The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [2015]

[Lexx]

What's a secret about it? The expansion pass has been announced already before release.

[Humanoid]

Yeah, well hopefully "hearts of stone"  doesn't refer to her feelings about Geralt.

[Tale]

 

 

Look who's back. Not a particularly well kept secret, but hey, confirmation by way of the Steam listing

 

I was about to play devil's advocate and ask "can we be sure it's Shani?" But I double checked her Witcher 1 appearance the only notable difference is her hair parted on the other side.

 

Which can only mean it's Shani's evil twin.

[HoonDing]

Alas, too late. Much too late.

[GhostofAnakin]

They're going to have to edit existing dialogue to reflect whether the player has finished the expansion or not before that quest with the medical doctor.  It'll be weird if Geralt's already met Shani, then asks the doctor if he knows her whereabouts.

[Orogun01]

They're going to have to edit existing dialogue to reflect whether the player has finished the expansion or not before that quest with the medical doctor.  It'll be weird if Geralt's already met Shani, then asks the doctor if he knows her whereabouts.

Consistency is for chumps.

[Tale]

They're going to have to edit existing dialogue to reflect whether the player has finished the expansion or not before that quest with the medical doctor.  It'll be weird if Geralt's already met Shani, then asks the doctor if he knows her whereabouts.

Did they specify the expansions would be before the end?

[GhostofAnakin]

I don't have a link, but everything I've read says both expansions can be accessed during the main story.  Maybe that will change when they're released, though.  But as of now, it seems they're both set during the events of TW3's story, not after.

[Nordicus]

I was about to play devil's advocate and ask "can we be sure it's Shani?" But I double checked her Witcher 1 appearance the only notable difference is her hair parted on the other side.

 

Which can only mean it's Shani's evil twin.

The main character of the first expansion is Master Mirror, or Man of Glass.

 

Clearly, this is not Shani, but an illusion. Clearly

[Nordicus]

Welp, there it is

 

[Nonek]

If they've implemented NG+ then why exactly are we not allowed to import our thirty fifth level characters over from Assassins of Kings? It seems counter intuitive to do one and not the other.

[Nonek]

I see no real difference, in NG+ you're presumably starting the game again on Yen's trail after the events of Assassins of Kings, fully equipped and levelled up to around forty or so. This is almost exactly how you should transfer from the Witcher 2, the differences in the character system can be alleviated by simply giving an import 35 character points to spend, on whatever he wishes, and a set of adequate equipment. After all there's simply no reason to strip all of the skills from Geralt for a second time, and reduce him to only learning one or two of them after advancing fifty levels in the first game and thirty five in the second.

 

It would also make the import matter a little more, something sorely needed.

[GhostofAnakin]

If they've implemented NG+ then why exactly are we not allowed to import our thirty fifth level characters over from Assassins of Kings? It seems counter intuitive to do one and not the other.

 

One is a lot more difficult, technically speaking (I'd assume), than the other.  NG+ simply likely involves leveling up enemies and carrying over skills/equipment from the first play through.  Importing TW2 character would require a whole lot more, in terms of adjusting skills/powers from an entirely different game.

 

IMO, to use a sports game analogy, NG+ would be the equivalent of making roster patches available to download for the base game; nothing about the base game changes, just the various team rosters and player abilities are adjusted.  Meanwhile, importing would be like implementing features from last year's game into this year's game, even if wholesale changes were made to the core game from one year to the next.

[Nonek]

Allow the character to level up (probably best to do this in the prologue) to 35 immediately, give him equipment and formulae, and let him loose in the same environment that the NG+ characters are using. Sounds simple to me.

 

I'm not asking for the same advancement system as Assassins, just advance using the Wild Hunts system.

[GhostofAnakin]

Eh, I think that sort of thing is better left for after a player has finished the campaign.  Otherwise, it kind of defeats the purpose of playing through the first time and experiencing all the upgrades as you level up and whatnot.

 

I don't know.  What you're asking for sounds like what you'd get in NG+ anyway, but you just want it available from the beginning.  IMO, having that available from the beginning takes away from some of the appeal of tackling a game for the first time and being able to gradually increase in power/ability.

[Nonek]

I'm assuming that you'll still be able to gradually increase in power anyway, I don't think there's a level cap, you'll just start with points to spend how you wish reflecting your advanced level at the end of Assassins. They need to remove the twelve abilities limit however.

 

To be honest i'd much rather this was implemented instead of NG+, then again that's just my own preference, and admittedly I have unusual tastes.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Nonek

[Azure79]

I disliked the 12 ablility restraint as well. I wish they'd get rid of it. It's my one nitpicky complaint in an otherwise superb game. 

