Interview The Witcher Enhanced Edition and console version - new details

[Kraszu]

I can't afford to upgrade my computer every six months on the off-chance there's going to be a decent game worth playing.

I never through that people are so retarded to believe that you have to buy new grapchics cards every time when it is released to play new games. Name one game that require 6 month old hardware.

 

[ghostdog]

I can't afford to upgrade my computer every six months on the off-chance there's going to be a decent game worth playing.

I never through that people are so retarded to believe that you have to buy new graphics cards every time when it is released to play new games. Name one game that require 6 month old hardware.

It's not 6 months but it's definitely 2, 3 years max. I upgraded my 3 year old machine 10 months ago in order to play gothic3 , NWN2, stalker etc. An upgrade that has all the latest stuff would require around 1000 euro and would last you about 3 years. The slightly older stuff will cost about 500 euro but it wont last more that two years for adequate performance in gaming. If you consider that a PS3/xbox costs around 400e and that they will last for at least 5-6 years, it's a lot cheaper if you're a gamer that wants to play the latest games.

For the record I haven't owned a console since snes but to tell you the truth I'm not very happy with my new machine. I went for the super-computer of 1000e and Gothic 3 still stutters and NWN2 can't play in max settings, both because of their crappy coding (of course g3 is the king in that category). Games that are published in consoles are much more polished and have very few bugs and glitches while most pc-games are full of bugs, especially rpg's.

And don't get me started in that dx10 shit. I bought the ATI2900HD graphic card that cost 300e (almost as much as a console) , it was the best ati card at that time and it could play adequately dx10 games (only nvidia's 8800 was better but it cost much more). And after a few months directx10.1 appears and guess what, the card doesn't support it ! Fact is that I'm still with winXP, thus dx9 , but eventually I'll move to vista and when I pay all that money I expect them to last for a while and not get absolete after a few months (I'm talking about the ati fiasco here). And let's face it, cdproject and obsidian are turning to the console market and these are the last 2 pc companies I really care for. As for the indies, older pc's don't have a problem playing them.

Fuck it all, if in a year or two I still want to play new games, I'm seriously thinking of buying a console.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I can't see the crafting/alchemy system being a turn on for the ADD console kids - chances are stuff like that will get cut in way of improving the action mechanic.

Right, because everybody that owns a console is a fucking dumbass kid with ADD. When are the pc elitists going to grow out of this dumbass mentality? Plenty of people that play on consoles are, believe it or not, intelligent people that can enjoy a good game with a gameplay feature that's complex.

Then why all console games are dumbed down? Why do the intelligent people you mention play on consoles if there are basically no complex games on them?

 

[Soulforged]

Then why all console games are dumbed down? Why do the intelligent people you mention play on consoles if there are basically no complex games on them?

The answer to your question is generally pretty simple, the control scheme as a whole requires a more direct and simplified experience. Joysticks are wonderful for fighting games for example, and that's why that genre is one of the staples of consoles, however it can be pretty hard to play an strategy game on one. The more functionality the harder it is to find a fluent distribution for the interface.

However I can see no particular reason to streamline "The Witcher" anymore than it already is.

 

[Suchy]

I actually hope that they'll make the x360 release the same as PC version and that it sells better than Obivion&Co. It would show other studios, that dumbing down is not the way to go.

Then again maybe I just have too much hope for the console crowd...

 

[Kraszu]

It's not 6 months but it's definitely 2, 3 years max./quote]

I would not say 3 years max I have athlon 1.7+, geforece4ti4200 and first games that were to strong for my PC was G3/oblivion. HL2 was lagging in 3 places in hole game. So that would be ~4 years for mid rage PC, and not all games have big requirements. More often then consoles but 6 month was just ridiculous.

Oh Far Cry worked flawless on medium 800x600.

Games that are published in consoles are much more polished and have very few bugs and glitches while most pc-games are full of bugs, especially rpg's.

Maybe but I rather play unpolished crpg then polished Halo, and it is harder to polish more complex game whit less money that can be spend on production.

And don't get me started in that dx10 shit. I bought the ATI2900HD graphic card that cost 300e (almost as much as a console) , it was the best ati card at that time and it could play adequately dx10 games (only nvidia's 8800 was better but it cost much more).

