An Impromptu Witcher Lets Play - now with the Witcher 2!

[Bara_no_Hime]

I tried lowering my screen resolution from 1360x768 to 1024x768... and then to 800x600. Didn't help. It did make things more pixily though.

I have an HD quality screen. 800x600 makes me sad.

Texture Downscaling is High
Texture Memory Size is Very Small
Shadow Quality and Number of Shadowed Lights are both Low.
LOD Distance is Minimal.
Bloom, Light Shafts, Anti-aliasing, Blur, Vignette, Wet Surface Rain Effects, SSAO, Motion Blur, Dangling Objects Limit, UberSampling, Vertical Sync, and Decals are ALL Disabled.

Depth of Field Gameplay, Cinematic, and Cutscenes are all Disabled as well.

And... the mouse is still shit.

Note: It is really bad in the Ctrl "pause" menu where I select things, the Meditation menu where I make potions etc, the Esc Menu where I save and quit, and during Dialog when I'm asked to make a choice.

Meanwhile, the mouse is FINE on the Main Menu and the Inventory screen. To test my new settings, I loaded the game and (after initial sucking) opened the inventory and had a fun time re-equiping Raven's armor, Excalibur, and the sword Adda gave me. Awesome. I knew I held on to everything for a reason.

And, in main game control, the mouse is... middling. A little slow, but not as bad as it was before I downgraded EVERYTHING.

I'll admit - I am running two internet browsers in the background (Chrome and Firefox) keeping pages like the Escapist and my webmail open. Also Nostaliga Chick and SF Debris. And Kickstarter. Also several Wordpad documents. So that MIGHT have something to do with it. However, I had all those same things open while playing the first Witcher game and it wasn't a problem.

I did a google search for advice, and (in addition to what was said here), one person recommended 1024x768 resolution, so I think I'll stick with that. Otherwise, Depth of Field was called out a lot, so I disabled all versions of that as well. It has only kinda helped, and has not helped on the main issue (the mouse in the combat "quick" menu) or dialog. I hesitate to go into combat like this.

I am still in the tent with Triss, FYI. I think the adjustments have her lips moving at the proper rate, but I'm not sure.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I'm still curious about this Steam Cloud thing. Does this mean that some computer at Steam HQ would run the game while I played it over the internet?

If so, I might consider trying that. My WIFI is pretty stable, and I could always plug in for even better connectivity.

Edit: Also, because if this is the case, then couldn't I run it as much HIGHER specs? And enjoy the game the way it was intended to be - all pretty and shit?

 

[Norrdicus]

Wait... so does that mean that the Order of the White Rose will be destroyed within the books? Perhaps by one particularly noteworthy white-haired Witcher or his actions?

Wouldn't be surprised

Second things second - is there no option for the over-head mouse control like there was in the Witcher 1? I really dislike the over-the-shoulder third person - it just doesn't work for me (particularly with the Slow Mouse making Geralt unable to walk straight up a damn path without running into the invisible walls).

Nope. Told ya, action game. In fact, if you can get a controller, it might play better.

During dialog, the audio continues on just fine, but the character animation crawls - the movements are at about half speed, so that after the audio dialog finishes, the characters continue gesturing in silence for a few seconds before the camera changes and the next audio plays while the characters slog along.

I think that's more a problem with the tutorial, it's the only place in the game where I remember stuff like that happening

The combat was worse. Focusing on a single enemy is difficult, and mouse clicks lag, and sometimes don't even response unless I hold the click down.

Yeah, you really need that Alt key for the lock-on when you try taking out one enemy.

Combat isn't difficult - it's impossible. Everything is constantly in slow-motion, like Geralt is swimming through molasses. The enemies are just as slow, but aren't required to time their clicks when the graphics and the rest of the game are on two different timetables.

Unless you're getting single digit frames-per-second, it's something that you'll eventually get used to. The lack of quick response is a problem, but not something you can't adjust to. Except any fights that start the second a cutscene ends, in those the enemies kinda get a cheap advantage since your weapon is sheathed

The Throwing Knife challenge was the WORST. Getting one of those damn things aimed, with that TINY target market, while the mouse was constantly going too far and moving after I'd stopped, and the mage casting fucking fire balls at me constantly... yeah.

