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Merry Christmas from The Witcher team and The Witcher Vault!
Christmas spells joy to everyone, Geralt not excluded. However, this year the witcher might spend it a bit differently...
Geralt could not lie to himself any more - winter has come. And not 'the white beauty, innocent and pale as maiden's visage', taken straight from one of Dandelion's ballads, either. 'Twas the season to get frosty, when even a simple visit to the outhouse required a dogsled and bidding farewell to one's family - should he/she not return. While Geralt had no love for snow, this wasn't his biggest concern at the moment. Besides winter gaining reign in nature, the witcher has also seen people change, and that worried him a lot more. The streets weren't teeming with life - working girls were no longer working, bandits were scarce in dark alleys, and even the dwarves stopped drinking as if there had been no tomorrow. Geralt knew all too well what was in the air; the Holiday season was upon Temeria. Witchers will celebrate it the usual way - by sitting at the grand table in Caer Morhen and telling the stories of the passing year. Usually, the winter summit was as much about stories as it was about booze, but not this year. This year, Triss Merigold graces the barren halls of Caer Morhen - and the sorceress doesn't think beer, wine and vodka could be construed as a three meal dinner. Thus the witchers were instructed to be more inventive as far as grub goes - lest they want to wake up as pigs the following day. Geralt was (quietly) happy that there're still people that cared for tradition. His only wish was that they did that far away from him. Despite all his reservations, White Wolf went on horseback into Temeria's snowy fields - to find the best food in the nearby village. 'Who knows' - he thought, 'maybe there's a run over cat somewhere on the way...'
And this is the place where you, the Witcher fans, can step up. Think of a recipe for one meal - a meal that even witchers wouldn't shun at their annual Winter Meet. The more 'out there', the better. Mail your concoctions here! Three lucky contestants will be awarded with game sets and Witcher goodies, but only if you send your submissions before January 4, 2009.
To help everyone get in the spirit of the season we are holding a little holiday wallpaper contest. The rules are simple. Share your mad skills (or semi-mad skills!) with your fellow RPG players by creating a holiday wallpaper based on any game that we cover on The Vault Network. Your wallpaper must include the following text: "Happy Holidays from The Vault Network". Submit your entry before 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, December 24, 2008.
All wallpapers will be displayed on Thursday, December 25, 2008. The top three, as selected by the Vault Hub staff, will receive custom titles for VN Board, as well as varying lengths of temporary VIP status.
So let's recap!
Create a holiday wallpaper based on any game covered on the Vault Network.
Include the text: "Happy Holidays from The Vault Network".
Get your entry in before 11:59 EST on Wednesday, December 24, 2008.
Good luck! Submit your wallpaper entry here or click the cute image above!.
CD-Projekt Red aren't entering winter slumber, they're hard at work on Rise of the White Wolf, the console adaptation of the original game. ROTWW site has just launched, and already features a handful of infos. The site itself is no longer age-gated, possibly because the console version has yet to gain ESRB rating (now it's in RP state). Plenty of rumours are also flying around the community and some other gaming portals, so we decided to check it all out.
The most important piece of news out there is new ROTWW trailer. The promo starts the moment you enter the new official page. ROTWW trailer shows both cutscenes that were hinted at the promo trailer published a month ago - there're two scenes that the Witcher fans haven't had seen in the original game. You can get the most accurate infos on the trailer straight from the source in this video interview at Game Reactor. In it, Mr.Stylinski from CDProjekt tells a bit about the original background of the Witcher and about the scenes shown in the trailer itself - and some unique pre-rendered footage, reflecting the way the game will look on consoles once it's ready for release (no word on exact date yet, but they say somewhere in '09). First scene involves the mutated wolves in some snowy woods (the creatures we haven't come across in the original game at the location we've not seen in the game). Second scene possibly takes place in burning Old Vizima, the location of Act V of The Witcher. Witcher faces some kind of golem - albeit much more powerful (and menacing) than the one in Act II. Both new scenes are seamlessly connected with Geralt's daily exercise/meditation so the trailer is pretty cohesive.... (read more after the jump or click the wolf logo!)
Newest edition of the official newsletter finally confirms rumours that were flying all over the community. There is another enhanced edition of the Witcher coming out, but... to the consoles!
CD-Projekt RED announced today that Xbox360 and Playstation 3 users will also have an opportunity to plunge into the complex, wonderful world of the Witcher.
Shortly before the announcement, CDProjekt and the official website carried out a community quest, the winners of which could see the news for themselves, before the official press release.
What the fans didn't have the chance to find out on their own, though, were the specifics behind the port:
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is built from the ground up to be the ultimate console RPG, featuring a brand new game engine developed in cooperation with Lyon-based Widescreen Games that delivers a new dynamic action-based combat system, beautiful graphics and lots of other features that take full advantage of the consoles� capabilities and controls.
Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED, adds:
The only thing we�re taking directly from The Witcher is the story; everything else is being created from scratch or significantly reworked to get us to our end goal of delivering the ultimate console RPG.
We're more than anxious to see their progress with this project!
After leaked speculation and a teaser video, CD Projekt Red finally confirmed that The Witcher is indeed coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 Consoles in 2009.
Subtitled "Rise of the White Wolf," the transition to the new market is sure to attract a slew of new fans.
As console-heavy gamers, we're looking forward to this one. As ardent Witcher fans, we are eager to see if they won't go back on their promise of 'not dumbing down' the game in comparison to the original PC release. Well, let's stay tuned for any further news straight from the developers!
Another new adventure, 'The Tribute' delivers where other fan-creations failed. The mod is a short one - mere 1 hour adventure - but surprisingly coherent and in-tune with its setting (Murky Waters/Country Inn).
It's much better planned than i.e. 'Blight of the Bogs' and definitely better shaped and more coherent than 'John's diary'. Inclusion of some puzzle-like elements gives 'The Tribute' the feel comparable to 'Bard's pride', although in case of the former there's also plenty of action, mini-games, and subquests.
Drop by our mod database to check it out, and make sure you send your kudos to Quz, the creator of this adventure.
Well, folks, it's time for some more reviews from the Web and beyond. Official site sums the verdicts up quite nicely, but we wanted to highlight latest praises to CDProjekt Red from around the net.
First, a rather unknown gaming portal from Romania, ComputerGames.ro, reviewed The Witcher Enhanced Edition with a sturdy (although not mindblowing) rating of 88 percent. They also gave TW:EE a silver medal, possibly to honor the achievement in the field of RPG. In contrast, their readers gave TW:EE an astonishing 97 percent, thus proving once more that the game is much more playable than it's testable. Among the plusses CGRO shows decreased loading times and intrinsic EE additions. The cons include camera issues (although, in our non-fanboy-very-objective opinion there're NO camera issues whatsoever!) and lack of game stability/performance.
WVault says: Well, in our modest opinion, most contemporary games require substantially more than recommended Witcher settings, and since EE has been out after notable games like e.g. AOC or Sacred 2, on rigs able to run those titles there're no stability or performance issues whatsoever. And I mean, c'mon, this is Aurora Engine, more than 2 years old at this point, one gotta ask, what do they test it on?
Another portal to take note of our beloved game is Total PC Gaming portal (also available in print as a mag). They went for another route with their review. Building on their original review (back when TPCG had its debut itself) they simply added to the score. What they found very important is that it's completely free for the original game owners, which makes it all the more fun due to a ton of additional gameplay and maximum polish given to the engine. They also note that TW:EE can actually compare quite nicely to contemporary titles, due to its scalable Anisotropy and AntiAliasing resampling. An overall 9 out of 10 is really a no-brainer, and we just happen to agree!
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One of the most comprehensive reviews we have seen thusfar was given by GamingTrend. Each of the aspects of the game has been carefully re-evaluated, this time without any comparison to original review (although as far as graphics go, the reviewer is still astounded by the quality CDPRmanaged to get from ancient Aurora engine). Gameplay has received the highest note, 186/200, followed by package value and replay (94/100), then music/sound (90/100) and finally graphics (89/100). GamingTrend also takes into account the package. Djinni content editor, 2 new adventures, additional materials and printed goodies, all for 40 bucks - that is indeed a really nice value. They also awarded TW:EE with a Gold Star, which CDPR can add to their growing medal collection.
WVault says:Sadly, even this review did a poor job of mentioning the game's intricate story, the thing any hardcore RPG fan holds in highest esteem. We honestly do feel that for all the graphical splendor or gameplay ease it's the story and dialogues that make the Witcher an RPG of the decade. It wouldn't hurt to also mention clear, very deep characters created by CDPR or the amount of detail given to artwork and architecture of the game. But, oh well, that's modern gaming for ya, no-one's noticing that stuff any more.
Final review official site boasts at the moment comes from Plain Games, the site that specializes in very concise, brief reports on games. They didn't dwell too much on TW:EE, but summed up the content of the Edition and added a few thoughts. They still feel that morally involving gaming in RPG world disappeared a long time ago (and we happen to agree), but they do point out that even as the original game The Witcher had far more depth than any contemporary title. Plain Games also acknowledge what other reviewers seemed to forget - real improvements apart from game mechanics and new content. Plain Games focus on how English version has had a drastic enhancement insofar as dialogues and plot go. They also note the fact that NPCs are more diverse and facial expressions are now more abundant. The final praise, before giving the game an outstanding 5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award, concerns the amount of time and care devs put into the game.
