i think i figured out why letho's situation is so awesome:
you're the second fiddle semi-bad guy to his plot-armored protagonist.
the game fundamentally isn't about your quest, it's about letho's. letho's the one who gets all the information, he's the one who gets all the support and funding, he's the one who gets to complete his tasks despite your flailing efforts to stop him.
furthermore, you're the guy who he spares because he doesn't think you're really bad, just on the wrong side at the time. he doesn't want to kill you. in fact, he'd like it if you exited stage left and went away to retire with your honey. you and he were bros at one time, and in honor of that memory, he only wants the best for you. so please stay out of his way.
this makes the ending even more amazing, because you realize that letho beat the game, not you. he's the one who gets to see it all come together. he's the one who gets to have the fairy tale ending. you? you're just the slightly incompetent not-really-a-bad-guy who's confused and misguided and wears a face most of the time. in fact, letho still likes that about you, you lovable blunderer! you were never the planning sort of guy, never had an ounce of the guile that living in the south requires. and if you went off on some crusade to save the north instead of rescuing triss from the nilfgaardians, well, he'll rescue her FOR you because he's a decent sort and what are friends for?
it's bloody brilliant.
Everything here is technically correct, except the conclusion you draw from it.
Villains are very often more informed and secure in their position than the protagonist. They're always the ones making the grand schemes (Letho) and having them ultimately foiled by the hero (Geralt). That's what provides so much tension in the conflict. True, the story is primarily about Letho's plans, because you spend the entire game chasing him and trying to end them. Malak in kotor, for example. Malak's the one with all the cards, information, resources, and most of the game is just tracking him down. The movement of the plot is fueled by Malak, but no one would claim that the game is about him more than the character you play.
Letho didn't beat the game, because ultimately you prevent him from achieving his goal. You claim Letho is the "plot armored protagonist" and then cite an instance where he could easily end you, but lets you go cause he owes you one, I guess, the meaning isn't really relevant to the dynamic.
The dynamic is still pretty interesting, because both Witchers in this case are simultaneously acting on their own personal agenda, while at the same time being used as proxy for opposing nations. There's no personal animosity between them, which is why neither are in a huge hurry to kill each other.
I never saw Letho as a villain per se. He was no mora a villain than Geralt was.
Letho just kills a few kings, following orders from the emperor of another nation. There's no real malice there, proven by the fact that he treats Triss well and lets Geralt go peacefully during their first encounter. Geralt is really just an outsider in this entire conflict, bound to no nation or political scene. This is why, when I had all the information myself at the end of the game, couldn't kill Letho. There was no reason at all to do so.
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Zxerolfor the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't doso i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered Userregular
I never saw Letho as a villain per se. He was no mora a villain than Geralt was.
Letho just kills a few kings, following orders from the emperor of another nation. There's no real malice there, proved by the fact that he treats Triss well and lets Geralt go peacefully during their first encounter. Geralt is really just an outsider in this entire conflict
When my friend played the game the first time, in Ch. 3, he opted to save Triss. By the end of the game, he pretty much didn't care what Letho said and basically though, "Motherfucker has to die, right now."
In his second run through, he didn't do the Triss branch. Then, he discovered that Letho went out of his way to save Triss himself, protect her, and was chilling waiting for you to return. So he heard him out, decided he was pretty chill all in all, and let him go.
It's two very different mindsets depending on how you play and what you choose to absorb.
Does anyone have a video of that crazy little hand-hex thing Geralt does when he's glamouring someone? Or know what it's called? Youtube doesn't like 'Witcher hand hex thing'.
Change log for 2.0 is up. Under the spoilers since it is quite long.
Version 2.0 (Arena, Tutorial, and Dark Difficulty Modes)
Arena - is a new gameplay mode that is separate from the main adventure and narrative of The Witcher 2. In this mode, Geralt of Rivia duels a variety of foes to the death in a gladiatorial arena located in an unnamed town somewhere in the Northern Kingdoms. In addition to winning gold and valuable items, players also receive points for their wins. They can then post their point totals on-line to compare their achievements against those of other blood sport enthusiasts around the world. Geralt can encounter both foes and allies in the arena. He can recruit the latter for a fee to assist him during his most challenging clashes.
