there as well. Because the game feels built on the top-down, command-based engine, there is a small amount of lag when a running Geralt adjusts to camera movement. This delay isn't quite as painful as something like Dungeon Runners was at release, but it's a similar problem, and a blemish on an otherwise smooth operation.I'm sure a patch would likely fix that kind of minor issue.
Hang Up The Click HabitOkie dokie.
The rest of the interface is your standard set of maps and quest journals. You'll have access to all sorts of abilities, accumulated by leveling up--a rather subtle process, rather than a constant numbers game--and gaining trait points, which can be applied to the many branching skill trees. In all, there are only five main UI buttons, which reside in the top right corner. The emphasis is on simplicity here, with most actions in the game only requiring a simple click to carry out. Want to pick up a sword? Click on it. Want to talk to someone? Click. Want to instantly skip a line of dialogue? Click. Want to skip it all? Click click click.
Strangely enough, perhaps the only time when you'll have to hold back on the clicking is in combat. Battle is a matter of matching up one of three combat styles--strong, fast, or group--and clicking on enemies to swing away, timing your follow-up clicks to the audio/visual indicator in order to initiate further combos. At the end of a combo, you might knock an enemy down with a force-like power, stabbing him in the chest in any number of gruesome animations. The level of violence is certainly high.Wo0t for violence galore!
Violence aside, the system is reminiscent of Wind Waker's musically-timed combo attacks. And though it's ultimately involving, it's nothing revolutionary. You probably won't be playing The Witcher through the night because of the riveting combat, or out of an inextricable need to get to the next level. You'll be more interested in knowing what kind of crazy dialogue options the next seedy NPC is going to offer you.I'm all for crazy dialogue options galore!!
Put on the Red Light (For +4 Strength)I wonder how much of that is cut or censored from the M-rated USA version of the game.
With all of the monster mashing going on, it's important to note that the witcher's corruptive power also extends to the many females he encounters. The pale, long-haired, "emo" Geralt fittingly ends up in bed with more chicks than even God of War's muscle-bound Kratos. Depending on how you look at it, these sexual encounters come off as glaringly-dated, sexist trash that should only exist in pulp fantasy novels, or--ah. Exactly.
The witcher can shamelessly corrupt women, easily cream a horde of zombies, and heroically protect a town of villagers, all in the same day--if you want him to. What else is there to life, really? If you're a fan of hardcore, unabashed fantasy RPGs, The Witcher is worth a look.Oct 30th is NOT soon enough.
The Witcher is coming to the PC on October 30.
CD Projekt's The Witcher has been in development for over five years now, having originally started its development cycle on the team's own technology before heading to BioWare's Aurora engine after a successful meeting with EA's new squeeze at 2003's E3 event. The game first debuted to a select few at BioWare's E3 booth back in 2004, which I was lucky enough to be invited to. It's been a long time coming, but after putting 20+ hours into a near final build of the game, I can kick back and say with confidence that it was worth the wait.As much as there is a place for action-RPG's like D2 and TQ, hooray for the return of the classic style of choice-making RPG's!
Before going any further, let me first just say that I have no idea why the game was ever coined as an "action RPG." Sure, the combat requires some (carefully timed) mouse clicking, but the team was clearly aiming for a classic role-playing experience. This is a story-driven game with a significant amount of dialogue, a multitude of quests, a surprisingly thorough and intricate journal system, and a vast assortment of character development options. You have to put a considerable amount of thought into many of the choices you make in the game, so hopefully nobody out there is expecting a Diablo clone or something similar from The Witcher. If so, scratch the game off your list and save yourself some cash and the subsequent disappointment. If a classic single-player CRPG experience is exactly what you're looking for, then you're in luck.
Control over Geralt can be done from one of three selectable viewpoints - high isometric, low isometric, and OTS (over the shoulder). The high and low isometric viewpoints could best be described as Neverwinter Nights with a zoomed out or zoomed in camera (respectively).Oh, there's 2 Iso style cams and one OTS -- I thought it was just 1 Iso and 1 OTS. Okie.
OTS places the camera just behind Geralt's left or right arm (whichever you prefer), providing a clear view of everything around you and putting you closer to any combat that takes place. In fact, it's the only viewpoint that will let you see the sky or ceilings. Having tried all three, I finally settled on the OTS viewpoint simply because the game looks better and I feel like I have a better awareness of my surroundings as I travel.Okay.
While I'm on the subject, let me also say that the graphics in The Witcher are easily some of the best I've ever seen in a role-playing game. The game might be powered by a 2007 version of BioWare's Aurora engine, but it's leaps and bounds beyond Neverwinter Nights. Using my main gaming rig (which runs Vista and sports a quad-core processor and a GeForce 8800 Ultra), I'm able to play the game at a very high resolution of 2560x1600 with all other graphical settings set to maximum and it looks nothing short of amazing. Smoke billows out of hut chimneys, water laps upon the beach, and light from campfires and torches dances realistically on any nearby objects and buildings. The day/night cycles are particularly worth mentioning - there have been several times that I've literally just stopped to watch the incredibly lifelike sunrise and sunset. Once the sun goes down, the whole countryside is cast into darkness (aside from guards' torches and the light streaming from the windows of inhabited structures) and you'll find yourself using the moonlight or swapping your sword for a torch in order to navigate properly.Wow....that sounds awesome. I wonder how it would fend on medium and low-end rigs.
Obviously, the system I quoted above is on the high end, so I also loaded the game on my nearly three-year-old Windows XP system with an FX-57 processor and a GeForce 7800GTX. The game still ran great using an above average resolution of 1920x1200 and mid-range graphical settings, which is good to know for those of you planning to install the game on an older system. It's also worth noting that the game ran without a single bug, crash, memory leak, or otherwise unwanted problem on both XP and Vista. Given the experiences I've had with other games on Vista, I'm very happy to report that CD Projekt seems to have conquered both operating systems equally. [/b]That's definitely good to hear.
To keep you well-informed about the NPCs you've met, the monsters you've fought, the locations you've discovered, and many other gameplay aspects, the game sports one of the most impressive journal systems I've seen in a video game to date. It's also linked to the gameplay, in that missing journal entries may keep you from taking certain actions. For example, if you haven't previously read about, been told about, or otherwise researched Hellebore Petals (a type of alchemical ingredient), then you can't gather them from the plant that produces them. As another example, if you haven't learned anything about the Bloedzuiger monster, then you won't be able to accept any witcher contracts that deal with slaying such beasts. It's a great system that actually has you spending your hard-earned Orens on books and scrolls from vendors just so you can read up on certain topics and, as a result, add a new entry to your journal that may or may not unlock some additional options for Geralt.That's a clean and good way to avoid bugs -- and the possibilities of other issues -- b/c the player can't go just to accidentally find a quest item without taking the exact quest on that is tied to the item. Makes sense.
There are some invisible barriers that will prevent you from traversing the world freely, though. For example, you can’t wade or swim across water and if the quest lies on the other side, chances are there is a way around.
The game has five chapters and three possible endings. It did seem, at times, to advance one quest you needed to achieve success in others. You can save at any juncture and this is wise. Die and the game will reset to the last checkpoint, which may be on the other side of a cut scene.
Well just few characters needed to be modified - some certain parts needed to be hidden by hairs and cloth;). Two monsters and one NPC to be precise.
All dialogues and quests are intact in the US version. Only some graphical assets had to be modified.
Though I am curious: censored cards, or no cards?Quote from: Garnek of CD Projekt REDCensored cards.
Canadian version is the same as US. But the cuts are really inconsiderable.
I get the impression that he's right and the cuts really aren't anything important. Still, I want my boobies, damn it.
Distribution of patches is Atari's decision. They decided to post it with official release :) Sorry...
We would like to inform you about possible technical issues with The Witcher and solutions how to deal with them.
• The Witcher may exhaust virtual address space when running on 32-bit Windows Vista. Microsoft has released a hotfix that addresses this problem. Please download the hotfix from the following location when playing the game on 32-bit Windows Vista: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105
• NVIDIA advises to download latest drivers:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_163.69.html
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_163.71.html
• The Witcher protection system does not support any kind of emulation software such as e.g. CloneCD or DaemonTools. Using it may result in non-detecting a dvd with the game.
• The following video cards are not currently supported: S3 Colt, S3 S27, S3 S8
• The following processors are out of range: AMD Duron Series, AMD Athlon XP 2400+ through 3200+, AMD Sempron 2400+ through 2800+, and the INTEL Celeron Series.
Questing120 hours for all quests (side and main)?!?!?!!?
...
The Witcher has a great variety of quests, including one particularly mammoth task in Chapter II that I’m still battling through – according to the developers, completing all quests should take around 120 hours on your first attempt on the standard difficult level, which is damn good value for money when you take into account that every single NPC has dialogue. However, some character models and voices are repeated far too often.
