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[Dragon1893]

^Very nice wallpaper.

Finished the EE sidequest on Iorveth's path, it's certainly more interesting story-wise than Roche's, since it's relevant to the main plot while also going deep into a part of the lore that hadn't been explored in the games yet.

Spoiler

And you get to kill Cynthia and her douchebag friend, nobody touches my Triss!
The ability to see what other characters are up to with the megascope is also a nice touch, lol at Dandelion.

The new area for Roche's quest is a lot more appealing visually though.
Both are worth checking out and add more meat to chapter 3 which was originally a lot smaller than the previous chapters.
This is the kind of stuff publishers charge $10-$15 for, yet with CDPR it's all free. It can't be said enough.

 

[Denton]

Hah I slept with Cynthia
Her multiplicating underling got iced though.

 

[Dragon1893]

Hah I slept with Cynthia
Her multiplicating underling got iced though.

You can do that? Now I'm having second thoughts lol.

 

[Denton]

You can do that? Now I'm having second thoughts lol.

Yeah you can get on very friendly terms with her
Disadvantage is that she only lets you use the machine once,which meant save and reload since I wanted to see all the scenes.

 

[Dragon1893]

Yeah you can get on very friendly terms with her
Disadvantage is that she only lets you use the machine once,which meant save and reload since I wanted to see all the scenes.

If you kill her it only works 3 times so you still have to reload once to watch them all.

Lots of new info here.

 

[Dragon1893]

More new info from a german mag, lots of good stuff here

These impressions are really good, so much awesome stuff, the hype is gonna kill me.

 

[Denton]

Yeah, I am starting to get angry at myself for reading the saga and replaying through Witcher 2 so early, should have left it for a bit later. Now I have two months of extra wait :/

I guess I will finally start playing Shadowrun Dragonfall to get it off my list, and then GTA5 is gonna make the wait easier, hopefully.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

All the new info and screens look AMAZING.

So, for the book readers. What do you think about the map they have shown.
I write here what I wrote in the other thread.

The map from Witcher 3

Wow, the scale of the map in the game is all butchered in comparison with the real maps in the books and the old games.
I understand it was for game purposes but its still a pity everything below Novigrad is completely invented.
So what it seems is that the map shows is a totally invented Temeria. With Skellige and No Mans Land going up (REALLY up) and eating everything from Cidaris, Brokilon Forest, Brugge, Lower and Upper Sodden and Cintra (the real No Mans Land in the books).
Them not naming the rivers in the map also confusses the real placement of things. For example, is the "second" river below the Pontar the Adalette River, or just some invented afluent with no name of the Pontar?
And Oxenfurt has been moved a lot from Novigrad, when they are closer in the real maps.

Seems like they took Bleobheris (it'a zone that goes down from the Pontar until the cities of Gors Velen and Dorian, not in this map), expanded it, and put a bunch of small no name towns and marshes on it.

As I said, totally understandable this happened, but still a pity, because the real maps have much more interesting things than neverending marshes and towns of four buildings, and even seeing them in a small scale, would have been amazing for the readers of the books. Would have loved to see Brokilon or the destroyed city of Cintra.

Still something I like is that I think the big last surprise of the game is going to be that in the last act we will visit Vizima for the last battle against Nilfgaard. Theyve put too much detail into that zone of the map. Same with Kaer Morhen, all those caves seem to be things you can visit in those chapters.

 

[Denton]

All the new info and screens look AMAZING.

So, for the book readers. What do you think about the map they have shown.
I write here what I wrote in the other thread.


Wow, the scale of the map in the game is all butchered in comparison with the real maps in the books and the old games.
I understand it was for game purposes but its still a pity everything below Novigrad is completely invented.
So what it seems is that the map shows is a totally invented Temeria. With Skellige and No Mans Land going up (REALLY up) and eating everything from Cidaris, Brokilon Forest, Brugge, Lower and Upper Sodden and Cintra (the real No Mans Land in the books).
Them not naming the rivers in the map also confusses the real placement of things. For example, is the "second" river below the Pontar the Adalette River, or just some invented afluent with no name of the Pontar?
And Oxenfurt has been moved a lot from Novigrad, when they are closer in the real maps.

Seems like they took Bleobheris (it'a zone that goes down from the Pontar until the cities of Gors Velen and Dorian, not in this map), expanded it, and put a bunch of small no name towns and marshes on it.

As I said, totally understandable this happened, but still a pity, because the real maps have much more interesting things than neverending marshes and towns of four buildings, and even seeing them in a small scale, would have been amazing for the readers of the books. Would have loved to see Brokilon or the destroyed city of Cintra.

