The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[ThirdEye]

Doesn't look as good as that 2013 shot But yeah it looks good as is.

Pop-in? When trees get close to the camera? Not a big deal really.

[ThirdEye]

Game has tressfx? First I hear about it, I thought they were using nvidia's hairworks or some such, or was that just for the beast fur and not pretty lady hair?

[Mangler]

nvidia tressfx AKA I could not remember the name of hairworks.

Seems like the hair gets pretty shiny with hairworks enabled too, guess nvidia also is using a L'Oréal shader.

[kboye]

hm... just looked up an old Witcher 2 screenshot about 4 years ago. So much spirit and flair.... I had forgotten how it looked, still: not bad for a 4 year Witcher game.

[Mangler]

Well, I'm boycotting the game, there's an ingame option for turning of CA.

That is unacceptable.

[ThirdEye]

Toggle CA ?

Downgrade forgiven.

[t0adp1p3]

I honestly think they turned it down not just for consoles, but for PC's as well. Has there ever been an open world game that looks that much better than consoles and runs well? I'll answer that with a nope. I bet even the mightiest of rigs would have seriously struggled with those earlier visuals. I think AMD/Nvidia have basically been selling people a bill of goods for awhile now.
Seem like modern Games just arent made with our hardware in mind.

[|MaguS|]

Cross-platform parity needs to die a quick painful death.

Who is forcing that? Only time that's an issue when a publisher is funding the multiplatform title rather than an independent developer...

[Ciera]

Who is forcing that? Only time that's an issue when a publisher is funding the multiplatform title rather than an independent developer...

PR and the almighty dollar. Sony & Microsoft exerting pressure on developers to not make their platforms look bad and developers desire to not isolate console gamers. It's all political

[Hidavi]

Toggle CA ?

Downgrade forgiven.

what's CA?

[Dungeoncrawler]

...no one is concerned that a pc review embargo is apparently still in place? history tells us this typically does not bode well

[Ancient76]

PC LIVE STREAM

[yt]PahEFn5aQSg[/yt]

These are ultra details, and it looks excellent.

[Dungeoncrawler]

These are ultra details, and it looks excellent.

yea, i'm watching the same thing. they were riding down a road and suddenly a bunch of npc's popped-in for a quest. if that's how the entire game runs it will be laughable.

[GatsuTheBerserk]

If that's PC Ultra, then I've got to say Rockstar did a way better job in porting their game to PC.

[Dungeoncrawler]

If that's PC Ultra, then I've got to say Rockstar did a way better job in porting their game to PC.

according to the hosts, its ultra on a single gtx 980.

[Mangler]

People have found uber settings for stuff like the grass, terrain, water, shadows, and more in the xml files.

[ThirdEye]

People have found uber settings for stuff like the grass, terrain, water, shadows, and more in the xml files.

[Ciera]

[Hidavi]

lol my fave one is

[Meteor_of_War]

Who is forcing that? Only time that's an issue when a publisher is funding the multiplatform title rather than an independent developer...

Right, that's what I originally thought. But it seems to be the case in this game now too.

I think if CDPR just tried to go for platform parity in Witcher 3 it was probably due to putting more of the development focus on the console versions, with the PC version just mirroring console optimization--with reason being lack of man power on the dev team.

I could be totally off here, but it is my guess. What other reason for the visual downgrade?

[ThirdEye]

what's CA?

Chromatic Aberration

[Brainstew]

People have found uber settings for stuff like the grass, terrain, water, shadows, and more in the xml files.

Is that confirmed? Are there any comparison shots to show these "uber" settings?

[Meteor_of_War]

Is that confirmed? Are there any comparison shots to show these "uber" settings?

If true its awesome news.

[ThirdEye]

Is that confirmed? Are there any comparison shots to show these "uber" settings?

you can't run the leak without the day one patch.

[DeathKnight]

Is that confirmed?

I can confirm it. I've got the game preloaded and can freely open the config files.

There are tons of settings in rendering.xml located in bin/config/r4game/user_config_matrix/pc/. There are also lots of settings in rendering.ini located in bin/config/base/ as well as a few in rendering.ini located in bin/config/platform/pc/

I'd post them here but don't know if I'd get in trouble.

