An Impromptu Witcher Lets Play - now with the Witcher 2!

[BloatedGuppy]

Anyone who doesn't play the Witcher because of the entirely optional and completely harmless sex cards is an idiot missing out on a great wrpg.

Pretty sure we can allow people their own reasons for doing things without call them "idiots". I mean, I realize we're talking about a badly voice acted, poorly translated RPG that is going on six years old, so I can understand why you'd think it was an absolutely indispensable experience, but there's a lot of games out there and only so much time in the day. If someone wanted to pass on The Witcher because the box was too red, more power to them.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Yea, there is a bit of reason to the madness when you understand the way the books were when looking at the strangly in-your-face sex stuff in the game.

The books? Are these spin-off books written after the game, or was the game based on a book series? Because, if the later, then that is VERY interesting and I might like to know where I can get English versions of these books.

As to the casual attitudes towards sex in game, those not only do not bother me, they appeal to me. Particularly since the causal attitudes seem to be gender neutral (everyone seems pretty casual). I had some impressions about the game world that are proving to be false (or not as bad as I thought). The card game bothers me, but that is an entirely out of world aspect for the player rather than an in-world thing. The card collecting feels more like a stupid thing the developers did rather than part of the setting.

The setting, I'm liking so far. It's a bit generic, and Witchers sound kinda like Gray Wardens or Claymores (keep people safe, but no one likes them), but the sexuality of the setting is not bothersome at all.

I don't see why they couldn't.
4 or 5 of the books is about a female witcher/enchantress Geralt is raising, so they could probably make a few games about her

Again, books? I would like to hear more about these books, and if they are just spin-offs from the game or if they existed before the game. And, either way, how well are they written?

 

[DarklordKyo]

The fire sign is considered a game breaker, you don't need to get better swords, the courier quest to someone in Vizima can be lost forever, etc.

Agni is the fire sign, correct? I tried to level it up, but apparently I have to find it first. Any suggestion as to where that would be? It looked like a pretty cool spell (it lets you throw your sword, right?).

It's called Igni actually.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

My advice for you is to stop playing because it's one of the absolute worst games I have ever played. According to Steam, I've played it for 64 hours and I still haven't come close to finishing it nor was it a very enjoyable experience either.
The only thing I remember from all that time I wasted on it is finding out that all the interesting characters, difficult choices and complexity the game promised me was a lie.

So warned. Still, I'm committed to giving it a chance. And, so far, it's been mildly amusing. Better than replaying Temple of Elemental Evil for the third time in as many months.

it's more of a limitation thing, than devs being sexist pricks. I mean, the game is made on the engine that was first used back in flippin' 2001 and the in-engine sex cutscenes would look pretty... clumsy, not mentioning the need to make new models and animations and CDPRed being a small Eastern-European dev. I mean, did you see the pre-Enhanced Edition Witcher? That was some Attack of the Clones stuff. They added some palette-swaps in EE to make up for it. So they resorted to showing a small piece of artwork with the woman Geralt had an intercourse with. They look prettier in the arts than in-game for sure. And if you want to ask whether the whole sex thing was necessary at all - Geralt was quite a ladies' man in the original books and they wanted to preserve that aspect. Idk what is the female perspective on the whole thing for obvious reasons, but my GF played both Witcher games and liked them so... yeah.

Huh. Hadn't considered graphic limitations. And yes, I'm playing the Enhanced Director's Cut, so it looks pretty good to me. At least Mass Effect good (which I also played on this laptop).

Also, I mentioned this before, but do tell about these books. I am getting more and more curious. And I could use some new fantasy novels to read.

It's really really good but if you get it on PC

Ha. Ha ha. NO. ^^;; My PC might be able to handle the Witcher 2. Maybe. It isn't going to handle Bioshock Infinite. Damn, I can just see my poor laptop melting into a puddle of slag. No, I'll be playing that on the PS3. So no worried about the controller. ^^

Also, your avatar changed!! I didn't recognise you! DD:

Yup! Actually, I change avatar fairly often. Usually depending on what game I'm playing at the moment.

Oh! Maybe I should make a Witcher avatar? Hmmm....

Agni is the fire sign, correct? I tried to level it up, but apparently I have to find it first. Any suggestion as to where that would be? It looked like a pretty cool spell (it lets you throw your sword, right?).

It's called Igni actually.

Yes, that one. Where do I find it? It sounds neat and I'd like to have more magic that just "knock people down".

