The Witcher 3 PS4 gameplay

Ah, that's a good point. Forgot about that. Have see actually seen any XBO footage yet that hits 1080p at times?

The last Xbox footage I saw was the giant bomb stream that vinny and Alex were doing. I didn't notice any frame rate stuff going on. The only weird thing that happened was Geralt's horse's head going through a wall during a cutscene, but that's just probably a bug.
 
X1 version looks and place very nicely. Haven't ran into any issues yet.

Based on 5 hours of play...no spoilers.


Visuals: I love the art style...the graphics look great, character models look great, especially the key characters. Most importantly, the world is vibrant and full of life. Really digging it.

Audio: Voice acting is top notch just like how it was for TW2. But the best part is the music...it's so fucking good. It goes so well with the whole dark fantasy setting. Haven't enjoyed music in an RPG this much since Xenoblade.

Story/Character: Can't say much since I haven't gotten into the main story yet, but I loved the beginning. I know the backstory and the lore of the Witcher universe so that helps me enjoy the game much more. Anyone who hasn't played any of the games should do themselves a favor and watch and read recaps of the characters and kingdoms.

Gameplay:
1) Combat. The Combat has much improved here from TW2. But at the same time, it's not as polished as a game like Bloodborne. I'm playing on the hardest difficulty and I can see myself improving after each fight. There are various enemies I've faced that I needed to kill using certain methods, which I found awesome.

2) Sidequests. Definitely not Dragon Age (I did enjoy DA:I but found most optional stuff quite boring). The Sidequest I just did in the first area was much better better than 99% of most open world games of recent memory. It had a unique back story to it that was actually interesting. Anyone who played TW2 knows how well CDPR handles their optional stuff...they do more than just collect this and that.

3) Exploration. Have I mentioned how beautiful this world is? Not only that, it's huge. Lots to explore and discover. I've only seen a tiny percent of what's out there. I already feel immersed.

4) Controls/Settings/Other. Controls feel nice...there was a slight learning curve but now I've got the hang of it. Settings are awesome...I've adjusted the HUD to remove some of the annoying things to let me play more "freely". I really like that these options are available. Lastly, performance has been good so far. Haven't seen any bugs or huge drops on the frame rate.


So far, I fucking love this game.
Thanks for this impression. Sounds like the XB1 version is great as well. Can't wait for a technical analysis. Also, to those who watched the Gamersyde videos, did you notice any frame rate drops. I think I noticed some minor ones in the village but other area seems smooth.
 
Here is the map for that area (Kaer Morhen), so I am guessing yes.

xHixr9V.gif
Holy shit, man! You've got to be kidding!! This game gooin be GangBusta's!!
 
Have they reworked how vigor functions? Because in TW2 it was borderline nonsensical at times, and also made using any sign other than Quen grossly inferior to sword mashing generally. Even a maxed out intensity, high vigor and sign damage Igni build was mostly inferior if you couldn't kill your enemies outright in the first few seconds. Above Normal that was rarely the case.

Anyway, the default vigor was two bars. Each time you parry or use a sign, it would deplete a specific amount, which would also afftect how much damage you would deal with your sword. Ok, that sounds fine. Yet, two full bars = 100% vigor with no penalty, but if you ADD more vigor bars, you aren't actually gaining additional actions without penalties, because the game would count your total available vigor as a percentage, not using two as the baseline.

That was just stupid and made the sword (and to a lesser extent alchemy) trees the superior option in most cases. And not just slightly. Sure, dumping 1-2 points into Quen could still be considered useful, but there wasn't any valid argument to heavily invest in the Magic tree other than "for flavor".
 
The last Xbox footage I saw was the giant bomb stream that vinny and Alex were doing. I didn't notice any frame rate stuff going on. The only weird thing that happened was Geralt's horse's head going through a wall during a cutscene, but that's just probably a bug.

