Support NeoGAF

[Riposte]

Just started chapter 2. So far though I'm liking it, it's been really linear so far. Hoping that was just because it was tutorial time...

How is this game linear?

For example, go back to chapter 1 and choose a different ally. That's the biggest split in the game, both story and content wise.

 

[Ferrio]

It's a linear story-driven RPG with lots of side quests and multiple paths through the story. Were you expecting an open world game or something?

No, I was expecting witcher 1, where I can run around doing side quests and not on complete rails.

Like I said I've only done chapter 1 so I don't know if it changes, but I was pretty much lead around on a leash during that whole thing.

 

[gdt]

Just resent my email with the cd key proof for my gog version. He was taking forever, maybe he never got it or something...

 

[Tokubetsu]

No, I was expecting witcher 1, where I can run around doing side quests and not on complete rails.

Like I said I've only done chapter 1 so I don't know if it changes, but I was pretty much lead around on a leash during that whole thing.

Wait what? Did you not do the side quests in Act 1 then? Because it's about as linear as Witcher if not less so. Not more linear.

 

[Ferrio]

Wait what? Did you not do the side quests in Act 1 then? Because it's about as linear as Witcher if not less so. Not worse.

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

 

[Stahsky]

No, I was expecting witcher 1, where I can run around doing side quests and not on complete rails.

Like I said I've only done chapter 1 so I don't know if it changes, but I was pretty much lead around on a leash during that whole thing.

Are we playing the same game here? Ch 1 was pretty wide open, with plenty of quests to do. Hardly any on rails gaming here. It plays just like The Witcher 1 to me.

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

What? Are you still in the prison? That is not chapter 1.

 

[scy]

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

That's the Prologue; Chapter 1 is something completely different from that.

 

[Riposte]

I know and like I said I didnt expect them to wrap it all up, so my issue is that the end felt abrupt and all those new plot developments had very little weight to them as a result of the quick ending and thus made the 3rd chapter and epilogue to me feel far weaker than the prologue, and chaps 1 and 2. I was really hoping for some actual scheming and back and forth between all the various powers meeting at Loc Muinne and getting the opportunity to learn about some of this different people I had heard about but never really got to know, but that never happened, there was basically a single quest in chapter 3 and then it was over.

Had there been a couple more quests and a few more hours of political intrigue and exploration in Loc Muinne providing some real flesh and bones to some of the coming events and major players building up to the games finale and reveal the chapter would have been much stronger for it. As much as I liked Letho I think too much was put into his last conversation, pretty much all of the important information and foreshadowing in all of chapter 3 and the epilogue was housed within that convo. He told you about everyone and everything you needed to know, it was too rich a convo.

Even though Letho is very far from the stereotypical evil guy that convo was very much like the evil mad man telling the hero every last detail of his devilish scheme, with all the who's, what's and why's just before he kills him just for the sake of tying up loose ends.

Here is the thing. Most of the things happening have quite little to do with Geralt personally. He is just a strong dude who is witnessing events while he completes his own arc and the game is about him.

Letho

Spoiler

doesn't want to fight you and considers you an old friend. You can leave him be and not fight at all. Why wouldn't he tell you everything once his plan was finished?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Ok I'm trying this fix to see if it can remove the censorship:

https://www.rapidshare.com/#!download|144|707260714|Un-Australia_Patch.zip|558.515

BTW it seems the TW2 forum on GOG has quite a bunch of useful mods such as the minimap north direciton pointer.

http://www.gog.com/en/forum/the_witcher_2/full_list_of_mods/page1

Holy shit, thanks!

I'm going to start my Hard playthrough tonight, and I was just about to look for some mods to make things a little less frustrating. Definitely going to be grabbing the Unlimited Carry Weight mod, Mini-map Direction Pointer mod, and the Tooltip Mod (the default settings are so fucking slow).

 

[Lime]

Epilogue spoilers :

Spoiler

It's great how Letho is written in such a way that he is not your typical caricature villain. After hearing of Geralt and Letho's past friendship and witnessing Letho rescuing Triss and keeping her safe from the violent mob out to kill mages, I'm finding it incredibly difficult to kill him. To add to this, his behavior at the epilogue - leaning casually against the wall, asking for vodka like as if he were an old drinking buddy, his nonchalance at taking care of Sila, his act of keeping Yennefer safe, etc. - that's the second time in running that the Witcher games have had a shades of gray antagonist.