Don't worry, throwing daggers are mostly shitty and expensive and I *always* use the quick targeting by tapping R rather than throwing "accurately" in slow-mo

Is there anything I can do about this? Would "Enabling the Steam Cloud" help? Is there any way to get my top-down Isometric RPG view/feel back?

Pretty much everything above is a criticism of the game running like shit on my computer, which may not be its fault, and either the lack or my inability to fine my preferred layout. I don't WANT to use WASD - I want to click and have my character go where I clicked.

No way unless maybe if you mod it. It's a multi-platform action RPG

On actual gameplay issues... why do I have to enter meditation to drink potions? I used to be able to drink potions during combat, when I NEEDED to. Now... ugh.

I do like that I can meditate whenever, rather than only at a fire, and only if the game feels like letting me. Being able to make potions without resting for an hour is nice.

But having to enter that menu to drink them (and I'm guessing that menu is locked out during combat) is kind of ass.

It's very much ass, and Witcher 3 will change that (sorta). In Witcher 3, you still have to drink out of combat, but you can trigger the effects when you want, kinda like a Witcher controlling their metabolism

I'm still curious about this Steam Cloud thing. Does this mean that some computer at Steam HQ would run the game while I played it over the internet?

No, it means Steam'll back your save files, afaik

Steam cloud provisioning has expanded from 1 MB per user to 100 MB per user, per game. The Steam Cloud API allows your game to write and retrieve files for each user. Use it for personalized settings like keyboard, mouse, and gamepad configurations, multiplayer sprays, or even saved games. Steam Cloud is a natural extension of the portability that Steam affords gamers. Shipped first with Left 4 Dead, Steam Cloud is now a proven resource and is becoming an integral part of the Steam experience.

I'll admit - I am running two internet browsers in the background (Chrome and Firefox) keeping pages like the Escapist and my webmail open. Also Nostaliga Chick and SF Debris. And Kickstarter. Also several Wordpad documents. So that MIGHT have something to do with it. However, I had all those same things open while playing the first Witcher game and it wasn't a problem.

Let me put it into perspective: Witcher 1 was a game from Mass Effect 1's time that used the Neverwinter Nights 1 engine. Witcher 2 is a game that demanded some massive downgrading in order to get to the Xbox 360. So Witcher 2 barely managed to fit this console generation

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Unless you're getting single digit frames-per-second, it's something that you'll eventually get used to. The lack of quick response is a problem, but not something you can't adjust to.

During the tutorial, I may well have been getting single digit FPS. It isn't that bad anymore, but that Ctrl menu is still sticky. And, I noticed during the tutorial, slows combat but does NOT pause it fully. So while I'm struggling with the mouse, the enemy can get hits in.

Oh, and when I say things are unresponsive - I'm also talking button presses on the keyboard. the Alt key wasn't responding unless I HELD it down while remaining focused (with the mouse) on the enemy. Same for the Use Trap or Grenade button.

No way unless maybe if you mod it. It's a multi-platform action RPG

So was the Witcher 1. Wasn't it? I thought I saw X-box copies of that.

Also... can I mod a game from Steam? Or would I need to uninstall my steam version, install my GOG version, and THEN mod it? Because... if there's an isometric mod, I just might do that.

Although, I'd still like to hear about that Steam Cloud option first....

It's very much ass, and Witcher 3 will change that (sorta). In Witcher 3, you still have to drink out of combat, but you can trigger the effects when you want, kinda like a Witcher controlling their metabolism

Oh, that's a much better idea.

I also notices that potions no longer last for HOURS. That sucks. I could get through an entire dungeon on one Swallow potion in the first game. It was awesome.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I don't think the isometric view was popular enough among players to really warrant its inclusion in the second game. Those who used it were an extremely, extremely small minority compared to those who used 3rd person. Can't really blame for that. I can't imagine how The Witcher 2 would really work in an isometric style anyway.

I don't mind the meditation-requirement. It's quite lore-fitting. Witchers would never take a potion on the fly, they need to be in a correct state of mind, so that was done well (remember, potions are very dangerous things, even for Witchers). The short time a potion lasts, however, isn't done well. They should be extended far beyond 10 minutes, same for oils. There are mods that change the lengths though, they could be worth looking into.

