@Pinhead: While I agree with you in principle... I feel, again, the desire to be clear about The Witcher in this regard. The game was done, is done, will continue to be done with or without this patch. They are just improving a few things that could be considered nit-picky at best.
 
The closest thing to improving on a serious complaint might be the re-translation into english... and well... if games are incomplete by that standard, all the RPGs that Japan has sent to other languages over the last 20 years all need to get finished too.
 
Seriously... no one accused the game of being incomplete until this announcement.
 
Nothing personal here... because this isn't aimed at you specifically, but...
 
If I were the developers looking at the general commentary overall... I'd rescind my offer to give everyone a shitload of overhaul work for free and tell gamers to piss off and be happy with what they got. Being a software developer myself... it's hard enough to get product out the door in the first place without everyone looking for "bug-free, perfectly designed, inexpensive AND right away". And while I agree that delivering imperfect experiences overall to gamers isn't exactly an ideal trend... gamers slinging shit back in the faces of the developers who are trying to do right by them is a worse one.

dv8godd

@KingDavid73:
You were obiously misinformed. This game is the greatest RPG of 2007. Thanks god the early buyers get this sort of "expansion" for free.

andpin

@Pinhead: Blame the publishers I say, since if there is one group of folks who know the game is fucked the best would be the devs. Since the devs dont have much of a say when the game is going to be released nowdays unless its something real special, where the payoff will be worth it in the end.

Witzbold

Jesus, my spelling is atrocious.

Pinhead

I'm happy for everyone who bought The Witcher, and who intend to get it, but really, this is a terrible trend in game publishing. This idea of releasing games before they are complete is just how how it's supposed to be done. Retail games are supposed to be rich, complete, stable products. It's bad enough when game developers enter crunch-mode and rush the polishing process to get the game out within the deadline, but in these last few years it feels like plenty of developers release their games well before they reach maturity, just to make money and make ends meet, and only after that complete the game after getting some cash-flow going. This is not how it's be done. There is no other industry where this kind of attitude is acceptable. It's ironic when the press are told by publishers that their games will "be out when they're done"; they are, but they aren't.

Pinhead

I was planning on getting this originally, but have been busy with other titles. As long as they have some press when it's released so that I haven't forgotten about it by May I will surely pick it up.

Cronus

@Karlott: I think a lot of people got the "single-player MMO" idea from Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation review of this game. Well, at least I did. But I watch his reviews for the humor, not exactly the gaming insight, so be it.

ABigSmall

@Inst: Fahey's summary included: "Of course all of the new content will be available for purchasers of the original game in free downloadable form, but if you've not yet experienced The Witcher, May looks like an excellent time to give it a go."

The press release itself states: "'Fans that have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable update.'"

So yeah, like Kenzya said, no.

ABigSmall

I LOVED this game, and this update sounds frankly excellent, seems to fix all the issues I had with it.

Maleficence

@inst

No. What are you talking about?

Kenzya

Wait, so this patch costs 39.99 dollars?

Inst

my plan for being perpetually 1 to 2 years behind bleeding PC tech edge and not buying the very newest games has paid off again!

sounds like a nice xmas 08 gift for myself. it'll be $20 by then and twice as polished as the original $50 release.. patience and cheapness prevent headaches, save dollars.

there's really no way to figure cheapskates like me into their profit figures is there? release game, upgrade and patch game, wait 14 months, make sale... ugh. I'm vermin to them aren't I? they need those all important first month sales, or do they? didn't crysis just crunch on slowly until it hit huge numbers?

enhancing is good news and makes me want you more witcher, just not right now..

railskins

@Kaedex: What, staying neutral? ;)

PlanHex

@manjikengo: You have gained a comment follower! Damn, that was classic!

KK

KittenKiller

@Karlott:
QFT

TKoTD

been waiting for this to replay it, now on the "evil" side :p

Kaedex

@KingDavid73:
Here we go someone going on about something they have no clue about. No it is not expensive or difficult to maintain a gaming PC. That is if you are smart of course. I don't want to assume too much.

FtGF

ja pierdyle kaczki bryle!

Fukanzen

Hmm. This release seems like a positive, but it won't bring in potential consumers like myself who want to play the Witcher but have lackluster pcs that are incapable of running the game. I can only hope that the enhancer version also comes to console in the near future. Then they will definitely be getting my money.

Raw Wind

@Fnor: Actually, those reasons were exactly why I didn't get it earlier. Decent Western RPG had me salivating, but things I heard, especially gutting the dialog, turned me off. Now, I'm interested again.

