The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Retail PC Version FAQ

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Retail PC Version FAQ

A lot of you have been asking about the GOG.com code being in the boxed version of the game. The answer is YES! Please check below for more details regarding this fact.

Q: Do I need Internet access to install the retail PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
A: The initial, pre-premiere retail PC batch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt needs to download a file from our servers to allow play. This file will either be downloaded automatically during installation process or you can choose to download it manually from a dedicated website. Since we have no DRM in the game, this is a security measure we needed to incorporate so the game doesn’t leak during the production process. No worries, the file will not be big. Copies of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt produced after launch will not contain this security feature.

Q: Will there be any sort of serial number provided in the retail PC box?
A: The game does not require any serial code to install or play. However, each retail PC copy of Wild Hunt will contain an additional GOG.com game code for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. See below for details.

Q: What is the GOG.com game code found in the box used for?
The game code grants you access to a digital backup copy of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on GOG.com. You will also receive full software support, i.e. future updates, as well as all the additional content like the 16 Free DLCs, the FLAC & MP3 soundtrack, comics, wallpapers, art book, all voice over packs and more.

Q: Can I install and play the game without the GOG.com game code?
A: Yes you can install and play the game without the game code.

Q: Will I be able to install updates and the free DLCs without using the GOG.com game code?
We decided to offer software support, DLCs, and extra goodies only to gamers who confirm their purchase with the provided game code on GOG.com. This is the only way for us to differentiate between you, honest gamers who bought our game, and pirates who snatched it from the Internet.

Q: Do I need to become a GOG.com user to play the game I just bought?
A: You can install and play the game without becoming a GOG.com user.
 
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However, each retail PC copy of Wild Hunt will contain an additional GOG.com game code for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Nice! Was considering buying an optical drive, but now I don't have to anymore.

Thanks a ton for the FAQ! :)
 
What? needs to download a file from our servers to allow play.What?

So buy the retail PC game and then sell the code. Seems like the code has more value than the actual retail product, so you can get a good price for it whereby making the price of the retail PC game less.

So when do I buy the retail PC copy that doesn't need the internet to work? You know the product that I wanted.

Now I have to tell all the people who doesn't have internet, to not buy the game. I got these people to pre-order the game because no internet would be needed and now I have to say oops.

All I want to know is when can I buy the product that I wanted with no internet needed? Will it be labeled? How will I know? Do I have to wait months?

From so excited for this product to figuring out how to get rid of it. Like wtf, buy it install it sell it and then wait for the product I wanted to buy in the first place. I don't get it. Oh for the pirates who wasn't going to buy it in the first place.
 
Well the first patch is not the product that I wanted nor expected. At least it has value. As in sell the code and sell the retail copy. I should have more money than I spent on the first batch.

You mentioned updates. The product is not what I wanted so updates, DLC, ect, that's locked to a code, I can wait till the second batch, you know, the product that I actually wanted and won't sell.
 
So basically, don't preorder if you don't want online activation?

That's a weird marketing model, if I may say so. I don't really like it as a security measure either. Couldn't this be done with good old activation codes, if you didn't want it lo leak during production?

There rest is pretty much "if you have Internet to download a patch, you have Internet to verify the game", so I guess I'm fine with it. Still, I don't think pirates will be unable to work around all this anyway...
 
It's not online activation, well if you want updates and DLC, it's online activation. But online non the less. Retail shouldn't have internet requirements because offline gamers are then cut off.

They should have just delayed the PC retail game, if pirates (non buyers) were the concern.
 
They should have just delayed the PC retail game, if pirates (non buyers) were the concern.

By how long? There's a risk of leak at any stage from manufacturing to the end-buyer, which means they'd have needed to delay by weeks to avoid it. I think that the number of people who will have problems downloading a small file, and who didn't expect to download a day 1 patch, is a LOT smaller than the number who would be seriously and justifiably upset if they had to wait weeks longer than other buyers.
 
There rest is pretty much "if you have Internet to download a patch, you have Internet to verify the game", so I guess I'm fine with it. Still, I don't think pirates will be unable to work around all this anyway...

Yeah, without going into a piracy discussion, which is off-topic, the verification seems to be in place just so that only legitimate customers can use gog's servers for patches, DLC etc.
 
