MechanicalWall
Banned
The game has amazing draw distance
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Why The Witcher 3 is so good (Spoilers)
- Thread starter Turin Turambar
- Start date
The game has amazing draw distance
PC version with .ini tweaks and LOD mods out of ass? I don't remember drawing distance being this good without that stuff.
Also that photoshopped Geralt gives me confused feelings. I approve.
I just started with Witcher 3 (first time in Velen right now) and really enjoying it so far. The giant world map is kinda daunting but I love the setting und Geralt is really cool. Didn't read all of your first post OP (thanks for the spoiler warning) but I just wanted to post this. Sorry for that but I'm pretty hyped.
Don't look at world map too much / often, mostly when traveling longer distances. Just go where quests and curiosity takes, don't take attitude that you have to see it all and unlock every POI. Lowers stress :b
ShooterMcGavin
Member
Thanks for the advice! I did clear all points in white orchard but after seeing the map of velen... yeah not doing that haha
His Majesty
Banned
Tovarisc already gave a good reply but I'd like to weigh in also. The Witcher 3 is a very different beast from Skyrim and relies a lot more on scripted content than emergent gameplay. My impression is that the open world in The Witcher 3 serves more as a background for the narrative while in Skyrim it is a feature in and of itself. So while Skyrim relies on exploration for the sake of exploration, this is a lot less the case in The Witcher 3.
I had a great experience exploring the world while I was travelling to the city of Oxenfurt as part of a quest. I had to wade through muddy and war-torn fields at night during a storm, fending off ghouls and other monsters. Finally I arrived at the impressive Pontar River and could see the lights of the city on the other side. Relief hit me that I was about to move out of the wilderness and into civilization.
This is the type of open world that The Witcher 3 provides. Every action you take, every corner you explore, has a goal. Not exploration for the sake of exploration like Skyrim but everything is placed within a narrative framework. This obviously requires you to be invested in the story and its characters which are the driving force behind the entire game.
Honestly i wish i could see what everyone else sees in this game. I just wasn't enjoying myself when playing it. I bought the goty edition and put about 10-15 hours into it before i stopped out of boredom. The only thing i found entertaining was the card game. Maybe I'll try it again some day.
Unity2012
Member
Great read OP. The Witcher 3 is a testament of a well organized-fleshed out production. It's not the combat alone, the story, or enemy types, or any specific environment, what makes it so amazing; but the sum of it all and the way it draws us into its world.
Geralt is a great character, strong enough to beat any odds against him; and humble enough to embrace anyone without being too arrogant or too shy. Just the perfect balance.
I really hope CD Projectk Red builds up upon TW3 and continues to deliver games like this Master piece.
Geralt is a great character, strong enough to beat any odds against him; and humble enough to embrace anyone without being too arrogant or too shy. Just the perfect balance.
I really hope CD Projectk Red builds up upon TW3 and continues to deliver games like this Master piece.
The Hamburglar
Banned
why
Admiral Woofington
Member
If after that much you aren't feeling it, it isn't for you. You need to be hooked from the start at the least you need to be somewhat interested as you're in the first area and arrive in the second which is the true darling area of the game. If you aren't, don't bother.
There's a mentality among folks that "man so many people love this movie/game it also won a million awards and it was the movie/game of the year so I must love it"
If it's not for you, it's not for you. Don't force yourself.
Tenacious-D
Member
I feel like there's one of these threads every week. Pretty sure more than half my posts are in threads like this one. Side quests are good, but the main quest is weak. TW2's was better, and Hearts of Stone was better than the base game.
Do it.
If you like the card game, the standalone Gwent game is in closed beta, and is pretty great so far. Open beta coming soon (tm). They're improved a lot on the core formula.
Do it.
If you like the card game, the standalone Gwent game is in closed beta, and is pretty great so far. Open beta coming soon (tm). They're improved a lot on the core formula.
For better or worse how Geralt fights in TW3 is how he is supposed to fight, dance of sorts. There is slowness and methodology to it, especially in sword focused build. More forgiving animation cancellation could make it better for some, but also encourage more spamminess.
Combat in BB is far, far more hectic and spammy in comparison. Game lets you get away with more greed as long you are aware of after which animation set boss is vulnerable for spam.
Both games have distinct and intentional ways of doing combat and those play into identity of the game and its character.
paranoidfortean
Member
Just finishing up the DLC and am starting to wonder if this will ruin BOTW next month.