Edit: As for all the technical issues, I'm guessing your PC just isn't powerful enough. It's a very demanding game, and my own PC, which is pretty damn good, has to run it on mostly medium settings.

 

[Norrdicus]

So was the Witcher 1. Wasn't it? I thought I saw X-box copies of that.

Also... can I mod a game from Steam? Or would I need to uninstall my steam version, install my GOG version, and THEN mod it? Because... if there's an isometric mod, I just might do that.

Although, I'd still like to hear about that Steam Cloud option first....

They were planning an Xbox version for Witcher 1 at some point but scrapped it.

I've not managed to find an isometric mod so far myself, even in Witcher Nexus. Steam doesn't block modding, just makes the file locations a bit different. I'm running Fallout New Vegas' steam version heavily modded

Remember, there's a difference between "Cloud saves" and "Cloud computing". If you wanted to play Witcher 2 on a bad computer, you should have bought the OnLive version

I also notices that potions no longer last for HOURS. That sucks. I could get through an entire dungeon on one Swallow potion in the first game. It was awesome.

Yes, that sucks a whole lot. 10 minute duration (for most potions) compared to the former 24 and 72 minutes.

You need to go down the Alchemy talent tree in order to boost the duration, though it ultimately isn't much, just 40% increase, the chances that your potions only last a single fight are still very big, especially since the timers can run out during dialog.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Edit: As for all the technical issues, I'm guessing your PC just isn't powerful enough. It's a very demanding game, and my own PC, which is pretty damn good, has to run it on mostly medium settings.

Remember, there's a difference between "Cloud saves" and "Cloud computing". If you wanted to play Witcher 2 on a bad computer, you should have bought the OnLive version

Hey! My computer exceeds the minimum specs in all categories. I believe my computer actually exceeds the "recommended" specs on several points. Something is wrong, but at this point it clearly isn't the main game settings.

I'm not the only one having this problem - there are multiple articles online about this mouse issue. Some recommend messing with the drivers for my mouse. Others want me to edit ini files. I tried the easiest to adjust things first (the game settings) but that didn't help the real issue (and as noted, my mouse is fine in some menus).

I also included the times when the mouse lags because I thought that might help determine what was causing it.

As for Steam Cloud, is that just saves? It doesn't say on the option, and I haven't looked into it further.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I edited my ini file and the mouse is still laggy.

I tried the Arena combat mini game - sadly, I'm guessing that the four levels I gained there don't carry over. **sigh** It did show, however, that combat is less impossible than I originally assumed. Some of my changes - either the ini or my other adjustments (I went back up to 1024x768; it didn't seem to make a difference) have made combat better.

One reason I know it isn't my computer sucking is this - Mass Effect made my computer overhead. The Witcher 1 made my computer get a little hot. The Witcher 2 is NOT making my computer hot, and is certainly not overheating. My computer is not pushing its limits like it did with ME. It's specifically a mouse issue.

Someone online said "Adjust your mouse DPI" and I'll admit I'm not sure how. I went to Control Panel, Mouse, and clicked on the options, but there wasn't one for DPI (or words that could be abbreviated DPI). Another guide said "invert Mouse DPI" which is even less clear.

FYI, I'm using a Plug-and-Play HP mouse from a different computer. Do I need special Drivers to adjust this "dpi"?

Aside from that, the only other piece of advice I can find for this is, and I quote "running it on highest settings, ubersampling off"

Could the key really be to turn the game settings UP? Could the game be lagging because I'm denying it system resources that I could choose to let it use?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I edited my ini file and the mouse is still laggy.

I tried the Arena combat mini game - sadly, I'm guessing that the four levels I gained there don't carry over. **sigh** It did show, however, that combat is less impossible than I originally assumed. Some of my changes - either the ini or my other adjustments (I went back up to 1024x768; it didn't seem to make a difference) have made combat better.