Ridiculous prices it must been in time where there was supply shortage of 8800.

And let's face it, cdproject and obsidian are turning to the console market and these are the last 2 pc companies I really care for. As for the indies, older pc's don't have a problem playing them.

Cd project turning into console market well I have to see what will happen, they want to sold some copies in Poland, 100k maybe is not that much compared to other markets but they are Polish distributor and they got fast cash from Polish release.

There is also Piranha Bytes whit they new game. Dunno if Bioware will make any more after Dragon Age.

In Poland so far consoles are more expensive at least if you plan to buy any original games, and console games doesn't look interesting to me, if AAA gaming die on PC I will just stop playing them, I didn't even upgraded my PC yet anyway.

If The Witcher and other games will show that there is market on consoles for games like that, playing Gothic like game on console seems fine (through I would have to get used to gamepad, how fighting works, mount & blade made good use of mouse for example I think that there can be more done whit mouse+keyboard), and strategy games, indie rpg whithout AAA grapchics on PC. I would like to play FPS sometimes through on PC. The consoles also can't create any mod community, there are abilities that makes PC gaming much better in general.

 

[Chefe]

hello world

 

[Kraszu]

You know what? I did the PC thing for 15 fucking years. Upgrading, messing with all that shit. I poured thousands of dollars into it, and every 3D game has run into a mess of problems.

Dunno I have PC since my first 486dx2 machine and I don't recall any issues other then whit some very old games now. But still even if you had problems that is no need to made up 6 months things to make it look more valid.
PC hardware cost more - true
you need to upgrade every 6 months - false.

Maybe I got over the top but I am tired of listing to all those lolz 600$ video card people, what it has to do whit consoles? 200$ is vastly superior even considering that games are less optimized for PC.

I upgraded for Oblivion, I upgraded for Titan Quest, and despite those upgrades, Witcher will require another upgrade because it's "newer".

Titan quest didn't run on the same machine as Oblivion?

You upgraded for Oblivion and PC didn't run witcher? Witcher works on god damn 8600GT good not on maxed settings obviously but flawlessly on some medium like settings. Can you be more specific and say what hardware you got?

Wait a second, why don't I just use my Oblivion/TitanQuest machine? Well friend, a power outage ended that $1500 dream.

You buy most expensive parts and your PSU don't even have basic security?

The point being, after spending all this money which doesn't come easily, I don't want to play games in all their low-quality 800x600 stuttering glory.

You either play on max settings on or lowest? Only those 2 options?

 

[Soulforged]

Obviously, you don't know much. Joysticks are wonderful for fighting games, but controllers are not. A good joystick costs at least $100, and can't be switched between consoles (a PS2 to PS3 joystick converter is an exception, but it will cost you at least $50). Fighting games haven't been a staple of consoles since the turn of the century. They've turned into a desacrated niche, with Tekken, VF, and DOA being the only thing out. Oh yea, Soul Calibur too, but that's been raped more hardcore than Bethesda on Oblivion. Tekken features shit characters like bears and boxing kangaroos, VF has incredibly stiff controls and animations that belong on a C64, DOA took everything that was great and strategic about fighting games, raped it, spit on it, burned it with a cigarette, gave it breast implants, and turned the general conception of fighting games into something that is tawdry and dismissable (essentially, it continued MK's dirty work).

Obviously you're in the mood for unnecessary debate, but I'll indulge you. I didn't recognize the difference between a controller and a joystick, in my language I tend to use both the same way, however both are equally fit for the task. If fighting games are no more an staple on consoles it isn't because of the controller or joystick, that was my point, however it's pretty hard to see a fighting game outside consoles and arcades this days, isn't it. That you don't like Tekken is just your personal preference, it's a superb fighting game, if you find Virtua Fighter to hard that doesn't mean that the controller is the problem, it's probably you who can't withstand the complexity of its gameplay, never played a Dead or Alive game so I cannot comment on that, Mortal Combat was another great fighting game it was original when it came out, then I agree that it sold out, but that doesn't make it a poor fighting game, and Soul Calibur is probably the best of them, in my opinion, the mechanics are rich and powerful, I just don't like its showy nature, but that's just me, as it's just you on all those comments.