[ThirdEye]

I guess preloads are different on steam cause this is what I have

[DeathKnight]

F it...

bin/config/r4game/user_config_matrix/pc/rendering.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<UserConfig>
	<Group id="Visuals" displayName="video.gamma" visibilityCondition="fullscreen">
		<VisibleVars>
			<Var id="GammaValue" displayName="gamma" displayType="GAMMA;0.1;1.9;90"/>
		</VisibleVars>
	</Group>
	<Group id="Rendering" displayName="video.general" tags="refreshEngine;graphics">
		<PresetsArray>
			<Preset id="0" displayName="low">
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TexturesOptionVar" 		value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_LevelOfDetailOptionVar" 	value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_WaterOptionVar" 			value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TerrainOptionVar" 		value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_ShadowsOptionVar" 		value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="UseHairWorks" 					value="false"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_GrassOptionVar"			value="0"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_FoliageVisibility"		value="0"/>
			</Preset>
			<Preset id="1" displayName="medium">
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TexturesOptionVar" 		value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_LevelOfDetailOptionVar" 	value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_WaterOptionVar" 			value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TerrainOptionVar" 		value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_ShadowsOptionVar" 		value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="UseHairWorks" 					value="false"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_GrassOptionVar"			value="1"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_FoliageVisibility"		value="1"/>
			</Preset>
			<Preset id="2" displayName="high">
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TexturesOptionVar" 		value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_LevelOfDetailOptionVar" 	value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_WaterOptionVar" 			value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TerrainOptionVar" 		value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_ShadowsOptionVar" 		value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="UseHairWorks" 					value="false"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_GrassOptionVar"			value="2"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_FoliageVisibility"		value="2"/>
			</Preset>
			<Preset id="3" displayName="uber">
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TexturesOptionVar" 		value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_LevelOfDetailOptionVar" 	value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_WaterOptionVar" 			value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_TerrainOptionVar" 		value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_ShadowsOptionVar" 		value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="UseHairWorks" 					value="true"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_GrassOptionVar"			value="3"/>
				<Entry varId="Virtual_FoliageVisibility"		value="3"/>
			</Preset>
		</PresetsArray>
		<VisibleVars>
			<Var overrideGroup="Viewport" id="VSync" displayName="vsync" displayType="TOGGLE"/>
            <Var id="UseHairWorks" displayName="use_hair_works" displayType="TOGGLE" tags="refreshEngine"/>
            <Var id="Virtual_ShadowsOptionVar" displayName="shadows" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowFadeTreshold" 	value="2.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale0" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale1" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale2" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale3" 	value="1.0"/>	
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowQuality" 		value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowmapSize" 		value="1024"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCascadeCount" 				value="3"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount" 	value="2"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCubeShadowSize" 			value="256"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxSpotShadowSize" 			value="256"/>
						<Entry overrideGroup="Rendering/SpeedTree" varId="FoliageShadowDistanceScale" value="8.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowFadeTreshold" 	value="1.5"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale0" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale1" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale2" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale3" 	value="1.0"/>					
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowQuality" 		value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowmapSize" 		value="1024"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCascadeCount" 				value="4"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount" 	value="3"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCubeShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxSpotShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry overrideGroup="Rendering/SpeedTree" varId="FoliageShadowDistanceScale" value="12.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowFadeTreshold" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale0" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale1" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale2" 	value="1.2"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale3" 	value="1.2"/>				
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowQuality" 		value="1"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowmapSize" 		value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCascadeCount" 				value="4"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount" 	value="4"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCubeShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxSpotShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry overrideGroup="Rendering/SpeedTree" varId="FoliageShadowDistanceScale" value="16.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowFadeTreshold" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale0" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale1" 	value="1.0"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale2" 	value="1.5"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowDistanceScale3" 	value="1.5"/>		
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowQuality" 		value="1"/>
						<Entry varId="CascadeShadowmapSize" 		value="3072"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCascadeCount" 				value="4"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount" 	value="4"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxCubeShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxSpotShadowSize" 			value="512"/>
