[Spoilers possible] Which Decisions from TW1 Will Matter in TW2 -- Speculation

[Corylea.723]

[Spoilers possible] Which Decisions from TW1 Will Matter in TW2 -- Speculation

(This is really more of a General Discussion type of topic, but since it contains spoilers for TW1, I put it here.)So, we've been told that one or more of the decisions that the player makes in The Witcher will affect what happens in The Witcher 2. Nobody outside of CDPR knows which decisions those are, and they aren't telling. And you know what that means? It means that the topic is ripe for fan speculation. ;DSo, help me list the decisions in TW1, and then speculate with me about what impact they might have on what little we know about TW2.The first decision Geralt has to make is whether to fight the frightener with Vesemir and the boys or whether to help Triss protect the lab. Later, on the bridge in the Outskirts, Geralt finds that this decision has had consequences -- if he fights the frightener, Salamandra has the witchers' lab equipment and can start right in on using the witchers' secrets. If he protects the lab, Salamandra has the secrets but doesn't yet have the equipment with which to use them. So if he fought the frightener, Geralt faces a mutated dog on the bridge, whereas if he protected the lab, he only faces regular guys.By the end of the game, Salamandra is producing Greater Brothers regardless of which decision the player makes. So have we seen all of the consequences for this decision? That's not clear. It seems as if there may well have been Salamandra experiments that Geralt didn't find and face in the chaos of burning Vizima, experiments that may still be out there.The assassin we see in the outro is a mutated, witcher-style human ... and we don't know if the assassin is from another witcher school or if he's the product of the stolen witcher secrets. The leaked video for TW2 shows another such fighter, so the existence of such fighters seems to be an important part of TW2, possibly a very important part. We've all been assuming that Salamandra is no more, now that both Azar Javed and Jacques de Aldersberg are dead, but there's no proof of that. De Aldersberg seemed to imply that he was the head of Salamandra -- but is that the head of Salamandra in the entire world or just the head of the organization in Temeria? And even if he believed himself to be the head of the entire organization, well, he was crazy. Crazy people often believe untrue things. Even if Salamandra is gone, that doesn't mean that the stolen witchers' secrets have no further impact. Salamandra may have kept the stolen witchers' secrets to themselves, or they may have sold some of them -- we know from the events in Chapter 3 that they're in serious need of money. Or the secrets could have been stolen from them, too, by another criminal organization or by a king's spies or by the League of Sorceresses -- by any of the major powers, really. If the witchers' secrets were sold by or stolen from Salamandra, would the progress they made with the stolen lab equipment also have been sold or stolen? It seems to me that the frightener-vs.-lab decision has the potential to be important in TW2, though it's not a shoe-in, by any means.So, what could the consequences of this decision be? Well, it could go either way. CDPR could decide that if Geralt fought the frightener, Salamandra would be further along in their genetic experiments, so regardless of whether the the new bad guys are more Salamanders or if they're people who've bought or stolen the witchers' secrets from Salamandra, those bad guys will be more advanced or present in greater numbers or something. An interesting consequence might be for the new bad guys to have the new, super mutations that Geralt alone has, at least among the graduates of the Wolf school. Or if CDPR wanted this to go the other way, they could decide that Salamandra sold the secrets in order to buy lab equipment if Geralt protected the lab but didn't sell them if he fought the frightener or that the Temerian branch of Salamandra shared the secrets with other branches of Salamandra if they didn't have the equipment to use them but got right to work on them if they did.But what if the mutated fighter is from another witcher school? Could the stolen witcher's secrets matter if that's who the assassin is? Well, sure. A good writer can tie in anything. IF the assassin is from another witcher school, it could be that that entire school has "turned" and started hunting humans. But it doesn't have to mean that. Berengar didn't exactly adhere to the straight-and-narrow of the Wolf school, but that didn't mean that the entire Wolf school had turned. The assassin could be one of a handful of witchers from another school who've decided to break the rules. If so, they might well want and need the stolen witchers' secrets. We're told that most witchers didn't know how to make more witchers; only a few people knew that, which is why the Wolf school is in the sad state in which we find it. If the entire school hasn't turned, then the few witchers who have turned could well need to buy or steal the secrets in order to make more people like themselves. If the entire school has turned, there's still the possibility that they knew how to make more witchers ... but not ones like Geralt, with his new, experimental mutation. And Geralt isn't exactly a low-profile witcher; thanks to Dandelion, everybody's heard of him. ;D So acquiring the means to make more people like Geralt could well seem important.And of course, there are lots of other possible consequences of this decision; I've just listed what occurs to me off the top of my head. Feel free to add consequences you've thought of.Okay, that's one decision thought about. Somebody want to start the discussion of another one?

