The Witcher 2

[Tepid]

If you liked The Witcher 1 ,, if you have not played Witcher, you can get it cheap at GOG.com, drm free.
Then You should get Witcher 2 ,,, yes it is worth it.

While I do have some minor gripes about the game, over all, really good game, good story, played about 18 hours I guess and just got to Act 2. Take your time and you can enjoy the game. One Tip, and won't be a spoiler,,, when you go for a ride, hit the space bar, you will know when that time comes, it is quite a ways into the game. There is a bug that doesn't show the space bar when needed. Just start hitting it at the appropriate time and it will work.

I advise getting it straight from GOG.com as it is DRM Free.

 

[Wishmaster]

I just now purchased it, but I got it through STEAM.

Still waiting for the download. Over 16GB ....


Since you've been playing it, I have 1 question please.

I really liked the Witcher.
But 1 little gripe I always had with it. While it wasn't a game breaker, as the game itself was good, it was a bit annoying to me.

Aside from the "Main" characters, everyone else in the game was all the same.
It felt like there were only 5 models that just kept getting recycled over and over. Just a different name, & color scheme.

Is it still the same in Witcher 2, or are all the characters a bit more unique?

 

[Tepid]

Yes it is, maybe a bit worse? as this is (unfortunately) a console port.
However, i do over look it, but every so often I say, "WTF, geez, really, come on man, again?"
However, that was through ACT1. It's about the same in Act2.

Yes, they do, and in those areas, they say the same things over and over again, but it does change from one area to the next.
Fortunately, Dialog changes from area to the next, and the areas are small that I speak of.
So, you don't really hear the same dialog from one area to the next.

Not as dynamic as they said i don't think.

However, no, not a game breaker at all.

One big annoyance (but livable) though is your Items cache, it's not very well organized, it should have, could have been done better, it is not apparent till you have reached your weight limit.

Yes, the game is slightly buggy, you may have crash to desktop, you may need to close out and open again from time to time, but that is hours between.

Still love it, can't wait to get home and play more. Over all they did a decent enough job on game play, story is good (for me). There can, (hopefully will) be improvements through patches, but we will see I guess.

If you have problems and need answers, a good place to go is gog.com community.

The other reason I bought it on GOG is that I believe they get 100% of the profits. They don't really share as much. GOG is their site.


Tip #2: save your money for Act 2. Upgrade and buy only what you need to, there are better things in Act2 that you will need money for. However, money and items don't really seem to be a big issue.

I do think it has been dumbed down for console. Oh yes, I am saying dumbed down for console.
That is unfortunately the epic flaw in this game.

 

[vierasniper]

Did you just call The Witcher 2 a port? Please Elaborate.

 

[Tepid]

First off,, let me say that the game does look great. Even at low settings.

Maybe I am a bit wrong on that, But the game looks very much like a Console Port,
and is rumored that it will be released on PS3 and Xbox360, that is the desire.
It uses what are called QTE's for some things. WASD in a timed sequence, very consolesque.
You can see the system loading like it will have load screens, that are only slightly apparent from time to time on PC.
They (CD Projekt Red) have also expressed the desire to put it on Console, so, the only way to do that is by coding to prepare for a console release that does not need much tweaking between the PC and console. They spent a lot of time on the controls to be compatible for PC (as I understood it from a couple videos I watched).
And rumor has it that all the DLC for PC will be free, hinting at the notion that it will be on Console also.

There are many indicators that point to this game going to Console.
Not strictly coded for PC, but optimized to run on all platforms, hence it is a console port.

 

[vierasniper]

They are considering console ports, but its a PC exclusive. its has been since Witcher 1, the fact that it has loading screen's, "QTE's", and has a "consolesque" feeling doesn't make it a port.

 

[Tepid]

They are considering console ports, but its a PC exclusive.

You can not have a PC Exclusive that is expected/desired to be ported elsewhere on the intent of exporting it elsewhere.

Then it is no longer Exclusive.

It may be that it was exclusively released to PC First, but that is as far as Exclusive goes.

That in no way means they did not code it for multiple platforms, making it feel and look like it is for multiple platforms. The Exclusiveness is then moot.

 

[vierasniper]

Ok, your right the exclusiveness is moot. Not like the ports are confirmed or anything.

 

[sygnus21]

The Witcher 2 is currently a PC exclusive game. There's a possibility that it might be released on consoles at a later date.

The game was released on May 17, 2011, PC exclusive. The developers have hinted that there could be some possibility of a console release after the game is released first for the PC, but for now the game is a PC title.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sort of like the possbility of Halo 3: ODST coming to PC

Anyway from what I've been reading Witcher 2 is far from console - Rage3D Discussion Area - View Single Post - The Witcher 2

Never played Witcher, but this game might grab me later on down the line.

 

[Wishmaster]

So far I like it. But, Im not very far at all into the game.


The combat took a bit to get used to. More action oriented than Witcher 1, and a bit more difficult. I died a few times at the very start on normal difficulty

But one thing that seems clear to me.
This game is far easier to play w/a Xbox 360 controller.

Im usually a Keyboard+Mouse person, especially on FPS games.

But certain games I find Keyboard+Mouse to be a total pain. For example, games like Darksiders, Tomb raider etc are, IMHO, much more enjoyable and easier to play w/a controller.
Witcher 2 falls into this category for me as well.

