CD Projekt RED is pleased to announce that in May of this year, a completely new and improved version of The Witcher will appear in stores, a game considered by many players as well as the media as the best cRPG of 2007!Holy shit.
Michał Kiciński, CEO of CD Projekt described the idea behind the Enhanced Edition:
"The leading idea during the development of the Enhanced Edition of The Witcher is to create a game that is devoid of all "first-time" problems found in the premiere edition. The Witcher was received very warmly by both the players and the media, but we are well aware that it is not a product without its faults. There was just not enough time to perfect certain elements, while we learned that some things needed to be changed from the players themselves. Now we have the opportunity to introduce changes that will allow The Witcher to provide even more fun. I hope that, as a result, the game will come even closer to the ideal RPG game."
Maciej Szcześnik – Project Manager from CD Projekt RED, spoke about the content provided in the new edition:
"The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be a completely polished product. A product that is rarely found on the PC market. Of course, it would be best if the premiere edition could look that way. For different reasons that was not achieved, now we're trying to make up for it. It should be easier for the fact that there aren't that many elements in the game which need improvement. Work is being done on two levels. One concerns the removal of technical obstacles that hinder the player from properly using the game and thus gaining enjoyment from it. By that I mean level loading times, which will be reduced by 80%, the stability of the game on different configurations, as well as a whole array of smaller fixes that will increase interactivity and precision in combat. The other level consists of very important changes that are not usually found in patches. First and foremost, the English language version will be, for the most part, completely re-done. The amount of text in that version was reduced compared to other language versions and that was said to cause a significant decrease in immersion and atmosphere. Now the English version will be as polished and atmospheric as the other language versions. Speaking of language versions, most of them will be more or less improved. Significant changes will also be made in the German version, where we are planning to re-record the voices for many of the characters. The most important improvements concern those elements of the game that the players criticized the most. So for example, over 50 new supporting character models will be added, so that the player won't run into the same person too often. The inventory panel will be re-designed and improved, and some elements of the main game screen will be polished. However, one of the biggest changes that will greatly increase the player's immersion in the game world will be improvements concerning dialogue scenes. Both Geralt and the NPCs will get over 100 new animated gestures which will make their "body language" during a conversation much more natural. Additionally, the face animation and lip-sync system will be re-created, making the faces of the speakers now even more natural as well. Of course, I've mentioned only the most important changes, and that's still a lot. There will be many smaller changes that will make the game more fun. I'm convinced that, thanks to them, The Witcher will be an almost ideal game."
Adam Kiciński – the head of CD Projekt RED spoke about publishing and the availability of the Enhanced Edition in different parts of the world: "Our goal is to make the Enhanced Edition available to all players all over the world. Of course, in the end, that depends on our publishers with whom we are currently negotiating. I believe that thanks to the interest shown by players, it will be possible to convince publishers worldwide to release the game in conjunction with the premiere in Eastern Europe, that is May 16. This is important because aside from improvements to the game itself, this edition is also to be improved in terms of how it's released, which for the most part depends more on the publishers than us, the authors. For example, aside from the game DVD, we are planning to include a DVD with a Mod Editor D'jinii, as well as two additional adventures, a video DVD with extended material concerning the making of the game, a music CD with 29 tracks from the game, a music CD with 15 tracks of music inspired by the game, an 80-page instruction booklet, a 112-page official guide written by the authors of the game, and a 50-page short story written by Andrzej Sapkowski. There will also be a map of the game world. As you can see it is quite an elaborate release and it is important to us that fans all over the world be able to buy this version of the game. Especially considering it will not be more expensive than the standard edition of the game! Fans that have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable update "
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition does not only mean changes in the game's mechanics or better graphics, however. There's also an included mod editor called D'jinni that allows players to create or modify their own adventures in the world of The Witcher, as well as two completely new adventures created by CD Projekt RED. First adventure “The price of neutrality” tells the story of Geralt coming back to Kaer Morhen and finding mysterious camp near stronghold (3 new quests) while second one focus on Dandelion and his troubles in Vyzim City (5 quests)
The Witcher is an RPG game about the adventures of Geralt, a professional monster slayer, developed by the Polish studio, CD Projekt RED. The game is based on a new version of Bioware's engine, Aurora 2007. The story is set in a world known from books written by Andrzej Sapkowski and sold all over the world. The game has already managed to garner worldwide success, having sold over 600 thousand copies. It has received 48 awards and distinctions, including the prestigious "Best PC RPG 2007" from IGN.com, as well as "PC RPG of the Year 2007" from Gamespy.com (see the entire list of awards: http://www.thewitcher.com/community/pl/awards/). The game has also received very high ratings from players from all over the world, which is reflected in the average scores given in reviews from such sites as: Metacritics (9.4/10), GameTrailers (9.1/10) i Gamespot (8.8/10).
Detailed information regarding the Enhanced Edition can be found in the additional document.
Fans that have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable update
Fans that have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable update "That makes me VERY happy.
Idol this makes sense with CD Projekt's ambition to sell over a million -- that you posted about. These guys seem like a hardworking bunch.
Honestly, I'd want them to make the next Baldur's Gate. I think maybe Bioware should start using these guys instead of Obsidian. They even have plenty of experience with D&D. They actually made official versions of BG and PS:T for Poland etc., and they obviously know how to work with Bioware engines.
NWN3 by CD Projekt? That would rock.
That is the most awesome fucking thing I've ever heard. Seriously, I'm so happy right now. It makes me feel less bad that I've waited to finish it and will be just the impetus I need to marathon through the second half (I loved the game, but I set it down in favor of some multiplayer stuff, other games that I'd looked forward to, then FFXII again which I started first and technically need to finish first, and then real life got in the way). That's just... amazing. I can't wait. I'll most likely wait and see just exactly how much better all the stuff is, and how cool the extra stuff in the box is, but I may well end up buying an extra copy.
I'll most likely wait and see just exactly how much better all the stuff is, and how cool the extra stuff in the box is, but I may well end up buying an extra copy.
...But, only thing, though -- I dunno, but Hasbro might have them aim for a T-rated game.
So with redone English, I'm guessing the patch for the first release is going to be massive.That's what I'm guessing -- fine by me!
Is it all text or is everything voiced?In what you've quoted, looks like the German version is being re-recorded completely. Wow. That's kinda' crazy...
Yea since my original one is unopened, I am thinking I know what my brother is going to receive for his birthday this year. heh.
This may also have something to do with their rumored goal to release this on the 360 as well.
