The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [2015]

[Humanoid]

One would hope that the game was not neutered on request by Sony and/or Microsoft, but I wouldn't put it beyond them. Just like they have to acquiesce to Microsoft's demand that the Xbone CE be given extra goodies over the PS4 and PC versions, really. Unfortunately CDPR being a relatively small player in the games publishing market means they have little influence here, so the big boys are free to dictate terms as they wish. Just like how Namco-Bandai can dictate how much CDPR sell the game for, on CDPR's own store.

[Malcador]

Looks nice on Ultra, though my PC is pumping out heat.

[HoonDing]

Combat is still the same crap from W2, complete with Geralt attacking targets off screen with ridiculous leaps.

But hey, there's a useless dodge now, 11/10 GOTY.

[Gorgon]

Gerald looks too much like a mocap guy showing off and not enough like someone fighting for his life.

[Humanoid]

Now there's an idea for a game, Mocap Guy Simulator. It'd be sort of a mashup of QWOP with Goat Simulator, where you control individual limbs and do stunts to get high scores.

 

EDIT: Got my copy of the game just now, standard edition physical copy for PC. On the back of the manual there's a key with the note "Enter this code while launching the game to access extra features", which doesn't sound like much, but it's actually just a straight redemption of a GOG copy of the game. Pleased with that.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Humanoid

[HoonDing]

lol just noticed they added in some inane weapon/armour repair system.

[Bokishi]

Game runs great

[HoonDing]

My rig is theoretically below minimum specs but I get >40 fps on medium.

 

Not sure to thank consoles or dev optimization.

[teknoman2]

i did not run the game yet, but i was really surprised when a guy i know said that with his HD6850 he runs it at medium with decent fps

[Lexx]

I can't play, as I have no internetz. People now, tell me how bad it is.

[mkreku]

I have not yet measured my fps, but instinctively I must say the game feels smooth and pretty with everything on high at 2560x1440. My Radeon R9 290X doesn't care for your Nvidia Gameworks shenanigans!!

 

The game released at 01:00 last night. I usually get up for work at 07:00. I went to bed at 05:49.. Although I did set an alarm to sound at 00:59 and went to sleep at 22 something. It was actually a little bit exciting to pre-download and anticipate the release like that. Sure, I'm tired at work today (I got an hour of sleep and got up at 07:00), but it was worth it. It felt like a real event. Maybe I should pre-order more often..?

[teknoman2]

[Malcador]

Combat is still the same crap from W2, complete with Geralt attacking targets off screen with ridiculous leaps.

 

But hey, there's a useless dodge now, 11/10 GOTY.

 

Well the lock on ability is nice. Heavy attack defaulted to RMB would have made a bit more sense, but otherwise yeah it's not really super fluid.

 

Only played a little bit last night, wandered around and freed up some sites. Also got my ass handed to me by some ghouls, but I guess that was just due to me playing ballsy rather than Rollin Rollin.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Malcador

[Emc2]

It looks like Witcher 3 is the first (or at least one of the few) hyper-hyped AAA game in recent years that has had a successful launch and excellent reviews (along with GTA V). After the releases of AC:U, Watch_Doges etc. it's refreshing to see some positive launches. I've not heard of a single game-breaking bug and performance seems to be great on all platforms. Of course I've not followed the game that closely, but at least the complaints have not reached any major sites yet. The graphics look pretty great. Also hair and cloth physics. Technological revolution.

 

Now that they got W3 out of the way they can start hyping up Cyberpunk 2077. That's one game to look forward to.

[Humanoid]

I think my Witcher 2 saves are archived on an old disconnected drive somewhere, spent entirely too long looking for them. Kinda silly anyway because even if I did find them, I'd not know which save was what. Hopefully the save simulation thing is a good substitute.

 

As for performance, only getting mid-30s on a HD7950 at 2560x1440. (other specs: i5 750 @ 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM). It'll have to do, the low preset gave me mid-40s but the jaggies bothered me too much. Hopefully drive optimisation helps a little over the coming days and weeks. Plus I should overclock the GPU, now being more or less the start of winter helps.

[HoonDing]

So far Gwent is the most fun in the game.

[BruceVC]

It looks like Witcher 3 is the first (or at least one of the few) hyper-hyped AAA game in recent years that has had a successful launch and excellent reviews (along with GTA V). After the releases of AC:U, Watch_Doges etc. it's refreshing to see some positive launches. I've not heard of a single game-breaking bug and performance seems to be great on all platforms. Of course I've not followed the game that closely, but at least the complaints have not reached any major sites yet. The graphics look pretty great. Also hair and cloth physics. Technological revolution.

 

Now that they got W3 out of the way they can start hyping up Cyberpunk 2077. That's one game to look forward to.

 

This is good news and I concur, the positive  reception this game is receiving makes a nice change 

 

I hope Volo doesn't read this ...he will get so mad that  W3 is really been well received 

[Volourn]

Not mad. Plenty of popular things suck. *shrug*

 

 

You do realzie your fellow SJWs LOATHE Twitcher, right? Why do you betray your nazi allies?

Edited May 19, 2015 by Volourn

[BruceVC]

Not mad. Plenty of popular things suck. *shrug*

 

 

You do realzie your fellow SJWs LOATHE Twitcher, right? Why do you betray your nazi allies?