If you've a better theory of why the games for consoles are "dumbed down" or streamlined, as I like to call it, that doesn't involve conspiracy theories and addresses the issue of the console "The Witcher" please share it with us.

 

[Chefe]

hello world

 

[Kraszu]

Hardware doesn't matter, because, as I said, the PC was fried.

Then you don't really changed hardware every 6 month, xbox can be damaged in the same way. You used old PSU, what about warranty they didn't accept it?


I brought xbox360 played one game and it was stolen after 2 weeks, omfg that console gaming is expensive to play one game you have to spend 360$, and you need to buy new console every 2 weeks.

You buy most expensive parts and your PSU don't even have basic security?

Believe it or not, I don't have control over how electrical currents move through electronic devices, even when they're on a surge bar.

I meant that almost every PSU that is not the cheapest brand have security that makes only it burns but don't dmg rest of the hardware.

You either play on max settings on or lowest? Only those 2 options?

Maybe you didn't hear me. If I spend all that money, I want it to look as it was meant to look. I don't want to spend more money just to cripple myself.

Medium on PC often looks better then console games, so you make no sense sorry whit that logic xbox360 is useless after new better hardware is realised for PC. OMFG my console is useless that is how games are supposed to look.

 

[Elwro]

2 years ago is when made the last significant upgrade to my PC; it costed about $400 (takking about "dollars 2 years ago", not "dollars") and was enough for me to play Oblivion, Gothic 3, NWN2 with no problems. During the last 2 years I only bought RAM for my PC - for The Witcher. I haven't needed to buy anything else. I guess part of the reason is that I still have an old CRT 1024x768 monitor, which eliminates the need for many FPS in 1900x1200. In (such) lower resolutions a 6600GT still suffices for DX 9 games.

But if wanted try the "other" option, whoa! I'd have to buy a TV and a console (consoles are more expensive in Poland than abroad, I think) just to try... and new games have horrendous prices. No, thanks.

To sum up, if you don't require 50+FPS in 1900x1200 when running newest games, which effectively means you don't feel the urge to buy new hardware when it's first released, PC gaming can be quite inexpensive if you plan your upgrades wisely.

 

[Licaon_Kter]

Xbox360 resolution 1280×720 and 4xAA

i played TheWitcher on my 1 year old amd64_3500+/1gb ram/7600GS 512Mb/120gb harddisk at 1400x1050, Max detail, noAA, 4xAF, noDOF
the system was bought in Sep 2006 for about 600$
the xbox360 was about 350$ back then (at least in the US, that wa 350euros=460$ back here) and keep in mind thats the normal version with a 20gb harddrive, and some memory ( you need another 100$ for each other 20gb drive...for 120Gb total thats 500$ more...damnnnn)
in the long run i think it was a good invest, given that almost everybody says that consoles are for gaming and computers for office work (which means: buy xbox360 for the entertainment + buy nice computer for office work) and you end up dumping money in the computer anyway, while my system can take both gaming and office

@Zappa: but you know all this since you bought a computer anyway, or are you posting from your xbox360? :D no? gotcha!!!

all games are programmed on the PC anyway...

my point, the consoles are a nice idea, having fixed system specs for 5years of game development, the problem is the game developer that chooses to program yet another Halo/FIFA/Oblivion/Idontknowothersorry

if CDP sells 3 million game copies on xbox360/ps3 (like they say they did with the PC version) kudos to them, if the game get "slipstreamed for the kids" in the process then that is bad


also, as Elwro pointed out, console games are almost 50% more expensive

 

[Chefe]

hello world

 

[Kraszu]

1. Again, I don't have control over electrical currents. In the area I live, surges are common. Even the greatest PSU can screw up.

Console PSU can't be dmg? What is the difference? What mark of PSU you had? What stopped working?

2. Medium on PC doesn't look better than consoles. I don't know any other way to say this.

I played Far Cry on medium and it looked much better then anything on consoles in that time. Pre xbox360, Crisis probably look better on medium then console games now but I didn't see it so I can only guess.

3. New games on consoles are only $10 more than their PC counterparts, on average. I don't know where you guys are getting some of these numbers from.