Still something I like is that I think the big last surprise of the game is going to be that in the last act we will visit Vizima for the last battle against Nilfgaard. Theyve put too much detail into that zone of the map. Same with Kaer Morhen, all those caves seem to be things you can visit in those chapters.

Regarding the map, I think the exact same thing as this:

You're severely over analyzing a stylized map as something that's supposed to be accurate. It's a mash up of all the different areas in the game. They didn't move these places around in the actual world. Skellig is still far south, but the mainland doesn't extend down to Gors Velen. They didn't move Oxenfort, you just don't go much further east than that city. These are the playable areas that are mashed together on the map.

CDP is well aware this is stylized map that does not represent real geography. They just wanted to show all playable locations on one (inherently inaccurate) map.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Regarding the map, I think the exact same thing as this:



CDP is well aware this is stylized map that does not represent real geography. They just wanted to show all playable locations on one (inherently inaccurate) map.

Yeah just saw, that, I understand.
This is what i said there. I understand it being only visual, but still I have some problems with no mans land.

Yeah its stylised, sorry i didnt mention that (just like when they put Canary Islands near Spain in the meteo maps). Its just that, as I said, they seem to have chosen an area that's not interesting in the real world map (Bleobheris), scale it up, and add their own small town and things. Still, even if the skellige islands are just visual flare being so near, they have indeed moved up a lot No Mans Land (that was in upper sodden in the books), and I dont know, thats my main gripe with the map. I would also have prefered to have a big city in the south like Gors Velen, to make a frontier with the zone of Bleobheris and the main gameplay map end there in a cool way.
Its true they maybe havent moved Oxenfurt, is just that the sackle is all presented in the visual map makes it look more far than where it really is.



Would have been really cool with Ciri though, as she knows thats place well.


Oh, so you are going to play below Vizima in the prologue? Thats sounds really cool. Maybe the game finishes in the city. Would be really cool.

 

[Dragon1893]

I agree that visiting Brokilon and Cintra would've been cool, Brokilon in particular, though you never know what dlc plans they have.
I wouldn't get my hopes up for Vizima but you never know, comparing it to TW1 would be amazing.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Just saw this shot

Hoping you can get the medium transport boats round the Pontar with their captain and other travellers inside (not only small boats), like the one that Geralt uses to get to Novigrad (I think is in Blood of Elves), were he fights with the giant calamari thing while the scientist from Oxenfurt tells him its a new species.
Even if its only like a side mission story.

I agree that visiting Brokilon and Cintra would've been cool, Brokilon in particular, though you never know what dlc plans they have.
I wouldn't get my hopes up for Vizima but you never know, comparing it to TW1 would be amazing.

Yep, or just finish Bleobheris with Gors Velen in the south as a cool game frontier, with the massive mage tower.

 

[Gurgelhals]

Does anybody recognise the banner of the dude to the north of Novigrad on that map? I recognise King Radovid / Redania next to Oxenfurt (which makes sense plot-wise) and we already know that Emhyr / Nilfgaard will be based in Vizima. I'm just curious about what other political factions might play a major role in the game.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Sold off my 360 a month back and don't have a gaming PC..... so....

Anyone got a good play through of Witcher 2 they recommend?

I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never get to play it, but I don't want to be completely lost for W3 for which I have the PS4 version preordered

 

[Dragon1893]

Does anybody recognise the banner of the dude to the north of Novigrad on that map? I recognise King Radovid / Redania next to Oxenfurt (which makes sense plot-wise) and we already know that Emhyr / Nilfgaard will be based in Vizima. I'm just curious about what other political factions might play a major role in the game.

I'm not sure, Talgar's banner has half an eagle on a red background but other half is just plain red.
Redania's is also a an eagle on a red background but it's just the full eagle.

Sold off my 360 a month back and don't have a gaming PC..... so....

Anyone got a good play through of Witcher 2 they recommend?

I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never get to play it, but I don't want to be completely lost for W3 for which I have the PS4 version preordered

I never watch other people play games unless I'm stuck so I can't help you with that. It's a shame you can't play the game.

 

[Isendurl]

Sold off my 360 a month back and don't have a gaming PC..... so....

Anyone got a good play through of Witcher 2 they recommend?

I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never get to play it, but I don't want to be completely lost for W3 for which I have the PS4 version preordered

The Witcher Retrospective - Part 1
The Witcher Retrospective - Part 2

I post this few pages back, really well done summary of both witchers.

Edit: If you want more details there are also movie versions of both games.

The Witcher 1
The Witcher 2

 

[Dragon1893]

Well, I already put a story recap in the OP, I thought he wanted a complete playthrough.

