The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[Bubba]

Anyone planning on getting this when it's released?

I wasn't sure at first but after seeing more of the game I'm really smurfing excited. Some of environments look stunning and it's been getting 10/10 all over the place. I wish I had a little more free cash so I could rush out and buy this in three days!

Anyway, who fancy it?

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[DMKA]

I got it free when I purchased my new GPU, and I already have it pre-loaded.

I have yet to play the first two but from what I've read playing the first two isn't a prerequisite. So I'll probably just go ahead and play it.

[Bolivar]

I got the boxed PC version with a bundled comic and the limited edition strategy guide coming on Tuesday. Also finished the fan translation of the last book, so I'm excited the game's almost here. Curious to see how it runs on my PC after all the recent discussion about downgrades.

[Bubba]

I have yet to play the first two but from what I've read playing the first two isn't a prerequisite. So I'll probably just go ahead and play it.

Yeah, I don't like entering a series a few games in but I've heard this as well. I started the Uncharted games on the second one and that didn't make any difference.

[Formalhaut]

I have yet to play the first two but from what I've read playing the first two isn't a prerequisite. So I'll probably just go ahead and play it.

Yeah, I don't like entering a series a few games in but I've heard this as well. I started the Uncharted games on the second one and that didn't make any difference.

I've also heard this as well. Witcher 1 is PC only (very odd), while Witcher 2 went on to console as well. I don't own a PC well enough to play Witcher 1, so if and when I'll get this game I'll probably start at Witcher 2. Which I know isn't supposed to make a difference but I feel like I'm missing out anyway.

[DMKA]

Witcher 1 is PC only (very odd), while Witcher 2 went on to console as well.

Apparently the developers CD Projekt RED kept running into odd hurdles when porting the games to consoles (probably because they had zero experience working with the console side of things at that point). The first Witcher (re-branded "The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf) was planned to be ported to PS3 and 360 (trailers for this exist) for a very long time but after so many financial hiccups and contractual fall throughs they were busy working on TW2 and just gave up on it. The second game was actually planned for 360 and PS3 (even some of the trailers list PS3) but again somewhere along the line things fell through so there's a 360 port now but it never got put on PS3.

How well TW3 performs could change all that though, especially in this current era of re-releasing/making/mastering/porting every successful game out there.

[Bolivar]

PSA, the digital version should be live for download I believe.

NVidia also released their Tweak Guide for the game:

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-graphics-performance-and-tweaking-guide

I definitely recommend PC players check it out when they get a chance, as the game's settings are too demanding for any single enthusiast graphics card to max at 1080p and 60fps. Setting a target goal for the experience you want and then configuring it accordingly is one of the most rewarding aspects of PC gaming. For an idea of what framerates you can expect, PC Games Hardware has comprehensive breakdown here:

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/The-Witcher-3-PC-237266/Specials/Grafikkarten-Benchmarks-1159196/

The website is German but the benchmark sections use the English names, which I imagine aren't that much different from German. Long story short, GTX 900 and AMD R9 series cards are doing very well, although GTX 700 series and below are underperforming considerably.

[DMKA]

To anyone that's played it; how true are the "downgrade" claims?

[Bolivar]

I wouldn't say they downgraded it, rather that they took the game in a different artistic direction. On the one hand, the 2013 gameplay trailer comparisons clearly show there are different assets, LOD is now less detailed, many effects are missing, the Image Quality was overall just a lot sharper. However, when you crank the grass density and foliage distance, and you actually see the game in motion, with its colorful landscapes and weather effects and everything swaying in the wind, it's immediately apparent that the team had a creative vision that diverged from the realistic, monochromatic footage that was initially shown. And they nailed it. I was just discussing this with a friend and we agreed that while Crysis 3 probably has the most sophisticated visual output, I would still say that artistically, The Witcher 3 is the most impressive game on PC right now. It really looks like a painting in motion.

The cynics want you to believe that CDPR had to hold their vision back once the underwhelming next-gen console specs were revealed but along that line of reasoning, the current state of PC gaming must have held them back as well. As the benchmarks show, anyone not using the latest series of AMD and Nvidia cards is having a really rough time trying to run this game. It's a demanding monster as is and I cringe to think about the backlash if they had delivered something as hyper realistic as the first trailers. If anything, I imagine DX11 just didn't deliver the GPU utilization they were looking for.

