The Witcher II

Arclight · 02-11-11, 04:06 PM

Thought we already had one of these.

Anyway; dev diaries 3&4: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...dev-diary-3-4/
1&2 are linked to in there.

Some more reading and viewing, case you missed it:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...the-witcher-2/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...e-pre-ordered/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...e-screenshots/

Well, plenty more really, can't link everything: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/page/2/?s=witcher

* ah, my bad: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/page/2/?s=witcher

Mod please merge or delete. Sorry for my failure in forum skillz.

Arclight · 05-10-11, 08:13 PM

Almost forgot, was headed for bed but it has to be said: game is available for pre-load on Good old Games. Of course, there would be someone who would really appreciate it if you followed the Amazon link here on SubSim for your pre-order, but I would find myself negligent if I failed to mention what you get on GoG.

The developer, CD Projekt Red, is a sister company (I think) of that distributor. So why go there? Well, you get it DRM free for one. And you get a classic RPG for free: decided to go for Gothic 2 myself. Also, if you pay in Euros, you get $16,- store credit, since we Europeans always end up paying that much more. Netted myself Baldur's Gate 2 and Panzer Elite (that hardcore original, Steel Beasts-goes-WWII) with that. And, yes there's more, there's additional goodies on top of the normal deluxe stuff, available immediatly. Nothing too spectacular, but nice non the less.

At any rate, it's coming the 17th and I suspect it's going to hit hard.

CCIP · 05-10-11, 08:28 PM

Also on GoG, you can get the first Witcher (the complete edition of it at that) for 5 bucks today, quite a deal!

I grabbed it since the game was highly recommended to me before. Probably will be some time before I can actually free up some time to play it but hey, worth it in my book...

Feuer Frei! · 05-10-11, 10:32 PM

Have they revamped the graphics?
Or still the same engine?

NeonSamurai · 05-10-11, 10:50 PM

I believe its a totally different engine, the first game used the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine

Arclight · 05-19-11, 04:30 AM

Righto, review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...sins-of-kings/

And some thoughts I suppose:

First things first: it's absolutely gorgeous. And I mean far beyond smooth and fancy filters: if you slow down to walk and drag your eyes up a little from their usual loot-scanning mode, you'll see things that can really make you stop and stare, like some creature captivated by a shiny bauble.

The sun's rays falling through the leaves, a flock of birds dashing off from their tree-top across a setting sun, thin layers of fog drifting on a marsh; all comes together to form a superb atmosphere.

The gameplay is pretty standard RPG fare, but well executed. There's no stat-tinkering: they advance with level and can be augmented in various ways. You can fully customise the skill tree though, of which there are 4 distinct directions/specializations.

There's still some evidence of a die-roll based RPG, , but it's transparant. You hit the button to attack, bit of text pops up to show the results. If the enemy blocked or dodged, it shows something like that the enemy absorbed all damage, while if it connects proper it gives damage and possibly a critical effect such as bleeding or poison. It plays like an action-RPG, but there's definetly more going on beneath, with damage and resistenses all being carefully calculated under the hood.

(clever they gave that bit of text feedback as proof. Both handy and demonstrating carefull game design)

About combat... takes some getting used. Controls are kinda "sticky". Hard to master, but very rewarding. Really shines if you can get a 1v1 fight.

Hmm, plenty of side-quests too, should keep you busy for a while.

Lovely music, never bothersome but can't recall anything particularly impressive either.

Inventory can be ordered by tabs (weapons, armor, etc), but in those tabs it's a right mess. Think they simply order newest-to-oldest.

Characters are great, pretty much everyone you talk to is believable. Together with all the life in the towns it really makes it feel like a real world. For example, people gather around a fire at night to listen to old tales, and groups of people having conversations.

It's not really a looting game, unless you have a crafting- and alchemy fetish. You'll find more crafting components than you can use (plants regenerate as well, unlimited alchemy), but fancy swords and armor are few. It does make a noticeable difference when you upgrade though, that's actually really nice.

* bad things... those controls I'd say. Also really no form of tutorial. Some tips will pop up as you get into a situation where you need the info, but that's too late. Luckily you can read all those bits in the journal, with the game paused. With the lack of the game teaching and the finicky controls, it's more off a difficulty wall than a curve. Prepare for a bit of frustration through the introduction bits.

Arclight · 07-18-11, 06:03 AM

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...or-no-pennies/

Patch version 1.3 coming, brings some new features and content.