That was pretty hilarious. The other weird thing I saw, and it probably has nothing to do with XB1 specifically, is that some enemies had really short leash distance. He fought a pack of Drowners and a pack of wolves that just stopped attacking when he ran a few steps back. I dont know if that was a bug, if its the prologue area, or that hes playing on normal difficulty.
 
Kaer Morhen appears briefly in the prologue, but I suspect there's more to it, and wouldn't be surprised if we return to it either in subsequent flashbacks or during Wild Hunt.
 
Wait, wait.. wait? The area around Kaer Morhen is explorable (including 'The Trail', etc)? Are we sure??

Wow... honestly thought it would just be the Castle being a separate area.

Well, it would be kind of a waste to have a map for the region if was just the Keep. It would be nice to have it confirmed, though.
 
Kaer Morhen appears briefly in the prologue, but I suspect there's more to it, and wouldn't be surprised if we return to it either in subsequent flashbacks or during Wild Hunt.

Wild Hunt story spoilers

Pretty sure you gather everyone and make your last stand there.
 
Even though I know its not the case, it feels like I'm the only one not playing. People are posting impressions and streaming all over. Sigh.. two and half more days.

It's killing me too. I think I will spend the weekend rereading some short stories or something :)
 
Have they reworked how vigor functions? Because in TW2 it was borderline nonsensical at times, and also made using any sign other than Quen grossly inferior to sword mashing generally. Even a maxed out intensity, high vigor and sign damage Igni build was mostly inferior if you couldn't kill your enemies outright in the first few seconds. Above Normal that was rarely the case.

Anyway, the default vigor was two bars. Each time you parry or use a sign, it would deplete a specific amount, which would also afftect how much damage you would deal with your sword. Ok, that sounds fine. Yet, two full bars = 100% vigor with no penalty, but if you ADD more vigor bars, you aren't actually gaining additional actions without penalties, because the game would count your total available vigor as a percentage, not using two as the baseline.

That was just stupid and made the sword (and to a lesser extent alchemy) trees the superior option in most cases. And not just slightly. Sure, dumping 1-2 points into Quen could still be considered useful, but there wasn't any valid argument to heavily invest in the Magic tree other than "for flavor".

As far as I know sword damage is no longer tied to vigor. Instead, they revamped Adrenaline to perform a similar function. The more Adrenaline you have the more damage you do -- you build it by successfully landing attacks and lose it when getting hit.
 
As far as I know sword damage is no longer tied to vigor. Instead, they revamped Adrenaline to perform a similar function. The more Adrenaline you have the more damage you do -- you build it by successfully landing attacks and lose it when getting hit.

Eh, okay. I'm not sure if that actually makes any more sense though. Actually, it seems like that might make for slightly more engaging and "tactical" (lol) combat, but it also makes it seem a lot more "gamey". Like you're trying to build up your critical multiplier or combo style points or whatever. It also makes it seem like Geralt is now some kind of berserker by default.

At the very least, it does away with the lame ineteraction with signs and makes things slightly more equal.

What streams have shown you can find quite a lot food from various places and eating even e.g. one chicken leg seems to give you quite a lot HP back over X seconds. I think you guys should give Hard a try, if you have considered it until now, as game allows you to adjust difficulty level on the fly.

Sooo, what's the point of removing those features if you can just switch diffiulties when you want to meditate? Please don't say "trophies".
 
Wow the Gamersyde footage looks fantastic. The IQ so, so much better than the share shots would have you believe and performance looks solid.
 
Eh, okay. I'm not sure if that actually makes any more sense though. Actually, it seems like that might make for slightly more engaging and "tactical" (lol) combat, but it also makes it seem a lot more "gamey". Like you're trying to build up your critical multiplier or combo style points or whatever. It also makes it seem like Geralt is now some kind of berserker by default.

At the very least, it does away with the lame ineteraction with signs and makes things slightly more equal.

