The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[Paul_cz]

Wow, Bioshock being better written than Witcher 3? I mean, opinions and all, but wow. And I liked Bioshock (finished every one including DLCs). I will grant that there are couple specific things that could have been better in TW3, and probably would've if they had more time (having to cut Wild Hunt infiltration questline hurt Eredin's characterization immeasurably; fortunately for book readers we already know him from the book, so I didn't mind his diminished role that much), but on the whole Witcher 3 is a staggering achievement next to Bioshock (or anything else really).

 

[Paul_cz]

Certainly had a more intriguing story and setting. About writing, Witcher 3 is rather poorly written compared to its predecessor, with awful padding and all.
Many Polish people agree on the story, maybe it's foreigners who hold it in such regard because of the folklore etc., I don't know. The game's even been whacked for the graphics and shoddy gameplay by some reviewers.

And yes, it's an opinion. For me, it's equally funny that people truly claim that Witcher 3 does anything truly extraordinarily, apart from the story (which is also arguable, since there are people that don't like it).

Look, I really don't want to argue this. I know you're an extreme fanboy of the game and it's the best thing since sliced bread to you and nothing ever released comes close but I really don't agree with your fanatism. Respect it but don't agree and we'll just have to end it at that.

Do you realize how obnoxious you sound ? It is fine to dislike a game or some aspects of the game. Doesn't make you (nor me) objectively right though. I admit I am a fan of the Witcher franchise as a whole (and have been for almost 20 years, when I first read the books), that doesn't make me some raging fanatic fanboy as you hurl at me. I can see flaws in all three Witcher games, and in the books as well. And yet I stand by my opinion that in the 25 years I have been gaming, Witcher 3 is the first game to dethrone Fallout 2 as greatest game ever (only took 17 years..). The reasons are numerous - stunning world and atmosphere, incredible number of well written and always enjoyable sidequests, tons of choices and consequences, some of the best cast of characters ever...and for me personally, simply how CDP captured the books is unparalleled.

But is it flawless? No, in fact I even detailed one of the flaws right above in the previous post. I also agree that I would like to see bigger emphasis on politics, since I enjoyed that in both the books and TW2. But I respect that CDP wanted to focus on something else this time. Doesn't change the overall impressions though. And guess what ? The game didn't win 250+ GOTY awards because everyone is blind fanatic fanboy. The game is just really great, and for many people, a classic.

I haven't played Blood and Wine yet, so no idea about its quality, but I expect it will be also great given the reviews and general impressions.

Btw I really find comparisons to games like Bioshock quite misguided. One is linear corridor shooter (with great story and atmosphere, yes), the other presents a world with full freedom. The pacing and style is completely different (and to me it is quite clear which one is more ambitious). It is ok to prefer Bioshock's or Last of Us's linear style. I enjoyed those games too, even if I much prefer free open worlds like TW3 or New Vegas.

 

[Paul_cz]

For someone who is so obviously a big fan and knows his stuff, how did you feel about the political aspect of the game? It really felt lacking for me. Take the first and second game where it really added another layer, and it was like something was missing from TW3. There is the assassination, but that just kind of happens with no consequence, really only confined to the 3-4 characters you encounter, and a few things that kind of threaten to get going, but overall it was all pushed to the back imo. The war which is the whole backdrop to the game just fizzles out, where there was scope for some really interesting stuff. It would have elevated the story for me to have a few more quests where you get in to the politics behind everything, as it is far more interesting than the Wild Hunt stuff.

Take the first two games. TW2 especially you had the bit with Stennis and everyone and uncovering that, plus the whole Loc Muine(sp) stuff which was really well done and added new layers to the narrative. The whole plot was very intriguing.

