The Witcher 2 Catch-All

The first game is on for USD4.99 on GOG if anyone wants to try
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/the_w...

Certis wrote:

My contacts are telling me that online reviewers won't be seeing game code until right around launch. Take that however you like, I suppose. Sounds like maybe CD Projekt is cramming, but we'll see.

Strange, from what I know it went gold some time ago.

UCRC wrote:
Certis wrote:

My contacts are telling me that online reviewers won't be seeing game code until right around launch. Take that however you like, I suppose. Sounds like maybe CD Projekt is cramming, but we'll see.

Strange, from what I know it went gold some time ago.

Yeah, the screenshot of the video settings was supposed to be from the leaked version. Only thing that has to go up should be the authorization servers.

Ordering should be going up in minutes apparently.

edit: and a really in depth preview - http://www.gamebanshee.com/previews/...

I am, in fact, having a fit. I haven't been so anxious for a game release in quite some time. And I still have to wait a week!

RPS's funny take on the Geo ID issue.

We can bring you news that Good Old Games definitely haven’t changed their geo-locating policies in order to get around the Australian censoring or price hikes of The Witcher 2. Under no circumstances have the changes announced last night, that mean customers’ IPs will are no longer tracked when making purchases, anything to do with letting Oz, and perhaps even American gamers get full access to the game.

Good Old Games sent out a press release last night that made it absolutely clear that the reasons for this change, which means customers can choose their own geographic location when purchasing, was because of gamers who are travelling abroad, or simply having their IP report incorrect locations. And those are absolutely the only reasons. As the Managing Director, Guillaume Rambourg, explains,

“GOG.com has always been about trusting the user. We’ve come to the conclusion that there are a number of issues with using a customer’s IP address to determine what offer they are being presented with from GOG.com. A good number of users can find themselves negatively impacted by a policy of using geo IP to set their region.”

And that’s the reason they’ve done this. And it’s definitely not because The Witcher 2 has been censored in Australia by the lunatic Australian system where no game can be rated over 15. Definitely.

The comments are funny too.

One thing I picked up from the comments is the backlash against people torrenting a leaked version, because of the steps CDP/GOG have taken to be good for gamers. Besides the usual "piracy is killing X" you hear, it's nice to see an actual community turn around and say 'no'.

Doesn't this mean I could pay 45$ instead of 45€?
I don't even know if that would make me an asshole or not.

Stele wrote:
Slacker1913 wrote:

And then there was this totally unrelated change to the way GoG tracks your country's IP...
GOG Updates Privacy Policy, Will No Longer Use Geo-IP to Determine Your Region

I love these guys.

Cheers to GoG. :drink:

Anyone know what that means for US customers? e.g. Will we be getting the censored version, or is it just Australia? Like, should I change my country to UK or something before I purchase?

*edit*

And, does anyone know if there will be DLC, and if GOG will support it? (Apologies if this has been discussed before).

Certis wrote:

My contacts are telling me that online reviewers won't be seeing game code until right around launch. Take that however you like, I suppose. Sounds like maybe CD Projekt is cramming, but we'll see.

It went gold a couple of weeks ago. They could be working on that release day patch though.

doogiemac wrote:

Anyone know what that means for US customers? e.g. Will we be getting the censored version, or is it just Australia? Like, should I change my country to UK or something before I purchase?

*edit*

And, does anyone know if there will be DLC, and if GOG will support it? (Apologies if this has been discussed before).

It's just Australia that gets the censored version, they said in a recent conference that the rest of the world gets the uncensored version.
As for the DLC, I'm not sure. The first Witcher had a code you used to register on the site and you got all new content for free.

Pre-downloading from GOG as I type this...splendid. And a free classic RPG to boot (never hurts to have a digital backup of Divine Divinity )

doogiemac wrote:

And, does anyone know if there will be DLC, and if GOG will support it? (Apologies if this has been discussed before).

when I preordered on GoG earlier I got a registration code to use when the game's out. The game works without it, the code is just for DLC support, etc.

Scratched wrote:

edit: and a really in depth preview - http://www.gamebanshee.com/previews/...

It's interesting in a time where RPG sequels tend to dumb down their RPG aspects (in terms of allocating skill points) that The Witcher 2 is actually increasing that aspect.

I also thought they got rid of the timed battles yet the preview makes it sound like similar only more "clunky" or difficult.

With the GOG version, you can install without any registration or codes just like TW1, but you need to use the code to register so that the launcher can do any patching. They've said they don't intend to do standalone patches, it'll all be handled through the launcher, which is where it's different to TW1. Once patching is slowed down, they intend to offer an updated version of the installer that brings you straight up to a recent version.

I don't think they've said anything about DLC yet, and I can't remember if they said the TW2 editor will go public or not. Given what they did with TW1 is a sign it probably will.

