Before Starting
Last summer vacation, I noticed The Witcher 3 had a deep discount on GOG, so I bought it for just 30 yuan. I got stuck in some cave in Velen fighting stone statues because I was too inexperienced 😂. Combined with my dissatisfaction about failing to help properly at White Orchard, making wrong choices when reporting to the emperor, and other issues, I decided to start a new save file and do things right this time.
For a fresh start, I thought I’d make some minor adjustments to Geralt’s appearance. I figured it would be quick to export to Blender, make changes, and import back, but it turned into three whole days of mod development. Due to lack of documentation, I had to rely on tutorials and guesswork, setting up a virtual machine to install wcc_lite, WolvenKit, and various tools, dealing with endless packing and unpacking, importing and exporting. The model was done early, but it had no textures after importing. I tried everything repeatedly. Finally, I tried manually editing the w2mesh file to write in the texture path, but the game crashed. So I gave up.
Seems I underestimated the difficulty of game development!
Gameplay Notes
After that, it was a normal progression. Velen isn’t a nice place - I rushed through the main quest, and except for Keira’s quest, I probably won’t want to return. The monsters in the wilderness are psychologically disturbing, it rains constantly, and the atmosphere is very depressing, significantly affecting one’s mental state. No wonder the Baron’s family has so many problems. I saved Black Beauty early on, achieving an ending where only the Baron’s family survives, which seems fitting enough. I wonder how this countryside could be so different from White Orchard - must be because of the dense forest. My hometown has hills, and I’ve experienced mountain paths in real life, but I never imagined it could create such a depressing experience. The developers clearly put thought into this, though perhaps it’s too heavy a burden on players. Things started feeling more normal once I reached Novigrad.
Looking back, the monsters here are well-justified. Like all legends, these monsters have their basis in real life. People personified invisible diseases as demons, exaggerated strong wolves into werewolves, and attributed unexplainable phenomena and losses to mysterious beings. Working backward from these images, we can see a reflection of medieval life. Yet natural torments weren’t enough - tyrannical rule also crushed people’s already difficult lives. The Hanged Man’s Tree seen at the start of the game hints at this. After all, where would a village get so many people to hang? (Unfinished)
Novigrad is portrayed as a medieval town, and while life there isn’t very modern, it’s at least more acceptable. Entering to see witch burning - though after what came before, such scenes no longer stirred much emotion in me. Still, thinking about this game’s world, it’s dark enough - between the harsh natural environment and rule by various zealots, survival as a commoner is truly difficult. There should be more complex storylines ahead; I’ve just reached the part where two people split up to find Dandelion’s girlfriends, and I think the authors used this plot quite humorously to guide players in exploring the city.
I’ll pause here and fill in the rest after I find Ciri.
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