I agree that there is much lesser emphasis on politics in TW3 and I would have preferred more. But CDP has, since TW3 was revealed, been talking about this being personal for Geralt, that he will be less involved in political struggles and more on his own quest to save his loved ones, that this will be more about family than politics. So I expected that. Plus TW2 was already huuuge on various political struggles so I am not surprised CDP wanted to focus on other stuff this time around. And it's not like the TW3 is completely devoid of it - not just the assassination, but I also enjoyed the Skelige arc which was about politics and family both, for example, or the various dealings in Novigrad with Dijkstra, who is one of my favourite characters from the books and CDP nailed him 100% (with the exception of his last 5 minutes on scene, which were out of character and another one of the flaws that I wish CDP had more time to resolve).
Would it have been great if TW3 had even more of the political stuff? Yes. But considering the game already took me 210 hours to finish and I enjoyed every second, I have a hard time being disappointed with it, particularly when CDP let me know years in advance that the focus will be elsewhere.

 

[Paul_cz]

Probably just as obnoxious as you trying to ridicule my preference of Bioshock's narrative I even remember you saying in this very thread that my problems with Witcher are just words and it doesn't matter at all. You're a bit of a hypocrite as you can say anything to me even with that cocky attitude "wow, opinions and all" and get all defensive when you get a response in a similar tone. Clearly anything goes as long as it's in favour of the Witcher 3.

As for misguided comparisons, we compare storylines, not gameplay so what does it mean whether it's a corridor shooter or not? Witcher 3's story is still bland, plodding and awfully predictable especially for the best "RPG"/game ever made, which fact it tries to cover up with huge amounts of dialogue and padding. Characters? The only ones who weren't so painfully one-dimensional were Lambert, Dijkstra and the Bloody Baron.
Yennefer only knew how to throw a hissy-fit and act cocky through the entire game, Triss was your typical romantic sorceress, Zoltan an Dandelion were practically non-existent. Don't even get me started on Ciri and Vesemir.

Yet you can say things like it's an outstanding achievement next to anything? You've just said comparisons with other genres are "misguided" so maybe let's narrow that down to RPGs Especially that games like Silent Hill 2 or The Last of Us IMO crap on Witcher 3's core feature from immense heights.

You're entitled to your opinion but you don't have to try and get all cocky because someone prefers the narrative in Bioshock or other games like your opinion is in any way superior, especially that it didn't take long for someone who thinks the same to show up. That's what makes you come off as a bit of a fanboy. Remember, it's equally funny for me that you genuinely think this is the best story of all time but I try to understand that. Best dialogues? Maybe up there. The rest, hell no.

And Bioshock is very, very far on my favourites list, BTW.

I don't call you irrational hater or other ad hominems, so I would appreciate the same from you.
I admit I was a bit flippant when I read from you how Bioshock has better story. I liked its story, the twist at the time was a nice mind bender. But Witcher 3 is so much grander in its scope, and most of it is written incredibly well, I just find it to be significantly more impressive achievement. The Bloody Baron/Witches, the whole Novigrad investigation with Carnal Sins there, Skellige with Possession and Lord of Undvik and many others, everything in Kaer Morhen, every interaction with Ciri..so good, so infinitely enjoyable. I completely disagree with your assesment of pretty much everything you posted in this thread when it comes to TW3's story, and yet I do have my own gripes with it that I wish CDP could fix. But what you call bland and plodding, I found to be interesting and well paced.
I finished Silent Hill 2 and Last of Us and both are fantastic. But neither comes close to TW 2/3 for me. Thems the breaks, I think we are just going in circles now.

But hey, at least you enjoyed the expansions better

 

[Paul_cz]

Fair enough, Paul. I have no qualms with you liking the story and putting it like that. You have every right to do so. It just didn't work for me as well as I thought it would, which I was genuinely surprised about as a massive fan of Witcher 2. That, however, doesn't mean it''s not a good game.

And if you enjoyed the base game so much, I think you'll really love Blood and Wine

Cheers

I have to say I am also genuinely surprised someone who is a massive fan of TW2 could be disappointed with TW3 But I guess it can happen sometimes. But it's kinda amusing how differently can different people see the same thing. For example when I go from here to, say rpgcodex, the latest post in Witcher 3 topic there is

Finally finished the game. I always kept putting it down, but the story kept me picking it back up again.