Once I tried playing w/the 360 controller it was a bit easier. Well, at least for me. Others may disagree.


As far as the game itself .. all I can say at this point is it plays well, and looks really good. Ill give my thoughts on it later, once Ive played enough to get a better feel for it.

 

[Tepid]

Just to reiterate and set the record straight regardless of my other opinions,,,,

Witcher 2 ,,, yes it is worth it

 

[simmo]

Well I got a mate to buy me the Enhanced ed of the first game...apparently it was pretty good and the enhanced ed has the patches etc..... but I haven't played an RPG since FF7/FF8 days on a PS lol...
Also you can import your toon from the first game into the second.
Will have it tomorrow night when he gets back out to da farm.

cheers

 

[Wishmaster]

Well, Witcher 1 certainly had its flaws. And theres some things I could complain about.

But, in the grand scheme of things, its a very good game.
And many of my little gripes about it were easliy forgiven.

 

[Tepid]

Witcher 2 also has many flaws, it is fairly obvious they did not complete coding the game. In some areas there are merchant tags on the mini map, and there are people there, but they can not be activated. Among a few other things that are obviously not completed. Maybe they will in some DLC, or possibly throw out an expansion soon that will fix and complete the game and not waste time and resources on Console (wishful thinking).

but what I can say,,,,

If you have a high end card, this game looks really really good. Mine is only playable on Low settings with my GPU.
I can set it to Ultra and move around and get places but is not playable. But looks wow good, especially flotsom. Wish I could upgrade.

 

[sygnus21]

Witcher 2 also has many flaws, it is fairly obvious they did not complete coding the game.

That's also one of the reasons I've been hesitant to try the game is because of the early problems.

Been reading a lot about it here - The Witcher 2 - Page 52 - Rage3D Discussion Area (work your way back)

Anyway the game had me mildly interested but I think I'll at least wait until a patch is released that fixes most of the issues.

 

[Tepid]

Patch 1.1 will be available (they say) some time this coming week or soon.

 

[Wishmaster]

Im actually going to put off playing the game to much untill the patch comes out.

First off, I agree there are many bugs.


This all may sound as if Im picking the game to death here, so just to be clear...

I agree with Tepid .. Yes Its worth it.
And while nothing Ive encountered so far is Game breaking, they are minor annoyances. I do want to see it fixed.


Some other issues Ive noticed:

Some minor graphic gliches.

In the beginning,for example, a mud puddle that was hovering over the ground.

Its actually hard to see in this screen shot, but its not actually on the ground as it should be.
You may be able to tell from the soldiers foot thats suppose to be in the puddle.
Its actually in his leg.

Some peoples names.. possible bug? Look at her name.


Performance:
Peformance isn't as good as it should be IMHO. I think there needs to be some optimizations done, which should come in patches. Newer GPU drivers should help as well.
My 570 was able to run the game fairly well at high settings, with Ubersampling turned off.
Few hiccups on occasions, but overall its running pretty well. Still room for improvements.


Audio:
Also, 5.1 Audio issues, at least for me.
At times it sounds great. Other times, ambient is drowning out dialog to the point you can not hear what they are saying.


Difficulty/Controls:
Difficulty seems way off. Or maybe Im just bad at the game.
Normal difficulty feels as if its set to Very Hard. Perhaps after I get used to the new combat system more/or level up and gain more skills it will be easier.

The game seems easier to play with a 360 Controller. But even with the controller, there are occasional issues Blocking etc.


I also find the inventory sorting/layout simply horrible.



Having said all that ....

The game is beautiful. And it is quite enjoyable. I think anyone who liked The Witcher will really like it.

Even with some of these problems the game is still good. Once a few bugs are squished, it will be even better.
Lets hope they stay on top of the patches.

I would reccomend the game, especially after some of the bugs are fixed.

Im still just in Chapter 1 however, and waiting for the patch to get to much further in.


--
@Tepid
Have you tried the Hotfix drivers? AMD was supposed to have released a Hotfix Driver, that improves the performance of the game.

As for Nvidia, un-installing the 3D Vision drivers helps, and upgrading to the Beta Drivers will help performance.

 

[simmo]

Umm..just started the first game...EE edition so comes prepatched to vers 1.5 and have installed the directors ed patch whatever that is.
game can't be registered due to not being able to connect to server and the Djinni app can't find page...any clues on this??
cheers

 

[Wishmaster]

Thought Enhanced Edition already included Directors Cut material?

As far as not being able to register, Im not sure. But...

They have been doing work w/the forums etc for Witcher 2 and parts of the site have been down.

So its quite possible this is why.

 

[simmo]

Quite possibly did include it but if not it is in now lol...Yes I have read sites not flash as in broken since W2 was released so thats probably what it is...was wondering though if it was some other obscure thing given who developed the game.
Have a GTX 480 inbound,hopefully have it mid week,be interesting to see if that has any effect on the graphics..the 9600 GT I have in it (backup card ) atm is ordinary or its the game graphics.
Game itself seems to be OK tho so far....want to complete it and then import my toon into the W2 and see what eventuates re ending of this one having,any,if at all effect on the second.
cheers