The Witcher 2 - Patch 1.3 Coming - CDP RED being sued by Namco BANDAI

CDP RED updated their Witcher 2 site with news of patch 1.3

Patch 1.3 is not quite here yet, but we would like to show you an early changelog with the fixes and amendments that will be implemented in the nearest update. There is still no ETA on its release so please bear with us and stay tuned for more information.

The changelog is fairly huge, so follow this link to learn more.

However, here's the first 6 changes:

1. New FREE DLC – “A Sackful of Fluff” is a new quest in Chapter 2 of the game. To start the quest, visit the eccentric Elthon, who inhabits a solitary hut near the quarry outside Vergen. The quest will prove most rewarding to those who demonstrate patience.
2. Game now supports 4:3, 5:4, 16:10 aspect ratios.
3. Item storage has been added. Players can now store items from their Inventory at inns. To leave items in storage or collect previously stored items, talk to innkeepers.
4. A „Junk‟ panel has been added to Inventory to provide greater clarity in item classification. 5. New menu option added in „Extras‟ - enables players to view in-game animated sequences (flashbacks, memory flashes, dreams stolen by harpies) outside of the game.
6. A „Quickload‟ option has been added under the F9 key.

In other Witcher 2 news, according to the website Dark Side of Gaming, CDP RED is being sued by Namco BANDAI for this:

the company [Namco BANDAI] has filed a case against CD Project RED. According to the lawsuit, CD Projekt RED broke their agreement by removing the DRM protection without the publisher’s authority and by choosing THQ for the distribution of The Witcher 2′s X360 version.

Adam Kicinski, CEO of CDP RED had this to say:

As with most cases, we first tried to end the dispute peacefully. Attempts failed and because of this, we hoped that our partner would send the case to the court. The agreement that we signed last year, concerned only the distribution of “The Witcher 2″ for the PC. The records were carefully clarified to avoid any ambiguity.
Namco Bandai have options when choosing the priority of our distributor’s version of the Xbox 360. It could use, but not taken advantage of certain preferences. In this situation, we chose the offer that THQ made us.

More information.

At last my long awaited 4:3 aspect ratio patch

Inventory storage, too!

I can't wait till Namco Bandai go bankrupt.

Namco B. sucks and CDPR rules! I'm just waiting for storage before I give the game another whirl.

sweet storage, now DArtagnan has no excuse for cheating anymore

Item storage, junk panel and quick load? CDPR is a developer which really listens to the customers. That's exactly what I wanted.
And a new free DLC is amazing.

I bought the game but havent played much of it yet….there is a reason why I wait a minimum 6 months whenver a new game comes out to play it

I still don't understand why inventory storage wasn't implemented from the start, but I'm glad to see they patched it in at least.

16:10, item storage, a junk tab and a new quest to boot, excellent.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I still don't understand why inventory storage wasn't implemented from the start, but I'm glad to see they patched it in at least.

Some nonsense about wanting a flowing experience or something along those lines. They wanted to streamline it so that the player wasn't focusing on the inventory. Stupid idea, but they've learned their lesson now. Maybe next time they won't have the craftable matierial everywhere.

The only gripe I have with the game (other than it's easier to play with a gamepad) is that they threw the craftable material all over. Plus the developers expected you to just rob everyone for this material.

For TW3 I would love it if they tried out Gothic's way of dealing with property. You enter someone's home and the NPCs take notice and tell you to get the F*** out.

One of the most memorable experiences when playing any RPG was the first time I entered a house in Gothic and the NPCs took notice. I was like, "Wait….What did you just say?" and sure enough the NPCs reacted to my actions.

That was done a little over a decade ago. It's time for other great RPGs to start implementing this. Most already have some kind of C&C now it's time to start focusing on the environment and how it reacts to your presence (other than monster fighting).

Odd how all the big developers are going on about realism and immersion but somehow
can't be bothered to assign resources for something like that isn't it ?(guess all the effort
goes to beards and tattoos these days)

Anyway seems this is the patch to jump into the game for me too. The fact that it probably will not be out till August, might allow me to thin my recently acquired backlog a bit first, hopefully.

