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[jett]

Dragon Age having shitcakes art doesn't help.

 

[WanderingWind]

I got 100 bucks in my "I need a new video card" fund so far. I'm going to need about 4 times that, I think.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I dont think is only that, the lightning, the textures and colors used (especially obn the background) makes it feel totally different, even if its a similar place.

Yeah. It looks way less sterile because of that.

 

[Jay Shadow]

CD Projekt REALLY wants there to be console versions of W2, they've even changed the control scheme and HUD to better accommodate the use of a controller. Seems like they are waiting for a third-party to step-up and offer to do the ports though.

Quite the opposite. They said early on that the reason there won't be a console port until after the PC release is because they want to do it themselves and don't have the manpower to focus on multiple systems. But they were insisting on doing it all themselves because farming out White Wolf didn't go well at all.

 

[iavi]

Quite the opposite. They said early on that the reason there won't be a console port until after the PC release is because they want to do it themselves and don't have the manpower to focus on multiple systems. But they were insisting on doing it all themselves because farming out White Wolf didn't go well at all.

Apparently there is a FAQ up on their forum that, while being coined unnofficial, has been fact checked by someone from Red: Forum It list's the console versions as planned, the DX10-11 versions as eventual, and mac/linux version as never.

EDIT: For those who didn't catch it, theres a dev diary from last month up over at Dailymotion detailing the locations: Video

 

[Exuro]

And I don't know if you guys have seen this yet, but theres a new dev diary up, over at Dailymotion, detailing the locations: Video

No offense but this dev diary is from last month. Not really new.

I got 100 bucks in my "I need a new video card" fund so far. I'm going to need about 4 times that, I think.

Well I would wait for final requirements before spending $400 on a video card.

 

[iavi]

No offense but this dev diary is from last month. Not really new.

You're right... For some reason I read the post date as March 2.

 

[PflargBlarg]

So a video was posted with much better quality than both the Gamespot and Gametrailer videos. The sound was recorded over but the game looks soooo nice. Beginning shows geralt walking around the dwarven town as well as other locations Picks up in the middle where he's fighting. Combat animation is fantastic. Also shows mini games like poker dice. The music is all from the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEUazuUBZ4Y&feature=player_embedded

For better quality/download.
http://www.the-witcher.de/?go=dlfile&id=174

Oh for...they're using that stupid red colouring around the border of the screen to indicate damage. Really do not want. The rest of it looked pretty good excepting the roll-heavy combat. I suspect it was just the specific Geralt build for that video but the "guy near me? roll like a mofo" school of combat doesn't really sit well with me.

 

[Dice]

Pre-ordering this now.

Those gameplay videos... it's got way more than pretty graphics. But regarding those, I watched a demonstration that seemed to be set to very low settings and it still looked pretty damn good. I guess their art style holds up across the whole scale. I'll probably still get something beautiful with my PII X4 and 5850, but I'll hopefully be upgrading to a 6-core and whatever new ATI card is coming out near the BF3 release and then going back to play this maxed out.

 

[kallisto76]

can't say if the screenshots below are new, Vg247 posted these screens today:

 

[Zeliard]

Think I just had a slight orgasm.

 

[Exuro]

Demo build is at Pax East. Some interesting comparisons here

"The demo for the Witcher 2 looked good, but not great -- it was on par to running 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins on the high-end settings"

There are a ton of comparisons to DA:O for some reason. Also game had some framerate problems and screentears(no idea why vsync wouldn't be on) on a beastly rig.

Odd article to say the least.

http://www.desktopreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1374&news=witcher+2+demo+gigabyte+pax+east+gaming

 

[Discotheque]

I find that hard to believe since that gameplay video a couple of weeks old looked far better than DAO on high.

 

[jett]

Demo build is at Pax East. Some interesting comparisons here

"The demo for the Witcher 2 looked good, but not great -- it was on par to running 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins on the high-end settings"

There are a ton of comparisons to DA:O for some reason. Also game had some framerate problems and screentears(no idea why vsync wouldn't be on) on a beastly rig.

Odd article to say the least.

http://www.desktopreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1374&news=witcher+2+demo+gigabyte+pax+east+gaming

I'm not surprised to hear about the framerate problems. The recent 10-minute gameplay video seemed to drop frames here and there.

W2 absolutely visually slaughters every game Bioware has ever made combined though.

 

[Snuggles]

Glorious.

Is that Dandelion in the 2nd to last shot?

 

[Exuro]

Glorious.

Is that Dandelion in the 2nd to last shot?

No that's some kid you can either save or kill during the prison break quest. I forget his name but when you go to rescue his topless mom she asks if you've seen her son and you either did or you killed him in a fight. All I remember. Not sure if accurate.

I'm not surprised to hear about the framerate problems. The recent 10-minute gameplay video seemed to drop frames here and there.

W2 absolutely visually slaughters every game Bioware has ever made combined though.

I agree. I just find the comparisons to DA:O a little odd.

 

[Kinspiracy]

Love the static shots, but I wish the fighting animations didn't look like shit.