 

[Gamewidow]

well evidently whether or not you let Berengar live has nothing to do with it eace: and isn't TW2 set /before/ TW1 ? in which case, how /could/ any of your decision count ?

 

[Corylea.723]

well evidently whether or not you let Berengar live has nothing to do with it eace:

*laugh* Indeed!

and isn't TW2 set /before/ TW1 ? in which case, how /could/ any of your decision count ?

Huh? Where do you get that from? I thought we read in an interview that TW2 picked up from where the outro to TW1 left off. And it was that same interview that said that at least one decision would count.If you missed it, the interview is here. And this is the part I was thinking of (Google translation of the original language):Q: We waited for the sequel to this title from the very moment when they saw an attempt on the king Foltesta in the final movie "The Witcher 1." When does the new history? The choice made Geralt in the first part, somehow affect the beginning of the game?A: Effects of "The Witcher 2" starts immediately after the final video, of which you speak. Details I can not disclose, I will only say that the game elements will necessarily be based on the player's choice in the first part. However, keep in mind that for people in "The Witcher 1" is not playing, the game will also be fully passable.

 

[secondchildren]

Q: We waited for the sequel to this title from the very moment when they saw an attempt on the king Foltesta in the final movie "The Witcher 1." When does the new history? The choice made Geralt in the first part, somehow affect the beginning of the game?A: Effects of "The Witcher 2" starts immediately after the final video, of which you speak. Details I can not disclose, I will only say that the game elements will necessarily be based on the player's choice in the first part. However, keep in mind that for people in "The Witcher 1" is not playing, the game will also be fully passable.

I'm afraid I must agree with game widow, despise this interview. I don't know what CDP exactly means, but to make this happen, one shoudl export his\her own hero from a former gameplay in TW1. Otherwise, I cannot really guess how my\your choices could have consequences in TW2.The only videogame that i know with such "a power" is Baldur's Gate, where you can really export your character from BG1 to BG2.Btw, I don't think (if what you said really will be) that those choices will have a real impact on TW2 story.

 

[Corylea.723]

to make this happen, one shoudl export his\her own hero from a former gameplay in TW1. Otherwise, I cannot really guess how my\your choices could have consequences in TW2.The only videogame that i know with such "a power" is Baldur's Gate, where you can really export your character from BG1 to BG2.

Well, exporting is a way, but it's not the only way. As I said here, it's possible to have the player report which choices they made in TW1 and to have this make at least some story sense.

Btw, I don't think (if what you said really will be) that those choices will have a real impact on TW2 story.

I thought people would be interested in discussing which choices might matter, so I was trying to kick off the discussion by talking about the very first choice the player makes and having people continue the discussion from there with subsequent choices. It looks like people aren't interested in this discussion, though, so I'll just say what I think might matter.The "Identity" quest isn't resolved at the end of TW1, nor has Geralt recovered his memory by the end of the game. He could just have amnesia forever; if so, then the choices he made in the Identity quest could well matter in TW2. Even if he does recover his memory, those choices could still matter. The ones that impact that quest in TW1 are Why Geralt is pursing the SalamandersThe Scoia'tael, Order, or Neutral pathSparing or killing the werewolfGeralt's feelings about killing humansWhether or not Geralt believes in destinyThe romantic choice of Triss or ShaniWhether Geralt sees his romantic choice as the love of his life, a friend with benefits, or a close but non-love relationshipI doubt that they'd want to have ALL of those choices count in TW2, and the ones that make less difference to the plot in TW1 -- like what Geralt says to Dandelion about killing humans or what he says to the Lady of the Lake about destiny -- seem to me to have the most potential for long-term consequences for TW2. But that's just a guess.What gives me pause is that game widow said that TW2 would be a PREquel, not a sequel. If it were most other people, I'd say she was just drinking too much , but game widow has access to sources of information that we do not have. She's on a special Witcher board that's only for big shots, and they often get information before the rest of us. But the leaked video certainly looked as if it should be a sequel -- Geralt looked older, and he was fighting another of those two-bladed assassins -- so I dunno.