Vector wrote:

I also thought they got rid of the timed battles yet the preview makes it sound like similar only more "clunky" or difficult.

They've said the combat is inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. Reading through that preview it sounds potentially quite tough and technical.

MrDeVil909 wrote:
Vector wrote:

I also thought they got rid of the timed battles yet the preview makes it sound like similar only more "clunky" or difficult.

They've said the combat is inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. Reading through that preview it sounds potentially quite tough and technical.

I haven't been following the media. That's encouraging.

Vector wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:
Vector wrote:

I also thought they got rid of the timed battles yet the preview makes it sound like similar only more "clunky" or difficult.

They've said the combat is inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. Reading through that preview it sounds potentially quite tough and technical.

I haven't been following the media. That's encouraging.

That is rad. A combination of BAA and TW1 combat sounds absolutely fantastic. BAA had the most satisfying combat of just about any game out there.

99% preloaded and it's just sitting there taunting me for the next 6 days.

Witcher 2 is huge in Poland right now. It's on cover of couple non-gaming magazines (not to mention Triss in Playboy which someone linked to), there's some coverage from mainstream media (which is very unusual), biggest Polish gaming magazine just published world exclusive review (didn't see it*) and I just got a CDP newsletter promoting midnight premiere on 16th in Warsaw "accompanied by rock concert, meeting with developers and show of witcher swordfighting"

*but my friend told me that he read in it that W2 is supposedly 25 hours long but you can go through the game and miss whole locations and quest/story arcs because of your choices so there's a lot of replay value there
25 still feels a bit short, though, maybe he got it wrong? If anyone cares I can grab that mag and check.

UCRC wrote:

Witcher 2 is huge in Poland right now. It's on cover of couple non-gaming magazines (not to mention Triss in Playboy which someone linked to), there's some coverage from mainstream media (which is very unusual), biggest Polish gaming magazine just published world exclusive review (didn't see it*) and I just got a CDP newsletter promoting midnight premiere on 16th in Warsaw "accompanied by rock concert, meeting with developers and show of witcher swordfighting"

*but my friend told me that he read in it that W2 is supposedly 25 hours long but you can go through the game and miss whole locations and quest/story arcs because of your choices so there's a lot of replay value there
25 still feels a bit short, though, maybe he got it wrong? If anyone cares I can grab that mag and check.

You should give it a check. I am curious. 25 hours actually doesn't sound that bad to me. TW1 got pretty grindy at times. I'd rather do 2 play-throughs (that are very different from each other) of a great game than one 50 hour playthrough that has lots of grind.

Yeah, I consider 25-35 hours something of my 'Mass Effect sweet spot.' It's nice and engaging and doesn't outstay its welcome if properly paced.

Local gamers are getting in a tizzy. Apparently the Premium edition is supposed to be coming with a hardcover comic, but the importer has brought in a much smaller than expected consignment of the books so supply is going to be short.

Not too worried myself, although the comic would be sweet, but that does kind of suck.

Witcher 2 pre-orders hit 111,842, Polish edition pre-orders maxed

How long ago was THQ blowing their trumpet about 200k preorders for Homefront across 3 platforms? TW2 is only on PC, by an independent studio, and doesn't have a zillion dollar advertising spend behind it. Sounds good from where I'm sitting.

Only four more days! I'm going to play the crap out of this game. I'm incredibly happy to hear those pre-order numbers. I hope it has a smooth launch.

ebarstad wrote:

I hope it has a smooth launch.

Well, with minimal DRM, here's hoping. My experience with the GOG downloader was fine, I'm sure there's an army of people grabbing it and it maxed out my line, so I think they've got the capacity to serve the last little bit, and then the bonus stuff when I'm bothered.

I am flirting with the idea of picking up the CE off of Amazon, does anyone know if I can just register my key on STEAM and download? I love the ease of STEAM, but I also seem to buy overpriced stuff that sits in a box and never gets used

SpyNavy wrote:

I am flirting with the idea of picking up the CE off of Amazon, does anyone know if I can just register my key on STEAM and download? I love the ease of STEAM, but I also seem to buy overpriced stuff that sits in a box and never gets used :)

I very much doubt it. AFAIK the disc versions will have a release date check, and that's it as far as DRM. Non-steam patching is done through their launcher.

Scratched wrote:
SpyNavy wrote:

I am flirting with the idea of picking up the CE off of Amazon, does anyone know if I can just register my key on STEAM and download? I love the ease of STEAM, but I also seem to buy overpriced stuff that sits in a box and never gets used :)

I very much doubt it. AFAIK the disc versions will have a release date check, and that's it as far as DRM. Non-steam patching is done through their launcher.

Thanks Scratched. Think I will go with the CE version off of Amazon. Love me some doodads.