By how long? There's a risk of leak at any stage from manufacturing to the end-buyer, which means they'd have needed to delay by weeks to avoid it. I think that the number of people who will have problems downloading a small file, and who didn't expect to download a day 1 patch, is a LOT smaller than the number who would be seriously and justifiably upset if they had to wait weeks longer than other buyers.

Don't nit pick my comments. Don't dance around the other issues I brought up. I know delaying is not an option.

Now. What do I care about leaks. What do I care about pirates. What do I care about online people. I care about the product in retail. As it stands, day 1, codes and retail product will be up for sale, secondhand. As it stands the offline buyers are cut off.

Anyway. I have said what I wanted to say. The Witcher 3 PC retail product cuts off the offline gamers. And Dragonbird doesn't care because that number is small or so he says.

I just want to know when the second batch is coming out, so that I can know when to buy the product I wanted.
 
Don't nit pick my comments. Don't dance around the other issues I brought up. I know delaying is not an option.

Sorry you consider it nit-picking, but you did say it.
And yes, I do care. I'm buying retail, with a delivery date around 2 weeks later than the launch date. And I find it sad if someone has zero internet access and can't download a small file, not even through mobile, or a wifi hotspot, or a cafe or friend, but I honestly don't think there will be that many of them.
 
So I called a "link" between GoG and retail. It is a little more linked than I'd thought, but along similar lines.

Yeah, I'm actually unsure about one thing - if you don't want a gog account, but you do want the updates and DLC, could you just use the verification code to authorise the downloads, without having to make a gog account and claim a back-up copy. Because it sounds like you must create a gog account in order to get patches legitimately.
 
Sorry you consider it nit-picking, but you did say it.
And yes, I do care. I'm buying retail, with a delivery date around 2 weeks later than the launch date. And I find it sad if someone has zero internet access and can't download a small file, not even through mobile, or a wifi hotspot, or a cafe or friend, but I honestly don't think there will be that many of them.

If you buy a retail product, you shouldn't have to go look for the rest of the game else where, before it works. You shouldn't go look on your mobile. You shouldn't have to go look for a wifi hotspot. You can't be buying a retail product and going to look for a cafe to get the rest of that product after you have bought that product.

The issue is not about you feeling sorry for those people. The issue is not about the number of those people. The issue is not having to look for the rest of the product after buying that said product.

This PC retail product of CDPR is pretty shit. They can not blame leaks and pirates for this shitty retail product. They can only blame themselves. Now I have to sell this shit retail product, creating another problem, and wait for the proper product to buy. It shouldn't be like this.

What happened to making it easy for the buying customers. Oh you only making it easy for the internet connected buying customers, gog, steam, origin. Oh you making the retail product easy for them as well. I see. I guess this retail PC product is not for all, after all.
 
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So, how about pre-load for digital edition. When it's coming ,there's only 2 weeks left. Most people are need at least 1 week.
 
Thank you a lot for this information!

I haven't had a DVD Rom drive ever since I upgraded my computer a few months ago.
 
Honestly, anyone can go online and log on to the forum in order to share their comments and join in discussions.
But to go online and download a patch is troublesome or a issue that need to be discussed?

We live in the present, and most games have a day one patch as there are things they fix in between the final production and release date.

*sigh*

I'm just happy that I will be able to play The Witcher 3 without having to use Steam, which I had to use in order to play Skyrim. And I don't like Steam at all because there are too many features and it's just a thing that is not for me.

:) just 2 more weeks or so, wee!
 
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@Persei8 I'm sorry, but at this point you're not really making a stand, you're just abusing the system while trying to justify it with the excuse of not being happy.

If you truly wish to show that you don't like this practice, then you cancel the pre-order and only buy the game once it's in the state that you desire. Otherwise, you've made 0 impact, while thinking of making some extra dosh on the side from selling 2 copies of the game - the gog code and the retail version. In that case, you'll have to excuse me if I'm not symapthetic to your plights.
 
and the truth gets deleted. lol. I speak about stuff that's going to happen. deleting the, offline gamer voice, deleting the day 1 secondhand selling, deleting that CDPR is the same as the rest, ain't going to change much.

Pretty interesting that my comment was deleted. There was nothing that I said that was worth deleting. So pretty interesting. lol. Deleting my comments is not going to change what I said. It is the reality of events that will unfold. lol. deleting my comments. It says a lot.
 
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