So I bought the Withcer series since I've never played any of them and I want to run them through in order, yep.

Picked them up on GOG but the first one (Enhanced Edition) wouldn't run so I bought it again on Steam.

Still won't run.

I've tried every trick in existence to get it running, it won't launch. I run-as-admin, I run launcher.exe, witcher.exe, everything. Nothing will work.

Running Win7x64 Intel Quad Core, 8GB, HD6990. Nothing crazy, very stable and 'clean' system, drivers are good bla bla..

Has ANYONE had this problem and found a solution? I'm dying to do the series but can't ever start it!

9 years ago

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you need to install the update for the TAGES driver..

9 years ago
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For Steam? Or GOG?

GOG is DRM-free, the forums tell you to uninstall it if you have it.

As for Steam, nope. Steam is/was the DRM, tages was dumped by CD Projekt Red.

9 years ago
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I haven't had any problems at all loading my GOG copies of Witcher games.
I mean, I don't like the fact that the first game has the second worst combat system of any game ever made [second only to Trigger Man on the PS2], but it runs fine :P

Maybe if you detail the exact manner in which it doesn't run, we could offer better advice?
Also, GOG has its own forums: you could ask there, if you haven't already.

9 years ago
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Really? What''s people's problem with that game's combat? Sure, it's a little on the easy side, but I'd prefer it ten times to the bullshit turn based combat from JRPGs, which people seem to like so much.

9 years ago
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It is annoying and it doesn't give you any room to deviate. You just click and click and click. To make it worse you have to click at certain intervals as well. The most exciting part of combat is when you get to switch sword stances which is just another annoyance to make up for the fact that none of the combat is actually different.

9 years ago
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Yeah, it's pretty famously bad.
I don't begrudge anyone liking it (even though I'd find that fantastically peculiar), but there's no depth, involvement, or complexity within in it.

Nevermind that it's also fairly unresponsive, so most of learning the ridiculously simple combat system, is learning how to compensate for its poor implementation.

But yeah, basically, when just the default attack in an action-RPG is more responsive (and sometimes even more complex) than your entire combat system, that's a pretty unfortunate thing :P

It's a gorgeous game, and you want to love it, but if the combat is going to be like that, they may as well include an auto-combat feature.

Put another way, it's not subjectively bad- ie, it's not that a western action-RPG is being compared to JRPGs- it's objectively bad, in that every other western action-RPG manages to offer far more, in terms of complexity, depth, and responsiveness.

9 years ago*
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Exactly. I have the entire series between GOG and Steam and I'm seriously thinking about just watching playthrough/cutscenes to get caught up on story so I don't have to deal with the first game. I've heard the second is better.

Also I think you and I have spoken about this before...

9 years ago
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Wouldn't be surprising if we've discussed it before- I've been trying to get people to convince me to play the second game for a while [since I own it, but the first one turned me so heavily off the series, I never bothered touching it].

I didn't even think about doing that- I'll need to see if I can find a cutscene compilation on youtube or something, that's smart.
The cutscenes definitely were fantastic- a sharp contrast to the gameplay. :X

9 years ago
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Thats odd. I'm using an older laptop with even worse system specs and I can run both Witcher 1 and 2 without problems. They only thing I can think of is Nvidia legacy drivers ... It worked for some other older games for my cousin who also has an AMD card.

9 years ago*
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Contact GOG support about it. They probably have a fix.

9 years ago
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Done that. The idiot told me to install tages.

9 years ago
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Are you getting a "System Requirements Not Met" or similar error?
http://www.gog.com/support/the_witcher/error_on_launch_warning_minimum_system_requirements_not_met

9 years ago*
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Nope. No error. No black screen. Nothing. I still tried that fix, nope.

9 years ago
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Personally I'd direct you to my favorite site for all kinds of fix and tweaks for any game i.e. PCGamingWiki

The link will take you directly to the Witcher page. It might help.

9 years ago
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Scoured through this, very helpful, thanks. But no luck.

