The Witcher 2 - Roundup #2

Here's a collection of Witcher 2 items.
First, GameBanshee let us know they have a preview based on playing the preview code:

Before I get into the more intricate details, I can't help but spend a little time on just how amazing the game looks. With the settings cranked up to "High" (the "Ultra" settings had some instability issues in the early build I played), the characters, buildings, and environments all look spectacular. The amount of painstaking detail that went into crafting the early battle landscapes, the La Valette Castle courtyard, the town of Flotsam and its wilderness, and other such areas is simply staggering. With the addition of even more realistic day/night transitions and weather effects (blurred vision during torrential rain, anyone?) than we saw in the first game, The Witcher 2 is easily the best-looking RPG I've ever played. And I say that without any hesitation.

Zohaib notes this article at Hooked Gamers, claiming the games has been leaked but there's a backlash against the pirated release.
Most importantly, you can now preload (and actually buy) the game from GOG. It's a 9.6Gb download but with the game unlocked on the 17th, there's plenty of time.
In related news, GOG has switched off IP user location detection, which means Aussies buying from them won't have to get the censored version (although I note they have still use it to charge the new, increased price if you didn't preorder).
There's a new "French Monk" teaser trailer.
Lastly, for the moment, VoodooExtreme has a combat-focused video dev diary.
More information.

From that snip of an article looks like they are focusing on graphics….can someone go back to focusing on gameplay? I know that does not sell though.

honestly the first Witcher felt like an action adventure game and I assume this will be no different?

I haven't paid much attention to this game but I will read feedback on it once it releases.

GoG is having technical difficulties with getting rid of Geo-IP:

EDIT: We'll update the privacy policy on our website to reflect this tomorrow, because we're having caching problems with it today. rest assured, the new changes are in effect even if the page doesn't show it.


You'll still get the old price even if you are in Australia and change your region to US or Taiwan or whatever you choose, but for some reason it will still show people in Australia the newer outrageous price.

I still love that they did this.

GoG Newsbit about Geo-IP

Anyone that preordered on GoG got invitation to purchase/preload , yet ?

My box collecting impulses are really warring with that GOG pre-order right now. Not only do you get an art book you wouldn't otherwise get (and the art book for the first Witcher was awesome) but you also get earlier access (10PM my time on the 16th) and support CDP a LOT more than the boxed copy does.

Don't know what to do!

Originally Posted by Twotricks
Anyone that preordered on GoG got invitation to purchase/preload , yet ?

It says on the site that it's now available to preload.

The great news today is that now you can officially purchase and pre-download 95% of the game before launch day—a GOG.com exclusive! You won’t have to download the whole game on the release day with the whole world, so you’ll be able to play The Witcher 2 sooner. Get it DRM-Free only on GOG.com with the best digital distribution package available.

Originally Posted by JDR13
It says on the site that it's now available to preload.

Yeah, there is some problem with their mail client though. They said they will re-send all the emails today at some point.

Originally Posted by DoctorNarrative
Not only do you get an art book you wouldn't otherwise get (and the art book for the first Witcher was awesome) but you also get earlier access (10PM my time on the 16th) and support CDP a LOT more than the boxed copy does.

The 10PM thing is a bit misleading. You can start downloading the remaining 5% of the game at 10pm.

The problem is that pretty much everyone who preordered it is going to be logging on at that time to get that last 5%. It's going to be a traffic jam of epic proportions. Should be interesting to see what kind of download speeds we'll be getting.

From that snip of an article looks like they are focusing on graphics….can someone go back to focusing on gameplay? I know that does not sell though

I doubt the game-play is going to be good. But they said they will get rid of all the running so perhaps it will be worth to play it for the story? a bit like mass effect… watch an interactive movie……

So, I bought and preloaded The Witcher 2 yesterday evening. I also choose Beyond Divinity as my bonus game. Now I'm only waiting for next week so I can download the remaining few hundred megabyte and start playing. Yay, me.

Now now, GG, let them enjoy the hype ride - and let's hope they get what they want from it.

It still looks pretty good, overall.

Originally Posted by Roi Danton
So, I bought and preloaded The Witcher 2 yesterday evening. I also choose Beyond Divinity as my bonus game.

