The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

They say it gets pretty easy later on unless you crank it up to the third one. Note that meditating doesn't regen your health at the third difficulty.

I'd say. But I'm liking the challenge. Plus there's a potion for recharging your health 3 times before you need to refill it by meditating.
I haven't confirmed yet, but I'm assuming meditating would refill enemy health? If it doesn't, that's kinda silly. "Hey, I'll just stand outside their circle, refill my health as much as I want for free, and chip away at their damage." I mean... I already do that because it's so damn easy to escape everything... but it costs me, atm. That is, if I don't take them all out within 3 recharges from my potion that I now have.

I realize wolves tend to chase you farther than most enemies, but even they're easy to escape because you are faster than everything in the game. I wish this wasn't yet another game where you can stand just outside their "circle" and they'll stop going after you, where you can then recharge your health.

But anyways, I'm at a few dilemmas at the moment. And I'm liking it because you don't usually have these issues in games. I guess I've made some poor purchases, and I'm learning how to balance my money. I've used so much food that I'm broke, even with only the like 2 or 3 times that I've bought food because I was out. I'm going off and doing side things instead of the main story, and I'm not finding enough money yet, or new weapons even, that I can't afford to repair the ones I'm holding because I spent it on food. So I need to use my new potion more now I guess... (limit: 3 before meditating). BUT EVEN SO.... I'm surprised at the rarity of blacksmiths... like wow. I've still yet to find one in the second zone and my weapons are still broke (and... so am I....). So now, I'm venturing around to all the areas around bulletin boards hoping to find a blacksmith. But even when I do, I'm still broke, so what then?... I'll figure it out eventually.


(lol wow... Uplay is giving Black Flag, The Crew, Watch Dogs, AND Child of Light to those who buy it now on Uplay.)

If you haven't already, COMPLETE ALL YOUR QUESTS IN YOUR QUEST LIST before starting the quest to leave the first area! I was surprised and disappointed that, even though I had no markers on my map to check out... I guess I had some quests started which were not currently showing landmark makers on the map anywhere, and of course I wasn't currently tracking them and had only checked the map and not my list, and failed some quests the moment I started the quest to leave.

I'm not sure how often that might happen or if it only happens at the start of the quest for leaving that first zone. It could happen again, so be careful.

Anyways...

I've actually made a self-imposed "challenge" on myself, if you will...

I kinda feel like we're spoiled nowadays with how often we can save, and how close together checkpoints are, and I'm doing it to make myself feel less cheap... less spoiled. What I'm doing is, I'm using my x3 health/vitality regen potion first and my food second (for financial reasons because food doesn't regenerate) and I'm hoping to grow a food buffer sometimes and am keeping myself from buying food because I really need the money for other things. And... I am only quicksaving and meditating when I reach a road. Like the design of most games still, roads are a safezone off limits to creatures (except for abandoned sites designated as overrun by enemies). "OMG A DIRT PATH! STAY AWAY!" says all the enemies..... ugh... CHASE ME GOD DAMNIT!.... I really wish that design mechanic would end... at least on hardcore. But even if that wasn't the case and creatures did continue to keep chasing you farther, Geralt is still faster than every creature in the game pretty much... though really that actually kicks increasingly as you leave their designated circles... which of course never cross roads/dirt path...

Anyways, if I actually remember not to click quicksave, it's actually making how I traverse the world a fun challenge, where the next section of wilderness is an unknown challenge the first time you attempt to cross. And yes, I am very much taking my time. I'm not riding my horse, an yes, I'm even walking. Geralt runs too fast and it ruins just how damned pleasant this game is all the time at a walking pace. Even if it takes forever to get to where you're going. The transition from walking to fast combat is also much more enjoyable than always running and then having no significantly different transition into combat.

(The unfortunate issue with not quicksaving as much though atm is that I have to be careful with going through the menus after looting because it tends to freeze if I go too quickly across the menus...)

Edit: Oh hey, look at that...


But also will be increasing (or maybe adding a setting) the font size in another update.  People on couches weren't fans of the tiny text.

I'll vote for increased text size! I like the way you are going about playing. I can't recall if you ever did end up playing far cry 2, but what you describe is hiw it was on console, pc had quicksave, but on ps3 you could only save at safe houses, that you had to take over, or some other places in safe zones... sure made going out on a mission a nail biter sometimes.

But with the buddy system if you did go down, you'd have one save from a buddy that picked you up and helped you fig ht your way out of trouble....just awesome design imo.

Even my horse wouldn't help me out...

Also, this:
www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witcher-3-dev-tested-bloody-ice-skating-featur/1100-6425774/?ftag=YHR28b9ce3