Slatz_Grobnik

Well, you know what they say: humans have always hated dwarves and elves.

QuirkyLittleTyrant

@Karlott:

QFT. I feel a lot of people complaining here either never played the game or gave up on it early on in the game. CD Projekt is doing quite a lot for an enhanced version of the same game.

pooster

Hot damn!

cametall

So, they're taking a game that was already great, and making a new version that's even better. Then, on top of that, they are offering the better version as free DLC for owners of the original. And yet, people still find a way to complain about this. Here's today's new rule: Anyone bitching about this never again has the right to bitch about shovelware. And if you ever buy any remake or update or special edition of any game, you will be dragged into the street and shot.

If you haven't played the Witcher, then please, STFU. The game didn't feel unfinished at all. The main complain on release was the load times and that was addressed in the very first patch. It's an amazing game and if it's going to get better, then hurrah, I personally can't wait. And no, it's not a single player MMO. It's not even *close.* I remember when Oblivion came out and everyone was in awe of how the people lived lives, instead of always being in the same spot, and, even with all the kudos this game got, I swore I was the only person who noticed the NPCs in this game behave the same way. And show me an MMO with branching quests and a non-linear storyline that is determined by my actions.

I wanted to say I was left speechless that people could still find negatives about a re-release, and more content, for a game that already won awards and that was already tremendously well received, but given I'm now on my 3rd paragraph I guess speechless isn't the right word. Bottom line, this game is great, it sounds like it's going to get better, and I think a lot of people are really excited about it. I know I am. And CD Projekt just turned their already growing legion of fans into a rabid fanbase by supporting this awesome game in ways that weren't expected.

Karlott

wow, I finished the game and was awed by its story. This update warrants another play through!

pooster

I heart me some Geralt. And now we get a more immersive Geralt? *swoons*

This shows you CD Projekt loves what they do, and their fans. You gotta respect that.

Kenji-sama

@Fnor: You act like this is something new. Like every Metal Gear Solid wasn't released twice. And Street Fighter II wasn't released 5 times. Street Fighter III too. And Devil May Cry 3. When a game that people love comes out, expect Special Edition love to follow from the developer.
Oh, and they might make a few extra bucks from double-dippers... that's obviously not important to these guys. (Even if it's free to upgrade, some people can't be bothered to download what will no doubt be a large patch.)

rentahero1

@Fnor: RE:Blizzard - I believe the latest Warcraft III patch came out 2/7/08...and the game initially came out in 2002. Doesn't seem much like moving on to me - there are always new bugs, tweaks, and additions that can be made to any game. I personally think it's awesome that developers spend the time to extend the lifetime of their games so that gamers can get the most bang for their buck, and the ability to replay a great game with added content.

razorangelwings

@KingDavid73: This is only true if you dont know how to build your own PC. The computer im currently using i have had for about 4 years or so and in that time ive had one major upgrade, and even though it was major it still only cost me about 300$ (new motherboard/proc) Id say total ive put about 1,200$ into my computer and ive had no problems running any game ive thrown at it except Crysis on High and the occasionaly poorly optimized console port. The problem is most people simply dont know how to build a computer and see it as something that would be beyond difficult for them. Which is sad because its really not at all difficult.

Detre

@Dudemeister:

YOU WERE RELEASED TOO EARLY!

*runs away*

Pezdispenser

@Fnor:
There are people out there who have NOT played the Witcher yet. An enhanced version is kinda of like a GOTY edition that many companies release (e.g. Oblivion GOTY) to capture a larger portion of the audience. It's an excellent game and was FAR from unfinished. Unless you have already bought and played the Witcher, you have no reason to criticize it. It wouldn't have received such high praise from numerous gaming sites if it really was a half-baked product.

Trust me, this is a superb game. So stop bitching and go try it out for yourself. You might just be impressed too.

orangedude

@dv8godd:
How to make money rule #1: Never use your own money.

TaggarT6

@Moonchilde: Perhaps totally off topic... but...
 
I was actually reading a psychology study recently which showed on a scale that people are more afraid of losing money than hopeful to gain it.
 
When confronted with the risk of losing "more" vs "none", people were far more likely to gamble than when confronted with a similar risk for gain. People are generally "risk averse" when it comes to gain, and "risk seeking" when it comes to loss.
 
It wasn't really your point, I don't think... but it might have some relevance here.... maybe.
 