 

[Dragon1893]

I've been wondering about the parts where we play as Ciri.
Apparently they play like a straight up action game which could actually provide a nice change of pace.
I really hope the gameplay in these sections isn't just an afterthought because I'm excited to play as Ciri and this would be really disappointing.
I don't expect it to be too different from playing as Geralt but we'll see, hopefully they can surprise us. If they removed the rpg elements from her parts they need something else to make it interesting and not just a wathered down version of Geralt's parts.

 

[Denton]

I am curious as hell about those too. Apparently she has a dishonoredesque blink ability, which should be fun as hell. I expect CDP took good care of those parts.
Still, assuming the game is as good as expected, I kinda cannot believe they would manage to pull all of this off in just 3 and a half years.

 

[Dragon1893]

Apparently she has a dishonoredesque blink ability, which should be fun as hell.

I missed that, nice!
That's the kind of stuff I'm going about. That alone is enough to differentiate her significantly from Geralt.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

The question is, will they have to nerf Ciri with the unevitable Witcher 4 when she is the main character of a real RPG only for her? lol

 

[Denton]

As much as I like Ciri, I think I would like Witcher 4 where we can create our own character.
And it would not even necessarily have to be a witcher (though the game's name would have to be changed in that case, I guess).

 

[AgentOtaku]

I post this few pages back, really well done summary of both witchers.

Edit: If you want more details there are also movie versions of both games.

The Witcher 1
The Witcher 2

FANTASTIC!

thank you (^______^)

 

[Dragon1893]

As much as I like Ciri, I think I would like Witcher 4 where we can create our own character.
And it would not even necessarily have to be a witcher (though the game's name would have to be changed in that case, I guess).

I think that allowing us to create our custom Witcher and creating a completely new story to go along with it will be the next step.

 

[-Deimos]

I'd rather they come up with a way to nerf Ciri and have a full game starring her before moving on to custom characters. Depending on the way W3 ends though, it might be best to move on now.

 

[Dries]

I'm reading the Blood of the Elves currently and it's pretty interesting. Can't wait to read the next books too. The books add so much depth to the characters too. Really fun to have more background information while playing the games. I'll be replaying TW2 too, right before the release of TW3. Finally I can use ubersampling too

 

[Denton]

I'm reading the Blood of the Elves currently and it's pretty interesting. Can't wait to read the next books too. The books add so much depth to the characters too. Really fun to have more background information while playing the games. I'll be replaying TW2 too, right before the release of TW3. Finally I can use ubersampling too

Hah, Blood of Elves is just an intro. Shit that goes down in next novels is something else

 

[aravuus]

I'm drastically behind on my reading schedule, barely done with the second book. So much has been happening in the past couple of months. The last exams and shit of this semester should be in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I'll have more time after that. 5 books in less than a month isn't gonna be easy.

And for some reason, every time I do manage to pick up a book, it's the Name of the Wind.

 

[Dragon1893]

Hah, Blood of Elves is just an intro. Shit that goes down in next novels is something else

Yeah, it only gets better, BoE is actually my least favorite of all the books.

 

[Dragon1893]

Tried to recreate Ciri for my current Dark Souls 2 playthrough lol.

Didn't go too well.

So, about the expansion, shame that none of the areas we speculated for dlc materialised (I would've loved Brokilon) but I'm glad that we're getting more TW3.
A new chapter towards the end of the year and another one next year feels about right, should give me time to play other things in between.

 

[Jay Shadow]

Tried to recreate Ciri for my current Dark Souls 2 playthrough lol.

That's not too bad actually. Better than my attempts in Soul Calibur 5 before Wild Hunt was announced. Although they were okay in the beret/feather/scarf department so my Falka was passable.

So, about the expansion, shame that none of the areas we speculated for dlc materialised (I would've loved Brokilon) but I'm glad that we're getting more TW3.

True we don't get Brokilon, but a more fleshed out Oxenfurt, and a Toussiant expansion is still a pretty big win for book fans.

 

[Dragon1893]

That's not too bad actually. Better than my attempts in Soul Calibur 5 before Wild Hunt was announced. Although they were okay in the beret/feather/scarf department so my Falka was passable.

True we don't get Brokilon, but a more fleshed out Oxenfurt, and a Toussiant expansion is still a pretty big win for book fans.

Yeah, definitely.

 

[-Deimos]

That's not too bad actually. Better than my attempts in Soul Calibur 5 before Wild Hunt was announced. Although they were okay in the beret/feather/scarf department so my Falka was passable.

True we don't get Brokilon, but a more fleshed out Oxenfurt, and a Toussiant expansion is still a pretty big win for book fans.