One reason I know it isn't my computer sucking is this - Mass Effect made my computer overhead. The Witcher 1 made my computer get a little hot. The Witcher 2 is NOT making my computer hot, and is certainly not overheating. My computer is not pushing its limits like it did with ME. It's specifically a mouse issue.

Someone online said "Adjust your mouse DPI" and I'll admit I'm not sure how. I went to Control Panel, Mouse, and clicked on the options, but there wasn't one for DPI (or words that could be abbreviated DPI). Another guide said "invert Mouse DPI" which is even less clear.

FYI, I'm using a Plug-and-Play HP mouse from a different computer. Do I need special Drivers to adjust this "dpi"?

Aside from that, the only other piece of advice I can find for this is, and I quote "running it on highest settings, ubersampling off"

Could the key really be to turn the game settings UP? Could the game be lagging because I'm denying it system resources that I could choose to let it use?

Hey there. Not really sure what's up with your mouse, but here's some stuff to try:

http://witcher.nexusmods.com/mods/181

Well, i've realized that for me disabling ubersampling, motion blur and cutscene DOF and enabling v-sync and triple buffering, makes the game run in smooth 60 solid fps.

well, I disabled in game vsync and enabled adaptive vsync in the nvidia control panel. No more laggy mouse controls. I also disabled cinematic dof and the game runs fine on my overclocked gtx 460.

1 Turn off Vsync
2 Adjust your mouse DPI
3 Go into Documents\Witcher 2\Config (or "C:\Users\(Your User Name)\Documents\Witcher 2\Config") and open User.ini in notepad and set... [MouseInput] SensitivityX=0 SensitivityY=0 Smoothness=0

This thread also suggests some solutions that seem to have worked for a few people:

http://en.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?/topic/33313-game-still-unbearable-due-to-mouseinput-lag/

It certainly sounds like you're having the dreaded mouse lag issue, and not struggling to meet the requirements.

 

[exxxed]

Hey, glad you got to finish the first game and shared every detail, unfortunately I won't be playing it any time soon, so your ''Let's Play'' felt like me playing it, I appreciate it!

So The Witcher 2, hm... like people already mentioned, it's a VERY demanding game, the reason your mouse pointer isn't lagging in the main menu and some of others is because the graphics aren't rendered behind that particular menu (aka. meditation and alchemy screens), how well did your PC run the first game (I'm referring to the in-game settings), because the same PC that I used to have before The Witcher 2, which ran The Witcher on 1600x900 resolution and all settings maxed, except for shadows, at fairly decent frames per second (didn't feel dips in frames except for the notorious areas like Kaer Morhen exterior, Swamp and Burning Vizima which were fixed by dropping the view distance from maximum to medium), wasn't even close enough to get me playable frames per second (meaning I could actually count the frames when I turned the camera around fast) on the lowest possible settings in The Witcher 2, I distinctly remember me having the same complaints regarding my experience as yourself.

You say you meet the minimum requirements, well if it's a laptop we're talking about then those requirements you think you're meeting, cut them by half (exaggeration for effect of course) and see where you stand.

The only thing I can think of that may help you is for you to try Game Booster software and play the game without anything in the background affecting your performance.

Also for comparison, you mentioned Mass Effect 3 running good, that's not a fair comparison, the engine running the Mass Effect games hasn't changed since the first iteration, the only things that changed were the assets and textures so running it good wouldn't mean anything when it comes to Witcher 2 which runs on a completely new engine developed for newer hardware (as opposed to Mass Effect's who were first and foremost made to be able to run on consoles, as for The Witcher 2 on consoles, they stripped everything down to below minimum and replaced the render engine, lighting in other words so it would become playable on such hardware, like Crytek did with Crysis 1 which was a beast at release and was never supposed to be run on such low hardware).

You can do a simple test, put everything on maximum detail level (except for Ubersampling which requires allot of power to run decently) and see how it runs, then compare it to the lowest settings and see if there's any notable difference.

If there isn't there may be something else wrong other than your hardware specs and if there is (as in, on maximum detail level it runs like you scrolling through your photo album) then on the minimum available settings is probably the best you'll be able to run it.

Best of luck to you, it's a great game and it would be a shame if you missed it because of technical issues (personally never had any after I upgraded my relic).

