next »

[s0]

Update: I'm enjoying this game so much I bought the dlcs as well. I haven't been this into a big RPG for a long time. The last one was probably Fallout New Vegas.

Tbh I don't mind the handholdiness that much. This is a story driven game and there are just enough RPG mechanics to string me along. Imo difficult puzzles or having to figure out where to go all the time would really mess with the game's story pacing. Almost shocking how much polished and well written story content there is btw. They really managed to get the most out of the setting.

Might disable the minimap tho because it tends to distract from the beautiful scenery. I live in Vienna, right at the gateway between eastern and western Europe, so many of the landscapes in the game feel familiar to me.

[Slowminder]

Update: I'm enjoying this game so much I bought the dlcs as well. I haven't been this into a big RPG for a long time. The last one was probably Fallout New Vegas.

Tbh I don't mind the handholdiness that much. This is a story driven game and there are just enough RPG mechanics to string me along. Imo difficult puzzles or having to figure out where to go all the time would really mess with the game's story pacing. Almost shocking how much polished and well written story content there is btw. They really managed to get the most out of the setting.

Might disable the minimap tho because it tends to distract from the beautiful scenery. I live in Vienna, right at the gateway between eastern and western Europe, so many of the landscapes in the game feel familiar to me.

Right decision with disabling mini-map legend. Those questionmarks were driving me crazy. Still, some of them contain power-up points.
Some script parts of the dlcs are even better than the main game.

[s0]

almost done with the main campaign now and gonna move on to the dlcs after that. probably gonna play blood and wine first actually, because i love the mediterranean-inspired setting.

anyway, i love this game but i have some more criticisms as well:

1. like many rpgs, it has a "power creep" problem. at some point in the last 3rd of the main quest i reached a point where my gear was good enough that i could kill even boss enemies close to my level without even trying. im playing on "sword and story" difficulty tho. also, the "restore potions using alcohol while resting" mechanic is cool in theory, forcing you to time your rests strategically. except you eventually get so much alcohol from looting that the mechanic becomes irrelevant. also the late game main quests hand out EXP like candy, making levelups unsatisfying.

2. the gear system is pretty boring. swords more or less only differ in amount of damage (status effects and damage bonuses can be safely ignored). similar thing for armor. i guess you could use axes, but i didn't like those when i tried them.

3. i feel like the consequences for your actions were kinda overhyped. granted i'm basically playing with a self imposed rule to live with my decisions, so i don't fully know what some of the alternatives are, but: some events just don't have ENOUGH of a consequence, namely the deaths of major NPCs. for example, i ended the bloody baron's questline with him committing suicide. the baron's death changes almost nothing and is addressed very inconsistently by npcs in later dialogs. of course the game already has a fuckton of dialog, so they couldn't possibly record all permutations, but they could have at least done something like changing the baron's former henchmen's uniforms or making them say different lines when you pass by them or sth. SOME kind of palpable change. same for radovid and dijkstra, whose deaths are addressed even less. particularly with radovid, it's just jarring considering his political importance.

also not many of the decisions were actually tough for me, and those that were, were mainly in sidequests.

4. the game mostly shies away from simulation and sandbox elements, which is fine and was imo a good decision given that the game's narrative focus. but that makes it all the more jarring when it occasionally DOES try to incorporate those elements. for example: you can normally just steal people's stuff without them caring, zelda style. that is, except if you loot containers in a city while guards are watching, then they all suddenly turn hostile. makes fuck all sense and just feels half assed tbh.

[joseph ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

bloody baron quest is garbage. What place in the game are you?

ps: play blood & wine last

[s0]

ps: play blood & wine last

why?

also im currently at the part where i need to find the sunstone


btw i think witcher is best when it tells smaller stories, just stories about the everyday lives and problems of the people living in its world, the petty politics and etc. when it shifts tone to epic high fantasy and starts involving space elves and ancient magic and shit it loses some of its unique touch. tho that said the kaer morhen battle vs the wild hunt is one of the better cinematic action sequences ive seen in a videogame, so...

[Slowminder]

almost done with the main campaign now and gonna move on to the dlcs after that. probably gonna play blood and wine first actually, because i love the mediterranean-inspired setting.

anyway, i love this game but i have some more criticisms as well:

1. like many rpgs, it has a "power creep" problem. at some point in the last 3rd of the main quest i reached a point where my gear was good enough that i could kill even boss enemies close to my level without even trying. im playing on "sword and story" difficulty tho. also, the "restore potions using alcohol while resting" mechanic is cool in theory, forcing you to time your rests strategically. except you eventually get so much alcohol from looting that the mechanic becomes irrelevant. also the late game main quests hand out EXP like candy, making levelups unsatisfying.

2. the gear system is pretty boring. swords more or less only differ in amount of damage (status effects and damage bonuses can be safely ignored). similar thing for armor. i guess you could use axes, but i didn't like those when i tried them.