9 years ago
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I've tried all the 'fixes' I can find online and the ones I just tried on my own. I've uninstalled, cleared out the registry, contacted CD Projekt, the GOG forums, the Steam forums, all of it. Others have had this problem and all have found different ways to get it to work. In all my years of gaming, I've never had a title I couldn't get to run. This thing is making me crazy.

I just re-installed the Steam version again, NOPE!

9 years ago
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Did you try to stop all programs like fraps, radeonPro or sth similar? everything that could affect games? This solves a lot of issues. Also, did you already restart your PC since you installed the game? I know, sounds totally dumb, but this was my mistake once with a game, its so stupid -_-

9 years ago
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Yes and yes. Even disabled AV scanner.

9 years ago
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Yes and yes. Good suggestion, though. Thanks! Even disabled AV scanner.

9 years ago
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Do you have sweetfx, reshade or sth installed for the witcher?

9 years ago
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Nope. Clean install every time.

9 years ago
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Are you running a dual monitor setup by chance? I had a similar issue. Either way, have you attempted manually specifying the resolution to your desktop resolution? Are you getting any errors, or is it just refusing to launch?

9 years ago
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Launching either witcher.exe or launcher.exe does squat. Nothing at all, not even a black screen and no error message. Just does nothing. Not dual monitor, just a single 26" panel.

Can launch the game from the editor (F5) and see the main menu after cutscenes, I've changed settings just to test them and they save, it defaulted to my native and I saved out, still won't work 'normally'.

9 years ago
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I've got a similar problem, except with an entirely different game. I'm definitely interested in assisting in diagnosing the issue because of this, but from the sounds of things, you've gone through most steps one would normally recommend. Since you can launch it via editor, I'd assume it to be something with the way the executable is launching it. Since you had the same issue with the GOG version, we can rule out any form of DRM. I may edit this later if I have any more thoughts on it, but I'm interested in the problem and would like to hear the outcome.

9 years ago
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Out of desperation, I tried that. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - Director's Cut v1.5.0.1304 [MULTI10] Fixed Files

Nope.

9 years ago
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Disable Crossfire on your card.

9 years ago
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Single card setup.

9 years ago
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HD6990 is a single card with dual GPUs, and thus it supports Crossfire.
http://www.gog.com/support/support_view/Disabling_SLI_Crossfire_on_multi_GPU_systems_

9 years ago
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Can't seem to do that with the current Catalyst driver but you might be on to something. Dual GPU card could be making Witcher puke. But how to disable it? Seems very tricky...

9 years ago
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There is no matter what a function to disable it either completely by forcing in the drivers OR disabling for a specific game. Any idea what is your driver's version?

9 years ago
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15.20.1062 says they're current.

9 years ago
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Radeon Pro can be used to force a game to run in single GPU instead of XFire. Also if you are using some unattended Windows edition that could be the issue.

9 years ago
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Tried it. Nadda. Forced single GPU, driver is also set to default and changed a few other settings to 'safest', nope.

9 years ago
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Same bullshit.

9 years ago
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Maybe your sound is deactivated under system control? I had a game that couldn't run in this case, though it wasn't The Witcher.

9 years ago
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I have audio.

9 years ago
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Deleted

This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

9 years ago
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Probably right but I've never had a game I couldn't hack/trick/tweak to run. This is driving me crazy.

9 years ago
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I have never had that problem and I installed TW multiple times and in different computers :S

Have you tried post it in the gog forums? In the game forum.

Try to reinstall directx and install directx 9 and try to play it with XP compatibility.

9 years ago
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Yeah, posted on GOG here =

https://www.gog.com/forum/the_witcher/game_wont_launch_no_error_messages_no_nothing/page2

Tried compat-mode, DX9, vcredist, all no go.

9 years ago
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Erase, destroy, send some canadian bombs to the bin folder. Then use the repair thing. Maybe from steam or galaxy. Lets see.

9 years ago
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Did you try to disconnect all devices like gamepad, headphones etc?