Well you can tackle mature themes without teh boobies.
Yes -- but using some language that includes F-bombs and C-bombs like The Witcher does puts you in at least the M-rating range.
Your above double-post has been combined, D. Come on, man, use the edit button.
they're estimating 5 hours of new gameplay here!!!
Damn, can that really be true? 5k lines?It sounds crazy, but yeah -- that is what they listed in the PDF file.
But I guess that's doable if they're willing to spend the cash. I guess they're probably just getting people back in the studio to fix the stuff that needs to be overhauled.That's probably the best thing to do.
I mean, a lot of it is fine, and even with some of the sections that sucked, most likely if they just fix up and flesh out a few key spots within the conversation they'll achieve what they're looking for without actively rerecording every last line.So true.
Regardless, I think Witcher: Enhanced might very well be the best "Special Edition" ever released for a game ever. Just, the amount of stuff they're trying to do w/ the already great game to massively improve it and all of the extras to include in that retail box -- it just seems kind of crazy; and planning to sell it for normal price, too!
That's just... amazing. I can't wait. I'll most likely wait and see just exactly how much better all the stuff is, and how cool the extra stuff in the box is, but I may well end up buying an extra copyWe all knew the in-game content for Witcher Enhanced would be released via download.
Quote from: MysterDEriash...
Do you mean "everything" as in just the in-game extras ONLY?
Or do you mean "everything" as in-game extras and the Enhanced Edition BOXED non-game extras (such as the music, the map, etc)?
So, when you mean "everything," does that mean all current owners of The Witcher game will be able to download, at some date in time...
--ALL 29 OST Music Tracks in a downloadable format (such as in MP3, OGG)?
--ALL 15 Inspirated Tracks in a downloadable format (such in MP3, OGG)?
--The Andrzej Sapkowski short story in a downloadable format (such as DOC or PDF)?
--The Developer's Guide in a downloadable format (such as DOC or PDF)?
--The Enhanced Edition manual in a downloadable format (such as DOC or PDF)?
As for today there will be all content available for download. Everything that will be printed should be available in downloadable format.
For all those who already own The Witcher and are thinking of buying Enhanced Edition namely to just get all the extra stuff there; such as the soundtrack, the new game manual, the new short story, etc etc -- all of this non-game stuff ALSO will eventually be available in a format for us to download!
The days of good PC single-player RPGs certainly aren't numbered. Last year, we've witnessed The Witcher -- the first major release from Poland based computer game publisher/developer CD Projekt. We've rated the game 9.1/10.0 and found it to be one of the most enjoyable single-player RPGs in quite a while.Remove CP sounds great to me!!!
Recently, CD Projekt decided to return to the game and give it a proper polish. In addition to adding technical improvements, they also promised new content and other cool surprises.
We talk to Michal Madej, Chief Designer on The Witcher, who explains more about what CD Projekt is doing to improve the game.
ActionTrip: Generally speaking, how are things at CD Projekt right now, after the successful release of The Witcher?
Michał Madej: Generally speaking - very enthusiastic, but we're also a little puzzled. We always believed that The Witcher is an outstanding game, but still we are surprised how well it does all around the world. I am very glad that editors and gamers understand our vision of a modern role playing game. On the other hand, we feel a great responsibility, so now following titles will have much higher expectations and we can't disappoint you all. Hopefully, it will inspire us even more, but not paralyze our creativity.
AT: You guys obviously went to a lot of trouble polishing and addressing issues from the original. What key aspects of the game your team is looking to improve in The Witcher Enhanced Edition?
MM: There are three main qualities of The Witcher we want to polish in Enhanced Edition - customization, performance, immersion and the interface. First of all, we plan to cut down all loading times, improve GUI texture cashing, remove obsolete copy protection, as a result the game will offer more smooth, faster gameplay and without any delays.
Secondly, there's immersion - we plan to make the world of The Witcher even more realistic. We are adding over 50 new NPCs' models, another 100 emotions animations, eye tracking, improved facial expressions and foremost corrected dialogs, translations and even voice-overs (especially in German version). Last but not least, we will improve the general handling and the interface - in-fight response will be faster and we plan to redesign inventory and the weapon/style choice panel. Those are the most important changes, which I hope will meet gamers' expectations. Additionally, the Enhanced Version will be shipped together with our editing toolset Djinni, enabling players to create their own adventures.Cool.
AT: Does the new content feature any main story tie-ins? Also, will players be able to find out more about Geralt's backdrop?That's great that the two new mods will add 10 hours, or so -- great!
MM: We don't want to change the main story, but instead add some more background for Geralt's past. So, the Enhanced Version will include two completely new adventures, featuring over 10 hour of new gameplay. Those additional adventures will take part in Geralt's past and will be fully voice-overed in English, German, Russian and of course Polish.
AT: It's good to hear that current owners of The Witcher will be able to get all the extra content via a downloadable update. However, you mentioned that the update also contains patches released so far. Can you tell us roughly how large an update can we expect (500MB, 1GB...)?Few GB....no surprise.
MM: Yeah, all additional features and adventures will be available for free; for all registered users. I can't tell right now how big it will be, but considering such a huge amount of changers like new models, dialogs, voice-overs, etc. it will be probably compared to full The Witcher game (i.e. a few GB).
AT: The Witcher was well-received. Do you think this new, improved edition of the game will increase its replayability for gamers who've already experienced it?Cool.
MM: We are sure it definitely will. Playing the game once more, you always pay more attention to small details, notice background characters, discover side plots and explore locations more carefully. Moreover, playing once more, you don't have the same motivation to deal with certain bugs, performance issues and user non-friendliness. The Enhanced Version gives much more diversity, details and immersion, so I'm sure many gamers will return to slightly different world, with a lot of new small things to discover and enjoy. On the other hand, they won't have to struggle against some inconveniences and troubles, they had in the first edition of The Witcher.
AT: What are your further plans for the franchise? The Witcher already has a strong fan base, so I think it's safe to expect a sequel or add-on at some point in the future, right?If they bring it to the X360, it'll be a shame that probably the D'Jinni (Witcher SDK) won't be there.
MM: At this point we are completely focused on The Witcher Enhanced Edition and on supporting it, so future plans still remain the future. For sure, this is not our last tribute to the role-playing genre, and we still see huge potential of The Witcher world license.
AT: It's been reported that you are still considering a possible Xbox 360 version of the game. Have you made a decision about that yet?
