Witcher Combat- WTF was CD Projekt thinking?

[FeelTheRads]

"combat sukz"

It's a friggin' QTE minigame. I'm sure you can think for yourself at better alternatives... like, well, mostly every other combat system in existence.

 

[made]

"combat sukz"

It's a friggin' QTE minigame.

If we repeat it enough, it will become true!

 

[FeelTheRads]

Okay, quick, differences between The Witcher's combat and QTE!

Start... NOW!

 

[made]

QTE = pressing a single button at the right time, usually according to an on-screen prompt, where pressing the wrong one equuals failure.
Witcher = several options at any one point: attack, change weapon/style, magic, dodge, run around and reposition, (I'm not sure about his one, it's been a while) active block, potions.

Your turn. Quick similarities between The Witcher's combat and QTE. Should be easy; there's only one.

 

[FeelTheRads]

attack,

No shit, in combat?

change weapon/style,

Which will result in the same QTE game.

magic

After that, back to QTE, because I'm pretty sure you can't make a character based only on magic.


The point was that in combat that's what you'll mostly do: play QTE. A couple of extra shit don't really make it any better.

 

[made]

After that, back to QTE, because I'm pretty sure you can't make a character based only on magic.

Considering how OP the signs supposedly are (were?) I wouldn't be surprised if you could.

The point was that in combat that's what you'll mostly do: play QTE. A couple of extra shit don't really make it any better.

The point is that anti-fanboys try to ridicule the combat comparing it to QTE because you have to time attacks instead of mindlessly mashing the button like in 90% of "action RPGs". Had they left out the timing component, would that make the combat any better? Or is it the sound que that irks you?

 

[Mackerel]

"combat sukz"

It's a friggin' QTE minigame. I'm sure you can think for yourself at better alternatives... like, well, mostly every other combat system in existence.

According to the link you referenced, it isn't a QTE minigame at all.

"It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game..."

"Failing these segments takes the scene in a different course, most often to the player's death."

Shenmue and Indigo Prophecy are examples of QTE based gameplay. TW uses a timed attacking system that determines the effectiveness of combat mixed with a Rock, Paper, Scissors mechanic, limited use special abilities in the form of Signs, and the Alchemy buff system as well. This doesn't make combat in The Witcher any more interesting, which in my opinion is partly because the monster selection doesn't really require you to use the full range of options and partly from the player animations that limit fluidity in combat, but your terminology is misleading in it's oversimplification and weakens your argument.

 

[Imbecile]

Because thats the way criticism is handled on the codex. If you dont like something (even mildly), then:

Step 1: You must change the name (e.g Twitcher,Oblivious, Ass effect)
Step 2: You must despise every aspect of the game. Its like the UI killed your gran.
Step 3: Make illogical parallels
Step 4: End with some sort of Decline: related comment.

Ever wondered why recent LP protagonists are Shaft-a-likes? Its because the Codex is extreme. The Codex IS Shepard.

 

[Lesifoere]

It's admittedly similar to how I handle criticism when I want to troll, mind you.

 

[Elwro]

As for the Hellhound, you can save right after the cutscenes, during the small pause before the combat.

And drinking Blizzard in the beginning of the fight was what changed it from impossible to quite doable for me.

 

[MetalCraze]

My point about sex is: in TW the abundance of possible intercourses felt natural. It's a rather unpleasant world where something like "moral standards" is seemingly unheard of. I'd be surprised if there was no sex in this game - especially considering the fact that Sapkowski's books are full of it.

Was it so lame in Sapkowski's books? Because it didn't feel natural - it felt like CDP just decided to fill the world with sexual encounters to please horny teenagers to which very lame dialogues lead and often it seemed like if you will talk to women normally or do something for them you'll get sex card achievement in an instant. I still don't see how "cruel immoral world" is an excuse for including cringeworthy encounters and making their number over the top, considering that the writing that leads to them is even worse than the one of Bioware (like that "sword" example) except all lame biowarian pre-encounter fluff wasn't there.
As for Bioware hyping sex in DA as a main point - CDP didn't do it to that degree sure, but they were certainly doing it on par with Mass Effect - I remember several previews with "omg! You then get a uncensored sex card! We did it because in Sapkowski's book the world is driven with sex". Now I hope the original isn't as lame.

And the consequences:
http://www.gamebanshee.com/thewitcher/w ... ctions.php

Just take a look at the walkthrough. Notice how many times the word "if" is used. Browse through it. You'll find many more of these "if's". There's lot of small consequences and few major ones.

Yes I know this - it only proves that there are no consequences. No major and no minor. Much like with the whole game the only thing that changes is a 3d model of a guy who will help you/who you will have to fight - everything else stays on rails.

Sex was sex, unpretentious, casual, and therefore forgettable. Cards were only a detail.

Yeah yeah - read above.