3. i feel like the consequences for your actions were kinda overhyped. granted i'm basically playing with a self imposed rule to live with my decisions, so i don't fully know what some of the alternatives are, but: some events just don't have ENOUGH of a consequence, namely the deaths of major NPCs. for example, i ended the bloody baron's questline with him committing suicide. the baron's death changes almost nothing and is addressed very inconsistently by npcs in later dialogs. of course the game already has a fuckton of dialog, so they couldn't possibly record all permutations, but they could have at least done something like changing the baron's former henchmen's uniforms or making them say different lines when you pass by them or sth. SOME kind of palpable change. same for radovid and dijkstra, whose deaths are addressed even less. particularly with radovid, it's just jarring considering his political importance.

also not many of the decisions were actually tough for me, and those that were, were mainly in sidequests.

4. the game mostly shies away from simulation and sandbox elements, which is fine and was imo a good decision given that the game's narrative focus. but that makes it all the more jarring when it occasionally DOES try to incorporate those elements. for example: you can normally just steal people's stuff without them caring, zelda style. that is, except if you loot containers in a city while guards are watching, then they all suddenly turn hostile. makes fuck all sense and just feels half assed tbh.

As I've said before, you have to play on "crushed bones" or "death march" to get full experience from combat and alcohol mechanics.

Aboud Radovid/Dijkstra: it affects game ending. Not as much as it should be, but still. The game is huge (I guess it's like all 3 Mass Effects combined), and it would be a nightmare to make truly significant changes in game's world.
-------------------
About DLCs: you should really beat Hearts of stone first, because you'll be both underleveled for Blood and wine, and when you actually done with B&W, you'll be greatly overleveled for HoS.

[joseph ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

ps: play blood & wine last

why?

also im currently at the part where i need to find the sunstone


btw i think witcher is best when it tells smaller stories, just stories about the everyday lives and problems of the people living in its world, the petty politics and etc. when it shifts tone to epic high fantasy and starts involving space elves and ancient magic and shit it loses some of its unique touch. tho that said the kaer morhen battle vs the wild hunt is one of the better cinematic action sequences ive seen in a videogame, so...

It's in many ways paced and structured like an epilogue or side story (slower, more relaxed, sprawling) whereas the other dlc is a hyper focused and really strong character driven quest line. B&W is the harder of the two to finish, and also the better endcap on the game.

Also ya i totally agree about smaller stories - also interpersonal stories, the friendships and relationships portrayed around the core group of characters (from the 2nd half of the game onwards) are among the best writing in videogames, whereas a lot of the 'epic' plotlines are pretty dry.

I forgot to comment on the Dijkstra thing, that was a big disappointment to me. The quest line ends suddenly in a weird binary that felt both forced and ultimately inconsequential.

[TeeGee]

I have been wrong about games before, but never this wrong. This is an excellent game.

Told ya!

Combat and character building are horrible, but it's just so well written that it still sucks you in.

[s0]

i actually sort of warmed up to both the combat and character building. not least because they are thematic to the story, which is kind of important in a game like this. i mean, this is an "rpg" where you're playing a character with a well established backstory and personality. there are only so many "roleplaying" mechanics you can include before things start getting ridiculous.

the game would actually be even better if it was more zelda-like haha.

i also surprisingly really liked the way the open world was done. it looks nice and is structured like a big fantasy storybook you can explore at your own leisure. and since most of the sidequests are actually cool you never feel cheated out of your time for going exploring.

[s0]

im gonna get started on hearts of stone in earnest when i have the time. already looking forward to it.

[TeeGee]

since most of the sidequests are actually cool you never feel cheated out of your time for going exploring.

I think it's largely because there's no single "get 20 orc helmets" or "kill 3 boars" quests. Even those monster hunting ones have some story content, sometimes better than the main plot line.

[joseph ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

i finally sat down and finished blood and wine ama

ps: now what  


edit: oh yeah CA, did play beat the game yet? play hearts of stone?

[s0]

i beat the main campaign and started HoS but then *other stuff* got in the way. i'll eventually pick it back up.

[HDSanctum]

I recently completed the main campaign, and was shocked and annoyed with the ending I was given-- had to go back and get a better ending.. I feel the series would benefit either for a dlc continuation of the Ciri story or new game, otherwise I can't say any of the endings leave me satisfied. I suspect the bad ending isn't as closed book as it seems though.

While playing through this game, I couldn't help but notice similarities between some of the missions and environments in Witcher 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. The Ciri 'best' ending also reminds me of Dishonored, which I am glad is getting a continuation with Dishonored 2.

[mpolney]

I liked it a lot, but it had numerous boring plot arcs that seemed to go on forever.

[s0]

ok so, i'm actually slightly... underwhelmed?? by hearts of stone. so far the story seems kind of predictable and the characters somewhat flat. some weak voice acting too, in particular shani seems to randomly switch accents and sometimes sounds like she's just rattling off her lines.

[Raptor85]

Just watched a LP of witcher 3, was far more fun than actually trying to grind through it's terrible combat.  Kinda going back to how i started the thread, witcher 3 is fantastic in every aspect except at being a game.

[s0]

i don't think the combat is that awful. it's not "good" but it's functional and thematic.

[Slowminder]

Bare hands combat is afwul. Sword-based combat is good and requires some tactics. Especially on "Death march" when you're killed with 2-3 attacks. Though it can be frustrating when fighting with 5 thugs plus some archers - gotta roll all the time.

[_glitch]

I started playing this 2 days ago and I can say that I love it. The wide variety of items and the world are beautiful.
The combat is annoying sometimes.