MM: Of course, the X360 version is a very tempting idea, but still requires very thorough consideration, tests and prototypes. We are still evaluating different scenarios and haven't made a final decision.
AT: In your opinion, what are the greatest advantages of the recent acquisition of Metropolis Software (THEY)?Interesting. I really wonder what CDPR would do, if they don't do a RPG -- and what they'd do for a license. I'd like to see them do their IP eventually, myself.
MM: They are very experienced developer, with a huge portfolio of interesting and successful titles, additionally we see great potential in their new title (THEY). I think both sides will benefit - Metropolis can share their developer know-how, and we can help them with our publishing and marketing experiences. Together we are one of the biggest Central European game developers, with potential to run a few different projects at once.
AT: Do you consider tackling different game genres (other than single-play RPG, that is)?
MM: Not at this point, as we didn't decide what our next big title will be - as I said we still focus on The Witcher support and the Enhanced Edition. I think that some day in the not so far future we will have to start with a different project, genre and maybe a different license.
AT: When we spoke last year at the GC in Leipzig, you mentioned that CD Projekt's core team received a lot of pointers and creative suggestions from development studio BioWare. Do you plan to continue that cooperation on future projects?Okie dokie.
MM: Our relationship with BioWare is still very close. However, for a last few years we've become completely independent. They helped us a lot, gave us advices and reviewed our design documents, although the creativity was mostly on our side. So, I expect cooperation with BioWare in the future, but rather as a friendly exchange of ideas, rather than addressing them as our mentors and advisors.
AT: I thank you very much for your time. Feel free to add anything else you'd like our readers to know about The Witcher or anything related to CD Projekt's work.
MM: I know that fans all around the world are waiting for another The Witcher game announcement, but we are much more careful now and don't want to make wishful promises. We are still planning our next move and there is no rush, as we so we can concentrate more on the Enhanced Edition. We want to be sure our decision incorporates not only strategic plans of our studio, but primarily meet the expectations of fans and gamers. Let us rest a bit, gather our strength again - last year, we were working day and night to create The Wicher. We will need it to make another great game.
That's weird.
"The game we already released has been delayed. We have no date."
and
"I already own the game and I can't believe it just got pushed back!"
Friday, June 06, 2008
We do ads, too!
So it's been a long month and a half since my last update. I'm done making excuses... except for this one: I was on vacation for about half of that time, trying to find some decent waves in Southern California, with mixed results.
This update's going to be short and sweet, too. We're just putting the finishing touches on the packaging and ad materials for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. While we clear up the last few issues with the English version of the ad, I thought you might like to see the Polish one. Please note that this might still change before publication. The international ads should be essentially the same, though obviously we'll be using quotes from appropriate territories.
The box stuff on the first page is what it actually looks like. This should be essentially the same thing you'll get all around the world -- there may be slight variations in some territories, but for the most part, we're trying to jam as much value into this box as we can. Now we just have to pray that retailers will find room!
I'm on the fence about this. Actually, I'll most likely not get it since all the extra content is also available for previous owners. Awesome game.
The Witcher Enhanced Edition - CDPR asks community!
on July 25, 2008, 05:36:57 pm
The launch of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is coming in September, and part of that event is the release of the new retail version, with a ton of additional features and elements, that will take place of standard game version.
We remember the promise we made, so of course, anyone who has registered a copy of the game will be able to download a free update to turn the standard version of The Witcher into the Enhanced Edition.
Because of the many technical improvements and additional content (audio files of all language versions, new adventures, D’jinni editor, etc.), we realize that this will likely be a rather large file to download. That’s why we’ve come up with the idea to meet our players’ needs halfway and preparee something special for people who don’t want to download it from the internet.
The idea is a sort of “Upgrade Version” that would allow them to enjoy all the wonders of the Enhanced Edition without buying another copy of the game.
When we make decisions, we always take into consideration the opinions of our fans, and that’s why we would like to ask you about one thing. Would you be interested in buying this set, if it were available in shops?
Content of the set :
- New game box
- Patch that turns standard ‘The Witcher’ into the Enhanced Edition
- Bonus DVD with new adventures and D’jinni editor
- Game manual
- Game guide
- Remastered ‘Making of The Witcher’ DVD with additional content
- ‘Inspired by The Witcher’ Music CD- Soundtrack CD
- Map of the world
- Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story
PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ATTACHED TO THIS THREAD
IMPORTANT
* 14,99 euro is the suggested price for western markets.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2008, 05:51:39 pm by Eriash »
I kind of want to replay through The Witcher right now, but on the other hand, want to wait. What do we know about the new content - is it 'mixed in' throughout the game or can you access it separately like a mod or expansion pack?
I've been wanting to go through this again for ages, but I'm waiting. I want all the original dialogue, I want the improved subsystems, I want all the cumulative fixes. The game was great as it was, but there's no way I want to play it again knowing how much better it's going to be in a few months.Same here, Que.
I don't really even care about the extra episodes or whatever. I might play them at some point, sure, but that isn't what I'm looking forward to.Though, I am actually looking forward to Side Effects, as well.
* The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is the ultimate version of the ultimate role-playing game. The Witcher, which was released in October 2007, has won more than 90 awards and has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide, and The Witcher: Enhanced Edition brings the game even closer to perfection with a number of technical and visual improvements jammed into the value-packed retail box. The enhancements introduced in this version include more than 5000 lines of re-written and re-recorded dialogue, more than 200 new dialogue animations, a new character differentiation system for NPCs, an enhanced inventory with improved alchemy, reduced loading times, improved combat responsiveness and much more.
* In addition to the in-game updates, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will feature premium packaging loaded with value, including the multilingual game disc allowing you to play with any combination of voice-over and subtitles, two new adventures with full voice-over, the D’jinni Adventure Editor, the Official Soundtrack CD, a Music Inspired by The Witcher CD, an official game guide, The Witcher short story by Andrzej Sapkowski, a Making-of DVD with behind-the-scenes video footage, and a map of The Witcher’s world.
* The Witcher represents the pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games, shattering the line between good and evil with a world where moral ambiguity reigns. In a beautiful, rich game universe, the player takes on the role of renowned monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia, in an epic, action-packed narrative in which his decisions have a major impact on how the story plays out. The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it.
Box Contents
Game Box
New box
Brand new box designed and prepared especially for the Enhanced Edition. Trust me, it will look great on a shelf of every game collector.
Game DVD
Game DVD
‘The Witcher’ game is better than ever before. No more bugs, no more problems, all the previous issues have been fixed, so that now you can play without the will to blow your head off. What’s more, it’s a multilingual version, so you can play in one of ten language version, according to your will.