System SpecsOkie dokie.
The Witcher requires a beefy system:
Minimum System Requirements
OS (Operating System): Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +2800
RAM: 1024 MB RAM for Microsoft Windows XP / 1536 MB for Microsoft Windows Vista
Video: 128 MB Video RAM or greater with DirectX9 Vertex Shader/ Pixel Shader 2.0 support (NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 or better)
Free HD Space: 8.5 GB available hard drive space
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones
DVD: DVD-Rom
Recommended System Requirements
OS (Operating System): Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (dual core) or equivalent AMD X2 processor or better
RAM: 2048 MB RAM
Video: 256 MB Video RAM or greater with DirectX9 Vertex Shader/ Pixel Shader 2.0 support (NVIDIA 7900 or faster with 512 MB of memory)
Free HD Space: 8.5 GB available hard drive space
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones
DVD: DVD-Rom
Make sure you’re up to spec before buying! My Q6600, with 2GB of RAM and a 7950GX2 went as low as 35 FPS in some areas!
Copy ProtectionNeed more info...
There’s a lot riding on the success of The Witcher for CDP, so the game requires a one-off online activation via Tages. This process takes one minute and Tages does not install spyware on your system or nag you ever again (we’ll have more detailed information shortly for the paranoid folk).
Final ThoughtsSweet.
Twenty hours in I’ve barely scratched the surface of what The Witcher offers. From what I have seen, I would wholeheartedly recommend the game to any RPG fan. However, those expecting a hack and slash action RPG-lite game may well be disappointed unless they can tolerate some story and chat, though subtitles can be enabled to facilitate quick-clicking through the often lengthy, but entertaining dialogue.
The Witcher protection system does not support any kind of emulation software such as e.g. CloneCD or DaemonTools. Using it may result in non-detecting a dvd with the game.
This needs clarification. Do they mean that if you try to play a copy of the game using such program that it "may" not work, or does it mean it *definitely* won't work if you have virtual drive software installed? Given the choice between the two, logic dictates of course that it's 100% going to be the second, and the only reason I'm hoping it might not be is for the simple fact that I want this fucking game and won't be buying it if they're using such criminal and frustrating anti-piracy measures. Fuck you, I'll use my virtual drives all I fucking want. There's nothing illegal about it.I'll bet cha Tages has those programs on its "black list".
- Fixes for sex scene with nurses in Act 5.
*watches as Idol orders the game*
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4. Performance Tips
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1) The following video cards should be set to run at 800x600 with Low Detail settings:
ATI RADEON 9800 Series, ATI RADEON X700 Series, ATI RADEON X1300/X1550 Series, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT, NVIDIA GeForce 6600
2) The following video cards should be set to run at 1024x768 with Medium Detail settings:
ATI RADEON X800 PRO, ATI RADEON X850 XT, ATI RADEON X1600 Series, ATI RADEON X1800 series, ATI RADEON X1950 Pro, ATI RADEON HD 2600 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Series GPU, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
3)The following video cards should be set to run at 1024x768 with High Detail settings:
ATI RADEON X1950 XTX, ATI RADEON HD 2900 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX, NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX
Let's talk about the term "role-playing game", shall we? It's one of those phrases that has slipped into the gaming vernacular so easily that we tend to forget what it actually means, and end up using it all wrong. Common wisdom has it that any game in which your character earns experience and levels up accordingly can be tucked away under the RPG blanket. For me, that's only half right. The clue's in the name - role-playing. Games in which you create a role and then act out that character in the gameworld. Without the freedom to come up with your own virtual identity, what you're really talking about are adventure games with a few RPG trimmings.Planescape set a role for you, as The Nameless One. So do the Gothic series of games. Two Worlds' (SP Portion, not MMO Portion -- MMO allows you to even choose races and classes) and Titan Quest set your character in stone, pretty much -- except for the looks, which you have limited options to set up with. So what...?
So, by my reckoning, The Witcher is only half an RPG. The role you play is non-negotiable - you're Geralt, a white-haired growly-voiced amnesiac anti-hero. Nor can you choose his profession. It is, after all, rather set in stone by the verb-slaughtering title of the game. He's a witcher, a professional slayer of the supernatural, wandering from town to town ridding the countryside of foul beasts using swords, magic and a little bit of alchemy. You'll be using the same swords for pretty much the whole game (though you can augment them), your armour options are limited and you've got a fairly rigid vengeance-fuelled goal in mind. If you're looking for one of those games where you can craft your own jewel-encrusted golden armour, and spend months tinkering with optional side-quests, then move along. This one isn't for you.
If, however, you're a fan of compellingly realised environments, commendably realistic social interactions and full-blooded fantasy storytelling then pull up a pew, since The Witcher has a lot to offer.*pulls up, for that matter...*
That the game world is deep and convincingly fleshed-out shouldn't really come as a surprise. Polish developer CD Projekt not only had Andrzej Sapkowski's series of fantasy novels to provide the finer details, but they had experience translating such classic role-players as Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment for Eastern Europe.Sounds good to me.
With Bioware's Aurora engine to provide the graphical muscle, the pieces are all in place for an above-average RPG-style experience.Eh...
The game can be viewed top-down, as in Baldur's Gate, in which case control is entirely mouse driven, or you can opt for a more action-packed over-the-shoulder viewpoint, which uses the expected WASD control-map for movement with mouse-clicks for interaction and hotkeys for magic and weapons. This close-up option is undeniably the more cinematic, offering a good view of the detailed environments, but it can be cumbersome in combat. The camera has an annoying habit of resetting in front of Geralt, all the better to admire his craggy features, but it does mean that fighting involves a lot of frantic spinning around as you try to keep your pointer hovering over an enemy.So, a lot like NWN2: Mask -- you have the BG Over-The-Top View w/ point and click, while also you have the KOTOR style w/ WSAD. Cool.
The combat tries to find the middle ground between the turn-based approach of, say, Knights of the Old Republic and the mouse-mashing of Diablo II. Clicking on an enemy initiates a swing of your sword, but as the attack comes to an end your cursor lights up. Click again at this point and you'll follow up with another attack move, and so on. Chain your attacks successfully and your opponent will struggle to respond. Get the timing wrong, and you'll break the combo and leave yourself open to reprisals. The right button is your magic attacks and, like weaponry, these can be honed and improved by spending the bronze, silver or gold "talents" you gain from victorious quests and skirmishes.Cool.
It's not a bad system but, while it does a decent job of simulating a sword fighting mindset using very simple means, it can also leave you unsure of what's happening or why. There's often a pause before Geralt begins his attacks, and it's just long enough for it to be easily mistaken for a parried assault. So you click again, and break the combo before it starts. All defensive moves are handled automatically as part of the successful mouse-click sequence, so when you do find yourself taking a pasting, it can feel frustratingly out of your control. This is especially true in the fist-fights that you can tackle as a way of raising extra cash, where suddenly you can block with the right button, but are left even less sure of how or when Geralt will respond to your commands.Hmmmm...I wonder why they didn't just have a separate key for block for when sword-fighting...
The system can be tamed with practice, and it's certainly preferable to yet another "point at the monster and hammer the mouse" game, but it's not an entirely successful experiment and you may find yourself thinking it's a lot of arsing around for not much benefit.I'll just have to see this system for myself, when I get the game...
Thankfully, the game compensates with solid - if hardly new - RPG features elsewhere. Alchemical formulae and ingredients can be horded, goods can be traded or given as bribes, while a dice-based version of poker scratches the need for in-game gambling. Geralt can even get drunk and pissed up on booze, a state which can be made strangely beneficial if you choose the right levelling-up options.Oooh...Drunken Witcher style??!!? heh!
Non-player characters abound, all inhabiting a world that feels lived-in and rich in detail, while there's no shortage of quests to be found in the shape of witcher missions, culling the local monster population in return for money or information to advance the main storyline. There are moments of obvious padding, where vital quest characters won't speak to you until you perform another quest for them, but it's never a chore and when you stumble across conversations that lead to new quests, it rarely feels like you've been led to that moment - more like you happened to stumble on it yourself. An illusion, more often than not, but a fairly convincing one.Good. I like a game to suck me in like such and immerse me.
It is a shame the NPC dialogue is so rigid, however, since you can question them over and over until you find the right answers to yield your desired results. The game sometimes trips over its own narrative, with Geralt talking about characters he just met as if he doesn't know them, or asking questions to which you've already found the answer. These mood-breaking hiccups are all the more noticeable since the game does such a good job of creating an immersive milieu of windswept countryside, poverty-stricken towns and hedonistic cities. This is most noticeable in the seduction quests, where you try to talk comely maidens into bed. Shades of Groundhog Day soon emerge, as you outrage them with wrong answers only to ask again a few minutes later with no lasting reputation loss. Trial-and-error can earn you most notches on the bedpost, along with the already infamous "I shagged her!" soft porn collectors cards. They're unspeakably naff, of course, but as with the topless slave girls in Conan it's in-keeping with the bawdy tone of the game.Knowing Idol, once the SDK comes out, he'll be making his own Seduction quests and "Collectible Cards." :P
Non-vital NPCs will just utter generic phrases. Those with something of value to say will open up dialogue trees.Sounds like most RPG's.