That is one of the major issues I have with a lot of RPGs and which the Gothics (and Risen) implemented very nicely: unsheathing your weapon in public or running around looting NPC houses should really raise some eyebrows. Mind you, the actual implementation in Gothic was quite flawed in places but it still adds so much to my feeling of immersion when I see people reacting to my actions. TW2 landed somewhere in the middle in this regard but I really liked that NPCs didn't treat Geralt as if had a giant "Hero" sign over his head.

Hopefully, the new Quest will be interesting. Troll Trouble was rather well done, I think. Still, I can't see me repeatedly coming back to specific parts of the game if they continue to release these small bits of content every few months.

Didn't Baldur's Gate (the first one) have npcs react as in the Gothic series? I mean, you coluld go into someone's house, try to steal things, but if they noticed you, the guards were called? This is just to say that I agree with everyone on this point. I've always wondered why Geralt were able to go into anyone's house and just take their stuff…

Originally Posted by sphire
running around looting NPC houses should really raise some eyebrows.

The character is supposed to be a professional monster, a character making money by killing monsters.

Developping support for a side feature that affects every character in the gameworld is tertiary at the present moment when the primary support, that is support to monster slayer role playing is inexistent.

It is funny how people can focuse on minor details while the big picture is missing. RPG as a genre has failed to get its priorities right.

Originally Posted by curious
sweet storage, now DArtagnan has no excuse for cheating anymore

Hehe, my thoughts exactly…
Just a joke Dartagnan.

All in all changes are nice, but I don't like this change:
"27. Option to fist fight woman praying at a statue in Vergen has been deactivated."

This nonmentioned change in the news is one I'll adore since I despise respawns:
"41. Rotfiends feeding on corpses no longer re-spawn after corpse is burned."

Hehe, it's indeed a nice change - and I'd say it makes the game quite complete.

Unfortunately, it's a bit too little too late for me - as I'm still a ways away from wanting to replay it.

I loved most of the game, but I have to say the beginning and first act were much more to my liking than the last two acts.

Originally Posted by aries100
Didn't Baldur's Gate (the first one) have npcs react as in the Gothic series? I've always wondered why Geralt were able to go into anyone's house and just take their stuff…

You can trace the feature back even further than that. Ultima VII had consequences for actions like this in your party and also in the way house owners would react to your presence if you tried to pilfer something. This isn't a new idea by any means, but I agree with posters about the brilliant way the Gothic series implemented it.
It also makes particular sense for Gothic, due to the nature of the harsh world that it illustrates.
I can only echo the sentiment that hopefully the Witcher will follow suit at some point, because not enough cRPGs have this kind of reactivity - and to think it started so long ago! (Thus a point well made, Skavenhorde)

For TW3 I would love it if they tried out Gothic's way of dealing with property. You enter someone's home and the NPCs take notice and tell you to get the F*** out.

I have played TW2 until very early in chapter 1, but it came as a surprise when I walked into a house and stole everything and the owner did not even notice, let alone react. This is a huge flaw for a game which is supposed to be one of the most state of the art titles of 2011.

I wish they'd deal with two major problems in the next patch: poor controls and this.

Speaking of Gothic, I have never seen any other game deal with breaking into houses as good as Gothic/G2 did.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
You can trace the feature back even further than that. Ultima VII had consequences for actions like this in your party and also in the way house owners would react to your presence if you tried to pilfer something. This isn't a new idea by any means, but I agree with posters about the brilliant way the Gothic series implemented it.
It also makes particular sense for Gothic, due to the nature of the harsh world that it illustrates.
I can only echo the sentiment that hopefully the Witcher will follow suit at some point, because not enough cRPGs have this kind of reactivity - and to think it started so long ago! (Thus a point well made, Skavenhorde)

You're right about Ultima VII (and it probably goes even further back), but the reason I brought up Gothic was because it was the first time (I believe) that the characters reacted to my presence in their home rather than after I stole stuff from their home.

I normally hate sneaking. It's boring and too dang slow, but sneaking into homes in Gothic was just too much fun.

I'd be happy if they just made the people react if I stole something from them in future Witchers, but it would be nice if they told me to get out. I know I would if someone just barged on into my home