|
This is definitely the worst LP idea I've ever had. ABOUT THE GAME As I'm sure you're aware, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open world fantasy RPG developed by CD Projekt Red and published by their parent company CD Projekt in 2015. The game originally released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a Nintendo Switch port coming out in 2019 and the most recent console generation getting its own enhanced version (and PC getting a new update with all sorts of bells and/or whistles... and major performance problems in the DX12 build unless you have a supercomputer capable of brute-forcing through most of them) in late 2022. Just like the previous games, Wild Hunt is based on and continues the story of the Witcher books written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, following legendary witcher Geralt of Rivia on his adventures on the Continent full of monsters, magic, and shades-of-grey morality. When last we left the White Wolf (at the end of The Witcher 2, which I didn't LP), he had regained his memory and set out to find the love of his life, the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg, and that's where our long story begins. Meanwhile, the Nilfgaardian Empire, led by Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (the biological father of Ciri, Geralt's adopted daughter and immensely powerful Child of the Elder Blood whose whereabouts are unknown), is waging war in the Northern Realms. He has recently conquered the kingdom of Temeria and its capital Vizima, and shows no signs of slowing down as Nilfgaard clashes with the kingdom of Redania, led by King Radovid V. It's probably not too much of a spoiler to suggest that Geralt might eventually get caught up in this whole mess, because his attempts at staying neutral and avoiding the Continent's politics have rarely worked out. ABOUT THE LP As you may also know, The Witcher 3 is roughly 150 hours long if you do all the quests and DLC. That means I will be working on this for quite some time, and I'll also be doing other LPs while this is going on (look out for RoboCop: Rogue City in the near future, once I'm done with Spider-Man: Miles Morales). This is my third playthrough (technically fourth, but I never got around to finishing my modded playthrough a couple of years ago) so I generally have a pretty good idea what I'm doing and will be completing as many quests as I can. The game features a lot of important choices that can and will affect your playthrough, and this'll be a fairly lore-friendly LP in terms of choices. That means I'll usually pick whatever choices are in character for Geralt, who is absolutely not just an emotionless killer despite his reputation (and that of witchers in general). Most importantly of all, I will also be playing gwent and collecting every gwent card. That might not be entirely in character for Geralt, especially considering what the story is about, but I think we can let that slide. The first six or so episodes, featuring the game's prologue section, were recorded on the Xbox Series X version in January 2023. After that, I'm moving over to the PC version because now I actually have a PC capable of recording the DX12 build in all its glory.  Well, most of its glory, as there is no computer in the world that can run this at a native 4K60 locked with all the ray tracing options and NVIDIA Hairworks. On PC, I am running max settings for everything except Hairworks AA (which is set to 2, as that's more than sufficient) and using DLSS Performance at 4K. I could go for DLSS Balanced or even Quality especially if I disable the incredibly demanding Hairworks, but Performance ensures I have enough overhead for smooth recording and still looks very good.I should also probably issue a  general NSFW warning at this point. There's plenty of violence, mature themes, and nudity/sexual content in this game, although as far as the latter goes I've done some creative editing on the Xbox and there's a mod on PC to cover up all the nudity (which doesn't officially support the "next-gen" version but appears to work just fine based on a quick test). That should hopefully ensure YouTube won't put my videos in horny jail - i.e. require viewers to verify they're over 18, which would be less than ideal. We'll see how that goes. Oh yeah, and NO SPOILERS for Witcher 3! General Witcher chat is fine, just don't spoil quests we haven't seen yet. VIDEOS Episode 1: Lilac and Gooseberries Episode 2: White Orchard Episode 3: Trail of the Beast Episode 4: Devil by the Well Episode 5: The Wild Hunt Episode 6: The Wolf and the Flame ------ DMorbid fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Apr 8, 2024 |
#
?
