The Witcher Demo

[houseisland]

An acquaintence recommend The Witcher. So I downloaded the 2 Gb Demo -- not a bad RPG, at least as far as the demo goes. Basically it is just another Diablo II clone, but a pretty good quality one -- similar game play better graphics. Transitions between locations are handled awkwardly - some time lag. Not a perfect RPG but OK, certainly head and shoulders above a lot of other Diablo II clones. The dark, adult-themed tone of the game is amusing at times. Warning: exiting the game demo takes some time - ya gotta watch all the promo video clips.

A rigorous critical review here: http://pc.ign.com/articles/831/831264p1.html -- lots of specific criticisms but an overall thumbs up.

The demo will provide a good hour or two of fun, maybe more if you like exploring all the nooks and crannies. Good bandwidth available here for the demo: http://gamedaily.newaol.com/pub/WITC...1.2.4.1150.exe -- make sure your video card drivers are up-to-date and you might want to do a DirectX reload/update before installing. Warning: My GeForce 7900 is the recommended minimum (and only half the RAM at that) but it seems to play OK -- some minor lag in refreshing landscape textures.

Important Edit: The demo is a 2 Gb download.


____________________________________________



It is my pure and virtuous heart that
gives me the strength of ten!

[Matridom]

I'm currently playing the full version of the game, I don't think i would have ever compared it to Diablo/II (anymore so then i would compare Knights of the old repuplic to Doom). There is much more of a Role playing element and less of a hack and slash. I would have compared it more to the game that premiered the game engine, NeverWinter nights. (Witcher is powered by Bioware's Aurora engine). The dark overtones and sarcastic humor are very much part of true story of the witcher, the story line is very very multifacited and dynamic, making replay of the game very enjoyable, specialy considering that our hero is basicly a monster killer for hire.

In regards to graphics, i have an 8800gts320, and i've set the game to high, it's mostly smooth, but some of the city scapes lag pretty bad.

[houseisland]

I'm currently playing the full version of the game, I don't think i would have ever compared it to Diablo/II (anymore so then i would compare Knights of the old repuplic to Doom). There is much more of a Role playing element and less of a hack and slash. I would have compared it more to the game that premiered the game engine, NeverWinter nights. (Witcher is powered by Bioware's Aurora engine).

You are probably right. I have never played Never Winter Nights -- my brother is a big fan, though.

Still at it is core Witcher is a sword and sorcery hack and slash -- you wander around killing things and collecting things -- the play is similar Diablo II. The social aspect of the Withcer is greatly enhanced, though, as you say. But Diablo II is the grand daddy of them all, or at least the old bench mark by which the others are judged -- the Dungeon Seiges, the Titan Quests, etc.

IThe dark overtones and sarcastic humor are very much part of true story of the witcher, the story line is very very multifacited and dynamic, making replay of the game very enjoyable, specialy considering that our hero is basicly a monster killer for hire.

I am finding this even with the demo.

In regards to graphics, i have an 8800gts320, and i've set the game to high, it's mostly smooth, but some of the city scapes lag pretty bad.

So far I haven't encountered anything in the demo that makes the game unplayable with the 256 Mb 7900 - everything set to max. If you are looking for the problems, you can see them. If you are focusing on the game play, it's not a big deal.

Just got killed by the way. Stupid rookie error. Should have known better.


____________________________________________



It is my pure and virtuous heart that
gives me the strength of ten!

[Matridom]

Still at it is core Witcher is a sword and sorcery hack and slash -- you wander around killing things and collecting things

Going by that description, let's see what games fall into this genre and should be compared to Diablo...

Knights of the old republic(2)
Baldurs Gate/Icewind Dale
The Legend of Zelda series
Fallout series
Final Fantasy series
Neverwinter Nights(2)
Fable
Ultima series
Thief (maybe this one is unfair as it's focus is to NOT kill things)
Bioshock

I'm fairly certain that almost none of these games where compared to Diablo

I think the main reason that people tend to think Witcher/Diablo to be similar is due to the camera view that is used and some key elements that happen to be present in any decent RPG, namely; Magic, weapons, monsters/bad guys and a story line. However, to what degree do all these different games emphasize those 4 aspects?

Some games break or make their gengre to such a degree that they really can't be compared to the originals or become the originals, Bioshock for example is so far from the classic first person shooter that almost no-one draws comparisions to Halo, but focus on the many many aspects that make the game unique. I honestly feel that Witcher is one of those games.


BTW, it's been a while since i've had a good discussion

[slgrieb]

I'm playing The Witcher for the second time. I really can't say it reminds me much of Diablo II at all except for the default controls for character movement. The demo is different in several ways from the (patched) full version of the game. Load times in the demo are longer, and it is less stable, though v 1.2 still isn't a poster child for stable play.

You can't apply the 1.2 patch to the demo, but The Witcher's web site has a link to a Vista Hotfix (if you're running Vista) that improves stability quite a lot. The site also has recommended settings for specific video cards. They seem pretty conservative, but sticking to them closely also helps with stability. Still, I'd save often. The Witcher is about the most compelling reason I've seen to dump my 32 bit version of Vista for the 64 bit. In fact, I'm starting to hear the copy in my Action Pack binder call my name more and more often.

The demo is nearly the entire first episode of the game, and is by far the most full-featured demo I've ever played. One tip though, if you get the full game, start it over and resist the temptation to use saves from the demo.

All the reviews I've read make much about your "tough moral choices" in the game, but what everyone seems to overlook is the practical impact these decisions make on gameplay. Some decisions make completing a quest or surviving various combats easier, and the reverse is true also. I don't want to toss out any spoilers, but at the end of the demo, you are confronted by an angry mob that wants to burn the witch Abigail. You can either hand her over, or rescue her. You might want to try it both ways and see how combat with The Beast plays out in each scenario.

I think the inventory/alchemical system could be easier to manage, but at the same time there isn't much reason to lug around a lot of stuff except alchemical ingredients and items directly related to your quests. You can't buy better weapons, you can't use the ones you pick up, and you don't have much use for money, so there isn't much point in accumulating things just to sell. Just carry a little food, a decent assortment of booze, a few hundred orens, and lots of potion ingredients. About the most useful thing you can do with money is buying books, but if you poke around enough you can steal most of the ones you need to complete quests.

The boxing and dice games are mostly irrelevant, but some NPCs are more informative if you drink or gamble with them. Some need a snack or a drink before they become helpful. Generally, a good bribe is always appreciated.

I'd say this is certainly the most adult role-playing game yet. In fact occasionally being a bit too "adult" has drawn some criticism, but I'd attribute that to cultural and linguistic differences. The game is Polish after all.

Along with BioShock, this is one of the best games I've bought in a long time, and one of the few I own that I'm likely to replay yet again.