Honestly, I was extremely disappointed with Witcher 2's shortness and linearity, but this game was huge and fantastic.

And yeah I can't wait for Blood and Wine. I kept secretly hoping they would bring back Regis, my favourite character from the books, and then they did. But first I want to finish Inside (played an hour so far and it is so good, the atmosphere and creepiness of it), then I plan to replay entire TW3 with the new GTX1070 and finish up with Blood and Wine.
And then I will have to find some other saga to sink my teeth into. I will probably finally start the Dark Tower that has been gathering dust on my shelf.

 

[Paul_cz]

Just finished The Gunslinger myself. It is...good. Yes good, maybe even very good. Not your typical series though! I'm not particularly a fan of King's writing style but the overall set up is intriguing.

I actually haven't read anything by King yet so I have no idea what he is like, but a friend of mine told me its a must read, so I ordered the whole series with few extra books...so for the next year or so I will be busy. Glad to see you liked the first book, hopefully my impression will be similar.

 

[Paul_cz]

Regis is great, probably my favourite character in the entire game.

Awesome, can't wait.

 

[Paul_cz]

Come on guys, that horse can't even get up anymore how beaten he is

 

[Paul_cz]

How many hours has everyone sunk into this?

I've just entered my 90th hour, with the main game and hearts of stone completed 100% not sure how far through blood and wine i am, but I'm guessing over half way through the story....tons of side stuff still to do though.

Easily the best game i've played in the last decade, the last game i remember enjoying this much was guild wars 1 (pre expansions...)

My first playthrough took 204 hours, although I did all the quests I could find, explored a lot, replayed some quests to see alternative outcomes etc
Then Hearts of Stone took me another 18 hours on top.
Next week I will start my second playthrough and then play B&W..can't wait.

 

[Paul_cz]

This is an amazing gallery:
http://imgur.com/a/VMuFl

I love these in particular, kinda want to just hang them on the wall

http://i.imgur.com/3jE8j33.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UxOijQl.jpg

So gorgeous.

 

[Paul_cz]

I also just started my second playthrough finally, new game (non plus), with both expansions.

Before I started playing, I:

- rewatched TW2 outro cinematics

- read "Matter of Conscience" comics that elaborates on Saskia and what happened in between the games (it was great comic, although very bleak at the end)

- read "Killing Monsters" comics that takes place after MoC, but before TW3 starts and just before the famous Killing Monsters trailer (was ok, not as good as MoC)

- watched the Killing Monsters trailer again - still as bad ass as ever

Then I added few mods to my game install:
Immersive Cam, Immersive HUD, Immersive Motion, Immersive Meditation, Alternative Horse Control

All these make the gameplay more pleasant for me. Went through the Kaer Morhen dream, mountain pass as beautiful as ever..
This is going to be epic journey, again. And I can't wait to get to Toussaint, will be playing that for the first time. The GTX1070 has been well worth the money for this experience.

 

[Paul_cz]

I don't mind that icon; I like seeing immediately who I can talk to and not.

And now that I started playing, I finally know what Vesemir was talking about when he talked about the fiend and Drugan (it was the story from the Killing Monsters comic). Pretty cool.

 

[Paul_cz]

... It is above everyone's head, whether they actually speak to you or not!

I could swear it isn't. I just did a quest in white orchard to kill the ghost at the well, and the guy who gave it to me did not talk to me anymore after the quest was finished, and the icon was not there either.

 

[Paul_cz]

Just recently started Witcher 3 as I didn't enjoy the first two in the slightest and i'm absolutely loving it on second try. Couldn't get in to first time but once I sat down and actually gave it a go, I absolutely love it.

The only problem I have is that a lot of the armours and clothing looks **** and I was on the leather armour up until level 11, LOL.

Just got the Basic Griffin Set and got a mod that makes it black and so he doesn't have a random beer belly and it looks much better

Should have bought temerian armor. Looks fantastic and has great stats, and only requires level 4 so I am already wearing it just having gotten to Velen.