Also, is there healing magic other than potions?

 

[Frankster]

Bought the Witcher a while back for really cheap (albeit not quite a dollar) but was turned off by the combat system and being forced to play as Geralt who I wasn't enjoying. I had a bunch of other games to play at the time so promptly forgot all about it.
This thread makes me want to revisit the game and give it more of an honest chance.

Huh. Never heard of that one. Sounds kinda like Sim City meets Just Cause 2, but with the player on the other side of things.

Not an entirely innacurate description. If you like city builder games, can only say good stuff about Tropico series.

The books? Are these spin-off books written after the game, or was the game based on a book series? Because, if the later, then that is VERY interesting and I might like to know where I can get English versions of these books.

The books were written long before the game and are considered cult classics in poland (it was my polish friends who first talked to me of the witcher series). Theres also graphic novels and even a television series, i remember the graphic novels in particular as was shocked by the wanton violence and nudity in them (i was only like 13 at the time xD and quite an innocent lad too!).
From what i remember my polish friends telling me, some of the books were officially translated so you might be able to find those in bookshops, but otherwise most of the series have been fan translated somewhere online.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Also, I mentioned this before, but do tell about these books. I am getting more and more curious. And I could use some new fantasy novels to read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher

Can't vouch for their quality.

The author had a fairly interesting (and controversial, if I remember correctly) take on the video game adaptations of his work:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-06-ever-wondered-what-the-author-of-the-witcher-books-thinks-about-the-games

In short, he doesn't like the idea that the games be recognized as anything other than a kind of elaborate fan fiction. He finds the idea that they be considered an extension of the universe he created repugnant.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

The books were written long before the game and are considered cult classics in poland (it was my polish friends who first talked to me of the witcher series). Theres also graphic novels and even a television series, i remember the graphic novels in particular as was shocked by the wanton violence and nudity in them (i was only like 13 at the time xD and quite an innocent lad too!).
From what i remember my polish friends telling me, some of the books were officially translated so you might be able to find those in bookshops, but otherwise most of the series have been fan translated somewhere online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher
Can't vouch for their quality.

Huh. **adds the first book to Amazon wishlist** Okay, sure, I'll give it a try. The reviews are mostly positive (and those that aren't mostly amount to "it's not like the game!") and the paper back is cheap. Actually, I should see if the used book store has a copy....

 

[Rack]

The game gets better as you progress through it, though not by much so if you aren't getting bored at this stage you'll probably be fine.

Witcher 2 is in a whole different league, though it doesn't sound like you'll be able to run it on your computer. Just don't forget about it.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

The original Witcher short story was published back in the eighties. I think GOG version has it as an extra.

**checks GOG account** Holy crap, you're right! I'll have to read that when I get home.

The Last Wish, first proper Witcher book was a collection of short stories all centered about Geralt. The Witcherverse is bleak, dark, ugly, full of oppression, poverty, everybody has lots of sex and there are more -isms than you can shake your stick at. English translation was released in 2007. Also contains a starting point for the main saga. Second book, The Sword of Destiny wasn't released in English, but there's a fan translation available. It's once again, a collection of short stories, though this one is more of a preparation for the saga. The main saga consists of five novels: Blood of the Elves (released in English in 2008), Times of Contempt (planned for English release this year; fan translation available for it and all the following books), Baptism of Fire, Swallow's Tower and Lady of the Lake. The saga has several protagonists, including Geralt.

Someone mentioned that one of the stories featured a female protagonist. Since the online fan-translations are free, could you tell me the title of the novel (or short story, or whatever) that features a female protagonist? I'd like to read that as well. Between that and the short story for GOG, I should have a pretty clear idea if I like the series enough to buy books 1 and 2.

Just don't forget about it.

I keep a pretty close eye on GOG sales. I recently picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon (an old favorite of mine when I was younger) for $1.59. I love GOG. ^^

 

[trollnystan]

Damn you Good Old Games! You went and did it. You tempted me and I made the purchase, but I resisted your lure for months until... today.

When I installed the Witcher.

I wasn't going to play that game. I had reasons. And then you sold it to me for a dollar a few months ago and I couldn't say no to a 1 dollar game.

And now, as I looked through my GOG account for something new to play, there it was... sitting there, tempting me.

So, fellow Escapists... it is official. I am playing the Witcher.

Discussion Value: A two-fer!

1) Any advice for a first time Witcher player? Things to do? Avoid? Funny stories about your first time?