We might get back to some of the original features as time goes on with patching and mods. Just today they released an enhanced sharpening setting which was one of the main aesthetics of the early builds. And they have hinted that some of that stuff will be more possible with DX12. They've already surpassed my expectations of how this would look and run on my R9 290 and I'm excited for AMD's driver update next week to get my second card going in crossfire. For anyone wanting to see CDPR's breakdown on the issue, I recommend reading this:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-19-cd-projekt-red-tackles-the-witcher-3-graphics-downgrade-issue-head-on

[-N-]

I got this game for free while building a new computer - it came with the video card.

Anyone playing it? Anyone with not a lot of free time trying to play it? What are your impressions?

I am attracted to the supposed Skyrim-scale open world, but the third person really bugs me.

[Shauna]

Merged your thread with the existing one. :}

[Bolivar]

So far it's been great. The facial animations alone automatically elevate it above other dialogue and choice heavy RPGs. The time of day and weather effects are impressive and create all these random moments that feel like they were hand-crafted instead. Witcher games have always given a lot of choice for players in combat but some of the things they added (passive loadouts, secondary spell functions, decoction potions) bring an entirely new level of customization depth I haven't seen in action RPGs. And the story is the same high standard we expect from CDPR, with some scenes that are already among the most powerful I've seen in a game. Specifically with the Bloody Baron and his family.

It lives up to its reputation as "The Skyrim Killer" but there is one area where Bethesda comes away unscathed and that's how they litter their open worlds with dungeons and mini quests. Wild Hunt feels more like an open world action game as most of the points of interest are bandit dens, monster nests, treasure hunts and the like. There are some solid dungeons but they seem few and far between. Thats one area they could still improve upon. Otherwise, this is a must play game for fans of RPGs and open world AAA games.

[Zanmato]

Fynn, it's time to talk about OUR BEST VIDEO GAME here! :D
TW1 was PC Only, because it was their first AAA game, simply.
When it became famous, they focused on conquering worldwide gamers with TW2, and you know the rest. :P
We're very proud of this game, this is our legacy and it's great that Poland is aknowledged thanks to Sapkowski's saga. :3

[Fynn]

I think I mentioned this elsewhere already - my best friend works for CDProjekt and gas been working on The Witcher 3. And I'm super happy :)

I've yet to play the games though. Need to finish the books first. I also plan to offer my own translation of the rest of the books. I heard the original translation is notoriously bad.

[Zanmato]

@Fynn - I read all books, except Season Of Storms (Sezon Burz) and didn't play any game... maybe I'll have the chance in the future? Who knows? XD

[Bolivar]

I finished the series in English, the official translations aren't too bad but I do think you need to adjust to enjoy the tone of the novels. They're often dark but at the same time don't take themselves as seriously as English fantasies are prone to. The Tower of the Swallow was my favorite one and I can't tell if that's because the unofficial translations are better or it's just the best installment of the series.

I'm almost done with the game, will probably write up my thoughts in an EoFF blog post, I've littered this thread with my impressions too much as it is :p

[Zanmato]

I finished the series in English, the official translations aren't too bad but I do think you need to adjust to enjoy the tone of the novels. They're often dark but at the same time don't take themselves as seriously as English fantasies are prone to. The Tower of the Swallow was my favorite one and I can't tell if that's because the unofficial translations are better or it's just the best installment of the series.

I'm almost done with the game, will probably write up my thoughts in an EoFF blog post, I've littered this thread with my impressions too much as it is :p

These books are pretty hard to translate, because the archaic Polish is pretty complex and Sapkowski is son of a gun - even if you know Polish, you must have a wordbook next to you, because these books are really hard to understand for the "average Joe", haha! XD

[DMKA]

I finished the first game and the second and recently started the third, but took a break from it to play Batman Arkham Knight because from everything I've read about The Witcher 3 I have no idea when I'll be done with it.

It's a pretty game to be sure, and the gameplay just feels so much more polished, and I like how much more alive Geralt seems this time around. I do feel like I'm missing out on some stuff having never read the books though.

[Del Murder]

I've heard good things about this game and hopefully someday I'll have time to check it out. I want to play Arkham Knight too!

[Nice]

I'm playing this game now and honestly it took a whole before I really got into it. I was bored at first. But! But! After a few hours something clicked and I was hooked. The game is amazing.