 

[Paul_cz]

So as I am finally doing my second playthrough of Witcher 3, one thing strikes me. Before TW3, the two games I played and finished recently were Batman Arkham Knight, and Inside.

With Batman, at around hour 25 I was getting a bit tired of it and was hoping it would end soon (and it did around 2 hours later). Great game, but I had enough of it.

Inside, I found extremely overrated by the gaming press. It is an interesting platformer with neat atmosphere, but the complete lack of variety and challenge made me a bit bored of it, and this has 3 hour playtime! I did finish it, but it would be 6/10 from me.

And now with Witcher 3, I am at 25 hours of this second playthrough. I know I am basically at the beginning of the game (haven't even been to Novigrad or Oxenfurt yet). And I am enjoying every second as if I didn't already spend 220 hours on a playthrough year ago. The scale combined with quality is just unparalled in this game. No wonder it is at number 1 highest rated PC game of all time on metacritic, won the most GOTY awards of all games ever, has 96% rating on steam etc.

What I also like is how much better I am at it. Playing on Death March I am doing better than year ago on Blood and broken bones, since I already know how to be effective at the combat. So much fun.

Just did the quest with burying Filip Strenger's daughter.

 

[Paul_cz]

Quick question, can I complete the main quest then go and do the dlc quests?

I am currently lv25 and just got to the isle of mists quest, but seem to be levelling really slow. I dont have many side quests left and a lot are grey. The main story is below my current level as well. So not sure how I am going to get another 10 levels to start the dlc quests before finishing the main quest...


Wish the levelling in games like this worked better. I am now seriously overleveled compared to all the quests I have left and am finding gear that is below my current level. Makes the game no fun. I liked finding a new sword or armour to replace what i had, but now I just sell everything i find as its useless. Also enemies are just defeated with ease and no need to use oils or signs, just hack and slash a few times. I have already set the difficulty to death march, which has made no difference as the enemies I am finding everywhere are like lv15 .

EDIT: I do have loads and loads of '?' on my map, not sure how much xp you get for these, I guess I could do a load after mopping up the rest of the side quests.

You are still about halfway through the main quests. Got a pretty decent way to go and you will level up, it goes very quickly then, don't worry.

I would recommend doing all the quests, even grey ones. Eventhough you do not get much XP, the quests are interesting and fun for their own sake.
To make enemies harder you can enable scaling in the options.
And yes, it is actually recommended to play both Expansions AFTER the main quest is over. If you get one of the good endings, they both work well as a post-ending events.

Well, I'm glad for certain spoilers on the internet for a change

I was trying to finish the lower level quests before I moved onto Skellige - however if you do this, you pretty much 'lock' yourself into ...

Spoiler

romancing Triss. At this point, I've not really spoken much with Yen, so I ended up inadvertently doing Triss's romance quest without realising.

I assume you can back out of it, but it'd be nice to be fully introduced before I make any kind of choice. Time to load a previous save!

You only get "locked" into Triss relationship if you tell her you love her. And even that you can frak up if you tell Yennefer the same thing

 

[Paul_cz]

Really? I'm nearing 200 hours so thought i'd be near the end .

Thanks, I'll look into the scaling, never even knew about that. Really glad i still have a fair bit of main quest left . Still really enjoying it, just want some tougher enemies and some loot that isnt usless.

Spoiler

For example, i just did the Brothers in arms quests last night and was given a special sword called Winters blade. i was expecting this to be awesome, but it was much worse than the sword i already had

I mean if I remember correctly by Isle of Mists you just found Ciri, no ? So there are quite a few more quests after that with lot of interaction with her. Treat her well.

As for loot, yeah sometimes it is not balanced the best, but frankly loot is so extremely low on my list of priorities in games, especially narrative-driven games like this...

I just did the Blood Baron / Crones questlines, and what a god damn masterpiece this is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL914rMdV3c

And somehow I still enjoy the combat even after 270 hours of playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8oVql0rXes

 

[Paul_cz]

Just recently finished the Wild Hunt and am still trying to continue my addiction for it it with the add-ons. Thanks

Just buy it on gog...that way you know all your money goes directly to devs. With sites like CD Keys you never know who actually gets your money.