How do you redeem the bonus game? I pre-ordered a short time ago, but I didn't see an option to choose any bonus title.

Originally Posted by Saxon1974
From that snip of an article looks like they are focusing on graphics….can someone go back to focusing on gameplay? I know that does not sell though.

honestly the first Witcher felt like an action adventure game and I assume this will be no different?

I haven't paid much attention to this game but I will read feedback on it once it releases.

An action adventure with nice skill trees, plenty of choices and consequences, well-designed quests, an interesting story, interesting characters, and plenty of optional things to do? Aye, 'tis that. I tend to call that kind of game action RPGs, but whatever, that debate is as endless as it is fruitless.

Also I would recommend to read the rest of the article, it has plenty of infor on gameplay elements. For me it seems that the main ingredients from the Witcher are intact if not improved, thats pretty much all I need to know.

I salute that RPS news article! Well done (and the reply to comments).

Originally Posted by JDR13
How do you redeem the bonus game? I pre-ordered a short time ago, but I didn't see an option to choose any bonus title.

When you buy the game you'll get an email with the product key and a link to a GoG page where you can choose your bonus game.

Originally Posted by Saxon1974
From that snip of an article looks like they are focusing on graphics….

They´re not. It´s a pretty detailed preview which covers most of the game´s aspects, including some I haven´t seen covered elsewhere (lures, more in-depth look on encumbrance). I haven´t noticed a mention of stealth, but otherwise it´s quite exhaustive I think.

Originally Posted by JDR13
How do you redeem the bonus game? I pre-ordered a short time ago, but I didn't see an option to choose any bonus title.

Check your e-mail. Once you buy the game from GoG (pre-order is not enough, it wasn't an actual purchase in this case), you'll get an e-mail from GoG containing a link to choose your free game (and for those of us paying in euros, there's also links to redeem your 16 bucks worth of games - one $5.99 game and one $9.99 game, sweet!).

If you pre-ordered you should've received an e-mail with the offer (link) to buy the game. I got mine today and true enough once I bought the game, I got an e-mail with all the relevant links. Already had 3 of the 5 offered free games, so my choice was between RoA 1+2 or Beyond Divinity. I took RoA 1+2.

I truly hope GoG/CDProject Red do well with this offer. It's such an astonishing deal and DRM free to boot. What's not to like! Anyone with an interest in cRPGs and DRM free games should support this with their wallets. Now is your moment to be heard. Don't be lost! Stand up and be counted!!

EDIT: Roi was faster and posted as I typed my response. That ninja poster!

Originally Posted by Roi Danton
When you buy the game you'll get an email with the product key and a link to a GoG page where you can choose your bonus game.

Hmmm… I received the order summary email with my CD key immediately after pre-ordering, but there's no link to any bonus game.

Oh well.. I'm not going to worry about it. Considering what the choices are, it's not a big deal to me.

@Lurking Grue- My credit card has already been charged, and I have the option to preload. I didn't know it was even possible to pre-order without paying immediately.

Originally Posted by JDR13
@Lurking Grue- My credit card has already been charged, and I have the option to preload. I didn't know it was even possible to pre-order without paying immediately.

There was a possibility of pre-ordering via GoG about 6 months ago without paying anything and receiving some preorder gifts immediately (so-called pre-order bonus pack) with no commitment to actually buying the game. NOw that the game's about to be released this pre-order has to be converted to an actual purchase. That's what I did and thought you hadn't yet done. So my bad, I misunderstood you.

Originally Posted by JDR13
The 10PM thing is a bit misleading. You can start downloading the remaining 5% of the game at 10pm.

The problem is that pretty much everyone who preordered it is going to be logging on at that time to get that last 5%. It's going to be a traffic jam of epic proportions. Should be interesting to see what kind of download speeds we'll be getting.

Yeah, GOG isn't really setup for such things.

I'll probably still be getting the boxed copy anyway, I don't think I'm ready to crack the habit. I just wish I wasn't supporting Atari to do so. What I will probably do (especially since I am getting the game for $35 on amazon) is re-purchase it on GOG when it goes to $20 or less.