Del Murder I feel ya about the time issue. I work most of the day and when I get home I'm not in the mood - usually too tired. So when I get time, like a Saturday, I've been plowing through it. It's definitely worth playing, maybe a game of the year contender for sure. I just got at Skellige isles.

[Shadowdust]

I never thought a newer game could rank so high on my list but this is my number one favorite game of all time. The first two were enjoyable but definitely had their faults. This installment was one I never wanted to end. As I neared the end, I actually started to get a little melancholy.

The gameplay is obviously fun but really got me were the relationships as well as the consequences of my decisions. I've been a long time fan of various Bioware games because of the various interactive decisions I've got to make in them. Witcher 3 blows all of those games away with the complications that come with each decision made. Sometimes you make a decision that hurts a lot of people. So many times, the right and wrong decision is more like the lesser of two evils.

Anyway, I finished after about 130 hours and I hadn't even done half of all the the quests in the game. And if you like looting, this game has some massive treasure hunts waiting for you. Skellige Islands will blow you away with the amount of loot available to search for.

There are few games out there that warrant their $60 price tag and Witcher 3 is worth every penny. DRM free, few bugs, and a very compelling gaming experience sums up Witcher 3 as being one of the best games of 2015 if not the very best.

[Nice]

I never thought a newer game could rank so high on my list but this is my number one favorite game of all time. The first two were enjoyable but definitely had their faults. This installment was one I never wanted to end. As I neared the end, I actually started to get a little melancholy.

The gameplay is obviously fun but really got me were the relationships as well as the consequences of my decisions. I've been a long time fan of various Bioware games because of the various interactive decisions I've got to make in them. Witcher 3 blows all of those games away with the complications that come with each decision made. Sometimes you make a decision that hurts a lot of people. So many times, the right and wrong decision is more like the lesser of two evils.

Anyway, I finished after about 130 hours and I hadn't even done half of all the the quests in the game. And if you like looting, this game has some massive treasure hunts waiting for you. Skellige Islands will blow you away with the amount of loot available to search for.

There are few games out there that warrant their $60 price tag and Witcher 3 is worth every penny. DRM free, few bugs, and a very compelling gaming experience sums up Witcher 3 as being one of the best games of 2015 if not the very best.


Totally agree.

[fat_moogle]

I want to try this game, but I don't have time for it at the moment. I've also heard the game still has some issues that are waiting to be patched on consoles? So when I do eventually get around to playing it hopefully all these patches would have hit.

[Bolivar]

I haven't heard of anything big enough to steer you away from the game and I have to imagine it wouldn't be getting this level of acclaim if there were any issues that big. The last numbers indicate the PS4 version is the best selling SKU and the consensus seems to peg it as the go-to platform for a hassle-free yet still high-end experience.

Also, CDPR is especially committed to post-launch support, which will likely continue even beyond the inevitable Game of the Year Edition in 2016. I don't really see a point in waiting for the game to get to an optimal state before jumping in, since it's going to keep getting better and better all the time.

[Tyson]

Had to resurrect this thread. I completed The Witcher 3 a couple weeks ago now and am still playing it any chance I get, what a masterpiece! Even once I do everything in the game I'm thinking of doing a New Game Plus run to get all the gwent trophies. I cannot give this game enough praise!

This is the only non PS1/PS2 era game I would put on my top 10 list of favourite games of all time. Was such a surprise.

If you are into open world western RPG's you NEED to play this game. CD Project Red are the new masters of the genre. I kinda feel bad for Bethesda and Bioware :/

[Zanmato]

Had to resurrect this thread. I completed The Witcher 3 a couple weeks ago now and am still playing it any chance I get, what a masterpiece! Even once I do everything in the game I'm thinking of doing a New Game Plus run to get all the gwent trophies. I cannot give this game enough praise!

This is the only non PS1/PS2 era game I would put on my top 10 list of favourite games of all time. Was such a surprise.

If you are into open world western RPG's you NEED to play this game. CD Project Red are the new masters of the genre. I kinda feel bad for Bethesda and Bioware :/

That's why I'm proud of my country, haha! :D
This is definitely one of the best games based on movies/books/comics. :cool:
I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^^
I'm also a Witcher fan, but I didn't play any game yet - I hope I'll have an opportunity to do so. ^^