The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:06 pm

Pre-loading now on Steam

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:07 pm

Frost wrote:Pre-loading now on Steam

Yay, I can finally test my download speed. I'll let you know Smoove.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:26 pm

Thankfully my video card holds me back. I think I'm backed into a corner with my ATI upgrades as I can't bump my power supply. If I jump ship and switch to Nvidia I might be able to keep this PC another 2+ years....which is about how long it will take to download my entire STEAM library.

I can say from previews I've read, this very well might be the game that gets me to upgrade. When I see people suggest "It's like Red Dead Redemption...but Fantasy" (in terms of scope, wandering around, exploring, etc...) I am quite intrigued.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:28 pm

I was thinking I could upgrade my PC just so I can send you my video card, but then I thought about it and I hear divorce is expensive so you can get your own upgrade.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:31 pm

I might need to start a thread in the computer hardware section as I remember it took me quite some time to figure out which card to slap in this older PC that would work with my power supply.

As it turns out my video card is one model below (I have an ATI 7850) the minimum required card for this game (ATI 7870). That's bollocks!

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:45 pm

I had to go PS4 on this one. First game I've run into that I've wanted to play that my PC can't physically run. That was a hard pill to swallow!

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:49 pm

YellowKing wrote:I had to go PS4 on this one. First game I've run into that I've wanted to play that my PC can't physically run. That was a hard pill to swallow!

I'm doing the same, even though my PC is more powerful than my PS4. I was a bit worried about the reported performance issues mentioned in several reviews though, but CDPR have since stated that these are being fixed or improved in the day 1 patch. The console version is about equal to running the PC version on High detail.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:51 pm

Same here. By the way, if you want the equivalent of pre-load for the game (if you preordered from the ps store, that is), just make sure you put your ps4 into rest mode on the 16th or so, and you have the auto download option selected (it can be found by opening the game's page in the store and clicking on the button that shows the timer for the game's release).

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:08 pm

Yeah, I suppose I could just scrap the plans to upgrade the PC and pull the trigger on an Xbone during the assumed Fall / Winter 2015 sales. Fortunately I've got nothing but time to wait and see how it all shakes out, but I would be amazed if they're not able to deliver an awesome game. It really does look amazing.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:21 pm

I'm going with PS4 for now, but if it's like the rest of the Witcher series, it should be on sale for 4.99 within three weeks. So I'll just grab a PC copy at that point. See how it looks on my i5 with the 970.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:48 pm

Frost wrote:Pre-loading now on Steam

I preloaded on Monday

And living on the west coast, I can play at 7pm pacific time next monday! AWESOME

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:49 pm

Smoove_B wrote:Thankfully my video card holds me back. I think I'm backed into a corner with my ATI upgrades as I can't bump my power supply. If I jump ship and switch to Nvidia I might be able to keep this PC another 2+ years....which is about how long it will take to download my entire STEAM library.

I can say from previews I've read, this very well might be the game that gets me to upgrade. When I see people suggest "It's like Red Dead Redemption...but Fantasy" (in terms of scope, wandering around, exploring, etc...) I am quite intrigued.

Smoove, go get a Nvidia GTX970 and you can get witcher 3 and the new batman for free. I just got the card for $330 at newegg after a rebate, and it's screaming fast.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:16 am

coopasonic wrote:
Frost wrote:Pre-loading now on Steam
Yay, I can finally test my download speed. I'll let you know Smoove.

Preload peaked at 290Mbits but averaged closer to 160-180... A bit better than the 15 I got before my upgrade.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:26 am

Yeah, I made the mistake of preordering this before I realized the impact next gen consoles will have on system requirements. So I have a game my machine can't handle until major upgrades and I have no money for upgrades. Good news is, I can't buy games that I can't play so I am saving money

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:39 pm

Conan plays The Witcher 3

Thats some funny shit there.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:19 am

I was going to wait in this one, as the last two games were more miss than hit for me. After seeing all the off-the-charts reviews though, I think I'm going to grab it and hope for the best. Will probably do PS4, as I have a $50 credit at GS...and playing from the couch on the big screen sounds great.