EDIT:

Are you sure it's just a mouse issue and not a performance one?

If so, then I'm afraid I cannot help you since I haven't experienced a particular mouse lag in the menus other than a few times in the Meditation one when I did it in wide open spaces, but wasn't that bad that I couldn't handle it.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Well, i've realized that for me disabling ubersampling, motion blur and cutscene DOF and enabling v-sync and triple buffering, makes the game run in smooth 60 solid fps.

How does one enable triple buffering? I didn't see an option for that.

Weirdly, enabling v-sync seems to HELP.

I tried turning on ubersampling, but that DID make my game slow to an absolute crawl. Like 1 frame per second or less.

My FPS rate is kinda slow (5 to 10, I think) but my computer isn't huffing at all. I'm used to games that demand a lot overheating my computer at least a little, but the Witcher 2 isn't giving me any heat problems.

I tried running on Medium Spec and things worked fine - that is, no differently than low spec. The loading times might have increased a little.

I tried high spec, and the loading times quadrupled and I got that same 1 FPS issue I did with low spec + uber.

So it seems I can run low or medium spec just fine, but I can't run high. Fair enough.

I did reduce my Mouse Sensitivity to 0 - that seemed to help the mouse going past where I want it to a little bit, but it still moves slowly. I tried adjusting the mouse movement speed (which is apparently what DPI means) but it didn't seem to do much of anything, and having my mouse settings that different makes my regular mouse use incredibly annoying.

Here's something weird too. I went back to Arena with the current settings (lowish + Vsync and Anti ailising turned on) and the fighting was less sticky. I'm actually doing pretty well in the arena.

However, in the game, I still have trouble using the mouse to select dialog options with Triss (I keep asking her about that Dragon as a test).

Is the Arena mini game better at Frame rates than the main game? Or is the camp where Triss is particularly bad? I haven't gone on because I wanted to get the issue with the settings sorted out first.

BTW: In case it isn't obvious, I'm a Console Gamer. I hate messing with settings like this. One thing about a PS3 - you don't have to mess with this shit. You install the game, and then you play it.

If I can't work this out, my spouse has semi-offered another, slightly newer computer to try to play the Witcher 2 on. If that happens, I'll be using that GOG backup I got with the CD key rather than this Steam version.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Hey, glad you got to finish the first game and shared every detail, unfortunately I won't be playing it any time soon, so your ''Let's Play'' felt like me playing it, I appreciate it!

No problem! ^^ I'm glad I could let you live vicariously through me.

So The Witcher 2, hm... like people already mentioned, it's a VERY demanding game, the reason your mouse pointer isn't lagging in the main menu and some of others is because the graphics aren't rendered behind that particular menu (aka. meditation and alchemy screens), how well did your PC run the first game , because the same PC that I used to have before The Witcher 2, which ran The Witcher on 1600x900 resolution and all settings maxed, except for shadows, at fairly decent frames per second, wasn't even close enough to get me playable frames per second (meaning I could actually count the frames when I turned the camera around fast) on the lowest possible settings in The Witcher 2, I distinctly remember me having the same complaints regarding my experience as yourself.

Really?

I'm pretty sure I remember people in this very thread telling me that I'd have no trouble running the Witcher 2. The "minimum" requirements and recommended requirements seemed to reflect this.

However, I will say this - this is NOT a gaming laptop. It's a work laptop. It has a MASSIVE processor for what it does (an Intel core i3) good RAM, but I typically have not played many games on it aside from older ones like Planescape Torment, Temple of Elemental Evil, and Mass Effect 1.

Yes, I wasn't talking ME3 - I played ME2 and ME3 on the PS3. When I said that Mass Effect overheated this laptop, I was talking about Mass Effect 1. On the highest settings, without an external fan. The external fan let me run ME1 on very close to max graphics settings without a problem.

The Witcher 2 is the most recent game I've played on this machine. However, unlike ME1, the Witcher 2 isn't causing any heat. That means my processor isn't running at full capacity. And I have no idea why.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

BTW: In case it isn't obvious, I'm a Console Gamer. I hate messing with settings like this. One thing about a PS3 - you don't have to mess with this shit. You install the game, and then you play it.