In a video I saw recently, one of the guys on the DA2 team said they have the best guys in the business working on DA2. I'm thinking they don't. Best in their province of Canada perhaps.

 

[Exuro]

Love the static shots, but I wish the fighting animations didn't look like shit.

In a video I saw recently, one of the guys on the DA2 team said they have the best guys in the business working on their game. I'm thinking they don't. Best in their province of Canada perhaps.

Which fighting animations are you referring to? And what does Canada have to do with Poland?

 

[Salaadin]

Which fighting animations are you referring to? And what does Canada have to do with Poland?

Hes talking about DA2, not TW2. Bioware is in Canada, I think.

 

[Clott]

were there rumors of a delay? or am I thinking of another game.

 

[Exuro]

Hes talking about DA2, not TW2. Bioware is in Canada, I think.

My bad. I somehow missed "DA2" in that post. What does that have to do with this thread? lol

 

[Peff]

I dunno, even their own screenshots (off-screen but still) look better than both Dragon Age games:

It's likely that the game won't look as good as some of the pics they've been releasing, but that last batch up there seems unaltered and they still look fantastic.

 

[Kinspiracy]

Which fighting animations are you referring to? And what does Canada have to do with Poland?

Referring to these animations. Specifically at around the 3:50 mark. They seem slow and awkward and lack any real sense of connecting with the target. I have no idea how old the version of the game being shown in that video is though, so it may be a lot better now.

Loved the description of the succubus CSI-esque quest in that Pax demo.

 

[jackdoe]

I dunno, even their own screenshots (off-screen but still) look better than both Dragon Age games:

Yep. Which makes the article weird as hell.

 

[Exuro]

Referring to these animations. Specifically at around the 3:50 mark. They seem slow and awkward and lack any real sense of connecting with the target. I have no idea how old the version of the game being shown in that video is though, so it may be a lot better now.

Loved the description of the succubus CSI-esque quest in that Pax demo.

Well for one that video is from last years E3. That should tell you how old it is. And honestly the animation isn't as bad as you are saying. Guys getting hit are reacting to being hit although it does seem somewhat off, I wouldn't say its "shit". Here's the latest build/video that we know of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEUazuUBZ4Y See if that's any better/worse for you.

 

[MMaRsu]

Damn son this game looks amazing.

 

[jackdoe]

Love the static shots, but I wish the fighting animations didn't look like shit.

In a video I saw recently, one of the guys on the DA2 team said they have the best guys in the business working on DA2. I'm thinking they don't. Best in their province of Canada perhaps.

So you're saying you dislike The Witcher 2's animations while taking a potshot at Bioware's animators as well? That's kind of a weird jump.

 

[Kinspiracy]

Well for one that video is from last years E3. That should tell you how old it is. And honestly the animation isn't as bad as you are saying. Guys getting hit are reacting to being hit although it does seem somewhat off, I wouldn't say its "shit". Here's the latest build/video that we know of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEUazuUBZ4Y See if that's any better/worse for you.

Seems better, but that slow roll just looks ridiculous. One thing that remains from the old video I linked is the main guys really slow looping attacks that take 2-3 seconds to strike yet the guy being attacked just stands there stupidly allowing it to happen. Loved the look of the magical attacks in your video.

I'm new to the series, so pardon the ignorance, but is this a party-based game or simply one guy traversing the world doing quests etc?

 

[Kinspiracy]

So you're saying you dislike The Witcher 2's animations while taking a potshot at Bioware's animators as well? That's kind of a weird jump.

Either that or I just read the first page of this thread and then the last and skipped all of the middle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that not a giant screenshot of DA2 right under all the Witcher 2 bullshots on page 1.

 

[Exuro]

Seems better, but that slow roll just looks ridiculous. One thing that remains from the old video I linked is the main guys really slow looping attacks that take 2-3 seconds to strike yet the guy being attacked just stands there stupidly allowing it to happen. Loved the look of the magical attacks in your video.

I'm new to the series, so pardon the ignorance, but is this a party-based game or simply one guy traversing the world doing quests etc?

Yeah I agree some sword swings seem to be slow while others look perfect. And the rolling was all the player. It's like in Zelda where you dont actually need to roll but people do it anyways.

As for parties, in the original it was all just you. In this one it'll remain the same but there are suppose to be quests like the succubus one where you take a friend(or control of) to complete missions. But overall it's you playing the role of Geralt of Rivia.

 

[BattleMonkey]

So video out there that show off how combat and such works in Witcher 2? I loved Witcher 1 but the combat system was pretty awful. Did they make major changes to the gameplay?

 

[Exuro]

So video out there that show off how combat and such works in Witcher 2? I loved Witcher 1 but the combat system was pretty awful. Did they make major changes to the gameplay?

I just posted the latest video there is. It's cut up so you can't see combat in full demonstration but you can get a pretty good idea. CDPR haven't put out an official video on combat so that current video is the latest thing we have. In general its realtime now with strong and quick attacks mapped to the mouse buttons. Magic and throwing items are hotkeyed/cricle menu'd. It's looking to be much more visceral than the first.