Dec 8, 2023 23:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 02:48 |
|
|
reserved for stuff I dunno
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2023 23:12
|
|
|
 Episode 1: Lilac and Gooseberries To dream of raven locks and something something.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2023 23:14
|
|
|
Oh this would totally cover my aborted playthough that I dropped at some point in Skellinge and never picked up, and then the enhanced patch came out and I think the game got too good for my old bucket.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2023 23:28
|
|
|
SSLP it before the heat death of the universe you coward. Good luck, I have a 300 hour every container looted playthrough lol.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2023 05:14
|
|
|
Cooked Auto posted:Oh this would totally cover my aborted playthough that I dropped at some point in Skellinge and never picked up, and then the enhanced patch came out and I think the game got too good for my old bucket. Oh, hello me.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2023 09:46
|
|
|
Got a question for the thread, concerning NVIDIA's fancy and ultra-expensive Hairworks feature on PC. Now, while I want to show off the game with as much visual fidelity as possible, I'm not so sure if Hairworks actually makes the game look better when applied to Geralt. See here:  His hair looks too clean and soft and shiny, and some bits of it just kinda look like someone dumped noodles on his head. Then there's some weirdness with Hairworks + ray-traced lighting and shading in certain areas, as you can see in this screenshot where his hair and beard just end up looking almost black:  Also, Geralt is the only character to have Hairworks enabled, so his luscious locks tend to look a bit strange compared to everyone else. That inconsistency is what bothers me most about Hairworks, aside from its gigantic FPS cost (not that that's really an issue here). So, my question is: Hairworks for Geralt, yay or nay? Do we want the White Wolf to sport glorious, Fabio-esque locks straight out of a shampoo commercial, or do we stick with the regular hair rendering we've seen in the console version?   I've already recorded a couple of episodes with Hairworks enabled so you eventually get to see it in action and may want to reserve judgment until then, but I figured I'd ask anyway. DMorbid fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Dec 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2023 01:04
|
|
|
For consistency, I'd suggest going with Hairworks Off, so Geralt doesn't stand out beyond the usual in regards to the coiffures of the population.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2023 05:15
|
|
|
Sel Nar posted:For consistency, I'd suggest going with Hairworks Off, so Geralt doesn't stand out beyond the usual in regards to the coiffures of the population. Ditto
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2023 14:44
|
|
|
Meh, skip it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2023 14:47
|
|
|
 Episode 2: White Orchard We arrive in the charming village of White Orchard and immediately make several new friends. Most importantly, our crippling gwent addiction starts here while I completely fail to explain how the game works.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2023 12:16
|
|
|
Ah yes, Gwent. The other reason why I probably won't go back to the game. Could never wrap my head around how it worked, and then it runs into my completionist side with one of the quests tied into that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2023 13:47
|
|
|
Cooked Auto posted:Ah yes, Gwent. The other reason why I probably won't go back to the game. Could never wrap my head around how it worked, and then it runs into my completionist side with one of the quests tied into that. Gwent is relatively easy in this game, it's just RNG if you can get some good cards in your hand. Also that you need to get spy cards and decoys that are instrumental for any deck.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2023 19:36
|
|
|
 Episode 3: Trail of the Beast In order to find out where Yennefer went, we need to hunt down the griffin for the Nilfgaardians. Sure, might as well get paid for a witcher contract while we're here. But before we can get to hunting, we need to do some prep work.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2023 00:05
|
|
|
Ah yes, I definitely got goblin brain when I played and went after as many of the points of interest as possible. Obviously got my rear end handed at a couple of them, but I also ended up a bit too overleveled too. But at the same time I couldn't just like... leave them untouched could I now?
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2023 03:42
|
|
|
Yeah, I have a tendency to go everywhere and get into trouble when I'm suddenly fighting something *way* outside my level range. Note, I don't have the upgrade to version 4.0 yet because my potato-computer can run the earlier versions and I doubt it will run the next gen stuff as well. I find Gwent to be a bit of a pain in the butt until you get a couple of vital cards, once you do get those it becomes a lot less painful (unless you face people that also have a brokenly strong deck, then it's just random luck if you win or lose.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2024 18:14
|
|
|
If you want to explore and are annoyed by running into level 35 wolves or drowners that could probably kill the entire Nilfgaardian army, there are some nice mods for that. My personal favorite is No Levels, which gets rid of all sorts of level restrictions and high-level super trash mobs that make no sense in-universe (while making sure bigger monsters are actually dangerous) but also does a lot of smart rebalancing in various parts of the game. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for a first playthrough, and obviously it's not for players who want to see numbers go up, but it's a great option if you don't like arbitrary level restrictions or superpowered woodland critters.