Your decisions do have subtle impacts though, often not becoming evident until much later in the game. For all the PR talk of grey moral areas, there's still some obvious "good choice, bad choice" stuff going on, but the elongated timeframe means you won't be able to cheat your way around them with quick-saves. Even the broad sweep of upgrade options is designed for the long haul, with far too many combinations to max out in one game. It's not a game you'll rush back to for another run through, but there's definitely replayability here for those who value such things.Okie doke.
Graphically, the emphasis is on consistency and tone rather than showboating. It looks nice - sometimes really, really nice - but if you're worried you'll be missing some state of the art visual trickery if you shunt a few sliders down to "medium" then, rest assured, it's all about effective mood rather than swanky lighting. You'll still need a fairly robust rig to cope with the strain of rendering the larger NPC crowds, but it's not the system hog many feared it would be.Good. Maybe my PC won't be crying when it tries to run it b/c I barely meet the vid card requirement. :P
While we're on the presentation tip, the music is worthy of special note, with some haunting Celtic instrumentals, while the voice acting ranges from the effective to the, ahem, enthusiastic. Geralt himself talks in a rather off-putting Americanised snarl, a bit like Dirty Harry, while the villagers range from dim Mancunian to Dick Van Dyke cockerney sparras. Dwarves, somewhat inevitably, are Scottish.Okay...
Well-intentioned clickety combat aside, The Witcher doesn't offer much the dedicated role-player won't have already seen elsewhere, but that's not such a bad thing. CD Projekt has taken time-tested elements from across the fantasy-RPG spectrum and tied them to a solidly crafted story that includes elements of racial discord, religious fanaticism and sexual promiscuity in its adults-only mix. Admittedly, these elements are rather crudely introduced and are handled with a rather endearing "Look! Adult themes!" excitability, but there's certainly more to savour here than in most dungeon-crawlers. One for those who value story and character over technical innovation then, but definitely a game worth trying if the concept has tickled your fancy.Colour me majorly interested still.
For a game that seems to have gotten 7/10, it seems very interesting.That's what I'm saying.
I might not cancel my preorder, especially after reading that last line.I've yet to order it. Probably will....very soon.
The fact that it has a good story means a lot to me.Same here.
The Djinni SDK along with first mods will be available for everyone in just few weeks.
Download the full game
--Super-fast download
--No need to be online to play
--Re-download the game if you need to
--Burn the game to CD/DVD if you want to
--Free customer support 7 days a week
Quote from: MysterD1. Can and will you show us screenshots or videos of what The Toolkit might actually look like??I think you will be able to see it soon.
Quote from: MysterD2. Would you say The Witcher's SDK is harder or easier to use than The Aurora Engine from NWN1 or NWN2? Will it have a steep learning curve? Easy to learn, but hard to master??Harder. It's rather a protool.
Quote from: MysterD3. Will there be lots of "scripting" involved?If you want to make something really good - yes, you must use some scripts.
Quote from: MysterD4. Will we be able to implement our own "Collectible Cards" into the game?Sure.
Quote from: MysterDWill there be Easy Game-Making Wizards (a la NWN) in the SDK for creating such things easily...?No, surely not in the first toolset release version. Maybe later it will be added.
Quote from: MysterD5. Regular Quests and Side Quests?Yes, you can create both there.
Quote from: MysterD6. Quests just based around "Collectible Cards"?It's up to you what about quest will be.
Quote from: MysterD7. In-Game Cut-Scenes?Yes, Djinni have buildin cutscene editor.
Quote from: MysterD8. Creating new objects (Armor, Spells, Weapons, Misc)?Sure.
Quote from: MysterD9. Creating new NPC's and dialogue trees?Sure.
Quote from: MysterD10. Anything else you want to tell us about the Toolkit/SDK, guys?Not yet. You'll be given new informations soon
I think you just reached a whole new level with your quoting. :P
The resulting game is pretty strong thanks to an interesting world rife with moral divides in a story progression that makes for hard choices when creating an identity for Geralt, the protagonist. It's a well realized and detailed world with excellent music to fill in the mood. If it wasn't for some story inconsistencies, crashing issues, and snore-inducing load times, The Witcher would be higher on our list of must-haves. As it is, we still recommend the game, but want to note for buyers to beware of the technical problems.8.5 is a pretty good score for a game that they feel has some issues around it...
Geralt as the deciding factor in events is one of the reasons The Witcher works as a narrative and a game. The first couple of chapters of the adventure will offer up some moral decisions that may seem a little more cut and dry but when chapter three rolls around, the choices offered up are many shades of gray and it's hard to ever know that what you're doing is "right" by the video gaming standard of black and white right and wrong. Are you helping elves fighting for freedom and equality or terrorists that have just as much hatred of humans as humans have of them? Do the ends of preserving and protecting humanity really justify the potentially horrific means? Do I love Triss or Shani or just view them as toys for my amusement? These ideological, political, and personal decisions make the story and the game more engrossing as you sit there and wonder "what did I just do?"Well, that's interesting....it basically sounds like after a while, it throws the whole "good" and "evil" thing out the window and what we really have here is "decision" and "consequence." I like the sound of that.
The story works itself out mostly through conversation though there is the occasional action cutscene at bigger moments as well as art "slideshows" of flashbacks to previous choices when a branch of the story comes to fruition.Oooooh...."Art slideshows" sounds cool to me.
You'll see how your decision affected you and the environment/people around you. Their intention was to provide players with a chance to see that their actions have consequence whether it's good or bad but it also proved to be a powerful tool to get us to want to play again to see outcomes from different choices.Good deal.
Consequences aren't always immediately understood and it's not unusual for one of these scenes to play several acts in the past and relate it to current happenings. While it's generally pretty well done, it can occasionally be a little confusing. Whether it's the translation or just occasionally disjointed story progression is hard to say.Hmmm...I dunno, I guess I'll have to see for myself, when I get the game...
The slideshows aren't the only odd and disjointed bits of the story. There are some presentation issues in the cutscenes that cause some disconnect from the adventure.Spoilers coming....
Potions play a pretty huge role in the game, especially on the high difficulty setting, which is why we're a little sad it wasn't implemented better. It's not that the system itself is broken. On the contrary, the amount of potions and effects are varied and support a variety of play styles. The problem is almost entirely with the inventory system. Everywhere you go in the world, you can collect ingredients for potions off of plants, mineral deposits, killed creatures, or stashes. Each substance has one or two possible ingredient uses. The problem is, you can't sort them easily by ingredient type, you can't look before you go to brew potions if you have enough of any type, and you'll have to constantly look back to your journal to have any clue what you need to make a potion. This is especially aggravating after you start stashing stuff at the inns (inns act as a universal bank so that you can grab your stuff from any of them). There's no sorting tool at the inns at all so you'll have to mouse over and constantly check back and forth between substances to see if you've got the right ones. Since alchemy is such a huge part of the game, the interface for it (and especially the inventory) should have been given more careful consideration. It leads to a lot of aggravation when you constantly have to run back and forth to the inn and load in and out of areas in order to get the right amount of potion made.A sorting system implemented into a patch sounds like a good idea...
And it's that loading in and out of areas that is probably the biggest problem The Witcher has. Load times are loooooonnng, which can be a real bitch when running in and out of buildings inside a city since you're often conveying messages, trying to get to your stash, or completing quests. One of the main problems is that the game doesn't keep the greater area in memory when loading into a house. The load into the house will be quick, but then when you turn around and go back into the city proper, you'll have that long wait waiting for you. This is a problem even on high end computers.That stinks that high-end PC's have a nice wait for load times. I hope they got something good on-screen to entertain us, as we wait. :P
Closing Comments
The Witcher really is a good game and one that PC RPG fans will surely enjoy. It combines some entertaining and fast-paced combat with a well realized world and pretty decent story that branches and can end in three different fashions. With a load of choice in character creation on a point assignment and morality level, there’s plenty of reason to want to come back and play the 40-50 hour game again. The big problems mainly sit with the technical issues like crash bugs and long load times can be very frustrating. If it wasn't for those things The Witcher would have scored better here. If you can look past the technical side of things (which are still not as bad as some other RPGs released recently) The Witcher is definitely a game you’ll remember well over the years.
