The Witcher catch-all

Bought! Started playing. Can't let this interfere with Dragon Age though... try to take one massive RPG at a time...

Citizen86 wrote:

Bought! Started playing. Can't let this interfere with Dragon Age though... try to take one massive RPG at a time...

Me too! 10 dollars on Impulse was finally enough to get me on board. Now to find the time to play it!

I am very early in but despite some of the rough edges (cutscene transitions are quite jarring, for example) I am finding it to be more compelling than Dragon Age. The atmosphere seems more consistent and the decisions seem to have more impact. Combat seems a bit less interesting, though.

imbiginjapan wrote:

I am very early in but despite some of the rough edges (cutscene transitions are quite jarring, for example) I am finding it to be more compelling than Dragon Age. The atmosphere seems more consistent and the decisions seem to have more impact. Combat seems a bit less interesting, though.

I agree about the decisions, atmosphere and combat. I actually hate the combat in the Witcher. I'd much rather have a click-fest like Diablo than this timed style. Really, I'd just like to have Oblivion or Mount&Blade style combat, but this is what they went with and it's a large reason I never got close to finishing the game.

garion333 wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:

I am very early in but despite some of the rough edges (cutscene transitions are quite jarring, for example) I am finding it to be more compelling than Dragon Age. The atmosphere seems more consistent and the decisions seem to have more impact. Combat seems a bit less interesting, though.

I agree about the decisions, atmosphere and combat. I actually hate the combat in the Witcher. I'd much rather have a click-fest like Diablo than this timed style. Really, I'd just like to have Oblivion or Mount&Blade style combat, but this is what they went with and it's a large reason I never got close to finishing the game.

Funny, I felt the same about the Elder Scrolls game. I can't stand the combat in those games. That said this isn't perfect either. I prefer tactical/party based combat along the lines of the Infinity Engine games or Dragon Age, where pausing to queue orders, positioning and skill usage comes into play. I am playing the Witcher on Hard and that helps as there is some thinking to do in terms of using alchemy and signs to stay in the fight but mostly once the fight is on there's not quite as much to do as it feels there could be. I'd like the opportunity to select individual attacks as my combo continues but I can see why they wanted to simplify this to keep the "flow" of combat.

I like party-based RPGs the most myself, The Witcher has the best combat of any solo style RPG I've played. Can't stand Oblivion combat and the 'Hold mouse 1 till the enemy is dead' style of Diablo.

I prefer tactical combat too (hell, I probably should've said the combat should be more like Demon's Souls), but I just think the Witcher's combat is shallow. I actually don't like Oblivion as a game, but it's combat has much more control to it, while the Witcher is more about flow. I just never liked the flow though the animations were pretty awesome.

The top down tactical combat of a Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate is team based, though and since the Witcher isn't party based I don't really see how that type of combat would be very interesting. I say that, but then I think of Fallout. Hmmmmm.

And Diablo is more than holding a button, but I'm not going to get into that discussion because it's kinda moot. You either like it or you don't.

Anyway, we can go back and forth about this. Each to his own.

garion333 wrote:

Anyway, we can go back and forth about this. Each to his own.

No! We must debate this thoroughly until the obvious right answer has been discovered and immortalized on teh intarwebs for all time! That is our way.

I've only played through the first mission, but combat does seem really simplistic. Am I understanding it correctly? Change style for enemy, click once on enemy, click again when sword goes fiery. That's it?

garion333 wrote:

And Diablo is more than holding a button, but I'm not going to get into that discussion because it's kinda moot. You either like it or you don't. ;)

I know, I was being hyperbolic. But I really don't enjoy that kind of game, I played Diablo 2 for the cinematics.

Something I mentioned to someone else recently. I liked the mechanics of DA:O, but not so much the generic story, while for me The Witcher and Mass Effect are more about story and setting. The actual combat mechanic is pretty irrelevant in both cases.

That's why I like the combat in the Witcher, it's very streamlined, but requires your attention to be effective and you can mix it up with Signs if you want to spice it up a little. Yet it isn't the point of the game.

@ Citizen86: Pretty much, later on you get various sign powers that you can upgrade. They make the combat a little more diverse. But I found the basic swordplay very engaging and hypnotic.

Citizen86 wrote:

I've only played through the first mission, but combat does seem really simplistic. Am I understanding it correctly? Change style for enemy, click once on enemy, click again when sword goes fiery. That's it?

Yes, but in the beginning your skill is not sufficiently great to make a big go of it. Eventually when you put more skill points into your sword-fighting abilities you'll be able to perform much more elaborate combos.

Just picked this up on Impulse (unfortunately it's in credit card limbo, I think, so I haven't been able to download it yet). It was a toss-up between this and Dragon Age, but I had interest in this last year and until finally playing Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 had no interest in Dragon Age so I decided I'd go with my initial interest. We'll see how it works.

I'm digging this game so far, although I've been spending HOURS in the first town trying to find/figure out everything.

Just a reminder for when anyone gets stuck in Vizima, and you will. My 50 year old mother beat this game 5 times, so don't be a p***y.

This game is quite fun. On the Outskirts of Vizima still, though.

