Combat complexity

[fable]

First off, I'm definitely *not* looking for combat complexity. I'm not interested in fancy moves. I like the option to hone my skills carefully, slowly, building up stats in such a way that they let me bang away easily on something of my level or above, without worrying about spins, crouches, flips, overhand moves, or giving a high sign while spouting fanboi slogans in Esperanto.

For those who don't understand, I'm being sarcastic in my final phrase, above. For the rest, I mean it. What I want to know is whether The Witcher is playable by somebody who prefers story depth, exploration, intelligent puzzles, good NPC writing, and doesn't really want the dextrous combat? Simply put.

[Thora3967]

It's possible, yes.

Just stick to using a tertiary weapon, instead of the steel or silver swords. You'll still need to click attack when the icon turns into a flaming sword, but you won't get any of the fancy witcher moves. Also, the weapons that I've seen for this (so far) deliver quite a bit less damage therefore adjusting the difficulty down is probably a good recommendation.

[fable]

It's possible, yes.

Just stick to using a tertiary weapon, instead of the steel or silver swords. You'll still need to click attack when the icon turns into a flaming sword, but you won't get any of the fancy witcher moves. Also, the weapons that I've seen for this (so far) deliver quite a bit less damage therefore adjusting the difficulty down is probably a good recommendation.

So if I understand you correctly, it can be done only if I'm willing to settle for a cheaper weapon with a lower damage rate, and a lower difficulty setting, correct? That doesn't seem too attractive, from my point of view--though I can perfectly understand why the game's developers wouldn't have created a title whose combat appealed to players like me.

Anybody else with a different or similar opinion?

[Srebrna]

What I want to know is whether The Witcher is playable by somebody who prefers story depth, exploration, intelligent puzzles, good NPC writing, and doesn't really want the dextrous combat? Simply put.

For me, answer is yes. I'm primarily an adventure gamer so I'm never into RPGs with complex combat (never using combo moves, blocking etc), and for me Witcher is highly enjoyable experience, great story driven game. Combat is more about tactics - which sword/style you will use, and preparation - applying different blade oils/sharpeners or drinking potions that will improve defense against specific type of enemies.

edit: combat technique is really simple, yes he's doing all the fancy moves, but only thing that you need to do is click on your enemy to start attack and click again when you get flaming sword icon - if you click on time (while flame sword is active) Geralt continues chain attack and levels of his chain attack depend on talents that you signed to his sword skill.

edit2: what I really like is that you get much more experience points from solving quests than from killing monsters, so if I'm not in mood for looting I just run through enemies, and as in every good game, they just stop following you after awhile :laugh:

[Lady Dragonfly]

First off, I'm definitely *not* looking for combat complexity. I'm not interested in fancy moves. I like the option to hone my skills carefully, slowly, building up stats in such a way that they let me bang away easily on something of my level or above, without worrying about spins, crouches, flips, overhand moves, or giving a high sign while spouting fanboi slogans in Esperanto.

For those who don't understand, I'm being sarcastic in my final phrase, above. For the rest, I mean it. What I want to know is whether The Witcher is playable by somebody who prefers story depth, exploration, intelligent puzzles, good NPC writing, and doesn't really want the dextrous combat? Simply put.

Combat only sounds complex. No additional keys to press, just mouse buttons (L for sword, R for signs). Geralt will perform all flips and spins automatically, and combat animation is very well done.

The respawning monsters will quickly become a nuisance though; you can buy or find a few amulets that to some extent "repel" those pesky lower-level undead (after you level up, killing them wouldn’t even yield any exp).
Otherwise, victory is a few mouse clicks away. So easy, even a caveman can do it.

"Skills" are combat skills only. They are called talents and are arranged in a familiar, caveman-friendly skill tree. Duh. "Stats" (strength, dexterity, stamina and intelligence) are talents too. But intelligence in The Witcher is not a kind of intelligence that allows you to communicate on a higher level.
No thieving skills.

Intelligent puzzles? Are you kidding? Plenty of quests, some of them are good and require a bit of thinking but that's about it.

As for story depth, don't expect PS:T level.

Still, it is a very entertaining game. And the cutscenes are long and beautiful.

[swcarter]

To go along with the latter posts in this thread, combat in The Witcher is not complex. I'd say it's less complex than Diablo II; you're better off if you can click with a certain amount of timing, but all of the skills are passive, and so you can control all fights with just the left mouse button and nothing else.

I would not recommend you use the tertiary weapons. I have no idea why the tertiary weapons are even in the game, except as a source of money when you sell them. Even if you have absolutely no idea what you're doing, you're better off with your swords.

I also wouldn't recommend talismans. True, they prevent some monsters from attacking you, but if you're near a monster, whether it's attacking you or not, you won't be able to pick up things or open doors, and so you'll have to attack them anyway, and it's easier when they charge at you.

SWC

[Claudius]

The potions are pretty powerful so if you have a really tough fight you can usually beat it with a potion. I only played through 2 chapters but I hear the game gets easier towards the end. The game is certain to be easy at easy setting I would say and hard setting is hard because no glowing sword to tell you when to click (there is just a hint of orange tracers on his sword for the signal). For me medium was truly a happy medium. There are lots of spawns of certain monsters but they become super easy eventually.

So to answer your question...I am sure that one of the 3 difficulty settings is adequate for you. I have heard more complaints that it is not challenging enough ie no ultra hard level for hardcore people.

[fable]

Thanks for the various replies. While it doesn't sound as though it's a challenge to the brain or features great writing--if I understand certain comments correctly--it does seem that combat may be easy enough that even I can quickly get the hang of it. I appreciate the quick, thoughtful answers.