Like I said earlier, it's lifted straight from

Spoiler

Sergio Leone

. Really amazing end and

Spoiler

I chose to let him go, because he never was Geralt's foe

.

You need to join us other people in the spoiler thread though.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

Oh, you were in the prologue!

Chapters 1 and 2 are pretty much just like The Witcher 1.

Here is the thing. Most of the things happening have quite little to do with Geralt personally. He is just a strong dude who is witnessing events while he completes his own arc and the game is about him.

Letho

Spoiler

doesn't want to fight you and considers you an old friend. You can leave him be and not fight at all. Why wouldn't he tell you everything once his plan was finished?

Yay! Someone who understands.

 

[scy]

BTW it seems the TW2 forum on GOG has quite a bunch of useful mods such as the minimap north direciton pointer.

http://www.gog.com/en/forum/the_witcher_2/full_list_of_mods/page1

Dear god yes.

 

[Revolutionary]

Just finished the game. The difficulty gap in Act 3 was ridiculous. Everything was so much harder. Also, I think CDR enjoyed KOTOR 2 abit too much :lol

I didn't think much was hard in Chapter 3 at all.

The most difficult battle in the game, IMO, was fighting an optional 'boss' for the quest "From a Bygone Era". Took me about 6 tries to finally get his ass... the staff you get as a prize is totally worth it, though - made the final battles so easy and Geralt into a badass whirlwind of fire, ice, and lightning if you add Quen to the mix. So good.

 

[Freshmaker]

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

There are side quests in the flashbacks. The flashbacks themselves are also somewhat mutable depending on your choices.

 

[Riposte]

The prologue's dungeon has at least two shockingly different story scenarios you can take depending on what you do with Aryan. There are also two paths to the final area, one of which can show you more in one of the scenarios. You might also have a helper on the docks depending if you did a sidequest before the assault.

You say it is linear because you took one way lol. Go play it again if you want.

 

[Revolutionary]

Wtf?? My Steam version just started downloading a 4GB patch for the Bonus Content. What else were we missing?

 

[Salaadin]

Wtf?? My Steam version just started downloading a 4GB patch for the Bonus Content.

The Bonus stuff is separate from the 16GB download you got on launch day. Why it did it by itself, I have no idea. You sure its the extras?

 

[Revolutionary]

The Bonus stuff is separate from the 16GB download you got on launch day. Why it did it by itself, I have no idea. You sure its the extras?

Yeah, I've downloaded the Bonus Content available in the Media section. I meant to say that it's patching that (not the game itself) with an additional 4GB. I was under the impression that we had all the bonuses already.

EDIT: I see there's an additional entry for "Witcher 2: Developer Diary Chapter 2.1" in the Games section as well to install. Err... so it's auto patching with the videos... but making them optional as well?

 

[Jay Shadow]

Yeah, I've downloaded the Bonus Content available in the Media section. I meant to say that it's patching that (not the game itself) with an additional 4GB. I was under the impression that we had all the bonuses already.

It was still missing all of the videos.

 

[iNvid02]

is anyobody on gaf living in russia and speak russian?

 

[How About No]

What side quests? It was just a series of flashbacks/dungeon.

Lol, the prologue is pretty much the equivalent to the first game's Kaer Mohren part. The actual Chapter 1 is pretty much classic Witcher, but 10x more awesome.

 

[Snuggles]

Goddammit I spent all my money on the whores and now I need it for something important .

At least I saw a funny bug. Some NPC went to take a piss but after unzipping he started walking around like normal with the stream of urine still going in front of him. Good stuff.

 

[raphier]

is anyobody on gaf living in russia and speak russian?

I don't live in russia, but do talk. Unless you need translation, what you want?

 

[Tokubetsu]

Goddammit I spent all my money on the whores and now I need it for something important .

At least I saw a funny bug. Some NPC went to take a piss but after unzipping he started walking around like normal with the stream of urine still going in front of him. Good stuff.

