Might be worth bearing in mind that signs are overpowered in Witcher 2 - I was able to beat the game on Dark difficulty mainly by powering up signs, Igni specifically. I cast fireballs at the darkness!
That tutorial is really rough. I started over and had another go at it. I even lay down traps this time and tossed bombs, and tried to cast signs, do fast and heavy attacks, parry and repostes even. But mostly the camera swings around so fast, it’s hard do much. My controller goes slightly forward so I’m usually always charging the enemy. Holding Left Trigger to keep a lock on doesn’t help because the camera doesn’t stay locked on the target. This game is crazy hard! And if you move the left thumbstick a tad, you go from walking to running. The run/walk barrier is not even close to pushing the thumbstick half-way forward, it’s way closer to the center than that.
Anyway, I died quickly, by my own traps (I didn’t know that was possible!) and the game recommended I start on easy, so I did. Hopefully I won’t get too frustrated with this hellish control scheme.
geggis
3243
Yeah, I dipped my toes in (again) over the weekend, took my time through the tutorial, made sure all the controls were right and… they still didn’t feel right. I managed to get ‘Normal’ though, which is something I suppose. The lack of a camera lock is awkward and Geralt runs with his back to the enemy you’re focused on which is bizarre for a fearsome warrior. I found the controls a bit weird in Breath of the Wild but compared to this they’re an unbridled joy. I’m so surprised at how sluggish and clunky this feels, especially compared to the first Witcher which seemed snappier and fluid. I dunno. I’ll give it another shot soon.
I see a lot of people insisting that the combat got much better from Witcher 1 to 2 and I just don’t agree at all. One of the reasons I haven’t dived into Witcher 3 yet despite all the love is that I really hated the combat in 2 before I installed the rebalance mod (there’s no equivalent for 3 yet that I’m aware of) and it didn’t sound massively improved in 3. It’s more that I’m intimidated by its length, but still.
Combat in Witcher 3 is a lot better compared to 2. It’s similar somewhat, but it flows differently. It’s definitely more enjoyable.
That said, I wouldn’t call combat in Witcher 3 “great”. It’s decent, and it has its moments, and it fits the game pretty well, but that’s pretty much it.
You are playing with controller. Play with mouse + keyboard, it was designed around those controls. It doesn’t matter if the camera swing fast because you can also move it fast with the mouse. You don’t need to use bad crutches as camera locks (I hate it in Dark Souls) because the soft lock with the mouse is much better. Etc etc.
geggis
3247
I am playing with mouse and keyboard!
Stop sucking then! :P
Seriously, you don’t need to camera lock. I found very intuitive how Geralt would focus automatically in the enemy closest to the camera center. Imagine there is crosshair in the center, just aim with it to the enemy you wish to attack or parry.
geggis
3249
I’ll take your more experienced word for it TurinTur and stick with it. I mean, it’s not like I’d be playing TW2 for the combat anyway!
If you target/focus an enemy, do you need to be looking at it for the attacks to land?
I recall The Witcher’s combat being almost be like a dance, which I thought was a really cool way of representing Geralt’s swordsmanship and skill. Granted, it meant that you spent more time looking at the mouse pointer for the beats, but it felt satisfying to slice through enemies with grace.
I think so, even if you target an enemy, the attack still won’t be directed to them, they need to be ‘directed’ by looking at them. I remember some people had frustration with that because it didn’t work like a traditional lock targeting system. Which is why my advice is to just forget using it, and just use the natural soft-lock like in the Batman games.
geggis
3251
Noted. If the camera or attacks don’t lock with the focus then it seems kind of daft using it. Good to know there’s a ‘centre aim’ that’ll determine the target. How do signs and targeting work? Is that where focusing comes in?
Aard and Igni are a very wide area attack, usually they just hit everything in front of you. Right now I don’t remember if you could aim some of them with the ‘focus’/slow mo fucntion.
I loved the first Witcher, flaws and all.
I’m long overdue and started the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and so far it has been a weird experience.
The Prologue sections were okay, but a little tedious and drawn out for my tastes. The combat is is somewhat unsatisfying and spammy (I have the Combat Overhaul Mod installed). Then I finish the prologue and am endure a Ron Howard narration voice during a map travel cutscene. Following that the game has been quite linear and full of QTEs. I am currently in the town of Flotsam. I also don’t have a sense of the inventory and crafting aspects yet. Am I supposed to vacuum up every piece of junk from every crate/sack/townperson’s house Zelda-style? It seems really boring and unnecessary to just collect everything as I run around humping the level’s perimeter for crate piles. That may be unfair since I just played Dying Light and that game really nailed ingredient collection.
Does the game improve over what I have experience the first 4-5 hours? I find the narrative interesting at least.
I found Flotsam quite hard going as I recall. It did improve as things developed after that stage. I didn’t scavenge for much or craft much I don’t think. Maybe enough for some key ingredients for traps etc in key fights? So yes, I’d vote continue :)
Ha! Perhaps too much.
I will contine with Assassin’s of Kings but the start seems a bit uneven. Witcher 1 had a phenomenal introduction but 2 hasn’t drawn me in to the same degree yet. The game feels like a weird marriage of cRPG customs of old and game design elements that were hot in 2011 like QTEs and annoying ingredient collection for crafting.
I’m pretty sure you don’t need to collect the crafting materials. It might be important for one set of gear but that’s not necessary.
These characters are some of the best in gaming so just chill and enjoy the experience.
geggis
3258
This is exactly my experience as well. I’ve not been able to stick with The Witcher 2 both times I’ve started it but I intend to go back. Enjoyed the first game a lot more than expected.
Flotsam is beautiful, but the chapter after that is my favourite, especially with Iorveth (you will have to choose who to join and the game basically splits into two games depending on what you decide, so make sure to save before the decision, you will probably want to replay it someday from the other perspective).
I didn’t make it past that myself, for whatever that’s worth. I particularly hated the combat, which is what’s kept me away from 3 as well. I wasn’t a huge fan of 1’s odd rhythm game, but 2’s awkwardness was worse IMO.
