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The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings |OT| Plough 'Em All

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ColonialRaptor said:
So by short story you mean the books? I'm reading through the Last Wish at the moment so I assume that will end up explaining it for me?
I linked the witcher wiki article which has summaries of the short stories. That short story is in the "Sword of destiny" book which is a follow up to "The Last Wish" but it hasn't been translated.
 

Van Buren

Member
Lostconfused said:
Witchers don't kill thinking creatures needlessly. But I think its also because dragons are very rare and have almost been hunted to extinction.

Spoilering just in case -
I loaded a save where I killed the dragon, and Geralt said that the dragon could very well have been the last one in the world. The way how it was worded made it seem that it certainly was. Needless to say, the guilt-trip worked, and I reloaded the save.
 

Yurt

il capo silenzioso
ColonialRaptor said:
Oh boy... now that's intriguing. With all these spoilers that I'm uncovering and no way to know which path people are spoilering I'm bound to read it, that's going to be interesting. I'm planning to start the Iorveth path soon because I can't get enough of this game, will be interesting to see how quickly I can burn through the game when I don't have to listen to people talk and watch cut scenes and such that I've seen before, but even still - I WANT TO KNOW... but I don't want to be spoiled. Is it something I need to see in the game, or would reading it on a forum be revelation enough?

NO NO NO, you should find out yourself. And I'm sorry you played the inferior path mate.
I'm kidding :p I'm still early to judge Roche's path
 

Fredescu

Member
Jintor said:
They're pretty bloody close, especially when you're all up and in his face. Not to mention the fireballs do splash damage.
So do yours if you've been keeping up with your bomb making. I don't recall him using a bomb when I was up close to him. Once I figured out a strategy, it was a really easy fight.
Back off and throw bombs when he has Quen up. When his Quen is down, roll towards him quickly, use Aard to throw him off, swing until he starts blocking, then use Aard again, and keep swinging.
 
Lostconfused said:
Witchers don't kill thinking creatures needlessly. But I think its also because dragons are very rare and have almost been hunted to extinction. I think it's mentioned as being part of the Witcher's Codex, but its never really explained. It's just one of the rules they follow like remaining neutral.

That makes sense too, particularly given that the best items in the game are made from Dragon Scales so you could imagine them being hunted pretty aggressively. Man I can't wait for the books to turn up, really want to dive headfirst into this universe.
 

Jintor

Member
I never did figure out how to work Aard into combos reliably. I think I need to upgrade my system, maybe it's a consequence of the slight jank...
 
jim-jam bongs said:
That makes sense too, particularly given that the best items in the game are made from Dragon Scales so you could imagine them being hunted pretty aggressively.
Besides that dragon hoards are apparently real in the witcher universe. So they tend do have a whole pile of expensive golden things lying around the places they live.
 

Yurt

il capo silenzioso
Jintor said:
I never did figure out how to work Aard into combos reliably. I think I need to upgrade my system, maybe it's a consequence of the slight jank...

Dude, how the hell are you killing the soldiers with the shield ?

It basically gives you three free swings on them.
 

Vaporak

Member
Just finished up and thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the end has a bit of pacing issues. Definitely the best RPG I've played in the last few years, since The Witcher 1 in fact! Can't wait to see what CD Projekt is up to now, TW1 and 2 have made them easily my favorite modern RPG studio.
 

Jerk

Banned
Dat infodump...

Definitely my game of the year thus far, but the latter parts of chapter 3 + The epilogue are awful.
 

Yurt

il capo silenzioso
Exuro said:
Ripsote tears shieldys apart.

Oh ! I didn't use potions that much on my normal playthrough. I'll dive into those in Hard.

Definitely my game of the year thus far, but the latter parts of chapter 3 + The epilogue are awful.

Compared to The witcher's epilogue. I agree with you.

lol chapter 3 felt like a parody to DA2.
 

Jerk

Banned
So, things I would change, mechanic-wise anyway:

Mutagens - Decent idea, needs a better approach. Personally, I would have loved it if all skills had 1~3 slots and they were balanced (and replaceable) accordingly.

Upgrade Paths - Should have been one massive board with abilities logically linked based on what they enabled you to do in battle. Ex: Quen would be a skill for more physical Witchers.

Potion Drinking - More like the first game. While I understand what they were trying to do, the game seemed poorly built for it. Perhaps a penalty could have been introduced when drinking potions during battle.

Brewing/Crafting - Should exclude quest items.
 

Exuro

Member
To add on, combat is really good but could use a lot of changes/improvements.

First and foremost, hit detection needs to be changed. If you don't get the whirl talent then you cannot hit an enemy without said enemy being targeted. Hitting multiple enemies imo should be there from the start, just make side enemies barely take damage.

Targeting needs some work too. There are times when enemies will be behind others and the targeting system won't switch to the enemy in front. Lock on targeting feels like a tacked on thing. I would had liked always facing animation ala Zelda. That's not really an improvement/complaint but a suggestion.

