Game News CD Projekt Summer Conference: Witcher 3 pre-order and trailer, Witcher digital board game, and more

[Shadenuat]

Something isn't right indeed, Bioware.

Heh, fear of change. It's like Gaider speaks to it's fanbase.

 

[Dr Schultz]

Well somehow they made combat in Witcher 2 was worse than Witcher 1, so hopes are not very high.

I don't think they did. TW1 combat is inherently bad due to its hack&slashy nature (yeah, to me hack & slash combat is trash) and the total lack of balance (2 points in Igni/Aard and the whole game becomes a piece of cake even at the higher difficulty setting).

TW2 has a flawed action-like combat system, no doubt about that, but it's not that flawed in comparison. At least it provides a decent challenge for 2/3 of the game (in Dark Mode) and it's not that blatantly unbalanced.

PS: of course, I hated the rolling thing and QTE crap as anyone else.

 

[Grunker]

Something isn't right indeed, Bioware.

Heh, fear of change. It's like Gaider speaks to it's fanbase.

You really think the Codex is in a place to make jokes about other fanbases fearing change?

 

[cvv]

Well somehow they made combat in Witcher 2 was worse than Witcher 1, so hopes are not very high.

That's one of the memes people just keep repeating even though it's a complete nonsense. The combat in W1 was one of the worst in all aRPG gamingdom and that's saying something. The combat in W2 is a ginormous improvement even though it's still bad.

PS: of course, I hated the rolling thing and QTE crap as anyone else.

Yeah, who doesn't, I just laught at people who spit and sneer when talking about the W2 combat and can't stop stroking their dicks when speaking about the Dark Souls 2 combat since the DS is exactly the same annoying rollfest, especially in the PvP.

Then again nobody ever accused sperglords of being rational, objective human beings.

 

[Sensuki]

That's one of the memes people just keep repeating even though it's a complete nonsense. The combat in W1 was one of the worst in all aRPG gamingdom and that's saying something. The combat in W2 is a ginormous improvement even though it's still bad.

It's certainly more involving than just timed clicks, but I still think it's worse. One of the sword moves (which is like a double pirouette into a slash that completely exposes your back for about a second) is pretty much insta-death/reload on Hard / Dark if that's the attack animation you get when you're attacking creatures who can basically one hit you. There's no movement combination that causes it it's just one of the random animations and it's actually so bad. That alone cancels out a lot of the effort they put in trying to make a better ARPG combat system.

For the record I finished TW2 twice on Hard when it came out [one for Iorveth, one for Roche] but I'd pretty much quicksave before every fight in case that stupid animation got me killed. Actually one of the most frustrating things ever because there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

It's certainly more involving than just timed clicks, but I still think it's worse. One of the sword moves (which is like a double pirouette into a slash that completely exposes your back for about a second) is pretty much insta-death/reload on Hard / Dark if that's the attack animation you get when you're attacking creatures who can basically one hit you. There's no movement combination that causes it it's just one of the random animations and it's actually so bad. That alone cancels out a lot of the effort they put in trying to make a better ARPG combat system.

For the record I finished TW2 twice on Hard when it came out [one for Iorveth, one for Roche] but I'd pretty much quicksave before every fight in case that stupid animation got me killed. Actually one of the most frustrating things ever because there's nothing you can do about it.

Do you mean that spinning (in the air) attack? That one is triggered (well, almost always) by holding left or going to the left of your opponent and pressing attack. It can leave you exposed sure but it's also one of the most damaging attacks (along with heavy attack and riposte) so it's good for taking out isolated foes and with the whirl skill (causes damage to multiple enemies at once, Witcher 2 version of group attack) good for attacking groups. It sucks for attacking enemies that can block your attacks though, for them it's best to roll around them and use heavy attacks on their back or hit them with aard and follow up with heavy attacks.

 

[Dr Schultz]

That's one of the memes people just keep repeating even though it's a complete nonsense. The combat in W1 was one of the worst in all aRPG gamingdom and that's saying something. The combat in W2 is a ginormous improvement even though it's still bad.

It's certainly more involving than just timed clicks, but I still think it's worse. One of the sword moves (which is like a double pirouette into a slash that completely exposes your back for about a second) is pretty much insta-death/reload on Hard / Dark if that's the attack animation you get when you're attacking creatures who can basically one hit you. There's no movement combination that causes it it's just one of the random animations and it's actually so bad. That alone cancels out a lot of the effort they put in trying to make a better ARPG combat system.

For the record I finished TW2 twice on Hard when it came out [one for Iorveth, one for Roche] but I'd pretty much quicksave before every fight in case that stupid animation got me killed. Actually one of the most frustrating things ever because there's nothing you can do about it.