Perhaps the time investment in the current product is a gamble to "loose less" due to previously lackluster sales... whereas time investment in extending the experience with typical DLC or moving on to another project would be a gamble to "gain more". Such framing might depend on how the developer views the relative success or failure on a financial scale.

dv8godd

@Fnor:

I feel bad for you. I guess you never really played PC game back in the day and thus have come to expect being charged for downloadable content on the consoles. Epic had a great track record of releasing new maps and content for the Unreal Tournament series, all for free. Valve continued to make new maps for CS:S after it's release, and is doing the same for TF2. They just released a new map in fact (Badlands) and are planning on adding some more content. All for free. Hell, Epic wanted to release the GOW maps for free on the XBox360, but Microsoft wouldn't let them. Same with Geometry Wars, Bizarre wanted it to be free, but Microsoft didn't. Sometimes, game companies and developers just want to do something for the community. Not everyone is a blood-thirsty money-whore.

bobobologna

This practically screams "game released too early".

Dudemeister

@Fnor: If there is money to be made, most people take the chance even with a risk to end up losing money. This is obvious in all business decisions. It is taken into account when considering making a business decision to release something, no matter what it is, to gain new profit.

What you're saying is profit doesn't exist in a re-release and can't understand the tactic. I just gave a real world example of why it isn't a bad decision. Console version on the horizon which opens the property to a larger market. Merely updating the PC version to be just as attractive to potential fence sitters the PC version could, and most likely will, increase sales.

This is totally different from "Some business dude is doing it, therefore it's a sound business decision," but if we aren't going to agree here, I'm not going to waste any more time typing.

Moonchilde

This Looks like a great idea on there part because now the game wont get much negative criticism ( if there was any) on those small aspects of it and it may just sell a lot better than it did originally. I don't play PC games but for everyone who does this looks pretty awesome to me.

MXs219

@Moonchilde: Yes, that is what you're saying!

What I'm saying is, that no company in their right mind would re-release an improved product if there was to be no profit.

Company A releases a slightly improved product. Company A is presumably sane. Company A will therefore make profit.

That completely ignores the fact that businessmen are not infallable. What you are saying requires that a) only companies "not in their right mind" launch failed products, b) said companies can predict market demand and revenue gained from said product with good/excellent/perfect accuracy. This also fails to take into account things outside of the company, such as market forces and competition from other firms.

The company thinks they can turn a good profit on this. My point wasn't necessarilly that they wouldn't, but rather that there were other avenues by which they could claim better profit while getting the exact same effect.

Fnor

Excellent news. In a bizarre way you could consider this a new form of DLC where rather then offering new missions; the current quests just got better.

Either way, I was planning to pick this up once my new computer was built, and I'm even more excited now.

@Fnor: One thing you should consider is that the text additions were already present in other regional releases but cut form the US release because the publishers felt too much text would turn away American gamers who prefer blockbuster in your face action and nudity.

Only after repeated outrage from the RPG community (I.E. people who actually bought the damn game) did the publisher concede with teh devs to allow them to release the original text.

The new models and gestures are just icing on an already sweet cake.

TaggarT6

@Fnor: My excuse was it was christmas time by the time it hit store shelves here. I'll be recovering from the holidays until the next paycheck. Witcher was actually on my to buy list with that next paycheck, but now..now I'll wait.

@SpiralJacobs: It's obviously a single player MMO. ALL computer games are MMO or FPS(or both!) Didn't you know?

Ajh

Sounds awesome. I guess i'll just wait until May to play through again. Hopefully Atari will send me my CD key before then so I can get this content for free.

Mike Maximus

Fucking awesome. I can't wait.

NukaCola

Argh, beaten to it. I guess that's what I get for reading the entire press release. :(

PlanHex

@Flawless101: Who's ever heard of an MMO with consequences for your choices and a great story? Stop parroting other people's words when you haven't even played the game properly yourself.

Besides, it said best PC RPG.
If they counted consoles as well, I'm sure someone would've chosen some JRPG for the title.

PlanHex

Why does mine never have cool next-gen post process effects like that?
But this is awesome news! Even more awesome if I didn't break the quest and now I can't complete it >_< (I'm fairly sure)

Gladman

I've already played through it once, and now I can wait for this patch, and play through all over again. Nice of them to take the time and fix things up, where most publishers/devs just forget about their games 2 weeks after release.