The Witcher really is a good game and one that PC RPG fans will surely enjoy. It combines some entertaining and fast-paced combat with a well realized world and pretty decent story that branches and can end in three different fashions. With a load of choice in character creation on a point assignment and morality level, there’s plenty of reason to want to come back and play the 40-50 hour game again. The big problems mainly sit with the technical issues like crash bugs and long load times can be very frustrating. If it wasn't for those things The Witcher would have scored better here. If you can look past the technical side of things (which are still not as bad as some other RPGs released recently) The Witcher is definitely a game you’ll remember well over the years.
IGN Ratings for The Witcher (PC)
The Finest Swordplay In A VideogameI always thought the combat system sounded interesting, but damn -- that makes it sound freaking awesome! heh!
Taking one look at the battle-scarred Geralt it comes as no surprise to find the witcher can hold his own in a fight. Using a combination of silver and steel blades (to fight monsters and humans respectively) along with two additional slots for extra weapons, combat in The Witcher provides a deeply engaging and clever setup. Switching between one of three different styles (Speed, Strong, Group), combat requires careful timing to string together combos with the required style dependant on the opponents. Dodging is also a crucial technique to master, with a double tap on any of the direction buttons unleashing a range of rolls, jumps, and other life-saving evasive manoeuvres. Because you're controlling the point dictating Geralt's orientation instead of manual taking control, swordplay in The Witcher offers a greater fluidity than we've seen in any other such game. It's effortless to switch between targets, manoeuvring like a ballet-dancer with a big sword until you've strung enough blows together to perform a deadly yet impressive killing move.
Magic takes the form of five different Signs to master, each unleashing a wide variety of spells that compliment the blows, slashes, and pirouettes that Geralt specialises in as opposed to standing out on their own merit. Unlocked as Geralt progresses through the adventure, the manner in which they compliment the fighting ensures the action is always entertaining, visceral, and requires a thoughtful approach throughoutY'know, I've heard a lot about the regular fighting (melee), but not mush about the magic....hmmmm...I wonder if you can really bank off some cool magic-to-weapon combos and vice versa. :)
This is one game that I can truly say deserves to be the best PC RPG of the year, even though 2007 is almost over, if not that then the best PC RPG period.
And it's amusing to me that the only thing missing from The Witcher in the context of the European RPG stereotype is the difficulty.I wonder what difficulty the reviewer put this on, since there are Three to pick from ONLY at the start of a new game -- Easy, Normal (default), and Hard.
...
Usually the game gives you a nice, smooth difficulty curve and only a couple of small tactical options, many of which are almost forced on you, will make the difference between win and loss. In some ways, The Witcher is too easy, like the developers championed story above all and wanting to reward any gamer with the requisite number of hours to get through it all. This might rub some RPG fans the wrong way, but I think it's a fresh look at what these games really mean to the people that love them the most.
Your main weapons can be improved, but you're pretty much stuck with them, and you won't be finding a ton of loot with all kinds of configurable enchantments or the like.But how come no one mentions, how much upgrading can we do on the main weapon??? Is it a lot? A little? A fair amount?
Yes, The Witcher still follows the stereotype of a European RPG when it comes to bugs and issues. The first patch for the game has dozens of small fixes for the story and gameplay, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to do anything for the memory leaks or crashes.Bleh.
I highly recommend you use the game's save system heavily, and the auto-save is sometimes not quite enough to stop you from getting frustrated at replaying the odd several-minute-long chunk of the game. Hopefully the next major patch can let go of the smaller stuff and start working on the big picture. As far as performance goes: while the system requirements might seem a bit steep for a game using the Neverwinter Nights Aurora engine, the game does look pretty good and the minimum system will play the game well enough.Good. My aging PC won't be crying too much, hopefully. :P
But to me, the biggest problem is with the nasty load times - it's not so bad at the beginning of the game, but when you start visiting houses in a city, you'll be spending almost as much time staring at the Loading screen as you will actually playing.Ick.
While just about every RPG out there has lots of dialog, The Witcher is unique in that the dialog becomes one of the more compelling reasons to play. Yes, the combat is good, and your character does gain new tactical options and cool abilities as he improves, although the lack of new gear will turn off those for fans of games like Diablo.Diablo has a ridiculous amount of items you can get. So does TQ. But, that is really what those games are about -- since, you don't have nowhere as much choice in the matter of questing as say a Planescape or Fallout 2.
The world design is realistic but interesting and the enemies you fight are generally worthy opponents, but it's the story of Geralt and how he affects his world that will keep you playing. Some technical problems plague the experience, but overall I think you will have a hard time finding a better fleshed-out story in any game released in 2007. The Witcher is not for everyone, and even some hardcore RPG players might find this a disappointment, but it's still an excellent fantasy game with enough merits for me to recommend it for any fan of the genre.I can't wait to play this one.
While your initial character setup is pretty limited, being a good step away form what you might expect from an RPG, the levels and powers you can work your way through during the game more than make up for it. Whichever way you choose to take your version of Geralt, there are 250 skills and abilities to unlock through the game’s six chapters, which is huge.Even though Geralt can basically be either a warrior, mage, or a mix of the two, having around 250 skills/abilities at your disposal could make each warrior even quite different.
It's a monster of a game that gives you plenty of time to explore your own moral fibre, while at the same time exploring the massive world taking on god only knows how many quests. With so much content you'll be glad of some occasional downtime to give you a chance to gather your thoughts and think about which way you want to play out the missions.Sounds like my kind of game.
Damn those morals, always getting in the way.That's no fun! :P
After all is said and done, The Witcher is actually one of the best RPGs we've come across in a long time. It may not quite be Oblivion in scope and all-round greatness, but it earns the right to call itself a must try RPG that will immerse you in its dark and mysterious world. For depth of gameplay and the sheer amount of things to see and do, this is potentially one of the sleeper hits of 2007 and easily recommendable to anyone with an interest in the genre.I can't wait for this one to arrive. It can't get here to my house soon enough, to suit me!!! :P
I really want this, but I just can't right now. Too much to do in November.
I've basically held off on my purchase because I bought a few other things, and this seems like the sort of game that will get better with patches.
We are currently working on improving loading times a bit, but we are more focused on adding a "disable autosave" option, which should drastically reduce intervals between each location. It's not 100% sure, but very, very likely Wink.
We are currently working on it. Do not take it as granted, but according to our calculations it should be released by the end of the month, probably in about two/ three weeks.
Picked it up earlier in the afternoon. I put in maybe an hour so far. I've been having a bit of fun with it. The combat took a little getting used to, since I'm still stuck in Diablo click-clicky combat mode. But once I figured the basics of it, I've been doing better. The story has, so far, been pretty compelling and I've been sitting through the numerous cutscenes rather than skipping them. And it's a pretty game, too.So, now that you're used to it a bit -- how do you like the combat system???
I've only got a few gripes for right now. The screen can at times get too busy. There are quite a few icons on the screen at any given moment. Granted it's all in the top corners, but still. And the menus are even more cluttered. But I can certainly live with it. Another issue is performance. My computer's no slouch, but the cutscenes are all herky jerky and the action sometimes slows down too.I dunno' if this'll help much or not, but look at this post here...
The camera can get annoying too and the controls feel bi-polar. Sometimes its too sensitive, and sometimes it feels too slow.I think that part always came w/ the territory of the Aurora Engine, myself. :P
Apart from that, I'm enjoying the game very much so.Awesome! :)
I also spent about 30 minutes running around looking for a shrine, but the map's so confusing to me that I got lost several times. Mind you, this is something that happens to me often. Game maps have never been kind to me. It may not even affect you. Doesnt help that I was falling asleep through it.I usually prefer the big map in games over the mini-maps -- like in say Two Worlds, Oblivion and NWN2, I love their big maps. But, most mini-maps, there's too many "notes of interest" on the mini-map and it's a pain to see what's what on there -- like NWN2 and Two Worlds. I'm better off looking at the big map, here and there.
But I'm sure figuring out where everything was is gonna be quite simple and I was just too arsed to notice it.
Meh... that's not good. I don't mind cutscenes, but I hope they can fix the rest.
On a side note, I remember you bought Titan Quest. Did you enjoy it?
Titan Quest I actually enjoyed very much. I'm a fan of the whole Greek mythos and whatnot. And with the the expansion the game was even better. Though nothing really beats going through the game with a group.Ooooh, TQ is fun. And the expansion even enhances the original game, too -- which is great. I still ain't finished TQ, but it's loads of fun. And the ridiculous varying amounts of enhanced loot you can pick-up is crazy!
After I got the hang of it, I'm startin to enjoy the combat. You've got different styles to choose from when battling particular enemies, like fast, strong and groups so far.Sweet. I really liked how the combat system sounded, to me. It sounds like a cross b/t a Diablo AND a Bioware (real-time mixed with turn-based) game.