Bonus DVD
Bonus DVD
1) D’jinii Adventure Editor included – Now players are able to create their own, epic adventures in the Witcher’s world, using the powerful game editor created by our team. Make your mods, take part in our contests and show your ideas to the world.
2) Two new adventures in the world of The Witcher that will give you more than 5 hours of additional gameplay. Fully voiceover`ed by the same actors acted in ‘The Witcher’.
* „The price of neutrality” – Geralt comes back to Kaer Morhen for winter. He finds a small camp near the stronghold where he meets a nobleman and a sorceress Sabrina Glevissig. They came here to find Deidre, a young woman, who is staying in the witchers’ stronghold. She is Eskel’s surprise child, born under the Black Sun (ancient prophecy says that such children would ruin the World). It turns out that the nobleman is her brother, who wants to make sure she will not have the crown. Sorceress Sabrina wants to kill Deidre and examine her body to find out the truth about Black Sun curse. Geralt has to decide to whether defend the girl or stay neutral.
* "Side effects" – Dandelion gets into trouble in Vyzim. Geralt has to collect a certain amount of money to buy him out and pay for his excesses. He collects the money by completing various tasks. Player can join effects of one task with another. For example: in a fistfight competition he can win cash or a bottle of alcohol. If he chooses to take the booze, he can use it to get one bandit drunk. Then he will give Geralt a key to a chest with loot. The mood of the story is similar to Dandelion’s incidents with Vespula and Bibervelt’s economics.
‘Making Of’ DVD
New, totally remastered ‘Making of’ The Witcher DVD, with fresh content, videos and interviews. More than 180 minutes of movies with multilingual subtitles and redesigned menu. Now you can learn everything about how our game was produced.
Audio CD
‘Inspired By’ Music CD
'The Witcher: Music inspired by the game' is a set of 15 tracks that use a main music motive from The Witcher. It’s a long journey beginning with movie orchestrations, through Celtic music, hard rock and metal, vocal experiments, to reggae/dub and electronic music. Listen to it and find out, how powerful human imagination is.
‘The Witcher OST’ Music CD
Audio CD with the music from the game (by Adam Skorupa), contains 29 tracks that have been used in The Witcher.
Books
Game manual
Brand new extended manual that refers to all technical & gameplay features. Now without any mistakes (We hope :) ).
Official Game Guide
More than 112 pages of descriptions, walkthroughs and hints that will help you with the game. Rearranged, free of bugs, and better than ever before.
Short story by Andrzej Sapkowski
The ‘Witcher’ short story by Andrzej Sapkowski, is the first novel that started all the ‘mess’. It’s a great opportunity to get to know Witcher’s books and to understand the world.
Map
Map of The Witcher's World
Especially for fans, we’ve prepared a unique map of the Witcher’s World, so that now you can track Geralt’s journeys, either from the books or the game. Great design, high-quality paper and printing – those things guarantee that it will look great in anyplace you hang it.
GameCyte: What was the primary motivation to optimize The Witcher, and fully relocalize it for English-speaking countries?I wish more companies would think like this.
Maciej Szczesnik: We wanted to make this game even better. We had some suggestions from fans and press and also lots of our own ideas about how to improve The Witcher. This sort of thing often happens after the battle to hit deadlines… You work very hard for a few months in the studio, then you finally go to your home for well deserved rest, confident that you’ve done a great job. A normal person would go for a long, long vacation in the Bahamas, but what does a game developer do?
He sits in front of his PC, turns it on, runs the game he just made, plays a while, and thinks, “Oh my God! We should make this and that different, better, faster.” That was our situation. At first we made some patches, but we wanted to give more to those who trusted us and bought our debut game. This was the primary motivation to improve The Witcher. The goal of our studio is to make only triple-A games.
GameCyte: How did the decision first come about? Whose decision was it? Was there any particular resistance to/enthusiasm for the idea on the part of either CD Projekt or its Western publishers?
Tom Ohle: Don’t get us wrong; we were very happy with The Witcher and were confident in the game we released. However, as Maciej said, we wanted to deliver the game that fans deserved. We were grateful for all of the feedback we got from fans and media (and horribly angry at the reduction in review scores brought about by the issues raised… the anger still builds up inside me sometimes, so bad I can hardly stand it!!!) …breathe, Tom, breathe.
Okay, so we had two options: just release a typical patch that would let us fix only a few of the issues, or whip a larger team together, spend some more money and make a lot of changes that would ultimately give us the best game possible. Our publishing partners have been very enthusiastic about the idea; rather than just churning out some “Game of the Year” edition, we’re giving them a much more polished product that will help us reach a lot of people who never played the original.
GameCyte: How is the Enhanced Edition being funded?
MS: We sold our cars, and houses, and had a little whip-round. Unfortunately I also had to sell one of my kidneys. What can I say… life is hard. Of course the truth is different. Together with our very supportive publishing partners, we have been able to fund the title rather easily. Our fans’ opinions are most important for us. I know it’s not popular business thinking, but this is what we think is really important.
GameCyte: Why spend more money to improve a title that is ostensibly already complete?Got my vote.
TO: As gamers, we thought about the situation and the response was obvious. The team has always stated that The Witcher was to be used as a way to introduce the brand to a global audience; this wasn’t some one-off game that we’d use to make some quick cash to fund our real passion for Barbie-doll dress-em-ups. We want people to remember The Witcher, and we want them to like us as a company.
GameCyte: What kind of return does the team and company expect for their additional hard work, whether financially or otherwise?I hope you guys do sell a lot more copies of Witcher b/c of EE.
MS: As a team we expect better opinions from fans and press. That’s all, and that would be the best reward for us. Sure, we would love to sell a lot of copies…
GameCyte: What challenges or obstacles were involved in reworking the game?Cool.
MS: The most challenging thing during the process was the re-recording of all German voice-work and lots of English voices. It was hard because of tight deadlines. But Arek Trojanowski, our producer, managed to find a new, very good studio, and we did everything on time. The new voice-overs really fit well.
GameCyte: What is the team currently working on?
MS: The game is basically done; we’re just polishing at this point. At the studio in general, we’re working on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition… and some other very top-secret projects. I hope Tom will censor what I wrote. If not, I will probably die in a car accident or my house will blow up. Tom, I was kidding; they won’t believe that we are working on something other than TWEE, right? Please don’t call Mr. Ivan, ok?