One of the devs described it as being similar to "Rage" from other RPGs, so it is almost exactly like hes a bit of a warrior/berserker. By default that interaction isnt there, but they mentioned a skill in the tree that allows you to both build Adrenaline using Signs and also allows you to cast Signs using Adrenaline points. Which turns you into the closest thing the game has to a "Mage" since you're able to use spam spells pretty effectively.
 
Wow the Gamersyde footage looks fantastic. The IQ so, so much better than the share shots would have you believe and performance looks solid.

Sony really needs to up the quality of share pictures. Every time I check my shots out on the PS4 I think they look great, but when they're posted I'm left thinking wtf happened lol
 
One of the devs described it as being similar to "Rage" from other RPGs, so it is almost exactly like hes a bit of a warrior/berserker. By default that interaction isnt there, but they mentioned a skill in the tree that allows you to both build Adrenaline using Signs and also allows you to cast Signs using Adrenaline points. Which turns you into the closest thing the game has to a "Mage" since you're able to use spam spells pretty effectively.

I have to admit, that despite the combat still looking pretty "samey" compared to TW2, the finer details seem vastly improved. I also think the reworking of Adrenaline is much better than having to build up a meter over time, only to either hoard it, or blow it on trash enemies just so you aren't "wasting" it too. As cool in concept as the finishers were, they were pretty bad in terms of quality of life.
 
Wow the Gamersyde footage looks fantastic. The IQ so, so much better than the share shots would have you believe and performance looks solid.

I hear you. It just blows my mind that anyone could think that this game looks bad after seeing quality footage. It is one of the best looking games I have ever seen... easily.
 
Sony really needs to up the quality of share pictures. Every time I check my shots out on the PS4 I think they look great, but when they're posted I'm left thinking wtf happened lol

Hopefully we get .PNG uncompressed share shots on the PS4 as a feature at some point. Bit of a waste as it stands.
I pester them on twitter about it every now and then. The difference between what's on screen and what comes out of Share is just too big right now.

I hear you. It just blows my mind that anyone could think that this game looks bad after seeing quality footage. It is one of the best looking games I have ever seen... easily.

The Gamersyde footage also flatters the lighting more than any of the Youtube footage I've seen. Doesn't look as flat.
 
Wow the Gamersyde footage looks fantastic. The IQ so, so much better than the share shots would have you believe and performance looks solid.
Agreed completely, man. The IQ, foliage, lighting, character models, and textures are all very impressive in those Gamersyde videos. It looks about on par with those videos of the PC version on High we got a while ago.
 
This game should get a round of applause for its lip syncing. I didn't feel like reaching all the way forward (2 feet) and turning on my speakers when watching the Gamersyde videos and I could actually tell what words they were saying just by visuals alone. Pretty awesome.
 
Just finished White Orchard last night and i'm loving it so far.

The controls were pretty weird at the start (especially underwater and on the horse) but i'm slowly getting used to them.

Game looks absolutely stunning but the audio is on a other level (i'm playing with the PS4 gold wireless headset). Was running through the woods yesterday when a storm arrived, you could hear the wind blowing through the trees while hearing thunder and wolves howling in the back. Absolutely stunning audio effects.
 
I can't believe the person here with the XB1 version was a complete cocktease and didn't share their impression.

I'm dying to know what peoples impressions are, comparatively. If the XB1 version is hugely inferior, I'll pick it up on PS4....but while I have a small backlog on my XB1 (and it's currently setup), I'd like to avoid the hassle of switching out consoles until Batman.

I'm genuinely pleased with what devs are accomplishing this gen, it's incredible work. Dragon Age was stunning on console, partly due it's more stylised aesthetic, but stunning nonetheless.

Is there no OT?

No, discussion is just spilling over into every other thread, due to the awful 24 hour rule.

We need a "pre-OT" with no fancy graphics that gets immediately locked for the actual OT.
 