To post your point totals to the forum, you must be registered and have a forum account! Register and establish your
account directly through the game launcher or go to www.thewitcher.com. You can then log in to your account via the
launcher. IMPORTANT: Players using mods to alter their character attributes and statistics will not be able to post their point totals from the arena to the server. This is a necessary precaution to prevent any attempts at distorting competition or misrepresenting
player achievements.
Tutorial - The game tutorial takes the form of a brief adventure during which players learn how to use a range of game
mechanics and functionalities. Assuming the role of game protagonist Geralt of Rivia, players save a wounded knight named
Bolton of Ironford while learning game controls as well as the basics of combat and alchemy. This transpires step by step as the tutorial guides players through a series of minor missions. Upon completion, based on demonstrated abilities, the tutorial recommends the difficulty level which the player should choose in embarking on the main adventure of The Witcher 2.
Dark Difficulty - The „Dark‟ difficulty setting is the most demanding difficulty level in gameplay terms. Under this setting, each and every foe represents a significant challenge. In addition to raising the difficulty bar, the module includes several new sets of equipment/items that are linked through a dark legend detailed in the Journal. Once all their components have been collected and donned, the Blasphemer‟s, Oathbreaker‟s and Kinslayer‟s outfits provide great advantages in combat. The swords included in the outfits strip opponents of Vitality while supplementing the witcher‟s. However, given that they are cursed, the swords provide no benefit and harm Geralt by sapping him of Vitality as long as the outfits to which they belong remain incomplete.
Version 2.0 Corrections/Amendments
Corrections and improvements to combat:
1. Numerous improvements have been made in the targeting system.
2. Parrying is now unlimited (even when Vigor is completely depleted), though parries no longer cancel all damage (maximum 50% reduction once the relevant ability has been acquired).
3. Responsiveness of game controls has been improved. This includes but is not limited to casting Signs, parrying,
and attacking immediately after evading an opponent‟s assault. 4. Geralt‟s attacks are no longer interrupted by attacking opponents. Attacks are now contiguous and foes cannot interrupt Geralt‟s attacks by landing a blow.
5. Assorted fixes now prevent opponents from incessantly attacking Geralt after he has been knocked down. Geralt can no longer be knocked down repeatedly in quick succession. Also, he rises quickly while evading subsequent attacks.
6. Geralt no longer attacks opponents located behind other opponents positioned nearer to him.
7. The target locking system has been improved. Preference is now given to previously highlighted targets.
8. Target selection has been improved. Priority is now given to foes affected by a critical effect facilitating the completion of a finishing move.
9. The additional two steps Geralt took after mounting an attack with the W, S, A or D key depressed have been eliminated.
10. Attacks can now be continued even when a key controlling Geralt‟s movement (e.g. W, S, A, D) is depressed.
11. Attacks can now be continued if the attack key is depressed immediately after the final strike of an attack animation sequence.
12. Geralt can now pivot 180 degrees immediately after completing an attack.
13. Assorted problems with key responsiveness have been resolved. Keys no longer need to be depressed twice or more to trigger a given action.
14. A distance attack problem has been resolved. Geralt now mounts distance attacks (lunge with sword in hand in the (Fast style) when opponents were located at a suitable distance from him.
Other corrections and amendments:
15. Casting several bombs no longer blocks further inputs.
16. An option has been added to the configuration tool enabling aspect ratio to be set independently of resolution.
17. The amount of disk space required for game patching has been reduced.
18. The loading of selected Witcher 1 game saves no longer causes the game to crash.
19. A greater number of monsters now appear in the cave leading to Loc Muinne.
20. Improvements have been made in the manner in which monsters are spawned in the mist in Chapter 2.
21. The visual effect accompanying Adrenaline use no longer disappears prematurely.
22. Archers now draw their swords more quickly when Geralt approaches.
23. Mages no longer automatically cast shield spells when Geralt casts daggers at them.
24. The game is now paused when Geralt executes a finishing move in combat.
25. The troll in Chapter 2 has been corrected. Previously, in some circumstances he could not be attacked.
26. Physics on cast daggers have been improved.
27. The site for aiming daggers is now more visible.
28. Geralt‟s animation when he dies while casting the Axii Sign has been corrected.
29. An exploit in the fight against Letho has been eliminated. Previously, this foe could be killed by casting bombs in quick succession.