WVault says: Well, they better notice that. CDPR did work their arses off to make that plowin' game a really polished product. Oh, and they're about the only ones to friggin' notice that the game is underrated and should only be sold to d'hoine of age, i.e. 18 summers and over. But who are we to judge?
Well, that's all reviews for today. Take a look at the official site to see their own account of the reviews.
Disclaimer: All logoes and trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Since 'The Witcher' has hit 1,000,000 sales and celebrated 1st anniversary, the Witcher Enhanced Edition Team along with CD Projekt have thrown a huge anniversary party. Alas, since it was held in Poland we had no possibility to be there, but luckily, CD-Reds made it possible for us to watch the party's very short video-report. It's such a shame overseas distributors haven't thrown one of their own - this one looked fun! AND they had cute girls there, too, so you know the party wasn't just a nerd-o-rama (but a Nerdvana it surely was! {drools over swords}). They had edited out their videos for over a week before they were sure the end result isn't TOO naughty for tender viewers - so one has to wonder, what the heck was going on during that party, that it wouldn't fit the 17+ official website Age Gate?!?!
It's about time we have introduced quests as part of our databases. The latest update features the most interesting quests, closely linked to our mobs, items, cards and NPC databases, so that you get all the information and walkthrough in one place. Check them out(click on the images and titles to get straight to the quests!):
She's no early bird - A quest in Act I that will knock her skirt right off...
Of Monsters and Men - The main quest of Act I, where you find out whether all witches are bad and all priests - good.
A ghost story - a short quest presenting how gullible - and poliglote - Geralt is.
A lost lamb - The quest in the swamps, which cannot be solved on its own.
Old Friend of Mine - This quest introduces Shani and makes throwing a party a challenging, immersive activity.
Working girls - This 2nd Act quest introduces player to whores and hookers of Temeria, but in a PC, pro-family way, of course.
A Posh Reception - As wealthy people kill time by pretending to have fun, one princess will taste witcher's lust, one knight will break his vows, and a witch will cook using naught but her mind. Business as usual for some, though.
All the King's Men - Politics of Temeria are very dangerous. You never know when backstabbing will turn into frontstabbing, so if you plan on running a mob, make sure you watch your front.
Beauty and the Beast - There's a werewolf loose on the streets of Vizima, and only Geralt can make something about it.
Blue Eyes - Diamonds are not the best friends of all blue eyed blondes. Some, in fact, prefer SAPPHIRES...
Dandelion's Lute - When teaching a nice girl how to play a 'Bird's Song' in nude, Dandelion had forgotten his favourite lute. Help him recover it.
The Source - This breathtaking adventure will determine which woman is destined to live with Geralt...
Icon board staff and Moderators are not eligible to win but may participate just for the fun.
The contest will remain open for two weeks or until we have and 1st and 2nd place winner which ever happens first.
Please see the contest thread for the full details of the rules.
Icon and Graphics board, a community
While perusing our board, if you like what you see, feel free to stick around! The Icon and Graphics board is a fantastic community of artists and people sharing ideas, telling bad jokes and requesting artwork - not just for the Vault but their own guild�s or personal sites too!!
Have a request, general questions or just want some help figuring things out? Feel free to ask, we have a number of talented and knowledgeable people that will be willing to give you a hand.
We're looking for more artists!
If you happen to have a knack or talent for art of these sorts, and need some where to shine and show off, the Icon and Graphics board could be your match made in heaven.
We are currently looking for a few good artists to fill our staff and aid in our quest of beautifying the internet and making icons.
If you are interested in applying and helping out, you can find more information here
Please include a sample of your work. It needn�t be anything elaborate, it�s all about the basic know how with a touch of creativity for good measure.
You can contact me one of two ways, either via PM on the boards or send me an email.
We are to announce the newest community adventure called 'John's diary'. It comes from Feebe. It's not the most polished mod, and we had our doubts when playing it. In fact, we had a feeling of missing a lot of the mod - most likely due to the rather poor English version. Continue to our mod section to read more about this adventure, but be forewarned - we do have our own opinion about this mod. And you might not like it.
Click on the picture to proceed to the mod section.
The Witcher's world isn't always about tough moral choices and slaying ancient monsters. Sometimes, it's just about helping a friend in need, no matter what the circumstances. This time, Geralt has to - yet again! - help Dandelion recover his stolen lute. With this short mod, talented modder Arkray brings us a very unusual adventure, where player has to solve riddles and puzzles rather than bash heads and meddle in politics.