There is a life lesson here I hope you're getting.

 

[Darkkn]

Very end of game spoiler question:

Spoiler

What is supposed to happen after the credits? My game flashed quickly on some in-game scene(mountains overlooking Loc Muinne), but abruptly ended in seconds. Did i miss something?

 

[Snuggles]

There is a life lesson here I hope you're getting.

Mhm, yes. Find cheaper whores.

 

[WanderingWind]

Quick question. Does whoring around affect anything with Triss?

 

[pahamrick]

Is there no way to carry over some of the items you get for a new game+? Because I picked up a diagram for a nice sword but it requires (Spoilers for a boss fight in Chapter 3)

Spoiler

Dragon hide or some such. I forget exactly what it needed from a dragon, but I couldn't loot the dragon and I didn't see any other dragon like enemies I could kill. Did I just miss the item I need? I miss the point of getting all these very nice items right at the end of the game where it's barely useful.

Guessing I just missed a similar enemy that dropped the items needed or missed a diagram to craft it.

 

[How About No]

Quick question. Does whoring around affect anything with Triss?

She will die of syphilis at the end.

No I don't really know lol. All the whores have ignored me so far, but I think I'm talking to the wrong ones.

 

[Salaadin]

There is a life lesson here I hope you're getting.

Which is it though? Dont waste money on whores or dont walk while pissing?

 

[Ikuu]

Is there no way to carry over some of the items you get for a new game+? Because I picked up a diagram for a nice sword but it requires (Spoilers for a boss fight in Chapter 3)

Spoiler

Dragon hide or some such. I forget exactly what it needed from a dragon, but I couldn't loot the dragon and I didn't see any other dragon like enemies I could kill. Did I just miss the item I need? I miss the point of getting all these very nice items right at the end of the game where it's barely useful.

Guessing I just missed a similar enemy that dropped the items needed or missed a diagram to craft it.

Spoiler

You get some Dragon Scales in Act 3, and obviously the stuff will carry into The Witcher 3, and maybe an expansion if they go that route.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Very end of game spoiler question:

Spoiler

What is supposed to happen after the credits? My game flashed quickly on some in-game scene(mountains overlooking Loc Muinne), but abruptly ended in seconds. Did i miss something?

No, you didn't. It did autosave right there though. Part of why I think there will be an expansion? Hopefully...or maybe a sequel sooner rather than later.

 

[Castor Krieg]

No, you didn't. It did autosave right there though. Part of why I think there will be an expansion? Hopefully...or maybe a sequel sooner rather than later.

Yup, I'm sure the purpose of that cutscene was just to create a final save.

 

[Sethos]

Everyone's favourite fat person, Jim Sterling, has decided to bestow a mighty 6/10 to this game ...


http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml

 

[thetrin]

Everyone's favourite fat person, Jim Sterling, has decided to bestow a mighty 6/10 to this game ...


http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml

What's funny is, this comment:

CD Projekt seems to love telling players to do something, but not how to do it. Never has a game's manual been so important. From simple things like arm wrestling to more important thing like finding an unmarked objective on the map, the game is dreadful at providing player feedback.

Is why I like Witcher 2. It doesn't hold your hand like most games tend to nowadays. It forces you to actually READ, and PAY ATTENTION. The fact that a game gets docked marks for assuming the player isn't a complete idiot is sad.

The issue of reward vs. hassle is typified in the game's quest objectives, which are all subject to flagrant heaps of backtracking and repetition, usually being of the "kill these" or "collect this" variety. Each chapter takes place in one large environment, and players will need to traipse through the same old scenery in order to complete any type of quest. The lack of "fast travel" and tendency for the game to force players back up through a dungeon after they've fought their way down adds to the boredom.

"My name is Jim Sterling, and I don't understand the concept of multi-tasking."

Is he really complaining about having to walk out of a dungeon after walking in? Is this how lazy gamers have become?