Pray tell what character was cliche because I found most of them not to be, and in fact full of shades and fed by their own selfishness. The NPCs feel almsot human, and all due to the backstories and possible pasts associated with them.

Don't mistake a pointless filler for a meaningful character.
Characters in TW are either extremely bland (Shani/Triss) with one being a generic bad girl and the other one - generic good girl - at best.
Geralt himself was so bad that I started to think that whatever Sapkowski wrote - is extremely overrated much like LotR - because in TW Geralt is almost as bad as Shepard at times while most of the time he acts indifferent - "quest? OK".
Villains were a token filler. Javed and Professor - they were meant to be there only to provide japanese boss-fights - especially Javed whom you have to fight a few times - "muahah but I'll be back". They had no character at all. And then in the very end they dropped a Grandmaster at you giving him the most inane excuse which felt like CDP like themselves some Metal Gear Solid (which explains Javed).

C&C was well fleshed out, you don't see any world-changing consequences because The Witcher is pretty linear and doesn't pretend to be a sandbox RPG at any time at all.

Strange, when Bioware does the same they tend to be lazy bastards. Again read above about C&C

Quests are standard RPG fair, only the Witcher contracts can be truly called mindless, but most of the times you solve them without even knowing or noticing.

Yeah you were just walking around and blammo! You solved 10 FedEx quests. Without seeing it coming. Especially awful swamp quests which have you running to Vyzima and back. Oh please. And yes such crappy quests are standard NOW. Or better to say - substandard.

Now tell us what games you do like, and why you do; a change in your addbot behavior might come nice as a change, dear skyway.

Perhaps you should come out of TW threads at times to see? Sometimes I really wonder how fanboys' brain functions because there are at least two threads at the top of RPGD now where I drool all over certain RPGs.

The point is that anti-fanboys try to ridicule the combat comparing it to QTE because you have to time attacks instead of mindlessly mashing the button like in 90% of "action RPGs".

Except not. "Press LMB when Simon says" is exactly that - a minigame - and if you will fail to do so you will break out of QTE combo and enemies will kick your butt after which you will have to start doing it again to get the highest damage. Much like in console games.
If it was real-time it would be certainly better - especially if you add stuff like blocking enemy strikes, dodging, different type of combo attacks - which is how good slashers should work. No matter how you'll call it - the combat in TW is a buttonmashing - except more boring as you have to twitch LMB when the game tells you.

 

[Lesifoere]

My point about sex is: in TW the abundance of possible intercourses felt natural. It's a rather unpleasant world where something like "moral standards" is seemingly unheard of. I'd be surprised if there was no sex in this game - especially considering the fact that Sapkowski's books are full of it.

Was it so lame in Sapkowski's books? Because it didn't feel natural - it felt like CDP just decided to fill the world with sexual encounters to which very lame dialogues lead and often it seemed like if you will talk to women normally or do something for them you'll get sex card achievement.

From what I've read--The Last Wish and Blood of Elves--there's actually not that much sex in the books, no. Yeah, Geralt still bangs random chicks for one-night stands, but it's nowhere as ridiculous as in the game (a novice priestess, an ex-princess and Yennefer in The Last Wish--in stories out of chronological order, and published at different times--and Shani in Blood of Eves, as far as I recall. That makes Blood of Elves, a full Witcher novel, contain one measly single sexual encounter, unless you count Triss' frustrated libido). CDP went way overboard with that shit and the cards, most will probably agree.

 

[Gragt]

I agree but I found it immensely fun.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Skyway, even if all of what you say is true your yackety-yak is starting to get on my nerves. If someone was to heed your advice they would never play a game any more.

I know in some respects it sucks, it's linear and all. But which game sucked less?

Despite shortcomings TW is still a RPG-like experience with everything that makes PC-gaming worthwile. Most importantly, it does not appeal to adolescents. Today it's practically a miracle if such a game is released. As in the days when Troika was alive, people like you fail to see how very risky it is to develop games for demanding people.

Bitch if you like. When CDP is gone, or sold out, the bitching will stop. Probably we never see a new game like TW again, at least not from CDP. Even if TW2 will be released, it will be much more console oriented and suck.

before some equivocator starts twisting:

mature: not immature like every other release
linearity: compare with Bioware
aesthetics: compare with Oblivion
interface: compare with Fable, Oblivion, Dragon Age ..

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[MetalCraze]

Most importantly, it does not appeal to adolescents.

Except it does as already was discussed.

Today it's practically a miracle if such a game is released.

You mean aRPGs are rarity today?

As in the days when Troika was alive, people like you fail to see how very risky it is to develop games for demanding people.

So wishing for a normal RPG is demanding now? We should've told all those guys back in '90s that Wizardries and LoL's are very risky too. And those games were much more complex gameplay-wise, RoA is even a goddamn "simulator". Hey maybe they should've dumbed down Fallout too - it didn't sell millions. Also Troika tried to appeal to the mainstream one time.