And I've found out something about myself and RPGs--I'm an annoying completionist. I've started over twice cause I missed something in the Prologue and have reloaded a couple times from early saves in the Outskirts for the same reason. I need to stop this or I'll never finish. Also my Geralt is a man-whore of the highest order.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

My 50 year old mother beat this game 5 times

That is awesome.

mwdowns wrote:

Also my Geralt is a man-whore of the highest order. :D

It's funny but in games like Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect and Dragon Age I avoid the sexual relationships because the whole courtship aspect is so painfully cheesy and the "payoff" is so awkwardly presented. In this one the flippant "Let's get it on. Here's me tits, laddie!" attitude is just a fun diversion in what is otherwise a world of sh*t. I can't even explain why, exactly, beyond the fact that it seems to me that an ultimate badass like Geralt would never pass up the chance to get some 'tang when the opportunity presents itself.

I've been playing this as well. I am an hour or two into Act 2. I can see why people said that it takes a little while to get going. Act 1 was a bit of a drudge as it seemed like I ran back and forth doing different things in that area at least 20 times. It's interesting though how they do the flashbacks with the stencil type art to help you recall choices you made.

So far pretty interesting game. I remember hearing a review that the game was full of swearing and it seemed out of place. So far it hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. One or two f-bombs and not much else, some calling the witch a Female Doggo. They didn't go over the top with it to try and make it a mature game based on swearing, so I don't mind it.

Although the witch's card was pretty gross. Glad the wife wasn't around for that.

One of the big plus points for The Witcher was that all the sex, violence, bad language, racism, social separation, it all was appropriate. It all had a place in the world and the characters felt like they would do what they did.

I also remember liking the slow build up of the story, the game always gave itself some way to further develop and progress itself, but each area you were in didn't feel like just somewhere you were passing through, rushing to get to the next 'good bit' as it was all good. Slightly contradicting myself, but one thing I'd like to change about TW1 would be to add some form of fast travel within each chapter, or to make some routes shorter, I remember a lot of running around point to point.

I'm back in act 2 again myself (giving it another attempt for my pile of shame this month). It's brilliant but it's heavy going in spots. I'm just grateful they tightened up the loading times going in and out of buildings though, it was pretty nasty when first released.

mwdowns wrote:

And I've found out something about myself and RPGs--I'm an annoying completionist. I've started over twice cause I missed something in the Prologue

'something' huh? wouldn't happened to have anything to do with a certain top-heavy sorceress by any chance

(and just to help your OCD along...if memory serves there's three people you can bed in the outskirts).

Gotta catch em all!

imbiginjapan wrote:

ultimate badass like Geralt would never pass up the chance to get some 'tang when the opportunity presents itself.

Let's face it he has everything in his favour : he's sterile, immune to all disease, never seems to hang about in one place for long and has a wicked scar

mwdowns wrote:

Just picked this up on Impulse (unfortunately it's in credit card limbo, I think, so I haven't been able to download it yet). It was a toss-up between this and Dragon Age:)

You chose well.

stevenmack wrote:
mwdowns wrote:

And I've found out something about myself and RPGs--I'm an annoying completionist. I've started over twice cause I missed something in the Prologue

'something' huh? wouldn't happened to have anything to do with a certain top-heavy sorceress by any chance :P

Come on now. I said my Geralt is a man-whore of the highest order. The highest order. I wouldn't miss Miss Jiggly-Bits main scene in the Prologue. At first I thought I missed getting the Silver Sword, so I FAQed and found that I didn't (this is after I'd started over...I'm stupid). Then I missed the fist-fighting tutorial (didn't FAQ enough the first time...I said I'm stupid, right?)

(and just to help your OCD along...if memory serves there's three people you can bed in the outskirts).

Gotta catch em all!

The highest order.

I missed the fist-fighting tutorial as well, but didn't think it was a big deal

Didn't even know there was a fistfighting tutorial in the prologue, and I've played through that a good half dozen times.

I don't think I've ever done the fist fighting tutorial. Fist fighting is mostly just punching the other guy. It doesn't really need a tutorial.

The story is easily the best part of The Witcher for me. The mechanics, the quests, the fighting, etc are just kind of ... meh. I feel like that the majority of quests and fights are just "in the way" of me getting to the next plot point and banging the next village girl. But the plot is interesting enough that I keep ploughing them er I mean through it.

That said, overall a decent game. Here's to hoping the sequel isn't a bad console port.

syndicatedragon wrote:

The story is easily the best part of The Witcher for me. The mechanics, the quests, the fighting, etc are just kind of ... meh. I feel like that the majority of quests and fights are just "in the way" of me getting to the next plot point and banging the next village girl. But the plot is interesting enough that I keep ploughing them er I mean through it.

That said, overall a decent game. Here's to hoping the sequel isn't a bad console port.

It won't be. I'll see if I can dig up the The Witcher 2 thread. At the end of the trailer there's a little message for fans. Basically states that The Witcher 2 exists because of the PC fans.

Vector wrote:

It won't be. I'll see if I can dig up the The Witcher 2 thread. At the end of the trailer there's a little message for fans. Basically states that The Witcher 2 exists because of the PC fans.

That's cool. I haven't paid much attention to The Witcher 2 details yet for fear of spoilers and hype. If it's the same sort of game, then I'm in. I won't post the laundry list of improvements I'd make because for all I know, they've already fixed those things.

Vector wrote:

I don't think I've ever done the fist fighting tutorial. Fist fighting is mostly just punching the other guy. It doesn't really need a tutorial.

Yeah, it wasn't really a tutorial. At the time, I just thought that I needed to do that initial quest in order to be able to fistfight. Once I restarted, it became a moot point.

Got into Act II last night and I can bet see that things are getting confusing. So many quest threads to keep in mind. Still fun, though.

I found they did an excellent job of making sure all the quests finish up in a nice orderly way. I've never been as impressed with the way a game handles quest progression as I was with The Witcher. Act II is especially good like that.