AjD · Post by **AjD** » Fri May 15, 2015 2:08 am

And... here comes the launch trailer (cinematics only, but wow... way to set a tone.)

Ahead of the game's release next week, Polish developer CD Projekt Red on Thursday released a new cinematic trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Titled "A Night to Remember," the video is totally gorgeous and quite creepy and unexpected... Reviews for The Witcher 3 came online this week, and the RPG is receiving widespread praise. GameSpot scored the game a perfect 10/10, only the ninth title in our site's history to receive that score.

This game is hooking me - looks deep, and surprisingly adult (a good thing). Plus, it has the inimitable Charles Dance

. I may come out of my protracted hibernation for this one (2-3 years since I've gamed, I forget!).

Anyone know if a Q9550 can run this without choking? With 8 gigs of RAM and a decent modern video card? I've got an old card, don't recall which. But I'd upgrade my GPU for this game. Don't want to build a new box though...

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Fri May 15, 2015 2:48 am

AjD wrote:Plus, it has the inimitable Charles Dance .

Playing the most dangerous and powerful man in the setting too: Emperor Emhyr var Emreis of Nilfgaard. This is a guy who commands enormous presence in the books as well. Charles Dance is a great choice for this character's voice actor.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:40 am

I know a lot is being made out of the nudity in the game, but I'm curious as to whether or not it includes the ability for me to be nude while playing it?

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:22 am

hepcat wrote:I know a lot is being made out of the nudity in the game, but I'm curious as to whether or not it includes the ability for me to be nude while playing it?

Your ideas intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your Twitch stream.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:28 am

Please don't encourage him.

Please.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:35 am

I'll start shopping for a life sized, stuffed Unicorn this weekend for the twitch stream...

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:43 am

I'm starting to twitch myself.

Also... 4 days!

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:18 pm

As I haven't even beat the 1st one I refuse to buy this. I have both 1 and 2 still to play.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:33 pm

Octavious wrote:As I haven't even beat the 1st one I refuse to buy this. I have both 1 and 2 still to play.

Ditto. And I've started the 1st one three times...

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:47 pm

TheMix wrote:
Octavious wrote:As I haven't even beat the 1st one I refuse to buy this. I have both 1 and 2 still to play.
Ditto. And I've started the 1st one three times...

Just based on what I have seen, I think this is a pretty big change in gameplay and you could probably skip the first two especially if you enjoy other open world fantasy games. I am not sure I could play the first one again these days.

I just looked at the minimum specs and I am right on the line. I thought my PC was better than that! It's time to shop.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri May 15, 2015 1:23 pm

Here is some fancy book reading to tide you over. They all take place before W1.

The Last Wish (short story collection)

Sword of Destiny (short story collection)

Blood of Elves

Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire

The Swallow's Tower

Lady of the Lake

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Fri May 15, 2015 1:26 pm

Jag wrote:Here is some fancy book reading to tide you over. They all take place before W1.

The Last Wish (short story collection)

Sword of Destiny (short story collection)

Blood of Elves

Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire

The Swallow's Tower

Lady of the Lake

Except three of those books (Sword of Destiny, The Swallow's Tower and Lady of the Lake) still aren't available in English. Sword of Destiny is coming out in a week though. I keep seeing English-speaking people recommend the unreleased books to other English-speaking people, and I wonder why they're doing this. Is everyone reading fan-translations (which I doubt are anywhere near legal)?

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Fri May 15, 2015 2:48 pm

Jag wrote:Here is some fancy book reading to tide you over. They all take place before W1.

The Last Wish (short story collection)

Sword of Destiny (short story collection)

Blood of Elves

Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire

The Swallow's Tower

Lady of the Lake

This made me think of this novelization of a part of Witcher 2, including a very accurate description of the combat.