GameCyte: When can we expect the Enhanced Edition to arrive in North America?
TO: If Maciek is still alive, we should be on schedule for September… and well… if not, it’s a big industry and Warsaw’s a nice city. I’m sure we can find someone else. We’re not quite ready to get more specific than September, because again, we want to deliver the best game possible. If that takes a bit of extra time, we’ll take it.
Got my vote.
Shit, mine too. If their plan was to get PC gamers to like them, they're going about it exactly the right way.I know how you feel man! After seeing how much they've added and enhanced I'm even more anxious about it!
Nice comparison shot. Improved textures are a nice touch even above and beyond making the model look more attractive. I remember hearing the animations on some of the main chicks would be improved too... I sincerely hope it is so.
Damn it. Waiting for this is excruciating. I've been getting a craving to go play it again lately, and it's really difficult to wait now.
CD Projekt: The Witcher: Enhanced 'All Based On Feedback of Fans'
CD Projekt: The Witcher: Enhanced 'All Based On Feedback of Fans' Polish studio CD Projekt gained international notice with the release of last year's The Witcher, and senior producer Tomasz Gop tells Gamasutra the decision to release an upcoming major enhancement for the game is largely a response to the company's new, substantial fanbase.
Produced by development arm CD Projekt RED, the PC RPG was based on a series of literary works by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and was noted for its gameplay repercussions based on players' moral choices -- and its unapologetically unvarnished language. Next week, CD Projekt and publisher Atari will release The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, a Criterion Collection-like package that will include a soundtrack CD, a printed map, a short story, and other items.
More significantly, it will include a number of improvements to the game itself, including new adventures, increased variety in NPC and enemy graphics and animations, better loading and stability, and the ability to use any combination of localized voice recordings and translated subtitles. All of the changes and additions to the game itself will also be offered as a free 2GB update to owners of the original release.
Fan Demand
"It's all based on the feedback of fans," says Gop. "Close to 300,000 people registered on our forums and community and are still active, and they're requesting new features and changes and whatever. We took the most-demanded stuff."
Some of that "most-demanded stuff" included undertakings that likely required considerable expenses, such as re-recording the entirety of voiceover work for the German version of the game ("because they wanted us to," the producer says). The team has been working on improving the game since it shipped last October. How could the studio justify that investment when the very gamers who demanded it would not be required to expend any more money?
"We sold over 600,000 copies," Gop responds. "We wanted to do it. We're all hardcore players, and we want to be as close to a perfect game as possible. If you haven't bought the game, then it's definitely going to be a good time, and it's going to be [worth] the price of the game, but if you have it, you can have it all for free. I mean, you paid for the game, right? We appreciate that."
The Future
The CD Projekt RED studio plans to grow its 80-person team to 100 or more in the next several months, including developers from outside Poland, a task that has been made easier by The Witcher's reception.
In the nearer term, CD Projekt is preparing the full kickoff of its classic PC game download service GOG.com, but the success of its first major international game release means it probably has more of The Witcher in its future.
"What I can tell you right now, not breaching the NDA I've signed, is that we're focusing on The Witcher," says Gop. The studio is likely to stay focused on development for PC, which Gop calls "definitely the main platform in Poland," but he adds, "We're definitely not forgetting there are other platforms in the world."
POSTED: 11.52AM PST, 09/10/08 - Brandon Sheffield, Christian Nutt, Chris Remo - LINK
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Just a heads up, You can preorder the downloadable version of The Witcher: EE from both Steam and Stardock (https://store.stardock.com/application/twee) (Impulse). 10% off for a preorder making them $35, however if you use the coupon code SURVEY-2008 you get an extra 20% off from Stardock, making the game only $27! So if you don't have it, thats probably the cheapest you're going to get for a while.
It would be worth it to have kids just so I could see the looks on their faces when they find out how much worthless crap they're inheriting when I die.Hahaha I just imagined the happiest dying face ever! Despite death your grin expresses the greatest satisfaction out of that one moment of seeing the looks on their faces ;D It was like a movie moment :P
...and specific details on the download edition:
Wipe away your tears, little one, because we’ve got a nice treat for you. If you bought the original version of The Witcher and registered it at thewitcher.com, you’ll be able to download all of the great content from the Enhanced Edition for free starting September 19!
That’s right – FREE! No strings attached, just good old-fashioned FREE. Log in and download.
You may be wondering – “What do they mean by ‘all’ of the content”? This is what we mean:
- Patch 1.4 (which turns the standard edition into The Witcher: Enhanced Edition)
- D’jinni Adventure Editor v1.4
- Two new adventures (“The Price of Neutrality” and “Side Effects”)
- Making-of videos
- ‘Inspired by The Witcher’ music CD
- Official soundtrack of the game
- Game manual
- Official game guide
- Map of The Witcher’s World
You may notice that “all” in this case doesn’t include the short story that is found in the retail version… unfortunately getting that released online would be some sort of massive undertaking involving numerous book publishers around the world. So it’s almost everything.
Pretty impressive, isn’t it?
So, let me suggest you that visiting www.thewitcher.com should be – no, more than that - it must be the very first thing you do on the 19th of September!
Know-how to installation of Enhanced Edition
1. Download the Patch file (it’s something about 1GB)
2. Download the language file/files (more or less 500 MB)
3. Gather them In one folder
4. Start the installation of the Patch.
5. Enjoy The Enhanced Edition :)
6. (Optional) Download bonus content & soundtrack
Finally, if you haven't yet bought The Witcher, the EE version has been added to Stardock's Impulse digital service.
<@Quemaqua> So I think I'll have more wine for dinner.
<@Quemaqua> Wine is a fruit, right? It's being healthy!
<@Cobra951> Yay for wine
<@idolminds> haha
<@Quemaqua> Fuck, that new Witcher video showing the new dialogue and animations completely and utterly sold me.
<@idolminds> arg, me want to see
<@Quemaqua> 3 minutes and it seriously just made me want to cry. I wish people loved their games as much as those people do.
<@Quemaqua> Such a small thing to add little gestures into conversations, but it makes a world of difference, and the examples of the new dialogue demonstrate exactly what was wrong with the old script and what they've done to correct it.
<@Quemaqua> Someone needs to give these people an effing medal of honor. And learn that THIS IS AN ART FORM and these people are ARTISTS. And it's okay to love what you do as an art form and be passionate about it beyond just the bottom line... people will notice! People will care!