 

[petra_silie]

I have heard of this PREquel thing for TW2 as well but it confuses me a lot how this should work with the decisions Geralt had made in TW1 :hmmm:Nevertheless I think the Salamandra case is finished, closed and in the archive ;D You mentioned a lot of (tiny) clue-puzzles but there is no really proof or indication for it. In my opinion these are too minor to get revived in TW2. Azar Javed is dead, de Aldersberg is dead. If they used the witchers secrets for successful experiments they let Geralt into it with their last breath... just as a delayed revenge "You killed me but you lost because our creatures live and *bla* ".Furthermore there is no indication of a probable successor of both. Someone who now holds all the strings to lead the Salamandra.I think...we will meet again: the Scoia'tael because it's a major conflict in the sagaKings of the Northern realms (network of intrigues)and maybe (new) more involvement of Nilfgaard, opponent no. 1 of all Northern realms. Maybe Emhyr var Emreis (sp?) the imperor of Nilfgaard as well.All give a vast field to embed an independing story ah yes, and the Alvin case isn't closed as well :hmmm: and there was a reference / indication at the end of the game (except the outro).

 

[Corylea.723]

I have heard of this PREquel thing for TW2 as well

Can you tell us what you heard and where you heard it?

 

[secondchildren]

I thought people would be interested in discussing which choices might matter, so I was trying to kick off the discussion by talking about the very first choice the player makes and having people continue the discussion from there with subsequent choices. It looks like people aren't interested in this discussion, though, so I'll just say what I think might matter.

Indeed it is interesting . I didn't mean to depreciate you question. I was just wondering how this thing could work.

I doubt that they'd want to have ALL of those choices count in TW2, and the ones that make less difference to the plot in TW1 -- like what Geralt says to Dandelion about killing humans or what he says to the Lady of the Lake about destiny -- seem to me to have the most potential for long-term consequences for TW2. But that's just a guess.

Possible. I would like to see all these too in the sequel.

What gives me pause is that game widow said that TW2 would be a PREquel, not a sequel. If it were most other people, I'd say she was just drinking too much , but game widow has access to sources of information that we do not have. She's on a special Witcher board that's only for big shots, and they often get information before the rest of us. But the leaked video certainly looked as if it should be a sequel -- Geralt looked older, and he was fighting another of those two-bladed assassins -- so I dunno.

I have heard of this PREquel thing for TW2 as well

Can you tell us what you heard and where you heard it?

In this case, it's really nonsense if our former choices would have consequences or not....... this should be cleared by CDP too, maybe :hmmm:

I think...we will meet again: the Scoia'tael because it's a major conflict in the sagaKings of the Northern realms (network of intrigues)and maybe (new) more involvement of Nilfgaard, opponent no. 1 of all Northern realms. Maybe Emhyr var Emreis (sp?) the imperor of Nilfgaard as well.[\quote]These all are things that i would like to see in a se(pre)quel. And i have the feeling this time Geralt will meet an emperor eventually.

ah yes, and the Alvin case isn't closed as well :hmmm: and there was a reference / indication at the end of the game (except the outro).

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

 

[tlazolteotl]

CDPR does good work, so I'm gonna play TW2 and see how they make things work.But on the question of how decisions could affect sequels, check out mass effect 2 (will be released later this month) .. where dozens of decisions from ME1 will be significant.Technology-wise, it's not too difficult to incoporate ... all the importing process needs to do is read your (save game) quest log, to see how you did your quests.It's a great deal more difficult to make the story elements work.

 

[petra_silie]

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

Where do we have an indication that time traveling is possible? I think it's a result of the community's speculations... or did I mess/miss something?

I have heard of this PREquel thing for TW2 as well

Can you tell us what you heard and where you heard it?

Honestly I don't remember as it wasn't official and not in article.

 

[secondchildren]

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

Where do we have an indication that time traveling is possible? I think it's a result of the community's speculations... or did I mess/miss something?

Well, it's my speculation, based on what Triss told Geralt when he asked about Alvin (in Chapter V, at Royal Castle). She said something like that he could teleported himself through space and maybe through time, too. But I'm just guessing.......

 

[illusivespatula]

I must've missed talk of a prequel, I always thought it took place after the first game.Either way, decisions I think may pop up could be Shani Vs Triss, for example.

 

[Gamewidow]

i could be wrong

 

[petra_silie]

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

Where do we have an indication that time traveling is possible? I think it's a result of the community's speculations... or did I mess/miss something?

Well, it's my speculation, based on what Triss told Geralt when he asked about Alvin (in Chapter V, at Royal Castle). She said something like that he could teleported himself through space and maybe through time, too. But I'm just guessing.......

Yes... :hmmm: I vaguely remember somethng like that but since no-one returned to this theory I thought it hasn't a greater importance.

 

[secondchildren]

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

Where do we have an indication that time traveling is possible? I think it's a result of the community's speculations... or did I mess/miss something?

Well, it's my speculation, based on what Triss told Geralt when he asked about Alvin (in Chapter V, at Royal Castle). She said something like that he could teleported himself through space and maybe through time, too. But I'm just guessing.......