Really looking forward to Toussiant, actually.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

That's not too bad actually. Better than my attempts in Soul Calibur 5 before Wild Hunt was announced. Although they were okay in the beret/feather/scarf department so my Falka was passable.

True we don't get Brokilon, but a more fleshed out Oxenfurt, and a Toussiant expansion is still a pretty big win for book fans.

Yeah, definitely.

Yep, and they even say old characters will return. And one of the expansion in oxenfurt means Shani is very probably one of the main characters on that.

 

[varkuriru]

Hi All,

Just finished Book 6 - dat ice skating!

And I'm reading through lady of the Lake - first two chapters and the plot is getting crazy...it is pretty great. Also I am hoping Witcher 3 does justice to Yennefer. She is so badass.

 

[-Deimos]

Hi All,

Just finished Book 6 - dat ice skating!

And I'm reading through lady of the Lake - first two chapters and the plot is getting crazy...it is pretty great. Also I am hoping Witcher 3 does justice to Yennefer. She is so badass.

Prepare for tears.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

This is the kind of stuff publishers charge $10-$15 for, yet with CDPR it's all free. It can't be said enough.

I know this is an old post, but... NOT ANYMORE BWAHHAHAHA.

Although they're expansions the size of new games, so it's fair for the price they're offering.

 

[Dragon1893]

I know this is an old post, but... NOT ANYMORE BWAHHAHAHA.

Although they're expansions the size of new games, so it's fair for the price they're offering.

Yeah, this is on a completely different level.
Unfortunately there's no shortage of idiots who have issues with this, but I've said what I had to say about it in the respective thread.

 

[IrrelevantAlex]

So I showed my friend the new footage and he said "it looks good but to bad I don't support plagerism." That's when he told me about the bookGeralt rippoff ordeal.
So how founded are these claims?

He and another friend are opposed to getting any witcher games. I'd think if these claims had any merit a lot more people would be opposed too but I'm not seeing it, so that made me curious.

 

[aravuus]

What rip-off ordeal? Plagiarism? Wtf

 

[Dragon1893]

So I showed my friend the new footage and he said "it looks good but to bad I don't support plagerism." That's when he told me about the bookGeralt rippoff ordeal.
So how founded are these claims?

He and another friend are opposed to getting any witcher games. I'd think if these claims had any merit a lot more people would be opposed too but I'm not seeing it, so that made me curious.

I have no idea what you're talking about. Could you please elaborate?

 

[Denton]

So I showed my friend the new footage and he said "it looks good but to bad I don't support plagerism." That's when he told me about the bookGeralt rippoff ordeal.
So how founded are these claims?

He and another friend are opposed to getting any witcher games. I'd think if these claims had any merit a lot more people would be opposed too but I'm not seeing it, so that made me curious.

This post is hilarious.
You ask us how founded are some made up claims without actually telling us what they are, and expect an answer.

 

[IrrelevantAlex]

Ah, my bad I posted before sleep.

Apparently, Andrzej Sapkowski rippoff the idea of Geraltof Rivia from Elric of Melnibone character made by Michael Moorcock in the book The Weird of the White Wolf.

Now looking up some more on this myself, if anything this seems more on the territory of inspiration then blatant rippoff.

Now on too stuff I looked up. This seemed to all start because a fan told Moorcock that Geralt was similar to Elric here: http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showthread.php?t=10894#4 and gets hissy about infringement without knowing anything about The Witcher series. This ofcourse gets attention of some people and thus how my friends found about this long time ago.

I'm beginning to think that my friends are boycotting a game for no real justified reason.

 

[Dragon1893]

Ah, my bad I posted before sleep.

Apparently, Andrzej Sapkowski rippoff the idea of Geraltof Rivia from Elric of Melnibone character made by Michael Moorcock in the book The Weird of the White Wolf.

Now looking up some more on this myself, if anything this seems more on the territory of inspiration then blatant rippoff.

Now on too stuff I looked up. This seemed to all start because a fan told Moorcock that Geralt was similar to Elric here: http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showthread.php?t=10894#4 and gets hissy about infringement without knowing anything about The Witcher series. This ofcourse gets attention of some people and thus how my friends found about this long time ago.

I'm beginning to think that my friends are boycotting a game for no real justified reason.

I wasn't aware of this but that seems like a really stupid reason to boycott a game lol, regardless of it being true or not.

 

[RDreamer]

Ah, my bad I posted before sleep.

Apparently, Andrzej Sapkowski rippoff the idea of Geraltof Rivia from Elric of Melnibone character made by Michael Moorcock in the book The Weird of the White Wolf.