EDIT: of course everything except Mouse and Keyboard?

9 years ago*
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Yes. But nothing funky plugged in anyway...

9 years ago
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I don't get it... Re-install OS, fresh drivers, if not working hammer down your PC... or switch to console gaming.

9 years ago
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First thing. define won't run.
Do you get an error?
If you execute it form a command prompt is there any errors then?
If you open Microsoft's event viewer after you run the game are there any mew error reports there?

As there is you do not provide enough information to help you.

9 years ago
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I did but I will again.

Launch doesn't do anything, no black screen, no error. I manually created a shortcut to witcher.exe and another one for launcher.exe and played with as-admin, compat-mode, every combination, even disabling DPI scaling. Same result, no error, no black screen, nothing.

9 years ago
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Have you tried running the game from the command prompt yet? many times error messages will just be sent to st_out and you won't see them unless you do this.

9 years ago
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Good suggestion and I just tried it. I even used an elevated prompt and it doesn't dump anything, just accepts the command and returns prompt. Very odd... I even wrote a small script that dump to stdout to a txt file, it's blank. 8|

9 years ago
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find witcher in steam library -> properties -> Set launch options (under General tab) ->
enter this: -dontforceminreqs
now you can play this
be sure to copy this file for high textures into The Witcher Enhanced Edition/Data/Override
since without it you gonna have locked your textures on minimum details.

EDIT: if it is some other problem, try here

9 years ago*
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This could work, but of course i'm guessing you already tried it :/

9 years ago
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Tried that. And the mod. The link was the FIRST thing I tried a week ago. Whatever the fix is or may be, it's not available online because I've tried them all. System is clean, I wipe the registry after each install, drivers are good, I know what I'm doing and I have never had a game I couldn't run.

9 years ago
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All the info I could fin about that is about 1.4, tages drivers and 1.5 (Who doesnt need any disck or DRM). Its like you still in 1.4 :S

9 years ago
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Tages was dumped with 1.5, it's no longer used. Plus GOG and Steam, neither will work.

9 years ago
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I know, It seems, for what you are saying, that you are still with the 1.4 even you are 1.5 Its super weird and I dont know how to help you.

9 years ago
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Nope, it's 1.5 from GOG.

http://i.imgur.com/WMto5Rg.png

9 years ago
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The only resolved problem I found about this (for that person, it was connected to graphics card), rest of problems are unresolved. Other, more common problems are some kind of error message or crash during play.

9 years ago*
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Interesting link. But as I said, I'm on a HD6990, soon to be on a R390X, which should be here in a day or two. I'm at the point where I might just do a reformat and re-install Windoze.

9 years ago
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Better try to refund and get smth else ='(
Risen I, Gothic I + II, Two Worlds I + II?

BTW: Witcher II has some troubles too, it often has low FPS, even though I have a decent PC for it =/
Seems like CD Projekt RED doesn't want some users to play their games, but we can still buy them .

9 years ago
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Next time go nVidia :P

I'm sorry I have almost nothing helpful to add. Never had any problems and all suggestions I might have had have already been mentioned or tried.

Enable UAC if you haven't by the way. People think turning it off turns it off but it only turns some stuff off and the prompts, it doesn't turn off all protection and then just blocks some things because the prompt doesn't show. Then reinstall the game...also install outside system folders like Program Files, or if you're doing that already try installing it in program files instead.

Also perhaps try a ripped/repacked torrent version. You own two legit copies, the game is DRM free and CD Projekt have said they don't care. Rip or repack only though, not a pure image install.

9 years ago
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Out of desperation, I tried that. No luck.

9 years ago
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Try running the DirectX Web Installer

9 years ago
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It's up to date. Even ran the 2010 redist.

9 years ago
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14 hours++ and still no solution. @-@ That game must really hate you. >-<

9 years ago
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Have you tried turning it off and on again?

9 years ago
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I'm sad that I can't help you with my favourite RPG series, have a free bump at least.

9 years ago
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