Yes... :hmmm: I vaguely remember somethng like that but since no-one returned to this theory I thought it hasn't a greater importance.

Well, I remember another hint about time travels, not in the game, but in Sapkowsky'books. There's this sorceress, Nimue (or the Lady of the Lake) coming from the future, that makes this travel back to the past to meet Ciri. She is very interested in Geralt and Ciri's story. Another hint comes from the magical portal in Tor Lara. Ciri passed throught this to escape to the Thannedd's coup. Sapkowsky says that this portal was known to be very unstable. So maybe it could teleported a persone both through time and space. It is not confirmed as well......

 

[gorthuar]

I thought it was, since the GM is dead. I mean: i know there are time trips and some other weirdies, but if the GM dies (assumingly he IS Alvin) the timeline is broken. Maybe, Geralt might meet him again I don't know, buto no chance of changing the future.

Where do we have an indication that time traveling is possible? I think it's a result of the community's speculations... or did I mess/miss something?

Well, it's my speculation, based on what Triss told Geralt when he asked about Alvin (in Chapter V, at Royal Castle). She said something like that he could teleported himself through space and maybe through time, too. But I'm just guessing.......

Yes... :hmmm: I vaguely remember somethng like that but since no-one returned to this theory I thought it hasn't a greater importance.

Well, I remember another hint about time travels, not in the game, but in Sapkowsky'books. There's this sorceress, Nimue (or the Lady of the Lake) coming from the future, that makes this travel back to the past to meet Ciri. She is very interested in Geralt and Ciri's story. Another hint comes from the magical portal in Tor Lara. Ciri passed throught this to escape to the Thannedd's coup. Sapkowsky says that this portal was known to be very unstable. So maybe it could teleported a persone both through time and space. It is not confirmed as well......

It's the other way around. Ciri, the Mistress of Space and Time, jumps through exactly that - the innumerable possible worlds and times. She sees some dinosaurs, visits our Earth both in the "time" of King Arthur, the 1390s' and then in the 1920's. She visits her own world at the right time, but in the wrong place three times, I think. And she also visits it in the future at least twice. One when the sorceress you mentioned was fresh out of the Academy, and then several decades later, when said sorceress runs her own experiments and won some renown.Sapkowski doesn't hint at it, he drops a huge anvil about it!I thank you for your timeGorthuar of MirtheMaster of Arcane Magick

 

[petra_silie]

Yes I know the Tor Lara portal. As far as I understand its function it's merely a portal to change the location... teleport but it doesn't effect the time :hmmm:

 

[triss01]

Rly nice discussioun here and excellent question Cory , i started similiar thread coz we can see now from Bioware games that is possible that saves in game influence on sequels.I think it would be good if Cd project make that options for players , it would feel like Witcher world is like real one and that it develop and change constantly based also on our decisiouns and that would add more to the game realism.What i think should inluence on second part of the game are some major decisiouns we made during 1 part like :- Side if we chossed one , either Order or Scoia'tael and that could influence on our interaction in TW2 with other characters, also with that maybe possible to see either Sigfried or Yaewin.- Our romantic choice in 1 part Triss or Shani . one would expect maybe our relation with that character can be even more deeper in 2 part than was in 1 one.- Also we would be able to see in 2 part our possible allies like Adda or Abigal if we spared their lives in 1 part .- Also maybe it could be made that we would regret some of our choices in 1 part coz maybe some characters didnt showed their real character to us in 1 part and their evilness and conspiracys could surprise us in second part .

 

[petra_silie]

- Also we would be able to see in 2 part our possible allies like Adda or Abigal if we spared their lives in 1 part .

In this case they could merely have a minor part which doesn't influence the main story in the sake of those players who didn't spare them... or there are alternative persons to the slaughtered NPCs.

- Also maybe it could be made that we would regret some of our choices in 1 part coz maybe some characters didnt showed their real character to us in 1 part and their evilness and conspiracys could surprise us in second part .

That could be very interesting though I can't imagine that Zoltan betrays Geralt. But there are others from the nonhuman faction

 

[secondchildren]

- Also we would be able to see in 2 part our possible allies like Adda or Abigal if we spared their lives in 1 part .

In this case they could merely have a minor part which doesn't influence the main story in the sake of those players who didn't spare them... or there are alternative persons to the slaughtered NPCs.

Nooooo! I loved so much Abigail and Adda

- Also maybe it could be made that we would regret some of our choices in 1 part coz maybe some characters didnt showed their real character to us in 1 part and their evilness and conspiracys could surprise us in second part .

That could be very interesting though I can't imagine that Zoltan betrays Geralt. But there are others from the nonhuman faction [/QUOTE]Really? who?