30. An exploit related to the „Insane‟ difficulty setting has been eliminated. Previously, game saves could be loaded with difficulty set to this level, which was contrary to design intentions.
31. Camera positioning/operation has been corrected during the boss fight against the kayran.
32. Camera control via gamepads has been improved.
33. Assorted adjustments have been made in mutagen statistics.
34. The „Junk‟ filter in the Inventory has been adjusted to provide for correct item filtering.
35. In the Inventory, the dialogue window warning of prohibited actions has been corrected.
36. Assorted corrections have been introduced to the mini-map in Chapter 1.
37. Audio balance throughout the game has been adjusted.
38. Erratic character teleportation in mini–games has been eliminated.
39. Assorted adjustments have been made in animations applying to nekkers.
40. A minor bug in the “Scent of Incense” quest has been resolved.
41. Numerous minor fixes have been introduced in character lip-sync throughout the game.
Does anyone have a video of that crazy little hand-hex thing Geralt does when he's glamouring someone? Or know what it's called? Youtube doesn't like 'Witcher hand hex thing'.
Technically, its called a mudra - no idea if the author calls it that in the books though:
>Geralt's attacks are no longer interrupted by attacking opponents. Attacks are now contiguous and foes cannot interrupt Geralt‟s attacks by landing a blow.
Way to give in to the whiners..
"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible." - T.E. Lawrence
So, I picked this up the moment it came out, managed to play it for about 2 weeks, just finishing the Roche path (and even then, missing out on a bunch of stuff), and then I had to go away for 8 months. I'm finally going to get back in a couple of days, so what's changed about this game? It was pretty good, if a little broken when I last left it.
Posts
Everything here is technically correct, except the conclusion you draw from it.
Letho didn't beat the game, because ultimately you prevent him from achieving his goal. You claim Letho is the "plot armored protagonist" and then cite an instance where he could easily end you, but lets you go cause he owes you one, I guess, the meaning isn't really relevant to the dynamic.
The dynamic is still pretty interesting, because both Witchers in this case are simultaneously acting on their own personal agenda, while at the same time being used as proxy for opposing nations. There's no personal animosity between them, which is why neither are in a huge hurry to kill each other.
In his second run through, he didn't do the Triss branch. Then, he discovered that Letho went out of his way to save Triss himself, protect her, and was chilling waiting for you to return. So he heard him out, decided he was pretty chill all in all, and let him go.
It's two very different mindsets depending on how you play and what you choose to absorb.
Arena - is a new gameplay mode that is separate from the main adventure and narrative of The Witcher 2. In this mode, Geralt of Rivia duels a variety of foes to the death in a gladiatorial arena located in an unnamed town somewhere in the Northern Kingdoms. In addition to winning gold and valuable items, players also receive points for their wins. They can then post their point totals on-line to compare their achievements against those of other blood sport enthusiasts around the world. Geralt can encounter both foes and allies in the arena. He can recruit the latter for a fee to assist him during his most challenging clashes.
To post your point totals to the forum, you must be registered and have a forum account! Register and establish your
account directly through the game launcher or go to www.thewitcher.com. You can then log in to your account via the
launcher. IMPORTANT: Players using mods to alter their character attributes and statistics will not be able to post their point totals from the arena to the server. This is a necessary precaution to prevent any attempts at distorting competition or misrepresenting
player achievements.
Tutorial - The game tutorial takes the form of a brief adventure during which players learn how to use a range of game
mechanics and functionalities. Assuming the role of game protagonist Geralt of Rivia, players save a wounded knight named
Bolton of Ironford while learning game controls as well as the basics of combat and alchemy. This transpires step by step as the tutorial guides players through a series of minor missions. Upon completion, based on demonstrated abilities, the tutorial recommends the difficulty level which the player should choose in embarking on the main adventure of The Witcher 2.
Dark Difficulty - The „Dark‟ difficulty setting is the most demanding difficulty level in gameplay terms. Under this setting, each and every foe represents a significant challenge. In addition to raising the difficulty bar, the module includes several new sets of equipment/items that are linked through a dark legend detailed in the Journal. Once all their components have been collected and donned, the Blasphemer‟s, Oathbreaker‟s and Kinslayer‟s outfits provide great advantages in combat. The swords included in the outfits strip opponents of Vitality while supplementing the witcher‟s. However, given that they are cursed, the swords provide no benefit and harm Geralt by sapping him of Vitality as long as the outfits to which they belong remain incomplete.