Eldragon

@Moonchilde: yeah I'm on the latest patch , and like i said they are less , but still a long wait with some areas

黒天使

@EvolveTom: get them to add more TnA cards to the enhancement ^_^; , and more Dandelion please
<_<
>_>

黒天使

@黒天使: What patch are you on? The latest 1.2 has done wonders for loading. Its not bad at all and I'm wondering how they sped it up so much.

Well, I also overclocked my bandwidth to run at a much larger width instead of a narrower, speedier setting. That might have done it, too...

Moonchilde

@Fnor: You don't have to play it, you know. :)
 
But seriously, as was said in the release: they saw areas for improvement and they're improving. None of that means they aren't adding new content at some point. There are some things that only make sense in terms of THIS release, sure: re-translating to English for one, variety of character models for two. But other features could conceivably benefit future projects too: like updated lip-sync tech and improving the way the maps cache and load.
 
Does it make sense to concentrate energy on an updating an existing title rather than extending it? I think that's a hazy area that truly depends on the instance. If the game didn't sell as well as hoped, as EvolveTom suggests, then there is certainly a gain to be had by improving the existing release.
 
But I think there is a philosophical debate in here too.
 
Certainly there is value to be had to existing owners by extended the story or adding more side-tasks... but there is a point at which even that is just a status-quo approach too. Consider Oblivion: many folks had issue with the lack of environment variety and the general "make your own story" approach... and Bethesda's DLC didn't change much of that. Is the game made better by adding more of the same... or is there some merit to this "revise the existing" approach? I don't think it's quite so cut and dry, really. I appreciate that they're doing it this way, because it is adding quality to the existing experience, not just extending it. Whether that is the "right" or "only" answer: I don't know... but it's not an invalid one.
 
I do see your point, yes... but I think there's some merit to "revision" as well.

dv8godd

@Obiter:
The price was ultimately left out because the appropriate publishing deals aren't final yet. Our goal, though, is to have this whole ridiculous package available for the same price as the core game -- it will, after all, replace the standard Witcher game at retail.

EvolveTom

@Kenoji: yeah , the load times are horendous , even the patch didn't do much , it "lessened" them , but still , the only thing i hate in the game is the horror of zoning hehe

黒天使

@Fnor: "Some business dude is doing it, therefore it's a sound business decision"

Not saying that at all. What I'm saying is, that no company in their right mind would re-release an improved product if there was to be no profit.

Key point is that with a console release on the horizon with extras, releasing an improved PC version with those extras can't hurt if there is profit margin.

Moonchilde

Sweet! Hopefully I can load this with my current save game. It's really a beauty of a game.

kidko

What about the people who have the game... and waited through the load times. Mmmmm? aw.

Kenoji

@Witzbold: It could have been worse and ended up as shovelware. At least this shows, as you stated, that the devs really do care about their product and want the best for their customers. I think that is wonderful.

How many games go released and are NEVER patched? Can't tell you how many times I fell through floors in Warrior Within. You can't even revisit areas in that game without getting glitched to no end.

Moonchilde

I hope CD Projekt intend to take their world and engine and use it to start turning out episodic content. Downloadable modules with ~10hrs of sweetly interactive fantasy story-telling gameplay for $5-10 would be a no-brainer.

My only concern is that the press release was suspiciously silent on the price of the enhanced game and all her cadillac accouterments (maps, books, documentary, etc.). I understand that you don't want to penalize your early adopters by later releasing a better, cheaper game, but on the other hand, late buyers typically expect a discount. Isn't the risk of alienating a minority of the existing fan base trumped by this best opportunity to expand and strengthen the fan base, which ultimately benefits all?

As a person who is interested in the game (and enjoyed the demo, but not quite enough), CD Projekt can keep all the tchochky crap -- I just want the chance to play their vision fully realized.

Obiter

you know what's really funny , if they just named it The Witcher : GOTY Edition , we wouldn't be seeing all these bitching comments , i don't recall anyone bitch when Oblivion:GOTY edition

黒天使

How is this game a singleplayer MMO? It has great quests, great mechanics, and a great story that feels like an RPG of old, not a crappy MMO. Have you played it?

SpiralJacobs

@Flawless101: "PC" RPG of '07. Mass Effect isn't out for PC yet. Besides, ME isn't without flaws either.

dv8godd

@EvolveTom: I completely understand the reasoning, and don't get me wrong, I wish you luck. My main point is that I don't think you'll get significantly more push for the game now with the things you added compared to what you got a year ago, compared to holding off, adding new substantive content, and then releasing an expansion and a "gold" edition or some such.

