Topic: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt thread

Kiera would be more likable if she wasn't incredibly cavalier about the prospect of putting chemical weapons into the hands of a madman.

She was Geralt's first lover in my playthrough, though, so I can't hate her too much.

I really like how the game's narrative logic subverts the expectations I hold after having played so many RPGs where decisions don't matter. You have to think through possibilities, because things can and will go disastrously if you naively believe people and expect things to work out for the best. At the same time, the same can happen if you choose not to trust certain people when they tell you not to do certain particular things.

@Ralizah Yeah it is one of the best games I've played at hiding which is the 'best' decision. You could be making what you think will be the nicest outcome, but ends up turning out horribly wrong for someone involved.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Aww, poor Kiera. I took her up on her offer (she still puts Geralt to sleep afterwards), and, during the confrontation, managed to talk her into going to Kaer Morhen instead. The woman is probably in need of a moral compass. On the other hand, she likely doesn't realize just how awful chemical warfare can be, and it's not unusual for persecution and/or poverty to really wear people down to the nub. Of course, I wasn't going to let her do the unthinkable, so I'm glad the game didn't force me to go the violent route. I probably shouldn't have cheated on Yennefer, but, at that point, I hardly knew the character (getting to know her better in Skellige now, since she's a huge part of the story). I was actually really close to getting Geralt to confess his feelings to Triss in Novigrad, but certain events transpire, and it just didn't... feel right.

LOL The more I talk, the more this game sounds like some trashy romantic drama.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I try not to pay attention to details like that (accents and names) in fantasy media. Either fantasy is PAINFULLY well-thought-out (AKA Tolkien) and every detail is intentional and has a historical and social context to it, or else it just feels like a slap-dash analogy for things in real life, to some degree. TW3, as well-constructed as it is, is still definitely the latter.

It's one reason I prefer near-future, grounded Sci-Fi, personally. Social and historical context for the past is a matter of experience for your own society and research for the societies of others, so you just have to mix and match elements that already exist to paint a portrait of a future time. No need for reams of fictional histories to get things right.

Geralt is a really transparent hetero male power fantasy. He's tough and cool and has scars and is feared by the townsfolk. As you point out, the dude sounds like he gargles gravel every morning before breakfast. Lesser men bow before him. Women everywhere want him.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I think he's imperfect and idiosyncratic enough to not feel like a bland self-insert character who doesn't need help from anyone else. Power fantasies don't necessarily need to be bad characters. I think he's perfectly fine insofar as he's the player's vehicle to explore TW3's complex moral landscape.

IMO, The Witcher 3 is at its best with character writing, atmosphere, and visual design (because the environments in this game are, as you have probably noticed, almost mind-bogglingly sumptuous at times). Even the creepy, gross areas have a dark, entrancing beauty to them.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I didn't realise you could fight with Kiera like that. I'm not one to say no in a video game when there might be a sex scene, so I took her up on her offer (also wasn't sure of the status of Geralt's and Yennefer's relationship then). I wasn't paying much attention at the time as to why she wanted the notes, so I just happily helped her as much as possible.

@Ralizah If you're in Skellige now getting to know Yennefer better, then you're probably just about caught up with me (I'm notoriously slow in video games). Anyway, enjoy the rest of the game.

@crimsontadpoles I'd be way ahead if I hadn't stopped playing weeks ago. But yeah, I'm taking my sweet time as well. I just want to be done before Cyberpunk releases, so I'm in no real rush.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy To be honest, I don't like Ciri's teleporting at all. Geralt feels like he has a natural rhythm to his movements, which makes fights fun and balletic. It feels almost Monster Hunter-esque when you really get a feel for it. By contrast, Ciri's teleporting feels jarring and breaks the rhythm of the fight. Although, considering you don't play as her very much, it's not a huge deal.

I'm... not seeing the comparison.

It sounds like you're enjoying your time with the game, though. Even when the rock trolls are doing horrible things like eating people, I have a big of a hard time bringing myself to kill them. They're clearly sapient, but also seem to lack a basic moral compass, which makes it difficult to judge them by my more human standards of conduct.

@Ralizah No! Kill them all! Every monster must die! I was quite ruthless when required during my playthrough.

@JohnnyShoulder Well, I'll kill them if I have to. But I don't care for it. They're fairly innocent creatures, all things being equal. Not like bandits. They've eaten of the fruit, and still chose to be evil, so I feel no remorse when Geralt starts slicing them in half.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I had a strange glitch where Geralt had his arm in a weird 'L' shaped position, almost like it was in a cast but with no cast showing. It would not allow me to change armour either, and I had one of the lamest sets on. It only lasted a few days until it got fixed with a patch, but it was quite funny watching Geralt trying to point or gesture with his arm stuck in that weird position!

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Ha I just got past the bit where the Inn owner from White Orchid appeared in Novigrad and had a bit of a disconnect. I was like, White Orchid is miles and miles away and there is a war and frontlines between and the roads are terrible and they managed to get across just to shout at Geralt?

I've just left Novigrad and am on Skellige. About Level 19 I think. I have just focused on contracts, sides quests and story. Haven't done all the question marks unless I run into them naturally.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy That is one of my biggest gripes in all video games, when you have NPC's that appear throughout the game effortlessly, despite the fact you have had to fight yourself silly across levels or worlds and they wander up to you as if nothing has happened and they had taken a nice Sunday stroll. Happens a lot if Tomb Raider and Uncharted - you have climbed and swung and destroyed bridges and handholds to get somewhere only for 50 armed thugs to turn up with no issue.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Ha Ha maybe she is the main character in the DLC’s!!!

So I am finally getting around to this game but before I play it I wanted to make sure is playing the first two games needed to understand and enjoy this game?

@Tasuki I never played them and still found it to be one of my favourite games. It’s worth a quick read on previous games to get some of the relationships and who the Wild Hunt are but it’s not necessary.

After what is essentially the prologue, there is a little scene where a scribe asks you to clarify a few things which acts a bit like decisions from previous games but that seems like a pretty superficial thing.

Just finished episode 5...loving it!

Yeah, the show is actually pretty good. I'm pretty happy with the casting outside of Triss who I feel is totally wrong.

Anyway back to the game....

I started it this morning and wow!!!! I have only played about an hour but I can tell I am going to like this game.

@Tasuki ONE OF US! ONE OF US!