What I'm not enjoying is the unresponsiveness of the movement sometimes. I'll try to click on Geralt to move somewhere and he'll just stand there doing nothing. Or he won't attack a monster and he'll just stand with his back to them allowing them to strike him.That's crummy. :(
I'll give the notes a try. Didn't take a look at it yet, but I'll see what more I can tweak.Hope it runs better for you, bro!
I have a question. The problems... do you think they can be ironed out with patches, or are they too deeply part of the system?
Do we really need to load every single time we leave and enter a house?
It does autosave almost every time you enter a new locationThat's crazy.
but not when you reload a save when you die (sadness) and not when you enter certain houses, for some odd reason.Thanks, bro.
Eh, I'd say so. Some more than others it seems.
Sometimes its as quick as 5 seconds, sometimes it takes maybe 20 to 30. Just random.Yeah, that explains everything.
I can't judge English translation. Dialogs were trimmed (we had to shorten it by roughly 20% to meet agreements with ATARI) so maybe it spoiled them slightly. Polish conversations are brilliant and, from what I've heard, English voice acting is quite good.
My personal advise – if you already bought The Witcher… give it second chance and try to play a little more. I promise you will find that it goes beyond “dwarf cock”
Don't be afraid of change. Even though The Witcher may scare off some people with inventive combat that replaces comfortable old rapid-fire clicking with rhythmic sword swinging, there is no need to avoid one of the deepest, most adult role-playing games to hit the PC in years. Polish developer CD Projekt has crafted one of those landmark games that moves the goalposts for everybody, a truly grown-up take on swords and sorcery that breaks just about every fantasy tradition in the book. Once you experience a grimy medieval world so realistic that you can practically smell it, quests that reject simplistic good and evil for ambiguous "decisions and consequences," and, yes, newfangled battle mechanics that add welcome twists to left-click scrapping, you'll find it awfully hard to go back to the usual D&D rip-off.Wow.....what an opening from GameSpot...
Built on a 2007 edition of the Aurora Engine that powers Neverwinter Nights, The Witcher is something of a cross between action RPGs such as Diablo and more complex plate-mail potboilers such as Neverwinter Nights. Essentially, the developers work both sides of the street. On the one hand, you have exactly one character choice in the form of greasy-haired Geralt of Rivia, the monster-hunting mercenary "witcher" of the title, along with other ostensibly dumbed-down features such as big bunches of combat and Gatling-gun-quick leveling up. But on the other hand, you also get a postwar fantasy world called Temeria that feels lived in (if not postapocalyptic), as well as plot points that involve serious moral choices. Story and setting have been borrowed from The Last Wish, a Polish fantasy novel published way back in 1990 by Andrzej Sapkowski, and for once such an adaptation has been pulled off successfully.How many times do we all look at what a product a game is "based off" and just say, "Well, that wasn't done justice, now was it?"
So no, The Witcher sure isn't all sunshine and lollipops. But even though you might need a few Prozac pills to handle the game's bleak tone, the story becomes incredibly compelling when you have so much riding on your actions. Characters seem like real people, not the good-evil-neutral triad of stereotypes that populate most fantasy games. Only a few aspects of the story and setting remind you that you're just playing a game.And we know why, too -- see my few posts above, in which Atari butchered 20% of the dialogue. Bah!
A lot of this is probably due to poor translation from the original Polish. Dialogue seems truncated in many spots, which leaves you in the dark as to character motivations. You know something important has just taken place, and the interface clearly points out what you're supposed to be doing, but the big picture doesn't completely come together.
Swearing and bizarre word choices are another issue. One moment you're cruising along listening to fairly standard RPG conversations, and then you're hit with out-of-the-blue modern slang and "F" bombs. It's pretty jarring to hear the leader of your witcher band calling a female team member "babe," let alone to hear Geralt disgustingly grunt "Abso-f***ing-lutely!" Voice acting often lacks authority as well, which highlights these strange lines. Fellow adventurers look like grizzled warriors but sound more like high schoolers. The actor who voices Geralt tries too hard, like a kid attempting a deep, gravelly voice so he can fool the counter jockey at the corner store into selling him a six-pack. Likewise, the youngest member of your group has all the gravitas of Potsie Weber (for a reason, it soon turns out).I bet Atari didn't spent a lot of $$ on having great English voice-acting, eh....?
Interactions between the sexes are also risqué in a corny way that would rev up only Beavis and Butthead. It's ridiculous enough that the side quests in every act let Geralt get horizontal with virtually every woman he meets, but it's just pathetic that each conquest is rewarded with a playing card that depicts the lovely lass in a come-hither pose. There isn't even any real payoff with these pics, either, given that the nudity that appeared in the European version of the game has been censored due to prudish Stateside sensibilities. (Thank you, Hot Coffee controversy.) At any rate, the sex is ludicrous and out of place, and is apparently there only to give game geeks hope that a fellow guy with lanky, unwashed hair and corpse-pale skin can score with hot babes.
Nevertheless, even with the poor introduction, it's hard not to love the combat system. Battles are only a little more involved than the standard clickfest stuff, yet the mechanics always make you think about what you're doing and provide real satisfaction when you take out tough foes. Attacks also simply look cool, especially when you're jumping around while slinging your sword in all directions in the middle of a pack of monsters.Sounds good to me!!!
As you might expect from the grim moments catalogued above, The Witcher is pretty dour when it comes to look and sound. The Aurora Engine has never looked better, and it's hard to believe that this thing dates back to Neverwinter Nights in 2002. Landscapes are generally gorgeous, and the characters are all distinctive (if a bit cartoonish), but the graphics deal in awfully bleak scenery. Many stone buildings in the game are either run-down or falling down. Villages consist of ramshackle huts constructed with wattle and daub and topped with straw roofs. Skies always seem to be a dim steel gray, and rain pours down pretty much every other day. NPCs are filthy, and often come with various scars and minor disfigurements. There are two main camera angles, over-the-shoulder and isometric, although the former is the best choice because it provides the best perspective on everything. The controls are smooth even close-up.I always thought Witcher looked great in screenies and vids -- they really did a great of gutting out the graphical side of things, to say the least.
Audio effects and music are perfect counterparts to the look of this shattered world. Little kids skip around while talking about death and playing crude pranks like pissing in the dwarf's bellows. Women can be overheard setting up assignations with their lovers. And all of this is surrounded with subtle, creepy tunes loaded with offbeat tones and sparse organ notes. The superb soundtrack is particularly effective at night; the gothic organ plinking under the moonlight makes you shiver like someone just walked over your grave.Ooooh! Background sounds sound pretty good, too -- how immersive! I can't wait for this.
Memorable story, immersive combat, fascinating characters--what's not to like? A few fit-and-finish issues mean that The Witcher isn't quite an all-time classic RPG. Regardless, it's awfully, awfully close, warts and all, and it provides a new benchmark for future developers that are looking to lift their games out of the done-to-death elf-and-orc ghetto.I can't wait...this game better get here tomorrow or Wed!! :P
People need to stop updating this thread. Every time I forget about the game, you make me remember it.The game-designers have said before that the UK version is uncensored and that it is the definitive version for the North American gamers, basically. And basically, yeah -- I can confirm this; game's patched up to 1.1A, as well. I've seen some cussing, some of the uncensored "collectible cards", and a good deal of head-rolling violence -- and I'm already a few good 3 hours or so into the game.
I'm sort of debating whether or not I care about the Euro edition, though. Did they censor anything aside from the boobies?
I would play some more, but for some reason, every few minutes the game will crash. I've just got to chapter 2 and I'm roaming around and it crashes every single time. Eff this game. I'm just gonna wait for a patch or some such.
Heres something interesting. (http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?story=49819)
It appears things weren't censored just for the US, but the english translation is general. So even the UK version is "censored". Though its not really censored, its just the translation. They cut some stuff and not others. In the comments I read there is a .ini setting you can change to get the unedited english back. Of course, it won't be voice acted but you can still read it.
Did you check the Witcher's official In-Game Tech boards (http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?board=14.0) for issues?
Jack, what are your PC's specs????
Seems like ATI users are having loads of crashing issues w/ this game -- especially if they have the newest ATI drivers. (http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=4100.0)
Want me to send it the same place i sent the comic book? if no then PM me another address!
Yep, I've checked the boards and emailed tech support. Other than that, there's really no case of any issues like mine, I think. Just crashing in the same area over and over again.
And my specs? Intel C2D E6400, 2 gigs of ram, nvidia 7900gs, and just the regular hdd, audigy soundblaster and that's about it. Nothing real out of the ordinary or anything.
I will totally take you up on that. And I'll even get you a Christmas present in return.Wo0t!! Que's getting The Witcher!! Witcher's great stuff, man. I do hope you do enjoy it!!
Warning: Christmas present might be Hoob.
