Witcher 2 launcher issue
 

Hi,

I have a strange problem with the launcher- but first let me explain what I did so far:

Installed the game, launched, created an account and registered the game.
Downloads were possible - everything was good.
But then I quit the launcher before all downloads were done and the next day I couldn't continue with the downloads, always got "error writing file"…

So I un- & re-installed Witcher 2.
But now I cannot register the game.
I click on register in the launcher, then login with the account I created the day before and then I enter my activation code, and I keep getting this infamous "connection error", which seems to be a wrong error message here, becuase when IO create another account it keeps saying the actiovation code is already registered.

So, the problem now is, the launcher does not log in and so I cannot get the DLC button activated.

It seems the launche lacks a login function without doing a registration.
Anyone else having this problem?

G

The whole install process including the activation, registration, DLC downloading, code redemption etc. has been a very buggy ride for me as well. I basically ran into trouble on each and every single step. It began with the DVD not auto-starting (very minor issue but an issue nonetheless, right?), then it wouldn't accept the serial because what clearly looked like zeros were capital "O"'s instead, then it wouldn't let me register with my old Witcher account so I had to create a new one (I think everyone ran into that one), then the DLC code redemption and download would not work because the reg servers were offline and it took me an hour+ before I was finally able to get everything to work. Honestly, I don't really remember a similarly fucked up launch in my personal gaming history (except maybe Star Wars Galaxies but then MMOs are an entirely different beast altogether).

Anyway, as far as your problem is concerned I think that the "simple" issue may be that the login/registration servers might have been offline all day today. Every time I have started up the launcher today (at several points throughout this afternoon and tonight) it said "Connection error - Try again later" in the lower left corner. Or maybe I'm having the same problem as you that the servers are actually online but my launcher is acting up and showing them falsely as offline and refusing to log in. Have you tried to run "register.exe" or "activate.exe" directly from the game directory? Might be worth a shot…

With the DLC if you exit the game go to to your witcher2 folder run the game as the admin the DLC should work…at least that is what I had to do

Why don't they tell us, when the servers are down? On their site, they stated , all servers are up and running.
Anyway, it did work in the meantime…
Thansk for your hints :-)

I keep getting these connection errors as well, almost all the time. The rare moments that the launcher can establish a connection, I'm not able to download anything. Well, it says "downloading" but nothing really happens until I get either the error "unable to write file" or "connection error". If anyone has any ideas, I could use some…

I have an idea: Just hammer the fucker :biggrin: .
Seriously, start launcher, close, start launcher, close, start launcher, close…. until it establishes a connection. I'm getting the same crap from my launcher. It rarely goes online but after a few retries (well, retries and crashes because it doesn't seem to appreciate "hammering" ;) ) it usually does.
Luckily you won't need a connection anymore once you have downloaded everything that is available so use those few times it does go online wisely. G'luck, Sir. You're gonna need it.

Well your right about that. I tried the hammering suggestion…no dice. ;) Seems like the launcher keeps running in the background (can't make out which process in the task manager though). I am not able to download anything, and to top it of, now all of the in game speech has mysteriously disappeared.

I've put in more time trying to get this thing running than actually playing it. Not fun…

My out of box experience has been as follows:

Choose custom install

1 -change default dir to d:\TheWitcher2
2- watch screen install bar move across screen

• Error 1: Attempt to launch game — no joy
  Solution: Launch game with Administrator in Vista — the launcher launches
• Error 2: Enter code. Typing in code has absolutely no visible effect on line in box.
  Solution: Search internet, see suggestion for font DPI count set to non-standard
  Change my 120 DPI fonts to std - reboot
• Error 3: Enter code — it seems to work — launcher checks for patch
  Launcher closes. Game loading not even reached.
  Solution: None. End of line. I assume a validation server is offline/can't be accessed by me.

Check online, promised patch supposed to be released "tonight" but obviously isn't available currently.

So here is my approach to these issues

• 1. Eat Supper
• 2. Go Play LA Noire on PS3.
• 3. Enjoy playing game. Go to sleep.

If this is not resolved by tomorrow (Thursday), The Witcher 2 will go back to the store on Friday.

I really do love this property. As many of you know, I was project lead on The Witcher: Outcast, an expansion pack for the original The Witcher. The game ultimately got cancelled for budgetary reasons after we had dumped a fair bit of our lives into developing it (thems the breaks; no hard feelings with Tomas and Marcin. Their own 360 cancellation was far more heart-breaking than my own team's, I'm sure).

I really do respect this IP and what CDP is trying to do. But the plain fact is, my patience for this sort of bullshit while trying to play PC Games is pretty much entirely gone now. Console games don't provide this sort of experience. And while the gameplay "highs" on a console may not be as high as that as featured on the best of PC Games — this sort of install bullshit simply never happens on my 360 or PS3. Those game, for the most part, just work. It's a trade-off I have come to appreciate more and more as the years go by.

End Result: I've got better things to do with my time than put up with this sort of bullshit. I'm too old — and jaded — for this sort of crap.

There are other ways to get the dlc if people cant wait for issues to be fixed. Its a shame people cant use the dlc or activate there account.

I got through the registration but was stumped at the DLC download process.

They seem to encode the serial number of your game or the promo code into the DLC zip file downloaded probably as the password to unlock it. So you need the serial number associated with whatever file you download from other sources to access the dlc for example (and yes there are ways but at this point I cant be bothered and am opposed to using a serial number other than my own). They indicated that the troll DLC will come with the patch so I'm assuming it will be without the serial number protection they are experimenting with.

I'm not opposed to the DLC approach they are taking and dont think its necessarily a bad idea. But unfortunately it is a bad implementation and that is the worst. These things unfortunately have to work perfectly to achieve the antipiracy goals they have in mind.

That sucks, steel_wind. I had no problems with the GOG version installing and getting the DLC on day one (though I am still not sure what I downloaded english voiceovers for, when they were clearly already in the game?). However the GOG dowload assistant did not work for me, always showing "online" but never downloading even a single byte. So I had to manually download the files through the browser. So yes, there are definitely some things they need to clean up. Having the forums and the servers go down at launch also isn't exactly looking so good.
Still I would strongly suggest to stick with it - the game is definitely worth it.

Just to be clear, while there may be some DLC issues involved in terms of what the game launcher is trying to check for before it loads up the game itself, I can't even get to the game loading at all. All I can do is start up the launcher, try to enter my validation code for the game on the back of the manual. I hit enter, launcher wants to go online and check for something -- and it fails. That's it; that's all. No game, no Geralt, no joy.

Thy mentioned that there have been some issues with poorly printed validation codes, I,l,1 or 0 vs O - I assume you already checked that?

No - the validation code was fine. It was the underlying software/server validation process. Now that the patch has been released, the launcher has downloaded and has installed it. The activation now completes and the game now works!

So, for now at least: alls well that ends well.

Good. Now… When do we get Outcast for TW2? :)