[W1 Adventure] The Crossroads

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I'm not much of a specialist in this matter, but I'd definitely choose mp3 for everyday use. It's unlikely you'll face any problems using it anywhere. As for ogg, not every piece of software (or hardware) supports it and I don't know how tagging works. Theoretically ogg offers higher bitrates, so probably that's the reason why it's used in games. In my opinion the difference between high quality mp3 and high quality ogg is inaudible.

I just noticed that original Witcher game uses Ogg Vorbis for soundtrack, so I figured that engine supports it. CDPR probably preferred Vorbis for better technology, and also since it's an open codec (otherwise they'd be probably messing with mp3 licensing which is pointless, when there are better and free codecs around).

In everyday use I prefer Ogg (Ogg is really a container, the codec itself is called Vorbis) - if I transcode a CD let's say to audio files, I always use Ogg Vorbis for it. It has several benefits over mp3:

1. It's open codec (mp3 is closed) - no patents attached. So you can use it for Web audio, which you can't do with mp3 (i.e. tag).
2. It has better compression for the same quality and smarter algorithm for decoding, so it saves space, processing power and energy consumption on decompression, consider it more "green" if you like. Most don't pay attention to energy factor, but it's there (it becomes more relevant to those who host media content, consider YouTube for example).
3. Vorbis is just a next generation audio codec, comparing to older generation and inferior mp3. So you just use better technology.

Even next in the line is Opus (state of art and also open codec), but its really new, and lacks wider adoption. Vorbis on the other hand is around for a long time already, and gained enough adoption, that many digital players support it now:
https://wiki.xiph.org/PortablePlayers

You can read about Vorbis tagging here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorbis_comment
Most normal players and audio processing software support such tagging already.

 

[Srogyy]

So it seems you've already got the answer If using ogg is more convenient for you, then right - there's definitely no reason to pick the other format. I'll stay with mp3 though.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Yeah, for personal use - any format will do, as far as you can play it where you need to I was thinking more about developers' choice though.

 

[Srogyy]

I was thinking more about developers' choice though.

Yeah, I think you made good point in this aspect.

 

[AkiA]

Soundtrack is excellent. Listened it couple of times so far! Enjoying it much more than the official W2 soundtrack.

Unfortunately I'm really frustrated with the mod though. Played about hour and had about five crashes. Not sure if it's a hardware problem. Game just throws itself to desktop, music keeps playing. (Had problems with Far Cry 3 last month, GPU stopped responding occasionally for a while but returned to normal after jumping to desktop. Did play through Mafia 1&2 last week without any problems though.)

The mod itself seems really interesting though even if I haven't got that far. I would nitpick about the herb collecting time limit since you most likely will meditate (to spend the character points) at some point during the first the only to find out the lass died during the night.

Somewhat funny bug. There are flowers in couple of places which say sewant mushrooms and when picked give flower petals.

 

[AkiA]

Okay, seems like the problem is with my GPU and not your mod.

 

[Corylea.723]

Here's another picture of some of the faces that have been re-done for this adventure:

Cool, huh?

I don't know why Ifrit isn't posting their own publicity for this adventure, but since they aren't ... I will.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Good job!

 

[RSIK_4]

Here's another picture of some of the faces that have been re-done for this adventure:

Cool, huh?

I don't know why Ifrit isn't posting their own publicity for this adventure, but since they aren't ... I will.

Nice ........Ubercoool

 

[AkiA]

Could you perhaps spoil about Kalivan. The mission seems impossible. You know after I went to the specific place.

E: HMM. Made it after about five times. Seemed really impossible. Problem was Geralt was sometimes facing wrong direction and a single step in the wrong way led to a mission failed after taking five steps in to right direction.

 

[flubbcio]

I updated the link in the first post

 

[bengeddes]

I don't know why Ifrit isn't posting their own publicity for this adventure, but since they aren't ... I will. />/>

Yes, this adventure needs more hype. Actually they all do, but especially this one and these other "late bloomers" that have come out in the last year or two. The most recent ones are so rich in quality content (makes sense, if you're building it for years and years)!

 

[Benzenzimmern]

This adventure looks very interesting, I'm checking it our right now.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff199/Bloodhnd/new_faces_zpsa5981d9e.jpg (the left guy looks a lot like Mr. Sapkowski http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/3/4035/z4035953Q,Andrzej-Sapkowski-podczas-spotkania-z-czytelnikami.jpg )

 

[fantasta]

Thanks for all the comments and pinpointing the problems. Special thanks to Corylea for detailed descriptions of some bugs and publicity After the initial English version release on 24th December, a new improved version 1.2 was published on 30th of January. Apart from bug fixing, the new version includes a hidden tiny quest for those who like puzzles. Have fun playing the adventure

 

[bengeddes]

To all the awesome people in Ifrit who worked on this: great job! This is really a fantastic adventure, and one of my favorites. I've told people that if they only play one adventure for TW1, it should be this one.

Extra thanks to the translators and proofreaders who worked on it. It would be a tragedy if we English-speakers weren't able to play this gem.