Fnor

I do so hope that they uncensor the new version. I like the naughty bits, naturally, but it bugs me more that they didn't release a title as they intended it. I despise censorship.

I always find it weird that violence goes unchecked so often, but sex makes people completely freak out. Look at all the violence in video games, and the reletive less amounts of nudity/sex. It just seems wrong.

dirtybacon

@TKoTD: How is this at all like Blizzard? Blizzard releases a game, generally releases patches to tweak balance, releases one expansion, tweaks that, then moves on. Not necessarily in that particular order, but that's their MO. They don't have a team sitting around coming up with new looks for units a year after the expansion is pushed out of the door.

@Moonchilde: "Some business dude is doing it, therefore it's a sound business decision" doesn't logically follow. If it did, every business ever would be incredibly successful. Your point about console development is well taken, although if that was their plan, again, I would release something substantive as an expansion, since they would be adding the substantive stuff to the console version anyway.

@dv8godd: I don't, and I imagine most wouldn't, want extra NPC models and a slightly different script over new substantive content. FPSs get this: the developers release maps. Maps are the substance of a modern FPS, since the assets are generally set. With regards to PC RPGs, the substantive content isn't how nice it looks or (with one major exception) the ability to make modules out of its assets and engine, but new plot and new character options. The best way to do this, from a profit and a fanbase perspective, is to release expansions. This is pretty clear, as almost every successful PC RPG has at least one expansion.

Fnor

@Flawless101: Mass effect for that title ;p

Flawless101

Best RPG of '07? Its a single player MMO :X

Flawless101

@Fnor: they're already working on a new expansion if i recall corectly , i think this a nice move from them , they're probably passionate about their game and saw it as "not what it shoulda been" and decided to further enhance the experience , and to offer it as a free update is great , better than games that get released and keep getting bug fixes ever full moon

黒天使

@Fnor: The issue here is that the game, while it performed well enough (600k units sold so far), we feel there's a lot of room to improve, and a lot of gamers that haven't yet been reached. We'll be putting a significant marketing and PR push behind the Enhanced Edition. I think the in-game content that IS there, along with a message of "hey, we got PC RPG of the Year at IGN, GameSpy and PC Gamer" on the box, as well as the bonus physical content should help sway gamers who weren't interested in the original release. So the option was to either just leave the regular Witcher game on store shelves and make people download patches to get the best experience... or just replace the game in stores with a better version.

EvolveTom

@Fnor: bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch.

then dont fucking play it.

its folks like you who make the devs wonder if the extra work they are doing is even worth it.

at least the majority of these comments is positive though.

Witzbold

Meh.

The problem is, this sort of thing... If you enjoyed the game but had a few problems, you'll love this sort of thing. If you genuinely disliked the game, or more importantly, genuinely decided not to buy it, this sort of thing isn't going to change your mind. It's totally useless, in the grand scheme of things.

Moonshadow101

Gotta love the old-school patches that add new content with fixes.

Now-a-days its usually just fixes.

FLYBOY611

@Witzbold: Okay? Why are they still working on it? That's my question. Once the game is done, they should move on to another project, or work on an expansion, or eat crumpets or something. The game is out and it will reach the audience it would normally reach. Staging a second release with a few tweaks and no substantive content additions, a year after the game is out, makes little business sense. It doesn't make much sense from a gaming standpoint, either . . . especially in the PC world where a few extra graphics is just a drop in the ocean. Would you really replay a game because of a few more NPC models? I wouldn't.

@ProroK: As far as we are concerned, we think that it is less than speculation, considering the fact that the game has been out and the people in question already had ample opportunity to buy it. We think that these minor additions will not change the puchasing calculus substantially.

Fnor

That is just an incredibly nice thing to do. Good show.

Bernard McGraw

Another game I have to wait to play, at least it will be a better experience. First Mass Effect goes PC and now a better version of this. Oh well plenty of other games to play, still haven't finished Uncharted.

FtGF

*drools* over a sexier Garet

黒天使

@Fnor: They have several job openings for PS3 and X360 development, so its possible PC users are just going to reap the benefits of the Console version extras. That is, IF the console game in question is certainly The Witcher. I really do believe this is just the side effects of what is going into console development.

Could be why they're still putting money into the project. Wouldn't be a wise business decision if it meant not making a profit. Obviously, someone sees some somewhere.