The Witcher then drew his steel sword, relieved to have drawn the correct sword this time. Then, with great valor and cat-like speed, he rolled out of the way. He rolled again, and again, rolling like the wind, rolling like a small rock down a mountain, which would eventually pick up other larger rocks and form an avalanche.

Two of the bounty hunter’s men came at him from the left, so he rolled to the right. He rolled to the right again, and then rolled to the left.

“Ploughing whoreson!” shouted the brigand.

Geralt rolled one more time, this time to the right, down the alley. He paused and cast the Quen sign upon himself, surrounding his amor with a glowing, magical shield. He then rolled back toward his foes, accidentally rolling straight into a swinging sword. In the blink of an eye, he rolled away from them again, then rolled twice more. He rolled into a merchant’s cart, then rolled away from it. Then he stood up and cast another Quen sign upon himself.

Geralt rolled toward one of the less-armored men and attacked him, his steel sword flying in a precise combination of light and heavy swings. The man went down, and Geralt rolled over his body and away from danger. He rolled again, and again, and again, occasionally swinging his sword between rolls, killing the bounty hunter’s men one by one.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:15 pm

TiLT wrote:
Except three of those books (Sword of Destiny, The Swallow's Tower and Lady of the Lake) still aren't available in English. Sword of Destiny is coming out in a week though. I keep seeing English-speaking people recommend the unreleased books to other English-speaking people, and I wonder why they're doing this. Is everyone reading fan-translations (which I doubt are anywhere near legal)?

Holy crap, Baptism of Fire is out? *Runs off searching*

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:16 pm

NickAragua wrote:This made me think of this novelization of a part of Witcher 2, including a very accurate description of the combat.

The Witcher then drew his steel sword, relieved to have drawn the correct sword this time. Then, with great valor and cat-like speed, he rolled out of the way. He rolled again, and again, rolling like the wind, rolling like a small rock down a mountain, which would eventually pick up other larger rocks and form an avalanche.

Two of the bounty hunter’s men came at him from the left, so he rolled to the right. He rolled to the right again, and then rolled to the left.

“Ploughing whoreson!” shouted the brigand.

Geralt rolled one more time, this time to the right, down the alley. He paused and cast the Quen sign upon himself, surrounding his amor with a glowing, magical shield. He then rolled back toward his foes, accidentally rolling straight into a swinging sword. In the blink of an eye, he rolled away from them again, then rolled twice more. He rolled into a merchant’s cart, then rolled away from it. Then he stood up and cast another Quen sign upon himself.

Geralt rolled toward one of the less-armored men and attacked him, his steel sword flying in a precise combination of light and heavy swings. The man went down, and Geralt rolled over his body and away from danger. He rolled again, and again, and again, occasionally swinging his sword between rolls, killing the bounty hunter’s men one by one.

Ugh no. I only read Last Wish and it was nothing like that excerpt. I'm guessing the actual author does a better job than a game novel writer.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:29 pm

NickAragua wrote:
This made me think of this novelization of a part of Witcher 2, including a very accurate description of the combat.

The Witcher then drew his steel sword, relieved to have drawn the correct sword this time. Then, with great valor and cat-like speed, he rolled out of the way. He rolled again, and again, rolling like the wind, rolling like a small rock down a mountain, which would eventually pick up other larger rocks and form an avalanche.

Two of the bounty hunter’s men came at him from the left, so he rolled to the right. He rolled to the right again, and then rolled to the left.

“Ploughing whoreson!” shouted the brigand.

Geralt rolled one more time, this time to the right, down the alley. He paused and cast the Quen sign upon himself, surrounding his amor with a glowing, magical shield. He then rolled back toward his foes, accidentally rolling straight into a swinging sword. In the blink of an eye, he rolled away from them again, then rolled twice more. He rolled into a merchant’s cart, then rolled away from it. Then he stood up and cast another Quen sign upon himself.

Geralt rolled toward one of the less-armored men and attacked him, his steel sword flying in a precise combination of light and heavy swings. The man went down, and Geralt rolled over his body and away from danger. He rolled again, and again, and again, occasionally swinging his sword between rolls, killing the bounty hunter’s men one by one.