[Orogun01]

Now CDproject has entered the same level as Bethesda when we start saying: "Mods will fix it"

[BruceVC]

Now CDproject has entered the same level as Bethesda when we start saying: "Mods will fix it"

 

And that is a very unreasonable, untrue and scurrilous  view to have about CDPR.....

[HoonDing]

It's true, though.

I had to install a developer console to get past that bug that removed all xp rewards.

[Orogun01]

 

Now CDproject has entered the same level as Bethesda when we start saying: "Mods will fix it"

 

And that is a very unreasonable, untrue and scurrilous  view to have about CDPR.....

 

See, based on the Witcher 2 and this one I get the feeling that they have some trouble with basic game design. They excel at everything else but the core gameplay has been an issue these last 2 games.

Before you couldn't drink potions, now you can't equip oils

Witcher 2 combat relied heavily on rolling, Witcher 3 combat relies on dodging and rolling.

Both games have very restrictive skill trees that encourage specialization and punish multiclassing.

 

I installed a mod to get rid of the level restrictions on Witcher gear as it is already difficult to get and craft without me having to wait 2 levels to equip it. I also installed a mod that changes the level scaling for enemies so that you can fight higher level enemies and so lower level enemies give more of a challenge. Because I would like to explore and finish quest without having to come back to them 3 days after without remembering what the hell were they about. Big problem in my vanilla playthrough, particularly with one quest that i got early on that had a level 33 restriction that I never finished because I barely hit level 29 after all the main quest was done.

[BruceVC]

 

 

Now CDproject has entered the same level as Bethesda when we start saying: "Mods will fix it"

 

And that is a very unreasonable, untrue and scurrilous  view to have about CDPR.....

 

See, based on the Witcher 2 and this one I get the feeling that they have some trouble with basic game design. They excel at everything else but the core gameplay has been an issue these last 2 games.

Before you couldn't drink potions, now you can't equip oils

Witcher 2 combat relied heavily on rolling, Witcher 3 combat relies on dodging and rolling.

Both games have very restrictive skill trees that encourage specialization and punish multiclassing.

 

I installed a mod to get rid of the level restrictions on Witcher gear as it is already difficult to get and craft without me having to wait 2 levels to equip it. I also installed a mod that changes the level scaling for enemies so that you can fight higher level enemies and so lower level enemies give more of a challenge. Because I would like to explore and finish quest without having to come back to them 3 days after without remembering what the hell were they about. Big problem in my vanilla playthrough, particularly with one quest that i got early on that had a level 33 restriction that I never finished because I barely hit level 29 after all the main quest was done.

 

Alright.....you do make some sobering and worrying  points. I haven't played W3 so I can't comment 

 

I would like to get others views on this?

[BruceVC]

It's true, though.

 

I had to install a developer console to get past that bug that removed all xp rewards.

But to be fair for some incomprehensible reason you are bias towards CDPR....so we have to treat your view with prejudice  

 

But Orog will be seen as objective so your point is still noted  

[HoonDing]

I don't really feel Witcher 3 excels at anything. I liked AssCreed 4 more.

 

The beginning parts in Velen are very good, but after that it all falls apart.

 

Though what was really great was the whole Geralt-Yennefer relationship and the parts with the other witchers in Kaer Morhen.

[Orogun01]

I don't really feel Witcher 3 excels at anything. I liked AssCreed 4 more.

 

The beginning parts in Velen are very good, but after that it all falls apart.

 

Though what was really great was the whole Geralt-Yennefer relationship and the parts with the other witchers in Kaer Morhen.

Liked is a subjective thing.

 

Eric Kain said that the Witcher might be "the best open world game" I'm inclined to agree.

The areas feel natural, realistic and you have a clear sense of what happened there from both the level design and the story. Writing and voice acting is superb and really draws you in, very few instances of real life creeping in which is a big problem for me with fantasy (since they draw from real life as inspiration)

Beautiful 3D models, the armors are expertly crafted and smartly made as well. They made their assets modular but with both progression and they were smart about hiding their repetition.

The quests are good, even minor quests have their own interesting stories and resolutions. It is also why people are saying that the Witcher is a good detective game since a lot of these minor quests have various resolutions depending on whether or not you investigate or if you make the wrong conclusion.

 

It just the combat and character progression are bad and for very dumb reasons that could have been easily fixed with  better design.

I disagree with you that the relationship with Yennefer was great, but i'm coming from just having played the games and never have read any of the books. Even still I find it odd that after finding each other they simply get back to business without even reconnecting or even mentioning what happened at the beginning of the game series. I don't hate the character, it is just that there is no presentation. She is forced as a romance option because it is already established, without any thought that this might be the first impression for a lot of gamers who have no love for the character or any notion of their relationship.