I finished TW2 twice on dark mode, and acutally I didn't find combat that uforgiving. To be fair, I found them even too easy in the last part of the game (but this could be related to my character's build).
I agree that some combo animations were irritating, but game breaking? Not remotely. The free rolling can save your ass basically in any situation in the vanilla game, even when your expose yourself, and CP also improved the combo system through atches, making Geralt's moves more resonable.

Well somehow they made combat in Witcher 2 was worse than Witcher 1, so hopes are not very high.

That's one of the memes people just keep repeating even though it's a complete nonsense. The combat in W1 was one of the worst in all aRPG gamingdom and that's saying something. The combat in W2 is a ginormous improvement even though it's still bad.

PS: of course, I hated the rolling thing and QTE crap as anyone else.

Yeah, who doesn't, I just laught at people who spit and sneer when talking about the W2 combat and can't stop stroking their dicks when speaking about the Dark Souls 2 combat since the DS is exactly the same annoying rollfest, especially in the PvP.

Then again nobody ever accused sperglords of being rational, objective human beings.

Well, to be fair, stamina in DS poses a serious limit to the rolling feast. But still W2 CS is not that bad as someone loves to think.

 

[Sensuki]

I *think* it's this one (the first attack he does).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y40i_rcPfqI#t=114

If that triggers in a group, that's an instant reload. I don't *think* it's triggered by pressing forward and left, but I'd have to reinstall to check.

Keep in mind this was in v1.0 when I played, they might have fixed it now I'm not sure.

The combat was only ever "hard" in the Prologue and a little bit of Act 1, after that it's a cakewalk. And yeah towards the end it's like lolwut?

 

[NotAGolfer]

Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, the most powerful man in the world of The Witcher also made an appearance. Recognize his voice?

Uh... Charles Dance maybe?


OMG, I'm so beyond hyped after seeing this trailer. Sure, cinematic, showing off their fancy graphix and stuff and not much about gameplay but come on, it's CD Project, they don't make shitty QTE clickfests and their stories are so good they could turn even me into a storyfag sooner or later.
And I agree that fighting mechanics are suboptimal in both Witcher and Witcher 2, but they were at least not annoying for me and maybe they might even improve this time.
Don't screw this up and don't turn it into QTE shit, CDR, I have faith in you... even after the minor QTE annoyances (which you could turn off at least) in the last game.

 

[Infinitron]

Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, the most powerful man in the world of The Witcher also made an appearance. Recognize his voice?

Uh... Charles Dance maybe?


OMG, I'm so beyond hyped after seeing this trailer. Sure, cinematic, showing off their fancy graphix and stuff and not much about gameplay but come on, it's CD Project, they don't make shitty QTE clickfests and their stories are so good they could turn even me into a storyfag sooner or later.
And I agree that fighting mechanics are suboptimal in both Witcher and Witcher 2, but they were at least not annoying for me and maybe they might even improve this time.
Don't screw this up and don't turn it into QTE shit, CDR, I have faith in you... even after the minor QTE annoyances (which you could turn off at least) in the last game.

Game was confirmed to be QTE-free a long time ago: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=8933

 

[NotAGolfer]

Ty, that's a relief. Seems I'll have to upgrade my rig before release, this looks quite performance-hungry.
Btw, I just googled it, and yes, Charles Dance will give the Nilfgaardian emperor his voice... but maybe that's already old news for most of you.
Still, makes me even more hyped.
...
Please don't give me a fanboy tag.

 

[Shadenuat]

You really think the Codex is in a place to make jokes about other fanbases fearing change?

Wasn't a joke, more of an observation. Bio and Gaider in particular were often to blame part of their fanbase (one that just wanted BG3) for "fearing change" ect., Gaider even wrote a few passive-agressive posts on it and one in his journal.
That's why I think some of biofans might take that trailer a bit personal.

Yeah, who doesn't, I just laught at people who spit and sneer when talking about the W2 combat and can't stop stroking their dicks when speaking about the Dark Souls 2 combat since the DS is exactly the same annoying rollfest, especially in the PvP.

I don't like rolling as main tool of dodging hits, but DS has x10 weapons than Witcher, managing resources there is more important, and bosses don't require QTE's to beat them.

As for W1 vs W2... well both have things that can be abused, one is clickfest, other rollfest... I think both games had meh sort of combat, each broken in it's own way. However combat-oriented stuff outside of it, like potions and books, was more unique than you usually see in rogues or third-person games.

 

[Cyberarmy]

My God that Inquisition trailer is horrible.

You're being generous.

 

[Hirato]

What I hated most about Twitcher 2's combat was the finishers.

Sure they're cool but they result in the following things:

1. You're 'paralysed' in an unskippable cutscene for at least 10 seconds.
2. In this time, enemies easily surround you, giving them a massive advantage they wouldn't otherwise have had.
   