There seems to be a lot of, um, rolling involved here.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:30 pm

I'm pretty sure it was satire.

That being said, rolling was pretty much the only way to reliably avoid damage in Witcher 2, so I parked my thumb on that space bar and rolled like there was no tomorrow.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:30 pm

It's a criticism of the game. He's saying the in-game combat is a lot of rolling around.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:32 pm

coopasonic wrote:It's a criticism of the game. He's saying the in-game combat is a lot of rolling around.

I liked his take on the strange names in the world of the Witcher. And the sexing.

“Triss Merigold,” said Geralt.

Triss Merigold was dressed in the same super-tight outfit she had been wearing for the last three weeks. It really accented her hot boobs, which were sexy and huge and hot. Her red hair was pulled back from her sexy face, the better to allow her super-big sexy eyes to really pop. She lustily sauntered toward Geralt, her hips swaying. It was all Geralt could do not to sex her right there.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:43 pm

Okay, those snippets made me laugh.

The Witcher then drew his steel sword, relieved to have drawn the correct sword this time.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri May 15, 2015 3:52 pm

coopasonic wrote:
TheMix wrote:
Octavious wrote:As I haven't even beat the 1st one I refuse to buy this. I have both 1 and 2 still to play.
Ditto. And I've started the 1st one three times...
Just based on what I have seen, I think this is a pretty big change in gameplay and you could probably skip the first two especially if you enjoy other open world fantasy games. I am not sure I could play the first one again these days.

I just looked at the minimum specs and I am right on the line. I thought my PC was better than that! It's time to shop.

I really disliked the combat in the first one. Maybe I should just skip to the second. It drives me nuts as I should love these games.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Fri May 15, 2015 4:16 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Holy crap, Baptism of Fire is out? *Runs off searching*

Yeah, it's been out for a year now. It sadly didn't really grab me. The Last Wish is the best one of the bunch, as far as I'm concerned. The grand story about the elven prophecy isn't incredibly interesting in my opinion, and it moves extremely slowly. If you think The Lord of the Rings reads like a travelogue, The Witcher would like to have a word with you (make that several hundred thousand words).

It doesn't help that the translation is clunky and strangely written. Particularly irksome is the way in which everyone over-explains even the most basic sayings until they are interrupted. Where Monty Python said "your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries," The Witcher would have added: "Because he was small and hairy and spoke in squeals and lived in the forest, just like your mother whose smell was so ripe that it's a wonder they ever mated, which goes double when considering the hamster's tiny cock that he was so ashamed of that he..." and it goes on and on and on like this. It happens in just about every conversation in the books, and the one thing I kept thinking while reading this was that nobody speaks that way.

Still, it's a compelling setting with interesting characters. The books just struggle to deliver the setting and characters in a satisfactory way, which I suspect is at least partly due to it originally being written in Polish.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri May 15, 2015 4:50 pm

Found this recap on Reddit solely from the games (not novels).

Click to embiggen.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Fri May 15, 2015 5:35 pm

Octavious wrote:
coopasonic wrote:
TheMix wrote:
Octavious wrote:As I haven't even beat the 1st one I refuse to buy this. I have both 1 and 2 still to play.
Ditto. And I've started the 1st one three times...
Just based on what I have seen, I think this is a pretty big change in gameplay and you could probably skip the first two especially if you enjoy other open world fantasy games. I am not sure I could play the first one again these days.

I just looked at the minimum specs and I am right on the line. I thought my PC was better than that! It's time to shop.
I really disliked the combat in the first one. Maybe I should just skip to the second. It drives me nuts as I should love these games.

The first one had a great story, but i never loved the combat either, but played to the end just for the story.

Witcher 2 solved all my issues and was more more action oriented with its combat. If the combat in Witcher 1 is that big a turnoff for you, then skip it and just play Witcher 2. If I remember correctly, decisions you made in Witcher 2 will affect gameplay in Witcher 3, right?