2) Discussion (or stories) about times when Good Old Games or Steam has had a sale and you bought a game you didn't want to play just because it was cheap (and then ended up playing it).

Also, if there's interest, I will post updates about my playthrough of the Witcher.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it more than I did; I didn't even get to leave the castle before turning it off in disgust. The mechanics are interesting though, so perhaps I'll be able to muster up some enthusiasm at some point and try again.

 

[MammothBlade]

Civ V + Gods and Kings.

9 hours in one sitting i played that for the other night i uninstalled it never to be installed again

Wow, too addictive for you or something?

 

[The White Hunter]

It's really really good but if you get it on PC

Ha. Ha ha. NO. ^^;; My PC might be able to handle the Witcher 2. Maybe. It isn't going to handle Bioshock Infinite. Damn, I can just see my poor laptop melting into a puddle of slag. No, I'll be playing that on the PS3. So no worried about the controller. ^^

Also, your avatar changed!! I didn't recognise you! DD:

Yup! Actually, I change avatar fairly often. Usually depending on what game I'm playing at the moment.

Oh! Maybe I should make a Witcher avatar? Hmmm....

You'd be surprised, you can get stable 30fps on intel integrated graphics ^_^ I'm running a Pentium Dual Core and HD 4770 and it runs smooth on low and mid. IT's really very good though, probably be in receipt of many a GOTY award given the critical reception it's had.

Ah I see, I generally pick people out by their avatar, I only mentioned because I saw your name quoted and didn't realise you were the OP!

 

[The White Hunter]

Civ V + Gods and Kings.

9 hours in one sitting i played that for the other night i uninstalled it never to be installed again

Wow, too addictive for you or something?

Happened to me too except I still have it installed! Whenever I play it it ends up as 9 hours of "1 more turn"...

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

You'd be surprised, you can get stable 30fps on intel integrated graphics ^_^ I'm running a Pentium Dual Core and HD 4770 and it runs smooth on low and mid.

Really? Huh. Okay, maybe I could run it. But, if possible, I prefer to play games on the PS3. I have a massive HDTV and I prefer the PS3 controller (yes, I could set it up for PC games, but it's a bother).

IT's really very good though, probably be in receipt of many a GOTY award given the critical reception it's had.

That's what I've been hearing. Like I said, that and Tomb Raider are probably going to be summer games for me, if only because I can buy Bioshock Infinite for my spouse and then play subsequently or co-currently. Well, that and it takes about three months after release for Amazon to start having awesome sales on new games. FarCry 3 (another game I'm keeping my eye on) is already only 40 bucks new on Amazon.

Ah I see, I generally pick people out by their avatar, I only mentioned because I saw your name quoted and didn't realise you were the OP!

I do the same thing, but I also check names a lot. I'm not the only person who likes to change avatars often. I try to follow whatever game I'm playing (often tabletop games, but sometimes video games).

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

**snip**

**snip**

I had the same problem with Age of Empires 2 back in the day. A friend loaned me the game. I sat down one Friday to play it and, after many "one more turns" it was Sunday. I literally have a Saturday that I don't remember because I was playing Age of Empires so long I didn't notice it.

I uninstalled the game that Monday (after much sleep) and vowed never to play Age of Empires (or similar) again, because I couldn't trust myself to stop.

 

[Whoatemysupper]

You'd be surprised, you can get stable 30fps on intel integrated graphics ^_^ I'm running a Pentium Dual Core and HD 4770 and it runs smooth on low and mid.

Really? Huh. Okay, maybe I could run it. But, if possible, I prefer to play games on the PS3. I have a massive HDTV and I prefer the PS3 controller (yes, I could set it up for PC games, but it's a bother).

IT's really very good though, probably be in receipt of many a GOTY award given the critical reception it's had.

That's what I've been hearing. Like I said, that and Tomb Raider are probably going to be summer games for me, if only because I can buy Bioshock Infinite for my spouse and then play subsequently or co-currently. Well, that and it takes about three months after release for Amazon to start having awesome sales on new games. FarCry 3 (another game I'm keeping my eye on) is already only 40 bucks new on Amazon.

Ah I see, I generally pick people out by their avatar, I only mentioned because I saw your name quoted and didn't realise you were the OP!

I do the same thing, but I also check names a lot. I'm not the only person who likes to change avatars often. I try to follow whatever game I'm playing (often tabletop games, but sometimes video games).

This I don't get. I love my CiV but, I can always tear myself away from it with ease.