 

[Lesiroth]

Can't freaking wait. The recent hype for The Witcher 2 enticed me to get the original, and I love it so far. I don't even remember the last time I played an RPG on my PC. So far, I've finished the first chapter, and I'm wondering, will the story get more epic? And what's known so far about TW2's story?

 

[Exuro]

Can't freaking wait. The recent hype for The Witcher 2 enticed me to get the original, and I love it so far. I don't even remember the last time I played an RPG on my PC. So far, I've finished the first chapter, and I'm wondering, will the story get more epic? And what's known so far about TW2's story?

The first chapter is THE WORST beginning ever. It just isn't good. So the story only gets better. What we know about TW2's story is a little spoilery. I would finish the game and then you would get an idea of what's happening.

 

[makingmusic476]

I wonder how my 5750 will handle this. She's only a year old. =(

 

[EviLore]

Can't freaking wait. The recent hype for The Witcher 2 enticed me to get the original, and I love it so far. I don't even remember the last time I played an RPG on my PC. So far, I've finished the first chapter, and I'm wondering, will the story get more epic? And what's known so far about TW2's story?

Chapter 1 is still the intro, basically (the game's demo is the entire first chapter, seriously). So it definitely does pick up after that, but I would not really characterize The Witcher's storyline as "EPIC." It's more concerned with giving you difficult choices and developing the characters and world in a natural way. Great payoff, though.

 

[Discotheque]

And what's known so far about TW2's story?

Continues just a few months after Witcher 1. Yeah Act 1 is really meh compared to the rest of the game. So if you're enjoying that then the rest will be even better.

 

[Cyborg]

The screenshots look amazing......For this and BF3 Ill buy a new PC

 

[iavi]

Chapter 1 is still the intro, basically (the game's demo is the entire first chapter, seriously). So it definitely does pick up after that, but I would not really characterize The Witcher's storyline as "EPIC." It's more concerned with giving you difficult choices and developing the characters and world in a natural way. Great payoff, though.

It's a payoff, for damn sure. More so than even something like ME2, I felt the weight of every decision, with them only feeling all the more weighted towards the end. Side-missions actually mean something to the over-arching plot! That alone is gold.

 

[Zeliard]

Chapter 1 is still the intro, basically (the game's demo is the entire first chapter, seriously).

Still almost can't believe that. Such a huge amount of content. I'm thinking the Witcher 2 demo will be a bit less substantial.

 

[Enk]

So far, I've finished the first chapter, and I'm wondering, will the story get more epic?

It definitely gets larger scale towards the end. The ending alone adds another layer of depth to the story that one doesn't expect.

 

[jackdoe]

Either that or I just read the first page of this thread and then the last and skipped all of the middle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that not a giant screenshot of DA2 right under all the Witcher 2 bullshots on page 1.

I'm just saying that there is a thin connection between hating the Witcher 2's animations and also hating Bioware's animation in the same post. It would be as if I said that I hate the graphics in X game and that Y game company who has no connection to X game (outside of making games in the same genre) also makes games with crappy graphics in the same post.

 

[-tetsuo-]

One of the best parts about the story for The Witcher is it isn't trying to be "epic", really.

 

[abunai]

My last exam is on the 16th of May. It is God's will for me to play this game.

 

[jackdoe]

One of the best parts about the story for The Witcher is it isn't trying to be "epic", really.

Yep. Though I expect Witcher 2 to up the scale a bit. I just hope they bring back some more characters from the Witcher novels. I've just read the two novels released in English and I find myself wishing for more mention of Yennefer or Ciri by Geralt's friends.

 

[Lesiroth]

Well, since I can't remember the last time I've played a PC RPG, so I may have slightly lower standards. You guys just made fire up the game again, even though I played it like 3 hours straight today already.

 

[jonnyp]

Have they fixed the combat and movement animation in this one? I couldn't really get into the first one because of the floaty and weightless feel of the character moving, and the combat was less than satisfying to say the least.

Looks incredible though.

 

[EviLore]

Still almost can't believe that. Such a huge amount of content. I'm thinking the Witcher 2 demo will be a bit less substantial.

Yeah, I would not expect the same for the sequel, just because they needed to sell everyone on a relatively unknown IP from a brand new studio back then. In my case the demo was really effective: I hadn't heard much about The Witcher, but it looked promising and so I played the demo...and kept playing...and kept playing...and by the time chapter 1 was over I was 100% invested in the game and there was no way I wasn't going to buy it immediately so I could continue.

Now I'm invested in the franchise, as are many other people I'm sure, so there's no need to go to that sort of extreme.

 

[Vlodril]

The art is a breath of fresh air after DA2. Its not even funny just sad. I am happy with everything i have seen, only uknown will be how good the import save implementation will be.

 

[godels rotating universe]

I became a lot less impressed with this game after seeing the video from a week or so ago. It looks great in screenshots, but totally lifeless to me in motion. No swaying branches or the like. After such massive improvements to those kinds of incidental details in games, not seeing them was very jarring.