Version 2.0 Corrections/Amendments
Corrections and improvements to combat:
1. Numerous improvements have been made in the targeting system.
2. Parrying is now unlimited (even when Vigor is completely depleted), though parries no longer cancel all damage (maximum 50% reduction once the relevant ability has been acquired).
3. Responsiveness of game controls has been improved. This includes but is not limited to casting Signs, parrying,
and attacking immediately after evading an opponent‟s assault. 4. Geralt‟s attacks are no longer interrupted by attacking opponents. Attacks are now contiguous and foes cannot interrupt Geralt‟s attacks by landing a blow.
5. Assorted fixes now prevent opponents from incessantly attacking Geralt after he has been knocked down. Geralt can no longer be knocked down repeatedly in quick succession. Also, he rises quickly while evading subsequent attacks.
6. Geralt no longer attacks opponents located behind other opponents positioned nearer to him.
7. The target locking system has been improved. Preference is now given to previously highlighted targets.
8. Target selection has been improved. Priority is now given to foes affected by a critical effect facilitating the completion of a finishing move.
9. The additional two steps Geralt took after mounting an attack with the W, S, A or D key depressed have been eliminated.
10. Attacks can now be continued even when a key controlling Geralt‟s movement (e.g. W, S, A, D) is depressed.
11. Attacks can now be continued if the attack key is depressed immediately after the final strike of an attack animation sequence.
12. Geralt can now pivot 180 degrees immediately after completing an attack.
13. Assorted problems with key responsiveness have been resolved. Keys no longer need to be depressed twice or more to trigger a given action.
14. A distance attack problem has been resolved. Geralt now mounts distance attacks (lunge with sword in hand in the (Fast style) when opponents were located at a suitable distance from him.
Other corrections and amendments:
15. Casting several bombs no longer blocks further inputs.
16. An option has been added to the configuration tool enabling aspect ratio to be set independently of resolution.
17. The amount of disk space required for game patching has been reduced.
18. The loading of selected Witcher 1 game saves no longer causes the game to crash.
19. A greater number of monsters now appear in the cave leading to Loc Muinne.
20. Improvements have been made in the manner in which monsters are spawned in the mist in Chapter 2.
21. The visual effect accompanying Adrenaline use no longer disappears prematurely.
22. Archers now draw their swords more quickly when Geralt approaches.
23. Mages no longer automatically cast shield spells when Geralt casts daggers at them.
24. The game is now paused when Geralt executes a finishing move in combat.
25. The troll in Chapter 2 has been corrected. Previously, in some circumstances he could not be attacked.
26. Physics on cast daggers have been improved.
27. The site for aiming daggers is now more visible.
28. Geralt‟s animation when he dies while casting the Axii Sign has been corrected.
29. An exploit in the fight against Letho has been eliminated. Previously, this foe could be killed by casting bombs in quick succession.
30. An exploit related to the „Insane‟ difficulty setting has been eliminated. Previously, game saves could be loaded with difficulty set to this level, which was contrary to design intentions.
31. Camera positioning/operation has been corrected during the boss fight against the kayran.
32. Camera control via gamepads has been improved.
33. Assorted adjustments have been made in mutagen statistics.
34. The „Junk‟ filter in the Inventory has been adjusted to provide for correct item filtering.
35. In the Inventory, the dialogue window warning of prohibited actions has been corrected.
36. Assorted corrections have been introduced to the mini-map in Chapter 1.
37. Audio balance throughout the game has been adjusted.
38. Erratic character teleportation in mini–games has been eliminated.
39. Assorted adjustments have been made in animations applying to nekkers.
40. A minor bug in the “Scent of Incense” quest has been resolved.
41. Numerous minor fixes have been introduced in character lip-sync throughout the game.
Technically, its called a mudra - no idea if the author calls it that in the books though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV22BuvTof4
Amazon has it for 24$, vs steam's 29$ - I like my 5$, so if I can just buy it there and slap the key in steam, win win.
Way to give in to the whiners..
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-console-release/726181
http://kotaku.com/5879333/the-witcher-2-on-xbox-360-is-thankfully-still-very-much-the-witcher-2
Steam // Secret Satan