(click on the image to go straight to the review and download)
Since 'The Witcher' has hit two big anniversaries almost at once, one being 1 year since its debut, another - 1,000,000 sales, CD Projekt decided to tease people a little. The publishers provided a trailer that includes some previously unseen footage - from both Sapkowski's universe and other upcoming titles. While being nothing more than a proof of concept, new flash-screens and cutscene fragments shown in the trailer provide excellent gossip material; one just has to ask, will there be another 'Witcher'?
As put by Projekt RED: "Scientists Uncover Irrefutable Evidence that Single-Player PC Gaming is not Dead as CD Projekt RED's RPG of the Year Breaks Sales Milestone"
Yes 1,000,000 in 1 year is quite a feat for a game like The Witcher.
Lady of the Lake is one of the most beautiful female characters in the game. Even Geralt couldn't resist her charms for long, to which our sleazy database of cards can attest. We have just updated her card, so check out what she hides beneath all her seaweed...------>
<----And if you want to know more serious stuff about the only divinity Geralt has a chance to know really good in the game, read on Lady of the Lake and her story in her NPC database entry.
Even though there's a lot of info to draw from regarding the beauty of the depths, some of you may just want to feast your eyes on her shapes. For those of you, we prepared a special treat: since Lady of the Lake plays a huge role in Witcher's life, we brewed a nice little gallery of the cutscene involving Lady of the Lake and Geralt... It's the cutscene where Geralt becomes ... a knight!--------->
With the release of the Enhanced Edition over a month old now, you would not believe that there are still great reviews coming out for our beloved game. Well, believe it or not, we have some more great reviews to share with you.
The first review comes from games32.com. With a fantastic score of 90/100 this is a glimpse of what they had to say:
I am truly impressed by the obvious improvements in this version and am glad to see the game become what it should have been from the start. Taking a look at the list of changes I think it`s safe to conclude that The Witcher Enhanced Edition is definitely worth buying and the good news is that it`s free for owners of the original version. This package certainly turns the Witcher into a masterpiece of RPGs, one that gamers have certainly been expecting for a long time. It`s nice to see that developers actually take a moment and see what`s wrong with their product, work on creating a better one, and releasing it as a free edition for those who have purchased the original, instead of attaching a new number at the end and getting extra cash.
Our next review comes from metacritic.com. With a generous score of 85/100 they have listed a great amount of reviews that are nothing short of amazing. Congratulations to CD Projekt Red for yet another very successful list of reviews! Keep an eye out for any new reviews that may come down the pike. We will keep you up to date on any news about The Witcher.
If you ever thought the Witcher becomes too easy the longer you play, something suitable to raise the bar has just arrived. Flash, a talented scripter and modder at the official forums, has just updated his mega-pack of mods, called "Insane Difficulty Mod". But hold on, don't run in panic: this is NOT just a mod for difficulty - it solves a lot of problems with the original game, revamps combat, storage, even GUI, and does so in a variety of ways. There are scaled difficulty packages as well as standalone micro-mods, so whatever your tweaking needs, this mod's got it. Fully modular and easy to install, this is THE ultimate non-adventure mod for the Witcher, encompassing most of the community's feedback and ideas. If you aren't yet using it, you're missing out on the Witcher's true potential.
So don't dilly-dally, hop on straight to the mod: CLICK!
Another addition to our growing mod database, "Blight of the bogs" is one of the best short adventures for "The Witcher", up to date. Unlike other modules, it is fully EE compatible. The story resembles Sapkowski's short-stories, and is really simple and short, but at the same time well-crafted.
Take time to read our review of it in our mod database (clicking on the picture will also get you there!).
"The Blood of Elves" has just recently been published in the UK. Already the novel has won Sapkowski critical acclaim and fandom, so much so that the David Gemmell award commitee included the book in the nominee list.
Published by Gollancz P.H., the book introduces the British to the world of the Witcher (for those of you not in the know, the game is a mere shadow of the world depicted in the books).
The computer game, both original and add-ons, are based and influenced heavily by all Sapkowski's work (seeing as he had been consulting CDP:Red with the project since the very beginning), but most of all by the Witcher saga. Having been appreciated by the media and fanbase, nomination for David Gemmel's award brings The Witcher up one notch into the world of best-selling novels.
Drop by our database sections each week to find even more items from The Witcher, as we update them constantly. Each of the databases is uniquely comprised of our own materials, and all the game's intricacies and walkthroughs are interlinked.
The Witcher Vault
She's no early bird
Of Monsters and Men
A ghost story
A lost lamb
Old Friend of Mine
Working girls
A Posh Reception
All the King's Men
Beauty and the Beast
Blue Eyes
Dandelion's Lute
The Source
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