I find rolling to be too "powerful" compared to blocking. They need to be balanced out.

There are various animation attacks you can perform and in my opinion they either need to be cut down or each should have a specific event in which they can trigger. The rolling attacks should be part of "rolling then attacking" instead of being a far distance attack. The jump attacks should trigger depending on the distance away from the enemy. Other animations like the reverse stab work well. Overall I want to know what kind/type of attack I'll perform so I can have more control of fights.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Even though I'm not done with this yet and still in Chapter 2, this is definitely the best RPG I've played. It's got the right mix of things to please my RPG itch.
 

Mercutio

Member
Hey, uh, I know I'm not that far in, but...

Do things ever open up / get more "go and do what you want" during or after chapter 2? Cause I'm really not digging the linear nature of things thus far.
 

Exuro

Member
Mercutio said:
Hey, uh, I know I'm not that far in, but...

Do things ever open up / get more "go and do what you want" during or after chapter 2? Cause I'm really not digging the linear nature of things thus far.
The Witcher games aren't open world.
 
ukas said:
"My favorite type of magic...lesbomancy."
I lost it when the dwarf said that.

I was really upset that I didn't hear anyone say "yer mother sucks dwarf cock!"

:(

Yurt said:
^ I'd like to see day/night time relevant again.

It was rarely used this time.

Playing TW1 again this is very true. I liked that in the first game you really felt like there was a "witching hour", and it helped to explain how humans managed to build civilisations in monster infested regions.
 

Fredescu

Member
Exuro said:
I find rolling to be too "powerful" compared to blocking. They need to be balanced out.
Rolling is purely avoidance, but blocking gives you a free hit (or more if you take riposte). If you're one on one, blocking is usually better. If two or more are chasing you, avoidance makes more sense.

Jerk said:
Potion Drinking - More like the first game. While I understand what they were trying to do, the game seemed poorly built for it. Perhaps a penalty could have been introduced when drinking potions during battle.
It's annoying when the game throws you into a fight without warning. It instantly cuts off the use of potions. I wouldn't mind not being able to drink potions in battle if this didn't happen at all.

Mercutio said:
Do things ever open up / get more "go and do what you want" during or after chapter 2? Cause I'm really not digging the linear nature of things thus far.
You could choose want you wanted to do during chapter 1. It was no more or less linear than the first game.
 

Exuro

Member
Fredescu said:
Rolling is purely avoidance, but blocking gives you a free hit (or more if you take riposte). If you're one on one, blocking is usually better. If two or more are chasing you, avoidance makes more sense.
Even if there's only one guy you can roll behind him when he attacks and not have to waste a vigor point blocking.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
is it just me or did one of the Dorfs in ch. 2 look a lot like the late Pete Postlethwaite?

dorfynox.jpg


pete-postlethwaite7c1r.jpg
 

Hulud

Member
Only thing I don't like about the combat is how clunky the radial menu is when selecting swords. One fight later in the game makes you switch between your silver and steel swords multiple times while trying not to get stunlocked by multiple baddies. When I tried to quickly switch swords with the radial, %50 of the time Geralt would just stand there and not switch swords at all. I ended up having to run to a corner, pop a fresh Quen, come to a complete stop, fumble with the radial until he actually decided to switch weapons, then pop a new Quen b/c by that point the enemies had depleted my previous one.

All of that just to switch weapons mid-fight. (using KB/M if that makes a difference) At least the reward from that fight is super awesome.
Operator's Staff

Now I just press 1 and 2 to switch weapons because it works much more consistently than the radial.

..yet I still fucking love this game. Chap. 3 is super intense story-wise.
 

Van Buren

Member
Hulud said:
Only thing I don't like about the combat is how clunky the radial menu is when selecting swords. One fight later in the game makes you switch between your silver and steel swords multiple times while trying not to get stunlocked by multiple baddies. When I tried to quickly switch swords with the radial, %50 of the time Geralt would just stand there and not switch swords at all. I ended up having to run to a corner, pop a fresh Quen, come to a complete stop, fumble with the radial until he actually decided to switch weapons, then pop a new Quen b/c by that point the enemies had depleted my previous one.

Aren't the swords mapped to keys as well ? q/e I think.
 

Yurt

il capo silenzioso
Mercutio said:
Hey, uh, I know I'm not that far in, but...

Do things ever open up / get more "go and do what you want" during or after chapter 2? Cause I'm really not digging the linear nature of things thus far.

What are you looking for here? You can tackle the quests randomly if you want, but that's about it.

All of that just to switch weapons mid-fight. (using KB/M if that makes a difference)

I press left/right on the D-Pad. Makes more sense :p
 

Hulud

Member
Exuro said:
Why are you using the radial menu and not 1 and 2?
Did you read my whole post? I eventually did start using the hotkeys. That said, they give you the option to switch swords in the radial so it should work better than it does.
Van Buren said:
Aren't the swords mapped to keys as well ? q/e I think.


You didn't read the rest of my post either? :p It's 1&2 that switches swords.
 