Nope no luck. I found the game likes to freeze if I try saving a game now. And the fun thing is now that I want the game to autosave it doesn't autosave anymore. So, I tried to run through as much of the beginning as possible and hoped that it would autosave in a new area. It didn't. And it promptly crashed when I got to the new area. I've tried messing with the virtual memory. Updating the Tages driver. Don't have Daemon Tools running or anything. And there's not much else I can do. I guess a lot of people are having these crashes with Vista. Bah.
Yep, I'm on Vista. I already installed the Hotfix a while ago when it came out. I keep my system pretty well updated. And made sure everything else is tip top. Though I have noticed that ever since installing the Witcher that my computer has become very unstable. It freezes often and restarts itself randomly now. I'm very unhappy.Oh, man -- I wonder if Tages is causing the issue....?
But I did fix the crashing. It works, but I'm still not happy with it. I'm basically playing it at 800x600 windowed. It really takes away from the enjoyment.Windowed???? Ewwwww....
Well, I wasn't sure at first, but apparently I'm playing the censored version. Stupid magical underworld store, why don't you tell me these things?Cards w/ Nudity
In any case, it's hard to say that this has somehow dulled the experience for me, because I've been having one hell of a great time. The game is absolutely amazing. Censored or not, this is well worth playing.I agree that this is definitely an awesome game.
The next thing I'm going to try and figure out is whether or not I can somehow get the game in its original Polish and keep the long English subs. I was reading something on some forum earlier, and I *think* this may be theoretically possible if you can simply get all the right files in the right place. So I'm thinking: download polish version of the game, get the audio data and put it in the right spot, and then either see if it works, or switch whatever internal settings need to be switched. It may not work since I don't know about filenames and such, but I think with the way it's set up it'd be a possibility.Did you try the long English subs trick before you began the game? And, if so, did it work for you?
Yeah, I've seen the cards. I honestly don't see what the big deal is. I thought they were mostly tasteful, boobs or no.I don't see the big deal, either.
And no, the Long English script didn't work for me either. I think you must have to start a new game, provided that it even works at all. People are saying that a lot of the lines aren't in their full original form anyway even after you do that, only a few. So it isn't a perfect solution in either case.Bleh...
It's really a shame, because this is one of the best RPGs I've played since Baldur's Gate (it reminds me heavily of that in a lot of ways). While freedom may be something of an illusion here, this is truly the old-school, story-driven RPG done right, and it nails all the stuff that games like Oblivion fuck up or just miss entirely.I think what makes it kind of an illusion to some, is that there are so many side quests to do.
So far I have one single niggle (other than the weirdness of the stuttery cutscenes): <pet peeve>the NPCs still eat and drink weird like they do in Oblivion, so instead of having a nice interval setup between drinking animations, you have people who just constantly, over and over again, shove mugs and bottles into their faces as though they haven't had a drink in 30 years and need to make up for lost time. Why the fuck can't people figure out that you need to put some idle time between those?!</pet peeve>LMAO!!! I didn't even notice this!!! I'mma have to look for this!
*waits for idol to ask for a copy on DVD*At least you know what to get me for Christmas now. And its cheap! :P
I know how frustrated you got with NWN2.Yeah, that's true. I didn't respect NWN2 until much later. Honestly NWN2 didn't get great until the latest update, and the expansion pack enhanced it significantly.
Just hold on till it patches. That's my opinion anyway.
It's a crapshoot. I've been playing it for several days, hours at a stretch, and I've experienced not a single error of any kind barring the really minor things I've mentioned. The only technical error is the shadows which don't quite work properly, and the only gameplay error has been that you can pick up multiple dice boxes which all count as quest items. Be warned - pick up one, and don't pick up any more! I only picked up two, but one guy on a forum I read picked up six. I don't know if there's any way to ever remove them, either.I think I've got around 3 sets of dice. LOL.
But seriously, that's the extent of my errors. XP users have claimed to experience some crashes as well, but Vista users are the ones getting it the worst. Most XP users seem to be at least relatively okay.Game froze on me once -- after I beat the Beast. Only bug I suffered. Reloaded my last save, beat him again -- no problem, 2nd time around. Go figure.
Also, I figured out what was wrong with the cutscenes - it is related completely, 100% to the depth of field effect that it uses. I noticed the game proper never seemed to use this, yet there was a check for it in the option, and since the cutscenes were the only thing that was choppy, I started to wonder if that was the problem. Unchecked it, talked to somebody, and... wham. Smooth as silk. I don't know if its my video card or what, but whatever. I love the effect, but honestly, it makes very little difference in the end if its off.I noticed that, too -- first time I ran the game, it ran terrible in cut-scenes; anywhere from 6-15 frames. Turned it off -- boom, I'm in the 30's to 50's.
Anyway, I'm thoroughly satisfied. This game is truly great. I'm definitely noticing areas where the dialogue suffers from being truncated. They really did utterly butcher the script. The lines are generally fine individually, it's just that a lot of the time they don't fit well together, and the end result is sort of a mess. However, there are other times when they work fine and it isn't too noticeable. But other than that, everything else is just getting better and better. I love the art design, the setting, the story, and the characters, and now that I've gotten into the combat, I'm seeing why people like it so much. It feels clunky at first until you realize how it's actually supposed to work, and when you're dancing like a mad idiot between targets, avoiding blows and all that... man, it looks beautiful and is actually good fun. I think the overhead camera is preferable for combat, though I prefer the over-the-shoulder camera more, generally speaking.
And this is a horrible, formless ramble of a post. Sorry. I'll go back and make a few highlights just because this is such a mess.That's a great comparison -- a mix of BG, PS:T, and Gothic; but, it also throws in a lot of its own spins, too.
EDIT - Shit. 2nd night in a row staying up past 3 with this one. The end of the first chapter was spectacular, as was the beginning of the second. This game reminds me of so many other good games... it's great. It's new and nostalgic all at once. It reminds me of Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, the original Gothic, and a bunch of other stuff, yet it's totally got its own thing happening. My novel work is pretty much screwed for the rest of this week, I think. Damn.
Oooh, good -- I could use some INVENTORY Improvements; especially for sorting options and whatnot.Quote from: Link006 on November 09, 2007, 03:56:42 pmBesides the auto-save removal and optimization of load times, what other stuff are you working on?Many smaller issues, we are also thinking on improving sword sheathing during fights, as well as on some improvements in the inventory. We are also doing compatibility tests for some uncanny computer specs.
Bah! I need to finish this damn thing soon so I can go back and enjoy some of the fixes!! :P I don't wanna start over right now!!Quote from: sd1612 on November 11, 2007, 12:41:54 pm[/quotewill 1.2 be compatible with current game status? Or is it recommended to start it from scratch?Some changes in the next patch may take effect only after starting from scratch, I'm afraid.
Quote from: bhagavate on November 11, 2007, 02:54:54 pmcan you add CG main menu option (view complete game movies/art(pictures after main game decisions, collected cards etc ) in next patch? i really want to see again some moviesat any time and to see overall progress (how many remain endings/cards/middle_endings, etc)(click to show/hide)
That's a nice idea, we will think about it ;)
So I noticed in the 2da00.bif file that there are 3 English scripts, English, FinalEnglish, and FinalEnglish_Short. I tried going into a conversation with all three and found that English and FinalEnglish_Short both matched the voice acting, while FinalEnglish had some differences. FinalEnglish_Long is nowhere to be found in the files I checked. (with notepad, if anyone cares)
Can anyone do further testing? I'm personally going to keep playing with FinalEnglish. Let me know if there are any differences.
1 1 English 1252 enPhonemes Debug 1 **** ****
2 2 FinalEnglish 1252 enPhonemes English 0 **** ****
3 3 FinalEnglish_Short 1252 enPhonemes Debug 1
The Witcher - Second Project Underway
by Dhruin, 21:21:15
Amfamaster writes that a second Witcher project is already underway and will hopefully be released in 18 months:
Tomasz Baginski, the guy behind 'The Witcher's' cutscenes was recently interviewed on Polish news channel (TVN). He stated that CDProjekt RED is already working on a second part of The Witcher and they are planning to release it in about 18 months. He also said that he will most probably work on cutscenes for the second part as well. CD Projekt did not comment on this news.
Based on reports from Polish sites gry-online.pl and gry.wp.pl . Thanks, Amfamaster!
"A Day In The Life Of The Witcher" Contest
16.11.2007 17:15Comments: 0
We are pleased to announce our special screenshot contest. All you have to do, to take part in the competition, is to run the game and express your imagination and creativity! Make some screenshots while playing and freely transform and edit them to fit your vision of “the day in the life of the witcher”. You can add comments, titles or even add text bubbles to make own custom dialogues.
The best stories will be awarded with ultimate gadget sets. The set includes: high quality t-shirt, poster, mousepad with the game logo, dice game and original witcher medallion!
Your story should consist of from 1 to 5 separate screenshots, or may be composed into a comic strip. Here you can upload your files.