Just finished White Orchard last night and i'm loving it so far.

The controls were pretty weird at the start (especially underwater and on the horse) but i'm slowly getting used to them.

Game looks absolutely stunning but the audio is on a other level (i'm playing with the PS4 gold wireless headset). Was running through the woods yesterday when a storm arrived, you could hear the wind blowing through the trees while hearing thunder and wolves howling in the back. Absolutely stunning audio effects.

That seems pretty common. Vinny had the same issue on the Giantbomb stream today. He said theres a weird momentum to the movement while exploring that you have to adjust to.
 
So was Roach named after Roche, or is it just a strange coincidence? If he was named after Roche, does this mean Geralt is living out his fantasy of riding him all day?
 
The last Xbox footage I saw was the giant bomb stream that vinny and Alex were doing. I didn't notice any frame rate stuff going on. The only weird thing that happened was Geralt's horse's head going through a wall during a cutscene, but that's just probably a bug.

sure it wasn't story related? Maybe the horse was drunk
 
So was Roach named after Roche, or is it just a strange coincidence? If he was named after Roche, does this mean Geralt is living out his fantasy of riding him all day?


No, since the beginning, all Geralt's horses are named Roach.

The original name of Geralt's horse is Plotka, which is a multimeaning word, it means "duck" or "gossip" for example.However in actuality it is diminutive form of word Ploc, which is a type of fish common in Poland, and the horse is mostly named after that.

The horse in english is therefore called Roach after this fish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_roach

But it should be called Roachie or something like that (to be more accurate to Plotka), but I guess translators found it unfitting.

Ciri's horse is called Kelpie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

And that concludes Witcher lore lesson on Horses.

cirilla_and_kelpie_cosplay_by_koneko94-d84nihc.jpg
 
So guys have we come to a conclusion yet in regards to patches? Is the performance patch available for those who play the game now, or are we expecting it on tuesday with the official release of the game?
 
So guys have we come to a conclusion yet in regards to patches? Is the performance patch available for those who play the game now, or are we expecting it on tuesday with the official release of the game?

Apparently it's available with the preload that's currently out. ( which I have downloaded)
 
Holy shit, I am getting some serious RDR vibes from that PS4 footage, it has that sense of atmosphere and "pull" or immersion that made me just really explore and stare at the landscape.

That game was so beautiful(still is to me actually), and this game looks stunning on PS4.

I'm glad it sounds like the XBONE version is also up to snuff, overall I'm impressed with the PC and console footage. Can't wait to play it on PC, but I am just glad everyone is getting a solid technical version of the game. Then again this is CDPR, I kind of expected a good version of the game for everyone but everything looks so solid that I have to give it to them. The scale of this title just seems HUGE, and I can't wait to get lost in the world and music of this game.

Roll on Cyberpunk! I can't wait to see more about that game.
 
It's not the spiders you need to worry about, it's what's in the deep blue sea.

I really hope there is at least one massive sea monster out there somewhere in the depths.


I hate going in water in video games for fear of what swims below me. But I like that fear. In a game like this, it adds so much to immersion.
 
I really hope there is at least one massive sea monster out there somewhere in the depths.


I hate going in water in video games for fear of what swims below me. But I like that fear. In a game like this, it adds so much to immersion.

I'm so hype to swim/ride a boat near that whale (or is just the tail of one? who knows wtf that is.)

Also

Does anyone know what all changes on the hardest difficulty?

Anyone?
 
GOG stream said on hardest you don't regen health via meditation anymore and there are less map markers. I think as you go up you also get less XP and enemies hit harder. They haven't laid out the specific difference yet I don't think.
 
I really hope there is at least one massive sea monster out there somewhere in the depths.


I hate going in water in video games for fear of what swims below me. But I like that fear. In a game like this, it adds so much to immersion.

Have you seen the map? There's at least 4 massive sea monsters.

Gives me a reason to never sail the ocean.
 
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