Mercutio

Member
Fredescu said:
You could choose want you wanted to do during chapter 1. It was no more or less linear than the first game.

I suppose I just wanted something different. I've found the story to be rather... lacking so far, and was hoping at some point things would really open up. I don't truly feel like I've ever really been able to go out and do what I want, but I think part of me was hoping for an Oblivion style connected world. Serves me right for not looking into it before buying.
 

Xtyle

Member
Just finished the game on Iorveth path and sat through the lengthy credit sequence. A very special game. It's a game that will be talked about for years. You know, one of those games. I don't get why some people think the game is too short and that chapter 3 isn't as good. I thought it was pretty damn awesome. It got easy..true but I didn't mind it too much. The best gear at that point did make it easy but since you have to put in a little effort to obtain them I thought it was fitting. If they make an enhanced edition, I hope they make some improvements to item manager and store interface.
 

Hulud

Member
I just hope they give us some Bethesda/Obsidian style expansion packs. Can you imagine being able to buy an Act 4 that takes place in a whole new environment? I'd easily pay $15-$20 for that.

Doubt it will happen, though.
 

Fredescu

Member
Mercutio said:
I suppose I just wanted something different. I've found the story to be rather... lacking so far, and was hoping at some point things would really open up. I don't truly feel like I've ever really been able to go out and do what I want, but I think part of me was hoping for an Oblivion style connected world. Serves me right for not looking into it before buying.
Yeah, this definitely isn't an open world RPG. You don't need to approach it in a linear fashion though. Personally I hang around in town and talk to everyone I can and eventually widen my search radius until I find myself outside of town and kill what I come across and do whatever for a while, until my inventory is full, and just sort of accidently complete the side quests as I go. This is my preferred play style even for open world games, so I guess I don't see much difference (it's also why I hated Mass Effect for a while).
 

Jerk

Banned
Fredescu said:
Yeah, this definitely isn't an open world RPG. You don't need to approach it in a linear fashion though. Personally I hang around in town and talk to everyone I can and eventually widen my search radius until I find myself outside of town and kill what I come across and do whatever for a while, until my inventory is full or whatever, and just sort of accidently complete the side quests as I go. This is my preferred play style even for open world games, so I guess I don't see much difference (it's also why I hated Mass Effect for a while).

Pretty much how I go about it as well. This has yet to fail me.
 

Mercutio

Member
Fredescu said:
Yeah, this definitely isn't an open world RPG. You don't need to approach it in a linear fashion though. Personally I hang around in town and talk to everyone I can and eventually widen my search radius until I find myself outside of town and kill what I come across and do whatever for a while, until my inventory is full or whatever, and just sort of accidently complete the side quests as I go. This is my preferred play style even for open world games, so I guess I don't see much difference (it's also why I hated Mass Effect for a while).

I actually dearly, dearly love Mass Effect 1 and 2. I'm not sure what's sticking in my craw so much about this game though; everyone else (including my friends) seem to dearly love it. I've just found it to be a clunky action RPG with often pretty graphics but a downright lousy story. Some of the design decisions just puzzle me... why can't I move the camera back a little bit? Why did the default control scheme not use the middle mouse button at all? There's just been a lot of stuff that's left me scratching my head from a design standpoint.
 
Van Buren said:
Spoilering just in case -
I loaded a save where I killed the dragon, and Geralt said that the dragon could very well have been the last one in the world. The way how it was worded made it seem that it certainly was. Needless to say, the guilt-trip worked, and I reloaded the save.


Geralt asked Saskia where her father was and Saskia said he disappeared after teaching her everything she needed to know.. im pretty sure he might still be alive
 

Xtyle

Member
Exuro said:
First and foremost, hit detection needs to be changed. If you don't get the whirl talent then you cannot hit an enemy without said enemy being targeted. Hitting multiple enemies imo should be there from the start, just make side enemies barely take damage.

There already exist a mob that let you hit multiple enemies right from start with 25% dmg untalented. Would be nice if this could be officially patched :)
 
Mercutio said:
Why did the default control scheme not use the middle mouse button at all?
It is a PC game so you can change all the controls to what you prefer.

Jintor said:
I never did figure out how to work Aard into combos reliably. I think I need to upgrade my system, maybe it's a consequence of the slight jank...
To be honest I was lazy and used nothing but Aard and fast attack for the majority of the game. Easy to just go in, Aard blast a guy out of the battle, strike another guy, spin around and attack another or Aard them, etc. Gets very easy once you upgrade Aard to max and have 4 bars of stamina (not to meantion the stamina regen stuff like potions).

Hulud said:
Now I just press 1 and 2 to switch weapons because it works much more consistently than the radial.
The radial menu was mainly put in because of the optional controller use. If you play M+KB you really only need to use it for secondary weapon changes. Not sure why give more options is a negative.
 

Exuro

Member
So has anyone noticed if you get hit and use a sign at the same time you lose a vigor point despite not using the sign? I'm not sure if that's working as intended but I've found it to be a little odd.
 
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