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2024 18:41
|
|
|
DMorbid posted:If you want to explore and are annoyed by running into level 35 wolves or drowners that could probably kill the entire Nilfgaardian army, there are some nice mods for that. My personal favorite is No Levels, which gets rid of all sorts of level restrictions and high-level super trash mobs that make no sense in-universe (while making sure bigger monsters are actually dangerous) but also does a lot of smart rebalancing in various parts of the game. I kinda forced my way through this problem by use of high SI Igni, usually. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2024 19:59
|
|
|
The biggest problem I always had with levels was every piece of equipment I found/got as quest rewards always seemed to be a few levels behind my current level, so they were just vendor trash.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2024 05:06
|
|
|
Livewire42 posted:The biggest problem I always had with levels was every piece of equipment I found/got as quest rewards always seemed to be a few levels behind my current level, so they were just vendor trash. The No Levels mod, on the other hand, keeps most gear viable throughout the game by adjusting its properties. For example, different relic swords can deal bonus damage/status effects or enhance critical hits or have more upgrade slots, that sort of thing. The vanilla game has some of that as well, but not to the same extent, and of course higher level = more damage in vanilla so your relic weapons quickly get outclassed regardless of their properties. Of course, which system is better is down to personal preference. DMorbid fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jan 12, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2024 18:31
|
|
|
The Witcher School sets are the only armor really worth bothering with anyway.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2024 20:48
|
|
|
DreadUnknown posted:The Witcher School sets are the only armor really worth bothering with anyway.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2024 20:51
|
|
|
 Episode 4: Devil by the Well We continue our exploration of the White Orchard area, assist some more folks, and go on a ghost hunt.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2024 18:29
|
|
|
Pretty sure I was one of those who had issues with this fight, I think so at least. But then it took me a while to get around using signs because they felt cumbersome to do while you're doing everything else at the same time. And I might've just forgotten any quick buttons for them.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2024 02:37
|
|
|
 Episode 5: The Wild Hunt We solve White Orchard's griffin problem but as is so often the case when witchers are around, things get a bit messy. And that's before we reunite with Yennefer...
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 19:33
|
|
|
I wonder if you're better off not using your sword in that tavern fight, at least going by what's going to happen later on in the game.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 20:02
|
|
|
Even if Geralt didn't decapitate one of the guys in the cutscene, beating someone up outside a designated fistfight (like the one we had against these fellas in episode 2) would unfortunately still count as killing them.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 20:12
|
|
|
Ah, thought that the scene that happens later in relation to that was dependant on your actions there. But I guess not.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 20:54
|
|
|
Sure two Witchers could probably have overcome those dumbasses non lethally but that would have dramatically increased the risk to themselves and why would they bother with that? They may have been drunk idiots, but they were swinging lethal weapons. All it takes is those idiots getting lucky once to seriously injured Vesimir or Gerald, and Vesimir already had the Gryphon take a chunk out of him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 21:16
|
|
|
Galaga Galaxian posted:Sure two Witchers could probably have overcome those dumbasses non lethally but that would have dramatically increased the risk to themselves and why would they bother with that? They may have been drunk idiots, but they were swinging lethal weapons. All it takes is those idiots getting lucky once to seriously injured Vesimir or Gerald, and Vesimir already had the Gryphon take a chunk out of him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 21:28
|
|
|
lol my drat autocorrect does not respect Geralt of Rivia’s esteemed name.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 21:55
|
|
|
 Episode 6: The Wolf and the Flame Ciri's dad meets Ciri's other dad. This episode consists entirely of walking and/or talking, which I know isn't the most exciting way to return to the LP but it was either that or an hour-long video. edit: I just noticed that the lighting and shadows make it look like Emhyr has a massively swollen lower lip in the thumbnail, like he ate a bee or something. I can't unsee it, and I'm also not going to change the thumbnail. DMorbid fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Apr 8, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2024 20:13
|
|
|
DMorbid posted:Yeah, witchers might be superhuman but not so superhuman that they can't be killed by a peasant getting lucky. Geralt knows this extremely well. The games are after the books canonically right? He knows it reeeaally well
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2024 21:43
|
|
|
Livewire42 posted:The games are after the books canonically right? He knows it reeeaally well
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2024 06:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 02:48 |
|
|
Don't apologise for an episode full of talking, its more interesting than the game's combat most of the time, no offense.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2024 07:01
|
|