The deadline date to send your story is 30th November.
What invisible barriers? I have no idea what you're talking about. The only barriers in the game are what's greyed out on the map, which is perfectly easy to read.
That's why there's a map.
Word on the street is that PCG gave the game a 67%, and people are very rightfully up in arms over it. I haven't been able to find any stable evidence that this is actual fact, though. Still, if true, these people have become the biggest group of idiots to ever write a magazine. I haven't trusted them much anymore despite years of subscribing (I don't any longer), but still, this would just be beyond the pale.Oh, you've got to be kiddin' me. I wonder who reviewed it.
I agree the combat feels very fresh and original. My biggest complain is that I seem to have a tendency to target friendlies (guards, villagers, etc) by accident mid combat and then of course all the town guards turn hostile to me. This inevitably results in a reload and I just have to hope I saved recently.
Otherwise I love the combat system, it feels very rewarding and responsive and in the end makes me feel like I have contributed to the action and not just built a good stat spewing machine.
Memorable story, immersive combat, fascinating characters--what's not to like? A few fit-and-finish issues mean that The Witcher isn't quite an all-time classic RPG. Regardless, it's awfully, awfully close, warts and all, and it provides a new benchmark for future developers that are looking to lift their games out of the done-to-death elf-and-orc ghetto.
I'm well into Chapter III now (I've been taking my sweet time, apparently unlike MyD), and every hour that passes only confirms that this is my GOTY for 2007. It has problems, but most of these are technical (long load times and the people having some crash issues) or localization-related (truncated script, brief nonsensical moments, occasional lapses in acting quality, et al).I'm into Chapter 5. I don't feel I've been really blazing through it. It's just this is all I've been playing -- and playing it every chance I can. I've been playing it like I did Oblivion -- just about every time I turn my computer on, for hours and hours and hours. I've been playing this game AT LEAST 3-5 hours a day. Weekends, forget it -- just double that minimum number.
The game itself is just a beautiful, beautiful piece of work. And actually, a lot of the dialogue seems a lot better in Chapter III so far. As I said, the really important stuff seems to be okay, most of what really seems awkward or shortened is just mid-quest stuff where you're getting a new objective or something. It still hurts the game sometimes, but at least most of the important and memorable moments are intact.I think the dialogue's pretty good and still better than most RPG games -- just yes, at times, it does feel like something is missing. Such as, a character's motivations for what they do or why they feel like they do.
Anyway... go fucking buy this. Just do it.
I also watched the making-of DVD that came with the LE, and it's pretty underwhelming. Basically just interviews, and doesn't even include some of the other behind the scenes type stuff that I saw floating around on the internet at various points. No spoilers, at least. Main attraction of the LE is still the artbook, and it remains of sufficient quality to justify the purchase. Just wish I could get that monster book somehow.That's a bummer about the DVD. :(
Having thought about it, I can imagine it getting a lower score from PCG considering how they have a strict policy regarding reviewing games out of the box. From what I read, without the patch it has a lot of issues, though I don't have an personal experience on the matter.
That's an interesting question. How do you judge an MMO pre-patch? Kind of impossible. Doesn't really have anything to do with this as I'm not directly comparing scores between these two games (though I'm obviously of the opinion that HGL is nowhere even *near* the caliber of the Witcher), but it's an interesting thought anyway.Say you don't do the MP part of HGL -- just only want to do SP.
Besides that, PCG has given favorable scores to games that were in far worse than this one was at release. They've even given favorable scores to games that still didn't function properly even after extensive patching.Is it me, or has PCG in the past few years just gone downhill...?
It isn't just you. Some people say it was when they put Vede in charge, but I think it was earlier.
Yep they have... And the review itself is crap. Seems that Alec Meer, the reviewer, spent too much time on fast and entertaining (although 'glouriosly stupid') Time Shift (which got 79%). Thats probably why running between quest spots in Witcher was so boring for him. How long did he play The Witcher before writing a review... 30 minutes? He doesnt even know how fighting system works (holding down a mouse button after a click?? What the f***). There is no name of Geralt mentioned anywhere, there is just Albino Vigo nick used, which is not really funny. He doesnt like the storyline, especially the amnesia of the main hero... well.. he doesnt have to read Sapkowski's novels which are the source of the game plot (no mentioning about this too!! ) but he must obviously read the conversations in the game so he should know that Geralt was actually seen dead (this is how book ends). And no, he wasnt Fantasy Worlds greatest hero.. dont write about something what you dont have an idea about (I mean a book). If he could think about any other idea for rising Geralt from dead and letting to build a character and stats from the start... we listen.
Also, reviewer blames the game of having sword as the only solution to most quests... Even if that was true (which is not quite), whats wrong about it? Am I missing something about NWN and TES ?? Are these a no-fight riddles games? Not mentioning Diablo
Well, anyway... this review is full of bugs for me and reveals that Alec Meer doesnt know how solid review should be written like. He doesnt know much about this game either. The Witcher has great reviews and scores in most of magazaines, web services etc. Of course each person has a right to its own opinion... but who is right? Alec Meer or the rest of the gaming world??
Summaring... the review sucks
BTW: I like this game much more than Oblivion which began to be god damn boring after around 20-30 hours of playing
Not having played it without it, I couldn't tell you.Oh, ok. Then based on your experience it should be alright! :D I hope the UK version is not so 'cropped' as that's the version we'll have here. I think I'll pick it up soon.
Sorry, mate. All my experiences are based on the UK version.Dang it, ah well it's either that or I learn Polish.
I've easily spent over 120 hours in Oblivion and it's still not boring. Mind you if I spent 30 hours in Oblivion in one shot I'd get bored easily. Doing anything for too long can get boring! So that unfounded Oblivion-bashing crap woulda turned me off from that crowd too.I also cannot speak on The Witcher's performance before Patch 1.1A. I am running 1.1A.
Anyway, coming back to The Witcher, how much better does it perform with the patch?
By the way, can you modify Geralt's appearance?Nope, you're stuck w/ Geralt and the way he looks.
Nope, you're stuck w/ Geralt and the way he looks.
It's a beautiful game. Hard to believe it shares an engine with NWN (which it practically doesn't... I think they said that at the end of it, they rewrote like 90% of the engine and really just had the core). But yes, the story, characters, world, and major decision-making bits are the most important elements. The other stuff is good, but don't expect too much customization. You'll help Geralt make a lot of significant choices, but the color of his boxers won't be one of them.Haha damn it that was the case in Fable! You always had those British boxers!
It's a beautiful game. Hard to believe it shares an engine with NWN (which it practically doesn't... I think they said that at the end of it, they rewrote like 90% of the engine and really just had the core). But yes, the story, characters, world, and major decision-making bits are the most important elements. The other stuff is good, but don't expect too much customization. You'll help Geralt make a lot of significant choices, but the color of his boxers won't be one of them.
This isn't a OMGPHATLEWT game by any stretch of the imagination. There's very little in the way of gear, though apparently there is some. And yes, every change you make is reflected on the character (at least that I've seen so far). But you're playing Geralt because... the main character is Geralt. This isn't a build-your-own-Witcher type deal. The only customization you're going to be enjoying is mechanical, in terms of what abilities you choose to increase (and even that doesn't change the way the game plays all that drastically, just which skills you'll likely favor).
http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28622&start=75
Can't verify this 100%, but PC Gamer US gave the game 90%
Wheeee.
The Witcher 1.2 patch and demo dates ( Development info )
posted by Elwro on Thu 29 November 2007, 01:20:43
More info on Witcher, The - More info on CD Projekt
A Polish site called The Witcher's Biggest Unofficial Site has spoken with folks from CD Projekt Red during the Poznań Game Arena show (no English webpage, so no link) about The Witcher. Summary:
* The 1.2 patch should be released somewhere around December the 7th
* The demo should appear somewhere around December the 13th
* The editor (called "Djinni") should be relased "somewhere around those dates"
* The series will be continued, but it's not decided whether what comes next will be an expansion or a sequel.
Damn it. I was hoping to beat the thing before the patch since (rumor has it) it will invalidate old saves.How far you along...?
Oh, I'm definitely finishing this one. It's just taking longer than I expected.Do you think you'll finish the game AND then install the patch??
I haven't really been interested in characters like this for some time (in a game, at least).Oh, yeah -- I think most of the characters in the game are great; such as Geralt, Shani, Triss and of course Azar Javed.
Shani is cool, but she and Triss would be infinitely better if the dialogue was intact and there had been some direction given to the actresses. I really like Dandelion (I keep wondering about his name - I think it was Jaskier in the books/TV show) and Zoltan. They both crack me up. Thaler is extremely interesting, too, and one of the better actors.Never read the books -- out of curiosity, is The Last Wish any and of the others out in the USA yet?