Depends on country in Poland average console game cost about 110$. While most games on PC are much cheaper then in USA.

4. You don't need all the extra harddrives and shit for the 360 if you're not storing music or movies.

It is not used to bust performance in games also? Anyway I pointed HDD in PC rice as you have good non gaming use for bigger HDD in PC so that is not only to play games.

5. All the games I want to play are on console. It's cheaper for me to buy the console than upgrade my PC to play these same games. Again, I don't know any other way to say this.

I said nothing about that. It is opposite to me so consoles are kinda pointless so far for me.

 

[Kraszu]

1. Again, I don't have control over electrical currents. In the area I live, surges are common. Even the greatest PSU can screw up.

Console PSU can't be dmg? What is the difference? What mark of PSU you had? What stopped working?

2. Medium on PC doesn't look better than consoles. I don't know any other way to say this.

I played Far Cry on medium and it looked much better then anything on consoles in that time. Pre xbox360, Crisis probably look better on medium then console games now but I didn't see it so I can only guess.

3. New games on consoles are only $10 more than their PC counterparts, on average. I don't know where you guys are getting some of these numbers from.

Depends on country in Poland average console game cost about 110$. While most games on PC are much cheaper then in USA.

4. You don't need all the extra harddrives and shit for the 360 if you're not storing music or movies.

It is not used to bust performance in games also? Anyway I pointed HDD in PC rice as you have good non gaming use for bigger HDD in PC so that is not only to play games.

5. All the games I want to play are on console. It's cheaper for me to buy the console than upgrade my PC to play these same games. Again, I don't know any other way to say this.

I said nothing about that. It is opposite to me so consoles are kinda pointless so far for me. I don't question that console can be better for you but twisting reality to make look PC worse is diferent matter.

 

[Kraszu]

2 years ago is when made the last significant upgrade to my PC; it costed about $400 .

Hardware in Poland is also more expensive you would pay 300$ or less in USA.

 

[Licaon_Kter]

3. New games on consoles are only $10 more than their PC counterparts, on average. I don't know where you guys are getting some of these numbers from.

from where we can buy these games

test on www.gameshop.ro ( e-tailer in Romania )
Mass Effect
PC: 68.02$
XBOX360: 118.18$ ( 50$/74% more than PC )

Assassins Creed
PC: 59.52$
XBOX360: 93.53$ ( 34$/57% more than PC )
PS3: 110.53$ ( 51$/86% more than PC )

5. All the games I want to play are on console. It's cheaper for me to buy the console than upgrade my PC to play these same games. Again, I don't know any other way to say this.

if you only want to play those games that they release, it ok

 

[Nutcracker]

Why did Chefe edit out all his replies in this thread?

 

[Fat Dragon]

Just being a dumbass, I suppose.

 

[MetalCraze]

I don't mind a console port as long as it doesn't cause the devs. to dumb the sequel down for the new audience. It's happened to games before, though CD Projekt is a good dev. and doesn't seem like the kind that would do that.

In before skyway bitches about consoles again.

what? witcher is perfectly an xbox 360 game. personally I can't see how can you dumb down it for consoles further - it has everything consoletard would wish - arcade combat with kewl moves, a "gimmick" roleplaying system (where you will have all bronze skills no matter what you do and there's no point in developing anything but "force push" for humans and fire sign for monsters), a mmorpg secondary quests (consoletards love these) and of course a traditional "next-gen" OTS camera. when I was playing The Witcher I constantly had a feeling that this is a console game, though of course all those minuses above The Witcher kills by a good storyline (though not without holes) and loads of strong choices & consequences.

In before consoletards cry about the game punishing them for stupid choices.

 

[analt]

It's not 6 months but it's definitely 2, 3 years max. I upgraded my 3 year old machine 10 months ago in order to play gothic3 , NWN2, stalker etc. An upgrade that has all the latest stuff would require around 1000 euro and would last you about 3 years. The slightly older stuff will cost about 500 euro but it wont last more that two years for adequate performance in gaming. If you consider that a PS3/xbox costs around 400e and that they will last for at least 5-6 years, it's a lot cheaper if you're a gamer that wants to play the latest games.

My gaming rig just turned 6 years old. I've spent $100 on a single video card upgrade and the Witcher is not only playable but at full detail (not max resolution, of course).