Probably we never see a new game like TW again, at least not from CDP.

I fail to see what makes TW anything special. It was worse than good RPGs in everything. I'd rather want developers to stop making RPGs than making half-assed attempts.

before some equivocator starts twisting:

mature: not immature like every other release
linearity: compare with Bioware
aesthetics: compare with Oblivion
interface: compare with Fable, Oblivion, Dragon Age ..

How about we will compare to better games and not modern crap? Because we can even make excuses for Oblivion comparing it to Space Siege.
When your mentality is "well at least it is better than nothing!" don't be surprised when you get Dragon Ages.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

This thread is so awesome.

 

[made]

If nothing else, it inspired me to replay the game. Reinstalling it right now.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Don't forget to try theFPC mod, it makes a real difference. My opinion would be much lower if I hadn't used it from the beginning.

 

[made]

I'll give it a try, though I prefer 3rd person tbh. Looking into combat rebalancing mods atm.

 

[Burning Bridges]

 

[PrzeSzkoda]

My point about sex is: in TW the abundance of possible intercourses felt natural. It's a rather unpleasant world where something like "moral standards" is seemingly unheard of. I'd be surprised if there was no sex in this game - especially considering the fact that Sapkowski's books are full of it.

Was it so lame in Sapkowski's books? Because it didn't feel natural - it felt like CDP just decided to fill the world with sexual encounters to please horny teenagers to which very lame dialogues lead and often it seemed like if you will talk to women normally or do something for them you'll get sex card achievement in an instant. I still don't see how "cruel immoral world" is an excuse for including cringeworthy encounters and making their number over the top, considering that the writing that leads to them is even worse than the one of Bioware (like that "sword" example) except all lame biowarian pre-encounter fluff wasn't there.
As for Bioware hyping sex in DA as a main point - CDP didn't do it to that degree sure, but they were certainly doing it on par with Mass Effect - I remember several previews with "omg! You then get a uncensored sex card! We did it because in Sapkowski's book the world is driven with sex". Now I hope the original isn't as lame.

Actually, it does get lame in Sapkowski, too. I couldn't force myself to read through the whole "saga" thingy because it started going all on me after the second book. A huge part of the story revolves around the sexual exploits and sexual exploiting of a 14-y-o (or something like that) girl, in a sorta-censored, sorta-icky way. An all-out lowest common denominator ploy. Very "demz de nu shitz".

And Geralt himself does do some banging on the side, but not that much, anyway.

 

[Kaiserin]

As for the Hellhound, you can save right after the cutscenes, during the small pause before the combat.

Which results in the lag I mentioned, as the game itself loads before the loading screen disappears from your screen.

I think it's a good game for the most part. I just think that the combat is a huge snooze. I personally don't find the casual sex all that offensive, and it honestly makes sense to me. I don't want to hear Geralt being sappy, that'd be dumb as hell. The dude is just passing through most of the time and needs to get his dick wet, he's a man. It actually seems pretty realistic to me, and I can easily imagine somebody being that sexually casual in such a world. Hell, many people in our underclasses are so casual this day and age. The dialogue is good, the 'crude' jokes were funny in my opinion, and I honestly enjoy going around and finding alchemical ingredients to make potions. Yeah, they are kind of a shitty way to counter the 'ramped up' difficulty(moar pre-buffing), but the process itself is pretty fun in my view of things. I also like the way that they actually give you an incentive to read the lore by providing useful entries corollary to the books you find. There are a lot of neat tricks in there...but why so shitty combat?

It actually kinda makes me look forward to the consolized Witcher, as I would honestly prefer a real time button mashing fest to the excuse for 'strategic hardcore combat for PC players.' They've proven they can do dialogue to me, so as long as they keep that aspect strong, I don't care if the fighting goes Zelda or GoW.

 

[Darth Roxor]

If nothing else, it inspired me to replay the game. Reinstalling it right now.

It also made me resurrect my last playthrough (forsaken by 28.12.2008)

As for the Hellhound, you can save right after the cutscenes, during the small pause before the combat.

Which results in the lag I mentioned, as the game itself loads before the loading screen disappears from your screen.

Try hitting space before the game loads completely, like, when the progress bar is at 100%, but the loading screen didn't shift to the game itself yet. Dunno if it works in TW, but it worked in NWN2, and since it's the same engine...

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

I don't know if it's from training or something else, but I guess I've learned not to expect a PS:T or Fallout experience everytime I install a game. The Witcher was a fun game, with a pretty good story and some pretty good C&C. Did it excel at anything? No, not really. The alchemy was awesome, but everything else was slightly above average. I didn't regret the time I spent with it, and may even replay it again in the future. I just don't see what all the bitching is about, to be honest. From my recollection, the game never claimed to be anything more than it ended up to be.