Now looking up some more on this myself, if anything this seems more on the territory of inspiration then blatant rippoff.

Now on too stuff I looked up. This seemed to all start because a fan told Moorcock that Geralt was similar to Elric here: http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showthread.php?t=10894#4 and gets hissy about infringement without knowing anything about The Witcher series. This ofcourse gets attention of some people and thus how my friends found about this long time ago.

I'm beginning to think that my friends are boycotting a game for no real justified reason.

Sounded interesting, so I checked out the forum, which has the author himself replying. He said some interesting things in regards to Witcher:

Apparently there never was a lawsuit

There never was a lawsuit. Those narratives waste time...

He also said this:

Where people use my influences or ideas to advance confrontation of conventional society I have no problem. Where they pinch my ideas just to pep up a decadent genre, I have serious issues. Where they lift characters, vocabulary and imagery to SUPPORT the conventions I resist, then I have a lot of problems. D&D did a lot to spread my ideas, as did comics, so there are lots of people out there completely unconscious of where the initial stuff came from. I sue where people take my named characters, established imagery or private vocabulary and try to exploit me or my readers. The Polish stuff seems a fair way distant from my stuff. It's generic. When I started I was, as it were, anti-generic.

He says White Wolf has become a bit of a generic term:

'White Wolf' I have to say, has become something of a generic term! There are plenty of authors who have modified my work to their own use and others who have been inspired by it to create their own originals (as I hope I did with my admired predecessors).

And here's what he says about characters inspired by his work:

As for characters and stories influenced by Elric etc. I really have become reconciled to this. I would pursue any obvious rips, but otherwise you are in the position, say, of Conan Doyle, who saw hundreds of Sherlock Holmes clones appear in his lifetime, or Rudyard Kipling who saw dozens of Mowgli rips (including Tarzan!) appear pretty much within months of the publication of those stories. I suppose you have to be content with the knowledge that you're that kind of writer, rather than the kind who produces what you might call unoriginal characters or ideas. I have no problem with writers riffing off my ideas and adding to them -- there are some outstanding and original writers who have done this -- but I haven't much respect for people who do it without adding anything to the mix.

So, it sounds like what happens all the damned time in the fantasy genre. People are inspired by people, and certain things a kind of similar. The work itself is wholly original, though. I really don't think "powerful outcast with white hair" to be quite enough of plagiarism to sweat it, personally.

 

[Dragon1893]

So, it sounds like what happens all the damned time in the fantasy genre. People are inspired by people, and certain things a kind of similar. The work itself is wholly original, though. I really don't think "powerful outcast with white hair" to be quite enough of plagiarism to sweat it, personally.

Pretty much.
I checked the thread as well and yeah, sounds like superficial similarities that you can find in pretty much anything within every genre.

 

[Denton]

You know when even in a thread that concerns possible "rip-off" people are actually praising Sapkowski and CDP's work that it's not really an issue.
Personally I have doubts Sapkowski even heard of Moorcock when writing Witcher, what with being in communist Poland where western literature was in large part banned. Giving a protagonist white hair and nickname White Wolf is not exactly the most unique idea in the world.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Yep I think I read about this some years ago and it was sttled that it was really difficult it could be a rip off in any way or form.

Tell your friends to not be so voluble and that they are in the wrong.

 

[Tony Redgrave]

I'm preparing a new walkthrough so I can see Iorveth's path and the new added content to the third act before TW3 releases. I was wondering, what do you guys think of the combat re-balance mod released by CDPR? Does it work well, do you recommend it?

 

[Dragon1893]

I'm preparing a new walkthrough so I can see Iorveth's path and the new added content to the third act before TW3 releases. I was wondering, what do you guys think of the combat re-balance mod released by CDPR? Does it work well, do you recommend it?

Only played the first with the mod.
It's definitely an interesting experience, I like how the gameplay is better integrated with the lore. For example, it's completely impossible to kill a specter without applying specter oil to your sword.
This kind of thing should be in the games, they should force the player to use oils, potions, etc. The game allows players to just slash their way through everything which makes it seem shallower than it really is.
In TW2 the roll is replaced by a piruette which makes a lot of sense since it's pretty much the trademark move of Geralt's fighting style.
I did run into some issues though, some battles became almost impossibly hard because certain weapons used by the enemies did insane damage.
I almost had to drop the game because there was a fight were Geralt was taking damage before the cutscene that precedes it was over, so by the time I regained control of Geralt he was already dead.


Regarding TW3, I'm worried about the fact that it seems to be possible to do a threesome with Triss and Yen, there's just no way that a scene like that wont be completely out of character for Yen.
I wish CDPR would've resisted the temptation to go down that road.