3. In this time, you continue to take DoT damage,
   
4. In this time, your potions continue their abysmally short countdowns,
   
5. Many of these finishers teleport you to a different place on the current map; during parts of the game, those areas literally kill you, so you exit the finisher either dead or with nearly no health remaining.

And I don't think this was addressed in any patches.

 

[Shadenuat]

I just spammed Agni in both games man.

But yeah, if you're doing finishers in a game with fencing, they shouldn't take player into long cutscenes, and should be as brutal and effective as possible, taking 2 seconds or less to perform and put you in superior position - maybe game will do a parry/block right after it to compensate. At least that should work for Geralt who has superhuman reflexes and stuff.

 

[Dr Schultz]

I just spammed Agni in both games man.

It's not remotely enough in TW2's Dark Mode (though is more than enough in TW1's hard mode). What can give you a Serious advantage in the second game is the Quen+Reflux combo.

Anyway, as long as you master rolling and positioning, you can win any combat at any difficulty level.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

I *think* it's this one (the first attack he does).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y40i_rcPfqI#t=114

If that triggers in a group, that's an instant reload. I don't *think* it's triggered by pressing forward and left, but I'd have to reinstall to check.

Keep in mind this was in v1.0 when I played, they might have fixed it now I'm not sure.

The combat was only ever "hard" in the Prologue and a little bit of Act 1, after that it's a cakewalk. And yeah towards the end it's like lolwut?

Yeah, that's the attack, I still found it useful because it's usually damaging enough to take out one of the mooks, maybe cast quen beforehand to absorb the potential first hit from his friends. I didn't mean forward and left but holding left and pressing attack (while being a certain distance from the enemy) but yeah overall in the chaos of battle it's hard to predict what move is Geralt gonna perform when you press the attack button (not the mark of a good action game) unless you really play the game a lot and get a feel for it.

There's some mod called Rise of the Sword or something which addresses the issue by giving each attack animation a different key or key combination (say shift + attack for long distance attack):




I couldn't try it out though because Nexus won't let me join for free (and the mod's bigger than 2 MBs).

It's not remotely enough in TW2's Dark Mode (though is more than enough in TW1's hard mode). What can give you a Serious advantage in the second game is the Quen+Reflux combo.

Anyway, as long as you master rolling and position, you can win any combat at any difficulty level.

From what I've seen enemy's health doesn't scale with difficulty leves (only their damage does) for Witcher 2 so spamming Igni (if you invested into Magic tree, have decent vigour regeneration and wear +bonus on signs equipment) should work on Dark Mode if it works on Normal or something.

You don't really have to adapt a specific playstyle for Dark Mode per se, you just need to execute better because there's less room for mistakes.

 

[Sensuki]

Yeah, that's the attack

And it is random, I just checked then, it's a random light attack. There's also one that's a random heavy attack that is even worse. I just tested it out against the training dummies in the Prologue under the current patch. It just chooses a random attack move between a few different ones.

 

[Metro]

And I still haven't played Witcher 2 because of my crappy pc :/

Consider yourself fortunate.

Consider yourself shut the fuck up.

Consider yourself a retarded CD Projekt fanboy.

 

[MicoSelva]

Looks very cinematic. $90 AUD for me ($71 with w1 & w2 discount), fuck you gog. When the fuck did they get regional pricing?

Think I'll be sitting on this until it hits bargain bin.

They may have regional pricing, but I don't think they have region blocking.
PM me if you want to arrange a gift deal for around $43.52 (US dollars).

 

[Infinitron]

Looks very cinematic. $90 AUD for me ($71 with w1 & w2 discount), fuck you gog. When the fuck did they get regional pricing?

Think I'll be sitting on this until it hits bargain bin.

There's something in the conference about a "fair price policy" where they refund you the difference. Might want to check that out.

 

[Sensuki]

Nah I don't have the money at the moment. Not a game I'd pre-order anyway.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

And it is random, I just checked then, it's a random light attack. There's also one that's a random heavy attack that is even worse. I just tested it out against the training dummies in the Prologue under the current patch. It just chooses a random attack move between a few different ones.

It's not completely random in my experience, it will occur pretty regularly if you're left of the target and a certain distance and will rarely (if ever) occur if you're in front or to the right of your opponent. I've been playing the game quite a bit recently (both the main story and arena) and can do that attack almost anytime I want.

Here, look at this guy playing:



He almost exclusively uses spinning attack (in addition to short range slashes obviously), wouldn't be able to do that if it was completely random. Notice how he constantly positions himself to be to the left of the enemy.

 

[Sensuki]

I'm standing there and clicking the mouse in game right now, and it's doing it on it's own. I'm not even moving

 

[ZagorTeNej]

But what's your position related to the dummy? To the left, in front or to the right?