						<Entry overrideGroup="Rendering/SpeedTree" varId="FoliageShadowDistanceScale" value="54.0"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
            <Var id="Virtual_TerrainOptionVar" displayName="terrain" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry varId="TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier" 		value="30"/>
						<Entry varId="TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold" 	value="4.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry varId="TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier" 		value="20"/>
						<Entry varId="TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold" 	value="3.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry varId="TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier" 		value="10"/>
						<Entry varId="TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold" 	value="2.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry varId="TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier" 		value="6"/>
						<Entry varId="TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold" 	value="1.6"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
            <Var id="Virtual_WaterOptionVar" displayName="water_quality" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry varId="GlobalOceanTesselationFactor" 	value="8"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry varId="GlobalOceanTesselationFactor" 	value="16"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry varId="GlobalOceanTesselationFactor" 	value="32"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry varId="GlobalOceanTesselationFactor" 	value="64"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
            <Var id="Virtual_GrassOptionVar" displayName="grass" displayType="OPTIONS" >
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry varId="GrassDensity" 	value="1400.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry varId="GrassDensity" 	value="1600.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry varId="GrassDensity" 	value="2000.0"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry varId="GrassDensity" 	value="2400.0"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
			<Var id="Virtual_TexturesOptionVar" displayName="textures" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry overrideGroup="TextureStreaming" varId="MaxResidentMipMap" 	value="6"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTextureSize" 			value="1024"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxAtlasTextureSize" 		value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureDownscale" 		value="2"/>
						<Entry varId="DetailTextureDownscale" 	value="2"/>
						<Entry varId="AtlasTextureDownscale" 	value="2"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryBudget" 		value="200"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryGUIBudget" 	value="80"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureTimeBudget" 		value="10"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureInFlightBudget" 	value="128"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry overrideGroup="TextureStreaming" varId="MaxResidentMipMap" 	value="6"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTextureSize" 			value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxAtlasTextureSize" 		value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureDownscale" 		value="1"/>
						<Entry varId="DetailTextureDownscale" 	value="1"/>
						<Entry varId="AtlasTextureDownscale" 	value="1"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryBudget" 		value="300"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryGUIBudget" 	value="80"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureTimeBudget" 		value="10"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureInFlightBudget" 	value="128"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry overrideGroup="TextureStreaming" varId="MaxResidentMipMap" 	value="6"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTextureSize" 			value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxAtlasTextureSize" 		value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureDownscale" 		value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="DetailTextureDownscale" 	value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="AtlasTextureDownscale" 	value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryBudget" 		value="500"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryGUIBudget" 	value="80"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureTimeBudget" 		value="10"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureInFlightBudget" 	value="128"/>
					</Option>					
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry overrideGroup="TextureStreaming" varId="MaxResidentMipMap" 	value="6"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxTextureSize" 			value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="MaxAtlasTextureSize" 		value="2048"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureDownscale" 		value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="DetailTextureDownscale" 	value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="AtlasTextureDownscale" 	value="0"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryBudget" 		value="800"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureMemoryGUIBudget" 	value="80"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureTimeBudget" 		value="10"/>
						<Entry varId="TextureInFlightBudget" 	value="128"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
			<Var id="Virtual_FoliageVisibility" displayName="foliage_visibility" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry overrideGroup="Foliage" varId="MaxVisibilityDepth" value="4"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry overrideGroup="Foliage" varId="MaxVisibilityDepth" value="8"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry overrideGroup="Foliage" varId="MaxVisibilityDepth" value="12"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry overrideGroup="Foliage" varId="MaxVisibilityDepth" value="24"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
			<Var id="Virtual_LevelOfDetailOptionVar" displayName="level_of_detail" displayType="OPTIONS" tags="refreshEngine">
				<OptionsArray>
					<Option id="0" displayName="low">
						<Entry overrideGroup="LevelOfDetail" varId="DecalsHideDistance" 	value="15"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="1" displayName="medium">
						<Entry overrideGroup="LevelOfDetail" varId="DecalsHideDistance" 	value="30"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="2" displayName="high">
						<Entry overrideGroup="LevelOfDetail" varId="DecalsHideDistance" 	value="40"/>
					</Option>
					<Option id="3" displayName="uber">
						<Entry overrideGroup="LevelOfDetail" varId="DecalsHideDistance" 	value="80"/>
					</Option>
				</OptionsArray>
			</Var>
		</VisibleVars>
	</Group>
</UserConfig>