If I can't work this out, my spouse has semi-offered another, slightly newer computer to try to play the Witcher 2 on. If that happens, I'll be using that GOG backup I got with the CD key rather than this Steam version.

I was just cut and pasting various suggested options from around the net. No idea if any of them would work.

As I said, it SOUNDS like you're dealing with the fussy/hard to solve mouse issue, so migrating to a new PC is probably your best bet for a resolution at this point, especially if you're not comfortable doing extensive trial and error.

Sorry it's been giving you such a headache so far. When I recommended it I did not anticipate it being this problematic for you.

 

[Norrdicus]

Yes, I wasn't talking ME3 - I played ME2 and ME3 on the PS3. When I said that Mass Effect overheated this laptop, I was talking about Mass Effect 1. On the highest settings, without an external fan. The external fan let me run ME1 on very close to max graphics settings without a problem.

The Witcher 2 is the most recent game I've played on this machine. However, unlike ME1, the Witcher 2 isn't causing any heat. That means my processor isn't running at full capacity. And I have no idea why.

It really is bizarre if Witcher 2 doesn't stress your CPU at all compared to ME1.

I remember using Mass Effect 1 as a benchmark game for my current computer. It had a really crappy video card, Nvidia GT420, though still way better than my former laptop's was. GT420 could run ME1 at full settings. I don't even think ME1 had anti-aliasing.

Then later I got a GTS450, which is 3 times better in most benchmark tests than 420, and yet only lets me play Witcher 2 on medium or medium-high.

Still have to upgrade parts further for Witcher 3, starting from my power supply that I feel is insufficient (300W) even for my current computer

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I was just cut and pasting various suggested options from around the net. No idea if any of them would work.

As I said, it SOUNDS like you're dealing with the fussy/hard to solve mouse issue, so migrating to a new PC is probably your best bet for a resolution at this point, especially if you're not comfortable doing extensive trial and error.

Sorry it's been giving you such a headache so far. When I recommended it I did not anticipate it being this problematic for you.

I realize. I google searched several of those options myself, and tried the ones I didn't mention.

I don't have an Nvidia card, so I have no Nvidia console to open or adjust.

I'm at work, with my laptop, and every so often (when I'm not busy) I mess with the settings and boot the game just long enough to see if there was any change. The results of my messing around I then post, hoping someone spots something.

I'm just saying... as much as I enjoy PC games, this is why I don't consider myself a PC Gamer. I hate dealing with compatibility crap. I'd much rather I could just plug-and-play this. Particularly since the Witcher 2 is no longer top-down isometric. If I wanted to play an over-the-shoulder action game, I'd rather play on the PS3. Like Dragon Age.

 

[The Madman]

I'm surprised you're having troubles with Witcher 2. My computer is still running a Geforce GTX 8800 which for the record is now pushing seven years old and still runs Witcher 2 just fine on medium/low specs, which might not sound like much but even on those setting Witcher 2 is still one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Seriously, even on low/med settings the game is just stunning to behold.

Gameplay feels a bit rough initially but you quickly get used to it and once you've got it figured out plays extremely well. I've tried with both gamepad and keyboard/mouse and found I preferred the keyboard & mouse approach but both work quite well.

Hopefully you'll be able to get into it soon, if you've enjoyed the original Witcher then its sequel is definitely something you'll enjoy.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I realize. I google searched several of those options myself, and tried the ones I didn't mention.

I don't have an Nvidia card, so I have no Nvidia console to open or adjust.

I'm at work, with my laptop, and every so often (when I'm not busy) I mess with the settings and boot the game just long enough to see if there was any change. The results of my messing around I then post, hoping someone spots something.

I'm just saying... as much as I enjoy PC games, this is why I don't consider myself a PC Gamer. I hate dealing with compatibility crap. I'd much rather I could just plug-and-play this. Particularly since the Witcher 2 is no longer top-down isometric. If I wanted to play an over-the-shoulder action game, I'd rather play on the PS3. Like Dragon Age.

It's been quite a while since I had compatibility issues (like, a decade or more), but I can recall how annoying it was, so I sympathize completely.