 

[analt]

It's not 6 months but it's definitely 2, 3 years max. I upgraded my 3 year old machine 10 months ago in order to play gothic3 , NWN2, stalker etc. An upgrade that has all the latest stuff would require around 1000 euro and would last you about 3 years. The slightly older stuff will cost about 500 euro but it wont last more that two years for adequate performance in gaming. If you consider that a PS3/xbox costs around 400e and that they will last for at least 5-6 years, it's a lot cheaper if you're a gamer that wants to play the latest games.

My gaming rig just turned 6 years old. I've spent $100 on a single video card upgrade and the Witcher is not only playable but at full detail (not max resolution, of course).

 

[Fat Dragon]

what? witcher is perfectly an xbox 360 game. personally I can't see how can you dumb down it for consoles further - it has everything consoletard would wish - arcade combat with kewl moves, a "gimmick" roleplaying system (where you will have all bronze skills no matter what you do and there's no point in developing anything but "force push" for humans and fire sign for monsters)

A lot of RPGs have what you call a "gimmick" role playing system. And what makes you say console players like that sort of thing? Do you actually have a good reason for thinking that, or is it just your pc elitist mentality thinking all console players are ignorant fools? It's an action RPG, they're usually not as strong in character customization as a more traditional RPG like Fallout or something similar, though I agree that The Witcher could have implemented its char. customization a little better. That doesn't make the game bad or dumbed down, though. As for the "kewl moves", I don't know what point your trying to make. It's an action game, it'd be pretty damned boring if it was like Morrowind or something where the combat reminds you of a bunch of old men swinging their canes at each other.

a mmorpg secondary quests (consoletards love these)

You sure about that? These boring types of quests are featured a whole lot more in pc games. I imagine the pc gamer loathes them just as much as a console gamer. Not to mention that the majority of western type RPGs on consoles are Bioware. While their games aren't as c&c heavy as something like Fallout, they don't very often have boring mmorpg type quests in them. Not saying they don't have a few of them, though. Every single RPG I've played has had at least a few of them. Saying that console gamers enjoy such types of quests is rather ludicrous. Hell, a lot of console gamers were disappointed with Mass Effect because it had some of these types of quests.

and of course a traditional "next-gen" OTS camera. when I was playing The Witcher I constantly had a feeling that this is a console game

It was just a poorly implemented camera angle. What does that have to do with consoles?

though of course all those minuses above The Witcher kills by a good storyline (though not without holes) and loads of strong choices & consequences.

Definitely one of Witcher's strong points.

In before consoletards cry about the game punishing them for stupid choices.

I guess that's why so many "consoletards" were disappointed with Mass Effect for not having choices and consequences? As I said, please grow out of this mentality that everybody who plays games on a console is an idiot. Or "consoletard", as you so very cleverly put it.

 

[MetalCraze]

by saying consoletards I mean stupid kids with consoles who defend halo, oblivion and other shit to death (unfortunately they are majority) not that all console players are stupid.

Do you actually have a good reason for thinking that

check out the most popular rpgs on consoles and see for yourself. also quality rp system would've been built smartly - not with "no matter how you play and choose you will still get all cool skills" and totally unbalanced magic signs, where 2 are uber and other are just there to be.

As for the "kewl moves", I don't know what point your trying to make

the combat is repetitive and smells of consolish mini-game - just hit the button when the cursor showes flaming sword - then again and again. until the final credits - and witcher will show you some uber fighting style with the sword - in console third-person actions having such kewl thing is quite common.

I imagine the pc gamer loathes them just as much as a console gamer.

consoletards think Oblivion is an awesome game. and when you tell it has shitty quests you most likely will hear "show me where they are better?"
Two Worlds - the same bs

It was just a poorly implemented camera angle. What does that have to do with consoles?

it is a pretty popular trend in 3rd person shooters on consoles to have OTS camera - started circa Chaos Theory release date. now continues it's glorious march in Mass Effect and GoW

I guess that's why so many "consoletards" were disappointed with Mass Effect for not having choices and consequences?

obviously not many - because Mass Effect 2 is in development and Bioware already started to design Mass Effect 3.