<@idolminds> There was an interesting thread on shacknews where someone wanted to start up a "Game Developer Appreciation Day"
<@Quemaqua> An interesting idea
<@Cobra951> Usually personal-touch games from independents look more like Castle Crashers or Aquaria
<@idolminds> how to celebrate such a day is the question
<@Cobra951> It's unusual to see a big 3D effort that qualifies
I just noticed something. Of the two extra adventures, The Price of Neutrality is also available as a separate download. I'm pretty sure it was included in Patch v1.3. Is the a redone version with full voice-overs?
Q: Do I need to be on-line during patch installation?
A: Yes, you must be on-line throughout the installation process so that your registration data can be verified. No private data is taken from your computer during this process.
Q: Do I have to install the patch on the same computer I used to activate the game?
A: Yes, you must install the patch on the same computer you used to activate the game because the verification process must be able to reference the necessary registry entries.
CONSTERNATION. Fortunately for me, this is one circumstance where I'm just too fucking excited to care, and that happens almost never.Congrats man! Let us know how it is! I'm still trying to obtain a copy through friends from the UK or back-alley banned software importers here.
So that sucks, but I'm downloading the patch and language stuff now, and I am just happy as can be. I'll pick up the boxed copy of the game (UK import) from GoGamer probably tomorrow.
I wouldn't say that's what all hardcore fans feared. Plenty of fans have actually been fairly excited about that, including a few on podcasts I listen to. Not that I'm really trying to stick up for it or anything... I think it actually just surprised me because I expected more resistance to the idea, but it seems a lot of folks have embraced it.
Q: The game exits to Windows after I choose Polish dialogues.Hell, what's another 500 MB after I got this far?
A: After you download a few language packs (including Polish) and select all except the Polish language during patch installation, the main menu will show Polish dialogues as a selectable option (even though they are not present). Choosing Polish dialogues and running the game will generate an error and cause the game to exit to Windows. You can correct this situation by installing the Polish dialogues (to do so, run TWEE_Polish_language_pack.exe).
It makes me happy that there's nothing I really care about as a prize for that competition, so I've no need to participate and wish I could draw better, heh.Hehe.
I do believe that these guys and not Obsidian, should have been kept under Bioware's wing.Seriously. Obsidian are alright at concept design and character development. CDProjekt are great with that too but they're incredible with the tech!
Also, some of the game's jumpy nature is still there. As I mentioned earlier, the transition from the prologue to chapter 1 is a bit weird, and you're introduced to Shani in a kind of stilted conversation.Que, was Shani in The Witcher books?
I'm sure she was in the books, yes. Most of the characters seem to have been. I don't know this for a fact since I haven't read them, but I'm quite sure that the other witchers (Eskel, Lambert, Vesemir), Triss Merrigold, Shani, Zoltan Chivay, Munro Buys, and Dandelion are all from the books. They all indicate a past relationship with Geralt. I'm sure there are others as well, but I really only got a little over halfway through the game the first time, so I can't speak to much beyond that.I wasn't sure about Shani.
I just got through a bit of the swamp tonight. Chapter 2 is so awesome. I love the swamp. I like to try and take the nosy dog with me on the Gramps escort quest and see if I can save him on the trip there, and then the trip back. It's a fun little challenge. The game continues to be super awesome.I think Witcher is one of those games that just gets better, better, and better as it goes along -- kind of like what Deus Ex did.
Haha... amazing how often that happens. Glad to hear it, though. Hope you enjoy it!Thanks man, I'm sure I will :)
Good news:I checked the Tech Thread.
My cousin got me a copy of The Witcher Enhanced Edition from Germany!
I checked the Tech Thread.
There's a thread about this.
Atari is replacing these defective copies for German version, if you are interested. (http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=16798.0)
EE doesn't do disc checks anymore; it only cares about your CD Key.
I'm greatful for Atari's effort to replace broken discs (as well they should) and for the fact that I don't need a disc in the drive :)I wonder what made Atari cave into CDPR wanting the NO DRM change for this game.
D, I don't think anyone cares what sites are rating the game anymore.haha D's auto-report switch is still on :P
Man, I think i really need to reinstall/update this. But Fallout 3 is so close...When FO3 comes out these are the only games I'll probably be playing.
The Witcher Sells a Million
Scientists Uncover Irrefutable Evidence that Single-Player PC Gaming is not Dead as CD Projekt RED’s RPG of the Year Breaks Sales Milestone
Warsaw, Poland – October 30 – All the ghouls, vampires and wenches in the world couldn’t stop the white-haired Geralt from conquering the world! CD Projekt RED is proud to announce that The Witcher, the epic RPG that puts players in the morally lenient boots of the aforementioned anti-hero, has sold more than a million copies to real, live people since its release twelve months ago. Scientific research has proven that those sales numbers are quite good for a debut game based on a relatively unfamiliar IP from an unknown studio on a “dead” platform.
The news comes just weeks after the release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, which was developed based on fan feedback to further improve the game that was named PC RPG of the Year by IGN, GameSpy, PC Gamer, Play and many more. The studio spent close to a year improving various facets of the game to deliver the ultimate role-playing game, then released the update for free to existing fans and loaded the retail package with extra value to encourage retail sales. As always, it seems that the customer is always right, as the Enhanced Edition is getting higher review scores than the original across the globe.
“We created The Witcher with the intent of becoming an acclaimed and successful development studio that always made games for its fans; we spent more than $11 million developing The Witcher and the Enhanced Edition, and it sure is nice to make some of that money back!” said Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED. “The success of The Witcher has ensured that we’ll be able to make the games we want – and the games that fans want – for the foreseeable future, and the amazing response we had from the gaming community to the Enhanced Edition really reinforced that we’re on the right track with our development philosophy. We really couldn’t have achieved this sort of success without the support of our amazing fans.”
“This is really just the beginning for us,” said Michal Kicinski, co-founder of CD Projekt. “There are a lot more places to explore in the world of The Witcher and there’s obviously a huge audience out there that would still love to see the game on consoles… we’re PC developers first and foremost, but you never know! We’ve already unveiled our DRM-free classic-games distribution site at GOG.com, and we intend to build that site aggressively in the coming months. We’re also rather close to breaking our silence about the multi-platform project underway at Metropolis Software, in which we recently acquired a majority stake. Needless to say, we’re very excited about the future and we think gamers will be, too!”
A video celebrating The Witcher’s anniversary, featuring footage of unannounced upcoming titles was released today at GameTrailers.com (HD version at http://www.gametrailers.com/player/42116.html). For more information about The Witcher visit http://www.thewitcher.com.