Moonchilde

@Fnor: The gain is that you create a loyal fanbase; the owners of this game will gladly recive the updates. Also the new mod editor guarantee long time support from modding comunity (lot of extra value for the game). They're just getting sure that we buy their next game handsdown.

Writing this post i realize that this is almost the way that Blizzard works with their games... can we see a expansion in the future? episodic content?

TKoTD

@withaneight: I can agree with some of what you say in principle... but it isn't as bad as you're imagining. The main point where your argument would hold water is if the game were considered "unfinished" by those that played it. Granted, there were a number of issues that they did address previously, but I don't recall anyone mentioning "unfinished" as one of them (until now).
 
Even my own "deleting my shit" issue was probably my own fault for assuming permanence on a storage spot once I left the area. In real-life, people would have stolen all my stuff just like seemed to happen, I'm just spoiled by games where they don't.
 
As games go, it's incredibly polished on a lot of levels... there were just some areas that didn't quite go all the way to 10. That they're going back to push the envelope there speaks more to their integrity as developers and a strong desire to make their customers happy than it says that the game was poor.
 
Think about it from other PC gaming angles... say something like Unreal Tournament. That Epic continues to release maps and modes after the initial release doesn't mean the original game was unfinished... it just means that they view the support of that game as something more than a "we have your money, enjoy as is" approach. Staying supportive of the game isn't very common on consoles, but it's pretty common on PC, and with good effect.
 
The only way anyone would "suffer" in this situation is if they already finished playing a stellar game... and to experience all the extras would have to play that "stellar game" again. Not really much suffering there, if you ask me.

dv8godd

@razorangelwings: lol, I'm nearly in the same exact boat. After a reinstall, I had to start over again since I seem to have lost my backup of my save. I was only at the swamp anyway...

This is excellent news! I can't imagine them speeding up load times even more. Patch 1.2 is already very fast. Another nice touch, is the free for current purchasers! That is awesome as well.

Moonchilde

@Fnor:
You guys are over speculating... seriously..

ProroK

@Fnor: Its called publishers and schedules.

Witzbold

@KingDavid73: That's quite the assumption there. I personally detest WoW, but I agree that the influx of total games in the PC industry has fallen. However, the games that do make it are almost always high-quality (ie Call of Duty 4, Crysis, Company of Heroes, SoaSE, Civ 4 etc).

Polterg3ist

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most who are looking at this now and saying "Oh, I'll be getting it now" will not, in fact, be getting the new version. Not to call those people liars, but there was a reason they didn't get it last time around, and it probably wasn't due to number of NPC models or minor problems with the script, or even bugs. There were just other games then. And there certainly will be other games in May.

This is after setting aside the ridiculous bit about re-releasing a non-subscription game with minor upgrade a year after the actual release. Why didn't they do all this before release? Why are they spending all that money on development after the game has been in the market to the point where it's hit saturation? Why do they think that this will pull in more money for them, compared to time they could have spent toward an expansion (the most lucrative bit of PC development)?

This just doesn't make any sense. I suspect that those will have it have already stopped caring about the game and those who do not have it will continue to not care about the game.

Fnor

I had a dream last night that I was in The Witcher, and being tortured. It scared the shit out of me.

Funny thing... I've never played The Witcher. It looks awesome though.

baked ham

Cool, guess I'll just wait until May before I install this then! Lots of other stuff to play anyhow before then.

darthmole12

That sounds spectacular, I want the game but have yet to buy it, guess too lazy. I will definatley get this game with the new version, all I seen from it looks fun.

Irenicus-the one and only

I was actually looking to pick this up soon, so this is great news for me.

It is always nice to see a company focus so much effort into making their titles worth the purchase. Kudos to CD Projekt RED!

wired_fenix

This game is awesome. it's kinda like the pokemon conecpt, only with women. you know...gotta fuck em all.

manjikengo

keeping an up to date pc is just too much work and too expensive. I'll get a new computer, and a year later, it can't play the new games... so I just gave up. I got a new tablet laptop, but I didn't bother paying extra to get one good for games because it would be obsolete in a couple months anyway... I just stopped trying.

KingDavid73

I think ill pick this up, I have a friend with The Witcher who has only good things to say about it, and these changes will only make it better.

Sam

@withaneight:
You should play first, criticize later.

ProroK

@withaneight: At least this is one of the few, FEW games that the devs seem to care enough about to fix, so dont bitch.