EDIT - And no, I'm finishing the game first. No way I'm starting all that over just for a patch (I haven't had any problems with the game, so it would make no sense).Yeah, I would, too -- especially if you're already into Chapter 3.
PROS:
* Amazing, vibrant graphics featured in a realistic world.
* Fascinating and flawed characters.
* Your morally ambiguous choices and situations directly affect the storyline.
* Battle system is dynamic, with tons of options.
CONS:
* Atrocious load times are the one glaring error in an otherwise amazing game.
That said, I'd probably play The Witcher with twice as many glitches. It's that unmissable.
Thank you guys for supporting us!!! In fact, each box sold count for us and it's greatest support we can get from You!
Regarding money/budget stuff. Game so far cost us 8+ mln usd. And it wasn't a bank loan or whatever. Just money we earn
on games distribution (we are not so small company: offices in 3 countries, 200+ people, 40+ mln usd yearly turnover).
Actually, this was risky, but also good and very independent way:) Our money, our vision, our game:)
That is why we could make whatever we liked, and that's why the game is so different from the standard big corporation fare
(targeted to anybody between 10-99 years old and always 110% political correct etc).
BTW: it is not obvious if we earn money on the project. Actually I believe that sooner or later Witcher will bring us profit.
It seems that gamers (you!) like it:) and thanks to that the game as a product will have a long lifecycle. The most important for us is that
we've learnt how to make games, good games:) And now we have short but good track of records.
That gives us very very good position for future (for example for negotiations with publishers).
Good position means also greater ease of defending our vision of the future projects. That's important as we want to keep the same
direction, meaning making games out of passion not marketing analysis;)
..Speaking about marketing. I know that in some countries it wasn't as strong as it should be (US for example). We're in touch with Atari
and try our best to find a ways how we can improve it. But this will come with more experience and time. As it is here in Poland.
Here The Witcher since release is no1 on all charts and since last Sunday sold through 81k units!!! Which beats all the best selling records
on the market. It is more than twice as much as previous biggest seller (homm5). Similar situation is in Czech, Hungary and
Russia (Novyi Disk company was a publisher there but we were involved in the process pretty much).
We know how to market games. We just need to learn how to organize it on the western markets. But this will some day come...
Cheers,
M.
That stinks, X.Amazon might be an option, but I'll have to confirm it. I'm just getting anxious to play this already hehe Mind you waiting doesn't do any harm, in fact it has way more benefits! Patching etc.
Anywhere you can order it online from?
Amazon don't ship games anymore outside of the U.S. anymore. I am sure it will make its way to the middle east soon enough.Yep, I just confirmed it they Amazon US will only ship within the US and Amazon UK will only ship within the UK. Bashtards!
Yep, I just confirmed it they Amazon US will only ship within the US and Amazon UK will only ship within the UK. Bashtards!
I hope you're right and it makes its way here. I just hope it's not banned or anything.
I guess this is where download services like Steam would come in handy. I still have trouble accepting some of Steam's policies though.
Aren't there any other online sellers? There has to be a way to get what you want (legitimately, I mean). It's hard to believe that there isn't at this point.Yeah, it's pretty backwards over here when it comes to anything online. Even online gaming is bare-minimum. People here still play Counter-Strike too.
Demo released. 2GB. Contains the prologue and all of Act 1. Which sounds like a big demo.
According to your questions about the patch i will try to answer some of them.That's good!!!
All 1.1 saves will be compatibile with the 1.2 patched version.
When you upgrade from version 1.1 to 1.2 it won't be necessary to start the game from the beginning.
However, in some specific situations, the single act should be restarted.
Huh... that's interesting. I wonder what those situations are. I haven't spent much time in Act III, so it wouldn't kill me to restart. But it would kinda' suck a little.
Gameplay and text bugs fixed:
- Fixes for Alina not being at her home when she should (Act 4).
- Wife's Tears Potion fixes.
- Fixes for usable doors on the swamps (Act 5).
- Fixes for Alchemist in manufacture giving quest items to Geralt (Act 3).
- Fixes for some items to be found in Fields (Act 4).
- Fixes for a disappearing enemy in quest Haunted House (Act2).
- Fixed problems with Alvin's spawn (Act 1).
- Few minor text fixes for all languages.
Code bugs fixed:
- Loading times are much faster!
- Saving is much faster!
- Another portion of stability improvements.
- Fix for rare "red rectangle" effect on loading bar.
- Quest tracking fixes.
- Some cursor fixes connected with finishers in tight places.
- Quest now won't update when Geralt is dead causing multiple problems.
- Autosave mechanism fixes (numeration).
- Savegame files fixes -- some irrelevant information was sometimes generated inside.
- The game won't make an autosave if Geralt has an effect preventing him from talking (like knockdown, stun, push) - the result would be no talking at all for the rest of the game.
- Now you can't attack neutral NPCs if you input the second (etc.) sword sequence in them, while first attacking a hostile.
- Dandelion's music won't be 'echoed' while changing location twice.
- The game can handle broken savegames now – it returns to main menu.
- Motion blur effect won't stay active despite Blizzard potion wearing off – drinking, then changing location, then cutscene.
- Final fixes for weapons disappearing from enemies’ hands.
- Grass and small stones being multiplied – fixed.
- Fixes for receiving damage from Striga while being far away.
Art bugs fixed:
- Few level decoration fixes.
- Fixes for barghest attack animation.
Interesting. I will do that.SO far I've noticed that the NPC's have a schedule kind alike Oblivion. You cna use a nearby fireplace to meditate and pass the time.
On another note, do all the NPCs have their own schedules? Because I'm looking for the Reverend right now and he's not in his house, nor does the game seem to have an Oblivion-esque time speed up feature.
Modding The Witcher
CD Projekt Red Lets the Djinni Out of The Bottle
The Djinni Toolkit is due out soon and modders across the various forums and fansites have shown that they are anxious to get their hands on it! In light of that, we had a mini QnA with the devs to get a bit more info on what the community can expect from Djinni. The tool is basically a professional utility and it is the one used to build the rich environment and content we currently have in game. Below are a the replies from Engine Programmer Daniel Sadowski and Designers Mateusz Kanik and Kasia Kuczynska.
What was behind the decision to release a Mod toolkit for The Witcher?
The Witcher was always a game with a lot of potential. We have always tried to do as much as possible with it and we feel that releasing the D'jinni toolkit to the community is a natural step for us to take. It's the only way to really let the game grow beyond anything we could do and imagine. There are many talented people in the community and it will be interesting to see what they can come up with. Personally, I'm very eager to see the results. :) - Daniel Sadowski, engine programmer
Since Djinni is planned to be released in a beta version, will there beupdates to it down the road?
There will probably be some kind of updates down the road but how often and what they will contain - it's too early to say. Right now we're just trying to finalize the slightly modified version for the community to use. - Daniel Sadowski, engine programmer
You've said that D'jinni is a "Protool". Will there be a tutorial and examples released for those new to modding?
Yes, there will be a comprehensive manual released, with lots of examples and illustrations. We'll also support the modders through our forums, trying to answer all the questions and to help with all the difficult matters. - Kasia Kuczynska - designer
Since the toolkit is a professional tool and not just a level editor, will fans be able to create total conversions with it, or is it primarily for creating add-on scenarios?
Djinni includes dialog editor as well as quest editor, so you will be able to create conversations and quests in the same way we did in The Witcher. - Kasia Kuczynska - designer
If users want to create their own content other than new textures, what file formats does it support for models and sound?
TGA and DDS for textures. OGG and WAV for sounds. - Mateusz Kanik, designer
It's been mentioned before that users could add their own cinematics to the game. Does the tool aid in the creation of cinematics or just allows the plugin of movies created by other means?
All in-game cutscenes can be created in D'jinni - basically you will be able to use the same tool we used during the development of the game. - Daniel Sadowski, engine programmer
And lastly, The Witcher has won several RPG of the year awards, It has been on several top ten games of 2007 lists, and it was even nominated for the first ever WGA videogame writing award. Are you surprised at the critical success The Witcher has recieved?
When we were making The Witcher, we wanted to make the best game possible, the one we ourselves would like to play. However we were not sure how other players would find our game and how such a mature RPG would be received. We're are really glad and a little surprised by the excellent reviews and positive feedback we get from our fans. We hope that our future productions will be received with the similar enthusiasm. - Kasia Kuczynska - designer
I'm very curious to see the ways in which the toolkit is used. Aside from a wide range of mods, I think we're likely to see some nice TCs and even some machinima come out of this. I want to thank the devs for a great game, the answers to these questions, and the upcoming release of the Djinni Toolset. Cheers!
So I got into the game again. It is pretty damn cool.Even more so true, since we can import our saves into TW2.
I think anyone who hasn't finished the game yet needs to get back into it and finish in time for the sequel.