The Witcher was a staff favorite when it was released last year and we were intrigued to see what CD Projekt had up their sleeves for the updated version of the game that was released a year later:
Gaming Nexus: Can you introduce yourself and describe your role on the project? How long have you been in the gaming industry and what drew you to your current position?
Maciej Szcześnik: My name is Maciej Szcześnik and I was the Project Lead during the development of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. I’ve been working in the industry since April 2004. I worked as Lead Gameplay Designer on The Witcher, and as far as I can remember, since I finished primary school I’ve known that I would one day make games for a living.
GN: The Witcher Enhanced is quite a tune up of an already award winning game. What made CD Projekt RED decide to release the new version of the game?
MS: Our main reason was to give our players something more. They showed their trust in us by buying our debut game, and we wanted to reward them for that trust. We want to make games for players, not for publishers.
GN: CD Projekt RED has put a lot of time and devotion into The Witcher and The Witcher Enhanced. Is this the kind of dedication gamers can expect from future projects or was The Witcher Enhanced a special case?
MS: As I said before, we make games for players. We all play games, and we all want to play good games. The best ones. I am sure that every game we develop will be made with the same amount of dedication. We don’t really see the point of creating a game that isn’t up to gamers’ high standards; we wouldn’t play it, so why should you?
GN: Many players enjoy games specifically because they can be modded. Are there any new features or updates for D'jinni in the works?
MS: [n]We are not working on D’jinni right now. We may work to modify/improve it in the future, but we’re happy with the Editor as it is. If we will plan anything new, we will let you know for sure.[/b]
GN: Is CD Projekt planning on specializing in RPGs or are cross-genre games or even titles from a completely different genre possibilities?
MS: At the moment we plan to stay with RPGs, but we aren’t shutting out different genres. As designers, programmers and artists, we play all kinds of games. Most probably we will try different genres, as well, but first we want to establish ourselves as a top RPG developer.
GN: The Witcher is closely tied in with the music industry and has inspired and encouraged some excellent work. Will CD Projekt continue to work with musicians on future games?
MS: We would like to do it, for sure. It really just has to make sense for the product, but we were quite happy with the Music Inspired by The Witcher CD.
GN: Do you have any kind of statistics on how many owners of The Witcher have upgraded to the enhanced patch? How are you getting the word out to existing owners?
MS: We don’t have any official stats yet, but there were about 30,000 downloads during the first weekend. We get the word out to our existing users via newsletters and different game oriented websites; hopefully that will reach most of the players who purchased the original.
GN: Even if a player purchased the original game in 2007, there's a lot of incentive to purchase a copy of The Witcher Enhanced for all the extras included in the bundle. How many others like myself do you estimate have gone for that option?
MS: We don’t know that yet. We are still waiting for initial sales. All we know now is that lots of people – whether first-time players or existing customers – have purchased The Witcher: Enhanced Edition at retail and online. In Poland it is on the top of the bestsellers’ lists in malls.
GN: What of all the changes made to The Witcher Enhanced is the most important or satisfying to you personally?
MS: I have three :). Loading times, new inventory screen and multilingual edition. I can finally play with English voices and Polish subtitles. Then I will play with Russian voices and Polish subtitles :).
GN: Official modules and the first community mod from Red Flame have already been made available for download. Are there any plans for an official expansion pack or is the next step a full blown sequel?
MS: Our plans are top secret. I would most probably die in a mysterious accident if I told you anything. So I will not :).
GN: We'd like to thanks Maciej for taking the time to answer our questions and to Tom for helping to setup the interview.
Well, this is certainly good news for this great game, but I personally was hoping for something completely new.
Yeah. And while I want the game to succeed because it absolutely deserves to, it also makes me nervous because I don't want it to sell super hot on the console and make yet another developer turn their attention away from the PC.Agreed.
Hi everyone! We have not made any official announcements yet... what I can say is that RED is working on three unannounced games.
The project known as They is in development at Metropolis Software, while RED has its own three titles in the works.
I don’t want to interrupt your discussion and whole thread.
I just would like to inform (if you haven’t heard that before) that very soon we’ll launch two patches for The Witcher Enhanced Edition.
Cheers
According to that thread, some gamers have experienced sound bugs and dialogue being blurred out a little bit...
I installed the hotfix but now the game requires the DVD in the drive to run! WTF?!
Patrycja Stańczyk - Junior Image Artist
Patrycja’s story, or from community directly to RED :)
That’s right :) I was working on the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” adventure, I was active in the community, and then one day RED asked me If I wanted to work for them and I didn’t say no ;) How am I dealing with it? As an IT school graduate (finished rather an unorthodox major of multimedia) “mainly male” surrounding is the one where every day I saw no more than 2-3 women, 50% of which were sanitary staff. At RED every day I see 4-5, excluding ladies who prevent us from disappearing under empty Cola bottles, so the surrounding seems rather balanced :)
What can you tell us about working on The Witcher from the perspective of a modder and now?
Comparing work in a team of two people and of 50 is practically impossible. As a modder I fulfilled myself by creating things from scratch, limited by my own whims on one hand, and by lack of labour which could realise those whims on the other. In a big team (such as RED) you co-create a specific vision, which is set with others, so you are limited in your whims.
At the same time, things you do, you do longer and more carefully, you can focus on them without thinking whether you don’t bungle some other part because you spent 3 hours more on a given thing. Generally, transferring The Witcher from hobby to professional work allowed me to develop professionally in, broadly speaking, graphic design and to stay in touch with the witcher community and at the same time to take care of my other plans. Which doesn’t mean that “Midsummer Night’s Dream” won’t see the daylight and EE ;)
She kinda looks like she could be a character in The Witcher!Good point.
She looks like she is going to cut herself.
It also looks a little like she might cut someone else if given enough provocation.Hey now -- this isn't the "Make fun of MysterD" Board! :P
This thread just got turned into another one of Ds dirty fantasies.Another? Where's the first one or previous one? :o
I thought all the posts on the game board were D's dirty fantasies?
Hey now -- this isn't the "Make fun of MysterD" Board! :POh c'mon D, even your avatar is like a dirtier version of The Shocker!
Another? Where's the first one or previous one? :o
Not ALL. :P
My avatar is my imitation of the L4D cover.Zombie shocker? Ew.