 

Excellent question Volo, I'm really glad you asked

 

I see the W3 as a realistic portrayal of a  fantasy setting that is based on the  books. We cannot deviate too much from the books for a number of  reasons that include the IP and also the fact you don't to lose the authenticity of the fantasy world of the Witcher 

 

So I don't see the need to change anything about the game? Remember not all SJW have the same objectives or motives. SJ is a varied movement that does mean different things to some people so we wouldn't all agree on criticisms directed towards Witcher 

[HoonDing]

Really hope the mods that remove weight limit and weapon/armour degradation will come early.

 

Amazing they bother to put that in a game that also has Fable/GTA-like quest compass and AssCreed style map exploration.

[Humanoid]

Only able to spend an hour and a bit on it so far, gaining just the one level. Only real negative I'm finding so far is that the movement can be a bit janky when you stop-start a lot, and end up spending most of the time in accelerate-decelerate animation cycles which look and feel awkward. It's one of those things where the pursuit of realism can get in the way of how players tend to actually move in games. Contrast to Skyrim, say, where you immediately snap into a running animation the moment you hit a movement key, which looks primitive but does feel a lot more responsive as a result (despite its blatant disregard of physics). Partly as a result, getting into the right position to examine or loot objects can be a bit annoying.

 

As for bugs, just a couple minor ones with a pair of auto-opening doors freaking out when I barged through them, and one time where I apparently clipped into the geometry of a table and got shunted to the other side of it.

 

The writing, no complaints. and having continuity of character means the dialogue and the choices I make all come off pretty naturally. At least, I haven't made a dialogue choice yet that would make Geralt sound like an idiot (or which would generally feel like the game is in DM exposition mode). I'm finding myself deliberately *not* exhausting dialogue options with every NPC whenever I feel it's more in character to not talk about a certain thing, and that's usually a good sign because it means I'm treating the NPCs as characters, not bulletin boards. I even feel bad for bowling over peasants while riding past them.

 

Controls, too early to say. I do really like the addition of the dodge/sidestep move, which both plays and feels a lot better than the constant combat rolling of the previous game. It's a bit awkward hitting the left alt key to perform it though, and the default binding for heavy attack (shift-LMB?) was such that I'd not bother even trying to hit it. Next play session I'll try a gamepad and see how it feels in comparison.

[Tale]

You do realzie your fellow skeletons LOATHE Twitcher, right?

As one of his fellow skeletons, don't speak for me.

 

It is entirely possible, and I'd argue even desireable, to enjoy something while still criticizing its problematic elements.

[teknoman2]

the issue with the acceleration-deceleration on movement can be solved.

if you have a pad, just reduce pressure on the analog stick to walk before stoping, and use less pressure to walk instead of running if you need to move a very small distance (like a couple of steps to be within reach of a container)

if you use keyboard, you do the same by pressing the "toggle walk" key

when walking there is no lag between the input and the execution, be it starting to move or stoping. so far the place where movement counts (battle) has no delays.

[Nonek]

First impressions:

• The new dodge (duck, dive, dip or whatever) is extremely welcome, as is the circling of enemies, which is everything I thought was problematic in Assassins of Kings.
• The keyboard and mouse are obviously a secondary consideration once again, but to nowhere near the extent of the second game, mouse hardware toggle is extremely illogically placed under options rather than controls.
• The graphics are beautiful, I may be a short sighted old gammer but I wish every game was so downgraded, this is running like a dream on my Titan at a constant 60 fps, though i've turned off bloom, motion blur and the rest of the usual irritating features.
• Vesemir and the lads are back, huzzah, however no Berengar yet unfortunately.
• Not much handholding, a good thing.
• Music strangely seems to have a few New Vegas vibes to it ocassionally, as well as callbacks to the first games.
• Can't see myself using rolls in anything but combat with the larger post conjuction monsters.
• Narrative seems to be exactly what i'd expect, the usual good writing, verisimilitude and world building that the Wicthers specialise in.
• Not fond of the eating mid combat, it was better in the first game, where it had an animation of its own that took some time and was thus dangerous to perform.
• Equitation very well implemented, though i'm mostly trotting or cantering, and not stretching Roche into a full gallop.
• No game affecting bugs so far, seems very stable.

 

In summary i'm back off to play it.

 

Edit: Forgot, no key rebinding yet like in Assassins of Kings when it first came out, which is a real pain for us lefties. Unless it's under a silly name like "input settings" from the second game.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Nonek

[HoonDing]

Gwent is best part of the gameplay by far.

 

• Not much handholding, a good thing.

I don't really agree. It's as casual as any AAA arrpeegee out there.

 

All important map locations are immediately laid out to you. There's a GTA-style glowing trail.

 

You can turn them off but why would you? You can wander around randomly and fight creatures but 1) they give pitiful xp and 2) they just blunt your swords which are ridiculously expensive to repair.

 

Geralt has a AssCreed/Arkham City like eagle eye/detective mode that turns him into Sherlock Holmes and makes all exploration/investigation a breeze.

 

Narrative seems to be exactly what i'd expect, the usual good writing, verisimilitude and world building that the Wicthers specialise in.

Kind of dubious that nearly level 20 Nilfgaardian soldiers need a level 1 Geralt to kill a wyvern.

 

I tried to fight them and they almost kill Geralt in one hit.

Edited May 19, 2015 by HoonDing