----------------------------------------------

bin/config/base/rendering.ini

[PostProcess]
AllowBloom=true
AllowShafts=false
AllowAntialias=false
AllowMSAA=false
AllowBlur=true
AllowDOF=false
AllowVignette=true
AllowSharpen=false
AllowRain=true
AllowSSAO=true
AllowMotionBlur=false
AllowCutsceneDOF=true
AllowBillboards=true
AllowSoftLight=true
AllowFog=true
AllowUnderwater=true
AllowChromaticAberration=false
[Rendering]
MaxTextureSize=2048
MaxAtlasTextureSize=2048
MaxCubeShadowSize=512
MaxSpotShadowSize=512
TextureDownscale=0
DetailTextureDownscale=0
AtlasTextureDownscale=0
TextureMemoryBudget=500
TextureMemoryGUIBudget=80
TextureTimeBudget=10
TextureInFlightBudget=128
DecalsChance=1.0f
DecalsSpawnDistanceCutoff=10.0f
TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=40000.f
TextureStreamingCharacterDistanceLimit=50.f
TextureStreamingHeadsDistanceLimit=10.f
TextureStreamingReduceGameplayLOD=true
UberSampling=0
TextureMipBias=0
MsaaLevel=0
DynamicDecalsLimit=30
MeshRenderingDistanceScale=1.0f
MeshLODDistanceScale=1.0f
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold=2.0f
TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier=10
ForceInstantAdaptation=false
ForceInstantEnvProbeUpdate=false
EnableTemporalAA=true
CascadeShadowFadeTreshold=1.0f
CascadeShadowmapSize=1024
CascadeShadowQuality=0
MaxCascadeCount=4
MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount=3
GlobalOceanTesselationFactor=10
UseHairWorks=false
HairWorksAALevel=8
TerrainReadAheadDistance=200.0f
ForcedDebugPreviewIndex=-1
[TextureStreaming]
MaxResidentMipMap=6
[LevelOfDetail]
MeshLodGameplayDownscale=0
CharacterLodGameplayDownscale=0
DecalsHideDistance=30
StripeHideDistance=60
SwarmHideDistance=200
DimmerHideDistance=60
[Budget]
DecalBudget=100

----------------------------------------------

bin/config/platform/pc/rendering.ini

[Rendering]
WaterGeometryQuality=6
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold=2.0
CascadeShadowFadeTreshold=1.5
CascadeShadowQuality=0
MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount=3

[LevelOfDetail]
DecalsHideDistance=40.0
StripeHideDistance=60.0
SwarmHideDistance=200.0
DimmerHideDistance=60.0

[Budget]
DecalBudget=200
MaxMeshTrianglesCount=4000000
MaxMeshChunksCount=1000
MaxEmittersCount=200
MaxParticlesCount=30000
MaxParticleMeshChunksCount=100
MaxParticleTriangleCount=6000
VisibleObjectsBudget=1500

[ThirdEye]

wouldn't uber just be the ultra settings?

[DeathKnight]

wouldn't uber just be the ultra settings?

Could be. What I'm curious about is if upping the settings even higher has any effect.

[|MaguS|]

I could be totally off here, but it is my guess. What other reason for the visual downgrade?

Maybe they realized they couldn't make the game look like that and in reality it never did. You do know that almost all prerelease gameplay videos or demos are from a separate build developed solely to show off the game. There are many demos in the past that featured content that never was seen in the game not because it was cut for DLC or anything like that but rather it was part of a demo only build used to show the target that would not be possible to show in an unfinished product.

The alphas and betas you see videos from are total bullshit. When a game is in alpha it normal is missing even the most basic of features like animations or menus.

I know you and 90% of this forum love to hate on consoles and blame it for all the wrongs on PC Gaming but it's not as sinister as you think.

[|MaguS|]

PR and the almighty dollar. Sony & Microsoft exerting pressure on developers to not make their platforms look bad and developers desire to not isolate console gamers. It's all political

If you believe that then you must be either a total idiot or a Republican. Their is no conspiracy and if that were the case blame the developer, MS and Sony only agenda is to make sure the game is available on their platform and that it works. They never tell a developer that another platform needs to be worse or parity. If that were the case than why wouldn't MS make sure every Xbox version was equal or better than the PS version since their hardware is far inferior.

[Ciera]

I don't consider it a 'conspiracy' nor am I trying to place blame. I simply acknowledge it as a reality in this industry. CDProjekt is ultimately in business to make money, not to engage in altruistic acts or pursue pointless ideals. If they wanted to they could release a PC perfect version of the game, but there isn't one simply because of time, man-power, and there not being a business case for it.

[|MaguS|]

I don't consider it a 'conspiracy' nor am I trying to place blame. I simply acknowledge it as a reality in this industry. CDProjekt is ultimately in business to make money, not to engage in altruistic acts or pursue pointless ideals. If they wanted to they could release a PC perfect version of the game, but there isn't one simply because of time, man-power, and there not being a business case for it.

There is no such thing as a PC perfect game. The Witcher 2 released exclusive to the PC and was extremely demanding for the time and buggy. No exclusive title for PC has ever been perfect or stable, not even Diablo 3 which had a large and more talented team behind it with a far bigger budget and more development time.

[jimjobob]

There is no such thing as a PC perfect game. The Witcher 2 released exclusive to the PC and was extremely demanding for the time and buggy. No exclusive title for PC has ever been perfect or stable, not even Diablo 3 which had a large and more talented team behind it with a far bigger budget and more development time.

witcher 2 was on consoles. Diablo 3 is not a pc exclusive either.

[|MaguS|]

witcher 2 was on consoles. Diablo 3 is not a pc exclusive either.

When they released they were. Both had stagnated launches on consoles and in regards to the Witcher 2 it was a subpar port to the Xbox 360.