ShooterMcGavin
Member
It's possible. I had some very real "open world fatigue" back in 2015 when I put an absurd amount of hours into Witcher 3 and MGSV, and then tried to play Fallout 4.
Harmondale
Member
Is it possible to go nuts in a city/village and for example attack guards/npc, loot them, and end up on a wanted list etc ? Enjoyed being that kind of guy in Elders scrolls games 
Is it possible to go nuts in a city/village and for example attack guards/npc, loot them, and end up on a wanted list etc ? Enjoyed being that kind of guy in Elders scrolls games
You can fight guards and soldiers but until late game they will push your shit in.
Before I started I read advice to disable the undiscovered POI markers, and completely agree with it. I exprimented having them on and even though I'm not really hardcore completionist I started just going from one POI to another to "finish them". Immediately turned them off again after I noticed what I was doing. It is also lot more fun to discover them by accident or by looking at the map trying to spot potential POIs from that.
My 2 advices for someone just starting would be the previous, and play it on Death March. Yes you will probably die to the first enemies you encounter, but trust me the game has inverse difficulty curve and will get quite easy as you progress even on the highest difficulty. Though I haven't actually finished the game/DLCs yet so maybe it gets difficult again at some point.
Ristifer
Member
I think The Witcher 3 is the first game I have ever played where I don't even give a damn that the main story was on the weaker side. Many side stories are richly detailed and almost force you to emotionally invest in them. Even some of the stories told in the main questline are extremely worthwhile just for the character interactions alone.
To have a game present a main story that is mostly ho hum and normal, while also presenting a variety of other meaningful quests that intertwine with everything else, makes it something special to me. I don't think I've ever encountered a game that has done this for me personally. It goes a long way to make you believe in everything going on around you.
To have a game present a main story that is mostly ho hum and normal, while also presenting a variety of other meaningful quests that intertwine with everything else, makes it something special to me. I don't think I've ever encountered a game that has done this for me personally. It goes a long way to make you believe in everything going on around you.
YankeeDonB
Member
OP, I think you've really nailed it here. Big RPGs need lots of different scenarios that are engaging in different ways or they start to feel flat. It's a big part of why I often say Witcher 3 is the FF 6/FF 7 of wrpgs.
Of course, all that stuff you highlight works as well as it does in large part due to excellent writing (not just excellent for a video game). The writing is fluid and has a believable rhythm, and this does a ton to sell drama and comedy throughout the game's many scenarios.
Of course, all that stuff you highlight works as well as it does in large part due to excellent writing (not just excellent for a video game). The writing is fluid and has a believable rhythm, and this does a ton to sell drama and comedy throughout the game's many scenarios.
Yeah I really don't even differentiate them, it's all equal parts of my Geralt's story. It's very muddled to me what is a main quest and what is a side quest. I can't think of the games story just being "find your daughter and save the world". Which many critics here reduce it to. And it's not even Geralt who is saving the world.
Twilight Princess
Member
Because yen is the best waifu
Moff
Member
Witcher 3 was an amazing feat, it really showed that open world games with huge amounts of quantity do not need to suffer in quality. in that way it was not just defining a genre but the whole medium. it will be remembered very fondly and I don't see any other game from a competitor come close to it anytime soon. fallout 4 was a joke.
beau_beaumont
Member
OP hit the nail on the head, but what really sets Witcher apart from other games for me is how terrific the characters are. Not just Geralt and Ciri and Yenn, but all of minor characters as well. The way Geralt interacts with the people he meets and knew from his past is terrific. Little things like the way people give him shit for letting Yenn boss him around and the sibling rivalry he has with the other witchers just seems so natural and authentic. That's probably why the Battle at Kaer Mohran is so epic. The stakes are high because you know and care about each character there. A lot of credit should go to the voice actors as well for really selling those well-written characters.
That's probably why the game resonated so much with me. Sometimes it was the small stuff that was so memorable. Even after 200+ hours with Skyrim, I honestly couldn't tell you anything about any of the characters. I hope more games will follow suit after CD Projekt and Naughty Dog and really focus on making their characters and their relationships interesting and fleshed out.
That's probably why the game resonated so much with me. Sometimes it was the small stuff that was so memorable. Even after 200+ hours with Skyrim, I honestly couldn't tell you anything about any of the characters. I hope more games will follow suit after CD Projekt and Naughty Dog and really focus on making their characters and their relationships interesting and fleshed out.