02-11-11, 04:06 PM	#1
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	The Witcher II Thought we already had one of these. Anyway; dev diaries 3&4: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...dev-diary-3-4/ 1&2 are linked to in there. Some more reading and viewing, case you missed it: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...the-witcher-2/ http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...e-pre-ordered/ http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...e-screenshots/ Well, plenty more really, can't link everything: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/page/2/?s=witcher * ah, my bad: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/page/2/?s=witcher Mod please merge or delete. Sorry for my failure in forum skillz. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

05-10-11, 08:13 PM	#2
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Almost forgot, was headed for bed but it has to be said: game is available for pre-load on Good old Games. Of course, there would be someone who would really appreciate it if you followed the Amazon link here on SubSim for your pre-order, but I would find myself negligent if I failed to mention what you get on GoG. The developer, CD Projekt Red, is a sister company (I think) of that distributor. So why go there? Well, you get it DRM free for one. And you get a classic RPG for free: decided to go for Gothic 2 myself. Also, if you pay in Euros, you get $16,- store credit, since we Europeans always end up paying that much more. Netted myself Baldur's Gate 2 and Panzer Elite (that hardcore original, Steel Beasts-goes-WWII) with that. And, yes there's more, there's additional goodies on top of the normal deluxe stuff, available immediatly. Nothing too spectacular, but nice non the less. At any rate, it's coming the 17th and I suspect it's going to hit hard. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

05-10-11, 08:28 PM	#3
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	Also on GoG, you can get the first Witcher (the complete edition of it at that) for 5 bucks today, quite a deal! I grabbed it since the game was highly recommended to me before. Probably will be some time before I can actually free up some time to play it but hey, worth it in my book... __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

05-10-11, 10:32 PM	#4
Feuer Frei! Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Valhalla Posts: 5,295 Downloads: 141 Uploads: 17	Have they revamped the graphics? Or still the same engine? __________________ "History is the lies that the victors agree on"- Napoleon LINK TO MY SH 3 MODS

05-10-11, 10:50 PM	#5
NeonSamurai Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Socialist Republic of Kanadia Posts: 3,044 Downloads: 17 Uploads: 0	I believe its a totally different engine, the first game used the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine __________________ SH3 Newbie Guide Links and other helpfull stuff

05-19-11, 04:30 AM	#6
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Righto, review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...sins-of-kings/ And some thoughts I suppose: First things first: it's absolutely gorgeous. And I mean far beyond smooth and fancy filters: if you slow down to walk and drag your eyes up a little from their usual loot-scanning mode, you'll see things that can really make you stop and stare, like some creature captivated by a shiny bauble. The sun's rays falling through the leaves, a flock of birds dashing off from their tree-top across a setting sun, thin layers of fog drifting on a marsh; all comes together to form a superb atmosphere. The gameplay is pretty standard RPG fare, but well executed. There's no stat-tinkering: they advance with level and can be augmented in various ways. You can fully customise the skill tree though, of which there are 4 distinct directions/specializations. There's still some evidence of a die-roll based RPG, , but it's transparant. You hit the button to attack, bit of text pops up to show the results. If the enemy blocked or dodged, it shows something like that the enemy absorbed all damage, while if it connects proper it gives damage and possibly a critical effect such as bleeding or poison. It plays like an action-RPG, but there's definetly more going on beneath, with damage and resistenses all being carefully calculated under the hood. (clever they gave that bit of text feedback as proof. Both handy and demonstrating carefull game design) About combat... takes some getting used. Controls are kinda "sticky". Hard to master, but very rewarding. Really shines if you can get a 1v1 fight. Hmm, plenty of side-quests too, should keep you busy for a while. Lovely music, never bothersome but can't recall anything particularly impressive either. Inventory can be ordered by tabs (weapons, armor, etc), but in those tabs it's a right mess. Think they simply order newest-to-oldest. Characters are great, pretty much everyone you talk to is believable. Together with all the life in the towns it really makes it feel like a real world. For example, people gather around a fire at night to listen to old tales, and groups of people having conversations. It's not really a looting game, unless you have a crafting- and alchemy fetish. You'll find more crafting components than you can use (plants regenerate as well, unlimited alchemy), but fancy swords and armor are few. It does make a noticeable difference when you upgrade though, that's actually really nice. * bad things... those controls I'd say. Also really no form of tutorial. Some tips will pop up as you get into a situation where you need the info, but that's too late. Luckily you can read all those bits in the journal, with the game paused. With the lack of the game teaching and the finicky controls, it's more off a difficulty wall than a curve. Prepare for a bit of frustration through the introduction bits. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

07-18-11, 06:03 AM	#7
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...or-no-pennies/ Patch version 1.3 coming, brings some new features and content. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.