 

[Paul_cz]

Bit-tech did a nice TOP 50 PC games series of articles.
You will never guess which one ended up number 1:
http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2016/07/29/50-best-pc-games-5/2

The write-up is something I could sign wholeheartedly:

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Having watched the evolution of CD Projekt’s work since the original Witcher debuted in 2007, I expected The Witcher 3 to be good. But I didn’t expect to be sat here, championing it as the best PC game ever made. Nevertheless, here we are.

I’ve played The Witcher 3 for over a hundred hours, and I could happily spend another hundred riding through the windswept swamps of Velen, dashing through the twisting streets of Novigrad, and sailing between the misty isles of Skellige. There are dozens of ruins and caves and other locations which remain unexplored in this vast and stunningly realised world, each with a little tale of its own to tell.

Indeed, it isn’t the scale of The Witcher 3 that makes it such an incredible achievement. It’s how it makes this world worthy of such a time investment. Like Half Life 2, every aspect of the game has been painstakingly thought over, only on an impossibly greater scale. The Witcher 3 has side-quests that would form the entire plot of lesser games, deep and twisting storylines in which the situation is rarely as it initially seems. A simple contract to kill a monster lurking in the woods can reveal a complex love triangle and a decision that can determine the fate of an entire village.

In The Witcher 3, players encounter Deus Ex-style decisions with almost every new adventure they embark upon. But as BioWare knew when designing Mass Effect 2, such choices only matter when the player cares about the characters. Hence The Witcher 3 isn’t simply huge, environmentally stunning and mechanically deep, it’s a game that is also warm and funny and heartfelt and sad.

The Witcher 3 is often a dark game, showing the effect of war on rich and poor alike with unflinching realism. It’s a game that elegiacally states, 'There are no happy ever afters.' Yet it is also able to find solace in quieter moments, a drink and a game with a couple of long-time friends. A stolen kiss at a midnight ball. A sharing of stories on the eve of battle. A reunification with a long-estranged daughter. The simple joy of the open road on the dawn of a summer morning. It’s also perhaps the first mainstream game that could genuinely be called sexy, as it embraces the fun and humour and absurdity that is a natural part of human passion, rather than ignoring or dismissing or satirising it.

Witchers are supposed to feel no emotion, which for much of the medium’s history would make Geralt of Rivia the perfect videogame protagonist. And yet, as shown by the well of humanity barely concealed behind Geralt’s cat-like eyes, CDProjekt has created what is almost certainly the most emotionally rich game in existence. For this reason, amongst a thousand others, I believe it to be the finest example of what gaming can achieve.

Having been gaming for 24 years, I would compose very similar list. Right now I am in Skellige in my second playthrough, in total having played 345 hours of Witcher 3.
Still such enjoyment.

Cheers

 

[Paul_cz]

Recently started a second playthrough (NG+) myself, with a few graphical mods and max settings with FriendlyHUD on my new GPU it's just a pleasure to play. I'm trying to do all the opposite decisions and dialogues (from what I remember) this time and there are already parts it feels like a new game.

Should I be using enemy level scaling on NG+ death march? I started at level 56 I think. I'm also using a little mod that levels my manticore armor with the character as I think it's the best for RP and lore, it will be interesting to see how that works out later on. I'm not worried about min maxing all the stats this time around purely an immersive playthrough!

If you want enemies to always stay challenge, use the scaling. If you are fine being unstoppable killing machine against low level enemies, don't. Personally I don't use it.

Nice. Once my GTX 1080 arrives I'm going to do my second playthrough as well. I've not played any of the expansions yet and just bought the expansion pass. Your experience makes me even more hyped. And yeah, this is one of the greatest games ever made.

Yeah I haven't played Blood and Wine yet. Hearts of Stone was already amazing, the best DLC I have played to date (for any game). Can't wait to see Toussaint, one of my favourite places from the books. GTX1070 already serves me well, 1080 will be damn sweet