[Brumbek]

TW2 in Detail

Anyone got a good video telling the story of TW2? I played quite a bit (finished chapter 1 ) but never finished.

I want to play TW3 hence why I want to know the story before I do.

I found the most incredibly detailed analysis of the Witcher 2. This guy wrote a massive treatise on the history, motivations, and results of the political machinations in TW2. SPOILERS for TW2 obviously!

http://knightofphoenix.tumblr.com/witcher

You asked for a video...but man, this guy's thousands of words proves how insanely complex and ultimately satisfying TW2's story truly is. Plenty of stories are hard to follow because they are nonsensical fantasy, but the TW2 is such a deep story with characters with real motivations. The more I study it, the more impressed I become.

The most relevant part for preparing for TW3 is probably the article on the Emperor's motivations (in TW2) since he is a key character in TW3. And the article (and TW2) ends with the direct lead-in to TW3.

http://knightofphoenix.tumblr.com/po...rt-4-emhyr-the

What I find most remarkable is how TW2 stands up to intense scrutiny, scholarly scrutiny you'd usually apply to actual historical criticism. You won't get as much feeling out of the articles without having experienced the scenes and emotions yourself in the game, but you still may find the study quite fascinating! Even after 3 playthroughs of TW2, I learned a great deal from his articles.

[Ancient76]

In-depth SPOILER FREE review of TW3 by a gamer:

http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threa...TW3-by-a-gamer

What CD project succeeds in achieving is not a beautiful world, but a believable eco system. Not a single NPC, beast or an animal seems to be placed just for the sake of it. The beauty is in, how the life interacts with the world. Take the example of a village.
If u arrive to a village at night, you will find it empty except for a few guards patrolling it. You might wonder why…. The villagers are off to their homes and are sleeping. Come morning, most of them are out of their houses. Some women assemble together to wash clothes and share some gossip. Some people go to the fields to work. The kids come out and play on the streets. Around noon, you can expect them to go home for lunch. And if in case it rains, people will run off to find a shelter. Wait till the evening and you will see that many villagers are off to the village tavern to catch a mug of rye. A lot of parallels can be drawn from the world of Skyrim, when it comes to this. Witcher 3 has done to only better.
The monsters in the wild hunt are varied and ample. What’s amazing is that these monsters just don’t exist to be killed. Every monster affects the area around it. The villagers and other NPCs are aware of the creatures. Some of the creatures have a definite history associated with the area. Don’t be surprised if one of the monsters in the nearby forest is worshipped as the local god by the villagers. It is this interactivity between the beasts and the world that makes the Witcher 3 shine. The only game that ever came this close to designing a believable world was Witcher 2. Skyrim did a fantastic job as well, but the giants and the mammoths roaming around the city of Whiterun never really had an impact on it. They were just there.

Now coming to the geography of the world, to put it in simple terms, imagine Skyrim multiplied by 5. The Witcher 3 has sprawling cities, open fields, dense forests, number of villages, abandoned forts and other places, Snowcapped mountains, beautiful valleys, huge marshlands, caves, dungeons, plain grass fields, islands, sea shores, ports, cliffs, battle torn areas, rivers, lakes, ocean and number of other small areas. Though Skyrim had more CITIES, Witcher’s Novigrad is much bigger than Whiterun, Solitude, Windhelm and Markarth combined. Some of the villages in Velen have population more than the city of Whiterun in Skyrim. You can imagine how big the scale is.

I am familiar with the recent controversy of downgrade and stuff. But believe me, Witcher 3 is beautiful! Downgrade or not, what CD project has achieved here is outstanding.

[wc326]

sounds like this is the game to get for skyrim fans.

and i am one of them. i hope iwill not be disapointted.

i like stealing i skyrim, but i don't think this game has that feature

[Ancient76]

sounds like this is the game to get for skyrim fans.

and i am one of them. i hope iwill not be disapointted.

i like stealing i skyrim, but i don't think this game has that feature

I hope it isn't!

Devs compare this game to Gothic series.

[SirBaron]

The reason for the downgrade is because they also made the game on Consoles which means they had to reduce asset quality, however the reason the PC version doesn't have the improved locations I personally think is because they know it will require a absolute beast of a PC and as soon as a title doesn't run well on a top end pc the entire community goes into a shitstorm saying it's unoptimised.

Same **** happened when Crysis came out people said omg this game is so unoptimised ignoring the fact it's a very demanding game.

All developers expected the next gen consoles to be a lot more powerful which is why many games got scaled back.

Unreal Engine 4 completely gutted the GI lighting in the engine purely because of the next gen consoles not being powerful enough to even use it.