Witzbold

Oooooooo. :D
 
I was considering restarting the game as I ran into a terribly annoying spot where the game decided to destroy half my inventory without warning. :/
 
Now it sounds like I have a good reason to... and FREE for me to download too? Hot damn, couldn't ask for more on top of an already great game (except for the deleting all my stuff bit... that left something to be desired)

dv8godd

They are trying harder and harder, im sure that new game from this studio will be magnificent title ;) witcher was awesome..

ProroK

I just wish they would uncensor the US release.

JoeshieB7

other then the two extra adventures this seems like a patch to me, which you should expect to be free.

stryker1800

with this game update and mass effect coming to pc I see some Rpg'n in my future.

relax_guy

This totally makes being a shame gamer worth it. Why play games when they first come out when they'll just be patched and enhanced 6 months to a year later?

FeendRendor

I have two very opposite feelings about this news.

On the one hand its awesome that a developer listens to its community and responds accordingly by releasing a cleaned up version of the game and gives out free to people who already bought it. To not abandon your product after launch is something that gamers really appreciate.

On the other hand... every single thing listed as a 'fix' should have been in the release of the game. Why weren't animations fluid during conversations? How come text was left out of the English release? You're adding 50 new character models?! 50!!? So how many were there before, like 2? was it confusing seeing the same two guys over and over again?!

It sounds like they didn't actually finish their game when it went to release. And I would be damn angry if i bought a game that was short 50 character models and a bunch of text. It really pisses me off that more and more games are coming out unfinished and relying on DLC to fix problems that should never have been an issue.

withaneight

@Toasticus: From what I see in the screenshots the artwork looks real nice. So as an artist you have a duty to check out the game. ;D

Witzbold

I'm pretty sure WOW killed PC gaming as we knew it... There used to be piles of amazing games that came out all the time.... now everyone who plays pc plays WOW, and nobody can compete, so they stopped trying. It's sad.

KingDavid73

Interesting, if my computer can run this then this'll be the first PC game I've gotten in 3-5 years.

Samos42

Yeah, I played it, finished it, it was pretty great for what it was trying to be.

BD

I passed this one over because I'm not big on PC gaming, but I might have to pick it up now.

Toasticus

It's not April already, is it? This is immensely awesome. I loved the game my first time through.

Tale

Wow. Kinda makes me glad I didn't play it the first time through. Sounds like a good time if I can find the time...

Dorphat the Insomniac

@Witzbold: Exactly my thought ... I'll be picking it up when this comes out.

jayntampa

Sweet! I'm currently about halfway through the game and enjoying it immensely so far - and the fact that all the extra stuff is free makes it even better. Bravo CD Projekt!

razorangelwings

I heard this game was a crappy RPG similar to MMO's... only single player, where all you do is go around doing chicks...

KingDavid73

Excellent news!

I guess waiting for a while before trying to buy the game was worth it.

Will be looking foward to picking up the game when this gets released.

Witzbold

@Witzbold: I have played many. Finished? Not so much, because aside from a few of the 16-bit gems (the Koei Historical RPGs, Phantasy Star 1 and 2, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG) I find most of them boring as hell. They're far more cliched than any LotR knockoffs that come out of the U.S. and yes, much of the dialogue is lost in translation. And mostly inept. I played FF7 when it first came out on the PS1, after hearing so much, I expected the second coming. And I found it boring, with totally unlikeable characters and a storyline that wallowed in its own contrived-ness (yeah, I made that word up.)

Karlott

@mast:
Umm sorry my comment should be directed towards Fnor.

mast

My only problem with this game was the "combat system". You do not have the level of control advertised -- click once, wait, then click again to restart the animation in a "combo"?

No thanks...but there are enough people who aren't looking for that kind of fighting experience and will like it for the rpg elements.

Snake726

This is great. I'm in the penultimate chapter but I think I ran out of steam, partly because I am weary of the poor translation. When there are dialogue options, I often don't understand what the hell Geralt is choosing to do until he does it-- and I don't just mean the "unforseen consequences" thing the game is doing on purpose.

My thoughts about motivation and timing: I really think this game is a labor of love for the developer to a far greater extent than most. Keep in mind it's based on a beloved series of Polish fantasy novels, plus it's their first game. It seems they really want you to ENTER the WORLD of THE WITCHER (which I admit I don't quite get, but a new translation can't hurt). All the improvements are coming to the game's current purchasers, which may have been the main point of the endeavor-- it looks like with the game a proven success they put together a business plan that the publisher could approve so they could polish and truly complete the game. That's how I imagine it anyhow. Very rare indeed, and awesome.