I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere in the village and surrounding forest. It was gloomy and grim, with a rainy, tense mood. Everything had a green, cloudy cast that suggested an impending storm. The forest and vegetation was dense, making a verdant and ominous landscape. Even though the area was built from a familiar map, I often got turned around and pleasantly lost wandering in the woods. The interiors and exteriors were really well decorated.

The characters were unique and had memorable personalities. There was great use of all the different NPC models and there were no duplicates and few filler characters. All the reworked NPC models looked very cool, including Geralt.

The quests were interesting and many had unpredictable turns and resolutions. There were some really challenging fights. I liked how there was a quest about a strange, huge grey wolf with knowing, intelligent eyes, and another quest about a man who thinks he might be a werewolf. I don't know if it was intended, but I liked wondering for a while whether it was the same person and whether the quests would intersect.

There were other interesting aspects, like sedating and capturing a monster rather than killing it. I also appreciated multiple ways to resolve almost every quest, not just the main quest. The side quests also all affected the main quest, since your approval/disapproval with the bandit factions depended on how you solved side quests.

There were many possible endings, and they were satisfying and thorough. They had some great artwork in the epilogue slides too. It was gratifying to be presented with two options, and then to discover a third option on your own, without it being too obvious.

Sexual encounters were interesting and varied. In one case if Geralt tries too hard or backpedals, he blows his chance quite easily. In another instance, Geralt realizes he's the one who's been seduced for a change. I also laughed a bit at the girl who was so resistant to Geralt's charms that she eventually just tells him "I'm gay, I don't like men."

I enjoyed the quest involving the Lionhead Spider Cult. I was a fan of the Lovecraftian elements in the main game, and it was cool to see some showing up in this adventure.

The soundtrack was really great - I have to give a big thanks to the composer/performer(s) for making great music like this, melancholy and emotive. The Crossroads soundtrack has been on my playlist for some weeks now, I enjoy it so much.

I hope these words of appreciation reach you, adventure creators. Thank you for making this!



I put together a screenshot gallery from The Crossroads showing off the cool environment, characters, and monsters.

 

[fantasta]

Thank you for a detailed review. I think this is one of the best adventures for The Witcher 1 (btw, I also highly value Corylea's adventures and Dan's Wraiths of Quiet Hamlet I'd like to congratulate the Ifrit team for their excellent work: great music, interesting quests, characters and atmosphere, and superb artwork. I was hesitant at first when asked for help with finishing the adventure because there was a number of issues and game breaking bugs and I wanted just to polish some Polish dialogues and remove some typos, but when I saw the plot, the art, the locations, well, how could I say no?
Thanks to the quality of the adventure the tedious work -- connected with making quests playable till the end and removing bugs -- was very, very rewarding. Thanks to all the Djinni artists and translators for their work, too You can find all the names of the creators when you open the folder Public Documents/The Witcher/The Crossroads, plus you can find the great soundtrack there.
I'm glad I could help with finishing this adventure. By the way, did anyone find a hidden secret in the village?

 

[bengeddes]

Thank you for a detailed review. I think this is one of the best adventures for The Witcher 1 (btw, I also highly value Corylea's adventures and Dan's Wraiths of Quiet Hamlet

Absolutely, my top picks for the best are Crossroads, Medical Problems 1&2, Evil Decision, Wraiths of Quiet Hamlet, and And a Curse, and Love and Betrayal.

By the way, did anyone find a hidden secret in the village?

There was some kind of clue about a hidden treasure, I think. Or maybe that was in And a Curse, and Love, and Betrayal. I played them back to back. Either way, I never found it!

 

[fantasta]

There was some kind of clue about a hidden treasure, I think. Or maybe that was in And a Curse, and Love, and Betrayal. I played them back to back. Either way, I never found it!

A treasure in And a Curse, and Love, and Betrayal is to be found in the quest The Enchanted Circle, it is somewhere in the fields and you can't get hold of it easily, but it is visible from the very beginning.
A secret in The Crossroads is connected with finding:

Spoiler

three books in some huts in the village, the first book is in the smith's hut. The last book

describes the location of a hidden treasure, though it's not a very detailed description.
I don't want to spoil what you can find, though it's definitely worth a bit of effort. So my little tip is: after finding the

Spoiler

third book

look somewhere near the

Spoiler

Crossroads (I don't mean the whole village, have a look on the map)

 

[bengeddes]

A treasure in And a Curse, and Love, and Betrayal is to be found in the quest The Enchanted Circle, it is somewhere in the fields and you can't get hold of it easily, but it is visible from the very beginning.

I definitely got that one! I think I liked that quest even more than the main quest actually.

That means I'll be on the lookout for the books when I replay The Crossroads. Thanks.

 

[fantasta]

I definitely got that one! I think I liked that quest even more than the main quest actually.

It was my special addition to And a Curse..., my last quest for The Witcher 1, so I wanted it to be of decent quality, it's like a small adventure within a big adventure
It's really heartwarming to see such a comment like yours, so thanks a lot