Veni, vidi … vendidi
06.03.2009 15:56
First of all, I would like to apologize to all of you, as we’re going to brag once again. Yes, yes – I know we promised not to do that again, but on the other hand the occasion is so important for us that we couldn’t avoid mentioning it. So what’s all the buzz about? Well, according to our latest sales data, The Witcher has sold more than 1,2 million copies around the world! “More numbers,” you might say, but let me finish before J Because of those numbers, The Witcher has jumped onto the list of the 100 bestselling PC games in history! Not bad, huh?
Nevertheless, bragging is not the most important thing here. What’s important is the fact that we would like to thanks all of you - our fans. We did it once before with the anniversary movie, and we just can’t stop thanking you for making The Witcher a popular choice among PC games. You are the real proof that sometimes going upstream, no matter what people say, is worth taking a risk. Without you, none of this would be possible and none of our dreams would ever come true.
Good!
The Witcher Version 1.5 Coming Soon!
on Today at 11:29:07 am
CD Projekt RED is pleased to announce the upcoming release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition 1.5!
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition 1.5 is the newest version of the game, including all bonus content from The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and five additional fan-made adventures. Most importantly, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition 1.5 is completely DRM-free! Playing The Witcher will be even more fun without any form of annoying copy protection. Moreover, the 1.5 version of The Witcher will remove the disc check, allowing you to play the game without the DVD in the drive.
All available versions of the game will be upgraded to 1.5, including the forthcoming The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut for North American gamers.
As usual the patch containing the additional content will be available to download for free from our website for all registered The Witcher and The Witcher: Enhanced Edition owners!
More detailed information will be released on our website (http://www.thewitcher.com) as well as on our Press Centre (http://press.cdprojektred.com) in the coming weeks.
Nice. I wonder what we get in the Director's Cut? Finally some good news from a company I don't have to hate.
I hope it isn't just uncensoring it. I bought the UK edition so my copy was never censored anyway.Yeah, I also have the UK Edition.
For all those asking about Director's Cut version. Good news, guys
It'll be distributed only digitally and it's gonna be a game without any censorship etc.
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Patch Coming July 8th
Jun 22, 2009 at 8:11 AM - Andrew Burnes - 7 Comments
New patch from CD Projekt removes Digital Rights Management software, and installs five new quests:
The patch focuses mainly on removing troublesome DRM, allowing you to play the game without the disc, while providing additional hours of fun thanks to new adventures created by the fan community. Patch 1.5 is the next stage of The Witcher’s life, and is also a means of expressing our thanks to the modding community for their hard work on creating the adventures. The update will also be included in forthcoming The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut; more info on that product will be released shortly.
Patch 1.5 features:
Modifications:
# copy securities (DRM) are removed
# playing the game no longer requires the game disc in the drive
# patch solves problems with EAX and blurred graphics
Additionally:
# 5 bonus adventures made by the Witcher community: ‘Deceits’, ‘Blight of the Bogs’, ‘Wraiths of the Quiet Hamlet’, ‘Wedding’, ‘Merry Witchmas’.
In order to install patch 1.5 correctly, original Witcher game upgraded to 1.4 (enhanced edition) will be required.
Man, I love these guys! Not only have they maintained the game, they've consistently added new content!
Quick Intro For The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - Director's Cut
14.07.2009 15:55
CD Projekt RED is excited to announce the upcoming release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut, allowing gamers in North America to experience the award-winning RPG as the developers originally envisioned. The Director’s Cut is set for release as both a free update for existing owners of the North American version of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and as a stand-alone product at various digital distributors.
* What is The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut?
The Director’s Cut is the version of the game our developers originally intended for you to play. It is essentially the same game that gamers around the world have experienced – now available legitimately for the first time in North America.
* Where will The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut be available?
The Director’s Cut update will be available from TheWitcher.com and all applicable digital distributors in North America, including Steam, Impulse and Direct2Drive. We will announce the release date in the coming days, but as of that date, people who buy The Witcher: Enhanced Edition from digital distributors will be purchasing the Director’s Cut, as it will replace the existing Enhanced Edition on those sites.
* Will The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut obtained from digital distribution contain 1.5 patch features (i.e. additional adventures):
Yes, Director’s Cut version of the game will have all features of patch 1.5.
* Do I need The Witcher: Enhanced Edition to get the Director’s Cut?
If you want to just install the patch to get the Director’s Cut content, then you do need The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. If you’re just buying The Witcher for the first time (or feel like buying it again!) then you can just purchase the product via Steam, Impulse, Direct2Drive, etc. as they will offer the Director’s Cut as a full product already patched to the latest version.
* I don’t live in North America or I imported a copy of the game from outside of North America. Should I get the Director’s Cut?
You really already have the Director’s Cut if you have the international edition of the game and have installed the 1.5 patch!
* What is the age rating of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut?
The Director’s Cut has received an M rating from the ESRB, with Blood and Gore, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Violence.
Holy crap. 10 bucks? That's amazing and a half.
I went and grabbed Oblivion GOTY edition for PC today and I almost grabbed The Witcher: Enhanced Edition instead. I bought Oblivion mainly to tool around with the mods (finishing the main quest finally on 360 last night piqued my interested), but I may grab this down the road as well. Nice to see the package came with a soundtrack and making of DVD
Yeah I mean I saw a copy at wal mart for 20 bucks today. I'd say the extras make it more than worth the extra cost of admission
Well I downloaded the demo of The Witcher. I enjoyed what I played, but the cut scenes were like watching still frames on my system. I've heard the Enhanced Edition really improves performance, but I'm still on the fence about whether I should even bother buying it.
I really need to grab a new video card. It's definitely the bottleneck in my system.
That did the trick. I also turned off anti-aliasing and turned down the filtering. Runs a ton better now.
I'll probably be grabbing this today. Demo got my interest piqued.
New copy did it. I had to grab a new copy in the sleeve though. It doesn't come with the short story or map in printed form, and instead of two audio CD's the soundtrack is just one disc of MP3 files.At least the MP3's are on a disc - can always cut those to audio CD's (CDA format), if necessary. Though, you were smart - and kept the CD's from first batch. :)
Thankfully I kept the stuff from the first one I bought and just returned the game.Cool.
Enjoying the game so-far.
To be fair you played Dragon Age on the PS3, and not for very long it seems... but The Witcher is a pretty good game.
All my life I've been looking for a game that rewards you for having copious amounts of sex with random women (with no strings attached, apparently).
All my life I've been looking for a game that rewards you for having copious amounts of sex with random women (with no strings attached, apparently).
That void has been filled.