 

[Darklord]

Man, chapter 2 has been pretty buggy. First it breaks and plays a random cutscene that wasn't meant to happen and I had to reloadbecause it made me stuck. Then I get a quest and find 2 bodies but I can't clik on them, even though the icon shows upso it's a broken quest. :\

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Everyone's favourite fat person, Jim Sterling, has decided to bestow a mighty 6/10 to this game ...


http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml

Goddamn that guy has an annoying personality.

It's nice to know that he likes being treated like an idiot.

Is he really complaining about having to walk out of a dungeon after walking in? Is this how lazy gamers have become?

Holy shit at his bitching about a lack of fast travel. Never once did I feel I needed fast travel in this game. Good lord.

 

[Durante]

Everyone's favourite fat person, Jim Sterling, has decided to bestow a mighty 6/10 to this game ...


http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml

Exemplifies everything wrong with gamers today (which causes most of the things wrong with games, not the other way around).

 

[thetrin]

Holy shit at his bitching about a lack of fast travel. Never once did I feel I needed fast travel in this game. Good lord.

Fast travel ruins a sense of cohesion if you ask me. It's a lazy way to make shitty maps easier and less annoying to traverse. It's a cop-out ability. I'd rather have proper architecture and nice scenery to explore than just skip the whole thing and warp back to my objective.

Not only that, but Witcher 2's hubs are so small, I don't see how fast travel would even be worth it.

 

[-GOUKI-]

Everyone's favourite fat person, Jim Sterling, has decided to bestow a mighty 6/10 to this game ...


http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml

...

 

[Exuro]

Why in the world do you need fast travel? It takes a minute, maybe 2 minutes tops to run across a chapter map.

 

[thetrin]

Even aside from this problem, I have a list of niggling issues that, while small on their own, add up to constant annoyance. The game struggles to make doors work properly, often forcing Geralt and NPCs to take turns opening and closing them rather than leaving it open and letting everyone through at once.

"I have no idea how programming works. The whole world is loaded into memory, right? That's how it works?

 

[Aurarian]

Does anyone know why I'm not able to activate the game? When I bring up the launcher to input the key, it checks for updates and then closes.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

"I have no idea how programming works. The whole world is loaded into memory, right? That's how it works?

It's still a legitimate complain, in my opinion. That shit looks really awkward in some spots.

 

[Hixx]

"I have no idea how programming works. The whole world is loaded into memory, right? That's how it works?

That has nothing to do with how shitty the doors are. It's the forced animation that's the problem, not streaming tech.

 

[BeeDog]

Fuck this buggy-ass piece of shit game, now I can't even fucking re-install and play the game without everything fucking up somehow. I suspect all these issues are because of the INSANELY WORTHLESS launcher and how dependent it seems to be on CD Projekt's WORTHLESS servers.

I'm ready to break my retail discs in half, seriously.

 

[Ikuu]

This was one of the best scenes in the game, not really a spoiler: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Ikuu/screenshot/541768821573580335

 

[Enkidu]

It's still a legitimate complain, in my opinion. That shit looks really awkward in some spots.

It's especially weird because sometimes doors do stay open for a while. I guess they should have made it so that whenever you are expected to follow an NPC any door they open will stay open for a while so you can pass through. It's not like it's a big deal or anything though.

 

[thetrin]

It's especially weird because sometimes doors do stay open for a while. I guess they should have made it so that whenever you are expected to follow an NPC any door they open will stay open for a while so you can pass through. It's not like it's a big deal or anything though.

The doors stay open in sections where the doors aren't separating two different individually loaded zones. Like if you're in a mine for instance, doors will stay open because the section beyond is already loaded.

 

[Exuro]

Even the streaming tech seems a little off/slow. Although if doors, lack of fast travel and non hand holding are his main concerns/negatives then the game is doing pretty well.

Doors I can agree with, although I can't care enough to make it a large complaint. the targeting system in general needs work, both in combat and out of. If you're trying to loot a chest and theres an npc next to it's sometime a little tricky to move geralt in a position where you target one and not the other. Then in combat when you're targeting nekkers for example there's always one that gets inbetween and when you go to attack you're too far away from the targeted one, but since you're not targeting the close one even though the distance is perfect you don't do damage.

These kind of issues are why I'd rather they make an expansion that works on these issues than go straight to TW3.