BenjaminBarker

@Witzbold: Since he was referencing my comment about JRPGs, let me clarify too.
 
You know I love JRPGs personally... but man... translations only started being "decent" after so much time wallowing in "terrible". The spikey-haired amnesiac teenage boy with a sword cliche aside, I love a good JRPG, but I really get the feeling that much is lost in translation.
 
Specifically, even though the quality of translation has seriously improved recently (with most studios anyway), there is a communication of "meaning" beyond just "words" that harms many offerings. Cultural references, in-jokes, social commentaries, and the norms and customs of Japanese culture frequently crash and burn in translation to this day. So much subtlety and assumed knowledge just disappears, as it were.
 
It doesn't change the fact that I still love JRPGs and WRPGs alike... but it does remain an issue that would be wonderful to resolve. Kinda crazy that we've seemingly got all the hardware power in the world now... but we still have the simple problems with regularity.
 
All that aside, I was only using JPRGs as a point of reference to say that, if "translation quality" is reason enough to say a game isn't finished, then the whole world has some explaining to do, not just The Witcher. I mean... I had no idea the translation was considered bad... I'm half giddy thinking about what "good" might mean now.

dv8godd

Been sitting on the fence about this game since I first heard about it, though I'll probably pick up this version in May ~

Coffee Ninja

This is a great game. The 1.2 patch went a good way to fixing crashes and reducing load times already. Poorly animated cutscenes have never bothered me - do you remember when video game characters never opened their mouths. heck, apart from pac-man, hardly any characters HAD mouths!
The inventory is fine, I hope they won't mess it up.
It would be good to have more character models, although it's worth pointing out there must have been around 50 human character models to start off with, and many of those had a variety of skins. I never found it confusing talking to people.
It's only as much like an MMO as any PC RPG is - there's opportunity for collecting a range of stuff, different play styles, spending attribute points (talents) wisely, a main narrative arc with many different side-quests. If you like Bioware RPG's, and want something a little darker, this is right up your street.
The artwork is lovely, each chapter is set in a distinct locale with a discernible feel and atmosphere.
There's not much for me to dislike about the game, I'll be picking the extra content up for sure, might play through the whole thing again, who knows.

fearoffours

@Karlott: I seriously doubt you have even played enough Jrpgs to back up that statement of yours.

Witzbold

@ABigSmall: Gotcha. A bunch of people take something someone else said without having played the game themselves, and take it as fact. Hey, did you know video games make people killers? I heard that from Jack Thompson.

@dv8godd: Exactly. It wasn't "unfinished" to begin with. And the dialogue, which was complained about so much, is still far superior to anything Japanese RPGs have crapped out in years.

Also, did I mention this game has branching story paths? Multiple endings? No clear-cut good and evil choices for the most part? It out KOTOR-ed KOTOR and I loved KOTOR.

Karlott

@TaggarT6:
When a company finally makes a big title, the very most important thing they should do is to show the customers that they do care about them. By doing this, they show these people that they do care about their clientel. And by doing so the "clientel" will look twice at the presentation of CDR's next projects. And those extra seconds/minutes can be the difference of thousands of units sold, all of it because they have a strong customer based that are pleased with them.
So of course they will loose short termed money, but on the long term people will be pleased. And it will sure pay off.

mast

This is seriously a great game. I just got done beating it a week or two ago and it definitely builds as it moves along with a cool story. It gets branching story paths right in a way I haven't seen in quite some time.

I'm actually quite surprised that they're adding more NPC models because while there is a certain repetition of minor NPC character models it's nothing that different from what you see in most games where this is a common design choice and definitely doesn't detract from immersion and fun. The dialog in the current version is actually just fine in an of itself but if they have more to add that's awesome. I feel I should point out that all dialog is actually spoken and not just text in a box so the additions are actually a pretty big undertaking. It looks like much more than just a patch and the fact that early adopters like myself are going to update our version by download it great.

The overall news makes me think very highly about the company and the projects they'll do in the future. Can't wait to play this one through again taking an entirely different path.

Maluvin

It's an excellent game-- got it during the holidays. However you really do feel like you should be wearing 18th century clothes and let your hair grow down your back to experience it to its fullest. A slight dose of excessive hand-crafted jewelry and epic metal playing in the background also really helps you to immerse yourself in the character.

Indeed, as good as it is, I just can't bring myself to like it like I should.

interstate78

Wow, this is pretty awesome. I've always wanted to try this game, and now it's even more tempting.

zerokenta