Witcher 2 *is* available on consoles if you wanted to go that route, although at like...10 times the cost assuming you snapped it up on one of the many Steam/GOG sales. Which is one of several reasons why I'm not a console gamer. =P

I never really saw Witcher 1 as an isometric game. At all. I guess it was an over-the-shoulder that you could pan the camera way up in. I played the entire game over the shoulder, so I view the sequel as a natural extension.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

It's been quite a while since I had compatibility issues (like, a decade or more), but I can recall how annoying it was, so I sympathize completely.

Witcher 2 *is* available on consoles if you wanted to go that route, although at like...10 times the cost assuming you snapped it up on one of the many Steam/GOG sales. Which is one of several reasons why I'm not a console gamer. =P

Indeed. 8 bucks.

However, I believe the Witcher 2 is only available on X-Box. I'm a PS3 girl.

I never really saw Witcher 1 as an isometric game. At all. I guess it was an over-the-shoulder that you could pan the camera way up in. I played the entire game over the shoulder, so I view the sequel as a natural extension.

There's an option in the first Witcher game, after your click on New Game, for over-the-shoulder or isometric. I jumped on isometric because I fucking LOVE isometric RPGs. I've helped Kickstart three different Isometric RPGs this year, including the new Torment game.

On an unrelated point - practicing in the Arena, I really REALLY miss Group Style.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

There's an option in the first Witcher game, after your click on New Game, for over-the-shoulder or isometric. I jumped on isometric because I fucking LOVE isometric RPGs. I've helped Kickstart three different Isometric RPGs this year, including the new Torment game.

On an unrelated point - practicing in the Arena, I really REALLY miss Group Style.

I love isometric too, and also kickstarted...god what haven't I kickstarted...Torment, Eternity, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun...but I have nothing against over the shoulder. There's been excellent over the shoulder games as well. And Witcher 2, frankly, runs circles around the first game regardless of perspective.

However, I believe the Witcher 2 is only available on X-Box. I'm a PS3 girl.

Ah. Bummer.

On an unrelated point - practicing in the Arena, I really REALLY miss Group Style.

Group style was pretty cheesy. I wasn't crazy about the combat in Witcher 2, but I absolutely HATED it in Witcher 1. Witcher 1 was a game I played *in spite* of the voice acting, scripting, and general game play. Which sounds pretty fucking bad, I know, but there were moments here and there that kept me going for a while. Witcher 2 might've been my game of the year.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I'm surprised you're having troubles with Witcher 2. My computer is still running a Geforce GTX 8800 which for the record is now pushing seven years old and still runs Witcher 2 just fine on medium/low specs, which might not sound like much but even on those setting Witcher 2 is still one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Seriously, even on low/med settings the game is just stunning to behold.

Well, as I've said, it's weird. It isn't stressing my computer the way Mass Effect 1 does, but it is giving me a terrible frame rate (around 5 to 10 FPS) aside from the mouse issues. I get the same FPS on low and medium spec (it drops at higher spec) and I've played with the Resolution and can't get it higher.

I can live with 10 FPS if I have to. It's jerky, but playable. However, the mouse control is still pretty awful.

I'd like to get the FPS higher. In Mass Effect, turning off anti-alisaing massively increased my frame rate, but that didn't work in the Witcher, and turning it on seems to help the mouse a little bit (and doesn't seem to lower Frame rate) so I'm really unsure.

My main problem is the input delay. I've realized that the mouse isn't the only issue - when I press the WASD keys, there is a one second delay on Geralt actually doing anything. I thought that was Frame Rate at first, but I'm not sure anymore.

Speaking of which, here's something I found on a Steam forum about this issue. One poster suggested that the OP didn't have the specs, but the OP replied with this:

You know like in any other game that is exactly what happens, you drop the graphics the game play improves. However, the Witcher 2 doesn't improve with anything you do. And the fact that the frame rates are the same at highest compared to lowest suggests it isn't my hardware causing it. If it were I'd be getting 3 fps on highest and just under 30 on lowest or something, not the same on both.

I'm having similar. At the very highest, I get slow down, but from medium-high to low, I get exactly the same Frame rate, no matter how much I lower the resolution or graphic options. That's WEIRD.